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Discusses the history of the kitchen during the twentieth century, and describes how changes in technology, design, domestic life, space, organization, food, consumerism, politics, and gender role has affected its value in a home.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a game-theoretical model for commercial bank foreign direct investment strategy, government policy and domestic banking industry interactions in emerging market economies and demonstrate the application of this strategy to the banking system. Government policy and domestic banking industry interactions in emerging market economies and demonstrate the application of this strategy to the banking system. Design/methodology/approach – The paper develops a game-theoretical model to analyze the optimality of the limiting entry strategy followed by a given domestic institutional sector when considering the entry applications of foreign banks in the domestic financial system. The model analyzes the strategic options available to an emerging market country with a relatively underdeveloped banking system when deciding whether or not and to what extent allow for the entrance of better reputed and more technologically advanced foreign banks in its domestic financial system. Findings – The paper shows that the progressive liberalization of entry restrictions would define the perfect Bayesian equilibria of the subsequent set of continuation games and the respective payoffs derived from this liberalization as the domestic economy integrates and competes within the global financial system. Originality/value – Banks operating in the international financial market have incentives to invest directly in emerging market economies and governments have incentives in allowing foreign banks entry to their market. As banking systems in these economies are generally underdeveloped, opening the financial system to foreign competitors could lead to a decrease in the market share of local banks. Eventually foreign banks could control the banking system and could de facto control the money supply.

The catalyst for the financial crisis that commenced in 2007 was a decline in residential property values in the US following significant inflation, a sector to which banks had been increasingly lending and had widened their market to include lending to non-prime customers often through non-bank intermediaries. These financial assets were distributed and securitised and acquired by financial institutions and institutional investors in many different countries. It is argued that banks' strategies were in response to government policies and demand from global investors. There was an effect on financial markets and economies and also on financial institutions. One particular bank was Northern Rock which had to be nationalised by the government due to the unsustainability of its funding model. The focus of this article is to determine and assess the conditions, causes and catalyst for the financial crisis. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Purpose - Promoting security, stability and cooperation is the raison d'être of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and these are the aims of its strategy of membership enlargement. The incentive of NATO membership has led some former Warsaw Pact applicant countries to reform their political systems, transform their economies, deal with corruption and improve social justice and human rights. However, controversy has surrounded NATO's enlargement because of the current ambiguous and subjective decision-making process and the effect that it could have on the organization. This paper aims to present the results of a study to develop a benchmarking model as a means to assist NATO evaluate and screen potential applicant countries.Design methodology approach - A novel and structured multiple-criteria decision analysis model that considers specific NATO applicant evaluation criteria and environmental forces is offered and a template for a membership evaluation process is proposed. A total of 120 researchers in France, Germany, Switzerland and the USA provided the necessary data on the 23 countries that are analyzed in order to develop the benchmarking model. Four distinct categories were established to categorize these countries. The ranking of the countries based on Euclidean distance from the ideal state is illustrated with a classification schema outlining four typologies as beneficial believers, detrimental disadvantaged, perilous partners and apathetic acquaintances.Findings - Among the potential applicant countries considered as \"beneficial believers\" are Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Ireland while other countries, such as, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Montenegro, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are considered as \"detrimental disadvantaged\". Furthermore, Russia and Ukraine were identified as \"perilous partners\" and Malta, FYR Macedonia, Cyprus, Serbia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Moldova were identified as \"apathetic acquaintances\".Practical implications - This model could be applied to other supranational organizations and multinational firms when assessing international strategic alliances.Originality value - The paper presents the results of a study to develop a benchmarking model as an aid in evaluating and screening potential NATO applicant countries.

In the current technological age, once traditional means of delivering services to customers are losing its dominant position, the application of the Internet has evolved as an innovatively supporting alternative for attracting customers, especially in banking service. In that aspect, customers' perception of online banking service through the delivery of website quality (Webqual) remains the main concern for bank's managers in Vietnamese banking system because customers are easily inclined to another banking service provider due to their poor website-operated experience. Based on the evaluation of factors influencing on banking website quality, its relationship to customer satisfaction and retention, this article suggests the measurement of electronic Customer Satisfaction Index (e-CSI) of perceived banking website quality by three most developed banks of Vietinbank, Vietcombank and BIDV in central Vietnam, from which provides insights that may be useful for improving the quality of online banking service.

This paper argues that retail banks need to focus more strongly on components of their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy that will generate customer affective commitment and lead to an increase in customer retention, share of wallet, and advocacy. It is suggested that affective commitment is generated during ‘moments of truth’ or episodes of interpersonal interaction between customers and bankers. As shown in social psychology, effective interpersonal interactions are a function of the assertiveness and affiliation demonstrated during the interaction. Applying this to retail banking, bankers should mine their databases to identify customers in terms of their levels of profitability and longevity, and should deliver levels of assertiveness and affiliation appropriate to each customer. Testable research propositions are developed regarding how affective commitment might evolve during a customer's tenure with a retail bank, when bankers should deliver assertiveness and/or affiliation to customers of differing longevity and profitability, and how these strategies to increase affective commitment will impact retention, share development, and advocacy. Overall, the call is to complement the emphasis on the use of high-tech CRM strategies that generate huge databases with a more high-touch strategy that will indicate to bankers how to interact with each individual customer.