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This paper builds an econometric model to analyze the income elasticity and price elasticities of sectoral natural gas demand and forecasts China’s natural gas demand up to 2030. The findings indicate that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship among sectoral natural gas demand, sectoral income and various fuel prices. The results also indicate that most price elasticities are smaller relative to developed countries; the effect of fuel prices on natural gas demand is partly offset by the government regulation. In the Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, China’s natural gas demand will reach 340 bcm and 528 bcm and its foreign dependence will reach 27.9% and 43.2% in 2020 and 2030, respectively. The forecast and discussion in this paper provide important insights into China’s energy policy design and pricing mechanism reform, and into the potential impact of China’s growing natural gas demand on global energy market dynamics.

Purpose The purpose of this study sought to identify the main themes linked with wine hotel experiences, based on tourists’ narratives shared online, and to investigate whether these narratives vary according to traveler type. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis was carried out on 4,114 online reviews of 52 wine hotels located in 27 wine regions across 11 nations in both the Old and New World. Findings The analysis of these web reviews revealed that narratives can be grouped under 11 themes organized into 7 main dimensions as follows: wine, lodging (i.e. hotel, area and room), food service (i.e. restaurant and breakfast), scenery (i.e. views and vineyards), staff, transportation and recommendation. The main narratives vary according to traveler type. Practical implications Improving the present understanding of wine tourists’ experiences should help wine hotel managers find new approaches to enhancing visitors’ satisfaction. As the dimensions of wine tourism experiences shared online vary according to traveler type, wine managers can design their offer to target families, couples, friends, solo and corporate clients. Originality/value Prior research has identified the need for market segmentation in the wine tourism industry. This research addresses this need by specifying the wine tourism experience according to traveler type. The breadth of the data, and the method of using travelers’ own testimony as opposed to more common surveying are additional contributions for both academics and managers.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the question: how does socially responsible buying/sourcing applies to human talent? The authors examine this question in the unique context of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) relationship with the “buscones” (agents) representing prospects from the Dominican Republic. Design/methodology/approach – Using game theory, the authors model how MLB teams create rules to curb unethical behavior within the supply chain. The principal relationship the authors will model is that of the franchises and the prospects. This relationship has as its core an investment decision by the individual franchises: should they incur costs to ameliorate the context in which the prospects find themselves, or not? The costs of investment, whether it is in academies, general education, a revision of recruiting policies or something else, must be weighed against the negative externalities that are likely to result if the exploitation of the DR recruits becomes common knowledge to other stakeholders, particularly the public. Findings – The model shows that when investments are roughly evenly distributed, the teams successfully vote to outlaw unethical behaviors and thus collectively avoid the negative externalities. However, when investments are asymmetric, the teams invested in the current system vote against a ban to maintain a competitive edge, even though the system imposes costs on all of those involved. Originality/value – This paper serves as the initial paper that examines international sourcing, social responsibility and baseball. As international sport clubs/franchises continue to source athletic talent from around the globe, the issues discussed in the paper are both original and pertinent.

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a major and unexpected stress test for all countries' economic systems, including their micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and their banking and finance sectors. In addition to the immediate impact of the economic strains posed by the pandemic-related lockdowns and other measures enacted to address the public health crisis, we see COVID-19 as a potential watershed moment for an array of business endeavours, including the financing of MSMEs. While it is quite likely that some degree of 'snapping back' will occur, once the pandemic abates, there is a degree to which things will 'snap forward'. We lay the foundation for the post-crisis policy agenda in MSME finance for Asia and the Pacific. The paper is broadly divided into two main parts. In the first part, we summarize the economic impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs in the region, particularly concerning outcomes such as productivity, profits, and employment among MSMEs. In the second part, we explore the policy responses to this impact within the scope of MSME finance. We conclude the paper with several key takeaways for policymakers that then sets the stage for our analysis of how COVID-19 will change MSME finance in Asia and the Pacific in the years ahead.