Communication assumptions in consumer research: An alternative socio‐cognitive approach

Although communication appears natural to most people, the successful act of transferring meaning relies on an alignment of intricate interpretive processes between the sender and receiver. Yet the full range of these intricate processes is often oversimplified, homogenized, and molded according to each paradigm’s narrow epistemological assumptions, leading to contradictory representations across paradigms. For example, within cognitivist and structuralist research the communicative act is portrayed as unproblematic as it engages objectified meaning structures embedded in the structures of texts, symbols, and social practices, which remain independent of (i.e., disembodied from) the interpreting mind. In contrast, in postmodernist research, communication is regarded as implausible as meaning is uniquely created by the receiver (regardless of what is intended by the sender). Although each major perspective provides some insights to the communicative act, the elegance of each camp’s reasoning is undone by it not addressing the full complexity of communication as it actually exists. To provide a more comprehensive and internally consistent understanding of meaning transfer (i.e., communication) we introduce a socio‐cognitive model that accounts for apparent objectivist and subjectivist outcomes. This framework situates meaning production within the mind, driven by the interaction between mental (private and/or cultural) models, cognitive (reflective and/or categorical) processing, and environmental feedback mechanisms.     

The Income Elasticity of Money Demand: A Meta‐Analysis of Empirical Results*

Abstract. In this paper, we use meta‐analytic methods to investigate possible sources for the large variation in empirical findings about the income elasticity of money demand. Our results suggest that the broadness of the monetary aggregate, the inclusion of wealth and the consideration of financial innovation exert a significant influence on estimated income elasticities. Furthermore, we find substantial cross‐country differences, in particular between the US and other countries. These differences can, to some extent, be explained by the macrofeconomic environment and the dissemination of payment cards.     

A comparison of HRM systems in the USA,Japan and Germany in their socio‐economic context

This article provides a comparative analysis of the HR practices of American, Japanese and German companies. The starting point is an investigation of the managerial, economic, socio‐political and cultural contexts of the three HR systems. It will be demonstrated that the socio‐economic contextual factors of the American and Japanese HR systems are in many ways at opposite ends of the spectrum, with the German factors in between. Subsequently, the three HR systems themselves are analysed. The data show that the same pattern, USA and Japan at the extremes and Germany taking a middle position, is valid also for the HR systems. This suggests that the relevant socio‐economic context is highly pertinent for the establishment of an HR system. This outcome does not exclude either the integration of HR practices from a foreign HR model into the domestic one or standardisation efforts of HR practices of multinational companies, but confines the potential for cross‐cultural learning and standardisation to what is within the ‘fit’ of the relevant socio‐cultural context.     

Ein geometrischer Ansatz zur Modellierung von Versicherungsmärkten unter besonderer Berücksichtigung informationsökonomischer Aspekte

Using James Edward Meades geometrical technique for the solution of the various problems of International Trade this article gives a geometry of insurance markets and the solution of economic problems of the insurance industry.     

Comparative Advantage and the Pattern of Trade Within Industries

This paper investigates empirically one aspect of the vertically differentiated models of intraindustry trade. These models predict that the pattern of trade within an industry is based on comparative advantage rather than being completely random. An empirical model is specified in which the relative quality of two countries' bilateral exports within an industry depends on the relative differences in unit labor requirements. Using a variety of econometric methods, the results suggest that the quality of US manufacturing exports to the UK, Japan, and Germany relative to its imports from these countries is positively and significantly related to the relative differences in value added per worker.     

Programme Evaluation with Multiple Treatments

Abstract.  This paper reviews the main identification and estimation strategies for microeconometric policy evaluation. Particular emphasis is laid on evaluating policies consisting of multiple programmes, which is of high relevance in practice. For example, active labour market policies may consist of different training programmes, employment programmes and wage subsidies. Similarly, sickness rehabilitation policies often offer different vocational as well as non‐vocational rehabilitation measures. First, the main identification strategies (control‐for‐confounding‐variables, difference‐in‐difference, instrumental‐variable, and regression‐discontinuity identification) are discussed in the multiple‐programme setting. Thereafter, the different nonparametric matching and weighting estimators of the average treatment effects and their properties are examined.     

Reviewing Thailand's master plans and policies: implications for creative tourism?

This article contributes to an understanding of how creative tourism is perceived on a national level, by using Thailand as a case analysis. The primary objective of this article is to investigate Thailand's plans and policies for the creative economy at both national and ministry levels in relation to creative tourism. It also identifies how a national strategic plan can provide a blueprint for individual agency master plans to provide policy support for the development of the creative economy in the tourism sector. Thailand is chosen as an example of how government and related agencies can contribute to a national creative tourism movement in the country, especially in the light of the Tourism Authority of Thailand branding campaign to stimulate creative tourism to the destination. The qualitative research methodology through content analysis is used to scrutinise the plan and policy contents from the selected government agencies. The results demonstrate a better view of how creative tourism is positioned in the Thailand context and contribute to a policy study on the creative economy in the tourism sector as well as in creative tourism.