Multivariate analysis of price aspects of commodity stabilization

Zusammenfassung Multivariante Analyse der Preisaspekte einer Stabilisierung der Warenm?rkte. — Der Aufsatz zeigt, daβ die Entwicklung der einzelnen Preise in einem Bufferstock-System mit mehreren Gütern für den finanziellen Erfolg des Systems sehr bedeutsam ist. W?hrend es leicht ist, Produktgruppen mit maximaler positiver Kovarianz der Preise innerhalb der Gruppe zu finden, sind die M?glichkeiten gering, Gruppen von Gütern mit negativer Kovarianz der Preise zwischen den Gruppen zu bilden. Jedoch erfordert eine umfassende Antwort auf diese Fragen weitere, intensivere Untersuchungen. In diesem Sinne hat einer der Autoren in einer anderen Arbeit betont, daβ dieses Problem am besten im Rahmen von Gütermodellen analysiert werden kann, in denen sich Mengen, Preise und ?hnliche Faktoren simultan gegenseitig beeinflussen. Sicherlich sind in diesem Aufsatz wichtige Ursachen für die Preisschwankungen unberücksichtigt geblieben. Das gleiche gilt für die Untersuchung der Natur zyklischer Preisbewegungen einschlieβlich der Leads and Lags zwischen den betrachteten Variablen. Doch sollten die hier vorgelegten Ergebnisse Anregungen für weitere Untersuchungen geben.

---

Résumé Une analyse multivariable des aspects de prix de la stabilisation de biens. — Cet article a montré que l’aspect de prix d’un multi-biens schème de ?buffer stock? a une implication remarquable concernant le succès financier du schème. Pendant que chaque schème pourrait incorporer les groupes de biens avec une positive covariance maximale au dedans des groupes, les possibilités de trouver des biens avec une covariance négative au-delà des groupes sont étroites. Cependant toutes les réponses compréhensives à cette question attendent après les résultats des recherches plus intensives. Suivant ces idées un des auteurs a souligné dans une autre étude qu’on peut analyser ce problème au mieux au dedans d’un cadre des modèles de biens où les quantités, les prix et des facteurs qui sont en rapport interagissent simultanement. Certainement nous avons omis ici les facteurs principaux affectuant les fluctuations de prix comme chaque étude sur la nature de la cyclicité des mouvements de prix inclurant les avances et les retardements entre les seriés chronologiques. Cependant les résultats actuels pourraient donner des incitations aux autres études et investigations.

---

Resumen Análisis multivariable de los aspectos de precios de la estabilizacion de productos. — Este artículo muestra que el aspecto precio de un esquema de stock amortiguador de múltiples productos tiene una implicatión notable para el éxito financiero del esquema. Mientras que cualquier esquema puede contener grupos de productos con una covarianza positiva máxima dentro del grupo, las posibilidades de encontrar productos con covarianza negativa entre grupos es bastante pequena. Pero cualquier respuesta comprensiva a esta pregunta espera los resultados de una investigation más intensiva. A lo largo de estas lineas, uno de los autores ha enfatizado en otro trabajo, que este problema puede ser analizado de la mejor forma dentro del contexto de modelos de productos donde las cantidades, los precios y los factores relacionados interactúan simultàneamente. Ciertamente los factores principales que afectan las fluctuaciones de precios han sido omitidos aquí como también cualquier examen de la naturaleza de la periodicidad de los movimientos de los precios incluyendo ventajas y rezagos entre series. Sin embargo, los resultados presentes deberían proveer incentivos para investigaciones y estudios adicionales.

     

EOQ application in a pharmaceutical environment: A case study

This paper describes a successful application of classical inventory theory at a drug manufacturing plant located in Montreal that has resulted in annual savings in the order of $110,800 and assisted management in its decision to invest in larger production equipment. The basic assumptions underlying EOQ models are reviewed and dealt with. For instance, an algorithm was devised to handle the peaks in the demand of many A class items. Following the implementation of this algorithm, buffer stocks were reduced signifi cantly while maintaining the same high levels of service.     

Formal and Informal Labour Markets: Challenges and Policy in the Central and Eastern European New EU Members and Candidate Countries

The paper aims at comparing the formal and informal labour marketsin the Central and Eastern European new EU Member States andcandidate countries of the European Union. First, the currentsituation of the labour market is described, focusing on therecent developments since the breaking up of the East. Thenthe policy design of these labour markets is depicted and itseffects on formal and informal labour markets. The most importantchallenges for employment policy as well as the effects of enlargementon the labour markets are analysed. The paper ends with a shortsummary. (JEL J21, J23, H26, H11, O17, O57)     

Corruption and the shadow economy: like oil and vinegar, like water and fire?

From a theoretical point of view, the relationship between corruption and the shadow economy is ambiguous: They can either be substitutes or complements. This paper contributes to this debate by using a structural equation model with two latent variables to extract information on various dimensions of corruption and the shadow economy. Analyzing a sample of 51 countries around the world over the period 2000 to 2005, we present empirical evidence for a complementary (positive) relationship of corruption and the shadow economy.     

Tax avoidance versus tax evasion: on some determinants of the shadow economy

In this paper we investigate how the possibility of (legal) tax avoidance affects the extent of (illegal) tax evasion and hence the shadow economy. We formulate a theoretical microeconomic model of household behavior in which households can participate in the official and in the shadow economy. Using comparative statics, we show that the complexity of the tax system affects participation in the shadow economy negatively, i.e. a more complex tax system with more possibilities of legal tax avoidance implies, ceteris paribus, a smaller labor supply in the shadow economy. In addition, we show that a reduction in the maximum admissible number of working hours in the official economy increases the labor supply in the shadow economy.     

Bidding for Firms with Unknown Characteristics

When a region successfully attracts a firm by offering subsidies, the firm often commits itself to performance targets in terms of employment. In this paper, we interpret these firm‐specific targets as a consequence of incomplete information. We analyze a model of two regions that compete for a firm, assuming that the firm's productivity is ex ante unknown. We show that performance targets often induce overemployment in high‐productivity firms, and that tax credits are often superior to lump‐sum payments. Moreover, when regions differ in wage rates, the low‐wage region wins the bid and has a higher surplus than under complete information. Finally, we show that, under incomplete information, bidding might not lead to efficient firm location.     

Agriculture trade restrictiveness in Canada: How important are the cross effects?

A trade restrictiveness index (TRI) aggregates an entire protection structure into a single uniform measure that is consistent with trade theory and reflects the extent of policy interventions on trade or welfare. Although there are several variants of a TRI, all approaches aggregate protective measures using weights that depend on import demand and export supply elasticities; some studies ignore cross-price effects while others account for them. This study measures the degree of bias introduced by ignoring cross effects. It provides a practical approach to account for demand- and supply-side cross-price effects in a multi-commodity TRI setting. This approach is illustrated with a case study of distortions in the Canadian crop and livestock sector. Domestic demand and supply cross effects are approximated using a “constant differences of elasticities of substitution” functional form. On average, over the period 1996–2016, we find that cross-price effects do make a difference, and that including them makes the TRI 27% higher than an approach which ignores them. Furthermore, both TRI approaches produce indices that are higher and more variable than the OECD's percentage Producer Support Estimate (PSE) that measures policy transfers as a share of gross farm receipts. The fundamental differences between a TRI and PSE% is driven by market price support for milk.     

Practical methods for measuring and managing operational risk in the financial sector: A clinical study

This paper analyzes the implications of the advanced measurement approach (AMA) for the assessment of operational risk. Through a clinical case study on a matrix of two selected business lines and two event types of a large financial institution, we develop a procedure that addresses the major issues faced by banks in the implementation of the AMA. For each cell, we calibrate two truncated distributions functions, one for “normal” losses and the other for the “extreme” losses. In addition, we propose a method to include external data in the framework. We then estimate the impact of operational risk management on bank profitability, through an adapted measure of RAROC. The results suggest that substantial savings can be achieved through active management techniques.