The role of memory in understanding and encouraging recycling behavior

This article explores the role of memory processes in two aspects of recycling behavior. First, traditional research in cognitive psychology, communication, and consumer behavior is discussed briefly as it relates to understanding how people learn why to recycle. More importantly, a recently emerging stream of memory research, examining memory processes in real-world contexts, is introduced as a conceptual basis for understanding how people remember when and how to recycle. Additionally, these ideas are integrated to help explain the results of past recycling research and to offer suggestions regarding future recycling programs. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cropping for plant-based agriculture

Concern is often expressed about systems of agriculture and questions are raised as to whether alternative systems might be an improvement. The Food Group of the Technology Policy Unit at the University of Aston, Birmingham, has been investigating the potential for a move to a vegetarian food production scheme for England and Wales.     

MEASURING NON-USE VALUE OF ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS USING THE CONTINGENT VALUATION METHOD: PROBLEMS OF INFORMATION AND COGNITION AND THE APPLICATION OF COGNITIVE QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN METHODS

Much interest now focuses on the use of the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to assess non-use value of environmental goods. The paper reviews recent literature and highlights particular problems of information provision and respondent knowledge, comprehension and cognition. These must be dealt with by economists in designing CVM surveys for eliciting non-use values. Cognitive Questionnaire Design Methods are presented which invoke concepts from psychology and tools from cognitive survey design (focus groups and verbal reports) to reduce a complex environmental good into a meaningful commodity that can be valued by respondents in a contingent market. This process is illustrated with examples from the authors' own research valuing alternative afforestation programmes.     

Weatherhead管理学院中国能否加速对美国的汽车出口？

中国对美国的出口商品此前集中在纺织类产品和消费电器产品．接下来的主要出口商品可能将是汽车。美国是中国目前正关注着的一个重要的消费市场。虽然低工资和来自政府的支持终将能够把中国造就成为全球汽车制造业的一个重要引擎．但是根据我们以及业内分析人士的观点．中国的汽车产业距离这一目标尚有待时日。     

Global talent management and global talent challenges: Strategic opportunities for IHRM

The need for multinational firms to be as competitive in the global marketplace as possible has increased dramatically over the past twenty years. For international human resource management this has meant many strategic opportunities to international human resource management. An excellent example of such an opportunity is that which exists regarding the management of talent. This opportunity began to develop in the late 1990s with the advent of the challenge of “global talent management.” During the past few years this opportunity has expanded to include challenges dealing with talent shortages, talent surpluses, locating and relocating talent, and compensation levels of talent. Together, these conditions are all “global talent challenges”. In this article we describe these several global talent challenges and the strategic opportunities they present to firms and propose the implications of these for firms and for the field of international human resource management.     

Crossing the chasm with beacon products in the portable music player industry

Firms competing in new product categories face great technical and market uncertainty as they try to move from early adopters to mainstream markets (83, 93 and 111). While the management literature identified several factors that may contribute to adoption, the role of specific product models has been understudied. To address this gap, we studied portable digital music players (MP3 players) from 1987–2006 and tested the role of specific product models in market takeoff, convergence and product category evolution. We introduced the concept of beacon product, defined as a specific product model that has great appeal to customers and sends a strong signal about what they want.     

Audit committee financial expertise,corporate governance,and the voluntary switch from auditor-provided to non-auditor-provided tax services

A prime objective of the SOX is to safeguard auditor independence. We investigate the relation between audit committee quality, corporate governance, and audit committees' decision to switch from permissible auditor-provided tax services. We find that firms with more independent boards, audit committees with greater accounting financial expertise, higher stock ownership by directors and institutions, that separate the CEO and Chairman of the board positions, and with higher tax to audit fee ratios are more likely to switch to a non-auditor provider. Further, we document that firms are more likely to switch prior to issuing equity. We find no evidence that broad financial expertise on audit committees is related to the switch decision, suggesting that the SEC's initial narrow definition of expertise is more consistent with the objective of the SOX. Overall, our results suggest that accounting financial expertise and strong corporate governance contribute to enhanced audit committee monitoring of auditor independence.