International Comparisons of Labour Productivity in Transport and Communications: The US,the UK and Germany

We construct benchmark estimates of labour productivity covering the transport and communications sectors for the US, UK and Germany for 1992 and 1993. The US lead is substantial in rail and trucking, even after adjusting for differences in stage length, but Britain leads in air transport and all three countries have similar productivity levels in local transport. In telecommunications and postal services the US enjoys a large lead over both the UK and Germany. We compare these estimates based on industry data with ones derived from the national accounts and find them similar in communications but not in transport. For 1973–96, and also 1989–96, productivity was growing slower in the US, hence some of the gap has been closed.     

Social Comparisons in Ultimatum Bargaining

Experiments are used to examine the effects of social comparisons in ultimatum bargaining. We inform responders about the average offer before they decide whether to accept or reject their specific offer. This significantly increases offers and offer‐specific rejection probabilities. For comparison, we consider another change in informational conditions: telling responders the total pie is $30—ex ante it was either $15 or $30—affects offers and rejection probabilities roughly as much. Our results are consistent with people’s dislike for deviations from the norm of equity but inconsistent with fairness theories, where people dislike income disparity between themselves and their referents.     

上市公司治理模式的效率比较与变革

作为不同的制度安排,除暂时存在的转轨经济模式外,其余英美、德日及家族治理三种模式均具有一定的有效性。随着经济的发展、时代的变迁及国际化潮流的兴起,各种模式不可避免地面临挑战,均需进行不断变革和调整,在相互学习和借鉴中,逐步渗透和融合。而中国上市公司在借鉴各模式有效性基础上,应选择适合中国国情的市场与组织并重、内外结合的治理模式。     

固定资产和商誉减值的中英比较与借鉴

资产减值等有关问题是目前我国会计理论和实务中急需加以关注的问题之一，本文试图通过对我国有关资产减值准则制度与英国会计准则委员会(ASB)发布的财务报告准则第11号(FRS11)比较，以期从中借鉴有益部分，促进我国有关资产减值会计的完善。     

The Intensity and Shape of Inequality: The ABG Method of Distributional Analysis

Inequality is anisotropic: its intensity varies by income level. We here develop a new tool, the isograph, to focus on local inequality and illustrate these variations. This method yields three coefficients which summarize the shape of inequality: a main coefficient, α, which measures inequality at the median; and two correction coefficients, β and γ, which pick up any differential curvature at the top and bottom of the distribution. The analysis of a set of 232 microdata samples from 41 different countries in the LIS datacenter archive allows us to provide a systematic overview of the properties of the ABG (α β γ) coefficients, which are compared to a set of standard indices including Atkinson indices, generalized entropy, Wolfson polarization, and the GB2 distribution. This method also provides a smoothing tool that reveals the differences in the shape of distributions (the strobiloid) and how these have changed over time.     

Multilateral Comparison of Cost Structures in the Input–Output Tables of Japan,the US and West Germany

This paper presents a multilateral comparison of relative levels and structures of costs of production in Japan, the US and West Germany. The analysis is carried out by using harmonized input–output tables, which are converted at US prices by using adjusted sectoral purchasing power parities. A new accounting methodology is derived from recent developments of index number theory, whereas the chosen multilateral comparison procedure gives results that are invariant with respect to the order of the pairs of countries examined.     

Governance for climate-change adaptive capacity in the Swedish electricity sector

Abstract

This article analyses the capacity for climate change adaptation (CCA) in the Swedish electricity grid sector. Utilizing two perspectives from organization theory it directs attention to changes in the sector, from the 1980s until 2010, with radical change with an NPM-reform in 1996. For the time before 1996 findings indicate a high CCA capacity. The reform led to a reduction in this capacity through an increased emphasis on economic efficiency, although there also has been some room for robustness-considerations. This article shows that organizational culture and formal structure influence the capacity to adapt to climate change.     

HR department professionalism: a comparison between the UK and other European countries

Although HRM professionalism in terms of the competence of individual HR practitioners receives considerable attention, the collective professional behaviour of HR departments in organizations is more frequently overlooked. This paper, based on Europe-wide survey data, attempts to bridge this gap in our understanding by examining HR department professionalism in terms of strategic involvement in corporate activities. Findings for the UK indicate that HR departments as a whole demonstrate limited professional behaviour and that this situation has remained largely stable over the last decade. However, variations between national contexts are notable. A key observation is the consistently significant positive correlation in the UK between board membership and the department's level of strategic involvement.