On the Demand for Information Services: An Application to Lowbush Blueberry Producers in Eastern Canada

Information needs have rapidly evolved in agricultural markets but little is known about how information is transmitted to agricultural producers. Producers must collect information to better manage their production, marketing and financial decisions. Using survey data obtained from a questionnaire distributed to lowbush blueberry producers in eastern Canada, we analyze how producers' individual characteristics impact their demand for different information services. Minimum distance estimation of the structural ordered probit equations indicates that:

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  Confidence in the information service is a central determinant of the frequency at which a producer refers to a specific service.

       

A dynamic Stackelberg model with production-adjustment costs

We investigate the (dynamic) stability of a stackelberg oligopoly model of a market of a homogeneous good, with output competition, one Stackelberg leader and a number of identical followers. We assume that each firm incurs quadratic production-adjustment costs if it changes its output. We present a simple necessary and sufficient condition for stability of the model. Using the condition, we compare the stability of this model with the stability of two related Cournot models in which all firms present are followers. It turns out that the Stackelberg model is more stable than these two Cournot models.     

Discussion of “on the relation between expected returns and implied cost of capital”

This paper discusses the paper “On the relationship between expected returns and implied cost of capital” by Hughes, Liu, and Liu. The discussion focuses on developing the intuition behind the mathematical results and on extensions of the analysis that future research could address.     

Changes in employees' attitudes at work following an acquisition: a comparative study by acquisition type

The purpose of this paper is to examine how employee reaction varies in the event of an acquisition, and ultimately, to show that it depends on the acquisition context; specifically: (1) the legitimacy of the purchasing firm's identity, and (2) the extent of the organizational changes or discontinuity resulting from the acquisition. The research hypotheses considered are tested using a single questionnaire administered repeatedly over a five‐year period to the employees of 85 sites belonging initially to three different firms: ABC (the acquiring firm), EFG (the firm taken over in a friendly acquisition) and XYZ (firm absorbed in a hostile acquisition). The results mainly show that employees working at sites belonging initially to EFG have higher organizational identification scores than those at sites belonging initially to XYZ. Insecurity scores increase at all sites after the acquisition period, even for employees who originally belonged to ABC. Finally, a temporal link is seen between organizational identification, insecurity and job satisfaction.     

Interpreting DNA Evidence: A Review

The paper provides a review of current issues relating to the use of DNA profiling in forensic science. A short historical section gives the main statistical milestones that occurred during a rapid development of DNA technology and operational uses. Greater detail is then provided for interpretation issues involving STR DNA profiles, including:

• – methods that take account of population substructure in DNA calculations;

• – parallel work carried out by the US National Research Council;

• – the move away from multiple independence testing in favour of experiments that demonstrate the robustness of casework procedures;

• – the questionable practice of source attribution 'with reasonable scientific certainty';

• – the effect on the interpretation of profiles obtained under increasingly sensitive techniques, the LCN technique in particular;

• – the use of DNA profiles as an intelligence tool;

• – the interpretation of DNA mixtures.

Experience of presenting DNA evidence within UK courts is also discussed. The paper then summarises a generic interpretation framework based on the concept of likelihood ratio within a hierarchy of propositions. Finally the use of Bayesian networks to interpret DNA evidence is reviewed.     

The Status Of Women Academic Accountants in Australia

This paper reports the findings of a survey of the attributes, career satisfactions and aspirations of Australian Academic Women Accountants (AAWA). The survey sought information about personal characteristics, institutional role expectations and perceptions of gender-related issues involving recruitment, promotion and retention of AAWAs. The data provide not only an interesting insight into respondents' perceptions of a career in academic accounting, but also a comparative measure against which future progress of AAWAs can be evaluated. The paper makes suggestions for facilitating the career paths of AAWAs at both institutional and individual levels.     

中国企业的工资差异和所有制结构

本文采用OaxacaBlinder分解法的扩展形式,分析了1995年中国城市不同所有制企业间工资差异的决定因素。我们发现,国有企业和外商投资企业工资高于城镇集体企业,但中央直属国有企业和外商投资企业的小时工资鲜有差别。此外,我们的研究结果强有力地证明了,中国劳动力市场的分割或者说是多层次、纯所有制差别和工作小时差别是观测到的工资差距的主要决定因素。我们的研究结果还强调了,尽管外商投资企业提供了较高的年总收入,但这是以更长的工作时间为代价的。     

Postal Surveys of Doctors’ Careers: Who Writes Comments and What do they Write About?

This study aimed to characterise the doctors who wrote comments at the end of a postal questionnaire about their careers, to quantify the frequency of negative comments, and to study relationships between the questionnaire content and the topics of comment. Graduates of all UK medical schools in 1999 were surveyed at the end of their pre-registration year. Structured questions about career intentions, current jobs and attitudes were accompanied by an invitation to write comments about any aspect of training, career choices or work. Comments were transcribed and coded according to theme and whether they were positive, negative or neutral. Numbers of comments on each theme, and of positive and negative comments, were counted. Bivariate analyses based on respondents answers to structured questions were used to characterise those who wrote comments on each theme. The survey response rate was 65%, and 40% of respondents wrote comments. Sixteen themes were identified. Ninety-four percent of those who commented said something negative or critical. Respondents who wrote comments differed in some characteristics from the whole cohort. The structured content of the questionnaire, particularly certain attitude statements, prompted the writing of comments on related themes, although not all attitudinal items acted in this way.     

Income tax progressivity and revenue growth

Musgrave and Musgrave's average rate progression is shown to be a measure of the progressivity of an income tax schedule from which useful propositions about the built-in flexibility and elasticity of total revenue can be obtained.