Evaluating the Validity of Self-Reported Deviant Behavior Using Vignette Analyses

In this paper, the validity of vignette analyses of various forms of deviant behavior in the presence of opportunities is analyzed on the basis of ideas derived from cognitive psychology. Abelson’s Script Theory together with insights into human memory of visual and verbal information, allow the assumption that vignette analyses using visual stimuli are valid measures of deviant behavior in particular. The study includes an empirical examination of these ideas (n = 450). Nonparticipant observations and vignette analyses with visual and verbal material were carried out with regard to three forms of deviant behavior occurring in the presence of opportunities presenting themselves in everyday life. Observed and self-reported frequencies of deviant behavior or deviant intentions were counted and cross-tabulated. Log-linear analyses with dummy coding using observation data as reference category were run. Data analyses yielded the result that frequencies of deviant behavior were related to the techniques of data collection under consideration. Especially vignette analyses of the return of ‘lost letters’ that use both visual and verbal stimuli overestimate ‘actual’ (i.e. observed) return rates. This result is discussed with regard to the underlying methodological assumptions as well as its implications.     

Payments for environmental services to promote “climate‐smart agriculture”? Potential and challenges

Payments for environmental services (PES) have gained wide popularity as approaches to promote environmentally friendly land use or agricultural production practices. Yet academics have also voiced concerns against seeing PES as a panacea. This article discusses whether PES is an appropriate and promising approach to promote so‐called “climate‐smart agriculture” (CSA) practices, which we define as agricultural production practices that contribute to CO₂ emission reductions and/or removals and provide benefits to farmers via increased productivity and profits and reduced vulnerability to climate change. PES appears most promising for the promotion of CSA practices in small‐scale farming contexts with low incomes. Effective design, however, requires solid estimates of cost and benefit flows from CSA adoption over time, accounting for differences in socioeconomic and ecological conditions, and addressing the risk of leakage. Funding for such PES will likely have to come from public sources, and seems most promising where synergies with other objectives such as agricultural development, food security, and climate adaptation or other environmental services exist. The potential of alternative approaches for CSA support such as taxation with rebates for CSA practices, CSA‐related investment support such as microcredits, and hybrid approaches such as conditional microcredit should be further investigated.     

Do Domestic Firms Benefit from Foreign Presence and Import Competition in Irish Services Sectors?

This paper examines whether domestic firms benefit from the pro‐competitive effects of imports from abroad and from the presence of foreign‐owned firms in the host country in three Irish market‐services sectors between 2001 and 2007. Grouping the three sectors together masks opposing effects in individual sectors. Where significant, the effect of foreign presence on domestic firms tends to be negative, this is mainly the case in wholesale and retail trade. Despite it being of lesser importance than foreign presence in these sectors, import competition from abroad is negatively associated with domestic firms' productivity in wholesale and retail trade, but positively in transport, storage and communication. There is no significant effect of foreign presence or import competition in real estate, rental and business activities. Using capital‐labour ratios as an input‐based indicator related to productivity suggests that domestic firms adapt to increased foreign competition by adjusting their inputs.     

Willingness to Pay for Green Products in Air Travel: Ready for Take‐Off?

We examine the willingness to pay (WTP) for green products in air travel. Green products in aviation are supplementary services, which are sold on top of the travel service (e.g. carbon offsets, organic on‐board food). We identify a set of potential green products in aviation and report the preferences for additional airline services of 811 Swiss air travellers using an adaptive choice‐based conjoint survey. We find that 20% of those passengers who are interested in purchasing supplementary services show a considerable WTP for green products. The green segment differs from the regular segment only in terms of behavioural features, not in terms of demographic or socio‐economic characteristics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Reducing tourism's threats to biodiversity: effects of a voluntary sustainability standard and training program on 106 Latin American hotels,lodges and guesthouses

The tourism industry can negatively affect wildlife, plants and natural ecosystems through habitat destruction, pollution, over-exploitation of natural resources and visitor impacts to sensitive ecosystems. One approach to mitigate such threats is the application of voluntary sustainability standards, supported by training of tourism enterprises and verified by external audits. The Rainforest Alliance standard defines 78 criteria (requirements) for sustainable environmental, social and business practices, and has been adopted by over 600 tourism enterprises – including hotels, lodges and tour boats – in 12 countries. We examined the performance of 106 hotels in six Latin American countries against 29 of the sustainable tourism criteria most directly related to biodiversity conservation. Independent audits were used to assess hotel performance at baseline followed by a repeat assessment after training, about two years later. Mean conformance with the 29 biodiversity criteria increased significantly during this interval, from 44% to 58%. Improvements were greatest for businesses in the lowest third of performance at baseline (laggards) and smallest for hotels in the highest third (leaders). The results indicate that a voluntary sustainability standard and training program can serve both to recognize existing good actors and to drive incremental improvement in enterprises that were previously less sustainable.     

„Die Controlling-Organisation muss zum Führungsverständnis passen“

PRAXIS | Artikel

„Die Controlling-Organisation muss zum Führungsverst?ndnis passen“     

Determinants of Voluntary Disclosure of Sales in Small Private Companies in Belgium

Small businesses are the backbone of the economy in many countries. In Europe, for example, small companies represent more than 90 per cent of all companies (e.g., Lukacs, 2005 ). Although these companies represent such an important portion of the economy, few studies have examined their voluntary disclosure decisions. Because small companies have certain unique characteristics compared with their larger counterparts, the general applicability of past voluntary disclosure studies to small companies is questionable. Drawing on agency and proprietary cost theory, this study investigates whether ownership, competition, and accountant factors influence the decision to disclose financially sensitive information on a voluntary basis. Our results (using an e‐mail questionnaire to small private companies in Belgium, n = 1,068) indicate that nearly 40 per cent of the responding companies are not aware of their disclosure behavior. For companies that are aware of their disclosure behavior, the logistic regression analysis demonstrates that factors relating to the separation of ownership and control, namely the type of ownership and number of shareholders, are among the most important determinants in the voluntary disclosure decision of small private companies. Companies with at least one legal entity as an owner of a company are less likely to disclose, while companies with more shareholders are more likely to disclose. We also provide evidence that perceived competition and the default setting of the accounting software used have a significant influence on the voluntary disclosure behavior.     

When do structural holes in employees' networks improve their radical creativity? A moderated mediation model

Previous research has found a relationship between structural holes of knowledge networks, tie strength of knowledge networks, and creativity. Our study extends these findings by proposing that characteristics of R&D employees' team knowledge networks influence their acquired diversified knowledge from the team, which is critical to creativity. Our results based on 558 members of 92 R&D teams demonstrated that, in order to benefit from their broker position in acquiring diversified knowledge, R&D employees should maintain their tie strength toward the team members with whom they are connected.