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One of the key features of the legal regulation of Network Marketing schemes around the world is "buyback" – the statutory duty of firms to repurchase the unsold stocks of distributors leaving the scheme. Although this seems an eminently reasonable approach to the problem of would-be entrepreneurs being persuaded to part with their life savings, in practice "buyback" provisions are widely avoided. More seriously, though, "buyback" ultimately exposes consumers to still greater levels of risk. Also exposed are banks, suppliers, and employees. The paper evaluates a number of alternative approaches to deal with the anomaly, recommending a pragmatic combination of regulatory control and "best practice."     

Union recognition in Ireland: one step forward or two steps back?

In this paper a variety of union recognition procedures and their effect on union density levels in a number of countries are considered. The crucial importance of the national institutions that govern industrial relations are emphasised. While in Ireland, conditions such as social partnership and the buoyant economy of the 1990s would appear to favour union growth, the reverse has been the case. Recent legislation to establish more formal procedures for union recognition, we argue, is likely to be a dismal failure. Indeed, an unintended consequence of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2001 may be the exclusion of the union from the workplace and the legitimisation of a firm's non‐union status.     

Surfers as Environmental Stewards: Understanding Place-protecting Behavior at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Resource-based adventure activities have a unique potential to foster connections to place that may assist park managers in simultaneously promoting enjoyable visitor experiences and achieving environmental sustainability. Our study examined links among recreation, conservation, and place attachment by comparing the pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors of surfers (n = 52) and other types of recreationists (n = 56) at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA). Intercept surveys during 2016 revealed that when compared to nonsurfers, surfers were more frequent visitors to CAHA and reported significantly higher levels of place attachment. When controlling for other variables, surfers were also more likely than other recreationists to engage in both high-effort (e.g., participating in environmental groups) and low-effort (e.g., picking up litter on the beach) forms of place-protecting, pro-environmental behavior at CAHA. Managers should consider the potentially powerful role that surfers and other adventure recreationists may play as environmental stewards and park advocates.     

Estimated participation in U.S. carbon sequestration programs: A study of NIPF landowners in Massachusetts

Although carbon sequestration programs for non-industrial forestland owners in Massachusetts are being developed, very little is known about the program attributes of importance to different types of landowners or the likelihood that landowners will participate in any given program. This study estimates the probability that Massachusetts landowners will participate in several carbon offset programs using data from a survey of 3000 Massachusetts forestland owners. Results from an ordered logit discrete choice model suggest that the likelihood of enrollment in most programs is quite low. Landowners are clearly motivated by economic factors, but other aspects of carbon sequestration may also be important in their decision making.     

Translating Space: the Politics of Ruins,the Remote and Peripheral Places

This essay surveys recent artistic, literary and philosophical treatments of landscape that use metaphors of ruination, remoteness and the periphery. The discussion primarily focuses on Patrick Keiller's recent works, particularly his film Robinson in Ruins, the account of remote spaces in Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts' book Edgelands, and a collection of essays by Stavros Stavrides on peripheral urban spaces, Towards the City of Thresholds. These treatments of landscape offer an attention to the social significance of spaces overlooked within wider cultural representations of place. It is suggested that all three illustrate the argument that mundane spaces can be read and translated into politicized landscapes offering alternative readings of past events, as well as potential directions for future forms of sociality.     

Workplace bullying and absenteeism: The mediating roles of poor health and work engagement

Workplace bullying is a major problem that affects the well‐being and productivity of employees. Some previous studies have found that workplace bullying is associated with absenteeism, which is a major contributor to lost workplace productivity. However, a comprehensive understanding of how different workplace bullying experiences are associated with absenteeism is currently lacking. In particular no previous studies have examined potential mediators of these relationships. The present article aimed to provide new insights into the relationship between workplace bullying and absenteeism. In a 12‐month prospective study of 500 Australian employees, we identified 5 distinct subtypes of workplace bullying experiences using a person‐centred approach. These bullying subtypes were found to be associated with absenteeism via health impairment and lower work engagement. The findings can be used to inform HR strategies to prevent and manage workplace bullying.     

eWOM Watchdogs: Ego‐Threatening Product Domains and the Policing of Positive Online Reviews

Suspicion regarding dishonest electronic word‐of‐mouth is a growing concern for consumers online. Individual consumers are occasionally seen acting as product review forum “watchdogs” within the websites they visit, posting vigilante comments against reviews they perceive to be fraudulent. This multimethod set of studies investigates consumer “watchdog comments,” and the way in which ego‐threatening product categories themselves may actually induce a prosecutorial mindset, leading to greater levels of suspicion toward positive online product reviews and the impulse to prosecute potential fraudsters. In Study 1, laboratory‐induced ego threat increased punitive severity against the act of falsifying online product reviews. In Study 2, a content analysis of actual Amazon.com reviews and consumer commentary indicates that the occurrence of watchdog comments is more common within ego‐threatening product categories.     

Channels of financial market contagion

This study aims to fill a gap in the current literature by determining which channels of financial contagion are the most significant in transmitting crises between countries. Initial results, using χ² contingency tables, indicate that there is a significant relationship between contagion and the inflation rate and between contagion and financial liquidity. A simultaneous comparison of the channels is then performed using a series of best subset logit regressions. These suggest that a combination of high inflation and an emerging market classification form the most significant subset in increasing the probability of a contagious event.     

The Ethics of Quality: Problems and Preconditions

A number of advocates for TQM contend that firms who embrace TQM will automatically and naturally act in ethically sound ways (Roth, 1993; Pace, 1999; Steeples, 1994). This claim is a strong one. This paper assesses its truth. We consider the many ways in which quality initiatives, if undertaken in good faith, can foster sound ethics. We explore the various ways in which TQM presupposes, and thus cannot engender, ethical behavior. And, finally, we identify some of the ethical blind spots in quality initiatives and TQM. We propose that if TQM is undertaken by thoughtful people who take steps to correct its ethical blind spots and who understand the need for an ethical underpinning, then TQM and ethics will prove mutually reinforcing.     

Local Responses to Long-term Unemployment: Delivering Access to Employment in Edinburgh

This paper examines locally developed policy responses to long-term unemployment in the city of Edinburgh: a labour market characterised by relatively low-unemployment and generally high levels of demand. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 115 long-term unemployed people residing in the city, the paper first analyses the complex combination of barriers to work faced by members of this client group. Two recent labour market initiatives, developed by the local authority in partnership with other public and third sector agencies and (in one case) major employers, are then discussed. It is suggested that this locally focused, partnership-based approach may provide a useful model for local policy responses to long-term unemployment, particularly in buoyant labour markets.