Complex forecast of scientific and technological development: Experience and lessons learned

This paper reviews the development conditions and the results of the “Complex Program for Scientific and Technological Progress” and its impact on the economy of the former Soviet Union. The impact of the implementation results on the development of the market economy in Russia is analyzed. Problems partly resolved under the complex program are outlined. It is shown that many outstanding scientific-technological and socioeconomic development problems are due to the characteristics of the applied economic models. Limitations of the current market model of the economy oriented towards the export of natural resources are highlighted. Possibilities and conditions required for a transition from the resource-oriented growth model to the innovation-based development paradigm are presented.     

Private and public sectors in Russian large-scale business: Dynamics of the ratio in the “long 2000s”

This paper represents the first part of studies of the change in the role of the state in Russian large-scale business in 2000–2013. An analysis of major transactions and decisions related to the privatization, nationalization, and consolidation of state-owned assets is used as a basic instrument. The dynamics of the ratio between the private and public sectors is considered from the viewpoint of leading economic branches and sectors; hypotheses are formulated about the system of motives, which the state is guided by. (The second part of the study will consider the same processes from the viewpoint of major actual players, their goals, strategies, acquisitions, and losses.)     

The relationship between perceptions of HR practices and employee outcomes: examining the role of person–organisation and person–job fit

Human resource management (HRM) practices can play an important role in matching people with the organisations and the jobs they work in. However, little is known about how employees perceive and interpret HR practices and whether or how these perceptions relate to perceptions of person–organisation (P–O) and person–job (P–J) fit. This study aims to bridge strategic HRM and person–environment fit literature by examining possible mediating and moderating roles of P–O and P–J fit in the relationship between employee perceptions of a broad set of HR practices and employee attitudes and behaviours. Results from a sample of 412 employees support direct relationships as well as a mediating and moderating role of P–O and P–J fit in the relationship between perceived HR practices and employee outcomes.     

The presence of an error term does not preclude causal inference in regression: a comment on Krause (2012)

A recent article by Krause (Qual Quant, doi:10.1007/s11135-012-9712-5, Krause (2012)) maintains that: (1) it is untenable to characterize the error term in multiple regression as simply an extraneous random influence on the outcome variable, because any amount of error implies the possibility of one or more omitted, relevant explanatory variables; and (2) the only way to guarantee the prevention of omitted variable bias and thereby justify causal interpretations of estimated coefficients is to construct fully specified models that completely eliminate the error term. The present commentary argues that such an extreme position is impractical and unnecessary, given the availability of specialized techniques for dealing with the primary statistical consequence of omitted variables, namely endogeneity, or the existence of correlations between included explanatory variables and the error term. In particular, the current article discusses the method of instrumental variable estimation, which can resolve the endogeneity problem in causal models where one or more relevant explanatory variables are excluded, thus allowing for accurate estimation of effects. An overview of recent methodological resources and software for conducting instrumental variables estimation is provided, with the aim of helping to place this crucial technique squarely in the statistical toolkit of applied researchers.     

Perceptions of Affirmative Action Based on Socioeconomic Status: A Comparison with Traditional Affirmative Action

Past research has examined reactions to traditional, gender- and ethnicity-based affirmative action programs. However, research has not examined reactions to affirmative action based on socioeconomic status (SES), even though such programs are promoted by the U.S. government (e.g., Work Opportunity Tax Credit) and thus act as a de facto supplement to traditional affirmative action. Based in theories of self-interest, Study 1 compared reactions of men and women to a traditional affirmative action program and a hypothetical, SES-based affirmative action program in terms of general perceptions of such programs and organizational attractiveness. While women had more positive reactions to traditional affirmative action, men had more positive reactions to SES-based affirmative action. Study 2 took a different approach, examining the reactions of potential job applicants to four hypothetical job ads which included different types of diversity statements. We found that job ads that mentioned any type of specific diversity statement - either based on race and gender or based on SES - were perceived as less fair than job ads that did not include specific diversity statements. Results of the studies are discussed in terms of self-interest theories of affirmative action and considerations of SES-based programs as a supplement to traditional affirmative action.     

A critical discourse analysis of racial violence in South Carolina,U.S.A.: implications for traveling while Black

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to present a rich, detailed case that illustrates the way in which the discourse of racial violence has been constructed in the United States (U.S.), and how that has impacted Black travel. Using South Carolina, a state centrally-located along the East coast with historic, political, and social ties to the U.S. South as the context for this analysis, this paper employs a critical discourse analysis to examine the intersection of racial violence and tourism, situating cases of violence – historic to the modern. This study makes a case for more focused attention on the intersection of tourism and violence within the literature, as well as a call to the tourism industry to be proactive to discourses of violence, demonstrate a desire for diversity in their visitors, consider the critical issues of racial representation in their tourism products, and be aware of the emerging organizations supporting and facilitating Black travel.     

A comparison of citizen and “expert” preferences using an attribute-based approach to choice

This paper explores whether expert judgements can be taken as a proxy for citizen preferences for determining investment strategies for public goods. As an illustration, we focus on the provision of Public Rights Of Way (PROW) by Local Government Authorities in England. These provide rights of passage over property to those other than the owners, and little information is available on the welfare effects of changes in the provision and use of PROW. Given limited funds, reliance on expert judgement could be a cost effective alternative for decision-making compared with stated preference surveys of citizens. Two methods are compared. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to elicit expert judgement to proxy citizen preferences for different attributes of PROW. The Choice Experiment (CE) technique is then used to derive preferences directly through personal interviews with citizens. Overall it was found that judicious use of AHP by experts can, in this instance, be used to represent citizen views. However, this result may not be easily generalisable to other settings.     

EXPERIENCES AND PROBLEMS OF THE CIS COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION FROM THE MPS TO THE SNA

This paper reviews the transition of national accounts in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries from the Material Product System (MPS) to the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA) and discusses the major problems that still need to be solved in order to improve the quality of their national accounts. It argues that the MPS practice tended to exaggerate growth not because of different concepts, but because of methodological problems such as inadequate deflation due to poor price data and incomplete coverage of the non-observed economy as well as overpricing of new or modified products and institutional flaws that motivated data fabrication by enterprises. However, the heritages of the problems under the MPS, together with the emerging new types of institutional units, new sources of income and market-driven new services, have made the transition difficult.     

The influence of social capital on strategic choice: An examination of the effects of external and internal network relationships on strategic complexity

In this research we investigated the direct contributions of social capital via network involvement to the strategic complexity of firms. Specifically, we looked at three network types - trade associations, external personal networks, and internal personal networks - to assess their individual and collective effects on strategic complexity. We empirically tested the relationships in the rural telecommunications industry using a mailed survey to this population's CEOs. We obtained 203 responses (30% response rate). Using Poisson regression, we found that all three network types were positively associated with strategic complexity, which was measured as product portfolio breadth. We also discovered that initial conditions affected strategic outcomes, with larger firms and cooperative ownership associated with greater strategic complexity.     

Developing a model of antecedents to consumers' perceptions and evaluations of price unfairness

Drawing on previous research in pricing, we propose three broad antecedents to perceptions of price unfairness. Consumers perceive price unfairness when (1) they feel that the firm is making excessive profits, (2) they are not able to understand the pricing structure applied, and (3) they sense the firm is acting in an immoral or unethical manner. Survey data were collected from 969 consumers to understand their perceptions of price unfairness. In the survey, respondents were asked to provide their perceptions of pricing practices for fifteen products or services. A content analysis of consumers' comments confirms a wide array of drivers of price unfairness discussed by researchers and uncovers a few under-researched antecedents.