Rethinking the theory of the hospital: a knowledge-based view

While the hospital is seen as a knowledge-intensive organization in the health services industry, it is conceptualized as an institution for integrating knowledge. This paper aims to explore the development of a knowledge-based theory of the hospital. Therefore, some concerns of the theory of the hospital from knowledge-based view (KBV) are addressed, particularly, the logic of the traditional theory of the hospital, the existence of the hospital, hospital structure, determinants of hospital boundaries, and the nature of coordination within the hospital. By integrating some of the key contributions such as the traditional theory of the hospital, KBV, the theory of the firm, and transaction cost theory, this paper is trying to make some progress in developing some key elements of a knowledge-based theory of the hospital.     

Das Rätsel der Niedrigzinsphase

The article disputes that low interest rates, a characteristic of the German Economy since the Great Recession, indicate a low marginal productivity of capital. It advocates the use of WACC (weighted average cost of capital) as a proxy of the marginal productivity of capital. Using proprietary data from Bloomberg, the article demonstrates that WACC did not fall to zero in Germany during recent years. On average, the marginal productivity of capital was around ten per cent, and it never fell below six per cent.     

The barriers and drivers of seafood consumption in Australia: A narrative literature review

Although seafood is considered to be an important part of a healthy and balanced diet, many Australians still do not consume the recommended amounts for good health. Fish is an excellent source of protein, omega‐3 fatty acids and other nutrients, and studies have shown that seafood‐rich diets can have a lower impact on the environment than diets high in other animal proteins. Concerns about health and sustainability have led to an increased interest in understanding consumers' attitudes toward seafood. This review aims to assess the current knowledge on drivers and barriers to seafood consumption in the Australian context. Systematic search strategies were used to identify relevant peer‐reviewed journal articles from three electronic databases (SCOPUS, Web of Science and Science Direct) and grey literature reports from targeted government and industry websites. Accepted studies investigated drivers and/or barriers to seafood consumption in Australia through qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method designs. Initial searches identified 504 publications from which fourteen met the criteria for the review process. The reviewed studies revealed that influences on seafood consumption in Australia are similar to those identified in other developed countries. The leading drivers of seafood consumption are health, taste, and convenience, while the main barriers are price, availability, concerns about quality, and a lack of confidence in selecting and preparing seafood. Some possible intervention strategies targeted toward these factors are explored in the discussion. Future research should focus on designing and implementing specific interventions so that their effectiveness in increasing seafood consumption in Australia can be assessed.     

The Euro Changeover and the Factors Influencing Perceived Inflation

The most flamboyant economic effect of the euro changeover on consumers was a dramatic increase in perceived inflation. To directly measure perceived inflation, Brachinger developed a new index of perceived inflation (IPI). This index is based on some hypotheses about factors influencing perceived inflation. An experimental study is presented which investigated the influence of two of these hypothesized factors, purchase frequency and loss aversion, on individual judgments of price changes. Furthermore, two additional factors have been included that are informative with respect to the IPI, product segment and price level. Judgments of inflation were assessed with three methods, yielding different results. Empirical evidence for the hypotheses was obtained.      

The potential for feminist political practice to empower the unrepresented consumer: The case of cervical screening services

This article explores the potential of a particular model of feminist political practice for empowering women, and unrepresented voices, as consumers of health and other bureaucratically organised public services. A case study of women's views of cervical screening is employed as a vehicle for identifying the situation of the unrepresented as consumers of a public service. Drawing upon a model of feminist political practice, as a means of further analysing the position of the unrepresented, the potential for change with the adoption of this model is considered in a European context.

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Zusammenfassung Das Potential feministischer politischer Praxis zur ErmÄchtigung nicht reprÄsentierter Konsumentmen: Der Fall von Reihenuntersuchungen zur Vorbeugung von GebÄrmutter-halskrebs Der Beitrag untersucht die Möglichkeit eines bestimmten Modells feministischer politischer Praxis zur ErmÄchtigung von Frauen und anderen nicht reprÄsentierten Personen als Konsumentmen von öffentlichen Leistungen im Gesund-heitswesen und in anderen Bereichen. Eine Fallstudie von Reihenuntersuchungen zur Krebsvorsorge aus der Sicht der betroffenen Frauen dient dazu, die Situation eines unreprÄsentierten Konsumenten einer öffentlichen Leistung zu kennzeichnen. Als Modell für feministische politische Praxis werden örtliche behördliche Frauenkomitees beschrieben, und es wird am Beispiel englischer VerhÄltnisse untersucht, welches Potential solche AktivitÄten besitzen.

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The research into local government women's committees was carried out for a Ph.D. degree at the University of Hull, sponsored by the ESRC, grant number R00429024749. We would like to acknowledge the invaluable input of the participating committees, related officers and the staff of the Department of Politics, University of Hull.The research project in cervical screening was supported by the ESRC, grant number R000231171. We would like to acknowledge the invaluable input and support of the women of Cleveland and the many local health care practitioners and academics who assisted at various stages of the work.     

Kapazitätsauslastung im Ausland als Indikator für die deutschen Investitionsgüterexporte

The German export industry has traditionally specialised in the supply of capital goods. For this reason, forecasting the exports of capital goods is not only useful for fi rms operating in this sector but also for forecasting total German exports. An important determinant of the demand for capital goods from a theoretical point of view is capacity utilisation. We present an indicator of capacity utilisation in countries that import German goods and show its usefulness for forecasting German capital goods exports. Thus, this indicator is a valuable complement to the set of indicators available for forecasting German exports.     

Market Reactions to Increased Reliability of Sustainability Information

This article investigates whether investors consider the reliability of companies’ sustainability information when determining the companies’ market value. Specifically, we examine market reactions (in terms of abnormal returns) to events that increase the reliability of companies’ sustainability information but do not provide markets with additional sustainability information. Controlling for competing effects, we regard companies’ additions to an internationally important sustainability index as such events and consider possible determinants for market reactions. Our results suggest that first, investors take into account the reliability of sustainability information when determining the market value of a company and second, the benefits of increased reliability of sustainability information vary cross-sectionally. More specifically, companies that carry higher risks for investors (e.g., higher systematic investment risk, higher financial leverage, and higher levels of opportunistic management behavior) react more strongly to an increase in the reliability of sustainability information. Finally, we show that the benefits of an increase in the reliability of sustainability information are higher in times of economic uncertainty (e.g., during economic downturns and generally high stock price volatilities).     

Comparing employment interviews in Latin America with other countries

This study compares job interviews (n = 11,667) in Mexico with those in the following countries: Belgium, Russia, Taiwan, and the U.S. The findings support our hypotheses, which are based on a meta-cultural framework. The results reveal that in Mexico and Taiwan women are less likely to conduct interviews. In addition, interviewers asked different questions. Outside the U.S., interviewers asked applicants about their family, marital status, and children. In Russia and Taiwan, they asked about applicants' reasons for quitting their last job. In Belgium, Russia, and Taiwan, they asked about applicants' wage and salary expectations. In Belgium and Russia, they less often asked about applicants' values, opinions, and beliefs. This study suggests that in some countries employment interviews are more than a test of job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. This report provides a taxonomy that is useful for comparing interview questions in Latin American and other countries as well as directions for future research.     

Auditors' ability to discern the presence of ethical problems

Recently, society and the accounting profession have become increasingly concerned with ethics. Accounting researchers have responded by attempting to investigate and analyze the ethical behavior of accountants. While the current state of ethical behavior among practitioners is important, the ability of accountants to detect ethical problems that may not be obvious should also be studied and understood. This study addresses three questions: (1) are auditors alert to ethical issues; (2) if so, how important do they perceive them to be; and (3) what factors affect their sensitivity threshold and their perceptions of the importance of the issues? Most of the prior research in accounting ethics presents subjects with scenarios that contain an obvious ethical issue, and subjects realize that they are participating in an ethics study. In the present study, the ethical problems are integrated into general accounting situations in order to discover the sensitivity of accounting professionals to them. This study defines ethical sensitivity as the ability to interpret a given situation and to realize that a moral problem exists. CPAs responded to an experimental instrument comprised of three auditing scenarios taken from the 1989 Trueblood cases, adapted to deal with different ethical problems — tax evasion by a client, auditor independence, and a client's ethical problem which does not directly affect the audit. The accounting and/or auditing problems presented in the three cases were also different with the information relating to the possible ethical problem embedded in the situation. Multiway contingency tables were used to analyze the data. Factors useful in predicting whether a subject will mention an ethical issue include the nature of the ethical issue, the issue's severity, and the subject's age. Employment position, expertise (measured by two proxies), prior exposure to a similar ethical issue and education level (undergraduate versus graduate) were not significant. The ethical issue itself was also a significant factor in determining the absolute importance given to the ethical issue.