Time Series Analysis of Strategic Pricing Behavior in the US Airline Industry

A positive relationship betweencompetitive pressure and technical efficiency has been demonstratedby several studies; other studies hold forth that airline marketsbehave strategically. We bring these two literatures togetherby presenting a time series methodology to examine strategicpricing behavior and discussing the implications for airlineefficiency. We find evidence of dynamic, route-level, parallel( i.e. strategic) pricing despite highly variable price structures.A stable price relationship is consistent with successful coordinationof dynamic oligopolists and may highlight those routes wheresignificant market power exists. In light of previous research,this indicates that the airlines on these routes may not be attainingmaximum technical efficiency. For policy makers, this methodologyis useful for analyzing other markets which behave strategically.     

Some European Perceptions of Japan's Work-ethos in the Tokugawa Era: A Limited Survey of Observations from the West's First Encounters Offers Parallels to Today's

Abstract . During the Tokugawa Era (1603-1867), early European travelers from several nations encountered the work-ethos of previously secluded Japan and recorded their observations in correspondence, articles and books. These perceptions are categorized under three headings, effort propensity, social efficiency capital and social rationality. Analysis of the construct thus achieved indicates that from this aspect the Japanese—in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries—appear to have been an industrious, efficient and disciplined people. These findings offer striking parallels to the observations in our contemporary literature. We shall not know how accurate these observations are until the economic and social historians supply more exhaustive evidence based on Japanese as well as European sources. But discrete use can be made of the information we now have.     

Natural gas,trade and sustainable growth: empirical evidence from the top gas consumers of the developing world

Natural gas is the key non-renewable source of energy for a low-carbon economy. The research applies heterogeneous panel techniques to investigate the impact of natural gas consumption on economic growth across a panel of top 15 natural gas consumers of the developing world. We establish long-run dynamics with cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity across the sample countries. The long-run output elasticities suggest that the natural gas consumption and trade variables have significant positive effect on the output in a panel of developing economies. Further, we establish feedback relationship among gas consumption, output and trade in the short-run. Given the significance of natural gas as the low-emission source of energy, we suggest governments and policy advisers of these major natural gas consumers to focus on developing pipeline infrastructure for adequate supply, reforming natural gas sector with a competitive price structure to combat excess demand in individual natural gas market. With trade integration, majority of these countries need to incorporate these initiatives to improve the technologies such as combined cycle power plant technology and value-added chemical production technology to achieve sustainable economic growth.     

Did the regulatory changes of 1999 and 2001 affect income smoothing behavior of US banks?

This study examines the impact of the regulatory changes introduced by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) in 1999 and by the Securities and Exchange Commission and FFIEC in 2001 on the income smoothing approaches and mechanisms employed by the United States (US) banking industry. We find that the relationship between previous quarter charge-offs and current quarter recoveries that was prevalent in the 1990’s to be insignificant for homogeneous loans but for heterogeneous loans the relationship became significant in the years following the regulatory changes. Recoveries are positively and significantly associated with the surprise net interest margin or return on assets which implies recoveries are primarily determined by the economic realities of the charged-off loans. The regulatory changes have strengthened the relationship between current quarter recoveries from heterogeneous loans and current quarter charge-offs but for homogeneous loans this relationship weakened insignificantly. The new regulations reduced the surprise gross loan charge-offs suggesting that the enforcement improved the accuracy of the provision as a predictor of next quarter’s gross loan charge-offs.

     

Auditor Lobbying for Accounting Standards: The Case of Banks and Savings and Loan Associations

This study examines auditor lobbying on seven proposed US accounting standards which affect banks and savings and loan associations. Evidence is provided in support of the Watts and Zimmerman (1982, 1986) theory on auditor lobbying. Watts and Zimmerman (WZ) hypothesise that auditor lobbying is a function of the client-manager position and a set of wealth effect variables. These variables may provide an incentive for auditors to disagree with their clients on proposed accounting issues. The WZ model is modified by including an audit risk variable. Results show that the model is statistically significant and that the identified wealth and audit risk effects are significant explanatory variables of auditor lobbying behaviour.