Whom do you distrust and how much does it cost? An experiment on the measurement of trust

We advance the measurement of trust in economics in two ways. First, we highlight the importance of clearly identifying the target of trust, particularly for obtaining concordance between attitudinal and behavioral measures of trust. Second, we introduce a novel behavioral measure of (dis)trust, based on individuals? willingness to pay to avoid being vulnerable to the target of trust. We conduct an experiment in which we vary the target of trust among passersby at several locations around a city, measuring both behavioral distrust and trust attitudes towards these varying targets. We find that subjects discriminate based on perceived characteristics of different targets in determining whether to trust, in a manner consistent with trust elicited using attitudinal measures and with actual trustworthiness. Risk aversion and altruism do not correlate highly with our measure of distrust.     

Sampling in the twenty-first century

This article summarizes the most significant developments in survey sampling in the twentieth century, especially as they relate to marketing and marketing research, and attempts to predict, based on what we know now, significant developments that will occur early in the twenty-first century. The article is divided into the following sections: (1) Developments in Door-to-Door Sampling, (2) Developments in Telephone and Mail Surveys, (3) Location Samples, (4) Focus Groups and Other Sloppy Samples, (5) Sampling Rare Populations, (6) Business Surveys, (7) Panels, (8) Developments in the Theoretical Foundation of Survey Sampling, and (9) The Evolutionary Process and Future Developments. Seymour Sudman is Walter A. Stellner Professor of Marketing and the deputy director of the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is the author, co-author, or editor of 20 books and more than 200 articles dealing with sampling and survey methods. Edward Blair is a professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of Houston and the head of the department. He is the author (with Seymour Sudman) of a text on marketing research, and his articles on research procedures have appeared in various academic journals. He also has taught sampling and other topics at the American Marketing Association’s School of Marketing Research since its inception.     

Casemix Management in a New Zealand Hospital: Rationalisation and Resistance

This paper discusses the use of a 'casemix' information system to rationalise and scrutinise clinical activity in a corporatised New Zealand hospital. The implementation of the casemix system was part of a management strategy to influence clinician behaviour by making visible the financial implications of clinical decisions. Clinicians were able to resist the application of this comparative surveillance system by challenging or diverting the information produced.     

Influences on Sustainable Innovation Adoption: Evidence from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

The adoption of innovations associated with environmental sustainability has been a topic of growing interest among scholars. The research presented in this paper draws on Abrahamson's theoretical framework of fads and fashions to argue that dimensions of uncertainty and degree of external versus internal influence provide significant insights into firms' decisions to adopt sustainable building innovations. We develop three hypotheses, reflecting three views of adoption influence: fad, fashion, and efficient‐choice. We find that adoption of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification in the United States was more likely among firms similarly oriented toward end‐consumers and among firms strategically positioned as environmental leaders. These results provide support for the fad and efficient‐choice views of adoption, respectively. Contrary to expectations suggested by the fashion perspective, adoption was not more likely among firms located in states whose political leaders are more committed to environmental protection. Our findings offer important implications for practitioners and policy makers seeking to encourage sustainable building design. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

The environmental crisis in the third world

The destruction of the environment Is not a threat to Industrialised countries alone but also to those strenuously endeavouring after economic progress. Development efforts are often accompanied by disastrous effects for the environment. In view of such gloomy aspects a new development strategy is to be conceived.     

Sales forecast errors for new product projects

It is difficult to avoid errors in sales forecasts for new industrial products, especially when the forecasts are made at the new product screening stage. But if managers are aware that a forecast is likely to be in serious error, they can take steps to deal with the uncertainty. A research project analyzed 185 new product projects to develop four major indicators of sales forecast error. The indicators can be derived for specific firms from typical project screening questions and can be used to alert new product managers to special development problems that may be present.     

Helping tomorrow's retirees manage "distribution phase" risks

Much of employers' attention has focused on helping employees manage the accumulation of 401(k) plan assets rather than on helping them manage the distribution phase--the period during which employees begin drawing down their 401(k) savings to meet their retirement needs. Assisting employees in managing the distribution phase can play an important role in helping employers meet a range of workforce planning goals and ensuring a maximum return on the retirement dollars that have been invested by both employees and the company. By implementing a properly structured approach to help employees manage the distribution phase, employers can help them maximize the value of their retirement savings at little or no employer cost, thanks to the leverage of the company's group purchasing power and the tax advantages of employer-sponsored plans.     

Designing long-term disability plans: tax efficiency vs. maximizing wage replacement

The tax treatment of long-term disability plans raises difficult questions for employers and employees, as it necessitates a tradeoff between tax efficiency and maximizing wage replacement for disabled workers. By using simplified case examples, this article illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of different plan design choices. The authors conclude that, in most cases, long-term disability coverage should be mandatory but that employees should be given the choice to decide whether their coverage is taxable.     

The London Business School with Gower Publishing

The world economy is just starting to emerge from the second trough of a "W-shaped" recession. Compared with the experience after the first oil shock, when industrial production fell by 12 per cent, bringing inflation quickly down from 14 per cent into single figures. the 1980 world recession was mild. Between the first and third quarters industrial output fell 5 per cent; it recovered in the fourth quarter and inflation stopped falling. As a result governments - and this is especially true of the United States - look "another bite at the cherry": monetary policy was tightened and interest rates rose. The effect over the last six months has been to produce a second dip in output. The renewed attack on inflation has, however, been successful and inflation is now well in single figures and falling. Consequently a general easing of policy is evident and a recovery of output in the second half of 1982 and into 1983 remains our forecast.