A note on the space of preference relations

The space of irreflexive, transitive, and continuous binary relations of R^l endowed with the topology of closed convergence, and subsets of defined by various other properties of the relations are investigated. It is shown that the subsets defined by properties, which one often assumes in general equilibrium theory, have nice topological properties such as compactness or G₈-ness.     

„Bewertung von physischen Übertragungsrechten — Eine Analyse der Grenzkuppelstellen zwischen Deutschland und den Niederlanden“

The purpose of this paper is to discuss market-coherent valuation of physical transmission rights for cross-border capacities between Germany and the Netherlands. Aiming at a fair valuation of these contracts, the most important stylized facts of electricity prices such as mean reversion, spikes and correlations of regional prices have to be considered. We present two different approaches to the valuation of physical transmission rights and perform a quantitative analysis of the results. On the one hand various challenges of modeling regional price differences are discussed. On the other hand a structural undervaluation of required flexibility is indicated, which implicates missing incentives for the extension of cross border capacities.     

The 'Skill-oriented' Strategies of German Trade Unions: Their Impact on Efficiency and Equality Objectives

In the present debate about options for the modernization of trade unions, the predominant argument being propounded is that trade unions and workers' representatives at plant level should take more 'responsibility' for the competitiveness of the firms. Among other things, they are advised to enter into 'alliances' with management at the level of qualification politics. This paper considers some important collective bargaining arrangements which the German trade unions have negotiated over the last few years in order to improve mutually beneficial further training decisions within German firms. The emphasis is on the potential of different agreements for achieving efficiency and equality objectives in the context of contemporary changes in production and restructuring processes.     

When less family is more: Trademark acquisition,family ownership,and internationalization

This study examines the relationship between international performance and the orientation of the firm towards trademark acquisition, and discusses family ownership as a moderator of this association. We conceptualize our study along three interrelated lines of ‘openness’ i.e. openness towards external resources, openness of governance, and openness towards international markets. The empirical investigation relies on a panel data analysis over four years, and on a cross-industry sample of European listed companies consisting of 712 observations. Our outcomes reveal that the attitude of the company to enrich the brand portfolio with externally developed trademarks is positively associated with the firms’ international performance. We also find that this relationship is moderated by family ownership. “Less family is more”: we find a positive relationship of openness towards trademark acquisitions with the firms’ international performance, which decreases with the presence of a family in a dominant position.     

Representative voice in different organizational contexts: a study of 40 departments of a Dutch childcare organization

‘Representative voice’ can be defined as actions in which one or more speakers represent others when speaking up about a problem at the workplace or making a suggestion. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of representative voice, assess the frequency of its occurrence and examine department characteristics associated with its frequency. We present a theoretical framework and develop and test hypotheses about the effects of characteristics of the departmental context on the frequency of representative voice. Our focus is on organizational design features, i.e. characteristics that can be directly implemented by management. Data on 40 departments of a large Dutch childcare organization suggested that representative voice occurred in most of the organization's departments, although not frequently. Multilevel analyses showed that representative voice was best predicted by the presence of shared problems. Further, representative voice was more frequent in departments in which employees worked directly with clients (i.e. children), and in larger departments. Frequent contact with the department's manager and among the department's employees had no effect.