The morning after: alcohol misuse and employment problems

Using a rich, recent, and nationally representative longitudinal survey specifically designed to examine alcohol use and associated problems, we investigate the effects of alcohol misuse on a series of understudied and perhaps less common employment problems. Such problems include being fired or laid off from a job, sustained unemployment, and conflicts with a supervisor and/or co-worker. After controlling for time-invariant omitted variables via fixed effects estimation, we find evidence that three measures of alcohol misuse are significantly related to employment problems. The results offer new information on the potential adverse labor market effects of alcohol misuse and shed light on potential mechanisms through which alcohol misuse may impact intensive labor supply and/or wages.     

Managing the HR dimension of international project operations

While much is known about the role of HRM in achieving positive outcomes in foreign subsidiary and international joint venture contexts, there has been a paucity of research into HRM issues in international project operations. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework to demonstrate the HR activities of each stage of the international project lifecycle, drawing upon supporting data from a study of Australian firms in international development projects. The discontinuous, complex and unique characteristics of international projects produce distinct IHRM challenges: for the supplying firm, particularly staff deployment and HR planning; and for project workers, in terms of career trajectory and job security.     

External reporting of accounting and financial information via the Internet in Spain

This paper describes the current (July 1998) level of usage of Internet communication technologies by Spanish quoted companies for communication of financial and other information to interested parties. First, in order to place the communication activity in context, the current extent of Internet access in Spain is described. Second, a study of the websites which have been established by Spanish companies quoted on the Madrid Stock Exchange is reported. Finally, the paper discusses the actual and potential development of the Internet as a means of establishing ‘corporate dialogue’ (Spaul, 1997) with stakeholders.     

Are There Racial Gaps in High School Leadership Opportunities? Do Academics Matter More?

Participation in high school sports and leadership activities is typically associated with later adult earnings premia. In stark contrast to the large but diminishing racial disadvantage found in other measures of educational opportunity, this analysis of high school leadership development finds few examples of racial disadvantage in historical 1960 data, but an emerging disadvantage to black female students between 1972 and 2004. Earnings regressions reveal positive earnings premia to black women who engaged in sports and leadership activities as adolescents, but not to black men. Particularly large premia to higher math scores (or penalties to lower math scores) among black workers are also observed. These findings call into question any world-view in which U.S. wages are a simple function of observable worker qualifications, and highlight the continued need to monitor equitable access to educational opportunities in U.S. schools.     

The Stability of Social Preferences in a Low‐Income Neighborhood

We investigate whether social preferences are stable across contexts using a field population of low‐income Americans. We develop and demonstrate a simplified, visually‐based experimental methodology appropriate for this population. We show that choices in a laboratory public goods game predict giving in real donation experiments, as well as self‐reported donations and volunteering outside the lab. At the same time, choices vary systematically by individual characteristics and decision context. Thus, our results provide evidence both for an underlying stable social preference and for the role of context in influencing the expression of that preference.     

The shift from sterling to the dollar, 1965–76: evidence from Australia and New Zealand

The management of foreign exchange reserves has recently attracted attention from both policy‐makers and historians. Historical research has focussed on the nineteenth century and the interwar period, with less attention to the strategies of smaller countries in the final transition from sterling to the dollar in the post‐1945 period. This article examines the evolution of reserve currency policy from the perspective of Australia and New Zealand in the 1960s and early 1970s. As in the 1930s, economic uncertainty and a shift in global economic power prompted changes in reserves strategy. Patterns of trade and debt and falling confidence in British economic policy prompted a move away from sterling, but the timing and extent of this transition were affected by the fragility of the sterling exchange rate, lack of alternative assets, and continued dependence on the London capital market. The choices for Australia and New Zealand were thus constrained, but they were able to leverage their position as holders of sterling to engage in agreements that provided an exchange rate guarantee for their sterling holdings and continued access to the London capital market. This mitigated the effect of the final global transition from sterling to the dollar while protecting their interests.     

天津居民使用购物袋偏好研究——应用联合选择实验以及潜在分类分析

由于大量使用塑料袋,白色污染问题在中国的大城市中非常普遍。天津,作为中国第五大城市,和其他大城市一样深受随之引起的环境问题的困扰。为了有力地减少塑料袋的消费量,从2008年6月1日起,中国正式开始实施限塑令,要求各大超市及零售商店对塑料购物袋进行收费。随着限塑令的颁布,许多塑料袋生产厂家被迫关闭,但是市场上仍有相当数量的塑料袋出售。本研究的假设为目前对每个中等大小塑料袋收费0.3元的价格过低,以致不能有效地改变消费者的购买行为。研究采用联合选择实验,通过调查及结果分析探究人们对不可降解塑料袋替代品的偏好和支付意愿。结果表明大部分居民不喜欢不可降解塑料袋,并且会使用其他材料制成的价格合理的购物袋。纸袋和其他降解周期短、耐久性好的袋子的销售存在特定的市场,在这些市场中价格不是决定消费者选择的重要因素。