Too old or too young? The impact of perceived age discrimination

This article examines the impact on employee attitudes of perceived age discrimination, drawing on a study of a local authority. Survey respondents report that discrimination on the grounds of being ‘too young’ is at least as common as discrimination on the grounds of being ‘too old’. Findings suggest that perceived age discrimination, whether for being too old or too young, has negative consequences for affective commitment to the organisation. Those who feel that they have been discriminated against because they are considered too old have higher levels of continuance commitment. There is partial support for the hypothesis that older workers who feel that they have been discriminated against have a stronger intention to retire early.     

Use of forward versus backward reasoning during audit analytical procedures: evidence from a computerised-process-tracing field study

Audit judgement research has widely assumed that auditors rely primarily on backward reasoning during analytical procedures but the relative use of forward reasoning has not been directly examined. The present study explains how auditors use backward and forward reasoning during analytical procedures, discusses evidence from other research suggesting that forward reasoning could be more prevalent, and examines the relative use of forward reasoning during analytical procedures with data from a computerised process‐tracing field study. Results suggest that auditors rely extensively on forward reasoning when using analytical procedures. Findings motivate future research that examines when forward and backward reasoning are most effective.     

Are cultural values associated with organizational and union commitment and citizenship behavior? A study of Chinese manufacturing workers

This paper examines the association between individual-level cultural values and employees’ commitment to, and citizenship behaviors towards, their employing organization and union. Based on a study of Chinese manufacturing workers, several significant findings emerged, most notably that workers distinguished clearly between the organization and union as foci for commitment and that horizontal, but not vertical, collectivism was positively associated with union commitment and union citizenship behavior. Our results suggest the need to differentiate between horizontal and vertical collectivism when considering the effects of cultural values on attitudes towards unions and collective action.     

A Constructivist Learning Approach to Income Inequality, Poverty and the “American Dream”

In the constructivist approach to economic education, an understanding of economic reality is built on the student’s own economic experiences. The process results in active and engaged learning. This paper reports on in-class experiments aimed at developing a learning module focused on income inequality and poverty. How much income is required to maintain a modest, middle income, poverty line or “American Dream” living standard?     

Some benefits of cyclical monetary policy

We show that modeling monetary circulation and cyclical activity offers insights about monetary policy that cannot be had in representative-agent models. Two fundamental ideas emerge: (i) the reflux of money back to the hands of those making current expenditures can be inefficient, and (ii) expansionary policy may accommodate more trade during high-demand seasons, at the expense of less trade in low-demand seasons and a less valuable currency. The paper provides a foundation for the optimality of a cyclical monetary policy. We thank Steve Williamson and, especially, an anonymous referee for helpful comments, as well as insightful discussions in presentations at the Cleveland Fed (2003), University of Iowa (2004), Queen’s University (2004), and more recently at the Chicago Fed, the New York Fed, the Institute of Advanced Studies, Simon Fraser University and the Universities of Vienna, British Columbia, and Victoria.     

The antecedents of union commitment and participation: evaluating moderation effects across unions

This article evaluates whether the nature of the union moderates the antecedents of union commitment and participation, based on a study of member attitudes in Voice, formerly the Professional Association of Teachers, and the National Unions of Teachers, often seen as the most ‘moderate’ and ‘militant’ teacher unions, respectively.     

The Stability of Price Dispersion under Seller and Consumer Learning*

In many markets, it is possible to find rival sellers charging different prices for the same good. Earlier research has attempted to explain this phenomenon by demonstrating the existence of dispersed price equilibria when consumers must make use of costly search to discover prices. We ask whether such equilibria can be learned when sellers adjust prices adaptively in response to current market conditions. With consumer behavior fixed, convergence to a dispersed price equilibrium is possible in some cases. However, once consumer learning is introduced, the monopoly outcome first found by Diamond (Journal of Economic Theory3 (1971), 156–68) is the only stable equilibrium.     

In search of sustained competitive advantage: the impact of organizational culture,competitive strategy and human resource management practices on firm performance

We develop and test a dynamic model of co-specialized resources for competitive advantage. Using matched data from senior executives and human resource managers, we test the direct and interactive effects of high-performance human resource (HPHR) practices and organizational culture on firm performance. Although the HPHR practices were not an important influence on performance, our findings indicate that organizational culture can be a valuable resource for companies.