BOOK REVIEWS

Dynamics and Conflict in Regional Structura1 Change—Essay in Honor of Walter Isard Volume 2 Practical Methods of Regional Science and Empirical Applications—Selected Papers of Walter Isard, Volume 2 Department of Economics Loughborough University Export Promotion Strategies—Theory and Evidence from Developing Countries Commonwealth Secretariat Export Market Development Division Human Development Report 1990 for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (New York and Oxford: University of Nottingham The World Bank and the Environment—First Annual Report Fiscal 1990, The World Bank (New York: The World Bank, 1990 London Environmental Economics Centre University College London The European Communities' Single Market: The Challenge of 1992 for Sub-Saharan Africa Loughborough University     

Consumer Information and Education Effects on Knowledge and Choice of Fire Resistant Upholstery

The effects of consumer education and information treatments on choice of alternative products are described. Knowledge of upholstery serviceability and flammability before and after these treatments is measured as well as simulated purchase behavior of 448 Canadian consumers. Subjects show an increase in knowledge between pre- and posttests. The choice of fire resistant upholstery differs among consumer information treatments but not among education treatments. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.     

Family Composition,Parental Time,and Market Goods: Life Cycle Trade-Offs

The present study supplements Canadian consumer expenditure survey data with unique time use data to analyze family life cycle decisions regarding allocation of full income to market purchased consumption goods, home production, and leisure time. Results confirm that young children's presence causes families to increase their shares of full income allocated to home production and to decrease the shares of full income allocated to leisure. As a share of full income, expenditures for market goods steadily increase while expenditures for women's home production diminish as children age.     

Workshop on unconfined vapor cloud explosions

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the principle points made during the course of the workshop, identify (to whatever extent is possible) a consensus position of the panel members on key issues, and to review research needs as identified by the panel. No attempt will be made to summarize each panel members' individual presentation, as such, since there was considerable overlap both in the presentation topics and in the subsequent discussions.     

Dust entrainability and its effect on explosion propagation in elongated structures

Two apparatuses have been developed to characterize the entrainability of dust deposits. The minimum aerodynamic wall shear stress required for dust removal (Critical Shear Stress), measured by the first apparatus, is an indicator of the ease with which dust particles can be removed from a layer. The second apparatus measures the settling velocity distribution of dust clouds, which is an important factor controlling the extent of dispersion as well as the time period during which the entrained dust cloud can remain suspended. Testing has shown that the critical shear stress depends not only on the nature of the dust, but on the way the dust deposit is formed. Therefore, a portable version of this apparatus was developed to allow field testing of dust deposits. This methodology has also been used to evaluate the effect of oil treatment sometimes used in the grain handling industry to reduce dust emission. Simulated explosion tests have demonstrated the importance of critical shear stress on dust entrainability. A simple model calculating unsteady dust concentration in elongated structures has been developed. The model shows that flammable dust concentrations induced in a gallery by a primary explosion exist over a finite length and time period. Therefore, the probability of a secondary explosion depends not only on the dust and layer properties, but on the details of the primary explosion and of the enclosure geometry. A simple criterion for transmission of a primary explosion into an adjoining elongated structure is discussed in the paper.     

Network analysis of the Caucasus’ image

Destination image is influenced by many factors, including destination promotion materials, the mass media as a general familiarity agent, the perceivers’ own characteristics and even researchers’ methodological choices. To isolate and minimize the impact of research on destination image, different qualitative and quantitative designs and analysis techniques have been utilized. However, no previous study utilized the network analysis technique, which may be useful to reveal a picture of destination image with the interconnections and hidden dynamisms of dimensions as well as its correlates. The present study applies this technique on qualitative data from an online sample of Americans on their perceptions of a relatively remote and unfamiliar destination, the Caucasus region, in order to hone in on the dramatic impact of mass media on destination image. Results revealed networks of meanings with residue of mass media messages about Boston bombing, with some differences among different genders and education levels.     

Parallel machine replacement under horizon uncertainty

Construction projects usually get delayed for several time periods. When the planning horizon of a project is extended, projections for purchase and salvage of machinery within the planning horizon become inaccurate and less beneficial and often lead to unexpected costs. In this article, we formulate a parallel machine replacement (PMR) problem as a two-stage stochastic program with an uncertain planning horizon. We consider renting as an alternative to purchasing and maintaining the machinery. We show the application of the model through a case study in construction projects. Through numerical analysis, we derive managerial implications and show the value of the stochastic model.     

Consumer Interest Litigation: A Case Study of Nader v. Allegheny Airlines

The Nader case highlights the related problems of airline “overbooking” and passenger “no shows,” and raises the question of what public policy should be in this area. The paper analyzes the efficiency and equity aspects of Nader's attempt to eliminate overbooking. It also focuses attention on the interplay of litigation and regulation as instruments of economic policy change.     

The Impact of Comparative Food Price Information on Consumers and Grocery Retailers: Some Preliminary Findings of a Field Experiment

There is reason to believe that consumers face a difficult task in securing adequate and accurate information upon which to judge relative price levels of competing foodstores. The objective of the research reported here was to investigate the potential of retail food price reporting for correcting this information problem. Both consumer and grocery retailer responses to this comparative food price information were analyzed. A pretest-post-test design with four pairs of experimental-control cities (with replications at two levels of concentration) was employed to collect price data. A modified Solomon-four group design was used for surveys of food consumers in experimental and control cities. The results of analysis of variance models lend support to the hypothesis that price reporting can lower the relative level of food prices, both for items individually identified in a price report and items not identified in the report. The magnitude of this effect varied among the cities. It appears that consumers' role in this experiment was a passive one: consumer behavior and patronage patterns did not change in a manner that would consistently reinforce the competitive effects of the price reports.