Least-cost allocation of measures to increase the amount of coarse woody debris in forest estates

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is crucial for maintaining biodiversity in forests but conservation measures to increase CWD must be performed cost efficiently. We estimate least-cost combinations of CWD-increasing measures in a spruce-dominated Swedish forest estate. Specifically, we investigate how using combinations of the measures tree retention, creating high stumps, manual scarification, prolonged rotations, and retention of dying trees impacts the amount of CWD and net present value at the estate level. We found that by combining CWD-increasing measures in an optimal way the amount of CWD on the estate could be increased 322% with a decrease in present value of only 10%. The optimal combination of conservation measures depends on the desired increase in CWD. The analysis thus shows that huge improvements in cost-efficiency of biodiversity-oriented forestry are possible.     

Pressemitteilungen 2.0 �C eine Resonanzanalyse im Internet

With the development of the Social Web, companies and organizations are now able to communicate via Online PR not only with journalists but also with their stakeholders. Therefore, the press release, initially an instrument of media relations, is now applicable for reaching other spheres as well. Using an input-output analysis, the study examines in the tradition of determination research how much resonance (i.e. reactions such as copies or identifiable references) press releases generate online in different public spheres (journalists, organizations, individuals). As a first step (input analysis) we examined n?=?32 press releases from small and medium-sized companies or nonprofit organizations which were available online, coding different possible factors of success (characteristics of the press releases such as journalistic quality and news factors, organization characteristics, and the number of channels used for publishing the release). Secondly, we identified all n?=?382 reactions to these releases on the internet (output analysis). We found that the press releases generated an average of twelve reactions online. Six of them were manual reactions and not automatically produced. This corresponds to a resonance quote of 69%, i.e. about two out of three press releases got at least one reaction from somebody else. More than a quarter of reactions came from individuals and could be predicted less by news value than the reactions coming from of journalists.     

Building firm-specific advantages in multinational corporations: the role of subsidiary initiative

This paper investigates how subsidiary companies are able to contribute to the firm-specific advantages of the multinational corporation (MNC). Specifically we examine the determinants of the contributory role of the subsidiary and subsidiary initiative. The study reveals the following significant relationships: (a) internal subsidiary resources in combination with initiative have a strong positive impact on the subsidiary's contributory role; (b) subsidiary initiative is strongly associated with the leadership and entrepreneurial culture in the subsidiary; and (c) contributory role is strongly associated with subsidiary autonomy and a low level of local competition. We discuss the implications of these findings and some of the theoretical issues associated with subsidiary initiative. Our provisional conclusion is that MNC subsidiaries can not only contribute to firm-specific advantage creation, they can also drive the process. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water scarcity and the impact of improved irrigation management: a computable general equilibrium analysis

Increasing water scarcity combined with an increasing demand for food and water for irrigation call for a careful revision of water use in agriculture. Currently, less than 60% of all the water used for irrigation is effectively used by crops. Based on the new version of the GTAP‐W model we analyze the effect of potential water savings and the welfare implications of improvements in irrigation efficiency worldwide. The results show that a water policy directed to improve irrigation efficiency led to global and regional water savings, but it is not beneficial for all regions. The final effect on regional welfare will depend on the interaction of several different causes. For instance, higher irrigation efficiency changes opportunity costs and reverses comparative advantages, modifying regional trade patterns and welfare. For water‐stressed regions the effects on welfare are mostly positive. For nonwater scarce regions the results are more mixed and mostly negative. The results show that exports of virtual water are not exclusive of water abundant regions.     

Normative barriers to imitation: social complexity of core competences in a mutual fund industry

Imperfectly imitable resources are central in contemporary analysis of sustainable competitive advantage. While prior work has focused on limitations on the ability to imitate, we argue that it is only a third step in an imitation procedure that also involves the identification of what to imitate and the willingness to imitate. In this study we focus on this last step of unwillingness to imitate due to institutionalized professional norms on product appropriateness. Drawing on institutional theory, we test hypotheses and discuss the complex relationship between institutionalized norms, core competences, and systematic differences in the willingness to imitate. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.