Anchor Points, Reference Points, and Counteroffers in Negotiations

Based on the theoretical assumptions that counteroffers are generated through an anchoring-and-adjustment process and that offers are perceived as gains or losses relative to a reference point, predictions were made of how, in a price negotiation, the size of counteroffers vary with proposed selling prices and reservation prices. The predictions were confirmed in two experiments. In Experiment 1, 64 undergraduate students of business administration playing the role of buyers of condominiums were presented proposed selling prices and asked to give a counteroffer which a hypothetical seller would accept or reject. A reference point was induced by telling subjects their reservation price. Before giving a counteroffer subjects were asked to indicate whether it was higher or lower than an arbitrary anchor point. In four different groups of subjects, high vs. low reference point was crossed with high vs. low anchor point. The results showed as expected that the counteroffers were higher for a high than for a low anchor point, and higher for a high reference point when the anchor point was perceived as a gain than for a low reference point when the anchor point was perceived as a loss. In Experiment 2 in which another 48 undergraduate students of business administration participated, the anchor points were the proposed selling prices and the reference point (reservation price) was manipulated by providing estimates of the market price. The results were as predicted, thus suggesting that the proposed selling prices operated as anchor points and that the estimated market prices affected the reservation prices (reference points) so that the selling prices and estimated market prices jointly affected the counteroffers.     

Determinants of Firm Start-Up Size: An Application of Quantile Regression for Ireland

In this paper we provide empirical evidence on the determinants of firm start-up size using data for the manufacturing sector in Ireland, and compare our results with recent findings for Portuguese manufacturing industries (Mata and Machado, 1996). To allow for firm heterogeneity between firm entrants we use quantile regression techniques for our empirical estimation. We find that the determinants of start-up size differ in their importance for small and large-scale entrants. In particular, industry size and industry growth seem to affect large-scale entrants only.     

Problems of large‐scale fashion designers in Accra,Ghana

A survey was conducted to investigate the problems faced by large‐scale fashion designers in Ghana. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The problems the respondents encountered were manpower, economic, logistic and social. Additional training in fashion design outside Ghana and a high level of education were identified as assets in the export trade. Suggestions to the Ghanaian Government and other stake holders, to improve the fashion industry and thus enable the industry to contribute effectively to the realization of the economic goals outlined in ‘Ghana’s Vision 2020’ (development plan), are discussed.     

Pricing Eurodollar futures options using the BDT term structure model: The effect of yield curve smoothing

This article focuses on pricing Eurodollar futures options using the single‐factor Black, Derman, and Toy (1990) term structure model with particular emphasis on yield curve smoothing. Of the various approaches, the maximum smoothness forward rate approach developed by Adams and van Deventer (1994), cubic yield spline, and linear interpolation are used to produce finely spaced binomial trees. We compare the pricing accuracy associated with the use of yield curve smoothing techniques within the BDT framework. The findings provide the first supporting evidence that using a forward rate curve with maximum smoothness together with a time‐varying volatility structure improves best the performance of the BDT model. The empirical results are found to be robust across factors affecting the option price such as time‐to‐expiration, moneyness, and trading volume. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 20:293–306, 2000     

Managing the Quality of Marketing Data: Cost/benefit Tradeoffs and Optimal Configuration

A large majority of work in database marketing deals with what to do with data when it is available. This paper focuses on an aspect of data that has not been visited frequently in the database/interactive marketing literature—managing the quality of data resources from a profit point of view. While costly to achieve and sustain, high data quality is essential for effective database marketing. The notion that “more is better” very often prevails in data quality management decisions, essentially with very little consideration, if any, of cost. This paper suggests that data quality management decisions should be driven by considerations of cost–benefit tradeoffs and profit maximization. It specifically addresses data quality decisions which are highly relevant in the database marketing area: the subset of data records managed, reflecting time-span coverage, and the targeted quality levels in this subset. Decisions of these types are routinely made based on satisfying technical and functional requirements. In this study, we propose a model that quantifies the benefits and the costs associated with these decisions, and permits optimizing them from a profit maximization standpoint. The paper describes the model development, discusses its implications for data quality management decisions, and highlights its potential contributions with illustrative examples.     

Inflation und Schuldenabbau

The European Central Bank (ECB) recently announced its willingness to do whatever is needed to save the euro. This has raised the question whether such a role of the ECB must lead to higher rates of infl ation. Under current recessive macroeconomic conditions in the eurozone, the ECB’s expansionary monetary policy will not lead to higher infl ation. On the contrary, there is a serious danger of defl ation. Higher infl ation would likely occur only if a permanent stabilisation function were assigned to the ECB. Yet historical examples show that mistakes can be made. During the stagnation in Japan, US economists heavily criticised the Bank of Japan’s timid monetary policy response. But in some sense, current Fed policy seems to be a direct copy of that strategy, caused by uncertainty about the proper communication channel. An infl ation tax could help to bring down the mounting public debt in the wake of the fi nancial crisis, but higher wealth taxes have more transparent distributional effects.     

产业结构影响中国贸易收支失衡的理论分析与实证检验

分析和解决中国当前的贸易收支失衡即巨额的贸易顺差问题是解决中国经济外部失衡的关键所在。从贸易方式看,加工贸易逐渐成为中国贸易收支失衡的决定性因素;从商品结构看,机械及运输设备类产品已成为工业制成品贸易顺差的重要来源。理论分析表明,中国巨额的贸易顺差是在特定的历史背景下形成的,具有一定的脆弱性。实证研究发现,产业结构和贸易结构及二者的相互影响对中国贸易收支失衡具有重要的影响作用;人民币升值虽然有利于改善中国的贸易收支失衡状况,但与结构变量相比,其改善的程度较弱。要从根本上解决中国经济的外部失衡,政策的着力点应更多地放在以产业结构调整为核心的结构性问题方面。     

International productivity and factor price comparisons

Using OECD input–output tables for a diverse group of 33 countries in the year 2000 and estimates of each country's factor stocks, I compute factor payments for aggregate labor and capital with value-added data adjusted for self-employment by sector. Using a detailed technology matrix for the U.S., I compute factor-specific productivity measures in each country relative to the U.S., and show that these measures are strongly correlated with the pattern of wages and rental rates. I find that many low income countries with low labor productivity have relatively high capital productivity. I also find a distinctive pattern between factor productivity and factor payments depending on whether a country has a high or low wage-rental ratio compared to the U.S. I show these findings are consistent with the existence of sector-based differences in production technology and complementarities between factors.     

The barriers to effective global talent management: The example of corporate élites in MNEs

This paper focuses on talent management failure by multinational enterprises (MNEs). It examines barriers to corporate advancement of talents located in subsidiaries and more specifically on promotion of talent already employed by the MNE to be part of the upper echelon management team at its centre. Drawing on agency and bounded rationality theories, we discuss the underlying causes of talent management failure in MNEs. At the subsidiary level, we draw on agency theory to delineate self-serving mechanisms displayed by subsidiary managers that might hinder effective talent management systems throughout the MNE. At the headquarter level, we use bounded rationality to explain how decision-making processes, and information top management teams use to make decisions about talent management results in overlooking talents at subsidiary level.     

Random variables with independent integer and fractional parts

For random variables with independent integer and fractional parts: a canonical form is given for those with positive differentiable densities, and a condition ensuring exponentially is made less restrictive.