The information needs of prospective homebuyers: an exploratory study of apartment purchases in Finland

Ultimately, the search for housing depends on information about the housing market and individual apartments for sale. The housing search process gives rise to diverse information needs. Their nature is elaborated in an exploratory study drawing on interviews conducted with 16 Finnish homebuyers in 2008. The data were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The constant comparative approach was utilized to capture the nuances of information needs experienced at three major phases of the housing search process. At the phase of orientation to the housing market and identifying vacancies, the information needs covered a broad area including the supply of relevant apartments in preferred districts and the realistic funding opportunities. The temporal frame within which these needs were experienced was fairly broad. At the phase of assessing vacancies, the information needs became more specific and the temporal frame narrower, since the needs primarily dealt with concrete issues such as the renovation requirements of the apartment. Finally, at the phase of bid formation, information needs were mainly related to the determination of the proper price level and the optimal timing of the price bid.     

Technical efficiency of Swedish employment offices

This paper studies technical efficiency for Swedish employment offices between 2004 and 2010. Efficiency is computed using a semi-dynamic DEA-framework. On the input side we include a measure of input quality and we also control for services that are carried out by private contractors. On the output side we are using both intermediate and final outputs. The motivation for using an intermediate output is to take into account the fact that employment offices might have strengthen the possibility for unemployed individuals that remain unemployed to get a job in the forthcoming year. The study identifies an average yearly inefficiency between 7 and 10 percent. It is also observed that the inefficiency is unevenly distributed. To make employment offices more efficient this uneven distribution needs to be considered, otherwise efforts to improve efficiency might instead result in increased inefficiency.     

ESTIMATING THE INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN FROM PUBLISHED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: A REPLY

In estimating the long-range profitability of a business firm two different assumptions have been made on the shape of the distrubtion of contributions from the capital investments making up the firm. Assumptions need not be proved. In a steady-state the two contribution distributions yield equal numerical results. Recent results without the need of different contribution distributions are referred to.     

A Transition Cost Rationale for Transition of the Firm within the Family

Small Business Economics - This paper is about the transition of ownership of shares in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the family (i.e. from parents to children). In spite of the...