A typology of de-coupling strategies in mixed services

A typology of a class of service systems is proposed. The typology links strategic operational objectives to the decision to de-couple work between the front and back offices of a service system. Four specific ideal types of a strategy/de-coupling mix are described; each of which has distinct operational, marketing and human resource ramifications. A type that has had significant representation in traditional literature is the “Cost Leader” type, where back-office activities are de-coupled from the front office for the purpose of lowering costs. Another traditional type representative of the craftsman legacy is the “Personal Service” type, which retains back-office tasks in the front office to pursue non-cost-oriented strategic goals. Theoretical and empirical evidence is also given for two non-traditional types: the “Kiosk” type, where all tasks remain in the front office to achieve lower costs, and the “Focused Professional” type, which de-couples front- and back-office activities to enable front-office workers to provide higher service, rather than to reduce costs. Empirically, retail bank lending systems are analyzed to support the typology.     

Induced innovation and marginal cost of new technology

Lacking data on development and implementation costs for input-saving technologies, we develop a nonparametric procedure to estimate relative differences in marginal technology costs for technical change to be consistent with the induced innovation hypothesis. We apply it to U.S. agriculture.     

Recreational behavior of onshore and offshore oil industry employees in Newfoundland,Canada

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of surveys of oil industry employees in Newfoundland, Canada, working both onshore and offshore on rigs and supply boats. The surveys reveal the different recreational behavior of respondents compared to local residents, and the unique and restricted environments in which they live and work while offshore. The analysis covers the leisure time activities both offshore and onshore, and the effects of the relocation to Newfoundland upon the recreational behavior of the sample. Conclusions discuss the significance of relocation upon recreation behavior, and implications for planning, provision, and operation of leisure opportunities in coastal zone areas affected by hydrocarbon development.     

Who's in charge here? Co‐CEOs,power gaps,and firm performance

At the pinnacles of organizations, comparative tests of unity of command and shared command are nearly impossible because only one individual sits atop most organizations. In organizations led by co‐CEOs, however, such a test is possible because co‐CEOs can truly share power. But do they? Our research pits the unity‐of‐command principle against the shared‐command principle and finds overall support for the former, even within the co‐CEO context. Our sample of 71 co‐CEO pairs at publicly traded U.S. firms shows that increasing power gaps between co‐CEOs are positively associated with firm performance. This positive association wanes and turns negative, however, as power gaps become very large. We conclude that whatever benefits the co‐CEO structure might offer likely lie outside the shared command paradigm. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Budget deficits and interest rates in Germany

This study uses the basic tools of cointegration to determine whether there exists a long-term relationship between budget deficits and nominal interest rates in Germany. Maximum eigenvalue, trace, and likelihood ratio tests all affirm that there does apparently exist a long-term relationship between the budget deficit and the nominal interest rate. Accordingly, regression studies and formal causality tests have a reasonable basis for investigating whether budget deficits lead to higher interest rates in Germany.     

Establishing Maintenance Resource Levels Using Selective Maintenance

We address the performance of a repairable system that is required to perform a sequence of equally spaced, identical missions with breaks between missions. The system is series-parallel in structure, and component repair can only be performed during breaks between missions. Due to limitations on maintenance resources, it may be impossible to make all necessary repairs before the next mission. Such situations require the use of selective maintenance, the process of identifying the subset of maintenance actions to perform from a set of desirable maintenance actions. We build upon previous research in selective maintenance by addressing decisions related to establishing capacities for the limited maintenance resources. We model mission-to-mission changes in maintenance resource capacity, and we develop a methodology for establishing constant resource capacities for a sequence of missions. Finally, we develop a methodology for integrating redundancy allocation and maintenance resource allocation decisions.     

An Evaluation of California's Mandated Commodity Promotion Programs

This article provides an overview of mandated commodity programs in California, and summarizes and interprets existing evidence on their economic impacts. The analysis draws upon the recent book edited by the authors: The Economics of Commodity Promotion Programs: Lessons from California . New York: Peter Lang Publishing, April 2005. The book documents the institutional arrangements, summarizes the history of recent litigation, and presents the results of a number of benefit–cost studies of mandated commodity programs in California. The overwhelming conclusion from the studies reported in the article is that the programs have been very profitable for California's agricultural producers.