Technology Adoption and Pest Control Strategies Among UK Cereal Farmers: Evidence from Parametric and Nonparametric Count Data Models

This paper examines the intensity of technology adoption and integrated pest management strategies employed by UK farmers, using both parametric and nonparametric methods. We employ a unique survey dataset collected from UK cereal farmers to assess the determinants of technology adoption in relation to pest management. Our preferred model specification is nonparametric, with models estimated yielding broadly similar results, with some important qualitative differences. All models indicate that total area farmed is positively related to the number of technologies adopted, whereas the number of years of experience of the farmer is negatively related. We also find evidence with our nonparametric specification of significant statistical differences for number of adoptions by region across the UK.     

Co-creation as a risk-sharing strategy for the development of innovative EUV lithography technology in the semiconductor industry

Co-creation is becoming an innovative way for new technology development (NTD). We propose a four-staged co-creation model drawn upon a backdrop of ‘knowledge cloud’ for value creation and long-term customer commitment resulting in risk-sharing associated with NTD. The model is elaborated through the case of a leading semiconductor lithography equipment manufacturer (ASML) developing a new extreme ultraviolet lithography technology by engaging the major stakeholders in customer co-investment programme. The model is generic and applicable to any technology-driven industry and may include more stakeholders of same or allied technology.     

The Influence of Religiosity on Consumer Ethical Judgments and Responses Toward Sexual Appeals

This research explores the influence of religiosity on consumer perception of, and response toward, sexual appeals. The first study (survey, national sample; n = 423) examines the relationship between religiosity and consumer response toward sexual appeals using causal modeling. Study 1 finds that high intrinsic religiosity consumers exhibit more adverse ethical judgments toward the company’s use of sexual appeals and these judgments, in turn, result in inferior attitudes and purchase intent toward the advertised brand. To confirm and expand on these findings, the second study (experiment, young adult sample; n = 216) examines the influence of intrinsic religiosity on consumer response toward both sexual and nonsexual appeals. The results show that sexual appeals elicit inferior (superior) ethical judgments, attitudes, and purchase intent among consumers high (low) in intrinsic religiosity. In contrast, nonsexual appeals elicit (un)favorable responses from consumers who are (low) high in intrinsic religiosity.     

Counterfeit proneness: Conceptualisation and scale development

Abstract

Counterfeiting is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world across a wide range of product categories, including music, movies, food, computer software, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, and machinery parts. Prior research focuses on deceptive counterfeiting in which the consumers are not aware about buying counterfeit products, with little attention to non-deceptive counterfeiting in which consumers knowingly purchase counterfeit products. Most of this research is fragmented and exploratory in nature, resulting in mixed or inconclusive findings that leave many important questions unanswered. For example, it is still not clear why some customers are more prone to buying counterfeit products compared to others. We address this important gap by conceptualising counterfeit proneness (CFP), an individual-level psychological trait that relates closely with counterfeit purchase behaviour. We also develop a scale to measure this trait and validate it through a series of empirical studies. Finally, we discuss some limitations of our approach and directions for future research.     

Cyclical equilibria in multi-sector productive economies: The role of substitution and factor intensity

The paper examines the existence of cyclical perfect foresight equilibria in a two-sector overlapping generations economy with production in which both goods enter consumption. Conditions for the existence of two types of cyclical equilibra are obtained in terms of elasticities of substitution in production and consumption, factor shares in production, and expenditure shares in consumption. The role of substitution possibilities and factor intensities is highlighted. It is shown that factor intensity assumptions are not enough to rule out cyclical equilibria and that limit cycles may exist for substantial amounts of substitution possibilities in production; what matters is the relative sizes of the consumption and production elasticities. The results are illustrated using CES functions. A dynamical simulation of an economy which exhibits a Hopf cycle is presented.     

Different strokes: regulatory styles and environmental strategy in the North‐American oil and gas industry

The environmental management and policy literature presents competing arguments for and against different styles of environmental regulations – command‐and‐control versus flexible regulations that enable voluntary actions. On the one hand, it is argued that firms will not adopt minimum environmental standards without command‐and‐control regulations and that such regulations may actually result in competitive benefits for first movers. On the other hand, the literature argues that command‐and‐control regulations stifle innovation and that flexible regulations encourage proactive environmental strategies that lead to competitive benefits for organizations. This study compared the environmental strategies and competitiveness of oil and gas firms in two different regulatory contexts – the command‐and‐control based US environmental regulations and the flexible collaborative Canadian context. The study found no significant differences in the degree to which firms within the two contexts were more or less proactive in their environmental strategies or in the extent of competitiveness associated with corporate environmental strategies. Follow‐up interviews with 12 Canadian and US companies indicated that regulations appeared to be more important drivers of corporate environmental practices at initial stages and eventually other external and internal drivers became more important influences on corporate environmental strategies. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Cointegration of price measures: Evidence from the G-7

This study addresses index-dependency of empirical results associated with the purchasing power parity (PPP) relationship. Using four key price indices involving the G-7 nations, empirical tests for long-run co-movement are conducted. A test for linear restrictions is imposed. The speeds of adjustment are calculated for statistically significant linear combinations. The speed of the short-run response to disequilibrium differs both within and across countries. The seven-country average reveals that the CPI has the quickest recovery response to a one-time disturbance. The findings suggest that PPP results are not dependent upon the choice of index when an explicit set of indices is cointegrated.(JEL F3)     

Exploring the dimensionality of the need for cognition scale

Based on evidence presented for the Need for Cognition Scale in its original and abbreviated versions, users of the instrument assume its unidimensionality. In three exploratory studies, maximum‐likelihood factor analysis reveals the presence of multiple dimensions in both forms of the scale. Four dimensions—enjoyment of cognitive stimulation, preference for complexity, commitment of cognitive effort, and desire for understanding —emerged with some consistency across samples and were found to be fairly resistant to changes in the polarity of scale items and to explain differentially consumer response to advertisements. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.