Building a World Class Region: Regional Strategy in the South East of England

The South East of England sits uncomfortably within the English regional project. Public support for regional government is relatively low and political appetite for a debate on its future is limited. We argue that the South East poses a problem for English regionalism. The incorporation of this economic heartland is imperative if the project it is not only to be associated with economic development and regeneration in more deprived areas. However, the South East is fragmented and fraught with tensions that institutions of regional governance cannot easily overcome. In particular this relates to the highly differential economic trajectories of different economic sub-regions and to the institutional separation of the South East from London. The future of regional government in the South East of England and the role that the region plays in the wider English regional project remain highly uncertain.     

TYING, BANKING, AND ANTITRUST: IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE

The anti-tying section (Sec. 106) of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1970 severely limits U.S. banks' or bank holding companies' ability to link one product or service to another. Though the provisions of Sec. 106 resemble the anti-tying provisions of the U.S. antitrust laws, the latter are considerably less restrictive and more flexible. Sec. 106 represents a misguided legislative effort to deal with a perceived problem of banks' market power. Though tying can be a manifestation of market power, it is more likely—especially for banking—to represent efficient combinations of complementary components. Regulatory and judicial enforcement of Sec. 106 surely has seriously inhibited the flexibility and efficiency of bank pricing and product offerings. A simple solution to this legislative over-regulation is to repeal Sec. 106 and instead extend the reach of the antitrust laws to cover abusive tying by banks.     

The structure-climate relationship in Korean organizations

Research using U.S. samples has demonstrated a significant relationship between organizational structure and organizational climate. Given recent developments in Korea, as well as the call to test organization theory and behavior concepts across cultures, this study analyzed the structure-climate relationship in large Korean organizations (N = 1,192 employees in 27 firms). Similar to U.S.-based results, it was found that lower levels of centralization and conflict in the Korean firms were associated with more positive employee perceptions of organizational climate. However, contrary to U.S.-based findings, greater formalization in the Korean firms also led to positive perceptions of climate. Interpretations of these findings are discussed and implications for future management practice offered.     

The effect of fit between competitive strategy and it adoption on organizational performance in small banks

The exploratory study empirically investigates the effect of congruence (fit) between information technology (IT) and competitive strategy on organizational performance. Building on anecdotal evidence and existing theory, a conceptual model of strategy-IT fit is derived. The model is tested through moderated regression analysis of data from 156 small banks. The results suggest that the level of technology adoption in itself bears no relationship to financial performance. IT-strategy congruence, however, is associated significantly with organizational performance.     

Bias resulting from the choice of sample and results of cross-national analyses of suicide rates

Although many cross-national studies of suicide rates have appeared, no research has explored the extent to which the results of the study depend upon the choice of the sample. The present note explores the relationship between the quality of life and suicide rates using different criteria to choose a sample of nations. It was found that restricting the sample to European or industrialized nations gave different results to the use of a total sample or one chosen so as to sample randomly from all regions of the world.Auburn University     

Economic Effects of Taxes on Land:

A bstract . Land taxes may not be neutral in their economic impacts due to liquidity effects. Liquidity effects of land taxes may be in the form of holding cost effects or capitalization effects. Holding cost effects may occur when land is being withheld from development for non-financial reasons, such as the direct benefits of landownership. Capitalization effects may occur when there are imperfections in capital markets which prevent the acquisition of land for otherwise viable projects. Contrary to the analysis by Bentick , no liquidity effects should be expected due to variations in streams of land rent generated by different hypothetical development projects for a given site. Bentick's analysis relies on a misunderstanding of the nature of land rent .