The Value of Housing Characteristics: A Meta Analysis

This paper provides a meta regression analysis of the nine housing characteristics that are appear most often in hedonic pricing models for single-family housing: square footage, lot size, age, bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, swimming pool, fireplace, and air conditioning. Meta regression analysis is useful for comparing the estimated regression coefficients from different studies. The goal in this study is to determine if the estimated coefficients vary by geographical location, time, type of data, and model specification. The results show that the estimated coefficients for some characteristics vary significantly by geographical location. These include square footage, lot size, age, bathrooms, swimming pool, and air conditioning. Controlling for time shows that the effects of these housing characteristics on house price have not changed over time. Controlling for type of data produces differences in coefficients for bathrooms. Controlling for wealth as measured by median household income has no significant impact on the coefficients for the housing characteristics. If the study controlled for square footage, the coefficients for lot size decrease. Controlling for the size of the hedonic model affects the coefficient for square footage.     

The power of narrative in post-disaster entrepreneurial response

In this response to Community Revival in the Wake of Disaster, I describe four functional roles that storytelling plays in fueling and shaping entrepreneurial action in post-disaster contexts, with a specific focus on how storytelling motivates residents and entrepreneurs to return and rebuild their damaged homes and communities.     

Use of Leisure Facilities and Wellbeing of Adult Caregivers

The current research examines leisure facility use as a moderator of the negative association of caregiving demands with wellbeing among informal caregivers. In accordance with the leisure constraints model, the study also explores the role of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural factors that may constrain or facilitate caregivers' use of leisure infrastructure. Data were collected as part of a survey conducted by the Canadian Index of Wellbeing in three communities. Results showed that greater use of leisure facilities buffered the association of greater hours of care with lower levels of mental and physical wellbeing for informal caregivers. Attitudes toward leisure, sense of community, and facility accessibility all positively predicted caregivers' use of leisure facilities. The results suggest that leisure infrastructure plays an important role in supporting wellbeing among caregivers and identify three types of constraints to consider when supporting caregivers' use of leisure facilities in their communities.     

A case study investigating the impact of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on participation in two non-traditional English sports,Judo and Fencing

The hosting of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOPG) brought with it detailed legacy plans aiming to ‘Inspire a Generation’. The idea that hosting a sports mega-event will encourage the host population to engage in more physical activity is commonly used by governments to justify the large investments they make. The aim of this research paper was to investigate the impact that hosting the 2012 Games had on grass-root sports participation within the host nation. This paper focuses on two non-traditional English sports, Fencing and Judo and investigated the changes in mass sports participation. The membership rate analysis of our sample highlighted an overall increase in participation between 2007 and 2013, in both Judo and Fencing. The data gathered from the interviews with the head office staff at the National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and local club coaches suggested that the grass-root participation programmes were the most effective way of increasing participation, rather than the reliance, solely on the inspiration effect from hosting the LOPG itself. The study highlighted the importance of strengthening communication between local voluntary clubs and the NGB, to ensure sports could promote themselves and capitalise on this global sporting phenomenon, which provided unprecedented media coverage and opportunities for these non-traditional sports. This case study provides initial results relating to the effect that a major international multi-sport event can have in the development of non-traditional sports in the host population, in terms of membership variations, participation programmes and organisational dynamics.     

China's new Enterprise Bankruptcy Law—A great leap forward,but just how far?

The closure of many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) following the global financial crisis of 2008 spurred the Chinese government to follow its international counterparts in issuing an economic stimulus package. While it was effective in preventing many financially distressed SMEs from failure by boosting demand for its businesses, in the long run, such SMEs should be rescued through a statutory regime, which affords them temporary protection from creditors and provides them an opportunity to restructure their businesses. In doing so, the premature liquidation of SMEs would be prevented and SMEs with viable businesses but in temporary financial difficulties would be given a chance to succeed again. Although China's new Enterprise Bankruptcy Law (EBL) has shortcomings, it improves upon its predecessor legislation and, since it is still at an infantile stage of development, is bound for further reform. Despite the EBL's success in bringing Chinese corporate bankruptcy laws in line with international standards, full compliance with the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross‐Border Insolvency and UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Insolvency Law remains to be seen. In September 2008, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported that the number of (applications for) corporate reorganization and bankruptcy cases had dropped, “leading to widespread speculation there are problems in the law's practical application”. 1 This article examines the implementation of the EBL, critiques key aspects of the EBL and argues for a comprehensive assessment of the EBL and for bringing the EBL in full compliance with the international standards on cross‐border insolvency. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Where does return and volatility come from? The case of Asian ETFs

We analyze return and volatility of Asian iShares traded in the U.S. The difference in trading schedules between the U.S. and Asia offers a unique market setting that allows us to distinguish various return and volatility sources. We find Asian ETFs have higher overnight volatility than daytime volatility, explained by public information released during each local market's trading session. Local Asian markets also play an important role in determining each Asian ETF return. Nonetheless, returns for these funds are highly correlated with U.S. markets, indicative of the effects of investor sentiment and location of trade. Finally, returns in the U.S. market Granger-cause returns in all six Asian markets are analyzed.     

Determinants and impact of sustainable land management (SLM) investments: A systems evaluation in the Blue Nile Basin,Ethiopia

Ongoing debate over water management along the Blue Nile and land degradation in Ethiopia emphasizes the need for efficiency gains in agricultural production through sustainable land management (SLM). However, previous SLM studies overlook the tradeoffs involved in maintaining SLM investments over time. We address this limitation by combining a household survey that evaluates the economic impacts of SLM investments and maintenance, with a hydrological model that explores location‐specific infrastructure effects. We then use a multi‐market model to evaluate the impacts of alternative SLM investments on agricultural production, prices, and incomes over time. Analysis suggests SLM investments must be maintained for at least seven years to show significant increases in value of production, and that terraces on moderate and steep slopes are most effective in increasing agricultural yields. However, the benefits of terracing do not outweigh the cost of foregone off‐farm labor opportunities, nor compensate for lower agricultural prices from increased supply. Thus, SLM investments must be paired with other input and infrastructure investments, as well as subsidies for initial labor costs, in order to incentivize adoption and long‐term SLM maintenance.     

Monster mines,dugouts, and abandoned villages: a composite narrative of Burra’s heritage

In a bid to join recent efforts to develop innovative approaches to heritage, this article argues that adopting a collaborative mode of inquiry is a useful way of coming to terms with the plurality of ways heritage landscapes are enlivened by their visitors. It also points to some of the advantages of incorporating researchers’ personal experiences into academic research. With a focus on the Burra Heritage Trail in South Australia (geared around the Burra Heritage Passport), the article brings together four sets of research experiences, each informed by different (though cognisant) disciplinary backgrounds: art history, anthropology, heritage studies, and tourism planning. The result is a form of experimental autoethnographic writing in which four voices reflect upon their embodied, sensuous, and mobile experiences as ‘tourist’ moving through the same places, thereby offering multiple ways of knowing and telling about a single setting.     

‘Just want to surf,make boards and party’: how do we identify lifestyle entrepreneurs within the lifestyle sports industry?

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal - This paper aims to further our understanding of the identity of the lifestyle entrepreneur operating within the lifestyle sports industry....