The contribution of social accounting matrices to economic enquiry in South Africa: A review∗

In 1986 the first social accounting matrix (SAM) for South Africa was published. Subsequent publications are reviewed in which this SAM was used in the exploration of economic structure and policies, particularly as these relate to income and expenditure patterns and distribution. The rapidly expanding international literature on the subject of SAMs is considered. Potential further applications and the requirements for drawing up a revised and updated SAM for South Africa are investigated.     

Technological progress in particulate removal equipment at U.S. coal burning power plants

Coal-fired power plants contribute significantly to particulate matter emissions, which are regulated in the U.S. with emissions standards set by individual states. The theoretical literature generally, though not always, finds that standards offer inferior incentives to develop and adopt technological innovations, especially in end-of-pipe pollution control. This analysis empirically tests for cost-saving innovations in the operating, capital, and lifetime costs of flue gas particulate collectors. Results suggest that operating costs have fallen over time, capital costs have increased, and that these changes have led to no statistical change in lifetime costs.     

CAPITAL MARKET EXCESSES AND COMPETITIVE STRENGTH: THE CASE OF THE HARD DISK DRIVE INDUSTRY 1984–2000

In a much-cited 1985 study of the U.S. hard disk drive industry entitled "Capital Market Myopia," William Sahlman and Howard Stevenson concluded that "excesses in the capital markets turned an opportunity into a disaster" for investors in the emerging industry. Sahlman and Stevenson fretted about what their findings implied not only for investors but also for the industrial competitiveness of the U.S.A.
With the benefit of hindsight, the research presented in this article shows how the hard disk drive industry has evolved in the past 15 years to the point where disk drives are a vital part of the information technology revolution that has transformed the way we live, work, and play. The authors' research examines the financial performance of both hard disk drive manufacturers and storage system manufacturers completely dependent on hard disk drives; looks at improvements in the technical performance of hard drives; and then compares the competitiveness of U.S. companies with foreign manufacturers.
After the venture capital/IPO bubble of the early 1980s gave way to the traditional discipline of U.S. financial markets, many weak companies were driven out of business and others were forced to consolidate. Only a handful of the startup firms survived. But these U.S companies, together with IBM, now dominate the global hard drive market. Moreover, there are striking parallels between the 1982–84 hard drive bubble and the recent experience of U.S. Internet firms. Although the first half of 2000 saw a large number of closings, forced sales, and IPO cancellations by American dot-coms, a number of the likely "survivors"—notably, Yahoo, eBay, and Amazon.com—now seem poised to dominate their global markets.     

浅析我国教育营销策略

高等教育营销已经成为高校的常规性活动,并且越来越受到重视.本文分析研究了我国高等教育主要采用的营销策略,提出了我国高等教育营销策略值得改进之处.     

training in germany: a dissident view

The German system of training is often seen as an example for Britain. Len Shackleton and David Lange, of Westminster University, argue that, in fact, it handicaps the German economy.     

Dollarization in Latin America: seigniorage costs and policy implications

This paper examines the seigniorage costs of official dollarization in 15 Latin American countries. We show that the total costs can be decomposed into two components: seigniorage transferred to the U.S. and seigniorage lost due to greater financial stability in the dollarized country. Results indicate that seigniorage costs and their components are significant, yet differ considerably across countries. A cluster analysis is performed to sort countries into homogenous sub-groups. At a stage with five sub-groups we find groups with increasing seigniorage burdens. At a stage with two sub-groups we can identify candidates for possible seigniorage revenue-sharing agreements with the U.S.     

How do Universities Make Progress? Stakeholder-Related Mechanisms Affecting Adoption of Sustainability in University Curricula

This paper develops a theoretical model to explicate stakeholder-related mechanisms that affect university adoption of sustainability in curricula. This work combines stakeholder and institutional theories so as to extend both. By examining change in the university context wherein there is confusion about sustainability adoption, this research adds to previous institutional theory focusing on strongly contested practices, primarily in the for-profit firm setting. Sustainability is a transformational challenge and may be adopted reactively or proactively. Also, stakeholder theory is extended in a mixed profit and non-profit context. Propositions suggest how the extent of embeddedness affects an organizations’ selection of stakeholders, consequently affecting the type of adoption. This facilitates a greater understanding of why two competing definitions of stakeholders may operate. Moreover, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are discussed as affecting adoption in different ways. A responsible leader organization is newly defined and intrinsic motivation is proposed as underlying its choice of the widest set of stakeholders leading to broad, proactive adoption.     

Job satisfaction and self-employment: autonomy or personality?

Most studies in the economics discourse argue that the impact of self-employment on job satisfaction is mediated by greater procedural freedom and autonomy. Values and personality traits are considered less likely to explain the utility difference between self-employed and salaried workers. Psychology scholars suggest that entrepreneurial satisfaction also depends, at least in part, on specific values and personality traits. Utilising a large dataset derived from the 2006 European Social Survey, this study performs a complementary analysis by taking personality traits, personal values and indicators for workers’ autonomy explicitly into account. The empirical findings add further strength to economists’ argument that, net of values and personality traits, autonomy and independence are the mechanisms by which self-employment leads to higher levels of job satisfaction. These results hold true for both male and female sub-samples even when a multitude of socio-demographic characteristics, personal values and personality traits are controlled for.