Rhetoric and Employment Relations

The term 'rhetoric' is widely utilized within writings on employment relations, typically to signify emptiness, manipulation or as a contrast with reality. This paper critiques such usage and argues for employment relations to engage with the discipline of rhetoric. In outlining the parameters of rhetorical analysis in relation to the indeterminacy of the employment relationship and significance of persuasion, it describes how rhetorical studies have featured within the field of industrial relations. The paper ends with a consideration of the social constructionist implications of focusing on discourse and on how rhetorical studies could be further developed.     

Second-best tax policy and natural resource management in growing economies

This paper investigates the exploitation of natural resources in a growing economy within a second-best fiscal policy framework. Agents derive utility from two types of consumption goods—one which relies on a natural resource input and one which does not—as well as from leisure and from natural resource amenity values. We connect second best policy to essential components of utility by considering the elasticity of substitution among each of the four utility arguments. The results illustrate potentially important relationships between amenity values and leisure. When amenity values are complementary with leisure, for instance when natural resources are used for recreation, optimal taxes on goods produced with natural resources generally increase over time. On the other hand, optimal taxes on goods produced from natural resources generally decrease over time when leisure and amenity values are substitutes. Under some parameterizations, complex dynamics leading to non-monotonic time paths can emerge.     

Reduced‐fat foods: the shopper’s viewpoint

The inclusion of reduced‐fat foods in the daily diet affords consumers the potential to reduce overall dietary fat. Nevertheless, despite an increased range of these food products throughout the market, there has remained a lack of widespread consumer acceptance. The aim of the study was therefore to understand why consumers choose or reject reduced‐fat foods. Ninety consumers were interviewed by means of a qualitative approach within food retail outlets in the United Kingdom. Thematic content analysis indicated that uptake or rejection of these products is influenced by health concerns, ‘goodness of fit’ with individual dietary health strategies, the preferences of different household members, perceived sensory properties and scepticism towards these products. The results imply a need to explore and innovate ‘natural’ fat substitutes and to improve the sensory quality of reduced‐fat products. Further research is required to determine how these foods are used within the household and incorporated within the overall diet. Policy must seek to restore consumer trust in reduced‐fat food products and the food supply generally.     

Heredity or Environment: Why is Automobile Longevity Increasing?

Over the past 25 years the longevity of automobiles has increased dramatically. We disentangle the rise in longevity into an embodied or inherent-durability effect and a disembodied effect (driven by the external environment, such as reduced accident rates or reductions in the prices of auto repair parts) and estimate these effects by year from 1950 through 1991. We find that the entire rise in auto longevity is due to some force disembodied from the cars themselves and offer some speculation about the nature of this external environment.     

The political economy of transient “New” protectionism

Zusammenfassung Die politische ?konomie des vorübergehenden “neuen” Protektionismus. - Der Verfasser zeigt, da\ der Protektionismus im internationalen Handel mit Schuhwaren von 1970 bis 1977 niedrig war, dann infolge der Einführung von nichttarif?ren Ma\nahmen zwischen 1978 und 1982 betr?chtlich anstieg und in letzter Zeit fast verschwunden ist. Die Exportbeschr?nkungsabkommen, die die USA zwischen 1977 und 1981 mit Japan und Südkorea abgeschlossen hatten, l?sten eine Welle des Protektionismus in Europa aus. Als aber diese Abkommen 1981 ausliefen, wurde die Protektion in Europa abgebaut. Die Protektion für Schuhwaren verschwand schnell, weil es den Arbeitskr?ften offenbar verh?ltnism?\ig leicht fiel, eine neue Besch?ftigung zu finden, und weil die Gewinne in der Branche hoch blieben, und zwar insbesondere für Hersteller in den USA und Europa, die Importeure von Schuhwaren wurden. Dies ergibt sich nach einer Analyse von sieben Standardhypothesen aus der Literatur zur Polit?konomie des Protektionismus.

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Resumen La economia politica del “nuevo” proteccionismo transitorio. - El autor demuestra que la protección en el comercio international del calzado fué baja en el período 1970–1977, aumentó significativamente a raíz de la introductión de medidas no-arancelarias entre 1978 y 1982 y casi desapareció en los últimos a?os. Los “orderly market agreements” entre los EE.UU., Japón y Corea del Sur entre 1977 y 1981 dieron lugar a una ola de proteccionismo en Europa. Cuando estos acuerdos expiraron en 1981, empero, se redujo la protection en Europa. La protección al calzado desapareció rápidamente, aparentemente porque los trabajadores tenían facilidad de encontrar un empleo nuevo, y porque las ganancias permanecieron altas en esta industria, particularmente para productores de los EE.UU. y europeos, quienes pasaron a ser importadores de calzado. Estos son los resultados después de haber examinado siete hipótesis standard sobre la economía política del proteccionismo.

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Résumé L’économie politique du transitoire ?nouveau? protectionisme. - L’auteur démontre que le protectionisme au commerce international de l’industrie de la chaussure a été très bas pendant les années 1970–1977, mais s’est accru signif?cativement par l’introduction des mesures non-tarifaires pendant les années 1978–1982 et a presque disparu les dernières années. Les ?orderly market-agreements? des Etats-Unis avec le Japon et la Corée du Sud entre les années 1977 et 1981 ont déclenché une vague de protectionisme en Europe; mais quand les règlements américains ont expiré en 1981, la protection en Europe a été abrogée. La protection de l’industrie de la chaussure a disparu rapidement, évidemment parce que les ouvriers n’ont pas eu de difficulté de trouver de nouveaux emplois et parce que les profits de l’industrie sont restés hauts, particulièrement pour les producteurs des Etats-Unis et de l’Europe qui sont devenus des importateurs de chaussures. Ce sont les résultats après l’examen de sept hypothèses de la littérature qui s’occupe de l’économie politique du protectionisme.

     

Critical factors to consider in the development of an audit client engagement decision expert support system: a Delphi study of Big Six practicing auditors

The litigious audit environment is driving accounting firms to change their audit client engagement strategies in order to remain viable and successful in a very competitive environment. Firms are realizing the need to make better, more informed decisions regarding client acceptance/continuance decisions. Expert Support Systems are suggested as a useful tool for reengineering the audit client engagement decision. Towards this goal, this study uses the Delphi method with a panel of experts from the Big Six accounting firms to determine critical factors which may cause a firm to reject potential clients. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.