The evaluation of demand responsive transport services in Europe

Over the last decade Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services have grown in popularity for several reasons including: the shortcomings of conventional regular bus and taxi services; shortcomings of special transport services; and new developments in community transport. Traditional dial-a-ride services have often been criticised because of their relatively high cost of provision, their lack of flexibility in route planning and their inability to manage high demand. The potential for overcoming these limitations may be realised through the introduction of telematics-based DRT and this has been widely demonstrated, for example, in recent research funded by the European Commission (e.g. the DGXIII-funded SAMPO and SAMPLUS projects). This paper provides an introduction to the concept of telematics-based DRT services and presents the results of the evaluation of a set of DRT technologies and operations at urban and rural sites across Europe. The paper offers discussion in terms of the key issues that influence the introduction of DRT services.     

Redressing gender inequality in employment: the national and sub-regional policy 'fit'

This article examines the 'fit' between policy development regarding gender inequality in employment at sub-regional and national (UK) level, in particular focusing on the experience of women. Drawing on research undertaken in Coventry and Warwickshire, the article explores the question of how policy development at sub-regional level fits with national policy, and whether the sub-region is an appropriate, or effective, level at which to develop policy on gender inequality in employment. It is argued that while there needs to be recognition of the limited ability of sub-regional policy to confront structural issues, policy development at this level does offer potential strengths in redressing both gender inequality in employment and the relative lack of a gender dimension in local economic development.     

Confidence, visibility and pressure: the effects of shared information in computer aided hotel management

This article analyses the use made of computer based information systems in hospitality management. The findings indicate that, rather than replacing the middle management role, computer systems are used as support mechanisms which remove uncertainty associated with decisions based on hunch or inadequate information.     

Profit rates and structural variables in French manufacturing industries

In this paper, the authors apply the theory of industrial organization to the French manufacturing sector. Profit rates of industries and firms are related to concentration on the product market, differentiation, economies of scale, absolute capital cost requirements and to firm sizes. The analysis suggest that concentration on the seller's side may lead to misallocation of resources in industries in which barriers to entry are high. They also suggest that large firms may be less efficient than smaller firms. These results call into question the industrial policy of the French government over the last ten years.     

I did not call him “Fritz”: Personal recollections of Professor F. A. v. Hayek

Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, 1986.     

Measuring mergers and concentration in UK unions 1910–88

Trade union mergers are currently attracting much attention. This is in the context of the continuing decline of trade unions and the role of mergers in maintaining their viability. However, a still neglected and important aspect of their development is how to measure with accuracy, the concentration which results from mergers.     

Wages in Managed Markets: An Explanation of the Gender Wage Gap?

Over the last decade or so in Australia, relative wages have declined in some female‐dominated occupations, notably in the care industries. This article argues that the strong growth in labour force participation of mature‐aged women has allowed wages to remain low in these ‘managed’ industries. Limited mobility across industries and occupations, at least in part due to preferences for part‐time work, and an institutional wage‐setting mechanism also play a role. Growing demand for workers in the care industries, rising skill levels of women, and slowing growth in participation as rates converge with those of men will contribute to stronger wage growth in the future.     

Client Importance and Audit Quality at the Individual Audit Partner,Office, and Firm Levels

We investigate whether audit partner level data provides a more powerful measure than office or firm level measures of client importance. We find that the likelihood of issuing a going-concern opinion (any and first-time) increases, and the absolute value of discretionary accruals decreases, in relation to the proportion of audit fees to the total audit fees received by audit partners from all their clients. We also find that the likelihood of issuing a going-concern opinion (any and first-time) increases, and the absolute value of discretionary accruals decreases, in relation to the proportion of non-audit services fees from a client to total non-audit service fees, and the proportion of total audit and non-audit service fees from a client to total fees from all their clients at the office and firm levels. Our findings provide evidence to regulators, audit clients, and stakeholders that audit partners do not succumb to pressure from economically more important clients as audit quality has a positive association with client importance.