Trust and the tendency towards multi-unit franchising: A relational governance view

Previous research mainly focused on the agency-theoretical explanation of multi-unit franchising (MUF). The aim of this study is to develop a relational governance perspective of MUF by investigating the role of knowledge-based trust and general trust in franchisor's choice between multi-unit and single-unit franchising. Our data from the German franchise sector indicate that knowledge-based trust positively influences and general trust negatively influences the franchisor's tendency towards multi-unit franchising.     

INNOVATION AND GROWTH WITH RICH AND POOR CONSUMERS

This work studies the impact of income inequality on the level of innovative activities in a model where innovations result in quality improvements. In contrast to the standard model of innovations and growth, the equilibrium outcome may be characterized by a situation where not only the quality leader but also producers of worse qualities are on the market. In that case the quality leader sells to the rich, whereas the producer of the second‐best quality sells to the poor. In general, we find that a more equal distribution of income is favourable for innovation incentives. This is consistent with empirical evidence suggesting that countries with a more equal distribution of income have grown faster.     

Entwicklungstendenzen in der österreichischen Lohn- und Gehaltspyramide zwischen 1953 und 1979

Summary The paper analyzes the development in the personal distribution of wages and salaries in Austria between 1953 and 1979. Two periods of marked changes in the distribution are identified. First, the period from 1953 to 1964 ist characterized by a strong increase in inequality. This was mainly due to specific conditions of the labour market and to the wage policy of the labour unions. Between 1964 and 1970 a movement towards equality can be shown. This was mainly the result of the narrowing of the wage differential between blue and white collar workers. For the third period, from 1970 to 1979, the applied measures of income inequality do not exhibit a significant trend for more equality or inequality. In this period low and high income classes gained higher shares of the total salary and wage bill. Several structural factors, such as the increasing share of women, of white collar workers and of foreign workers and their impact on changes in the distribution are estimated.