Price transmission in the Spanish bovine sector: the BSE effect

A regime-switching vector error correction model is applied to monthly price data to assess the impact of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) outbreaks on price relationships and patterns of transmission among farm and retail markets for bovines in Spain. To evaluate the degree to which price transmission is affected by BSE food scares, a BSE food scare index is developed and used to determine regime switching. Results suggest that BSE scares affect beef producers and retailers differently. Consumer prices are found to be weakly exogenous and not found to react to BSE scares, while producer prices are conversely adjusted. The magnitude of the adjustment is found to depend on the magnitude of the BSE scare.     

Revisiting the difference between mixed methods and multimethods: Is it all in the name?

The literature on mixed methods and multimethods has burgeoned over the last 20 years, and researchers from a growing number and diversity of fields have progressively embraced these approaches. However, rapid growth in any movement inevitably gives rise to gaps or shortcomings, such as “identity crises” or divergent conceptual views. Although some authors draw a clear and sometimes opinionated distinction between mixed methods and multimethods, for others, they are synonymous. The concepts underlying both terms therefore have become blurred and generated much confusion. The aim of this article is to explore the origins of the confusion, describe our view of mixed methods and multimethod studies, and by doing so, help to clearly delineate the two concepts. The authors have presented their opinion of how these terms and concepts should be distinguished and call for a constructive debate of the issues involved in the mixed methods and multimethod literature. This is a way truly to propel the field forward.     

Differential uncertainties and risk attitudes between conventional and organic producers: the case of Spanish arable crop farmers

The growing importance of economic factors in farmers' decisions to go organic has raised interest in characterizing the economic behavior of organic versus conventional farms. In general, published analyses so far have not considered differential uncertainties, abilities to control production risk, and farmers' risk preferences between conventional and organic practices when comparing these techniques. Our article attempts to assess this issue. We use a model of farmer decision under risk to analyze the differential values between organic and conventional Spanish arable crop farms and to assess the incentives for adoption of organic practices. Results show that organic and conventional farms do have different production risks as well as different aversions to risk. Organic price premiums and subsidies are found to be powerful instruments to motivate adoption of organic techniques.     

Employer Pension Contributions and 401(k) Plans: A Note

We investigate the pension choices of over 800 firms between 1988 and 1996. Using the data on pension plan finances from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 5500, required annually from firms sponsoring plans, and on firm finances from Compustat, we find support that a 10 percent increase in the use of 401(k) plans reduces pension costs per worker by 1.8 to 2.0 percent. Collective bargaining helps to mitigate the decline in employer costs.     

The relation between key events in the development phase and the financial structure of NTBFs in the software sector

The study is based on a questionnaire survey of 117 Irish software firms. It finds no systematic relation between product lead time and acquisition of first external funds in new technology-based firms (NTBFs). Contrary to the stage model’s predictions, these firms are just as likely to secure finance in advance of producing their first product beta as they are to receive funds subsequently. Product lead times in this sector are short. Firms produced their first product beta in a median of 12 months and acquire their first external funds a median of 3 months later. The timing of these two events, however, is not significantly different. There is a significant difference in the mean time to receipt of consulting revenues and the development of first beta, suggesting that most software product companies use consulting revenues to fund product development.     

Least squares fitting of an affine function and strength of association for interval-valued data

The ultimate goal of this paper is to determine a measure of the degree of dependence between two interval-valued random sets, when the dependence is intended in the sense of an affine function relating these random elements. For this purpose, a general study on the least squares fitting of an affine function for interval-valued data is first carried out, where the least squares method we will present considers that squared residuals are based on a generalized metric on the space of nonempty compact intervals, and output and input random mechanisms are modelled by means of convex compact random sets. For the general case of nondegenerate convex compact random sets, solutions are presented in an algorithmic way, and the few cases leading to nonunique solutions are characterized. On the basis of this regression study we later introduce and analyze a well-defined determination coefficient of two interval-valued random sets, which will allow us to quantify the strength of association between them, and an algorithm for the computation of the coefficient has been also designed. Finally, a real-life example illustrates the study developed in the paper.  The research in this paper has been partially supported by DGESIC Grants DGE-99-PB98-1534 and DGE-98-PB97-1282 of the Spanish MEC. Their financial support is gratefully acknowledged. Acknowledgements. The authors are deeply grateful to Professor Wolfgang N?ther from the University of Freiberg and their colleagues Professors Norberto Corral, Miguel López-Dı′az and Ignacio MartVnez for their valuable comments and suggestions in connection with this paper. The real-life data which illustrate the study in this paper have been supplied by Aurora Fonseca, Head of the Servicio de Nefrologı′a, and Miguel de Zárraga, General Medical Manager, from the Hospital Valle del Nalón de Langreo in Asturias; we want to thank them sincerely for their collaboration and support.     

The Role of Undertakings in Regulatory Decision-Making

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has powers under the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cwlth) to accept undertakings from industry participants interested in taking actions, such as mergers, that may potentially be anticompetitive. This paper analyses the role of undertakings, focusing on horizontal mergers. We demonstrate that undertakings can provide an imperfectly in-formed regulator with a credible signal of the positive social benefits of a proposed merger. In particular, if the merged parties undertake not to reduce their output following the merger, then the merger will only be proposed if it results in net social benefits. We discuss the practical issues of implementing a behavioural undertaking such as a minimum quantity commitment, and argue that these are no less difficult than other regulatory activities currently pursued by the ACCC.     

Driving Factors for the Success of the Green Innovation Market: A Relationship System Proposal

This study aims to map out the relationships that make up green innovation initiatives in Brazilian industry. The sample comprised 100 managers at manufacturing companies, most of them operating in the business of farm machinery and equipment (45 managers) and steel structures (14 managers). To develop this study, Medeiros et al. (J Clean Prod 65:76–86, 2014) study, mapping critical factors that drive the success of green product innovation and the paradigm of complexity, was used as a reference study. Based on the results, it was possible to identify that the operational dynamic of the factors and variables that affect market success do not happen in an isolated or fragmented way; they occur systematically with different contingencies and structured basic and intermediate skills in order to meet the expectations of consumers, laws, and environmental legislation. Initially, the technological expertise factor was noted as very important for sustaining green product innovation. Furthermore, since proactive leaders are an important factor for successfully developing environmentally sustainable products, it must be added to technological expertise as the foundation for developing green innovation. After defining the basis for green product innovation, the intermediary conditions necessary for using the available technology appropriately were mapped out. In this sense, variables such as “elimination of cultural barriers,” “capacity for critical reflective analysis,” and “experimentation” are also very important. In addition, some of the variables of the cross-functional collaboration and market knowledge factors were a part of the structure that organizations need to transform potential into developing green products, which is the basis for the third level of the model. The fourth level of the model has the “meeting consumer expectations” and “following law and legislation” factors, which make up the main goals for developing environmentally sustainable products according to a number of surveys that were conducted.     

Perceptions of Organizational Virtuousness and Happiness as Predictors of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

Moral and financial scandals emerging in recent years around the world have created the momentum for reconsidering the role of virtuousness in organizational settings. This empirical study seeks to contribute toward maintaining this momentum. We answer to researchers’ suggestions that the exploratory study carried out by Cameron et al. (Am Behav Sci 47(6):766–790, 2004), which related organizational virtuousness (OV) and performance, must be pursued employing their measure of OV in other contexts and in relation to other outcomes (Wright and Goodstein, J Manage 33(6):928–958, 2007). Two hundred and sixteen employees reported their perceptions of OV and their affective well-being (AWB) at work (one of the main indicators of employees’ happiness), their supervisors reporting their organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). The main finding is that the perceptions of OV predict some OCB both directly and through the mediating role of AWB. The evidence suggests that OV is worthy of a higher status in the business and organizational psychology literatures.