Manufacturing labor in the Central Region of Mexico. An estimation by great division

The production performance and its effects in the generation of formal employment in the Central region of Mexico are analyzed at the major division level of manufacture. The most dynamic activity divisions of the manufacturing industry are identified and, by estimating a function of employment with panel data for each of the nine major divisions of manufacture, it is reported that the activity divisions: I. Food products, beverages and tobacco, II. Textiles, clothing and leather industry, III. Timber industry and wood products and IX. Other manufacturing industries show high employment income elasticity (0.716, 1.035, 0.781 and 0.94). Furthermore, the divisions that comprise the more technical branches, with greater innovation processes and high levels of export, such as division VIII. Metal products, machinery and equipment, show lower elasticity.     

HRM as a Significant Factor for Achieving Competitiveness through People: The Croatian Case

This paper evaluates the quality of human resource management (HRM) in Croatia because excellent human resource (HR) policies, programs and activities enable enterprises to maximize their workforce productivity. The research was conducted in enterprises with more than 200 employees. The value of HRM was assessed using the HR audit approach. Fifty-five HR indicators were analyzed from the top 10 Croatian HR enterprises to serve as benchmarks for the final sample of 80 enterprises. Results indicate Croatian enterprises have deficient HR practices, on average. Independent sample t-tests showed 61.82% of HR indicators were significantly better in the benchmark firms. Consequently, HRM in Croatia can not be considered solid ground for achieving competitiveness through people.

Who is behind the sustainable purchase? The sustainable consumer profile in grocery shopping in Spain

Studies of sustainable consumer profiles are mainly label‐specific and focus on Organic or Fair Trade labels. As a result, when the sustainable consumer is defined, there is a sense that only one profile exists. If each label has a different positioning strategy and has different requirements, the buyers of these products may also be different. Through the use of consumer panel data, this paper aims to deepen the understanding of the household demographic profiles of consumers of sustainable brands in order to discover if there is a single sustainable consumer profile or whether there is diversity associated with different labels. This study reveals profile differences and these provide better understanding of the complexities of sustainable consumption. It reveals that the profiles of sustainable buyers are not the same across all labels and this should be taken into account by awarding institutions when designing and evaluating their positioning strategies.     

Omnichannel Shopper Segmentation in the Fashion Industry

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to identify groups of omnishoppers based on their main motivations (usefulness, enjoyment, and social influence); and, second, to characterize the omnishopper clusters. To this end, we surveyed a sample of 628 customers of an omnichannel clothing store and analyzed the data using cluster analysis. The results reveal three different segments: reluctant omnishoppers, omnichannel enthusiasts, and indifferent omnishoppers; and significant differences in gender, age, income level, and omnichannel behavior among these segments. In contrast, we found no differences in the use of channels and devices. These results have theoretical and managerial implications.     

ON THE ACCURACY OF CGE FORECASTS IN EXPANSION AND RECESSION: SPAIN 1990–1997

A recursive dynamic disaggregated computable general equilibrium model of the Spanish economy is used to compare the model predictions of endogenous variables with their observed values over the period 1991–1997. It includes 12 producers, 12 households, government and 2 external sectors. There are four types of labour and real wages that depend on unemployment rates. Private investment is determined by private savings and public and external surpluses. Domestic products and imports are imperfect substitutes. All exogenous variables and tax parameters are updated every year with the best available information. The model provides rather accurate predictions in 1991, a normal year, but it underestimates the intensity of the 1992–1993 recession. It also predicts dramatic reversals of trade balances in response to devaluations. These results suggest both that investment savings-driven models provide useful insights in the medium term but underestimate the consequences of downturns, and that Armington's elascitities typically assumed may be too large.     

Estimating the effect of overcrowding on tourist attraction: The case of Canary Islands

This paper analyzes the influence of the tourist’s perception of overcrowding on a destination’s appeal. To do so, the use of the population density estimates is suggested to measure degrees of overcrowding in a tourist area, which in this paper is undertaken using panel data analysis. A tourist demand model is estimated in the study case, which consists of a number of resorts located in five islands of the same archipelago, Canary Islands. This distinctive case of close but different destinations makes it possible to isolate variations in demand due to changes in population density and other supply-side factors from other demand-oriented ones. Annual tourists coming from two different European countries to the islands were considered as endogenous variables. The empirical findings provide an indicator of each island’s maximum capacity and test some policy measures laid down to extend these limits. The estimation of the effect of population density on demand can serve as a useful tool for planning the future development in destinations where tourist attraction is mainly based on the natural values of the site.     

Social Capital in University Business Incubators: dimensions,antecedents and outcomes

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal - While many universities around the world have devoted resources to create University Business Incubators (UBIs), the literature has neglected...     

Path modelling to bankruptcy: causes and symptoms of the banking crisis

This article studies the bankruptcy of US banks since 2009. It first analyses the financial symptoms that precede bankruptcy, such as low profitability, insufficient revenue or low solvency ratios. It also goes into the causes of these symptoms. It poses several hypotheses on causes of failure, such as loan growth (some of them risky), specialization (in this case concentration in real estate) and the pursuit of a turnover-driven strategy neglecting margin. It presents and tests a structural equation modelling based on partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) and logistic regression. Results show that, 5 years before the crisis, failed banks had, compared to solvent banks, the following: higher loan growth, higher concentration on real estate loans, higher risk ratios, higher turnover, but lower margins. A relationship is found between symptoms and causes. Failed banks present a significant relationship between the percentage of real estate loans and risk. This relationship is negative in excellent banks, confirming that they allocated less real estate loans with a high quality. Nonfailed banks compensated increases in risk by strengthening their core capital.     

REDUCE EMPLOYERS’ SOCIAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTIONS AND CONTROL LABOR FRAUD: REMEDIES FOR SPAIN'S AILING ECONOMY?

The aim of this paper is to quantify the impact of the reduction on social security contributions (SSCs) of employers recently claimed by the Spanish enterprisers’ organizations on the main macroeconomic variables. The effects of this tax reform are evaluated with a Computable General Equilibrium model with the neoclassical closure rule. The model is calibrated with a Social Accounting Matrix for the year 2000 (SAMES-00) elaborated by the authors. Results show that lower SSCs of employers raise employment, households’ welfare and real gross domestic product (GDP) but also increase the public deficit. These positive effects remain when the reduction is compensated with personal income taxes to keep the public deficit/GDP ratio constant and also when the compensating variable is value-added tax (VAT). Unlike in previous studies, the most positive effects are obtained when the lower public revenues are compensated via lower coverage of unemployment benefits.     

Fiscal Transparency

Abstract

Quality of governance is a key for political accountability, hence, the importance of identifying its determinants. Here, we focus on one dimension of quality of governance: fiscal transparency. Drawing on a sample of 691 Catalan municipalities (2001–7), we estimate the factors determining levels of budgetary transparency. Political competition and decentralization are the most important determinants of fiscal transparency. By contrast, budgetary variables do not appear to play any role.