Regional wage convergence in Spain 1850–1930

This paper presents a new regional database on real wages for Spain from 1850 to 1930. This evidence is used to analyze the evolution of wages across regions and occupations. Substantial wage convergence occurred from 1850 to 1914, despite low rates of internal migration. World War I and the subsequent globalization backlash were associated with a spectacular increase in wage differentials. However, real wage convergence across Spanish provinces resumed during the 1920s, this time accompanied by high rates of internal migration.     

NAFTA Students’ Whistle-Blowing Perceptions: A Case of Sexual Harassment

Business students from the three NAFTA countries were shown a possible Sexual Harassment scenario from Arthur Andersen’s Business Ethics Program. They were asked to respond to a pre-questionnaire concerning the three characters’ behaviors and possible actions and a post-questionnaire after writing a report from the points of view of the three characters in the scenario. The students were asked to consider whether the characters should report the possible harasser to their supervisor, and thus engage in whistle-blowing behavior, as well as directly confront the harasser. Hypotheses are formulated for the three NAFTA countries based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. There were significant differences, but in some cases not in the direction expected. Gender differences are also explored, but there were few significant differences.     

The impact of social media and offline influences on consumer behaviour. An analysis of the low-cost airline industry

This study analyses the impact of social media as well as offline environments upon tourist online purchase and recommendation behaviour of low-cost airline services. Drawing on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), this research considers the effect of offline social influences (interpersonal and external influences) and analyses online Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C) information exchanges as a driver of customer attitude towards online purchases. We propose that these factors improve online repurchase intentions and positive word-of-mouth communication (WOM and e-WOM) in low-cost settings. Using structural equation modelling, the conceptual model is tested with a sample of 441 Spanish Internet buyers of low-cost airline services. Interpersonal offline influences (e.g. friends, relatives, and family) have a significant effect on online repurchase intentions and WOM but do not affect e-WOM. External offline influences (e.g. media and experts), however, only affect consumer intentions to recommend future purchases of low-cost airline services on social networking travel sites and have no effect on online repurchase intentions or WOM. Findings also show that online C2C information exchanges influence attitude which, in turn, has a significant effect on repurchase intentions WOM and e-WOM.     

The role of post-use trust in the acceptance of a technology: Drivers and consequences

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the role of trust in the acceptance of a technology once the firm has already used it (post-use trust). First, we examine the drivers which encourage the firm to trust in a technology and, second, we study the consequences of trust in terms of firm performance and intentions to continue to use the technology. The drivers involve (1) perceptions experienced by the firm during the employment of the technology, (2) the influence of the firm's trading partners and (3) the importance of the IT manager's attitude towards the technology. The study focuses on the acceptance of e-invoicing in Spain and the sample consists of 100 early adopter firms who have perceptions and knowledge about this technology. Our findings clarify the relationship between trust and technology acceptance and have important implications about trust-building structures that could improve the application of technologies that are in the early stages of implementation.     

Workers with Disabilities: Exploring the Hiring Intentions of Nonprofit and For-profit Employers

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a conceptual framework, focus groups were held with nonprofit and for-profit employers in order to examine behavioral intentions to hire workers with disabilities. Content analysis revealed the following main themes: (1) For-profit hiring strategies were driven by a mission to sell a product or service; (2) Nonprofit hiring strategies were driven by a mission to serve the community; (3) Forprofit hiring and nonprofit hiring were impacted by the economy; (4) Although driven to have diverse workforces, the number of workers with disabilities was largely unknown; and (5) Employer attitudes mattered and impacted job opportunities for people with disabilities. Implications of this qualitative study highlight the utility of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the role that nonprofit managers and leaders may play in improving employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.     

Size, performance and financial conditions for Spanish real estate firms 2004-2007

Spanish real estate has experienced more than a decade of continuous buoyancy, from 1995 to mid 2006. High rates of return, especially in the housing sector, during this period, have prompted the entry of many firms in the market and the growth in activity of incumbents, with the subsequent excess capacity. This situation, combined with the reduction in demand associated with fiancial constraints, has brought about a deep crisis within the real estate industry. In the future scenario of reconfiguration and consolidation of the sector, many firms will be likely to disappear. One key question is that which type of real estate firm will survive. Casual evidence suggests that size may be a relevant factor through its connection with efficiency. This paper explores the roles of size, performance and financial leverage using a sample of Spanish developers and builders over the period 2004-2007. Basic results from a panel estimation suggest the existence of a positive correlation between size, proxied both by income and assets, and Return on Equity （ROE）. In turn, the estimates also suggest that larger firms display higher margins （computed as profits over sales） and are more leveraged in relative terms. Our interpretation is that many finns may lack the critical mass necessary to dilute fixed costs and achieve larger levels of efficiency. This feature endangers not only the possibility of profits in harder times, but also their survival. These empirical findings suggest, in addition, that a process of concentration among Spanish firms in the industry could entail gains in terms of efficiency.     

Are entrepreneurial foreign activities of Peruvian SMNEs influenced by international certifications, corporate social responsibility and green management?

Given the crucial role of entrepreneurial foreign activity as a source of corporate profits and competitive advantage, it is of interest to investigate which factors may help promote it. This paper evaluates whether entrepreneurial foreign activities of small and medium-sized multinational enterprises (SMNEs) of Latin American developing countries are affected by international certifications, corporate social responsibility and green management. To that aim, we use a sample of 100 Peruvian exporting firms from several sectors and a methodology consisting of partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results reveal that, while acquiring and holding international certifications as well as the investments carried out in actions related to corporate social responsibility do not have positive effects on the performance of entrepreneurial foreign activities of Peruvian SMNEs, green management exerts a positive influence. Therefore, environmental management is revealed as an effective tool to help firms from developing countries compete successfully in the markets and, in turn, improve the economic situation in those regions.     

Note on global dynamics and imbalance effects in the Lucas–Uzawa model

In the traditional literature on the Lucas–Uzawa model, it is proved that in the so‐called normal parametric case, human capital stock grows at a rate greater than its long‐run counterpart in the neighbourhood of the long‐run balanced growth path. We first prove that the claim is true outside the neighborhood of balanced growth paths. More importantly, we identify a crucial asymmetry: whatever the parametric case considered, physical capital stock always grows at a rate lower than its long‐run counterpart when the ratio of physical to human capital is above its long‐run value.