Modelling economy-ecology linkages in mangroves: Economic evidence for promoting conservation in Bintuni Bay, Indonesia

Woodchip exports pose a potential threat to a 300 000-ha mangrove ecosystem in the Bintuni Bay area of Irian Jaya, Indonesia. The bay supports an important shrimp export industry, and coastal areas support 3000 households. Traditional non-commercial uses of mangroves have an estimated value of Rp20 billion/yr (US$10 million/yr); commercial fisheries are valued at Rp70 billion/yr (US$35 million/yr) and selective commercial mangrove cutting schemes have a maximum value of Rp40 billion/yr (US$20 million/yr).Forest management options, ranging from clear cutting to a cutting ban, are evaluated in a cost–benefit analysis incorporating linkages among mangrove conversion, offshore fishery productivity, traditional uses, and benefits of erosion control and biodiversity maintenance functions. “Linkage scenarios” are developed that reflect potential ecosystem component interactions in Bintuni Bay. Clear cutting is optimal only if linkages are ignored. A cutting ban is optimal if linear and immediate linkages between ecosystem components exist. Under a scenario with linear but delayed linkages of 5 years, selective cutting of 25% of the harvestable mangrove is the optimal strategy; it has a present value of Rp70 billion (US$35 million) greater than the clear cutting option, and more extensive cutting would yield no additional net benefits.Strong economic arguments exist for conservative mangrove clearing. Where strong ecological linkages occur, severe restrictions on clearing activities will be economically optimal. Where ecosystem dynamics are uncertain, programs reducing linkage effects – such as greenbelts, replanting, or selective cutting – will minimise potential economic losses.     

ASSESSING THE QUALITY ERROR IN OUTPUT MEASURES: THE CASE OF REFRIGERATORS*

This paper computes new indexes of output for refrigerators, using hedonic methods to adjust for quality change. The hedonic technique is applied in a new way (it is used to make quality adjustments to prices before they are used in the index), and the results are compared with those from methods used in previous hedonic investigations. There are three major findings. (1) Overall (1960–1972), our hedonic deflated output series rise more rapidly than conventional measures, because the price indexes used for deflation rise more slowly. (2) The output measures fluctuate more than do output measures produced by conventional methods, because adding hedonic quality adjustments to WPI indexes moves them up in some years and down in others, and the resulting adjustments to the output series were positively correlated with changes in output. (3) Applying methods used in previous studies produces larger adjustments to the published indexes, suggesting that some of the differences noted in previous studies between hedonic indexes and official published indexes are related to computational methods, not to quality adjustment.     

Pricing futures on geometric indexes: A discrete time approach

Several futures contracts are written against an underlying asset that is a geometric, rather than arithmetic, index. These contracts include: the US Dollar Index futures, the CRB-17 futures, and the Value Line geometric index futures. Due to the geometric averaging, the standard cost-of-carry futures pricing formula is improper for pricing these futures contracts. We assume that asset prices are lognormally distributed, and capital markets are complete. Using the concepts of equivalent martingale measure and the risk-neutral valuation relationships in conjunction with discrete time methodology, we derive closed-form pricing formulas for these contracts. Our pricing formulas are consistent with the ones obtained via a continuous time paradigm.

Watch What You Say: Job Applicants’ Justice Perceptions From Initial Organizational Correspondence

Although it is a common practice for organizations to communicate with job seekers following application submission, little is known about how applicants react to this correspondence. Drawing from recruitment and organizational justice theories, we explore the possibility that specific correspondence content influences job seekers’ fairness perceptions. Data collected from 119 actual job applicants indicated that providing relevant information about the recruitment process (information adequacy) positively related to informational and interpersonal justice perceptions. However, delivering this information in an interpersonally sensitive manner (information sensitivity) had a stronger impact on interpersonal justice perceptions. Finally, post hoc analyses suggested that incorporating specific content delivered in initial job applicant correspondence could allow recruiting organizations to develop practical, cost‐effective strategies for enhancing job seekers’ fairness perceptions following their application submission. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A SIMULATION MODEL TO EVALUATE THE TIME-QUANTITY RESPONSE IN SPECIALIZED WHITE VEAL PRODUCTION

The objectives of this study were; to develop a model to simulate the growth of calves marketed as white veal; to use this model to evaluate alternative feeding rations; and to estimate optimal net returns to specialized white veal resources. A set of growth equations for veal calves developed by Van Es of Holland were used in a simulation model to estimate the growth of calves fed milk replacer. The model optimized the feeding system and indicated the optimum market weight strategy for specialized white veal producers. The results suggested that feeding system, mortality rates of calves and input-output prices ratios were all variables that influenced the optimum market weight and that producers should choose a flexible market weight strategy in preference to a single target market weight.
Le but de cette étude est: de mettre au point un model pour simuler la croissanee de veaux destinés à la boucherie; d'utiliser ce model afin d'évaluer diverses RATIONS et d'estimer le bénéfice net optimal provenant des ressources consacrées à cette production. Un ensemble d'équations estimant la croissanee de veaux de boucherie, établi par Van Es de Hollande, est utilisé pour estimer la croissanee de veaux nourris avec des substituts de lait. Se model établi le meilleur système d'alimentation ainsi que le meilleur poids de commercialisation pour les producteurs specialisés en viande de veaux. d'après ces résultats les taux de mortalité, les systèmes d'alimentation et le rapport du prix des inputs et outputs influencent le meilleur poids de commercialisation; et les producteurs devraient choisir une politique adaptative plutôt que de s'arrêter à un poids donné.     

中国饰品市场分析及竞争策略

饰品行业是从珠宝首饰、工艺礼品行业中分离出来而形成的一个新兴产业。饰品作为新经济的增长点,在发达国家已逐步走向成熟。世界四大时尚之都巴黎、纽约、伦敦、米兰以及亚洲的汉城、东京、香港等国际著名的饰品之都,年贸易总量(包括转口贸易)近1000亿美元,已形成一个庞大、规     

Leader‐member exchangeand job satisfacton: Cross‐industry comparisons and predicted employee turnover

The present research analyzes quality of leader‐member exchange (LMX) and job satisfaction and predicts employee turnover rates in the food manufacturing, restaurant, and banking industries resulting from low‐quality LMX and job dissatisfaction. It confirms the reliability and construct validity of the well‐known LMX scale and Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) in cross‐industry comparisons. It also identifies the shape of the hypothesized relationships among the three industries. Comparisons indicate that in the service sector, quality of LMX is significantly higher than in manufacturing, that the level of job satisfaction is higher in manufacturing than in service, and that satisfaction with supervision has a significant impact on job satisfaction.