A small forward-looking inter-country model (Belarus, Russia and Ukraine)

The paper describes an inter-country model developed on the New Keynesian Phillips curve principle for the economies of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Technically the modelling idea has been grounded within the concept of the infinite dimensional vector autoregressive models by Chudik and Pesaran [Chudik A., Pesara M.H., 2007. Infinite-dimensional VAR's and factor models. IZA; DP No. 3206]. The main developments are such that the model is 1) interdependent rather than vector autoregressive, 2) estimated by the generalised method of moments and 3) forward-looking. The primary linkage of the country models is provided through the real effective exchange rates of particular countries, while the secondary linkages are through the Chudik and Pesaran cross-sectional augmentations. A series of Monte Carlo experiments confirms that the small cross-dimension of the model and a possible dominance of one country in the panel (Russia) should not distort the results in a significant way. A series of stochastic simulation experiments made with and without the assumption of observational equivalence principle shows a possible spread of the Dutch Disease from Russia to other countries in the model.     

Different Pathways that Suggest Whether Auditors’ Going Concern Opinions are Ethically Based

Several critics have reopened the continuing debate regarding the credibility of the auditing profession in part because of auditors’ reluctance to issue warning signals to investors. At the root of auditors’ lack of independence issues are conflicts of interest resulting from the structural features of auditor–client relationship. The Throughput Model (TP) is advanced to illustrate how ethical issues may be influenced by conflicts of interest. In the first stage, the TP provides an isolation of auditors’ ethical positions from six ethical different perspectives. In the second stage, previous TP theory is built upon by arguing a simultaneous analysis of how conflicts of interests may induce auditors’ behavior. We conclude that in the current low litigation risk environment, auditors’ ethical behavior (both conscious and unconscious) is clearly ‹unbalanced’ favoring the reluctance to issue warning signals. Finally, we offer a discussion of potential solutions to improve ethical issues.

Household survey evidence on domestic workers in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

Whilst much scholarly attention of this nascent field of domestic service work focuses on protecting the rights and security of foreign/migrant domestic workers, the nature of domestic service work undertaken within national borders has escaped the attention of both researchers and public policy makers. Outlining the findings from a large household survey data in Ethiopia collected from seven major urban areas covering the period from 1994 to 2004, this paper departs from the usual focus on rights-based perspective and foreign migrant domestic service workers. Instead, the paper attempts to contribute to our understanding of the profile of domestic service providers, the significant drivers of participation in the provision of domestic services and the welfare of unpaid and paid domestic service workers in Ethiopia. In doing so, the paper contributes to the development of a greater evidence base, relevant for both researchers and public policy practitioners alike.     

From ‘start-up’ to ‘re-boot’: Product lifecycle strategies and competitive advantage in the computer industry

The PC sector, following the packaging and car manufacturing industries, will increasingly be forced to acknowledge and account for its product base throughout the commodity's life, and beyond. The environmental problems being posed by electronic waste have been recognized and both the EU and the individual Member States are discussing solutions which may or may not include legislative action. In anticipation, product take-back programmes are beginning to emerge within the industry and the economics and logistics of re-use and recycling are at the forefront of this debate. The issues in store for this sector are examined and specific initiatives by organizations considered. It is asked whether a ‘closing of the product loop’ will generate a competitive advantage for these companies and what impact an industry-led ‘consortia’ initiative may have.     

Latvia

Situated on a trading crossroads between Western Europe and Russia, Latvia has emerged as one of the most successful countries in Central Europe. This article provides a comprehensive review of Latvia's historical development, political structure, economy, investment, and foreign‐trade environment. It aims to be a useful source of information for foreign businessmen and investors interested in doing business in Latvia. In the fall of 1991, when the Baltic States separated from the Soviet system, no one predicted that these countries would make the transition to a market‐based economy as quickly and as effectively as they have. However, 11 years later, with notable growth and rising standards of living, such thinking is no longer considered overly optimistic. “It is the biggest, most complicated, and most promising piece of the new Europe,” wrote The Economist (1998) in reference to the Baltic region. Wherever there is new growth, there are many business opportunities to be found. Latvia's position in the center of this region is one indication of the business potential for those with the capacity to do business there. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Prediction of economic growth by extreme learning approach based on science and technology transfer

The purpose of this research is to develop and apply the extreme learning machine (ELM) to forecast gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate. Economic growth may be developed on the basis on combination of different factors. In this investigation was analyzed the economic growth prediction based on the science and technology transfer. The main goal was to analyze the influence of number of granted European patents on the economic growth by field of technology. GDP was used as economic growth indicator. The ELM results are compared with genetic programming (GP) and artificial neural network (ANN). The reliability of the computational models were accessed based on simulation results and using several statistical indicators. Coefficient of determination for ELM method is 0.9841, for ANN method it is 0.7956 and for the GP method it is 0.7561. Based upon simulation results, it is demonstrated that ELM can be utilized effectively in applications of GDP forecasting.