Preventing premature death: tobacco treatment services for employees

This article presents a summary of current information concerning the health and financial costs of workplace smoking, with special emphasis on the costs to union workers and multiemployer health and welfare funds. It describes the potential savings from investing in tobacco cessation for workers and members, provides an overview of scientific evidence concerning the efficacy of different approaches to tobacco cessation, including behavioral services and medications, and discusses some of the benefit design and management issues involved in offering tobacco cessation services to employees and members.     

Contrasting Two Models of Wealth Redistribution

Philanthropy tries to improve the condition of people. Yet there are different models of philanthropy. American philanthropy tries to improve conditions for different people, without reference to race or language; this evolved from the notion of equality. In contrast, Chinese clans arose in Singapore, as a response to a society segmented along racial and linguistic lines; in a culture that emphasized face, rich entrepreneurs could "buy" prestige and leadership positions, by assisting their poor. This article examines philanthropy as practiced by entrepreneurs in America, and compares this to the Chinese model of wealth redistribution. The latter is centered on clan associations. In the new economy, however, these have been losing importance, as governments take on some roles previously taken care of by such associations; this includes, for instance, education and assistance to start-up entrepreneurs. We conclude that there appears to be a relationship between philanthropy, government and entrepreneurship.     

Does entrepreneurs’ psychology affect their business venture success? Empirical findings from North Africa

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal - This paper discusses the effect of psychological traits on success. We empirically explore the effect of entrepreneurs’ psychological...     

基于协同理论的农产品绿色供应链实现模式

构建协同型的农产品绿色供应链是发展我国农业经济的现实需要。探讨这一方案的可行性及理论依据,设计了协同型农产品绿色供应链的实现模式,并从战略、策略、技术三个层面提出了实施这一模式的具体方法。     

Agricultural Producers and the Environment: A Stated Preference Analysis of Colorado Corn Producers

This paper analyzes Colorado corn producers’ preferences over both private‐ and environmental public‐good production system attributes, and tests the robustness of alternative data reconstruction and estimation techniques. Irrigated corn production practices are characterized by intensive water and chemical use, resulting in nonpoint source pollution to water bodies as well as soil erosion problems. Data from a stated preference survey are employed to analyze key attributes of experimentally configured irrigation systems, proposed as alternatives to current practices. Panel mixed logit estimations (and several alternative fixed parameter specifications) uncover consistently positive preferences for profit, risk reduction, and, importantly, systems with less environmental impact in terms of nitrate leaching and soil erosion. The analysis also finds evidence of preference heterogeneity and a complementary relationship between the two environmental attributes. Analysis of this kind can be used by policy makers to predict behavioral responses associated with introduction of new technologies, or to assess welfare implications of agricultural policy changes and stricter environmental regulations. Dans le présent article, nous avons analysé les préférences des producteurs de maïs du Colorado concernant les attributs des systèmes de production de biens environnementaux publics et privés et avons vérifié la robustesse des techniques de rechange pour la reconstruction et l’estimation des données. Les pratiques de production de maïs irrigué sont caractérisées par l’utilisation intensive d’eau et de produits chimiques qui entraîne une pollution diffuse des plans d’eau ainsi que des problèmes d’érosion du sol. Nous avons utilisé des données tirées d’un sondage sur les préférences déclarées pour analyser les principaux attributs des systèmes d’irrigation expérimentaux proposés comme solutions de rechange aux pratiques actuelles. Les estimations du modèle mixte logit (et plusieurs spécifications de paramètres fixes) ont permis de découvrir des préférences uniformément positives concernant les profits, la réduction des risques et les systèmes ayant moins d’impact environnemental du point de vue du lessivage des nitrates et de l’érosion du sol. L’analyse a également montré l’hétérogénéité des préférences et l’existence d’un lien complémentaire entre les deux attributs environnementaux. Les décideurs pourraient utiliser ce genre d’analyse pour prévoir les réactions comportementales liées à l’introduction de nouvelles technologies ou pour évaluer les répercussions des changements de politique agricole et des règlements environnementaux plus stricts sur le bien‐être.     

Intertemporal equilibria with Knightian uncertainty

We study a dynamic and infinite-dimensional model with incomplete multiple prior preferences. In interior efficient allocations, agents share a common risk-adjusted prior and subjective interest rate. Interior efficient allocations and equilibria coincide with those of economies with subjective expected utility and priors from the agents? multiple prior sets. A specific model with neither risk nor uncertainty at the aggregate level is considered. Risk is always fully insured. For small levels of ambiguity, there exists an equilibrium with inertia where agents also insure fully against Knightian uncertainty. When the level of ambiguity exceeds a critical threshold, full insurance no longer prevails and there exist equilibria with inertia where agents do not insure against uncertainty at all. We also show that equilibria with inertia are indeterminate.     

Quality and productivity: role conflict in the service context

This article presents a qualitative study exploring service employees’ experiences of quality–productivity tensions in the workplace, and how they cope with such conflicts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 service employees. Content analysis suggests that organization-level conflict derives from the different channels that service organizations use to convey the importance of quality (e.g. training) and of productivity (e.g. rewards) to employees. During service interactions, employees experience conflict when standardization is violated and productivity is threatened. Our results demonstrate and explain employees' strategies for coping with the conflict between productivity and quality and with the ‘double message' they receive about these two goals. Many of these strategies are intended to ensure quality while maintaining productivity. We discuss the study's contribution to service science, and explain existing organizational mechanisms and processes for communicating the importance of quality and productivity to employees. Implications for service management are discussed.     

THE RISK BEHAVIOR OF EQUITY OF FIRMS APPROACHING BANKRUPTCY

The risk behavior of financially distressed companies is studied using the shifting regimes regression model originally suggested by Brown, Durbin, and Evans. In addition, the presence of nonsynchronous trading is detected and the regression model is adjusted accordingly using Dimson's technique. The results reveal that the behavior of systematic risk as firms approach bankruptcy depends to some degree on appropriate identification of periods over which beta is constant and adjusting for nonsynchronous trading. The results also lend support to the importance of skewness and to some extent beta but not unsystematic risk in explaining the security returns of firms approaching bankruptcy. Finally, the behavior of equity risk is examined according to the outcome of the bankruptcy filing.     

Evaluation strategies of American and Thai consumers

The effects of two factors (congruity of product information with consumer expectations and perceived risk associated with the product) on strategies used by consumers to evaluate products are tested in the United States and Thailand. When product information does not match expectations, consumers in both cultures increase evaluation effort and shift from using summary representations stored in memory to evaluation based on actual product attributes. Perceived risk also enhances evaluation effort in both cultures, but does not result in a similar shift from category-based to attribute-based processing. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.