Contingency factors on the success of services for social integration and job placement schemes

The success of a strategy depends, to a large extent, on the contingency factors that condition the functioning of an organisation. This study presents empirical research to contrast the existence of a significant relationship between the implementation of a particular strategy (in this case, related to the management of job placement and social insertion schemes) and a set of given structural parameters or contingency factors, in particular, the organisational structure of the firm such as time with the firm, firm size, technology used and organisational culture. The empirical analysis is applied to the strategies used by local development and employment officers with regard to the management of job placement and social integration schemes.     

A method to assess the eco-efficiency of a public bus transportation service

Brazilian Public Bus Transportation Service transports over 34.4 million passengers daily using approximately 107,000 urban buses. This service costs millions of dollars annually to the municipality and emits several pollutants to the atmosphere. Therefore, this paper proposes a method to assess the eco-efficiency of a Public Bus Transportation Service. The proposed method was tested in a medium-sized urban region in Brazil. Different scenarios representing changes in the vehicles engines and fuels were tested and analyzed. Six eco-efficiency indicators regarding emissions and fuel consumption were proposed to assess which mix of engines and fuels would bring the greatest eco-efficiency. The results were compared to targets based on Brazilian regulation and showed that the renewal of the fleet is necessary to meet the environmental targets, while also achieving fuel costs reduction.     

Factors that influence the financial literacy of young Spanish consumers

This study examines the development of mathematical and financial literacy skills amongst 471 students in Spain. Most studies on this topic have looked at either one or the other skill but they have not examined the relationship between the two.  The use of simultaneous equations has enabled us to do so. The aim of the paper is to disentangle the factors determining the financial skills of young consumers in Spain. To do this, the PISA Financial Literacy Assessment conducted by the OECD in 2012 is used. Our paper’s main contribution lies in the methodological way to deal with the empirical challenges overshadowing our study. Particularly, our methodological strategy is defined by the application of a multi‐level model of simultaneous equations (MSiEM). This method allows us to take into account the simultaneous determination of math and financial skills at school and the nested structure of the database. This MSiEM permits the identification of the determinants of financial skills, differentiating between the influences operating at school level from those at student level. A first conclusion is that the development of financial abilities of young consumers is mediated by their mathematical skills. A second conclusion, in accordance with those of other international studies, is the importance of the family on the financial literacy of 15‐year‐old Spanish students. The family, a first‐order determinant in reading, science and math scores, is also a key variable in the development of financial skills. Finally, school type (public vs. private) does not display any effect on either the financial or math performance of Spanish young people.