An additively separable representation in the Savage framework

This paper proposes necessary and sufficient conditions for an additively separable representation of preferences in the Savage framework (where the objects of choice are acts: measurable functions from an infinite set of states to a potentially finite set of consequences). A preference relation over acts is represented by the integral over the subset of the product of the state space and the consequence space which corresponds to the act, where this integral is calculated with respect to an evaluation measure on this space. The result requires neither Savage's P3 (monotonicity) nor his P4 (weak comparative probability). Nevertheless, the representation it provides is as useful as Savage's for many economic applications.     

Diversified growth and competition: the experience of twelve large UK firms

This paper looks at the causes and competitive consequences enterprise diversification with reference to the experience of twelve large UK firms. It is noted although the majority of these firms diversified intially for defensive reasons, continuing diversification was often undertaken to enable the firm to maintain a satisfactory rate of earnings growth. In accordance with this goal, most of the twelve firms had acquired market leaders in diverse areas. A second conclusion therefore, is that diversification can add to the total market power available to the firm. The use of this power however, appears to depend upon the management philosophy and nature of resource allocation found within the firm.     

Determining the Source of Inter-License Synergies in Two-Way Paging Networks

In the Federal Communication Commissions (FCC) regional narrowband personal communications services (PCS) license auction (auction #3), bidders paid a premium to provide advanced paging services on a nationwide basis as opposed to a regional scale. This paper investigates the potential source of inter-license synergy for two-way paging, the intended narrowband PCS application. Three sources of inter-license synergy are identified as possible candidates. One source, boundary interference, occurs when two distinct carriers operate in the same frequency in neighboring regions. Another source of synergy derives from the fact that neighboring regions may share common resources. A final source of synergy is the ability to offer seamless roaming.     

SIP墙板的综合性能分析

SIP墙板具有保温节能、施工方便和材料利用率高等优点,是一种综合性能很高的木结构复合材料。文章基于苏北速生杨木的已有科研及应用成果,通过参考轻型木结构的相关规程,针对SIP墙板的使用功能进行了讨论,评估该材料的综合性能并探讨了SIP墙板的综合设计方法。分析表明,SIP墙板轻质高强,具有良好的物理性能。     

M. Hadi Soesastro: Indonesian public intellectual,Asia Pacific visionary

This note commemorates and celebrates the life and contribution of M. Hadi Soesastro, a Bulletin board member who passed away on 4 May 2010. Hadi was arguably Indonesia's leading public intellectual in the fields of international economic policy and political economy, ASEAN economic cooperation, and East Asian economic integration. He made seminal contributions in these fields, and on the political economy of reform in Indonesia, the economic development of East Timor, and energy economics. He also played a major role in institutional development, most notably at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, and in many other official, academic and research endeavours in Indonesia and East Asia.     

Winners and Losers during a Deep Economic Crisis: Firm‐level Evidence from Indonesian Manufacturing*

What happens to firms during periods of deep economic crisis? Depending on the nature of the crisis, the general effects are well known. However, owing to data availability, there are relatively few detailed firm‐level studies. With the aid of an unusually rich database, the present paper investigates the effects of Indonesia's 1997–1998 crisis on manufacturing establishments. Consistent with studies of other crisis episodes, foreign ownership and prior export orientation are found to be highly significant determinants of survival and recovery. The effects of firm size are ambiguous. The industry in which firms are located, in particular its factor proportions, is also found to be significant.     

When Philosophy and Business Professors Talk: Assessment of Ethical Reasoning in a Cross Disciplinary Business Ethics Course

Can instructors with apparently divergent approaches to the goals and methods of teaching business ethics agree upon a core set of course objectives? Can they agree upon a common method of assessment for measuring student performance against shared standards? This paper reports the results of a project intended to address these questions. The goals of the project were threefold: (1) to identify a shared set of core competencies for all students in business ethics; (2) to adopt a common assessment of ethical reasoning (neutral to disciplinary bias) for measuring student performance in core competencies; (3) to determine whether students show improvement in core competencies over the course of a semester. Our findings suggest that it is possible to find common ground in measurable objectives and to expect instructors to interpret, apply, and teach to these objectives effectively without infringing upon their disciplinary differences.     

Perceptions of the Ethicality of Consumer Insurance Claim Fraud

It was proposed that ethical evaluation of insurance claim padding behavior would be affected by characteristics of the policyholder, insurance agent, and company. These three factors were manipulated in written scenarios and the premise was tested in a factorial experimental design. No significant support was found for an effect of any of the three factors on ethical perceptions of claim padding. However, females found claims padding to be significantly less ethical than males. Given a claim scenario where the actual loss was $500 and the claimed amount was $3000, subjects awarded an average of $986.91 on the claim. Many respondents were willing to compensate victims for intangible losses as well as tangible losses.