Enter the middleman: Legitimisation of literary agents in the British Victorian publishing industry 1875–1900

Abstract

The literary agent is a recent addition to the publishing industry, yet in a relatively short space of time has become instrumental in the production of literature. This article examines the origins and development of the A.P. Watt literary agency to explore how it became a dominant organisation in the late nineteenth century. It analyses how its founder Alexander Pollock Watt, despite being met with resistance, gained legitimacy to be accepted by authors and publishers. Through an analysis of historical sources this article argues that by using contract law, Watt was able to disrupt existing business practices.     

Prefabrication makes shipbuilding competitive

At the beginning of February the Hamburg shipyard, Blohm & Voss, introduced the public to a new technical concept which may mean a revolution in shipbuilding: the “Pioneer”-multi-carrier. This design is composed of prefabricated elements. It is based on the mechanical assembly technique and more than one hundred variations are available. INTERECONOMICS asked two representatives of this shipyard about the economic advantages of this new system and what effects it will have upon the shipbuilding industry.     

Value-Expressive versus Utilitarian Advertising Appeals: When and Why to Use Which Appeal

Abstract

Value-expressive advertising appeals are effective when the product is value-expressive, while utilitarian appeals are effective when the product is utilitarian. When the product is value-expressive, audience persuasion is influenced through self-congruity. Conversely, when the product is utilitarian, audience persuasion is influenced through functional congruity. The effectiveness of the value-expressive as opposed to utilitarian appeals is argued also to be a function of such product-related factors as differentiation, life cycle, scarcity, and conspicuousness, and consumer-related factors such as involvement, prior knowledge, and self-monitoring. Future research and managerial implications are discussed.     

Pressler's indicator rate formula as a guide for forest management

In this paper, it is shown that Pressler's indicator rate formula is also the optimal condition for the determination of the optimal harvest age under the generalized Faustmann formula. In addition, a modern treatment of the quantity increment, quality increment, and price increment is presented. Pressler's indicator rate formula is then applied to determine the optimal harvest age in a dynamic world of unanticipated changes.     

The Empirical Distribution of the Costs of Revenue-Based Commodity Support Programs—Estimates and Policy Implications

This paper demonstrates how the density function of the U.S. domestic commodity support payments for corn differs between current price-based approaches to support and a revenue-based alternative. Comparing across program scenarios that provide equal expected levels of support at the national level, the revenue-based scenario exhibits a lower variability around total expected annual payments, and perhaps more importantly, a lower probability of high payments than the current-style support. Furthermore, for the vast majority of corn-producing counties in the United States, the coefficient of variation of total gross revenue per acre is lower under the revenue-based support scenario than under the current-style scenario.