The Pension Age as a Factor Regulating the Deficit of the State Pension System

Contrary to the widely held attitude towards the necessity of immediately raising the retirement age, this article demonstrates the absence of demographic conditions for changing the existing regulations in granting pension insurance. The demographic factors are recognized as the basic development conditions of the state pension system; however, they have a multichannel impact on it, which requires a holistic and qualified analysis of all the relevant parameters for the governmental regulation. The pension age is viewed from the perspective of achieving the objectives of pension reform and strategic benchmarks in the long-term development of the Russian Pension system.     

Consumer adoption of Internet banking in Jordan: Examining the role of hedonic motivation,habit, self-efficacy and trust

Despite the rapid growth of Internet banking (IB), customers in developing countries still hesitate to adopt this technology and its use in the Middle East remains low. This study aims to identify and examine the factors that predict behavioural intention and adoption of IB in Jordan. Four factors – hedonic motivation, habit, self-efficacy and trust – are proposed in a conceptual model. Data was collected by means of a survey with bank customers in Jordan. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. The results strongly supported the conceptual model. Further, hedonic motivation, habit, self-efficacy and trust were all confirmed to have a significant influence on behavioural intention. Trust was found to be strongly predicted by both hedonic motivation and self-efficacy. This study provides both academics and practitioners with an insight into the factors that can be used to encourage customer adoption of IB specifically in a Middle East context.     

Berufsbedingte Dermatosen bei Pflegenden

Ekzeme – eine h?ufig untersch?tzte Gefahr - Untersuchungen zeigen, dass die Lebensqualit?t durch berufsbedingte Hauterkrankungen genauso eingeschr?nkt wird wie durch einen Myokardinfarkt oder Schlaganfall. Das ist für Pflegende deshalb so bedeutsam, weil gerade in Pflegeberufen Kontakt zu potenziell Allergie ausl?senden Stoffen besteht.     

An examination of consumers’ cross-shopping behaviour

This study addresses antecedents of cross-shopping behaviour. Five theory-driven hypotheses are derived and tested. The results indicate that impulse buying tendency and perceived time pressure have a statistically significant negative effect on supermarket patronage. Product assortment and price consciousness have a statistically significant negative effect on speciality store patronage, while impulse buying tendency and convenience orientation have a statistically significant positive effect on speciality store patronage. Perceived time pressure has a statistically significant positive effect on meat store patronage. This effect is, however, not statistically significant on seafood store patronage. The findings have managerial implications for both supermarkets and speciality stores.     

The Impact of the Introduction of an Expert System on a Public Accounting Organization

Little research has addressed the effects of the introduction of an expert system on an organization. This study uses an embedded, multiple case study design to investigate the changes that occurred in the technology, structure, and culture of a public accounting organization when an expert system was introduced. The system of interest was Coopers & Lybrand's ExperTAX and three Coopers & Lybrand field offices served as case sites. Evidence was gathered from two departments (audit and tax) and three levels (staff, manager, and partner) at each site. The major source of evidence was personal interviews with Coopers & Lybrand personnel. Analysis of the evidence included a comparison of each site pre- and post-system introduction and comparisons of the impacts across sites. The analysis of the evidence indicated that changes related to the introduction of ExperTAX did occur. However, the majority of the changes were associated not only with the design features of the system but also with the scope of the system and the guidelines issued for its use.     

The roles of insurance and well-specified standards in dealing with environmental risks

The present liability system for managing environmental risks has had huge transaction costs through the courts with limited funds actually utilized for compensation (except to the lawyers) and cleanup of wastes. This paper discusses the use of insurance coupled with well-specified standards as an alternative to the current system. It illustrates the potential for the use of these policy tools in the context of two environmental risk management problems: providing liability protection to contractors involved in asbestos removal and protecting commercial property lenders and owners from liabilities associated with environmental contamination.