Two universal,probabilistic measures of competitive imbalance

I propose two universal measures of competitive imbalance. The first is, like those in the existing literature, based on team season win–loss records. The second is based solely on the outcomes of the various series of individual matchups during a season. Both measures will on average equal (2p ? 1)², where p is the ‘typical’ probability that the stronger team will win any particular game. Both measures will average zero when a league is competitively balanced and will converge to 1 as the league approaches perfect imbalance. In addition, both measures are universal, in that they are on average independent of the number of teams in the league and the number of games played during the season.     

Household Access to Mortgages in the UK

We employ the propensity score matching approach to investigate household access to mortgages in the UK using information on 29,732 households between 2003 and 2010. We find that, on average, the probability of obtaining a mortgage is similar for White and Non-White households. However, we find that Black households with low incomes are less likely to have mortgages compared to White households with similar characteristics. Asian households, in contrast, do not seem to have a lower probability of having a mortgage.     

2010年美国创意公司50强

科技永远是第一生产力，在一个不创新毋宁死的激情年代里，没有什么比永无止境的技术创意更让人蠢蠢欲动。     

Doing sustainability: an application of an inter-disciplinary and mixed-method approach to a regional sustainable tourism project

This paper describes and explains an interdisciplinary and mixed-method approach to a large-scale sustainable tourism development project. The research took place in a two-county area straddling the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, USA. It was commissioned in order to develop a sustainable tourism centerpiece to enhance the region and encourage visitor expenditures while maintaining the environment and quality of life of the community. In response to Hollinshead and Jamal's 2007 call for a more bricoleur and third ear approach to tourism research, a gap analysis of the region's tourism offerings was performed using six interdisciplinary, mixed-method research phases seeking to identify discrepancies between the current region's tourism offerings, visitor preferences and community stakeholders. Phases included a Community Resource Assessment (GIS-based Inventory), Stakeholder Interviews, a Visitor Survey and GPS visitor tracking, the development of seven Potential Scenarios, a Potential Visitor Survey and an Economic Analysis. Subsequently, two potential tourism centerpieces were developed with the goal of showcasing the region's unique mountain and agricultural heritage. In addition to providing a detailed overview of the research project, the paper concludes with discussion of the practical and political challenges, time constraints and rewards that accompany this type of research.     

The Long‐Term Impact of Entrepreneurial Self‐Efficacy and Entrepreneurial Orientation on Venture Performance

We collected multi‐wave survey data to assess the lagged effects of entrepreneurial self‐efficacy (ESE) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on firm performance over a five‐year period. The results of our study indicate that ESE and EO are both positively associated with firm performance but in different, and interesting, ways. Entrepreneurially self‐efficacious founder/managers may help improve the performance of very young firms but such benefits dissipate over time. An EO, on the other hand, does not appear to be particularly beneficial to very young firms. However, our results suggest an EO may play an increasingly valuable role as new firms mature.     

Testing for pre‐committed quantities of Australian meat demand

Pre‐committed consumption represents the portion of demand that is determined by non‐price and non‐income factors. This study uses quarterly data to estimate a Generalised Almost Ideal Demand System (GAIDS) to test for the existence of pre‐committed meat consumption in Australia. Two specifications are estimated to evaluate the impact of seasonal and time trend factors on pre‐committed demand. Evidence is found for the existence of pre‐committed chicken consumption when jointly estimated with seasonal and time trend factors. Results support improved demand modelling of Australian meat consumption using the GAIDS and provide insights into how Australian meat demand is affected by price, expenditures, pre‐committed consumption, seasonality, and trends.     

Twice constrained investment under uncertainty: A mixed time model

This paper explores the investment decision of a firm facing both an irreversibility constraint and a financial constraint on investment. I show that, for all but the fastest growing firms, the planned investment delaying impact of an irreversibility constraint dominates the planned investment accelerating impact of a financing constraint. This result is especially likely to hold in a reality where firms have a variety of strategies not modeled here, from holding cash reserves to taking on debt, that can mitigate the financing constraint.     

Trade Policy and Antitrust: Do Consumers Matter to Legislators?

We provide one of the first efforts to measure the importance of consumer preferences in legislators' trade policy decisions by estimating the degree to which the level of antitrust enforcement in the legislator's state impacts his or her vote on free trade agreements. To the extent that antitrust and trade liberalization are both viewed as pro‐consumer in nature, we would expect to see a positive relationship between antitrust enforcement in their legislative district and Congressional votes in support of trade liberalization. We find evidence suggesting that consumer preferences do play a role in legislative decisions on trade policy.