Markets in the firm Ken Phillips

There is widespread acceptance of the advantages of a market economy but not yet of the next logical step of applying market principles to the internal operations of firms. The use of markets within firms would benefit companies and the economy. It would also require fundamental reappraisal of labour market regulations which imply master-servant relationships.     

THE EFFECT OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF CASES ON JUDGMENTAL CONSENSUS

This paper examines the effect of the distribution of cases on the level of consensus of auditor judgments by the use of a simulation study. The results show that the level of consensus is higher on extreme cases and that overall levels of consensus are affected by the distribution of cases included in a study. Some additional insights into previous research are made and some suggestions for the design of future studies are outlined.     

EDAP at Ford: a research note

The Employee Development and Assistance Programme (EDAP) is a unique new initiative launched jointly by the management and unions at Ford. Here the author outlines the scheme which provides a significant ‘model’ for adult and continuing education within commercial enterprises. It is attracting widespread interest and imitators.     

A note on black-white wage disparity

Conclusion The evidence in this article helps to explain the black-white earnings differential in 1970, six years after the passage of Fair Employment Legislation, in terms of traditional measures such as experience and education along with a public policy measure that has of late come under fire. And contrary to the notion that the gains from such government policy have not benefited the less fortunate workers but simply accrued only, or mainly, to upper- or middle-class blacks, the results presented here indicate that enforcement, such as it is, has had beneficial effects for black men and women in virtually all major occupational categories. When a distinction is made between the various major occupational categories, the importance of education and experience as factors that contribute toward explaining black-white earnings differentials is generally supported by this study. However, neither education nor experience shows a consistent explanatory power across occupational categories and especially across the sexes. For example, experience is more frequently found to be a significant factor for black men than it is for black women. Education, on the other hand, was found to have no statistically significant relationship with wage differentials in major blue-collar job categories for both men and women, thus lending some credence to the dual labor market thesis regarding returns to education. By far the factor we have found to be the most consistent with respect to its impact upon racial wage differentials for both men and women is the fair employment variable. Indeed, across major occupational groups the existence and enforcement of fair employment laws seems to have had, generally, a more significant effect on reducing racial wage differentials than each of the other independent variables.     

THE DETERMINANTS OF LATENESS: EVIDENCE FROM BRITISH WORKERS

Using a sample of male and female workers from the 1992 Employment in Britain survey, we estimate a generalised grouped zero‐inflated Poisson regression model of employees' self‐reported lateness. Lateness is higher for males, private sector workers and in service industries. Reflecting theoretical predictions from both psychology and economics, we model lateness as a function of incentives, the monitoring of, and sanctions for, lateness within the workplace, job satisfaction and attitudes to work. Various aspects of workplace incentive and disciplinary policies turn out to affect lateness; however, controlling for these, an important role for job satisfaction remains.     

Demographic structure and growth: The effect of unfunded social security

This paper examines how demographics affect economic growth in an OLG model with unfunded social security. We derive two interesting results. First, the relationship between population growth and per capita output growth is hump shaped. Second, the relationship between life expectancy and per capita output growth is also hump shaped.     

The ethics of rent control

Residential rent control is a contentious issue in many jurisdictions throughout the world. While tenant groups have often argued vociferously in defence of control, landlord groups and the vast majority of economists have been equally vehement in their criticisms. This paper examines some key normative issues involved in rent control. In particular I examine arguments in favor of control based on the alleged unfairness of winfall profits, upon affordability, and finally on the creation of rights to security of tenure. Various objections by libertarian and free market philosophers and economists are examined. I conclude with a somewhat limited defense of rent control as used in specific situations as part of a more comprehensive policy to satisfy the normative demands at the root of tenant pressure for rent control. Ken Hanly is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brandon University. His most recent publications are two book reviews in January and March 1990 in Canadian Philosophical Reviews. His research interests include business ethics, moral, and political philosophy.