Real and nominal convergence in the central and east European accession countries

Following their accession to the EU, which is planned for May 2004, eight central and east European countries will subsequently strive for integration into the Eurosystem. The Eurosystem underlines the need for simultaneous real and nominal convergence as a prerequisite for integration into the euro area. But some of the acceding countries argue that, at least in the short to medium term, a strengthening of nominal convergence makes real economic convergence more difficult. The following paper investigates this issue by means of an empirical study and attempts to establish to what extent real and nominal convergence are compatible.     

Hungary's Bankruptcy Experience, 1992-93

Policymakers working on enterprise restructuring should takea close look at Hungary's experience with bankruptcy reformsince 1992. This article provides detailed data on a randomlyselected stratified sample of actual cases filed in the firsttwo years after the enactment of the law. These data are supplementedwith information obtained from interviews with judges, liquidators,and firms involved in the bankruptcy process to give an overallpicture of the process in the first two years of its implementation.The bankruptcy process in Hungary has indisputably spurred institutionbuilding in the courts, the trustee profession, and the banks.It may also have succeeded broadly in separating viable fromunviable firms. It did little, however, to further either deeprestructuring or the exit of ailing firms. The changes in incentivesand institutions that are needed to make bankruptcy work intransition economies invariably take time. Hungary's initiative,albeit imperfect, was a bold start toward reform.     

Young Europeans abroad in Scotland: an exploration of how their attitudes to consumer credit reflect dimensions of culture

Nineteen young Europeans from across the Continent took part in in‐depth interviews where a wide range of consumer‐related issues were explored. These issues ranged from specific consumer behaviours and consumer value gained to consumer protection and other aspects of policy. Respondents were postgraduates studying at Scottish universities or young professionals currently working in Scotland. The interviews were structured around a number of key themes that were developed both from the literature and from an in‐depth pilot study. One of these themes was designed to explore the respondents’ attitudes towards saving and borrowing, in particular, consumer credit; and this forms the focus for the current paper. The theme had been developed initially with reference to Hofstede’s cultural dimension of ‘uncertainty avoidance’. However, it also successfully illuminated some of the other cultural dimensions in Hofstede’s typology. As anticipated, respondents tended to benchmark consumer culture in their home country against that of the host country (Scotland). What was surprising was the consensus with which they considered the Scottish/British consumers to be the ‘odd ones out’. This observed convergence appears to indicate that historical cultural differences between continental and Anglo‐Saxon cultures survive and may be stronger and more sustained than any differences between the post‐World War II socialist and market democracies.     

Dekubitus

Zusammenfassung  Prophylaxen in der Pflege — Das Dekubitalgeschwür gilt als Generalindikator für die Pflegequalit?t, denn sein Auftreten ist zu über 90% schlechter pflegerischer Versorgung zuzuschreiben. Ein Dekubitus gef?hrdet nicht nur den Patienten, seine Heilung verursacht hohe Kosten. Unsere kurze übersicht gibt Tipps für die richtige Pflege.     

Der Einfluss von Preiserhöhungen auf Konsumenteneinstellungen: Eine experimentelle Studie

Unternehmen neigen vor allem in ges?ttigten M?rkten zum mengenorientierten Preiswettbewerb und setzen Preissenkungen vorzugsweise zur Profilierung ein, wodurch die Preiskriege und der Verdr?ngungswettbewerb weiterhin zunehmen. Preis- und Wertsch?pfungsspielr?ume werden trotz der hohen Gewinnpotenziale bislang von Unternehmen nicht hinreichend ausgenutzt, da negative Reaktionen von Seiten der Konsumenten befürchtet werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es das Ziel dieses Beitrags, zu untersuchen, wie ein Preisanstieg durch geeignete kommunikationspolitische Ma?nahmen begleitet werden kann, um eine negative Beeinflussung der wahrgenommenen Preisfairness zu minimieren.     

Thromboseprophylaxe

Zusammenfasung  Prophylaxen in der Pflege — Die Thrombose ist eine stille Komplikation bei Immobilit?t. Mehr als 50% verlaufen ohne klinische Anzeichen. Die Effektivit?t prophylaktischer Ma?nahmen ist deshalb schwer einzusch?tzen. Eine Kombination von medikament?sen und physikalischen Ma?nahmen wird zurzeit als effektivste Methode erachtet.