The Migration of Young Adults from Non-Metropolitan Counties

This article examines young adult migration from non-metropolitan counties to either different non-metropolitan counties or to metropolitan areas. The results show that expected gains in initial earnings provide young entrants to the labor force with a marked incentive to migrate from their non-metropolitan counties of origin. Initial earnings gains stem, in part, from higher returns to schooling in both metropolitan areas and other non-metropolitan counties. The propensity to migrate is also sensitive to the costs of migration, which, in turn, are correlated with paternal education and the local presence of extended family.     

A two-part model of treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia and the impact of innovation

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPHs) affects more than half of men who are at least 60 years old. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the most common treatment. This article estimates the average costs of providing a TURP to a patient that chooses the procedure and the expected cost of a TURP irrespective of the actual treatment decision. It utilizes a modified two-part model. It first estimates the likelihood of receiving the TURP given a BPH diagnosis using a logit regression. The second step is to estimate the (log of) TURP cost for the population that actually received the procedure. For the TURP decision, data were extracted from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 1986–1994 on 502 men with a diagnosis of BPH. For the cost model, HCIA discharge abstract data were used from five states on 26640 men who actually received a TURP in 1994. TURP was identified via CPT codes in the NHIS data. The cost of TURP was constructed using patient hospital charges and hospital-specific cost to charge ratios. It was found that patient characteristics and comorbidities are important determinants of the decision to receive, and costs of, TURP. Pharmacological alternatives to TURP significantly affect the likelihood that a person will choose the procedure. The predicted unconditional cost of TURP ranged from US$8908 to US$3832 (by state); the predicted conditional cost of TURP ranged from US$1163 to US$750. The results suggest that the cost associated with providing a TURP for the average man with BPH would be US$492 to US$1163, depending on the state of residence. It was found that estimating the costs using simple regression or ANOVA techniques will lead to biased results due to sample selection (which in this case range from US$3832 to US$8908).     

The value impact of strategic intent on firms engaged in information systems outsourcing

While information systems outsourcing has been on the rise in recent years, empirical evidence about whether IS outsourcing is value creating for shareholders is limited. Little is known about what factors influence the relation between information systems outsourcing and firm value. This study examines the effect of information systems outsourcing announcements on firm value by analyzing whether equity market reactions are associated with the management's strategic intent for outsourcing and firm characteristics of the outsourcing firm. After examining 103 IS outsourcing announcements made during the period from 1996 to 2003, results suggest that value is created for firms outsourcing with short-term operational intent rather than for longer term strategic reasons. In addition, the increase in firm value from an IS outsourcing announcement is positively associated with the firm's operating asset efficiency and the firm being in a service industry.     

Dynamic effects of changes to Japanese immigration policy

This paper uses a single-sector dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous households to analyse Japanese immigration policy. We examine the effects on output, consumption, factor prices, and utility. We do this for both steady states and transition paths. We find that: (a) aggregate output, investment, and consumption in Japan are likely to rise with any sort of loosening of immigration restrictions; (b) allowing more skilled immigration generates greater aggregate changes; (c) raising skilled immigration relative to unskilled immigration drives down skilled workers’ wages, consumption, and utility, while cutting the skilled to unskilled immigration share has the opposite effects; and (d) such immigration policy changes have small effects compared to those that occur naturally due to business cycle fluctuations     

Survival of the best fit: Exposure to low-wage countries and the (uneven) growth of U.S. manufacturing plants

This paper examines the role of international trade in the reallocation of U.S. manufacturing within and across industries from 1977 to 1997. Motivated by the factor proportions framework, we introduce a new measure of industry exposure to international trade that focuses on where imports originate rather than on their overall level. We find that plant survival and growth are negatively associated with industry exposure to low-wage country imports. Within industries, we show that manufacturing activity is disproportionately reallocated towards capital-intensive plants. Finally, we provide the first evidence that firms adjust their product mix in response to trade pressures. Plants are more likely to switch industries when exposure to low-wage countries is high.     

The effectiveness of corporate communicative responses to accusations of unethical behavior

When corporations are accused of unethical behaviour by external actors, executives from those organizations are usually compelled to offer communicative responses to defend their corporate image. To demonstrate the effect that corporate executives' communicative responses have on third parties' perception of corporate image, we present the Corporate Communicative Response Model in this paper. Of the five potential communicative responses contained in this model (no response, denial, excuse, justification, and concession), results from our empirical test demonstrate that a concession is the most effective and robust communicative option.Jeffrey L. Bradford is an Assistant Professor in the Marketing Department at Bowling Green State University. His primary research interests are in the areas of marketing ethics and public policy. His previous research has been published inJournal of Business Ethics, andJournal of Business Strategies.Dennis E. Garrett is an Associate Professor in the Marketing Department at Marquette University. His primary research interests are in the areas of marketing ethics and consumer complaints. His previous research has been published inJournal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Business Ethics, Communication Monographs, andBusiness and Society Review. He is also a co-author ofMarketing Theory: Evolution and Evaluation (1988, John Wiley & Sons).