Supporting the Endogenous Relationship Between Well-Being and Employment for US Individuals

We test the existence of an endogenous relationship between well-being and employment for US individuals. To that end, we use a simultaneous equation generalized Probit model applied to four recent waves of the National Health Interview Survey (1997–2000). Our results do not enable us to accept the hypothesis that there is a significant effect from employment status to subjective well-being. In contrast, we provide evidence that suggest that well-being is positively correlated to the probability of having a job.

ESTIMATION OF THE STOCK OF CAPITAL IN SPAIN

The paper presents the methodology and results of the estimation of the endowments of capital in the Spanish economy. It distinguishes between endowments of public capital and private capital. The series corresponding to the public sector cover the period 1955–97 and consider seven categories (or functions). The estimates are disaggregated by 17 regions and 50 provinces. The level of disaggregation is regional and provincial (NUTS2 and NUTS3 in European terminology). The private capital series cover the period 1964–97 and consider 17 sectors of production, with disaggregation at regional level. The information refers to two variables: gross formation of fixed capital (in current and constant pesetas) and capital stock in constant pesetas (base year 1990).     

Estimating anticipated and nonanticipated demand elasticities for cigarettes in Spain

This paper will test whether tobacco consumption generates addiction in Spanish people. If this is the case, can such addiction be explained in the context of rational addiction theory? Elasticities are also obtained in the cases where price variations can be anticipated or, by contrast, where they cannot. The results first reveal the addictive and rational character of Spanish tobacco consumption. With respect to estimated demand elasticities, we find the expected results, namely that the anticipated values are higher than the nonanticipated values and that the long-run effects are also higher than the short-run effects.     

Transmission of movements in stock markets

The paper analyses the relationships between three stock markets: New York, Tokyo and Frankfurt. The non-simultaneity of the trading times in these three markets determines the results of cross-correlations and regressions with daily returns. To cope with this and other problems, an empirical model is proposed and estimated. This model allows the separation of the ability to influence and the sensitivity of the different markets, and New York is found to be the most influential market, with Tokyo the most sensitive.     

Transforming visionary products into realities: constituency-building and observacting in NewsPad

In September 1996, NewsPad—one of the first serious prototypes ever of the portable tablet computer went on show during Edinburgh's iTV96 Conference. The paper recounts and analyses the NewsPad experience and, simultaneously, tells a story of the explicit implementation of the sociotechnical constituencies theoretical approach to guide and inform the innovation process in highly uncertain conditions. The discussion is structured in short sections from the visions and realities of the portable tablet computer to the successful demonstration of the working NewsPad in Edinburgh.     

Interactive design of personalised tourism routes

The tourism sector has evolved in recent times, with a transformation in tourists’ preferences and behaviour. They are increasingly abandoning standard tours in favour of more personalised options. New technologies offer easy access to a large amount of tourism information. However, this also means it is difficult for a decision-maker to assess all the possible alternatives for designing a customised trip. Making such decisions may well require the resolution of conflicting objectives. Therefore, in this paper we develop a tool that provides each tourist with the itinerary best suited to their needs. This itinerary can include the desired different activities on an established schedule, bearing in mind the tourist’s wishes and needs, along with the characteristics of the area. This is done by using a mathematical model and interactive multi-criteria techniques. Finally, we will carry out a practical application in the Autonomous Region of Andalusia.     

The perceived value of the rural tourism stay and its effect on rural tourist behaviour

Rural tourism (RT) constitutes a valuable tool for the sustainable development of rural areas. This paper explores issues of tourist motivation in RT and develops a specially tailored perceived value (PV) scale for the RT sector. Special attention is given to links between tourists’ motivations, perceived values, and the service and actions by RT providers leading to the sustainability of rural life, culture, economies and environment. Following a literature review, qualitative and quantitative surveys developed a 27-item scale, exploring both the functional and the affective components of the scale. Seven research hypotheses were then tested by quantitative survey work. It was proven that the activities undertaken by the rural enterprise leading to greater rural sustainability are reflected in the PV scale through higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty of the rural tourists. The results of the study reveal that the RT sector has specific characteristics that tourists greatly value and that other specialist tourist markets cannot offer, as highlighted in the contribution made by RT enterprises to rural sustainability. This knowledge can help tailor product development and destination design to suit specific demands and influence communication and promotional activities.     

Sustainable development and intangibles: building sustainable intellectual capital

Sustainable intellectual capital is a promising starting‐point for the incorporation of environmental aspects into the general management system of a firm. This paper examines how sustainable intellectual capital helps to overcome the shortcomings of conventional approaches to environmental management systems. It does this by extending the concept of sustainability from relational capital to the three pillars of intellectual capital: human, structural and relational intellectual capital. A multiple case study was carried out with Spanish firms characterized by their high level of environmental leadership. The findings indicated that sustainable human intellectual capital, environmental training, information and awareness sessions help in the accumulation and utilization of knowledge. As for sustainable structural intellectual capital, the environmental technology portfolio is improved and new environmental departments are created. Regarding sustainable relational intellectual capital, the firm–environment link is very important. In the primary and secondary sectors suppliers become involved to a greater extent in the environmental management process, whereas in the service sector it is the customer who becomes more involved. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Explaining the Strategic Groups–Firm Performance Relationship: A Multilevel Approach Applied to Small and Medium‐Sized Hotel Companies in Spain*

One of the main research questions in the field of strategic management is why firms obtain different performance levels. This paper answers this question from the strategic groups approach. This paper analyzes the linkage between strategic groups and firm performance offering a multilevel analysis about the relative importance of intergroup and intragroup performance differences based on the use of hierarchical linear models. The results show that intragroup differences explain firm performance better than intergroup differences.