Corporate reputations in UK biotechnology: an analysis of on‐line ‘company profile’ texts

Internet technology is creating a new corporate communications framework, which is affecting communication channels, corporate audiences, message content and form, communication feedback and corporate personae. Confronted with a complex communications environment, which is characterized by many conflicting views and highly sensitive topics, biotechnology companies have to transmit a clear and powerful message to their target audiences. This study analyses the projection of corporate images in the ‘company profile’ texts published on‐line by biotechnology firms in the UK.     

Measuring peer effects in the Brazilian school system

Using the identification strategy proposed by Graham and Hahn (2005), we estimate the magnitude of classmate effects on math scores using Brazilian data from 2005. In addition, we provide a detailed discussion about the identification of endogenous peer effects in the linear in means models. Our results show that both peer characteristics (exogenous peer effects) – like race, socioeconomic status and gender – and peer actions (endogenous peer effects) are important determinants of students’ outcomes in the fifth grade of elementary school. Our estimates of endogenous peer effects are about 0.008 of 1 SD of math test scores, which can be interpreted as evidence of a so-called ‘conformist’ individual behaviour, under which students face large costs to exert effort levels that are distant from what is believed to be the norm in the classroom. Those estimates of endogenous peer effects imply a social multiplier of about 1.67.     

The Cost of Life Expectancy and the Implicit Social Valuation of Life

A new method of estimating the economic value of life is proposed. Using cross-country data, an equation is estimated to explain life expectancy as a function of real consumption of goods and services. The associated cost function for life expectancy in terms of the prices of specific goods and services is used to estimate the cost of a reduction in age-specific mortality rates sufficient to save the life of one person. The cost of saving a life in OECD countries is as much as 1000 times that in the poorest countries. Ethical implications are discussed.     

The Rate of Return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program

This paper estimates the rate of return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program, an early intervention program targeted toward disadvantaged African-American youth. Estimates of the rate of return to the Perry program are widely cited to support the claim of substantial economic benefits from preschool education programs. Previous studies of the rate of return to this program ignore the compromises that occurred in the randomization protocol. They do not report standard errors. The rates of return estimated in this paper account for these factors. We conduct an extensive analysis of sensitivity to alternative plausible assumptions. Estimated annual social rates of return generally fall between 7-10 percent, with most estimates substantially lower than those previously reported in the literature. However, returns are generally statistically significantly different from zero for both males and females and are above the historical return on equity. Estimated benefit-to-cost ratios support this conclusion.     

The experience of tour reps in maintaining and losing control of holidaymakers

This paper focuses on accounts of the maintenance and loss of control of holidaymakers experienced by tour representatives working for a small British budget tour operator in Mallorca. It uses two major incidents of service breakdown to illustrate the problematics of sustaining control in different settings. The paper argues that tour reps working as front-line service providers experience a tension between protecting the company and giving sympathy to holidaymakers. The paper also argues that the nature of the space in which the service breakdowns occur is crucial to the maintenance of control of holidaymakers.     

Multiple common bond credit unions and the allocation of benefits

Credit unions are cooperatively owned financial institutions, where input suppliers (savers) are also the consumers of the outputs (borrowers). A key issue is the allocation of benefits between savers and borrowers. Additionally, credit unions can add unrelated groups to their membership. If the orientation of unrelated groups differs from the core group, the allocation of benefits could be altered. Empirical evidence suggests that both single and multiple bond federal credit unions are saver oriented. Single bond credit unions have a stronger saver orientation than multiple bond credit unions. The study provides mixed evidence on the existence of a clientele effect.     

The Effect of National Culture on the Adoption of Innovations

Studies on the adoption of innovations by companies generally include micro-level and meso-level variables. This study adds to the literature by investigating the role of national culture (i.e. a macro-level variable) to explain differences in adoption rates across countries. In particular, we investigate the effects of the five Hofstede culture dimensions and the culture dimensions proposed by Hall on country adoption rates. Hypothesized effects were tested using a large-scale empirical study concerning the adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software by mid-size companies covering ten European countries. Results indicate that variables describing national culture have a significant influence on the country adoption rates.     

Firms' relative sensitivity to aggregate shocks and the dynamics of gross job flows

We propose the coefficient of variation as a measure of the cyclical volatility of gross job flows that is immune to trends in net job creation. In addition, we show that this measure is intrinsically related to the importance of aggregate shocks for fluctuations in job flows at the firm level. Using data for the Portuguese economy, we conclude that the coefficient of variation is a more robust measure for the underlying volatility of gross job flows. We also find that large and old firms exhibit higher relative sensitivity to aggregate shocks than small and young firms, and have a disproportional influence over the dynamics of aggregate job reallocation. In particular, since large and old firms tend to reallocate jobs less procyclically than small and young firms, job reallocation is less procyclical than if all firm classes were equally sensitive to aggregate shocks.     

LGBTQs in the city, queering urban space

Since the 1960s, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) culture has developed in big cities and metropolises everywhere (not only in the West, but also in Asia, Latin America and indeed Africa). This essay examines how cities provide the spatial conditions necessary for the formation of such emancipatory movements based on identity politics and strategies which transcend binary gender dualism. The starting point of this investigation is my thesis that only urban life enables LGBTQ individuals to live their lives fully, realize their (sexual) identities, and furthermore organize themselves collectively, become publicly visible, and appropriate urban, societal and political spaces.     

The policy delphi method: contribution to policy and strategy within energy organisations: a 2013 Malaysian case study with global implications

The policy delphi method is a process that seeks to generate the strongest possible opposing views on the potential resolutions of a major policy issue, such as strategy and policy for infrastructure and engineering asset management within asset-intensive organisations. The objectives of the policy delphi method are to: ensure that all possible options have been tabled for consideration, estimate the impact and consequences of any particular option, and to examine and estimate the acceptability of all the individual options. The committee process is commonly used to address a wide range of issues and decisions within organisations at management and operational levels. Committees dominate governance and management within nearly all types of organisations, however, it has been argued that the committee approach no longer functions as effectively in the realm of policy formulation as it once may have due to a lack of adequate structure for discussion. Due to the disadvantages of the Committee process, this research investigated the relevance and effectiveness of the policy delphi method in 2013 within the leading Malaysian energy organisation, with the provision of this practical case study of a policy delphi to elaborate the efficacy of this method for asset intensive organisations to develop strategy and policy.