Job market for tourism graduates: A case of Michigan State University

This article discusses the four-year tourism program of Michigan State University and describes the job market for the tourism graduates. Further, it cites the types of employment opportunities presently available and predicts their increased in the future.     

Dietary intake and the contribution of snacks among adolescents during the summer months

Abstract Adolescent diets are often cited as nutritionally inadequate, possibly because of their reported snacking habits. This study examined 48 adolescent diets using a 24-h diet recall and a 2-day food record during summer months. Total intake and snacks identified by the subjects were analysed for energy and nutrient content. Male and female subjects reported similar intakes of fat, cholesterol and sugar. Ninety-eight per cent of subjects reported at least one snack daily. Snacks contributed 25% to the total energy, vitamin C, calcium and magnesium intakes. Although these subjects were not adhering to national recommendations for fat and sugar, the snacks they consumed contributed positively to the nutrient content of adolescent diets.     

Estimation and inference in unstable nonlinear least squares models

There is compelling evidence that many macroeconomic and financial variables are not generated by linear models. This evidence is based on testing linearity against either smooth nonlinearity or piece-wise linearity, but there is no framework that encompasses both. This paper provides an econometric framework that allows for both breaks and smooth nonlinearity in between breaks. We estimate the unknown break-dates simultaneously with other parameters via nonlinear least-squares. Using new central limit results for nonlinear processes, we provide inference methods on break-dates and parameter estimates and several instability tests. We illustrate our methods via simulated and empirical smooth transition models with breaks.     

The Pagan revival and its prospects

In this article, the author surveys the history of Neo-Paganism from the Romantic movement to the 20th-century revival of Witchcraft, Druidism, Asatru and other forms of Pagan religion. He then discusses the future prospects of Paganism, examining various social and cultural factors that work in its favour and others that work against it. He concludes that Paganism will be one of the religions of the future, although probably not the dominant one.     

Absenteeism in the workplace: results from Danish sample survey data

Absentee data is analyzed using a worker environmental survey carried out in 1995. In a model which distinguishes between discretionary and involuntary absences individuals are assumed to maximize expected utility. This generates a probability distribution of days absent per year which is a mixture of two negative binomial distributions representing the behaviour of two unknown types of agent. This distribution is estimated separately for men and women. For each gender the number of days absent is quite small relative to what researchers have found in other countries. In the empirical model we identify different effects of the explanatory variables for workers with low rates of absenteeism and workers with high rates of absenteeism.     

Scale Efficiency in Canadian Trust Companies

A new method for estimating a relative scale function is derived which does not require the specification or estimation of the firm's cost function. The method is applied to a panel of Canadian trust companies for the years 1985–1988. Results show that the industry scale function is convex with respect to firm size, as measured by the firm's assets. The method avoids a number of shortcomings associated with traditional studies of scale economies in financial institutions.     

The Balassa–Samuelson Hypothesis in the Asia‐Pacific Region Revisited*

In a study of nine Asia‐Pacific countries' real exchange rates, Chinn (2000) finds some evidence in support of the Balassa (1964) and Samuelson (1964) hypothesis. His findings, however, are based on the application of a model containing several potentially restrictive simplifying assumptions to a dataset of limited span. Consequently, we look to assess the effect on Chinn's findings of considerably increasing the sample size and relaxing these assumptions. We find a comparable level of evidence for the Balassa–Samuelson hypothesis when applying Chinn's model to the larger sample, but obtain significantly greater support when a less restrictive approach is adopted.     

Measuring and assessing the impact of basic skills on labour market outcomes

Although there has been a considerable amount of research relatingmeasures of schooling years, qualifications, or training spellsto workers' labour market success, there has been very littleassessment of the role of more basic literacy and numeracy skills,largely due to problems with measurement and data availability.Yet it is obviously crucial, in an era of apparently risingdemand for skills, that we have evidence on the labour marketvalue of the full range of worker skills, including basic literacyand numeracy. This paper therefore uses data from the NationalChild Development Study and the International Adult LiteracySurvey to fill this gap. Specifically, we use test scores achievedby respondents in both surveys to measure their basic literacyand numeracy skills. We then evaluate the impact of these skillson workers' labour market outcomes, and find clear evidenceof a substantial wage return to such basic skills.     

Would you forgive Kristen Stewart or Tiger Woods or maybe Lance Armstrong? Exploring consumers’ forgiveness of celebrities’ transgressions

Employing a qualitative approach, within the context of Generation Y consumers, this research investigates the internal justification processes used by consumers contemplating to forgive a celebrity who has transgressed society’s norms of acceptable behaviour. A thematic analysis of data from in-depth interviews identified nine emergent categories, grouped into four themes or core drivers: celebrity-related drivers, consumer-related drivers, context-related drivers and time-related drivers. The findings show that although there is generally no personal relationship between consumers and celebrities, consumers tend to bond with celebrities in para-social relationships. Many consumers see these relationships as similar to how they connect with friends thus leading them to show forgiveness tendencies towards a celebrity comparable to forgiving friends. The paper presents a conceptual framework highlighting the consumer’s forgiveness justification process.     

Why Dwell in a Hutongtel? Tourist Accommodation Preferences and Guest Segmentation for Beijing Hutongtels

Hutongtels are unique accommodations within traditional courtyards and surrounded by old Beijing‐style lifestyles. They have been recognized as significant landmarks and attract substantial numbers of foreign and domestic guests despite simple facilities and services. This research aimed not only to create a greater understanding of hutongtels as a signature tourism product of Beijing but also to identify preferences contributing to hutongtel choice and sub‐groupings of guests. Eight preference factors were extracted via factor analysis, and four segments of hutongtel guests were found through cluster analysis. The results should facilitate future hutongtel development planning and tourism product design by local communities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.