Performance auditing—addressing real or perceived expectation gaps in the public sector

The growth of performance auditing in Australia (and in many other countries) has led to a range of seemingly conflicting observations about their contribution to better public administration, which basically reflect differing political and public expectations of such audits. Confusion also revolves around the question of just what value is being assessed, reflecting differing perceptions of assurance and performance and of the coverage of administrative and policy effectiveness. A better understanding of what needs to be achieved by those responsible and acceptance of accountability for the required results would improve confidence in public administration and in the value that it delivers.     

A consumption emotion measurement development: a full-service restaurant setting

This article describes the development of a consumption emotion scale for use in the full-service restaurant industry. The current emotion measures utilized in consumer and marketing research are reviewed, along with the conceptualization of consumption emotions. The adequacy of employing a categorical approach to assess restaurant customers' emotional responses is discussed. Moreover, the appropriate procedure for a scale development is described. Based on quantitative analyses, a multi-item scale involving four dimensions of consumption emotions (excitement, comfort, annoyance, and romance) is developed. Further analyses provided strong evidence of the scale's unidimensionality, reliability, and validity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed with study limitations and recommendations for future research.     

A research agenda for improving national Ecological Footprint accounts

Nation-level Ecological Footprint accounts are currently produced for more than 150 nations, with multiple calculations available for some nations. The data sets that result from these national assessments typically serve as the basis for Footprint calculations at smaller scales, including those for regions, cities, businesses, and individuals. Global Footprint Network's National Footprint Accounts, supported and used by more than 70 major organizations worldwide, contain the most widely used national accounting methodology today. The National Footprint Accounts calculations are undergoing continuous improvement as better data becomes available and new methodologies are developed. In this paper, a community of active Ecological Footprint practitioners and users propose key research priorities for improving national Ecological Footprint accounting. For each of the proposed improvements, we briefly review relevant literature, summarize the current state of debate, and suggest approaches for further development. The research agenda will serve as a reference for a large scale, international research program devoted to furthering the development of national Ecological Footprint accounting methodology.     

Corporate Philanthropy, Criminal Activity, and Firm Reputation: Is There a Link?

This study examined the influence of corporate giving programs on the link between certain categories of corporate crime and corporate reputation. Specifically, firms that violate EPA and OSHA regulations should, to some extent, experience a decline in their reputations, while firms that contribute to charitable causes should see their reputations enhanced. The results of this study support both of these contentions. Further, the results suggest that corporate giving significantly moderates the link between the number of EPA and OSHA violations committed by a firm and its reputation. Thus, while a firm's reputation can be diminished through its violation of various government regulations, the extent of the decline in reputation may be significantly reduced through charitable giving.     

Ireland's Experiments with Pseudo-Keynesianism

How stands the Irish economy? Sean Barrett of Trinity College, Dublin examines the economic problems facing Mr Haughey's government.     

Aviation and the Pursuit of Contestability

Pro-contestability policies are required to promote efficient airlines. The problem is acute in Europe where protectionist policies have led to high-fare, low-profit, low-productivity airlines and a steady loss of market than of world aviation to the low-cost profitable airlines of the Asia-Pacific region.     

EXITS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN DAIRY INDUSTRY CAUSES AND PREDICTIONS

An analysis of data from Bureau of Agricultural Economics surveys established that farms that left the dairy industry in the 1970s were generally smaller than average, less profitable, and more likely to be those from which cream was still being delivered in cans. In addition, it was found that the probability of exit seemed to be little affected by movements in the relative prices of dairy products and beef. Predictive models which should prove useful in estimating future rates of exit from dairying were derived. Use of one of the models on 1979–80 data suggests the exit rate from the industry should be easing.     

Industrial relations changes in the Maldives: critical events and actors

This paper analyses recent industrial relations (IR) and political changes in the Maldives. Critical incidents were compiled from interview and document data and analysed using a quasi‐grounded theory approach. The analysis shows that, precipitated by the political events of September 2003, profound democratic and IR changes took place, including the emergence of new IR actors and institutions. However, the outcomes of these changes proved short‐lived as old undemocratic practices were reasserted. The paper highlights the reasons why democratic and IR changes occurred as they did in the Maldives and why they reversed.     

Assessing editorial preferences towards Industrial Organization articles

In light of widespread specialization of research and teaching, it seems appropriate to supplement the existing general rankings of economics journals with subdiscipline-specific rankings. That is the primary objective of this paper. The availability of subdiscipline-specific rankings also permits both (i) alternative journal ranking methods for the general discipline that account for the breadth of a journal's impact across specialized fields, and (ii) estimation of the relative weights implicitly associated with each field in traditional disciplinary journal rankings. The results are robust to the exclusion of self-citations.