Modelling zeroes in microdata

Although the literature contains a number of suggestions for dealing with problems caused by a preponderance of zero expenditure observations that frequently occur in micro level budget studies, in general, these suggestions seem to be either empirically intractable or theoretically unappealing. In this paper it is argued that a natural theoretical specification can be motivated by duality theory and that the statistical technique of compositional data analysis provides a corresponding complementary stochastic specification. The resulting model is a consistent theoretical and stochastic specification for handling the possibility of a zero demand over a range of expenditures and/or prices. The model is then applied to the 1988/89 Australian Household Expenditure Survey.     

The changing job skills of female part‐time workers in Britain 1992–2006

The work situation of female part‐time workers has been a central focus of diverse interpretations of labour market disadvantage. While providing rather different accounts of why this should be the case, these share a view that part‐timers are largely confined to jobs with lower levels of skill than full‐timers. This article, drawing on nationally representative surveys, shows that the skill requirements of female part‐time jobs have improved significantly since the early 1990s relative to male full‐timers. While some sectors of part‐time work have benefited more than others, there is evidence of polarisation only with respect to part‐timers with different working hours. The overall rise in the relative skills of part‐timers poses significant issues about employer practice with respect to the wider involvement of part‐timers in the organisations for which they work.     

Globalization and Confrontation: The Transformation of the Australian Coal Industry

The Australian coal industry serves as a vivid illustration of the impact of globalization on workplace organization and workplace industrial relations. In this contribution we outline the changes and developments, from the organization of production through to the product market, that are impacting on workplace organization and industrial relations of the Australian coal industry. In particular the authors highlight the attempts and strategies of management to increase productivity, to realize functional and numerical flexibilities in the deployment of labour and to deregulate employment relations. Simultaneously, trade unions are faced with institutional, legal and global competitive pressures to conform to the flexibility strategies of managers. The result has been persistent and sporadic outbreaks of industrial disputation in the midst of the erosion of employment conditions and a shift towards greater managerial control of the labour process. The forces identified as globalization are systematically transforming workplace organization and impacting on the strategies of coal mine managers and trade unions.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

The system for monitoring, regulating and reporting on the way in which UK government ministers make appointments to the boards of public bodies is a relatively neglected area of public management. A decade after the establishment of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), little attention has been paid by academics to the functioning of this agent of accountability (a particularly British device), despite the importance of transparency and accountability for the new public management and modernization. This article seeks to examine the key issues surrounding the Commissioners for Public Appointments as agents of accountability, by examining the tensions in the relationship between OCPA and the executive, variations in the governance arrangements for the Commissioners across the devolved polity and the key findings and recommendations of a number of official reports, while locating these issues in the context of current debates about modernization and ‘representativeness’ in public bodies.     

Sustainable Tuna – Can the Marketplace Improve Fishery Management?

Tuna is a major global seafood commodity and thus of significance to retailers in most countries, but especially in countries consuming large quantities of canned tuna such as the United Kingdom, United States and many European countries. Some key species are under heavy fishing pressure, and companies realize that without conservation oriented management their future supplies may be in jeopardy. Sustainable sourcing policies are becoming an integral part of supply chains for seafood products. Under the influence of public opinion bodies such as the media and environmental NGOs, many retailers have adopted seafood sourcing policies in the past decade. The business strategy of any particular company in seeking to support sustainable fishing can vary, but may include the pursuit of market opportunities, protection from damaging publicity and corporate social responsibility commitments. Companies that seek to involve themselves in fishery sustainability issues need to be committed to broad based partnerships with other companies and NGOs, and transparency about all aspects of their decision making, intentions and progress. The sustainable seafood movement has proven persistent and adaptable, and this is increasing the number of retailers seeking sustainable tuna. In a demand driven market economy this growth will surely be influential. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Work Pressure in Europe 1996–2001: Trends and Determinants

Diverse theories have predicted a trend towards growing work pressure in advanced capitalist societies, while pointing to quite distinct causal factors. This paper seeks to assess these arguments using data from two surveys of employees in European Union member‐states carried out in 1996 and in 2001. It finds there is no evidence of a trend towards higher work pressure over this period. There is, however, support for some of the main arguments about the types of factors that affect work pressure: for instance, skill, job control, new technology and current job security are clearly important. But the trends in job control and job security have not been those predicted, while changes in another major determinant — the length of working hours — have tended to reduce work pressure. There are substantial and relatively stable differences in work pressure between countries, but to a considerable extent, these reflect compositional differences with respect to the main determinants of work pressure.