Experimental evidence on personality traits and preferences

Using an experiment, we test the relation between personality traits and revealed risk and ambiguity preferences, and we consider the effects of personality traits prevalence in a group on the decision making of each group member. In the experiment, subjects reveal their risk and ambiguity preferences through lottery choices. They then participate in an unstructured group chat. Afterwards, they are given the chance to revise their initial lottery choices. Results show that personality traits affect ambiguity but not risk preferences before the chat. Specifically, agreeableness is negatively related to ambiguity aversion. We also show that the probability of changing decisions after the chat is affected by the individual's personality traits but not by the traits of the other group members. The latter only affects the direction and the degree of the change.     

Does skill obsolescence increase the risk of employment loss?

In this article, we analyse whether technological change induces skill obsolescence and early labour market exit, and to what extent training participation and on the job learning reduce these risks. Using panel data on older workers, we find that workers report skill obsolescence more often when learning is a structural characteristic of the job. This perceived skill obsolescence is not related to a higher probability of losing employment. Instead, workers who experience skill obsolescence appear to learn more on the job and participate more often in training, which decreases the risk of losing employment. These results are consistent with the dynamic model of skill obsolescence and employment loss we develop in this article. Moreover, we find that when workers with long job tenures decrease their training participation, this is an early indicator of future job loss.     

Recognizing progeny in the value of life

This note generalizes the value of life to incorporate the preferences for descendants of a dynastically altruistic decision-maker. It derives the value of progeny and shows how it depends on the Benthamite vs. Millian nature of dynastic altruism.     

Book Review

Qualitative Research in Tourism: Ontologies, Epistemologies and Methodologies. London: Routledge, 2004. 0-415-28086-9     

A Case Study of the Grey Oaks Community and Club: Creation of a High-Performance Culture Through the Innovative Use of a Data-Driven Business Plan

ABSTRACT

Grey Oaks, a premier country club and gated residential community established in Naples, Florida, developed and used a collaborative and highly feedback-driven system to build adaptive capacity and foster proactive change. Special attention has been given to the unique use and refinement of its business plan and planning process through the feedback management received from club members. This highly adaptive business plan helped Grey Oaks to endure the economic downturn that began in 2008, and the company’s ability to thrive in the midst of economic instability has demonstrated the effectiveness of the plan as a model capable of sustaining the cultural and financial health of the club and community. The Grey Oaks planning model has been an innovation in its industry, and other organizations can greatly benefit by studying the implementation and utilization of this evidence-driven model.     

论动产法律关系中担保物权的竞合——现行《担保法》优先权规则的阐释

优先权规则是为解决权利冲突而设定的。在现代动产担保交易法中,优先权规则旨在通过鼓励贷款来促进商业发展。在现代经济融资中,只有明确的优先权规则才能鼓励贷款来促进商业的发展。我国应该确立一套完备的优先权规则,而不是将优先权规则分散地规定在其他法律、规章之中。只有这样才能方便担保权人明确其信贷风险,促进经济发展。     

Transformations in Spanish trade union membership

Trade union membership in Spain has undergone several transformations during the long employment boom (1994–2007) and the following crisis. New generations of workers with different attitudes towards trade unionism, the incorporation of female workers and immigrants have changed the forms and contents of the workers' organisations in Spain.     

Attitudes of industrial buyers toward selected social issues

Although the demand on industrial establishments to resolve various social problems is ever-present, there is little substantive material in the literature concerning the industrial buyers' perceptions of the social responsibilities of their firm. Studies of executive's attitudes toward corporate social responsibility have focused heretofore on corporate personnel other than industrial buyers. Next to salespersons, however, industrial buyers have more contact with persons and businesses outside their company than other corporate personnel. People in purchasing, nonetheless, are perceived by many as conservative, hard-nosed negotiators either unconcerned about corporate social responsibility at best or denying such responsibility at worst. This article presents the results of a survey of industrial buyers concerning their attitudes toward various social issues.