The impact of technology and trade upon the returns to education and occupation

This paper considers how technological change and globalization has influenced the return to education and occupation in Great Britain over the period 1973 to 1994. A number of papers in the literature have documented increasing demand for individuals who possess higher skill endowments than their peers. Both education and occupation can be interpreted as an individual's observable skills and how technology and trade have actually influenced returns to different educational and occupational levels is something that has not been investigated in Great Britain. For the empirical analysis estimates are based upon pooled cross sections over time and also pseudo panel techniques to control for unobservable heterogeneity.     

Effectively Facilitating Gender Transition in the Workplace

Issues surrounding gender identity in the workplace are sensitive and complex. One of the more challenging scenarios for employers is facilitating the gender transition process. Effectively communicating with co-workers and clients about the change, modifying personnel documents at the appropriate time, and dealing with more mundane issues such as restroom usage and dress code represent the tip of the iceberg. This paper is a comprehensive review of the literature to help employers aptly manage the transition process, so as to retain employees’ sense of fair treatment and acceptance at work.     

Multiple globalisations: regional,hierarchical and sectoral articulations of global business services through world cities

Geographies of global service provision are derived from data describing 100 financial and business service firms across 123 cities. The data describe the global strategies of the service firms in terms of their office networks. Using a principal components analysis six different patterns of globalisation are identified that result from an interaction of different service sectors with particular world regions through a hierarchy of world cities.     

Time to Cut Up Those Debit Cards? Effect of Payment Mode on Willingness to Spend

Financial industry data indicate that consumers increasingly prefer debit cards over credit cards, especially as a means of enforcing financial self-discipline. Given prior research suggesting that credit cards act as spending facilitating stimuli, this move toward reduced credit card use would appear to be in the right direction. Ironically, however, the same logos that were implicated in facilitating spending with credit cards are the logos that appear on debit cards. In what should serve as an eye-opener to consumers, it is found that exposure to debit card logos does result in an increased willingness to spend, similar to credit cards.     

Understanding Truck Driver Need‐Based Segments: Creating a Strategy for Retention

Research on truck driver retention addresses how traditional variables impact drivers’ decisions to stay with a particular carrier, yet many of the traditional research methods have been called into question. Additionally, research is sparse on understanding whether unique driver need‐based segments exist. Therefore, the authors present a theoretical framework and examine an exploratory study for incorporating numerous constructs that pertain to a driver’s intention to drive for a firm. Empirical results indicate that drivers’ value pay, personal safety, and time at home are most important when deciding to remain with a firm. In addition, three unique truck driver need‐based segments were identified. The authors offer retention recommendations based on the specific needs of each segment.     

International tourism in Cuba: Can capitalism be used to save socialism?

Following the fall of the Soviet Bloc in 1989, a somber Fidel Castro informed the Cuban people that their Revolution hovered on the brink of disaster. Faced with an unprecedented economic crisis and few options, the Cuban government, reluctantly returned to international tourism as the foundation for economic salvation. Since then international tourism has multiplied fifteen-fold. While reintroducing tourism may have saved Cuba from a political and economic catastrophe - foreign tourists, mostly from capitalist countries, have enabled Cuba and the Revolution to survive - this use of capitalism to save socialism has also produced formidable challenges. In particular, the emergence of a consumer culture and the subsequent “dollarization” of the economy, pose a grave threat to Cuban society as products are increasingly evaluated, purchased, and consumed on the basis of their symbolic content and meaning for social status. Nonetheless, it will be argued in this paper that since Cuban society remains anchored by highly functional, stable, well-organized neighborhoods and a flourishing, innovative informal economy, embedded values of cooperation may serve as a counteractive force to the rise of a culture of consumerism and materialism. Based on this premise, the paper concludes with an examination of three possible scenarios for the future of tourism in Cuba.     

Einzelbesprechungen

Ohne ZusammenfassungÜbersetzt von Josef Steindl, WienAus dem Italienischen übersetzt von Erich Allina, Wien