Cattle Feeder Perceptions of Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting

Mandatory livestock price reporting was designed to increase available price information with the intent of facilitating price discovery. Has the program been effective? This study determines how cattle feeders, a primary target of the program, feel about mandatory price reporting (MPR) effectiveness. Results from a survey of cattle feeders reveal a diversity of opinion. Producers tend to be neutral to slightly negative regarding the value of MPR. Some of the dissatisfaction appears to have been associated with unrealistic expectations. Most feedlot characteristics have little systematic relationship to the manager's perceptions regarding usefulness of MPR.     

Consumer Willingness to Pay for Cue Attribute: The Value Beyond Its Own

Using Certified U.S. Product as a product cue, we show that consumer willingness to pay for other identifiable search and experience attributes change. Certified U.S. Product serves as a substitute for Guaranteed Tender and a complement of Guaranteed Lean. Results have important implications for policymakers and food companies interested in food labeling programs in the presence of cue attributes such as Certified U.S. Product. The substitute effects of a cue attribute on other product attributes may contribute to deteriorating product quality and the complement effects of a cue attribute could improve product quality in the market.     

The employer costs of motor vehicle crashes

The latest published estimate of the cost of US motor vehicle crashes to employers is for 1989. This study estimates annual employer costs in 1998-2000. Incidence was estimated with occupational injury data and motor vehicle crash data for 1998-2000. Employer costs were estimated from Federal estimates of crash costs by source of payment using data on the percentage of varied payment streams (e.g. health insurance, sick leave) paid by employers. Motor vehicle crash injuries on and off the job cost employers almost $60 billion annually, including $16.3 billion in fringe benefit costs; $25.2 billion in property damage, workplace disruption and other non-fringe costs; and $18.4 billion in wage-risk premiums. Traffic safety programmes can reduce the fringe benefit bill without reducing the benefits offered to employees. Eliminating alcohol-impaired and unrestrained driving would save employers $15.2 billion annually.     

What Is Toxic Followership?

There has been some discussion on the subject of toxic followership, but it is as yet ill‐defined and deserves further evaluation and study. The current paper examines toxic followership using Kelley's typology of followers and provides potential methods of mitigating toxic followership. Just as toxic leaders harm organizations, so too can toxic followers. They both can cause good people to leave an organization, and put the organization's survival at risk.