Localized externalities,contagious processes and the deterioration of urban housing: An empirical analysis

Housing deterioration can develop in spatial-temporal patterns which are compatible with the operation of localized externalities if deteriorated structures exert negative effects on the condition of nearby structures or if structures are affected by unfavorable conditions which are endemic to entire neighborhoods. The pattern of housing deterioration in space and time is examined, using a time series of housing condemnations for Indianapolis. A non-linear logit model with a spatial-temporal lag structure is used to analyze the association between the occurence of new condemnations and the location of existing condemned structures. The model predicts the probability that a housing condemnation occurs within a given time period as a function of the numbers of condemned structures in the same area and adjoining areas at the beginning of the time period. The size of the areas is flexible and an appropriate scale for the process is identified by varying the size of the areas.     

When the Law Distinguishes Between the Enterprise and the Corporation: The Case of the New French Law on Corporate Purpose

Journal of Business Ethics - In research on organizational environmentalism, there has been a repeated call for ways to go beyond the business case for sustainability frame. While the business case...     

Innovation and project development: an impossible equation? Lessons from an innovative automobile project development

Product development performance has become a key issue for car manufacturers. But innovation seeks to outperform dominant design, whereas project development targets well-defined areas (costs, lead times, quality, etc.). This article provides an analysis of the extent to which innovation is compatible with recent managerial and technical methods (project and multi-project management, co-development, simulation tools and digital mock-ups, etc.). The analysis is based on a recent development project conducted at Renault in which these various techniques were used in an attempt to achieve highly ambitious targets simultaneously in the areas of lead times, costs and innovation. During the course of the project, unexpected design problems revealed failures in co-ordination, monitoring procedures and expertise. We argue that recent project development methods can induce negative effects on collective learning processes and that these effects have managerial implications for innovative developments.