Effects of health information on Nordic meat and fish demand

Increasing public concerns about health risks associated with dietary intakes of cholesterol are expected to have significant impacts on the demand for foods with high fat content. This paper investigates how information about cholesterol, as measured by two newly constructed indices based on published medical research, has affected the demand for meats (beef, chicken and pork) and fish in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). To compare the effects of information across countries and over time, the demand equations for all the countries are estimated within one system, and a complete set of price and expenditure elasticities is estimated. Our findings suggest that health information has affected consumption in a healthy way in all countries studied except for Denmark. We find positive effects on the demand for chicken in Finland, Norway and Sweden and for fish in Finland and Sweden. A negative effect on the demand for beef in Sweden also is found. First version received: May 2001/Final version received: December 2001 RID="*" ID="*"  The authors would like to thank Wen S. Chern and Bj?rn Sl?en for their assistance in the construction of the health information indices. The suggestions of two anonymous referees have also been of great assistance. The EU (contract FAIRS-CT97-3373) and the Research Council of Norway (grant no. 134018/110) provided financial support for this research.”     

Compensation systems for green strategy implementation: parametric and non‐parametric approaches

This paper presents a design for compensation systems for green strategy implementation based on parametric and non‐parametric approaches. The purpose of the analysis is to use formal modeling to explain the issues that arise with the multi‐task problem of implementing an environmental strategy in addition to an already existing profit‐oriented strategy. For the first class of compensation systems (parametric), a multi‐task model is used as a basis. For the second class of compensation systems (non‐parametric), data envelopment analysis is applied.Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment     

Compensation systems for improving environmental performance

This paper provides an initial understanding and insight into solving the dilemma of implementing multiple strategies within the firm. Specifically, we suggest a conceptual framework for compensation systems for different types of firms that face varying levels of conflict between environmental and business performance. The design of a compensation system depends crucially on the availability or not of performance indicators. Our conceptual framework outlines compensation systems for firms with and without the possibility of measuring environmental performance. A ‘multiplier’ model is suggested for firms with good availability of performance indicators for both profits and the environment. Compensation systems for firms without environmental performance indicators (EPIs) become more case specific, depending on the degrees of conflict in the short and long run. Consequently, EPIs give firms much more flexibility in the design of efficient compensation systems. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

The ICT revolution in consumer product markets

New information and communication technology (ICT) makes consumers better informed about available products, product quality and prices, which mitigates problems of asymmetric information. The entry of firms is facilitated, competition and economic efficiency is boosted and the market powers of households increased. Firms are likely to respond by increased product and price differentiation. There will also be considerable changes in the division of tasks between firms and households. But important obstacles to these developments are technological vulnerability, quality problems in the information on the Internet, cognitive limitations of individuals and weaknesses in the product‐delivery infrastructure in connection with Internet trade.     

How well do tree plantations comply with the twin targets of the Clean Development Mechanism? — The case of tree plantations in Tanzania

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol is supposed to provide both carbon mitigation and poverty reduction. This article reports from a model based study of market related carbon leakage and poverty reduction in the wake of a CDM tree-planting project in Tanzania. A tree plantation was incorporated in a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model with income differentiated household segments. The study focused on sensitivity of carbon leakage and income distribution to different project ownerships and carbon premium allocations. It turned out that the project value in terms of carbon premium has clear shortcomings as indicator of induced GDP growth and poverty alleviation. The non-poor rural and urban households benefit considerably more than the poor households. However, rising household income in all domestic project ownership arrangements increases demand for food, raises use of fertilizer and crop yields. A carbon cycle module for agricultural land use was incorporated in the CGE model, showing an increased carbon sequestration in agricultural soil, representing a negative leakage through markets in the range of 60-120% of the certified emissions reductions as registered in the CDM tree plantation project.     

Private equity deal success and pre-acquisition determinants – empirical evidence from Germany

Shortly after a fall-back linked to recent financial crises, private equity investing has been undergoing a strong revival, especially in Germany. In a country known for the large number of small- and medium-sized companies, private equity investors can profit from a large choice of potential targets. Researchers have been broadly studying the field of private equity for many years, especially exploring post-investment value creation. But most articles missed to address the importance of pre-acquisition determinants such as target characteristics. Under these circumstances, this study focuses on exploring the relationship between pre-acquisition target characteristics and deal performance by analysing a sample of 125 transactions in Germany using an ordinal logistic regression analysis.

The findings suggest that asset lightness, management experience and the healthcare industry are positively linked to the deal success by increasing the likelihood of achieving a higher return category.

This implies that private equity investors active in Germany could outperform if they set according to investment preferences. Similarly, investors are likely to get a higher return from general partners who invest in companies presenting such characteristics.     

Bringing consumer information systems down to earth. Experiences from a Swedish experiment

How is it possible to provide consumers with necessary information to make well informed choices in today's markets where there is a growing supply of complex and ever changing products and services? The information is in the main commercial. Its role is to persuade as well as to inform. Therefore, its usefulness for the consumers is questionable. To bridge this information gap policymakers have initiated programmes to provide useful information for consumers. In this context, Sweden has tried something new, by requiring by law that enterprises supply information in their advertising which is of special significance for the consumers. When this information obligation was put to practice there was unexpected resistance from business, particularly concerning added information in advertising outside the point of sale. An analysis of alternative mandatory consumer information systems (CI) indicates that the resistance and difficulties met in implementing the Swedish information duty system most probably are inherent in all CI-systems requiring business to provide full and detailed information about their products. CI is however only one of the important factors in creating well-informed consumers. The capacity of consumers to absorb and process information and consumer involvement and motivation also affect the outcome.