A note on government policy and the new ‘intrapreneurship’ in Bulgaria

Conclusion I have attempted in this paper to highlight the recent emergence and rapid growth of a particular type of intrapreneurship in the Bulgarian economy. This intrapreneurship involves the creation of new smaller establishments within existing large-scale industrial firms. These semi-autonomous auxiliary plants are exempt from part of the bureaucracy which constrains the larger addition, they have provided a higher rate of technological advance, a better supply of consumer goods, a greater utilization of labor resources, and a higher return to human capital.Only through the continued development of a small-firm sector can the Bulgarian economy meet the challenge currently posed by its western counterparts. Whether the next step from intrapreneurship to entrepreneurship is taken may hold the key for industrial development in Bulgaria.     

Do sexy mouthwash ads leave a bad aftertaste? The interaction of sexual self-schema and brand positioning fit on female-targeted sexual advertising efficacy

We explore females’ reactions to a sexually themed advertising with regard to a key personality variable, sexual self-schema (SSS). In extant research, SSS has largely had a positive impact on females’ reactions to sexual advertisements. We further explore this dynamic by considering the role of female sexual self-schema (SSS) on attitudes and purchase intent for products with brand positions that differ with regard to fit with sexual themes. Informed by our study and extant literature, we also offer areas for further SSS-based advertising research, particularly in another unexplored area: the role of SSS in identification and resultant attitude formation in sexual, but less explicit, advertising.     

Wage premium of Communist Party membership: Evidence from China

Social status and political connections may confer large economic benefits on an individual. Previous studies focused on China have examined the relationship between Communist Party membership and earnings and have revealed a positive correlation. However, the correlation could be partly or totally spurious. Using data from three surveys spanning three decades, we estimate the causal effect of Chinese Communist Party membership on monthly earnings in China. We find that, on average, membership in the Communist Party of China increases monthly earnings and the wage premium has grown in the last three decades. We explore potential causes and discover evidence that improvements in social networks and social rank, acquisition of job‐related qualifications and greater life satisfaction play important roles in increased earnings.     

Brand vulnerability to product assortments and prices

Abstract

The assortment of brands that a specific brand competes against varies from one point of sale to another. The competitive landscape changes further because of within-assortment price variations at each location. The joint variation in assortment composition and pricing creates a complex set of scenarios under which a brand needs to compete. In this paper, we develop an approach to assess changes in a brand's vulnerability under alternative assortment and price configurations. We specifically propose that, in market environments with high variability in the competitive set and prices, it is more appropriate to assess a brand's strength relative to alternative assortment configurations rather than against individual competing brands. We build a model that depicts a brand's vulnerability in latent assortment space rather than the traditional brand space. The results from an illustrative model application are used to draw inferences about changes in brand vulnerabilities under shallow and deep promotions.     

The Bulgarian executive: Promoter or obstacle to the economy?

How well are Bulgarian managers adapting to the advent of market economy in the former socialist state? Part of the difficulty lies in a lack of practical business knowledge on the part of managers. Also, many executives are reluctant to give up a system that they know. Ultimately, the future of economic reform in Bulgaria will hinge on how willing managers are to integrate change.     

What factors drive individual misperceptions of the returns to schooling in Tanzania? Some lessons for education policy

Evidence on educational returns and the factors that determine the demand for schooling in developing countries is extremely scarce. Building on previous studies that show individuals underestimating the returns to schooling, we use two surveys from Tanzania to estimate both the actual and perceived schooling returns and subsequently examine what factors drive individual misperceptions regarding actual returns. Using OLS and instrumental variable methods, we find that each additional year of schooling in Tanzania increases earnings, on average, by 9 to 11%. We find that on average individuals underestimate returns to schooling by 74 to 79% and three factors are associated with these misperceptions: income, asset, poverty and educational attainment. Shedding light on what factors relate to individual beliefs about educational returns can inform policy on how to structure effective interventions in order to correct individual misperceptions.     

Bulgarian Agriculture and EU Accession

This article analyses markets, income and agricultural policy changes in Bulgaria after its accession to the EU. A country AG-MEMOD model, consisting of 18 commodities organised in four sub-models (crops, livestock, milk & dairy and a link between crops and livestock) is applied. The model is an econometric, dynamic, partial-equilibrium and multi-product one. In order to examine the policy environment in Bulgaria, two scenarios are designed: baseline or non-accession (N-Ac) and accession (Ac). The accession scenario should have a very positive effect on the crop sector in Bulgaria, whereas the effect is the opposite on the livestock sector. The most remarkable results come from the milk sector. The effect on income is also positive, despite the pessimistic macroeconomic projections.     

Consumer Perceptions of Precise vs. Just-Below Prices in Retail Settings

Consumer perceptions of the effectiveness of precise prices in communicating good value are compared to that of just-below prices in a retail context. Two studies demonstrate that a retailer employing a precise pricing strategy is seen as offering lower prices relative to one using just-below prices. The likelihood of consumers going to a competitor in hope of finding a better deal was also lower with precise compared to just-below prices. However, this precision effect disappeared when two prices—an original and a discount one—were displayed as part of a promotional discount.