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.”     

Single Stock Futures as a Substitute for Short Sales: Evidence from Microstructure Data

Abstract:  We examine how the introduction of single-stock futures impacts short sale costs and short interest levels in the underlying spot market. We find that short selling in the underling securities declines, after futures are introduced, the cost of borrowing stock for short sales declines and the available unborrowed supply of lendable shares increases. These results are consistent with futures exchanges providing a low-cost substitute market for establishing short positions. Microstructure evidence also suggests that the lower cost and greater ease of short selling via futures markets draws informed traders from the spot market.     

Auditor Fees, Market Microstructure, and Firm Transparency

Abstract:  Auditors, as corporate insiders, have access to private information regarding the firm's financial and business opacity that is unavailable to outside investors. We test whether auditors price their knowledge of firm opacity in their audit fees by examining two competing hypotheses. The first states that higher audit fees may reflect the greater risk that the auditor faces in auditing an opaque firm. Under this hypothesis, market based measures of opacity will be positively correlated with higher fees. The second hypothesis states that firms buy reputational capital from their auditor by paying high fees in an attempt to improve the market's perception of the firm's transparency. In this case, higher audit fees are negatively correlated with market based measures of opacity. Our results are consistent with the first hypothesis, that auditors price opacity risk into their fees.     

Local measured service and the attributes of a sound rate structure

Most U.S. jurisdictions use flat rates (FR) for local telephone service pricing. This paper explores why a majority of those exposed to usage-sensitive pricing or local measured service (LMS) generally prefer it to FR. One reason may be LMS promotes value-maximizing behavior for both the provider and the customer. Some customers may prefer FR, even if LMS is value maximizing, out of concern that gainers either cannot or will not compensate losers. Another possibility is LMS is not a value-maximizing option. This paper systematically compares LMS with FR, using the attributes of a sound rate structure.     

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.     

Efficiency in nuclear power pricing

This study investigates whether the rate structure for electric utilities with nuclear and fossil fuel generation is efficient and perhaps equitable. Data were collected on fossil and nuclear steam generation and transmission to estimate costs. Tests were performed to determine if efficient pricing practices were being followed. The results indicate that the marginal cost of nuclear generated power is less than that of power generated from fossil fuel sources. Also, the rate structure for the nuclear utilities is inefficient, with industrial rates significantly higher than first-best or second-best pricing criteria would indicate.     

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.     

Stock‐Split Post‐Announcement Returns: Underreaction or Market Friction?

We explore the relationship between stock splits and subsequent long‐term returns during the period from 1950 to 2000. We find that, contrary to much previous research, firms do not exhibit positive long‐term post‐split returns. Instead, we find that significant positive returns after the announcement date do not persist after the actual date of the stock split. We also observe that abnormal returns are correlated with the price‐delay or market friction. We conclude that the stock‐split post‐announcement “drift” is only of short duration, and it is attributable to trading frictions rather than behavioral biases.