Equal Convergence? Convergence Patterns Among Immigrants by Occupation

This study examines the immigrant-native wage gap in the United States using 2019 Annual Social and Economic Supplement data from the Current Population Survey. Ordinary least squares regression analyses were used to estimate the wages of immigrants while controlling for human capital characteristics, sociodemographic factors, and time since arrival in the United States. The results demonstrate that the wage gap converges with more time spent in the United States, likely due to increased work experience and language proficiency, but does not completely diminish. Separate regressions are conducted for different occupational groups. Occupations are shown to be a large contributor to the differential, as wages differ significantly more in unskilled occupations such as manual labor or transportation. The possibility of labor market discrimination is explored as a reason for the wage gap, with the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition showing that only 68% of the wage gap can be explained by the included explanatory variables.

     

MNE practice transfer as a process of institutional change

We build upon current theory on strategic organizational practice transfer in multinational firms by incorporating the agency of actors and applying an institutional lens to the transfer process. Our theoretical analysis suggests that practice transfer is a process of institutional change that leads not only to practice adoption, adaptation, or nonadoption, but also to reconstruction. We argue that when contradictions exist within and across institutional environments, misaligned interests motivate actors to engage in praxis. As a parent‐subsidiary coalition, these actors reconstruct the practice by transcending the multitude of institutional environments that comprise the institutional system. Our process theory provides insight into how less powerful subsidiary actors engage in praxis to extend knowledge and build new capabilities within the firm. Copyright © 2014 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regulating consumption with bite: Building a contemporary framework for urban dog management

Australian urban animal management legislation prescribes the conditions for owning and living with dogs. UAM follows from the perceived need to provide community members access to public places without dog aggression or other nuisance behaviors. The literature reveals substantial positive aspects related to dog-keeping (e.g., health, happiness, companionship, the pet economy) that are ignored in the traditional approach to urban animal management. Indeed, a paradox exists with the current approach to UAM, as rules that inhibit dogs exercising and socializing likely contribute to dog-problem behaviors. To resolve this paradox, this article proposes an alternative paradigm for the management of dogs. The paradigm suggests initiating social marketing programs to better manage all of the issues involving urban animal management.     

Key influencers and inhibitors on adoption of the Internet for banking

The focus on new technologies in service situations is growing and is of particular importance in financial services contexts. It is argued that there is mutuality of benefit for both bank and customer through the adoption of self-service technologies (SSTs), of which e-banking is but one example. While the economic imperative for banks’ adoption of e-banking solutions is clear, the value proposition for the customer can be less evident. It is proposed that the value proposition on offer through e-banking could be better conveyed to customers were banks to have a greater understanding of the appropriateness of the on-line medium for products as they varied according to complexity level. This paper reports on a study which examined customer-stated propensity to purchase financial products on-line at varying levels of complexity. Findings underline the importance for banks to achieve a customer-oriented balance between face-to-face relationship-managed activity and online enablement and to understand now this balance varies according to customer and complexity of product. Strategic marketing implications for the case bank are discussed.     

DEPTH2: developing professional knowledge in D&T secondary initial teacher education

There are various aspects to teachers’ professional knowledge, some such as subject knowledge are more easy to articulate than others, for example knowing how to construct a scheme of work. Student teachers need to be able to understand the various aspects of teachers’ professional knowledge in order to be able to help themselves reflect on and develop these various aspects. This research builds on earlier work conducted with design and technology colleagues in a number of different countries and teacher training institutions (see Banks et al., International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 14, 141–157, 2004). Leach and Banks, together with other colleagues, developed a visual tool for discussing the aspects of professional knowledge that student teachers are required to develop and this formed the basis of this research (Leach and Banks, Investigating the developing ‘Teacher Professional Knowledge’ of student teachers, 1996). The research was carried out with a cohort of 1-year Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students on a conventional face-to-face programme. There were 11 in the group with six male and five female and the majority were aged under 25; this is atypical of this course both for gender and age, but this constituted the 2004–2005 intake. There were three data collection points: September 2004, on their first day of their course; January 2005 following their first school placement and June 2005 at the end of the course. The findings indicate the students’ development across the PGCE course in each of the areas relating to knowledge of subject, pedagogy and school. In each area there is a growth in their knowledge and a development in the complexity of their understanding. The students’ knowledge developed from a generalised understanding to a more specific and sophisticated one. It is hoped to be able to continue this research during the induction year of each successful student.     

Elasticity of Demand and Optimal Prize Distribution for Instant Lottery Games

This study explores the optimal payout structure and prize distribution of instant (scratch-off) lottery games. Using ticket sales data for 185 instant lottery games sold between 2007 and 2011 by the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, we calculate the price elasticity of demand across a range of ticket denominations. Our findings suggest that increasing the payout rate of instant tickets will increase revenue, particularly among low denomination tickets. We also find that reallocating the current prize distributions within a game towards fewer, but more valuable, low-tier prizes will increase the number of tickets sold.     

DEPTH – Developing Professional Thinking for Technology Teachers: An International Study

The tools to help teachers reflect on their professional knowledge are few in number, and often difficult to utilise. This paper reports on a study conducted with both primary and secondary technology initial teacher education students in a number of different countries who were given the same teacher-knowledge graphical framework as a tool to support reflection on their own professional knowledge. We wanted to investigate if, despite the different country contexts, student teachers of technology could take advantage of their experience with graphic visualisation to help them articulate abstract notions such as aspects of their developing teacher knowledge. We discovered that the graphical tool acted as a framework that enabled them to set out their subject knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and `school' knowledge and was useful in helping them become more self-aware. In this paper, the framework itself is introduced, the way it was presented to the novice teachers is outlined and the relative impact of such `self awareness' on their understandings, enabled by the framework, is then discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.