Crime deterrence role of Romanian churches

We analyse the crime deterrence role of Romanian churches using a data sample of crime in all 42 Romanian counties from 2001 to 2013. We aim to determine whether the public funding of churches can be justified by the role Romanian churches play in deterring illegal behaviour. The decision to build a new church in a certain location can be endogenous; therefore, we use as an instrument the built-up area of counties’ cities in the 1990s. After controlling for the endogeneity of the number of churches, our estimations show that Romanian churches significantly diminish local crime rates. Adventist, Baptist, Catholic and Orthodox churches tend to play an active role in the deterrence of local crime. Hence, Romanian churches not only provide religious services, but also promote religious norms and strengthen the social ties between parishioners, help prevent crime.     

Issues in the Use of Benchmarking by Church Leaders

ABSTRACT

With church attendance falling, church leaders are searching for methods to reverse that trend. Benchmarking the practices of successful churches offers one such avenue. This article points to issues of internal and external fit which should be considered before those benchmarked best practices are implemented by church leaders.     

转型期东北农村基督教家庭教会盛行的原因探析

基督教作为一种结论性①的西方意识形态渗透到中国,尤其是不断传播到偏远的农村地区,其教义等也随着理解的问题出现偏差。本文将以东北地区的基督教农村家庭教会为对象,结合地区经济、文化和政治等方面特点,着重从个人原因、社会相关阶层的原因和基督教自身原因三个角度来分析,促进农村家庭教会更加规范和健康的发展。     

The Effects of Prior Impressions of a Firm's Ethics on the Success of a Cause-Related Marketing Campaign: Do the Good Look Better While the Bad Look Worse?

ABSTRACT

The exploratory study that is the subject of this paper examines the importance of ten church service and program variables in the decision by members of different age cohorts to join a church. Variables that were investigated included aspects of the worship service; adult, children and senior education programs; and recreational activities. Two additional variables, denominational loyalty and the desire to be part of a spiritual community, were also investigated. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate the significance of each program as well as elements of the worship service. In addition, sources of information that members used prior to the first visit were examined. The most important resource was word-of-mouth. There were 460 respondents who were members of Southern Baptist and Unitarian Universalist churches located throughout the South and Southwest.     

Accounting in the late medieval town: the account books of the stewards of Southampton in the fifteenth century

The fifteenth-century account books of the Southampton town officer known as the steward are the main source used here for a study of accounting in the late medieval town. The article considers internal and external influences on Southampton's early change to paper account books, improved presentation of accounting information and use of English in the stewards' books. It explores the links between writing materials, format and language in the preparation of town accounts at Southampton and other towns. The article concludes by suggesting that the classified account introduced in the steward's book of 1441-2 is evidence of a wider function for charge/discharge accounting than is normally attributed to it.     

Religion,social capital and business bankruptcy in the United States, 1921–1932

We consider the value of social capital that derives from membership in a church. American states with larger churchgoing populations had lower business bankruptcy rates from 1921 to 1932, and states in which the churchgoing population was concentrated in few churches had business bankruptcy rates that were lower still. Both voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy were lower in states with higher church membership. The evidence suggests that church membership acted on bankruptcy through a safety net mechanism and not solely through indicating a preference for honouring commitment.     

Effective Nonverbal Communication Techniques

Developing effective marketing strategies for profes- sional service firms presents many unique challen es and is an im- portant area of practice development that many &ns often wer- look. Professional service firms ossess very distinctive P characteristics which differentiate them rom other service firms and require specialized marketing strategies. The purpose of this article is to assist practitioners in their efforts to develop promotional strat- egies which will enhance their firm's professional image and in- crease the firm's ability to engage new clients. These strategies arc aimed specifically at certified public accountants, lawyers, archi- tects, and other professionals.     

The effects of political fragmentation on investments: A case study of watermill construction in medieval Ponthieu, France

The link between political fragmentation and economic development has been frequently discussed in the pre-modern growth literature, yet, it has mostly been treated in a general manner. This paper provides a specific and detailed case study of the patterns of watermill construction in the northern French region of Ponthieu, France. The results suggest that political fragmentation in the juridical context of medieval Europe positively affected investments in machinery. I concentrate on the eleventh and twelfth centuries, a period characterized by political fragmentation and weak central authority, and provide original evidence that watermill construction was significantly more intense in areas where authority was fragmented and landholding was divided between numerous landlords. I suggest that the mechanism behind the phenomenon is that in the institutional context of medieval Europe political fragmentation reduced the territorial extent of lords' jurisdiction and therefore, of their monopoly over watermill construction. This, in return, promoted the construction of neighboring watermills, thereby affecting the number of watermills and the level of competition in the milling industry.     

Who Gets More of the Pie? Predictors of Perceived Gender Inequity at Work

Gender inequity is prevalent in the workplace. It violates the principle of equal treatment for all employees, and often leads to problems with retention, morale, and performance. Individuals, however, may have different perceptions of gender inequity. In this study, we examined the relationship between individual and organizational level variables and perceived gender inequity for a sample of church workers. Regression analysis was used to test several hypotheses informed by social psychological theories. The results showed that (1) individuals perceived gender inequity in the workplace; (2) organizational level variables had more effect on perceived gender inequity than individual level variables; and (3) compared to men, women perceived greater gender inequity favoring males. Discussion, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.     

中世纪欧洲大学“学者社团”之法理解析

大学起源于中世纪欧洲。起源时,其法律名称是"学者社团"。中世纪大学是学者的自治组织,具有法人资格和自治权。与其他社团如教会、城市和行会等相比较,中世纪大学具有成员是学者、目的是探索高深学问、内部构造是"联邦制"等特征。中世纪大学的法律地位与我国大学的法律地位不具有可比性。我国现行法律上与其最近似的是"社会团体法人"。