Steven J. Balassi
Abstract
A prior study shows that U.S. fiscal policy accounts for 69% of
California's income inequality. This
study examines what is different in California to explain the remaining
31%. The first part of this
study examines the variables which are different in California compared
to the rest of the U.S.
The major variables which are examined are immigration, education, and
health care. They help
explain the 31% difference which the U.S. fiscal policy does not account
for. The second part of
this study reports the results of multiple regression tests with the new
variables to strengthen the
prior correlation of 69%.
Full
Article
Tradable Hospital Admissions
Permits: Creating a Market for
the Medically Indigent
Andrew J. Buck and Michael Peng
Abstract
As a matter of social contract, American society provides health care to
the medically indigent. Two problems arise: First, the rate at which
care is reimbursed is government determined minimal regard to the market
place. Second, the liability of providing hospital care for the indigent
is not shared equally by all hospitals. This leads to some socially
undesirable consequences, such as the closure of hospitals in poor
areas. This paper proposes tradable admissions permits as a method for
restoring the 'missing market' for care for the poor. Unlike the
prospective payments system, admissions permits can achieve both
efficiency and equity.
Full
Article
Measuring performance of small-and-medium sized enterprises: the
grounded theory approach
H Gin Chong
Abstract
Using the procedures stipulated by the grounded theory, this study
reports the findings of in-depth semi-structured interviews with five
owners-managers of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) on how
performance is being measured. The findings reveal that the
owners-managers use a hybrid approach combining both the financial and
non-financial measures to evaluate performance against the predetermined
goals and time. Time axis is based on the durations of completing a
project. The findings have implications to both the SMEs and large
organizations.
Full
Article
IT Staff Management Techniques For Improved Recruiting and Retention
Richard A. Scorce
Abstract
Annual turnover
rates for Information Technology staff have traditionally
exceeded other job
classifications by ten to
twenty percent during both boom and recession cycles. How do we achieve
acceptable retention rates for the technician who is often viewed as
being more loyal to the Information Technology profession than to the
organization? Besides the retention challenge, managers of technical
staff must face up to the recruitment task of acquiring experienced IT
professionals. This paper suggests that the techniques and practices
that management utilizes for IT professionals can be customized to match
the ambitions, character traits and personality of the IT staffer.
Full
Article
Linking Career Development Practices to Turnover Intention: The Mediator
of Perceived Organizational Support Tan Foong-ming
Abstract
This study
investigates the mediating role of perceived organizational
support (POS) in linking career development practices (CDP)
with turnover intention with 357 Malaysian knowledge
workers. Data were collected from four different knowledge
intensive industries, namely finance, information technology
(IT), engineering, and education. Under individual
perception of long-term CDP, structural equation modeling
analysis revealed that POS completely mediates perceptions
of career development opportunities, supervisory support,
and internal promotion among knowledge workers. Career
orientation and cultural influences of the perception of
organizational support by Malaysian knowledge workers in the
workplace and the impact towards human resource management
policies are discussed.
Full
Article
Resistance Levels for Three Foreign Exchange Rates
Samih Antoine Azar
Abstract
Academic research
on chartist methods has dealt mainly with trading rules.
This paper innovates by considering resistance levels for
foreign exchange rates that are called thresholds in the
technical literature. However, unlike the literature, these
thresholds are taken to be at fixed and round figures: 2 for
the British pound, 200 for the Japanese yen and 2 for the
Swiss franc. The null hypothesis of one regime is rejected
for the alternative hypothesis of two regimes. The three
foreign exchange rates follow a very strong mean-reverting
process in the upper bands, while mean reversion is fairly
strong in the lower bands. Market timing rules are proposed
for these three foreign exchange rates.
Full
Article
Human Capital Investment and Growth: A Dynamic Education Model
Ben Mimoun Mohamed and Raies
Asma
Abstract
The paper aims to
explicitly determine the distribution of human capital
across hierarchic
educational stages along the
transition process, and to analyze the determinants of its evolution.
We apply optimal control
principles in a model of endogenous growth with two successive stages of
education. We show that with initial relative scarcity of advanced human
capital, the duration of studies at the advanced level should increase
until reaching its equilibrium level. We also find that, by raising the
duration of studies at the advanced schooling level, improvements in the
quality of education at this level also enhances the economy’s growth
rate, both in the transition and in the long-run.
Full
Article
Reputation and Firm Acquisition
Margarida Catalão-Lopes
Abstract
Why do some firm
acquisitions give rise to a single brand name, and why,
following others, all
brands involved subsist? How
do the demand cross effects, the brand equity of the rivals and
the strategic variable of
competition influence this decision? The current paper addresses these
issues. It is shown that
keeping all names involved is always profitable, but adopting a common
one may not be. However, the
latter is the best choice whenever the new brand's expected
value is higher than the
average reputation of the pre-acquisition ones. When the rival's
reputation is strong, this
brand dilemma becomes less accute.
Full
Article
Conventional versus Environmentally-Sensitive Wines: The Status of Wine
Production Strategies in California North Coast Counties
Asayehgn Desta
Abstract
Contrary to
"command and control" regulation, the California
Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA), in collaboration
with the California Wine Institute and the California
Association of Winegrowers (CAWG), has developed a voluntary
self-assessment code for the wine industries to achieve more
efficient Environmental Management Systems (EMS). The
purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the
wineries in the three California north coast counties of
Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma. This study examines whether
they meet or exceed the goals of the self-assessment
regulatory policies, whether they have redesigned their wine
strategies, and whether they produce environmentally
sensitive wine as defined by the California Sustainable
Winegrowing Codebook. Additionally, it will examine whether
the vineyards and wineries in these counties adhere to the
voluntary self-assessment procedures proposed by the
California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices when
growing and producing organic wine. Full
Article
Small-Scale Industries in the Globalization Era: The case of Jordan
Basem M. Lozi
Abstract
The research examines the role
of SSI in the economic development of Jordan by showing
the effects of the SSI on the unemployment rate, production, and sales.
The research
concludes with policy recommendations to ensure the sustained and
competitive growth of
small-scale industries in Jordan. The results of the study show that the
growth of SSI in
Jordan in terms of employment, production and sales has increased due to
globalization and
domestic liberalization. However, it is still not as significant as
planned. The SSI sector should
be encouraged to make a sustainable contribution to the national income,
employment, and
exports.
Full
Article
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