Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The political economy of the World Bank

This book covers the early years of the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), commonly known as the World Bank when it first confronted the issue of development as a fundamental part of its mission. The book is mainly concerned with how the Bank interpreted its mission and, more specifically, how its mission was born: what events shaped it, what cultural and ideological background influenced it and what was the historical context in which it arose. So this book is a contribution to the study of the prehistory of development, understood in its social and economic context. In this respect, the study of the early years of the World Bank offers excellent context for observation for three reasons. First, during its history there is a clear separation between the growth phase and the phase of social objectives. Second, in the first years of activity already the Bank could hear murmurs of opposition. Finally, there was a sudden change in the mandate of the institution changed from supporting the reconstruction of Europe after the war, to help developing countries. The transition from one phase to another was a formative one and redefined the institution. The upshot of the foregoing was to set a fertile ground for exploring the signs of conflict between the different approaches to development. The first chapter deals with the historiography that underlies the writing. It refers to a wide literature using periods of transition or crisis in the history of the institution to understand its dynamics and mechanisms. Reducing its support for European reconstruction, the Bank focused on the development of countries. The internal tensions that arose and led to a complete break between the Bank and the director of the mission (the economist Lauchlin Currie) are very useful for understanding better the evolution of the institution. The third chapter explores the tensions between Currie and the Bank and particularly, between Currie and the economist Albert Hirschman, who the Bank replaced as envoy to Colombia. The final chapter focuses again on the International Bank and particularly in lending mechanisms for developing countries.
The Link between Six Sigma and Quality Culture – An Empirical Study

Abstract The purpose of this research was to investigate empirically influences on quality culture development, with particular reference to a Six Sigma management programme. Questionnaires were designed to measure organisational factors, including the use of proposed cultural change agents, and relative quality culture development; 15 organisations of varying types were then surveyed. The Six Sigma group was found to have higher mean scores for all quality culture dimensions, and also had slightly stronger (i.e. homogeneous) cultures. Organisational factors having significant relationships with the development of a quality culture were found to be: demonstration of management commitment to quality, creating awareness of quality, training, employee participation, and performance evaluations based on quality-related criteria. Six Sigma organisations, on average, scored higher on these factors than did non Six-Sigma organisations; hence, it was concluded that a Six Sigma management programme may play a part in the development of a quality culture.
Non-linear dynamics of employment, output and real wages in Canada

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among employment, real wage, and output growth in Canada. Design/methodology/approach - – Using quarterly data from 1994q2 to 2012q3, this paper employs a vector autoregressive framework while allowing for the derivation of output from its historical maximum over the sample period to affect future output, employment, and real wage growth dynamics. Findings - – There are three main findings: output growth is significant in predicting employment growth and vice versa; real wage growth neither Granger causes employment growth nor output growth, but employment growth Granger causes real wage growth; and non-linear dynamics, captured by the current depth regression (CDR) effect term, through the sign as well as the magnitude of output changes, are important in characterizing the evolution of the relationship among output, employment, and real wage growth. Practical implications - – The findings of this research have significant implications for policy makers. Output and employment growth are important in forecasting each other in Canada. In contrast to the mainstream theory, real growth is insignificant in explaining the future dynamics of employment in Canada. Policies need to be formulated to encourage the growth of employment to ensure sustain output growth. Originality/value - – This study examines empirically the real output, real wage, and employment link in Canada. This study uses the most recently revised GDP data arising from the 2012 Historical Revision of the Canadian System of National Accounts. The econometric methodology involves the standard vector autoregression (VAR) model to which the authors introduce non-linear dynamics through a term that controls for the deviation of output from its preceding historical maximum: the CDR effect.
Staphylococcus aureus ST398 detected in pigs in Australia.

Alackoftargeted surveillance means that the presence of MRSA inAustralian food-producing animals may have gone undetected.We report here the ﬁrst detection of MRSA in Australian pigs, themolecularcharacteristicsoftherecoveredisolatesandtheimpacton our understanding of the global epidemiology of this prioritypathogen.Nasal swabs were collected from 324 pigs in ﬁve commercialherds and one feral herd between January 2009 and October2010. Swabs were obtained from herds in Western Australia(feral pigs, Herd 1), Queensland (Herd 2), Victoria (Herd 3) andNew South Wales (Herds 4–6). The collection of nasal samplesfrom pigs was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of theElizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Menangle, New SouthWales (reference M10/06). Swabs were suspended in 2 mL ofbrain heart infusion broth (Oxoid, Adelaide, Australia) containing20% (v/v) glycerol and stored at 2808C. Pools containing 100 mLeach of ﬁve nasal samples were prepared in 2 mL of Mueller–Hintonbroth(Oxoid)containing6.5%NaClandenrichedovernightat 358C. Each pool was analysed by PCR for markers indicative ofMRSA (femB and mecA).
Marketmaker Behavior in an Auction Market: An Analysis of Scalpers in Futures Markets

This paper focuses on the role of scalpers as marketmakers in the competitive auction of futures exchanges. We use transactions data of a representative scalper to identify the source of scalper earnings. We find that scalpers provide liquidity services to incoming market orders, thereby facilitating commercial hedging. Scalper earnings are positively related to the bid-asked spread and negatively related to the length of time a position is held. FUTURES TRADING IS organized as an auction market, with buyers and sellers confronting each other directly in a trading pit or ring on an exchange floor. Bids and offers are represented in the pit by open outcry. Trades are consummated throughout a trading session (which usually last 4 to 6 hours) whenever a bid is hit or an offer lifted by some other agent on the floor. Participants in futures markets include hedgers and speculators whose orders are called in and are represented by floor brokers in the pit. In addition, floor traders participate by bidding and offering for their own account. Some floor traders fall into the category of short-term speculators (day traders) who prefer to trade for themselves rather than execute orders through a floor broker. A somewhat more specialized group of floor traders are known as scalpers. They are essentially marketmakers who quote bids and offers against which market orders can be executed. They do not have an affirmative obligation to provide liquidity by quoting bids and offers but do so in the expectation of earning a return. This paper examines the activities of scalpers on futures exchanges in order to identify the role of marketmakers in a freely competitive auction. We focus on the nature of scalper decision-making as well as on the contribution of scalpers to economic welfare. One of our main concerns is with the source of a scalper's
An empirical test of the information processing and socio-political perspectives in New Product Development Projects

New product development research draws on a range of different theories, though no overarching theory explaining NPD success has emerged. Atuahene-Gima and Evangelista (2000) however identified an underlying dichotomy in existing theories: economically rational approaches, and socio-political approaches. In this paper we test a model which reflects this dichotomy, and using data from 184 NPD projects, we provide empirical evidence that that this multi-lens theoretical approach has great potential to better understand factors driving NPD outcomes.
Communists and Democrats: Democratic Attitudes in the Two Germanies

German unification has revived earlier scholarly debates about the nature of the German political culture and the ability of the nation to rise above its cultural heritage – now focused on the cultural inheritance from the German Democratic Republic. This article examines popular support for democratic attitudes as a prerequisite for successful political unification and the development of democracy in a unified Germany. Our evidence focuses on a study of democratic attitudes conducted in West Germany and East Germany by the Mannheim Research Unit for Societal Development in early 1990, with supplemental data from more recent surveys. We find that East Germans voice support for democratic attitudes that rivals or excels the expression of democratic norms in the West. The correlates of these opinions suggest that democratic norms in the East developed from an on-going process of counter-cultural socialization and from judgements about the relative economic strength of the Federal Republic.
Further Analysis of the Human Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate by a Cluster Analysis-Based Approach to Categorize Individuals With ‘Normal’ Versus ‘Frequent’ Eye Blink Activity

Purpose. To further analyze the possible causes of variability in spontaneous eye blink activity in apparently healthy humans. Methods. One hundred men, aged between 23 and 57 years and with no significant eye disease, were questioned on the number of ocular symptoms they experienced (one, two, three, and so forth). Five-minute video recordings were made of the eyes in primary gaze and in silence between 11:00 and 17:00 hours. The spontaneous eye blink rate (SEBR) and palpebral aperture features were assessed from the video recordings. The central corneal threshold touch sensitivity was then assessed with a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer. Results. The average SEBR was 13.8 ± 9.7 blinks per minute (range, 2.8–48 blinks per minute), but the distribution was heterogeneous and skewed to higher values. The SEBR was not obviously dependent on the time of day that the recordings were made, on the number of mild symptoms that the subjects reported, or on the central corneal sensitivity (P≥0.6). Analysis of SEBR in relation to age showed a possible weak association (P=0.082, r = 0.175), but SEBR showed absolutely no correlation with palpebral aperture height (P=0.546). A hierarchic cluster analysis clearly resolved the distribution of SEBR values into two distinct groups (P<0.001, F ratio = 222). Conclusions. Spontaneous eye blink activity can be rather different between healthy individuals, even under a single experimental condition. These differences do not appear to be caused by the time of day, mild symptoms, corneal sensitivity, age, or palpebral aperture features. In line with previous metaanalyses, it is therefore proposed that individuals could be grouped as to whether they have “normal” eye blink activity or be classified as having “frequent” eye blink activity. The latter group would include those who had an SEBR greater than 20 blinks per minute when assessed in primary eye gaze and in silence.
Order Imbalance in the FTSE Index Futures Market: Electronic Versus Open Outcry Trading

This study examines trading activities before and after the transfer of the FTSE 100 index futures contract from open outcry to electronic trading. Daily order imbalance exhibits strong serial persistence in the electronic limit order market, but not in open-outcry trading. Both excess buying and selling reduce liquidity. In the electronic venue, prior market movements barely affect investors' buying or selling decisions. Excess buy orders do not generate any price impact, but sell orders do. Positive imbalances are more strongly autocorrelated than negative imbalances. No trading elements, such as order imbalance, volume, or open interest, are associated with volatility. Moreover, excess buying decreases volatility. Such evidence suggests that the development and growth of electronic trading has changed the dynamics of trading activities in many important ways. Copyright (c) 2008 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
non-tariff barriers

Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and World Trade Organization (WTO) Members. Ongoing trade negotiations provide a mandate to Members to negotiate for facilitating deeper market access on both agricultural and industrial goods. Although allowed under various WTO rules, non-tariff barriers (NTBs) have emerged as protectionist tools that affect exports from developing countries. As is evident from the experience of some South Asian economies, their agricultural exports to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) face NTBs. This briefing paper assesses the prevalence of such barriers in the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).
Social partnership strategies in two health service trusts

Based on longitudinal case study research amongst ancillary staff in two health service trusts in the same region, this article analyses the strategies that management and trade unions adopted in their approach towards workplace social partnership. The article highlights the differentiated principles, practices and outcomes of partnership in the two trusts, by initially drawing on the “deliberate” and “emergent” strategy spectrum of Mintzberg and Waters. Whilst “deliberate” strategy focuses on direction and control, “emergent” strategy suggests a learning process in the search for effective patterns of behaviour and decision making outcomes. However, departing from the essentially managerialist underpinnings of the conceptualisation, the article seeks to understand how organised labour interacts with management in the creation and development of strategy in both ideal type scenarios. In this respect, the article utilises the “theory of the firm”, in particular, transaction cost analysis and the resource based view of the organisation, to aid our understanding of this complex process.
The Market Share-Profitability Relationship: Testing Temporal Stability Across Business Cycles

Several studies have demonstrated a generally positive association between market share (MS) and business profitability (BP) and that this relationship is dependent on environmental and strategic contexts, but the stability of such results across distinct time periods representing differing business cycles has not yet been demonstrated. This article, employing a comparative static methodology, assesses the stability of the nature of the relationships among strategic resource deployments, market share position, and profitability across two different time periods representing significantly different macroeconomic conditions. The results indicate that the general level of association (i.e., correlation) between MS and BP is stable, but the set of significant strategic factors contributing to both MS and BP is different, indicating variations in strategies for the two different cycles. Some explanations for the observed differences as well as limited generalizations on the market share-profitability relationships are developed.
Service Innovation in Hong Kong: Attitudes and Practice

This research explores management's attitudes towards innovation in Hong Kong's service firms and the extent to which service firms are committed to the general practice of managing service innovation. The growth in the scale and importance of the service sector in Hong Kong together with the limited analysis of innovation in the service industries, provide a prime justification for this study. Data were examined from four service groups: retail/wholesale, financial services, hotel/restaurant, and tourism. The findings suggest that although the majority of service organisations in Hong Kong are engaged in some type of innovation, they do not have any established system to control the process. In general, managers seem to confine their development to incremental or distinctive innovations and do not attempt to develop breakthrough innovations.
Plasmonic properties of metal nanodot arrays with same diameter utilizing nanoporous alumina mask

Metal nanodot arrays with the uniform diameter were fabricated utilizing nanoporous alumina mask with through-holes as an evaporation mask. Ag, Cu, and Au nanodot arrays were fabricated on indium tin oxide coated glass as a replica of the nanoporous alumina mask. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of metal nanodot arrays were experimentally measured by the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The dependency of LSPR wavelength on nanodot composition was examined.
Exocrine Pancreatic Function in Dogs with Denervated Pancreas

There is strong evidence that the vagus nerve plays an important role in exocrine pancreatic secretion. In the present study we examined the effect of total extrinsic denervation of the pancreas on exocrine pancreatic secretion to different stimuli in dogs. In the experiments we used the model of the orthotopic autotransplanted dog pancreas as described by Debas et al. Denervation of the gland did not significantly alter water and bicarbonate response to secretin. The dose-response curve of caerulein showed the denervated pancreas as sensitive as the intact gland. However, autotransplantation of the pancreas caused a significant decrease (p <0.05) in protein secretion during intraintestinal L-tryptophan in increasing doses. Furthermore, bicarbonate and protein secretion after food intake was significantly decreased in the denervated pancreas (protein: peak levels 380 mg/15 min and 135 mg/15 min; bicarbonate: 3.2 mEq/l5 min and 1.4 mEq/l5 min) (p <0.02). From our data we conclude that the denervated pancreas is as sensitive as the intact pancreas to stimulation by exogenous secretin and caerulein, whereas denervation of the pancreas causes an important influence in the intestinal phase of pancreatic secretion.
Share Purchase Plans in Australia: Issuer Characteristics and Valuation Implications

Share purchase plans (SPPs) are offered exclusively to a company's registered shareholders, who may purchase up to $5,000 worth of shares in a 12-month period at a discount to the market price and without any brokerage charge. They have become one of the most frequently used mechanisms for raising publicly traded equity capital in Australia, yet little is known about them from a financial markets perspective. We address this deficiency by documenting the characteristics of Australian firms that have adopted SPPs and assessing their short-term and long-term valuation implications. We find that SPPs are more likely to be issued by firms with lower levels of liquidity and relatively large numbers of shareholders. They have a negative announcement effect, which is associated with the size of the issue, the prior share-price runup, the issue-price discount, the firm's industry, and whether there is enough time for non-shareholders to buy shares in order to participate. Long-run underperformance is also found over extended periods, consistent with much of the seasoned equity offering (SEO) literature. The SPP-issuer did not perform as badly if it was in the mining industry, if it was audited by a ‘Big-N’ firm, or if the issue was underwritten. Conversely, the greater the issue discount, the worse the issuer's long-run performance.
Courting Shareholders: The Ethical Implications of Altering Corporate Ownership Structures

The relationship between corporate executives and sharehold ers has riveted the attention of business ethicists since the inception of the field. Most ethicists agree that corporate executives owe their investors the duties of loyalty, candor, and care. These fiduciary duties undergird the promises made to shareholders at the time of incorpora tion, placing on executives moral obligations to engage in fair dealing and to avoid conflicts of interest. We concur that executives owe all of their existing shareholders both promise-keeping and fiduciary duties and argue that some corpo rate executives violate these responsibilities by attempting to withhold information from or limit information to some shareholders while court ing others. We analyze the ethical implications of six techniques and tools that executives use to attract certain types of shareholders while deterring others. We conclude with recommended structural and be havioral changes to these current managerial and investor practices.
Wealth Effects on Consumption in Austria

Between the start of the financial crisis in the third quarter of 2007 and the third quarter of 2008, Austrian household sector losses arising from investment in tradable securities amounted to approximately EUR 24 billion. This study uses micro and macro data to examine the possible consequences of this loss of wealth on the consumption behavior of households. Micro data for Austria indicate that owing to unequal distribution, it is primarily the wealthier households that have been directly affected by the crisis. However, all households may be impacted by the consequences of the financial crisis via confidence effects, irrespective of whether they hold securities or not. Estimates based on macro data show that the marginal propensity to consume out of wealth of Austrian households is 0.05 and thus within the international average. Results of Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) simulations using a macroeconometric model indicate that a decrease in wealth has a relatively minor effect on private consumption and economic growth in Austria. Moreover, this effect only occurs with a substantial lag. Due to the historic singularity of the current financial crisis, however, above all the indirect confidence effects could be more intense than estimated.