35 research outputs found
Group Purchasing Classification: Symbiotic Relationships in Horizontal Purchasing Cooperation
No full textAerospace Engineerin
Group purchasing classification: Symbiotic relationships in horizontal purchasing cooperation
No full textIdentity and consumption practices of Northamptonshire Caribbeans c.1955-1989
No full textThe objective of this thesis is to delineate and analyse Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumption c.1955-1989. Author-collected and other oral histories alongside complementary primary and secondary references dovetail to unearth and analyse aspects of Post-War Caribbean consumption in a British provincial location that have been significantly unexplored previously. Central to the argument is the contention that identity is fundamentally significant in comprehending and analysing Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumption. Various conceptualisations of identity facilitated development of consumer materialisations and aspirations. This thesis explores how multiple forms of identity as Caribbean, Black and British people were significant in shaping local Caribbeans' consumption. The succeeding pages address and analyse how these multiple identities influenced consumption and how provincial consumer behaviour was shaped by Caribbeans' relative co-ethnic isolation in Northamptonshire. Chapter 3 delineates and analyses consumer practices and practicalities of Northamptonshire Caribbeans. Integral within these consumer practices and practicalities are changes in consumption over time, intergenerational differences in consumption, as well as aspects of consumption that could be considered 'typical' and/or 'atypical' Northamptonshire Caribbean consumption; all of which are incorporated within this chapter. Chapter 4 connects identity and consumption through enhancing understanding of Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumer networks. These networks interacted with the combination of identities local Caribbeans psychologically felt part of within various Caribbean, Black and British permutations. Furthermore, such identities varied more widely amongst the younger generation than their co-ethnic elders, a concept which is also addressed. Education and cultural currency are two novel strands through which to analyse connections between consumption and identity. The final two chapters deploy these concepts in an innovative manner creating and developing greater understanding of Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumption. Chapter 5 expounds on the concept that education can be used as consumption whilst shaping future consumer behaviour, both ideas significantly under-explored previously. Chapter 6 introduces the theory of cultural currency, the idea that aspects of culture have finite, but changing, values and must be shared to have value similar to monetary currencies having exchange values for other monetary currencies. This chapter demonstrates how Northamptonshire Caribbeans shared aspects of Caribbean culture as cultural currency, fostering co-ethnic strength whilst gaining inter-ethnic respect for Caribbeans. Through comprehending Caribbean identity, correlations between empirical and social history, local consumption, as well as educational and cultural circumstances that stimulated and inspired Northamptonshire Caribbeans, this thesis distinctively illuminates how local Caribbeans' consumption interacted with various permutations of Afro-Caribbean, Black and/or British identities whilst representing idiosyncratic local nodes within these larger amalgamations
Corporate governance and equity prices : evidence from the Czech and Slovak Republics
No full textThe 1992 Czechoslavakia mass privatization program involving about 1,500 eneterprises and implemented through a voucher scheme with competitive bidding was a bold step in changing the ownership and governance of a large part of the economy. It represents a clear test case of one approach, and other countries may benefit from its lessons. At the time, much skepticisism was voiced about mass privatization: it would lead to diffuse ownership, and no effective corporate governance would result. But innovative forces led to the emergence of investment funds that collected much of the individuals'voucher points, leading to a much more concentrated ownership structure. It has been expected that this concentrated ownership would lead to improved corporate governance. But the jury is still out. So far, only limited and largely anecdotal evidence is available on the impact investment funds have on the way firms are being managed. Too little time has passed and too many shocks have occurred (for example, the split of the Czech and Slovak Republics) to expect to find discernible changes in corporate governance on measures of actual firm performance. An alternative approach is to investigate whether firms that ended up with more concentratedownership -- and possibly improved governance -- sell for higher prices, either in the last voucher round or in the secondary market since then. In a forward-looking financial market, one can expect prices to incorporate the effects of better ownership on future firm performance and associated dividends to shareholders. Put differently, one would expect that two firms with different shareholding structures, but otherwise identical, would trade at different prices -- with the firm with a more concentrated ownership, and presumably better corporate governance, trading at a higher price. On a cross-sectional basis, ownership structure may thus be significant in explaining (relative) share prices. The author explores this line of reasoning. Controlling for a number of firm and sector-specific variables: he finds: 1) Majority ownership by a domestic or foreign investor has a positive influence on firm prices. 2) Firms with many small owners have lower prices. 3) Ownership by many small scale investors makes it easier for any single investor to establish effective control, but such control does not necessarily translate into higher prices. The author also provides two possible explanations of why higher prices appear to be associated only with majority ownership by a single investor: he finds: 1) The corporate legal framework and the difficulty in collecting proxy votes in the Czech and Slovak Republics may prevent a small investor from making the necessary changes in the way firms are managed, thus keeping prices low; and 2) Commercial banks are both managers of invesment funds and creditors of individual firms. Funds managers may face conflicts of interest and not be interested in increasing the value of equity alone but also the value of credits. This could explain why prices are relatively lower for those firms in which investment funds have effective control.Economic Theory&Research,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Environmental Economics&Policies,Financial Intermediation,Economic Theory&Research
Europe integrates less than you think: Evidence from the market for corporate control in Europe and the US
No full textNational borders are still strong barriers for mergers and acquisitions in Europe. We estimate a gravity equation model based on NUTS 2-regions and find that the restraining impact of national borders decreased by about a third between 1990 and 2007. However, there has been no significant change since 1997, i.e., two years before the introduction of the Euro. To benchmark our results we run a corresponding analysis within the United States using the ten federal OMB regions as country equivalents. The 'quasi border'-effect in the US is weaker than in the EU and even declines more during the same time period. We conclude that European integration policy has little effect on fostering cross-border transactions. --European integration,corporate control,border effects
Electroactive polymers from β-substituted thiophenes
No full textThe work reported in this thesis can be broken down into three main areas. The first describes the synthesis of a series of β-substituted thiophenes bearing long, lipophilic chains (either ether, polyether or amido in nature). Cyclic voltammetry studies on the monomers revealed their oxidation potential but did not prove to be a successful method of electropolymerisation. This was achieved using constant current electrolysis and further studies involving FTIR, ESCA and SEM were carried out on the most highly conducting polymer. This polymer was also solution processible in its conducting form. The second area also describes the synthesis of a series of β-substituted thiophenes, but this time the pendant side group consists of bulky phenoxy moieties (liquid crystals, phenol ethers and aminophenol ethers). In this case the cyclic voltammetry studies carried out did appear to provide a successful means of generating polymers. Finally, the synthesis of a series of β-substituted thiophenes bearing pendant macrocyclic substituents (an N-0-5 cycle, an oxo-cyclam and a 14-0-4 cycle) are described. Their cyclic voltammetry behaviour is reported in detail and the results of experiments to determine metal ion selectivity is also described, in the case of the 14-0-4 cycle
On shoplifting and tax fraud: An action-theoretic analysis of crime
No full textThe article evaluates different theories of action in the area of crime research. A narrow version of rational choice theory assumes actors to choose in an instrumental, outcome-oriented way. It hypothesises that individuals weight the costs and benefits of criminal acts with subjective probabilities. In contrast, a wide version of the theory allows individuals to derive utility directly from choosing certain actions. Previous studies either do not directly test these theories or yield inconsistent results. We show that a meaningful test of these rival rational choice explanations can only be conducted if a broader view is adopted that takes into account the interplay of moral norms and instrumental incentives. Such a view can be derived from the Model of Frame Selection (Kroneberg 2005) and the Situational Action Theory of Crime Causation (Wikström 2004). Based on these theories, we analyze the willingness to engage in shoplifting and tax fraud in a sample of 2,130 adults from Dresden, Germany. In line with our theoretical expectations, we find that only respondents who do not feel bound by moral norms consider instrumental incentives. Where norms have been strongly internalised and in the absence of neutralisation techniques which legitimise norm-breaking, instrumental incentives are irrelevant.
First observation of the decay Bs0→K*0K*0
No full textThe first observation of the decay B0s→K∗0K∗0 is reported using 35 pb−1 of data collected by LHCb in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. A total of 49.8±7.5 B0s→(K+π−)(K−π+) events are observed within ±50 MeV/c2 of the B0s mass and 746 MeV/c2 < mKπ < 1046 MeV/c2, mostly coming from a resonant B0s→K∗0K∗0 signal. The branching fraction and the CP-averaged K∗0 longitudinal polarization fraction are measured to be B(B0s→K∗0K∗0)=(2.81±0.46(stat.)±0.45(syst.)±0.34(fs/ fd))×10−5 and fL =0.31±0.12(stat.)±0.04(syst.)
Measurement of the cross-section ratio σ(χc2)/σ(χc1) for prompt χc production at √s=7 TeV
No full textThe prompt production of the charmonium χc1 and χc2 mesons has been studied in proton–proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of . The χc mesons are identified through their decays χc→J/ψγ with J/ψ→μ+μ− using 36 pb−1 of data collected by the LHCb detector in 2010. The ratio of the prompt production cross-sections for the two χc spin states, σ(χc2)/σ(χc1), has been determined as a function of the J/ψ transverse momentum, , in the range from 2 to 15 GeV/c. The results are in agreement with the next-to-leading order non-relativistic QCD model at high and lie consistently above the pure leading-order colour-singlet prediction
Measurement of the inclusive φ cross-section in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV
No full textThe cross-section for inclusive φ meson production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV has been measured with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The differential cross-section is measured as a function of the φ transverse momentum pT and rapidity y in the region 0.6< pT <5.0 GeV/c and 2.44< y <4.06. The cross-section for inclusive φ production in this kinematic range is σ(pp→φX)=1758±19(stat) +43−14(syst)±182(scale) μb, where the first systematic uncertainty depends on the pT and y region and the second is related to the overall scale. Predictions based on the Pythia 6.4 generator underestimate the cross-section
