Do large firms overly use stock-based incentive compensation?

This study employs the panel threshold model to reexamine the non-monotonic relationship between CEO stock-based compensation and firm earnings across various firm-size conditions. The feasibility of the model is tested using data for US non-financial firms from 1993 to 2005. Our empirical results indicate that while a positive relationship between the CEO stock-based pay and earnings is presented for small-size firms, a negative impact of CEO stock-based compensation on earnings is shown when large-size firms are concerned. Further, the longstanding puzzle of whether the CEO stock-based pay could enhance earnings among earlier studies could be satisfactorily explained by our empirical results.     

A Contextual Analysis of Caregivers of Children With Disabilities

When a child is born with a disability, the caregiver's life is altered. With the numerous challenges caring for a child with disability brings, caregivers may feel devastated. These challenges often result in increased stress on the caregiver, which, in many cases, places the child at risk for maltreatment. The purpose of this study is to explore issues a caregiver faces when caring for his or her child. In this contextual analysis, seven caregivers of children with moderate-to-severe disabilities completed a questionnaire, were interviewed individually, and assisted the researcher in constructing an ecomap of their current living environment. Content from the interviews was analyzed and several themes developed from the data. Implications for clinical practice and future research ideas are discussed.     

Utopia and Reality — A Comparative Analysis of Communal Settlements in America and Israel

Abstract

This research evaluates the effects of the first 1976 televised presidential debate upon voters' political attitudes. Citizens' issue awareness, campaign interest, and candidate evaluation were monitored by interviews before and after the first presidential debate in September 1976. Analysis of the survey data revealed that the debate did not significantly affect the competitive advantage of either candidate, but the debate did have the effect of increasing voters' interest and knowledge of the political campaign and decreasing the voters' confidence in both political candidates.     

'SELLING BLOOD': CHARACTERISTICS AND MOTIVATIONS OF STUDENT PLASMA DONORS

This multimethod study examines selected characteristics and the motivational dynamics of remunerated blood plasma donation by U . S . university students . Ten percent of students surveyed reported selling plasma . In comparison to nondonors and nonremunerated student Red Cross donors , paid student plasma donors tended to be predominantly male and from higher income families and to have higher rates of employment while in school . They also exhibited greater rates of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking . Drawing on focus - group and individual interviews , the authors describe the student plasma donation experience , with particular emphasis on motivational dynamics . Unlike nonremunerated Red Cross donors , plasma donors do not feel a strong identification with the altruistic aspects of the blood donor role . Rather , they are motivated to continue donating in order to secure an easy source of pocket money , which they tend to spend freely , especially on social drinking in student bars . Among students willing to sell plasma more than a few times , self - deferral from long - term donation tended to result from growing concerns about the physical effects of continuing donation , increases in disposable income from other sources , or both . The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for social policy and for future research .     

Relationship and touch in public settings

Gender differences in touch in U.S. populations have been well demonstrated. The age of participants and the setting in which touch occurs have been shown to affect the gender differences. Some investigators have concluded that a gender asymmetry exists with men touching women more than women touch men. A number of studies have shown that men and women interpret touch differently. Past research has provided little information about the effect of the relationship between a couple and the meaning of their touch. In the present study touch initiation among couples was observed in a variety of public settings and then the couples were asked to identify their relationship. It was found that men were more likely to initiate touch during courtship and women were more likely to initiate touch after marriage. A sex difference in reproductive strategies was suggested as one explanation for the phenomenon.     

The effect of airline pilot characteristics on perceptions of job safety risks

In a large cross-sectional sample, commercial airline pilots in the United States were asked for their perceptions of job safety hazards. Regression techniques are employed to investigate the relationship between these perceptions and both the length of tenure of pilots and their specific employer within the industry. The latter is found to have a far more significant impact on risk perception. No evidence is found for a learning curve of job risk with respect to experience. Pilots' assessments of inadequacies in training and aircraft maintenance are found to be significantly related to the financial health of their employer.The authors would like to thank the Aviation Research and Education Foundation and the Air Line Pilots Association for financial support. We are glad to acknowledge Steven Albert, Julie Libera, Janelle Muntz, and Adam Rauch for their research assistance.     

The stable population model,migration, and complementarity

The issue of declining population in many more-developed countries (MDCs) and continued rapid population growth in most less-developed countries (LDCs) is addressed in this paper. The authors expand the stable model theory beyond closed populations and apply it to situations where migration patterns are either in or out of a region. Through the use of the complementarity concept, the study illustrates what the impact of continued migration out of LDCs into MDCs would be on both regions.