Impact of the Format,Arrangement and Availability of Electronic Gaming Machines Outside Casinos on Gambling

Abstract

This study evaluates the influence of the format, arrangement and availability of Electronic Gaming Machines Outside Casinos (EGMOC) on gambling behaviour and perceptions. Two studies comprising occasional, at-risk and probable pathological gamblers were conducted. The first study used focus groups, while the second was conducted in a laboratory setting reproducing a bar. The results of the former study indicate that while format does not influence gambling behaviours, the arrangement of EGMOC in a gambling setting is a critical factor: in general, gamblers perceive isolated areas in a gambling venue as a factor contributing to impaired control. However, behavioural results obtained in the laboratory setting do not corroborate subjective data. Finally, gamblers suggested almost unanimously that the availability of EGMOC should be limited to a small number of sites. The results are discussed in the perspective of responsible gambling policies.     

Kundenbindung von Noncomplainern: Neue Aspekte des Beschwerdemanagement

This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of customers who experience a service failure and do not voice their dissatisfaction to the provider (?non-complainer‘). This group of customers has been largely neglected by complaint research; although first studies indicate that only a small number of customers being dissatisfied voice their complaint to the firm. To address this issue, this research intends to 1) examine the impact of negative critical incidents on customer loyalty and 2) contribute to a better understanding of the role of customer recovery. Based on these analyses, 3) the relevance of complaint stimulation is derived. In doing so, management receives valuable information on how to deal with noncomplainers.     

Taxation,Fiscal Decentralisation and Legitimacy: The Role of Semi‐Autonomous Tax Agencies in Peru

This article analyses the Servicios de Administración Tributaria (SAT), which currently operate in nine Peruvian cities, to show that semi‐autonomous tax agencies can play a significant role in strengthening the effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of decentralised tax systems. Its findings indicate that the SAT collect local taxes and non‐tax revenues more effectively than conventional tax administrations, and that, although the SAT model per se does not generate strong incentives for the promotion of efficiency, efficiency may become more important once the SAT are consolidated. Finally, there are hints that the Peruvian SAT contribute to the legitimacy of the tax system thanks to higher levels of transparency and client orientation.     

The Benefits of Equine-Assisted Activities: An Exploratory Study

This study explores the benefits of equine-assisted-activities (EAA) to adolescents with emotional, behavioural or learning difficulties, expanding on previous anecdotal evidence by employing quantitative measures and a control activity. Ten adolescent males and one adolescent female attended a racehorse rehabilitation centre, interacting with both live and model horses. Interaction frequency, self-report anxiety and self-esteem were measured. A significant reduction in trait anxiety was found over the course of the programme, however, no changes in self-esteem were reported. Such programmes could reduce anxiety in at risk populations. Further research could deconstruct the study and elucidate the relationships between EAA and psychological well-being.     

Norwegian cohort emigration

This paper introduces a counterfactual technique to estimate net emigration from Norwegian birth cohorts from 1846 to 1900. A main finding is that despite strong fluctuations in annual emigration, the percentage reduction of each cohort due to emigration was surprisingly stable for all cohorts from 1846 to 1886, with net emigration of about 30% for males and about 20% for females. Estimating an econometric model of annual male gross emigration by single years of age 15–60 in the period 1870–1914, we find that previous net emigration from a cohort reduces later gross emigration from the same cohort. The estimations also give some justification for attributing this to selectivity of emigration, in the sense that only a certain proportion of each cohort were potential migrants. Received: 1 October 1997/Accepted: 23 March 2000