Anxiety,Depression and Emotion Regulation Among Regular Online Poker Players

Poker is a type of gambling that has specific features, including the need to regulate one’s emotion to be successful. The aim of the present study is to assess emotion regulation, anxiety and depression in a sample of regular poker players, and to compare the results of problem and non-problem gamblers. 416 regular online poker players completed online questionnaires including sociodemographic data, measures of problem gambling (CPGI), anxiety and depression (HAD scale), and emotion regulation (ERQ). The CPGI was used to divide participants into four groups according to the intensity of their gambling practice (non-problem, low risk, moderate risk and problem gamblers). Anxiety and depression were significantly higher among severe-problem gamblers than among the other groups. Both significantly predicted problem gambling. On the other hand, there was no difference between groups in emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), which was linked neither to problem gambling nor to anxiety and depression (except for cognitive reappraisal, which was significantly correlated to anxiety). Our results underline the links between anxiety, depression and problem gambling among poker players. If emotion regulation is involved in problem gambling among poker players, as strongly suggested by data from the literature, the emotion regulation strategies we assessed (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) may not be those involved. Further studies are thus needed to investigate the involvement of other emotion regulation strategies.     

The impact of corporate governance on auditor choice: evidence from Germany

Statutory audits are only beneficial if the appropriate audit quality is both provided and perceived by the users of audited financial statements. On the one hand, Big 4 audit firms are commonly viewed as producing high quality audits. On the other hand, regulators complain about the high market share of Big 4 audit firms. In this context, it is of interest to examine the drivers of a Big 4 audit firm selection. Despite extensive prior research, there is still a lack of findings form Continental European countries and on the impact of corporate governance on auditor choice. This paper on hand is intended to fill the related research gap. Thus, our study identifies variables that determine the auditor choice of large German listed companies. Based on a sample of 432 firm-year observations for the period 2010–2014, our logistic regression analysis suggests that the corporate governance structure influences auditor choice significantly. Notably, the annual meeting frequency of the audit committee and the size of the supervisory board are positively associated with the engagement of a Big 4 audit firm. However, the meeting frequency of the supervisory board and the compliance to the German corporate governance code are negatively related to the choice of a Big 4 auditor. Additionally, the proportion of female supervisory board members does not exert a significant impact. The results remain stable when the DAX30 observations, for which statutory audits are exclusively performed by Big 4 audit firms, are excluded. The main contribution of our paper is, that it sheds light on the impact of corporate governance variables not analyzed by prior research, like supervisory board characteristics, deviations from a corporate governance code, or the female quota, in a Continental European setting, and that it mainly indicates a complementary relationship. Despite the peculiarities of the German setting, the two-tier corporate governance system and the low level of investor protection, the findings of our study are not only relevant for Germany, since many other Continental European countries are characterized by a similar environment. The study’s findings are of particular interest for regulators when addressing audit market structure problems.     

TO DETER OR TO MODERATE? ALLIANCE FORMATION IN CONTESTS WITH INCOMPLETE INFORMATION

We consider two players' choice about the formation of an alliance ahead of conflict in a framework with incomplete information about the strength of the potential ally. When deciding on alliance formation, players anticipate the self‐selection of other players and the informational value of own and other players' choices. In the absence of these signaling effects, strong players have an incentive to stand alone, which leads to a separating equilibrium. This separating equilibrium can be destabilized by deception incentives if beliefs are updated on the basis of endogenous alliance formation choices. Weak players may find it attractive to appear strong in order to deter competitors from positive effort choices. Strong players may find it attractive to appear weak in order to give their competitors a false sense of security and then beat them with little effort. Moreover, appearing weak allows players to free‐ride when alliances are formed. (JEL D72, D74)     

Partnerwahl als konsensuelle Entscheidung

This study continues our analyses of contacting behavior in online dating (KZfSS 2/2009). As the beginning and continuation of a relationship is based on consensual decisions of both partners to interact, we concentrate on the question if and how potential partners indeed reply to contact offers. Data from online dating platforms therefore offer a unique opportunity for sociologists to study how partnerships are initiated and how they develop over time. This contribution provides four important empirical results: Firstly, it demonstrates that only 20% of all first contact offers are answered. This is a surprisingly small proportion. Secondly, it supports the hypothesis of homophily. According to this hypothesis, people with similar education, age and physical attractiveness should prefer each other and thus are more likely to form couples. Third, it shows that women still have severe problems to reply to contact offers from lower educated men, while men are already less reluctant to reply to higher educated women. Thus, the rarity of couples where women are higher educated than their partners are to a large proportion the consequence of women’s preferences rather than men’s preferences. Finally, our study does not find any support for the trade-off hypothesis, indicating that women do not exchange their physical attractiveness for men’s educational resources, and vice versa.     

多层Logit结构多模式变量需求网络平衡模型

探讨了多类别多模式变量需求网络平衡模型,模式选择模型采用多层ｌｏｇｉｔ结构,终点选择特定为一个多比例熵出行分配模型,公交车辆的出行时间与同一路网的其他车辆另行时间密切相关,采用变分不等式方法将模型的全部组元集合于一个模型中,并运用基于ＢｌｏｃｋＧａｕｓｓ－Ｓｅｉｄｅｌ分解算法有效地解决了固定需求和多维出行分布网络平衡模型的计算,论文给出了根据智利圣地亚哥市数据由ＥＭＭＥ／２软件包所得到的数值结果。     

Aircraft seating comfort: the influence of seat pitch on passengers' well-being

One of the most important factors influencing aircraft seating comfort in economy class, is legroom. In an airline interior mock up, with the ability to adjust the seat pitch in a range of 28 inches to 43 inches, a study to investigate the influence of seat pitch on passengers' well-being was conducted. In a pre-study, aspects of subjective postural sensations and spatial perception were identified, and a questionnaire was developed. In the main study, 30 subjects rated at different seat pitch settings the spatial perception and the ability of adopting and changing sitting postures. As a result a functional relationship between overall well-being, the subjects' anthropometry and seat pitch was developed. Furthermore it was identified, that there is a maximum overall well-being at a seat pitch of 34 inches to 40 inches, depending on the passengers' anthropometry. A further enlargement of seat pitch, led to a reduction of well-being.     

Firms' (non)responses: The role of ambivalence in the case of population aging in Japan

The literature supports and recommends that firms be responsive to external environments for prosperity and survival. However, many firms do not seem to heed this advice when it comes to important but uncontrollable environmental forces such as population aging. We investigate firms' (non)responses to population aging, one of the grand challenges of our time. While theoretical explanations for firms' responses to external environments abound, surprisingly, we lack concrete empirical evidence about why some companies do not respond to population aging while others do. Building on the cognition–response framework and utilizing a sample of 545 Japanese corporations, we investigate the magnitude and extent of organizations' corporate-level responses to population aging in Japan, the world's most aged society. While controlling for the firms' resource dependence and slack resources, we find robust, positive effects of perceived state certainty on organizational responses. Specifically, we find that perceived state certainty takes both direct and indirect routes (Daft and Weick 1984) to increasing firm response to population aging. We also find that firms' self-perceived controllability has a direct effect on firm response. Most intriguingly, the organization's ambivalence toward the implications of population aging on their business does not directly reduce firm response. Instead, it is found to be a quasi-moderator that interacts with perceived state certainty and negatively affects the responses to population aging. Ambivalence is an important factor that has been largely overlooked and warrants more research attention to address not only this particular grand challenge but also others (e.g., climate change).     

Index of Authors Volume 59, 2002

Authors Index

Index of Authors Volume 59, 2002     

The Governance of International Nongovernmental Organizations: How Funding and Volunteer Involvement Affect Board Nomination Modes and Stakeholder Representation in International Nongovernmental Organizations

The governance of civil society organizations (CSOs) is a crucial determinant of organizational legitimacy, accountability, and performance. International nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) are a subtype of CSOs and have received a lot of attention as actors in global governance. Research suggests that INGOs can follow a membership model, where the board is elected by the membership, or a board-managed model, where the board is appointed to represent major stakeholders. Following resource dependency theory, we argue that the choice between these two models depends on the INGOs different sources of funding and the degree of volunteer involvement: As donors and volunteers provide important resources, they are in turn granted the right to nominate board members or to sit on the board. In our quantitative study we show that individual members, regional member organizations, and governmental donors hold a stronger position in the governance of INGOs than philanthropists, foundations and volunteers. Our results inform research on CSO governance by highlighting the relevance of board nomination modes and by showing how CSOs can incorporate stakeholders into their governance mechanisms.     

Success on European Labor Markets: A Cross‐national Comparison of Attainment between Immigrant and Majority Populations1

Typical labor market outcomes vary considerably between majority and migrant populations. Drawing on scholarship from across the social sciences, we assess competing micro‐ and macro‐level explanations of differential occupational attainment among immigrant groups across 28 countries. The analyses of occupational attainment are run separately for first‐ and second‐generation migrants as well as children of mixed marriage and take into account their wider social and cultural background. Results from four rounds of the European Social Survey show that people with a migration background do not necessarily achieve a lower labor market success than the majority. However, human capital, social mobility, and cultural background explain these outcomes to different degrees, suggesting tailored pathways to labor market success for each group of migrants. We also find that occupational attainment varies considerably across countries, although this is hardly attributable to immigration policies. These and other findings are discussed in the light of previous studies on immigrant incorporation.