How to ensure that headquarters add value

Over the last few years many international corporations have started to restructure their organizations fundamentally by redistributing management tasks and creating small, market-oriented units. However strong the centrifugal forces were, the core task in restructuring these corporations was: how to redesign the corporate centre. The design of the corporate centre is of major importance for the performance of corporations. Corporate Centres can actively improve the performance of their business units, for instance by defining performance targets or by providing shared resources. On the other hand headquarters are frequently accused of being bureaucratic liabilities which make no contribution to corporate success. This problem has grown in recent years as organic growth, internationalization, and an increasing number of mergers and acquisitions have generated new co-ordination problems. These developments have given new priority to the question of corporate centre organization. What is required is the definition of an effective role for the centre and the establishment of central units with efficient scope and size. This article discusses both tasks in the light of current and future requirements for corporate centre organization.     

The word ‘variable’ in logic,mathematics and economics

The paper deals with the meaning of the word variable as used by various authors in various disciplines. In the first part of his article the author explains the synonyms used for this word such as indefinite numbers, mappings or concepts. He further discusses the meaning of variables and unknowns as applied in modern logic and traditional mathematics. In economic models the variable is inseparably linked to the economic quantity by which it is characterized and interpreted. Distinctions are made between endogenous and exogenous variables and between a variable and its time path.The author is indebted to Tor Fernholm for valuable comments on a preliminary draft.     

Where do they turn? Social support systems of suicidal high school adolescents

Adolescents reporting suicidal behavior were found to be significantly different from those who were not nonsuicidal in their responses to variables related to parents' marital status, school performance and attendance, someone to talk to, and church attendance. Adolescents overwhelmingly identified their parents' demonstrations of affection as a very important way to "make a difference" to decrease suicidal behaviors. Health professionals need to note that approximately 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 4 boys reporting self-hurt behaviors may attempt suicide.     

Reconocimiento de emociones a partir de la expresión y el contexto: Una réplica

Resumen

En el presente estudio se examinan las contribuciones relativas de la expresión facial y el contexto situacional al reconocimiento de emociones. Tras la evaluación independiente de ambas fuentes de información, los sujetos juzgaron distintas combinaciones que variaban en su grado de congruencia. Aunque los resultados indican una preponderancia de la información expresiva sobre la situational en el juicio global, se señala la necesidad de nuevos diseños que permitan investigar el papel modulador del contexto sobre los juicios emocionales.     

THE ROLE OF TRANSACTION COSTS FOR FINANCIAL VOLATILITY: EVIDENCE FROM THE PARIS BOURSE

This paper analyzes the causal linkage between transaction costs and financial volatility under two methodological improvements over the existing literature. First, we use panel data in which exogenous transaction cost differences in the French stock market are induced by price level dependent minimum price variation rules (tick size rules). Unlike in previous studies based on one‐time regulatory tick size changes (like the U.S. decimalization), we can separately identify and control for marketwide volatility changes. Second, we avoid the pitfalls of biased volatility measurement across regimes by using the range as a tick size robust volatility metric. Panel regressions controlling for marketwide volatility effects show at high levels of statistical significance that the hourly range volatility of individual stocks increases by more than 30% for a 20% exogenous increase in transaction costs due to tick size variations in the French trading system. In the light of this evidence, higher transaction costs in general, and security transaction taxes in particular, should be considered as volatility increasing. (JEL: F3, G1, G14)     

Hierarchie und Entlohnung

In this paper, we suggest a wage scheme that accounts for the hierarchical structure of an enterprise. We employ concepts of cooperative game theory and modify the van den Brink (2008) approach. Besides results on how the hierarchy affects wage differentials between levels of the hierarchy, we deal with the allocation of employees to the different levels.     

Populations with constant immigration

We consider a Leslie‐type model of a one‐sex (female) population of natives with constant immigration. The fertility and mortality schedule of the natives may be below or above replacement level. Immigrants retain their fertility and mortality, their children adopt the fertility and mortality of the natives. It is shown how this model may be written in a homogeneous form (without additive term) with a Leslie‐type matrix. Reproductive values of individuals in each age group are discussed in terms of a left eigenvector of this matrix. The homogeneous form of our projection model permits the transformation into a Markov chain with transient and recurrent states. The Markov chain is the basis for the definition of genealogies, which incorporate immigration. It is shown that genealogies describe the life histories of individuals in a population with immigration. We calculate absorption times of the Markov chain and relate them to genealogies. This extends the theory originally designed for closed populations to populations with immigratioa     

Observational Measure of Elder Self-Neglect

The purpose of this study was to improve measurement of elder self-neglect by testing the psychometric properties of the Elder Self-Neglect Assessment (ESNA). Social workers, case managers, and adult protective services providers from 13 Illinois agencies completed a 77-item assessment for 215 clients suffering from self neglect. Analyses used Rasch item response theory and traditional validation approaches to test for dimensionality, model fit, and additional construct validation, resulting in a 62-item assessment. The ESNA met Rasch fit criteria with good internal consistency, item reliability, and construct validity. A 25-item short form also met Rasch criteria. A hierarchy of items associated with severity of abuse was produced by frequency of occurrence. ESNA indicators of self-neglect align into two broad categories: behavioral characteristics and environmental factors, which must be accounted for in a comprehensive evaluation. Theoretical refinements developed using the empirically generated item hierarchy may help to improve assessment and intervention.     

The Aftercare Support Program: An Emerging Group Intervention for Transition-Aged Youth

The unique challenges faced by transition-aged youth have received considerable attention in the literature, but few developments for aftercare support interventions have followed. The Aftercare Support Program (ASP) is a group-based intervention designed for such youth. ASP was developed as a zero budget, low-intensity intervention delivered by volunteers from a local college/university and youth-serving agencies to encourage transition-aged youth to pursue postsecondary education and vocational training by utilizing existing community resources and services. The underlying theoretical concepts are derived from solution-focused brief therapy and a strengths-perspective in social work. Case vignettes, including feedback from participants and lessons learned are offered, along with implications for the ASP model and other aftercare support models for transition-aged youth at a time when public and private funds for such programs are limited.