The population dynamics of the voleClethrionomys rufocanus in Hokkaido, Japan

Population dynamics of the gray sided-vole,Clethrionomys rufocanus, in Hokkaido, Japan were described on the basis of 225 time series (being from 12 to 31 years long); 194 of the time series have a length of 23 years or longer. The time series were classified into 11 groups according to geographic proximity and topographic characteristics of the island of Hokkaido. Mean abundance varied among populations from 1.07 to 21.07 individuals per 150 trap-nights. The index of variability for population fluctuation (s-index) ranged from 0.204 to 0.629. Another index for population variability (amplitude on log-10 scale) ranged from 0.811 to 2.743. Mean abundance and variability of populations were higher in the more northern and eastern regions of the island. Most populations, except for the southernmost populations, exhibited significant direct density-dependence in population growth. Detection rate for delayed density-dependence varied among groups from 0% to 22.6%. Both direct and delayed density-dependence tended to be stronger in the more northern and eastern populations. The proportion of cyclic populations was higher in the northern-eastern areas than that in the southern-western areas. There was a clear gradient from the asynchronous populations in southwest, to the highly synchronized populations in the northeast.     

Local practice and global data: loyalty cards, social practices, and consumer surveillance

Monitoring of consumers has become the most widespread mode of surveillance today. Being a multi-billion dollar business, the collected data are traded globally without much concern by the consumers themselves. Loyalty cards are an element with which such data are collected. Analyzing the role of loyalty cards in everyday practices such as shopping, I discuss how new modes of surveillance evolve and work and why they eventually make communication about data protection a difficult matter. Further, I will propose an alternative approach to the study of surveillance. This approach is concerned with local practices, focusing on subjective narratives in order to view surveillance as an integral part of culturally or socially manifested contexts and actions and not to view surveillance as something alien to society and human interaction. This will open up other possibilities to study modes of subjectivity or how individuals situate themselves within society.     

The Effect of Competition on the Efficient–Responsive Choice

In determining their operations strategy, a firm chooses whether to be responsive or efficient. For firms competing in a market with uncertain demand and varying intensity of substitutability for the competitor's product, we characterize the responsive or efficient choice in equilibrium. To focus first on the competitive implications, we study a model where a firm can choose to be responsive at no additional fixed or marginal cost. We find that competing firms will choose the same configuration (responsive or efficient), and responsiveness tends to be favorable when demand uncertainty is high or when product competition is not too strong. Intense competition can drive firms to choose to be efficient rather than responsive even when there is no additional cost of being responsive. In such a case, both firms would be better off by choosing to be responsive but cannot credibly commit. We extend the basic model to study the impact of endogenized production timing, multiple productions and product holdback (or, equivalently, postponed production). For all these settings, we find structurally similar results; firms choose the same configuration, and the firms may miss Pareto‐improvements. Furthermore, through extensions to the basic model, we find that greater operational flexibility can make responsiveness look less attractive in the presence of product competition. In contrast to our basic model and other extensions, we find it is possible for one firm to be responsive while the other is efficient when there is either a fixed cost or variable cost premium associated with responsive delivery.     

Négociation et performance: une analyse exhaustive et précise de l'effet de différents systèmes de négociation sur la productivité des entreprises

S'appuyant sur des données représentatives au niveau des entreprises, disponibles pour l'ensemble de l'UE, les auteurs analysent la relation entre les processus et structures institutionnelles de négociation collective et l'évolution de la productivité du travail. Ils montrent que la nature du système de négociation a une influence marquée: certaines caractéristiques sont associées à une baisse de performance (notamment la présence d'un système de négociation sectorielle non coordonné), d'autres à une amélioration (systèmes sectoriels coordonnés). Plus que le caractère individuel ou collectif de la négociation, c'est donc bien la nature des processus et structures dans lesquels elle s'inscrit qui importe en la matière.     

The performance effects of collective and individual bargaining: A comprehensive and granular analysis of the effects of different bargaining systems on company productivity

Using representative company‐level data for all Member States of the European Union, the authors analyse the relationship between different processes and institutional structures of collective bargaining and the development of company labour productivity. Their results clearly show that these differences have wide‐ranging effects. While some processes and structures of collective bargaining – specifically sectorally uncoordinated systems – appear to be detrimental to company performance, the opposite can be said about sectorally coordinated systems. Thus, what matters are the processes and institutional structures in which collective bargaining is embedded and not whether bargaining should be conducted collectively or individually.     

Die Entscheidung über den Verkauf von Wertpapieren unter der Abgeltungssteuer und auf Basis subjektiver Erwartungen

Since January 1, 2009 realized capital gains on securities are taxable in Germany regardless of the investor’s holding period. This paper examines when a rational investor should optimally sell a security in the presence of capital gains taxes. Besides taxes, our analysis considers the relevance of investor’s subjective expectations about future market prices of the security. The results suggest that investors should base divestment decisions primarily on their expectations. To realize losses or to avoid the realization of taxable gains (i.e. the lock-in-effect) is of minor importance for the optimal divestment strategy. This result becomes even more pronounced when transaction costs and limitations to save taxes by realizing losses are considered. Numerical calculations illustrate the results of our analysis.     

La Science ail Québec francophone

The development of scientific disciplines constitutes a main sector of the history and sociology of science. In an effort to break with a sociological tradition which too readily associates institutionalization with autonomization, this paper, based upon a comparative study of biology (that part of the discipline closely related to the natural sciences) and psychology, examines how dominant cultural models, political structures, and social relations constantly influence the institutionalization of science. As a relatively narrow scientific field, little known at the level of international scientific activity, the Quebec francophone scientific field often entertains complex and varying relationships with more advanced centers of scientific production that become the object of strategies aimed at assuring it a greater legitimacy. In such a context, the tensions that exist between intellectual and scientific activities, and social demands, remain particularly determinant. These social demands remain insufficiently varied and sustained to assure an intense penetration of scientific activity within the social fabric. As is often seen in such situations, university and government circles are the only structural entities to welcome scientific activity. Le développement de disciplines scientifiques constitue un secteur maintenant central de l'histoire et de la sociologie de la science. Cherchant à rompre avec une tradition sociologique qui concilie trop facilement institutionnalisation et autonomisation, ce texte, à partir d'une étude comparée de la biologie (qui se rapproche des sciences naturelles) et de la psychologie, veut illustrer combien les modèles culturels dominants, les structures politiques et les rapports sociaux marquent constamment l'institutionnalisation de la science même si, devenue activité spécialiséd, celle-ci peut davantage retraduire les influences sociales subies. Champ scientifique de petite taille, sans grande visibilité au niveau de l'activité scientifi-que internationale, le champ scientifique québécois francophone entretient avec divers centres plus avancés de la production scientifique des rapports souvent complexes, variables et objets de stratégies visant la conquête d'une plus grande légitimité. Dans un tel contexte, demeurent particuliérement determinantes les tensions entre les activités intellectuelles et scientifiques et les demandes sociales, insuffisamment soutenues et va-riées pour assurer une intense pénétration de l'activité scientifique dans le tissu social. Comme c'est alors fréquemment le cas dans semblable conjoncture, les milieux universi-taires et gouvernementaux, pratiquement seuls, servent de structures d'accueil à l'activité scientifique.     

Der Wunsch nach Verbundensein – Achtsamkeitspraxis und die Entwicklung beraterischer Qualitäten

This article explores the potentials of a structured mindfulness practice for professionals like councelors, therapists and teachers who work in psychosocial contexts. Mindfulness is being looked at as a way of selfcare and nourishment for the professional her- or himself and effects on the relationship with clients or patients are considered as well. Recent studies show that an ongoing practice of mindfulness enables professionals in psychosocially demanding positions to foster caring and appreciative relationships with themselves and with their clients. A pracitce of mindfulness seems to strengthen the abilies of presence, connectedness, acceptance, appreciation and serenity.     

Ein Mixed-Methods-Evaluations-Ansatz zur Untersuchung von Makro-Mikro-Interaktionen

Especially in the case of longitudinal evaluations, mixed-methodological approaches appear to be useful, since the studies are basically suitable for evaluating evaluation objects of a high degree of complexity, such as, for example, dynamic processes in educational structures. Basing on the longitudinal development of professions-related beliefs of mathematics student teachers, this article describes how macro- and microstructures can be taken into account by integrating results obtained through different research methods. With the help of latent growth curve models the development of beliefs of 235 student teachers at five universities could be modeled longitudinally. On the basis of 19 interviews, afterwards interrelationships between institutional frameworks and the individual development of beliefs could be identified on the basis of case studies. Amongst others, a high degree of agreement to constructivist-oriented forms of teaching and learning could be revealed, which can be partly attributed to the experience of university teaching.