Investor Reactions,Social Implications and Layoff Announcements in the UK: A Comparison between Periods

This study examined the effect of layoffannouncements on shareholder wealth. Second, itfurther discusses the social implications oflayoffs and the extent to which investorreactions towards layoffs may have changed overtime. Details of layoff announcements for UKlisted companies were gathered for the periods1980 to 1984 and 1990 to 1995 inclusive.Comparative to prior U.S. findings, the resultsshow that UK investors do respond negatively toannouncements categorised as reactive. Twofindings not established by prior researchwere: (1) UK investor reactions appear to bemuch more sensitive to layoffs in the 1990's asopposed to the 1980s, and (2) UK investorsappeared increasingly sensitive toward layoffscompared to their US counterparts.     

Meta-analysis as a tool for understanding existing research literature

This article describes the rationale for and methods used in conducting meta-analyses in rehabilitation research. Advantages and disadvantages of meta-analysis, vis a vis the narrative and quantitative literature reviews described in previous articles, are discussed. Hypothetical and actual examples from the rehabilitation and related health sciences fields are used to illustrate points throughout the text.     

Multiple regression in rehabilitation research

This article examines applications of multiple regression in rehabilitation research. The authors address the logic and assumptions of correlational research, annotated with examples from the contemporary rehabilitation and allied health literature. As a means of testing relationships between a set of independent variables and one dependent variable, multiple regression is presented as a flexible and useful data analytic strategy.     

A proposal for a new screening paradigm and tool called Exercise Assessment and Screening for You (EASY)

The Exercise Assessment and Screening for You (EASY) is a tool developed to help older individuals, their health care providers, and exercise professionals identify different types of exercise and physical activity regimens that can be tailored to meet the existing health conditions, illnesses, or disabilities of older adults. The EASY tool includes 6 screening questions that were developed based on an expert roundtable and follow-up panel activities. The philosophy behind the EASY is that screening should be a dynamic process in which participants learn to appreciate the importance of engaging in regular exercise, attending to health changes, recognizing a full range of signs and symptoms that might indicate potentially harmful events, and becoming familiar with simple safety tips for initiating and progressively increasing physical activity patterns. Representing a paradigm shift from traditional screening approaches that focus on potential risks of exercising, this tool emphasizes the benefits of exercise and physical activity for all individuals.     

Caregiving Load and Respite Service Use: A Comparison between Older Caregivers and Younger Caregivers

Study aims were to explore differences in predictors of respite care use between older (aged 65+) and younger caregivers (aged 18–64 years), and associations between caregiving load and respite care use using multivariate logistic regression analysis and unpaid caregiver (n= 10,500) data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey. Caregiving load comprised number of care recipients, weekly hours in caregiving, and caregiving duration. Variables with a significant association with respite care for older caregivers were female gender, income, and health insurance. For younger caregivers, respite care use associations were with ethnicity, caregiving relationship, education, and availability of substitute help.     

Attitudes Towards Gambling and Gambling Reform in Australia

The Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS) is a 14-item survey instrument examining general attitudes towards gambling (Orford et al. in Int Gambl Stud 9(1):39–54, 2009). The current study examined the validity of this scale in an Australian community sample of 1794 adults (52.8 % female). As well as considering measures of internal consistency and factor loadings, we examined the functional utility of the scale as a mediator of gambling activity, problem gambling status, and consequent opinions on national gambling-reform legislation. We found internal consistency and factor loadings of the ATGS within the Australian sample to be comparable with those observed in the original UK study. Additionally, ATGS scores were found to be a relatively robust predictor of attitudes towards gambling reform and harm minimisation. Further, the ATGS mediated the relationships between experiences with gambling and attitudes towards harm reduction. The findings suggest that the ATGS is a useful tool for examining general attitudes towards gambling within an Australian context.     

Followers' moral judgments and leaders' integrity-based transgressions: A synthesis of literatures

This paper reviews the state of knowledge about integrity-based transgressions with an emphasis on the leader-follower relationship. Our review highlighted many important contributions of this literature, but, it revealed several limitations that should be addressed within a followership paradigm. We then synthesized the integrity and trust literatures with a targeted review of moral experimental philosophy. Cushman's (2008) dual process model suggests that because followers simultaneously assess leaders' intentions and their causal nexus with negative outcomes, they might judge behavioral and moral integrity transgressions in different ways. Judgments of moral condemnation should primarily be a function of perceived intent while blame and punishment of the leader based on behavior should be jointly affected by cause and intent. This moral assessment is expected to influence followers' trust through its effect on moral identity. A framework is offered for guiding future studies of followers' interpretations of leaders' integrity-based transgressions.     

A Decision-Theoretic Valuation of Information in Sealed-Bid Auctions for Items of Known Value

This paper considers the question of how much time and effort should be spent in preparing a bid for a single item of known value sold at a first-price sealed-bid auction. A decision-theoretic approach to this bid decision summarizes the decision maker's knowledge of the competitive environment through his or her subjective probability distribution of the highest competing bid. Research activities such as collecting and analyzing bid histories are efforts to obtain additional information that reduces the uncertainty in the highest competing bid. The decision-theoretic concepts of expected value of perfect and imperfect information are used to place an economic value on such research activities. The results presented allow the decision maker to quantify the expected value of imperfect information when the uncertainty is normally distributed. The results show that additional research is most valuable prior to auctions the bidder expects to win.