Que faut‐il voir dans les écarts de rémunération entre les travailleurs immigrés des pays du Golfe: l'effet d'a priori patronaux ou la simple conséquence de coûts d'opportunité différents?

Les auteurs s'intéressent aux disparités salariales entre les différents groupes de migrants qualifiés qui travaillent en grand nombre pour le secteur privé dans les États du Conseil de coopération du Golfe. Ils se demandent notamment si la prime salariale des Occidentaux (par rapport aux travailleurs venus d'Asie ou d'autres États arabes) découle d'éventuels a priori des employeurs. L'analyse, qui repose sur des données de 2012–2014 et sur deux méthodes de décomposition classiques, infirme l'hypothèse: les caractéristiques observables relatives à la productivité expliquent entre un tiers et trois quarts des écarts; le coût d'opportunité de la migration, supérieur pour les Occidentaux, explique la portion restante.     

Conservative linear programming with mixed multiple objectives

In an ordinary linear program a single objective vector is constructed and one attempts to choose a decision vector to optimize this objective. Often multiple criteria exist or exact estimates for the components of a single objective vector are not entirely clear. For these cases a conservative decision-maker may want to choose an alternative that maximizes the objective value under the worst foreseeable circumstances. Herein we develop a unified framework for applying the maximin criterion to problems with various degrees of uncertainty attached to the objective vector. Three cases are solved via linear programming: (1) Complete Information, (2) Partial Information, and (3) Total Ignorance. It is shown that the functional value of the maximin solution decreases in a convex manner with increasing uncertainty. In addition certain relationships between maximin and efficient solutions are provided. Finally, an extension to integer constrained decision variables is presented.     

Fossil fuel supplies simulation 1972–1979

Fossil fuels are an important source of energy for Ontario Hydro and purchases exceed $100 million per year. This paper describes a computer simulation of the inventory situation over an eight-year period, which is being used to assess the relationship between order flexibility and the target carry-over stocks at the beginning of each shipping season. A simple way of presenting the results for management evaluation is illustrated. Variations of the model are used to assess random influences, such as strikes, and to determine the economic balance between holding costs and stock-outs.     

"Many Helping Hands": A Review and Analysis of Long-term Care Policies, Programs, and Practices in Singapore

Using the political economy perspective to examine key long-term care policies and provisions, we uncover some ideological underpinnings of policy-making in Singapore. Family involvement, an inherent part of the long-term care system, is overtly reinforced by legislations and policy imperatives. Further, the government encourages and expects the participation of nonstate actors in the provision of services as part of its Many Helping Hands approach to welfare provision. In our analysis, we argue that the government's emphasis of certain ideology, such as self-reliance and cultural exceptionalism, allows it to adopt a residual and philanthropic approach in support of its macro-economic and legitimacy concerns.     

On the influence of market structure in modelling the US copper industry

Many of the contemporary models used to describe the behavior of the mineral industries assume a competitive market i.e. one in which market price is equal to marginal production cost. One such recent model of the worldwide copper industry is the MIDAS-II model developed for the Bureau of Mines [3, 4]. This model is used to project production and prices up through the year 2000. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the assumed market structure in the construction of these forecasts. If the market structure of the US copper industry is assumed to be comprised of a few large firms (an oligopoly), then forecasts based upon exactly the same data base differ significantly from the competitive market assumption.     

Migrant earnings gaps in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Employers' perceptions or opportunity costs?

This article discusses earnings differentials among skilled Western, Arab and Asian migrants, who constitute most of the private sector labour force in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, during the period 2012–14. Using two standard decomposition methodologies, it investigates the view that Westerners are paid premium rates due to the unobserved perceptions of private employers. The results indicate that while one‐third to three‐quarters of real hourly earnings differentials are attributable to differing observed levels of productivity‐related characteristics, the remainder are due to the incorporation of higher opportunity costs for Westerners into the bargaining process. The potential effect of unobserved perceptions is found to be irrelevant to observed earnings differentials.     

Product value matrices help firms to focus their efforts

In management theory a gap seems to exist between consumer buying behaviour and the economic life cycles of products. This gap is the subject of this paper using product value matrices (PVMs). Brought together in this paper are some well-known theories dealing with consumer behaviour, buying behaviour and product life cycles (PLCs), in a manner that provides useful information to all firms. Too often it is found that these theories are elegant in isolation, but provide little help in focusing a company's efforts. Consumer behaviour has been researched for many decades, as has product life cycles, but the link between consumer buying behaviour and economic life cycles of products is mystical, with most chief executive officers (CEOs) believing it occurs like magic. The paper initially develops frameworks describing the economic life cycles of products and consumer buying behaviour. The paper then links the frameworks with the product value matrix and illustrates how they can be used in focusing a firm's efforts.