When are layoffs acceptable? Evidence from a quasi-experiment

Many authors have discussed a decline in internal labor markets and an apparent shift to a new employment contract, characterized by less commitment between employer and employee and more portable skills. These discussions occur without much evidence on what employment contract employees currently feel is fair. We perfomed quasi-experimental surveys to study when employees in the U.S. andCanada feel that layoffs are fair.Layoffs were perceived as more fair if they were due to lower product demand than if the result of employee suggestions. This result appears to be solely due to norms of reciprocity (companiesshould not punish employees for their efforts), rather than norms of sharing rents, as new technology was also considered a justification for layoffs.Consistent with theories of distributive and procedural equity, layoffs were perceived as more fair if the CEO voluntarily shared the pain. CEO bonuses due to layoffs lowered their reported fairness only slightly.Respondents in Silicon Valley were not more accepting of layoffsthan were those in Canada on average, although the justificationsconsidered valid differed slightly.

Testing the response of macroinvertebrate functional structure and biodiversity to flooding and confinement

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relative importance of flooding- and confinement-related environmentalfeatures in explaining macroinvertebrate trait structure and diversity in a pool of wetlands located in a Mediterranean riverfloodplain. To test hypothesized trait-environment relationships, we employed a recently implemented statistical procedure, thefourth-corner method. We found that flooding-related variables, mainly pH and turbidity, were related to traits that confer an abilityof the organism to resist flooding (e.g., small body-shape, protection of eggs) or recuperate faster after flooding (e.g., short life-span, asexual reproduction). In contrast, confinement-related variables, mainly temperature and organic matter, enhanced traits that allow organisms to interact and compete with other organisms (e.g., large size, sexual reproduction) and to efficiently use habitat and resources (e.g., diverse locomotion and feeding strategies). These results are in agreement with predictions made under the River Habitat Templet for lotic ecosystems, and demonstrate the ability of the fourth-corner method to test hypothesis that posit traitenvironment relationships. Trait diversity was slightly higher in flooded than in confined sites, whereas trait richness was not significantly different. This suggests that although trait structure may change in response to the main environmental factors, as evidenced by the fourth-corner method, the number of life-history strategies needed to persist in the face of such constraints remains more or less constant; only their relative dominance differs

Evaluating the impact of public subsidies on a firm's performance: a quasi-experimental approach

Many regional governments in developed countries design programs to improve the competitiveness of local firms. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of public programs whose aim is to enhance the performance of firms located in Catalonia (Spain). We compare the performance of publicly subsidised companies (treated) with that of similar, but unsubsidised companies (non-treated). We use the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methodology to construct a control group which, with respect to its observable characteristics, is as similar as possible to the treated group, and that allows us to identify firms which retain the same propensity to receive public subsidies. Once a valid comparison group has been established, we compare the respective performance of each firm. As a result, we find that recipient firms, on average, change their business practices, improve their performance, and increase their value added as a direct result of public subsidy programs.

Evaluating the impact of public subsidies on a firm's performance: a quasi-experimental approach

Many regional governments in developed countries design programs to improve the competitiveness of local firms. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of public programs whose aim is to enhance the performance of firms located in Catalonia (Spain). We compare the performance of publicly subsidised companies (treated) with that of similar, but unsubsidised companies (non-treated). We use the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methodology to construct a control group which, with respect to its observable characteristics, is as similar as possible to the treated group, and that allows us to identify firms which retain the same propensity to receive public subsidies. Once a valid comparison group has been established, we compare the respective performance of each firm. As a result, we find that recipient firms, on average, change their business practices, improve their performance, and increase their value added as a direct result of public subsidy programs.

A quasi-randomized group trial of a brief alcohol intervention on risky single occasion drinking among secondary school students.

OBJECTIVES: To show the effectiveness of a brief group alcohol intervention. Aims of the intervention were to reduce the frequency of heavy drinking occasions, maximum number of drinks on an occasion and overall weekly consumption. METHODS: A cluster quasi-randomized control trial (intervention n = 338; control n = 330) among 16- to 18-year-old secondary school students in the Swiss Canton of Zürich. Groups homogeneous for heavy drinking occasions (5+/4+ drinks for men/women) consisted of those having medium risk (3-4) or high risk (5+) occasions in the past 30 days. Groups of 8-10 individuals received two 45-min sessions based on motivational interviewing techniques. RESULTS: Borderline significant beneficial effects (p < 0.10) on heavy drinking occasions and alcohol volume were found 6 months later for the medium-risk group only, but not for the high-risk group. None of the effects remained significant after Bonferroni corrections. CONCLUSIONS: Group intervention was ineffective for all at-risk users. The heaviest drinkers may need more intensive treatment. Alternative explanations were iatrogenic effects among the heaviest drinkers, assessment reactivity, or reduction of social desirability bias at follow-up through peer feedback.

Confinement of discrete breathers in inhomogeneously profiled nonlinear chains

We investigate numerically the scattering of a moving discrete breather on a pair of junctions in a Fermi-Pasta-Ulam chain. These junctions delimit an extended region with different masses of the particles. We consider (i) a rectangular trap, (ii) a wedge shaped trap, and (iii) a smoothly varying convex or concave mass profile. All three cases lead to DB confinement, with the ease of trapping depending on the profile of the trap. We also study the collision and trapping of two DBs within the profile as a function of trap width, shape, and approach time at the two junctions. The latter controls whether one or both DBs are trapped.

Physical activity under confinement and free-living conditions.

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the physical activity (PA) and its related variables under confinement and in free-living conditions in Asian individuals, where no such information presently exists. The subjects consisted of eighty-six Japanese individuals with a mean age of 38+/-12 years. Under confinement in a large respiratory chamber, the energy expenditure (EE) was measured for 24h. In addition, two moderate walking exercises of 30 min each on a horizontal treadmill were assigned. Free-living measurements of 7 days were also performed using a validated accelerometer. The PA level in the chamber (1.47+/-0.11), expressed as a multiple of the basal EE, was lower than that in free-living conditions (1.53+/-0.12) (p<0.001). However, the two values were closely correlated (r=0.744, p<0.001). Conversely, a residual analysis showed a wide variation in the mean difference for both conditions and revealed a significant systematic error (r=-0.548, p<0.001), thus indicating an increased gap with increasing PA levels in free-living conditions. Similar results were obtained following the exclusion of the imposed exercise sessions. In contrast, the daily step counts under both conditions did not show any correlation. The PA level in the chamber (including and excluding imposed walking exercises) is compatible with the PA level in free-living conditions at the group level, although the daily step counts are unrelated. Thus, the PA level in the chamber may provide valuable information to help us achieve a better understanding of human PA in daily life as it is related to behavioral research.

Quasi-two-dimensional electrodeposition under forced fluid flow

Experimental quasi-two-dimensional Zn electrodeposits are grown under forced convection conditions. Large-scale effects, with preferential growth towards the impinging flow, together with small-scale roughness suppression effects are evidenced and separately analyzed by using two different radial cell configurations. Interpretations are given in terms of primary concepts concerning current and concentration distributions.

Dispersion of passive particles by a quasi-two-dimensional turbulent flow

Using the experimental data of Paret and Tabeling [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 4162 (1997)] we consider in detail the dispersion of particle pairs by a two-dimensional turbulent flow and its relation to the kinematic properties of the velocity field. We show that the mean square separation of a pair of particles is governed by rather rare, extreme events and that the majority of initially close pairs are not dispersed by the flow. Another manifestation of the same effect is the fact that the dispersion of an initially dense cluster is not the result of homogeneously spreading the particles within the whole system. Instead it proceeds through a splitting into smaller but also dense clusters. The statistical nature of this effect is discussed.