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Cowboy Economics
 | For the work-weary, the word "vacation" may conjure images of leisurely, carefree days at the beach sipping umbrella drinks. But according to published research by a University of Illinois expert in tourism and recreation, genealogical tourism is one of the fastest growing markets in vacation travel because it represents a conscious shift away from relaxation and into the realm of personal enrichment and fulfillment. ...> Full Article |
A key trigger for whether companies pay dividends is simply whether those firms are based in communities with large populations of older people, who are typically partial to the income-boosting benefits of dividends, a new study found.
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 | Stock markets, once a way to manage debt and create capital for companies, have seemingly become a status symbol for some nations, or are used as a means for countries to access international funds for development.
But Michael Lounsbury, in the University of Alberta's School of Business, argues that the global rush to develop modern financial institutions -- including stock markets -- has had a huge downside. ...> Full Article |
Jihadist terror organizations have set economic terrorism as their new target, intending to harm and paralyze Western economies, the United States in particular, claims Prof. Gabriel Weimann, expert researcher of terrorism over the Internet at the University of Haifa. Prof. Weimann monitored websites hosted by terrorist and terrorism-supporting organizations and concludes: "For the Jihadists, the present economic crisis signifies an ideal opportunity and platform to leverage an economic terrorist campaign."
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The business culture that companies emphasize has an effect on new product ideas that bubble back up from the workforce, a University of Illinois marketing study found.
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The political ramifications of dependence on Russian natural gas are a current, lively topic of debate within the EU. One issue that deserves more attention is whether sufficient gas will even be available for export to the EU. So argues physicist Bengt Söderbergh, whose dissertation provides an assessment of future Norwegian and Russian gas export levels. He is scheduled to defend his dissertation on Feb. 19 at Uppsala University.
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 | The GDP severely overstates the standard of living as experienced on Main Street, say University of Maryland researchers, who worked with state officials to adopt a more accurate, index, the GPI, or Genuine Progress Indicator. "In 2000, the classic economic measure showed Maryland more than 50 percent wealthier than we actually were, as measured by the GPI," says Matthias Ruth, director of the Center for Integrative Environmental Research at Maryland. ...> Full Article |
 | Vigorous two-party competition provides the best guarantee for meaningful, broad-based governance and modest salaries for lawmakers add a second protection against narrow-interest legislation, finds a national study spanning 120 years of state lawmaking. Although government critics often call for transparency, executive vetoes and professional pay to curb pork barrel legislation and other bills that benefit only one lawmaker's constituents, the study finds that sharp competition and lower salaries, in fact, are better remedies. ...> Full Article |
When employees are rude to one another, it creates a negative impression that affects consumer judgments of the company, according to new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
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Despite good intentions, the push to privatize government functions and insistence upon "free trade" that is too often unfair has caused declining food production, increased poverty and a hunger crisis for millions of people in many African nations, researchers conclude in a new study.
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 | Prof. Dan Zakay of the Department of Psychology at Tel Aviv University is presenting empirical evidence to show businesses how to use waiting time to their best advantage. His recent research, published in the journal NeuroQuantology, suggests that businesses can often keep customers from leaving with a few simple strategies. ...> Full Article |
llinois is mired in a deep employment recession that could linger for years unless the state unravels the roots of its nearly decade-long job slump, a new study by a University of Illinois economist warns.
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The entry of oil companies into the realm of renewable energy could present major obstacles for the development of a sustainable economy that is not based on carbon resources, according to a report in the International Journal of Green Economics.
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An approach to decision making based on soft metrics could allow problems to be solved where no definitive "yes-no" answer is possible in fields as diverse as health care, defense, economics, engineering, public utilities and science. Writing in the International Journal of Intelligent Defence Support Systems Mihaela Quirk of Los Alamos National Laboratory explains how.
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Investment funds owned by national governments -- known as "sovereign wealth funds" -- wield trillions of dollars in investment power, raising concerns that the funds could be used for political purposes and leading to calls for limits on where these funds can invest. But new research from North Carolina State University indicates that such concerns may not be warranted, and that one of the largest sovereign wealth funds has been driven by profit, rather than political considerations.
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Genealogical tourism redefining leisure travel market, professor says
Rush to develop stock markets has huge downside
'Main Street' economic conditions misread by GDP
Stiff party competition, modest salaries good for state government, study shows
'Subjective time' can improve your bottom line