Cowboy Economics News - March 2009 Archives

Living longer on less: The new economic insecurity of seniors in Massachusetts (3/28/2009)

Almost 7 in 10 senior households lack sufficient resources for long-term economic security ...> Full Article

Exclusive marketing contracts best when competition is fierce, study finds (3/20/2009)

Agencies selling marketing services are often faced with the dilemma of whether to sell a service exclusively to a single firm in a given market category or to work with more than one. A new study shows that choice should depend on how different the firms and products potentially being marketed are from each other; how much of their target customer market they are already capturing; and how much more of that market a marketing service company can reach for a firm. ...> Full Article

Studies show that nice guys finish first in business world (3/19/2009)

When it comes to leading a team tasked with developing new products and bringing them to market, new research from North Carolina State University shows that being nice and playing well with others gives you a very real competitive advantage. One study shows that managers can get better performance from their team when they treat members with honesty and respect. Another study shows product developers can reap major benefits from informal socializing with their suppliers. ...> Full Article

Strict labor market regulation increases global unemployment, study shows (3/18/2009)

A study by the University of Bath has shown that unemployment is increased in countries that have stringent labor market regulations. The research also suggests that the UK's fairly flexible labor market regulation is likely to strengthen the economy's resilience to weather the current global financial crisis. ...> Full Article

Families are feeling the stress of economic crisis, researcher finds (3/16/2009)

There is no question that the recent economic crisis has wreaked havoc on companies and on families across the country. Now, a recent study of 300 married, working couples conducted by Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Management at Florida State University's College of Business, is revealing just how deeply the crunch is being felt. ...> Full Article

Consumers stop buying as number of options increase (3/15/2009)

Study shows too much choice can leave customers empty-handed ...> Full Article

Wishful betting can contaminate financial markets, study shows (3/14/2009)

Wishful bettors, those who make overly optimistic investments, will ultimately harm themselves financially, but they can harm entire markets as well, new research shows. ...> Full Article

New research shows that your looks, creditworthiness may go hand in hand (3/13/2009)

Researchers used Prosper.com and Amazon.com platforms for first-of-its-kind study ...> Full Article

Feeling blue? Study finds new insight to predicting consumer emotions (3/13/2009)

Whether choosing between a movie and a play, deciding whether to attend a sporting event shortly before an important event or selecting an indulgent breakfast treat in anticipation of a tough day at work, consumers' choices are often guided by how they expect their purchase will make them feel. New research by Jane Ebert, a professor at the University of Minnesota, reveals that how we go about predicting our emotions can lead to very different outcomes. ...> Full Article

Nice guys can finish first and so can their teams! (3/12/2009)

A person who gives his or her "all" to the team can influence that team to become more efficient in achieving its goals by making cooperative, collective behavior seem acceptable and appropriate, and thereby encouraging others to act similarly. ...> Full Article

What's in a name? Perhaps more (or less) money (3/11/2009)

Before employers have a chance to judge job applicants on their merits, they may have already judged them on the sound of their names. According to a study published in the Journal of Labor Economics, immigrants to Sweden earn more money after they change their foreign-sounding names. ...> Full Article

What consumers want: researchers pinpoint common threads (3/10/2009)

Michigan State University researchers have identified the common desires of today's sophisticated consumer -- a groundbreaking study that could help businesses become more competitive in the troubled global economy. ...> Full Article

Markets outperform patents in promoting intellectual discovery (3/9/2009)

Winner-take-all patent system in need of an overhaul, researchers say ...> Full Article

Debt relief leads to development in Zambia (3/8/2009)

A new economics thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that, contrary to long-held assumptions, debt relief leads to higher levels of own investment in the case of smaller debts. The same thesis also shows how diversification can help poor smallholders in Zambia. ...> Full Article

Algae could fuel cars and jobs (3/7/2009)

The production of biodiesel from algae could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help to address future fuel shortages and create jobs in rural Australia. ...> Full Article

Nanotechnology: Will it drive a new innovation economy for the US? (3/5/2009)

The current economic downturn highlights the importance -- and challenges -- of building a new 21st century "innovation economy" for America. To move beyond the current crisis, we need to retain and create advanced manufacturing and knowledge-intensive jobs, invest in "green" science and engineering research, and ensure the competitiveness of US technology-based industries and workers. ...> Full Article

Material success and social failure? (3/4/2009)

It is common knowledge that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. Likewise, large inequalities of income are often regarded as divisive and corrosive. ...> Full Article

Markets still a good litmus test for the economy, finance expert says (3/3/2009)

Don't put much stock in rumblings that financial markets are a faulty barometer of the nation's economic climate, a University of Illinois business expert says. ...> Full Article