Business Commons^™

Omitted-Ability Bias And The Increase In The Return To Schooling, Mckinley L. Blackburn, David Neumark

Faculty Publications

Over the 1980s, there were sharp increases in the return to schooling estimated with conventional wage regressions. We explore whether the relationship between ability and schooling changed over this period in ways that would have increased the schooling coefficient in these regressions. Our empirical results reject the hypothesis that an increase in the bias of the schooling coefficient, due to a change in the relationship between ability and schooling, has contributed to observed increases in the return to schooling.We also find that the increase in the schooling return has occurred for workers with relatively high levels of academic ability.

An Exploration Of High-Risk Leisure Consumption Through Skydiving, Richard L. Celsi, Randall L. Rose, Thomas W. Leigh

Faculty Publications

A sociocultural approach is used to explore voluntary high-risk consumption Specifically, we examine the dynamics of individuals' motives, risk perceptions, and benefit/cost outcomes of participation in increasingly popular high-risk leisure activities such as skydiving, climbing, and BASE jumping (parachuting from fixed objects). An ethnography of a skydiving subculture provides the primary empirical data. We propose an extended dramatic model that explains both macroenvironmental and inter- and intrapersonal influences and motives for high-risk consumption. Key findings indicate (1) an evolution of motives that explains initial and continuing participation in high-risk activities and (2) a coinciding evolution of risk acculturation that leads …

Electronic Conferences: The Report Of An Experiment, I. Trotter Hardy

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Partisan Monetary Policies: Presidential Influence Through The Power Of Appointment, Henry W. Chappell, Thomas M. Havrilesky, Rob Roy Mcgregor

Faculty Publications

We investigate the channels through which partisan influence from a Presidential administration could affect monetary policy-making.Influence could be a result of direct Presidential pressure exerted on members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), or it could be a result of partisan considerations in Presidential appointments to the Board of Governors. To investigate these two channels of influence, we devise and apply a method for estimating parameters of monetary policy reaction functions that can vary across individual members of the FOMC Our results suggest that the appointments process is the primary mechanism by which partisan differences in monetary policies arise.

Aggregate Vote Functions For The Us. Presidency, Senate, And House, Henry W. Chappell, Motoshi Suzuki

Faculty Publications

Estimates vote functions for presidential, House and Senate elections following the premise that vote functions are likely to be related. Use of a seemingly unrelated regressions technique adapted to the case of unequal numbers of observations across equations; On-year versus mid-term congressional elections parameters; Influence of economic variables on election outcomes; Incumbency effects.

Accounting Tutor: Intelligent Computer-Aided Instruction, Rayman D. Meservy

Faculty Publications

This study investigates several development of intelligent issues central to tutoring systems: the ( 1) representing domain knowledge, (2) representing instructional knowledge, (3) modeling student learning, and (4) developing userfriendly interfaces. The focus of domain learning tasks includes accounting basics, often covered in the first few chapters of an accounting principles course.

Empirical Implications For Small Business Drug Policies, Donald R. Curtis, Dillard Tinsley, Geralyn Mcclure Franklin

Faculty Publications

The results of empirical studies of small and large businesses parallel each other regarding the characteristics of drug policies. Drug policies affect organizational performance, including improved productivity and reduced accidents. EAPs are an effective approach to drug policies. and outside contractors are common sources of information and services. Pre-employment testing is usually combined with other types of testing, but careful attention is needed to meet legal requirements. Employees with positive tests may cause difficulties, but, overall. employee morale rises. Small businesses without drug policies are increasing their competitive risks.

Basic Concepts In Forest Valuation And Investment Analysis, Steven H. Bullard, Thomas J. Straka

Faculty Publications

The current edition 3.0 can be found at the following location:

Bullard, Steven H. and Straka, Thomas J., "Basic Concepts in Forest Valuation and Investment Analysis" (2011) eBooks http://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ebooks/21

This book was originally intended to supplement lectures in forestry economics at the undergraduate level. At Mississippi State University, for example, these materials are currently used in one of the eleven major topics included in a one-semester course titled 'Forest Resource Economics.' It is also intended, however, that the book will serve as a basic reference for foresters with experience in valuation concepts and terminology. It has proven to be a …