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Despite the proliferation of HRM research, only a small fraction explores the context of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Where HRM in SMEs has received attention, the literature base remains fragmented and variable, comprising a plurality of definitions, explanations, and methods. To advance understanding, this paper uses a quarter‐century systematic review drawing on an evidence base of 137 peer‐reviewed articles. A cumulative framework is presented capturing key developments and synthesizing existing areas of research focus. Analysis of limitations and knowledge‐gaps finds a failure to differentiate across various types of SMEs, limited appreciation of SME characteristics and contextual conditions, and a dominance of managerial perspectives. An agenda for future research on HRM in SMEs is outlined with respect to definitional parameters, HR practices, HRM–performance, key determinants, and presenting issues. The paper concludes that SMEs offer a unique, fruitful, and timely context for investigations of HRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study responds to calls for more in‐depth and qualitative studies, the return to a focus on external factors, and the inclusion of business strategy and industrial relations in human resource management (HRM) research, as well as more research in the retail sector in the Chinese context. We examine the coevolution of the business strategy and HR strategy of Walmart (China) in the last two decades and identify tensions in the context of intensifying competition in the Chinese retail market. We highlight the interactive effect of business and HR strategies through a historical lens. Our study reveals a shift from the original employee‐oriented win–win strategy through rent sharing between the firm and the employees to a win–lose strategy through the introduction of more cost conscious HR policies and practices. Findings of our study challenge the conventional wisdom that firms adopt either the cost or quality strategy and, along with it, the suggestion of matching the quality strategy with employee‐oriented HR policies and practices, and cost leadership with a transactional approach to HRM. We argue a cost and quality business strategy may be adopted, which requires the support of employee‐oriented, rather than cost‐oriented, HR policies and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study sought to determine the implementation of CSR activities and their effects on the beneficiaries' quality of life. This study used mixed-method research, combining quantitative correlational and qualitative analysis. In addition, it utilized statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, weighted mean, and regression analysis. The research instrument was standardized and adopted from Kim, Uysal, and Sirgy's (2012) study entitled" How does tourism in a community impact the quality of life of community residents?" The interview used guide questions to direct the responses of the respondents. The study's subject is the 400 beneficiaries of the Southern Mindanao plantation communities. The findings revealed that the company's economic, social, cultural, and environmental CSR activities were implemented to a moderate extent. On the other hand, the beneficiaries' quality of life regarding life satisfaction under various conditions, level of life satisfaction, and satisfaction level on health and safety were categorized as reasonably satisfied. The CSR factors, such as economic, social, and cultural, were not statistically significant to claim their influence on the community's quality of life. However, though environmental factors significantly influence the community's quality of life, the extent or magnitude of its influence cannot have a significant effect as its beta coefficient is at 0.65, indicating a weak effect. Considering the findings and conclusions of the study, the following recommendations were suggested: 1. To offer more information or seminars on the preservation of the natural environment. 2. To conduct regular tree planting in the community to improve the environment and help reduce temperature, produce clean air, reduce greenhouse gasses, and prevent flooding and soil erosion. 3. To teach the community proper waste disposal at home through Green Alternatives, the Five R's Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Rot, and Recycle. 4. To determine program services that will change and expand the community/students' needs. 5. To conduct a workshop on CSR's goals and objectives to increase the level of awareness of the beneficiaries on the accurate picture of CSR in their lives, 6. For the companies/administrators to apply the proposed strategic approaches in enhancing the CSR programs to their beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a global knowledge and socioeconomic system dominated by the Western worldview, this paper introduces, from a practical point of view, the Zen Business Model. This is an emerging systems approach grounded on ancient Eastern wisdom that explores the symbiotic relationship between Taoism and Buddhism applied to organizational sustainable development and transformation. The model brings a universal and natural understanding of the organization as a living system whose value generating behaviour biomimics the natural cycles of transformation explained in Taoist systems theories. By doing so, the paper argues, on one hand, that business organizations can learn from nature‐based Eastern systems approaches as a way to increase their positive contribution to society, the environment and the economy. And, on the other hand, it explains the five corporate stars and its value dynamics as a principles‐based pathway to sustainable transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of COVID-19 on gambling behavior and the gambling industry itself has been widely speculated. Prior studies have shown how boredom, social isolation, poor mental health, and financial hardships, all of which have been associated with COVID-19, can aggravate problem gambling behaviors in patients with gambling disorders while also luring newcomers. Few studies have used methods other than self-report to assess longitudinal behavioral changes in gambling behavior before versus during the pandemic. The present study addresses this gap by using an interrupted time series approach on data obtained from the Swedish Gambling Authority measuring taxation on gambling vendors' revenue between January 2019 and November 2021. March, June, and October 2020 were chosen as interruption points as they correspond to the pandemic's commencement, the return of elite sports, and the second wave of cases in Sweden, respectively. We hypothesized that the pandemic would be associated with both temporary changes for select gambling types and long-term increases in online gambling. Results revealed the pandemic's onset was associated with transient effects at each point of interruption, as well as long-term upward trends in total gambling and commercial online gambling, excluding horse betting and the state-owned operator for online casinos and betting. The present study's findings, although consistent with the theory that gambling activity could increase during the pandemic, contradict previous studies that found no changes or a decrease from pre-COVID-19 levels. Findings indicate that the pandemic and Sweden's reaction to it were associated with increased use of some gambling products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Illicit tobacco trade is focused on Iran as a main target in the WHO's eastern Mediterranean region. Serial studies of Cigarette Packs Survey with same method were conducted in Tehran between 2003 and 2015 to evaluate consumed smuggled cigarettes. This study as the fourth Cigarette Packs Survey is designed to indicate the trends of illicit cigarette trade in Tehran in the last two decades. Methods: A cross-sectional household study was carried out in early 2021 in Tehran on 3042 persons who smoked at least one daily cigarette for a year. The sampling method was like the sampling method used in three previous studies. Participants aged ≥ 15 years were asked to reveal their current cigarette pack, which was either legal cigarettes (having governmental label); or illegal cigarettes (without governmental label). Results: The subjects included 2536 males (83.4%) and the mean age was 39.9 ± 12.1 years; 1854 subjects (60.9%) showed foreign cigarettes and 1188 (39.1%) showed domestic cigarettes; 2705 (88.9%) consumed legal cigarettes and 337 (11.1%) consumed illegal cigarettes. Consumption of illegal cigarettes by gender showed greater use of smuggled cigarettes in males (11.7%vs 8.1%). No significant differences were seen based on the marital and educational status in terms of illegal cigarettes prevalence. Conclusion: Compare with previous studies, the trend of consumption of illicit cigarettes was decreasing in past two decades. This could be due to new regulation on monitoring cigarette distribution and changing illegal brands to legal as joint production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-importing developing countries such as Turkey may be adversely affected by the increase in oil prices, which can raise production costs and the overall level of consumer prices. Increases in oil prices in international markets may also adversely affect the foreign trade balance of oil-importing countries. In this study, annual data for the period 1960-2019 in Turkey are used to investigate asymmetric causality relationships between oil prices and real exchange rate variables. Causality relationships between oil prices and real exchange-rate series, and between positive and negative shocks of these series, are examined using the Fourier Toda--Yamamoto method. The results show no symmetric causality relationship between oil prices and real exchange rate variables. However, a one-way causality relationship is revealed from positive oil price shocks to positive real exchange rate shocks, indicating that an increase in oil prices causes an increase in the real exchange rate in Turkey. According to these results, asymmetric effects should be considered when examining the relationship between oil prices and exchange rates in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let's face it, we've been incredibly privileged as a generation that we haven't had to deal with too much national or international threat to our livelihoods (unless of course you count the ongoing destruction of our environment). But let's not beat about the bush, life is about to get much, much more expensive and running a business is going to get significantly harder, not just for months but potentially for years. Whether we like it or not, as business owners, we're going to have to adapt. If we don't, our businesses are going to die. And we need to take action quickly. One way or the other, a lot of businesses still won't make it through. This article details some strategic decisions and actions that you can take now, to help your business survive this latest financial challenge, that's fast taking hold. The sooner you act, the better off both you and your business will be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regardless of the sector a business operates in or the size of the organisation, it needs to be run taxefficiently. There are, thankfully, many opportunities ready to be legally exploited and Helen Thornley offers guidance on the steps that can be taken to improve your organisation's tax efficiency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data (BD) is the hue and cry of modern science and society. The impact of such data deluge is huge and far reaching for both science and society. Moreover, given the effort required for collecting and analyzing these data, artificial intelligence (AI) has replaced the human mind in accomplishing the enormous task of deriving insight out of the information. In this article, we analyze the role of BD and AI in steering the world population toward the state of Zero Sales Resistance (ZSR): the inability to exert critical judgment over the most seductive aspects of the aforementioned data deluge. Moreover, we discuss the alarming consequences of presenting the merging of BD and AI as a universal panacea even if, to date, they have proven far more efficient for predicting human decisions and behaviors (predictive analytics) than for solving the most critical problems in science and society. Why? Our answer is simple. The causal structures associated with such challenges command a detailed understanding of the underlying mechanisms (causal explanation), typically acting nonlinearly and on a broad range of scales in space and time. In contrast, personality and behavior can be predicted with no need of a microscopic theory and understanding of the brain–mind system (empirical prediction). This is a direct consequence of the fact that our mind, at least for the intuitive level, uses the same prediction techniques applied by AI (bayesian predictions based on our experience). However, prediction is not explanation, and without joining them it will be impossible to achieve a major advance in our understanding of complex systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the authors pose a bold proposition that inquiry at the scale of the whole world is both possible and perhaps key to eclipsing seemingly irreversible problems and volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times. They offer an ongoing case study of a mobilization of a world-wide inquiry and their experiences with the generative power of story-getting and story-sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To encourage the growth of the village economy, the Village Law also mandates the establishment of a Village Business Company (VBC). The VBC is expected to be able to become an instrument of village development, both in terms of economic development and social development. Langkat Regency is one of the Regency in North Sumatera that responded to the establishment of the VBC by making a Regional Regulation that requires all villages to establish VBC. Based on the Regent's Regulation, every village, including Pulau Kampai Village, Pangkalan Susu District, Langkat Regency, tried to initiate a VBC, in accordance with the potential of Natural Resources, Human Resources, and needs of each village. Seeing the important role of VBC in the economic and social empowerment of rural communities, it is necessary to conduct a study of the existence of VBC since its inception until the present condition which is already more or less 4 years (2015–2019). This is necessary to see how the VBC development model is in the effort to empower the economy and social village communities. The findings of this model are needed so that it can be replicated to other VBCs and VBC has an alternative model in order to develop the VBC they are managing. This study uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative research design approaches with a combination model used in this study is dominant-less dominant design. The result shows that the Savings and Loan Business Unit was chosen because most of the residents of this village work are traditional fishermen, where this work is always tinged with income uncertainty, so that institutions are needed to be able to provide loans when they need them. VBC Sejahtera Bersama is principled as an institution that empowers rural communities to become more productive and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The urban Ibadan market is not only important for its economic value, but also for its representation of the worldview of the Yoruba people of South-Western Nigeria. Yoruba urban markets are adorned with different spiritualists who also earn their livelihood in the market space. Hence, through the employment of observations and in-depth interviews, the study examines how spirituality shapes child health and mothers' health seeking behaviours in Ibadan urban markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The WHO Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) antibiotic classification framework aims to balance appropriate access to antibiotics and stewardship. We aimed to identify how patterns of antibiotic consumption in each of the AWaRe categories changed across countries over 15 years.Methods: Antibiotic consumption was classified into Access, Watch, and Reserve categories for 76 countries between 2000, and 2015, using quarterly national sample survey data obtained from IQVIA. We measured the proportion of antibiotic use in each category, and calculated the ratio of Access antibiotics to Watch antibiotics (access-to-watch index), for each country.Findings: Between 2000, and 2015, global per-capita consumption of Watch antibiotics increased by 90·9% (from 3·3 to 6·3 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day [DIDs]) compared with an increase of 26·2% (from 8·4 to 10·6 DIDs) in Access antibiotics. The increase in Watch antibiotic consumption was greater in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs; 165·0%; from 2·0 to 5·3 DIDs) than in high-income countries (HICs; 27·9%; from 6·1 to 7·8 DIDs). The access-to-watch index decreased by 38·5% over the study period globally (from 2·6 to 1·6); 46·7% decrease in LMICs (from 3·0 to 1·6) and 16·7% decrease in HICs (from 1·8 to 1·5), and 37 (90%) of 41 LMICs had a decrease in their relative access-to-watch consumption. The proportion of countries in which Access antibiotics represented at least 60% of their total antibiotic consumption (the WHO national-level target) decreased from 50 (76%) of 66 countries in 2000, to 42 (55%) of 76 countries in 2015.Interpretation: Rapid increases in Watch antibiotic consumption, particularly in LMICs, reflect challenges in antibiotic stewardship. Without policy changes, the WHO national-level target of at least 60% of total antibiotic consumption being in the Access category by 2023, will be difficult to achieve. The AWaRe framework is an important measure of the effort to combat antimicrobial resistance and to ensure equal access to effective antibiotics between countries.Funding: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the Netherlands, enforcement of the alcohol age limit is low and inconsistent because of limited resources. A solution is to optimize the efforts of enforcement officers by prioritizing ways in which they regulate commercial alcohol availability. This could increase compliance by sellers, curbing commercial availability. The objective of this study is to present the development of a commercial alcohol availability estimate (CAAE) for all vendor types selling alcohol and to propose a priority ranking.Method: A multi-method design was used, combining data (collected in 2015) from national studies reporting behavior of minors purchasing alcohol themselves and the success rate (noncompliance) of alcohol vendors (interviewing 510 minors by telephone and conducting 1,373 purchase attempts of alcohol by minors, respectively). Descriptive data and the development of the CAAE are presented.Results: Compared with other vendor types (e.g., sports bars or supermarkets), bars/cafes/discos scored highest on the CAAE, indicating that 7.7% of 16- to 17-year-olds in the survey reported successfully purchasing their own alcohol at this vendor type.Conclusions: To control commercial alcohol availability efficiently for minors in the Netherlands, our estimates suggest that enforcement and prevention efforts should prioritize bars/cafes/discos. However, local authorities should also consider local circumstances and maintain a base amount of attention for all vendor types. Ultimately, the CAAE has the potential to improve enforcer capacity and efficiency in policing commercial alcohol regulation, and prevention workers could align their interventions or campaigns to high-ranked vendor types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 brought social and economic life to a standstill. In this study the focus is on assessing the impact on affected sectors, such as aviation, tourism, retail, capital markets, MSMEs, and oil. International and internal mobility is restricted, and the revenues generated by travel and tourism, which contributes 9.2% of the GDP, will take a major toll on the GDP growth rate. Aviation revenues will come down by USD 1.56 billion. Oil has plummeted to 18-year low of $ 22 per barrel in March, and Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have withdrawn huge amounts from India, about USD 571.4 million. While lower oil prices will shrink the current account deficit, reverse capital flows will expand it. Rupee is continuously depreciating. MSMEs will undergo a severe cash crunch. The crisis witnessed a horrifying mass exodus of such floating population of migrants on foot, amidst countrywide lockdown. Their worries primarily were loss of job, daily ration, and absence of a social security net. India must rethink on her development paradigm and make it more inclusive. COVID 19 has also provided some unique opportunities to India. There is an opportunity to participate in global supply chains, multinationals are losing trust in China. To 'Make in India', some reforms are needed, labour reforms being one of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author informs about the connection between small business ownership and mental health. Topics discussed include positive experiences for many small business owners, the everyday pressures and stressors and the many unique challenges of running a business can affect the mental health of the business owner; and previous failure in business has been shown to be associated with poorer mental well-being.

Introduction: The experimental tobacco marketplace (ETM) approximates real-world situations by estimating the effects of several, concurrently available products and policies on budgeted purchasing. Although the effects of increasing cigarette price on potentially less harmful substitutability are well documented, the effects of other, nuanced pricing policies remain speculative. This study used the ETM as a tool to assess the effects of two pricing policies, conventional cigarette taxation and e-liquid subsidization, on demand and substitutability.Methods: During sampling periods, participants were provided 2-day samples of 24 mg/mL e-liquid, after which ETM purchase sessions occurred. Across two ETM sessions, conventional cigarettes were taxed or e-liquid was subsidized in combination with increasing cigarette price. The other four available products were always price constant and not taxed or subsidized.Results: E-liquid functioned as a substitute for conventional cigarettes across all conditions. Increasing cigarette taxation and e-liquid subsidization increased the number of participants for which e-liquid functioned as a substitute. Cigarette taxation decreased cigarette demand, by decreasing demand intensity, and marginally increased the initial intensity of e-liquid substitution, but did not affect the functions' slopes (substitutability). E-liquid subsidization resulted in large increases in the initial intensity of e-liquid substitution, but did not affect e-liquid substitutability nor cigarette demand.Implications: 24 mg/mL e-cigarette e-liquid was the only product to significantly substitute for cigarettes in at least one condition throughout the experiment; it functioned as a significant substitute throughout all four tax and all four subsidy conditions. Increasing cigarette taxes decreased cigarette demand through decreases in demand intensity but did not affect e-cigarette substitution. Increasing e-liquid subsidies increased e-liquid initial intensity of substitution but did not affect cigarette demand.Conclusions: This study extended research on the behavioral economics of conventional cigarette demand and e-liquid substitutability in a complex marketplace. The results suggest that the most efficacious method to decrease conventional cigarette purchasing and increase e-liquid purchasing may involve greatly increasing cigarette taxes while also increasing the value of e-liquid through potentially less harmful product subsidization or differential taxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is linked to adverse health outcomes.Objective: To evaluate the impact of the 2017 Cook County, Illinois, Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) on the volume of taxed and untaxed beverages sold in Cook County and its 2-mile border area.Design: Pre-post intervention-comparison site difference-in-differences study.Setting: Cook County, Illinois, and St. Louis City and County, Missouri, 2016 to 2017.Participants: Universal product code-level store scanner data from supermarkets and grocery, convenience, drug, mass merchandise, and dollar stores.Measurements: Beverage volume sold of taxed and untaxed beverages, across product categories and sizes.Results: Volume sold of taxed beverages decreased by 27% (ratio of incidence rate ratios [RIRR], 0.73 [95% CI, 0.70 to 0.75]) on average in Cook County relative to St. Louis during the 4 months that the SBT was in effect (compared with the same 4-month pretax period), with a net decrease of 21% after increases in volume sold in its border area (cross-border shopping) were taken into account. The magnitude of the decrease in volume sold across types of taxed beverages was heterogeneous: -32% (RIRR, 0.68 [CI, 0.65 to 0.72]) for soda versus -11% (RIRR, 0.89 [CI, 0.82 to 0.97]) for energy drinks, -37% (RIRR, 0.63 [CI, 0.59 to 0.66]) for artificially sweetened beverages versus -25% (RIRR, 0.75 [CI, 0.72 to 0.79]) for SSBs, and -29% (RIRR, 0.71 [CI, 0.68 to 0.74]) for family-size versus -19% (RIRR, 0.81 [CI, 0.79 to 0.84]) for individual-size beverages. There was no significant change in volume sold of untaxed beverages in Cook County or its border area.Limitation: Data source did not allow for evaluation by store type or distance of outlets from the border.Conclusion: The Cook County SBT led to a substantial reduction in the volume sold of taxed beverages in Cook County. Part of this effect was offset by cross-border shopping. Cross-border shopping was limited to tax avoidance and did not extend to untaxed beverages.Primary Funding Source: Bloomberg Philanthropies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, the American Medical Writers Association administered the latest installment in a series of surveys conducted over the past 30 years that have collected data on the compensation received by medical communicators. The 2019 Medical Communication Compensation Survey obtained data from 480 freelances, including 179 who work full-time, and provides an excellent source of information on the rates being charged by independent contractors in this field and factors that may be associated with differences in those rates, as well as common expenses, business structures, and practices. Full-time freelances reported median hourly rates of $110 for writing, $85 for editing, and $100 for quality control. Rates were highest for freelances who had more experience in medical communications, those with advanced degrees, and those who were primarily writers. The majority of full-time freelances charged by the hour, rather than by the project, and 50% reported increased profitability of their business in 2018, whereas 12% reported decreased profitability. The 2019 Medical Communication Compensation Survey reflects real-world data reported by working medical communicators. The results offer a unique insight into the business of freelancing and are a valuable resource for both working freelances as well as those interested in striking out on their own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Understanding the profitability of pharmaceutical companies is essential to formulating evidence-based policies to reduce drug costs while maintaining the industry's ability to innovate and provide essential medicines.Objective: To compare the profitability of large pharmaceutical companies with other large companies.Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study compared the annual profits of 35 large pharmaceutical companies with 357 companies in the S&P 500 Index from 2000 to 2018 using information from annual financial reports. A statistically significant differential profit margin favoring pharmaceutical companies was evidence of greater profitability.Exposures: Large pharmaceutical vs nonpharmaceutical companies.Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were revenue and 3 measures of annual profit: gross profit (revenue minus the cost of goods sold); earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA; pretax profit from core business activities); and net income, also referred to as earnings (difference between all revenues and expenses). Profit measures are described as cumulative for all companies from 2000 to 2018 or annual profit as a fraction of revenue (margin).Results: From 2000 to 2018, 35 large pharmaceutical companies reported cumulative revenue of $11.5 trillion, gross profit of $8.6 trillion, EBITDA of $3.7 trillion, and net income of $1.9 trillion, while 357 S&P 500 companies reported cumulative revenue of $130.5 trillion, gross profit of $42.1 trillion, EBITDA of $22.8 trillion, and net income of $9.4 trillion. In bivariable regression models, the median annual profit margins of pharmaceutical companies were significantly greater than those of S&P 500 companies (gross profit margin: 76.5% vs 37.4%; difference, 39.1% [95% CI, 32.5%-45.7%]; P < .001; EBITDA margin: 29.4% vs 19%; difference, 10.4% [95% CI, 7.1%-13.7%]; P < .001; net income margin: 13.8% vs 7.7%; difference, 6.1% [95% CI, 2.5%-9.7%]; P < .001). The differences were smaller in regression models controlling for company size and year and when considering only companies reporting research and development expense (gross profit margin: difference, 30.5% [95% CI, 20.9%-40.1%]; P < .001; EBITDA margin: difference, 9.2% [95% CI, 5.2%-13.2%]; P < .001; net income margin: difference, 3.6% [95% CI, 0.011%-7.2%]; P = .05).Conclusions and Relevance: From 2000 to 2018, the profitability of large pharmaceutical companies was significantly greater than other large, public companies, but the difference was less pronounced when considering company size, year, or research and development expense. Data on the profitability of large pharmaceutical companies may be relevant to formulating evidence-based policies to make medicines more affordable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal marketing is used to promote a business's services to an existing patient list and includes the involvement of employees. Harry Singh expands upon the various strategies that have proved successful in helping to promote business [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Underage binge drinking is a serious health concern that is likely influenced by the neighbourhood environment. However, longitudinal evidence has been limited and few studies have examined time-varying neighbourhood factors and demographic subgroup variation.Methods: We investigated neighbourhood influences and binge drinking in a national cohort of US 10th grade students at four times (2010-2014; n = 2745). We estimated odds ratios (OR) for past 30-day binge drinking associated with neighbourhood disadvantage, personal and property crime (quartiles), and number of liquor, beer and wine stores within 5 km, and then evaluated whether neighbourhood associations differ by age, sex and race/ethnicity.Results: Neighbourhood disadvantage was associated with binge drinking before 18 [OR = 1.54; 95% confidence interval (1.14, 2.08)], but not after 18 years of age. Property crime in neighbourhoods was associated with a higher odds of binge drinking [OR = 1.54 (0.96, 2.45)], an association that was stronger in early adulthood [4th vs 1st quartile: OR = 1.77 (1.04, 3.03)] and among Whites [4th vs 1st quartile: OR = 2.46 (1.03, 5.90)]. Higher density of liquor stores predicted binge drinking among Blacks [1-10 stores vs none: OR = 4.31 (1.50, 12.36)] whereas higher density of beer/wine stores predicted binge drinking among Whites [one vs none for beer: OR = 2.21 (1.06, 4.60); for wine: OR = 2.04 (1.04, 4.03)].Conclusions: Neighbourhood conditions, particularly those related to economic circumstances, crime and alcohol outlet density, were related to binge drinking among young adults, but associations varied across age and individual characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There are few cost-effectiveness analyses that model alcohol outlet zoning policies. This study determines the potential decreases in homicides, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and victim and criminal justice costs associated with four policy options that would reduce the alcohol outlet access in Baltimore.Method: This cost-effectiveness analysis used associations between on-premise (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.41), off-premise (IRR = 1.76), and combined on- and off-premise outlet density (IRR = 1.07) and homicide in Baltimore. We determined the potential change in the level of homicide that could occur with changes in the density of alcohol outlets, assuming that 50% of the association was causal.Results: Reducing alcohol outlet density in Baltimore City by one quintile was associated with decreases of 51 homicides per year, $63.7 million, and 764 DALYs. Removing liquor stores in residential zones was associated with 22 fewer homicides, which would cost $27.5 million and lead to 391 DALYs. Removing bars/taverns operating as liquor stores was associated with a decrease of one homicide, $1.2 million, and 17 DALYs. Removing both the liquor stores in residential zones and the bars/taverns operating as liquor stores was associated with 23 fewer homicides, which translated to $28.7 million and 409 DALYs.Conclusions: For preventing homicides, the strategy of removing liquor stores in residential zones was preferred because it was associated with substantial reductions in homicides without closing unacceptably high numbers of outlets. It is possible that policies that close the bars/taverns operating as liquor stores would be associated with decreases in other types of violent crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using dual-entitlement theory as the guide, we conducted a survey of economists from the National Bureau of Economic Research asking them a series of questions about the fairness of drug prices in the United States. Public opinion surveys have repeatedly shown that the public perceives drug prices to be unfair, but economists trained in laws of supply and demand may have different perceptions. Three hundred and ten senior economists responded to our survey. Forty-five percent agreed that drug prices were unfair when people, specifically low-income individuals, could not afford their prescription medications. Sixty-five percent oppose a dollar threshold, or upper limit, on drug prices. The economists recommend the most promising policy change would be to provide the government additional negotiating power and price controls would moderately impact investment in pharmaceutical research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a model of the optimal initial public offering (IPO) decision in the presence of learning about the average profitability of a private firm. The entrepreneur trades off diversification benefits of going public against benefits of private control. Going public is optimal when the firm's expected future profitability is sufficiently high. The model predicts that firm profitability should decline after the IPO, on average, and that this decline should be larger for firms with more volatile profitability and firms with less uncertain average profitability. These predictions are supported empirically in a sample of 7183 IPOs in the United States between 1975 and 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]