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This paper is an edited transcript of an invited panel discussion that was presented at the 28th annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis in Toronto, Ontario. The speakers in this discussion addressed how behavior managers might contribute to understanding the impact of terrorism on the economy, and business, behavioral drivers in the new business context, and how we might manage our efforts to renew communities, economies, organizations and businesses. Each presenter provided a unique vantage point from which to view current events, considered powerful drivers of behavior change post-September 11, and evaluated how those affect our personal and professional lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines empirically whether more stringent domestic environmental policies reduce the international competitiveness of environmentally sensitive goods (ESGs). Our time series evidence indicates that there are no systematic changes in trade patterns of ESGs in thelast three decades, despite the introduction of more stringent environmental regulations in most of the developed countries in the 1970s and 1980s. This observed phenomenon is then subjected to a multi-country econometric test using an extended gravity-equation framework. The test suggests that, overall, more stringent environmental regulations do not reduce total exports, exports of ESGs and exports of non-resource-based ESGs. Neither was there any evidence to support the hypothesis that new trade barriers emerge to offset the effects of more stringent environmental regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate and commercial values are inducing some healthcare organizations to prescribe a customer service model that reframes the provision of nursing care. In this paper it is argued that such a model is incommensurable with nursing conceived as a moral practice and ultimately places nurses at risk. Based upon understanding from ongoing research on compassion fatigue, it is proposed that compassion fatigue as currently experienced by nurses may not arise predominantly from too great a demand for compassion, but rather from barriers to enacting compassionate care. These barriers are often systemic. The paradigm shift in which healthcare environments are viewed as marketplaces rather than moral communities has the potential to radically affect the evolution of nursing as a discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study on the Canada-United States (U.S.) border's effect on trade. Estimation of the size of the border effect with a dataset for 1990 province-U.S. trade; Model specification; Results and conclusion.

This study tests the tax-induced trading hypothesis as an explanation of the turn-of-the-year anomaly using Canadian and U.S. intraday data. Since the Canadian tax year-end precedes the calendar year-end by five business days, tax effects may be isolated. We find the anomaly is related to the degree of seller- and buyer-initiated trading and depends upon the incidence of the taxation year-end. Seller-initiated transactions (at bid prices) dominate until the tax year-end after which buyer-initiated trades (at ask prices) dominate. The anomaly is a function of bid-ask prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern society is rife with inequality. People's interpretations of these inequalities, however, vary considerably: Different people can interpret, for example, the existing gender gap in wages as being the result of systemic discrimination, or as being the fair and natural result of genuine differences between men and women. Here, we examine one factor that may help explain differing interpretations of existing social inequalities: perceptions of system stability. System justification theory proposes that people are often motivated to rationalize and justify the systems within which they operate, legitimizing whatever social inequalities are present within them. We draw on theories and evidence of rationalization more broadly to predict that people should be most likely to legitimize inequalities in their systems when they perceive those systems as stable and unchanging. In one study, participants who witnessed stability, rather than change, in the domain of gender equality in business subsequently reported less willingness to support programs designed to redress inequalities in completely unrelated domains. In a second study, exposure to the mere concept of stability, via a standard priming procedure, led participants to spontaneously produce legitimizing, rather than blaming, explanations for existing gender inequality in their country. This effect, however, emerged only among politically liberal participants. These findings contribute to an emerging body of research that aims to identify the conditions that promote, and those which prevent, system-justifying tendencies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of Internet shopping motivates a better understanding of how e-loyalty is built online between businesses and consumers. In this study, Web site design and culture are advanced as important to Web site trust, Web site satisfaction, and e-loyalty in online business relationships. Based on data collected in Canada, the U.S., Germany, and Japan, the research considers (1) examining within culture preferences for design elements of a local vs. a foreign Web site and subsequent participant perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and e-loyalty; and (2) comparisons between cultures for design preferences of local and foreign Web sites and subsequent participant perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and e-loyalty. As predicted, similarities were greatest among Americans, Canadians, and Germans, with the Japanese representing a different and unique case. The results are discussed against hypothesized expectations. Implications for future research are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of computerized technology has led to increasing use of computer based information systems (CBIS) in small businesses. In view of the high cost of implementing and managing a CBIS, justifications for the application of computer technology in small businesses continue to be debated throughout the world. This study empirically investigates the current usage and success factors of CBIS in small businesses of Hong Kong and compares these findings with those of related studies in Canada, the United Stales, and Singapore. This research has identified several common global factors that would affect the CBIS success of small businesses: 1) Length of computerization experience, 2) Level of financial support, 3) Presence of formal systems planning, 4) Number of administrative applications, 5) Level of computer vendor support, 6) Level of computer knowledge of owner/managers, and 7) Presence of internal systems experts. In addition, this study has also identified two new success factors: the presence of CBIS security control and level of end-user computing training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]