We propose and study a threshold utility model (TUM) where consumers buy any product whose net utility exceeds a non-negative, product-specific threshold. The thresholds are selected to maximize the expected surplus of the representative consumer subject to a bound on the expected number of...

In this paper we investigate the mediating role of psychosocial benefits in the customersatisfaction/dissatisfaction formation process. Most research on this subject deals with thecausality direction of psychosocial benefits and satisfaction, sometimes preceded by anoverall functional benefit...

We estimate the effects of Wal-Mart stores on county-level retail employment and earnings, accounting for endogeneity of the location and timing of Wal-Mart openings that most likely biases the evidence against finding adverse effects of Wal-Mart stores. We address the endogeneity problem using...

"Die Untersuchung ist ein Beitrag zur Diskussion um die grundsätzliche Problematik, die sich zwischen der Forderung nach kürzeren Arbeitszeiten einerseits und dem Interesse an einer möglichst langen Nutzungsdauer der immer aufwendigeren Produktionsanlagen andererseits auftut. Als Einstieg in...

A new dataset of 1,948 retail stores in India compiled by the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys shows that 27 percent of the stores report labor regulations as a problem for their business. Using these data we analyze the effect of labor regulation on employment at the store level. We find that...