In the conventional perfectly competitive model of the labour market, wage-setting is individualistic in the sense that identical workers should receive identical wages in different firms and different workers should receive different wages in the same firm. But, in reality, wages often seem to...

Little is known about the payoffs to apprenticeship training in the German speaking countries for the participants. OLS estimates suggest that the returns are similar to those of other types of schooling. However, there is a lot of heterogeneity in the types of apprenticeships offered, and...

This thesis re-examines the relationship between finance and growth. Most previous studies that have dealt with different aspects of this relationship show that a well-developed financial system is important for economic growth. However, instead of concentrating on the aggregated perspectives of...

This thesis consists of three chapters on post-reform Chinese business cycles and alternative methods for solving non-linear rational expectations models. Using quarterly data for the period 1980-2009, Chapter 1 examines the effects of aggregate demand and supply shocks on aggregate fluctuations...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use a sample of UK entrepreneurial initial public offering (IPO) companies to investigate whether they change their compensation strategies as they undertake the crucial transformation of the business from private to public status....

This paper examines the sales forecasting practices of small firms, defined here as firms with no more than 50 employees. This paper discusses the application of Bayesian decision theory in the production of sales forecasts for small firms particularly in relation to longer term strategic...

Purpose – This article aims to demonstrate how small entrepreneurial firms can employ low cost market research techniques in the area of service evaluation to prioritise the sales effort, increase sales and improve margins. Design/methodology/approach – “Triangulation” has been used....

Libya is still in the early stages of its financial liberalisation and reform following eleven years of political chaos and nearly three decades of central planning control. However, it is advancing as a result of the removal of UN and US sanctions during the last few years, and there are signs...

Competitive success as a nation requires balancing commercial innovativeness and social welfare, which results in a sound basis for socio-economic development. All potential resources – including entrepreneurial activity and innovations – can be utilized as promoters of competitiveness and...

Singapore has gone through a rapid transformation during the last forty-five years. From an entrepot predominantly towards commerce and services in the mid-1960s into an economy, which presently specialising in high value manufacturing activities, and regional financial hub for business services...