Because almost 60–80% of the total costs for operating a contact centre involve wage and benefit expenses for personnel, determining the optimal number of agents available is of great importance in call centre management. In modern call centres, working hours are divided into planning...

This paper studies how the strength of social ties are affected by the geographical location of other individuals and their social capital. We characterize the equilibrium in terms of both social interactions and social capital. We show that lower travel costs increase not only the interaction...

From a serious leisure perspective, serious leisure involvement is closely associated with positive outcomes such as enhancement of self-image and self-expression, improved social relationships and positive social interactions. This study hypothesizes that serious leisure involvement may lead to...

[eng] Policy advice to emerging market countries in the current crisis : what’s new ? what’s different ? why ? . IMF policy advice to EMEs in this crisis has been differed from that provided in previous EME crises. But these differences are largely driven by changed circumstances. Many EMEs...

Noting that the aftermath of the global financial crisis has left many advanced economies with very high sovereign debt ratios and some emerging markets with high debt, this report considers whether there are ways to expand fiscal space that do not involve countries paying down debt or promising...