This paper discusses the economics of academic journal publishing. It presents data on pricing of journals to libraries by non-profit and commercial publishers. It advocates the view that scholars should refrain from doing free refereeing for overpriced journals.

Clearinghouse models of online pricing---such as Varian (1980), Rosenthal (1980), Narasimhan (1988), and Baye-Morgan (2001)---view a price comparison site as an 'information clearinghouse' where shoppers and loyals obtain price and product information to make online purchases. These models...

Plenty of people’s consumption is referred to necessary products used every day, and the cultural products are classified as sumptuary groceries used aside the people’s basic necessities. But those cultural consumptions are the ones that cause great difference among people. Those frequent...

A methodology of comparative analysis of evolutionary models is proposed. The main aim of this proposition is to identify to what extend different models can be called ‘evolutionary ones’. Each model is analysed by searching for answers to following questions:  Is the model dynamical one?...

Consumer value may be defined as a tool to measure the prolonged satisfaction and an on-going propensity to buy the product and services. Though there are many issues floating in an on-going debate about the consumer value, it may be argued that the consumer value in terms of the level of...

This report examines selected work arrangements and assesses their implications for the performance of meat processing enterprises. The effects on employees are also considered, and the scope to achieve further necessary change is analysed. The study has drawn on information obtained from...

This paper analyses the mechanisms through which profit-sharing schemes may induce debt constrained firms to improve technical efficiency over time to guarantee positive profits. This hypothesis is first formalised in a partial equilibrium framework and then is tested on a sample of Italian...

Why are economists convinced that {\it homo economicus}\/ is selfish? No doubt we find considerable support for this hypothesis in the behavior of our colleagues. Beyond this, a plausible evolutionary argument for selfishness would assert that if natural selection favors those who receive high...

This comment shows why the Lagrange method can be simpler than dynamic programming in solving dynamic optimization problems.

Brands are successful because people prefer them to ordinary products. In addition to the psychological factors already mentioned, brands give consumers the means whereby they can make choices and judgments. The secret to successful branding is to influence the decisions the way in which...