Idiosyncratic Characteristics Research Articles

Environmentally-certified space and retail revenues: A study of U.S. bank branches

Much research exists measuring income and valuation premiums to owners and operators of environmentally-certified real estate, yet little work examines the financial impact to the space users, outside of decreased utility costs. Such implications for space users are of great importance, as tenant businesses may be unwilling or unable to pay a rental rate premium for environmentally-certified space if there is not an associated user benefit. Under a simple yet rigorous fixed effects model with geographic clustering, we study the relationship between environmentally-certified retail space and location-specific financial performance. Examining retail bank branches, we find that LEED certified spaces are associated with above average deposit levels, while Energy Star-certified branches offer inconsistent results. These results are tested in an event study which validates the findings, and indicates that the benefits of LEED extend years past initial certification, evidencing lasting income-related benefits. Finally, bank- and branch-specific subsample analyses confirm these results while controlling for idiosyncratic characteristics.

Folding, Assembly, and Persistence: The Essential Nature and Origins of Biopolymers

Life as we know it requires three basic types of polymers: polypeptide, polynucleotide, and polysaccharide. Here we evaluate both universal and idiosyncratic characteristics of these biopolymers. We incorporate this information into a model that explains much about their origins, selection, and early evolution. We observe that all three biopolymer types are pre-organized, conditionally self-complementary, chemically unstable in aqueous media yet persistent because of kinetic trapping, with chiral monomers and directional chains. All three biopolymers are synthesized by dehydration reactions that are catalyzed by molecular motors driven by hydrolysis of phosphorylated nucleosides. All three biopolymers can access specific states that protect against hydrolysis. These protected states are folded, using self-complementary interactions among recurrent folding elements within a given biopolymer, or assembled, in associations between the same or different biopolymer types. Self-association in a hydrolytic environment achieves self-preservation. Heterogeneous association achieves partner-preservation. These universal properties support a model in which life’s polymers emerged simultaneously and co-evolved in a common hydrolytic milieu where molecular persistence depended on folding and assembly. We believe that an understanding of the structure, function, and origins of any given type of biopolymer requires the context of other biopolymers.

A comparison of sighted and visually impaired children’s text comprehension

AimDo children with visual impairments outperform their sighted cohorts in reading and auditory comprehension tasks? MethodsWe address this question by applying panel regression techniques on a comprehensive sample of 16 children with visual impairments from a Greek special school for students with visual impairments. ResultsBy comparing the reader comprehender profile for both children types, we find that the children with visual impairments perform better than their sighted counterparts. The better performance is supported both unconditionally and conditionally on idiosyncratic characteristics, such as age, text complexity, modality, sex and reading ability. ConclusionDecomposing the reader comprehender profile into a literal, global and local type of questions we find that the results are mainly driven by the superior performance of the children with VI in the literal questions.

DO BUSINESS CYCLE REGIMES MATTER IN FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO CHOICE?

This study investigates how business cycles regimes can explain financial portfolio decisions across investors and countries, given a number of idiosyncratic characteristics. In particular, the empirical strategy studies the relationship between risky asset shares and linear and nonlinear business cycles. The empirical part employs data from household surveys in the U.K., France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for the period of 1998 to 2012. The analysis provides evidence that while a linear framework does not provide a statistically significant association between business cycles and decisions in risky investments, a nonlinear business cycles context leads investors to decrease their risky investments stronger during recessions than they increase them during booms, lending support to the hypothesis of interaction between financial risks and other determinants. The results are expected to signal interesting flashing points not only to market participants and portfolio managers, but mainly to policy makers and the way their economic policy decisions affect the working of financial markets.

His master’s voice: Carl Rogers’ verbal response modes in therapy and demonstration sessions throughout his career. A quantitative analysis and some qualitative-clinical comments

ABSTRACTWe present an empirical analysis of session transcripts we have from the different phases of Carl Rogers’ career: Ohio 1940–41; Chicago 1945–1957; Wisconsin 1958–1960; La Jolla 1965–77 and Workshop demonstrations 1980–86. This is done with an adapted and further differentiated ‘Hill Counselor Verbal Response Modes Category System’. On the basis of quantitative data and some qualitative-clinical comments the following questions are focused on: What types of responses does Rogers make and to what extent? What strikes us as responses he almost never makes? Did he change over the years? What are the idiosyncratic characteristics of his reflections of feelings, of the way in which he confronts and gives feedback, of his personal task-related process comments, of his expressed relational here-and-now feelings, of his disclosures of personal life experiences …? To what degree and in what sense are his responses ‘experiential’ and process-differential …? As to the issue of non-directivity, we make a distinction between process-directivity, content-directivity and client-centeredness.

What Does Work Signify for Those in Search of Labor? Meaning of Work for the Unemployed Who Attend an Employee Orientation Program.

Introduction: Work is one of the most important areas in people’s lives. This is highly related to the meaning of work people possess and the social culture that surrounds them. However, unemployment stands out as a major social phenomenon of the 21st century of concern for governments, institutions, and professionals, generating the need to reflect, among other issues, on the processes that favor and keep the person in the situation of unemployment, and to think about the real effects of the measures aimed at supporting and guiding the unemployed. The objective of this work is to analyze the existing differences in relation to societal norms, values, and work centrality in unemployed people who attended employment guidance with respect to another group of unemployed people who didn’t received this guidance.Method: A descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted on a total of 227 users of the Employment Guidance Service Center of the province of Huelva, who were divided into two groups. A first group of 112 users who make use of the employment guidance programs of the Andalusian Public Employment Services, and a second group, or control group, made up of 115 unemployed people who do not make use of these services. The MOW International Research Team questionnaire has been used for the assessment of the participants.Results: In relation to societal norms, people who do not place their trust in employment guidance conceptualize work as a right and not as a duty; in terms of work values, those with lower levels of training value professional status and prestige with higher scores, whereas people with a higher level of training value the satisfactory nature of work. Regarding centrality, high-level results are obtained throughout the sample, and it ranks second only to family when assessing relative centrality.Conclusion: It can be seen how some variables will determine a greater or lesser level of motivation toward the search for employment. This work should lead to a reflection on the need to generate employment insertion programs that are more adapted to the idiosyncratic characteristics of individuals and groups.

When Near is Far and Far is Near: A Quantile Regression Model of FDI, Location and Connectivity

Building on sociology theory of space that separates physical geography from its constructed connotations, we suggest that the impact of countries’ geographic location on their FDI performance is contingent upon their idiosyncratic characteristics and their connectivity to other countries. Quantile regression analyses of FDI flows and stocks to 159 countries observed during 1980-2011 show that countries with different endowments and varying levels of connectivity experience the consequences of geographic location differently. The relationships vary significantly across the FDI distribution, with the impact of the contingency effects diminishes as the volumes of FDI increase. These findings entail that geography is not destiny, and its consequences can be shaped by actions of policymakers and the strategies of MNEs. They call for the development of FDI location theory that acknowledges the contingency effects and the changing determinants of FDI across different levels of the FDI distribution.

Abstract 985: The EurOPDX EDIReX project: Towards a European research infrastructure on patient-derived cancer models

Abstract Counteracting high attrition rates in anticancer drug development and providing optimal therapeutic management of cancer patients require preclinical models that properly recapitulate the complexity and diversity of human tumours. Patient-derived cancer xenografts (PDXs), developed by transplanting human tumor fragments into immunodeficient mice, retain the idiosyncratic characteristics of different tumors from different patients. The possibility of population-scale correlations between therapeutic response in PDXs and extensive, multidimensional molecular annotation has enabled the identification of several sensitivity and resistance biomarkers in a number of different tumor types, with immediate clinical relevance. To effectively recapitulate and therapeutically interrogate through patient-derived models the heterogeneity that typifies human cancer, 13 European cancer centres and university hospitals joined forces in 2013 to start EurOPDX, an academic research consortium that now gathers 19 institutions throughout Europe and in the US. EurOPDX includes world-renowned experts at the forefront of research in basic, preclinical, translational and clinical oncology across multiple pathologies, and displays a wide range of expertise in technological platforms. The primary goal of the Consortium is to maximize exploitation of PDXs and other patient-derived cancer models for cancer research by: (i) integrating institutional collections into an organic, multicentre collection of patient-derived models, now reaching 2,000 subcutaneous and orthotopic models for 30+ different pathologies (www.europdx.eu); (ii) defining common operating procedures to improve and standardize molecular and pharmacologic characterization of the models; (iii) sharing models within and outside the consortium to perform collaborative precision oncology “xenopatient” trials, to discover predictive biomarkers, new targets, and new strategies to overcome drug resistance. Towards these objectives, the EC granted 5 million euros under the H2020 programme for a “EurOPDX Distributed Infrastructure for Research on patient-derived Xenografts" - EDIReX EU project n. 731105, starting on February 2018. By teaming up with other key academic, technological and SME partners, our goal with EDIReX is to establish a cutting-edge European infrastructure offering transnational access to PDX resources to academic and industrial cancer researchers, including the distribution of cryopreserved samples to third parties, the structured biobanking of user-developed models, and the performance of drug efficacy studies. We will provide an overview of the current achievements of the Consortium and the objectives of the EDIReX project. Citation Format: Enzo Medico, Mohamed Bentires-Alj, Andrew V. Biankin, Alejandra Bruna, Annette T. Byrne, Carlos Caldas, Robert B. Clarke, Georges Coukos, Olivier Elemento, Manuel Hidalgo, Giorgio Inghirami, Steven de Jong, Jos Jonkers, Ales Krenek, Eleonora Leucci, Gunhild Mari Maelandsmo, Michaela Th. Mayrhofer, Terrence F. Meehan, Simone P. Niclou, Pier Giuseppe Pelicci, Alejandro Piris-Gimenez, Leo Price, Sergio Roman-Roman, Livio Trusolino, Luca Vezzadini, Alberto Villanueva, Emilie Vinolo, on behalf of the EurOPDX Consortium. The EurOPDX EDIReX project: Towards a European research infrastructure on patient-derived cancer models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 985.

Differential Firm Commitment to Industries Supported by Social Movement Organizations

This article theorizes about and tests the conditions under which firms’ commitment to an industry is influenced by social movement organizations (SMOs) that favor the industry. We argue that the more prominent SMOs are within an industry, the more a firm increases its commitment to that industry by expanding its operations; yet, this main effect should be moderated substantially by a firm’s idiosyncratic characteristics. The current research predicts that a firm’s location, its sensitivity to information about the industry’s potential, and its history of associations with activists determine the magnitude of the effect of SMO prominence on its strategic commitment to the industry. We test and find support for these hypotheses using a longitudinal data set of European manufacturers of solar photovoltaic cells between 1990 and 2011. The findings offer new insights for literature on social movements and organizations, as well as strategic management research. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1170 .

To pay or not to pay: what matters the most for dividend payments?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the stickiness of payout policy across times for Indian firms, by identifying the determinants of dividend payout (for amount of dividends as well as probability of dividends) and examine their predictive consistency through good and bad times, affiliation categories, amid controls for idiosyncratic characteristics. The authors also examine the scantly explored effects of financial constraints on firms’ dividend decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use various regression models, i.e. panel, Tobit and logit models; and amid control for firm-specific characteristics throughout the analysis.FindingsThe authors observe payout levels on average increasing with time for Indian firms. Further, group firms pay higher dividends compared to standalone firms. Firms’ leverage, profitability, non-promoters holdings, growth prospects and dividend event are apparently the important determinants of payout ratio and are mostly, but not always, consistent through times and firms’ categories, for both the amount as well as the likelihood of dividend payments. Financial constraints have an overall negative impact on dividends with significantly varying magnitude across periods of stability, crisis and recovery. Firms’ age and size are positive and significant factors for dividends level decisions in Indian firms, which is consistent with the life-cycle theory. However, inconsistent size and age effect is observed in determining the likelihood of dividend payment.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adds to the growing literature on the changing trends and contributing factors of firms’ dividend payout policy.Originality/valueThis study provides evidence on predictive consistency of payout policy of firms and its determination with the change in the external economic condition.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Muslim and Georgian: Religious Transformation and Questions of Identity among Adjara's Muslim Georgians

After Georgia regained its independence following the collapse of the Soviet regime, national and religious identities gained particular importance. A religious revival was observed not only among Christians but also among the country's Muslim communities. The region of Adjara is populated by Georgians who profess Islam. The aim of this paper is to explore the transformation of the religious landscape in Georgia and the idiosyncratic characteristics of identity in post-Soviet Adjara. The change in Adjara's religious landscape has resulted in a specific and eclectic picture. Muslim identity in Georgia creates a religious and cultural model rooted in the specific historical, political, and cultural development of the region. For Muslim Adjarians Islam is the "religion of their forefathers" and at the same time part of their national [Georgian] identity. However, due to the long-standing dominance of the Christian national narrative in public discourse, Muslim identity has remained "suspicious." Hence, Muslim Adjarians have suffered the traumatic experience of being perceived by the mainstream, Christian majority as not "perfect Georgians" because of their Islamic identity. Alongside this perception of marginality, Muslim Georgians demonstrate a particular Islamic identity with high intercultural competencies and tolerance.

An Evaluation of Four Solutions to the Forking Paths Problem: Adjusted Alpha, Preregistration, Sensitivity Analyses, and Abandoning the Neyman-Pearson Approach

Gelman and Loken (2013 , 2014 ) proposed that when researchers base their statistical analyses on the idiosyncratic characteristics of a specific sample (e.g., a nonlinear transformation of a variable because it is skewed), they open up alternative analysis paths in potential replications of their study that are based on different samples (i.e., no transformation of the variable because it is not skewed). These alternative analysis paths count as additional (multiple) tests and, consequently, they increase the probability of making a Type I error during hypothesis testing. The present article considers this forking paths problem and evaluates four potential solutions that might be used in psychology and other fields: (a) adjusting the prespecified alpha level, (b) preregistration, (c) sensitivity analyses, and (d) abandoning the Neyman-Pearson approach. It is concluded that although preregistration and sensitivity analyses are effective solutions to p-hacking, they are ineffective against result-neutral forking paths, such as those caused by transforming data. Conversely, although adjusting the alpha level cannot address p-hacking, it can be effective for result-neutral forking paths. Finally, abandoning the Neyman-Pearson approach represents a further solution to the forking paths problem.

Defining Cyberbullying.

Is cyberbullying essentially the same as bullying, or is it a qualitatively different activity? The lack of a consensual, nuanced definition has limited the field's ability to examine these issues. Evidence suggests that being a perpetrator of one is related to being a perpetrator of the other; furthermore, strong relationships can also be noted between being a victim of either type of attack. It also seems that both types of social cruelty have a psychological impact, although the effects of being cyberbullied may be worse than those of being bullied in a traditional sense (evidence here is by no means definitive). A complicating factor is that the 3 characteristics that define bullying (intent, repetition, and power imbalance) do not always translate well into digital behaviors. Qualities specific to digital environments often render cyberbullying and bullying different in circumstances, motivations, and outcomes. To make significant progress in addressing cyberbullying, certain key research questions need to be addressed. These are as follows: How can we define, distinguish between, and understand the nature of cyberbullying and other forms of digital conflict and cruelty, including online harassment and sexual harassment? Once we have a functional taxonomy of the different types of digital cruelty, what are the short- and long-term effects of exposure to or participation in these social behaviors? What are the idiosyncratic characteristics of digital communication that users can be taught? Finally, how can we apply this information to develop and evaluate effective prevention programs?

A Proportional Scale-Invariant Measurement of Heterogeneous Directional Distances to the Technological Frontier

We consider a stochastic multiplicative-directional-distance-function-based formulation of the production technology in the presence of bad outputs. In contrast to the popular additive directional distance function, our approach preserves the highly desired scale invariance property of the proportional radial distance function and can easily assume popular translog specification. Our model can also meaningfully accommodate technological heterogeneity across individual firms by letting the direction in which the distance to frontier is measured be an unknown function of the firm’s idiosyncratic characteristics reflective of the heterogeneous economic environment in which it operates. To mitigate the uncertainty associated with an arbitrary choice of the direction, we rely on a data-driven selection method to determine these varying heterogeneous directional vectors for individual firms. We showcase practical advantages of the proposed model by estimating the production technology of U.S. commercial banks in the presence of undesirable non-performing loans during the 2001–2010 period.

Marketing social selling jobs: a re-labelling strategy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether communicating recent changes in the sales profession, shifting from a performance-focused model to a customer need-focused model, to job candidates by re-labeling job descriptions can increase job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs.Design/methodology/approachTwo experiments using job candidates (undergraduate business students) were conducted at two public US universities to examine: whether job candidates use job title or job description to determine their interest in pursuing jobs and whether terminology used in the job description affects job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs.FindingsResults show that job candidates’ interest in pursuing jobs are affected by job titles more than the actual job responsibilities. Further, job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs is affected by terminology used in the job descriptions, where customer need-focused (selling-focused) terminology increases (decreases) interest in pursuing a sales job.Practical implicationsSales jobs have been recognized as one of the hardest job positions to fill. Results from this paper can help recruiters develop effective strategies to improve job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs, especially the emerging social selling jobs.Originality/valueContrary to most extant research that investigates resistance toward sales jobs by examining job candidates’ idiosyncratic characteristics, this paper adopts a branding and consumer learning perspective and examines how job candidates’ interest in pursuing a job is influenced by their ability or willingness to process job information.

There’s more than one way to climb a tree: Limb length and microhabitat use in lizards with toe pads

Ecomorphology links microhabitat and morphology. By comparing ecomorphological associations across clades, we can investigate the extent to which evolution can produce similar solutions in response to similar challenges. While Anolis lizards represent a well-studied example of repeated convergent evolution, very few studies have investigated the ecomorphology of geckos. Similar to anoles, gekkonid lizards have independently evolved adhesive toe pads and many species are scansorial. We quantified gecko and anole limb length and microhabitat use, finding that geckos tend to have shorter limbs than anoles. Combining these measurements with microhabitat observations of geckos in Queensland, Australia, we observed geckos using similar microhabitats as reported for anoles, but geckos with relatively longer limbs were using narrower perches, differing from patterns observed in anoles and other lizards. We also observed arboreal geckos with relatively shorter proximal limb segments as compared to rock-dwelling and terrestrial geckos, similar to patterns observed for other lizards. We conclude that although both geckos and anoles have adhesive pads and use similar microhabitats, their locomotor systems likely complement their adhesive pads in unique ways and result in different ecomorphological patterns, reinforcing the idea that species with convergent morphologies still have idiosyncratic characteristics due to their own separate evolutionary histories.

‘Alawi Muslims in Argentina: religious and political identity in the diaspora

This article examines contemporary aspects of the identity construction of the ‘Alawi diaspora in Argentina. In the local context, the preservation of ‘Alawi singularity has so far been a key element in the group’s identity. The strategies for integration as legitimate Muslims in the wider Islam and the closeness to Shi’ism are relatively independent of how these processes took place in the homeland. I first describe the geography of the diaspora in Argentina, comprising the spaces and institutions where descendants settled all over the country. I analyze the factors that helped keep the nodes connected and I will demonstrate that these constitute a center/periphery logic for communities concerning the alleged degrees of preservation of the culture of origin they symbolize. I will try to show that ‘Alawis integrated into the diversity of Islam in Argentina while preserving their sectarian borders and, at the same time, stressing an “Arab” identity. I argue that these strategies should be understood in the local arena of an intra-Islamic pluralism that constitutes Muslim presence in Argentina, where the dynamics of sectarianisms assume idiosyncratic characteristics. Finally, I will show institutional closeness to Shi’ism as a recent development, promoted by the common political stance of both groups on the conflict in Syria. We will see that this closeness does not imply the dissolution of doctrinal boundaries between Shi’is and ‘Alawis and that it involves a redefinition of the diaspora in terms of increasingly claiming a Syrian national origin.

Individual differences in values determine the relative persuasiveness of biospheric, economic and combined appeals

Many environmental campaigns highlight both the environmental and financial benefits of behaviour change, in the hope of motivating a broad audience. But are such mixed appeals more persuasive than separate appeals? We argue that messages tailored to match recipient's prioritised values are more persuasive than combined appeals. We conducted a questionnaire study to assess the persuasiveness of economic, environmental, and mixed appeals (N = 210). As expected, individual differences in values moderated the persuasive power of the different appeals. Importantly, we found that appeals that matched the recipients' values were more persuasive than the combined appeal. Interestingly, personal norms also acted as a moderator. These findings suggest that environmental campaigns aimed to induce behavioural change can benefit from tailoring persuasive messages to idiosyncratic characteristics of their target group, rather than employing a one-size-fits-all message.

Mortgage Insurance Deductibles: An Idea Whose Time Hasn't Come

The rise in house prices – especially in Toronto and Vancouver – has coincided with an increase in the number of homeowners taking on high debt-to-income ratios. This has intensified debate on whether further reforms to mortgage insurance are needed to limit the build-up of risk in housing markets. The focus on mortgage insurance is not surprising, as federally regulated financial intermediaries cannot offer high loan-to-value (80 percent or higher) mortgages without mortgage insurance. A Department of Finance consultation paper (Canada 2016a) is the most recent proposal to reform the mortgage insurance system so as to limit risk build-up in the housing sector. It proposes to introduce a deductible on lenders for insured mortgage losses that would shift a significant amount of potential losses back to mortgage lenders from the insurers. The deductible is intended to address moral-hazard concerns, whereby lenders have an incentive to extend credit to high-risk borrowers if they can shift all of the default risk to mortgage insurers. In this Commentary, we argue that the proposed deductible is a blunt and ineffective tool to address these concerns. Deductibles need to be capped at relatively modest levels in order to maintain the effectiveness of the mortgage insurance system as a macroprudential tool that insulates the Canadian financial system from the large losses that follow a housing crash. Once passed on to borrowers, such modest values for the deductible imply small increases in mortgage rates for riskier borrowers. This in turn implies that a deductible would have little impact on the problem that mortgage insurance might facilitate lending to some borrowers who are at relatively high risk of defaulting on their mortgages. A better way of dealing with excessive mortgage lending to high-risk borrowers is to combine a change in the pricing regime for mortgage insurance with continued refinement of the regulation of the mortgage insurance system. Currently, mortgage insurance premiums do not take into account how default risk differs across mortgages beyond the loan-to-value ratio. Charging the lender an insurance premium that takes into account risks associated with idiosyncratic characteristics of the borrower would directly address moral-hazard concerns. This shift to risk-based pricing should be complemented with a continued refinement of regulations for mortgage insurance underwriting to limit further build-up of risks in the housing sector.

Diseño experimental para la entrada de una firma en un mercado monopolístico con efectos de red: caso de estudio con estudiantes de pregrado en un rol empresarial

This article examines the importance of experiments in the undergraduate learning process, as well as the use of game theory in experimental designs oriented towards competitive environments. For this purpose, an experimental design based on the theoretical model presented by Karlinger and Motta (2012) is proposed. The experiment was conducted with 24 Economics undergraduate from a polytechnic university (Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral). The students were organised to play randomly in two different scenarios. A linear probability model (LPM) was used to test whether there was a statistically significant effect for the experimental scenario on individual purchase decisions, as well as the subsequent entry of the company into the market. It was also found that other idiosyncratic characteristics, such as gender and knowledge of game theory, were relevant factors.