Level Of Incentives Research Articles

0287 Motivated Performance While Sleep Deprived: Neurobehavioral Correlates of Attentional Effort Deployment

Abstract Introduction Sleep deprivation (SD) has a negative impact on the motivation to exert effort. This may contribute to the decline in attentional performance observed under SD. In this study we examined how SD affects motivated performance and effort-based decision making. Particularly, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying the interplay between SD and motivated behavior. Methods Twenty-seven healthy subjects were tested once after a night of sleep in the lab (9h Time in Bed; Rested Wakefulness = RW), and once after a night of total sleep deprivation (SD). Participants performed an effortful attention task with different incentive levels (0, 10, or 50 cents/fast and correct response). Behavioral performance and fMRI data were collected during task performance. Subsequently, participants performed an effort-based choice task, during which they could choose to earn additional rewards for performing the attention task for a longer duration. Results As expected, attentional performance was worse in the SD session compared to the RW session. In addition, performance improved as a function of incentive level both in the RW and the SD session. This reward-effect was accompanied by increased activation in attention-related brain areas, and increased arousal-related thalamus activation. This reward-modulation was more extensive during RW than SD, particularly in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and anterior insula (aIns; both areas involved in effort regulation). Results from the decision making task were less willing to perform the attention task for a further duration after SD compared to RW. Conclusion Results show that performance decline after SD is reward-dependent and willingness to perform is reduced. Reward modulation of attention-related brain activation is reduced, particularly in areas that are associated with effort regulation (i.e. ACC and aIns). These findings indicate that motivational factors contribute to decline of vigilance following sleep deprivation. Support This work was supported by grants awarded to Dr. Michael Chee from the National Medical Research Council (NMRC/STaR/0015/2013), and the Far East Organization.

Analysis and optimization of carbon supply chains integrated to a power to gas process in Italy

The mathematical model for carbon capture, utilization and storage supply chains is developed for Italian regions. This model is used to design supply chains minimizing total costs and reducing significantly carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide can be stored or utilized to produce methane through a power to gas system, where hydrogen is obtained by the electrolysis of water using renewable power while methane is fed to the gas grid. The Mixed Integer Linear Program model is applied to design carbon systems developed for ten regions with major carbon dioxide emissions, while different saline aquifers are proposed as storage sites. Results show that the Adriatic sea is the most appropriate offshore storage site in the supply chain. This leads to a lower net methane production cost and to the lowest level of economic incentives as compared to other cases. The total costs of this supply chain are 7.34·104 million €/year (953 €/tonCO2 captured), and 16.1 Mton/year of methane are produced. The supply chain does not result economically favorable without substantial financial incentives (80 €/tonCO2 for carbon tax and 260 €/MWh economic incentive for methane production). Comparing supply chains that include simultaneous utilization and storage of carbon dioxide with a carbon capture and utilization supply chain (without storage) shows that the latter is economically less favorable. In addition to mitigation of carbon environmental impact for the whole Country, the large scale supply chain proposed here meets 35% of Italy’s methane demand as a whole, a significant contribution to a global economic perspective, widely discussed nowadays, which should include self-sustainment elements at regional level.

Evolutionary game theory analysis for understanding the decision-making mechanisms of governments and developers on green building incentives

Green building incentives are widely implemented. Under each incentive, governments and developers have different payoffs and dominant strategies that affect incentive effectiveness. Existing studies have examined incentive effectiveness through different methods but have failed to reveal the decision-making mechanisms of governments and developers in a dynamic process of a game. As governments and developers have bounded rationality, and their strategies may change from time to time, this study employed evolutionary game theory to model the evolutionary behaviours of two players, thus providing a quantitative method to illustrate the effectiveness of incentives and the strategy changes of the players. This study concluded that four types of interactions between governments and developers affect incentive effectiveness, namely, 1) governments' dominant strategies depend on developers' choices; 2) developers' dominant strategies rely on governments' choices; 3) two parties' dominant strategies are independent; 4) their dominant strategies are interdependent. Under these interactions, the price premium of green building and the level and affordability of incentives were found to be the critical factors for the decision makings of the leading players. Policy recommendations were proposed accordingly. This study adopted a mathematical approach to investigate the conflicts of interests between governments and developers. It also provided a general model which can fit various contexts. In addition, the research introduced a valuable angle of government payoffs. Results can advance policymakers' understanding of green building incentives, help policymakers predict developers' behaviours and the incentive effectiveness in the long run and justify the design or improvement of multinational incentives.

Taxation and Tax Incentive Defined: Promoting the Inflow of Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria through Taxation

In a world where a waxing number of governments contend emulously to attract multinational companies, fiscal policies have become a global phenomenon. Taxation as a critical fiscal policy measure poses as a veritable tool for magnetizing participation, otherwise conceptualized in this context as foreign direct investment (FDI), which has been used by several countries in the world to further their economic objectives. The paper in adopting a qualitative research method, examines the sensitivity of direct investment in Nigeria to taxation practices. The paper highlights that the tax incentive policy of the Nigerian tax system is a good driver of investment in Nigeria. While the efficacy of taxation remains questionable, the paper whilst in conclusion recommends a justifiable level of fiscal incentives, and a stable political and economic climate as a panacea in achieving the desired effect.

Financial incentives to Medicaid smokers for engaging tobacco quit line treatment: maximising return on investment

BackgroundLow-income smokers experience greater difficulty in quitting smoking than do other smokers. Providing financial incentives for treatment engagement increases smoking cessation success. This study models the cost-effectiveness of varying levels...

不对称信息下的高校内部资源分配与激励模型研究 — 以合肥工业大学研究生分配与助研费分析为例 (Research on the Model of Internal Resource Allocation and Incentives in Universities under Asymmetric Information — Taking Postgraduate Distribution and Research Assistant Fee System of Hefei University of Technology as an Example)

Chinese abstract: 当前，我国高校内部的资源管控和绩效评价与激励存在困难。由于教师活动的信息不对称和其从事教学和科研等多任务的特征，基于客观产出指标的评价和激励等机制容易导致“唯论文、唯职称、唯学历、唯奖项”等问题。在此背景下，本文结合了多任务多代理人的委托代理模型与Myerson拍卖模型，构建了不对称信息情况下的集高校内部资源分配、定价、教师绩效评价与激励设计为一体的决策支持理论模型。通过对模型理论特征的分析，本文获得了最优激励系数、最优固定工资、最优资源分配量、教师最优努力程度与效率类型等多个变量之间的理论关系。最后，在以合肥工业大学研究生分配与助研费设置为背景的案例分析中，本文分析现行方案与最优方案的差异以及提出助研费的设置应综合考虑和相应调整高校产出目标、激励程度等多个因素。本文构建的模型及分析结论可为高校完善管理会计与控制系统提供理论指导，有助于提高高校内部资源配置和办学效率，解决由研究生助研费制度实行引起的争论。 English abstract: At present, there are difficulties in resource management and performance evaluation and incentive in universities in China. Due to the asymmetry information of teachers' activities and the characteristic of their multitasking in teaching and research, the evaluation and incentive mechanism based on objective output indicators easily leads to the problem of thesis only, title only, academic qualifications only, awards only . In this context, this paper combines the multi-task and multi-agent principal-agent model with the Myerson auction to construct a decision support model which integrates the internal resource allocation and pricing, teacher performance evaluation and incentive design of universities under asymmetry information. Through the analysis of the theoretical characteristics of the model, this paper obtains the theoretical relationship among multiple variables such as the optimal incentive coefficient, the optimal fixed salary, the optimal resource allocation amount, the teacher's optimal effort and the type of efficiency. Finally, in the case study of postgraduate distribution and research assistant fee system in Hefei University of Technology, this paper analyzes the differences between the current scheme and the optimal scheme, and proposes that when setting the research assistant fee, multiple factors such as the output goal and incentive level of universities should be comprehensively considered and adjusted accordingly. The model and conclusions in this paper can provide theoretical guidance for improving the management accounting and control system in universities, help to improve the internal resource allocation and school running efficiency, and resolve disputes caused by the implementation of the postgraduate research assistant fee system.

Інформаційно-документальне забезпечення залучення позабюджетних коштів закладами культури і мистецтва України

In the article, the concept of fundraising is understood as the creation at the legislative level of incentives to encourage commercial organizations to invest in culture. Thus, the practice of raising funds for cultural projects requires a thorough knowledge and understanding of the implementation in real practice of modern regulations and information system in the field of culture and art ofUkraine.The purpose of this article is to analyze the legislative and information base of investment search in the creation of artistic projects in the performing arts, as well as the possibility of applying these data in modern Ukrainian theater practice.ModernUkrainehas an extensive system of sources of funding for the cultural sphere, characterized by different types of ratio of public and private funds to the cultural sphere. The pan-European trend of reducing budget expenditures on culture and the introduction of mechanisms to attract extra-budgetary funds for cultural development has become noticeable in recent decades inUkraine.Under a market economy, the cultural sphere cannot rely solely on state funding. Analysis of trends in cultural management shows that Ukraine as a European country adheres to a strategy to support culture, which aims not only to budget funding, but primarily to create favorable conditions for attracting extrabudgetary funds, which requires perfect information and legal and regulatory support.Various forms of stimulating extra-budgetary financing of culture are widespread inUkraine. In this aspect, fundraising appears as a "mechanism for financing culture" and involves the development of links between cultural and business organizations, the development of various forms and opportunities for their mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as the formation of public opinion in support of culture, development and adoption of modern laws to support charitable activities, and the development of awareness of producers in search of investment.Investing resources in cultural projects has become one of the marketing tools of commercial organizations. The main motives that motivate business representatives to direct funds for cultural development are:- advertising opportunities (promotion of the company's brand or products) within the cultural project;- creation of a positive image of the company, demonstration of social responsibility policy;- access to the target audience as part of an art event to promote their own products / services.The introduction of fundraising mechanisms has enabled the Government of Ukraine to focus not on 100% state support for culture, but to significantly reduce budget expenditures on culture and adapt cultural organizations to work in market conditions. As a result of fundraising reforms in the country, established practices of cooperation between cultural organizations and business have been formed.The Ukrainian state, interested in increasing the share of non-state funds in the financing of art, provides objective conditions for intensifying sponsorship (favorable tax climate, various programs to encourage art sponsorship, initiated by the state); on the other hand, art organizations, which are experiencing increasingly fierce competition within the framework of state subsidies, are taking a more active position in finding non-state funding, developing creative programs of cooperation with sponsoring companies.The problems addressed by the author of the article allow us to assert the urgent need to improve modern legislation on charitable activities.

The Impact of Financial and Moral Incentives on Organizational Performance:A Study of Nigerian Universities

The study aims to examine the impact of financial incentives and moral incentives on organizational performance on employees of the Nigerian Universities. This study aims at investigating the role of the Nigerian universities in meeting the employees' societal needs, knowing the implemented incentives approach and knowing the level of performance in the Nigerian universities. Six universities in Nigeria were selected for the purpose of this study and analysis was done using Statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) program. The main findings indicated that there is an adequate level of incentives provided to employees in Nigerian universities. Financial incentives ranked in 1st while moral incentives ranked 2nd It was also found that there is a high level of organizational performance. There was also a negative relationship between financial and moral incentives and organizational performance. Finally, this study has verified further research opportunities that could enrich the understanding of Incentives and organizational Performance in Nigerian universities.

How Does Dockless Bike-Sharing System Behave by Incentivizing Users to Participate in Rebalancing?

Dockless bike-sharing has provided a flexible and convenient travel mode in recent years, with which shared bikes can be rented and returned easily. However, addressing the imbalance between demand and supply effectively becomes a major challenge to guarantee the sustainability of such systems. Vehicle-based approach results in substantial operating costs and more emissions. This study proposed a user-based model to incentivize users to participate in bike rebalancing. This model contains three important components: 1) determination of a bike surplus region by sorting surplus level in descend order; 2) determination of a bike deficient region from the perspective of users' utility maximization; and 3) updating the states of regions. Several numerical tests were implemented to evaluate the model's performance based on predefined parameters and historical trip data in downtown of Nanjing. As the results indicate, unmet demand can be greatly reduced if providing a certain level of monetary incentive. Different values of the maximum acceptable walking distance make little difference in demand loss and operating cost at a low level of incentive. With regard to the users, it implies that higher proportion of cooperative customers who are willing to participate in rebalancing can lead to a larger reduction of unmet demand. In addition, using surplus level as the index to define bike surplus regions is beneficial to saving the overall operating cost.

What do patients value as incentives for participation in clinical trials? A pilot discrete choice experiment

Incentivising has shown to improve participation in clinical trials. However, ethical concerns suggest that incentives may be coercive, obscure trial risks and encourage individuals to enrol in clinical trials for the wrong reasons. The aim of our study was to develop and pilot a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to explore and identify preferences for incentives. A DCE was designed by including following attributes (and levels) of incentives: value, method, and time involvement. To account for trial benefit and risk, each was included as an attribute with levels low, medium and high. For testing purposes, the DCE was administrated using SurveyMonkey in a population of third level students. A total of 245 students, representative of the general student population, participated in the online DCE. The results provide a template to assess and explore the use of different incentive methods in clinical trials. The template can be used in its current format or adapted to particular scenarios. This pilot study provides a feasible methodology to explore the use of incentives for participation in clinical trials and can be adapted to specific trial requirements to provide information for ethical applications or identify the most favourable incentive for participation in clinical trials.

FINANCING OF LABOR RESOURCES IN CONDITIONS OF CRISIS CYCLICITY

Introduction. The philosophy of state policy of Ukraine should be aimed at developing the economic potential of the nation and its well-being, the ability of the economy to effectively use and restore labor resources. Therefore, further modernization of labor finance requires the harmonization of economic interests of its participants and the development of society in the context of promoting job creation, business growth and improving the level and quality of life. Purpose. Disclosure of conceptual bases of financing of labor resources in the conditions of crisis cyclicity and delineation of expediency of application of public-private programs for formation of the proper level of economic stimulation and social support of workers. Results. The essence of labor resources financing within the institutional, dialectical, reproductive and systemic approaches is substantiated, taking into account the peculiarities of the labor market development. The economic and social principles of increasing responsibility and trust between the state and citizens in crisis conditions are analyzed, in particular, the intensification of state incentives for employment by fully or partially subsidizing the creation of new jobs in enterprises. There was a significant reduction in the number of economically active population, including employed and unemployed. It was emphasized that this situation was influenced by negative trends in demographic development: population aging, rising mortality, depopulation, deformation of gender and age, migration outflow of able-bodied citizens outside the region. Conclusions. In a market economy, the financing of labor resources should be studied in terms of a set of interconnected elements and subsystems (organizational, technical, managerial, technological, regulatory), which aim to increase the efficiency of the financing process for systemic changes in the environment, including crisis cyclicality. The main components of the state program of labor resources development are determined. To restore labor resources, it is proposed to use public-private programs that provide an opportunity to form an appropriate level of financial incentives and social support for workers. Public-private programs should be structured depending on the level of the subject and the chosen means and tools of material incentives and intangible incentives for employees, improving their professional competencies and professional abilities.

An Empirical Study on Factors Affecting Employee Loyalty in the Wood Processing Industry

In general, human resources are important aspects of any organization. In order to gain the loyalty of employees and stabilize the human resources department, management must always consider employee loyalty. In this study, the author seeks to determine which reward structure best promotes affects job satisfaction among employees, including the influence level of incentives, the support of superiors and promotions among hierarchical positions, and thereby most impacts their loyalty to the company. Using a theoretical foundation and practical studies on job satisfaction and employee loyalty, the author built a five-point Likert scale to determine the reward structure as well as the influencing level of each factor on employee loyalty. Additionally, this study determines the level of influence of three factors—Rewards, Empowerment, and Hierarchical Position—on the job satisfaction of employees, The interaction of job satisfaction and employee loyalty is a statistically significant indication of employee loyalty. In practical terms, this study illustrates the factors that affect the satisfaction of employees working at GiaVinh Co., Ltd.

The alignment effects of CEO stock incentives in the presence of government ownership: International evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council countries

This article investigates whether government ownership in publicly listed firms of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries affects the behaviour of CEOs who are granted stock incentives, that is, an ownership stake in these firms. The results suggest that government ownership may create an environment that could be abused by these managers. In particular, we find that when government ownership reaches a certain threshold, the alignment effect of CEO stock incentives is reversed such that borrowing increases; capital expenditure decreases; selling, general and administrative (SGA) expenses increase; and firm performance decreases with the level of CEO stock incentives. Our results could have implications for investors and policymakers in GCC countries, and other developing markets, where governments usually have substantial equity stakes in some publicly listed firms. JEL Classification: G32, G34, G35, G38

Top management tournament incentives and credit ratings

This paper investigates whether the current level of tournament incentives for top executives is related to the firm’s future credit rating. Greater pay dispersion (our proxy for tournament incentives) has been found to be associated with both greater firm performance and greater firm riskiness. Taking the bondholders’ perspective, credit rating agencies would view increases in performance favorably and increases in riskiness unfavorably, leading to the empirical question of how pay dispersion affects a firm’s credit rating, if at all. We find strong evidence that pay dispersion is negatively associated with credit ratings. We also find that the negative impact of pay dispersion on credit ratings is stronger when firms have greater default risk. Finally, we find weak evidence that strong shareholder rights accentuate the negative relation between pay dispersion and credit ratings.

Invited Review: Economic consequences of beef cow-calf disease mismanagement: Bovine viral diarrhea virus

This research focuses on the costs associated with adopting a herd health management protocol for eradicating bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDv) from US beef cattle herds. Production and market parameters from previous literature, USDA reports, and industry experts were used within a partial budget analysis. Potential losses of $54.25/bred cow were found for cow-calf herds that do not have BVDv present (96% of US herds) and a gain of $278.28/bred cow for herds with BVDv present (4% of US herds) when assessed over a 10-yr period, and yearly cash flows were discounted to present dollars. The outcomes from this analysis are useful for industry participants and policy makers as baseline incentive levels for cow-calf producers to adopt protocols to eliminate BVDv.

Do export transitions differently affect firm productivity? Evidence across Vietnamese manufacturing sectors

ABSTRACT This paper, by exploring the enriched information in annual Vietnamese enterprise surveys from 2010 to 2015, tries to shed light on the causal effect of the various statuses of export transitions on total factor productivity occurring across 20 manufacturing sectors and during various phases of export transition. The empirical results derived from the system GMM estimation provide evidence of causal direction from export transitions to total factor productivity, after controlling for endogenous variables and taking firm heterogeneity into account. Our results indicate that export effects on productivity are highly dependent on specific manufacturing sectors, and on type of export transition. From the perspective of trade and industrial policies, while supporting the creation of new exporters, some issues related to a high level of subsidy and tax incentives by the government to every exporting firm and export-oriented unit in every manufacturing sector seem to be questionable.

Physician Performance Pay: Experimental Evidence

We present causal evidence on the effect of performance pay on health care provision, from a behavioral experiment with a representative sample of German primary care physicians. Randomly assigning physicians to two performance incentive levels, we analyze how performance pay, compared to capitation (within-subjects) and the bonus level (between-subjects), affects health care service provision and the quality of care. We find that performance pay reduces underprovision of care prevalent under capitation and enhances the quality of care. The effect increases with the patients’ severity of illness. Also, small incentives were effective in enhancing the quality of care. Linking behavioral data to physician register data indicates that physicians’ practice characteristics significantly relate health care choices in the experiment. Physicians in high-profit practices and practicing in cities are most responsive to incentives. Health policy implications are discussed.

The Impact of Varying Financial Incentives on Data Quality in Web Panel Surveys

Abstract This study assesses whether varying contingent financial incentives in a web panel survey altered respondent behavior. A sample of US web panel participants were randomly assigned to cash incentive levels ranging from $0.50 to $3.00 awarded upon completion of an online survey gauging preferences for fresh strawberries. The analytical results indicate that increased contingent incentives had no clear association with the eligibility or break-off rates. Increased incentives reduced the incidence of trap question failure among a subset of qualified respondents. Responses of respondents flagged as unqualified to complete the survey, or qualified but inattentive, consistently differed from other qualified respondents on many survey items over a range of incentive levels. Overall, the results suggest increased contingent incentives yield limited improvements in the behavior of web panel respondents.

Formal versus informal institutions: Extraction and earnings in framed field experiments with small-scale fishing communities in Turkey

Although many formal and informal mechanisms have been proposed to avoid over-fishing, their relative effectiveness is relatively understudied. This paper investigates fisher behaviour subject to formal and informal institutions in an experimental field setting. Framed field experiments were conducted with 240 fishers to assess cooperation and compare the effectiveness of formal and informal institutions for small-scale fishers in Turkey. Turkish fisheries is characterized mainly as open-access, subject to immense competition between industrial, small-scale and recreational fishers, even though formal measures such as closed seasons and areas are prevalent. Extraction and earnings were measured under two formal institutions (monetary penalty versus purchase of fishing rights for every unit of catch beyond the quota) and were compared to an informal mechanism involving communication as well as a baseline representing open-access. While monetary penalty was effective to reduce extraction relative to baseline (open-access), the other formal institution, purchase of fishing rights, did not significantly reduce extraction, even though providing the same level of economic incentive. Communication was the most effective to increase earnings and improve income equality. This result supports the argument that community-based institutions and co-management in fisheries management (entailing communication) can improve sustainable resource use and livelihoods of small-scale fishers in developing countries. The results suggest that differently framed economic incentives may lead to differential outcomes in terms of cooperation, earnings and income distribution. These findings contribute to fisheries management in addressing unintended fisher behaviour, as well as to other sustainability policies in dealing with resource use conflicts in general.

Assessing smallholder preferences for incentivised climate-smart agriculture using a discrete choice experiment

The promotion of climate smart agriculture (CSA) techniques to increase farmer resilience against climate change and improve their livelihoods is high on the international development agenda and aims to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals of food security (SDG 2), climate resilience and mitigation (SDG 13). We present the results of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) conducted in face-to-face interviews. In a study in Malawi, farmers responded to a series of questions about different cropping techniques and tree planting options to improve soil fertility and climate change resilience. A combination of financial and non-financial incentives was proposed to increase adoption and success rates. The results show that for different policy objectives, different climate smart packages are suitable. Our results demonstrate that farmers prefer options that secure the production of maize and include crops with both domestic use and local markets. The drought-resistant crop sorghum was unpopular among respondents; achieving SDG 13 through this CSA approach would therefore require high incentive payments. If CSA is to help achieve multiple goals e.g. poverty and inequality reduction (SDGs 1 and 10) as well as SDGs 2 and 13, a range of CSA packages, with different types of crops, rotation versus intercropping techniques and incentive levels, should be offered to smallholders.