The selection of subcontractors: is price the major factor?

The philosophy of ‘lowest price wins’ in the selection of subcontractors often leads to problems with quality of work and claims for further costs. Since Latham (1994), many models have offered selection methods that take account of a wide range of quality criteria as well as price. A review of existing literature and models enables a list of selection criteria to be drawn up and a survey ascertains which selection criteria are considered most important and whether opinions change when faced with different types of project. The results of the questionnaire are analysed through the use of Simple Relative Indexes, Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient tests and a number of T-tests. It is established that price is no longer considered the only important factor in subcontractor selection, and that health and safety, past performance, and insurance cover are considered equally important and, in some scenarios, more important than price

The Tax Sensitivity of Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from Firm-Level Panel Data

Understanding the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) is important for analyzing capital flows and the industrial organization of multinational firms. Most empirical studies of FDI, however, have focused on case studies of nontax factors in overseas investment decisions or on discerning reduced-form relationships between some measure of FDI and variables relating to nontax and tax aspects of the investment decision. In this paper, we examine the effects of taxation on FDI using previously unexplored (for this purpose) panel data on FDI by subsidiaries of U.S. multinational firms collected by Compustat's geographic segment file project. These firm- level data contain information on new capital investment overseas which enable us to measure tax influences on FDI more precisely and allow us to focus on structural models of subsidiaries' investment decision. Our empirical results cast significant doubt on the simplest notion that 'taxes don't matter' for U.S. firms' FDI decisions. Tax parameters influence FDI in precisely the way indicated by neoclassical models. Our results also lend support to the application of the 'tax capitalization' model to the study of dividend repatriation and foreign direct investment decisions.

THE COST OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT POTABLE WATER REUSE IN A MEDIUM SIZED INLAND COMMUNITY

In the face of increasing population, development pressures, and climate change, many regions around the world face freshwater shortages. Planned potable water reuse can improve sustainability and reliability of water supplies by providing drinking water from wastewater. Most potable reuse research has focused on large coastal communities with relatively high mean household incomes. However, the US Department of Interior predicts that “hot spots” of conflict over water in the arid West are “highly likely” in numerous small-to-medium-sized inland communities with low-to-moderate household income levels. Potable reuse options may be different for larger, wealthier coastal communities as compared to small-to-medium-sized inland ones, not only in terms of the technologies used, but also in the communities’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and ability to pay for the required technologies. Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding these issues for the arid, inland context, making it difficult for inland water managers to understand the feasibility of potable reuse for their communities. This research aims to inform decision-making about planned potable reuse in small-to-medium-sized, arid inland communities by estimating the total present worth of several indirect and direct potable reuse treatment scenarios that are appropriate for the inland context. The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority in Albuquerque, NM, was used as a case study. Each of the indirect and direct potable reuse scenarios was examined with two different options for advanced treatment: reverse osmosis and ozone/biological activated carbon, both of which were preceded by microfiltration and followed by ultraviolet disinfection. The results showed that the present worth for indirect potable reuse was substantially higher than that for direct potable reuse primarily because of additional pumping and piping requirements. The type of advanced treatment included in an indirect or direct potable reuse scenario had a significant impact the scenario’s overall present worth, with options including reverse osmosis being more expensive than those including ozone/biological activated carbon. Costs aside, any scenario must also be acceptable to regulators and the public and approvable from a water rights perspective

A comparison of two lactate threshold protocols

During a progressive multi-stage running test, heart rate (HR) increases linearly with running speed. However, the HR eventually reaches a speed where it begins to level off. Conconi et al. call the velocity at HR deflection (Vd) and they repot a close agreement (r = 0.99) between Vd and the lactate threshold or LTdiscont (using a test of there own design). Other researchers have compared Vd to continuous LT protocols (LTcont), and have found that Vd overestimates LTcont. In an effort to determine if the discrepancy results from the different LT protocols used, this study compared LTcont to LTdiscont protocols. Additionally, this study compared Vd to LT on continuous and discontinuous tests. Seven trained runners completed four tests each: 1.) a V O2 max test, 2.) a Concom HR test conducted on a 400 m outdoor track with speeds increasing ~ 0.5 km/h every 200 m, 3.) an LTdiscont conducted on a 400 m outdoor track with six runs at predetermined speeds (3 above and 3 below) Vd and 4.) an LTcont protocol with 3-min stages on a treadmill. There were significant differences (P \u3c 0004) between LTdiscont (16.84 ± 1.72 km/h) and LTcont (13 56 ± 2.29 km/h) The correlation between Vd and LTcont was r = 0.86, while a correlation of r = 0.94 was found between Vd and LTdiscont. In conclusion, Conconi’s LTdiscont significantly over-estimates LT as determined by a conventional LT protocol (LTcont). Therefore, the validity of the Conconi test must be questioned and Vd should not be used as an estimate of LT

Sexual and non-sexual offenders: a secondary data analysis.

In this thesis, the researcher explored the differences between sex offenders and non-sex offenders. Data was gathered from a previous study of 295 convicted inmates, grouped into in-treatment sex offenders, never treated sex offenders, and non-sex offenders. The secondary data analysis attempted to ascertain whether there exists any difference between sex and non-sex offenders and arrest behavior (i.e. age at first arrest, number of arrests, and types of offenses). In addition, it attempted to determine whether there is any difference between offender type and certain demographic variables (i.e. family structure, history of abuse, and age at first sexual contact). The findings revealed a significant association between offender type and age at first arrest, number of arrests, and types of offenses. Also significant was the relationship between paternal history of abuse and age at first sexual contact and type of offender. No significant connection was found between type of offender and family structure, as well as between type of offender and both total and maternal history of abuse