Things Can Only get Worse? An Empirical Examination of the Peter Principle.

The results reported in this paper suggest the possible operation of the Peter Principle in a large hierarchical financial sector firm. This result holds even after we allow for variation in optimal effort over stages in the hierarchy. The method also allows us to attribute the contributory factors for the observed fall in performance after a promotion. It appears that approximately 2/3 of the fall is due to the Peter Principle and 1/3 due to lessening incentives.We acknowledge helpful comments received from Hans Hvide, and session participants at the 2005 Scottish Economic Society Conference where and earlier version of this paper was presented

Contractual Versus Non-Contractual Trade: The Role of Institutions in China

Recent research has demonstrated the importance of institutional quality at the country level for both the volume of trade and the ability to trade in differentiated goods that rely on contract enforcement. This paper takes advantage of cross-provincial variation in institutional quality in China, and export data that distinguishes between foreign and domestic exporters and processing versus ordinary trade, to show that institutional quality is a significant factor in determining Chinese provincial export patterns. Institutions matter more for processing trade, and more for foreign firms, just as we would expect from a greater reliance on contracts in these cases.

Chrono-spatialism. Introducing a time-based approach for retail space design in the digitalized scenario

In the future the important criterion to evaluate market participants, will be the proportion of its products and services in 24 hours a day of consumers [1]. Thanks to the media and digital revolution, time became portable and elastic, a temporal form Agger (2011) designated as iTime. And in a culture dominated by the use of smartphones, iTime dissolved the boundaries between day and night, work and leisure, and space and time [2]. As retail activities become more accessible at any time and from any location, and as omni-channel retailing dis- rupts retail stores' monopoly on shopping activities, brick and mortar retailers face the threat of online shopping and must transform in this context. Within the theory of urbanism, the concept of chrono-urbanism is proposed as a key step to question in depth our lifestyles, production and consumption, to be aware of the existing dissociation between space and time. From the perspective of sociology and design disciplines, a time-based design approach proposes a response to this phenomenon, where interior design could no longer be the same as before, be- cause the fluidity of time would have reshaped the space. By extension, it might also be thought of as chrono-spatialism when considering the design of time in interior spaces. This paper explores the temporality, proximity and engagement of human-centered approaches to retail store design in the digitized scenario through the lens of urbanism, marketing, interior and service design. This study utilizes literature and case studies in order to understand the impact of time, con- sumer shopping behavior and experience on the changing of retail spaces

An Examination of How Middle School Principals Make Sense of Their Role in Leading Standards Based Educational Reform

A dominant feature of the educational policy landscape has been the adoption and use of learning standards to design classroom instruction. As these efforts move forward, often without clear definition of the classroom practices that should be adopted, the role of the school principal is critical in interpreting the changes, and charting a course for the teachers in the building. This qualitative study, examines the sensemaking of four active middle school principals as they interpreted and led standards-based reform efforts in their buildings, using a novel theoretical framework based on prior research (Benford & Snow, 2000; Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002). In addition, the study sought to illuminate how the forces of the principal\u27s belief in the value of the standards-based education and their accountability to the district and state to create change affected their leadership practice in the school. Key findings demonstrated that the variation in language related to standardsbased practices posed challenges for principals, and that principals made robust efforts to mediate the collective sensemaking of the practitioners in their buildings, as well the individual teacher sensemaking of the new practices. In the study principals hewed to the unique context of their school when determining what elements of standards-based practices to adopt. Other findings support the idea that a principal\u27 s belief in the reform efforts is a substantially stronger influence on their leadership priorities than a sense of accountability. This indicates that reform efforts should focus on careful consideration of the language used to describe the practices; they should account for resources available in schools, and provide reasonable, coherent next steps for educators. A crucial component in national and state educational policy changes designed to improve instruction and student learning is the need to understand how school administrators interpret standardsbased educational practices, and how their interpretations are reflected in their school leadership practices

Extended store

Extended store has been a work of mapping the phenomena of digitalization that effects spaces and above all the world of retail. Apps allow interaction between users and brands, the book hosts a selection of those which are redesigning spaces, changing their forms, hierarchies, flow systems, arrangement of goods, experiences, and dimensions. The store takes on completely new dimensions and characteristics, in addition to sales, that of exhibition, performance, entertainment, engagement and sensory immersion. The store is a place tailored to the desires and sensory, psychological, and temporal needs of those who want to encounter the brand. The extended store will be a shop spread throughout the territory, it will be more connected, more available, more open and at the same time closer, mass customized, but above all it will be more digitalized and able to fulfil and modify itself more quickly and faithfully to needs and desires. Shops will not disappear in the 21st century, but they will have to change (if they have not already done so) to survive. They will have to evolve by integrating technological solutions that are not only back-end (as they have done so far), but front-end, and therefore available to customers in the shop as in the cases reported in the book

When Governors Prioritize Individual Freedom over Public Health: Tort Liability for Government Failures

Over half the states have enacted laws diminishing or curtailing the rights of the executive branch (legislatures or governors) to enact laws to preserve, protect, or safeguard public health in the wake of the COVID-19 emergency. Governor DeSantis, of Florida, for example, effectively banned mask mandates in schools during the high point of the epidemic – based on flawed science and erroneous data – and now wants to make that response permanent. The rules effectuating this Executive Order were enacted under an emergency order finding a threat to public health. Nevertheless, the response promulgated by the Florida Department of Health was to prevent public health measures, favoring individual liberties, parental rights (which have previously been held not to apply in the context of the spread of contagious disease epidemics) at the expense of public health and safety. This article explores alternative means to compel state governments, heretofore vested with the police power to protect public health, to comply with this obligation, using the Florida situation as a case study

Relationships Among Occupation/Activity Patterns, Health and Stress Perceptions, and Life Orientation in Well Adults

Background: This study examined the relationships among activity choices, perceived health, stress, and life orientation (optimism-pessimism) in a general population of 675 healthy adults ranging in age from 18-91 years. The objective was to examine assumptions that occupational scientists and practitioners hold regarding the relationships among health factors and engagement in activities/occupations. Method: The study used four self-report measures, including a customized activity card sort that asked participants about both healthy and unhealthy activity patterns. Responses were then compared with the participants’ perceptions of overall health, stress levels, and degrees of optimism and pessimism (life orientation). Results: Major findings confirmed that being engaged in more activities overall is aligned with more optimally perceived health, positive life orientation, and lower stress. However, participation in unhealthy activities negatively affected overall health, stress perception, and life orientation. The study also confirmed that women tend to have higher perceived stress than men and that caring for others is associated with more positive health ratings. Conclusion: The amount and type of activity participation appears to matter for even healthy individuals in terms of overall health, stress perception, and life orientation. This study confirms the importance of participating in a wide repertoire of activities and underscores the need for practitioners to ask clients about engagement in unhealthy activities as well as healthy ones