AN EXPERIMENT WITH ULTIMATUM BARGAINING IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT*

We present experimental results on the ultimatum bargaining game which support an evolutionary explanation of subjects ’ behaviour in the game. In these experiments subjects interacted with each other and also with virtual players, i.e. computer programs with prespecified strategies. Some of these virtual players were designed to play the equitable allocation, while others exhibited behaviour closer to the subgame-perfect equilibrium, in which the proposer’s share is much larger than that of the responder. We have observed significant differences in the behaviour of real subjects depending on the type of “mutants ” (virtual players) that were present in their environment. JEL Classification Numbers: C72, C78, C79, Z13. 1

Technological change and human resource 271 Technological change and human resource development practices in Asia: a study of Singapore-based companies

Technological change is a constant phenomenon in contemporary organizations. How to prepare employees for technological change has increasingly become an issue for human resource development theory and practice. This study investigated the human resource development practices of organizations in Singapore, where companies are continuously responding to rapid technological changes in order to remain competitive. The results show similar patterns of responses across business sectors; however, some differences were found in the transport and communications sectors. On-the-job training was reported as the most frequently used training method to address organizational change needs. The discussion and recommendations focus on the need for improved change management approaches. Technology can be classified into three types: (1) product, (2) process, and (3) managemen

which should be cited to refer to this work. CLAY RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL CHOICES FOR NEOLITHIC POTTERY (CHALAIN, JURA, FRANCE): CHEMICAL, MINERALOGICAL AND GRAIN-SIZE ANALYSES*

Many authors have considered pottery manufacturing constraints and sociocultural elements as factors in change in past civilizations over time. The main issue of this research is to better understand the reasons for changes, or choices, in pottery raw materials. The very precise and detailed stratigraphy and cultural succession of occupations is based on dendrochronological data from the lake-dwelling sites of Chalain (Jura, France). Petrographic, palaeontological and chemical analyses were used to determine the nature and origins of the raw materials used by the Neolithic potters. Stratigraphy and dendrochronological data were used to reconstruct in detail the evolution dynamics of fabric changes. Several raw material sources were identified for many of the pottery groups. Each of them was sampled for qualitative experimental tests of pottery forming. The experimental results show a high variability between the sediments tested. This variability was quantitatively estimated by XRF, XRD, the Rietveld method, calcium carbonate quantification and laser grain-size analyses of matrices, indirect measures of plasticity. These analytical results allow a better understanding of the differences observed in the experimental tests. On the basis of these experimental and analytical results, changing parameters such as pottery manufacturing constraints, mineralogical characteristics o