Trade protection and industry wage structure in Poland

The authors examine the impact of Poland's trade liberalization in 1994-2001 on the industry wage structure. The liberalization was undertaken in preparation for Poland's accession to the European Union and was more pronounced in industries with larger shares of unskilled labor. Their analysis indicates that a decrease in an industry tariff was associated with higher wages being earned by workers employed in the industry, controlling for worker characteristics and geographic variables. The result is robust to including year and industry fixed effects, controlling for industry-level exports, imports, concentration, stock of foreign direct investment, and capital accumulation. The finding is consistent with liberalization increasing competitive pressures, forcing firms to restructure and improve their productivity, which in turn translates into higher profits being shared with workers. It could also be potentially attributed to trade liberalization lowering the costs of imported inputs, which enhances firm profitability. The result holds when skilled workers are excluded from the sample, thus suggesting that reductions in trade barriers benefited the unskilled in terms of an increase in wages.Environmental Economics&Policies,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Economic Theory&Research,Municipal Financial Management,Banks&Banking Reform

Intangible values and tourists’ motivations: the case of the Pahang National Park

Protected areas are fast becoming tourist attractions and as such have contributed increasingly to nature-based tourism , the industry’s fastest growing sector. It is assumed that tourists visiting the protected areas are motivated by intangible values such as recreational, cultural and spiritual, educational, artistic and aesthetic, and existential values. This paper presents the findings of a study aimed at examining the kind of intangible values that had motivated tourists to the Pahang National Park (Taman Negara Pahang, TNP). A total of 341 samples was collected from a questionnaire survey involving both local and international tourists of the TNP. Results of the analyses revealed that tourists to TNP were generally motivated by particular recreational values (‘to exercise’), cultural values (’to understand indigenous people’s lifestyle’), educational values (‘to recognize and gain knowledge about the local flora and fauna ‘), artistic and aesthetic values (‘to show concern with the existence of natural environment’). As for the park existential values, local and international tourists demonstrated different perceptions. Most local tourists were not willing to pay more for park’s entrance fee as compared to the international tourists. Both parties , nevertheless, were willing to pay more if it was to be used for nature conservation purposes

Analysis Of Large In-Plane Displacement And Strain In Rubber Using 2-D Scanner-Based Digital Image Correlation

Various digital image correlation (DIC) techniques have been introduced in the past to solve the limited field-of view (FOV) problem for large deformation measurement. However, these methods share a common limitation which is low FOV. In this research, a novel two-dimensional scanner-based digital image correlation (2-D SB-DIC) method that enables the acquisition of a large FOV of an unfilled natural rubber (uNR) specimen at large deformation has been developed. The images were scanned and processed to obtain displacement, strain, load and stress data. The displacement data were obtained by using the incremental image correlation algorithm. The mean of the tangent and secant moduli of the uNR specimen obtained from the 2-D SB-DIC method from five repeated experiments were compared with those obtained from a universal testing machine (UTM). A new algorithm for mapping large deformation in the uNR specimens in a single-step without the need for a series of deformation images has also been developed. The axial strains obtained by using the proposed single-step 2-D SB-DIC algorithm were compared with those obtained using the conventional incremental image correlation algorithm. Non-homogeneous strain distribution tests were also conducted by analysing the deformation of two rectangular rubber specimens containing circular and square holes using the single-step 2-D SB-DIC algorithm. The resultant strain maps for the ; specimens were compared with those from finite element modelling (FEM). The Young‟s moduli obtained by using the incremental 2-D SB-DIC algorithm showed maximum absolute errors of 9.5% at 250% axial strain and 4.2% at 50% axial strain in tangent modulus and secant modulus, respectively. Meanwhile the maximum deviation of the Poisson‟s ratio based on engineering strain and true strain up to the threshold value of incompressibility behaviour for polymeric material are only 1.36% and 1.24%, respectively. A maximum absolute deviation of 10.7% at axial strains of 320% was found by using the proposed single-step 2-D SB-DIC algorithm. For the non-homogeneous strain distribution tests, the comparison of the resultant strain maps showed that the proposed single-step algorithm coupled with the 2-D SB-DIC method can be used to map the strain accurately in large deformation materials like rubber. The single-step 2-D DIC algorithm eliminates the cumulative error introduced in the incremental 2-D DIC algorithm while reducing processing time in image acquisition and image correlation tremendously

Effective Car Security System

The aim for this project is to design an effective and reliable car security system, "arjacking is not something strange and the amount of vehicles reported stolen has ncreased sharply over the years. The security system is designed specifically to cater for Jroton cars, which are prone to carjacking, due to its popularity and quantity. This system argets the moderate earner as main customer and offers quite a reliable way to reduce >arked cars from being stolen. Thefocus of thisproject is on improving the current security system available in Proton Car. The circuit design part focuses on the switching aspects, specially to activate the voice alarm system and to send short message service (SMS) to ilert the car owner. Selfdiagnose system is included to identify the car problems if there is iny fault detected. The features added although are based onProton car module; however, he features can be added in other types of cars available in the market as well. The end •esult of this project is a working prototype of the security system, where a user will •eceive SMS whenever the car alarm system is being triggered. The overall system successfully reduces the chance of a false alarm situation to make the car security system tiore effective and reduces carelessness committed by owners in handlingtheir cars

Market integration in China

Over the last three decades, China's product, labor, and capital markets have become gradually more integrated within its borders, although integration has been significantly slower for capital markets. There remains a significant urban-rural divide, and Chinese cities tend to be under-sized by international standards. China has also integrated globally, initially through the Special Economic Zones on the coast as launching grounds to connect with world markets, and subsequently through the accession to the World Trade Organization. For future policy considerations, this paper argues that its economic production needs to be spatially concentrated, and its social services need to be spread out to the interior to ensure harmonious development and domestic integration (through inclusive rural-urban transformations and effective territorial development).Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Debt Markets,Emerging Markets,Access to Finance

Participants’ behavioral intention to re-attend outdoor sport events (Penang, Malaysia) / Siew-Ching Yeoh and Yen-Nee Goh

There have been many outdoor sports events organized in Malaysia every year. Some of the events have turned out to be one of the major attraction among the participants such as the Penang Bridge International Marathon Run where the participants have been re-attending for years. This study examines the influence of physical environmental quality, interaction quality, outcome quality and participant behavioral intention with participants’ satisfaction as the proposed mediator. A total of 100 completed surveys questionnaires was collected through intercepts at major sports events in Penang, Malaysia. Stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model is applied in this study to support the proposed research model. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS and Smart PLS. Outcome quality is found to be significantly related to participant behavioral intention. Surprisingly, physical environmental quality and interaction quality were insignificant to participant behavioral intention. Moreover, it was found that participants’ satisfaction mediates the relationship between physical environmental quality, interaction quality, outcome quality and participant behavioral intention. The findings from this study help to sheds some insights to sports events organizers in particular on improving the outcome quality for participants. Moreover, gaining participants’ satisfaction is also important for future re-attend intention

The discovery of Silk Route: cultural and technology communication between China, Korea and Japan

One of the earliest civilizations took place in Asia, particularly the East Asian region. As a main result of war, historical travel, such as trading and pilgrimage, influenced the daily life of most people in the region. The Han Dynasty was traced back as the most significant period that triggered travelling activities during the discovery of the Silk Road. Since then, travelling facilities were developed, which consequently led to the increased interregion movement of people and merchants. This study explores the historical development of travels in Eastern Asia, with a particular focus on the expansion of the Silk Road throughout several dynastic periods of China, as well as its influence on peninsular Korea and Japan. This study concludes that the Silk Road is an important channel for the exchange of tangible and intangible elements between China, Japan, and peninsular Korea as a sinicization process, particularly in the exchange of food, papermaking, and printing technology. An increased understanding of Asia’s travel history helps to assess the travelling patterns in the region by revisiting the influence of tourists’ socio-demographic factors to include the cultural background with historical elements

Evaluating Job Training in Two Chinese Cities

Recent years have seen a surge in the evidence on the impacts of active labor market programs for numerous countries. However, little evidence has been presented on the effectiveness of such programs in China. Recent economic reforms, associated massive lay-offs, and accompanying public retraining programs make China fertile ground for rigorous impact evaluations. This study evaluates retraining programs for laid-off workers in the cities of Shenyang and Wuhan using a comparison group design. To our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of its kind in China. The evidence suggests that retraining helped workers find jobs in Wuhan, but had little effect in Shenyang. However, in terms of earnings impacts, retraining appears to have increased earnings in Shenyang but not in Wuhan. The study raises questions about the overall effectiveness of retraining expenditures, and it offers some directions for policymakers about future interventions to help laid-off workers.Active labor market programs, job training, impact evaluation, propensity score matching, China