30,261 research outputs found
Sleep pattern disruption of flight attendants operating on the AsiaâPacific route
Jet lag is a common issue with flight attendants in international
flights, as they have to cross several time zones back and forth, while their
sleep patterns get disrupted by the legally required rest times between
flights, which are normally carried out at different locations. This research
aimed to investigate the sleep quality of a sample of flight attendants
operating between New Zealand and Asia. Twenty flight attendants were
surveyed in this research. The research found that flight attendants typically
took a nap immediately after arriving into New Zealand, reporting a sound
sleep time of about 6 hours. After the nap, however, they had problems
falling sleep in subsequent nights. After their first nap, some flight
attendants try to adapt to local light conditions, while others prefer to keep
the sleep patterns they had back home. Both groups report different trends
of sleep quality
Trade, Capital Redistribution and Firm Structure
A model of heterogeneous firms with multiple products and two production factors (labor and capital) is used to study how trade liberalization affects firms' choices through both product and factor markets. Trade liberalization is shown to always redistribute capital toward more efficient firms and always to improve an industry's total factor productivity. However, it may reduce capital prices and cause labor productivity to drop. Low efficiency firms are affected mainly by changes in the factor market, while high efficiency firms are affected mainly by changes in the product market. In response to trade liberalization, low efficiency firms always reduce their product scope, but high efficiency firms may expand their scope. The model demonstrates the importance of the interplay between product and factor markets.firm heterogeneity, trade liberalization, multiproduct, multifactor, firm structure, scale, scope, mergers and acquisitions
Single transverse-spin asymmetry in Drell-Yan lepton angular distribution
We calculate a single transverse-spin asymmetry for the Drell-Yan
lepton-pair's angular distribution in perturbative QCD. At leading order in the
strong coupling constant, the asymmetry is expressed in terms of a twist-3
quark-gluon correlation function T_F^{(V)}(x_1,x_2). In our calculation, the
same result was obtained in both light-cone and covariant gauge in QCD, while
keeping explicit electromagnetic current conservation for the virtual photon
that decays into the lepton pair. We also present a numerical estimate of the
asymmetry and compare the result to an existing other prediction.Comment: 15 pages, Revtex, 5 Postscript figures, uses aps.sty, epsfig.st
Keiretsu and Relationship-Specific Investment: A Barrier to Trade?
This paper develops a model of informal procurement within Japanese keiretsu so as to consider effects on intermediate-good imports, such as auto parts. Parts-suppliers make relationship-specific investments that benefit the auto-maker and prices are determined by bargaining after investment has been sunk. Although this investment raises efficiency, it limits the range of imports to less important parts such as tail pipes and it is possible that no parts are imported, despite lower foreign production costs. Lack of information concerning investment rents combined with counterintuitive effects on imports and Japanese production costs could create unwarranted perceptions of a trade barrier.
Keiretsu and Relationship-Specific Investment: Implications for Market-Opening Trade Policy
This paper considers the implications of relationship-specific investment within keiretsu for policies aimed at opening the Japanese market for intermediate goods, such as auto parts. Both VIEs applied to parts and VERs restricting Japanese exports of autos cause the keiretsu to import a wider range of parts, but of a relatively unimportant type, such as seat covers. Since keiretsu investment and output fall, the total value of U.S. parts exports may actually fall. For a given value of these exports, a VIE is less costly for U.S. consumers and Japanese producers, but a VER is preferred by U.S. automakers.
Trade, Capital Redistribution and Firm Structure
A model of heterogeneous firms with multiple products and two production factors (labor and capital) is used to study how trade liberalization affects firmsâchoices through both product and factor markets. Trade liberalization is shown to always redistribute capital toward more efficient firms and always to improve an industryâs total factor productivity. However, it may reduce capital prices and cause labor productivity to drop. Low efficiency firms are affected mainly by changes in the factor market, while high efficiency firms are affected mainly by changes in the product market. In response to trade liberalization, low efficiency firms always reduce their product scope, but high efficiency firms may expand their scope. The model demonstrates the importance of the interplay between product and factor markets.firm heterogeneity, trade liberalization, multiproduct, multifactor, firm structure, scale, scope, mergers and acquisitions
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