Multicultural Considerations for Building Learning Communities

Educational policies call for inclusion and attention to cultural differences in our schools. Administrators, classroom educators, counselors, and other support staff attempt to attend to students through a cooperative effort of connecting with the community beyond the school building, as well as the families represented within it. As Christians, there is a higher calling to truly embrace those often underserved in our learning communities. This paper will address multicultural issues important for United States and United Kingdom school system staff to be mindful of when focusing on students and their families

Learning-by-Exporting? Firm-Level Evidence for UK Manufacturing and Services Sectors

This study empirically assesses the microeconomic exporting-productivity nexus for both the UK manufacturing and services sectors during 1996-2004, based on a weighted FAME dataset. Our results show that firms that are older, that possess intangible assets or that have higher (labour) productivity in the year prior to exporting, are significantly more likely to sell overseas. In testing the post-entry ‘learning-by-exporting’ effect, we employ three approaches to controlling for endogeneity and sample selection, viz. instrumental variables, control function and matching, and find that this effect is present in many industries but not universal, and also varies amongst different types of exporting firms. Our overall estimate for the UK economy suggests a substantial post-entry productivity effect for firms new to exporting; a negative effect for firms exiting overseas markets; and large productivity gains while exporting for those that both enter and exit.exports; control function; GMM; matching; TFP; sample selection

The electrical characteristics of semiconductor-cermet contacts

Imperial Users onl

Export-market dynamics and the probability of firm closure: Evidence for the UK

This study presents the first empirical analysis of the determinants of firm closure in the UK with an emphasis on the role of export-market dynamics, using panel data for a nationally representative group of firms operating in all-market based sectors during 1997-2003. Our findings show that the probability of closure is (cet. par.) significantly lower for exporters, particularly those experiencing export-market entry and exit. Having controlled for other attributes associated with productivity (such as size and export status), the following factors are found to increase the firm’s survival prospects: higher capital intensity and TFP, foreign ownership, young age, displacement effects (through relatively high rates of entry of firms in each industry), and belonging to certain industries. Interestingly, increased import penetration (a proxy for lower trade costs) leads to a lower hazard rate for exporting entrants and continuous exporters, whilst inducing a higher hazard rate for domestic producers or those that quit exporting.firm closure; exporting; market dynamics; hazard rates

RETIRING MARGINALLY PROFITABLE SECTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL FIELDS IN ONTARIO ECONOMICALLY JUSTIFIED: CASE STUDIES OF TYPICAL FIELDS IN ONTARIO, FINAL REPORT

The dairy industry in Canada was turned on its ear by the release of the WTO decision last fall that Canada's Special Milk Classes constitute an export subsidy. Dairy processors fear the loss of established export markets. At the same time, the decision threatens the role of supply management authorities as the sole marketers of farmers' milk. Will farmers market milk for export directly to processors? What consequences could renewed marketing board involvement in exports have in the international trade arena? The industry is preparing for conflict as it reorients itself in the international market. That conflict is embedded in proposals made by some of the milk marketing agencies and by some processor members of the National Dairy Council (NDCC). Because of the immediate importance of this case and the issues it spawns, the George Morris Centre is releasing this special report. It addresses the following topics: The nature of the challenges to the Special Milk Classes scheme The WTO decision Implications for the dairy industry Marketing board's proposal for export pricing reform NDCC proposal for export pricing reform Evaluation of the alternativesInternational Relations/Trade,

WHAT THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER REALLY SAID: THE AUDIT OF THE FEDERAL PEST MANAGEMENT REGULATORY AGENCY

Environmental Economics and Policy,

The impact of higher education institution-firm knowledge links on establishment-level productivity in British regions

This paper estimates whether sourcing knowledge from and/or cooperating on innovation with higher education institutions impacts on establishment-level TFP and whether this impact differs across domestically-owned and foreign-owned establishments and across the regions of Great Britain. Using propensity score matching, the results show overall a positive and statistically significant impact although there are differences in the strength of this impact across production and non-production industries, across domestically-owned and foreign-owned firms, and across regions. These results highlight the importance of absorptive capacity in determining the extent to which establishments can benefit from linkages with higher education institutions.Universities; University-Industry knowledge links; Firm-level productivity

Experimental investigation on cold-formed steel beams under pure bending

This paper presents the flexural behaviour of cold-formed double lipped channels beams under pure bending action. Two channel sections are bolted back-to-back to form an I-shape structural beam member. A series of six experiment tests were carried out on beam specimens DC200 and DC250, each with 200 mm depth and 250 mm depth respectively. The thickness of beam section is 2 mm and the design yield strength is 350 N/mm2. All beams failed at local buckling at top-flange due to lateral instability of the cold-formed steel structural members. The moment resistance for DC200 is 17.87 kNm and DC250 is 31.53 kNm. The experimental results are compared to theoretical resistance prediction based on British Standard and Eurocode. The comparison showed that the experimental moment capacity is lower than the theoretical bending moment resistance but higher than theoretical buckling moment resistance from Eurocode. This showed that a better agreement is achieved between experimental data and Eurocode buckling moment resistance for cold-formed steel beam under pure bending

The Impact of Higher Education Institution-Firm Knowledge Links on Firm-level Productivity in Britain

This paper estimates whether knowledge links with universities impacts on establishment-level TFP. Using propensity score matching, the results show a positive and statistically significant impact although there are across production and non-production industries and domestically- and foreign-owned firms.Universities, Firm-level productivity