Information Technology and Product Variety: Evidence from Panel Data

This paper examines the relationship between information technology and product variety. Consistent with prior theoretical work, we argue that IT and product variety are complements. IT innovations such as computer-aided design and flexible manufacturing technology have enabled firms to offer greater product variety at a reasonable cost. Similarly, firms seeking to offer greater variety can facilitate this strategy through IT investment. Using a novel approach to measuring product variety at the firm level through trademark counts we examine the relationship between IT and variety in four ways: direct correlations, IT and variety demand estimation, productivity analyses, and market value analyses. We utilize an 11-year panel data set of information technology capital stock, trademark holdings, and other measures for 512 Fortune 1000 firms to test our hypotheses. Overall, we find that IT is found to be associated with increased product variety, and that increased product variety increases demand for IT investment. Complementarities between IT and product variety are not significant in the productivity analysis but appear strongly when we consider their influence on firm valuation

The Economics of Telecommuting: Theory and Evidence

While there has been considerable research on the effect of telecommuting on worker’s productivity and quality of work life, there is considerably less work on the managerial problems associated with selecting, monitoring, and compensating workers involved in telecommuting. We propose a model based on contract theory to analyze the managerial decisions on telecommuting, focusing on (1) how managers should decide which workers will have the opportunity to telecommute and (2) how managers should monitor and provide incentives to workers who participate in telecommuting programs. Based on the model, we find that managers’ willingness to allow telecommuting is related to the amount of information they have about their employees and that employees who telecommute should have incentives based both on subjective evaluations and objective measures. Using data from the 1998 Workplace Employment Relationship Survey (WERS98), we test these predictions and find that they are supported by the data

Consumer Informedness and Diverse Consumer Purchasing Behaviors: Traditional Mass-Market, Trading Down, and Trading Out Into the Long Tail

As truly informed consumers are increasingly able to find exactly what they want and willing to pay premium prices to obtain products with perfect fit for them, companies have responded with new product portfolio strategies and new pricing strategies, based on the concepts of resonance marketing and hyperdifferentiation. This is not just consumers’ pursuit of products that are better, but rather better for them. It is not trading up, but rather trading out. In this paper we offer a more complete explanation of changes in consumer behavior, based on consumers’ new-found informedness, and an understanding of consumers’ pursuit of products that truly meet their individual wants and needs, cravings and longings. This paper also contributes to a deeper understanding of how online reviews are linked to sales. Recent empirical studies suggest that consumers use information in different ways in different shopping experiences, and that consumers’ purchasing behavior varies across different online shopping experiences; consequently, the best predictors of the success of different online products will therefore vary depending on what consumers are buying and why and how they are buying it

Advances in diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of Bell's palsy

AbstractBell's palsy is a commonly seen cranial nerve disease and can result in compromised facial appearance and functions. Its etiology, prognosis and treatment are still being debated. This paper is a review of recent development in the understanding of etiology, diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of Bell's palsy

Newly recognized mosquito-associated viruses in mainland China, in the last two decades

There are four principal arboviruses in mainland China. Two kinds of them are mosquito-borne viruses, namely Japanese encephalitis virus and dengue virus, which lead to Japanese encephalitis, and dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever respectively; the other two are tick-borne viruses, namely tick-borne encephalitis virus and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (also known as Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever virus), which contribute to tick-borne encephalitis and Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever respectively. With exception of these four main arboviruses, many other mosquito-associated viruses have been isolated and identified in recent years. These newly isolated and identified mosquito-associated viruses are probably responsible for human and animal infections and diseases. The purpose of this review is to describe the newly isolated mosquito-associated viruses in mainland China which belong to five viral families, including their virological properties, phylogenetic relationships, serological evidence, as well as to appeal the public health concentration worldwide

The Neglected Arboviral Infections in Mainland China

The major arboviral diseases in mainland China include Japanese encephalitis, dengue fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (also known as Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever), and tick-borne encephalitis. These and other newly found arbovirus infections due to Banna virus and Tahyna virus contribute to a large and relatively neglected disease burden in China. Here we briefly review the literature regarding these arboviral infections in mainland China with emphasis on their epidemiology, primary vectors, phylogenetic associations, and the prevention programs associated with these agents in China

Factors responsible for the emergence of arboviruses; strategies, challenges and limitations for their control

International audienceSlave trading of Africans to the Americas, during the 16th to the 19th century was responsible for the first recorded emergence in the New World of two arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), yellow fever virus and dengue virus. Many other arboviruses have since emerged from their sylvatic reservoirs and dispersed globally due to evolving factors that include anthropological behaviour, commercial transportation and land-remediation. Here, we outline some characteristics of these highly divergent arboviruses, including the variety of life cycles they have developed and the mechanisms by which they have adapted to evolving changes in habitat and host availability. We cite recent examples of virus emergence that exemplify how arboviruses have exploited the consequences of the modern human lifestyle. Using our current understanding of these viruses, we also attempt to demonstrate some of the limitations encountered in developing control strategies to reduce the impact of future emerging arbovirus diseases. Finally, we present recommendations for development by an international panel of experts reporting directly to World Health Organization, with the intention of providing internationally acceptable guidelines for improving emerging arbovirus disease control strategies. Success in these aims should alleviate the suffering and costs encountered during recent decades when arboviruses have emerged from their sylvatic environment