Why has the share of training firms declined in Switzerland?

"The Swiss mass apprenticeship system is market based. The share of training firms as a percentage of all firms is therefore an indicator which receives much public attention. The share of training firms declined markedly from 1985 to 2001, dropping from 24.7 to 17.6%. This has often been interpreted as a sign of firms' decreasing willingness to train apprentices. We use data from the firm census to assess whether the decline in the share of training firms can instead be explained by a range of independent variables. Besides firm characteristics and regional variables, we include supply-side factors such as demographic developments in the relevant age cohorts, which have been ignored in the empirical literature so far. Using pooled probit models, fixed-effects models and a Blinder-Oaxaca type decomposition, we are able to explain the variation in the share of training firms over time to a large extent. The main reasons for the decrease are increasing numbers of very small firms, shifts in industry composition, a reduction in the number of young people and an increasing share of young people going to grammar school. We discuss these developments in turn and conclude that they do not, in our opinion, provide sufficient reasons for state interventions in the apprenticeship market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)) Additional Information Kurzfassung (deutsch) Executive summary (English)Ausbildungsverhalten - Determinanten, Ausbildungsbetrieb - Quote, betriebliche Berufsausbildung - Entwicklung, Betrieb, Betriebsgröße, Kleinstunternehmen, Wirtschaftsstrukturwandel, demografischer Wandel, Jugendliche, Ausbildungsentscheidung, Bildungsökonomie, Schweiz

The Consequences of Being Different - Statistical Discrimination and the School-to-Work Transition

When information about the true abilities of job-seekers and applicants are hard to get, statistical discrimination by employers can be an efficient strategy in the hiring and wage setting process. But statistical discrimination can induce costs, if labor relations cannot be terminated in the short term and wages are fixed over a certain period. In this paper we use a unique longitudinal survey that follows the PISA 2000 students in their educational and work-life career. We test whether deviance in the PISA test scores from what one would have predicted based on observable characteristics, influences the probability to succeed in the transition from compulsory school into a firm-based apprenticeship and whether it can explain differences of the individual performances during training. Our results suggest that hard-to-get information plays a significant role in the transition, but not always in a symmetric manner.statistical discrimination, school-to-work transition, PISA

Resonant photon absorption in the low spin molecule V15

We report the first study of the micro-SQUID response of a molecular system to electromagnetic radiation. The advantages of our micro-SQUID technique in respect to pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques consist in the possibility to perform time-resolved experiments (below 1 ns) on submicrometer sizes samples (about 1000 spins) at low temperature (below 100 mK). Resonant photon absorption in the GHz range was observed via low temperature micro-SQUID magnetization measurements of the spin ground state S = 1/2 of the molecular complex V15. The line-width essentially results from intra-molecular hyperfine interaction. The results point out that observing Rabi oscillations in molecular nanomagnets requires well isolated low spin systems and high radiation power. Our first results open the way for time-resolved observations of quantum superposition of spin-up and spin-down states in SMMs.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Assessment Methods for Innovative Operational Measures and Technologies for Intermodal Freight Terminals

The topic of freight transport by rail, is a complex theme and, in recent years, a main issue of European policy. The legislation evolution and the White Paper 2011 have demonstrated the European intention to re-launch this sector. The challenge is to promote the intermodal transport system to the detriment of road freight transport. In this context, the intermodal freight terminals play a primary role for the supply chain, they are the connection point between the various transport nodes and the nodal points where the freight are handled, stored and transferred between different modes to final customer. To achieve the purpose, proposed by the EC, are necessary the performances improvement of existing intermodal freight terminals and the development of innovative intermodal freight terminals. Many terminal performances improvement is have been proposed and sometime experimented. They are based both on operational measures (e.g. horizontal and parallel handling, faster and fully direct handling) and on innovative technologies (e.g. automatic system for horizontal and parallel handling, automated gate for data exchange) inside the terminals, with often-contradictory results. The research work described in this paper (developed within the EU project Capacity4Rail) focusses on the assessment of effects that these innovations can have in the intermodal freight terminals. The innovative operational measures and technologies have been combined in different scenarios, to be evaluated by a methodological approach including to other an analytical methods and simulation models. The output of this assessment method are key performance indicators (KPI) setup according to terminals typologies the proposals and related to different aspects (e.g. management, operation and organization. In the present work suitable KPIs (e.g. total/partial transit times) for to evaluate have been applied. Finally, in addition to methodological framework illustrated, a real case of study will be illustrated: the intermodal rail-road freight terminal Munich-Riem (Germany)

Evolution in the usage of localised appeals in Japanese and American print advertising

Based on global consumer culture theory, this empirical investigation examines how the usage of local appeals in Japanese and American advertising content has shifted over a period of nearly three decades. It replicates and improves upon Mueller’s investigation (Journal of Advertising Research, 1987, 27(3)). Content analysis determined the existence or absence of five traditionally Japanese appeals vs five traditionally Western appeals in 2005 issues of women’s, general interest, business and sports magazines published in each country. A total of 899 US ads and 853 Japanese ads were collected. Japanese advertisers appear to have turned to a rather more direct and persuasive selling approach, but continue to maintain a tradition of Japanese subtlety. American ads have shifted from a hard-hitting and aggressive strategy to a more benefit-orientated strategy with a distinctly softer touch. Appeals employed, however, were found to vary with the product category promoted. Overall, findings suggest that while Japanese advertising may have become somewhat more ‘American’, American advertising appears to have become significantly more ‘Japanese’. Possible future convergence between Eastern and Western advertising has implications for international marketers as they craft messages to appeal to these audiences.This research is supported by a grant provided by the Yoshida Hideo Memorial Foundation (Tokyo, Japan)

Combining cellular and gene therapy approaches for treatment of intracranial tumors.

New treatments are needed for brain metastasis, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Two novel cellular and gene therapy modalities were evaluated in xenograft models for human breast cancer. The individual and especially the combined treatments with alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes and replicating retroviral vectors coding for prodrug activating enzymes followed later with nontoxic prodrug demonstrated efficacy without off-target effects

How specific is apprenticeship training? Evidence from inter-firm and occupational mobility after graduation

Do apprenticeships convey mainly general or also firm- and occupation-specific human capital? Specific human capital may allow for specialization gains, but may also lead to allocative inefficiency due to mobility barriers. We analyse the case of Switzerland, which combines a comprehensive, high-quality apprenticeship system with a lightly regulated labour market. To assess human capital transferability after standardized firm-based apprenticeship training, we analyse inter-firm and occupational mobility and their effects on post-training wages. Using a longitudinal data set based on the PISA 2000 survey, we find high inter-firm and low occupational mobility within one year after graduation. Accounting for endogenous changes, we find a negative effect of occupation changes on wages, but no significant wage effect for firm changes. This indicates that occupation-specific human capital is an important component of apprenticeship training and that skills are highly transferable within an occupational fiel

Social vs. practical problems in attaining a colonoscopy: Different patient profiles?

Background: Colonoscopy is an effective procedure for identifying precancerous polyps and cancerous lesions, but it is unlike other cancer screening tools in that it requires sedation and thus assistance from at least one other individual. The intent of this paper was to identify logistical problems in completing the colonoscopy and to examine their relationships with sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: All eligible patients (n = 2500) from two academic-affiliated colonoscopy centers (one free standing, one hospital-based) were invited to participate in an onsite, pre-colonoscopy survey; patients agreeing to participate (n = 1841, RR = 73.6%) received a $5.00 gift card. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was used to identify the underlying dimensional structure of the problems. Bivariate statistics were performed to compare demographic variables and health literacy levels among patients reporting problems. Multivariate logistic regression with a backwards conditional solution was used to determine the demographic variables independently associated with problems. Results: Multiple correspondence analyses indicated two dimensions of problems (social and practical). Using logistic regression, social problems (e.g., finding someone to accompany the patient) were associated with not living in the same home as the driver, not working due to disability, and younger age. Practical problems (e.g., making an appointment) were associated with “other” minority race, poorer health, lower health literacy, and younger age. Conclusion: Patients experience different problems completing the colonoscopy based on socio-demographics. Particularly at risk are patients who find it difficult to navigate the system, are of younger age, or who may have smaller social networks

Phases of Augmented Hadronic Light-Front Wave Functions

It is an important question whether the final/initial state gluonic interactions which lead to naive-time-reversal-odd single-spin asymmetries and diffraction at leading twist can be associated in a definite way with the light-front wave function hadronic eigensolutions of QCD. We use light-front time-ordered perturbation theory to obtain augmented light-front wave functions which contain an imaginary phase which depends on the choice of advanced or retarded boundary condition for the gauge potential in light-cone gauge. We apply this formalism to the wave functions of the valence Fock states of nucleons and pions, and show how this illuminates the factorization properties of naive-time-reversal-odd transverse momentum dependent observables which arise from rescattering. In particular, one calculates the identical leading-twist Sivers function from the overlap of augmented light-front wavefunctions that one obtains from explicit calculations of the single-spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic lepton-polarized nucleon scattering where the required phases come from the final-state rescattering of the struck quark with the nucleon spectators.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur

The Impact of the 1980-81 Literacy Campaign on the English Kriol Language Spoken on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua

In my thesis I argue that the post-revolutionary Literacy Campaign (1980-81) was truly a watershed-moment in the cultural and political life of the people on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. Its impact was felt not only on the Kriol language but also on the Costeño (people of the Coast) identity when it was shown to be necessary to translate the initial literacy materials from Spanish into English and it created a wider sense of empowerment and legitimacy among the Costeños as a group. I examine the work being done by the Linguistic Research and Revitalization Institute (IPILC) and the dilemmas faced in claiming and implementing the linguistic rights that were granted under the 1987 Law of Autonomy for the Caribbean Coast Regions. The problems I discuss in this case are not unique to Nicaragua’s Creoles, nor to Black diaspora cultures, they are merely part of larger issues which affect all minoritized groups who seek to assert the legitimacy of their languages and cultures within hegemonic discourses around cultural difference