Do Managers Reciprocate? Field Experimental Evidence From a Competitive Market

A substantive amount of lab experimental evidence suggests that the norm of reciprocity has important economic consequences. However, it is unclear whether the norm of reciprocity survives in a natural and competitive environment with experienced agents. For this purpose we analyze data from a natural field experiment conducted with sales representatives who were instructed to randomly distribute product samples as gifts to their business partners. We find that distributing gifts to store managers boosts sales revenue substantially, which is consistent with the notion of reciprocity. However, the results underline that the nature of the relationship between market participants crucially affects the prevalence of reciprocal behavior.reciprocity, gift exchange, field experiment

Putting Reciprocity to Work - Positive versus Negative Responses in the Field

We study the role of reciprocity in a labor market field experiment. In a recent paper, Gneezy and List (2006) investigate the impact of gift exchange in this context and find that it has only a transient effect on long run outcomes. Extending their work to examine both positive and negative reciprocity, we find consonant evidence in the positive reciprocity condition: the gift does not work well in the long run (if at all). Yet, in the negative reciprocity treatment we observe much stronger effects: a wage reduction has a significant and lasting negative impact on efforts. Together, these results highlight the asymmetry of positive and negative reciprocity that exists in the field, and provide an indication of the relative importance of each in the long run.reciprocity, gift exchange, field experiment

The currency of reciprocity - gift-exchange in the workplace

What determines reciprocity in employment relations? We conducted a controlled field experiment to measure the extent to which monetary and non-monetary gifts affect workers' performance. We find that nonmonetary gifts have a much stronger impact than monetary gifts of equivalent value. We also observe that when workers are offered the choice, they prefer receiving the money but reciprocate as if they received a nonmonetary gift. This result is consistent with the common saying, 'it's the thought that counts.' We underline this point by showing that also monetary gifts can effectively trigger reciprocity if the employer invests more time and effort into the gift's presentation. --field experiment,reciprocity,gift exchange,non-monetary gifts,in-kind gifts

Cost variability, quality of care and hospitals' payment systems

In most European countries hospitals' payment is based on a prospective payment per DRG. This article highlights the potential drawbacks of such a payment system when the regulator (the National Health Insurance) can observe neither the quality enhancement nor the cost reduction efforts. In order to avoid hospitals' strategies such as patients' selection or quality reduction induced by the prospective payment, we show that mixed payment systems can solve the trade-off between different goals in a second best world. [Author]]]> eng oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_8BE277EF6A16 2022-05-07T01:22:25Z openaire documents urnserval <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_8BE277EF6A16 Specific Silencing of the REST Target Genes in Insulin-Secreting Cells Uncovers Their Participation in Beta Cell Survival. info:doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045844 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0045844 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/23029270 Martin, D. Allagnat, F. Gesina, E. Caille, D. Gjinovci, A. Waeber, G. Meda, P. Haefliger, J.A. info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2012 Plos One, vol. 7, no. 9, pp. e45844 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1932-6203 urn:issn:1932-6203 <![CDATA[The absence of the transcriptional repressor RE-1 Silencing Transcription Factor (REST) in insulin-secreting beta cells is a major cue for the specific expression of a large number of genes. These REST target genes were largely ascribed to a function of neurotransmission in a neuronal context, whereas their role in pancreatic beta cells has been poorly explored. To identify their functional significance, we have generated transgenic mice expressing REST in beta cells (RIP-REST mice), and previously discovered that REST target genes are essential to insulin exocytosis. Herein we characterized a novel line of RIP-REST mice featuring diabetes. In diabetic RIP-REST mice, high levels of REST were associated with postnatal beta cell apoptosis, which resulted in gradual beta cell loss and sustained hyperglycemia in adults. Moreover, adenoviral REST transduction in INS-1E cells led to increased cell death under control conditions, and sensitized cells to death induced by cytokines. Screening for REST target genes identified several anti-apoptotic genes bearing the binding motif RE-1 that were downregulated upon REST expression in INS-1E cells, including Gjd2, Mapk8ip1, Irs2, Ptprn, and Cdk5r2. Decreased levels of Cdk5r2 in beta cells of RIP-REST mice further confirmed that it is controlled by REST, in vivo. Using siRNA-mediated knock-down in INS-1E cells, we showed that Cdk5r2 protects beta cells against cytokines and palmitate-induced apoptosis. Together, these data document that a set of REST target genes, including Cdk5r2, is important for beta cell survival

Risk sharing and moral hazard under prospective payment to hospitals : how to reimburse services for outlier patients

We analyze the regulation of a single health care provider (e.g. a hospital). According to several payment rules used in different countries, we consider a mixed linear payment in which the hospital is paid a fixed price per DRG (diagnosis related group) for most patients (inlier patients) and is reimbursed by a cost sharing payment for patients with exceptionally costly stays (outlier patients). Given this form of payment, we determine the optimal threshold above which to consider a patient as an outlier patient, as well as the optimal payment per DRG and the optimal cost sharing parameter. For the case where the regulator can use a two part tariff, we also determine the fixed charge the regulator has to impose in order to extract hospital rents. [Authors]]]> Financial Management, Hospital ; Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Risk Sharing, Financial eng oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_397B1AA9E66E 2022-05-07T01:15:41Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_397B1AA9E66E Parachlamydia acanthamoebae enters and multiplies within pneumocytes and lung fibroblasts info:doi:10.1016/j.micinf.2005.12.011 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.micinf.2005.12.011 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/16697235 Casson, N. Medico, N. Bille, J. Greub, G. info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2006-04 Microbes and Infection, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 1294-300 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/1286-4579 <![CDATA[Parachlamydia acanthamoebae is a Chlamydia-like organism that naturally infects free-living amoebae. P. acanthamoebae is a putative emerging agent of community-acquired and inhalation pneumonia that may enter and multiply within human macrophages. However, since Parachlamydia induces their apoptosis, macrophages may not represent a perennial niche for this obligate intracellular bacterium. Therefore, we investigated whether pneumocytes and lung fibroblasts are permissive to Parachlamydia infection and might act as a replicative niche. Entry of Parachlamydia into pneumocytes (A549) and lung fibroblasts (HEL) was confirmed by confocal and electron microscopy. In A549 cells, the mean number of Parachlamydia per cell increased 7-fold from day 0 to day 7, independently of the technique used to label the bacteria. The proportion of infected A549 cells also increased over time, whereas cell viability remained unaffected by Parachlamydia infection. The sustained (3 weeks) viability of Parachlamydia when incubated in the presence of A549 cells contrasted with that observed in the absence of cells. HEL cells were also permissive to Parachlamydia infection, as we observed a 3- to 4-fold increase in the mean number of bacteria per cell. In HEL cells, Parachlamydia retained some viability for 2 weeks. These findings demonstrate that Parachlamydia is able to enter and multiply within pneumocytes and fibroblasts. The viability of both cell types was not compromised after Parachlamydia infection. We therefore conclude that these cells may remain infected for a prolonged time and may represent an intrapulmonary niche for the strictly intracellular Parachlamydia. This indirectly supports the role of Parachlamydia as an agent of pneumonia

Bad Boys: How Criminal Identity Salience Affects Rule Violation

We conducted an experiment with 182 inmates from a maximum security prison to analyze the impact of criminal identity salience on cheating. The results show that inmates cheat more when we exogenously render their criminal identity more salient. This effect is specific to individuals who have a criminal identity, because an additional placebo experiment shows that regular citizens do not become more dishonest in response to crime-related reminders. Moreover, our experimental measure of cheating correlates with inmates' offences against in-prison regulation. Together, these findings suggest that criminal identity salience plays a crucial role in rule violating behaviou

Science and dance collective motions

International audienceModelling collective movements of animals, which is a field of current research in physics, was used to support educational innovation involving scientists (students and researchers) and professional dancers at the end of their initial training process. The basic elements to understand this model and the original association between science and art are described by showing the contributions - and their limits – to the informal teaching of science and dance

What do cross-country surveys tell us about social capital?

We validate survey measures of social capital with a new behavioral data set that examines whether citizens report a lost wallet to its owner. Using data from more than 17,000 lost wallets across 40 countries, we find that survey measures of social capital — especially questions concerning generalized trust or generalized morality — are strongly and significantly correlated with country-level differences in wallet reporting rates. A second finding is that lost wallet reporting rates predict unique variation in the outputs of social capital, such as economic development and government effectiveness, not captured by existing measures

Hidden persuaders: do small gifts lubricate business negotiations?

Gift-giving customs are ubiquitous in social, political, and business life. Legal regulation and industry guidelines for gifts are often based on the assumption that large gifts potentially influence behavior and create conflicts of interest, but small gifts do not. However, scientific evidence on the impact of small gifts on business relationships is scarce. We conducted a natural field experiment in collaboration with sales agents of a multinational consumer products company to study the influence of small gifts on the outcome of business negotiations. We find that small gifts matter. On average, sales representatives generate more than twice as much revenue when they distribute a small gift at the onset of their negotiations. However, we also find that small gifts tend to be counterproductive when purchasing and sales agents meet for the first time, suggesting that the nature of the business relationship crucially affects the profitability of gifts