IE University

About: IE University is a education organization based out in Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Corporate governance & Supply chain. The organization has 527 authors who have published 1709 publications receiving 64682 citations.

Euro-Productivity and Euro-Jobs since the 1960s: Which Institutions Really Mattered?

Abstract: How have labor market institutions and welfare-state transfers affected jobs and productivity in Europe? Many studies have tackled this question, with mixed results. This paper proposes an eclectic approach and gives a clearer answer to the issue. Orthodox criticisms of European government institutions are right in some cases and wrong in others. Labor-market policies such as employment protection laws have become more costly since 1980 through their humancapital cost of protecting senior male workers at the expense of women and youth. Product-market regulations may have reduced GDP, though the evidence is less robust. However, high taxes have shed the negative influence they had in the 1960s and 1970s, and other welfare-state institutions have caused no net harm to European jobs and growth. Coordinated wage bargaining has saved jobs with no cost in productivity. The welfare state’s tax-based social transfers and even unemployment benefits have not clearly harmed employment or GDP.

Tether or Stepping Stone? The Relationship between Perceived External Reputation and Collective Voluntary Turnover Rates:

Abstract: Signaling theory suggests that resources such as firm reputation can send multiple signals that create dual pressures on stakeholders. These tensions are apparent when examining the relationship be...

The Fallacy of 'Only the Strong Survive': The Effects of Extrinsic Motivation on the Persistence Decisions of Underperforming Firms

Abstract: According to economic theory, under-performing firms should be selected out of the market. However, research shows that these firms persist, often for long periods of time. In this article we explore the non-firm-performance factors that contribute to the decision to persist with an under-performing firm. Using the escalation of commitment literature we identify seven variables that are associated with the persistence decision: Personal sunk costs, personal opportunities, previous organizational success, perceived collective efficacy, environmental complexity, dynamism and munificence. We reconcile the economic and psychological views by finding that the extent to which some of these non-firm-performance factors influence the persistence decision is, in part, dependent upon the owner-managers' level of extrinsic motivation.

Intraphylum Diversity and Complex Evolution of Cyanobacterial Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases

Abstract: A comparative genomic analysis of 35 cyanobacterial strains has revealed that the gene complement of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) and routes for aminoacyl-tRNA synthesis may differ among the species of this phylum. Several genes encoding AARS paralogues were identified in some genomes. In-depth phylogenetic analysis was done for each of these proteins to gain insight into their evolutionary history. GluRS, HisRS, ArgRS, ThrRS, CysRS, and Glu-Q-RS showed evidence of a complex evolutionary course as indicated by a number of inconsistencies with our reference tree for cyanobacterial phylogeny. In addition to sequence data, support for evolutionary hypotheses involving horizontal gene transfer or gene duplication events was obtained from other observations including biased sequence conservation, the presence of indels (insertions or deletions), or vestigial traces of ancestral redundant genes. We present evidences for a novel protein domain with two putative transmembrane helices recruited independently by distinct AARS in particular cyanobacteria.

Effective demand response for smart grids

Abstract: We show how an electricity customer decision support system (DSS) can be used to design effective demand response programs. Designing an effective demand response (DR) program requires a deep understanding of energy consumer behavior and a precise estimation of the expected outcome. Excessive demand shifting or a high price responsiveness might create new peaks during low-demand periods. We combine insights from a real-world pilot with simulations and investigate how we can design effective DR schemes. We evaluate our pricing recommendations against existing economic approaches in the literature and show that targeted recommendations are more beneficial for customers and for the grid. Furthermore, we conduct robustness tests in which we apply our methods on two independent datasets and observe differences in peak demand and electricity cost reduction, dependent on individual characteristics. In addition, we examine the role of energy policy, as it varies across countries, and we find that the presence of competition in the electricity market creates lower prices and more cost savings for individuals. Finally, we measure the economic value of our DSS and show that our DSS can result in up to 38% savings on household electricity bills. Our results exhibit how the design of effective DR can be achieved and provide insights to energy policymakers with regard to understanding consumers' behavior and setting regulatory constraints. A data-driven approach to designing successful DR schemes is presented.Price sensitivity and awareness influence DR effectiveness.High price sensitivity yields electricity cost savings but not always peak reduction.Based on behavioral characteristics, personalized DR recommendations are outlined.Segmenting consumers and providing different prices is effective for the grid.