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Kinds of Services Terms modified by Services Selected AbstractsBUSINESS METHOD PATENTS AND U.S. FINANCIAL SERVICESCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 3 2010ROBERT M. HUNT A decade after the State Street decision, more than 1,000 business method patents are granted each year. Yet, only 1 in 10 is obtained by a financial institution. Most business method patents are also software patents. Have these patents increased innovation in financial services? To address this question, we construct new indicators of research and development intensity based on the occupational composition of financial industries. The financial sector appears more research intensive than official statistics would suggest but less than the private economy taken as a whole. There is considerable variation across industries but little apparent trend. There does not appear to be an obvious effect from business method patents on the sector's research intensity. Looking ahead, three factors suggest that the patent system may affect financial services as it has electronics: (1) the sector's heavy reliance on information technology, (2) the importance of standard setting, and (3) the strong network effects exhibited in many areas of finance. Even today litigation is not uncommon; we sketch a number of significant examples affecting financial exchanges and consumer payments. The legal environment is changing quickly. We review a number of important federal court decisions that will affect how business method patents are obtained and enforced. We also review a number of proposals under consideration in the U.S. Congress. (JEL O31, O34, G20) [source] BENEFITS AND COSTS OF INTENSIVE FOSTER CARE SERVICES: THE CASEY FAMILY PROGRAMS COMPARED TO STATE SERVICESCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 3 2009RICHARD O. ZERBE The foster care system attempts to prepare children and youth who have suffered child maltreatment for successful adult lives. This study documents the economic advantages of a privately funded foster care program that provided longer term, more intensive, and more expensive services compared to public programs. The study found significant differences in major adult educational, health, and social outcomes between children placed in the private program and those placed in public programs operated by Oregon and Washington. For the outcomes for which we could find financial data, the estimated present value of the enhanced foster care services exceeded their extra costs. Generalizing to the roughly 100,000 adolescents age 12-17 entering foster care each year, if all of them were to receive the private model of services, the savings for a single cohort of these children could be about $6.3 billion in 2007 dollars. (JEL D61, H75) [source] WHAT CRIME RATES TELL US ABOUT WHERE TO FOCUS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR PRISONERSCRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 3 2007SUSAN TURNER First page of article [source] NEXT STEPS FOR UKRAINE ABOLITION OF HIV REGISTRIES, IMPLEMENTATION OF ROUTINE HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TESTING AND EXPANSION OF SERVICESADDICTION, Issue 3 2010JACOB M. IZENBERG No abstract is available for this article. [source] SHARED SERVICES IN AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT: A CASE STUDY OF THE QUEENSLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION MODELECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 4 2008BRIAN DOLLERY Professor of Economics, Director A host of recent public inquiries into Australian local government have recommended increased use of shared services and resource-sharing models between groups of local councils. While little is known about the extent and consequences of service sharing, emphasis has been fixed on ,horizontal' shared service models between different local councils in the same municipal jurisdictions. However, other models of shared services and resource sharing are possible. This paper considers the Queensland Local Government Association (LGAQ) model as a case study of a resource sharing between all councils in a given system of local government. This form of shared service and resource sharing seems to offer excellent prospects for cost savings and capacity enhancement. [source] TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES IN RURAL AND REMOTE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN AUSTRALIAECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 1 2002ANNE DALY First page of article [source] TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY IN AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION SERVICESECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 3 2000GEORGE VERIKIOS First page of article [source] IS LEVEL OF INTEREST AMONG CANNABIS USERS IN SELF-HELP MATERIALS AND OTHER SERVICES AIMED AT REDUCING PROBLEM USE?ADDICTION, Issue 4 2005JOHN CUNNINGHAM No abstract is available for this article. [source] THE ORGANIZATIONAL AND TERRITORIAL CHANGES OF SERVICES IN A GLOBALIZED WORLDGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2007Brita Hermelin ABSTRACT. Research on the service industries has changed radically over the past few decades. Not only has work proliferated, but service research has further developed towards a deeper and more nuanced understanding of particular categories of services activities. However, as most research has focused on large and often densely populated economies, and on large multinational corporations, there is a risk that processes and phenomena relevant to more peripheral or smaller economies, perhaps with a more dispersed pattern of settlements and economic activities, are left unaccounted for. Drawing on contributions to the Inaugural Nordic Geographers Meeting held in Lund in 2005, this article introduces a special issue containing a selection of papers that set out to fill some of the gaps. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: GhanaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 7 2010Article first published online: 1 SEP 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: KenyaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 6 2010Article first published online: 3 AUG 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: AfricaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 5 2010Article first published online: 8 JUL 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: GeneralAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 4 2010Article first published online: 4 JUN 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: AngolaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 3 2010Article first published online: 4 MAY 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: AfricaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 2 2010Article first published online: 1 APR 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: NigeriaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 12 2010Article first published online: 9 FEB 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: AfricaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 11 2010Article first published online: 18 DEC 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: AngolaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 10 2009Article first published online: 27 NOV 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: Africa Needs One StrategyAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 8 2009Article first published online: 1 OCT 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: Air SafetyAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 7 2009Article first published online: 27 AUG 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: ComorosAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 6 2009Article first published online: 30 JUL 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: AfricaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 5 2009Article first published online: 3 JUL 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: MoroccoAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 4 2009Article first published online: 4 JUN 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: MoroccoAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 3 2009Article first published online: 1 MAY 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] AIRPORTS AND SERVICES: GhanaAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 1 2009Article first published online: 9 MAR 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] COMBINING REVEALED AND STATED PREFERENCE DATA TO ESTIMATE THE NONMARKET VALUE OF ECOLOGICAL SERVICES: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE OF THE SCIENCEJOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 5 2008John C. Whitehead Abstract This paper reviews the marketing, transportation and environmental economics literature on the joint estimation of revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) data. The RP and SP approaches are first described with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Recognizing these strengths and weaknesses, the potential gains from combining data are described. A classification system for combined data that emphasizes the type of data combination and the econometric models used is proposed. A methodological review of the literature is pursued based on this classification system. Examples from the environmental economics literature are highlighted. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of jointly estimated model is then presented. Suggestions for future research, in particular opportunities for application of these models to environmental quality valuation, are presented. [source] MANAGING COMPETITION IN CITY SERVICES: THE CASE OF BARCELONAJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 5 2009GERMĀ BEL ABSTRACT:,"Clean and safe" strategies are part of urban regeneration in the entrepreneurial city. These strategies are often characterized by privatization and public,private partnerships that enhance investment and create a city space more amenable to tourists and consumers. While such approaches promote increased investment, and differentiate services by district, they raise challenges of competition, cost escalation, and public participation. Barcelona's solid waste management strategy is presented to show the importance of a strong public coordination role when using competition to promote technological innovation and improved quality in city service delivery. [source] A MARKET UTILITY-BASED MODEL FOR CAPACITY SCHEDULING IN MASS SERVICESPRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2003JOHN C. GOODALE Only a small set of employee scheduling articles have considered an objective of profit or contribution maximization, as opposed to the traditional objective of cost (including opportunity costs) minimization. In this article, we present one such formulation that is a market utility-based model for planning and scheduling in mass services (MUMS). MUMS is a holistic approach to market-based service capacity scheduling. The MUMS framework provides the structure for modeling the consequences of aligning competitive priorities and service attributes with an element of the firm's service infrastructure. We developed a new linear programming formulation for the shift-scheduling problem that uses market share information generated by customer preferences for service attributes. The shift-scheduling formulation within the framework of MUMS provides a business-level model that predicts the economic impact of the employee schedule. We illustrated the shift-scheduling model with empirical data, and then compared its results with models using service standard and productivity standard approaches. The result of the empirical analysis provides further justification for the development of the market-based approach. Last, we discuss implications of this methodology for future research. [source] MAKING THE CORE CONTINGENT: PROFESSIONAL AGENCY WORK AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN UK SOCIAL SERVICESPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2008KIM HOQUE In recent times, the UK has witnessed a steady growth in the use of agency workers to fill core professional roles in public sector organizations. Similar trends have been noted elsewhere, particularly in Australia and the US. In this paper our objective is to explore some of the consequences of this growth, drawing on case study research on social services. We point to a number of problems associated with the management of agency workers and to the potentially negative consequences for the quality of services. These problems, in turn, may impact on key aspects of a (largely functional) public service employment model founded on strong internal labour markets, employment stability and collegial ethos. We also note that while there are ways in which public organizations can manage this situation, certain constraints may prevent them from doing so. [source] DECENTRALIZING HEALTH SERVICES IN THE UK: A NEW CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2008STEPHEN PECKHAM Decentralization is a central plank of current government health policy. However, it is possible to discern both centralist and decentralist movements in the UK. This paper examines existing frameworks of decentralization in relation to identifying whether policy is decentralist or not and identifies a number of problems that limit their value. Key problems relate to the way decentralization is conceptualized and defined. Existing frameworks are also highly contextualized and are therefore of limited value when applied in different contexts. The paper then presents a new framework which, it is argued, provides a more useful way of examining centralization and decentralization by providing a way of categorizing policies and actions and avoids the problems of being contextually constrained. The paper ends with a discussion of how the framework can be applied in a health context and shows how this framework helps avoid the problems found in previous discussions of decentralization. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||