BACKGROUND Low response rates are acknowledged as a potential source of bias in survey results. Response rates are a particular problem in surveys of GPs. Thus, the methods used to encourage response to mailed surveys and the influence of inducements in maximizing response rates are fundamental issues to be examined when addressing the problem of response bias. AIM To increase the overall res...

This paper investigates the connection between market valuation anda type of the merger (stock, cash) using real options setup. I solveexplicitly for the timing and terms of cash mergers in two deferent settingsto demonstrate that cash mergers generally occur at low marketvaluations, whereas stock mergers that may be observed at both low andhigh valuations; the result holds with some dierences ...

In Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, policy focused on improving access to maternity services has led to measures to reduce cost barriers impeding women's access to care. Specifically, these include cash transfer or voucher schemes designed to stimulate demand for services, including antenatal, delivery and post-partum care. In spite of their popularity, however, little is known about the ...

The optimal outcome of a firm in bankruptcy is to liquidate if its asset value is greater than its value as a going concern or, alternatively, to reorganize if it is worth more as a going concern. In this study, we identify firm asset and liability characteristics which may determine the likelihood of a firm successfully emerging from bankruptcy. We find two key factors influencing the success ...

Providing such assistance has been the dominant strategy for combating poverty in the United States for many years. Yet it has been remarkably unsuccessful. There is no state where a welfare check will raise a four-person family above the g o v e rn m e n t ’s official poverty line ($18,104 in 2001). Add in the fact that the official poverty lineis a pretty stingy standard that has not kept pac...

In the era of rapid growth and high competition, a company must possess an information/knowledge advantage in order to hold the upper hand in the industry. Therefore, the company has to continuously monitor its competitors in order to get enough information and convert the information into competitive knowledge. Although information technology has been used in many areas and has many successful...

We develop a theory of money and credit as competing payment instruments, then put it to work in applications. Buyers can use cash or credit, with the former (latter) subject to the inflation tax (transaction costs). Frictions making the choice of payment method interesting also imply equilibrium price dispersion, and together these deliver closed-form solutions for money demand. The model can ...

A house purchase typically requires a deposit (or down-payment) and so a significant amount of cash. This paper considers the empirical implications of this borrowing constraint for the housing market. It shows that, at the aggregate level, models of the housing market that incorporate the constraint are consistent with the following stylised facts: i) a positive correlation between house price...