Cooperation in local and global groups

Multiple group memberships are the rule rather than the exception. Locally operating groups frequently offer the advantage of providing social recognition and higher marginal benefits to the individual, whereas globally operating groups may be more beneficial from a social perspective. Within a voluntary contribution environment we experimentally investigate the tension that arises when subjects belong to a smaller local and a larger global group. When the global public good is more efficient individuals first attempt to cooperate in the global public good. However, this tendency quickly unravels and cooperation in the local public good builds up

Knowing the gap - intermediate information in tournaments

Intermediate information is often available to competitors in dynamic tournaments. We develop two simple tournament models with two stages: one with intermediate information on subjects’ relative positions after the first stage, one without. In our models, equilibrium behavior in both stages is not changed by intermediate information. We test our formal analysis using data from laboratory experiments. We find no difference between average first and second stage efforts. With intermediate information, however, subjects adjust their effort to a higher extent. Subjects who lead tend to lower their second stage effort, subjects who lag still try to win the tournament. Overall, intermediate information does not endanger the effectiveness of rank-order tournaments: incentives do neither break down nor does a rat race arise. We also briefly investigate costly intermediate information

Performance pay, group selection and group performance

Within a laboratory experiment we investigate a principal-agent game in which agents may, first, self-select into a group task (GT) or an individual task (IT) and, second, choose work effort. In their choices of task and effort the agents have to consider pay contracts for both tasks as offered by the principal. The rational solution of the game implies that contract design may not induce agents to select GT and provide positive effort in GT. Furthermore it predicts equal behavior of agents with different productivities. In contrast, considerations of trust, reciprocity and cooperation – the social-emotional model of behavior – suggest that contract design can influence the agents’ willingness to join groups and provide effort. We analyze the data by applying a two-step regression model (multinomial logit and tobit) and find that counter to the rational solution, contract design does influence both, task selection and effort choice. The principal can increase participation in work groups and can positively influence group performance. Larger payment increases the share of socially motivated agents in work groups. The selection effect is larger than the motivation effect

On the competition of asymetric agents

Rank-order tournaments are usually implemented in organizations to provide incentives for eliciting employees’ effort and/or to identify the agent with the higher ability, e.g. in promotion tournaments. We close a gap in the literature by experimentally analyzing a ceteris paribus variation of the prize spread – being the major design feature of tournaments – in a symmetric and an asymmetric setting. We find that effort significantly increases with the prize spread as predicted by standard theory. However, only if the prize spread is sufficiently large weak players competing against strong players strain themselves all the more and sorting of agents is feasible

Competition fosters trust

We study the effects of reputation and competition in a stylized market for experience goods. If interaction is anonymous, such markets perform poorly: sellers are not trustworthy, and buyers do not trust sellers. If sellers are identifiable and can, hence, build a reputation, efficiency quadruples but is still at only a third of the first best. Adding more information by granting buyers access to all sellers’ complete history has, somewhat surprisingly, no effect. On the other hand, we find that competition, coupled with some minimal information, eliminates the trust problem almost completely

Group reputations: an experimental foray

Often information structures are such that while individual reputation building is impossible groups of agents would have the opportunity of building up a reputation. We experimentally examine whether groups of sellers in markets that suffer from moral hazard are able to build up reputations and, thus, avoid market breakdown. We contrast our findings with situations where sellers alternatively can build up an individual reputation or where there are no possibilities for reputation building at all. Our results offer a rather optimistic outlook on group reputations. Even though sellers only receive some of the reputation benefits of withstanding short-run incentives to exploit trust, they are able to overcome the dilemma and successfully exploit the information structure

Pricing and trust

We experimentally examine the effects of flexible and fixed prices in markets for experience goods in which demand is driven by trust. With flexible prices, we observe low prices and high quality in competitive (oligopolistic) markets, and high prices coupled with low quality in non-competitive (monopolistic) markets. We then introduce a regulated intermediate price above the oligopoly price and below the monopoly price. In monopolies volume increases and so does quality, such that overall efficiency is raised by 50%. Somewhat surprisingly, the same pattern emerges in oligopolies. In fact, across all market forms transaction volume and traded quality are maximal in regulated oligopolies

Marketing the Beatiful Black Sheep: Studying the Image Creation Process of Destinations with Social Problems through a Dialectical Approach of Myth Makers using Photo Elicitation and Story Telling

Thesis purpose: With this study we aim to understand how the interrelationship of DMOs and consumers working as myth makers, create the overall image of a destination with social problems where especially negative imagery is avoided by DMOs. Methodology: In order to understand the dialectical image creation process of destinations with social problems a grounded theory approach, which is characteristic for CCT studies, is implemented. Even though prior research might be considered as a deductive element, theory will be developed through an inductive study. This iterative strategy is characterized by a sense-making and skeptical analysis where the gathered data is interpreted in the light of existing theories in order to go further than mere interesting empirical generalizations; also generating findings with theoretical significance to the field of CCT. Since the dialectical image creation process of destinations with social problems is a complex social process that has to deal with myths and stereotypes, qualitative data generated through a case study methodology is needed in order to get an insight into the social constructs and solve the research problem. The methodology applied in this case study is intended to a theoretical abstraction rather than statistical probability. Additionally, the complexity of the research problem will be analyzed by choosing a small number of people for in-depth interviews instead of a large number randomly selected. Nevertheless, the focus of this research is on qualitative data and hence in line with the object of the study, the inductive research orientation, as well as the taken ontological and epistemological positions. Thus, a deep understanding of consumer behavior is the main driver of the research. Theoretical perspective: By using a dialectical approach we contribute to the research tradition of CCT by offering a thick understanding of the image creation process of destinations with social problems. In the same way we contribute to the traditional marketing domain of destination marketing by taking the departure in mythologizing literature, belonging to the research tradition of CCT. We establish ourselves in the mythologizing literature in order to understand the image building process of destinations, since studies have proved that myths play a significant role in this process. Empirical data: Data Collection from Destination Marketing Organizations and Tour Operators / Travel Agencies. In order to fulfil the purpose of this study, semi-structured interviews with DMOs, travel agencies, and tour operators from Colombia and Mexico are conducted to get a picture of their strategies used to reach the target customers. These interviews are carried out during the ITB Berlin. Furthermore, we participated in the “Latin America Forum: Chances in the Crisis - Specialization and Quality: Key issues for tourism in Mexico and Latin America?” which gives an overview of the currently important issues of this topic. Additionally, photographs, brochures and information material handed out to customers are analyzed. Observations of advertising activities and customer interaction at the Colombian and Mexican encounters add to the overall picture of the marketing strategies of the DMOs of these two countries. Finally, documentation provided by one of the DMOs regarding a strategic plan implemented to market Colombia under its new country brand “Colombia is passion” is studied. Data Collection from Consumers: Since this study aims at understanding the deviant case of Colombia, twelve existential-phenomenological interviews have been conducted from which the eight most relevant ones have been taken into the analysis of this research. The eight interviewees can be said to be in line with the most potential travellers to Colombia according to the DMOs. Two interviewees are senior professionals around 50 years old, three interviewees are middle-age professionals and further three are s

Nuclear Magnetic Shieldings of Stacked Aromatic and Antiaromatic Molecules

Nuclear magnetic shieldings have been calculated at the density functional theory (DFT) level for stacks of benzene, hexadehydro[12]annulene, dodecadehydro[18]annulene, and hexabenzocoronene. The magnetic shieldings due to the ring currents in the adjacent molecules have been estimated by calculating nucleus independent molecular shieldings for the monomer in the atomic positions of neighbor molecules. The calculations show that the independent shielding model works reasonably well for the H-1 NMR shieldings of benzene and hexadehydro[12]annulene, whereas for the larger molecules and for the C-13 NMR shieldings the interaction between the molecules leads to shielding effects that are at least of the same size as the ring current contributions from the adjacent molecules. A better agreement is obtained when the nearest neighbors are also considered at full quantum mechanical (QM) level. The calculations suggest that the nearest solvent molecules must be included in the quantum mechanical system, at least when estimating solvent shifts at the molecular mechanics (MM) level. Current density calculations show that the stacking does not significantly affect the ring current strengths of the individual molecules, whereas the shape of the ring current for a single molecule differs from that of the stacked molecules.Peer reviewe

Software for the frontiers of quantum chemistry:An overview of developments in the Q-Chem 5 package

This article summarizes technical advances contained in the fifth major release of the Q-Chem quantum chemistry program package, covering developments since 2015. A comprehensive library of exchange–correlation functionals, along with a suite of correlated many-body methods, continues to be a hallmark of the Q-Chem software. The many-body methods include novel variants of both coupled-cluster and configuration-interaction approaches along with methods based on the algebraic diagrammatic construction and variational reduced density-matrix methods. Methods highlighted in Q-Chem 5 include a suite of tools for modeling core-level spectroscopy, methods for describing metastable resonances, methods for computing vibronic spectra, the nuclear–electronic orbital method, and several different energy decomposition analysis techniques. High-performance capabilities including multithreaded parallelism and support for calculations on graphics processing units are described. Q-Chem boasts a community of well over 100 active academic developers, and the continuing evolution of the software is supported by an “open teamware” model and an increasingly modular design