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This study examines the effects of site contamination on residential property values in Northwest Louisiana, a region well‐known for having numerous environmental problems. The old Lincoln Creosote site is the focus of this study. Home sales data are examined in detail in an attempt to measure any effects on property values that result from homes being located on or near this remediated site. A hedonic pricing model is used to help evaluate the influence of housing and neighborhood variables on home prices. The model includes a dummy variable, whether or not the home is in a neighborhood located in a contaminated area, to estimate the effects of the contaminated site on property values.

The purpose of this paper is to closely examine adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) made in Northwest Louisiana in order to provide a greater understanding of the causes of the high rate of defaults and potential foreclosures currently being experienced in Louisiana.

The paper examines detailed information for all ARM recorded in a three‐month‐period.

The paper finds that at least half of the loans have highly unfavorable terms with about a third having initial rates that are at least 3 percent higher than prime mortgage rates; these initial rates are likely to increase dramatically during future adjustment periods. Many borrowers also face high interest penalties if they pay back their loans before the first adjustment period. Also notable is the fact that only 7 percent result in foreclosure. While many borrowers receive unfavorable loans, relatively few loans are held for more than six years; a probable explanation is that the borrowers realize they have agreed to less than desirable terms and subsequently decide to refinance or sell the property. The results suggest that stronger underwriting standards are an important part of developing a stable lending/housing market in the future.

The results may be applicable to other areas across the USA and internationally, perhaps resulting in more realistic lending standards and a decrease in future defaults, foreclosures, and turmoil in the financial markets.

This article aims to set out the best strategies to understand the employee life cycle and how to employ tactics to keep top talent within an organisation.

This feature explores desktop data and industry research.

This feature demonstrates how an employee’s life cycle can be extended in the workplace and explains the link between the employee value proposition and the employee life cycle to create successful onboarding strategies.

This article also looks at how millennials will stay longer in an organisation that has strong environmental policies.

This feature offers fantastic insight into an issue that is currently costing the country millions.

Outlines how human competency engineering can be used as a change maangement or organizational development tool, based upon studies conducted in Canada, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Suggests that a change model based on the practical application of social science and physical science concepts can be applied over several cultures.

Most mergers and acquisitions fail to achieve their financial objectives (Buono & Bowditch, 1989; Cartwright & Cooper, 1996). For example, only 12% of a sample of mergers and acquisitions managed to accelerate their average revenue growth significantly over the three years after the companies came together (Bekier, Bogardus & Oldham, 2001). Yet there is no consensus as to the causes of this lack of success, which is surprising, particularly after the thousands of mergers that have occurred in the past and the acceleration in merger and acquisition activity up until recent times. The reasons given for failure often draw on a financial perspective, for example, that too high a price was paid by the aquisitor (Daniel & Metcalf, 2001). But such explanations may cover other, more useful, insights into how mistakes can be avoided in the future and how the chances of success can be enhanced.

Today, there is a global need for more effective leaders. The purpose of this paper is to present a model of human development which covers the psychological, physiological, and sociological dimensions of leadership.

The authors review three research studies in which they have investigated the relationships between consciousness, psycho‐physiological integration, and leadership performance using physiological measures, psychological tests, and self‐reports.

These studies support the model that leadership ability is closely related to psycho‐physiological refinement – the authors found that higher integration of the electrical brain activity, more mature moral reasoning, and more frequent peak experiences are found in top performers compared to average performers.

The high frequency of peak experiences among top performers reveals the importance of such gratifying inner experiences for the business community.

The research suggests that practical methods for psycho‐physiological refinement – such as the widely researched Transcendental Meditation technique – can be useful in developing more effective leadership. The brain integration scale presented here may be a reliable objective instrument for assessing an individual's leadership and performance capacity.

A unique contribution of the authors' research is to recognize that integrity – an essential requisite for leadership – has a physiological counterpart in the integration seen in the functioning of the brain through electroencephalography.

The first objective of the study was to identify and classify product‐related information that customers expect to receive in interpersonal encounters with employees in a given retail environment. The second objective of the study was to compare the “ability” of both service employees and customers to provide the required information. The third objective was to identify characteristics of customers that differentiate them in terms of their role as on‐site information providers. The study was carried out by questionnaires conducted inside a DIY store. Findings suggest that customers should be encouraged to perform the role of on‐site information providers, responding to other customers’ requests for product‐related information.