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This study investigated the association between structural conditions and social incentives and their effect on the ethnic composition of mobile social networks. Regarding structural conditions, we examined the role of the ethnic group’s size, socioeconomic status, and heterogeneity of the city in which the business was located. Regarding social incentives, we investigated the social diversification hypothesis, which expects that residentially and socially segregated minority groups will take advantage of mobile communications to diversify their mobile communication ties with outgroup members.

Two data sets were used. The first was the aggregation of the mobile communication patterns of business customers as measured by one of Israel’s mobile phone operators in April 2010. The database included 9,099 call data records. The second was a data set of the social characteristics of 103 Israeli cities from the Israeli Bureau of Statistics. Both data sets were merged according to the place of residence of each customer.

Israeli Arab businesses in homogeneous Jewish and mixed cities operate in an environment with more structural opportunities to create outgroup ethnic ties than Arab businesses in homogeneous Arab cities. Jewish businesses in ethnically mixed cities have more outgroup mobile ties than comparable businesses in homogenous Jewish cities.

We expand previous models and suggest a structural diversification approach in which ethnic mobile social networks vary across homogeneous and ethnically mixed cities. These variations result in different social incentives as the diversification approach assumed, as well as different structural conditions, as the structural approach indicates.

Purpose – To motivate diversity researchers to reconsider prior findings that use homogeneity as the standard to which diverse teams are compared. To recognize that homogeneity may be just as (if not more) influential than diversity in shaping group processes.

Design/approach – We selectively review the diversity literature and develop a conceptual reinterpretation of prior research. We challenge the general orientation in the literature to treat homogeneity as a baseline to which the effects of diversity are compared. We develop propositions that use diversity as the baseline for homogeneity and provide directions for future research.

Findings – We redigest evidence relating to five core areas in which researchers have identified differences between diverse and homogeneous groups, indicating that homogeneity may lead to (1) an avoidance of disagreement, (2) less use of unique information, (3) overconfidence about performance, (4) more social focus, and (5) less sensitivity to relationship conflict than might be warranted. Based on this reinterpretation of prior literature, we propose that homogeneous teams are prone to delusions, assuming they share similar values, opinions, knowledge, and preferences that make their world seem more homogeneous and comfortable than it may actually be.

Originality/value – We attempt to spur greater understanding of how diversity and homogeneity affect group functioning. We stress the independent effects of homogeneity in shaping group outcomes, an underexplored perspective in the diversity literature.

This study aims to examine the association between audit report lag (ARL), the length of time between the fiscal year end and the date the auditors’ report is signed, and client industry homogeneity, a measure of the similarity of operations of members of an industry.

Regression models are used to test the significance of industry homogeneity on the ARL, of specialists in homogenous industries on the ARL, and the completion of the audits of homogenous industry clients in the year of tightening Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing deadlines.

The evidence suggests that auditors complete audits of clients more quickly in more homogenous industries. The association between ARL and homogeneity is negative, which indicates that auditors are more efficient in audits in homogenous industries. The association between ARL and specialist audits in homogenous industries is also negative. Finally, homogenous industry audits are better able to be completed by the compressed filing dates imposed by the SEC on accelerated and large accelerated filers in 2003 and 2006.

This study extends recent research on industry homogeneity’s influence on the audit market. By reporting an association between the homogeneity of a company’s industry and the ARL, investors and regulators have additional information to better evaluate the timing and monitor trends in the timing of the audit report dates.

In this study composite and sandwich beams with homogeneous core and homogeneous or Functional Graded Materials (FGM) faces under three point bending have been confronted. The purpose of this paper is to study numerically sandwich beams with homogeneous core and homogeneous or FGM faces under three point bending and to compare the results for the stress and displacement fields with those resulted of coating – substrate and homogeneous beams. Considering a crack in the lower face sheet to study the influence of the material gradation on the stress intensity factors.

At first a static finite element analysis is performed throughout the composite and sandwich beams, which is taking into account the graded character or not of the faces. For this reason five plane models are considered in order to have a comparable study for the stress and displacement fields of composite beams, which are subjected to three point bending. Second a crack in the lower face is considered parallel to the axis of gradation. When subjected to three point bending, this crack will propagate slowly perpendicular to the lower face.

Computed distributions of the stress fields across the core material and near the interfaces are given for different materials gradation of the faces; and possible crack-initiation positions have been identified. Stress intensity factors are calculated using finite element method, and assuming linear fracture mechanics and plane strain conditions.

The originality of the proposed analysis is to investigate for the first time numerically the influence of the FGMs or homogeneous faces in the core material of sandwich beams under three point bending relative to the coating – substrate and to the homogeneous beams. Second to study the influence of a crack in the lower graded face sheet on the overall behavior of the composite beam and to investigate the influence of the material gradation on the values of stress intensity factors.

In this chapter, we argue that beyond the self-enhancement motive (i.e., the desire for a positive identity), other identity motives play a significant, yet underspecified role in homogeneous and diverse groups. In particular, we explore how the desire for self-verification, belonging, and distinctiveness offer alternative and, at times, even contradictory explanations for findings typically attributed to self-enhancement. We also consider the ways in which these motives are influenced in homogenous and diverse groups and the effects they have on group processes and performance. Through our examination, we aim to stimulate research on the role of multiple identity motives in homogenous and diverse groups.

This paper revisits the derivation and properties of the Allen-Uzawa and Morishima elasticities. Using a Swiss dataset, this paper empirically estimates various elasticities both in a dual and primal framework using a production theory open economy model and tests for linear homogenous technology. In addition to reporting elasticity at the mean, the standard practice in the literature, this paper also calculates nonparametric distribution of various elasticities. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

To assess the effect of price change on input, the paper estimates a translog cost function and to assess the effect of quantity change on price, the paper estimates the translog distance function using the data on Swiss economy. The paper estimates Allen-Uzawa and Morishima elasticity both under homogenous and non-homogenous technology using the Swiss dataset of one aggregate gross output and four inputs (resident labor, non-resident labor, imports, and capital) over 1950-1986. Elasticities are reported and compared at the mean as well as explored by looking at the range and nonparametric distribution.

This paper shows that constant returns to scale are easily rejected in this dataset and that the elasticities, both qualitatively and quantitatively, are very different under homogenous and non-homogenous technology. These elasticities can switch from complements to substitutes or vice versa when one moves away from the mean of the sample. The equality of the nonparametric elasticity distributions under homogenous vs non-homogenous technology is rejected in all cases except one.

This paper gives a clear derivation and interpretation of different elasticities as well as demonstrates using a dataset how to systematically go about empirically estimating these elasticities in a dual and primal framework. It shows that linear homogenous technology can be easily rejected and the elasticities, both quantitatively and qualitatively, are very different under homogenous and non-homogenous technology. This paper is also very valuable because it shows that the standard practice of reporting elasticity at the mean might not be adequate and there is a possibility that these elasticities can switch from complements to substitutes or vice versa when one moves away from the mean of the sample.

Growth of the tourism sector and the relative importance of the last mile have been studied in independent literature, but theorists formally linking the two phenomena are limited. This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework for the understanding of the relationships between the last mile concept and the growth of the tourism sector.

Using 16 Caribbean countries’ tourism destinations, the study designs the last mile response to tourists’ demand based on the following categories: homogenous high-end tourists; homogenous low-end tourists; non-homogenous high-end tourists; non-homogenous low-end tourists; homogenous and non-homogenous high-end tourists; and homogenous and non-homogeneous low-end tourists. Destination networks were ranked relative to each other in terms of six different performance dimensions. A ranking of 1 indicates the best performance along a given dimension and the relative performance worsens, as the ranking gets higher.

First, it is the case that the Caribbean has a tourism environment with three types of destinations differentiated by their last mile standard levels (high standard LML, low standard LML and a combination of high and low standard LML). Second, tourists can choose from destinations that have high, low and combination of high and low last mile standard levels. Third, the relative number of tourists and relative profit of destination will depend on the last mile level. Fourth, while empirical evidence of the integration strategies for market differentiation is scarce, this paper points to the effect of cooperation on marketing destinations or integration strategies for marketing destinations.

The grouping of countries into high standard LML, low standard LML and a combination of high and low standard LML represents an advance on the traditional grouping based on proximity, colonial affiliation, language and cultural association. Identifying destination networks that are best suited for a variety of tourists, investors and marketers is of great value to regional tourism planners.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the structure of risk and the structure of pricing in housing markets where the interaction between segments is taken into account with the structures that come about in a housing market approach that ignores this interplay. Knowing how most empirical assessments of whether housing markets are in or out of equilibrium is related to macroeconomic variables and is ignoring the interplay between segments our aim is to highlight the extent to which a homogeneous market framework underestimates pricing and risk in real housing markets.

Framed in terms of a linearized housing market with two segments, the author derives expressions for house prices and house price risk in three scenarios. The author compares the structure of pricing and the structure of risk in a homogeneous housing market with those of two distinct heterogeneous housing markets where segments are linked as well analyzing as how prices and risk responds to shocks.

The author derives expressions for market segment prices and for the house price index in three distinct housing market scenarios and shows how heterogeneous housing market frameworks produce both expressions for house prices and for house price risk, as well as a response in both risk and prices to shocks to demand, that deviate from those of a homogeneous housing market framework. While significantly underestimating house price risk a homogeneous framework might also be taken by surprise of the price response accompanying shocks to demand.

The authors' simplistic expressions for house prices and house price risk provides a framework for bringing two distinct theoretical housing market camps onto the same playing field. The approach shows the value added of taking the interplay between market segments into account when analyzing housing market developments.

The purpose of this paper is to present new expressions in Cartesian coordinates for the potential and magnetic field of prolate and oblate spheroids with arbitrary direction of the symmetry axis in a homogeneous field.

The potentials found in prolate or oblate spheroidal coordinates are transformed to Cartesian coordinates. These results are represented in such a form that they depend only on expressions, which are invariant under rotations around the symmetry axis. Thus, it is easy to change to arbitrary directions of both the symmetry axis and of that of the primary field. The gradients of the potentials are calculated and transformed exactly to the simplest form possible.

The paper presents simple expressions for the magnetic perturbations due to homogeneous prolate or oblate spheroids in a homogeneous magnetic field.

Results are exact for single non‐ferromagnetic spheroids in a homogeneous field.

Superposition of these perturbations presupposes small values of the magnetic susceptibilities of both the spheroids and their environment as in biological tissues.

The paper presents novel formulas for fields of homogeneous spheroids in a homogeneous magnetic field which are very useful for modelling biological tissues in studies of magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.