1999

Fall 1999 , Vol. 3, No. 1

Editor’s Commentary on This Issue
– Duane B. Graddy, Managing Editor

Views on Economic Education

Economic Education Report
– Christie Pickel, Middle Tennessee State University

Empirical & Theoretical Articles

Entrance, Exit, and Merger Activity in Tennessee’s Banks:
A Multivariate Analysis of Market Behavior and the Business Cycle
– Michael J Hicks, Marshall University

On the Equivalency of Profit Maximization and Cost Minimization:
A Note on Factor Demands
– Beck A Taylor, Baylor University

Pedagogical Articles

A Note on the Role of Core Texts in History of Economic Thought
– Fritz Efaw, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Hierarchical

Hierarchical Menu Structures as Teaching/Learning Environments
– Duane B. Graddy, Middle Tennessee State University

Industrial Relations and Human Resources Instructional Opportunities in the Electronic Media Environment
– Richard L. Hannah, Middle Tennessee State University

Using Mathematica As a Teaching Tool in the Undergraduate Economics Curriculum
– Gary Hodgin, Belmont University Conference Papers

Pre-Testing and Post-Testing in Money and Banking
– H. Bruce Throckmorton, Tennessee Technological University

Graduate Student Papers

Reviewer’s Comment
– Richard L. Hannah

Sources of Capital for a Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture:
A Case Study of Shanghai General Motors Corporation
– Martin J. Murray, P.E.

Employment, Labor Relations, and the Union Situation in China
– Yajing Wang

 

Editor’s Comment

– Duane B. Graddy, Managing Editor

Editor’s Comment on video [Download Quick-Time Player]

With this issue the Journal of the Tennessee Economics Association begins a new publishing era. From this point forward the Journal will be issued only on-line. All of the articles, notes, and commentaries are presented in an Adobe pdf format for ease of use. In addition, the submission categories have been expanded to included refereed articles, conference papers, K-12 perspectives, graduate student papers, teaching ideas and miscellany. Nevertheless, the focus of the Journal remains economic education and the accessibility of the content to various levels of our readership. Hopefully, students as well as faculty and the general public will be able to read and comprehend the material put forth in the Journal.

Moving the Journal to the Web is exciting in many respects. First, what was a limited distribution of the Journal is now transformed into a publication accessible to all who surf the Web. Second, visibility on the Web should increase the number and quality of the submissions to the Journal. Using various media to present the content of the articles should improve their comprehensibility and thus their quality. The Journal is no longer limited to the static page to convey economic knowledge. As we move to the future more interactive material will surely be forthcoming.

Third, presenting the Journal online continues the spirit of free and open academic discussion that has characterized the Tennessee Economics Association at its conferences and other meetings. Fourth, moving to the Web improves the viability and growth of the Journal. Substantial cost reductions have been realized by implementing an online format. In addition, plans now include an expansion of the Journal to two issues per year. The Spring issue will be published in June.

Finally, and most importantly, the Journal can broaden its impact on the teaching of economics. Distribution of the Journal online portends a revitalization of its original purpose. Since its inception the Journal of the Tennessee Economics Association has been dedicated to enhancing the teaching /learning of economics at all grade levels. Members of the Association have always spoken with one voice on this objective. By expanding the Association’s activities to the Web, this message can be carried to the global community.

 

Reviewer’s Comments: The Murray and Wang Articles and Plans for a Follow-up Contribution

– Richard Hannah

These two articles reflect the JTEA’s effort to highlight commendable work by graduate students. The topics are complementary in that they address two important dimensions of economic change in China, investment financing and labor relations, topics which both practitioners and academics will find of considerable interest. Martin Murray’s article presents the complexities of financing a major manufacturing operation in Shanghai, and it draws on the first hand knowledge of participants in this process. Yajing Wang’s article sheds light on the little understood and changing role of the labor union in China. With respect to the breadth of topics covered by Ms. Wang, a reading by another graduate student, Qimao Zhang, generated some additional interesting hypotheses about the entry of Chinese labor unions into private enterprise activities. This topic is worthy of further inquiry not only because of the need for empirical evidence, but also for the potential for a unique Chinese version of organized labor.

These articles also have a pedagogical dimension. In February 1999, a representative of the JTEA will visit the Chinese Executive MBA students at West Virginia University. A meeting has been planned to discuss their reaction to and critique of the Murray and Wang articles. These Chinese executives have been extended an invitation to jointly author a response to these articles, with expected publication in the Fall 2000 issue of the Journal.

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