The Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX) is an online stock platform used as a tool for the market research and movie production in the movie industry. The purpose of the thesis is to make a study of the possibility of simulating an online automobile stock trade platform for the automobile industry in its market research and forecasts about the future auto model sales through insightful data analysis of the feedback and customer behaviors with the similar approach of the HSX. The author's study shows some rather encouraging results about the applicability of the ASE for the automobile industry forecasts, and the author has come to a conclusion that although there are some differences between the HSX and the ASE, the technology and mechanism of the HSX could be developed for a wider range in its application, and that the HSX could be applicable to the ASE because the ASE can be easily conducted via Internet in terms of organizational and technical aspects, and it seems to work well under different incentive structures and even with a limited number of participants. With the encouraging results, a review of the forecast accuracy of the ASE for automobile industry forecasts has been proposed for further researches. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

In recent years, Aboriginal peoples in remote and northern regions of Canada have become increasingly involved in mining activities. In order to take advantage of the significant benefits that mining can offer, Aboriginal communities conclude Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) with mining companies and occasionally with governments. IBAs, usually confidential, reinforce the involvement of Aboriginal communities in mining projects and guarantee the communities that they will receive benefits that will compensate them for any potential harmful impacts resulting from such projects. The benefits can vary significantly among IBAs, but in general, such an agreement offers business and employment opportunities and opportunities for sharing in the profits of the mining operations, as well as income from royalties and significant economic spin-offs. Not all the outcomes of the operation of a mine and the implementation of an MA are positive. There are also certain risks involved, and both the environment and the Aboriginal communities can be affected. For example, pollution can have an impact on water, wildlife and flora; revenues generated by the IBA may not be equally distributed; social structures can break down; and traditional and mixed economies may be disrupted. If these impacts are not fully managed, they can have serious consequences for susceptible Aboriginal communities, both during the operation of a mine and after its closure, and they can compromise the sustainability of Aboriginal communities. IBAs are currently not adequately formulated to minimize the cultural and socio-economic risks to Aboriginal communities from both mining projects and the agreements themselves. Moreover, it must be noted that, as yet, no formal decision-making framework for managing these risks has been built into IBAs. This study consists of two components. In the first, a review of available documentation on IBAs, particularly the Raglan IBA (Nunavik, Northern Quebec), leads us to question whether these agreements actually further the establishment of sustainable Aboriginal communities. Because of the numerous gaps in IBAs, they may be unable to contribute to the achievement of this objective. For example, IBAs do not fully cover the socio-economic development and economic diversification of Aboriginal communities affected by mines, particularly after their closure. Moreover, IBAs do not always attach the necessary importance to management of the socio-economic and cultural risks posed by their implementation and by mining operations. In the second component of the study, we apply a risk-management decision framework to the Raglan mine and IBA as a case study. Of the frameworks available to us, we decided to base our approach on the Health Canada Decision-Making Framework for Identifying, Assessing and Managing Health Risks. Although this framework was not designed for purposes of managing the cultural and socio-economic risks associated with mines and IBAs, it nevertheless provided us with information that will be useful in work on existing and future risk-management approaches. Based on our study, we consider it essential that a formal framework be put in place to manage the consequences and risks posed by mines and IBAs to Aboriginal communities. We believe that if a formal decision-making framework was incorporated into the Raglan MA and other similar agreements, and if risks were minimized and benefits maximized, mining operations and IBAs could be instrumental in the building of sustainable Aboriginal communities, even after mines have closed.

This thesis consists of three essays and one literature review. The thesis examines theoretically the effects of Low-Price Guarantees (LPGs), which are increasingly common in retail markets and goods industries. Although the essays in this thesis share a common theme, they can be read independently without impeding the readers' understanding of the issues discussed in each. The first essay studies the effects of LPGs in the search model of Salop and Stiglitz (1977). This model provides a general framework for the comparison of Matching Competition Clauses (MCCs) and Beating Competition Clauses (BCCs): The number of firms in the market is determined by free entry and consumers have incomplete information about prices and differ in their search costs. It is shown that MCCs have stronger collusive effects than BCCs, however, these effects evaporate with the introduction of an arbitrarily small hassle cost. The second essay extends the Milgrom and Robers model (1982) to study the entry deterrence effects of LPGs. In this model, the potential entrant has no complete information about the true unit cost of the incumbent. It is demonstrated that under certain conditions, the high-cost incumbent can imitate the behavior of the low-cost one and deter entry even in situations where this would not be possible in the absence of a price guarantee. Therefore, the corresponding policy suggestion is to prohibit this pricing behavior when it is exerted by a monopolist. The third essay studies LPGs in a partial equilibrium model, where consumers can search for lower prices but search takes time and thus delays consumption. A price guarantee to match any lower price offered by the retailer allows a consumer to purchase and consume now while keeping the option of reaping the benefit of a lower price that he may find later in time. The analysis demonstrates how the following two factors, the variability of market prices and the percentage of bargain hunters, affect the decisions that a firm needs to make in setting its price and the duration of its price guarantee in a competitive environment.

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Master of Arts / Department of Economics / Dong Li / This paper on the urban and rural healthcare expenditures gap examines common explanations for why the gap exists. The rural communities have consistently had lower healthcare expenditures than that of the urban communities. Over the years the gap has decreased, but not by a significant amount. According to a 2003 U.S. Census, for people over 65 the gap was nearly double. For people under 65 the gap was significantly smaller, but still exists. There are many factors that lead to the healthcare expenditure gap and there are also many possible solutions to manipulate these factors. This paper will separate these factors, explain them and look at the pros and cons of some possible solutions.

Master of Arts / Department of Economics / James F. Ragan Jr / This report reviews the effects of fertility on female labor supply, primarily female labor force participation and work hours. Although estimates of the causal relationship between fertility and female labor supply are mixed, this report tries to review why and by how much an additional child in a family affects work decisions and work hours of mothers on average. Statistical analysis shows a decreasing trend in fertility and an increasing trend in female labor force participation throughout the world over the last four decades. Using different specifications and estimation techniques, empirical studies suggest that fertility has negative effects on maternal labor supply because childbearing falls on women and women have lower wage rates than men on average. The negative relationship between fertility and female labor supply is explained by social, economic, and technical forces that affect fertility and female labor supply, including an increase in the value of women’s time due to an increase in education levels of women, expensive childcare, and substitutes for children; emphasis on quality instead of quantity of children; an increase in employment opportunities for women; changes in social norms towards supporting women working outside their home; and technical progress in birth control.