In this paper the author examines the demand for a hypothetical input, electric over-the-road vehicles, in the commercial sector using data from a survey experiment. This experiment is designed to allow the estimation of theoretically plausible, derived demand functions from either the Translog or the CES production functions. A heteroscedasticity-corrected, two-limit Tobit model is developed and estimated. The results provide evidence of considerable adaptability to new technologies and price structures on the part of firms. They evidently would be willing to cope with the limited traveling range of electric vehicles if these vehicles were able to provide a less costly means of doing business.

Findings do not indicate poorly-managed firms are more likely to be acquired than well-managed firms. The analysis uses a sample of 1, 046Texas banks that existed in 1970, out of which 201 were acqui red during the period 1970-82. A multinomial logit procedure is used to estimate the relationship between the likelihood of acquisition and the characteristics of the target firm and its market. Additional results suggest that firms with la rge market shares, low capital/asset ratios, and operations in urban areas are r elatively likely to be acquired but not firms with low profits or low growth.

The commodity pattern of comparative advantage across countries is a central concept in international trade theory. Since the concept is based upon autarkic prices which are not observable in post-trade equilibria, its use in empirical research is most difficult. The literature reports numerous alternative indices that purport to comparative advantage. This paper examines the extent to which various measures are consistent using a large sample of trade flows. The results have important implication for judging empirical studies based upon particular choices of a measure for comparative advantage.