Optimal scheduling replacement policies for a system with multiple random works

From the economical viewpoint in reliability theory, this paper addresses a scheduling replacement problem for a single operating system which works at random times for multiple jobs. The system is subject to stochastic failure which results the imperfect maintenance activity based on some random failure mechanism: minimal repair due to type-I (repairable) failure, or corrective replacement due to type-II (non-repairable) failure. Three scheduling models for the system with multiple jobs are considered: a single work, N tandem works, and N parallel works. To control the deterioration process, the preventive replacement is planned to undergo at a scheduling time T or the job's completion time of for each model. The objective is to determine the optimal scheduling parameters (T^* or N^*) that minimizes the mean cost rate function in a finite time horizon for each model. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the proposed analytical model. Because the framework and analysis are general, the proposed models extend several existing results.     

《孟子》释读辨误(四则)

传统经典须细读，在细读的基础上领会真义。历代注家对《孟子》的注疏多有误读之处，如"攘"，本义为"取自来之物"，经"多少同盗"，演变为"攘"即"盗"；"巨室"初谓国君住的大房子，这里当喻指国君，但注家多强解为指大臣；舜在"完廪""浚井"的过程中是如何脱难的，本文没有说，注家依据其他材料做了合理化解读，未必符合本义。"坏宫室以为汙池"，如从人类社会发展史的角度来释读，实际上是要维持以渔猎为生的生存方式。致误的根源有"非黑即白"的思维方式、前后矛盾、对古代"不雅驯"的文字进行改造等。     

Communication after an integrity-based trust violation: How organizational account giving affects trust

How can an organization repair trust through communication after an ethical failure? This study examines how trust is repaired after an integrity-based trust violation using three different accounts: apology, excuse, and refusal. In our approach, we rely on two strands of attribution theory, which suggests that different attributions for responsibility and credibility affect trust. An experiment with n = 368 was conducted to explore trust repair effectiveness of apology versus refusal and apology versus excuse after an integrity-based trust violation. Results revealed apology as a double-edged sword; it repairs trust more successfully than refusal and excuse because it is evaluated as more credible. However, it is less successful than refusal and excuse because it is evaluated as more responsible.     

President Barack Obama's image repair on HealthCare.gov

Obama's health care initiative HealthCare.gov went live on October 1, 2013. It was plagued with problems. Furthermore, the President promised that if people liked their current health care plan, they could keep it. People were shocked when they started to receive cancelation notices from their insurance companies. Republicans seized on the opportunity to savage the president, his administration, and his health care program. Obama's approval rating was anemic and on November 7, he was interviewed by Chuck Todd and on November 14, 2013, Obama held a press conference to try to mend his image. His defense relied heavily on mortification, corrective action, and minimization but also contained instances of defeasibility, bolstering, and transcendence. This essay uses Image Repair theory to analyze and evaluate the President's image repair effort.     

Consumer trust repair: A critical literature review

Consumers are fundamental to organisational functioning and survival. Their loyalty, commitment, product acceptance and good long-term relationships with firms and brands are underpinned by their trust. Unfortunately, over the last decade or so, we have witnessed some of the more spectacular violations of consumer trust in the history of business. This has led to negative consequences, such as loss of competitive advantage, rage, lack of commitment and decrease in turnover. Consequently, study of trust repair has become an important theoretical concern for a growing number of trust scholars. This article reviews and synthesises existing theory and research on the topic. It first sketches general characteristics of the consumer trust repair literature, including its meta-theoretical underpinning. It then identifies specific strategies associated with consumer trust repair and synthesises them into five categories of trust repair strategies. In addition, this paper highlights theoretical processes that explain why/how trust repair strategies work. Third, the paper proposes six fruitful avenues for future research. This study contributes to the field of consumer trust repair research by critically reviewing and synthesising emerging theory and research on strategies associated with consumer trust repair, by showing why and how these strategies work and by identifying most fruitful research areas.     

20世纪50年代以来新疆兵团工业化进程的特征

20世纪50年代以来,新疆生产建设兵团在执行屯垦戍边任务的同时,又建立起一整套工业体系。其特点表现为:依托农垦的"轻工业"化模式;以"团场"分布为依托形成企业规模小、地区间发展不均衡的工业布局;军事、行政为主的计划管理方式转向以协调、服务为主的工业经济管理方式;政府在新疆生产建设兵团工业化过程中发挥了主导作用。随着中国改革开放的深入,工业结构的优化,投资主体的多元化将是新疆生产建设兵团工业化的趋势。     

Former Minister Zhang's discourse on SARS: Government's image restoration or destruction?

This study analyzes the image repair discourse by Chinese Health Minister Zhang Wenkang's discourse on SARS. The minister faced several accusations: the SARS outbreak was growing, the Chinese government had covered up the severity of this problem, the Chinese government ignored Taiwanese who suffered from SARS, and the Health Ministry provided information that was neither timely nor accurate. He employed several image repair strategies (denial, defeasibility, bolstering, minimization, differentiation, attack accuser, and corrective action). However, his messages were contradictory and apparently related on false information, so his efforts were unsuccessful and he was stripped of his office.     

Analysis of the image repair discourse in the Michael Phelps controversy

The following study reviews the image repair strategies used by Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, his sponsors and the organizations that govern him as an amateur swimmer after a picture of Phelps allegedly smoking from a marijuana pipe appeared in a British tabloid. Additionally, the study reviews media coverage of the controversy to determine whether Phelps was successful in repairing his image. The study concludes that Phelps’ image repair campaign was a success. Implications for public relations practitioners and suggestions for future research also are discussed.     

Sex,lies, and post-trial publicity: The reputation repair strategies of Dominique Strauss-Kahn

The object of this investigation is the only interview given so far by the former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK), after being declared innocent of sexual assault charges brought against him by New York's District Attorney. During his television appearance, DSK used some rhetorical and, more precisely, dramaturgical image repair strategies, but also combined them with other communication strategies. This article analyzes said strategies and suggests that image repair theory researchers must include other analytical elements, strategic as well as contextual, when researching responses to crises. Furthermore, this study also discusses the role of culture and post-trial publicity in image repair strategies.     

电话交谈中的他人发起修正现象探析

以会话分析的方法,对日常电话交谈中出现频率较高的他人发起修正现象进行了分析研究,总结了电话交谈中他人发起修正的原因、序列结构、发起策略及修正的途径。认为尽管电话交谈语料繁复、随意,但还是有规律可循的,只要参与交际的双方能把握其特点和规律,就能有效避免交际中问题源的产生,或一旦出现需修正的问题源就能及时予以修正,以保障交际的顺畅进行。