Use of Technical Expert Panels: Applications to Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis*

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) is a methodology that estimates the likelihood that various levels of earthquake-caused ground motions will be exceeded at a given location in a given future time period. Due to large uncertainties in all of the geosciences data and in their modeling, multiple model interpretations are often possible. This leads to disagreements among the experts, which in the past has led to disagreement on the selection of a ground motion for design at a given site. This paper reports on a project, co-sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Electric Power Research Institute, that was undertaken to review the state-of-the-art and improve on the overall stability of the PSHA process, by providing methodological guidance on how to perform a PSHA. The project reviewed past studies and examined ways to improve on the present state-of-the-art. In analyzing past PSHA studies, the most important conclusion is that differences in PSHA results are commonly due to process rather than technical differences. Thus, the project concentrated heavily on developing process recommendations, especially on the use of multiple experts, and this paper reports on those process recommendations. The problem of facilitating and integrating the judgments of a diverse group of experts is analyzed in detail. The authors believe that the concepts and process principles apply just as well to non-earthquake fields such as volcanic hazard, flood risk, nuclear-plant safety, and climate change.     

Why People Do What They Do to Protect Against Earthquake Risk: Perceptions of Hazard Adjustment Attributes

This study examined respondents' self-reported adoption of 16 hazard adjustments (preimpact actions to reduce danger to persons and property), their perceptions of those adjustments' attributes, and the correlations of those perceived attributes with respondents' demographic characteristics. The sample comprised 561 randomly selected residents from three cities in Southern California prone to high seismic risk and three cities from Western Washington prone to moderate seismic risks. The results show that the hazard adjustment perceptions were defined by hazard-related attributes and resource-related attributes. More significantly, the respondents had a significant degree of consensus in their ratings of those attributes and used them to differentiate among the hazard adjustments, as indicated by statistically significant differences among the hazard adjustment profiles. Finally, there were many significant correlations between respondents' demographic characteristics and the perceived characteristics of hazard adjustments, but there were few consistent patterns among these correlations.     

Adaptive Management: A Paradigm for Remediation of Public Facilities Following a Terrorist Attack

Terrorist actions are aimed at maximizing harm (health, psychological, economical, and political) through the combined physical impacts of the act and fear. Immediate and effective response to a terrorist act is critical to limit human and environmental harm, effectively restore facility function, and maintain public confidence. Though there have been terrorist attacks in public facilities that we have learned from, overall our experiences in restoration of public facilities following a terrorist attack are limited. Restoration of public facilities following a release of a hazardous material is inherently far more complex than in industrial settings and has many unique technical, economic, social, and political challenges. For example, there may be a great need to quickly restore the facility to full operation and allow public access even though it was not designed for easy or rapid restoration, and critical information is needed for quantitative risk assessment and effective restoration must be anticipated to be incomplete and uncertain. Whereas present planning documents have substantial linearity in their organization, the “adaptive management” paradigm provides a constructive parallel paradigm for restoration of public facilities that anticipates and plans for uncertainty, inefficiencies, and stakeholder participation. Adaptive management grew out of the need to manage and restore natural resources in highly complex and changing environments with limited knowledge about causal relationships and responses to restoration actions. Similarities between natural resource management and restoration of a public facility after a terrorist attack suggest that integration of adaptive management principles explicitly into restoration processes will result in substantially enhanced and flexible responses necessary to meet the uncertainties of potential terrorist attacks.     

Decision Making for Risk Management: A Comparison of Graphical Methods for Presenting Quantitative Uncertainty

Previous research has shown that people err when making decisions aided by probability information. Surprisingly, there has been little exploration into the accuracy of decisions made based on many commonly used probabilistic display methods. Two experiments examined the ability of a comprehensive set of such methods to effectively communicate critical information to a decision maker and influence confidence in decision making. The second experiment investigated the performance of these methods under time pressure, a situational factor known to exacerbate judgmental errors. Ten commonly used graphical display methods were randomly assigned to participants. Across eight scenarios in which a probabilistic outcome was described, participants were asked questions regarding graph interpretation (e.g., mean) and made behavioral choices (i.e., act; do not act) based on the provided information indicated that decision‐maker accuracy differed by graphical method; error bars and boxplots led to greatest mean estimation and behavioral choice accuracy whereas complementary cumulative probability distribution functions were associated with the highest probability estimation accuracy. Under time pressure, participant performance decreased when making behavioral choices.     

美国企业的两种知识管理模式——结合实例的分析

本文首先列举了四组实例,旨在对比说明西方企业盛行的两种知识管理模式：编码管理模式和人物化管理模式。然后,对这两种模式进行了经济学对比分析。最后一部分是关于企业应如何选择知识管理模式的探讨。     

Doing Our Best: Optimization and the Management of Risk

Tools and concepts of optimization are widespread in decision‐making, design, and planning. There is a moral imperative to “do our best.” Optimization underlies theories in physics and biology, and economic theories often presume that economic agents are optimizers. We argue that in decisions under uncertainty, what should be optimized is robustness rather than performance. We discuss the equity premium puzzle from financial economics, and explain that the puzzle can be resolved by using the strategy of satisficing rather than optimizing. We discuss design of critical technological infrastructure, showing that satisficing of performance requirements—rather than optimizing them—is a preferable design concept. We explore the need for disaster recovery capability and its methodological dilemma. The disparate domains—economics and engineering—illuminate different aspects of the challenge of uncertainty and of the significance of robust‐satisficing.     

Hazard Perception, Risk Perception, and the Need for Decontamination by Residents Exposed to Soil Pollution: The Role of Sustainability and the Limits of Expert Knowledge

This case study examines the hazard and risk perception and the need for decontamination according to people exposed to soil pollution. Using an ecological-symbolic approach (ESA), a multidisciplinary model is developed that draws upon psychological and sociological perspectives on risk perception and includes ecological variables by using data from experts' risk assessments. The results show that hazard perception is best predicted by objective knowledge, subjective knowledge, estimated knowledge of experts, and the assessed risks. However, experts' risk assessments induce an increase in hazard perception only when residents know the urgency of decontamination. Risk perception is best predicted by trust in the risk management. Additionally, need for decontamination relates to hazard perception, risk perception, estimated knowledge of experts, and thoughts about sustainability. In contrast to the knowledge deficit model, objective and subjective knowledge did not significantly relate to risk perception and need for decontamination. The results suggest that residents can make a distinction between hazards in terms of the seriousness of contamination on the one hand, and human health risks on the other hand. Moreover, next to the importance of social determinants of environmental risk perception, this study shows that the output of experts' risk assessments—or the objective risks—can create a hazard awareness rather than an alarming risk consciousness, despite residents' distrust of scientific knowledge.     

企业知识管理系统柔性与环境不确定性的匹配度计算模型

旨在为进行企业知识管理系统(EKMS)柔性的评价与决策提供量化工具。分析了EKMS柔性的组成、环境不确定性的主客观因素及EKMS柔性与环境不确定性匹配的涵义,提出了EKMS柔性与环境不确定性的评价指标体系及测度方法,在此基础上借鉴空间几何概念设计了EKMS柔性与环境匹配度的计算方法及判断准则,最后给出了算例。     

Spatial Distribution of Flood Risk and Quality of Spatial Management: Case Study in Odra Valley,Poland

This article presents methodological solutions aimed at presenting the spatial distribution of flood risk and quality of spatial management (land use), indicating both those areas used reasonably and those requiring modification. The purpose was to identify key risk areas and risk‐free areas from the point of view of human security and activity on the floodplains, based on the examples of the vicinities of Wroclaw and Raciborz in the Odra Valley, Poland. Due to recent climate change, Poland has suffered the effects of severe flooding (e.g., 1997, 2001, 2010). The analyses conducted were motivated by the European Parliament and Council's recently implemented Directive 2007/60/WE, as well as by the demand for studies for local spatial planning. The analysis indicates that reasonably developed areas do not account for the majority of those studied, making up 36% of the Wroclaw area and 15% of the Raciborz area.     

新兴产业政策决策过程中的不确定性管理研究——基于物联网产业的宏观政策决策过程的案例

采用纵贯研究、内容分析、深度访谈相结合的定性研究方法,以推动我国物联网产业发展的3个宏观政策决策过程为研究对象,旨在讨论政企互动是如何帮助政府进行不确定性管理的.研究结论表明:新兴产业的宏观政策决策是由数个存在递进关系的渐进式阶段组成,而每个渐进式事项的解决依赖于众多在政企互动中形成的微观政策工具的实施.政企互动帮助政策决策者通过4种机制(信息获取、行动协调、企业行动承诺和政府政策承诺)实现了对因信息缺乏以及对产业行动者资源依赖所造成的不确定性的管理.     

道本管理“四主体论”:对管理主体与方式的系统反思——管理从控制到服务的转变

在社会科学领域中,如果理论的基础性假设存在问题,其后续的展开就可能将问题进一步放大。西方传统管理理论隐含着"管理者是管理的唯一主体,被管理者是管理的客体"的前提性假设,表现为管理主体对客体的单向指挥和控制。后来的参与式民主管理对此虽有修补,但本质并没有改变。由于剥夺了被管理者的主体性,导致了现实管理主客体间的恶性互动和双方主体性的扭曲和异化,并制造了管理中的一系列悖论。道本管理在认识和尊重主体性和管理规律的基础上,提出了管理"四主体论",对管理主体及其关系进行了重新认识和定位,破解了错误假设所导致的悖论,并通过机制设计实现了管理各主体之间良性关系的构筑,论证了管理从控制转向服务的必要。     

从哲学的视角审视管理的本质——对《再问管理学——“管理学在中国”质疑》的回应

从系统论的视角,从管理的起源、管理的基本要素(主体)、组织结构(主体秩序)和管理过程(主体活动)等方面探讨了管理的本质,并指出管理是以组织为载体而存在于世的生命体的意志过程,通过适应和积极面世的实践活动以界定和实现自身;从管理活动的界定、管理价值的内在性和秩序性、组织道德层次等方面论证了管理的目的论价值;从管理的方法论、原则和管理艺术等方面论证了怎样管理.从而说明了管理是“真”、“善”、“美”的和谐统一.     

The Management of Risk: Application to the Welding Industry

The management of health risk in the welding industry is considered based on a discussion of the major sources of harm to welders arising from their employment (e.g., accidents and inhalation of fumes and gases). It is shown that present methods neither enable the assessment of the societal and human costs involved, nor permit the specific association of delayed health effects to occupational fume exposures. Reported accidents usually occur early in the working experience and contribute to a large number of working days lost, while fume exposures may contribute to a reduction in life quality which is poorly defined. It is concluded that risk management can only be attempted after much more information is made available concerning the origin, nature, and duration of health effects, especially as related to individual welding technologies and applications.     

内外控人格特质的研究及其在管理中的应用

内外控人格特质是个体对其行为及行为所产生的后果强化后的信念。内外控人格特质的不同不但影响个体对工作的态度,还影响着个体对组织的承诺感及满意度,从而影响到员工工作绩效和离职意图。通过对影响内外控人格特质的因素进行归纳,对目前常用的测量内外控人格特质的量表进行分类,并对内外控人格特质在管理中的应用进行分析的基础上,对国内外内外控人格特质的研究现状进行了较全面的概述,并在此基础上提出了5个方面的研究方向。     

Mediating and Moderating Roles of Trust in Government in Effective Risk Rumor Management: A Test Case of Radiation‐Contaminated Seafood in South Korea

This study has two aims: to identify effective strategies for managing false rumors about risks and to investigate the roles that basic and situational trust in government play in that process. Online experiment data were collected nationwide from 915 adults in South Korea. They were exposed to a false rumor about radiation‐contaminated seafood and were randomly assigned to one of three rumor response conditions (refutation, denial, attack the attacker). One‐way ANOVA indicated that the refutation response yielded the highest level of situational trust in government response (TGR). Results of moderated mediation models using the PROCESS Macro indicated the following. (1) The refutation response had a positive effect on TGR, and the attack response had a negative effect. (2) There were significant interaction effects between the attack response and preexisting basic trust in government (BTG) in that the attack response had a negative effect on TGR only when BTG was low. (3) TGR significantly mediated the relationship between each of the three rumor responses and two dependent variables (intentions for rumor dissemination and for unwarranted actions), but in dramatically different ways across the responses. This study provides evidence for the superior effectiveness of the refutation rumor response and identifies specific roles of trust in government in the risk rumor management process.     

守安身立命之地,走继往开来之路——简评《管理学报》近期的系列争鸣文章

《管理学报》近期的系列争鸣文章,提出了管理学发展的方向问题。西方管理学在学术研究和企业实践上存在双轨制,中国则演化为学术、咨询、实业的"三岔口"。如何使"三岔口"变为"铁三角",影响着管理学在中国的发展方向。圣吉作为非学术的咨询家,对其进行剖析可以更清楚地分析咨询和学术的关系。管理学的安身立命之地,在于学术本位,而学术本位的活力来源于面向实践和哲学思考。学术讨论和争鸣有利于推动学术共同体的形成和健全:管理学界应以中外学术争鸣为范例,继往开来,奠定管理学在中国发展的良好根基;《管理学报》这一平台应在其中发挥重要作用。     

Consideration of Background Exposures in the Management of Hazardous Waste Sites: A New Approach to Risk Assessment

The current approach to health risk assessment of toxic waste sites in the U.S. may lead to considerable expenditure of resources without any meaningful reduction in population exposure. Risk assessment methods used generally ignore background exposures and consider only incremental risk estimates for maximally exposed individuals. Such risk estimates do not address true public health risks to which background exposures also contribute. The purpose of this paper is to recommend a new approach to risk assessment and risk management concerning toxic waste sites. Under this new approach, which we have called public health risk assessment, chemical substances would be classified into a level of concern based on the potential health risks associated with typical national and regional background exposures. Site assessment would then be based on the level of concern for the particular pollutants involved and the potential contribution of site contaminants to typical background human exposures. While various problems can be foreseen with this approach, the key advantage is that resources would be allocated to reduce the most important sources of human exposure, and site remediation decisions could be simplified by focussing on exposure assessment rather than questionable risk extrapolations.     

Cyber Security Risk Management: Public Policy Implications of Correlated Risk,Imperfect Ability to Prove Loss,and Observability of Self‐Protection

The correlated nature of security breach risks, the imperfect ability to prove loss from a breach to an insurer, and the inability of insurers and external agents to observe firms’ self‐protection efforts have posed significant challenges to cyber security risk management. Our analysis finds that a firm invests less than the social optimal levels in self‐protection and in insurance when risks are correlated and the ability to prove loss is imperfect. We find that the appropriate social intervention policy to induce a firm to invest at socially optimal levels depends on whether insurers can verify a firm's self‐protection levels. If self‐protection of a firm is observable to an insurer so that it can design a contract that is contingent on the self‐protection level, then self‐protection and insurance behave as complements. In this case, a social planner can induce a firm to choose the socially optimal self‐protection and insurance levels by offering a subsidy on self‐protection. We also find that providing a subsidy on insurance does not provide a similar inducement to a firm. If self‐protection of a firm is not observable to an insurer, then self‐protection and insurance behave as substitutes. In this case, a social planner should tax the insurance premium to achieve socially optimal results. The results of our analysis hold regardless of whether the insurance market is perfectly competitive or not, implying that solely reforming the currently imperfect insurance market is insufficient to achieve the efficient outcome in cyber security risk management.     

Cooperation Versus Confrontation: A Comparison of Approaches to Environmental Risk Management in Japan and the United States1

This paper compares approaches to environmental risk management in Japan and the United States. The paper includes an historical examination of two case studies of environmental risk management: synthetic detergents and lead in gasoline. In addition, the paper discusses several important differences between Japan and the United States, including (a) different attitudes toward separating environmental risk management from environmental risk assessment, and (b) different approaches toward environmental risk management. Specifically, the Japanese approach is based largely on a cooperative model of risk management, with a strong emphasis on negotiation and consensus-building, while the U.S. approach is based largely on a confrontational model of risk management, with a strong emphasis on rigorous scientific analysis and open adverserial processes.