The exponentiated transmuted Weibull geometric distribution with application in survival analysis

This article introduces a new generalization of the transmuted Weibull distribution introduced by Aryal and Tsokos in 2011. We refer to the new distribution as exponentiated transmuted Weibull geometric (ETWG) distribution. The new model contains 22 lifetime distributions as special cases such as the exponentiated Weibull geometric, complementary Weibull geometric, exponentiated transmuted Weibull, exponentiated Weibull, and Weibull distributions, among others. The properties of the new model are discussed and the maximum likelihood estimation is used to evaluate the parameters. Explicit expressions are derived for the moments and examine the order statistics. To examine the performance of our new model in fitting several data we use two real sets of data, censored and uncensored, and then compare the fitting of the new model with some nested and nonnested models, which provides the best fit to all of the data. A simulation has been performed to assess the behavior of the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters under the finite samples. This model is capable of modeling various shapes of aging and failure criteria.     

A Child Labour Estimator: A Case of Bahawalpur Division

Social Indicators Research - Child labor is a distressing issue. There have been many attempts to estimate its magnitude. It is attempted here to develop an estimator to assess the magnitude of...     

Quality of Work Life of Teaching Staff Working at a Higher Education Institution in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to study the quality of work life (QoWL) of the teaching staff employed at a Saudi higher education institution, focusing on their ethnic backgrounds and the academic clusters in which they were employed. A total of 360 teaching staff were randomly selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method, and a self-structured quality of work life questionnaire was used to collect data. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 19.0. The results indicated that 71% of the respondents were satisfied with their QoWL at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), Saudi Arabia. A significant difference of opinion was observed among the teaching staff on two dimensions of QoWL, viz. ‘working conditions’ and ‘psychosocial factors’ (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed on other QoWL attributes, such as ‘opportunity for training and development’ and ‘job satisfaction and job security’ (p > 0.05). Given that all public universities in Saudi Arabia are governed by regulations framed by the Ministry of education, this study provides important indicators to educational policy planners on understanding the QoWL of teaching staff employed in universities across Saudi Arabia.     

QMLE of periodic time-varying bilinear– GARCH models

In the current paper, we explore some necessary probabilistic properties for the asymptotic inference of a broad class of periodic bilinear– GARCH processes (P – BLGARCH) obtained by adding to the standard periodic GARCH models one or more interaction components between the observed series and its volatility process. In these models, the parameters of conditional variance are allowed to switch periodically between different regimes. This specification lead us to obtain a new model which is able to capture the asymmetry and hence leverage effect characterized by the negativity of the correlation between returns shocks and subsequent shocks in volatility patterns for seasonal financial time series. So, the goal here is to give in first part some basic structural properties of P – BLGARCH necessary for the remainder of the paper. In the second part, we study the consistency and the asymptotic normality of the quasi-maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) illustrated by a Monte Carlo study and applied to model the exchange rate of the Algerian Dinar against the US-dollar.     

An Arab perspective on social media: How banks in Kuwait use instagram for public relations

This study examines the public relations functions of eight Kuwaiti banks listed in the Kuwait Stock Exchange Market (KSEM) that post on their Instagram accounts. It also uses market-size, organization, and individual level predictors to model Instagram postings. A content analysis of 1502 posts revealed the banks use Instagram for promotion, information dissemination, community building, and interactive engagement, in that order of prominence. The findings suggest banks operate at the confluence of visual communication through Instagram and integration of religious symbolism to serve a public relations function predicated on image and influence. In doing so, the banks tap into the wellspring of social media use by target publics by navigating a balance between obedience to Allah and meeting bank business objectives. The resulting tension between sacred and secular highlights Arab cultural values and suggests Instagram fosters individualism, which challenges Arab emphasis on collectivism and fractures the notion online platforms can effectively build meaningful relationships that characterize Arab culture. The study posits Instagram is more effective in an Arab context at image building than relationship building, threading the importance of visual communication through social media across Arab culture and global public relations practices.     

A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION OF THE MISSING DEFLATION PUZZLE

Following the Great Recession, despite large and persistent slowdown in economic activity, the fall in inflation was modest. This is known as the missing deflation puzzle. In this paper, we develop and estimate a New Keynesian model to provide an explanation for the puzzle. The new model allows for time-varying volatility in cross-sectional idiosyncratic uncertainty and accounts for changes in intermediate input prices. We show that inflation did not fall much because intermediate input prices were increasing. (JEL E31, E32, E52)     

Trapped bodies,moving minds: Uncertainty and migration among marginalised urban youth in Ethiopia

This paper from YOUR World Research highlights and explores the role of positive uncertainty in lives, strategies and transitions towards adulthood of marginalised children and youth in two urban locations in Ethiopia. Young men and women embraced notions of positive uncertainty, making journeys to street situations and internationally in search of more hopeful futures. While youth navigate uncertainty positively in the short term, the research suggests this is temporal and their agency relational and embedded. They seek support from peers but still want to belong and be accepted by their families and communities.     

Board diversity and earnings news dissemination on Twitter in the UK

Journal of Management and Governance - We examine corporate adoption of Twitter by UK firms and provide the first empirical evidence on the association between board diversity, as measured by the...     

The Weibull Marshall–Olkin family: Regression model and application to censored data

We introduce a new class of distributions called the Weibull Marshall–Olkin-G family. We obtain some of its mathematical properties. The special models of this family provide bathtub-shaped, decreasing-increasing, increasing-decreasing-increasing, decreasing-increasing-decreasing, monotone, unimodal and bimodal hazard functions. The maximum likelihood method is adopted for estimating the model parameters. We assess the performance of the maximum likelihood estimators by means of two simulation studies. We also propose a new family of linear regression models for censored and uncensored data. The flexibility and importance of the proposed models are illustrated by means of three real data sets.