Negotiation and Defeasible Decision Making

In economically meaningful interactions negotiations are particularly important because they allow agents to improve their information about the environment and even to change accordingly their own characteristics. In each step of a negotiation an agent has to emit a message. This message conveys information about her preferences and endowments. Given that the information she uses to decide which message to emit comes from beliefs generated in previous stages of the negotiation, she has to cope with the uncertainty associated with them. The assessment of the states of the world also evolves during the negotiation. In this paper we analyze the intertwined dynamics of beliefs and decision, in order to determine conditions on the agents that allow them to reach agreements. The framework for decision making we consider here is based on defeasible evaluation of possibilities: an argument for a choice defeats another one if it is based on a computation that better uses all the available information.     

Authentic leadership and its influence on group cohesion and organizational identification: the role of organizational justice as a mediating variable / El liderazgo auténtico y su influencia sobre la cohesión grupal y la identificación organizacional: el papel de la justicia organizacional como variable mediadora

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between authentic leadership, group cohesion, organizational identification and the potential effect of organizational justice as a mediating variable. Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling was used to analyse the data from 210 employees at several Spanish companies. The results showed that organizational justice as a mediator in the proposed model and positive relationships among the variables studied. These findings are discussed taking into account the importance of the authentic leadership model in the study of group processes in organizations and the development of policies and behaviours that promote ethics, transparency and justice in companies.     

Social Workers Can e-Learn: Evaluation of a Pilot Post-Qualifying e-Learning Course in Research Methods and Critical Appraisal Skills for Social Workers

Social workers are increasingly encouraged to become research minded and integrate research findings into their practice. However, there is a paucity of high-quality accessible training for social workers in research methods and critical appraisal skills. We developed an e-learning version of an MSc degree module to widen access to this kind of training and this paper presents the findings of an evaluation of a pilot of this e-learning course. To test the effectiveness of the e-learning environment in delivering research methods and critical appraisal skills training to social workers in comparison with a classroom group, we adopted a mixed methods approach which comprised concept mapping exercises, semi-structured interviews and evaluation questionnaires administered to the e-learners (n = 3) and a classroom comparison group (n = 12). Our analysis of the students' concept maps revealed no conspicuous differences in the quality of student knowledge changes that were a consequence of the mode of teaching delivery. The e-learners met the learning outcomes of the module to the same extent as the classroom group and were highly satisfied with the mode of delivery. Although this was a small pilot, it provided tentative evidence that social workers can use e-learning to develop evidence-based practice skills.     

Psychological Distress and Related Factors in Female College Students

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the psychological distress in Spanish college women and analyzed it in relation to sociodemographic and academic factors. Participants and Methods: The authors selected a stratified random sampling of 1,043 college women (average age of 22.2 years). Sociodemographic and academic information were collected, and psychological distress was assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90–Revised. Results: This sample of college women scored the highest on the depression dimension and the lowest on the phobic anxiety dimension. The sample scored higher than women of the general population on the dimensions of obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and on the Global Severity Index. Scores in the sample significantly differed based on age, relationship status, financial independence, year of study, and area of study. Conclusion: The results indicated an elevated level of psychological distress among college women, and therefore college health services need to devote more attention to their mental health.     

Building a Latino Youth Program: Using Concept Mapping to Identify Community-Based Strategies for Success

ABSTRACT

In this study, a mixed methodology called concept mapping was used to bring 233 community members together to identify culturally relevant intervention strategies that could be used in developing a program for Latino youth. Three phases of data collection were completed to generate and rank 66 desirable strategies clustered around three goals: 1) staying in school, 2) developing positive social and family roles, and 3) bridging American and Latino cultures. An analysis of the rankings revealed differences in priorities between youth and adults. The results indicate that concept mapping can be useful in the development of community-based programs.     

The commonalities and differences in health professionals’ views on home birth in Tasmania,Australia: A qualitative study

ObjectivesHome birth has attracted great controversy in the current context. There is a need for the public and health professionals to understand why maternity care providers have such different views on home birth, why they debate, what divides them into two opposite sides and if they have anything in common.MethodA qualitative study involving twenty maternity health providers in Tasmania was conducted. It used semi-structured interview which included closed and open-ended questions to provide opportunities for exploring emerging insights from the voices of the participants.FindingsHealth practitioners who support home birth do so for three reasons. Firstly, women have the right to choose the place of birth. Secondly, home birth may be more cost effective compared to hospital birth. Thirdly, if home birth is not supported, some women might choose to have a free birth. Those who opposed home birth argue that complications could occur at childbirth and the transfer time is critical for women's and babies’ safety. These differences in opinions can be due to the differences in the training and philosophy of the maternity care providers. Despite the differing views on home births, health professionals share a common goal to protect the women and the newborns from unexpected situations during childbirth.ConclusionThis article provides some significant insights derived from the study of home birth from the maternity health professionals’ perspectives and could contribute to the enhancement of mutual understanding and collaboration of health professionals in their services to expectant mothers.     

The performance of the truncated mixed control chart

Abstract

When the mixed chart proposed by Aslam et al. (2015 Aslam, M., M. Azam, N. Khan, and C.-H. Jun. 2015. A mixed control chart to monitor the process. International Journal of Production Research 53 (15):4684–93. doi:10.1080/00207543.2015.1031354.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) is in use, the sample items are classified as defective or not defective and, depending on the number of defectives, the quality characteristic X of the sample items are also measured. In this case, an Xbar chart decides the state of the process. The previous conforming/non-conforming classification truncates the X distribution and, because of that, the mathematical development to obtain the ARLs is complex. Aslam et al. (2015 Aslam, M., M. Azam, N. Khan, and C.-H. Jun. 2015. A mixed control chart to monitor the process. International Journal of Production Research 53 (15):4684–93. doi:10.1080/00207543.2015.1031354.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) didn’t pay attention to the fact that the X distribution is truncated and, due to that, they obtained incorrect ARLs.     

A zero-inflated non default rate regression model for credit scoring data

The aim of this paper is to propose a survival credit risk model that jointly accommodates three types of time-to-default found in bank loan portfolios. It leads to a new framework that extends the standard cure rate model introduced by Berkson and Gage (1952 Berkson, J., and R. P. Gage. 1952. Survival curve for cancer patients following treatment. Journal of the American Statistical Association 47 (259):501–15.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) regarding the accommodation of zero-inflations. In other words, we propose a new survival model that takes into account three different types of individuals which have so far not been jointly accounted for: (i) an individual with an event at the starting time (zero time); (ii) non susceptible for the event, or (iii) susceptible for the event. Considering this, the zero-inflated Weibull non default rate regression models, which include a multinomial logistic link for the three classes, are presented using an application for credit scoring data. The parameter estimation is reached by the maximum-likelihood estimation procedure and Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to assess its finite sample performance.     

ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SB1070 IN ARIZONA

We investigate the effectiveness of Arizona's omnibus immigration law SB1070, which made it a misdemeanor crime for an alien to not carry proper documentation and asked police to determine the immigration status of any person suspected of being an illegal alien during a lawful stop. We find that SB1070's enactment coincided with the stalling to slight recovery of the share of non‐citizen Hispanics in Arizona 3 years after the enactment of an employment verification mandate to all employers. Yet, its effectiveness in reducing the share of likely unauthorized immigrants has been minimal and questions the merit of the law. (JEL J61, J1)     

Funding and Financial Regulation for Third Sector Broadcasters: What Can Be Learned From the Australian and Canadian Experiences?

The article takes an in-depth look at the experiences Australia and Canada have had dealing with issues related to the funding and financial regulation of the third or ‘private, non-profit’ sector of broadcasting. Through the analysis of these experiences, recommendations are extracted aimed at providing policy makers and stakeholders from other jurisdictions guidance regarding how to deal with these issues.