On kernel density estimation based on different stratified sampling with optimal allocation

Kernel density estimation is probably the most widely used non parametric statistical method for estimating probability densities. In this paper, we investigate the performance of kernel density estimator based on stratified simple and ranked set sampling. Some asymptotic properties of kernel estimator are established under both sampling schemes. Simulation studies are designed to examine the performance of the proposed estimators under varying distributional assumptions. These findings are also illustrated with the help of a dataset on bilirubin levels in babies in a neonatal intensive care unit.     

BARGAINING WITH SHARED INFORMATION*

This paper formulates and analyzes models of two-party bargaining behavior where each side possesses private information about its preferences that is unavailable to the other. We examine the strategic behavior that bargainers might exhibit when disclosing information either to an arbitrator or to each other. Our results show that when bargaining is over one issue, it is relatively uncomplicated analytically to calculate the optimal strategy, but, despite this, even sophisticated bargainers tend to make wrong assumptions about the behavior of others and to use strategies that are far from optimal. When the bargaining encompasses several factors, computation of optimal strategies becomes very cumbersome and the use of an optimal strategy does not gain a bargainer much over what he could have achieved with truthful revelation. Thus, in theory, truthful revelation is not the best course of action to adopt for a bargainer interested in maximizing individual gain, but in practice the alternatives may involve mistaken assumptions about the behavior of others and may therefore turn out to be inferior to truthful revelation.     

Sustainable Operations Management

Operations management researchers and practitioners face new challenges in integrating issues of sustainability with their traditional areas of interest. During the past 20 years, there has been growing pressure on businesses to pay more attention to the environmental and resource consequences of the products and services they offer and the processes they deploy. One symptom of this pressure is the movement towards triple bottom line reporting (3BL) concerning the relationship of profit, people, and the planet. The resulting challenges include integrating environmental, health, and safety concerns with green‐product design, lean and green operations, and closed‐loop supply chains. We review these and other “sustainability” themes covered in the first 50 issues of Production and Operations Management and conclude with some thoughts on future research challenges in sustainable operations management.     

Asset Ownership of New Asian Immigrants in the United States

This study examined the asset ownership of Asian immigrants using a nationally representative sample of newly legalized immigrants (New Immigrant Survey). Findings revealed that ownership of a business or farm, financial assets, and home ownership were associated with socioeconomic, demographic, and acculturation variables. Family income, education, English fluency, and length of stay were significant in all types of asset ownership. Variances in asset ownership by ethnic groups exist. Asian Indians and Koreans had higher levels of business asset ownership. Korean, and Filipino immigrants were also more likely to be homeowners. Asian Indian and Chinese immigrants were more likely to own financial assets. Vietnamese lagged in business or farm and financial asset ownership. Findings provided insights into the investment decisions of new Asian immigrants for financial educators, researchers, and policymakers.     

What can we learn about the female condom online? An analysis of visual representations of the female condom on the Internet

This study used social functional semiotics and the concept of gender display to examine visual representations of the female condom on Google Images. A content analysis of 195 web images identified that almost half of the images were about the appearance theme of the female condom followed by the how-to-use theme. A majority of visuals did not have captions. Humans were present in 64.1% of the images, with a majority of visuals depicting dismembered female body parts rather than a whole person. These and other findings are discussed in regards to theoretical and health message design implications.     

Book Reviews

This article uses a Bayesian unit-root test in stochastic volatility models. The time series of interest is the volatility that is unobservable. The unit-root testing is based on the posterior odds ratio, which is approximated by Markov-chain Monte Carlo methods. Simulations show that the testing procedure is efficient for moderate sample size. The unit-root hypothesis is rejected in seven market indexes, and some evidence of nonstationarity is observed in the TWSI of Taiwan.