Effects of Career Counseling on French Adults: An Experimental Study

This research project is focused on theoretical and empirical works analyzing the effects of career counseling. This experimental and longitudinal study has been carried out in France; it compares a sample of individuals having undertaken competence assessment with a control group and deals with self‐esteem, self‐analysis, self‐concept, and the participants' situations. The results correspond to the authors' main hypotheses: The effect size calculated for all the variables (+0.62) is similar to the one observed in the meta‐analyses concerning the same topic. The stability of effects has also been demonstrated for 2 out of 3 categories of variables (effect size +0.44) in spite of a slight decrease in the production of self‐concept. Finally, treatment intensity seems to have a lesser effect than the one expected, but it strengthens its role in the development of self‐analysis. The discussion focuses on the prospects for counseling practice assessment, as well as theoretical directions meriting future development.     

Validation of a longitudinally measured surrogate marker for a time-to-event endpoint

The objective of this paper is to extend the surrogate endpoint validation methodology proposed by Buyse et al. (2000) to the case of a longitudinally measured surrogate marker when the endpoint of interest is time to some key clinical event. A joint model for longitudinal and event time data is required. To this end, the model formulation of Henderson et al. (2000) is adopted. The methodology is applied to a set of two randomized clinical trials in advanced prostate cancer to evaluate the usefulness of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level as a surrogate for survival.     

On arguments from self-interest for the Nash solution and the Kalai egalitarian solution to the bargaining problem

I argue in this paper that there are two considerations which govern the dynamics of a two-person bargaining game, viz. relative proportionate utility loss from conceding to one's opponent's proposal and relative non-proportionate utility loss from not conceding to one's opponent's proposal, if she were not to concede as well. The first consideration can adequately be captured by the information contained in vNM utilities. The second requires measures of utility which allow for an interpersonal comparison of utility differences. These considerations respectively provide for a justification of the Nash solution and the Kalai egalitarian solution. However, none of these solutions taken by themselves can provide for a full story of bargaining, since, if within a context of bargaining one such consideration is overriding, the solution which does not match this consideration will yield unreasonable results. I systematically present arguments to the effect that each justification from self-interest for respectively the Nash and the Kalai egalitarian solution is vulnerable to this kind of objection. I suggest that the search for an integrative model may be a promising line of research.I am grateful to Jon Elster, A. Hylland, F. Spinnewijn, J. Verhoeven and the members of the research group for theoretical sociology in the K.U.L. for their comments on an earlier version of this paper. I also thank the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Norway) for its financial support and the members of the department of sociology in the University of Oslo for their hospitality and interest in my work.     

A portfolio model for foreign exchange exposure management

This paper summarizes the results of our research into applications of decision analysis and portfolio theory to the management of foreign exchange exposure. In contrast with much current practice in foreign exchange management, the portfolio approach takes into explicit consideration the inherent relationships among the currencies in the company's foreign currency portfolio. The hedging model developed in this article traces out an ‘efficient frontier’ or trade-off curve between expected value and variance of the foreign currency portfolio at the end of the planning period. In doing so, the model chooses the optimal amount and method of hedging for each currency in the portfolio.     

Managing impressions On visually decoding the workplace as a symbolic environment

This paper sheds light on the way by which corporations visually communicate their values and norms through the deliberate and/or less conscious construction of the material environment. Studying these cultural products and other material traces allows us to gain significant information about aspects of a corporation's culture which other‐wise often remain intangible or inaccessible.

Some results of visual fieldwork in a Norwegian multi‐national are presented as a case study, focusing on the workplace as a symbolic environment that may both reveal and mystify significant aspects of corporate culture.     

Is the German system of corporate governance converging towards the Anglo-American model?

This paper analyses whether the German corporate governance is converging towards Anglo-American practices. We summarise the extant empirical evidence on the various governance mechanisms that economic theory suggests ensure efficiency and describe recent legal developments. We find no clear signs of convergence in form, i.e. the main distinctive features of the German system have remained largely unaltered. However, changes occurred over the last decade (specially in the legal framework) suggest a certain convergence in function, i.e. some governance mechanisms have effectively incorporated aims and/or goals generally associated with the Anglo-American model.

Bayesian Inference in Dynamic Disequilibrium Models: An Application to the Polish Credit Market

We propose a Bayesian approach for inference in a dynamic disequilibrium model. To circumvent the difficulties raised by the Maddala and Nelson (1974 Maddala , G. , Nelson , F. ( 1974 ). Maximum likelihood methods for models of markets in disequilibrium . Econometrica 42 ( 6 ): 1013 – 1030 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) specification in the dynamic case, we analyze a dynamic extended version of the disequilibrium model of Ginsburgh et al. (1980 Ginsburgh , V. , Tishler , A. , Zang , I. ( 1980 ). Alternative estimation methods for two regime models . European Economic Review 13 : 207 – 228 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We develop a Gibbs sampler based on the simulation of the missing observations. The feasibility of the approach is illustrated by an empirical analysis of the Polish credit market, for which we conduct a specification search using the posterior deviance criterion of Spiegelhalter et al. (2002 Spiegelhalter , D. J. , Best , N. G. , Carlin , B. P. , Van Der Linde , A. ( 2002 ). Bayesian measures of complexity and fit . Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Ser. B 64 : 583 – 639 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]).     

Design of computer experiments: space filling and beyond

When setting up a computer experiment, it has become a standard practice to select the inputs spread out uniformly across the available space. These so-called space-filling designs are now ubiquitous in corresponding publications and conferences. The statistical folklore is that such designs have superior properties when it comes to prediction and estimation of emulator functions. In this paper we want to review the circumstances under which this superiority holds, provide some new arguments and clarify the motives to go beyond space-filling. An overview over the state of the art of space-filling is introducing and complementing these results.     

Approximation of IMSE-optimal Designs via Quadrature Rules and Spectral Decomposition

We address the problem of computing integrated mean-squared error (IMSE) optimal designs for interpolation of random fields with known mean and covariance. We assume that the mean squared error is integrated through a discrete measure and restrict the design space to its support. We show that the IMSE and its approximation by spectral truncation can be easily evaluated, which makes their global minimization affordable. Numerical experiments are carried out that illustrate the effectiveness of the approach.