A PLURALITY MAXIMIZING APPROACH TO THE ALLOCATION OF CAMPAIGN RESOURCES

An important problem in the planning of political campaigns is the allocation of resources to precincts and other geographical voting units in order to maximize a candidate's plurality. Essentially, parties may increase candidate plurality by engaging in registration drives, midcampaign activities such as canvassing and candidate appearances, and get-out-the-vote drives. Based on previous work which has related voter response to party identification, the authors develop a model for the optimal allocation of campaign resources to these activities. The computational feasibility of the solution procedure is made possible by a decomposition across activities.     

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS PLANNING UNDER UNCERTAINTY

This paper presents a framework for characterizing and studying the uncertainty which can affect inventory investment and service level performance in a material requirements planning (MRP) system. It also presents the results of a simulation experiment which compared two techniques (safety stock and safety lead time) for building inventory to protect against uncertainty. The simulation results disclose consistent differences between the techniques in protecting a representative part against timing and quantity uncertainty in both demand and supply for the part. The paper not only provides some initial insights into the behavior of MRP systems under uncertainty, but also establishes some guidelines for choosing between safety stock and safety lead time.     

RETURN ON INVESTMENT AS A CRITERION FOR INVENTORY MODELS

In the past most inventory formulations have utilized cost minimization or profit maximization as an optimizing criterion. When viewed from the standpoint of the owner or investor, maximizing the return on investment (ROI) is an appropriate criterion for many types of inventories. This paper proposes ROI as a criterion for inventory models and derives optimal reorder rules for some common assumptions. An economic order quantity that differs greatly from the traditional formulas is discussed. The paper also enumerates the conditions under which ROI is an appropriate criterion and contrasts it to the traditional cost minimization and profit maximization criteria.     

DECISION RULES IN PRODUCTION PLANNING UNDER CHANGE-CONSTRAINED SALES*

Alternative decision rules for aggregate production scheduling are specified here under chance-constrained sales and compared with the HMMS model. These rules are evaluated for their performance on the basis of simulated data on sales and it is found that the linear decision rules of the HMMS model can be considerably improved.     

The Personal Costs of Subprime Lending and the Foreclosure Crisis: A Matter of Trust,Insecurity, and Institutional Deception*

Objective. Research on widespread loan failures suggests that many of the mortgage loans that were made since 2000 were of a deceptive or predatory nature. This study explores the experiences and sentiments of those who are at risk of foreclosure within a broader framework of trust, individualization, and ontological security. Methods. Interviews examine families' lending experience and how they have coped with their personal troubles that resulted from their housing crisis. Results. As many of these loans were of a deceptive or predatory nature, individuals are likely to reflect on the psychological consequences of their predicament. Although these findings suggest that these individuals have lost trust in the housing market, many have internalized their situation as a personal failure. In addition, feelings of anxiety, stress, insecurity, and uncertainty have come to characterize their experiences. Conclusions. This research calls for policy recommendations that seek to restore confidence and to ensure greater consumer protection in financial markets.     

You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry: List Experiment Misreporting*

Objective. List experiment respondents may misreport the number of list items that they associate with in order to associate themselves with a socially desirable test item or to disassociate themselves from a socially undesirable test item. Tests for such misreporting were conducted. Methods. List experiments from the 1991 National Race and Politics Survey, the 2006 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, and the 2008 Cooperative Campaign Analysis Project were analyzed or reviewed. Results. Evidence suggested that some respondents deflated their report more than necessary to avoid association with a socially undesirable test item. Conclusions. List experiments may provide inaccurate estimates of the percentage of the population to which the test item applies, but the direction of bias is predictable.