Public Opinion du Jour: An Examination of the Spiral of Silence

This study investigates the spiral of silence theory using perceivedvote outcomes as well as actual vote behaviors. The first majorhypothesis—that those who see their position as gainingsupport will be more likely to discuss while those who see theirposition as losing support will be less likely to discuss—wassupported by the data. Some support was also found for the hypothesisthat individuals perceiving support for a certain candidatewould be more likely to express a preference for the candidate.Results also seemed to justify the Noelle-Neumann distinctionbetween the resistant hardcore and other types of citizens.The relative independence of perception of opinion judgmentsfrom own preferences also was investigated and support was foundfor this difference.     

Free trade: why did it happen?*

Tout au long de la campagne qu'il a menée pour devenir chef du Parti Conservateur en 1983, Brian Mulroney a dénoncé le libre-échange. Peu de temps après, il fit volte-face et engagea le processus de négociation qui aboutit à un accord de libre-échange. Une minorité de canadiens était favorable à une telle entente, mais les Conservateurs remportèrent les éledions de 1988 et signèrent l'Accord de libre-échange avec les États-Unis. Comment expliquer cet enchdînement d'événements paradoxaux? L'auteur cherche à répondre à cette question capitale en présentant des données sur le degréélevé de concentration et d'intégration de la propriétééconomique qui, examinéà la lumière de la thérie du capital financier, améme à la conclusion que la classe capitaliste canadienne s'est renforcée au cours de la dernière décennie. La communication présente également des données sur l'affaiblissement des classes subordonnées au Canada. Cette double évolution est ensuite mise en relation avec le modèle dit de l'équilibre dee forces' afin d'expliquer les interventions de lÉtat canadien. Pour appuyer sa thèse, l'auteur compare les politiques canadiennes des annbés 1970 avec celles d'aujourd hui et fait des rapprochements entre l'Accord de libre-éhange canado-américain et l'Union économique européenne. Brian Mulroney denounced Free Trade when he campaigned for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party in 1983. Shortly afterward, he reversed his position and initiated the negotiations that produced a Free Trade agreement. More Canadians opposed this agreement than supported it, but the Progressive Conservatives won the 1988 election and implemented the Canada-United States Trade Agreement. Why did this paradoxical series of events happen? This paper attempts to provide an answer to this question. It documents a significant concentration and integration of economic ownership and goes on to relate these developments to the theory of finance capital to identify the increasing strength of the Canadian capitalist claes over the past decade. It also documents the weakening of Canadian subordinate classes. These twin developments are then related to the ‘Power Balance Model’ to explain the actions of the Canadian state. Comparisons of Canadian state policy between the 1970s and now, and of the Canada-United States Trade Agreement with European Economic Union, are shown to support the proposed explanation.     

Colonialism and underdevelopment in Kigoma region,Tanzania: a social structural view*

This paper examines the impact on the social structure of Kigoma Region, Tanzania, of the imposition of British colonial rule and the coercion of the population to work for the plantations and other enterprises established under British auspices. As a consequence of indirect rule and economic exploitation, the networks of the ruling stratum were strengthened, while those of the commoners fell apart. These structural changes led to the creation of a crime-ridden society that became less egalitarian and less conducive to individual well-being. The paper concludes with some observations on the social dimensions of underdevelopment. L'article examine l'effet de l'imposition du régime colonial britannique et de la contrainte au travail dans les plantations et autres entreprises établies sous les auspices britanniques sur la structure sociale de la Région du Kigoma, Tanzanie. Les conséquences du contrôle indirect et de l'exploitation économique ont renforcé les réseaux de la strate dominante alors que ceux des gens ordinaires se sont désintégrés. Ces changements structuraux ont donné naissance à une société remplie de crimes qui est devenue moins égalitaire et moins favorable au bien-être individuel. Quelques remarques sur les dimensions sociales du sous-développement terminent l'article.     

SETUP REDUCTION AND MACHINE AVAILABILITY

This paper is an extension of Billington, who used the framework of the economic production quantity (EPQ) to model setup cost reduction. In the present paper, we use the EPQ model as a starting point to investigate the nature of setup costs and the effect of setup time reduction on the increase in available capacity. Reducing setup is vital to a company's success because a lengthy changeover of machinery is expensive: it demands long production runs to justify its cost, and these, in turn, lead to excessive inventory and to a slow response to customer needs. As in Billington, setup reduction is modeled as a function of an annual amortized investment. The paper examines the behavior of the setup time, the inventory cost, the lot size, and the freeing up of machine time in the face of a capacity constraint. A solution algorithm is provided to find setup times that minimize the sum of setup and holding cost, subject to a constraint on machine availability. The analysis sheds light on the true nature of setup cost and on the opportunity cost of not reducing setups. In the constrained optimization, the Lagrangian multiplier gives an estimate of the marginal value of adding one time unit of machine capacity, or, alternatively, of reducing one unit of setup time.     

口传、书写和文化社会

人类社会的演变与人类的传播方式和手段息息相关。人类最初的传播方式是口头交谈,然后人类发明了书写,弥补了言谈的不足。传播方式的变化促成了思想的产生,知识的积累,对社会各方面的进步具有重要作用。在今天,书写能力和教育水平影响着人们的生活方式,以及社会的政治与经济发展。     

口传、书写和文化社会

人类社会的演变与人类的传播方式和手段息息相关.人类最初的传播方式是口头交谈,然后人类发明了书写,弥补了言谈的不足.传播方式的变化促成了思想的产生,知识的积累,对社会各方面的进步具有重要作用.在今天,书写能力和教育水平影响着人们的生活方式,以及社会的政治与经济发展.