Strategic planning and inflation

The author of this article argues that inflation is a neglected area in corporate planning despite the events of 1974/1975. The planning problem which companies face because of inflation is defined, while acknowledging that it is difficult to solve. Recent experience has shown that inflation has a direct impact on every major area of business. Thus it is essential that there is a meaningful attempt to handle these problems in planning. The author discusses his approach to grasping this nettle.     

Planning for strategic flexibility

In the last 10 years much has been written about the increasing environmental uncertainty firms and other organizations have to cope with. This uncertainty made it much more difficult to plan, since unexpected events often made them obsolete.Flexibility is frequently considered as a way to ‘solve’ the problem of environmental turbulence.In this article, based upon theoretical and empirical research, the author explores the concept of flexibility, puts forward some of his research findings, and advances some implications on how to increase strategic flexibility.     

Bayesian analysis of human movement curves

Summary.  We consider the Bayesian analysis of human movement data, where the subjects perform various reaching tasks. A set of markers is placed on each subject and a system of cameras records the three-dimensional Cartesian co-ordinates of the markers during the reaching movement. It is of interest to describe the mean and variability of the curves that are traced by the markers during one reaching movement, and to identify any differences due to covariates. We propose a methodology based on a hierarchical Bayesian model for the curves. An important part of the method is to obtain identifiable features of the movement so that different curves can be compared after temporal warping. We consider four landmarks and a set of equally spaced pseudolandmarks are located in between. We demonstrate that the algorithm works well in locating the landmarks, and shape analysis techniques are used to describe the posterior distribution of the mean curve. A feature of this type of data is that some parts of the movement data may be missing—the Bayesian methodology is easily adapted to cope with this situation.     

Treatment of the mother in the incest family: The beginning phase

This paper discusses significant counter-transference issues and presents a conceptual framework for ordering the strategies in treating the mother in the incest family. The development of empathy is suggested as the primary engagement tool, and obstacles to its development are analyzed.The major theoretical construct that is employed in formulating the treatment approach is that of the traumagenic dynamics model presented by Finkelhor and Browne (1985). The manner in which this framework can be employed in assessment and prioritizing treatment goals is outlined. Specific approaches for the beginning phase of work with the mother are then described.     

Land-Grant University-Industry Relationships in Biotechnology: A Comparison with the Non-Land-Grant Research Universities1

Abstract The results of a 1986 survey of 185 biotechnology faculty in the land-grant colleges of agriculture are presented. Comparisons are made to a previous survey of biotechnology faculty in nonagricultural research universities. The survey investigates issues raised by industrial involvement in university biotechnology research and the impact of the new biosciences on the agricultural colleges. It was found that college of agriculture biotechnologists have more recently received their highest degrees, show more industrial involvement, and are more positive about the possible benefits of that involvement than their nonagricultural university counterparts. Industrial funding proved to be a significant exogenous variable affecting the activities and attitudes of agricultural college biotechnology faculty. Those with higher levels of industrial funding appear to have lower university productivity.     

International alliance commitment and performance of small and medium-size enterprises: The mediating role of process control

Improving alliance performance is a critical issue that both managers and researchers have attempted to resolve. Recently scholars have suggested that firms can use alliance commitment and process controls to improve alliance performance. Yet research has only found weak support for these direct effects. In this paper we examine the mediating role of process controls on the relationship between alliance commitment and alliance performance. When tested on samples of SMEs we find support for our theoretical predictions. We then discuss the managerial implications of using commitment and process controls in SME international alliances.     

Going most of the way: “Technical virginity” among American adolescents

Reports from academic and media sources assert that many young people substitute non-vaginal sexual activities for vaginal intercourse in order to maintain what could be called “technical virginity.” Explanations for technical virginity, however, are based on weak empirical evidence and considerable speculation. Using a sample of 15–19-year-olds from Cycle 6 of the National Survey of Family Growth, we examine technical virginity and its motivations. The results suggest that religious adolescents are less likely than less-religious ones to opt for non-vaginal sex over total abstinence. Abstinence pledgers who are virgins are neither more nor less likely than nonpledgers who are virgins to substitute non-vaginal sex for intercourse. Moreover, religion and morality are actually the weakest motivators of sexual substitution among adolescents who have not had vaginal sex. Preserving technical virginity is instead more common among virgins who are driven by a desire to avoid potential life-altering consequences, like pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.     

Bias Reduction through First-order Mean Correction, Bootstrapping and Recursive Mean Adjustment

Standard methods of estimation for autoregressive models are known to be biased in finite samples, which has implications for estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence interval construction and forecasting. Three methods of bias reduction are considered here: first-order bias correction, FOBC, where the total bias is approximated by the O(T^-1) bias; bootstrapping; and recursive mean adjustment, RMA. In addition, we show how first-order bias correction is related to linear bias correction. The practically important case where the AR model includes an unknown linear trend is considered in detail. The fidelity of nominal to actual coverage of confidence intervals is also assessed. A simulation study covers the AR(1) model and a number of extensions based on the empirical AR(p) models fitted by Nelson & Plosser (1982). Overall, which method dominates depends on the criterion adopted: bootstrapping tends to be the best at reducing bias, recursive mean adjustment is best at reducing mean squared error, whilst FOBC does particularly well in maintaining the fidelity of confidence intervals.     

Boardroom Operational and Financial Control: an Insider View*

This study examines the control processes and their dynamics at the board level of two non‐profit organizations with a view to penetrating and exploring directors' control orientations, discourse and decisions in their holistic context. In comparison with the predominantly survey‐ and interview‐based prior research on board‐level control, this study offers a distinctly processual view through its employment of a longitudinal complete member researcher participant observer methodology. Three primary themes of boardroom control focus are identified and analysed. These are control reporting, director's control orientation and the board's budgetary control approach. Directors' strategic orientation is found to be the primary driver of their exercise of control, with reporting systems and routine monitoring emerging as adjuncts to their primary strategic control focus. Strategy‐triggered control activity exhibits itself largely via directors' cost–benefit and risk management analyses communally developed in the course of board meeting exchanges.