On the Breslow–Holubkov estimator

Breslow and Holubkov (J Roy Stat Soc B 59:447–461 1997a) developed semiparametric maximum likelihood estimation for two-phase studies with a case–control first phase under a logistic regression model and noted that, apart for the overall intercept term, it was the same as the semiparametric estimator for two-phase studies with a prospective first phase developed in Scott and Wild (Biometrica 84:57–71 1997). In this paper we extend the Breslow–Holubkov result to general binary regression models and show that it has a very simple relationship with its prospective first-phase counterpart. We also explore why the design of the first phase only affects the intercept of a logistic model, simplify the calculation of standard errors, establish the semiparametric efficiency of the Breslow–Holubkov estimator and derive its asymptotic distribution in the general case.     

First Communion: The Emergence of Vocal Relationships

Human infants engage in vocal communion with their mother and other prospective caregivers as soon as it becomes possible to do so. As the term is used here, 'communion' refers to a continuous state or feeling of connectedness owing to the existence of a communications link that is maintained largely by the vocalizations of infants and caregivers. It is proposed that certain types of vocalization that infants place in this channel encourage physical approach and caregiving. Several of the social behaviors that predict lexical learning, including joint attention and vocal imitation, are also, in theory, associated with maternal attachment. Since quality of attachment also predicts language development, research is needed to determine which behaviors are functionally related to language learning and which are only symptomatic of a relationship that is independently influential.     

Unweaving leaving: the use of models in the management of employee turnover

This paper offers a review of the literature on labour turnover in organizations. Initially, the importance of the subject area is established, as analyses of turnover are outlined and critiqued. This leads to a discussion of the various ways in which turnover and its consequences are measured. The potentially critical impact of turnover behaviour on organizational effectiveness is presented as justification for the need to model turnover, as a precursor to prediction and prevention. Key models from the literature of labour turnover are presented and critiqued.     

The Need for Military Intervention in Humanitarian Emergencies

I have been a keen student of international intervention since long before my command of the United Nations forces in Cambodia. My military career has spanned much of the Cold War years and has taken me to places like Malaysia during the period of confrontation over its formation, Vietnam, Europe at the height of the strategy of Mutually Assured Destruction, and most of Southeast Asia. I was an instructor at the British Army Staff College at the time of the establishment of UNIFIL – the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon – a serious aberration in the determinedly passive international peacekeeping approach to that time. The earlier intervention in the Congo in the 1960s seemed to have warned the UN off anything forceful in disrupted states, leaving it to former colonial powers to extract themselves from their former areas of engagement with as much saving grace as they could muster. Many of them did not do this very well.     

A Multiple Imputation Approach to Linear Regression with Clustered Censored Data

Weextend Wei and Tanner's (1991) multiple imputation approach insemi-parametric linear regression for univariate censored datato clustered censored data. The main idea is to iterate the followingtwo steps: 1) using the data augmentation to impute for censoredfailure times; 2) fitting a linear model with imputed completedata, which takes into consideration of clustering among failuretimes. In particular, we propose using the generalized estimatingequations (GEE) or a linear mixed-effects model to implementthe second step. Through simulation studies our proposal comparesfavorably to the independence approach (Lee et al., 1993), whichignores the within-cluster correlation in estimating the regressioncoefficient. Our proposal is easy to implement by using existingsoftwares.     

In Search of the Lemmus Lemmus: An Investigation into Convergent Competition

This paper explores the reasons for industries converging upon poor strategies. The phenomenon is likened to the periodic mass suicide of the lemmus lemmus (the Norwegian lemming). It gives historic examples of the phenomenon, and evidence of its occurring within a simulated business environment. A literature review shows how it can be explained using theories from economics, psychology and competitive analogies used in business. An inputs-process–outputs model provides a theoretical framework for Lemmus Lemmus strategies and is used to derive hypotheses.     

Naturing the Nation: Aliens,Apocalypse, and the Postcolonial State

The purpose of this study is to understand how the British Canadian Frank Schofield transformed himself into an established missionary scholar and nobleman in Korea. The study employs its framework from the structure of cultural exchange itself in its survey of Schofield's career. It examines the relevant aspects of Korean and Western cultures, and the characteristics of Schofield who linked them. The case, including themes significant both to Korean and Western cultures, such as the importance of spirituality, an emphasis on education, and the ideals of justice and love, explains reasons for his success as a cultural mediator between Korea and the West. It reveals that the flow of information and ideas between Koreans and Schofield illustrates the ability of intercultural contact to influence the initiating as well as receiving culture. It suggests that such a distinction between sender and receiver may carry little ultimate significance. Finally, it argues that individuals of different cultures can convey information and ideas effectively only if the conveyer learns about the target individuals for the information and ideas, and communicates on the basis of that knowledge, as intercultural communications occur between the individuals of different cultures.