Motion picture performance: A review and research agenda

This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of empirical studies of motion picture performance published from 1977 to 2006 inclusive in the following five disciplines of the social sciences: strategy, organization theory, marketing, cultural economics and sociology. It introduces a novel framework which organizes the various dimensions and explanatory factors of movie performance into five distinct categories and underscores their relationships. The paper, which uses this model as a roadmap for discussions of film success, serves two complementary purposes. First, it clarifies the current state of the literature, stresses core contributions and exposes limitations in existing research by emphasizing hitherto neglected independent explanatory factors, dependent dimensions and correlations between them. Second, it introduces five conceptual, methodological and empirical suggestions for further cinema performance research aimed at addressing these limitations and, accordingly, at providing better accounts of motion picture performance in view of the fast-changing conditions of cinema production, marketing and consumption.     

Russian Population Dynamics and Its Components in 2001-25

Data on population trends in Russia show that despite fluctuations, the long-term trend is a continued decline in the size of the Russian population. The government's pro-fertility policies may not be able to stem this trend, and the potential for in-migration of people of Russian descent is almost exhausted.     

Family and school capital explaining regional variation in math and reading achievement

We know that inequality varies by region and also begins early in life. Bivariate data suggest that 5–14-year-old children in the 1994 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) score differently in reading and mathematics achievement depending on their region, with children in the South and West scoring lower. We combine literatures on regional bases of inequality and family and school capital to generate hypotheses explaining these differences. Analyses of covariance provide supportive evidence. For both outcomes among boys, the variation is explained by additive models including family and child social and human capital, although selected aspects of school capital are also influential; these models also explain math achievement among girls. A model including both additive and interactive effects explains regional differences in reading achievement for girls. We interpret these findings in terms of their implications for studying inequality in child achievement as well as for emphasizing the importance of regional inequality, particularly beyond the South versus non-South distinction.     

After a Disaster: Lessons in Survey Methodology from Hurricane Katrina

In 2005, the National Science Foundation funded a number of projects to study the impact of Hurricane Katrina. The current article provides an overview of several research approaches used to conduct post-Katrina research. Each method had some advantages and disadvantages. The post-disaster context meant that experience from traditional survey methods often did not apply. Comparisons of advantages and disadvantages associated with each sampling method serve to inform future post-disaster research and illuminate the limits of classical research methods.     

Die Auswirkungen von Neid auf individuelle Leistungen: Ergebnisse einer Panelanalyse

Relative income differences are likely to lead to envy within a reference group. Envy in turn influences social behavior and individual performance. While positional concerns are apparent in daily life, empirical evidence is rare in the economic literature. This paper investigates the impact of the relative income position on individuals’ performance or productivity. As ?performance“ is difficult to measure we turn to soccer players whose performance has been well documented. The broad sample covers eight seasons of the German premier soccer league (Bundesliga) between 1995 and 2004, and includes 1040 players, a salary proxy and several performance variables. The results show that player performance is strongly affected by relative income position. A disadvantage in the relative income position reduces productivity. The larger the income differences within a team, the stronger are the effects of positional concern. Team composition also significantly affects behaviour.     

Incorporating quality into data envelopment analysis of nursing home performance: A case study

When using data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a benchmarking technique for nursing homes, it is essential to include measures of the quality of care. We survey applications where quality has been incorporated into DEA models and consider the concerns that arise when the results show that quality measures have been effectively ignored. Three modeling techniques are identified that address these concerns. Each of these techniques requires some input from management as to the proper emphasis to be placed on the quality aspect of performance. We report the results of a case study in which we apply these techniques to a DEA model of nursing home performance. We examine in depth not only the resulting efficiency scores, but also the benchmark sets and the weights given to the input and output measures. We find that two of the techniques are effective in insuring that DEA results discriminate between high and low quality performance.     

新型现代农业技术推广困境的话语分析——以水稻强化栽培体系（SRI）在四川省Y村的推广为例

文章从水稻强化栽培体系在四川省Y村推广初期取得良好效果之后未能得到可持续应用的现象出发,以SRI为例分析了导致新型现代农业技术话语弱化的因素及其对新型现代农业技术推广和应用产生的不利影响.研究发现,推广主体权力的弱化和农户对知识体系的模糊性认识导致新型现代农业技术无法建构起有效的话语,而农民在考虑到技术“比较效益”之后选择的外出务工和“消遣经济”的道路,则进一步弱化了新型现代农业技术话语,同时,也对我国农业经济的发展和进步造成了严重影响.     

Tweeting democracy? Examining Twitter as an online public relations strategy for congressional campaigns’

Considering the integral relationship between public relations and democracy (Martinelli, 2011) coupled with the growing use of social media for democratic aims (Smith, 2011) the current study examines the effectiveness of Twitter as a public relations communications tool for congressional campaigns. Specifically, as a means of testing Twitter's effectiveness in informing and engaging voters, congressional candidate and political party Twitter use for all 435 U.S. House of Representatives races (N = 1284) are compared with 2010 election outcomes. Results indicate that candidates’ Twitter use significantly increased their odds of winning, controlling for incumbency and Party ID. Additionally, significant differences between incumbents’ and challengers’ Twitter use during the election cycle emerged, which has important implications for public relations practices aimed at achieving democratic outcomes.     

Principal Component Analysis of Fertility Changes: United States, 1950–1960

Abstract

Much of present theory and research concerning class and ethnicity overlooks or discounts the overlapping effects of these two social dimensions upon individual behavior and group structure. Gordon's ethclass is discussed as the most proximate attempt at a conceptual model which integrates the two. Hypotheses suggested by this scheme as it relates to multi-ethnic, highly stratified societies are discussed. It is suggested that the three variables of the ethclass—cultural behavior, primary group interaction, and group identification—be augmented by a status variable which will account for the effects of socially assigned ethnic and class identities.