Influence of alliance portfolio diversity on innovation performance: the role of internal capabilities of value creation

In this study, we suggest a new perspective on the linkage between alliance portfolio diversity and innovation performance based on a contingency approach. Using a longitudinal data set on alliance portfolios and patents of 182 firms in the U.S. manufacturing industries, we examined that alliance portfolio diversity has a U-shaped relationship with firm-level innovation. Internal value creation capabilities in terms of routine and ability are found to moderate the relationship between alliance portfolio diversity and innovation performance: organizational search routine strengthens the relationship of alliance portfolio diversity and innovation performance while technological capabilities weaken and flip the relationship.

     

Concomitant-Variable Latent-Class Beta Inflated Models to Assess Students’ Performance: An Italian Case Study

Students’ performance is a crucial aspect for university programs effectiveness and organization. In this paper, we introduce and analyze a performance index for the first-year students of a private Italian university, namely the Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta. We use administrative data on 532 undergraduate students enrolled in any of the eight available bachelor degrees in 2015. Our aim is to improve the general understanding of performance linking it with personal student’s characteristics and with degree-specific aspects. A beta inflated latent class approach is employed to identify clusters of performance establishing a link with all available explanatory variables. The empirical analysis unveils that a good and balanced degree organization may improve students’ performance. The student’s ability plays a crucial role in discriminating between good and bad performances, and also strongly depends on individual-specific characteristics, such as the final mark obtained at high school.

     

Adjusting for centre heterogeneity in multicentre clinical trials with a time‒to‒event outcome

Conducting a clinical trial at multiple study centres raises the issue of whether and how to adjust for centre heterogeneity in the statistical analysis. In this paper, we address this issue for multicentre clinical trials with a time?to?event outcome. Based on simulations, we show that the current practice of ignoring centre heterogeneity can be seriously misleading, and we illustrate the performances of the frailty modelling approach over competing methods. A special attention is paid to the problem of misspecification of the frailty distribution. The appendix provides sample codes in R and in SAS to perform the analyses in this paper. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The multisample Cucconi test

The multisample version of the Cucconi rank test for the two-sample location-scale problem is proposed. Even though little known, the Cucconi test is of interest for several reasons. The test is compared with some Lepage-type tests. It is shown that the multisample Cucconi test is slightly more powerful than the multisample Lepage test. Moreover, its test statistic can be computed analytically whereas several others cannot. A practical application example in experimental nutrition is presented. An R function to perform the multisample Cucconi test is given.     

Costs and Financing of Maritime Education and Training in Europe: Analysis and Policy Implications

The paper reports some findings of an extensive European research project carried out on costs and funds of MET (maritime education and training) systems. The need to improve the quality of the European MET systems is a relevant political and scientific issue which strongly impacts the competitiveness of the shipping sector in Europe. However, MET is quite an expensive ET system since it requires high investments and incurs in high running costs. The situation is also acerbated by the decreasing number of students at MET institutions. There is then the need of having a closer look at the financial aspects of MET so as to come up with some policy recommendations for improving the current situation in terms of optimal use of resources. In the paper a questionnaire-based methodology is employed aiming at identifying and analyzing different cost and funds structures of MET institutions in Europe (cost models). Then, by considering some policy-sensitive variables of the cost models, some policy recommendations are drawn up to improve the efficiency of current systems. They basically refer to the need to concentrate and integrate resources in order to exploit some degree of economies of scale, on top of achieving some economies of scope and pursuing quality in MET. Finally, further lines of research are indicated.     

A strong paradox of multiple elections

We consider a stronger version of the paradox of multiple elections and show that it is possible that not only the winning combination of propositions, but also all the combinations sufficiently close to it, receive zero votes. Received: 8 April 1997/Accepted: 18 April 1997     

Determinants of Joblessness During the Economic Crisis: Impact of Criminality in the Italian Labour Market

After nearly 20 years without any significant changes, the indicators of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) have undergone a major overhaul in the current 2014–2020 programming period. This paper reviews the characteristics of the ERDF indicator system evolution and contextualises the changes. Based on applying a logic model and practical examples, we argue that in spite of the good justification for changes, the new ERDF intervention logic and indicator system did not solve some of the well-known problems and brought new challenges for the ERDF-supported programmes. The main challenges that still remain to be solved are: differing indicator concepts between the European Union funds; inconsistency of the common output indicators; difficulties in establishing a programme’s contribution to results; persistent problems in determining the target values for results; and broad result indicators with indirect link to interventions.     

Health Insurance,from a Child Language Broker's Perspective

In the midst of dramatic changes to American health care law there is need to understand the challenges that vulnerable populations encounter in obtaining and managing health insurance. Research has found that child language brokers, children who mediate language and culture for their immigrant families, assist with health‐related matters. We report on focus groups with 17 language brokers living in Central Los Angeles. In this article we detail their experiences language brokering for health insurance and their knowledge of health insurance and policies that apply to their immigrant families. We illuminate some barriers immigrant families face as well as how they navigate them. We conclude with policy implications, particularly in relation to making health insurance more accessible to non‐English speaking and immigrant populations.     

JOB MOBILITY AND EARNINGS INSTABILITY

There is still no consensus on the causes of the increase in the variance of transitory earnings (earnings instability) in the United States. It is difficult to attribute the rise in instability to job mobility because there is no evidence of a concurrent increase in job turnover or separations. Using an error component model of the covariance structure of earnings on Panel Survey of Income Dynamics and Survey of Income and Program Participation data, this study shows that job mobility and the increase in the variance of wage changes upon job change accounts for a substantial part of the increase in earnings instability. The empirical evidence is consistent with the simulations of a search and matching model where an increase in the variance of productivity shocks increases on‐the‐job search and earnings instability among job changers while leaving job turnover approximately constant. (JEL J21, J31)