The Impact of Community Context on Land Use in an Agricultural Society

As an initial step toward new models of the population-environment relationship, this paper explores the relationship between community context and local land use in an agricultural setting. In this type of setting, we argue that aspects of the community context, such as schools and transportation infrastructure, impact important environmental characteristics, such as land use. We provide hypotheses which explain the mechanisms producing these effects. We then use data from a study of 132 communities in rural Nepal to test our hypotheses. These analyses show that community characteristics are strongly associated with land use in this agricultural setting. The results point toward changes in communities as critical determinants of environmental quality. These findings are consistent with the notion that changes in community contexts may also condition the population-environment relationship.     

Estimating the parameters of a bathtub-shaped distribution under progressive type-II censoring

We consider the problem of estimating unknown parameters, reliability function and hazard function of a two parameter bathtub-shaped distribution on the basis of progressive type-II censored sample. The maximum likelihood estimators and Bayes estimators are derived for two unknown parameters, reliability function and hazard function. The Bayes estimators are obtained against squared error, LINEX and entropy loss functions. Also, using the Lindley approximation method we have obtained approximate Bayes estimators against these loss functions. Some numerical comparisons are made among various proposed estimators in terms of their mean square error values and some specific recommendations are given. Finally, two data sets are analyzed to illustrate the proposed methods.     

SB-robustness of directional mean for circular distributions

In this paper we study the robustness of the directional mean (a.k.a. circular mean) for different families of circular distributions. We show that the directional mean is robust in the sense of finite standardized gross error sensitivity (SB-robust) for the following families: (1) mixture of two circular normal distributions, (2) mixture of wrapped normal and circular normal distributions and (3) mixture of two wrapped normal distributions. We also show that the directional mean is not SB-robust for the family of all circular normal distributions with varying concentration parameter. We define the circular trimmed mean and prove that it is SB-robust for this family. In general the property of SB-robustness of an estimator at a family of probability distributions is dependent on the choice of the dispersion measure. We introduce the concept of equivalent dispersion measures and prove that if an estimator is SB-robust for one dispersion measure then it is SB-robust for all equivalent dispersion measures. Three different dispersion measures for circular distributions are considered and their equivalence studied.     

The soft side of knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and small to medium enterprises: an exploratory study to understand process improvement

Abstract

The study explores the soft side of knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and small to medium enterprises (SMEs), a topic which is often neglected in the knowledge management literature. The aim of this paper is to uncover the issues which emerge during formation of a partnership between heterogeneous organizations and universities. In addition, the study unfolds the criticalities of typical process improvement capability that supports the knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and SMEs. Using multiple cases, this study unravels the dominant elements that influence knowledge transfer process development, governance, implications and responsibilities. The major contribution of this study is the development of a framework based on empirical evidence using three knowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs) which illustrates the way in which soft factors in knowledge transfer partnership phases may have an impact on success or failure of university–industry collaborations for innovation.     

Secondary agency conflicts: A synthesis and proposed measurement model

Secondary agency conflicts typically arise when ownership and control are combined in the hands of dominant shareholders who could then seek to misappropriate returns at the expense of minority shareholders. This type of agency conflict has attracted attention from researchers for the past nearly three decades. However, efforts at measuring secondary agency conflicts have been fragmented and scattered. The absence of a coherent and valid approach to assess the scope and intensity of secondary agency conflicts has impeded progress in both empirical and conceptual development of the topic area. Based on a review of the extant body of literature, this paper develops a composite Shareholder Inequity index that measures the potential for secondary agency conflicts employing three different governance dimensions that are grounded in the agency literature: blockholder power, differential control, and the absence of board neutrality. The index is tested and validated empirically using a sample of 748 publicly listed U.S. firms. The resulting Shareholder Inequity index demonstrates high levels of validity and reliability. Future corporate governance studies can utilize this validated measure to investigate potential secondary agency conflicts more consistently and rigorously in order to strengthen organizational theory development and research.     

DO TERRORIST ATTACKS IMPACT EXCHANGE RATE BEHAVIOR? NEW INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE

This study examines whether terrorist attacks affect bilateral exchange rates. Using historical 10‐minute exchange rate data for 21 countries' currency vis‐à‐vis the U.S. dollar, we show that exchange rate returns of all countries are statistically significantly affected by terrorist attacks. Some exchange rates appreciate and some depreciate following a terrorist attack, some currencies experience exchange rate reversals while others experience a persistent effect. Generally, the effect declines but persists as terrorist attacks become stale information. (JEL F31, F37)     

On a modified version of intervened negative binomial distribution

In this paper, a generalized version of the intervened negative binomial distribution of Kumar and Sreeja [On intervened negative binomial distribution and some of its properties. Statistica. 2012;72:395–404] is considered and studied some of its properties. Certain methods of estimation of the parameters of the distribution are discussed and illustrated with the help of real life data sets. A test procedure is suggested for testing the intervention parameter and a simulation study is conducted for examining the performance of the estimators.     

Classification into two normal populations with a common mean and unequal variances

The problem of classification into two univariate normal populations with a common mean is considered. Several classification rules are proposed based on efficient estimators of the common mean. Detailed numerical comparisons of probabilities of misclassifications using these rules have been carried out. It is shown that the classification rule based on the Graybill-Deal estimator of the common mean performs the best. Classification rules are also proposed for the case when variances are assumed to be ordered. Comparison of these rules with the rule based on the Graybill-Deal estimator has been done with respect to individual probabilities of misclassification.     

Design and analysis of mixture experiments with process variable

A mixture experiment is an experiment in which the response is assumed to depend on the relative proportions of the ingredients present in the mixture and not on the total amount of the mixture. In such experiment process, variables do not form any portion of the mixture but the levels changed could affect the blending properties of the ingredients. Sometimes, the mixture experiments are costly and the experiments are to be conducted in less number of runs. Here, a general method for construction of efficient mixture experiments in a minimum number of runs by the method for projection of efficient response surface design onto the constrained region is obtained. The efficient designs with a less number of runs have been constructed for 3rd, 4th, and 5th component of mixture experiments with one process variable.