VALUE STRUCTURES AND PRIORITIES OF THREE GENERATIONS OF JAPANESE AMERICANS

This article tests a powerful value theory delineating dimensions of value systems on three generations of Japanese Americans. Value variation across these generations also is examined. With increasing assimilation, later generations of Japanese Americans were hypothesized to value individualistic and change - oriented values more than earlier generations . Earlier generations were expected to rate traditional and conformity values as more important than later generations. Data were obtained from a mail survey of a western U.S. city with a large Japanese American population , using Schwartz's Value Survey. The sample includes 1,271 Japanese Americans from the second, third, and fourth generations. The results show that the theory of value structure is fully supported in samples of third - and fourth - generation Japanese Americans , but not for the older second generation. In addition, value priorities did vary in systematic ways across these generations, but not to the extent expected. Implications of these findings for this theory of value structure and the nature of value variation are discussed.     

The Cost of Hope

Summary A conversation with a woman, recently widowed, living in a poorblack community of London, reveals the difficulty in merelysurviving that she, her family and families like her own presentlyare experiencing. Her concers are with housing, schools, healthcare for herself and her children, ageing when one lives inpoverty, and perhaps most significantly, her gradual loss ofhope that anything can be done to improve her circumstances.The study reported has been done on one single family; it isnot a composite of several families, although clearly, the lifeof this one woman is most representative of families livingwhere she lives.     

A SYSTEMATIC STRATEGY FOR OPTIMIZING MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS

A manufacturing optimization strategy is developed and demonstrated, which combines an asset utilization model and a process optimization framework with multivariate statistical analysis in a systematic manner to focus and drive process improvement activities. Although this manufacturing strategy is broadly applicable, the approach is discussed with respect to a polymer sheet manufacturing operation. The asset utilization (AU) model demonstrates that efficient equipment utilization can be monitored quantitatively and improvement opportunities identified so that the greatest benefit to the operation can be obtained. The process optimization framework, comprised of three parallel activities and a designed experiment, establishes the process-product relationship. The overall strategy of predictive model development provided from the parallel activities comprising the optimization framework is to synthesize a model based on existing data, both qualitative and quantitative, using canonical discriminant analysis, to identify main effect variables affecting the principal efficiency constraints identified using AU, operator knowledge and order-of-magni-tude calculations are then employed to refine this model using designed experiments, where appropriate, to facilitate the development of a quantitative, proactive optimization strategy for eliminating the constraints. Most importantly, this overall strategy plays a significant role in demonstrating, and facilitating employee acceptance, that the manufacturing operation has evolved from an experienced-based process to one based on quantifiable science.     

A TUTORIAL ON BOTTLENECK DYNAMICS: A HEURISTIC SCHEDULING METHODOLOGY

We give a tutorial on bottleneck dynamics. Bottleneck dynamics is a scheduling framework that uses approximate dual resource prices to make decentralized decisions. The basic idea is to establish a price for a resource as a function of the set of jobs that need to be processed by the resource. Tasks are then sequenced according to a cost/benefit ratio. Starting with one resource sequencing problems, we describe how priorities for jobs can be developed and how they translate into resource prices. We then describe how resource prices can be approximated in a multiresource situation and how lead times which are critical for these approximations can be accurately computed. We also describe a number of studies that have shown bottleneck dynamics to be an effective approach in several different problem areas.     

MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF ANSWERING MACHINES

Answering machines have become one of the major challenges toobtaining high response rates in telephone surveys. This articlepresents some data that may be helpful in answering two questionsthat frequently arise: (1) What are the chances that additionalcalls to a household known to use an answering machine willresult in a completed interview? (2) When is the best time tocall, in order to minimize the chances of encountering an answeringmachine? The data used to analyze these questions are basedon the calling records of the 1990 California Disability Survey,a large random-digit dialing survey that generated about 330,000calls and completed interviews at over 24,000 house holds. Thislarge number of calls is interesting not only in absolute termsbut because of the high number of callbacks that they represent,designed to bring the response rate up over 80 percent. Therecords of calls analyzed here, consequently, can show convincinglywhat really happens when 10, 20, 30, or even more callbacksare attempted. Such opportunities are rare. Researchers cantake advantage of these results to generate more informed callingstrategies and consequently improve response rates in theirsurveys.     

DO PRICES LEAD MONEY? A REEXAMINATION OF THE NEUTRALITY HYPOTHESIS

In one class of theoretical models, real epects occur only if changes in money growth are expected to occur in some future period, if expected in the current period, they are neutral. Some empirical models examine the neutrality of expected current money growth and therefore do not directly address the neutrality of expected future growth. This paper develops an empirical model that explicitly incorporates expected future changes in money growth. A reexamination of the rationality, neutrality, and macro-rational expectations hypotheses over a sample of four countries suggests that the use of expected future money growth results in strong rejections of the neutrality hypothesis.     

THE REACTION OF INTEREST RATES TO UNANTICIPATED FEDERAL RESERVE ACTIONS AND STATEMENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MONEY ANNOUNCEMENT CONTROVERSY

This paper examines the reaction of long- and short-term interest rates to monetary policy surprises that influenced market expectations of the future behavior of the federal funds rate in the period after October 1979. We find that the relative reaction of long- and short-term rates to policy surprises is similar to the relative reaction of these rates to money announcements. Consequently, we conclude that the large reaction of long-term interest rates to money announcements in the period after October 1979 is consistent with the "policy anticipations hypothesis" which views this reaction as a movement in real interest rates.     

Is a Questionnaire Necessary in a Second Mailing?

Current Research This section of POQ is reserved for brief reportsof research in progress, discussions of unresolved problems,methodological studies, and public opinion data not extensivelyanalyzed or interpreted. Succinct case histories are welcomed,as well as hypotheses and insights that may be useful to otherstudents of public opinion. Usually, material in this sectionis shorter, more informal, and more tentative than in precedingpages.