The Search for a Landfill Site in the Risk Society*

Cette étude examine comment les inquiétudes concernant les risques de l'environnement ont été traitées dans une recherche d'un site d'enfouissement des déchets qu'on a menée récemment à Guelph, Ontario. L'argument sera que les interactions observées entre expert et profane ainsi que le genre de questions soulevées peuvent être comprises en termes de la thèse de la societéà risque proposée par Ulrick Beck. En particulier, cette étude montrera comment la science de l'impact de l'environnement a été restructurée pour s'occuper des conditions de la sociétéà risque. This paper examines how concerns about environmental risk were treated in an landfill search that was recently conducted in Guelph, Ontario. It is argued that the expert-lay interactions observed, and the types of issues raised, may be understood in terms of the risk society thesis proposed by Ulrich Beck. In particular, it is shown how environmental impact science was restructured to deal with the conditions of the risk society.     

The effect of experience on faculty attitudes toward collective bargaining: A cross-temporal analysis

We used multivariate analysis to investigate the change in the attitudes and expectations of AAUP members in a Midwestern university. Two models were developed to measure faculty attitudes toward the union, at the time of the election and four years after the election. The effect of experience on faculty attitudes toward the union is captured by comparing the results of the two models. Our findings suggest major differences in faculty attitudes and expectations prior to and after the union’s arrival. The results of our study have essential policy implications for unions in formulating successful strategies and for faculty in developing realistic expectations of collective bargaining.     

A non parametric approach to monitor simple linear profiles in phases I and II

In this paper, a non parametric approach is first proposed to monitor simple linear profiles with non normal error terms in Phase I and Phase II. In this approach, two control charts based on a transformation technique and decision on beliefs are designed in order to monitor the intercept and the slope, simultaneously. Then, some simulation experiments are performed in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed control charts in Phase II under both step and drift shifts in terms of out-of-control average run length (ARL₁). Besides, the performance of the proposed control charts is compared to the ones of seven other existing schemes in the literature. Simulation results show that the proposed control charts outperform the other control charts in detecting both the small step and small drift shifts of intercept. However, they have a weaker performance compared to other control charts in detecting both small step and small drift shifts of the slope. At the end, a real example from an electronic industry is used to illustrate the implementation of the proposed method.     

An absolutely continuous bivariate Topp–Leone distribution: A useful model on a bounded domain

We introduce an absolutely continuous bivariate generalization of the Topp–Leone distribution, which is a special member of the proportional reversed hazard family using a one-parameter bivariate exchangeable distribution. We show that a copula approach could also be used in defining the bivariate Topp–Leone distribution. The marginal distributions of the new bivariate distribution have also Topp–Leone distributions. We study its distributional and dependence properties. We estimate the parameters by maximum-likelihood procedure, perform a simulation study on the estimators, and apply them to a real data set. Furthermore, we give a way of generating bivariate distributions using the proposed distribution.     

Search With Learning for Differentiated Products: Evidence from E-Commerce

This article provides a method to estimate search costs in a differentiated product environment in which consumers are uncertain about the utility distribution. Consumers learn about the utility distribution by Bayesian updating their Dirichlet process prior beliefs. The model provides expressions for bounds on the search costs that can rationalize observed search and purchasing behavior. Using individual-specific data on web browsing and purchasing behavior for MP3 players sold online we show how to use these bounds to estimate search costs as well as the parameters of the utility distribution. Our estimates indicate that search costs are sizable. We show that ignoring consumer learning while searching can lead to severely biased search cost and elasticity estimates.     

Using informative priors for handling missing data problem in Cox regression

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of informative priors for variables with missing value and to compare Bayesian Cox regression and Cox regression analysis. For this purpose, firstly simulated data sets with different sample size within different missing rate were generated and each of data sets were analysed by Cox regression and Bayesian Cox regression with informative prior. Secondly lung cancer data set as real data set was used for analysis. Consequently, using informative priors for variables with missing value solved the missing data problem.     

Financial hardship assistance behind the scenes: Insights from financial counsellors

Financial hardship, in a credit society such as Australia, can affect almost anyone. To protect consumers from the negative impacts of financial hardship—which can include the stresses of enforcement action and disconnection from essential services—legal protections have been incorporated into the regulatory frameworks for the consumer credit, energy, water and telecommunications sectors. In this article, we outline the findings of our study, which used a survey of financial counsellors around Australia and focus group interviews with Victorian financial counsellors to examine how these legal protections are being implemented by service providers in these four sectors. Our findings highlight a tendency on the part of service providers to take a generic, one‐size‐fits‐all approach to compliance with these legal protections that prevents them from effectively assisting consumers struggling with debt. We discuss the particular shortcomings of this approach in the context of consumers living on low incomes—especially Centrelink incomes—and outline the policy implications of our findings for assisting these vulnerable groups.     

Governance Reforms: the Good,the Bad,and the Ugly; and the Sound: Examining the Past and Exploring the Future of Public Organizations

This paper addresses governance reforms of the last three and a half decades and looks into the future. This is done in three parts. The first part presents a birds-eye view of the massive literature on governance and governance reforms with a focus on the good, the bad, and ugly sides, then in part two argues for an alternative concept or theory of “sound governance” with characteristics and dimensions that overcome the deficiencies of other models of governance. As a consequence of reforms, the third part examines the past and explores the future of public organizations via “going home” as a conclusion with possible scenarios, challenges, and opportunities.     

Individual differences as antecedents of leader behavior: Towards an understanding of multi-level outcomes

The leadership research on individual differences is going through a period of revival. However, due to the substantial number of variables in this area and the different knowledge bases they are associated with (e.g., psychology, endocrinology, genetics), the literature is also becoming highly fragmented as it grows. This fragmentation is preventing different literature streams from effectively communicating with each other and synthesizing the rapidly expanding body of knowledge. Consequently, the continued growth of the individual differences literature is at risk. Therefore, we believe that classifying the relevant literature streams and reviewing the key variables in those streams will be beneficial. We do so by organizing this review and research agenda of the leadership literature on individual differences around the recent model developed by Antonakis, Day, and Schyns (2012). In doing so, we hope to unify some of the future research efforts around a recent and recognized conceptual model, and in turn facilitate communication between these different streams of literature. Moreover, insights from this literature also allow us to propose additions and refinements to the model of Antonakis, Day, and Schyns (2012) that may help scholars by indicating other fruitful areas for future research on individual differences.     

The cultural-economic model and public relations in the Middle East: An examination of the Islamic banking system in Kuwait

This article adopts the cultural-economic model of public relations practice to analyze the communications through the websites of three prominent Islamic banks in Kuwait. The analysis extrapolates Islamic value orientations including respect for religious authority, affinity with the past, fatalism, communal kinship, attachment to the eternal life and spirituality and idealism. The orientations are then examined relative to public relations practice in the Middle East. The study advances the understanding of Islam and public relations in the Middle East, an understudied region in public relations literature, and illuminates the relationship between religion and public relations. It concludes with observations to guide public relations projects directed toward Muslims in the Middle East for professionals and scholars.