Arbitrators’ backgrounds and behavior

Evidence indicates that when choosing arbitrators biographical information about them is used by labor and management representatives. Presumably, this helps ensure selection of the “right” arbitrator, behaviorally speaking. The present study assessed the general utility of this practice by examining the relationship between biographical information and arbitrator behavior for 250 arbitrators. It was found that the biographical information accounted for only small portions of the variance in four measures of arbitrator behavior. Implications are discussed in terms of arbitrator selection practices and future research needs. This research was conducted while the first author was on leave at Ohio State University from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The authors wish to thank Cathy Collins, Reba Leiding, Rufus Milsted, and Grace Winslow for their assistance on this project. A version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, New York, December 1982.     

A simplified algorithm for the depot location problem

This paper describes a simplified optimization algorithm used for the solution of a classical depot location problem as presented in a Greek Manufacturing Company. Algorithms in the literature for this type of problem are based on the assumption of predetermined fixed costs which are independent of the final size of the depots. This assumption is usually far from reality; the size of each depot does not remain constant during the optimization process and so does the associated fixed cost which is variable with the size of the depot. This assumption is relaxed in the proposed algorithm; the associated fixed cost is modified each time a new customer is allocated to a depot thus changing the required depot size.     

Allies and persecutors: science and medicine in the homosexuality issue

Using Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) and his Zwischenstufentheorie (theory of intersexual stages) as an example, the problems raised for homosexuals by etiological research into homosexuality are scrutinized. Hirschfeld, one of the most influential sex researchers working in the first part of the century, fully intended his biological theory to support his campaign on behalf of homosexuals' rights. However, the Zwischenstufentheorie and modern variations of it, such as the ideas of the endocrinologist, Günter D?rner, have been converted into strategies for preventing or curing homosexuality. From an historical point of view, it becomes clear that, in a society hostile to homosexuals, the results gained from research into the causes of homosexuality can be used against homosexuals and, in fact, have been.     

Extreme-value analysis of canadian wind speeds

Estimates of extreme winds are essential for engineering design, but in preparing such estimates major statistical issues are encountered. In this case study, the analysts were provided with hourly readings on wind speed, wind direction, and barometric pressure at five Canadian stations for observation periods ranging over several recent decades. Their assignment was to calculate point and interval estimates of 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-year return values (i.e., upper fractiles) for the wind speeds at these stations.