The control function in major German companies

Control as a specific managerial function is receiving increasing recognition. This article presents different concepts of control which have developed in the U.S.A. over many years and quite recently in the Federal Republic of Germany. Examples are given of control concepts as put into practice by leading German industrial enterprises.     

New Developments in Statistical Computing: New Bias Evaluation Features of EXPLOR—A Program for Assessing Experimental Design Properties

Longitudinal investigations play an increasingly prominent role in biomedical research. Much of the literature on specifying and fitting linear models for serial measurements uses methods based on the standard multivariate linear model. This article proposes a more flexible approach that permits specification of the expected response as an arbitrary linear function of fixed and time-varying covariates so that mean-value functions can be derived from subject matter considerations rather than methodological constraints. Three families of models for the covariance function are discussed: multivariate, autoregressive, and random effects. Illustrations demonstrate the flexibility and utility of the proposed approach to longitudinal analysis.     

Truth® ads,receptivity, and motivation to use or quit tobacco among college students

Abstract

Objective: Examine receptivity and motivation to use/quit tobacco among college students after viewing Truth ads. Participants: Random sample of 10,000 college students invited to complete online survey February 2016 (8.5% response rate). Methods: Quasi-experimental. Participants (N?=?854) watched four ads and answered survey items for each ad. Results: Students rated ad receptivity and decreased motivation to use tobacco higher for the Catmageddon ad than the others. Regardless of ad, men and current cigarette smokers reported lower receptivity. Younger age was associated with lower motivation to use tobacco for all ads. Tobacco users reported greater motivation to quit with the Catmageddon ad. Conclusions: College students were receptive to the Truth ads, and many indicated lower motivation to use tobacco. Men, older college students, and current cigarette smokers were less receptive to the ads, reinforcing the need to develop tailored campaigns to reach these subgroups.     

A Bayesian mixture of experts approach to covariate misclassification

This article considers misclassification of categorical covariates in the context of regression analysis; if unaccounted for, such errors usually result in mis-estimation of model parameters. With the presence of additional covariates, we exploit the fact that explicitly modelling non-differential misclassification with respect to the response leads to a mixture regression representation. Under the framework of mixture of experts, we enable the reclassification probabilities to vary with other covariates, a situation commonly caused by misclassification that is differential on certain covariates and/or by dependence between the misclassified and additional covariates. Using Bayesian inference, the mixture approach combines learning from data with external information on the magnitude of errors when it is available. In addition to proving the theoretical identifiability of the mixture of experts approach, we study the amount of efficiency loss resulting from covariate misclassification and the usefulness of external information in mitigating such loss. The method is applied to adjust for misclassification on self-reported cocaine use in the Longitudinal Studies of HIV-Associated Lung Infections and Complications.     

Decision Making with Uncertain Judgments: A Stochastic Formulation of the Analytic Hierarchy Process*

In the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), priorities are derived via a deterministic method, the eigenvalue decomposition. However, judgments may be subject to error. A stochastic characterization of the pairwise comparison judgment task is provided and statistical models are introduced for deriving the underlying priorities. Specifically, a weighted hierarchical multinomial logit model is used to obtain the priorities. Inference is then conducted from the Bayesian viewpoint using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. The stochastic methods are found to give results that are congruent with those of the eigenvector method in matrices of different sizes and different levels of inconsistency. Moreover, inferential statements can be made about the priorities when the stochastic approach is adopted, and these statements may be of considerable value to a decision maker. The methods described are fully compatible with judgments from the standard version of AHP and can be used to construct a stochastic formulation of it.     

Perceived effectiveness and implementation of public relations measurement and evaluation tools among European providers and consumers of PR services

While the need for and lack of implementation of more sophisticated methods for measuring the impact of public relations efforts has been well documented in the U.S. and some other world regions, relatively little information exist about this practice in the European Union. Results from a survey of both consumers and providers of public relations in the EU shows that perceptions of effectiveness and actual use are not related for most advanced techniques of measurement and evaluation. These results demonstrate some potentially important differences between the perceptions of providers and consumers that may support practitioner observations regarding a lack of interest among clients in more accurate assessment of results from public relations activities.     

Time Use and Well-Being in Older Widows: Adaptation and Resilience

Research on widowhood mostly emphasizes negative outcomes, but some studies suggest widows are resilient. This study evaluated the in-depth daily experiences of older widows compared to married women. Participants included 75 widows and 125 married women from the National Study of Daily Experiences II, who completed daily diaries over 8 days. For long-term widows, there were no differences compared to married women in daily and general well-being, and a few differences in time use. Results add to the literature by using daily diary data to illustrate the general resilience of older women many years after the death of a spouse.     

Kids' Club Letters: Narrative Tools for Stimulating Process and Dialogue in Therapy Groups for Children and Adolescents by DeGangi,G. A., & Nemiroff,M. A.

The benefits of assertion training have been well documented, but this approach to helping people become more effective in obtaining their rights has largely been confined to work with the middle class. In this presentation of a six-session workshop, the principles and techniques of assertion training are applied to the particular needs of public welfare clients. Specific exercises involving the use of behavior rehearsal, coaching or prompting, model presentation, and homework have been designed for use in training clients in assertion skills. This application of assertion training has been developed with a workshop format, but the exercises can be used selectively and integrated with other treatment approaches.     

参与"一村一名大学生工程"促进农民自营工商业了吗?

基于江西省1553份农民微观调查数据,采用二元Logit模型和PSM模型实证检验"一村一大"对农民自营工商业的影响,并探讨参与"一村一大"的学历层次、学习模式和城乡工作地对自营工商业的差异影响.结果表明:第一,参与"一村一大"对农民自营工商业具有显著的正向影响.第二,参与"一村一大"学历层次越高,对农民自营工商业的促进作用越明显.第三,参与"一村一大"学习模式形成的社会网络越丰富,对农民自营工商业的促进作用越明显.第四,参与"一村一大"对农民选择城乡自营工商业具有正向影响,且对农民在农村自营工商业的影响更显著性.基于此,建议优化"一村一大"培养体系,构建良好的线上线下学习环境,完善农村创新创业激励政策,营造良好农村营商环境,保障农民在农村自营工商业的长效发展.     

The effect of supply chain integration, modular production, and cultural distance on new product development: A dynamic capabilities approach

Little research has examined how international firms' operations strategies affect dynamic capability creation or how cultural distance affects operations management. This study addresses these gaps by bridging the work on dynamic capabilities, two operations management techniques (product modularization and supplier integration) and cultural distance. Using a sample of 111 Brazilian automobile suppliers, the study finds that new product development is marginally increased by product modularization but decreased by supplier integration. Cultural distance negatively moderated these relationships. This research extends the dynamic capabilities literature and indicates that operations management strategy is an important part of the dynamic capability formation process.