Reflections on discrimination and oppression in contemporary social work practice in Bulgaria

This article draws on a study of awareness and sensitivity towards discrimination and oppression in contemporary practice in the Bulgarian social system through the perspectives of helping professionals and social clients. To that end, empirical data were gathered through a study of: the knowledge and awareness about anti-discrimination policy and legislation in the social sphere; awareness and perceptions of discrimination and oppression in society and the social work domain; and reflections on discrimination and oppression in the context of working relationships. Two questionnaires were designed and used to collect data in the period of April–May 2014 in the Southwestern region of Bulgaria. There were two groups consisting of 132 helping professionals (n?=?132) and 121 clients/service users (n?=?121). Both groups had low awareness of anti-discrimination legislation and regulations in the field of social policy and services. Discrimination and oppression were perceived as widespread phenomena that affected life of disadvantaged groups and also manifested in the social system. Ethnic minority service users needed information about their rights and community resources and claimed for larger involvement in the process of social work.     

Social unrest and the Highway Beautification Act of 1965

The recent series of very senseless shootings of both African American males and police officers are chilling visual demonstrations of the current degree of racial tension and social unrest in the United States. Stricter gun control laws are critically important but only part of the issue. Basic human and civil rights are at the heart of the issue. We must move toward a society in which individuals from varied backgrounds are valued, respected, and included. We must all accept the fact that we are all human beings and very much alike. This will require a national effort very similar to the Highway Beautification Act of 1965. We must adopt and implement policies that will specifically address multiple issues (discrimination, racism, marginalization, exclusion, implicit bias, and the lack of economic mobility) serving as drivers of our current social state. A key component should be increased investment in the educational system (starting in primary school) resulting in an increased college graduation rate and the development of curricula on race and racism and supporting cultural sensitivity and implicit bias training from kindergarten through professional schools.     

The independent’s edge in an illegal drug distribution setting: Levitt and Venkatesh revisited

Popular imagery and scholarly research have differed significantly in their perceptions and understanding of the structure and scope of organized crime and gang settings. While the common image is that of the corporate-like or formal criminal organization, past research has been more likely to argue and demonstrate in favour of market and network flexibility. In this study, we pursue this latter line of inquiry by demonstrating the market and network features that shape illegal drug distribution settings. In doing so, we rely on the Quebec Hells Angels accounting books for a one-year period, which brings us within the same empirical domain as Levitt and Venkatesh’s (2000) study of the Black Knights in 1990s Chicago. Our study sways from the main premise that oriented the Black Knight’s case study—namely that performance within the illegal drug distribution structure was directly tied to that organization’s rigid hierarchical structure. While the Hells Angels can be analyzed as a corporation, this does not mean that Hells Angels members are, by definition, at an advantage because of their organizational status in the illegal drug distribution setting in which some members are active. What our findings indicate is that a participant’s ability to adapt to market dynamics and take on a core network position within an illegal drug market (cocaine, in this study) matter most. Overall, we demonstrate that: 1) Quebec’s cocaine market was structured primarily around traditional market forces; 2) the transaction network around the Hells Angels was not centralized around a single person or small group of people; 3) Hells Angels members were not the most active participants; and 4) being a Hells Angels member did not increase one’s volume of transactions within the network—quite differently, core network positioning did.     

Exploring Perceived Discrimination Among LGBT Individuals in Turkey in Education,Employment, and Health Care: Results of an Online Survey

This article explores the discrimination practices encountered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in education, income, employment, and health care in Turkey. Limited quantitative data on LGBT individuals are available in Turkey. This study collected data from 2,875 LGBT individuals through a Web-based survey. The findings suggest that LGBT individuals report perceived direct and indirect discrimination in accessing education, employment, and health care. In a country where LGBT rights are not yet recognized and antidiscrimination legislation covering sexual orientation and gender identity is still nonexistent, findings demonstrate perceived discrimination of LGBTs rarely turns into a legal complaint. Even when they do, most LGBTs in our sample report that they did not feel that the justice system addressed their grievances.     

我国金属期货价格指数编制及其实证研究

 本文研究和总结了商品期货价格指数编制理论和方法,梳理了国内外商品期货价格指数编制的成功经验,并基于前述研究基础设计了五种我国金属期货价格指数编制方案。最后基于实证检验的方法,通过对比各方案指数在指数平稳性、指数投资功能、对宏观经济的反应等方面的表现,确定“持仓量”滚动型方案为最优方案。 本文主要创新点在于第一次系统、全面地研究并提出了商品期货价格指数的基本理论和方法,第一次全方位、多角度地研究了我国金属期货价格指数的编制方法和方案,为建构我国商品期货价格指数体系奠定了坚实的理论基础,提供了具有较高通用性的编制方案,同时,为我国商品投资提供了客观的基准指数,为指数衍生产品创新提供了有效标的。     

Race and the NFL Draft: Views from the Auction Block

Previous research suggests that minorities are more likely to perceive racially-based discrimination in a variety of settings than are whites, in large part because of the ways their personal experiences with racism shape the lens they use to view the world. We examine a labor market that is typically considered an exception to patterns of racism in employment, the industry of professional football. We interview athletes who attempted to gain employment in the National Football League, a labor market where access to valued positions is heavily restricted by industry practices. Findings from field research and semi-structured interviews indicate that minority workers experience symbolic discrimination during the hiring process. Differential treatment of players reflects stereotypes about minority families and masculinity. Although minority and white players describe much of the actual content of their labor market experiences in similar fashion, their perceptions of these experiences differ sharply, with minority athletes identifying far more negative repercussions.

价格促销的折扣量影响品牌资产的实证研究

品牌资产是企业最宝贵的无形资产，其来源是企业的营销组合策略。价格促销对品牌资产有着重要的影响作用。本文以实证研究的方法，从感知质量、购买意向和品牌忠诚三个维度研究了价格促销的折扣量对品牌资产的影响。研究结果发现：深度折扣的价格促销对消费者的感知质量和品牌忠诚有负面的影响，但对提高购买意向有一定的积极作用。同时，深度折扣的价格促销使得消费者对品牌资产的评价明显降低。最后，进一步讨论了研究结论和今后研究的方向。     

Discrete regularized discriminant analysis

A method of regularized discriminant analysis for discrete data, denoted DRDA, is proposed. This method is related to the regularized discriminant analysis conceived by Friedman (1989) in a Gaussian framework for continuous data. Here, we are concerned with discrete data and consider the classification problem using the multionomial distribution. DRDA has been conceived in the small-sample, high-dimensional setting. This method has a median position between multinomial discrimination, the first-order independence model and kernel discrimination. DRDA is characterized by two parameters, the values of which are calculated by minimizing a sample-based estimate of future misclassification risk by cross-validation. The first parameter is acomplexity parameter which provides class-conditional probabilities as a convex combination of those derived from the full multinomial model and the first-order independence model. The second parameter is asmoothing parameter associated with the discrete kernel of Aitchison and Aitken (1976). The optimal complexity parameter is calculated first, then, holding this parameter fixed, the optimal smoothing parameter is determined. A modified approach, in which the smoothing parameter is chosen first, is discussed. The efficiency of the method is examined with other classical methods through application to data.     

Price controls, trade protectionism and political business cycles in the U.S. steel industry

The U.S. steel industry is subject to a microeconomic political business cycle resulting from U.S. Presidents designing protectionist policies on behalf of the steel industry; experiencing complaints from consumers and foreign producers as a result of the policy; modifying the policy which results in complaints from the steel industry; and finally, maneuvering policy back in favor of the industry to achieve re-election. Using a cointegrating vector error correction framework, this paper tests the hypothesized political business cycle for its effect on steel prices. We find that trade protectionism does not seem to have succeeded in its primary objective of supporting prices. By expending so much political capital on ineffective trade protection, the steel industry may have lost the opportunity to focus on more substantive issues that might have restrained factor cost and enhanced its competitive ability. The devolution of the steel industry, ironically, may have resulted from it's persistent pleas for protection. Political business cycles in the steel industry, with all its attendant negative consequences, would not occur if the steel industry did not continually lobby for protection.     

Performance as a Basis for Price-setting in the Capital Goods Industry:: Concepts and Empirical Evidence

This paper discusses a new pricing strategy, which leads to a certain variability of prices as the supplier offers to fix prices to performance parameters of long-lasting industrial goods. The underlying idea is to give a signal of the supplier’s competence and/or to conclude a contract, which contains additional value for both parties to the market. Some theoretical findings are applied to this concept and lead to 13 hypotheses, especially dealing with the perceptions of the buyer. Empirical research covered 131 German mechanical engineering companies. The data were used to evaluate the use of performance-based pricing and test the hypotheses. The results show a mixed picture. Uncertainty-reducing effects are well perceived while other assumptions could not be confirmed. Based on the results recommendations are developed on how and when to apply performance-based pricing.