Socioeconomic status, sexual behavior, and differential AIDS mortality: evidence from Côte d’Ivoire

Lack of knowledge about differential AIDS mortality seriously hampers the study of the economic impact of AIDS in developing countries. We derive HIV infection risk differentials by age, education, and other microeconomic characteristics using the Ivorian Demographic and Health Survey. Our model is based on econometrically estimated equations using commonly available variables, therefore it can be used whenever such a survey is available but there is no representative information about HIV infection by socioeconomic group. For instance, we found that educated people have a higher risk of HIV infection, because they are more likely to have several sexual partners. However, this effect is partly offset by a higher probability of condom use relative to less educated people. The identification of the socioeconomic characteristics of low and high risk groups seems indispensable to set up adequate AIDS prevention and therapy policies in developing countries.

Manufacturing Practices and Strategy Integration: Effects on Cost Efficiency,Flexibility, and Market‐Based Performance

Manufacturing plant managers have sought performance improvements through implementing best practices discussed in World Class Manufacturing literature. However, our collective understanding of linkages between practices and performance remains incomplete. This study seeks a more complete theory, advancing the idea that strategy integration and enhanced manufacturing capabilities such as cost efficiency and flexibility serve as intermediaries by which practices affect performance. Hypotheses related to this thesis are tested using data from 57 North American manufacturing plants that are past winners and finalists in Industry Week's“America's Best” competition ( Drickhamer, 2001 ). The results suggest that strategy integration plays a strong, central role in the creation of manufacturing cost efficiency and new product flexibility capabilities. Furthermore, strategy integration moderates the influences of product‐process development, supplier relationship management, workforce development, just‐in‐time flow, and process quality management practices on certain manufacturing capabilities. In turn, manufacturing cost efficiency and new product flexibility capabilities mediate the influence of strategy integration on market‐based performance. These findings have implications for practice and for future research.     

Understanding staff views and experiences of a clinical practice change to reduce stillbirth in South Asian women: A cross-sectional survey

BackgroundIn July 2017, Victoria’s largest maternity service implemented a new clinical practice guideline to reduce the rates of term stillbirth in women of South Asian background.AimTo capture the views and experiences of clinical staff following the implementation of the new clinical guideline.MethodsCross sectional survey of clinical staff providing maternity care in August 2018, 12 months post implementation. Staff were asked to provide their agreement with ten statements assessing: perceived need for the guideline, implementation processes, guideline clarity, and clinical application. Open-ended questions provided opportunities to express concerns and offer suggestions for improvement. The frequency of responses to each question were tabulated. Open ended responses were grouped together to identify themes.FindingsA total of 120 staff completed the survey, most (n = 89, 74%) of whom were midwives. Most staff thought the rationale (n = 95, 79%), the criteria for whom they applied (83%, n = 99), and the procedures and instructions within the guideline were clear (74%, n = 89). Staff reported an increase in workload (72%, n = 86) and expressed concerns related to rationale and evaluation of the guidelines, lack of education for both staff and pregnant South Asian women, increased workload and insufficient resources, patient safety and access to care. Challenges relating to shared decision making and communicating with women whose first language is not English were also identified.DiscussionThis study has identified key barriers to and opportunities for improving implementation and highlighted additional challenges relating to new clinical guidelines which focus on culturally and linguistically diverse women.     

Measuring Modularity‐Based Manufacturing Practices and Their Impact on Mass Customization Capability: A Customer‐Driven Perspective

As uncertainty in markets and technology intensifies, more companies are adopting modular product and process architectures to cope with increasing demands for individually customized products. Modularity‐based manufacturing is the application of unit standardization or substitution principles to create modular components and processes that can be configured into a wide range of end products to meet specific customer needs. This study defines modularity‐based manufacturing practices (MBMP), develops a valid and reliable instrument to measure MBMP, builds a framework that relates customer closeness, MBMP, and mass customization capability, and tests structural relationships within this framework using LISREL. Based on 303 responses from members of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, statistically significant and positive relationships were found among customer closeness, modularity‐based manufacturing practices, and mass customization capability. Managerial implications of the empirical findings of this study and future research directions are also discussed.     

基于平衡轮换样本调查的季节调整方法研究

传统季节调整方法对时间序列数据进行季节调整时,往往假定误差项为白噪声,不考虑其序列相关关系。为了进行更准确地季节调整分析,本文从连续性抽样调查的角度出发,研究基于平衡轮换样本调查的抽样误差对季节调整的影响,建立一般化的季节调整模型,利用卡尔曼滤波进行参数估计,并从预测误差、误差方差等角度评价模型精度。最后以中国城镇住户调查采用的12～0平衡轮换模式为例,对考虑抽样误差结构特征的季节调整模型进行实证分析,验证这套季节调整方法的有效性。     

大数据指数是否可以替代统计调查指数

2014年7月,澳盛银行首次将阿里巴巴系列指数纳入通胀观察标的,标志着大数据指数已经开始对传统的统计调查指数提出质疑和挑战。本文基于阿里巴巴aSPI指数和官方公布的CPI指数的比较研究,首次提出了aSPI指数显著优于CPI指数的一些基本特征;同时,通过实证分析对比了两种指数的同步性特征和分解性特征,即首先运用协整检验方法确定二者的同步性;其次通过EMD模型对二者进行序列分解,得出各自的波动成分和增长趋势;最后,在EMD对aSPI指数分解的基础上,通过Lasso回归估计了CPI指数。研究表明,随着对大数据研究的广泛性、科学性以及方法论和软件工具的进步,大数据指数对传统统计调查的佐证、补充乃至融合将会成为一种新趋势,通过实证、应用与发展,逐步产生新的CPI编制方法和分析体系,将是大数据指数理论和实践的根本出路。     

Reassessing Differences in Work and Income in Cohabitation and Marriage

Are cohabiters different than married couples who cohabited before marriage? This study used the 2002 wave of the National Survey of Families and Households to determine how work behavior might differ for 4 relationship types: (a) cohabiters with uncertain marriage plans, (b) cohabiters with definite marriage plans, (c) premarital cohabiters who recently married, and (d) premarital cohabiters married 5 or more years (n = 638). The results are compared with differences found in overall comparisons of all cohabiters and married couples (N = 916) and were markedly different, indicating that overall comparisons do not adequately capture the range of behavior across cohabitation and marriage. Evidence of increased specialization was found in marriage, yet steep behavioral differences were not found between cohabiters with definite marriage plans and recently married couples but instead were associated with longevity in marriage. This implies that any possible causal effect of marriage on behavior may accrue with time spent married.     

Entering new territory: A study of internal crisis management and crisis communication in organizations

The aim of this paper is to present and discuss some of the main findings from a large survey of internal crisis management and crisis communication conducted in the spring of 2011 among public and private organizations in Denmark (the ICMCC survey). The survey was conducted among the 367 largest private companies (selected from DK 1000, established by Børsen business magasin) and among 98 public organizations (municipalities). The overall goal was to get a preliminary idea of how these companies or organizations perceive, plan, coordinate and implement internal crisis management and crisis communication activities before, during and after a crisis. The survey questionnaire comprised 36 questions and was sent to respondents who typically are responsible for the crisis-preparedness of their organizations. The results from the survey show that the vast majority of organizations have a crisis or contingency plan, and most of these plans contain an internal dimension relating to the management and communication with the internal stakeholders during a crisis. Thus, the study shows a rather professional and formalized behavior towards crisis management in general, but also when it comes to managing a crisis in relation to the internal organizational stakeholders in specific. In addition, the results clearly indicate a strong relation between organizational size and crisis management; the larger the organization the more likely to have a crisis plan. This particularly pertained to the private organizations. The ICMCC survey forms part of a major collaborative research project, financed by the Danish Council for Independent Research/Social Sciences (2011–2014), entitled Internal Crisis Management and Crisis Communication in Danish Organizations. The purpose of this three-year long project is to shed light upon the role of internal crisis management and crisis communication before, during and after an organizational crisis and/or a societal crisis leading to downsizing or major changes within an organization or an organizational field.     

试论梁启超墨学研究的纯学术阶段

作者认为 ,2 0世纪 2 0年代可以视作梁启超墨学研究的纯学术阶段 ,这一阶段的墨学著作 (《墨经校释》与《墨子学案》)已不同于此前有关墨学论著的政治宣传、思想启蒙性质 ,而表现了较多的学术涵养。必须重视梁启超墨学研究的这一阶段 ,才能对梁启超治墨的学术贡献作出恰如其分的评价。     

合作学习理论视野下的英美概况课程教学

合作学习是指小组或团队为完成共同的任务,有明确责任分工的互助性学习。它能够改善课堂气氛和教学效果,培养学生对学习的兴趣,提高学生语言运用的能力,同时对他们社会交往能力的发展也有积极作用,还可以拓展班级授课制条件下的学习空间。英美概况课程的内容、特点和地位都比较适合应用合作学习的教学模式。教师精心选择任务后,学生分组合作,以课堂展示、讨论、辩论等形式可以高效地完成教学任务。经过教学实践证明这一教学模式在英美概况课程教学中具有可行性。