Understanding multi-methodology: Evaluating the perceived impact of mixing methods for group budgetary decisions

This paper reports on the design and implementation of a multi-methodology intervention intended to support a budget prioritisation decision by a multi-organisational group tasked with tackling the problem of teenage pregnancy in an English borough. The intervention approach involved the combined use of cognitive/causal mapping and a multi-criteria decision analysis method to develop and prioritise a number of projects aimed at alleviating issues associated with teenage pregnancy. The paper describes and discusses the process of developing and applying the intervention approach, and provides an evaluation of its perceived impact by the client group. Drawing on the rich seam of data gathered over the course of our work with the multi-organisational group, we explore the varying degrees of impact that the mapping and multi-criteria evaluation methods achieved during and after the intervention. Analysis of the intervention data suggests that both methods were perceived to facilitate a different way of thinking and learning. In addition, we find that the mapping and multi-criteria evaluation methods successfully addressed participants' democratic and rational concerns. However, despite these reported positive effects, the full recommendations of the intervention were not implemented. An attempt is made to explain this outcome in terms of both the multi-organisational context within which the intervention took place and the nature of the group task. Directions for further research are then proposed.     

基于结构方程模型的家用轿车购买决策行为实证研究

从当前家用轿车购买决策中存在的问题出发,针对传统研究家用轿车决策行为的不足,结合结构方程模型的原理,构建了家用轿车购买决策行为评价指标体系和评价模型,并进行了实证研究。结果表明,通过该模型可以为消费者制定家用轿车购买决策提供一种新的思路,从而使其决策更加科学和合理。     

Affirmative Action in Higher Education: How Do Admission and Financial Aid Rules Affect Future Earnings?

This paper addresses how changing the admission and financial aid rules at colleges affects future earnings. I estimate a structural model of the following decisions by individuals: where to submit applications, which school to attend, and what field to study. The model also includes decisions by schools as to which students to accept and how much financial aid to offer. Simulating how black educational choices would change were they to face the white admission and aid rules shows that race‐based advantages had little effect on earnings. However, removing race‐based advantages does affect black educational outcomes. In particular, removing advantages in admissions substantially decreases the number of black students at top‐tier schools, while removing advantages in financial aid causes a decrease in the number of blacks who attend college.     

企业现金流量影响因素剖析

以收付实现制为基础的现金流量信息能够全面、真实地反映企业财务状况及未来获取现金和现金等价物的能力,深受会计信息使用者的青睐。影响现金流量的因素是多重的,有来自于企业内部的因素,也有来自于外部的因素。作为信息源的企业应认真剖析影响现金流量的因素,努力达到现金流量最优化、最大化。     

基于不同预期报价决策的电力市场动态演化及其混沌控制

基于市场参与者不同预期的报价决策方式,提出了考虑输电网约束的电力市场动态模型,即内嵌市场清算优化问题的差分动态模型.该模型刻画出发电方和需求方同时报价的不用决策行为,并准确反映出独立系统调度员ISO的统一市场清算过程,考虑了输电网固有物理特性所赋予电力市场的复杂约束.借助非线性互补函数,对应不同的输电网运行状态:阻塞和不阻塞,分析比较了电力市场处于Nash均衡、周期和混沌的经济表现.针对经济表现差的市场混沌态,提出电力市场状态和参数时滞反馈控制方法,给出电力市场由混沌到Nash均衡的调控措施和手段,从而为有效提高电力市场的经济效益提供了理论依据.     

论税收筹划的形成机制与实现手段

契约理论及税费的差异性决定了企业具有强烈的减税动机.而减税动机是否能最终体现为企业的税收筹划行为,则主要取决于企业所处的外部环境.企业可通过筹资、投资及经营等方面的财务决策实现税收筹划.引导企业开展税收筹划,有助于更充分地发挥税收的杠杆作用.     

A Comparison of the Cost-efficiencies of the Sequential, Group-sequential, and Variable-sample-size-sequential Probability Ratio Tests

Wald and Wolfowitz (1948) have shown that the Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT) for deciding between two simple hypotheses is, under very restrictive conditions, optimal in three attractive senses. First, it can be a Bayes-optimal rule. Second, of all level α tests having the same power, the test with the smallest joint-expected number of observations is the SPRT, where this expectation is taken jointly with respect to both data and prior over the two hypotheses. Third, the level α test needing the fewest conditional-expected number of observat ions is the SPRT, where this expectation is now taken with respect to the data conditional on either hypothesis being true. Principal among the strong restrictions is that sampling can proceed only in a one-at-a-time manner. In this paper, we relax some of the conditions and show that there are sequential procedures that strictly dominate the SPRT in all three senses. We conclude that the third type of optimality occurs rarely and that decision-makers are better served by looking for sequential procedures that possess the first two types of optimality. By relaxing the one-at-a-time sampling restriction, we obtain optimal (in the first two senses) variable-s ample-size- sequential probability ratio tests.     

Postponement implementation in integrated production and inventory plan under deterioration effects: a case study of a juice producer with limited storage capacity

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop a production and inventory plan for a fresh apple juice producer. During harvest season, the producer extracts premium juice from freshly picked apples and keeps an inventory of these premium apples in his temperature-controlled storage facility. The producer extracts also regular juice from regular apples purchased from third-party storages. To satisfy future demand, the producer carries inventories of juice and apple. The levels of apple inventories are constrained by the producer’s limited storage space, but he can replenish regular apples. To assist the producer in facing demand uncertainty and deterioration of apples, we develop a production and inventory plan that incorporates postponement to mitigate demand uncertainty. As postponement decisions are shaped by the cost structure of inventories, we integrate in one model the postponement decisions and the deterioration mitigation decisions that can alter the inventory costs. We build multi-period stochastic programming with recourse model to determine juice batch sizes and apple inventories that maximize the producer’s expected profit. The optimal solution illustrates the use of time and form postponements. We discuss the interactions between postponement implementation and decisions to mitigate apples deterioration. We compare the production and inventory plans with and without postponement and with and without apple deterioration. We also present sensitivity analyses for the plan under varying inventory cost and storage space.     

新鲜产品跨季销售中的动态库存管理策略研究

新鲜产品在跨季销售过程中不可避免地发生变质，给分销商带来较大的风险。本文基于一个两阶段决策模型来帮助分销商动态管理库存，在考虑产品质量随机变化的情形下更好地匹配供给与需求。具体来说，在采摘季节确定采购的总数量；在销售季节结合产品新鲜度的演变以及剩余库存水平的变化动态地决策每周期的销售量，以实现期望利润的最大化。我们采用动态规划模型分析销售期的库存管理决策，刻画了利润函数和最优决策的结构性质，并考察了库存量、新鲜度水平和价格等参数对最优库存决策的影响。数值实验结果表明，当产品变质风险大、需求不确定性低时，动态库存管理策略相比静态策略的利润改进效果更为显著。     

Exploring the Effects of Cultural Variables in the Implementation of Behavior-Based Safety in Two Organizations

Abstract

The present case study examines how culture can influence behavior-based safety in different organizational settings and how behavior-based safety can impact different organizational cultures. Behavior-based safety processes implemented in two culturally diverse work settings are described. Specifically, despite identical implementation plans, similarities and differences in the actual implementation of the two behavior-based safety processes are presented with an emphasis on the effects of employee-driven decisions. Data on both implementations and outcome measures are provided. The results are discussed with respect to the potential impact of specific cultural variables.