Rebates, inventories, and intertemporal price discrimination

We demonstrate that universally redeemed rebates can increase manufacturer profits by reducing the incentives of downstream retailers to hoard inventories when optimal wholesale prices vary predictably over time. By bypassing retailers and making direct contracts with buyers, the manufacturer can increase the variations in effective prices paid by consumers without concomitantly creating larger incentives for retailers to hold inventories. During profitable, high-demand periods, manufacturer revenues are ordinarily constrained by'competition'from retailer inventories, thus limiting profits. However, by selectively offering rebates to consumers while maintaining high wholesale prices, low-demand periods can be accommodated without inducing retailer hoarding.     

Speaking of art: Class code or historical residual?

Knowledge and consumption of the fine arts were once considered symbolic of upper class standing. As cultural production has expanded, fine art products in various guises have become accessible to more people across the socioeconomic spectrum. This article looks at how the New York Times covered the American art scene in the 1950s and between 2000 and 2009 to investigate whether reporting has maintained a knowledge-based approach that provides evidence for the continuation of class status as it relates to writing about the arts. We argue that critics and reporters have used fungibility, social hierarchies, and disinterested language during these two time periods to maintain the role of the fine arts as a marker of social distinction.     

Managing Food: Cajun Cuisine in Economic and Cultural Terms

Abstract This study highlights some cultural and economic aspects of food. The focus is on Cajun, one of the most popular cuisines in the United States. Interviews, conversations, and observations were conducted with 19 individuals involved in some aspect of processing, distributing, or retailing food in southern Louisiana. The perspective that frames the analysis focuses on the effects of culture and the economic forces that both produce and are a product of cultural processes. I argue that Cajun food is used as a source for both economic and cultural rewards, derived through economic and cultural value‐added processes that occur simultaneously in the preparation of this food. In addition, I consider how these processes are affecting the taste of Louisiana foods.     

Identification of Multivariate Responders/Non-Responders Using Bayesian Growth Curve Latent Class Models

In this paper, we propose a multivariate growth curve mixture model that groups subjects based on multiple symptoms measured repeatedly over time. Our model synthesizes features of two models. First, we follow Roy and Lin (2000) in relating the multiple symptoms at each time point to a single latent variable. Second, we use the growth mixture model of Muthén and Shedden (1999) to group subjects based on distinctive longitudinal profiles of this latent variable. The mean growth curve for the latent variable in each class defines that class's features. For example, a class of "responders" would have a decline in the latent symptom summary variable over time. A Bayesian approach to estimation is employed where the methods of Elliott et al (2005) are extended to simultaneously estimate the posterior distributions of the parameters from the latent variable and growth curve mixture portions of the model. We apply our model to data from a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in treating symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis. In contrast to conventional approaches using a single subjective Global Response Assessment, we use the multivariate symptom data to identify a class of subjects where treatment demonstrates effectiveness. Simulations are used to confirm identifiability results and evaluate the performance of our algorithm. The definitive version of this paper is available at onlinelibrary.wiley.com.     

Reliant behavior in the United States and Japan

Japanese economic success is often attributed to culturally reinforced psychological conditioning that promotes interpersonal reliance, cooperation, and a group interest orientation. This article provides direct experimental evidence on differences in behavior among future business people in the United States and Japan. Utilizing a simple, two person extensive form game of perfect information introduced by Selten (1975), we provide evidence that, contrary to some views, the Japanese can be less reliant on the behavior of others and are more likely to take actions at variance with group welfare in some settings. Thus, popular explanations of Japanese economic achievements may require further exploration.     

从姓氏源流看果洛藏族的宗教文化习俗

自古以来,自称为“董氏”的果洛藏族就居住在被称作“玛域”的黄河源头。在藏文文献和口碑资料中,“董氏”往往与当地的阿尼玛沁雪山有着密切的关系,人们给果洛藏族的姓氏增添了浓厚的宗教色彩,它给阿尼玛沁雪山赋予了深厚的文化内涵。文章依据藏文文献和口碑资料,就果洛藏族的姓氏源流及其与宗教文化的关系展开讨论,认为果洛藏族姓氏的渊源有着浓厚的宗教文化色彩,且其历史久远,与藏族族源一脉相承;果洛藏族的阿尼玛沁山神崇拜习俗,是祖先崇拜的一种反映,这种文化现象不仅是藏族社会早期部落制度的一种辐射,也成为历史以来维系黄河源头社会秩序的象征。果洛藏族的姓氏源流及其与宗教文化的关系,既是果洛地区藏族古老的生产方式和生活方式下文化习俗的沉淀,也是其部落文化和宗教信仰兼容性的折射。     

Latent class models for longitudinal studies of the elderly with data missing at random

The elderly population in the USA is expected to double in size by the year 2025, making longitudinal health studies of this population of increasing importance. The degree of loss to follow-up in studies of the elderly, which is often because elderly people cannot remain in the study, enter a nursing home or die, make longitudinal studies of this population problematic. We propose a latent class model for analysing multiple longitudinal binary health outcomes with multiple-cause non-response when the data are missing at random and a non-likelihood-based analysis is performed. We extend the estimating equations approach of Robins and co-workers to latent class models by reweighting the multiple binary longitudinal outcomes by the inverse probability of being observed. This results in consistent parameter estimates when the probability of non-response depends on observed outcomes and covariates (missing at random) assuming that the model for non-response is correctly specified. We extend the non-response model so that institutionalization, death and missingness due to failure to locate, refusal or incomplete data each have their own set of non-response probabilities. Robust variance estimates are derived which account for the use of a possibly misspecified covariance matrix, estimation of missing data weights and estimation of latent class measurement parameters. This approach is then applied to a study of lower body function among a subsample of the elderly participating in the 6-year Longitudinal Study of Aging.     

浅论当前高校职务犯罪的特点、成因及预防对策

当前,高校职务犯罪案件呈高发态势。本文结合高校实际,对高校的腐败问题进行了客观分析和理性思考,归纳总结出当前高校职务犯罪的基本特点,对其成因进行了认真的研究和剖析,并有针对性地提出了预防对策。