Point-symmetry models and decomposition for collapsed square contingency tables

For square contingency tables with ordered categories, there may be some cases that one wants to analyze them by considering collapsed tables with some adjacent categories combined in the original table. This paper proposes three kinds of new models which have the structure of point-symmetry (PS), quasi point-symmetry and marginal point-symmetry for collapsed square tables. This paper also gives a decomposition of the PS model for collapsed square tables. The father's and his daughter's occupational mobility data are analyzed using new models.     

Power-divergence-type measure of departure from diagonals-parameter symmetry for square contingency tables with ordered categories

For the analysis of square contingency tables with ordered categories, Goodman considered the diagonals-parameter symmetry (DPS) model. This paper proposes a measure to represent the degree of departure from the DPS model. The proposed measure is expressed by applying Read and Cressie’s power-divergence or Patil and Taillie’s diversity index. The measure would be useful for comparing the degree of departure from the DPS model in several tables. Examples are given.     

Measure of departure from symmetry for the analysis of collapsed square contingency tables with ordered categories

For square contingency tables with ordered categories, there may be some cases that one wants to analyze them by considering collapsed tables with some adjacent categories combined in the original table. This paper considers the symmetry model for collapsed square contingency tables and proposes a measure to represent the degree of departure from symmetry. The proposed measure is defined as the arithmetic mean of submeasures each of which represents the degree of departure from symmetry for each collapsed 3×3 table. Each submeasure also represents the mean of power-divergence or diversity index for each collapsed table. Examples are given.     

Measure of Asymmetry for Square Contingency Tables Having Ordered Categories

For the analysis of square contingency tables with nominal categories, Tomizawa and coworkers have considered measures that represent the degree of departure from symmetry. This paper proposes a measure that represents the degree of asymmetry for square contingency tables with ordered categories (instead of those with nominal categories). The measure proposed is expressed using the Cressie–Read power-divergence or Patil–Taillie diversity index, defined for the cumulative probabilities that an observation falls in row (column) category i or below and column (row) category j (> i ) or above. The measure depends on the order of listing the categories. It should be useful for comparing the degree of asymmetry in several tables with ordered categories. The relationship between the measure and the normal distribution is shown.     

A model of uniform association plus two-diagonalsparameter and its application to occupational mobility table data

For the analysis of square contingency tables with ordered categories, Agresti (1988) introduced a model having the structure of uniform association plus a main-diagonal parameter. This paper extends that model. The extended model has the structure of uniform association plus two-diagonals-parameter, and it is a special case of the quasi-uniform association model introduced by Goodman (1979). The Danish occupational mobility table data are analyzed using the models introduced here.     

Marginal inhomogeneity models for square contingency tables with nominal categories

For the analysis of square contingency tables with nominal categories, this paper proposes two kinds of models that indicate the structure of marginal inhomogeneity. One model states that the absolute values of log odds of the row marginal probability to the corresponding column marginal probability for each category i are constant for every i. The other model states that, on the condition that an observation falls in one of the off-diagonal cells in the square table, the absolute values of log odds of the conditional row marginal probability to the corresponding conditional column marginal probability for each category i are constant for every i. These models are used when the marginal homogeneity model does not hold, and the values of parameters in the models are useful for seeing the degree of departure from marginal homogeneity for the data on a nominal scale. Examples are given.     

Orthogonal decomposition of point-symmetry for multiway tables

For multiway contingency tables, Wall and Lienert (Biom. J. 18:259–264, 1976) considered the point-symmetry model. For square contingency tables, Tomizawa (Biom. J. 27:895–905, 1985) gave a theorem that the point-symmetry model holds if and only if both the quasi point-symmetry and the marginal point-symmetry models hold. This paper proposes some quasi point-symmetry models and marginal point-symmetry models for multiway tables, and extends Tomizawa’s (Biom. J. 27:895–905, 1985) theorem into multiway tables. We also show that for multiway tables the likelihood ratio statistic for testing goodness of fit of the point-symmetry model is asymptotically equivalent to the sum of those for testing the quasi point-symmetry model with some order and the marginal point-symmetry model with the corresponding order. An example is given.     

The Impact of Quality Management Practices on Performance and Competitive Advantage

As decision makers become more involved in implementing Total Quality Management, questions are raised about which management practices should be emphasized. In this exploratory investigation of the relationship of specific quality management practices to quality performance, a framework was constructed. It focuses on both core quality management practices and on the infrastructure that creates an environment supportive of their use. In addition, it incorporates two measures of quality performance and their role in establishing and sustaining a competitive advantage. Path analysis was used to test the proposed model, with multiple regression analysis determining the path coefficients, which were decomposed into their various effects. Weak linkages were eliminated. The trimmed model indicated that perceived quality market outcomes were primarily related to statistical control/feedback and the product design process, while the internal measure of percent that passed final inspection without requiring rework was strongly related to process flow management and to statistical control/feedback, to a lesser extent. Both measures of quality performance were related to competitive advantage. Important infrastructure components included top management support and workforce management. Supplier relationships and work attitudes were also related to some of the core quality practices and quality performance measures. The results were interpreted in light of Hill's concept of order winners and order qualifiers and Garvin's eight dimensions of quality. They indicate that different core quality management practices lead to success in different dimensions of quality, and that those dimensions function differently as order winners and order qualifiers.