Does scoring a subpopulation make a difference

Scorecards used by consumer credit providers to assess the probability that an applicant will default are usually built for the population of potential applicants as a whole. This paper investigates whether it is permissible and worth-while to build a separate scorecard for each subpopulation of applicants. We review the legal requirements to find that it is permissible to use separate scorecards for many, but not all, personal characteristics. Second, using data supplied by a credit card organization separate scorecards were built for several subpopulations for each of twelve personal characteristics. The predicted performance of each was compared with that gained form estimating a scorecard for the full population using three methods for setting the cut-off scores in an `independent' way. These methods differ in the degree to which the cut-off scores are independent of information about other subpopulation, in the level of discrimination achieved between likely good payers and defaulters and in the degree to which each method is robust to new data. We conclude, first, that creating scorecards using subpopulations does not necessarily give better discrimination between likely good payers and defaulters. Second, none of the three methods examined to set the cut-off scores dominates the others using the three desirable properties described; trade-offs are required. Finally, subpopulation scorecards lead to the rejection of fewer applicants than scorecards built on full populations.     

Developing a Positioning Strategy for a University

ABSTRACT

If a school is able to establish a distinctive position relative to its competitors, it enhances its ability to maintain or increase enrollments. This paper focuses on the steps necessary for a school to create an effective positioning strategy. Success at positioning, however, does not occur easily or rapidly. Through the use of a variety of survey methods, it can be determined whether the strategy employed has resulted in the desired positioning for the school. Schools that have properly positioned themselves to meet the needs of their student market will flourish while those that have failed to do so will languish.     

Marketing a Financial Service Within a Firm

No abstract available for this article.     

When is a Bribe a Bribe? Teaching a Workable Definition of Bribery

This paper presents an outline forteaching about bribery. The outline is based onthe presumption that a payment, once defined asa ``bribe' is by definition unethical. Inaddition, the paper develops a simple yetworkable definition of bribery based on theprincipal-agent framework. The idea is that anypayment made to a principal, for any purpose,is not by definition a bribe; however, anypayment made to an agent is a bribe if theagent retains the payment.     

探索一套经验走出一条新路树立一个样板

记者:继东风汽车有限公司7月1日正式挂牌运营之后,中共东风汽车有限公司党委也正式成立了,这对公司来讲是件可喜可贺的事情.东风汽车有限公司党委的成立有何重大意义? 叶书记:东风汽车有限公司的创立,在我国中外合资企业中无论是其合作规模还是合作层次,无论是资产额度还是员工人数,都开了合资企业的先河.在合资企业中,党组织公开挂牌、公开活动、党群人员纳入编制、活动资金纳入预算的"一公开、两纳入"模式,更是全国第一家,仅此,意义不言自明了.这是机会,更是挑战;是压力,更是动力.     

当锋利的矛遇上坚固的盾——来电显示与隐藏的悖论

2004年7月云南省昆明市一律师以自己的固定电话号码在他人电话上显示侵犯了隐私为由，状告服务提供商中国电信昆明分公司，但最终因“号码资源所有权属于家，使用权属于电信运营商．原告只在合同期内对谈号码对应的通信线路享有主叫功能和专用权．     

善因营销:以社会公民身份营销企业

善因营销(Cause-Related Marketing,CRM)就是将企业与非赢利机构,特别是慈善组织相结合,将产品销售与公益事业相结合,在为相关事业进行捐赠、资助其发展的同时,达到提高产品销售额、实现企业利润、改善企业社     

Time as a Resource and as a Context

If consumption takes time, then a time constraint may reduce the consumer's freedom when buying goods. Some implications of Steedman's approach are examined in this paper; some variations on the theme are considered and compared. Finally, the notion of time as a context may lead to developments in the concept of a process of consumption, and of its relations with consumption goods.     

Knick-knack Paddy-whack,Give a Pub a Theme

Few cities in the UK lack an 'authentic' Irish bar, be it O'Neill's, Scruffy Murphy's or Shifty O'Shea's. Theme pubs, like theme parks, theme hotels and theme restaurants, are very big business. Yet the marketing academy seems somewhat reluctant to investigate such establishments, professionally at least. This essay examines the theme pub phenomenon and offers some reflexive reflections on the recent, rapid rise of themed environments. It concludes with some lessons for marketing scholars, contending that excess is the essence of our field. As William Blake observed, the road of excess may lead to the palace of wisdom.     

Rework: a symptom of a dysfunctional supply-chain

This paper describes and presents findings from a detailed case study that sought to acquire an in-depth understanding of ‘why’ and ‘how’ rework occurred the way it did in a structural steel supply-chain. The findings from the case study indicate that the cause of rework was primarily attributable to the sequential nature of the supply-chain, which resulted in poor communication and decision-making being experienced. This was found to be further exacerbated by the absence of a quality focus during the design process, which resulted in the supply-chain becoming dysfunctional inasmuch as rework emerged downstream in the production process. A conceptual model for improving the effectiveness of a supply-chain and thus minimising the incidence of rework is presented and discussed.     

男大当婚 女大当嫁

愿同业身心健康．工作榆快．爱情如意．婚姻美满。家意庭融合。积极畅享和谐社会，开开心心上班去，快快乐下班玩![编者按]     

What a difference a word makes: Understanding threats to performance in a VUCA world

VUCA is an acronym that has recently found its way into the business lexicon. The components it refers to—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—are words that have been variously used to describe an environment which defies confident diagnosis and befuddles executives. In a ‘VUCA world,’ both pundits and executives have said, core activities essential to driving organizational performance—like strategic planning—are viewed as mere exercises in futility. VUCA conditions render useless any efforts to understand the future and to plan responses. When leaders are left with little to do other than wring their hands, organizational performance quickly falls at risk. In this installment of Organizational Performance, we demonstrate that by overlooking important differences in the conditions that volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity describe, we have disempowered leaders. We show how leaders can appreciate the differences among each of these challenging situations in order to properly allocate scarce resources to preserve and enhance organizational performance.     

Moral Judgment and Values in a Developed and a Developing Nation: a Comparative Analysis

This comparative field study evaluated the moral reasoning used by U.S. and Belizean business students in resolving business-related moral dilemmas. The Belizeans, citizens of a less-developed country with Western heritage and a values-based education system, revolved the dilemmas using higher stages of moral judgment than did the U.S. business students.     

本土广告是孩子,更是神童

去年9月到北京出任中国广告节“长城奖”评委时,顺便去拜访了老朋友张百清先生。我们交往多年,常常在各种业界的聚会中碰面,04年我还与他合作,在昆明办了一次台湾广告人的演讲会,百清兄也是亲自披挂上阵,讲授他们服务“康师傅”的经典案例,记得当时我们佩服得一塌糊涂。然而短短的两年时间,当我真的来到张百清先生所在的“智得沟通”时,     

要“跳高”，勿“跳糟”

广告人“跳槽”早已是普遍现象，大家如此地乐于跳槽，至少说明当前形势一片大好。试想：如果经济不景气，保住饭碗就可以窃喜了，“跳槽”之念该抛至九霄支外。而如今，国内经济繁荣，人们可以轻松、频繁地跳槽，无怪乎行动和思维一样跳跃的广告人，更是按捺不住要“蹦蹦跳跳”啪!     

Defending a dominant position in a technology led environment

A company with a significant technology lead over its rivals cannot afford to be complacent about its position. In this article, Filippo Dell'Osso contrasts the case of Glaxo's Zantac — a massively successful drug representing only a modest technological advance — with EMI's CAT scanner, a massive technological advance of limited commercial benefit to EMI. In order to be fully exploited, a technology advantage needs to be complemented by the development of other corporate assets.     

Establishing a new business venture unit within a firm

The rapid growth of the United States as a whole is basically a story of the discovery and adoption of novel and improved ways of satisfying wants and needs. Previously, these wants and needs have been championed by individuals such as J.P. Morgan (finance), James B. Duke (tobacco), Andrew Carnegie (steel), Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroads), and John D. Rockefeller (oil). Each of these entrepreneurs commercialized a new idea or invention—the essence of the innovation process. Each bridged the gap between science and the marketplace by developing and commercializing a marketable innovation.Although even more of a need to reach the market as quickly as possible exists today, the majority of the innovations commercialized each year come from new or smaller organizations-often the ones with the least amount of capability and resources to accomplish the task. Existing businesses, especially larger ones, are in a much better position to bridge this gap. These companies have the existing financial resources, business skills, and usually the marketing and distribution systems to successfully commercialize a new innovation. Recognizing this capability, large companies have tried to instill an entrepreneurial spirit or an internal venturing program in an attempt to increase the amount and success of new offerings. This activity has taken on a variety of forms, one of which is the new business venture unit.What are the characteristics of a new business venture unit? Are they more successful at introducing new products than autonomous entrepreneurs? These and other questions were addressed in a research project of Fortune 1000 firms consisting of a mail questionnaire and in-depth personal interviews.The majority of these firms did not have a new business venture unit (70%). Of those firms that did, the average age of their unit was 5.3 years and the range of ages was from a few months to 20 years. In addition, the range of employees in the new business venture unit varied greatly: from one to 100. Firms in the primary product lines of chemical and medical products, computers, beauty products, and feminine products tended to have new business venture units more than did firms in other product areas. These units contained a variety of departments, including marketing (the most frequent), finance, and research and development. Through modest increases in the number of new products introduced each year, the new business venture units also significantly increased the per- centages of sales attributed to products introduced within the previous three years. A good environment for a successful new business venture unit included: encouraging new ideas; allowing mistakes and failure; making available the resources of the firm; encouraging teamwork; establishing broad per- formance goals and an appropriate reward system; and having top management strongly support the unit.