A university budget problem: a priority-based approach

The budgeting problem in a university environment is considered, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) developed by Saaty. This approach allows the priorization of all relevant budget considerations both from the benefit to the school's future evolution and from the cost of operation viewpoints. This approach allows using the derived priority structure to arrive at a budget allocation. In addition to the systematic manner by which this budget is determined, the approach also provides an “audit trail” that is very important in explaining the specific allocation.     

A regularization approach to the many instruments problem

This paper focuses on the estimation of a finite dimensional parameter in a linear model where the number of instruments is very large or infinite. In order to improve the small sample properties of standard instrumental variable (IV) estimators, we propose three modified IV estimators based on three different ways of inverting the covariance matrix of the instruments. These inverses involve a regularization or smoothing parameter. It should be stressed that no restriction on the number of instruments is needed and that all the instruments are used in the estimation. We show that the three estimators are asymptotically normal and attain the semiparametric efficiency bound. Higher-order analysis of the MSE reveals that the bias of the modified estimators does not depend on the number of instruments. Finally, we suggest a data-driven method for selecting the regularization parameter. Interestingly, our regularization techniques lead to a consistent nonparametric estimation of the optimal instrument.     

A mathematical approach to the boolean minimization problem

Any minimization problem involves a computer algorithm. Many such algorithms have been developed for the boolean minimizations, in diverse areas from computer science to social sciences (with the famous QCA algorithm). For a small number of entries (causal conditions in the QCA) any such algorithm will find a minimal solution, especially with the aid of the modern computers. However, for a large number of conditions a quick and complete solution is not easy to find using an algorithmic approach, due to the extremely large space of possible combinations to search in. In this article I will demonstrate a simple alternative solution, a mathematical method to obtain all possible minimized prime implicants. This method is not only easier to understand than other complex algorithms, but it proves to be a faster method to obtain an exact and complete boolean solution.     

A semi-parametric Bayesian approach to the instrumental variable problem

We develop a Bayesian semi-parametric approach to the instrumental variable problem. We assume linear structural and reduced form equations, but model the error distributions non-parametrically. A Dirichlet process prior is used for the joint distribution of structural and instrumental variable equations errors. Our implementation of the Dirichlet process prior uses a normal distribution as a base model. It can therefore be interpreted as modeling the unknown joint distribution with a mixture of normal distributions with a variable number of mixture components. We demonstrate that this procedure is both feasible and sensible using actual and simulated data. Sampling experiments compare inferences from the non-parametric Bayesian procedure with those based on procedures from the recent literature on weak instrument asymptotics. When errors are non-normal, our procedure is more efficient than standard Bayesian or classical methods.     

A new approach to assess the normalization of differential rates of protest participation

Quality & Quantity - Research that compares those who do and do not participate in protest over time purports that protesters are becoming increasingly similar to the non-protesting population....     

Same Direction,Different Paths: a Phenomenological Study of Employees who are Religious yet Open to Religious Pluralism

While there is a growing interest in workplace spirituality, much of that focus excludes religion even though the vast majority of people are affiliated with a religious tradition. Attempts to bring one’s “whole self” to work can be problematic for those who are religious because of concerns of offense or proselytizing. This phenomenological study explored the lived experience of a group of 15 professional employees who were personally religious while also remaining open to religious pluralism in the workplace. This group was largely Christian, and was chosen from participants in leadership seminars and graduate courses in the United States. Analysis revealed four different postures used by participants to express openness toward religious difference. These approaches are described in detail, and the implications of these finding for the advancement of pluralism in the workplace are considered.     

The emergence of the pluralism construct and the inpatriation process

The concept of centric (i.e. ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric and geocentric) orientations, applied to strategic international human resource management (SIHRM), has been argued to reflect the corporate top management dominant logic of managing and staffing multinational subsidiaries in hierarchical multinational corporations (MNCs). In this paper, we introduce a new, complementary concept of pluralistic strategic global human resource management (SGHRM) orientation for network-oriented global organizations. Moreover, we develop an integrative framework for SIHRM/SGHRM orientations, which accommodates both centric and pluralistic perspectives. The dimensions used in the framework development include: 1) nature of the headquarters-subsidiary exchange (transactional/relational); and 2) the differentiation of dominant relational norms governing co-operation in the multinational network (obligatory/consensual). By focusing on the interaction between formal and informal contractual and normative dimensions, we derive four distinct SIHRM/SGHRM orientations (exportive, adaptive, integrative and pluralistic). This conceptual framework offers insights into how the innovative global staffing practice of inpatriation may foster the emergence of the unique outcomes of social capital, trust, commitment and legitimacy in global networks.     

A simulation approach to the problem of the relationship between business test data and conventional statistics

De conjunctuurtest is opgezet met het doel op korte termijn inzicht te verkrijgen in de bewegingen van belangrijke economische variabelen. Daartoe worden de ondernemers vragen gesteld d.m.v. een enqueteformulier omtrent grootheden als productie, afzet etc. De conjunctuurtest laat slechts 3 antwoorden toe: de variabele in kwestie is gestegen, gelijk gebleven of gedaald. Bij dit soort analyses bestaat onzekerheid over de vraag hoe een ondernemer het antwoord "geen verandering" zal interpreteren. Dit probleem is als volgt aangepakt. Voor de ondernemers zijn gespecificeerd de "response functions" p(δ) en q(δ). De functie p(δ) geeft aan de kans dat een ondernemer een stijging zal melden indien hij met een numerieke productie verandering 6 wordt geconfronteerd. De functie q(δ) geeft aan de kans dat hij een doling zal melden bij eenzelfde productieverandering δ. Vervolgens zijn voor de waargenomen productie wijzigingen in de chemische Industrie over de periode januari 1955 t / m december 1957 de waarschijnlijkheden van de meldingen "stijging" p(δ) en "daling" q(δ) bepaald. Hierna zijn met behulp van een computer de antwoorden van de ondernemers gesimuleerd. Zie voor deze techniek sectie 4.
Met behulp van de regressie analyse is vervolgens de samenhang onderzocht tussen de conjunctuurtestgegevens en de productiecijfers van traditionele statistiek. Voor de gebruikte specif caties blijkt dat de correlatie coefficienten worden ver-laagd indien de varianties van de "response" functies groter worden.     

Obstacles and solutions on the ladder of citizen participation: a systematic review

This article presents a systematic review of the English-language empirical literature about citizen participation to identify the obstacles to its implementation and the most successful ways to address them. Three sets of variables seem to impact effectiveness: contextual factors, including information asymmetries and public officials’ attitude; organizational arrangements, including community representation criteria and process design; and process management patterns, including group dynamics and collaboration quality. Two recommendations stem from our analysis: internalize decisions in organizational procedures, and establish ongoing interactions between government bodies and their stakeholders. We conclude that half-hearted engagement is unlikely to lead to successful citizen participation.     

A genetic algorithm for the partial binary constraint satisfaction problem: an application to a frequency assignment problem

We describe a genetic algorithm for the partial constraint satisfaction problem. The typical elements of a genetic algorithm, selection, mutation and cross-over, are filled in with combinatorial ideas. For instance, cross-over of two solutions is performed by taking the one or two domain elements in the solutions of each of the variables as the complete domain of the variable. Then a branch-and-bound method is used for solving this small instance. When tested on a class of frequency assignment problems this genetic algorithm produced the best known solutions for all test problems. This feeds the idea that combinatorial ideas may well be useful in genetic algorithms.     

A heuristic programming approach to the employee scheduling problem and some thoughts on “managerial robots”

We describe a system for the automatic scheduling of employees in the particular setting in which: the number of employees wanted on duty throughout the week fluctuates; the availabilities of the employees varies and changes from week to week; and a new schedule must be produced each week, by virtue of the changing demand for service.The problem which we address appears in a variety of settings, including: airline reservation offices; telephone offices; supermarkets; fast food restaurants; banks and hotels.Previous approaches to the problem have relied chiefly on formal methods, generally involving one or another variation of linear or integer, mathematical programming. We suggest that except in cases involving very small problems (only a handful of employees) that those approaches have not proven promising, especially where union rules and management requirements impose complex constraints on the problem, and that a heuristic approach has proven to be substantially superior.We set forth the general features of our heuristic approach, which we see as an application of artificial intelligence; we show how, in contrast to other approaches, which design shifts as if employees were always available and try to fit those shifts to employees who are not always available, our system design shifts with deference to the employees' limited availabilities; we suggest that, for a given service level, our system produces schedules with a better “fit”—number of employees actually on duty comparing more favorably with the number wanted; and we state that while, for a given service level, a ‘manual scheduler’ may take up to 8 hours each week to prepare a good schedule, our system, on most micro computers, routinely produces better schedules involving up to 100 employees in about 20 minutes.The scheduling of employees is generally considered to be a managerial function, in the setting of the problem we address. When a craft employee is replaced on an assembly line by a machine which performs the same function, we speak of the replacing mechanism as an industrial robot.We suggest that systems like that which we describe deserve a name, to distinguish them from comparable, computer based systems which do not replace, but rather supplement a manager, and we suggest the name ‘managerial robot’ for such systems.We set forth the characteristics which we feel would justify applying the term ‘managerial robot’ to a computer based system, and suggest that classification is basic to understanding and communication and that just as terms such as decision support systems and expert systems prove useful in our increasingly advanced, technological society, so also the term managerial robot has a place in our scheme of things.Decision support systems do not qualify as managerial robots for the reason that managerial robots don't simply support the decision making process, but rather replace the manager in his performance of a function which, when performed by a human being, is considered a managerial function.Nor do we consider managerial robots to qualify as expert systems. While our scheduling system contains an inference mechanism, and could be enhanced to improve the quality of its schedules thru ‘experience’ (and thus to ‘learn’?), that—lacking a knowledge base in the sense of expert systems-and most of all in replacing rather than supporting the decision maker, the managerial robot needs a term of its own.We elaborate, in this paper, a specific application of our system, and show how the design of shifts, and the placement of breaks, serve to yield a fit whose quality no human scheduler can duplicate.     

Recycled waste? debating the analysis of worker participation: a response to Ackers et al.

Here the approach to the analysis of employee involvement proposed by Ackers et al. is challenged on several counts, and its adequacy as an alternative to the accounts it questions is contested.     

Operationalising workers' participation: a comparison of US and Yugoslav models

Richard Rosenberg and Eliezer Rosenstein compare Yugoslavian workers' councils with consultative participation in US plants. They conclude that shopfloor participation offers the most potential for active worker involvement in management and even for the effective downward transfer of decision-making authority.     

The proportional representation problem in the Second Chamber: an approach via minimal distances

Abstract  The purpose of this paper is to discuss the proportional representation problem in the Second Chamber of Dutch Parliament. Firstly, the present procedure for solving this problem is described, together with a possible alternative procedure, recently proposed by F. J. L isman . Next, the problem is formulated as that of minimizing some distance coefficient between the distribution of the votes of the electorate and that of the seats in the Second Chamber. For distances which satisfy a specific convexity condition a simple and straight forward algorithm is given for computing a distance minimizing seat distribution. The procedure of L isman is shown to have three attractive properties by which it is distinguished from the other usual procedures for solving the proportional representation problem. Finally, the principle of the weighted vote is introduced as a means of breaking the deadlock which always comes into being, because of the inevitable discrepancy between the vote distribution and the actual seat distribution.     

The theta model: a decomposition approach to forecasting

This paper presents a new univariate forecasting method. The method is based on the concept of modifying the local curvature of the time-series through a coefficient ‘Theta’ (the Greek letter θ), that is applied directly to the second differences of the data. The resulting series that are created maintain the mean and the slope of the original data but not their curvatures. These new time series are named Theta-lines. Their primary qualitative characteristic is the improvement of the approximation of the long-term behavior of the data or the augmentation of the short-term features, depending on the value of the Theta coefficient. The proposed method decomposes the original time series into two or more different Theta-lines. These are extrapolated separately and the subsequent forecasts are combined. The simple combination of two Theta-lines, the Theta=0 (straight line) and Theta=2 (double local curves) was adopted in order to produce forecasts for the 3003 series of the M3 competition. The method performed well, particularly for monthly series and for microeconomic data.     

On the generalized principal-agent problem: a comment

Faynzilberg and Kumar (Rev Econ Design 5(1):23–58, 2000) show that the usual Mirrlees–Rogerson conditions to validate the first-order approach in moral hazard agency models are no longer valid in the generalized agency case. They consider the risk-averse agent case and identify one set of technological conditions, where the production technology satisfies the linear distribution function condition in actions and types, that validates ex-ante the first-order approach. With the usefulness of their decomposition approach, we show that the first-order approach in the generalized agency case can be checked ex-ante under the Mirrlees–Rogerson conditions when the agent is risk-neutral but there is a binding limited liability constraint on the agent’s wage.      

Workplace participation and employee influence: a study of managers and shop stewards

This article looks at de facto and de jure participation in decision-making, as well as the degree of direct as opposed to indirect influence wielded by the parties involved. It asks whether the perceptions of those on ‘different sides’ of the industrial fence, such as shop stewards and managers, largely differ and on what issues.     

Preserving religious identity through education: Economic analysis and evidence from the US

This paper models the decision of religious parents to send their children to private religious schools as reflecting their desire to shield their children from external influences and thus preserve their religious identity. It follows that when the share of the minority in the local population grows—and outside influences become less threatening—the demand for separate religious schooling among the members of the religious group decreases. This pattern implies concavity in the relationship between enrollment in private and religious schooling and the share of the religious group in the population. We present empirical evidence from United States county data on Catholic and private school enrollment that strongly supports our theory. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the demand for religious education.     

Advertising a product to face a competitor entry: a differential game approach

We analyze a market in which advertising is the dominant marketing tool to create market share. We assume that an incumbent firm dominates the market during an initial stage, and that a new competitor is going to enter the market. In particular, we analyze the different advertising policies that the incumbent firm can adopt, before and after the entry of the rival. We explore three possible behaviours. In the first scenario the firm knows that the competitor will arrive at a given instant. In the second one we assume the original firm to be surprised, in the sense that it does not anticipate the entry of the opponent either because it does not expect the competitor to arrive, or it is not prepared to react before the entry takes place. Finally, in the third scenario, the original firm knows that the competitor will enter at a constant rate. We characterize a differential game model and compare the firms’ behaviours in a strategic perspective.     

The expert problem: a survey

The survey is focused on the typical problems in information transmission from experts to non-experts. Attention is paid to the factors that can affect information disclosure in models that apply a game-theoretic approach to the use of professional advice. In the economic literature expertise is mainly analyzed as a special case of asymmetric information between expert and non-expert. The contributions are reviewed according to a double criterion, that takes into account both the preferences of the experts and the properties of communication. On one side, either the non-expert plays the role of a decision-maker, who chooses an action that is payoff-relevant for the expert, or the preferences of the expert directly depend on some measure of his reputation as a high-ability forecaster. On the other side, communication can range from pure cheap talk to completely verifiable messages.