Teaching and learning the nature of technical artifacts

Artifacts are probably our most obvious everyday encounter with technology. Therefore, a good understanding of the nature of technical artifacts is a relevant part of technological literacy. In this article we draw from the philosophy of technology to develop a conceptualization of technical artifacts that can be used for educational purposes. Furthermore we report a small exploratory empirical study to see to what extent teachers’ intuitive ideas about artifacts match with the way philosophers write about the nature of artifacts. Finally, we suggest a teaching and learning strategy for improving (student) teachers’ concepts of technical artifacts through practical activities.     

Genetic and neurological foundations of customer orientation: field and experimental evidence

We explore genetic and neurological bases for customer orientation (CO) and contrast them with sales orientation (SO). Study 1 is a field study that establishes that CO, but not SO, leads to greater opportunity recognition. Study 2 examines genetic bases for CO and finds that salespeople with CO are more likely to have the 7R variant of the DRD4 gene. This is consistent with basic research on dopamine receptor activity in the brain that underlies novelty seeking, the reward function, and risk taking. Study 3 examines the neural basis of CO and finds that salespeople with CO, but not SO, experience greater activation of their mirror neuron systems and neural processes associated with empathy. Managerial and research implications are discussed.     

Within the triangle of healthcare legacies: comparing the performance of South-Eastern European health systems

Objective: Inter-regional comparison of health-reform outcomes in south-eastern Europe (SEE).

Methods: Macro-indicators were obtained from the WHO Health for All Database. Inter-regional comparison among post-Semashko, former Yugoslavia, and prior-1989-free-market SEE economies was conducted.

Results: United Nations Development Program Human Development Index growth was strongest among prior-free-market SEE, followed by former Yugoslavia and post-Semashko. Policy cuts to hospital beds and nursing-staff capacities were highest in post-Semashko. Physician density increased the most in prior-free-market SEE. Length of hospital stay was reduced in most countries; frequency of outpatient visits and inpatient discharges doubled in prior-free-market SEE. Fertility rates fell for one third in Post-Semashko and prior-free-market SEE. Crude death rates slightly decreased in prior-free-market-SEE and post-Semashko, while growing in the former Yugoslavia region. Life expectancy increased by 4 years on average in all regions; prior-free-market SEE achieving the highest longevity. Childhood and maternal mortality rates decreased throughout SEE, while post-Semashko countries recorded the most progress.

Conclusions: Significant differences in healthcare resources and outcomes were observed among three historical health-policy legacies in south-eastern Europe. These different routes towards common goals created a golden opportunity for these economies to learn from each other.     

Management Accounting Research in the Wake of the Crisis: Some Reflections

This article offers some reflections on opportunities and challenges for management accounting research in the wake of the recent financial crisis, and especially the regulatory reforms and augmented disclosures the crisis has spawned. While challenging for the organizations facing them, I argue that especially the enhanced disclosures are likely to turn management accounting ‘inside out’ to a greater extent than has been the case before, which could be a boon for researchers studying hitherto mostly internal management accounting practices. As an undercurrent to the opportunities for research, however, I emphasize the importance of considering organizational design, comprised of both structure and culture, in understanding the inevitably intertwined effects of distorted incentives and information failings, among other problems that seem to all have contributed in some way to the crisis. In respect of the opportunities for management accounting research, I mainly discuss a continuing need to study incentives; a motivation to study risk management; an opportunity to reinvigorate budgeting research; and an invitation to study financial companies and the challenges of disclosures.     

An Associative Approach to Risk Perception: Measuring the Effects of Risk Communications Directly and Indirectly<1?tpb=-6pt?>

Risk perception is often measured by a direct method, e.g., a questionnaire. This mainly reveals the deliberate evaluation of a risk (a so‐called secondary evaluative process), whereas risk perception can also be based on a first, spontaneous reaction (a primary evaluative process). An indirect test such as the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST, De Houwer, 2003 De Houwer, J. 2003. The Extrinsic Affective Simon Task. Experimental Psychology, 50: 77–85. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) may be needed to reveal this first, spontaneous reaction. In this study, a questionnaire and an EAST measured the effects of varying risk communications (high risk, low risk or control article), about high‐voltage power lines. The results of the EAST showed that the respondents associated power lines stronger with unhealthy than with healthy. However, the questionnaire results did not seem to indicate that the respondents considered power lines as risky. The EAST did not reveal an effect of article variation on the associations of power lines with (un)healthy. Conversely, the questionnaire results showed that article variation influenced the secondary evaluative process. Further, our findings demonstrated that the direct and indirect measures were unrelated. An indirect test may complement a direct test to get an overall picture of how people evaluate risks.     

Education,training and employability

Two hypotheses are tested: (1) education and training increase the employability of workers at other tasks within the firm and reduce the need for help from supervisors when workers encounter small problems, and (2) greater employability and problem solving capability increase wages. The empirical results show that greater employability and problem solving capability are independent from each other. Formal work-related training increases employability. Workers in jobs requiring no induction training are less employable at other jobs or departments. Both general and specific human capital increase the ability of workers to solve problems on their own. Greater employability does not increase wages. Male workers who solve problems on their own earn more than men who need help from others. The effects of human capital variables on employability and problem solving capability do not differ between and men and women. However, it is found that the ability to solve problems on one's own has a pay off for men but not for women.     

Willingness and ability of Bulgarian consumers to pay for improved public health care services

An application of the contingent valuation method to the willingness and ability of Bulgarian consumers to pay for public health care services is presented. The study uses data from a household survey conducted in May–June 2000. The willingness and ability to pay for outpatient, inpatient and dental services is investigated. A combination of interval checklist and open-ended questions are used to elicit the willingness-to-pay amounts. The impact of the sociodemographic characteristics on the responses is examined by a generalized Tobit regression. Based on the regression equation, the welfare effects of various fee levels are simulated.     

Fish Market Segmentation Based on Consumers' Motives,Barriers and Risk Perception in Belgium

This study's objective was to segment Belgian fish consumers based on their motives, perceived barriers, and their risk perception corresponding with fish consumption. Cross-sectional consumer data were collected in November 2004 through a self-administered questionnaire (n = 852). Cluster analysis distinguished between three consumer segments. Uncertain fish consumers indicate strong motives and a low risk perception, but experience some barriers to increase their fish consumption. Fish Lovers do not perceive any risk from eating fish and express strong motives and low barriers. Finally, Concerned fish consumers perceive few barriers, and they score relatively moderate on fish consumption motives, but express some doubts with respect to potential risks from eating fish. Profiling the clusters yields opportunities for targeted marketing strategies and product orientation.     

Calibration risk: Illustrating the impact of calibration risk under the Heston model

It is already well documented that model risk is an important issue regarding the pricing of exotics (see Schoutens et al., in A perfect calibration! Now what?, Wilmott Magazine, March 2004: pp 66–78, 2004). Arguments have been made to put this into the perspective of bid-ask pricing using the theory of conic finance and pricing to acceptability (Cherny and Madan Review of Financial Studies, 22: 2571–2606, 2009). In this paper we show also the presence and importance of calibration risk. More particularly, we point out that a variety of plausible calibration methods lead again to serious price differences for exotics and different distributions of the P&L of the delta-hedging strategy. This is illustrated under the popular Heston stochastic volatility model, which is used among practitioners to price all kinds of exotic and structured products. This paper shows that it is prudent to take some additional safety margin into account for the pricing of these structured notes.