Involving consumers in the work of a data linkage research unit

We describe and reflect on the work of a Consumer Panel for a data linkage research unit in Wales, and show how the members are inputting into plans for the future. Our work is centred on conducting health‐related data linkage research using anonymously linked, routinely collected data from across Wales via the Secure Anonymous Information Linkage system. In recognition of the importance of including patients and the public in health‐related research, we have established a Consumer Panel to strengthen this voice in our work, and there are currently 10 members (4 men and 6 women) from across Wales, with a range of health‐related areas of interest. A review of Panel activities was carried out after the first year, and all members were invited to provide their views via a questionnaire survey using structured and free‐text responses. Initial feedback, obtained after the first meeting, was tentatively positive, and the questionnaire survey identified practical measures for improvement and future work. We have found the Consumer Panel to be a valuable addition to our work in the rapidly growing area of data linkage research. The views of Panel members provide a positive outlook and a fresh, and sometimes unexpected, perspective on various issues. The lessons we have learned, and our experience of involving the Panel in various aspects of our work, may be of value to others seeking to work with consumers in data linkage research, to researchers in general and to consumers themselves.     

Cross-national consumer research using structural topic modelling: Consumers' approach-avoidance behaviours

This study introduces structural topic modelling (STM), a sophisticated unsupervised machine-learning algorithm for text analysis, to compare Indonesian and Malaysian Muslim consumers' approach-avoidance behaviours toward Korean beauty products using social media data. The STM results revealed 16 topics for each country, including new common themes belonging to K-beauty culture and wannabe Korean skin. Intriguing differences were also observed between these countries. Korea-related constructs, such as Korea's image and wannabe Korean skin, were approach factors for only Indonesians. Korean cosmetic brand-specific topics were extracted for only Malaysians and were significantly associated with their behavioural responses. Unsuitable Korean beauty products and domestic product preferences were avoidance factors for Indonesians, but new product risks and conflicts between Muslim and Korean cultures for Malaysians. We demonstrate that STM is a helpful tool in cross-national research for corroborating and extending the existing theoretical frameworks. The practical implications are also provided for global marketers.     

基于决策树的数据挖掘方法在CRM中的应用研究

基于ID3算法的CRM数据分类实例证明:决策树的核心问题是选择最佳的划分标准,采取数据挖掘中的决策树分类算法,将其应用于CRM系统中,以从中发现企业产品的销售规律和客户群特征,从而提高CRM对市场活动和销售活动的分析能力,以期为企业更科学、更有效地制定产品开发、生产、销售和服务策略提供有力的技术支持。     

Organizational culture,innovation, and performance: A test of Schein's model

Innovation is the key to organizational survival and therefore the study of processes that support innovation should be of interest to researchers and practitioners alike. Schein's multi-layered model of organizational culture offers a useful framework for thinking about processes that foster innovation. A defining characteristic of the model is the subtle but important distinctions between the varied “layers” of organizational culture (i.e., values and norms, artifacts and behaviors). The basic assumption of this study is that Schein's model offers a tractable explanation of cultural processes that support organizational innovation, especially in service firms. Despite the intuitive appeal and practical value of Schein's conceptual framework, empirical research in relation to the model is limited. This paper develops a rationale for an empirical model based on Schein's conceptual model; the study reports a test of an empirical model. Data collected from approximately 100 principals of law firms provides a suitable empirical context for a test of the model. The findings generally support the hypothesized relationships. A key result is how layers of organizational culture, particularly norms, artifacts, and innovative behaviors, partially mediate the effects of values that support innovation on measures of firm performance. The findings have implications for theory and practice, especially in relation to building an organizational culture within professional service firms that fosters innovative behavior.     

Flexible estimation of price response functions using retail scanner data

Kalyanam and Shively [1998. Estimating irregular pricing effects: a stochastic spline regression approach. Journal of Marketing Research 35 (1), 16–29] and van Heerde et al. [2001. Semiparametric analysis to estimate the deal effect curve. Journal of Marketing Research 38 (2), 197–215] have demonstrated the usefulness of nonparametric regression to estimate pricing effects flexibly. The empirical results of these two studies, however, also revealed that nonparametric regression may suffer from too much flexibility leading to nonmonotonic shapes for price effects. In this paper, we show how the problem of nonmonotonicity can be dealt with without losing the power of flexible estimation techniques. We propose a semiparametric approach based on Bayesian P-splines with monotonicity constraints imposed on own- and cross-price effects. In an empirical application, we illustrate that flexible estimation of own- and cross-price effects can improve the predictive validity of a sales response model substantially, even when price response curves were constrained to show a monotonic shape, as suggested by economic theory. We also discuss the consequences from an unconstrained estimation of price effects.     

Uncovering the message from the mess of big data

User-generated content, such as online product reviews, is a valuable source of consumer insight. Such unstructured big data is generated in real-time, is easily accessed, and contains messages consumers want managers to hear. Analyzing such data has potential to revolutionize market research and competitive analysis, but how can the messages be extracted? How can the vast amount of data be condensed into insights to help steer businesses’ strategy? We describe a non-proprietary technique that can be applied by anyone with statistical training. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) can analyze huge amounts of text and describe the content as focusing on unseen attributes in a specific weighting. For example, a review of a graphic novel might be analyzed to focus 70% on the storyline and 30% on the graphics. Aggregating the content from numerous consumers allows us to understand what is, collectively, on consumers’ minds, and from this we can infer what consumers care about. We can even highlight which attributes are seen positively or negatively. The value of this technique extends well beyond the CMO's office as LDA can map the relative strategic positions of competitors where they matter most: in the minds of consumers.     

最优债务条件与经济增长--基于中国省级经验数据

债务曾在中国过去长期高速经济增长中被奉为“神明”,又在当前经济步入“新常态”阶段而被斥为“魔鬼”,事实上,债务本身并无“善恶”之分,也不存在各地区普适的最优债务安排,合理的债务规模和结构应该适于经济体所处发展阶段。为探究经济增长目标下的最优债务条件,本文基于1978－2012年中国省级面板数据,实证研究发现中国的债务规模和债务结构之间存在着相互制约关系,债务总规模与公共性债务“双重增长”存在“最优解”,在此“最优解”之前无论是债务规模的增长或是公共性债务的增长均会带来经济增长,而在达到这一上限后,要实现经济增长,唯有在降低债务规模或是债务结构调整之间做出权衡。债务规模和债务结构的“最优解”以区域金融结构、财政收支、国有经济投资比重、城镇化率等为条件,稳健性检验再次验证了上述结论,并在此基础上提出相关政策建议。     

Exploring the intellectual structure of research in codes of ethics: A bibliometric analysis

In this study, we map the intellectual structure of the code of ethics research field by means of a co-citation bibliometric analysis. To date, this type of analysis is absent from the literature on codes of ethics. Previous literature reviews have clarified definitions, studied contents, and analyzed the effectiveness of codes of ethics. However, the qualitative nature of these reviews does not resolve fundamental issues for understanding the evolution and status of this research field. This study contributes to the field by providing a bibliometric review in which the main research areas, sources of knowledge, trends, interrelationships, and dissemination paths of the domain are shown. Our findings reveal four main lines of research in the field of codes of ethics: corporate agent behavior with respect to codes of ethics, content analysis, effectiveness of codes of ethics, and employees’ attitudes toward codes of ethics. We also show that the study of the contents of codes of ethics is the main connecting bridge in this area of knowledge. Finally, we identify upcoming research topics in the field such as cultural change, the defensive nature of codes of ethics, and the application of organizational theories to code analysis.     

基于螺旋谐振环结构的UWB同步开关噪声抑制电源平面

针对目前印制电路板中采用的同步开关噪声抑制方法抑制带宽较窄、全向性较差、电源平面有效使用面积小、结构复杂及对信号质量影响大的问题,提出了一种基于螺旋谐振环结构的超宽带同步开关噪声抑制平面,具有结构简单、阻带宽、抑制方向具有全向性、无需周期性电磁带隙结构的特点。通过研究其等效电路模型,使用三维有限元法（FEM）对所设计的结构提取了S参数,并进行了频域与时域分析与仿真。仿真结果表明：所提出的结构其同步开关噪声抑制深度在-40 dB时,阻带范围为0.13~20 GHz,抑制带宽达到19.87 GHz,有效降低了带隙中心频率;当注入噪声电压为1 V时,可将噪声电压抑制到0.25 mV;对比UC-EBG和Planar EBG结构,在-40 dB抑制深度时,抑制带宽分别提高了16.97 GHz和17.73 GHz。     

基于B／S结构的港口物资采购管理网上报价的研究

基于B／S结构的物资管理系统网上报价功能不仅实现了供应商供货信息的统一管理，同时具有经济性高、保密性好、易于维护、方便使用和易于扩大业务范围的优点。     

上市公司资本结构对公司业绩的影响——基于电子信息产业的数据分析

近年来许多学者对我国上市公司的资本结构与公司业绩间的关系进行了研究,得出正相关与负相关两种对立的结论。本文采用截面分析法,以我国上市公司中的电子信息行业为例,考察了资本结构对公司业绩的影响,得出了"资本结构对公司业绩的影响是正向的"结论,并对这个结论进行了思考和分析,提出了优化我国上市公司资本结构并提高公司业绩的政策建议。     

Consumer involvement in research using oral history: ‘What are people's experiences of health and well‐being in Halton?’

The purpose of this paper is to describe a qualitative oral history case study that involved consumers in research and followed a collaborative approach in the north‐west of England. This study had two aims: (1) to increase local voluntary groups research capacity through active involvement in research; and (2) to explore the community's historical perceptions of health and well‐being. The research team included four lay researchers from local voluntary groups supported by an academic researcher. Data collection used semi‐structured interviews based on oral history life stories that focused on health and well‐being. Thematic data analysis and mind maps were used to create a collective narrative. This paper will provide a brief synopsis of the findings from the main themes of health and well‐being, and reflect on the process of consumer involvement in research using oral history. Outputs have included dissemination at a local and national level, increased knowledge and confidence in the research process, and involvement in other related initiatives, such as Local Involvement Networks, partnership working with local libraries and collaboration with the regional archivist.