Chest x-ray stages of sarcoidosis

The initial chest x-ray is used to classify the stage of sarcoidosis. This report shows x-rays with findings of Stages I to IV. Underwriting sarcoidosis requires information of the history, the stage and pulmonary function tests.     

STAKEHOLDER-AGENCY THEORY

Taking agency theory and stakeholder theory as points of departure, this article proposes a paradigm that helps explain the following: (1) certain aspects of a firm's strategic behaviour; (2) the structure of management-stakeholder contracts; (3) the form taken by the institutional structures that monitor and enforce contracts between managers and other stakeholders; and (4) the evolutionary process that shapes both management-stakeholder contracts and the institutional structures that police those contracts.     

The perceived utility of information presented via electronic decision aids: A consumer perspective

Recent advancements in electronic technology have made possible a viable alternative information delivery system in the form of Electronic Decision Aids (EDAs). However, consumers will only benefit from such technological innovations if they are perceived to be useful in facilitating the decision making process. The current study investigates the effects of type of EDA format (autonomous versus dominant) and provision of educational information on the perceived utility of information presented via an electronic decision aid. In addition, the relationships between these two dimensions and specific consumer characteristics, including product familiarity, computer familiarity, and locus of control, as well as product type (search versus experience goods) are systematically identified and evaluated. Results suggest that selection of an appropriate format depends upon the nature of the product being selected, while inclusion of educational information enhances perceived utility of the information in selecting both types of products.

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Der wahrgenommene Nutzen von Informationen, die durch elektronische Entscheidungshilfen bereitgestellt werden: eine Verbraucherperspektive

Zusammenfassung Elektronische Entscheidungshilfen in Einzelhandelsgeschäften sind eine neuartige Form der produktbezogenen Verbraucherinformation, die durch neuere technologische Entwicklungen ermöglicht wurde. Ob diese Innovation bei Konsumenten Erfolg haben wird, dürfte wesentlich davon abhängen, wie nützlich sie für den Kaufentscheidungsprozess eingeschätzt wird.Der Beitrag berichtet über eine empirische Studie darüber, wie diese wahrgenommene Nützlichkeit abhängig ist von der Informationsform (unterschieden danach, ob der sich informierende Verbraucher den Informationsvorgang eigenständig kontrollieren und gestalten kann oder nicht) und davon, ob die Information auch Bestandteile umfasst, die die generelle Produktkenntnis erhöhen und dadurch zusätzliche aufklärende Wirkung erzielen können, oder nicht. Ausserdem wurde der Einfluss der Produktart sowie der Produktvertrautheit des Konsumenten und seiner Vertrautheit mit dem Computer analysiert. Die Ergebnisse wurden in Laboruntersuchungen gewonnen, bei denen es um die Wahl eines Fotoapparates und um die Wahl eines Arztes ging.Es zeigt sich, dass es von der Produktart abhängig ist, welche der beiden Informationsformen zweckmässiger ist, wogegen durchgängig gilt, dass zusätzliche aufklärende Informationsbestandteile die wahrgenommene Nützlichkeit von Informationen erhoehen.

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Donna J. Hill is Associate Professor of Marketing, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Maryon F. King is Assistant Professor of Marketing, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA. Eli Cohen is Associate Professor and Head. Computer Information Systems. College of Business. Eastern New Mexico University, Portales. NM 88130, USA.     

Political and economic influences on the bureaucratic allocation of federal funds: The case of Urban Development Action Grants

The distributive theory of politics predicts that federal budget allocations will be responsive to the committee position of congressmen and their majority/minority party status. But such political allocations are less likely where bureaucrats rather than legislators make the allocative decisions. In such cases we must take into account bureaucratic motivations as well. Niskanen's bureaucratic budget maximization theory emphasizes such bureaucratic maximands and the efficient production of output or activity by the budget constrained bureau. In this paper the two theories are tested using data from the Urban Development Action Grant program, a capital subsidy program operated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A set of political and bureaucratic decision criteria is employed as independent variables in a series of logit and Tobit models in order to predict the likelihood of projects being funded and the amounts they will receive. The political criteria are not significant in any specifications, but the bureaucratic criteria suggest an investment-maximizing, risk-avoidance strategy on the part of HUD bureaucrats. Thus the results support the Niskanen theory, but do not support the distributive theory.     

MEASURING FARM INCOME UNDER CONDITIONS OF INFLATION: THE GAINS FROM BORROWING

Progress made in applying the principles of Current Cost Accounting (CCA) to measuring farming income is reviewed. Attention is focussed on the absence of any adjustment to farming income figures to incorporate the gains accruing from borrowing where the real burden of debt is eroded by inflation. A procedure based on deducting implied real interest charges, instead of nominal interest payments, is proposed. Revised values for U.K. farming income are estimated for the years 1974 to 1980. The revised figures range from values for income which are 29% greater than values which exclude the gains (or losses) from borrowing to values which are 25% lower.     

The practice of decision-making—some evidence

The theory of scientific decision-making is a well developed and coherent discipline, which may be expected to have had some impact on the decision-making processes employed by actual firms. This paper reports the results of a survey of engineering firms in South Wales, and casts some doubt on the hypothesis that advances in decision analysis have had a descernible impact on the practice of business. Moreover, the primary reason for this lack of impact appears to be that decision analysis is not perceived as relevant to the decision-making needs of managers. The paper concludes with some suggestion for overcoming this obstacle to the application of decision analysis.     

Why isn't Wales Richer? Economic change and GDP per capita

This paper examines the extent to which economic changes in Wales during the 1980s and early 1990s have impacted upon the main indicator of regional prosperity (GDP per head). The paper shows that the economic “successes” of Wales, in terms of inward investment attraction, infrastructure development and manufacturing growth, are yet to be translated into sustained improvements in relative GDP per capita. The general implications of the Welsh case for regional development strategy are examined in the conclusions.     

FRACAS: A Computerized Aid for Reasoning in Tax

Problem solving in the tax domain requires two kinds of knowledge: of the law itself and of how the law has been applied in the past. The need for the second factor arises as a result of the ambiguity of natural language. The problem solver requires information on how the courts have adjudicated specific cases in the past. This information would then provide the basis for reasoning about the current case. In this paper we address the issue of developing a system which will retrieve relevant historical cases. The cases are stored using a frame representation scheme and the users can retrieve cases by specifying either attributes alone or attributes and values associated with them. Currently the system has been implemented in Pascal on a Cray. The case base contains 250 cases relating to Section 183 of the tax code.