Identifying individual differences: An algorithm with application to Phineas Gage

In many research contexts it is useful to group experimental subjects into behavioral “types.” Usually, this is done by pre-specifying a set of candidate decision-making heuristics and assigning each subject to a heuristic in that set. Such approaches might perform poorly when applied to subjects with prefrontal cortex damage, because it can be hard to know what cognitive heuristics such subjects might use. We suggest that the Houser, Keane and McCabe (HKM) robust classification algorithm can be a useful tool in these cases. An important advantage of this classification approach is that it does not require one to specify either the nature or number of subjects' heuristics in advance. Rather, both the number and nature of the heuristics are discerned directly from the data. To illustrate the HKM approach, we draw inferences about heuristics used by subjects in the well-known gambling task [Bechara, A., Damasio, A.R., Damasio, H., Anderson, S., 1994. Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex. Cognition 50, 7–12].     

Report: EMCRA — The chemical division of EVAF

It is editorial policy to encourage officials, of the European Association for Industrial Marketing Research (EVAF), to write occasional articles on the activities of EVAF. In this article Mr. J. W. Vernon, Chairman (UK) of the European Chemical Marketing Research Association (ECMRA), has written a refreshingly frank “history”, and discussed the promising future plans, of the Chemical Division of EVAF.     

A theoretical framework for the studio as a learning environment

In this article we describe a holistic, ecological framework that takes into account the surface structures and pedagogical approaches in the studio and how these elements are connected to the construction of design knowledge: epistemology. In our development of this framework, we came to understand how disciplinary underpinnings and academic culture shape the ways that studio is enacted. Using practice theory, we illustrate our framework with two examples—one in Industrial Design and another in Human Computer Interaction—that demonstrate the ways in which the studio can act as a bridge between academic and professional communities. We came to see the studio as a unique practice community that connects academic and professional contexts. We argue that successful implementation of studio-based learning involves an awareness of disciplinary canons, ontological approaches to knowledge, and the academic constraints on studio-based approaches to learning.     

Where Do Unions Add Value? Predominant Organizing Principle,Union Strength and Manufacturing Productivity Growth in the OECD

This article deploys comparative historical data on 14 OECD countries to examine the significance of predominant union structure for the impact of union strength on the (medium‐term) growth in hourly labour productivity in manufacturing. The analysis shows that where craft and general unionism predominates, union strength has a deleterious impact on productivity growth. Where enterprise unionism predominates, union strength is irrelevant. However, where industrial unionism predominates, union strength promotes productivity growth. These effects exist independently of established economic influences on aggregate productivity growth. The findings are interpreted as displaying the importance of the character of the governance that unions provide for their productivity impact.     

African-oriented and Euro-American-oriented world views: Research methodologies and economics

Conclusion This paper has shown two things. First, it has indicated some of the philosophical ways in which a “pure” African-oriented world view differs in kind from the “pure” Euro-American-oriented one. Second, it has set forth some of their respective differences in research methodology, primarily focusing on the area of economics. However, neither of these world views and, therefore, their research methodologies have absolute validity. Each can claim validity only under its respective limiting conditions. In the words of Kuhn, “truth may, like proof, be a term with only intra-theoretic applications.” In effect, no interworld view comparison can or should be made in terms of absolute correspondence to reality. However, overseas Africans in America do embody both world views in varying degrees. Researchers on black people, therefore, must be familiar with both methodologies in order to analyze completely the behavior of Afro-Americans.     

Nontariff distortions of international trade: Some preliminary empirical evidence

Zusammenfassung Nichttarif?re Verzerrungen des internationalen Handels: Einige vorl?ufige empirische Befunde. — In dieser Studie werden — mit Hilfe einer Auswahl von Business International zusammengestellter internationaler Preise — Wert?quivalente für nichttarif?re Handelsschranken durch Zerlegung der Preise in ihre Komponenten gesch?tzt. Nachdem l?nderm?\ige Preisunterschiede für eine genau beobachtete Auswahl von Gütern berechnet wurden, werden die gesch?tzten Anteile, die auf Z?lle, Abgaben und andere direkte Steuern, Transportkosten usw. zurückzuführen sind, von diesen Zahlen abgezogen. Der verbleibende unerkl?rte Rest wird dann als Ma\ für die wertm?\ige Inzidenz von nichttarif?ren Handelsschranken interpretiert. In Frankreich und in etwas geringerem Ausma\ in den Vereinigten Staaten zeigen die Ergebnisse, da\ die meisten beobachteten Preisunterschiede auf Steuern, Z?lle und Abgaben (Frankreich) zurückgeführt werden k?nnen. Unerkl?rte Reste in H?he von 30 bis 50 vH für Schweden und Japan deuten dagegen auf sehr bedeutende andere handelsbeschr?nkende Ma\nahmen in diesen L?ndern hin. Da eine gesonderte Untersuchung zeigt, da\ h?here Handelskosten nicht für diese Unterschiede verantwortlich sein k?nnen, würde eine ausführliche Untersuchung der schwedischen und japanischen Systeme nützlich sein, um genau die Art der Faktoren festzustellen, die diese Unterschiede verursachen. Eine gesonderte (Rang-) Korrelationsanalyse der Preisunterschiede mit der H?ufigkeit von nichttarif?ren Beschr?nkungen in der Zusammenstellung des GATT zeigt entweder eine negative oder eine nicht-signifikante Beziehung zwischen diesen Variablen. Dies l?\t darauf schlie\en, da\ die Zusammenstellung des GATT kein unverzerrtes Bild der relativen Bedeutung von nichttarif?ren Hemmnissen in verschiedenen Sektoren geben dürfte.

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Résumé Les distorsions nontarifaires du commerce international: Quelques empiriques evidences préliminaires. — En utilisant un échantillon des prix internationaux compilé par Business International cette étude estime les équivalents ad valorem des obstacles nontarifaires par une décomposition des portions de prix. Après avoir computé les differences de prix à travers les pays pour une sélection des produits rigoureusement controllée nous dérivons de ces données les estimations de la portion réduirable au tarif, aux taxes indirectes et aux autres taxes directes, aux co?ts de transport etc. Puis nous interprétons les quantités restantes pas expliquées comme mesure de l–incidence ad valorem des restrictions nontarifaires du commerce extérieur. Les résultats montrent que pour la France et, dans une mesure plus faible pour les Etats-Unis, la plupart des differences des prix observées peut être expliquée par les taxes, les tarifs et les imp?ts (France). Cependant les quantités restantes et pas expliqueés pour la Suède et le Japon d–une magnitude de 30 à 50 pourcent montrent que des autres mesures de commerce restrictives sont très importantes dans ces pays. Comme une analyse spéciale montre que les co?ts plus hauts du commerce de détail pour la Suède et le Japon ne peuvent pas expliquer les disparités, une investigation détaillée des systèmes de la Suède et du Japon pourrait être utile pour déterminer la nature exacte des facteurs causant ces differences. Une analyse séparée de corrélation des rangs des differences de prix avec la fréquence reportée des obstacles nontarifaires dans l–inventaire de GATT montre une association négative ou non-significative entre ces variables. Ces résultats suggèrent que peut-être l–inventaire des obstacles nontarifaires ne donne pas une illustration sans défiguration de l–importance relative des restrictions nontarifaires dans les secteurs différents.

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Resumen Distorsiones no tarifarias en el comercio internacional: Algunas evidencias empíricas preliminares. — Empleando una muestra de precios internacionales compilados por Business International, se estiman en el presente trabajo equivalentes ad valorem de barrieras no tarifarias a traves de la descomposición de partes de precios. Después de computar diferencias de precios entre países para una selección de productos estrechamente controlados, se descuentan de estas cifras estimaciones de los montos atribuibles a las tarifas, impuestos a la compraventa y otros impuestos directos, costos de transporte, etc. El restante residual no explicado se interpreta entonces como una medida de la incidencia ad valorem de las barrieras no tarifarias del comercio. En Francia y, en menor medida en los EEUU, los resultados muestran, que la mayor parte de las diferencias de precios observadas se pueden atribuir a impuestos, tarifas y derechos (Francia). Sin embargo, residuales no explicados del orden de 30% a 50% en Suecia y Japón sugieren, que otras medidas restrictivas del comercio son muy importantes en estos países. Ya que un análisis separado muestra, que costos de venta al detalle mayores no pueden ser responsables por estas disparidades, parece que una investigación detallada de los sistemas sueco y japonés sería muy útil para determinar la naturaleza exacta de los factores que causan estas diferencias. Un análisis de correlación de rango seperado para las diferencias de precios con la frecuencia de las barrieras no tarifarias del inventario del GATT anteriormente mencionadas, muestra una asociación negativa o no significativa para estas variables. Estos resultados sugieren, que el inventario de barrieras no tarifarias puede no estar dando un cuadro sin sesgos de la importancia relativa de las restricciones no tarifarias en diferentes sectores.

     

Using Laboratory Experiments in Logistics and Supply Chain Research

Laboratory experiments provide an underutilized methodology for subjecting research in logistics and supply chain management to rigorous scientific scrutiny. As discussed in this paper, by following established procedures researchers can create an economic system in which behavior can be observed and replicated. With the ability to control the institution and the environment, researchers have complete information and can exogenously manipulate treatment variables, neither of which may be feasible in field work. We also address many of the reservations that skeptics of laboratory experiments often express including issues of realism, participant sophistication, and payoff stakes. We then provide several examples where experiments have been used to study issues relevant to logistics and supply chain management including auctions, wholesale practices in gasoline markets, inventory replenishment, liberalization of the electric power industry, and deregulation of the natural gas markets. Finally, we identify several additional areas where laboratory experiments could be informative.