Precedence-type tests based on record values

Precedence-type tests based on order statistics are simple and efficient nonparametric tests that are very useful in the context of life-testing, and they have been studied quite extensively in the literature; see Balakrishnan and Ng (Precedence-type tests and applications. Wiley, Hoboken, 2006). In this paper, we consider precedence-type tests based on record values and develop specifically record precedence test, record maximal precedence test and record-rank-sum test. We derive their exact null distributions and tabulate some critical values. Then, under the general Lehmann alternative, we derive the exact power functions of these tests and discuss their power under the location-shift alternative. We also establish that the record precedence test is the uniformly most powerful test for testing against the one-parameter family of Lehmann alternatives. Finally, we discuss the situation when we have insufficient number of records to apply the record precedence test and then make some concluding remarks.     

Interacting with a questionnaire: respondents’ constructions of questionnaire completion

This article explores informants’ constructions of the situation of completing a questionnaire. The data comes from a study qualitatively replicating a quantitative method in which informants were asked to think aloud when completing a questionnaire designed to identify and measure feelings and behaviours in the situation of a job loss. The thinking aloud data showed that the informants constructed the situation of completing the questionnaire as interaction and they engaged themselves in a complex social communication anchored in a local context. The article shows how the informants positioned themselves with regard to the activity of completing a questionnaire, how they constructed their choice of answers and, finally, how they positioned the psychologist who asked for the questionnaire to be completed. The article concludes by discussing potential consequences of the findings for psychological assessment in clinical practice and research.     

Enabling the Circular Economy transition: a sustainable lean manufacturing recipe for Industry 4.0

Over the past 10 years, the concepts and objectives of circular economy have been increasingly detailed and become strategic issues of international, European, and national policies. However, the transition towards circular production models continues to be affected by several barriers and critical factors that make the transition difficult to achieve. The paper tries to design a relationship between sustainable production and lean production, highlighting the opportunity to invest in reverse-logistics and how Industry 4.0 system represents a breeding ground for circular economy targets application. The aim of the current study is to examine the relationships among sustainable production, lean production, and Industry 4.0 in order to evidence the need to adopt a lean methodology and Industry 4.0 technologies in a sustainable development perspective for companies. Following a holistic vision, the authors summarize the production principles and formulas, which, although in parallel, lead to similar results and therefore represent the pillars of a competitive and sustainable business. In conclusion, exploring the circular economy principles and production chain model, challenges, opportunities, and future outlooks are formulated.     

Inequality and growth: What comes from the different inequality measures?

The objective of the paper is to verify if income inequality impedes the growth rates in OECD countries in the period of 1990–2014 and to reveal whether the choice of the income inequality measure determines the sign and the strength of the estimated relationship. We use system GMM to estimate parameters of a dynamic panel growth model. The research indicates that income inequality negatively affects economic growth. We also find evidence that various measures of inequality bring the different scale of consequences for economic growth, with measures that give more weight to the middle part of the distribution being the weakest predictor of GDP growth. Simultaneously, we present the test of weak instruments, which helps to explain these differences.     

Intergovernmental grants in Russia

Two hypotheses about the determinants of Russian intergovernmental grants are tested. According to the first hypothesis, federal transfers to regions correlate with recent voting behaviour of regional electorates. The second hypothesis states that transfers are higher in regions with politically powerful governors. I find a strong confirmation for the first hypothesis and no evidence for the second hypothesis for the years 1995–99. This result is robust across specifications. However, in the years 2000–2004 electoral variables show no effect on transfers. The only significant political variable is Putin’s visits to regions.     

Mixed systems with minimal and maximal lifetime variances

We consider the mixed systems composed of a fixed number of components whose lifetimes are i.i.d. with a known distribution which has a positive and finite variance. We show that a certain of the k-out-of-n systems has the minimal lifetime variance, and the maximal one is attained by a mixture of series and parallel systems. The number of the k-out-of-n system, and the probability weights of the mixture depend on the first two moments of order statistics of the parent distribution of the component lifetimes. We also show methods of calculating extreme system lifetime variances under various restrictions on the system lifetime expectations, and vice versa.     

Minimax invariant estimator of a continuous distribution function under a general loss function

The problem of invariant estimation of a continuous distribution function is considered under a general loss function. Minimaxity of the minimum risk invariant estimator of a continuous distribution function is proved for any sample size n ≥ 2.     

Income inequality analysis in the period of economic transformation in poland

This paper presents some statistical methods of income inequality analysis based on the theoretical income distribution models that are well-fitted to the empirical models. As theoretical curves, the lognormal, gamma, Burr Type XII, and the Dagum models were used. They were applied to the earnings distributions in Poland in the period of economic transformation from a centrally-planned to a market economy. On the basis of the Dagum model, showing the perfect consistency with the considered earnings distributions, the maximun likelihood estimators of inequality parameters and economic distance ratios between men and women were calculated.     

Rhetorical aspects of tour guiding: the Polish case

ABSTRACT

Tour guides are a significant group of stakeholders in the tourism industry. They are responsible for the quality of communication during excursions and ultimately determine the level of satisfaction of tour participants. Therefore, they use a particular language and ways of influencing tourists. This paper investigates whether the particular language of guides contains persuasive means that are crucial for building an effective interpersonal communication. The authors focused on the question of how guides try to create positive relationships with guided groups. They conducted an examination on a group of Wroc?aw city guides during guided walking city tours. In order to complete the research project, qualitative non-participant observation and rhetorical analysis of audio-visual recordings of the guided tours were carried out. This study enabled the key areas of city guides’ communication influence to be specified, and it highlighted deficiencies in their use of some persuasive means. The results may serve as guidelines for improving the communication skills of tourism practitioners.