Cognitive style related to the design process

This paper describes the development of a new version of Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and two further tests of a similar type using words and letters. The new form of the Group Embedded Figures Test Consists of a number of original two dimensional figures (complex and simple). Variations of the basic two dimensional figures were obtained by establishing a geometrical progression (from following a set of simple rules) to produce increasing degrees of complexity of the complex figures. This in turn generated more simple figures within them which were used in the test items.By using words and lettersas a means of generating embedded complex/simple shapes, not only are very different types of (overall) shape possible, but also the notion of field dependence/independence can (possibly) be applied to non-spatial (in the usual sense) modes of operating within the curriculum, i.e. the humanities as opposed to design and technology subject areas.     

Spotlight on free beds

What happens in today's hospitals when keeping the faith with donors clashes with fiscal politics? An enterprising assistant attorney general asked that question and turned up some disquieting answers.     

On the conceptualization of theoretical constructs

An attempt is made to bridge the gap between the theorists and modellists approaches to the conceptualization of theoretical constructs. The former approach assumes that every theoretical construct has a surplus meaning over and above its operationalization and measurement as a concept. The latter approach denies this: it only accepts theoretical constructs as functions of relations between observations, i.e. measured concepts.This gap can be bridged by explicating the definition of a theoretical construct before making attempts to operationalize and measure it. An explicated definition should cover all relevant aspects (or: facets) of a construct, systematically brought together in an ideal type model. On this basis, operationalization of the construct can be directly linked to model elements, so that any possibly remaining surplus value is made explicit. The distance between theoretical construct and the measured concept can then be made as small as seems feasible; in principle, the distance can be made zero. The manner in which conservative ideology is conceptualized in a longitudinal research project in the Dutch electorate is presented as an example of this strategy.     

Designing a guideline-based utilization management program

Many public and private organizations are developing and publishing clinical guidelines to assist health care providers and patients in making appropriate medical decisions. Unless clinical guidelines are part of a well-designed managed care program, they have little effect on physician practice styles. This article explores integral components of an effective guideline-based utilization management program. Initial evaluation of this program suggests that, as part of a well-designed utilization management program, clinical guidelines can inform patients and physicians, and create appropriate incentives for effective health care delivery.     

The subjective expected utility hypothesis and revealed preference

Summary A choice behavior of a decision maker is said to satisfy the subjective expected utility hypothesis if there exist a utility and a subjective probability such that a decision maker chooses acts with the highest expected utility. We present a revealed preference characterization of choice behavior that is consistent with the subjective expected utility hypothesis. Our result applies to any state space and compact sets of prizes and observations (either finite or infinite).     

Growth and equity effects of changing demographic structures in the Netherlands: simulations within a social accounting matrix

"This paper deals with the economic consequences of a changing demography in an industrialized country, namely the Netherlands. The analytical framework chosen is that of general equilibrium as statistically given by the social accounting matrix (SAM) in which we introduce households by size for the present economic demographic situation (1981) and for a future simulated situation (2010) featuring in particular a relative increase in one-person households (individualization). The income (output) multipliers of both SAMs show a positive growth bias towards three and more person households and towards mining, public utilities, trade and banking."     

The welfare effects of import “subquotas” on heterogeneous product categories

In spite of its importance to policy makers, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the welfare effects of one aspect of trade policy-how to implement an import quota that applies to a heterogeneous product category. The government can impose a simple quota that applies indiscriminately to all goods within the product category or it can divide the quota among them with subquotas. In this paper, we analyze the welfare effects of subquotas. Under certain simplifying assumptions we find that a system of subquotas nearly always exists that provides greater welfare than a simple quota for a large country that retains quota rights or for a large or small country that gives quota rights away to foreigners. However, subquotas cannot increase the welfare of a small country that retains quota rights. The difference lies in the effect of imports on the home country's terms of trade.The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the US International Trade Commission. The authors are grateful for helpful comments on an earlier draft by anonymous referees.     

An extension of mixed estimation,with an application to forecasting new product growth

This paper extends the mixed estimation technique to handle a case in which the coefficients of a set of linear constraints are known nonlinear functions of an unknown parameter vector for which an extraneous unbiased estimate is available. This novel form of the mixed estimation technique is illustrated by applying it to the Bass innovation/diffusion model of new product growth. It is suggested that this is superior to the traditional method whereby managerial intuition is incorporated into this type of model, and is an attractive alternative to recently-suggested Bayesian methods.I thank an anonymous referee for helpful comments and references.     

Population migration in the United States: a survey of research

"Migration behavior can strongly influence a region's economic development. Understanding the motivations for migration is important to state and local policymakers because in-migrants can fuel job growth and stimulate construction activity, but they can also overburden roads, schools, and other infrastructure. This article provides insights into the determinants of migration through an overview of theories on the subject and a survey of relevant literature. The author also reports the findings of his own empirical work concerning the influence of certain economic variables." The geographical focus is on the United States.     

Avoid the breakdowns between planning and implementation

There are eight areas in a business plan where energy is often wasted. Here's how to spot the gaps that prevent plans from being put into action.