Warentest mit der Funktionsanalyse

Zusammenfassung Das Ziel des Warentests läßt sich auf eine Entscheidungshilfe für den Kaufentschluß verdichten und durch Anwendung der vom Institut für Produktforschung und Information entwickelten Funktionsanalyse verwirklichen. Das zugrundegelegte Entscheidungsmodell enthält die Elemente: Verwendungszweck, Angebot von Waren für denselben Verwendungszweck (= Arbeitsmittel), Prozeß der Entscheidungsvorbereitung. Der Verwendungszweck kann im Nutzungssystem »Mesch-Arbeitsmittel-Umwelt« beschrieben werden. Er führt zu einer hierarchisch gegliederten Nennfunktion, deren Unterfunktionen die Beiträge aller Basisbeziehungen im Nutzungssystem zur Zweckerfüllung erfassen. Die nutzungsorientierten Anforderungen präzisieren als Gewichtungsprogramm das Funktionssystem. Anhand von objektiven Beurteilungsmaßstäben werden den Tauglichkeitsmerkmalen der Arbeitsmittel Ist-Tauglichkeiten als Werturteile zugeordnet. Die Gesamt-Gebrauchstauglichkeit — als Eignungsmaß — wird aus den Teilurteilen errechnet. Beispiele zeigen die Vorteile der Funktionsanalyse im Vergleich zum Vorgehen der Stiftung Warentest.

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Comparative testing of products by analysing product functions

The methodology described has been developed in Institut für Produktforschung und Information (ipi), Stuttgart. It is based on a decision-process model, consisting of the elements: purpose of use, set of products intended for the purpose, and data processing system. Purpose of use can be described with the help of an ergonomic system containing three elements: man (= user), tool, and environment. With further sub-divisions, this leads to a hierarchical system, the sub-functions of which enclose all relationships in the given system. Differing requirements concerning the sub-functions, for different uses of the product, are adapted to by a set of weighting factors. The value-for-use (performance) of a product's characteristics is measured on a 10 point value-scale. In most cases, it is possible to calculate the overall result as the weighted arithmetic mean of all sub-functions. This analysis of product functions realizes all principles of comparative testing such as they are given, for instance, in the German standards DIN 66050 and DIN 66052. There are also advantages compared with the methodology used by Stiftung Warentest.

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Horst Dürr ist geschäftsführender Gesellschafter des Instituts für Produktforschung und Information GmbH, Arlbergstraße 9, D-7000 Stuttgart 60.     

The petrodollars and the world economy

The quadrupling of the oil price by the OPEC in 1973 was a poignant event in the post-war development of the world economy. Which measures and mechanisms conduced to the international income redistribution necessitated by the hoisting of the oil prices in the past five years?     

Random walks with drifts: Nonsense regression and spurious fixed-effect estimation

The paper analyses the regression of two independent random walks with drifts. Applying the nonsense regression results to panel data, it is shown that the convergence to pseudo true values also applies to the estimation of (spurious) fixed-effects models. Simulated evidence reveals potential interpretation problems in finite samples.     

The effect of environmental information on investment allocation decisions – an experimental study

This paper focuses on the use of environmental information in investment decision making. The research approach employed is based on an experiment where three groups of final year finance students were asked to allocate investment funds between two companies based on financial accounts and information material from these companies in which environmental information was included in varying degrees. The overall conclusion is that the qualitative environmental information affects short term allocation decisions, hence indicating a risk reduction potential of environmental information comparable to the classic interpretation of financial information. The quantitative environmental information included in the experiment seems to mitigate rather than extend the directional effect of more environmental information. The evidence also seems to indicate that decision makers are not always aware which information categories affect their decision making. Hence, this has implications for how the potential value of environmental information is to be assessed. Finally, experimental studies as a methodology seem to be better suited to indicate actual effects of different types of information on decision making than attitude surveys. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Graduates' reactions to recruitment process outsourcing: A scenario‐based study

This study examines how successive outsourcing of recruitment activities to an external provider—also known as recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)—affects graduates' reactions. Using an experimental scenario technique, a total of 158 graduates participated in four hypothetical scenarios that have been developed as an experimental between‐subject design. Results provide support for negative effects of the extent of RPO on graduates' satisfaction with the recruitment process and company attractiveness. More‐over, mediated by graduates' satisfaction with the recruitment process and company attractiveness, an increasing extent of RPO negatively influences job‐acceptance intentions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.