Fit performance of several programs used for non-linear least squares problems

Seven computerprograms for non-linear regression or curve fitting problems are compared. The comparison of the programs, running in different computing centra, is restricted to the fit performance. Six model functions are fitted according to the least squares criterion to data series, arising from practical work. The special least squares minimization programs turned out to be better suited for these problems than general optimizing programs.     

The Resale Price Maintenance Struggle

A bstract Bills introduced in the 100th and 101st Congresses would amend the Sherman Act in regard to retail competition Their two key provisions would seek to (1) alter the standard of proof currently used for the establishment of illicit vertical price arrangements and (2) codify into law the judicially-established per se rule against resale price maintenance agreements The first provision seeks to overcome the effect of the establishment by the Supreme Court , in its Monsanto decision, of what is viewed as an illogical and impossible burden of proof on plantiffs seeking damages in resale price maintenance cases The second merely incorporates into statutory law the court's declarations in the Dr Miles case of the per se illegality of resale price maintenance agreements Arguments for and against this legislation are discussed and recent developments are examined     

Hypocrisy pay

Emotional labor—putting on an act asrequired explicitly orimplicitly in work situations-is very often psychologically, emotionally, and mentally damaging to most employees. As for soldiers in wartime who receive combat pay, it is suggested that such employees be specially compensated for their emotional labor with hypocrisy pay. Another solution is to select only those who are immune to such stress for jobs involving emotional labor—an ideal that probably cannot be achieved in all cases. Another assessment is that such special compensation is unwarranted.     

Law without justice: The dilemmas of formalization and fairness in the legalistic organization

There is growing evidence of a litigation mentality rampant in organizations, which has created a legalistic mindset in many managers. Increasingly, managerial decisions are becoming dominated by a concern for what is legally defensible at the expense of broader social considerations such as justice and fairness. The papers in this special issue explore how this legalistic mindset has created new organizational and social dilemmas, and situations of law whithout justice.     

On the unimodality of passage time densities in birth-death processes

It has been shown [2] that for any ergodic birth-death process the p.d.f. of T_on , the passage time from the reflecting state 0 to any level n is log-concave and hence strongly unimodal. It is also known (cf [2]) that the p.d.f. of T_{n, n+1} or T_{n+1, n} for such a process is completely monotone and hence unimodal. It has been conjectured that the p.d.f. for the passage time T_mn between any two states is unimodal. An analytical proof of the result is presented herein, based on underlying renewal structure and methods in the complex plane. It is further shown that the p.d.f. of T_mn can always be written as the convolution of two p.d.f.s, one completely monotone and the second PF and hence log-concave.     

Equipment replacement policy: a survey

Over the past ten years there has been a considerable increase in application of theoretically correct measurement methods in determining the economic life of equipment. Approximately 89% of the firms surveyed have equipment replacement policies. The discounted rate of return method is the most widely used in determining the service life of equipment; the MAPI formula is not widely used. Difficulties in applying a replacement policy can be classified into three groups: operational, organizational, and economic. The problems mentioned most often are operational. In organizational difficulties there is usually a lack of coordination between staff and line managers. Economic problems are generally the limited funds available for equipment replacement. Formal educational programs are lacking for the development of equipment replacement managers. For the firms having replacement policies, individuals with engineering degrees are preferred over those in other disciplines for the management of the equipment replacement policy.