Comparison of Methods for Evaluation of the Convolution of Two Compound R 1 Distributions

In the present paper we compare four methods for evaluating the convolution of two compound R 1 distributions by counting the numbers of elementary algebraic operations required. Two of the methods are applicable in general, whereas the remaining two are restricted to the case when the two compound distributions have the same severity distribution. This case is discussed separately. We consider in particular the special case when this common severity distribution is concentrated in one, that is, evaluation of the convolution of two R 1 distributions.     

Match Point Management — Gleichzeitig Kosten- und Marktperformance verbessern

Der Matchpoint entscheidet über Sieg oder Niederlage. Match Point Management zeigt, wie man Krisen meistert, indem man gleichzeitig Gewinn und Kosten verbessert — ohne in die Falle eines zyklischen Auf und Ab zu tappen.     

PIGS or Lambs? The European Sovereign Debt Crisis and the Role of Rating Agencies

This paper asks whether rating agencies played a passive role or were an active driving force during Europe??s sovereign debt crisis. We address this by estimating relationships between sovereign debt ratings and macroeconomic and structural variables. We then use these equations to decompose actual ratings into systematic and arbitrary components that are not explained by previously observed procedures of rating agencies. Finally, we check whether systematic, as well as arbitrary, parts of credit ratings affect credit spreads. We find that both do affect credit spreads, which opens the possibility that arbitrary rating downgrades trigger processes of self-fulfilling prophecies that may drive even relatively healthy countries towards default.     

Managing the Quality of Marketing Data: Cost/benefit Tradeoffs and Optimal Configuration

A large majority of work in database marketing deals with what to do with data when it is available. This paper focuses on an aspect of data that has not been visited frequently in the database/interactive marketing literature—managing the quality of data resources from a profit point of view. While costly to achieve and sustain, high data quality is essential for effective database marketing. The notion that “more is better” very often prevails in data quality management decisions, essentially with very little consideration, if any, of cost. This paper suggests that data quality management decisions should be driven by considerations of cost–benefit tradeoffs and profit maximization. It specifically addresses data quality decisions which are highly relevant in the database marketing area: the subset of data records managed, reflecting time-span coverage, and the targeted quality levels in this subset. Decisions of these types are routinely made based on satisfying technical and functional requirements. In this study, we propose a model that quantifies the benefits and the costs associated with these decisions, and permits optimizing them from a profit maximization standpoint. The paper describes the model development, discusses its implications for data quality management decisions, and highlights its potential contributions with illustrative examples.     

An international review of sponsorship research: extension and update

This article extends and updates an existing review of 80 Anglo-Saxon studies on sponsorship published prior to 1996 with contributions of European origin (66 additional studies) and studies published subsequently (87 additional studies). It thus gives an account of the evolution and current state of sponsorship research worldwide and points out new research directions. Over the past six years there have been clear advances in research into, and evaluation of, sponsorship effects and strategic sponsorship management. There has also been a notable shift towards a better understanding of how sponsorship is perceived by the end consumer. Overall, however, research is focused too much on consumer goods and service companies pursuing awareness and image objectives while engaged in sports sponsorship. Other types of institutions, other sponsorship objectives and other sponsorship areas are widely neglected. The same is true of the functional affiliation of sponsorship within the firms and sponsorship budgeting processes.     

When Stress Frustrates and When It Does Not: Configural Models of Frustrated versus Mellow Salespeople

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the stress–strain relationship by examining compound causes of frustration in the workplace. Drawing on configuration theory, this article describes stress patterns, that is, configurations of role stressors and social stressors, and underlying frustration and its negation, that is, mellowness. In addition, this article describes potential sources of such frustration‐stimulating stress patterns by examining constellations of employee and task characteristics. Based on a sample of 118 salespeople, the authors analyze the data using fuzzy‐set Qualitative Comparative Analysis—an analytic method pertinent to describing configurational patterns of causal factors. The findings from this study indicate the coexistence of alternative patterns of stressors for frustration. In addition, the findings show that configurational patterns for frustrated salespeople are quite different from those characterizing mellow salespeople. In summary, knowledge of these constellations of stressors helps sales managers detect conditions that frustrate, and develop strategies to diminish these conditions in order to improve sales force performance.     

Talent or Not? Employee Reactions to Talent Identification

In this article, we examine the effect of talent identification on employee attitudes. Building on social exchange theory, we analyze the association between employees' perceptions about whether or not they have been formally identified as “talent” and the following attitudinal outcomes: commitment to increasing performance demands, building skills, and supporting strategic priorities; identification with the unit and the multinational enterprise; and turnover intentions. Our analyses of 769 managers and professionals in nine Nordic multinational corporations reveal a number of differences between employees who perceive that they have been identified as “talent” and those who either perceive that they have not been identified or do not know whether they have been identified. We found only limited differences between the two latter categories.