Fostering ethical marketing decisions

This paper begins by examining several potentially unethical recent marketing practices. Since most marketing managers face ethical dilemmas during their careers, it is essential to study the moral consequences of these decisions. A typology of ways that managers might confront ethical issues is proposed. The significant organizational, personal and societal costs emanting from unethical behavior are also discussed. Both relatively simple frameworks and more comprehensive models for evaluating ethical decisions in marketing are summarized. Finally, the fact that organizational commitment to fostering ethical marketing decisions can be accomplished by top management leadership, codes of ethics, ethics seminars/programs and ethical audits is examined. Gene R. Laczniak is Professor of Business at Marquette University. He has written extensively in the field of marketing and business ethics. He is coeditor of Marketing Ethics: Guidelines for Managers, Lexington Books, 1985 and coauthor of The Higher Road: A Path to Ethical Marketing Decisions, Allyn & Bacon, 1992 (both with P. E. Murphy). Professor Laczniak's research interests focus on the social and ethical influence of marketing activities on society as well as marketing strategy. Patrick E. Murphy is Professor of Marketing in the College of Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame. His articles on business and marketing ethics have appeared in several periodicals. He currently serves as editor of Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and is coeditor of Marketing and Advertising Regulation: The Federal Trade Commission in the 1990s, Notre Dame Press, 1990 (with W. L. Wilkie). His research interests focus on the ethical and public policy issues facing business.This article is based on material forthcoming in The Higher Road: A Path to Ethical Marketing Decisions, Allyn & Bacon, 1992.     

Justice in preferential hiring

This paper reports studies designed to examine perceptions of preferential selection. Subjects evaluated the fairness of hypothetical cases of selection decisions based on either candidate sex or ethnic origin. A within-subjects design and a between-subjects design yielded convergent results showing that (1) preferential selection was perceived as unfair, irrespective of respondent sex or the basis for the preferential treatment (i.e., candidate sex or ethnic origin), (2) the level of perceived injustice was directly related to the discrepancy in merits between the successful minority candidate and the more qualified yet unsuccessful majority candidate, and (3) the provision of either an ethical or legislative justification for the selection decisions further exacerbated feelings of injustice. Possible interpretations for the findings and practical implications of the study were then discussed. M. S. Singer is a senior lecturer in psychology at Canterbury University. Her published work includes papers in Personnel Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Current Psychology: Research and Reviews,and Applied Psychology: An International Review. A. E. Singer is a senior lecturer in strategic management and business ethics at Canterbury University. He has published various papers in academic journals including Omega: The International Journal of Management Science, Decision Sciences, International Journal of Forecasting, International Journal of Research in Marketing,and Journal of Business Ethics.     

Effect of fabrication procedure and metal quality of pipes formed from chromium-magnesium steel on their service properties

This paper examines the effect of fabrication procedure and metal quality on the service properties of pipes fashioned from chromium-magnesium steel DI59. The kinetics of the development of creep strain of the metal in the temperature region from 650 to 730°C is investigated. It is indicated that vigorous strain begins to develop after 90% of the expected life has been exhausted. It is established that in the steel under investigation, the content of σ-phase over the entire period corresponding to 30–90% exhaustion of expected life varies negligibly from 1.8 to 2.5%, and cannot be a criterion for estimation of exhaustion of the metal’s expected life. The investigations that we conducted on steel DI59 tubes fabricated in accordance with a new procedure indicated a significant increase in the long-term ductility of the steel, which dictates the high quality of the metal. __________ Translated from élektricheskie Stantsii, No. 6, June 2007, pp. 30–34.     

Spatial and temporal variation in distribution of larval lake whitefish in eastern Lake Ontario: Signs of recovery?

The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is one of the native Lake Ontario fishes that declined severely over the past century. Recent evidence of larval lake whitefish production in a historic spawning area (Chaumont Bay) might signal a recovery of this species in New York waters. We surveyed coastal and open water areas to evaluate densities and estimate total abundance of larval lake whitefish in Chaumont Bay. Other historic spawning areas and embayments with appropriate spawning and nursery habitat were also surveyed, but only a few larvae were found outside of Chaumont Bay. Lake whitefish larvae were found in every embayment sampled within Chaumont Bay, with larval densities of nearly 600/1000 m² in some samples. Greatest abundances occurred in the northern sectors and near the mouth of the bay. Open water densities were generally less than half that of nearshore sites. The total bay-wide estimate for 2005 was approximately 644,000 lake whitefish larvae, but dropped to 230,000–400,000 in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Mean larval growth rates (0.36 mm/day) did not differ by year, but were consistently higher in early May than in late April. Lake whitefish production in Chaumont Bay is encouraging for this species, but the cause and persistence of the decline after 2005 can be determined only by continued monitoring. Other possible bottlenecks of survival may exist at juvenile and adult stages and could significantly affect recruitment dynamics. This species is sensitive to normal climatic fluctuations and increased variability associated with global climatic change could make winter nursery conditions unfavorable for this species.     

Dreissenid mussels from the Great Lakes contain elevated thiaminase activity

We examined thiaminase activity in dreissenid mussels collected at different depths and seasons, and from various locations in Lakes Michigan, Ontario, and Huron. Here we present evidence that two dreissenid mussel species (Dreissena bugensis and D. polymorpha) contain thiaminase activity that is 5–100 fold greater than observed in Great Lakes fishes. Thiaminase activity in zebra mussels ranged from 10,600 to 47,900 pmol g^− 1·min^− 1 and activities in quagga mussels ranged from 19,500 to 223,800 pmol g^− 1·min^− 1. Activity in the mussels was greatest in spring, less in summer, and least in fall. Additionally, we observed greater thiaminase activity in dreissenid mussels collected at shallow depths compared to mussels collected at deeper depths. Dreissenids constitute a significant and previously unknown pool of thiaminase in the Great Lakes food web compared to other known sources of this thiamine (vitamin B₁)-degrading enzyme. Thiaminase in forage fish of the Great Lakes has been causally linked to thiamine deficiency in salmonines. We currently do not know whether linkages exist between thiaminase activities observed in dreissenids and the thiaminase activities in higher trophic levels of the Great Lakes food web. However, the extreme thiaminase activities observed in dreissenids from the Great Lakes may represent a serious unanticipated negative effect of these exotic species on Great Lakes ecosystems.     

The discovery of the nonindigenous,mottled fingernail clam, Eupera cubensis (Prime, 1865) (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae) in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (Illinois River Drainage), Cook County,Illinois

The nonindigenous mottled fingernail clam, Eupera cubensis is reported from the Upper Mississippi River Basin for the first time. This record represents a significant northern range expansion for the species in the United States. It appears to be presently confined to a 35-km stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC), an artificial waterway that connects the Mississippi River drainage to the Great Lakes. Although the introduction of this species to the Great Lakes basin poses uncertain risks to the general aquatic community, the immediate effects of Eupera cubensis on the fauna of the CSSC are expected to be minimal.     

Phosphorus fractionation in soil and sediments along a continuum from agricultural fields to nearshore lake sediments: Potential ecological impacts

The movement of phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields to streams and deposition in the nearshore of the lake presents a continuum of related physical and chemical properties that act to partition P into different physico-chemical fractions. We investigated changes in soil and sediment P fractionation as material was eroded from predominantly agricultural fields, transported via stream sediments, and deposited in a nearshore lake environment. Total phosphorus content of the soils and sediment decreased from field soils with an average concentration of 553.81 mg P kg^? 1 to 202.28 mg P kg^? 1 in stream sediments to 67.47 mg P kg^? 1 in lake sediments. Significant changes in P fractionation occurred during erosion, transport, and deposition of the particulate or sediment phase. The fractionation of P within the soils and sediments changed significantly from aluminum and organic matter associated P dominant in field soils to calcium associated P dominant in nearshore lake sediments. Various physical and chemical processes appear to be responsible for these transformations which impact the mobility and bioavailability of P. A significant amount of P was lost from field soils as they were transported and deposited. This P has either become available to biota or deposited in deeper portions of the lake system. Ultimately, the impact of P export on the nearshore lake environment may be influenced by the changes in P fractionation that occurred during transport and deposition and by the influence of macrophytes on the biogeochemical cycling of P in the sediment.     

Enhancing Inflow Forecasting Model at Aswan High Dam Utilizing Radial Basis Neural Network and Upstream Monitoring Stations Measurements

The Nile River is considered the main life artery for so many African countries especially Egypt. Therefore, it is of the essence to preserve its water and utilize it very efficiently. Developing inflow-forecasting model is considered the technical way to effectively achieve such preservation. The hydrological system of the Nile River under consideration has several dams and barrages that are equipped with control gates. The improvement of these hydraulic structures’ criteria for operation can be assessed if reliable forecasts of inflows to the reservoir are available. Recently, the authors developed a forecasting model for the natural inflow at Aswan High Dam (AHD) based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). This model was developed based on the historical inflow data of the AHD and successfully provided accurate inflow forecasts with error less than 10%. However, having several forecasting models based on different types of data increase the level of confidences of the water resources planners and AHD operators. In this study, two forecasting model approach based on Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) method for the natural inflow at AHD utilizing the stream flow data of the monitoring stations upstream the AHD is developed. Natural inflow data collected over the last 30 years at four monitoring stations upstream AHD were used to develop the model and examine its performance. Inclusive data analysis through examining cross-correlation sequences, water traveling time, and physical characteristics of the stream flow data have been developed to help reach the most suitable RBFNN model architecture. The Forecasting Error (FE) value of the error and the distribution of the error are the two statistical performance indices used to evaluate the model accuracy. In addition, comprehensive comparison analysis is carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed model over those recently developed for forecasting the inflow at AHD. The results of the current study showed that the proposed model improved the forecasting accuracy by 50% for the low inflow season, while keep the forecasting accuracy in the same range for the high inflow season.     

Hydrogeographical Regionalisation: An Approach for Evaluating the Effects of Land Cover Change in Watersheds. A Case Study in the Cuitzeo Lake Watershed, Central Mexico

Efficient natural resources management, including continental water at watershed level, requires understanding the arrangement of landscape attributes in a region. The geographical analysis of landscape attributes is a useful approach to delineate relatively homogeneous watersheds or regions. This research was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of land cover through time on regionalisation modelling in the poorly-gauged Cuitzeo Lake Watershed, and to develop models to create two hydrogeographical regionalisations for the years 1975 and 2000. The inputs required by the regionalisation methodology were integrated in a GIS and validated before carrying out statistical regionalisation procedures (cluster analysis and PCA). GIS operations were done in Arc View 3.2 and statistical analyses in PC-ORD. Median Euclidean distances with mean distance linkage methods were used. A 75% of similarity was chosen as the threshold to generate regions. Importance rankings of regions were obtained using multicriteria evaluation methods. Based on the analysis, 38 of the 52 subwatersheds belonging to the Cuitzeo Lake Watershed were clustered; eight groups were defined in 1975 and nine in 2000. According to PCA, the strongest positive variables are associated to morphometric, geologic, land cover and soil attributes. Fourteen subwatersheds were never clustered. Four subwatersheds changed of cluster between 1975 and 2000. This change is explained because of rainfed agricultural parcel abandonment, and subsequent shrubland growth. This means that the hydrogeographical regionalisation is sensitive to land cover change processes. The methodological approach applied in this research is a low-cost and fast alternative for evaluating the impact of land cover and land use change on hydrogeographical regionalisation; in consequence, data and information generated during the analysis were made available to local authorities so that they can improve both water resources planning and their informational baseline for decision making and for development of environmental policies in the Cuitzeo Lake Watershed.