A Spreadsheet Module for Consistent Consensus Building in AHP-Group Decision Making

This paper presents a spreadsheet module developed with Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic to search for consensus when dealing with AHP in group decision making. On the basis of the theoretical results included in the paper Moreno-Jiménez et al. (2003), this spreadsheet module allows us to construct, in a local context (one criterion), the Consistent Consensus Matrix (CCM) corresponding to the core of consistency associated with the actors involved in the decision making process. By means of simulation techniques, this module provides, for each of the different values of the inconsistency thresholds considered, the preference structures derived from the interval incomplete matrix (CCM) that represents the groups core of consistency. This information will be used to establish consensus paths between the actors involved in the resolution process, one of the most important goals in distributed and participatory decision making.This paper has received partial financial support from the Research Project of the University of Zaragoza (2002): Herramientas decisionales para el constructivismo cognitivo (ref. 228-056). A previous version of this paper has been presented at the Group Decision and Negotiation session of the EURO-INFORMS Congress in Istanbul, 2003.     

A support to consensus reaching in group decision

This paper outlines an interactive aid that facilitates consensus in cooperative decision making or policy recommendation. The approach draws on a previous result which shows that a multiple ranking can be derived from a single relational preference system. In other words, the preferences expressed individually by each member of a group may lead to either unanimous or a majority consensus, with or without concession from individual members.     

Relationship learning at trade shows: Its antecedents and consequences

In spite of the increasingly recognized role of trade shows as a highly cost-effective medium, there are few established guidelines on how to capitalize on these meeting occasions. The relational view of competitive advantage, however, identifies relationship learning as an important avenue for creating differential advantage and supernormal profits in relationships. The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical model explicating relationship-based learning activities growing out of trade shows, its determinants and performance effect. Specifically, it examines the roles of relationship properties of trade show participants, and collective inquiry approaches used for trade shows, in fostering learning between exhibitors and visitors. The model was tested by a sample of 414 exhibitor-visitor relationship dyads identified at specific trade shows. The direct effect of relationship commitment, consensus, and collective inquiry on relationship learning at trade shows was confirmed. The powerful influence of relationship learning activities on relationship performance outcomes as perceived by exhibitors at trade shows was substantiated.     

Germany’s Stalling Economic Engine – How to Get it Running Again

Summary The German economy, once the powerhouse in Europe, is stalling. Unemployment has ratcheted upward since 1970, the social security systems can no longer be financed (even if the population were not ageing) and with an average annual GDP growth rate of 1.2 per cent since 1995, the economy almost stagnates. This paper analyses and suggests solutions to Germany’s three main challenges. To undo the adverse incentives with respect to unemployment, the institutional design for wage formation should be decentralized, the reservation wage adjusted and the tax on labour reduced. To make the social security systems sustainable, the level of social absorption has to be lowered. And, finally, to achieve a more dynamic economy, new stimuli for growth have to be unleashed, including human capital formation and innovation, which are vital for the knowledge society. The role of government has to be rethought and the German social market economy redefined. Jelle Zijlstra Professorial Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study during September 2004–January 2005, Agip Professor in International Economics at Johns Hopkins in Bologna and President-Emeritus, Kiel Institute of World Economics. The paper is a revised version of the Jelle Zijlstra Lecture, held on January 13, 2005 at the Free University of Amsterdam.     

战略共识维度的因子分析

文章在文献回顾的基础上,从理论上假设可将战略共识划分为战略认知、战略认同和战略承诺三个维度,并利用因子分析法验证了这种维度划分的有效性。文章指出,对于企业而言,要提高战略共识及战略执行力水平,可以从战略认知、战略认同和战略承诺三方面入手。     

地方政府间区域合作共识难题的破解路径——基于话语交往的分析视角

作为一种旨在处理区域性公共事务、化解分歧和冲突、共享区域公共利益的合作治理形式,地方政府间区域合作以共识为纽带加强政府间关系的协调。话语交往主张通过协商交流达成合作共识,它与地方政府间区域合作共识达成的内在诉求高度契合。从话语交往的视角看,区域合作共识达成的过程,是各个地方政府广泛深度参与、充分协商交流、进而达成共识的逻辑递进过程。这一过程依赖于构筑协商交流平台、完善协商交流规范、健全协商交流的制度保障等路径,三重路径相互作用且相互影响,最终确保区域合作共识的达成过程有序运行。     

Conformity or divergence in describing the business concept and profitability

The relationship between conformity or divergence in the way CEOs and chief financial officers describe the business concept, and profitability, was studied in 20 firms in one industry. Measures were obtained for firm size, profitability, degree of conformity, organizational stability, product development and the CEO's influence on strategic decisions. Controlling for the effect of size, the relationship was analysed in stepwise multiple regression analyses. Conformity was positively correlated to profitability in stable organizations, and (weakly) to divergence in unstable ones. These findings are consistent with those reported in studies of top management team consensus and performance, which suggest that environmental turbulence has a moderating effect on the relationship. It is concluded that environmental contingency factors affect the conformity-profitability relationship by way of organizational processes. Consequently, differences in organizational stability should be taken into account in studying the impact of environmental conditions on this relationship.     

The Effect of Regulation Fair Disclosure on the Relevance of Conference Calls to Financial Analysts

This study examines the effect of Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) on the relevance of company-sponsored conference calls. Measuring relevance by a conference call's ability to improve analyst forecast accuracy and consensus, I find larger improvements in both variables during the period surrounding conference calls in the post-FD era versus the pre-FD era. These findings imply that in the post-FD era relatively more about a firm's upcoming earnings becomes known during conference calls, consistent with FD's success in eliminating selective disclosure.     

Relative Importance Measurement of the Moral Intensity Dimensions

The relative importance of the Jones’ [Jones, T. M.: 1991, Academy of Management Review 16(2), 366–395] six components of moral intensity was measured using a conjoint experimental design. The most important components influencing ethical perceptions were: probability of effect, magnitude of consequences, and temporal immediacy. Contrary to previous research, overall social consensus was not an important factor. However, consumers exhibit distinctly different patterns in ethical evaluation, and for approximately 15% of respondents social consensus was the most important dimension.     

基于一致许可值的供应链合作收益分配研究

供应链联盟通过合作企业协调一致的行动来降低整个供应链的运营成本,公平合理的利益分配机制是供应链联盟持久存在和稳定发展的重要基础之一。考虑两竞争制造商通过共同零售商销售产品的两级供应链系统,本文分析了供应链成员各种可能的联盟形式,采用一致许可值对联盟合作收益进行分配,并与Shapley值法进行比较分析,只有当替代率较小时这两种收益分配才具有稳定性。