Unit-Consistent Poverty Indices

This paper characterizes unit-consistent poverty indices. The unit consistency axiom requires that poverty rankings (not poverty indices) remain unaffected when all incomes and the poverty lines are expressed in different measuring units. We consider two general frameworks of poverty measurement: the semi-individualistic framework that includes all decomposable indices and all rank-based indices; and the Dalton–Hagenaars framework that contains a subset of decomposable indices. Within the semi-individualistic framework, classes of unit-consistent poverty indices can be characterized for different value judgements about poverty measurement. Within the Dalton-Hagenaars framework, unit-consistent poverty indices are completely characterized without invoking any value judgement a priori. I thank Peter Lambert, Mike Hoy, Thesia Garner and an anonymous referee for their very helpful comments and suggestions.     

国家信用体系的多维指数方法及实证研究

在国家信用体系的研究中,一直缺乏深入的、正式的国际比较实证研究。其原因之一就是缺少很好的描述国家信用体系的结构化方法。文章在Jentzsch研究的基础上试图将指数方法引入国家信用体系,提出了国家信用体系的“SCRR-E”四维生态概念模型,并在此基础上构建了一套描述国家信用体系的多维TT指数模型,利用世界银行对全球34个国家的调查数据进行实证研究,检验了TT效用型指数与Jentzsch研究中Fisher指数的一致性,结果表明指数方法有相当的稳健性和可靠性。     

不完备决策系统中发现偏好概率规则的粗糙集方法

为了从有偏好信息但信息不完全的多属性决策系统中获取概率决策规则,提出一种新的不完全信息的多属性粗糙决策分析方法。首先,提出扩展优势关系下相容度的概念;其次,基于相容度给出知识的粗糙近似,并证明了粗糙近似的基本性质;再次,给出粗糙近似的分类质量与β-约简的概念,并从不完全信息的偏好决策系统中导出概率决策规则;最后,通过一个实例说明新方法的可行性和有效性。     

The importance of selecting appropriate adjective pairs for measuring attitude based on the semantic differential method

The aim of this study is to verify whether a given semantic differential scale is appropriate for measuring attitudes toward four health-related behaviors: smoking cigarettes; using oral contraceptives; breast self-examination; and using dental floss. 193 undergraduate university women completed an attitudinal questionnaire concerning these behaviors and three months later the corresponding behaviors were self-reported. Internal consistency values varied from 0.49 to 0.83 and the attitude-behavior correlations fluctuated between 0.12 and 0.64. The lowest alpha value was associated with the lowest attitude-behavior correlation. The results are discussed in terms of the relevance and the semantic stability of the pair of adjectives used to assess the attitude construct.     

An ‘oil’igopoly theory of exploration

This paper develops a theory of ‘oil’igopoly exploration of an exhaustible resource. Strategic exploration and production are jointly derived in a three period subgame perfect equilibrium. While the ‘oil’igopoly theory of exploration shares many features with non-strategic models of exploration and production, there is one important difference. The ‘oil’igopoly theory of exploration predicts that firms who exhaust their proved reserves before they can convert their unproved reserves into proved reserves have an incentive to over-explore, relative to the Nash equilibrium level of exploration. A simple empirical prediction is that firms holding smaller proved reserves should be observed doing more exploration. This prediction is consistent with country-level production and reserve data in the post-World War II era.     

Stability,sequential rationality,and subgame consistency

In this paper we analyze dynamic strategic behavior by means of the idea of "stability." We develop a solution concept of "sequentially stable equilibrium (SSE)" that satisfies subgame consistency. All SSEs are characterized by the largest stable set that yields exactly all the backward induction outcomes. We also provide a refinement of the SSE. We compare the SSE and its refinement with some existing solution concepts in the literature We are grateful to the editor and two anonymous referees for very useful comments and suggestions that led to this revision. We thank Chih Chang, Yi-Chun Chen, Chenying Huang, Huiwen Koo, Man-Chung Ng, Shyh-fang Ueng, and Chun-Hsien Yeh for helpful comments and discussions. We also thank participants in seminars at Academia Sinica, National Dong Hwa University, and the Third Pan-Pacific Game Theory Conference. Financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the National Science Council of Taiwan, and the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK is gratefully acknowledged. The usual disclaimer applies.     

Brand consistency and coherency at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Abstract

As brand management and brand perceptions attract more attention in both academia and in practice, examining the link or lack thereof between brand identity and image is becoming increasingly important. The existence of brand consistency and coherency is examined in this research, which aimed to evaluate whether the pre- or post-event brand image of the Olympic Games or the London 2012 Games, in the domestic UK population and media, were aligned with the brand identities of these objects. Online surveys and media content analysis revealed that both brands have yet to achieve consistency or coherency within these two key stakeholder groups, even though the brand image of the 2012 Games improved following the event. What this study suggests is that unless the brand owner takes key stakeholders’ perceptions into consideration, a coherent and consistent brand identity does not necessarily equate to these being a feature of the brand image, with the connection between perceptions requiring additional attention.     

企业共生营销战略评价体系建设

企业实施共生营销战略,即通过结成共生关系促进经济资源的有效配置,进而达到优化企业资源、提高市场竞争力并共同发展的目的。共生营销战略的评价体系是整个共生战略实施过程中的最后一个环节,评价战略伙伴的选择、合作的相容性以及战略实施效果,可以有效地总结经验,对企业今后经营战略的制定与实施起到基础导航作用。     

A note on a specification test of independence

In a recent paper Zheng (1997a) proposed a new specification test of independence between two random vectors by the kernel method. He showed asymptotic normality under the hypothesis and local alternatives. The present work investigates the asymptotic distribution of the corresponding test statistic under fixed alternatives. In this case asymptotic normality of a standardized statistic is still valid but with a different rate of convergence. Received: January 1999     

A new axiomatization of rank-dependent expected utility with tradeoff consistency for equally likely outcomes

This paper provides a new axiomatization of rank-dependent expected utility by relaxing tradeoff consistency to hold only when the involved outcomes are equally likely. The resulting weakened variant of tradeoff consistency is considerably simpler and intuitively more appealing than the original condition. Consequently, an improved tool for empirical studies and the elicitation of utilities is provided. It turns out that in the presence of weak ordering, simple-continuity, and stochastic dominance, the new tradeoff consistency for equally likely outcomes is sufficient to derive rank-dependent expected utility for general lotteries.