The decision support framework for developing Ecodesign at conceptual phase based upon ISO/TR 14062

The objective of this research is to propose a decision support framework for developing Ecodesign at the conceptual design phase based upon ISO/TR 14062 (2002). The contribution of this research lies in the decision support model for integrating analytic network process (ANP) and the distance-to-target (DT) method in order to calculate a single score Ecodesign concept indicator that makes the new product more eco-effective than the baseline product. The highlight of this framework is that the model can reduce bias and ease the decision-making process as well as enhance presentation of the new idea to stakeholders. A case study, recommendations, limitation, and further research are also presented.     

Estimating quadratic variation when quoted prices change by a constant increment

For financial assets whose best quotes almost always change by jumping by the market’s price tick size (one cent, five cents, etc.), this paper proposes an estimator of Quadratic Variation which controls for microstructure effects. It measures the prevalence of alternations, where quotes jump back to their just-previous price. It defines a simple property called “uncorrelated alternation”, which under conditions implies that the estimator is consistent in an asymptotic limit theory, where jumps become very frequent and small. Feasible limit theory is developed, and in simulations works well.     

基于Pro/E的机械运动仿真设计

仿真技术在机械产品的设计中起着非常重要的作用.本文主要通过汽缸运动机构的运动仿真设计过程介绍了Pro/E中的仿真模块以及机构仿真的设计方法和过程,并总结了该设计途径的优越性.     

Aggregation of exponential smoothing processes with an application to portfolio risk evaluation

In this paper we propose a unified framework to analyse contemporaneous and temporal aggregation of a widely employed class of integrated moving average (IMA) models. We obtain a closed-form representation for the parameters of the contemporaneously and temporally aggregated process as a function of the parameters of the original one. These results are useful due to the close analogy between the integrated GARCH (1, 1) model for conditional volatility and the IMA (1, 1) model for squared returns, which share the same autocorrelation function. In this framework, we present an application dealing with Value-at-Risk (VaR) prediction at different sampling frequencies for an equally weighted portfolio composed of multiple indices. We apply the aggregation results by inferring the aggregate parameter in the portfolio volatility equation from the estimated vector IMA (1, 1) model of squared returns. Empirical results show that VaR predictions delivered using this suggested approach are at least as accurate as those obtained by applying standard univariate methodologies, such as RiskMetrics.     

Consumer trust toward retail websites: Comparison between pure click and click-and-brick retailers

This paper examines the effects of security/privacy and social presence of retailers on consumer's e-trust in two different contexts: pure click and click and brick retailers. It explores how e-trust affects consumer attitudes toward websites and WOM. A conceptual model is tested using Structural Equation Modeling, on a random sample of 989 French customers. Results suggest that perceived website social presence and perceived security/privacy exert strong and positive impacts on website credibility and benevolence, which in turn directly influence website attitudes and indirectly influence word-of-mouth. One major difference between pure click and click-and-brick retailers is that the role of social presence in developing online benevolence is more important in the case of pure click retailers. The study concludes with managerial implications that may be useful in retail marketing.     

Understanding the Role of Identity in the Constraint Negotiation Process

Sociological theory related to identity was adapted to explore the influence of identity on respondents’ perceived leisure constraints and constraint negotiation. We hypothesized that perceived constraints to recreational golf and efforts to negotiate constraints would be predicted by the degree to which respondents embraced their leisure-related identity of “golfer.” It was also hypothesized that the perception of constraints and constraint negotiation would depend upon the degree to which respondents perceive that the identities they embrace facilitate or conflict. Findings showed support for the hypothesized model.     

Managing AIDS in Africa: HRM challenges in Tanzania

The impact of the AIDS epidemic in developing countries, and in Africa in particular, is now a matter of great concern to policy makers, managers, and academics on a global scale. The magnitude of the potentially disastrous effects of the disease has severe implications for management in organizations, and, in particular, for HRM. The AIDS epidemic is imposing, and will continue to impose, in the foreseeable future, a significant burden on the way people are managed. Little has been written on HRM in Africa, and the present literature on AIDS and HRM in Western societies is inappropriate and insufficient in relation to African organizations. Fifteen organizations in Tanzania took part in this study, which is probably the first of its kind, to produce a picture of current developments and approaches in managing people under the threat of AIDS.     

Price Discovery in the Treasury‐Bill When‐Issued Market

When‐issued (i.e., forward) trading in T‐bills yet to be auctioned provides a unique environment for examining price discovery. Because T‐bills are auctioned in a sealed‐bid process, when‐issued traders cannot observe the spot market price. Yet the forward price must ultimately converge on the auction outcome price. Our results indicate that traders in the when‐issued market “discover” the ultimate auction price. Little evidence is found that standard order flow variables contribute to price discovery. Instead, the ability to observe a few trades with relatively small volume in the when‐issued market is sufficient to discover the auction price resulting from the sealed‐bid process.     

What Should be Taught in Intermediate Macroeconomics?

A lack of consensus remains on what should form the theoretical core of the undergraduate intermediate macroeconomic course. In determining how to deal with the Keynesian/classical divide, instructors must decide whether to follow the modern approach of building macroeconomic relationships from micro foundations, or to use the traditional approach based on aggregate models of the macroeconomy. In this article, the authors discuss the advantages and shortcomings of each approach in the context of course objectives. Because there is significant heterogeneity in textbook coverage, the authors summarize some of the approaches taken in current intermediate-level textbooks, which should serve as a useful starting point for new instructors. The authors also discuss how each approach can be extended to analyze the recent recession in the United States.     

The Regime of Informality in Neoliberal Times in Turkey: The Case of the Kadifekale Urban Transformation Project

Juxtaposing the empirical findings of a qualitative research study of an urban transformation project in the Kadifekale squatter district of Izmir with the changed nature of urban politics in a neoliberal context, this article aims to trace the manifestations of the regime of informality in Turkey. Ethnographic consideration of the motives behind these projects, the way they have been carried out and their consequences for the lives of the inhabitants points to an extended space for informal politics tactically manoeuvred by state officials of various ranks. Particularly during the last two decades, neoliberal urban policies have triggered an intensification of power discrepancies in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions and a fragmentation of community structure in the localities — mainly along socioeconomic divides. This research reveals a transition from positive/passive to negative/active uses of informality in the disposition of the state towards the urban poor when the fast and efficient conduct of urban transformation projects is in question. The characteristics of the locality as a landslide zone, the already fragmented socioeconomic structure in the neighbourhood and the dense presence of Kurdish immigrants facilitate the putting into practice of informal strategies. The immigrants who cannot define a place for themselves in the simultaneously formal and informal context of the project have been seriously disadvantaged.