The index futures markets: Is screen trading more efficient?

This article uses a nonparametric test based on the arc‐sine law (see, e.g., Feller, 1965 ), which involves comparing the theoretical distribution implied by an intraday random walk with the empirical frequency distribution of the daily high/low times, in order to address the question of whether the abandonment of pit trading has been associated with greater market efficiency. If market inefficiencies result from flaws in the market microstructure of pit trading, they ought to have been eliminated by the introduction of screen trading. If, on the other hand, the inefficiencies are a reflection of investor psychology, they are likely to have survived, unaffected by the changeover. We focus here on four cases. Both the FTSE‐100 and CAC‐40 index futures contracts were originally traded by open outcry and have moved over to electronic trading in recent years, so that we are able to compare pricing behavior before and after the changeover. The equivalent contracts in Germany and Korea, on the other hand, have been traded electronically ever since their inception. Our results overwhelmingly reject the random‐walk hypothesis both for open‐outcry and electronic‐trading data sets, suggesting there has been no increase in efficiency as a result of the introduction of screen trading. One possible explanation consistent with our results would be that the index futures market is characterized by intraday overreaction. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 24:337–357, 2004     

Multivariate statistics in industrial marketing management: A practitioner tool kit

Much published work over the years has pointed to the differences between business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing. An undesirable by-product of this sometimes misdirected distinction is that managers working within B2B environments have generally not considered the use of what are seen as B2C techniques, such as multivariate statistical analysis. This article is structured in three parts. First, the argument for the similarities between B2B and B2C marketing is developed; second, three different multivariate statistical techniques are presented and combined to form a practical tool kit for use by B2B managers on strategic, operational, and tactical levels; and third, the results of an application of the techniques in the life science research chemicals industry is reported, demonstrating that the tool kit substantially enhanced managerial understanding of customer decision processes.     

Why Do We Care What Others Pay? The Effect of Other Consumers’ Prices on Inferences of Seller (Dis)Respect and Perceptions of Deservingness Violation

Comparisons to other consumers have been identified as particularly meaningful in shaping price fairness judgments, but why they should be so is not clear. The current work argues that fairness judgments reflect both the extent to which consumers receive what they believe they deserve and inferences about seller respect. We suggest that comparisons to consumers paying lower prices are a particularly potent source of unfairness because they highlight the violation of deservingness and readily communicate information about sellers’ opinions of consumers. Three experiments investigate these ideas. Implications for fairness theory and marketing are discussed.     

Investigation of damage and repair of a 1000 MTD horizontal ammonia converter

An operational upset caused by a diapharagm failure in the high pressure casting of the synthesis gas compressor resulted in major pressure/flow surges in the synthesis loop.     

Spontaneous fires in insulation

Combustible liquids may self-heat in porous insulation yielding smoldering or flaming combustion. In Part I the problem is reviewed and practical measures discussed. Using two-inch cubes of insulation and a standardized procedure, Spontaneous Ignition Temperatures (SITs) ranging from 55-184 C are reported for a series of combustible liquids. The application of a self-heating parameter Z = (AIT)/(AIT-FP), where AIT is autoignition temperature and FP is closed cup flash-point (both in Celsius), is examined. The “Z” parameter gives some indication of materials that will self-heat and those that will evaporate. For Z > 1.61 ignition occurred for all the liquids tested. Evaporation usually occurred for materials with Z < 1.35. It was found that some water-reactive or peroxide-forming materials can ignite where only evaporation would be predicted from Z value considerations. An important example of a water-reactive material is ethylene oxide (EO); the importance of EO insulation fires is that under certain conditions explosive decomposition of EO contained in the equipment can be initiated. It was previously determined that ethylene oxide reacts in porous, refractory insulations forming low molecular weight polyethylene glycols. The formation rate depends on temperature and the type and condition (particularly water content) of the insulation. Unlike EO the glycols have low volatility and may accumulate over time to several times the mass of some insulations. Under certain conditions the glycols can ignite spontaneously. In Part II experiments carried out to examine this phenomenon are discussed. Where process temperatures are above the SIT (but below the AIT), cellular glass insulation will minimize the risk of insulation fires. One disadvantage, especially for thermally unstable materials such as EO, is that cellular glass has poor fire endurance properties. The use of a realistic fire endurance test to specify insulation thickness and additional measures such as stainless steel jackets are described. Alternatives to the use of cellular glass are discussed. When selecting an insulation system, it should be determined whether an insulation fire might occur and the loss potential from such an event should be evaluated.     

The Essential Role of Sense of Community in a Youth Sport Program

This multiphased study identifies the salient benefits that parents seek for their families from a youth sport program. Phase 1, a preseason focus group study of parents of swimmers in three clubs (N = 15), indicated parents seek a sense of community for their children and themselves, and sense of community is linked to their desire for children to learn sport and life skills. Phase 2, a postseason survey of parents in the same three clubs (N = 129), tested the relationships among coaching quality, friendships, organizational communication, sport and life skills, sense of community, parents' satisfaction, and their repeat purchase intention. Using path analysis, sense of community was identified as the key driver of satisfaction and repeat purchase intention, with swimming improvement also having a significant effect on satisfaction. These findings highlight the central role sense of community plays for participants and their families in youth sport contexts.