Multiscale analysis of deforestation risk due to commodity crop expansion in sub-Saharan Africa and the role of non-industrial producers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ordway, E.; Asner, G. P.; Naylor, R. L.; Nkongho, R.; Lambin, E.

2017-12-01

Rapid integration of global agricultural markets and subsequent cropland displacement in recent decades increased large-scale tropical deforestation in South America and Southeast Asia. Growing land scarcity and more stringent land use regulations in these regions could incentivize the offshoring of export-oriented commodity crop production to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We assess the effects of domestic- and export-oriented agricultural expansion on deforestation in SSA in recent decades at the global, regional and local scales. Using Cameroon as a case-study, we explore the influence of emerging oil palm expansion on deforestation in greater depth. We found that commodity crops are expanding in SSA, increasing pressure on tropical forests. Four Congo Basin countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d'Ivoire were most at risk in terms of exposure, vulnerability and pressures from agricultural expansion. These countries averaged the highest percent forest cover (58% ±17.9) and lowest proportions of potentially available cropland outside forest areas (1% ±0.9). Foreign investment in these countries was concentrated in oil palm production (81%), with a median investment area of 41,582 thousand ha. Based on remote sensing and field survey results, however, medium- and large-scale non-industrial producers are driving a substantial fraction of the oil palm expansion leading to deforestation in Cameroon. Additionally, unlike Southeast Asia, oil palm expansion in sub-Saharan Africa is associated primarily with domestic market demands. In contrast, cocoa, the fastest expanding export-oriented crop across SSA, accounted for 57% of global expansion in 2000-2013 at a rate of 132 thousand ha yr-1, yet only amounted to 0.9% of foreign land investment. Commodity crop expansion in SSA appears largely driven by small- and medium-scale farmers rather than industrial plantations. Findings highlight that, although most agricultural expansion was associated with domestic demand, there is evidence of a growing influence of distant markets on land-use change in SSA.

Deforestation risk due to commodity crop expansion in sub-Saharan Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ordway, Elsa M.; Asner, Gregory P.; Lambin, Eric F.

2017-04-01

Rapid integration of global agricultural markets and subsequent cropland displacement in recent decades increased large-scale tropical deforestation in South America and Southeast Asia. Growing land scarcity and more stringent land use regulations in these regions could incentivize the offshoring of export-oriented commodity crops to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We assess the effects of domestic- and export-oriented agricultural expansion on deforestation in SSA in recent decades. Analyses were conducted at the global, regional and local scales. We found that commodity crops are expanding in SSA, increasing pressure on tropical forests. Four Congo Basin countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire were most at risk in terms of exposure, vulnerability and pressures from agricultural expansion. These countries averaged the highest percent forest cover (58% ± 17.93) and lowest proportions of potentially available cropland outside forest areas (1% ± 0.89). Foreign investment in these countries was concentrated in oil palm production (81%), with a median investment area of 41 582 thousand ha. Cocoa, the fastest expanding export-oriented crop across SSA, accounted for 57% of global expansion in 2000-2013 at a rate of 132 thousand ha yr-1. However, cocoa only amounted to 0.89% of foreign land investment. Commodity crop expansion in SSA appears largely driven by small- and medium-scale farmers rather than industrial plantations. Land-use changes associated with large-scale investments remain to be observed in many countries. Although domestic demand for commodity crops was associated with most agricultural expansion, we provide evidence of a growing influence of distant markets on land-use change in SSA.

Higher Education, Employability and Competitiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavlin, Samo; Svetlicic, Marjan

2012-01-01

This paper studies the relationship between competitiveness and higher education systems in Europe. It explores whether more competitive countries have developed more labour-market-oriented systems of higher education (HE) that thereby give their graduates greater short term employability potential. Based on and a large-scale survey among 45.000…

Market Orientation in Managing Relationships with Multiple Constituencies of Croatian Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavicic, Jurica; Alfirevic, Niksa; Mihanovic, Zoran

2009-01-01

In this paper, market orientation in Croatian higher education (HE) is discussed within the context of stakeholder-oriented management. Drawing on existing studies, the "classical" empirical model, describing the market orientation of generic nonprofit organisations, has been adapted to the contingencies of the Croatian HE sector.…

Marketing orientation in hospitals: findings from a multi-phased research study.

PubMed

Wrenn, Bruce

2007-01-01

It is clear from numerous studies conducted over a wide variety of industries that marketing-oriented organizations perform better than those that do not adopt this business philosophy. Recent studies have confirmed this finding in healthcare organizations as well. What is now coming to light is the way in which a marketing orientation does contribute to better performance in hospitals, and the difficulties marketers face in getting recognition of that fact by non-marketers in their organization. This article reports on a multi-phased research study of the implementation of marketing-oriented behaviors in a hospital setting.

Fisher-Level Decision Making to Participate in Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs) for Yellowfin Tuna in the Philippines

PubMed Central

Berentsen, Paul; Bush, Simon R.; Digal, Larry; Oude Lansink, Alfons

2016-01-01

This study identifies the capabilities needed by small-scale fishers to participate in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) for yellowfin tuna in the Philippines. The current literature provides little empirical evidence on how different models, or types of FIPs, influence the participation of fishers in their programs and the degree which FIPs are able to foster improvements in fishing practices. To address this literature gap, two different FIPs are empirically analysed, each with different approaches for fostering improvement. The first is the non-governmental organisation-led Partnership Programme Towards Sustainable Tuna, which adopts a bottom-up or development oriented FIP model. The second is the private-led Artesmar FIP, which adopts a top-down or market-oriented FIP approach. The data were obtained from 350 fishers surveyed and were analysed using two separate models run in succession, taking into consideration full, partial, and non-participation in the two FIPs. The results demonstrate that different types of capabilities are required in order to participate in different FIP models. Individual firm capabilities are more important for fishers participation in market-oriented FIPs, which use direct economic incentives to encourage improvements in fisher practices. Collective capabilities are more important for fishers to participate in development-oriented FIPs, which drive improvement by supporting fishers, fisher associations, and governments to move towards market requirements. PMID:27732607

Fisher-Level Decision Making to Participate in Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs) for Yellowfin Tuna in the Philippines.

PubMed

Tolentino-Zondervan, Frazen; Berentsen, Paul; Bush, Simon R; Digal, Larry; Oude Lansink, Alfons

2016-01-01

This study identifies the capabilities needed by small-scale fishers to participate in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) for yellowfin tuna in the Philippines. The current literature provides little empirical evidence on how different models, or types of FIPs, influence the participation of fishers in their programs and the degree which FIPs are able to foster improvements in fishing practices. To address this literature gap, two different FIPs are empirically analysed, each with different approaches for fostering improvement. The first is the non-governmental organisation-led Partnership Programme Towards Sustainable Tuna, which adopts a bottom-up or development oriented FIP model. The second is the private-led Artesmar FIP, which adopts a top-down or market-oriented FIP approach. The data were obtained from 350 fishers surveyed and were analysed using two separate models run in succession, taking into consideration full, partial, and non-participation in the two FIPs. The results demonstrate that different types of capabilities are required in order to participate in different FIP models. Individual firm capabilities are more important for fishers participation in market-oriented FIPs, which use direct economic incentives to encourage improvements in fisher practices. Collective capabilities are more important for fishers to participate in development-oriented FIPs, which drive improvement by supporting fishers, fisher associations, and governments to move towards market requirements.

Market orientation: a concept for health libraries.

PubMed

Sen, Barbara

2006-03-01

This paper is the result of exploratory research forming part of ongoing study into the value and relevance of market orientation as a strategic option for library managers. The aim of the study is to gain an understanding of the concept of market orientation relative to the health library sector. A focus group was used to gather data from health librarians working at different levels in the sector. The data was coded and categorized by an expert panel and analysed using a taxonomic map developed during the study. Health library professionals define and understand market orientation in the same way as the concept is defined in the management literature. Their understanding of the concept is developing. A greater emphasis is given to some aspects of market orientation than others. There are implications for further research. Methods used to measure market orientation in other domains are likely to be relevant for libraries. Research should be extended to different sectors to explore any cross-sector differences. Fostering an organizational culture that supports market orientation has implications for service management and development.

Research on the Mode of Technology Innovation Alliance of the New Material Industry in Hunan Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fan

2018-03-01

One of the main directions of technology development in the 21st century is the development and application of new materials, and the key to the development of the new material industry lies in the industrial technology innovation. The gross scale of the new material industry in Hunan Province ranks the first array in China. Based on the present situation of Hunan’s new material industry, three modes of technology innovation alliance are put forward in this paper, namely the government-driven mode, the research-driven and the market-oriented mode. The government-driven mode is applicable to the major technology innovation fields with uncertain market prospect, high risk of innovation and government’s direct or indirect intervention;the research-driven mode is applicable to the key technology innovation fields with a high technology content; and the market-oriented mode is applicable to the general innovation fields in which enterprises have demands for technology innovation but such innovation must be achieved via cooperative research and development.

Competing strategically through market orientation.

PubMed

Rapert, M I; Yarbrough, L

1997-01-01

As organizations seek to better understand their customers, competitors, and environments, the marketing function effectively serves as the support mechanism for these activities in many industries. Accordingly, in many organizations the marketing concept has been elevated to the stature of a strategic weapon, manifested in the form of market orientation. Market-oriented firms emphasize the collection, organization, and dissemination of information regarding both customers and competitors. This strategy is especially well-suited for the health care industry where customer knowledge is of paramount importance, customer interaction is instantaneous, and customer satisfaction is essential. Results of a national study of general service hospitals suggest that firms which embrace a market orientation benefit through enhanced customer satisfaction and quality.

Organizational Culture in Community Colleges: Connecting Market Orientation, Quality, and Student Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McManimon, Debra J.

2012-01-01

To enhance their competitive advantage in the marketplace, many business leaders develop market orientation strategies designed to increase customer engagement. These market orientation strategies include improvement in service delivery, relationship management, customer satisfaction, and quality control methods. There is a lack of understanding…

[Empirical study of the market orientation of veterinarians in The Netherlands].

PubMed

Schuurmans, A J; Smidts, A

1990-04-01

Linked to the theoretical framework of marketing in the veterinary practice, as explained in Schuurmans and Smidts (1) pp. 1-10 and Schuurmans and Smidts (2), an empirical research project has been undertaken. This research gives insight into the extent to which practices base their services on a marketing orientation. By means of telephone inquiries among a sample of 166 veterinarians, this was investigated. The research shows that veterinarians think more in a product-oriented way than in a market-oriented way, and they do not use all the opportunities a marketing orientation could bring to their services. This expresses itself, among others by not using market segmentation, by the inadequate use of the marketing mix elements communication and distribution, and by the fact that the opportunities of the marketing information system are hardly applied. By means of further research in individual practices it might be possible to give concrete advise fit for that practice. Research among the clients of the veterinarians might, beside many other kinds of research, also give valuable insights.

Small-Scale Farming in Semi-Arid Areas: Livelihood Dynamics between 1997 and 2010 in Laikipia, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulrich, Anne; Speranza, Chinwe Ifejika; Roden, Paul; Kiteme, Boniface; Wiesmann, Urs; Nusser, Marcus

2012-01-01

The rural population of semi-arid lands in Kenya face multiple challenges that result from population growth, poor markets, land use and climatic changes. In particular, subsistence oriented farmers face various risks and opportunities in their attempt to secure their livelihoods. This paper presents an analysis on how livelihood assets and…

[Application of marketing strategies for the management of public hospitals from the viewpoint of the staff members].

PubMed

Riveros S, Jorge; Berné M, Carmen

2006-03-01

The implementation of the marketing strategies in public hospitals provides management advantages and improves the relationship between customers and staff. To analyze the application of marketing strategies in a public hospital, from the perspective of the staff. A structured survey that asked about perceptions in 50 items about communication between personnel and customers/users, customer satisfaction, participation in the development of new policies and incentives for efficiency was applied to a stratified sample of the staff. Factorial and regression analyses were performed to define the impact of marketing strategies on the degree of preoccupation and orientation of the organization towards the satisfaction of customer needs. The survey was applied to 74 males and 122 females. The survey showed that the orientation of the hospital towards the satisfaction of its beneficiaries basically depends on the generation of an organizational culture oriented towards them and the implementation of adequate policies in staff management and quality of service. These basic aspects can be accompanied with practices associated to the new marketing approaches such as a market orientation, customer orientation and relational marketing. All these factors presented positive and significant relations. New marketing strategies should be applied, to achieve an efficient and customer oriented hospital management.

The Impact of Market Orientation on Patient Safety Climate Among Hospital Nurses.

PubMed

Weng, Rhay-Hung; Chen, Jung-Chien; Pong, Li-Jung; Chen, Li-Mei; Lin, Tzu-Chi

2016-03-01

Improving market orientation and patient safety have become the key concerns of nursing management. For nurses, establishing a patient safety climate is the key to enhancing nursing quality. This study explores how market orientation affects the climate of patient safety among hospital nurses. We proposed adopting a cross-sectional research design and using questionnaires to collect responses from nurses working in two Taiwanese hospitals. Three-hundred and forty-three valid samples were obtained. Multiple regression and path analyses were conducted to test the study. Market orientation was defined as the combination of customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination. Customer orientation directly affects the climate of patient safety. Although the findings only supported Hypothesis 1, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination positively affected the patient safety climate through the mediating effects of hospital support for staff. Health care managers could encourage nurses to adopt customer-oriented perspectives to enhance their nursing care. In addition, to enhance competitor orientation, interfunctional coordination, and the patient safety climate, hospital managers could strengthen their support for staff members. © The Author(s) 2014.

Agri-Environmental Policy Measures in Israel: The Potential of Using Market-Oriented Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amdur, Liron; Bertke, Elke; Freese, Jan; Marggraf, Rainer

2011-05-01

This paper examines the possibilities of developing agri-environmental policy measures in Israel, focusing on market-oriented instruments. A conceptual framework for developing agri-environmental policy measures is presented, first in very broad lines (mandatory regulations, economic instruments and advisory measures) and subsequently focusing on economic instruments, and specifically, on market-oriented ones. Two criteria of choice between the measures are suggested: their contribution to improving the effectiveness of the policy; and the feasibility of their implementation. This is the framework used for analyzing agri-environmental measures in Israel. Israel currently implements a mix of mandatory regulations, economic instruments and advisory measures to promote the agri-environment. The use of additional economic instruments may improve the effectiveness of the policy. When comparing the effectiveness of various economic measures, we found that the feasibility of implementation of market-oriented instruments is greater, due to the Israeli public's preference for strengthening market orientation in the agricultural sector. Four market-oriented instruments were practiced in a pilot project conducted in an Israeli rural area. We found that in this case study, the institutional feasibility and acceptance by stakeholders were the major parameters influencing the implementation of the market-oriented instruments, whereas the instruments' contribution to enhancing the ecological or economic effectiveness were hardly considered by the stakeholders as arguments in favor of their use.

Agri-environmental policy measures in Israel: the potential of using market-oriented instruments.

PubMed

Amdur, Liron; Bertke, Elke; Freese, Jan; Marggraf, Rainer

2011-05-01

This paper examines the possibilities of developing agri-environmental policy measures in Israel, focusing on market-oriented instruments. A conceptual framework for developing agri-environmental policy measures is presented, first in very broad lines (mandatory regulations, economic instruments and advisory measures) and subsequently focusing on economic instruments, and specifically, on market-oriented ones. Two criteria of choice between the measures are suggested: their contribution to improving the effectiveness of the policy; and the feasibility of their implementation. This is the framework used for analyzing agri-environmental measures in Israel. Israel currently implements a mix of mandatory regulations, economic instruments and advisory measures to promote the agri-environment. The use of additional economic instruments may improve the effectiveness of the policy. When comparing the effectiveness of various economic measures, we found that the feasibility of implementation of market-oriented instruments is greater, due to the Israeli public's preference for strengthening market orientation in the agricultural sector. Four market-oriented instruments were practiced in a pilot project conducted in an Israeli rural area. We found that in this case study, the institutional feasibility and acceptance by stakeholders were the major parameters influencing the implementation of the market-oriented instruments, whereas the instruments' contribution to enhancing the ecological or economic effectiveness were hardly considered by the stakeholders as arguments in favor of their use.

A post-1990s assessment of strategic hospital alliances and their marketplace orientations: time to refocus.

PubMed

Olden, Peter C; Roggenkamp, Susan D; Luke, Roice D

2002-01-01

In past years, many SHAs formed in local urban markets to better compete for managed care contracts. In response to 1990s forces, these SHAs appear to have adapted product, production, and selling orientations to their markets, aimed at large institutional purchasers of health care. However, health care markets have evolved differently than anticipated. SHAs and their hospitals should now adopt the marketing orientation and focus more on patients and enrollees.

[Risks and control of complete market-oriented reforms of medical institutions].

PubMed

Ding, Jiannong; Tian, Yongquan

2014-04-01

Marketization has become the mainstream since the new public management emerges globally in second half of the 20th century. Some countries infuse private capital into medical institutions which used to be managed by the government originally, and cause the medical industry reforms to be market-oriented. Market-oriented reforms of medical institutions may have risks in the following aspects: the risk of uneven distribution of medical resources, the risk of market failure, the moral risk of government renting-seeking and corruption and the decay of social justice values. Measures of controlling these risks include defining the function orientation of the government, completing the institution-building of healthcare system, improving primary medical system and strengthening social consciousness of hospitals.

Performance-oriented: toward a successful strategy.

PubMed

Kumar, K; Subramanian, R; Yauger, C

1997-01-01

Changes in the health care industry have profoundly affected hospital management and have caused severe declines in hospital profitability. In 1993, Health Care Management Review reported that the average operating profit margin, around 2% in 1984, had declined to a 0.2% loss by 1990. In the past, hospitals were buffered by entry regulations and cost reimbursement; thus, they rarely dealt with traditional market pressures. But the changed terrain means that competitive factors now underscore all strategic decisions. This study examines the strategic significance of market orientation in the health care industry. The authors identified forms of market orientation by emphasizing different components, and discovered that hospitals fell into four distinct clusters or groups. They also found a critical relationship between market orientation and performance scores on a number of criteria. Finally, the authors suggest that different forms of market orientation should be employed to target specific performance measures.

Hospital marketing orientation and managed care processes: are they coordinated?

PubMed

White, K R; Thompson, J M; Patel, U B

2001-01-01

The hospital marketing function has been widely adopted as a way to learn about markets, attract sufficient resources, develop appropriate services, and communicate the availability of such goods to those who may be able to purchase such services. The structure, tasks, and effectiveness of the marketing function have been the subject of increased inquiry by researchers and practitioners alike. A specific understanding of hospital marketing in a growing managed care environment and the relationship between marketing and managed care processes in hospitals is a growing concern. Using Kotler and Clarke's framework for assessing marketing orientation, we examined the marketing orientation of hospitals in a single state at two points in time--1993 and 1999. Study findings show that the overall marketing orientation score decreased from 1993 to 1999 for the respondent hospitals. The five elements of the Kotler and Clarke definition of marketing orientation remained relatively stable, with slightly lower scores related to customer philosophy. In addition, we evaluated the degree to which selected managed care activities are carried out as part of its marketing function. A significant (p < .05) decrease in managed care processes coordinated with the formal marketing function was evident from 1993 to 1999. With increasing numbers of managed care plan enrollees, hospitals are likely focusing on organizational buyers as important customers. In order to appeal to organizational buyers, hospital executives may be focusing more on clinical quality and cost efficiency in the production of services, which will improve a hospital's position with organizational buyers.

From Politicized Adult Education to Market Oriented Adult Higher Education: How Adult Education Practice in One Region is Different from Another

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Victor C. X.; Mott, Vivian W.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the general instructional modes of adult educators in Southeast China and Northeast China. The study utilized Conti's (1983, 2004) Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) to measure instructional modes of adult educators. Data were collected from 112 randomly selected participants engaged in teaching Chinese adult…

Labour-Market Orientation and Approaches to Studying--A Study of the First "Bologna Students" at a Swedish Regional University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Anders; Sandberg, Mikael

2017-01-01

This study investigated labour-market orientations of students at a Swedish University with a dual/diverse focus on vocational/academic objectives. The aim was to investigate whether and how levels of students' labour-market orientation vary with social background, change during the study period, and are related to approaches to studying and…

Developing Relationships with School Customers: The Role of Market Orientation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poole, Sonja Martin

2017-01-01

Purpose: While the role of relationship marketing to consumers' overall satisfaction with schools has been discussed in the education management literature, empirical studies on the marketing mechanisms that underpin school-customer relationships are limited. The purpose of this paper is to establish the association between market orientation (MO)…

Benefiting from Customer and Competitor Knowledge: A Market-Based Approach to Organizational Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoe, Siu Loon

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the organizational learning, market orientation and learning orientation concepts, highlight the importance of market knowledge to organizational learning and recommend ways in adopting a market-based approach to organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach: The extant organizational learning…

Export Market Orientation Behavior of Universities: The British Scenario

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asaad, Yousra; Melewar, T. C.; Cohen, Geraldine

2015-01-01

This study seeks to extend our knowledge of export market orientation (EMO) in the context of British universities with regard to recruitment of international students. Export marketing remains an area of limited focus in the marketization of higher education literature. The study predominantly follows a quantitative research design using survey…

Marketing foods to children through product packaging: prolific, unhealthy and misleading.

PubMed

Mehta, Kaye; Phillips, Clare; Ward, Paul; Coveney, John; Handsley, Elizabeth; Carter, Patricia

2012-09-01

To investigate marketing techniques used on the packaging of child-oriented products sold through supermarkets. Food and beverage products which met criteria for 'marketed to children' were recorded as child-oriented. The products were analysed for food categories, nutritional value, and type and extent of marketing techniques used. A major supermarket chain in Adelaide, South Australia. Child-oriented food and beverage products. One hundred and fifty-seven discrete products were marketed to children via product packaging; most (75·2 %) represented non-core foods, being high in fat or sugar. Many marketing techniques (more than sixteen unique marketing techniques) were used to promote child-oriented food products. Claims about health and nutrition were found on 55·5 % of non-core foods. A median of 6·43 marketing techniques per product was found. The high volume and power of marketing non-core foods to children via product packaging in supermarkets should be of concern to policy makers wanting to improve children's diet for their health and to tackle childhood obesity. Claims about health or nutrition on non-core foods deserve urgent attention owing to their potential to mislead and confuse child and adult consumers.

A taxonomy of green supply chain management capability among electronics-related manufacturing firms in Taiwan.

PubMed

Shang, Kuo-Chung; Lu, Chin-Shan; Li, Shaorui

2010-05-01

This study investigated crucial green supply chain management (GSCM) capability dimensions and firm performance based on electronics-related manufacturing firms in Taiwan. On the basis of a factor analysis, six green supply chain management dimensions were identified: green manufacturing and packaging, environmental participation, green marketing, green suppliers, green stock, and green eco-design. According to their factor scores in the GSCM dimensions, a cluster analysis subsequently assigned responding firms into four groups, namely, the weak GSCM oriented group, the green marketing oriented group, the green supplier oriented group, and the green stock oriented group. Differences in firm performance and GSCM dimensions among groups were examined. Results indicated that the green marketing oriented group performed best. Based on the resource-based view (RBV), the capability of the green marketing oriented group was considered to be the deployment of a collection of resources that enables it to successfully compete against rivals. The importance of green marketing as a GSCM capability and strategic asset/critical resources for electronics-related manufacturing firms to obtain a competitive edge is therefore highlighted in this study. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Use of social marketing in population health programs (literature review)].

PubMed

Kholmogorova, G T; Gladysheva, N V

1991-01-01

At present health education programmes abroad make wide use of social marketing strategy. Unlike commercial marketing whose purpose is competition and struggle for the expansion of commodity markets, social marketing is aimed at disseminating certain ideas or introducing certain practices, using largely the technological base and strategy of commercial marketing. The authors give 8 fundamental principles of social marketing (consumer orientation, the theory of barter, the analysis of audience and segmentation, special surveys to detect the orientation of population, the choice of channels for information transmission application of "marketing mixture", control of ongoing programme and marketing management). Application fields of social marketing in public health are discussed.

Social marketing and public health intervention.

PubMed

Lefebvre, R C; Flora, J A

1988-01-01

The rapid proliferation of community-based health education programs has out-paced the knowledge base of behavior change strategies that are appropriate and effective for public health interventions. However, experiences from a variety of large-scale studies suggest that principles and techniques of social marketing may help bridge this gap. This article discusses eight essential aspects of the social marketing process: the use of a consumer orientation to develop and market intervention techniques, exchange theory as a model from which to conceptualize service delivery and program participation, audience analysis and segmentation strategies, the use of formative research in program design and pretesting of intervention materials, channel analysis for devising distribution systems and promotional campaigns, employment of the "marketing mix" concept in intervention planning and implementation, development of a process tracking system, and a management process of problem analysis, planning, implementation, feedback and control functions. Attention to such variables could result in more cost-effective programs that reach larger numbers of the target audience.

The Problem of a Market-Oriented University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayrinen-Alestalo, Marja; Peltola, Ulla

2006-01-01

Economy- and technology-driven theories dominate current explanations of social change. The political orientations of the European Union and many of its member states are increasingly based on the idea of knowledge economy where public organisations move towards market-orientation. Among the other producers of knowledge, universities are expected…

Nutritional quality and child-oriented marketing of breakfast cereals in Guatemala.

PubMed

Soo, J; Letona, P; Chacon, V; Barnoya, J; Roberto, C A

2016-01-01

Food marketing has been implicated as an important driver of obesity. However, few studies have examined food marketing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study documents the prevalence of advertising on cereal boxes in Guatemala and examines associations between various marketing strategies and nutritional quality. One box from all available cereals was purchased from a supermarket located in an urban area in Guatemala City, Guatemala. A content analysis was performed to document child-oriented marketing practices, product claims and health-evoking images. The Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) was used to calculate an overall nutrition score for each cereal (the higher the score, the lower the nutritional quality). In all, 106 cereals were purchased, and half of the cereals featured child-oriented marketing (54, 50.9%). Cereals had a mean (±s.d.) of 5.10±2.83 product claims per cereal, and most cereals (102, 96.2%) contained health-evoking images. Child-oriented cereals had, on average, higher NPM scores (13.0±0.55 versus 7.90±0.74, P<0.001) and sugar content (10.1±0.48 versus 6.19±0.50 g/30 g, P<0.001) compared with non-child oriented cereals. Cereals with health claims were not significantly healthier than those without claims. In Guatemala, cereals targeting children were generally of poor nutritional quality. Cereals displaying health claims were also not healthier than those without such claims. Our findings support the need for regulations restricting the use of child-oriented marketing and health claims for certain products.

Market Orientation in University: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuster, Ines; Aviles-Valenzuela, Maria Elena

2010-01-01

Purpose: The paper aims to analyse the relationship between market orientation (MO) and results in the field of higher education, considering the importance of university teaching staff MO in relation to satisfaction and establishing that this orientation is directly and positively affected by the MO of the upper hierarchical levels. The focus is…

Mobilization and Defense Management Technical Reports Series. A Framework for Increasing Defense Production by Reducing Perceived Opportunity Costs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-01

advertising. Traditionally defense marketing and advertising focused on decision makers within the defense conuunity and Congress. While it appears that...focus may be- starting to change, marketing and advertising remain highly directed and concentrated in defense oriented media. marketing was oriented to

Minorities in the Labor Market. Volume II: Orientals in the American Labor Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilber, George L.; And Others

The major task of this report is to describe and evaluate the participation and status achievements of Orientals in the labor market, with particular attention to factors affecting such participation and whether differences in participation as compared to that of whites reflect discrimination. Inequalities and discrimination are examined in terms…

Higher Education and the Labour Market in the Federal Republic of Germany.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teichler, Ulrich; Sanyal, Bikas C.

Reviewing the trends in employment statistics and higher educational planning in postwar Western Germany, the authors emphasize the role of political policy as they trace the development of the mixed use of both market-orientation and the more traditional research-orientation in preparing higher education students for the job market. After a…

"Drenched in the Past:" the Evolution of Market-Oriented Reforms in New Orleans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jabbar, Huriya

2015-01-01

As the city with the largest charter-school market share in the United States, New Orleans, Louisiana exemplifies market-oriented models in education. For a city that is so "drenched in the past," the reform movement in New Orleans typically neglects historical context, often dismissing the education system pre-Katrina as simply corrupt…

Food Marketing to Children Online: A Content Analysis of Food Company Websites.

PubMed

Hurwitz, Lisa B; Montague, Heather; Wartella, Ellen

2017-03-01

Since 2006, many U.S. food and beverage companies have pledged to market healthier foods to children to help combat the childhood obesity epidemic. Despite this, companies' expenditures on online advertising have increased of late. To explore this seemingly contradictory situation, the authors conducted a content analysis of approximately 100 food and beverage brand websites, examining a multitude of online marketing practices across a variety of different products, as well as the relationship between marketing techniques and the nutritional profile of promoted foods. This is the first study to examine if nutrition varied by marketing technique. Few brands maintained child-oriented websites, but the brands that did have child-oriented websites included a large number of games promoting particularly obesogenic food products. Somewhat surprisingly, games with many brand identifiers were paired with slightly less obesogenic foods. These findings present a mixed picture of the threat posed by online child-oriented food marketing.

The Incorporation of Market Orientation in the School Culture: An Essential Aspect of School Marketing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oplatka, Izhar; Hemsley-Brown, Jane

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the major features of market orientation (MO) and its benefits for schools, suggests an inventory to measure the degree of MO in a school, and provides strategies to incorporate elements of MO into the school culture. Design/methodology/approach: An instructional, technical approach which is based…

North American oriented strand board markets, arbitrage activity, and market price dynamics: A smooth transition approach

Treesearch

Barry Goodwin; Matthew Holt; Jeffrey P. Prestemon

2011-01-01

Price dynamics for North American oriented strand board markets are examined. The role of transactions costs are explored vis-à-vis the law of one price. Nonlinearities induced by unobservable transactions costs are modeled by estimating time-varying smooth transition autoregressions (TV-STARs). Results indicate that nonlinearity and structural change are important...

Measuring the perceived quality of ophthalmology services in private organizations. A marketing perspective.

PubMed

Gheorghe, Iuliana Raluca; Gheorghe, Consuela-Mădălina; Purcărea, Victor Lorin

2018-01-01

Nowadays, the competition registered on the Romanian markets regarding the activity of private ophthalmology organizations has raised their interest in developing consumer-oriented strategies. The key factor that assures a differentiation as well as a competitive advantage is the service quality from a marketing perspective. From a marketing perspective, service quality is measured as a perceived discrepancy between the consumers' expectations and was actually performed in health care services. The most widely and validated measurement is the SERVQUAL scale. However, a variety of SERVQUAL scales have been applied in different health care environments without taking into consideration the specialty of the health care service. Thus, the objective of this paper was to measure the service quality in the Romanian ophthalmology private organizations using the SERVQUAL measurement, by identifying the SERVQUAL dimensions, which register the highest and the lowest gap scores. The instrument for data collection was the SERVQUAL self-administered questionnaire that consisted of 22 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale. The sample size encompassed 100 participants and the sampling technique was the snowball. The internal consistency, validity and the reliability of the SERVQUAL scale was determined by the Cronbach's alpha coefficients and factor analysis. The SERVQUAL questionnaire focused on 5 dimensions (tangibles, reliability, assurance, empathy and responsiveness) and each dimension, in its turn, was characterized by different items. The mean age of the participants was 49.52 years, with a mean income of 3031 Romanian Currency and the mean period of wearing eyeglasses was 5 years (±2). Further, there were 47% females and 53% males. The overall internal consistency of the SERVQUAL scale, as well as the dimensions' internal consistency were all above 0.7 and the factor analysis revealed that the items loaded properly on each dimension. Moreover, the gap scores of the SERVQUAL scale's dimensions pinpointed that the highest gap score was registered by the Tangibles dimension and the lowest gap score was registered by the Reliability dimension. Performing the ophthalmology service right the first time, contributes significantly to the improvement of the marketing effectiveness and the operating efficiency.

The Political Economy of Biofuels and Farming: The Case of Smallholders in Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winters, Kristen

Following decades of neoliberal policies promoting commodity driven export production, the small scale farming sector in many developing countries has suffered from declining market share, lessening productivity and deepening poverty. In recent years, biofuels have been promoted within developing countries to foster rural development and provide new markets for the smallholders. Using Tanzania as a case study, this thesis evaluates the extent to which the emerging biofuel sector provides opportunities for smallholders to gain beneficial access to markets -- or whether the sector is following the trajectory of other export-oriented commodity projects of the past and resulting in the marginalisation of smallholders. This thesis asserts that the biofuel sector in Tanzania presents more threats than benefits for smallholders; a pattern can be witnessed that favours foreign investors and dispossesses farmers of existing land, while providing few opportunities at a local level for income generation and employment.

Using a multimedia social marketing campaign to increase active bystanders on the college campus.

PubMed

Potter, Sharyn J

2012-01-01

To evaluate the campus-wide administration of the Know Your Power bystander-oriented social marketing campaign. Undergraduate students at a public college were invited to participate in a public awareness survey before and after the 6-week campaign administration in February and March 2009. Pretest and posttests were administered (N = 353) to examine if exposure to the campaign changed students' stage of scale scores. Exposure to the social marketing campaign increased participants' awareness of their role in reducing sexual and relationship violence and stalking, increased their expressed willingness to get involved in reducing the incidence these types of violence, and resulted in participants being more likely to report having taken action to reduce these types of violence. As college students explore their role as community members, it is an opportunity for college educators to design and administer prevention messages highlighting behavioral norms to be explored and adopted.

Determinants of choice of market-oriented indigenous Horo cattle production in Dano district of western Showa, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Alemayehu, Befikadu; Bogale, Ayalneh; Wollny, Clemens; Tesfahun, Girma

2010-12-01

Based on a survey data collected from 150 farming households in Dano district of western Showa of Ethiopia, this paper analyzes determinants of smallholders' choice for market oriented indigenous Horo cattle production and tries to suggest policy alternatives for sustainable use of animal genetic resource in the study area. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic model were employed to analyze the data. Eight explanatory variables including age of the household head, size of the grazing land, total size of cultivated land, farmer's experience in indigenous cattle production, farmer's attitude towards productivity of local breed, off-farm income, fattening practice, and availability of information and training of the head of the household regarding conservation, management and sustainable use indigenous cattle were found to be statistically significant variables to explain farmers' choice for market oriented indigenous cattle production activities. Besides, possible policy implications were made in order to improve conservation, management and sustainable use of market oriented indigenous cattle genetic resources.

Competition in the German pharmacy market: an empirical analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Pharmaceutical products are an important component of expenditure on public health insurance in the Federal Republic of Germany. For years, German policy makers have regulated public pharmacies in order to limit the increase in costs. One reform has followed another, main objective being to increase competition in the pharmacy market. It is generally assumed that an increase in competition would reduce healthcare costs. However, there is a lack of empirical proof of a stronger orientation of German public pharmacies towards competition thus far. Methods This paper analyses the self-perceptions of owners of German public pharmacies and their orientation towards competition in the pharmacy markets. It is based on a cross-sectional survey (N = 289) and distinguishes between successful and less successful pharmacies, the location of the pharmacies (e.g. West German States and East German States) and the gender of the pharmacy owner. The data are analysed descriptively by survey items and employing bivariate and structural equation modelling. Results The analysis reveals that the majority of owners of public pharmacies in Germany do not currently perceive very strong competitive pressure in the market. However, the innovativeness of the pharmacist is confirmed as most relevant for net revenue development and the profit margin. Some differences occur between regions, e.g. public pharmacies in West Germany have a significantly higher profit margin. Conclusions This study provides evidence that the German healthcare reforms aimed at increasing the competition between public pharmacies in Germany have not been completely successful. Many owners of public pharmacies disregard instruments of active customer-orientated management (such as customer loyalty or an offensive position and economies of scale), which could give them a competitive advantage. However, it is clear that those pharmacists who strive for systematic and innovative management and adopt an offensive and competitive stance are quite successful. Thus, pharmacists should change their attitude and develop a more professional business model. PMID:24112461

Competition in the German pharmacy market: an empirical analysis.

PubMed

Heinsohn, Jörg G; Flessa, Steffen

2013-10-10

Pharmaceutical products are an important component of expenditure on public health insurance in the Federal Republic of Germany. For years, German policy makers have regulated public pharmacies in order to limit the increase in costs. One reform has followed another, main objective being to increase competition in the pharmacy market. It is generally assumed that an increase in competition would reduce healthcare costs. However, there is a lack of empirical proof of a stronger orientation of German public pharmacies towards competition thus far. This paper analyses the self-perceptions of owners of German public pharmacies and their orientation towards competition in the pharmacy markets. It is based on a cross-sectional survey (N = 289) and distinguishes between successful and less successful pharmacies, the location of the pharmacies (e.g. West German States and East German States) and the gender of the pharmacy owner. The data are analysed descriptively by survey items and employing bivariate and structural equation modelling. The analysis reveals that the majority of owners of public pharmacies in Germany do not currently perceive very strong competitive pressure in the market. However, the innovativeness of the pharmacist is confirmed as most relevant for net revenue development and the profit margin. Some differences occur between regions, e.g. public pharmacies in West Germany have a significantly higher profit margin. This study provides evidence that the German healthcare reforms aimed at increasing the competition between public pharmacies in Germany have not been completely successful. Many owners of public pharmacies disregard instruments of active customer-orientated management (such as customer loyalty or an offensive position and economies of scale), which could give them a competitive advantage. However, it is clear that those pharmacists who strive for systematic and innovative management and adopt an offensive and competitive stance are quite successful. Thus, pharmacists should change their attitude and develop a more professional business model.

What's in a Name? Impact of marketing different course titles on enrollment for online classes.

PubMed

Kemper, Kathi J; Woods, Charles; McBride, Allison

2008-12-01

Little is known about the impact of different marketing strategies on enrollment of online courses for health professionals. The authors compared one aspect of marketing, course titles, for online classes about herbs and dietary supplements (HDS). The authors marketed two titles-one knowledge-oriented, the other behavior-oriented-for each of seven online HDS classes. The two titles were (1) "Introduction to topic" (Knowledge) and (2) "Talking with patients about topic" (Behavior). The seven classes were two general (introduction and safety) and five specialty (women, children, the elderly, depression, and gastrointestinal) topics. The Area Health Education Center in northwest North Carolina marketed the classes. Altogether, 195 clinicians enrolled in an average of 7.6 classes per enrollee (1,487 total). For every class, enrollment was higher for knowledge-oriented than behavior-oriented titled classes (average of 124 versus 89 enrollees per class, P < .01). Enrollment, combining the two general classes, was also significantly higher for general than specialty classes (266 versus 191 enrollees per class, P < .01). Differences in titles and levels of generality significantly impacted enrollment rates in these online classes on an unfamiliar topic. Additional marketing research is needed to inform efforts to enroll clinicians into courses on more familiar topics.

Child-oriented marketing techniques in snack food packages in Guatemala.

PubMed

Chacon, Violeta; Letona, Paola; Barnoya, Joaquin

2013-10-18

Childhood overweight in Guatemala is now becoming a public health concern. Child-oriented marketing contributes to increase children's food preference, purchase and consumption. This study sought to assess the availability of child-oriented snack foods sold in school kiosks and convenience stores near public schools in Guatemala, to identify the marketing techniques used in child-oriented snack food packages and to classify the snacks as "healthy" or "less-healthy". We purchased all child-oriented snacks found in stores inside and within 200 square meters from four schools in an urban community. Snacks were classified as child-oriented if the package had any promotional characters, premium offers, children's television/movie tie-ins, sports references, or the word "child". We used a checklist to assess child-oriented references and price. Snacks were classified as "healthy" or "less-healthy" according to the UK standards for the Nutritional Profiling Model. We analyzed 106 packages found in 55 stores. The most commonly used technique was promotional characters (92.5%) of which 32.7% were brand-specific characters. Premium offers were found in 34% of packages and were mostly collectibles (50%). Most marketing techniques were located on the front and covered nearly 25% of the package surface. Median (interquartile range) price was US$ 0.19 (0.25). Nutrition labels were found in 91 (86%) packages and 41% had a nutrition related health claim. Most snacks (97.1%) were classified as "less-healthy". In Guatemala, the food industry targets children through several marketing techniques promoting inexpensive and unhealthy snacks in the school environment. Evidence-based policies restricting the use of promotional characters in unhealthy snack food packages need to be explored as a contributing strategy to control the obesity epidemic.

Child-oriented marketing techniques in snack food packages in Guatemala

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Childhood overweight in Guatemala is now becoming a public health concern. Child-oriented marketing contributes to increase children’s food preference, purchase and consumption. This study sought to assess the availability of child-oriented snack foods sold in school kiosks and convenience stores near public schools in Guatemala, to identify the marketing techniques used in child-oriented snack food packages and to classify the snacks as “healthy” or “less-healthy”. Methods We purchased all child-oriented snacks found in stores inside and within 200 square meters from four schools in an urban community. Snacks were classified as child-oriented if the package had any promotional characters, premium offers, children′s television/movie tie-ins, sports references, or the word “child”. We used a checklist to assess child-oriented references and price. Snacks were classified as “healthy” or “less-healthy” according to the UK standards for the Nutritional Profiling Model. Results We analyzed 106 packages found in 55 stores. The most commonly used technique was promotional characters (92.5%) of which 32.7% were brand-specific characters. Premium offers were found in 34% of packages and were mostly collectibles (50%). Most marketing techniques were located on the front and covered nearly 25% of the package surface. Median (interquartile range) price was US$ 0.19 (0.25). Nutrition labels were found in 91 (86%) packages and 41% had a nutrition related health claim. Most snacks (97.1%) were classified as “less-healthy”. Conclusion In Guatemala, the food industry targets children through several marketing techniques promoting inexpensive and unhealthy snacks in the school environment. Evidence-based policies restricting the use of promotional characters in unhealthy snack food packages need to be explored as a contributing strategy to control the obesity epidemic. PMID:24139325

The Marketing of Public Library Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dragon, Andrea C.

1983-01-01

Defines the concept of marketing and relates models involving the exchanges and transactions of markets and charities to services offered by libraries. Market segmentation, understanding the behavior of markets, competition, and movement toward a market-oriented library are highlighted. Nineteen references are cited. (EJS)

Evaluating Market Orientation of an Executive MBA Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubas, Khalid M.; Ghani, Waqar I.; Davis, Stanley; Strong, James T.

1998-01-01

A study assessed the market orientation of the executive Master's in Business Administration (MBA) program at Saint Joseph's University (Pennsylvania) in terms of 12 skills and knowledge areas that reflect effective managerial performance and the student-executives' perceptions of program strengths and weaknesses in delivering these skills.…

Different Research Markets: A Disciplinary Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ylijoki, Oili-Helena; Lyytinen, Anu; Marttila, Liisa

2011-01-01

Drawing upon the notions of academic capitalism and the transformation of academic research from traditional academic orientation into market orientation, the paper sets out to empirically scrutinize the changing nature of academic research, focusing especially on disciplinary differences. The paper is based on a survey of heads of departments and…

Relationships between Personal Traits, Emotional Intelligence, Internal Marketing, Service Management, and Customer Orientation in Korean Outpatient Department Nurses.

PubMed

Kim, Bogyun; Lee, Jia

2016-03-01

Current increase and complexity of medical tests and surgical procedures at outpatient department (OPD) require OPD nurses to have customer orientation focusing on various customers' interests and needs. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with customer orientation in nurses working at OPD of hospitals. The study used a descriptive correlational design with cross-sectional survey. The study settings were four general hospitals in Seoul and its metropolitan area. Data were collected from 138 OPD nurses from general hospitals. Study variables were personal traits, emotional intelligence, internal marketing, service management and customer orientation. Factors associated with customer orientation were identified as conscientiousness from personal traits (β = .37, p < .001), emotional intelligence from individual characteristics (β = .21, p = .032), and internal marketing from environmental characteristics (β = .21, p = .001). Hospital administrators should support OPD nurses to cultivate sincere and sociable personal traits and emotional intelligence, and to consider employees as internal customers to improve patient-oriented services and satisfaction. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Measuring the perceived quality of ophthalmology services in private organizations. A marketing perspective

PubMed Central

Gheorghe, Iuliana Raluca; Gheorghe, Consuela-Mădălina; Purcărea, Victor Lorin

2018-01-01

Nowadays, the competition registered on the Romanian markets regarding the activity of private ophthalmology organizations has raised their interest in developing consumer-oriented strategies. The key factor that assures a differentiation as well as a competitive advantage is the service quality from a marketing perspective. Objectives: From a marketing perspective, service quality is measured as a perceived discrepancy between the consumers’ expectations and was actually performed in health care services. The most widely and validated measurement is the SERVQUAL scale. However, a variety of SERVQUAL scales have been applied in different health care environments without taking into consideration the specialty of the health care service. Thus, the objective of this paper was to measure the service quality in the Romanian ophthalmology private organizations using the SERVQUAL measurement, by identifying the SERVQUAL dimensions, which register the highest and the lowest gap scores. Materials and methods: The instrument for data collection was the SERVQUAL self-administered questionnaire that consisted of 22 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale. The sample size encompassed 100 participants and the sampling technique was the snowball. The internal consistency, validity and the reliability of the SERVQUAL scale was determined by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and factor analysis. The SERVQUAL questionnaire focused on 5 dimensions (tangibles, reliability, assurance, empathy and responsiveness) and each dimension, in its turn, was characterized by different items. Results: The mean age of the participants was 49.52 years, with a mean income of 3031 Romanian Currency and the mean period of wearing eyeglasses was 5 years (±2). Further, there were 47% females and 53% males. The overall internal consistency of the SERVQUAL scale, as well as the dimensions’ internal consistency were all above 0.7 and the factor analysis revealed that the items loaded properly on each dimension. Moreover, the gap scores of the SERVQUAL scale’s dimensions pinpointed that the highest gap score was registered by the Tangibles dimension and the lowest gap score was registered by the Reliability dimension. Conclusions: Performing the ophthalmology service right the first time, contributes significantly to the improvement of the marketing effectiveness and the operating efficiency. PMID:29796435

Marketing Human Resource Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, Eric, Ed.

1994-01-01

Describes three human resource development activities: training, education, and development. Explains marketing from the practitioners's viewpoint in terms of customer orientation; external and internal marketing; and market analysis, research, strategy, and mix. Shows how to design, develop, and implement strategic marketing plans and identify…

Large-scale hydropower system optimization using dynamic programming and object-oriented programming: the case of the Northeast China Power Grid.

PubMed

Li, Ji-Qing; Zhang, Yu-Shan; Ji, Chang-Ming; Wang, Ai-Jing; Lund, Jay R

2013-01-01

This paper examines long-term optimal operation using dynamic programming for a large hydropower system of 10 reservoirs in Northeast China. Besides considering flow and hydraulic head, the optimization explicitly includes time-varying electricity market prices to maximize benefit. Two techniques are used to reduce the 'curse of dimensionality' of dynamic programming with many reservoirs. Discrete differential dynamic programming (DDDP) reduces the search space and computer memory needed. Object-oriented programming (OOP) and the ability to dynamically allocate and release memory with the C++ language greatly reduces the cumulative effect of computer memory for solving multi-dimensional dynamic programming models. The case study shows that the model can reduce the 'curse of dimensionality' and achieve satisfactory results.

Marketing University Education: The Southern African Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maringe, Felix; Foskett, Nick

2002-01-01

Examined the perceptions of university marketers in southern Africa. Found a varying awareness of the significance of marketing, with more mature institutions exhibiting more developed marketing orientations. Strategies ranged from marketing as public relations to marketing as sales, with universities in South Africa the only ones demonstrating a…

Accounting Department Chairpersons' Perceptions of Business School Performance Using a Market Orientation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, Robert L.; Hammond, Kevin L.; Rothwell, James C.

2013-01-01

This manuscript is part of a stream of continuing research examining market orientation within higher education and its potential impact on organizational performance. The organizations researched are business schools and the data collected came from chairpersons of accounting departments of AACSB member business schools. We use a reworded Narver…

Market Orientation in Universities: A Comparative Study of Two National Higher Education Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemsley-Brown, Jane; Oplatka, Izhar

2010-01-01

Purpose: The paper's purpose is to test: whether there are significant differences between England and Israel, in terms of perceptions of market orientation (MO) in higher education (HE); which MO dimensions (student, competition, intra-functional) indicate more positive attitudes and whether the differences are significant; and the reliability of…

Institute Effectiveness through Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, B. J.

1984-01-01

An institution with a marketing orientation can (1) recognize shifts in the market and in perceptions of activities of significant markets or competing institutions and (2) respond to them. Institutions with strategic marketing may be better able to predict or influence market shifts and be judged as effective in the areas it prefers. (MSE)

Exploring a Customer Orientation: Free-Market Logic and College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Daniel B.

2014-01-01

This article provides a synthesis of literature on the conceptualization of students as customers and connects the rise of this understanding of students to the expansion of free-market logic into higher education. It details the ways in which the customer orientation appears to be incongruent with the educational lives of college students, and…

Antecedents to the Export Market Orientation of Hungarian Higher Education Institutions, and Their Export Performance Consequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagy, Gabor; Beracs, Jozsef

2012-01-01

Research into the international competitiveness of the higher education sector has shown that the approaches which management literature has introduced into the business sphere during the last half-century are being more and more frequently applied by successful universities as well. The authors extend the theory of export market orientation to…

Vocational Training in Chile: A Decentralized and Market Oriented System. Training Policy Study No. 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espinoza, Eduardo Martinez

From 1976 to 1983 major reforms were enacted in Chile in the vocational training systems, based on four principles: decentralization, integration, diversification, and participation. The vocational training system in Chile is a legally established, market-oriented system in which many private training agencies compete to sell their services to…

Mediating Role of Organizational Learning on the Relationship between Market Orientation and Innovativeness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raj, Rahul; Srivastava, Kailash B. L.

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper has three purposes--first, to establish the direction of relationship between market orientation (MO) and organizational learning (OL); second, to assess the effect of MO and OL on organizational innovativeness (OI); and third, to examine the mediating role of OL on the relationship between MO and innovativeness.…

Market Orientation Effects on Business School Performance: Views from inside and outside the Business School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, Robert L.; Hammond, Kevin L.; Rothwell, James C.

2014-01-01

In the world of higher education, organizational strategies may take the form of a research, teaching, student-centered, comprehensive, or international strategy, just to name a few. This manuscript reports the results of a national survey examining the possible impacts of employing a market orientation strategy within schools of business and its…

Socioeconomic School Segregation in a Market-Oriented Educational System. The Case of Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenzuela, Juan Pablo; Bellei, Cristian; de los Ríos, Danae

2014-01-01

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the socioeconomic status (SES) school segregation in Chile, whose educational system is regarded as an extreme case of a market-oriented education. The study estimated the magnitude and evolution of the SES segregation of schools at both national and local levels, and it studied the relationship between…

'It'll Look Good on Your Personal Statement': Self-Marketing amongst University Applicants in the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shuker, Lucie

2014-01-01

"Selling yourself" through personal statements and interviews is now a standard practice for university applicants. This article draws on a multi-case-study research project to report on the self-marketing orientations of students within three 16-19 institutions in England. These orientations (active/passive; internal/external;…

Quasi-Regulation and Principal-Agent Relationships: Secondary School Admissions in London, England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Anne; Pennell, Hazel; Hind, Audrey

2009-01-01

Market-oriented reforms and school choice policies have had a high political profile in a number of developed countries. This article examines the issue of school choice through the lens of the English market-oriented reforms; it focuses on the quasi-regulation and regulation of admissions to publicly funded secondary schools. It examines…

Stampless fabrication of sheet bars using disposable templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolentsev, V. P.; Safonov, S. V.; Smolentsev, E. V.; Fedonin, O. N.

2016-04-01

The article is devoted to the new method of small-scale fabrication of sheet bars. The procedure is performed by using disposable overlay templates, or those associated with a sheet, which parameters are obtained directly from the drawing. The proposed method used as a substitution of die cutting enables to intensify the preparatory technological process, which is particularly effective when launching the market-oriented items into production. It significantly increases the competitiveness of mechanical engineering and creates the conditions for technical support of present-day flexible production systems.

The President As Marketer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickford, Robert I.

1978-01-01

Advocates a marketing orientation to community college management as demonstrated by the successful implementation of four-state (service, promotion, delivery, and evaluation) marketing plan at Prince George's Community College in Washington D.C. (TP)

Reducing Information Gap and Increasing Market Orientation in the Agribusiness Sector: Some Evidences from Apulia Region.

PubMed

Contò, Francesco; Santini, Cristina; La Sala, Piermichele; Fiore, Mariantonietta

2016-01-01

Market orientation plays a crucial role in reinforcing firm's competitive advantage; nevertheless, marketing myopia can negatively affect a clear perception of the market. An organization that defines itself by product rather than by market terms is probably affected by marketing myopia, a narrowness of mind towards any newness - newness respect to firms' convincement and routines - coming from the external environment. In that context some scientific relevant developments that comes from recent patents have been considered. This paper explores the determinants of marketing myopia in the Apulia wine business (South Italy). The aim of this paper is to describe how experiential research based on Consumer Science research tools, can facilitate a better market knowledge. Experimental sessions carried out in 2013 in Apulia with a group of professionals from the oil and wine sectors clearly demonstrate how country of origin effect can improve marketing myopia. Through a protocol based on an "academicians - practitioners" model, professionals can be facilitated in their strategy formulation.

Social marketing: a tool not a solution.

PubMed

Montazeri, A

1997-04-01

There is a longstanding debate on the contribution of social marketing to public health in general, and to health education and health promotion in particular. This paper presents further discussion from a public health point of view and concludes that priority should be given to health-oriented approaches rather than market-oriented strategies. It is argued that, at best, social marketing is a tool not a solution for health education's and health promotion's problems. To communicate health education messages effectively and efficiently, health needs assessment is recommended as a way forward. It is a public health approach and contains a range of flexible methods in the implementation of health education/promotion programmes.

A Five-Stage Marketing Typology for Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollar, Douglas O.

Drawing from a review of pertinent marketing literature and observations of how selected colleges undertake marketing efforts, this paper presents a five-stage typology of community colleges according to their marketing orientation. For the five stages, each representing an increasingly integrated approach to marketing, the paper analyzes how…

[Clinical orientation and thought on several problems in post-marketed reassessment of traditional Chinese medicine].

PubMed

Wang, Xin; Su, Xia; Yu, Jie; Xie, Yanming; Wang, Yongyan

2011-10-01

The post-marketed reassessment is an important link to ensure the safety and effectiveness of traditional chinese medicine. It is also the expansion and stretch of new drug evaluation. Through the systematic, standard, rigorous post-marketed reassessment, the enterprise can full access to drugs after listing the efficacy and safety information, evaluate the interests and risk of the drug and provide the scientific basis for the drug use. It can also provide timely, scientific technology basis for government health decisions, the enterprise marketing decision and public health security. This paper mainly discussed the thought on clinical orientation of traditional chinese medicine in the post-marketed reassessment and how to reach the goal through systematic consideration and overall plan.

Report of the 1982 Marketing Committee.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carling, Philip C., Ed.; Ryan, G. Jeremiah, Ed.

Recommendations for marketing policies, goals, objectives, and activities are presented in this report as proposed by Brookdale Community College's (BCC's) marketing committee. First, introductory material clarifies the marketing orientation and philosophical platform of the college. Next, the recommendations are presented in four categories: (1)…

Why We Need Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Nancy

1984-01-01

An interview with Philip Kotler, the Harold T. Martin Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University, is presented. Three approaches to marketing are identified: product-oriented, hard-sell, and building satisfaction in a long-term clientele. (MLW)

Engaging western landowners in climate change mitigation: a guide to carbon-oriented forest and range management and carbon market opportunities

Treesearch

David D. Diaz; Susan Charnley; Hannah Gosnell

2009-01-01

There are opportunities for forest owners and ranchers to participate in emerging carbon markets and contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon oriented forest and range management activities. These activities often promote sutainable forestry and ranching and broader conservation goals while having the potential to provide a new income stream for...

International migration of health professionals and the marketization and privatization of health education in India: from push-pull to global political economy.

PubMed

Walton-Roberts, Margaret

2015-01-01

Health worker migration theories have tended to focus on labour market conditions as principal push or pull factors. The role of education systems in producing internationally oriented health workers has been less explored. In place of the traditional conceptual approaches to understanding health worker, especially nurse, migration, I advocate global political economy (GPE) as a perspective that can highlight how educational investment and global migration tendencies are increasing interlinked. The Indian case illustrates the globally oriented nature of health care training, and informs a broader understanding of both the process of health worker migration, and how it reflects wider marketization tendencies evident in India's education and health systems. The Indian case also demonstrates how the global orientation of education systems in source regions is increasingly central to comprehending the place of health workers in the global and Asian rise in migration. The paper concludes that Indian corporate health care training systems are increasingly aligned with the production of professionals orientated to globally integrated health human resource labour markets, and our conceptual analysis of such processes must effectively reflect these tendencies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marketing new medical devices.

PubMed

LoBuglio, R J

1988-01-01

The marketing concept says that a firm should focus all of its efforts on satisfying its customers, at a profit. This is really a a new philosophy of business, replacing a production-oriented philosophy which focused on organizing a firm's resources to make products and then selling them. The marketing concept calls for reorienting the firm's ways of doing things. Instead of trying to get customers to buy what the firm has produced, a marketing-oriented firm would try to sell what the customers want. The underlying principle of the marketing concept is that a firm should seek to meet the needs of customers, at a profit, rather than place its main emphasis on its own internal activities and utilization of its resources. These latter factors are also important, of course, but those who believe in the marketing concept feel that customers' needs should be the firm's primary focus and that resources should be organized to satisfy those needs. Give the customer what he needs--this may seem so obvious and logical that it is difficult to understand why the marketing concept is considered such a breakthrough. However, people haven't always done the logical and obvious. In a typical company, production men thought mainly about getting the product out. Accountants were only interested in balancing the books. Financial people were absorbed in the company's cash position. And salesmen were mainly concerned with getting orders. No one was particularly concerned with whether the whole system made sense. As long as the company made a profit, each department went merrily on its independent way, "doing its own thing." Unfortunately, they still do in the majority of companies today. Finding out customer's attitudes can avoid prejudices and stereotypes commonly found in the typical organization. The need for market research to avoid stereotypes can be dramatized by the following results from a large-scale survey of European adults: The average Frenchman uses almost twice as many cosmetics and beauty aids as his wife. The Germans and the French eat more spaghetti than the Italians. French and Italian housewives are not as interested in cooking as their counterparts in Luxembourg and Belgium. No firm can conduct its business successfully without trying to measure the actual size of markets, present and future. Quantitative measurements are essential for the analysis of market opportunity, the planning of marketing programs, and the control of marketing effort. The firm may make many measures of demand, varying in the level of product aggregation, the time dimension,a nd the space dimension.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

7 CFR 1486.100 - What is the Emerging Markets Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... include activities such as feasibility studies, market research, sector assessments, orientation visits... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false What is the Emerging Markets Program? 1486.100... CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS EMERGING MARKETS PROGRAM General...

7 CFR 1486.100 - What is the Emerging Markets Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... include activities such as feasibility studies, market research, sector assessments, orientation visits... 7 Agriculture 10 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false What is the Emerging Markets Program? 1486.100... CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS EMERGING MARKETS PROGRAM General...

Attitudes vs. Purchase Behaviors as Experienced Dissonance: The Roles of Knowledge and Consumer Orientations in Organic Market.

PubMed

Hidalgo-Baz, María; Martos-Partal, Mercedes; González-Benito, Óscar

2017-01-01

This research focuses on the incongruity between positive attitudinal responses but a lack of purchase behavior in organic markets. According to cognitive dissonance theory, consumer orientations toward the benefits attributed to organic products (environmental protection, health, hedonic) relieve the dissonance that results from this attitude-behavior incongruity. Knowledge also functions as a transmitter, from positive attitudes to purchase behaviors, thereby reducing the incongruity. Using quota sampling in a survey study, this paper tests the hypotheses from linear regression models. The results show that orientations and knowledge improve the congruity between attitudes and purchase behaviors toward organic products. Moreover, interaction effects arise between the environmental protection orientation and knowledge and between the hedonic orientation and knowledge. Increasing knowledge mitigates the difference between attitudes and purchase behaviors, especially for consumers with environmental protection or hedonic orientations. These findings have several important implications for research and practice.

Attitudes vs. Purchase Behaviors as Experienced Dissonance: The Roles of Knowledge and Consumer Orientations in Organic Market

PubMed Central

Hidalgo-Baz, María; Martos-Partal, Mercedes; González-Benito, Óscar

2017-01-01

This research focuses on the incongruity between positive attitudinal responses but a lack of purchase behavior in organic markets. According to cognitive dissonance theory, consumer orientations toward the benefits attributed to organic products (environmental protection, health, hedonic) relieve the dissonance that results from this attitude–behavior incongruity. Knowledge also functions as a transmitter, from positive attitudes to purchase behaviors, thereby reducing the incongruity. Using quota sampling in a survey study, this paper tests the hypotheses from linear regression models. The results show that orientations and knowledge improve the congruity between attitudes and purchase behaviors toward organic products. Moreover, interaction effects arise between the environmental protection orientation and knowledge and between the hedonic orientation and knowledge. Increasing knowledge mitigates the difference between attitudes and purchase behaviors, especially for consumers with environmental protection or hedonic orientations. These findings have several important implications for research and practice. PMID:28286489

Situational Marketing: Application for Higher Education Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Raymond E.; Reed, Rosetta R.

1995-01-01

Marketing higher education has been criticized for its consumer (interpreted as student) orientation. An alternative concept, situational marketing, considers the student as one of a number of environmental forces on which the marketing mix focuses. Other forces include funding and regulatory agencies, businesses, alumni, faculty, parents, the…

Focus on the Library Customer: Revelation, Revolution, or Redundancy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Diane Tobin

1995-01-01

By examining organizational objectives, the choices librarians make about marketing and customer focus become clearer. Ideas from social marketing reveal that adopting a customer orientation toward marketing may not be right for some libraries. (AEF)

One Size (Never) Fits All: Segment Differences Observed Following a School-Based Alcohol Social Marketing Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dietrich, Timo; Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn; Leo, Cheryl; Connor, Jason

2015-01-01

Background: According to commercial marketing theory, a market orientation leads to improved performance. Drawing on the social marketing principles of segmentation and audience research, the current study seeks to identify segments to examine responses to a school-based alcohol social marketing program. Methods: A sample of 371 year 10 students…

Key Elements of a Successful Drive toward Marketing Strategy Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cann, Cynthia W.; George, Marie A.

2003-01-01

A conceptual model is presented that depicts the relationship between an internal marketing function and an organization's readiness to learn. Learning and marketing orientations are identified as components to marketing strategy making. Key organizational functions, including communication and decision-making, are utilized in a framework for…

Student Target Marketing Strategies for Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewison, Dale M.; Hawes, Jon M.

2007-01-01

As colleges and universities adopt marketing orientations to an ever-increasing extent, the relative merits of mass marketing and target marketing must also be explored. Researchers identify buyer types as potential students focused on quality, value or economy. On the other axis, learner types are described as those who focus on career,…

The impact of transit-oriented development on housing prices in San Diego, CA.

PubMed

Duncan, Michael

2011-01-01

This research measures the influence of transit-oriented development (TOD) on the San Diego, CA, condominium market. Many view TOD as a key element in creating a less auto dependent and more sustainable transport system. Price premiums indicate a potential for a market-driven expansion of TOD inventory. A hedonic price model is estimated to isolate statistically the effect of TOD. This includes interaction terms between station distance and various measures of pedestrian orientation. The resulting model shows that station proximity has a significantly stronger impact when coupled with a pedestrian-oriented environment. Conversely, station area condominiums in more auto-oriented environments may sell at a discount. This indicates that TOD has a synergistic value greater than the sum of its parts. It also implies a healthy demand for more TOD housing in San Diego.

Strategic Orientation in the Globalization of Software Firms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dedrick, Jason; Kraemer, Kenneth L.; Carmel, Erran; Dunkle, Debora

In the search for profits, software firms are globalizing their development activities. Some firms achieve greater profits by becoming more efficient, whereas others do so by reaching new markets; some do both. This paper creates an a priori typology of strategies based on the extent to which firms are focused on operational improvement or market access, have a dual focus or are unfocused. We find that firms with these strategies differ in degree of internationalization, organization of offshoring and performance outcomes related to offshoring. Market-oriented firms receive a greater proportion of their total revenue from sales outside the U.S., showing a greater international orientation. They keep more of their offshore development in-house via captive operations. They also are most likely to report increased non-U.S. sales as a result of offshoring. On the other hand, operations-oriented firms have lower levels of international sales, are more likely to go offshore via outsourced software development, and achieve greater costs savings and labor force flexibility as a result of offshoring. Operations-oriented firms also face more obstacles in offshoring, perhaps because of their reliance on outsourcing. Dual focus firms generally achieve some of the best of both strategies, whereas unfocused firms achieve lower cost benefits.

A descriptive narrative of healthy eating: a social marketing approach using psychographics in conjunction with interpersonal, community, mass media and new media activities.

PubMed

Dutta-Bergman, Mohar J

2003-01-01

This paper explores the profile of healthy and unhealthy eating consumers in terms of demographic, psychographic and communicative variables. Data from 3,388 respondents to the 1999 DDB Needham Life Style Study were analyzed. The results show the healthy eaters to be environmentally conscious and health-oriented, suggesting an underlying theme of personal and social responsibility. The communicative activities of healthy eaters demonstrate an information orientation while unhealthy eaters are more entertainment oriented. Practical and social implications are discussed for social marketers regarding target segmentation and message design.

Transit Marketing : A Program of Research, Demonstration and Communication

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-04-01

This report recommends a five-year program of research, demonstration, and communication to improve the effectiveness of marketing practice in the U.S. transit industry. The program is oriented toward the development of improved market research tools...

Supply side management innovation: —Analysis on Enterprises in Scientific Industry Park Based on Market Orientation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xing; Mao, Fenlan; Lin, Mian; Yadi, Nan

2017-12-01

This research presents a conceptual framework for incorporating organizational learning and innovations as the mediating variables between market orientation and organizational performance. The samples of this study include 145 companies from the information technology industry in the Scientific Industry Parks. The global model fit is acceptable. This empirical result supports the constructs mentioned above. 1. Market orientation has a positive and direct impact on organizational learning, administrative and technical innovation. 2. Organizational learning has a positive and direct impact on administrative and technical innovation, but with no statistically significant direct impact on performance. 3. Organizational learning does have a positive and indirect impact on performance by means of organizational innovations. 4. It is not statistically significant that the impact of the two innovation types (both administrative and technical) interact with each other.

Why education can foster sustainability in the fashion market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundmeier, A.-M.

2017-10-01

This project focuses on exploring sustainable-oriented options for young people as they are the primary target group of an accelerating fashion industry. The fast fashion market has major problems along its globally organised supply chain regarding its social and environmental compatibility. The project is conducted within a greater urban area, using the city of Freiburg exemplarily. Pupils of the Staudinger Gesamtschule, the only comprehensive school in Freiburg, engage themselves exploratively in the perspective of sustainability within the fashion market and create a catalogue of measures for sustainable-oriented handling. The main focus of this research project is to evaluate sustainable-oriented course of actions by interviewing selected consumers and active participants as well as protagonists of the fashion market and textile research field. The empirical social research is conducted by using guidelines as an interviewing technique when contacting commercial and product enterprises as well as research institutes and welfare institutions. Explorations and interviews give pupils the opportunity to become familiar with the fields of work and its individual sustainability options within the fashion market. The project is promoted by the programme “Our Common Future” of the Robert Bosch Foundation, Germany.

A race against time: can CO-OPs and provider start-ups survive in the health insurance marketplaces?

PubMed

Eggbeer, Bill

2015-12-01

> The Affordable Care Act's state and federal health insurance marketplaces, designed to provide affordable insurance coverage to individuals and small groups, are proving hostile territory to new market entrants. Efforts to inject competition into the marketplaces are being challenged by the wide-scale withdrawal o consumer-operated and oriented plans (CO-OPs). Meanwhile, premiums appear likely to increase for consumers as plans seek to balance medical losses. Flaws in the "Three R's" (reinsurance, risk corridors, and risk-adjustment) program are viewed as a threat to the survival of CO-OPs and start-ups.

Using Prediction Markets to Track Information Flows: Evidence from Google

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowgill, Bo; Wolfers, Justin; Zitzewitz, Eric

Since 2005, Google has conducted the largest corporate experiment with prediction markets we are aware of. In this paper, we illustrate how markets can be used to study how an organization processes information. We show that market participants are not typical of Google’s workforce, and that market participation and success is skewed towards Google’s engineering and quantitatively oriented employees.

Is the Marketing Concept Unacceptable for Application in the Classroom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruner, Gordon C. II

1993-01-01

It is argued that the marketing concept should be applied to the student-teacher interaction in colleges and universities, focusing on marketing's consumer orientation, whereby the exchange process is driven by the desire of one party to satisfy the needs of the other. Relevant marketing mix variables are outlined. (MSE)

Market penetration of energy supply technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Condap, R. J.

1980-03-01

Techniques to incorporate the concepts of profit-induced growth and risk aversion into policy-oriented optimization models of the domestic energy sector are examined. After reviewing the pertinent market penetration literature, simple mathematical programs in which the introduction of new energy technologies is constrained primarily by the reinvestment of profits are formulated. The main results involve the convergence behavior of technology production levels under various assumptions about the form of the energy demand function. Next, profitability growth constraints are embedded in a full-scale model of U.S. energy-economy interactions. A rapidly convergent algorithm is developed to utilize optimal shadow prices in the computation of profitability for individual technologies. Allowance is made for additional policy variables such as government funding and taxation. The result is an optimal deployment schedule for current and future energy technologies which is consistent with the sector's ability to finance capacity expansion.

The co-evolutionary dynamics of directed network of spin market agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horváth, Denis; Kuscsik, Zoltán; Gmitra, Martin

2006-09-01

The spin market model [S. Bornholdt, Int. J. Mod. Phys. C 12 (2001) 667] is generalized by employing co-evolutionary principles, where strategies of the interacting and competitive traders are represented by local and global couplings between the nodes of dynamic directed stochastic network. The co-evolutionary principles are applied in the frame of Bak-Sneppen self-organized dynamics [P. Bak, K. Sneppen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 71 (1993) 4083] that includes the processes of selection and extinction actuated by the local (node) fitness. The local fitness is related to orientation of spin agent with respect to the instant magnetization. The stationary regime is formed due to the interplay of self-organization and adaptivity effects. The fat tailed distributions of log-price returns are identified numerically. The non-trivial model consequence is the evidence of the long time market memory indicated by the power-law range of the autocorrelation function of volatility with exponent smaller than one. The simulations yield network topology with broad-scale node degree distribution characterized by the range of exponents 1.3<γin<3 coinciding with social networks.

Marketing Nature-Oriented Tourism or Rural Development and Wildlands Management in Developing Countries: A Bibliography

Treesearch

C. Denise Ingram; Patrick B. Durst

1987-01-01

Annotated bibliography that specifically links tourism marketing and wildlands management. The bibliography is divided into five sections: Information Sources, Wildlands Management, Planning and Development, Tourism Impacts, Marketing and Promotion.Indexed by author and geographical location.

Design of exploration and minerals-data-collection programs in developing areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Attanasi, E.D.

1981-01-01

This paper considers the practical problem of applying economic analysis to designing minerals exploration and data collection strategies for developing countries. Formal decision rules for the design of government exploration and minerals-data-collection programs are derived by using a minerals-industry planning model that has been extended to include an exploration function. Rules derived are applicable to centrally planned minerals industries as well as market-oriented minerals sectors. They pertain to the spatial allocation of exploration effort and to the allocation of activities between government and private concerns for market-oriented economies. Programs characterized by uniform expenditures, uniform information coverage across regions, or uniform-density grid drilling progrmas are shown to be inferior to the strategy derived. Moreover, for market-oriented economies, the economically optimal mix in exploration activities between private and government data collection would require that only private firms assess local sites and that government agencies carry out regional surveys. ?? 1981.

Research You Can Use: Marketing to Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walter, Virginia A.

1994-01-01

Examines marketing literature for profit-oriented organizations and discusses how those principles can be applied to public library services for children. Topics addressed include children as a source of revenue; market research; product development; promotion; retailing; and implications for public libraries, including population trends and…

Higher Education Markets and Public Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dill, David D.

1997-01-01

This paper explores the nature of markets in higher education, the policy mechanisms related to their implementation, and questions regarding their impact. Various forms of market-oriented policy instruments now employed in many countries are reviewed including taxes, subsidies, and regulations. Potential problems limiting the impact of…

Does Your Library Have an Attitude Problem towards "Marketing"? Revealing Inter-Relationship between Marketing Attitudes and Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Rajesh

2009-01-01

This paper attempts to find if there is any connection between the marketing attitudes and behaviour of librarians in thirty-three different libraries of Finland. Based on market-oriented behaviour, three kinds of libraries were found: "strong," "medium" and "weak." The findings indicate a positive relation between…

Market segmentation and analysis of Japan's residential post and beam construction market.

Treesearch

Joseph A. Roos; Ivan L. Eastin; Hisaaki Matsuguma

2005-01-01

A mail survey of Japanese post and beam builders was conducted to measure their level of ethnocentrism, market orientation, risk aversion, and price consciousness. The data were analyzed utilizing factor and cluster analysis. The results showed that Japanese post and beam builders can be divided into three distinct market segments: open to import...

The Wretched Refuse of a Teeming Shore? A Critical Examination of the Quality of Undergraduate Marketing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aggarwal, Praveen; Vaidyanathan, Rajiv; Rochford, Linda

2007-01-01

What is the quality of students attracted to the marketing major relative to other business majors? Although some anecdotal evidence suggests that undergraduate marketing students are less quantitatively oriented, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the overall quality of marketing students relative to other business students. Using a…

Student Orientation in Higher Education: Development of the Construct

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alnawas, Ibrahim

2015-01-01

This paper argues that student orientation (SO) is a high order construct that should be measured formatively rather than reflectively. Using a discovery-oriented approach, conducted by supplementing educational and marketing literatures with in depth interviews from 23 academic staff in seven different universities, the authors identified three…

Organization culture and the marketing concept: diagnostic keys for hospitals.

PubMed

Arnold, D R; Capella, L M; Sumrall, D A

1987-03-01

For successful adaptation to changing environmental conditions, hospital organizational cultures must incorporate the marketing concept to enhance flexibility and orientation toward the external environment. The authors propose procedures for diagnosing a hospital's culture and determining how well it has adopted and implemented the marketing concept.

Historical Perspectives in Marketing Education: Justification and Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petkus, Ed, Jr.

2010-01-01

This article provides a justification and an implementation plan for the establishment of a historical orientation across the undergraduate marketing curriculum. The justification for the historical perspective addresses three areas: tapping into the extensive body of knowledge in marketing history, practical implications, and critical thinking.…

Marketing and Community Mental Health Centers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferniany, Isaac W.; Garove, William E.

1983-01-01

Suggests that a marketing approach can be applied to community mental health centers. Marketing is a management orientation of providing services for, not to, patients in a systematic manner, which can help mental health centers improve services, strengthen community image, achieve financial independence and aid in staff recruitment. (Author)

The use of theory based semistructured elicitation questionnaires: formative research for CDC's Prevention Marketing Initiative.

PubMed Central

Middlestadt, S E; Bhattacharyya, K; Rosenbaum, J; Fishbein, M; Shepherd, M

1996-01-01

Through one of its many HIV prevention programs, the Prevention Marketing Initiative, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promotes a multifaceted strategy for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS among people less than 25 years of age. The Prevention Marketing Initiative is an application of marketing and consumer-oriented technologies that rely heavily on behavioral research and behavior change theories to bring the behavioral and social sciences to bear on practical program planning decisions. One objective of the Prevention Marketing Initiative is to encourage consistent and correct condom use among sexually active young adults. Qualitative formative research is being conducted in several segments of the population of heterosexually active, unmarried young adults between 18 and 25 using a semistructured elicitation procedure to identify and understand underlying behavioral determinants of consistent condom use. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of this type of qualitative research methodology in designing effective theory-based behavior change interventions. Issues of research design and data collection and analysis are discussed. To illustrate the methodology, results of content analyses of selected responses to open-ended questions on consistent condom use are presented by gender (male, female), ethnic group (white, African American), and consistency of condom use (always, sometimes). This type of formative research can be applied immediately to designing programs and is invaluable for valid and relevant larger-scale quantitative research. PMID:8862153

The use of theory based semistructured elicitation questionnaires: formative research for CDC's Prevention Marketing Initiative.

PubMed

Middlestadt, S E; Bhattacharyya, K; Rosenbaum, J; Fishbein, M; Shepherd, M

1996-01-01

Through one of its many HIV prevention programs, the Prevention Marketing Initiative, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promotes a multifaceted strategy for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS among people less than 25 years of age. The Prevention Marketing Initiative is an application of marketing and consumer-oriented technologies that rely heavily on behavioral research and behavior change theories to bring the behavioral and social sciences to bear on practical program planning decisions. One objective of the Prevention Marketing Initiative is to encourage consistent and correct condom use among sexually active young adults. Qualitative formative research is being conducted in several segments of the population of heterosexually active, unmarried young adults between 18 and 25 using a semistructured elicitation procedure to identify and understand underlying behavioral determinants of consistent condom use. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of this type of qualitative research methodology in designing effective theory-based behavior change interventions. Issues of research design and data collection and analysis are discussed. To illustrate the methodology, results of content analyses of selected responses to open-ended questions on consistent condom use are presented by gender (male, female), ethnic group (white, African American), and consistency of condom use (always, sometimes). This type of formative research can be applied immediately to designing programs and is invaluable for valid and relevant larger-scale quantitative research.

Validating the Orientations to Happiness Scale in a Chinese Sample of University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Guo-Hai

2010-01-01

This paper examined the reliability and validity of the Orientation to Happiness Scale with a sample of Chinese correspondents. Chinese translation of the Orientation to Happiness Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale, and General Life Satisfaction Scale, were administered to 671 Chinese university students…

The Nature of Stakeholder Satisfaction with Marketing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Steven A.; Judson, Kim

2014-01-01

The current article represents a cautionary tale in continuing emerging marketization practices as the dominant form of marketing with higher education. Specifically, a review of three important emerging literature streams (i.e., quality-of-life, service-dominant logic, and stakeholder orientation) all appear to support calls for moving beyond…

Dislocated Workers and Midcareer Retraining in Other Industrial Nations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bendick, Marc, Jr.

Market-oriented industrial nations other than the United States have experienced rapid structural changes in their economies and reemployment problems among dislocated midcareer workers. The Swedish active labor market approach is a socialized one. This system has been criticized for excessive reliance on microeconomic labor market programs to…

Marketing: Key to Institutional Survival and Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Robert J.

1987-01-01

The marketing concept holds that the primary task of an institution is to determine the needs, wants, and values of its target constituencies and to adapt itself to delivering desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than its competitors. Student orientation, marketing research, mission and goals, and institutional commitment are…

Determinant of hospital marketing effectiveness: the importance of conflict.

PubMed

Bonnici, J L; Pavia, G

1990-01-01

As hospitals and health organizations become more marketing oriented, and more interwoven into the environment, the more they face internal resistance. The careful handling of conflict not only helps the health care marketer to overcome hostility and antagonism, but also rewards the health care institution with the "productivity of confrontation."

Education, Markets and the Contradictions of Asia-Australia Relations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Don; Rizvi, Fazal

1993-01-01

The cultural politics of the export of educational services by Australia to Asia are examined, focusing on tension between the persistent economic development perspective and an emerging market ideology that sees education as a commodity. Issues of postcolonialism, globalization, educational traditions vs. market orientation, educational aid and…

India and the United States: Should the United States Provide Security Assistance to its new Strategic Partner

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-15

Markets for US Products and Services ..............................................................67 Indian Interests...Willingness to Implement Market Oriented Reforms70 US Weaknesses...because it amounts to simple supply and demand in the global market for energy. This study will omit discussion of Indian relations with southeast

Prevalence of child-directed and general audience marketing strategies on the front of beverage packaging: the case of Chile.

PubMed

Mediano Stoltze, Fernanda; Barker, Joshua O; Kanter, Rebecca; Corvalán, Camila; Reyes, Marcela; Taillie, Lindsey Smith; Dillman Carpentier, Francesca R

2018-02-01

Front-of-package (FOP) marketing strategies of a wide variety of beverages were catalogued to examine the prevalence of each strategy prior to a sweeping Chilean restriction of child-directed marketing aimed at reducing obesity-related disease among Chile's youth. Photographs of 1005 beverage packages were quantitatively content-analysed to code whether a variety of child-directed, health-oriented and other marketing strategies (e.g. sales promotions) were present on each product's FOP. Strategies were then analysed based on beverages' product category, total sugar, energy and tax status (beverages with added sugars are taxed at different rates). Photographs were taken in six urban supermarkets in Santiago, Chile, representing five different supermarket chains. Beverages using child-directed characters or nature/fruit references were higher in total sugar and beverages with child-directed characters or childhood/family references were higher in energy than beverages without these respective strategies. Of the beverages taxed at the highest rate (greatest amount of added sugars), 49 % used nutrition and health appeals and 80 % used nature or fruit appeals. Plain waters and plain milks were less likely than other selected product categories to use health-oriented appeals or multiple FOP strategies in combination. FOP marketing on beverages varied according to the nutritional quality of the product, with heavier use of health-oriented and child-directed strategies in less healthy products. Marketing activities warrant continued observation to evaluate how industry responds to new marketing restrictions as these restrictions are evaluated in the light of existing taxes and other regulatory efforts to improve diets and reduce obesity-related disease.

Coarse-Scale Biases for Spirals and Orientation in Human Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Heeger, David J.

2013-01-01

Multivariate decoding analyses are widely applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, but there is controversy over their interpretation. Orientation decoding in primary visual cortex (V1) reflects coarse-scale biases, including an over-representation of radial orientations. But fMRI responses to clockwise and counter-clockwise spirals can also be decoded. Because these stimuli are matched for radial orientation, while differing in local orientation, it has been argued that fine-scale columnar selectivity for orientation contributes to orientation decoding. We measured fMRI responses in human V1 to both oriented gratings and spirals. Responses to oriented gratings exhibited a complex topography, including a radial bias that was most pronounced in the peripheral representation, and a near-vertical bias that was most pronounced near the foveal representation. Responses to clockwise and counter-clockwise spirals also exhibited coarse-scale organization, at the scale of entire visual quadrants. The preference of each voxel for clockwise or counter-clockwise spirals was predicted from the preferences of that voxel for orientation and spatial position (i.e., within the retinotopic map). Our results demonstrate a bias for local stimulus orientation that has a coarse spatial scale, is robust across stimulus classes (spirals and gratings), and suffices to explain decoding from fMRI responses in V1. PMID:24336733

Strategic relatedness in mergers and financial performance: the case of the health maintenance organization industry in the United States.

PubMed

Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2002-11-01

Knowledge and identification of strategic factors associated with favourable post-acquisition performance can be of benefit to both managers and shareholders. From a management perspective, the identification of contextual factors that can influence postmerger performance is 'strategic' in nature, and should be considered in the analysis of future acquisitions. Within the context of the health maintenance organization (HMO) industry, this study examines the impact of strategic relatedness on postmerger financial performance. Strategic relatedness is conceptualized as similarity between the acquirer and target HMOs in terms of operational efficiency, marketing orientation, organizational structure and profit orientation. Regression analysis showed that similarity in operational efficiency and similarity in HMO structure were associated with better postmerger financial performance. However, marketing orientation similarity and profit orientation similarity were not significantly related to postmerger performance. This finding suggests that HMO mergers involving firms with similar strategic orientations and similar approaches to the delivery of care have greater strategic fit and experience better financial performance.

Sensitizing Black Adult and Youth Consumers to Targeted Food Marketing Tactics in Their Environments.

PubMed

Isselmann DiSantis, Katherine; Kumanyika, Shiriki; Carter-Edwards, Lori; Rohm Young, Deborah; Grier, Sonya A; Lassiter, Vikki

2017-10-29

Food marketing environments of Black American consumers are heavily affected by ethnically-targeted marketing of sugar sweetened beverages, fast foods, and other products that may contribute to caloric overconsumption. This qualitative study assessed Black consumers' responses to targeted marketing. Black adults (2 mixed gender groups; total n = 30) and youth (2 gender specific groups; total n = 35) from two U.S. communities participated before and after a sensitization procedure-a critical practice used to understand social justice concerns. Pre-sensitization focus groups elicited responses to scenarios about various targeted marketing tactics. Participants were then given an informational booklet about targeted marketing to Black Americans, and all returned for the second (post-sensitization) focus group one week later. Conventional qualitative content analysis of transcripts identified several salient themes: seeing the marketer's perspective ("it's about demand"; "consumers choose"), respect for community ("marketers are setting us up for failure"; "making wrong assumptions"), and food environments as a social justice issue ("no one is watching the door"; "I didn't realize"). Effects of sensitization were reflected in participants' stated reactions to the information in the booklet, and also in the relative occurrence of marketer-oriented themes and social justice-oriented themes, respectively, less and more after sensitization.

Effects of health-oriented descriptors on combustible cigarette and electronic cigarette packaging: an experiment among adult smokers in the United States.

PubMed

Sanders-Jackson, Ashley; Tan, Andy S L; Yie, Kyeungyeun

2017-10-05

Certain tobacco companies use health-oriented descriptors (eg, 100% organic) on product packaging and advertising of combustible cigarettes or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) that create a 'health halo' around smoking and vaping. Previous observational research suggests that such language may be associated with more favourable attitudes and reduced risk perceptions toward these brands compared with others. This study aimed to determine the effects of health-oriented descriptors on smokers' attitude toward the brand, perception of packaging information, comparative harm versus other brands and intention to purchase either combustible cigarettes or e-cigarettes. US adult smokers were randomly assigned to view either a health-oriented language package ('100% organic,' 'all natural' or 'no additives'), traditional marketing language package ('fine quality,' 'premium blend' or '100% original') or a no-language package of a combustible cigarette brand (Study 1, n=405) or an e-cigarette brand (Study 2, n=396) in an experimental design. Study 1: Participants in the health-oriented condition reported more favourable perceptions toward the package information, lower comparative harm and higher intention to purchase combustible cigarettes versus the no language control. In addition, participants in the health-oriented condition reported more positive attitude toward the brand and lower comparative harm versus the traditional marketing condition. Study 2: Compared with the traditional marketing condition, participants in the health-oriented condition reported greater intention to purchase Absolute e-cigarettes. There were no significant differences in attitude toward the brand, perception of packaging information and comparative harm versus other brands across conditions. The effect of health-oriented language was significant for combustible cigarettesand e-cigarette packages. Policies to restrict health-oriented language on cigarette and e-cigarette packaging are recommended. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The marketing concept applied to an education program.

PubMed

Parks, S C; Moody, D L; Barbrow, E P

1984-09-01

Dietetic education programs seeking to maintain their enrollment levels may find it necessary to adopt more sophisticated marketing strategies. This article describes the application of the marketing process to an extended degree dietetic program that serves a national audience. It also presents a strategy for initiating a marketing study and marketing orientation by analyzing its internal program data. The article discusses the specific market characteristics of the program's primary market segments, and it presents further implications for dietitians at work in health care facilities, in businesses, or in private practice.

Validity of the Children's Orientation to Book Reading Rating Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaderavek, Joan N.; Guo, Ying; Justice, Laura M.

2014-01-01

The present study investigates the validity of a 4-point rating scale used to measure the level of preschool children's orientation to literacy during shared book reading. Validity was explored by (a) comparing the children's level of literacy orientation as measured with the "Children's Orientation to Book Reading Rating Scale" (COB)…

Mobility Management And Market Oriented Local Transportation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1991-03-01

THE URBAN MASS TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATION HAS SINCE THE EARLY 1970'S FOSTERED ATTEMPTS TO MAKE GREATER USE OF MARKET MECHANISMS IN ORGANIZING, FINANCING, AND DELIVERING -PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. UMTA'S MOST RECENT VENTURE IN THIS AREA OCCUR...

Improving Marketing Intelligence through Learning Systems and Knowledge Communities in Not-for-Profit Workplaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Peter; Carter, Leanne

2005-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to illustrate how marketing intelligence might be improved when an organisation's learning capacity is integrated and incorporated in well-defined organisational subsystems in a not-for-profit context. Design/methodology/approach: First, given that market orientation is primarily concerned with gathering and…

School Reforms in Ontario: The "Marketization of Education" and the Resulting Silence on Equity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dei, George J. Sefa; Karumanchery, Leeno L.

1999-01-01

Critically examines recent market-oriented educational reforms in Ontario and their impact on socially disadvantaged groups. Argues that current trends lead toward a "marketization" of education in Ontario, as the rhetoric of cost-effectiveness and bureaucratic efficiency shifts the official agenda of educational reform away from equity…

The Market Transformation of the System of Education in Russia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukashenko, M.

2004-01-01

The market of educational services represents a socially oriented mechanism that ensures a constant link between the producers and consumers of economic goods in the sphere of education. For the purpose of guarding against negative effects of a purely market mechanism, it is supplemented by elements of state regulation. In other countries, the…

Out Out, Damned Spot: General Education in a Market-Driven Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Michael S.

2006-01-01

The influence of market forces on general education creates threats and opportunities that must be proactively addressed. This essay argues for understanding the rise of the marketplace and its influence on general education by exploring student consumerism as well as teaching and learning in a market-oriented environment. (Contains 1 figure.)

Prestige-Oriented Market Entry Strategy: The Case of Australian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tayar, Mark; Jack, Robert

2013-01-01

Through an exploratory case study of four Australian universities this article finds that foreign market entry strategies are shaped by prestige-seeking motivations and a culture of risk aversion. From the market selection, entry mode and higher education literature, a conceptual model, embedded with four propositions, is presented. The model sees…

Educational Choice and Marketization in Hong Kong: The Case of Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Yisu; Wong, Yi-Lee; Li, Wei

2015-01-01

Direct subsidy scheme (DSS) schools are a product of Hong Kong's market-oriented educational reform, mirroring global reform that champions parental choice and school marketization. Such schools have greater autonomy in matters of curricula, staffing, and student admission. Although advocates of the DSS credit it with increasing educational…

Discovering the influential users oriented to viral marketing based on online social networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhiguo

2013-08-01

The target of viral marketing on the platform of popular online social networks is to rapidly propagate marketing information at lower cost and increase sales, in which a key problem is how to precisely discover the most influential users in the process of information diffusion. A novel method is proposed in this paper for helping companies to identify such users as seeds to maximize information diffusion in the viral marketing. Firstly, the user trust network oriented to viral marketing and users’ combined interest degree in the network including isolated users are extensively defined. Next, we construct a model considering the time factor to simulate the process of information diffusion in viral marketing and propose a dynamic algorithm description. Finally, experiments are conducted with a real dataset extracted from the famous SNS website Epinions. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm has better scalability and is less time-consuming. Compared with the classical model, the proposed algorithm achieved a better performance than does the classical method on the two aspects of network coverage rate and time-consumption in our four sub-datasets.

Exploring the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation in hospitals.

PubMed

Weng, Rhay-Hung; Huang, Ching-Yuan; Lin, Tzu-En

2013-01-01

Recently, many hospitals have been enthusiastically encouraging nurses to pursue nursing innovation to improve health care quality and increase nursing productivity by proposing innovative training methods, products, services, care skills, and care methods. This study tried to explore the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation. In our study, 3 to 7 nurses and 1 manager were selected from each nursing team to act as respondents. The questionnaire survey began after the managers of each nursing team and the nurses had been anonymously coded and paired up in Taiwan in 2009-2010. A total of 808 valid questionnaires were collected, including 172 valid teams. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for the analysis. Nursing innovation is the sum of knowledge creation, innovation behavior, and innovation diffusion displayed by the nurses during nursing care. The level of knowledge creation, as perceived by the nurses, was the highest, whereas the level of innovation diffusion was the lowest. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed that only competitor orientation yielded a significant positive influence on knowledge creation, innovation behavior, or innovation diffusion. The r values were 0.53, 0.49, and 0.61, respectively. Customer orientation and interfunctional coordination did not have significant effects on nursing innovation. Hospital nurses exhibited better performance in knowledge creation than in innovation behavior and diffusion. Only competitor orientation had a significantly positive and cross-level influence on nursing innovation. However, competitor orientation was observed to be the lowest dimension of market orientation, which indicates that this factor should be the focus when improving nursing innovations in the future. Therefore, managers should continually understand the strategies, advantages, and methods of their competitors.

Thinking on Sichuan-Chongqing gas pipeline transportation system reform under market-oriented conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Yanzhi

2017-01-01

The gas pipeline networks in Sichuan and Chongqing (Sichuan-Chongqing) region have formed a fully-fledged gas pipeline transportation system in China, which supports and promotes the rapid development of gas market in Sichuan-Chongqing region. In the circumstances of further developed market-oriented economy, it is necessary to carry out further the pipeline system reform in the areas of investment/financing system, operation system and pricing system to lay a solid foundation for improving future gas production and marketing capability and adapting itself to the national gas system reform, and to achieve the objectives of multiparty participated pipeline construction, improved pipeline transportation efficiency and fair and rational pipeline transportation prices. In this article, main thinking on reform in the three areas and major deployment are addressed, and corresponding measures on developing shared pipeline economy, providing financial support to pipeline construction, setting up independent regulatory agency to enhance the industrial supervision for gas pipeline transportation, and promoting the construction of regional gas trade market are recommended.

Transcending functional boundaries: the cultural, strategic, and tactical domains of marketing.

PubMed

Rapert, M I; Babakus, E; Olson, J

1997-01-01

While debate in the health care literature continues with respect to the role of marketing, many industries are adopting a broadened perspective which recognizes the comprehensive role which marketing may assume at a variety of levels within the organization: marketing as culture, marketing as strategy, and marketing as tactics. A national study of general service hospitals suggests that, in many hospitals, the marketing function is indeed transcending its functional boundaries through enculturation of a marketing orientation, involvement in the strategic process of the organization, and expansion of tactical marketing activities. Hospitals which adopt and support this broadened role of marketing are witnessing a positive effect on performance.

Hospital successes and failures indicate change in hospital marketing.

PubMed

Krampf, R F; Miller, D W

1993-01-01

Marketing has become an essential management function for hospitals during the past decade. A number of changes have occurred in hospital marketing as they have progressed through the marketing adoption process. A survey of Hospital CEOs reporting hospital successes and failures in the area of marketing have recently placed emphasis on sales and advertising based upon marketing research programs thus indicating entrance into the "Integrated Tactical Marketing" phase. This study also indicates that a few hospitals have entered the "Strategic Marketing Orientation" phase while future plans reported by the CEOs provide evidence that this trend is likely to continue.

Back to the Consideration of Future Consequences Scale: time to reconsider?

PubMed

Rappange, David R; Brouwer, Werner B F; van Exel, N Job A

2009-10-01

The Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) Scale is a measure of the extent to which individuals consider and are influenced by the distant outcomes of current behavior. In this study, the authors conducted factor analysis to investigate the factor structure of the 12-item CFC Scale. The authors found evidence for a multiple factor solution including one completely present-oriented factor consisting of all 7 present-oriented items, and one or two future-oriented factors consisting of the remaining future-oriented items. Further evidence indicated that the present-oriented factor and the 12-item CFC Scale perform similarly in terms of internal consistency and convergent validity. The structure and content of the future-oriented factor(s) is unclear. From the findings, the authors raise questions regarding the construct validity of the CFC Scale, the interpretation of its results, and the usefulness of the CFC scale in its current form in applied research.

On the Life Orientations of the Young People of the Volga Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iavon, S. V.

2011-01-01

Social and economic transformations in Russia have had an influence on all spheres of society. The value orientations of young people have been influenced by the market economy, and this has led to a new type of adaptive behavior, in which preference is given to material value orientations, growth of individualism, pragmatism, and hedonistic…

The Evolving Law of Disputed Relocation: constructing inner-city renewal practices in Shanghai, 1990-2005.

PubMed

Shih, Mi

2010-01-01

The forceful pursuit of inner-city renewal in Shanghai since the early 1990s has to a great extent achieved spatial modernization, but at the same time it has given rise to increasing conflicts over residential relocation. Using law as a prism through which to examine the dialectic relationship between renewal practices and disputed relocation, this article argues that the series of unprecedented enactments in law that have taken place during this period have both paved the way for real estate market expansion and been a significant source of relocation disputes in Shanghai. Rather than viewing law as simply given and determinate, the article traces the regulatory regime's codification of property practices as a means of actively responding to the requirements of the real estate market. Under large-scale renewal practices, residents' legal rights of "return settlement" (huiban) in inner-city areas were largely denied in the early 1990s, before being effectively abolished by the adoption of monetary compensation for displacement in the 2000s. The evolving law on property practices has greatly shaped the process of disputed relocation while simultaneously posing a potential challenge to China's use of law for market-oriented development.

Sensitizing Black Adult and Youth Consumers to Targeted Food Marketing Tactics in Their Environments

PubMed Central

Isselmann DiSantis, Katherine; Kumanyika, Shiriki; Rohm Young, Deborah; Grier, Sonya A.; Lassiter, Vikki

2017-01-01

Food marketing environments of Black American consumers are heavily affected by ethnically-targeted marketing of sugar sweetened beverages, fast foods, and other products that may contribute to caloric overconsumption. This qualitative study assessed Black consumers’ responses to targeted marketing. Black adults (2 mixed gender groups; total n = 30) and youth (2 gender specific groups; total n = 35) from two U.S. communities participated before and after a sensitization procedure—a critical practice used to understand social justice concerns. Pre-sensitization focus groups elicited responses to scenarios about various targeted marketing tactics. Participants were then given an informational booklet about targeted marketing to Black Americans, and all returned for the second (post-sensitization) focus group one week later. Conventional qualitative content analysis of transcripts identified several salient themes: seeing the marketer’s perspective (“it’s about demand”; “consumers choose”), respect for community (“marketers are setting us up for failure”; “making wrong assumptions”), and food environments as a social justice issue (“no one is watching the door”; “I didn’t realize”). Effects of sensitization were reflected in participants’ stated reactions to the information in the booklet, and also in the relative occurrence of marketer-oriented themes and social justice-oriented themes, respectively, less and more after sensitization. PMID:29109377

Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on a Research Agenda for Maintenance and Evolution of Service-Oriented Systems (MESOA 2010)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

service -oriented systems • Software -as-a- Service ( SaaS ) • social network infrastructures • Internet marketing • mobile computing • context awareness...Maintenance and Evolution of Service -Oriented Systems (MESOA 2010), organized by members of the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute’s...CMU/SEI-2011-SR-008 | 1 1 Workshop Introduction The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) started developing a service -oriented architecture

Teacher's Guide to Occupational Orientation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Evaluation Systems, Inc., Amherst, MA.

This guide is specifically designed to accompany materials developed for occupational orientation (particularly in Illinois) in the following five cluster areas: Applied biological and agricultural occupations; personal and public service occupations; health occupations; business, marketing, and management occupations; and industrial oriented…

Building relationships with physicians. Internal marketing efforts help strengthen organizational bonds at a rural health care clinic.

PubMed

Peltier, J W; Boyt, T; Westfall, J E

1997-01-01

Physician turnover is costly for health care organizations, especially for rural organizations. One approach management can take to reduce turnover is to promote physician loyalty by treating them as an important customer segment. The authors develop an information--oriented framework for generating physician loyalty and illustrate how this framework has helped to eliminate physician turnover at a rural health care clinic. Rural health care organizations must develop a more internal marketing orientation in their approach to establishing strong relationship bonds with physicians.

Does Big Business Rule America? Critical Commentaries on Charles E. Lindblom's "Politics and Markets."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hessen, Robert, Ed.

This volume pulls together commentaries on Charles E. Lindblom's book entitled "Politics and Markets: The World's Political-Economic Systems" (1977) which expounds the thesis that big business dominates American culture and politics and prevents the introduction of central planning in place of a market-oriented economy. Following an introduction,…

The Promise and the Pathway: Marketing Higher Education to Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stein, David S.; Wanstreet, Constance E.; Saunders, Charles T., Jr.; Lutz, Michelle L.

2009-01-01

This study analyzed the content of college and university Web site home pages to determine the frequency of marketing messages that might persuade adult learners to enroll at the institution. The findings suggest that colleges and universities in this study do not have adult-oriented marketing messages and are giving scant attention to the…

Educational Systems and the Trade-Off between Labor Market Allocation and Equality of Educational Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bol, Thijs; van de Werfhorst, Herman G.

2013-01-01

Educational systems with a high level of tracking and vocational orientation have been shown to improve the allocation of school-leavers in the labor market. However, tracked educational systems are also known to increase inequality of educational opportunity. This presumed trade-off between equality and labor market preparation is clearly rooted…

Education as Service: The Understanding of University Experience through the Service Logic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Irene C. L.; Forbes, Jeannie

2009-01-01

With the marketization of UK higher education, this paper develops a framework from services marketing that can assist universities in understanding what market orientation means and how students would value their offerings. Our study shows that the core service in a university experience is a learning experience that is cocreated and that the…

Marketing Higher and Further Education: An Educator's Guide to Promoting Courses, Departments and Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Paul; Knapp, Michael

This book provides business-oriented guidance for readers whose main preoccupation may not be marketing itself, but who need marketing skills in a higher education or further education context. Theory, practice, and case studies are focused on real issues connected to promoting courses and institutions. The chapters are: (1) Introduction; (2) The…

[Healthcare marketing elements].

PubMed

Ameri, Cinzia; Fiorini, Fulvio

2014-01-01

Marketing puts its foundation on a few key concepts: need-demand, product-service, satisfaction, exchange, market, or business structure manufacturing / supply. The combination of these elements allows you to build an effective marketing strategy. Crucial in this respect is to remember the Porter matrix, which shows that for a correct analysis of the relevant market is necessary to refer to the "five forces at play", ie: customers, competitors, new entrants and substitutes threat. Another key lever for proper marketing oriented approach is the continuous and constant monitoring of the application, anticipating their dissatisfactions.

Multilevel Analysis of the Effects of Antidiscrimination Policies on Earnings by Sexual Orientation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klawitter, Marieka

2011-01-01

This study uses the 2000 U.S. Census data to assess the impact of antidiscrimination policies for sexual orientation on earnings for gays and lesbians. Using a multilevel model allows estimation of the effects of state and local policies on earnings and of variation in the effects of sexual orientation across local labor markets. The results…

Industrial Orientation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasor, Leslie; Brooks, Valerie

These eight modules for an industrial orientation class were developed by a project to design an interdisciplinary program of basic skills training for disadvantaged students in a Construction Technology Program (see Note). The Drafting module overviews drafting career opportunities, job markets, salaries, educational requirements, and basic…

Consumer behaviors towards ready-to-eat foods based on food-related lifestyles in Korea

PubMed Central

Bae, Hyun-Joo; Chae, Mi-Jin

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' behaviors toward ready-to-eat foods and to develop ready-to-eat food market segmentation in Korea. The food-related lifestyle and purchase behaviors of ready-to-eat foods were evaluated using 410 ready-to-eat food consumers in the Republic of Korea. Four factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis (health-orientation, taste-orientation, convenience-orientation, and tradition-orientation) to explain the ready-to eat food consumers' food-related lifestyles. The results of cluster analysis indicated that "tradition seekers" and "convenience seekers" should be regarded as the target segments. Chi-square tests and t-tests of the subdivided groups showed there were significant differences across marital status, education level, family type, eating-out expenditure, place of purchase, and reason for purchase. In conclusion, the tradition seekers consumed more ready-to-eat foods from discount marts or specialty stores and ate them between meals more often than the convenience seekers. In contrast, the convenience seekers purchased more ready-to-eat foods at convenience stores and ate them as meals more often than the tradition seekers. These findings suggest that ready-to-eat food market segmentation based on food-related lifestyles can be applied to develop proper marketing strategies. PMID:20827350

Consumer behaviors towards ready-to-eat foods based on food-related lifestyles in Korea.

PubMed

Bae, Hyun-Joo; Chae, Mi-Jin; Ryu, Kisang

2010-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' behaviors toward ready-to-eat foods and to develop ready-to-eat food market segmentation in Korea. The food-related lifestyle and purchase behaviors of ready-to-eat foods were evaluated using 410 ready-to-eat food consumers in the Republic of Korea. Four factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis (health-orientation, taste-orientation, convenience-orientation, and tradition-orientation) to explain the ready-to eat food consumers' food-related lifestyles. The results of cluster analysis indicated that "tradition seekers" and "convenience seekers" should be regarded as the target segments. Chi-square tests and t-tests of the subdivided groups showed there were significant differences across marital status, education level, family type, eating-out expenditure, place of purchase, and reason for purchase. In conclusion, the tradition seekers consumed more ready-to-eat foods from discount marts or specialty stores and ate them between meals more often than the convenience seekers. In contrast, the convenience seekers purchased more ready-to-eat foods at convenience stores and ate them as meals more often than the tradition seekers. These findings suggest that ready-to-eat food market segmentation based on food-related lifestyles can be applied to develop proper marketing strategies.

Bringing the Firms into Globalization Research: The Effects of Foreign Investment and Exports on Wages in Mexican Manufacturing Firms

PubMed Central

Villarreal, Andrés; Sakamoto, Arthur

2011-01-01

Researchers specializing in organizations and labor markets have paid insufficient attention to the effects that foreign ownership of a firm and its orientation towards export production may have on the wages it pays to its workers. Using information from a nationally-representative sample of manufacturing firms in Mexico, a paradigmatic case of a developing country that is highly integrated into world markets, we find that foreign-owned and export-oriented firms pay considerably more than nationally-owned firms engaged in the production of goods for sale in the domestic market. Second, beyond paying higher wages to their workers, foreign-owned firms also raise the wages paid by domestic firms operating in the same regional labor markets. The wage premium in foreign and export-oriented firms cannot be explained by their size, industry, geographical location, productivity, use of advanced technology, or the sociodemographic composition of their workforce. We find evidence that wages in foreign-owned companies in Mexico are dependent on the country of origin of the capital investment. A greater difference between the industry-specific wages paid in the country of ownership and Mexico is associated with a higher wage premium in Mexican affiliates. Future work should strive to link information from foreign-owned affiliates with their parent companies abroad. PMID:21566699

Development and validation of a strategic repositioning model for defense and aerospace contractors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bers, John A.

Strategic repositioning refers to the organized efforts of defense contractors to "reposition" a technology that they have developed for a defense sector customer into a civilian or commercial market. The strategic repositioning model developed here is a structural model: it seeks to isolate the factors that influence choice of strategy, which in turn influences the organization's performance. The model draws from the prior experience of contractors (through interviews and surveys) and companies in other sectors (through a review of the relevant published research). (1) Over all, the model accounted for 55% of the variance in financial performance of the sample and 35% for the underlying population. (2) Key success factors include a rigorous planning process, a target market in the growth (vs. incubation) stage, a priority on market leadership as well as financial return, the ability to operate in an ambiguous business environment, and a relatively short time horizon but strong corporate support. (3) The greatest challenges that a contractor is likely to encounter are understanding his new customers' buying practices, strong competition, and adapting his technology to their needs and price expectations. (4) To address these issues contractors often involve partners in their entry strategy, but partnerships of equals tend to be more difficult to bring off than direct entry strategies. (5) The two major target market categories--government and commercial--present different challenges. Commercial customers are more likely to resist doing business with the contractor, while contractors entering government and other noncommercial markets are more likely to encounter price resistance, low technical sophistication among customers, and difficulties reaching their customer base. (6) Despite these differences across markets, performance is not influenced by the target market category, nor by the type of product or service or the contractor's functional orientation (marketing, technology, or operations). (7) The absence of a difference in performance may be partly due to natural selection. Noncommercial markets tend to attract contractors with more deliberative, consultative, and process-oriented corporate cultures, while commercial markets tend to attract contractors with results-oriented, opportunistic cultures.

Incentives for mobility : using market mechanisms to rebuild America's transportation infrastructure

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-08-01

America's transportation infrastructure is inadequate, but the solution is not simply to spend more public money. A market-oriented analysis reveals that the problem is institutional. The incentives which operate in the public sector under current po...

Experimental Demonstration of a Self-organized Architecture for Emerging Grid Computing Applications on OBS Testbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lei; Hong, Xiaobin; Wu, Jian; Lin, Jintong

As Grid computing continues to gain popularity in the industry and research community, it also attracts more attention from the customer level. The large number of users and high frequency of job requests in the consumer market make it challenging. Clearly, all the current Client/Server(C/S)-based architecture will become unfeasible for supporting large-scale Grid applications due to its poor scalability and poor fault-tolerance. In this paper, based on our previous works [1, 2], a novel self-organized architecture to realize a highly scalable and flexible platform for Grids is proposed. Experimental results show that this architecture is suitable and efficient for consumer-oriented Grids.

The Transition from Higher Education to the Labour Market: International Perspectives and Challenges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehlert, Holger, Ed.; Cordier, Heidi, Ed.

This book examines the transition from higher education to the labor market in 10 countries. Although the individual papers do not follow a rigid standard format, they all consider the following issues: (1) how the labor market for graduates is organized; (2) how vocational orientation is achieved in degree courses in individual countries; and (3)…

Assessing the effectiveness of technology transfer from U.S. government R&D laboratories: impact of market orientation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozeman, Barry; Coker, Karen

1992-05-01

This study, based on a national survey of U.S. government laboratories, assesses the degree of success laboratories have had in transferring technology to industry, taking into account the laboratories' differing receptivity to market influences. Three success criteria are considered here, two based on self-evaluations and a third based on the number of technology licenses issued from the laboratory. The two self-evaluations are rooted in different types of effectiveness, `getting technology out the door,' in one case, and, in the other, having a demonstrable commercial impact. A core hypothesis of the study is that the two types of effectiveness will be responsive to different factors and, in particular, the laboratories with a clearer market orientation will have a higher degree of success on the commercial impact and technology license criteria. Overall, the results seem to suggest that multifaceted, multimission laboratories are likely to enjoy the most success in technology transfer, especially if they have relatively low levels of bureaucratization and either ties to industry (particularly direct financial ties) or a commercial orientation in the selection of projects.

Strategic planning for marketers.

PubMed

Wilson, I

1978-12-01

The merits of strategic planning as a marketing tool are discussed in this article which takes the view that although marketers claim to be future-oriented, they focus too little attention on long-term planning and forecasting. Strategic planning, as defined by these authors, usually encompasses periods of between five and twenty-five years and places less emphasis on the past as an absolute predictor of the future. It takes a more probabilistic view of the future than conventional marketing strategy and looks at the corporation as but one component interacting with the total environment. Inputs are examined in terms of environmental, social, political, technological and economic importance. Because of its futuristic orientation, an important tenant of strategic planning is the preparation of several alternative scenarios ranging from most to least likely. By planning for a wide-range of future market conditions, a corporation is more able to be flexible by anticipating the course of future events, and is less likely to become a captive reactor--as the authors believe is now the case. An example of strategic planning at General Elecric is cited.

The Development of an Objective Scale to Measure a Transpersonal Orientation to Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shapiro, Stewart B.; Fitzgerald, Louise F.

1989-01-01

A 40-item Likert scale, Transpersonal Orientation to Learning, was developed to investigate transpersonal (spiritual or mystical) orientation. The scale was validated via administration to 166 graduate students in education to determine their beliefs about the development of spiritual potential in learning environments. Satisfactory reliability…

Customer relations data aids marketing efforts.

PubMed

Werronen, H J

1988-08-01

A customer relations information system can help improve a hospital's marketing performance. With such a system, the author writes, a medical center can easily redirect its information systems away from the traditional transaction-oriented approach toward the building of long-lasting relationship with customers.

Teaching Consumer-Oriented Ethnographic Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Andrew D.; Wu, Lan

2012-01-01

Despite an increasing demand for marketing researchers familiar with ethnographic methods, ethnographic consumer research has received little coverage in current marketing curricula. The innovation discussed in the present paper addresses this problem: it introduces the notion of "cultural relativism" and gives students hands-on experience in…

A Study on Market-based Strategic Procurement Planning in Convergent Supply Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opadiji, Jayeola Femi; Kaihara, Toshiya

We present a market-based decentralized approach which uses a market-oriented programming algorithm to obtain Pareto-optimal allocation of resources traded among agents which represent enterprise units in a supply network. The proposed method divides the network into a series of Walrsian markets in order to obtain procurement budgets for enterprises in the network. An interaction protocol based on market value propagation is constructed to coordinate the flow of resources across the network layers. The method mitigates the effect of product complementarity in convergent network by allowing for enterprises to hold private valuations of resources in the markets.

The Other Man's Argument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godsall, R. A.

1974-01-01

A management simulation course has been designed by Dunchurch Industrial Staff College (DISC) that is management oriented rather than marketing oriented. The computer assisted program has been successful in allowing managers to experience immediately the effects of their decisions and also to experience each other's jobs and problems. (DS)

Concerns of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Graduate Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jan

1995-01-01

Examines the special needs fomented by sexual orientation when considering graduate education and access to the academic job market. Offers information on terms and definitions regarding sexual orientation, cultural influences, the relationship between one's personal and professional life, institutional policy, coming out, faculty-student…

An Evolutionary History of Oriented Strandboard (OSB)

Treesearch

John I. Zerbe; Zhiyong Cai; George B. Harpole

2015-01-01

To improve wood utilization efficiency, oriented strandboard (OSB) was developed; 80% of the wood removed from the forest can now be processed into marketable products. This manuscript describes the history of developing this most profitable wood product, OSB, and the early FPL contribution in development.

Assessment of Parent Orientation towards Autonomy vs. Control in Promoting Children's Healthy Eating and Exercise.

PubMed

Chiang, Evelyn S; Padilla, Miguel A

2012-07-01

Self-determination theory has been widely applied to understanding individuals' health-related behaviors such as eating healthy foods and exercising. Different reasons for engagement are associated with varying levels of personal agency or autonomy. Authority figures in the environment can be supportive of autonomy or, in contrast, controlling. Although researchers have assessed individuals' perceptions of the autonomy-support in their environments, studies have not directly examined the authority figures' orientations to autonomy with respect to health contexts. A new scale, Parent Orientations to Health, was created to investigate parent orientation to autonomy and control with respect to healthy eating and exercise in children. One hundred and forty-three parents of elementary school-aged children responded to the scale. Scale validation and reliability results indicate that the scale successfully assessed parent orientation towards autonomy for children in health contexts. Furthermore, parent autonomy orientation varied according to child weight status and the healthiness of the child's diet. Parent orientation towards autonomy can be evaluated through the use of the Parent Orientations to Health scale. In addition, parent autonomy orientation is associated with both the healthiness of the child's diet (as perceived by the parent) and the child's body mass index. © 2012 The Authors. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being © 2012 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Appropriate measures of hospital market areas.

PubMed Central

Garnick, D W; Luft, H S; Robinson, J C; Tetreault, J

1987-01-01

As public and private policymakers turn to market-oriented strategies to control hospital prices, it is necessary to understand the conceptual underpinnings of hospital market area measurement. This article provides a framework for evaluating which definitions of hospital market areas are suitable for various types of analyses. Hospital market areas can be defined from two perspectives: an individual hospital perspective and that of the overall market. From each perspective, empirical definitions can be based on geopolitical boundaries, distance between hospitals, and patient-origin data. In this article, market areas are compared based on various descriptions using data on California hospitals and patient discharge abstracts. PMID:3570813

Effects of food marketing to kids: I'm lovin' it?

PubMed

Salinsky, Eileen

2006-08-15

This issue brief reviews key findings and recommendations from the Institute of Medicine study on food marketing and its effects on childhood obesity. The brief describes the childhood obesity epidemic, discusses key trends associated with rising childhood obesity rates, and considers the relative role of marketing practices on diet and obesity within the broader context of complex contributory factors. The brief also summarizes the current legal framework for regulating marketing directed at children;discusses voluntary, self-regulatory mechanisms; and highlights proposals to re-orient marketing practices to combat childhood obesity.

A survey into process and worker's characteristics in the wood furniture industry in Songkhla Province, southern region of Thailand.

PubMed

Tuntiseranee, P; Chongsuvivatwong, V

1998-12-01

A cross-sectional survey of the wood furniture industry was conducted in southern Thailand in February 1993. The aim was to examine the manufacturing process, occupational hazards at the workplace, workers' demographic characteristics, period of employment, incidence rate of work related injury and some reproductive history of workers. Altogether 69 managers and 1,000 workers participated in the study. There are 2 main types of wood industry, rubberwood and hardwood. The rubberwood industry is semi-automated with advanced technology, has a female-dominated workforce of 200-300 workers per factory and overseas-market orientation. The hardwood industry is based in small-scale workplaces ranging from 20 to 60 workers, domestic-market orientation and has a male-dominated workforce. Most of the workers were young, single, of low education and were high turnover rate laborforce, with arduous work and long working hours per week. Solvent was the most frequent chemical exposure. The person-year incidence of chemical exposure in female workers was higher than in male workers for every group of chemicals. The incidence of accidents was twice as high as the official rate. The standardized fertility ratio of female wood workers was only 51.6% of that of the Thai female population. There was a high abortion rate among women who became pregnant inside the wood industry compared to that among pregnancies outside the wood factory. Wood industry workers were exposed to occupational hazards and accident-prone work conditions.

The economic basis for national science and technology policy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, D. A.

1979-01-01

National science and technology policy is concerned with societal choices with respect to the rate and directions of technological change and the adoption and use of new technology in society. Such policy choices occur primarily in connection with management of the creation, dissemination, and use of scientific and technical information. Two categories of policy instruments discussed are market-oriented approaches, and direct public action. Possibilities for increased use of market-oriented approaches that can provide benefits to society in the form of an increased rate of innovation and of more 'appropriate' technology, better suited to the needs of consumers are indicated.

Effects of trade openness and market scale on different regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Renqu; Yang, Zisheng

2017-04-01

This paper revisits the relationship between growth, trade openness and market scale. Empirical studies have provided that area develops lopsided problem in China is increasingly serious, while large trade openness and market scale bring about more economic growth. We use a number of data set from province-level’s gross domestic product and socio-economic, as well as statistical methods panel ordinary least squares and instrumental variables estimation techniques to explore the effects of trade openness and regional market scale on the three major economic regions. The results indicate: Firstly, the impact of market scale and trade openness on economic growth is found to be positive. Secondly, the overall regional disparity is owing to the trade openness, market scale and macroeconomic policies. Thirdly, midland and western region should take advantage of regional geographical location and resource to expand exports and narrow the regional difference.

Market power, private information and the optimal scale of pollution permit markets with application to North Carolina’s Neuse River

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We extend the analysis of optimal scale in pollution permit markets by allowing for both market power and private information. The effect of these considerations on optimal scale is determined by analyzing pollution of nitrogen from Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) into North Carolina’s Neuse Riv...

Snack food advertising in stores around public schools in Guatemala.

PubMed

Chacon, Violeta; Letona, Paola; Villamor, Eduardo; Barnoya, Joaquin

Obesity in school-age children is emerging as a public heath concern. Food marketing influences preferences and increases children's requests for food. This study sought to describe the type of snack foods advertised to children in stores in and around public schools and assess if there is an association between child-oriented snack food advertising and proximity to schools. All food stores located inside and within a 200 square meter radius from two preschools and two primary schools were surveyed. We assessed store type, number and type of snack food advertisements including those child-oriented inside and outside stores. We surveyed 55 stores and found 321 snack food advertisements. Most were on sweetened beverages (37%) and soft drinks (30%). Ninety-two (29%) were child-oriented. Atoles (100.0%), cereals (94.1%), and ice cream and frozen desserts (71.4%) had the greatest proportion of child-oriented advertising. We found more child-oriented advertisements in stores that were closer (<170 m) to schools compared to those farther away. In conclusion, the food industry is flooding the market, taking advantage of the lack of strict regulation in Guatemala. Child-oriented advertisements are available in almost all stores within a short walking distance from schools, exposing children to an obesogenic environment.

Snack food advertising in stores around public schools in Guatemala

PubMed Central

Chacon, Violeta; Letona, Paola; Villamor, Eduardo; Barnoya, Joaquin

2014-01-01

Obesity in school-age children is emerging as a public heath concern. Food marketing influences preferences and increases children's requests for food. This study sought to describe the type of snack foods advertised to children in stores in and around public schools and assess if there is an association between child-oriented snack food advertising and proximity to schools. All food stores located inside and within a 200 square meter radius from two preschools and two primary schools were surveyed. We assessed store type, number and type of snack food advertisements including those child-oriented inside and outside stores. We surveyed 55 stores and found 321 snack food advertisements. Most were on sweetened beverages (37%) and soft drinks (30%). Ninety-two (29%) were child-oriented. Atoles (100.0%), cereals (94.1%), and ice cream and frozen desserts (71.4%) had the greatest proportion of child-oriented advertising. We found more child-oriented advertisements in stores that were closer (<170 m) to schools compared to those farther away. In conclusion, the food industry is flooding the market, taking advantage of the lack of strict regulation in Guatemala. Child-oriented advertisements are available in almost all stores within a short walking distance from schools, exposing children to an obesogenic environment. PMID:25821350

Celebrity chefs put their left cheek forward: Cover image orientation in celebrity cookbooks.

PubMed

Lindell, Annukka K

2017-09-01

Portrait pose orientations influence perception: the left cheek is more emotionally expressive; females' right cheeks appear more attractive. Posing biases are established in paintings, photographs, and advertisements, however, book covers have not previously been examined. This paper assesses cover image orientation in a book genre that frequently features a cover portrait: the celebrity cookbook. If marketers intuitively choose to enhance chefs' emotional expressivity, left cheek poses should predominate; if attractiveness is more important, right cheek poses will be more frequent for females, with a left or no cheek bias for males. Celebrity cookbook covers (N = 493) were sourced online; identity, portrait orientation, photo type, and sex were coded. For celebrity cookbooks, left cheek covers (39.6%) were more frequent than right cheek (31.6%) or midline covers (28.8%); sex did not predict pose orientation. An interaction between photo type and sex bordered on significance: photo type did not influence females' pose orientation; for males, the left cheek bias present for head and torso images was absent for full body and head only photos. Overall, the left cheek bias for celebrity cookbook covers implies that marketers intuitively select images that make the chefs appear happier and/or more emotionally expressive, enhancing engagement with the audience.

U.S.-Vietnam Economic and Trade Relations: Issues for the 111th Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-03

contributing factor is over 20 years of rapid economic growth in Vietnam, ushered in by a 1986 shift to a more market -oriented economic system. Bilateral...the United States officially recognize it as a market economy. There have also been problems with U.S. imports of specific products from Vietnam. In...111th Congress may also weigh in on clothing and fish imports from Vietnam, or its designation as a market or non- market economy. Finally, if

The Role of Communications Within Technology Transfer Activities of the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-07-01

Indianapolis Center for Advanced Research, February 1986. Kotler , Philip , Bobby J. Calder, Brian Sternthal, and Alice Tybout. "A Marketing Approach to the...much larger proportion of the value of the product than with most other products" (19 7 9 , p. 2 7 ). Kotler points out that a marketing orientation... Kotler , 1977). Goldhar says that such a marketing approach will require developers of information to 0 identify the users, segment the market , learn about

The design of a commercial space infrastructure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

Space Services and Logistics, Inc. represents the complete engineering design of a technically and financially viable commercial space company. The final proposal offers an economically sound program of space vehicles and systems designed to substantially affect a variety of space markets and produce a vertically integrated structure within the next 20 years. Throughout this design process, particular stress has been placed on attaining the highest possible levels of safety and reliability. The final program financial design requires a considerable initial outlay, but promises a relatively quick return on invested capital, culminating in large annual profits by the end of the 20-year scope of the cost outlook. The overall design has been extensively researched and was primarily driven by the present and near-term projected market demands for services uniquely or competitively offered only by space-oriented operations. Heretofore, available capabilities, rather than these market demands, have determined the degree and type of commercial market access. Removing this limitation through extensive use of modularity and reconfigurability allows the company to gear itself to the market, while still remaining extremely competitive with existing systems. The markets identified as lucrative, and that have governed much of the design requirements, are: low-cost launch services to LEO over a wide range of payload masses and inclinations; upper stage payload delivery from LEO to GEO; manned space operations and human transport to and from orbit; EVA assembly and maintenance of large space structures; satellite servicing and repair by both humans and telerobotic operations; a line of customized satellites designed for extended life and capable of reconfiguration or technology upgrade on orbit; small-scale microgravity experimentation and manufacturing supported by spacecraft retrieval capabilities for experimental specimens and manufactured goods; and a full-range of payload integration, testing, design, and support services before launch and once in orbit.

Reliability Generalization of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey Goal Orientation Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Margaret E.; Blackburn, Marcy; Forbes, Sean

2005-01-01

A reliability generalization study was completed on the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey achievement goal orientation scales to assess the prediction of (a) the different orientation scales, (b) the adaptation of items to meet research needs, (c) the number of respondents completing the instrument, and (d) the publication date cited for the…

European Academic Labor Markets in Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musselin, Christine

2005-01-01

Even if convergences are to be observed among the orientations adopted by higher education policies in European countries, they still are characterized by strong national features. One of the most striking national patterns of each system is its academic labor market, salaries, status, recruitment procedures, workloads, career patterns, promotion…

An Exploration of Cultural Value Orientations in Distance Education Web Marketing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeGaetano, Lora A.

2013-01-01

In the current global environment, universities seek to attract international students. The low enrollment of international students at a particular distance education institution demonstrated the competitive challenge in attracting international students. Distance education web marketing communications may be a factor influencing low enrollment…

Low-dose irradiation with modified atmosphere packaging for mango against the Oriental Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irradiation and vapor–heating treatments are commonly used to disinfest the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera:Tephritidae), and other pests on mango fruits before export from Thailand to foreign markets. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) used during export of mangoes create...

Alignment of crystal orientations of the multi-domain photonic crystals in Parides sesostris wing scales

PubMed Central

Yoshioka, S.; Fujita, H.; Kinoshita, S.; Matsuhana, B.

2014-01-01

It is known that the wing scales of the emerald-patched cattleheart butterfly, Parides sesostris, contain gyroid-type photonic crystals, which produce a green structural colour. However, the photonic crystal is not a single crystal that spreads over the entire scale, but it is separated into many small domains with different crystal orientations. As a photonic crystal generally has band gaps at different frequencies depending on the direction of light propagation, it seems mysterious that the scale is observed to be uniformly green under an optical microscope despite the multi-domain structure. In this study, we have carefully investigated the structure of the wing scale and discovered that the crystal orientations of different domains are not perfectly random, but there is a preferred crystal orientation that is aligned along the surface normal of the scale. This finding suggests that there is an additional factor during the developmental process of the microstructure that regulates the crystal orientation. PMID:24352678

Improving the sensory quality of flavored liquid milk by engaging sensory analysis and consumer preference.

PubMed

Zhi, Ruicong; Zhao, Lei; Shi, Jingye

2016-07-01

Developing innovative products that satisfy various groups of consumers helps a company maintain a leading market share. The hedonic scale and just-about-right (JAR) scale are 2 popular methods for hedonic assessment and product diagnostics. In this paper, we chose to study flavored liquid milk because it is one of the most necessary nutrient sources in China. The hedonic scale and JAR scale methods were combined to provide directional information for flavored liquid milk optimization. Two methods of analysis (penalty analysis and partial least squares regression on dummy variables) were used and the results were compared. This paper had 2 aims: (1) to investigate consumer preferences of basic flavor attributes of milk from various cities in China; and (2) to determine the improvement direction for specific products and the ideal overall liking for consumers in various cities. The results showed that consumers in China have local-specific requirements for characteristics of flavored liquid milk. Furthermore, we provide a consumer-oriented product design method to improve sensory quality according to the preference of particular consumers. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Small-scale cannabis growers in Denmark and Finland.

PubMed

Hakkarainen, Pekka; Frank, Vibeke Asmussen; Perälä, Jussi; Dahl, Helle Vibeke

2011-01-01

To compare domestic cannabis cultivation in Denmark and Finland to describe national characteristics in small-scale cannabis growing. A Web survey conducted among small-scale cannabis growers in Denmark (June to November 2008) and Finland (May to June 2009). Current cannabis growers (Denmark, 401; Finland, 1,054). Comparisons in regard to social background, growing history, practices, purposes and motives of growing, and perceptions of risks. Cannabis was cultivated primarily for own use, but sharing with friends and avoiding criminal circles also were significant motives for growing. Finnish growers prioritized indoor cultivation, whereas the Danes were more in favor of open-air plantations. Risks of getting caught by the police were observed to be greater in Finland. Growing for medical purposes was twice as prevalent in Finland as in Denmark. Cannabis growing is a stronger and more novel phenomenon in Finland than in Denmark, but both countries have been influenced by international trends. Finnish and Danish small-scale cannabis cultivators can be considered to be ideologically oriented lifestyle growers. Differences in the magnitude of the phenomenon may reflect differences in the availability and quality of cannabis in national drug markets. The Internet had promoted the spreading of the trend. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

What drives innovation in renewable energy technology? Evidence based on patent counts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCormick, Jesse

America's future economic growth and international competitiveness depend on our capacity to innovate, particularly in emerging global markets. This paper analyzes the forces that drive innovation in one such market, renewable energy technologies, utilizing the theory of induced technological innovation. Specifically, this paper operationalizes the determinants of innovation to consist of: 1) private market forces, 2) public policy that influences price and market size, and 3) public policy that catalyzes R&D investment. Analysis is conducted using a negative binomial regression to determine which of the three foundational determinants has the greatest impact on renewable energy innovation. In so doing this paper builds off of work conducted by Johnstone et al. (2010). Innovation is measured using European Patent Office data on a panel of 24 countries spanning the period from 1978-2005. The implications of this study are straightforward; policies, not market forces, are responsible for driving innovation in renewable energy technologies. Market-oriented policies are effective for mature technologies, particularly hydro, and to a lesser extent wind and solar power. R&D-oriented policy is effective for a broader technology set. In short, the United States needs a comprehensive policy environment to support renewable energy innovation; market forces alone will not provide the pace and breadth of innovations needed. That environment can and should be strategically targeted, however, to effectively allocate scare resources.

D-brane solutions under market panic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pincak, Richard

The relativistic quantum mechanic approach is used to develop stock market dynamics. The relativistic is conceptional here as the meaning of big external volatility or volatility shock on a financial market. We used a differential geometry approach with the parallel transport of prices to obtain a direct shift of the stock price movement. The prices are represented here as electrons with different spin orientation. Up and down orientations of the spin particle are likened here to an increase or a decrease of stock prices. The parallel transport of stock prices is enriched by Riemann curvature, which describes some arbitrage opportunities in the market. To solve the stock-price dynamics, we used the Dirac equation for bispinors on the spherical brane-world. We found out that when a spherical brane is abbreviated to the disk on the equator, we converge to the ideal behavior of financial market where Black-Scholes as well as semi-classical equations are sufficient. Full spherical brane-world scenarios can describe non-equilibrium market behavior where all arbitrage opportunities as well as transaction costs are taken into account. Real application of the model to the option pricing was done. The model developed in this paper brings quantitative different results of option pricing dynamics in the case of nonzero Riemann curvature.

MADE 2. Marketing and Distributive Education Competency Based Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Jersey State Dept. of Education, Trenton. Div. of Vocational Education.

This curriculum guide is one in a series of three competency-based instructional materials dealing with marketing and distributive education (MADE). Covered in the individual sections of the guide are the following topics: job orientation (personal appearance, job opportunities, job interviews, basic skills, training plans, legal requirements, and…

Occupation, Class, and Social Networks in Urban China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bian, Yanjie; Breiger, Ronald; Davis, Deborah; Galaskiewicz, Joseph

2005-01-01

China's class structure is changing dramatically in the wake of post-1978 market-oriented economic reforms. The creation of a mixed "market-socialist" economy has eroded the institutional bases of a cadre-dominated social hierarchy and created conditions for a new pattern of social stratification. Although conditions remain dynamic,…

MADE 1. Marketing and Distributive Education Competency Based Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Jersey State Dept. of Education, Trenton. Div. of Vocational Education.

This curriculum guide is one in a series of three competency-based instructional materials dealing with marketing and distributive education (MADE). Covered in the individual sections of the guide are the following topics: job orientation (cooperative education work agreements, personal appearance, career opportunities, job applications, job…

The Commercialization of Youth: Channel One in Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wartella, Ellen

1995-01-01

Places Channel One controversy in broader context of commercialization of youth culture during past 20 years. Changes in child-oriented TV market since mid-1970s include rise of independent stations and cable networks, introduction of program-length commercials, and proliferation of new products aimed at children. Targeting marketing to child…

What Does Economics Contribute to Environmental Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schug, Mark C.

2000-01-01

Considers what students are learning about the environment. Summarizes ways in which market forces can improve environmental quality. Discusses the "tragedy of the commons" (people overuse things they do not own) and the role of private property rights. Considers noneconomic and economic remedies and gives examples of market-oriented reforms. (CMK)

Reinventing the Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Dennis L.

1990-01-01

In the 1990s, community colleges will be faced with a real challenge and an opportunity: to become marketing-oriented institutions. Marketing is crucial to reinventing the colleges as institutions that are capable of contributing to the education of an underskilled workforce and a significant underclass--an endeavor vital to the nation's…

Fire performance of oriented strandboard

Treesearch

Robert H. White; Jerrold E. Winandy

2006-01-01

Wood-based composites represent a continuously increasing share of the wood products market. Commercial construction will be important for future expansion of the structural panels market. Use of engineered wood products as an alternative to traditional solid wood lumber is also increasing. A recent series of cone calorimeter tests evaluated the performance of several...

Recruitment and retention of rural general practitioners: a marketing approach reveals new possibilities.

PubMed

Hemphill, Elizabeth; Dunn, Steve; Barich, Hayley; Infante, Rebecca

2007-12-01

This paper repositions the challenge of attracting and retaining rural GPs in a marketing context as a new focus for future research and policy development. Case study with mixed design of surveys of GPs and medical students and depth interviews with GPs, medical students, regional-division administrators and GP recruitment agents. GP recruitment and retention in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. Twenty-seven Limestone Coast (LC) GPs; random sample of medical students from Adelaide University, Adelaide University Rural Health Society and Flinders University; snowball sampling two adjacent rural regions (20 GPs); and administrators from LC and adjacent regions and GP recruitment agencies in Adelaide. Drawing from marketing theory, creative suggestion of 'promotion of the practice and not the region' offers a means of GP recruitment and retention for structured succession planning for rural general practices. Structural attempts to broaden the GP market with overseas recruitment have done little for improving full-time equivalent GP levels. Market segmentation and market orientation offer a new emphasis on value exchange between the corporation (the practice), customer (GPs) and competition (all practices) to influence future mobility. A marketing orientation to the GP challenge emphasises individual's perceptions of value, GP expectations and practice offerings. Failure to acknowledge benefits of this marketing approach means that solutions such as those developed in the Limestone Coast region are unlikely. Research is now required to define GP satisfaction and value for long-term viability of general practices.

Alienation, learning or grade orientation, and achievement as correlates of attitudes toward cheating.

PubMed

Roig, M; Neaman, M A

1994-06-01

154 undergraduate students were given Gardner and Melvin's Attitudes Toward Cheating Scale, Ray's General Alienation Scale, and Eison's Learning Orientation/Grade Orientation Scale. Scores indicating condemnatory (unfavorable) attitudes toward cheating were positively correlated with grade point average and negatively correlated with alienation. Our results are consistent with a previous study which showed an association between cheating and alienation.

Nurse education in competitive markets: the case for relationship marketing.

PubMed

Roberts, P M

1998-10-01

Since the National Health Service reforms of the late 1980s, nurse education has been increasingly subject to market forces. This new competitive environment presents not only threat, but also challenge and opportunity. Providers of nurse education who recognize the need for market orientation and develop responsive marketing strategies will maximize their potential for market retention and growth. Traditional marketing strategies have considerable limitations for public sector services. The new and growing field of relationship marketing offers nurse education an opportunity to retain and develop profitable relationships with both internal and external markets. This paper reviews the marketing arena in nurse education and proposes context-based qualitative research to ascertain definitive constructs of service quality. Such constructs might then be rooted in a theoretical framework of service quality measurement, and be measured within the disconfirmation paradigm of relationship marketing.

Cross-correlations and influence in world gold markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Min; Wang, Gang-Jin; Xie, Chi; Stanley, H. Eugene

2018-01-01

Using the detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) coefficient and the detrended partial cross-correlation analysis (DPCCA) coefficient, we investigate cross-correlations and net cross-correlations among five major world gold markets (London, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Mumbai) at different time scales. We propose multiscale influence measures for examining the influence of individual markets on other markets and on the entire system. We find (i) that the cross-correlations, net cross-correlations, and net influences among the five gold markets vary across time scales, (ii) that the cross-market correlation between London and New York at each time scale is intense and inherent, meaning that the influence of other gold markets on the London-New York market is negligible, (iii) that the remaining cross-market correlations (i.e., those other than London-New York) are greatly affected by other gold markets, and (iv) that the London gold market significantly affects the other four gold markets and dominates the world-wide gold market. Our multiscale findings give market participants and market regulators new information on cross-market linkages in the world-wide gold market.

Integrated approach for improving small scale market oriented dairy systems in Pakistan: participatory rural appraisal and economic opportunity survey.

PubMed

Ghaffar, Abdul; Khan, M Qasim; Ullah, Nemat

2007-12-01

Livestock production is an integral part of the rain-fed and irrigated agriculture system in Pakistan. Animal production is closely interlinked with the cropping systems and play a crucial role in the rural economy. Participatory rural appraisals and economic opportunity surveys were conducted in two ecological zones (irrigated and rain-fed) and two dairy production systems (peri-urban and mixed livestock). Major constraints in animal health, nutrition and reproduction were identified and interventions were suggested to overcome these difficulties. The economic opportunity survey revealed that maximum opportunity to enhance farmers' income is to increase milk production per day per animal, which can be accomplished through coordinated improvements in nutrition, reproduction and genetics.

Moving Forward with Export Oriented Shipbuilding Industries in Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakaria, N. M. G.

2012-10-01

In the recent time, shipbuilding has been considered as a thrust sector in the economy of Bangladesh. But, there exist various problems that obstruct the development of this sector especially for export oriented shipbuilding. In this paper, the general shipbuilding related problems along with its nature have been identified. The prospects of export oriented shipbuilding in context of global and international demand have been highlighted. Also, the present initiatives towards export oriented shipbuilding has been focused. Finally some recommendations have been put forward in this paper in order to hold a firm position in world shipbuilding market by export oriented shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh.

'Oorja' in India: Assessing a large-scale commercial distribution of advanced biomass stoves to households.

PubMed

Thurber, Mark C; Phadke, Himani; Nagavarapu, Sriniketh; Shrimali, Gireesh; Zerriffi, Hisham

2014-04-01

Replacing traditional stoves with advanced alternatives that burn more cleanly has the potential to ameliorate major health problems associated with indoor air pollution in developing countries. With a few exceptions, large government and charitable programs to distribute advanced stoves have not had the desired impact. Commercially-based distributions that seek cost recovery and even profits might plausibly do better, both because they encourage distributors to supply and promote products that people want and because they are based around properly-incentivized supply chains that could more be scalable, sustainable, and replicable. The sale in India of over 400,000 "Oorja" stoves to households from 2006 onwards represents the largest commercially-based distribution of a gasification-type advanced biomass stove. BP's Emerging Consumer Markets (ECM) division and then successor company First Energy sold this stove and the pelletized biomass fuel on which it operates. We assess the success of this effort and the role its commercial aspect played in outcomes using a survey of 998 households in areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka where the stove was sold as well as detailed interviews with BP and First Energy staff. Statistical models based on this data indicate that Oorja purchase rates were significantly influenced by the intensity of Oorja marketing in a region as well as by pre-existing stove mix among households. The highest rate of adoption came from LPG-using households for which Oorja's pelletized biomass fuel reduced costs. Smoke- and health-related messages from Oorja marketing did not significantly influence the purchase decision, although they did appear to affect household perceptions about smoke. By the time of our survey, only 9% of households that purchased Oorja were still using the stove, the result in large part of difficulties First Energy encountered in developing a viable supply chain around low-cost procurement of "agricultural waste" to make pellets. The business orientation of First Energy allowed the company to pivot rapidly to commercial customers when the household market encountered difficulties. The business background of managers also facilitated the initial marketing and distribution efforts that allowed the stove distribution to reach scale.

‘Oorja’ in India: Assessing a large-scale commercial distribution of advanced biomass stoves to households

PubMed Central

Thurber, Mark C.; Phadke, Himani; Nagavarapu, Sriniketh; Shrimali, Gireesh; Zerriffi, Hisham

2015-01-01

Replacing traditional stoves with advanced alternatives that burn more cleanly has the potential to ameliorate major health problems associated with indoor air pollution in developing countries. With a few exceptions, large government and charitable programs to distribute advanced stoves have not had the desired impact. Commercially-based distributions that seek cost recovery and even profits might plausibly do better, both because they encourage distributors to supply and promote products that people want and because they are based around properly-incentivized supply chains that could more be scalable, sustainable, and replicable. The sale in India of over 400,000 “Oorja” stoves to households from 2006 onwards represents the largest commercially-based distribution of a gasification-type advanced biomass stove. BP's Emerging Consumer Markets (ECM) division and then successor company First Energy sold this stove and the pelletized biomass fuel on which it operates. We assess the success of this effort and the role its commercial aspect played in outcomes using a survey of 998 households in areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka where the stove was sold as well as detailed interviews with BP and First Energy staff. Statistical models based on this data indicate that Oorja purchase rates were significantly influenced by the intensity of Oorja marketing in a region as well as by pre-existing stove mix among households. The highest rate of adoption came from LPG-using households for which Oorja's pelletized biomass fuel reduced costs. Smoke- and health-related messages from Oorja marketing did not significantly influence the purchase decision, although they did appear to affect household perceptions about smoke. By the time of our survey, only 9% of households that purchased Oorja were still using the stove, the result in large part of difficulties First Energy encountered in developing a viable supply chain around low-cost procurement of “agricultural waste” to make pellets. The business orientation of First Energy allowed the company to pivot rapidly to commercial customers when the household market encountered difficulties. The business background of managers also facilitated the initial marketing and distribution efforts that allowed the stove distribution to reach scale. PMID:25814822

Non-linear characteristics and long-range correlations in Asian stock markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, J.; Ma, K.; Cai, X.

2007-05-01

We test several non-linear characteristics of Asian stock markets, which indicates the failure of efficient market hypothesis and shows the essence of fractal of the financial markets. In addition, by using the method of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to investigate the long range correlation of the volatility in the stock markets, we find that the crossover phenomena exist in the results of DFA. Further, in the region of small volatility, the scaling behavior is more complicated; in the region of large volatility, the scaling exponent is close to 0.5, which suggests the market is more efficient. All these results may indicate the possibility of characteristic multifractal scaling behaviors of the financial markets.

Marketing Wood Products: Unit L#4 Grade 6. Project COULD: Career Orientation Utilizing Language Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coos County Intermediate Education District, North Bend, OR.

Project COULD (Career Orientation Utilizing Language Development) was developed as a means of building skills, knowledges, and attitudes on elementary children's previously acquired backgrounds. Children learn to speak the grammar and vocabulary characteristic of the language heard most frequently at home and in the immediate environment. Each…

Marketing Fish: Unit F#4 Grade 6. Project COULD: Career Orientation Utilizing Language Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coos County Intermediate Education District, North Bend, OR.

Project COULD (Career Orientation Utilizing Language Development) was developed as a means of building skills, knowledges, and attitudes on elementary children's previously acquired backgrounds. Children learn to speak the grammar and vocabulary characteristic of the language heard most frequently at home and in the immediate environment. A series…

Personal Development Planning under the Scope of Self-Brand Orientation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rigopoulou, Irini; Kehagias, John

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the empirical body of knowledge regarding the role of universities today. In addition, it aims to investigate the topic of personal development planning (PDP) programs, under a different perspective borrowed from marketing theory, namely, the "self-brand orientation" approach.…

Quarterly Update, January-March 1992

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

representations to support exploiting that commonality. The project used the Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) method, developed by the project in 1990, in...9 FODA feature-oriented domain analysis ................................... 14 FTP file transfer protocol...concentrations, and product market share for 23 countries. Along with other SEI staff, members of the Rate Monotonic Analysis for Real-Time Systems (RMARTS

Career Orientation and Preparation for Teen Parents Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whipple, Vicky

The Career Education and Training for Teen Parents Program at Kishwaukee College (Malta, Illinois) included a vocational orientation and preparation curriculum that focused on nontraditional occupations and local labor market trends. The class met three days a week for six weeks, with most class sessions including a field trip to a local job site.…

A Career-Oriented Foreign Language Program for Keystone Oaks School District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grubesky, Marcia R.

A career-oriented foreign language program is discussed that takes into account marketable skills of foreign language majors for a number of careers. The program is threefold. First, it recognizes the need for language skills to supplement technical, business, and professional skills to expand educational knowledge; capabilities in diplomacy and…

Result-Oriented Management: The Experience of Kazakhstani Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askarkyzy, Samal; Toibayev, Adlet; Algozhaeva, Nursulu; Rimantas, Zelvys; Iskakova, Guldariya; Arynova, Aigul

2016-01-01

The present article outlines the main principles and peculiarities of the result-oriented university management on the basis of the Development strategy of the Kazakh State Women's Pedagogical University for 2013-2020. The relevance of the investigated issue is conditioned by the fact that in the context of a highly competitive market of research…

[Market oriented occupational medicine].

PubMed

Rurik, Imre; Cseh, Károly

2012-09-09

The history and the recent state of occupational medicine in Hungary, and its relation with governmental labor organizations are analyzed. In the past 20 years, large "socialist" factories were replaced by smaller companies employing fewer workers. They have been forced to establish contract with occupational health providers. Many of them offer primary care services, whereas family physicians having a board examination in occupational medicine are allowed to work in this field as well. The market of occupational medicine is less regulated, and ethical rules are not always considered. Undercutting prices is a common practice. The recent system could be improved by some regulations which should be respected. There is no reason to make rough changes establishing a new market for profit oriented insurance companies, and to allow employees and employers to work without specification neglecting international agreements. Occupational medicine should be supervised again by the health authorities instead of economists who have quite different, short-term priorities.

Education and marketing: a new link to productivity.

PubMed

McVeety, K M

1993-01-01

Now is the time for hospital educators to become business-oriented. A marketing mindset must be developed to target not only health care professionals, but also the community at large (Johnson, 1991). This article offers an innovative approach for educators to align their departmental functions with the hospital's mission of providing high-quality health care services. This task is accomplished by utilizing the education department as a marketing tool for the hospital.

Can there be mutual support between hospital marketing and continuous quality improvement?

PubMed

Weiland, D E

1992-01-01

Marketing the results of continuous quality improvement in hospitals builds a growing bank of loyal customers in an increasingly competitive and quality-oriented environment: If healthcare institutions want to survive and flourish, they must develop a lasting relationship with their customers. The long-term goal of CQI is to provide quality products and services. If marketing managers can sell these improved services, hospitals will build a solid client foundation.

Price Discrimination, Economies of Scale, and Profits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Donghyun

2000-01-01

Demonstrates that it is possible for economies of scale to induce a price-discriminating monopolist to sell in an unprofitable market where the average cost always exceeds the price. States that higher profits in the profitable market caused by economies of scale may exceed losses incurred in the unprofitable market. (CMK)

Orientation decoding depends on maps, not columns

PubMed Central

Freeman, Jeremy; Brouwer, Gijs Joost; Heeger, David J.; Merriam, Elisha P.

2011-01-01

The representation of orientation in primary visual cortex (V1) has been examined at a fine spatial scale corresponding to the columnar architecture. We present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements providing evidence for a topographic map of orientation preference in human V1 at a much coarser scale, in register with the angular-position component of the retinotopic map of V1. This coarse-scale orientation map provides a parsimonious explanation for why multivariate pattern analysis methods succeed in decoding stimulus orientation from fMRI measurements, challenging the widely-held assumption that decoding results reflect sampling of spatial irregularities in the fine-scale columnar architecture. Decoding stimulus attributes and cognitive states from fMRI measurements has proven useful for a number of applications, but our results demonstrate that the interpretation cannot assume decoding reflects or exploits columnar organization. PMID:21451017

Research on the fractal structure in the Chinese stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Xin-tian; Huang, Xiao-yuan; Sha, Yan-li

2004-02-01

Applying fractal theory, this paper probes and discusses self-similarity and scale invariance of the Chinese stock market. It analyses three kinds of scale indexes, i.e., autocorrelation index, Hurst index and the scale index on the basis of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) algorithm and promotes DFA into a recursive algorithm. Using the three kinds of scale indexes, we conduct empirical research on the Chinese Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. The results indicate that the rate of returns of the two stock markets does not obey the normal distribution. A correlation exists between the stock price indexes over time scales. The stock price indexes exhibit fractal time series. It indicates that the policy guide hidden at the back influences the characteristic of the Chinese stock market.

On the Assessment of Global Terrestrial Reference Frame Temporal Variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ampatzidis, Dimitrios; Koenig, Rolf; Zhu, Shengyuan

2015-04-01

Global Terrestrial Reference Frames (GTRFs) as the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) provide reliable 4-D position information (3-D coordinates and their evolution through time). The given 3-D velocities play a significant role in precise position acquisition and are estimated from long term coordinate time series from the space-geodetic techniques DORIS, GNSS, SLR, and VLBI. GTRFs temporal evolution is directly connected with their internal stability: The more intense and inhomogeneous velocity field, the less stable TRF is derived. The assessment of the quality of the GTRF is mainly realized by comparing it to each individual technique's reference frame. E.g the comparison of GTRFs to SLR-only based TRF gives the sense of the ITRF stability with respect to the Geocenter and scale and their associated rates respectively. In addition, the comparison of ITRF to the VLBI-only based TRF can be used for the scale validation. However, till now there is not any specified methodology for the total assessment (in terms of origin, orientation and scale respectively) of the temporal evolution and GTRFs associated accuracy. We present a new alternative diagnostic tool for the assessment of GTRFs temporal evolution based on the well-known time-dependent Helmert type transformation formula (three shifts, three rotations and scale rates respectively). The advantage of the new methodology relies on the fact that it uses the full velocity field of the TRF and therefore all points not just the ones common to different techniques. It also examines simultaneously rates of origin, orientation and scale. The methodology is presented and implemented to the two existing GTRFs on the market (ITRF and DTRF which is computed from DGFI) , the results are discussed. The results also allow to compare directly each GTRF dynamic behavior. Furthermore, the correlations of the estimated parameters can also provide useful information to the proposed GTRFs assessment scheme.

It's a Buyer's Market for Colleges Hiring Junior Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina, Brenda

2012-01-01

Colleges looking to hire junior faculty members are enjoying something of a buyer's market these days. With job offers scarce in many fields, small, teaching-intensive colleges and regionally oriented state universities have been able to snag recent graduates of the nation's top programs, the kinds of candidates who would have probably gone to…

U.S. Employment in an International Economy. Report No. 24.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Commission for Employment Policy (DOL), Washington, DC.

A labor market-oriented study of the effects of internationalization provided background for National Commission for Employment Policy (NCEP) recommendations on ways to enhance the ability of the U.S. economy to compete in world markets. The analysis focuses on three major dimensions: (1) trade in goods and services; (2) immigrants (legal and…

Greek University: The Road to Marketization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgiadis, Nikos M.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is the analysis of higher education policy in Greece during the last decade, which is tied in with the ascendancy of market orientation and the complete restructuring of the university. The formation of this policy and its main axes are studied in the context of the pertinent developments at international and European…

2001 Industry Studies: Advanced Manufacturing

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-28

oriented, 19 and manufacturers are employing the Internet and associated information technologies to better integrate supply chains and form extended...ways to compete in world markets . As part of this ongoing transformation, the broad implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies , processes...competitive advantages and better performance in world markets . Importantly, advanced manufacturing involves the innovative integration of new technology

Marketization on Export: Representations of the Swedish Free School Model in English Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rönnberg, Linda

2015-01-01

This paper explores how "social democratic" Sweden initiated and implemented choice reforms that attracted the interest of "liberal" England. By studying how English media framed and portrayed the Swedish free school "export" from 2008 to 2014, this paper aims to describe and discuss how a market-oriented policy idea,…

Building "Brand Me": Creating a Personal Brand Statement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanton, Angela D'Auria; Stanton, Wilbur W.

2013-01-01

Engaging students in a principles of marketing course can prove challenging but also provides instructors with an opportunity to link course concepts using a real-world orientation. This paper describes the use of a personal brand statement assignment as a way to integrate the key marketing concepts of branding and brand positioning into a broader…

Open Competition or Balkanized Coexistence? the Effects of Market Segments on Toronto Private Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pizarro Milian, Roger; Davies, Scott

2017-01-01

For over 25 years, school choice advocates have argued that market competition drives educational organizations to become more differentiated and technically-oriented. However, empirical research has only partially supported this view, observing such outcomes only under certain conditions. To better understand the contingent nature of market…

Academic Pedagogies, Quality Logics and Performative Universities: Evaluating Teaching and What Students Want

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmore, Jill

2009-01-01

Universities have focused on teaching and learning at a time when quality has become the marker of distinction in international higher education markets. Education markets have meant pedagogical relations have become contractualised with a focus on student satisfaction, exemplified in consumer-oriented generic evaluations of teaching. This article…

Ethical Ideology and Cultural Orientation: Understanding the Individualized Ethical Inclinations of Marketing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Brent

2009-01-01

As today's marketing graduates formally enter the business profession, they are expected to demonstrate the fruits of their ethics-intensive education. Hence, their professors and future bosses may call upon these graduates to discern and deal with ethical situations that affect various aspects of company and consumer relations. However, students…

A Market-oriented Approach To Maximizing Product Benefits: Cases in U.S. Forest Products Industries

Treesearch

Vijay S. Reddy; Robert J. Bush; Ronen Roudik

1996-01-01

Conjoint analysis, a decompositional customer preference modelling technique, has seen little application to forest products. However, the technique provides useful information for marketing decisions by quantifying consumer preference functions for multiattribute product alternatives. The results of a conjoint analysis include the contribution of each attribute and...

Marketing a Public Higher Educational Institution Through Target and Market Research on its Freshmen Applicant and Enrollee Pools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruwer, Johan de W.

1996-01-01

A study at Cape Technikon (South Africa) investigated college choice decision making by surveying 923 applicants during the application process and 314 enrollees during orientation. Results show demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of applicants and enrollees differ, applicants consider multiple institutions, alumni and friends are the…

Competency-Based Curriculum for Marketing and Distributive Education I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Memphis State Univ., TN.

This Marketing I curriculum guide contains ten units of instruction that may be taught as they are or used in conjunction with the teacher's own instructional materials. The ten units, which may be presented in any order, include (1) Orientation/Job Interview, (2) Communications, (3) Human Relations, (4) Mathematics, (5) Selling, (6)…

The Effect of Action Orientation on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Marketing Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaramillo, Fernando; Spector, Paul E.

2004-01-01

Due to the effect of academic performance on employment opportunities and admission to graduate schools, researchers have long recognized the need for identifying factors that are linked to the academic performance of undergraduate marketing students. This research proposes a model that investigates the relationships among motivation, effort,…

Characteristic time scales in the American dollar-Mexican peso exchange currency market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez-Ramirez, Jose

2002-06-01

Daily fluctuations of the American dollar-Mexican peso exchange currency market are studied using multifractal analysis methods. It is found evidence of multiaffinity of daily fluctuations in the sense that the qth-order (roughness) Hurst exponent Hq varies with changes in q. It is also found that there exist several characteristic time scales ranging from week to year. Accordingly, the market exhibits persistence in the sense that instabilities introduced by market events acting around the characteristic time scales (mainly, quarter and year) would propagate through the future market activity. Some implications of our results on the regulation of the dollar-mexpeso market activity are discussed.

The scale-dependent market trend: Empirical evidences using the lagged DFA method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Daye; Kou, Zhun; Sun, Qiankun

2015-09-01

In this paper we make an empirical research and test the efficiency of 44 important market indexes in multiple scales. A modified method based on the lagged detrended fluctuation analysis is utilized to maximize the information of long-term correlations from the non-zero lags and keep the margin of errors small when measuring the local Hurst exponent. Our empirical result illustrates that a common pattern can be found in the majority of the measured market indexes which tend to be persistent (with the local Hurst exponent > 0.5) in the small time scale, whereas it displays significant anti-persistent characteristics in large time scales. Moreover, not only the stock markets but also the foreign exchange markets share this pattern. Considering that the exchange markets are only weakly synchronized with the economic cycles, it can be concluded that the economic cycles can cause anti-persistence in the large time scale but there are also other factors at work. The empirical result supports the view that financial markets are multi-fractal and it indicates that deviations from efficiency and the type of model to describe the trend of market price are dependent on the forecasting horizon.

Anomalous volatility scaling in high frequency financial data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nava, Noemi; Di Matteo, T.; Aste, Tomaso

2016-04-01

Volatility of intra-day stock market indices computed at various time horizons exhibits a scaling behaviour that differs from what would be expected from fractional Brownian motion (fBm). We investigate this anomalous scaling by using empirical mode decomposition (EMD), a method which separates time series into a set of cyclical components at different time-scales. By applying the EMD to fBm, we retrieve a scaling law that relates the variance of the components to a power law of the oscillating period. In contrast, when analysing 22 different stock market indices, we observe deviations from the fBm and Brownian motion scaling behaviour. We discuss and quantify these deviations, associating them to the characteristics of financial markets, with larger deviations corresponding to less developed markets.

Creating effective social marketing: let your customer be your guide.

PubMed

Brookes, R

2000-02-01

Social marketing uses commercial marketing techniques to change behaviors that benefit individuals or society in general. Unlike conventional marketing, which seeks to sell products or services, social marketing aims to promote voluntary behavior change. Some examples of behaviors that have changed due to social marketing are: using seat belts, wearing bike helmets, child immunizations, and smoking cessation. Although good social marketing campaigns use the same techniques as that of commercial marketers, by letting the customer be the guide for all major decisions, it is not primarily advertising and is not about top-down planning and decisions. Instead, it is about having a consumer orientation, which means understanding the target audience very well. An effective social marketer must be committed to ongoing communication with the audience in order to create programs, products, or practice that enable them to make the changes desired.

Basic Knowledge for Market Principle: Approaches to the Price Coordination Mechanism by Using Optimization Theory and Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aiyoshi, Eitaro; Masuda, Kazuaki

On the basis of market fundamentalism, new types of social systems with the market mechanism such as electricity trading markets and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission trading markets have been developed. However, there are few textbooks in science and technology which present the explanation that Lagrange multipliers can be interpreted as market prices. This tutorial paper explains that (1) the steepest descent method for dual problems in optimization, and (2) Gauss-Seidel method for solving the stationary conditions of Lagrange problems with market principles, can formulate the mechanism of market pricing, which works even in the information-oriented modern society. The authors expect readers to acquire basic knowledge on optimization theory and algorithms related to economics and to utilize them for designing the mechanism of more complicated markets.

Centimetre-scale micropore alignment in oriented polycrystalline metal-organic framework films via heteroepitaxial growth.

PubMed

Falcaro, Paolo; Okada, Kenji; Hara, Takaaki; Ikigaki, Ken; Tokudome, Yasuaki; Thornton, Aaron W; Hill, Anita J; Williams, Timothy; Doonan, Christian; Takahashi, Masahide

2017-03-01

The fabrication of oriented, crystalline films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a critical step toward their application to advanced technologies such as optics, microelectronics, microfluidics and sensing. However, the direct synthesis of MOF films with controlled crystalline orientation remains a significant challenge. Here we report a one-step approach, carried out under mild conditions, that exploits heteroepitaxial growth for the rapid fabrication of oriented polycrystalline MOF films on the centimetre scale. Our methodology employs crystalline copper hydroxide as a substrate and yields MOF films with oriented pore channels on scales that primarily depend on the dimensions of the substrate. To demonstrate that an anisotropic crystalline morphology can translate to a functional property, we assembled a centimetre-scale MOF film in the presence of a dye and showed that the optical response could be switched 'ON' or 'OFF' by simply rotating the film.

Organizational Learning in the Development of Doctrine in the U.S. Army, 1976-1986: A Historically-Based Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-04-01

Kotler , P. & Armstrong , G. (1991). Principles of Marketing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Kotler , P., Fahey, L. & Jatusripitak, S. (1985). The...total quality management (Garvin, 1991), or the goal of customer orientation (Peters, 1984), or a better marketing focus ( Kotler , 1985), and other...another to produce a product that benefits society. Kotler 117 (1991) defines this a societal marketing. The implication for the military and national

Market Socialism Meets the Lost Generation: Motivational Orientations of Adult Learners in Shanghai

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boshier, Roger; Huang, Yan; Song, Qihui; Song, Lei

2006-01-01

In Western countries, women and men, young and old, enroll in adult education for different reasons. This is even more the case in China. This study helps Shanghai program planners better appreciate learners by understanding how motivational orientations vary as a function of gender and age. The Chinese version of the Education Participation Scale…

Recent High School Graduate Focus Groups. Market Analysis 00-1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clagett, Craig A.

This report summarizes findings of focus groups of recent high school graduates conducted during new student orientation at Carroll Community College (CCC) in fall 1999. Students were invited to participate in focus groups at the conclusion of the all-day orientation. Three focus groups were held, two with six participants and one with five…

The Work Orientations of Australian University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Jeannette; Pick, David

2008-01-01

It is the aim of this paper to provide a better understanding of how university students in Australia are preparing for their future work in the labour market through their work orientations. It draws upon a survey of over 300 final-year undergraduates to present their rationales for engaging in paid work, and their preferences for different job…

Strong orientation dependence of surface mass density profiles of dark haloes at large scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osato, Ken; Nishimichi, Takahiro; Oguri, Masamune; Takada, Masahiro; Okumura, Teppei

2018-06-01

We study the dependence of surface mass density profiles, which can be directly measured by weak gravitational lensing, on the orientation of haloes with respect to the line-of-sight direction, using a suite of N-body simulations. We find that, when major axes of haloes are aligned with the line-of-sight direction, surface mass density profiles have higher amplitudes than those averaged over all halo orientations, over all scales from 0.1 to 100 Mpc h-1 we studied. While the orientation dependence at small scales is ascribed to the halo triaxiality, our results indicate even stronger orientation dependence in the so-called two-halo regime, up to 100 Mpc h-1. The orientation dependence for the two-halo term is well approximated by a multiplicative shift of the amplitude and therefore a shift in the halo bias parameter value. The halo bias from the two-halo term can be overestimated or underestimated by up to ˜ 30 per cent depending on the viewing angle, which translates into the bias in estimated halo masses by up to a factor of 2 from halo bias measurements. The orientation dependence at large scales originates from the anisotropic halo-matter correlation function, which has an elliptical shape with the axis ratio of ˜0.55 up to 100 Mpc h-1. We discuss potential impacts of halo orientation bias on other observables such as optically selected cluster samples and a clustering analysis of large-scale structure tracers such as quasars.

Statistics of galaxy orientations - Morphology and large-scale structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lambas, Diego G.; Groth, Edward J.; Peebles, P. J. E.

1988-01-01

Using the Uppsala General Catalog of bright galaxies and the northern and southern maps of the Lick counts of galaxies, statistical evidence of a morphology-orientation effect is found. Major axes of elliptical galaxies are preferentially oriented along the large-scale features of the Lick maps. However, the orientations of the major axes of spiral and lenticular galaxies show no clear signs of significant nonrandom behavior at a level of less than about one-fifth of the effect seen for ellipticals. The angular scale of the detected alignment effect for Uppsala ellipticals extends to at least theta of about 2 deg, which at a redshift of z of about 0.02 corresponds to a linear scale of about 2/h Mpc.

Commissioning healthcare for people with long term conditions: the persistence of relational contracting in England's NHS quasi-market.

PubMed

Porter, Alison; Mays, Nicholas; Shaw, Sara E; Rosen, Rebecca; Smith, Judith

2013-01-01

Since 1991, there has been a series of reforms of the English National Health Service (NHS) entailing an increasing separation between the commissioners of services and a widening range of public and independent sector providers able to compete for contracts to provide services to NHS patients. We examine the extent to which local commissioners had adopted a market-oriented (transactional) model of commissioning of care for people with long term conditions several years into the latest period of market-oriented reform. The paper also considers the factors that may have inhibited or supported market-oriented behaviour, including the presence of conditions conducive to a health care quasi-market. We studied the commissioning of services for people with three long term conditions - diabetes, stroke and dementia - in three English primary care trust (PCT) areas over two years (2010-12). We took a broadly ethnographic approach to understanding the day-to-day practice of commissioning. Data were collected through interviews, observation of meetings and from documents. In contrast to a transactional, market-related approach organised around commissioner choice of provider and associated contracting, commissioning was largely relational, based on trust and collaboration with incumbent providers. There was limited sign of commissioners significantly challenging providers, changing providers, or decommissioning services.In none of the service areas were all the conditions for a well functioning quasi-market in health care in place. Choice of provider was generally absent or limited; information on demand and resource requirements was highly imperfect; motivations were complex; and transaction costs uncertain, but likely to be high. It was difficult to divide care into neat units for contracting purposes. As a result, it is scarcely surprising that commissioning practice in relation to all six commissioning developments was dominated by a relational approach. Our findings challenge the notion of a strict separation of commissioners and providers, and instead demonstrate the adaptive persistence of relational commissioning based on continuity of provision, trust and interdependence between commissioners and providers, at least for services for people with long-term conditions.

Commissioning healthcare for people with long term conditions: the persistence of relational contracting in England’s NHS quasi-market

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Since 1991, there has been a series of reforms of the English National Health Service (NHS) entailing an increasing separation between the commissioners of services and a widening range of public and independent sector providers able to compete for contracts to provide services to NHS patients. We examine the extent to which local commissioners had adopted a market-oriented (transactional) model of commissioning of care for people with long term conditions several years into the latest period of market-oriented reform. The paper also considers the factors that may have inhibited or supported market-oriented behaviour, including the presence of conditions conducive to a health care quasi-market. Methods We studied the commissioning of services for people with three long term conditions - diabetes, stroke and dementia - in three English primary care trust (PCT) areas over two years (2010-12). We took a broadly ethnographic approach to understanding the day-to-day practice of commissioning. Data were collected through interviews, observation of meetings and from documents. Results In contrast to a transactional, market-related approach organised around commissioner choice of provider and associated contracting, commissioning was largely relational, based on trust and collaboration with incumbent providers. There was limited sign of commissioners significantly challenging providers, changing providers, or decommissioning services. In none of the service areas were all the conditions for a well functioning quasi-market in health care in place. Choice of provider was generally absent or limited; information on demand and resource requirements was highly imperfect; motivations were complex; and transaction costs uncertain, but likely to be high. It was difficult to divide care into neat units for contracting purposes. As a result, it is scarcely surprising that commissioning practice in relation to all six commissioning developments was dominated by a relational approach. Conclusions Our findings challenge the notion of a strict separation of commissioners and providers, and instead demonstrate the adaptive persistence of relational commissioning based on continuity of provision, trust and interdependence between commissioners and providers, at least for services for people with long-term conditions. PMID:23735008

Microstructure of Al2O3 scales formed on NiCrAl alloys. Ph.D. Thesis - Case Western Reserve Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smialek, J. L.

1981-01-01

The structure of transient scales formed on pure and Y or Zr-doped Ni-15Cr-13Al alloys oxidized for 0.1 hr at 1100 C was studied by the use of transmission electron microscopy. Crystallographically oriented scales were found on all three alloys, but especially for the Zr-doped NiCrAl. The oriented scales consisted of alpha-(Al,Cr)2O3, Ni(Al,Cr)2O4 and gamma-Al2O3. They were often found in intimate contact with each other such that the close-packed planes and directions of one oxide phase were aligned with those of another. The prominent structural features of the oriented scales were approximately equal to micrometer subgrains; voids, antiphase domain boundaries and aligned precipitates were also prevalent. Randomly oriented alpha-Al2O3 was also found and was the only oxide ever observed at the immediate oxide metal interface. These approximately 0.15 micrometer grains were populated by intragranular voids which decreased in size and number towards the oxide metal interface. A sequence of oxidation was proposed in which the composition of the growing scale changed from oriented oxides rich in Ni and Cr to oriented oxides rich in Al. At the same time the structure changed from cubic spinels to hexagonal corundums with apparent precipitates of one phase in the matrix of the other. Eventually randomly oriented pure alpha-Al2O3 formed as the stable oxide with an abrupt transition: there was no gradual loss of orientation, no gradual compositional change or no gradual decrease in precipitate density.

Gender in relation to work motivation, satisfaction and use of day center services among people with psychiatric disabilities.

PubMed

Eklund, Mona; Eklund, Lisa

2017-05-01

Day centres can prepare for open-market employment, and attendees' work motivation is key in this. Adopting a gender perspective, this study investigated (1) motivation for day centre attendance, satisfaction with the day centre services, number of hours spent there, and number and type of occupations performed; and (2) whether those factors were related with motivation for open-market employment. Women (n = 164) and men (n = 160) with psychiatric disabilities completed self-report questionnaires. There were no gender differences regarding satisfaction with the day centre services or number of hours spent there, but women engaged in more occupations. More women than men performed externally-oriented services and textile work, while men were in the majority in workshops. Externally oriented services, working in workshops, and low satisfaction with the day centre services were associated with higher motivation for employment. Women and men were equally motivated for employment. Women scored higher on motivation for attending the day centre, something that may deter transition into open-market employment. For men, less motivation for attending day centres may reduce their possibilities of gaining skills that can facilitate transitioning to open-market employment. Thus, the possibility for transitioning from day centre activities to open-market employment may be gendered.

A Framework to Move Forward on the Path to Eco-innovation in the Construction Industry: Implications to Improve Firms' Sustainable Orientation.

PubMed

Segarra-Oña, María-del-Val; Peiró-Signes, Angel; Cervelló-Royo, Roberto

2015-12-01

This paper examines key aspects in the innovative behavior of the construction firms that determine their environmental orientation while innovating. Structural equation modeling was used and data of 222 firms retrieved from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for 2010 to analyse the drivers of environmental orientation of the construction firms during the innovation process. The results show that the environmental orientation is positively affected by the product and process orientation of construction firms during the innovation process. Furthermore, the positive relation between the importance of market information sources and environmental orientation, mediated by process and product orientation, is discussed. Finally, a model that explains these relations is proposed and validated. Results have important managerial implications for those companies worried about their eco-innovative focus as the types of actions and relations within firms most suitable for improving their eco-innovative orientation are highlighted.

Scaling and predictability in stock markets: a comparative study.

PubMed

Zhang, Huishu; Wei, Jianrong; Huang, Jiping

2014-01-01

Most people who invest in stock markets want to be rich, thus, many technical methods have been created to beat the market. If one knows the predictability of the price series in different markets, it would be easier for him/her to make the technical analysis, at least to some extent. Here we use one of the most basic sold-and-bought trading strategies to establish the profit landscape, and then calculate the parameters to characterize the strength of predictability. According to the analysis of scaling of the profit landscape, we find that the Chinese individual stocks are harder to predict than US ones, and the individual stocks are harder to predict than indexes in both Chinese stock market and US stock market. Since the Chinese (US) stock market is a representative of emerging (developed) markets, our comparative study on the markets of these two countries is of potential value not only for conducting technical analysis, but also for understanding physical mechanisms of different kinds of markets in terms of scaling.

Scaling and Predictability in Stock Markets: A Comparative Study

PubMed Central

Zhang, Huishu; Wei, Jianrong; Huang, Jiping

2014-01-01

Most people who invest in stock markets want to be rich, thus, many technical methods have been created to beat the market. If one knows the predictability of the price series in different markets, it would be easier for him/her to make the technical analysis, at least to some extent. Here we use one of the most basic sold-and-bought trading strategies to establish the profit landscape, and then calculate the parameters to characterize the strength of predictability. According to the analysis of scaling of the profit landscape, we find that the Chinese individual stocks are harder to predict than US ones, and the individual stocks are harder to predict than indexes in both Chinese stock market and US stock market. Since the Chinese (US) stock market is a representative of emerging (developed) markets, our comparative study on the markets of these two countries is of potential value not only for conducting technical analysis, but also for understanding physical mechanisms of different kinds of markets in terms of scaling. PMID:24632944

The Pacific Asian Countries: A Force for Growth in the Global Economy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clausen, A. W.

The market-oriented countries of Pacific Asia have been contributing to economic growth in the industrialized West. The market developing countries of East Asia have averaged economic growth of 7.5 percent a year over the last 20 years. The most prominent feature of their economic development has been rapid growth in manufactured exports, expanded…

Students as Customers in Higher Education: Reframing the Debate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guilbault, Melodi

2016-01-01

Even though marketing in higher education (HE) is well established, there is a continued debate about who the customer is, with many still not accepting that students should be viewed as customers in HE. The student as customer model has its opponents and proponents. This paper reframes the debate using the framework of market orientation,…

Customer Orientation in Higher Education: The Missing Link in International Student Recruitment? A Relationship Marketing Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vauterin, Johanna Julia; Linnanen, Lassi; Marttila, Esa

2011-01-01

This paper suggests that the service mindset of academia needs attention to ensure that the potential of university-industry linkages for creating value is used strategically in building advantage in the increasingly competitive market for international higher education. Universities should clearly articulate the value of the higher education-…

Chinese Education Policy in the Context of Decentralization and Marketization: Evolution and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngok, Kinglun

2007-01-01

Education policy has been undergoing great transformation in China since the initiation of economic reforms and the open-door policy in the late 1970s. These market-oriented reforms and the pursuit of rapid economic growth in a globalized economy have significantly impacted China's education policy and development. In line with the development of…

Returns on Vocational Education over the Life Cycle: Between Immediate Labour Market Preparation and Lifelong Employability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavrijsen, Jeroen; Nicaise, Ides

2017-01-01

An important issue in the design of secondary-level education is the balance between conveying general and occupation-specific (vocational) skills. On the one hand, vocationally oriented programmes, providing occupation-specific skills with immediate labour market relevance, have repeatedly been shown to secure safe pathways into employment. On…

"To Market, to Market": Exploring the Teaching-Learning Interface in Developing Intercultural Interactions from Textbook Activities--Crossing Languages and Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Anne-Marie; Mercurio, Nives

2011-01-01

In this paper we consider what happens at the "teaching-learning interface" in some Indonesian and Italian examples of classroom interactions within an intercultural orientation to languages teaching and learning. Using activities from textbooks as a starting point, we identify the underlying linguistic, cultural, and intercultural…

Spanish USA, 1984: A Study of the Hispanic Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yankelovich, Daniel; And Others

This report summarizes results of a 1984 study of the lifestyles, values, buying behavior, and media habits of the Hispanic American market. First, a number of shifts in U.S. political, social, and economic life (since 1981, when the first study of this type was conducted) which are changing the orientation of Hispanics are discussed. These shifts…

Understanding properties of commercial OSB products

Treesearch

Siqun Wang; Hongmei Gu; Trairat Neimsuwan

2004-01-01

Oriented strandboard (OSB) has gained increased market acceptance as a construction material in almost all geographical areas of Canada and United States. With its growing market, more and more research has been focused on the product’s manufacturing and performance. Commercial OSB products in U.S. and Canada are produced from different manufacturers with different...

Bridging Marketing Theory and Practice for Consumer Behaviour Master's Students: A Case Study from Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sundstrom, Malin; Hagberg, Johan

2010-01-01

This paper describes the planning, implementation and outcome of a graduate-level consumer behaviour course taught in autumn 2008 at the University of Boras in Sweden. The course was jointly developed by marketing academics and business representatives in order to combine research-oriented studies with practical experience in a retail context. The…

The Relevance of Aggression and the Aggression of Relevance: The Rise of the Accreditation Marketing Machine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowrie, Anthony

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how language functions to construct relevance at moments of articulation and how language functions as an aggressive marketing practice to promote a self-regulated (production-oriented) system of accreditation. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the political theory of Laclau and Lacanian…

Using a Multimedia Social Marketing Campaign to Increase Active Bystanders on the College Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potter, Sharyn J.

2012-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the campus-wide administration of the Know Your Power bystander-oriented social marketing campaign. Participants: Undergraduate students at a public college were invited to participate in a public awareness survey before and after the 6-week campaign administration in February and March 2009. Methods: Pretest and posttests…

On the colour of wing scales in butterflies: iridescence and preferred orientation of single gyroid photonic crystals

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Lycaenid butterflies from the genera Callophrys, Cyanophrys and Thecla have evolved remarkable biophotonic gyroid nanostructures within their wing scales that have only recently been replicated by nanoscale additive manufacturing. These nanostructures selectively reflect parts of the visible spectrum to give their characteristic non-iridescent, matte-green appearance, despite a distinct blue–green–yellow iridescence predicted for individual crystals from theory. It has been hypothesized that the organism must achieve its uniform appearance by growing crystals with some restrictions on the possible distribution of orientations, yet preferential orientation observed in Callophrys rubi confirms that this distribution need not be uniform. By analysing scanning electron microscope and optical images of 912 crystals in three wing scales, we find no preference for their rotational alignment in the plane of the scales. However, crystal orientation normal to the scale was highly correlated to their colour at low (conical) angles of view and illumination. This correlation enabled the use of optical images, each containing up to 104–105 crystals, for concluding the preferential alignment seen along the at the level of single scales, appears ubiquitous. By contrast, orientations were found to occur at no greater rate than that expected by chance. Above a critical cone angle, all crystals reflected bright green light indicating the dominant light scattering is due to the predicted band gap along the direction, independent of the domain orientation. Together with the natural variation in scale and wing shapes, we can readily understand the detailed mechanism of uniform colour production and iridescence suppression in these butterflies. It appears that the combination of preferential alignment normal to the wing scale, and uniform distribution within the plane is a near optimal solution for homogenizing the angular distribution of the band gap relative to the wings. Finally, the distributions of orientations, shapes, sizes and degree of order of crystals within single scales provide useful insights for understanding the mechanisms at play in the formation of these biophotonic nanostructures. PMID:28630678

Markets and medical care: the United States, 1993-2005.

PubMed

White, Joseph

2007-09-01

Many studies arguing for or against markets to finance medical care investigate "market-oriented" measures such as cost sharing. This article looks at the experience in the American medical marketplace over more than a decade, showing how markets function as institutions in which participants who are self-seeking, but not perfectly rational, exercise power over other participants in the market. Cost experience here was driven more by market power over prices than by management of utilization. Instead of following any logic of efficiency or equity, system transformations were driven by beliefs about investment strategies. At least in the United States' labor and capital markets, competition has shown little ability to rationalize health care systems because its goals do not resemble those of the health care system most people want.

Quantifying Stock Return Distributions in Financial Markets

PubMed Central

Botta, Federico; Moat, Helen Susannah; Stanley, H. Eugene; Preis, Tobias

2015-01-01

Being able to quantify the probability of large price changes in stock markets is of crucial importance in understanding financial crises that affect the lives of people worldwide. Large changes in stock market prices can arise abruptly, within a matter of minutes, or develop across much longer time scales. Here, we analyze a dataset comprising the stocks forming the Dow Jones Industrial Average at a second by second resolution in the period from January 2008 to July 2010 in order to quantify the distribution of changes in market prices at a range of time scales. We find that the tails of the distributions of logarithmic price changes, or returns, exhibit power law decays for time scales ranging from 300 seconds to 3600 seconds. For larger time scales, we find that the distributions tails exhibit exponential decay. Our findings may inform the development of models of market behavior across varying time scales. PMID:26327593

Quantifying Stock Return Distributions in Financial Markets.

PubMed

Botta, Federico; Moat, Helen Susannah; Stanley, H Eugene; Preis, Tobias

2015-01-01

Being able to quantify the probability of large price changes in stock markets is of crucial importance in understanding financial crises that affect the lives of people worldwide. Large changes in stock market prices can arise abruptly, within a matter of minutes, or develop across much longer time scales. Here, we analyze a dataset comprising the stocks forming the Dow Jones Industrial Average at a second by second resolution in the period from January 2008 to July 2010 in order to quantify the distribution of changes in market prices at a range of time scales. We find that the tails of the distributions of logarithmic price changes, or returns, exhibit power law decays for time scales ranging from 300 seconds to 3600 seconds. For larger time scales, we find that the distributions tails exhibit exponential decay. Our findings may inform the development of models of market behavior across varying time scales.

Trading leads to scale-free self-organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, M.; Paul, W.

2012-12-01

Financial markets display scale-free behavior in many different aspects. The power-law behavior of part of the distribution of individual wealth has been recognized by Pareto as early as the nineteenth century. Heavy-tailed and scale-free behavior of the distribution of returns of different financial assets have been confirmed in a series of works. The existence of a Pareto-like distribution of the wealth of market participants has been connected with the scale-free distribution of trading volumes and price-returns. The origin of the Pareto-like wealth distribution, however, remained obscure. Here we show that in a market where the imbalance of supply and demand determines the direction of prize changes, it is the process of trading itself that spontaneously leads to a self-organization of the market with a Pareto-like wealth distribution for the market participants and at the same time to a scale-free behavior of return fluctuations and trading volume distributions.

Skin care for men and its marketing.

PubMed

Schlessinger, Joel

2007-01-01

Male patients may be the forgotten consumer when it comes to cosmetics. There are many procedures that are marketed to men and can be successful, including laser hair removal, liposuction, Botox and fillers. With appropriate marketing efforts, the introduction and integration of a male-oriented cosmetic product branch within a practice can be effectively established. Methods of marketing include in-house efforts as well as media placements that allow male and female ads to be essentially co-promoted and potentially solitary ads aimed toward cosmetic sales. Various product types and problem-related cosmetic information is given in this article.

Marketing: a flawed concept when applied to health care?

PubMed

Young, A P

Since the introduction of a marketing orientation to the NHS in 1990, arguments continue to abound as to the extent and success of the internal market. This article identifies where and how the market is operating and explores the inherent difficulties of using this model, both ethically and economically. The dangers of increasing inequality, social manipulation, continuing cost pressures, loss of professional autonomy and restricted professional collaboration have to be balanced against the potential value of marketing on performance measures and a more responsive service. The article concludes that marketing needs to be tailored to the particular culture of the NHS rather than copied from the private sector and should emphasize client needs, integrated planning, good communication and the development of agreed quality indicators.

Development and implementation of a GEOGLAM Crop Monitor web interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliva, P.; Sanchez, A.; Humber, M. L.; Becker-Reshef, I.; Justice, C. J.; McGaughey, K.; Barker, B.

2016-12-01

Beginning in September 2013, the GEOGLAM Crop Monitor activity has provided earth observation (EO) data to a network of partners and collected crop assessments on a subnational basis through a web interface known as the Crop Assessment Tool. Based on the collection of monthly crop assessments, a monthly crop condition bulletin is published in the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) Market Monitor report. This workflow has been successfully applied to food security applications through the Early Warning Crop Monitor activity. However, a lack of timely and accurate information on crop conditions and prospects at the national scale is a critical issue in the majority of southern and eastern African countries and some South American countries. Such information is necessary for informed and prompt decision making in the face of emergencies, food insecurity and planning requirements for agricultural markets. This project addresses these needs through the development of relevant, user-friendly remote sensing monitor systems, collaborative internet technology, and collaboration with national and regional agricultural monitoring networks. By building on current projects and relationships established through the various GEOGLAM Crop Monitor activities, this project aims to ultimately provide EO-informed crop condition maps and charts designed for economics and policy oriented audiences, thereby providing quick and easy to understand products on crop conditions as the season progresses. Integrating these data and assessments vertically throughout the system provides a basis for regional sharing and collaboration in food security applications.

Measuring Alcohol Marketing Engagement: The Development and Psychometric Properties of the Alcohol Marketing Engagement Scale.

PubMed

Robertson, Angela; Morse, David T; Hood, Kristina; Walker, Courtney

Ample evidence exists in support of the influence of media, both traditional and electronic, on perceptions and engagement with alcohol marketing. We describe the development, calibration, and evidence for technical quality and utility for a new measure, the Alcohol Marketing Engagement Scale. Using two samples of college undergraduates (n1 = 199, n2 = 732), we collected field test responses to a total of 13 items. Initial support for scale validity is presented via correlations with attributes previously shown to be related to alcohol engagement. While the joint map of estimated scale locations of items and respondents indicates the need for further scale development, the results of the present analyses are promising. Implications for use in research are discussed.

Circumnuclear Structures in Megamaser Host Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pjanka, Patryk; Greene, Jenny E.; Seth, Anil C.; Braatz, James A.; Henkel, Christian; Lo, Fred K. Y.; Läsker, Ronald

2017-08-01

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, we identify circumnuclear (100-500 pc scale) structures in nine new H2O megamaser host galaxies to understand the flow of matter from kpc-scale galactic structures down to the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at galactic centers. We double the sample analyzed in a similar way by Greene et al. and consider the properties of the combined sample of 18 sources. We find that disk-like structure is virtually ubiquitous when we can resolve <200 pc scales, in support of the notion that non-axisymmetries on these scales are a necessary condition for SMBH fueling. We perform an analysis of the orientation of our identified nuclear regions and compare it with the orientation of megamaser disks and the kpc-scale disks of the hosts. We find marginal evidence that the disk-like nuclear structures show increasing misalignment from the kpc-scale host galaxy disk as the scale of the structure decreases. In turn, we find that the orientation of both the ˜100 pc scale nuclear structures and their host galaxy large-scale disks is consistent with random with respect to the orientation of their respective megamaser disks.

Affinity for Quantitative Tools: Undergraduate Marketing Students Moving beyond Quantitative Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarasi, Crina O.; Wilson, J. Holton; Puri, Cheenu; Divine, Richard L.

2013-01-01

Marketing students are known as less likely to have an affinity for the quantitative aspects of the marketing discipline. In this article, we study the reasons why this might be true and develop a parsimonious 20-item scale for measuring quantitative affinity in undergraduate marketing students. The scale was administered to a sample of business…

Simple and accurate temperature correction for moisture pin calibrations in oriented strand board

Treesearch

Charles Boardman; Samuel V. Glass; Patricia K. Lebow

2017-01-01

Oriented strand board (OSB) is commonly used in the residential construction market in North America and its moisture-related durability is a critical consideration for building envelope design. Measurement of OSB moisture content (MC), a key determinant of durability, is often done using moisture pins and relies on a correlation between MC and the electrical...

Improving strand quality of upland oaks for use in oriented strand board

Treesearch

David B. DeValliance; Jody D. Gray; Shawn T. Grushecky

2013-01-01

Past research estimates that more than 1 million tons of oak logging residues go unused in West Virginia each year. Much research has been done investigating potential products and markets for this underutilized resource. West Virginia is home to an oriented strand board (OSB) producer that consumes large volumes of small diameter, low quality round wood. However, the...

Transitioning from Marketing-Oriented Design to User-Oriented Design: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laster, Shari; Stitz, Tammy; Bove, Frank J.; Wise, Casey

2011-01-01

The transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. In this case study, a library at a large research university hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university's Web site using dotCMS, an open-source content management system. The…

Market policy as an innovative element of marketing in the Romanian healthcare services - an approach focused on the patient.

PubMed

Coculescu, B I; Coculescu, E C; Radu, A; Petrescu, L; Purcărea, V L

2015-01-01

The orientation towards one of the marketing policies with a major impact in organizations providing healthcare services, requires a careful analysis of the needs and aspirations of customers, targeting those patients whose needs the service organization can achieve through the existing resources at the respective health facility, finding the most effective way of achieving benefits associated with reduced costs to maximizing profits, placing the offers for medical services required by the patients on the market, as well as promptly reacting and acting to the changes of health services market which is constantly evolving through a flexible organizing and functioning structure, connected to the financial needs of the patients.

Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) links biodiversity conservation with sustainable improvements in livelihoods and food production

PubMed Central

Lewis, Dale; Bell, Samuel D.; Fay, John; Bothi, Kim L.; Gatere, Lydiah; Kabila, Makando; Mukamba, Mwangala; Matokwani, Edwin; Mushimbalume, Matthews; Moraru, Carmen I.; Lehmann, Johannes; Lassoie, James; Wolfe, David; Lee, David R.; Buck, Louise; Travis, Alexander J.

2011-01-01

In the Luangwa Valley, Zambia, persistent poverty and hunger present linked challenges to rural development and biodiversity conservation. Both household coping strategies and larger-scale economic development efforts have caused severe natural resource degradation that limits future economic opportunities and endangers ecosystem services. A model based on a business infrastructure has been developed to promote and maintain sustainable agricultural and natural resource management practices, leading to direct and indirect conservation outcomes. The Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) model operates primarily with communities surrounding national parks, strengthening conservation benefits produced by these protected areas. COMACO first identifies the least food-secure households and trains them in sustainable agricultural practices that minimize threats to natural resources while meeting household needs. In addition, COMACO identifies people responsible for severe natural resource depletion and trains them to generate alternative income sources. In an effort to maintain compliance with these practices, COMACO provides extension support and access to high-value markets that would otherwise be inaccessible to participants. Because the model is continually evolving via adaptive management, success or failure of the model as a whole is difficult to quantify at this early stage. We therefore test specific hypotheses and present data documenting the stabilization of previously declining wildlife populations; the meeting of thresholds of productivity that give COMACO access to stable, high-value markets and progress toward economic self-sufficiency; and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by participants and other community members. Together, these findings describe a unique, business-oriented model for poverty alleviation, food production, and biodiversity conservation. PMID:21873184

Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) links biodiversity conservation with sustainable improvements in livelihoods and food production.

PubMed

Lewis, Dale; Bell, Samuel D; Fay, John; Bothi, Kim L; Gatere, Lydiah; Kabila, Makando; Mukamba, Mwangala; Matokwani, Edwin; Mushimbalume, Matthews; Moraru, Carmen I; Lehmann, Johannes; Lassoie, James; Wolfe, David; Lee, David R; Buck, Louise; Travis, Alexander J

2011-08-23

In the Luangwa Valley, Zambia, persistent poverty and hunger present linked challenges to rural development and biodiversity conservation. Both household coping strategies and larger-scale economic development efforts have caused severe natural resource degradation that limits future economic opportunities and endangers ecosystem services. A model based on a business infrastructure has been developed to promote and maintain sustainable agricultural and natural resource management practices, leading to direct and indirect conservation outcomes. The Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) model operates primarily with communities surrounding national parks, strengthening conservation benefits produced by these protected areas. COMACO first identifies the least food-secure households and trains them in sustainable agricultural practices that minimize threats to natural resources while meeting household needs. In addition, COMACO identifies people responsible for severe natural resource depletion and trains them to generate alternative income sources. In an effort to maintain compliance with these practices, COMACO provides extension support and access to high-value markets that would otherwise be inaccessible to participants. Because the model is continually evolving via adaptive management, success or failure of the model as a whole is difficult to quantify at this early stage. We therefore test specific hypotheses and present data documenting the stabilization of previously declining wildlife populations; the meeting of thresholds of productivity that give COMACO access to stable, high-value markets and progress toward economic self-sufficiency; and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by participants and other community members. Together, these findings describe a unique, business-oriented model for poverty alleviation, food production, and biodiversity conservation.

Orientation decoding: Sense in spirals?

PubMed

Clifford, Colin W G; Mannion, Damien J

2015-04-15

The orientation of a visual stimulus can be successfully decoded from the multivariate pattern of fMRI activity in human visual cortex. Whether this capacity requires coarse-scale orientation biases is controversial. We and others have advocated the use of spiral stimuli to eliminate a potential coarse-scale bias-the radial bias toward local orientations that are collinear with the centre of gaze-and hence narrow down the potential coarse-scale biases that could contribute to orientation decoding. The usefulness of this strategy is challenged by the computational simulations of Carlson (2014), who reported the ability to successfully decode spirals of opposite sense (opening clockwise or counter-clockwise) from the pooled output of purportedly unbiased orientation filters. Here, we elaborate the mathematical relationship between spirals of opposite sense to confirm that they cannot be discriminated on the basis of the pooled output of unbiased or radially biased orientation filters. We then demonstrate that Carlson's (2014) reported decoding ability is consistent with the presence of inadvertent biases in the set of orientation filters; biases introduced by their digital implementation and unrelated to the brain's processing of orientation. These analyses demonstrate that spirals must be processed with an orientation bias other than the radial bias for successful decoding of spiral sense. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kinship and the decline of fertility.

PubMed

Zhou, Y

1996-01-01

China's family planning and population control policies, together with the move toward a more market-oriented economy since the 1980s, have led to significant change in people's reproductive values and behavior and a substantial decline in fertility. Traditional kinship in China, its terminology, and the impact of fertility decline on kinship in China and Chinese society are discussed. The decline in fertility is affecting or will affect China's kinship system, the corresponding pattern of terminology, and the social structure. In the more market-oriented economy which has been developing in China, the simplification of the kinship system will help change the structure of Chinese society and weaken the traditional patriarchal culture. A more individualized, contractualized social structure and relationships will result.

OSB as substrate for engineered wood flooring

Treesearch

Costel Barbuta; Pierre Blanchet; Alain Cloutier; Vikram Yadama; Eini Lowell

2012-01-01

Oriented strand board (OSB) is a commodity product subject to market fluctuation. Development of a specialty OSB could lead to a better, and more stable, market segment for OSB. It was demonstrated in a previous study (Barbuta et al. in Eur. 1. Wood Prod. 2010), that OSB may be designed to obtain a high bending modulus of elasticity in the parallel direction, close to...

The New Youth Entrepreneur: How To Sell Your Idea. The "What's in It for Me" (WIIFM) Factor. Module 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kourilsky, Marilyn; And Others

The New Youth Entrepreneur currriculum is a series of 12 youth-oriented educational modules containing instructional materials, learning activities, and checkup exercises designed to teach students key elements of entrepreneurship. This document is the fourth module, which focuses on issues related to marketing, such as market niches and research,…

The Role Of The Military In Myanmars Political Economy

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

particular forms of market intervention.111 The performance of these Asian economies demonstrated an alternative to both the laissez - faire and socialist... leadership , socialist and militaristic institutions became ingrained in Myanmar’s political economy while the development of market-oriented institutions...leaders’ colonial experience. Under the Tatmadaw’s leadership , socialist and militaristic institutions became ingrained in Myanmar’s political economy

From Plan to Market: Teaching Ideas for Social Studies, Economics, and Business Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schug, Mark C.; Lopus, Jane S.; Morton, John S.

This packet of lessons focuses on the transition from a legacy of central planning to a market orientation in the economic systems of Central and Eastern Europe, the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, and China. These lessons seek to provide high school teachers with a well-informed approach to teaching about this transition. The…

The Spiral Gallery: Non-Market Creativity and Belonging in an Australian Country Town

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waitt, Gordon; Gibson, Chris

2013-01-01

This paper seeks to explore creative practice in an Australian country town, and in so doing, to unsettle market-orientated interpretations of creativity that privilege the urban. Instead of focusing on creative practice as a means to develop industries, we focus on how creativity is a means to establish a cooperative gallery space that helps to…

The Social Practice of Sustainable Agriculture under Audit Discipline: Initial Insights from the ARGOS Project in New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Hugh; Rosin, Christopher; Hunt, Lesley; Fairweather, John

2012-01-01

One of the most interesting recent developments in global agri-food systems has been the rapid emergence and elaboration of market audit systems claiming environmental qualities or sustainability. In New Zealand, as a strongly export-oriented, high-value food producer, these environmental market audit systems have emerged as an important pathway…

The Implications of School Marketisation for Students Enrolled on Introductory Programmes in Swedish Upper Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dovemark, Marianne; Arreman, Inger Erixon

2017-01-01

Sweden has, like most countries, transformed its educational system with the aim of increasing the economic productivity of its citizens. Nowadays, it has one of the world's most market-oriented school systems, including few hindrances for new free-school actors. Swedish students have thus become commodities in a competitive school market. The aim…

Perceptions of Turkish dentists of their professional identity in a market-orientated system.

PubMed

Ocek, Zeliha Asli; Vatansever, Kevser

2014-01-01

This study explores the perceptions of Turkish dentists of their professional identity and of the effects of market orientation in dentistry. This phenomenological study used a qualitative approach using a group of Turkish dentists, who were selected based on the principle of maximum variation. Four focus groups and 31 in-depth interviews were conducted. Forty-nine dentists were interviewed using a semi-structured form. The data analysis yielded three themes: (a) dentistry as a business; (b) dentistry as a profession; and (c) professional status of dentistry in the health care system and in the community. The participants' statements reflected that the dominance of market mechanisms in dentistry inevitably forces dentists to adopt the characteristics of a business person and prevents them from fulfilling the basic requirements of professionalism. All participants explained that with the transformation of the dental care market, dentists have become a cheap labor force and have lost their professional autonomy. Our study has confirmed previous reports pointing out the conflict between dentistry as a profession and dentistry as a commercial operation. The study also showed that in Turkey, as a country experiencing rapid reform processes, dentists' control over their professional practices and identities has decreased.

Consumer oriented product noise testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blomberg, Les

2005-09-01

This paper explores the need for product noise measurements and how best to meet that need in the near future. Currently there is only a small market place for quieter consumer products. This is not because of lack of interest. No one really wants to announce to everyone in their house that they just flushed the toilet, few really want the entire neighborhood to know they are mowing their yard, etc. The small market place is primarily due to a lack of regulations on product noise, a lack of information easily available to consumers about which products are quieter, and market consolidation resulting in fewer manufacturers, most of whom are unwilling to emphasize their quieter products at the risk of eroding sales of their noisier ones (that currently have greater market share). In the absence of the EPA fulfilling its statutory requirement to regulate and label product noise under the Noise Control Act of 1972, and with the unwillingness of most industries to voluntarily publish accurate product noise data, there is a significant role for ``Consumer Oriented Product Noise Testing.'' This paper explores the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse's ongoing and planned product noise testing, evaluating its advantages, disadvantages, and limitations.

Spatial scale and distribution of neurovascular signals underlying decoding of orientation and eye of origin from fMRI data

PubMed Central

Harrison, Charlotte; Jackson, Jade; Oh, Seung-Mock; Zeringyte, Vaida

2016-01-01

Multivariate pattern analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is widely used, yet the spatial scales and origin of neurovascular signals underlying such analyses remain unclear. We compared decoding performance for stimulus orientation and eye of origin from fMRI measurements in human visual cortex with predictions based on the columnar organization of each feature and estimated the spatial scales of patterns driving decoding. Both orientation and eye of origin could be decoded significantly above chance in early visual areas (V1–V3). Contrary to predictions based on a columnar origin of response biases, decoding performance for eye of origin in V2 and V3 was not significantly lower than that in V1, nor did decoding performance for orientation and eye of origin differ significantly. Instead, response biases for both features showed large-scale organization, evident as a radial bias for orientation, and a nasotemporal bias for eye preference. To determine whether these patterns could drive classification, we quantified the effect on classification performance of binning voxels according to visual field position. Consistent with large-scale biases driving classification, binning by polar angle yielded significantly better decoding performance for orientation than random binning in V1–V3. Similarly, binning by hemifield significantly improved decoding performance for eye of origin. Patterns of orientation and eye preference bias in V2 and V3 showed a substantial degree of spatial correlation with the corresponding patterns in V1, suggesting that response biases in these areas originate in V1. Together, these findings indicate that multivariate classification results need not reflect the underlying columnar organization of neuronal response selectivities in early visual areas. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Large-scale response biases can account for decoding of orientation and eye of origin in human early visual areas V1–V3. For eye of origin this pattern is a nasotemporal bias; for orientation it is a radial bias. Differences in decoding performance across areas and stimulus features are not well predicted by differences in columnar-scale organization of each feature. Large-scale biases in extrastriate areas are spatially correlated with those in V1, suggesting biases originate in primary visual cortex. PMID:27903637

The measurement of threat orientations.

PubMed

Thompson, Suzanne C; Schlehofer, Michèle M; Bovin, Michelle J

2006-01-01

To develop measures of 3 threat orientations that affect responses to health behavior messages. In Study 1, college students (N = 47) completed items assessing threat orientations and health behaviors. In Study 2, college students and community adults (N = 110) completed the threat orientation items and measures of convergent and discriminant validity. In Study 1, the control-based, denial-based, and heightened-sensitivity-based threat orientation scales demonstrated good internal consistency and correlated with engagement in health behaviors. In Study 2, the convergent and discriminant validity of the 3 measures was established. The 3 scales have good internal reliability and construct validity.

Factors Affecting Intention to Use in Social Networking Sites: An Empirical Study on Thai Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jairak, Rath; Sahakhunchai, Napath; Jairak, Kallaya; Praneetpolgrang, Prasong

This research aims to explore the factors that affect the intention to use in Social Networking Sites (SNS). We apply the theory of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), intrinsic motivation, and trust properties to develop the theoretical framework for SNS users' intention. The results show that the important factors influencing SNS users' intention for general purpose and collaborative learning are task-oriented, pleasure-oriented, and familiarity-based trust. In marketing usage, dispositional trust and pleasure-oriented are two main factors that reflect intention to use in SNS.

Awareness and Perceptions of Food Safety Risks and Risk Management in Poultry Production and Slaughter: A Qualitative Study of Direct-Market Poultry Producers in Maryland.

PubMed

Baron, Patrick; Frattaroli, Shannon

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to document and understand the perceptions and opinions of small-scale poultry producers who market directly to consumers about microbial food safety risks in the poultry supply chain. Between January and November 2014, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of 16 owner-operators of Maryland direct-market commercial poultry farms. Three overarching thematic categories emerged from these interviews that describe: 1) characteristics of Maryland direct-market poultry production and processing; 2) microbial food safety risk awareness and risk management in small-scale poultry production, slaughter and processing; and 3) motivations for prioritizing food safety in the statewide direct-market poultry supply chain. Key informants provided valuable insights on many topics relevant to evaluating microbial food safety in the Maryland direct-market poultry supply chain, including: direct-market poultry production and processing practices and models, perspectives on issues related to food safety risk management, perspectives on direct-market agriculture economics and marketing strategies, and ideas for how to enhance food safety at the direct-market level of the Maryland poultry supply chain. The findings have policy implications and provide insights into food safety in small-scale commercial poultry production, processing, distribution and retail. In addition, the findings will inform future food safety research on the small-scale US poultry supply chain.

Multiscale sample entropy and cross-sample entropy based on symbolic representation and similarity of stock markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yue; Shang, Pengjian; Li, Yilong

2018-03-01

A modified multiscale sample entropy measure based on symbolic representation and similarity (MSEBSS) is proposed in this paper to research the complexity of stock markets. The modified algorithm reduces the probability of inducing undefined entropies and is confirmed to be robust to strong noise. Considering the validity and accuracy, MSEBSS is more reliable than Multiscale entropy (MSE) for time series mingled with much noise like financial time series. We apply MSEBSS to financial markets and results show American stock markets have the lowest complexity compared with European and Asian markets. There are exceptions to the regularity that stock markets show a decreasing complexity over the time scale, indicating a periodicity at certain scales. Based on MSEBSS, we introduce the modified multiscale cross-sample entropy measure based on symbolic representation and similarity (MCSEBSS) to consider the degree of the asynchrony between distinct time series. Stock markets from the same area have higher synchrony than those from different areas. And for stock markets having relative high synchrony, the entropy values will decrease with the increasing scale factor. While for stock markets having high asynchrony, the entropy values will not decrease with the increasing scale factor sometimes they tend to increase. So both MSEBSS and MCSEBSS are able to distinguish stock markets of different areas, and they are more helpful if used together for studying other features of financial time series.

Tests of nonuniversality of the stock return distributions in an emerging market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, Guo-Hua; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2010-12-01

There is convincing evidence showing that the probability distributions of stock returns in mature markets exhibit power-law tails and both the positive and negative tails conform to the inverse cubic law. It supports the possibility that the tail exponents are universal at least for mature markets in the sense that they do not depend on stock market, industry sector, and market capitalization. We investigate the distributions of intraday returns at different time scales ( Δt=1 , 5, 15, and 30 min) of all the A-share stocks traded in the Chinese stock market, which is the largest emerging market in the world. We find that the returns can be well fitted by the q -Gaussian distribution and the tails have power-law relaxations with the exponents increasing with Δt and being well outside the Lévy stable regime for individual stocks. We provide statistically significant evidence showing that, at small time scales Δt<15min , the exponents logarithmically decrease with the turnover rate and increase with the market capitalization. When Δt>15min , no conclusive evidence is found for a possible dependence of the tail exponent on the turnover rate or the market capitalization. Our findings indicate that the intraday return distributions at small time scales are not universal in emerging stock markets but might be universal at large time scales.

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Social Achievement Goal Orientation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Yanhua; Zhu, Xiangru; Zhao, Guoxiang

2016-01-01

This study examined the validity of a Chinese version of the Social Achievement Goal Orientation Scale (C-SAGOS), a measure testing the trichotomous framework of achievement goal orientations in a social domain. A total of 208 college students (51% female) aged 18 to 23 participated in the study. Factor analyses showed that the three-factor model…

Comparison of prestellar core elongations and large-scale molecular cloud structures in the Lupus I region

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poidevin, Frédérick; Ade, Peter A. R.; Hargrave, Peter C.

2014-08-10

Turbulence and magnetic fields are expected to be important for regulating molecular cloud formation and evolution. However, their effects on sub-parsec to 100 parsec scales, leading to the formation of starless cores, are not well understood. We investigate the prestellar core structure morphologies obtained from analysis of the Herschel-SPIRE 350 μm maps of the Lupus I cloud. This distribution is first compared on a statistical basis to the large-scale shape of the main filament. We find the distribution of the elongation position angle of the cores to be consistent with a random distribution, which means no specific orientation of themore » morphology of the cores is observed with respect to the mean orientation of the large-scale filament in Lupus I, nor relative to a large-scale bent filament model. This distribution is also compared to the mean orientation of the large-scale magnetic fields probed at 350 μm with the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Telescope for Polarimetry during its 2010 campaign. Here again we do not find any correlation between the core morphology distribution and the average orientation of the magnetic fields on parsec scales. Our main conclusion is that the local filament dynamics—including secondary filaments that often run orthogonally to the primary filament—and possibly small-scale variations in the local magnetic field direction, could be the dominant factors for explaining the final orientation of each core.« less

The Structural and Functional Model of Development of Profession-Oriented and Specialized Competences of Students at Vocational and Pedagogical Higher Educational Establishments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzanov, Boris N.; Tarasyuk, Olga V.; Bashkova, Svetlana A.; Ustakova, Daria A.; Sotskova, Svetlana I.

2016-01-01

The topicality of the problem under study is based on requirements of the society and the shortage of teachers of vocational education on the labour market, aimed at successful vocational and pedagogical activities by means of the needed level of development of profession-oriented and specialized competences through self-development and…

[Customer orientation in ambulant medicine].

PubMed

Heinrich, M

2014-07-01

Due to developments of the health market, economic aspects of the health system are more relevant. In this upcoming market the patient is regarded as customer and the doctor as provider of medical services. Studies on customer orientation in the ambulant medicine lag behind this dynamic. An aim of the study is to comprehend the attitudes of the doctors referring to the customer orientation. In a second step the findings are discussed according to statements of health-care paticipants. Developments in role comprehension of doctor and patient are focused to gain results in scientific and practical applications. Guideline-supported, partly narrative interviews with n=9 gynaecologists and n=11 general practitioners in Freiburg/Germany are recorded, transcribed and reviewed in a qualitative analysis. The statements of the doctors show patient satisfaction has an incremental meaning sspecially regarding the sequence of patient relationship and economic management of the doctor's workplace. The doctor's role comprehension meets with a refusal of the role of salesman and the patient as customer. The method of interviews is suitable to gather empirical impressions of the doctors. The control sample is adequate, however a bias due to inhomogeneous thematic affinitiy and local social-demographics might be possible. The customer orientation has become an important factor in doctor-patient relationtships. The relevance of the doctor-patient conversation and the risk of misuse of the patient confidence are mentioned by the doctors. The doctor as paternalistic care provider gives way to the customer-focused service provider. The doctor's necessity of autonomyssss and dependency on patient satisfaction have potential for conflict. Intensive mention of customer orientation in medicine in the media emphasises its importance. Rational handling with the possibilities of individual health markets is a prospective challange. Further research could be established in all aspects of customer orientation, especially the changing relevance of ethical responsibility. An enlargement or comparison with other control samples (n>20, other medical subfields, structurally weak areas) could be illuminating. The results of this qualitative study can be used to develop quantitative inquiries. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

On the colour of wing scales in butterflies: iridescence and preferred orientation of single gyroid photonic crystals.

PubMed

Corkery, Robert W; Tyrode, Eric C

2017-08-06

Lycaenid butterflies from the genera Callophrys , Cyanophrys and Thecla have evolved remarkable biophotonic gyroid nanostructures within their wing scales that have only recently been replicated by nanoscale additive manufacturing. These nanostructures selectively reflect parts of the visible spectrum to give their characteristic non-iridescent, matte-green appearance, despite a distinct blue-green-yellow iridescence predicted for individual crystals from theory. It has been hypothesized that the organism must achieve its uniform appearance by growing crystals with some restrictions on the possible distribution of orientations, yet preferential orientation observed in Callophrys rubi confirms that this distribution need not be uniform. By analysing scanning electron microscope and optical images of 912 crystals in three wing scales, we find no preference for their rotational alignment in the plane of the scales. However, crystal orientation normal to the scale was highly correlated to their colour at low (conical) angles of view and illumination. This correlation enabled the use of optical images, each containing up to 10 4 -10 5 crystals, for concluding the preferential alignment seen along the [Formula: see text] at the level of single scales, appears ubiquitous. By contrast, [Formula: see text] orientations were found to occur at no greater rate than that expected by chance. Above a critical cone angle, all crystals reflected bright green light indicating the dominant light scattering is due to the predicted band gap along the [Formula: see text] direction, independent of the domain orientation. Together with the natural variation in scale and wing shapes, we can readily understand the detailed mechanism of uniform colour production and iridescence suppression in these butterflies. It appears that the combination of preferential alignment normal to the wing scale, and uniform distribution within the plane is a near optimal solution for homogenizing the angular distribution of the [Formula: see text] band gap relative to the wings. Finally, the distributions of orientations, shapes, sizes and degree of order of crystals within single scales provide useful insights for understanding the mechanisms at play in the formation of these biophotonic nanostructures.

Scaling and criticality in a stochastic multi-agent model of a financial market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lux, Thomas; Marchesi, Michele

1999-02-01

Financial prices have been found to exhibit some universal characteristics that resemble the scaling laws characterizing physical systems in which large numbers of units interact. This raises the question of whether scaling in finance emerges in a similar way - from the interactions of a large ensemble of market participants. However, such an explanation is in contradiction to the prevalent `efficient market hypothesis' in economics, which assumes that the movements of financial prices are an immediate and unbiased reflection of incoming news about future earning prospects. Within this hypothesis, scaling in price changes would simply reflect similar scaling in the `input' signals that influence them. Here we describe a multi-agent model of financial markets which supports the idea that scaling arises from mutual interactions of participants. Although the `news arrival process' in our model lacks both power-law scaling and any temporal dependence in volatility, we find that it generates such behaviour as a result of interactions between agents.

Orientation of airborne laser scanning point clouds with multi-view, multi-scale image blocks.

PubMed

Rönnholm, Petri; Hyyppä, Hannu; Hyyppä, Juha; Haggrén, Henrik

2009-01-01

Comprehensive 3D modeling of our environment requires integration of terrestrial and airborne data, which is collected, preferably, using laser scanning and photogrammetric methods. However, integration of these multi-source data requires accurate relative orientations. In this article, two methods for solving relative orientation problems are presented. The first method includes registration by minimizing the distances between of an airborne laser point cloud and a 3D model. The 3D model was derived from photogrammetric measurements and terrestrial laser scanning points. The first method was used as a reference and for validation. Having completed registration in the object space, the relative orientation between images and laser point cloud is known. The second method utilizes an interactive orientation method between a multi-scale image block and a laser point cloud. The multi-scale image block includes both aerial and terrestrial images. Experiments with the multi-scale image block revealed that the accuracy of a relative orientation increased when more images were included in the block. The orientations of the first and second methods were compared. The comparison showed that correct rotations were the most difficult to detect accurately by using the interactive method. Because the interactive method forces laser scanning data to fit with the images, inaccurate rotations cause corresponding shifts to image positions. However, in a test case, in which the orientation differences included only shifts, the interactive method could solve the relative orientation of an aerial image and airborne laser scanning data repeatedly within a couple of centimeters.

Orientation of Airborne Laser Scanning Point Clouds with Multi-View, Multi-Scale Image Blocks

PubMed Central

Rönnholm, Petri; Hyyppä, Hannu; Hyyppä, Juha; Haggrén, Henrik

2009-01-01

Comprehensive 3D modeling of our environment requires integration of terrestrial and airborne data, which is collected, preferably, using laser scanning and photogrammetric methods. However, integration of these multi-source data requires accurate relative orientations. In this article, two methods for solving relative orientation problems are presented. The first method includes registration by minimizing the distances between of an airborne laser point cloud and a 3D model. The 3D model was derived from photogrammetric measurements and terrestrial laser scanning points. The first method was used as a reference and for validation. Having completed registration in the object space, the relative orientation between images and laser point cloud is known. The second method utilizes an interactive orientation method between a multi-scale image block and a laser point cloud. The multi-scale image block includes both aerial and terrestrial images. Experiments with the multi-scale image block revealed that the accuracy of a relative orientation increased when more images were included in the block. The orientations of the first and second methods were compared. The comparison showed that correct rotations were the most difficult to detect accurately by using the interactive method. Because the interactive method forces laser scanning data to fit with the images, inaccurate rotations cause corresponding shifts to image positions. However, in a test case, in which the orientation differences included only shifts, the interactive method could solve the relative orientation of an aerial image and airborne laser scanning data repeatedly within a couple of centimeters. PMID:22454569

Curriculum Design Orientations Preference Scale of Teachers: Validity and Reliability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bas, Gokhan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale for preferences of teachers in regard of their curriculum design orientations. Because there was no scale development study similar to this one in Turkey, it was considered as an urgent need to develop such a scale in the study. The sample of the research consisted of 300…

A wavelet analysis of scaling laws and long-memory in stock market volatility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuorenmaa, Tommi A.

2005-05-01

This paper studies the time-varying behavior of scaling laws and long-memory. This is motivated by the earlier finding that in the FX markets a single scaling factor might not always be sufficient across all relevant timescales: a different region may exist for intradaily time-scales and for larger time-scales. In specific, this paper investigates (i) if different scaling regions appear in stock market as well, (ii) if the scaling factor systematically differs from the Brownian, (iii) if the scaling factor is constant in time, and (iv) if the behavior can be explained by the heterogenuity of the players in the market and/or by intraday volatility periodicity. Wavelet method is used because it delivers a multiresolution decomposition and has excellent local adaptiviness properties. As a consequence, a wavelet-based OLS method allows for consistent estimation of long-memory. Thus issues (i)-(iv) shed light on the magnitude and behavior of a long-memory parameter, as well. The data are the 5-minute volatility series of Nokia Oyj at the Helsinki Stock Exchange around the burst of the IT-bubble. Period one represents the era of "irrational exuberance" and another the time after it. The results show that different scaling regions (i.e. multiscaling) may appear in the stock markets and not only in the FX markets, the scaling factor and the long-memory parameter are systematically different from the Brownian and they do not have to be constant in time, and that the behavior can be explained for a significant part by an intraday volatility periodicity called the New York effect. This effect was magnified by the frenzy trading of short-term speculators in the bubble period. The found stronger long-memory is also attributable to irrational exuberance.

Market policy as an innovative element of marketing in the Romanian healthcare services – an approach focused on the patient

PubMed Central

Coculescu, BI; Coculescu, EC; Radu, A; Petrescu, L; Purcărea, VL

2015-01-01

The orientation towards one of the marketing policies with a major impact in organizations providing healthcare services, requires a careful analysis of the needs and aspirations of customers, targeting those patients whose needs the service organization can achieve through the existing resources at the respective health facility, finding the most effective way of achieving benefits associated with reduced costs to maximizing profits, placing the offers for medical services required by the patients on the market, as well as promptly reacting and acting to the changes of health services market which is constantly evolving through a flexible organizing and functioning structure, connected to the financial needs of the patients. PMID:26664466

Social marketing: the family planning experience.

PubMed

El-ansary, A I; Kramer Oe, J

1973-07-01

The authors explore social marketing applications in the Louisiana model of statewide program for family planning. The marketing concept has 4 major elements: 1) consumer orientation; 2) social process; 3) integrated effort; 4) profitable operation. Success of program and continued growth are the results of defining services needed by consumer; determining market target; taking services to customer; and emphasizing concept of selling family planning rather than giving free birth control method. Another important facet is the recognition of many participants--community agencies, the church, the American Medical Association, funding sources, and hospitals. This project used anyaltical marketing tools and defined services as human services rather than the narrow family planning services. It also extended activities to multinational environment and adapted the product offering to meet these needs.

The Returns to Education in China: Evidence from the 1986 Compulsory Education Law. NBER Working Paper No. 18189

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fang, Hai; Eggleston, Karen N.; Rizzo, John A.; Rozelle, Scott; Zeckhauser, Richard J.

2012-01-01

As China transforms from a socialist planned economy to a market-oriented economy, its returns to education are expected to rise to meet those found in middle-income established market economies. This study employs a plausible instrument for education: the China Compulsory Education Law of 1986. We use differences among provinces in the dates of…

The commodity terms of trade, unit roots, and nonlinear alternatives: a smooth transition approach

Treesearch

Barry K. Goodwin; Matthew T. Holt; Jeffrey P. Prestemon

2008-01-01

Market price dynamics for North American oriented strand board markets are examined.  Specifically, the role of transactions costs are examined vis-a-vis the law of one price. Weekly data for the January 3rd, 1995 through April 14th, 2006 period are used in the analysis. Nonlinearities induced by unobservable transactions costs are modelled by estimating smooth...

From Product- to Service-Oriented Strategies in the Enterprise Software Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xin, Mingdi

2009-01-01

The enterprise software market is seeing the rise of a new business model--selling Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), in which a standard piece of software is owned and managed remotely by the vendor and delivered as a service over the Internet. Despite the hype, questions remain regarding the rise of this new service model and how it would impact the…

Applications of the marketing perspective in nutrition education.

PubMed

Fleming, P L

1987-09-01

The marketing paradigm is based on the premise of exchange of value, that is, value received for value given. The role of the nutrition educator as a marketer is to facilitate exchanges of value with consumers. To carry out this role, a strong orientation to the consumer, what she or he wants and needs and is willing to "pay," guides the development of the nutrition education mission, objectives, and strategies. The marketing paradigm calls for a marketing information system that includes internal record keeping, marketing intelligence gathering, and marketing research. The information is used in the marketing audit, which identifies organizational strengths and weaknesses and marketplace opportunities and barriers. Marketing objectives are formulated, and strategies for segmenting, positioning, and developing the marketing mix follow. These are translated in the marketing plan to an action plan, a budget, and profit and loss projections. Use of the marketing paradigm in nutrition education is not a panacea for organizational ills and marketplace problems. Instead, the paradigm raises issues to which nutrition educators must bring their expertise, commitment, ingenuity, and creativity.

Goal-oriented robot navigation learning using a multi-scale space representation.

PubMed

Llofriu, M; Tejera, G; Contreras, M; Pelc, T; Fellous, J M; Weitzenfeld, A

2015-12-01

There has been extensive research in recent years on the multi-scale nature of hippocampal place cells and entorhinal grid cells encoding which led to many speculations on their role in spatial cognition. In this paper we focus on the multi-scale nature of place cells and how they contribute to faster learning during goal-oriented navigation when compared to a spatial cognition system composed of single scale place cells. The task consists of a circular arena with a fixed goal location, in which a robot is trained to find the shortest path to the goal after a number of learning trials. Synaptic connections are modified using a reinforcement learning paradigm adapted to the place cells multi-scale architecture. The model is evaluated in both simulation and physical robots. We find that larger scale and combined multi-scale representations favor goal-oriented navigation task learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and empirical validation of symmetric component measures of multidimensional constructs: customer and competitor orientation.

PubMed

Sørensen, Hans Eibe; Slater, Stanley F

2008-08-01

Atheoretical measure purification may lead to construct deficient measures. The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretically driven procedure for the development and empirical validation of symmetric component measures of multidimensional constructs. Particular emphasis is placed on establishing a formalized three-step procedure for achieving a posteriori content validity. Then the procedure is applied to development and empirical validation of two symmetrical component measures of market orientation, customer orientation and competitor orientation. Analysis suggests that average variance extracted is particularly critical to reliability in the respecification of multi-indicator measures. In relation to this, the results also identify possible deficiencies in using Cronbach alpha for establishing reliable and valid measures.

Risk management in waste water treatment.

PubMed

Wagner, M; Strube, I

2005-01-01

With the continuous restructuring of the water market due to liberalisation, privatisation and internationalisation processes, the requirements on waste water disposal companies have grown. Increasing competition requires a target-oriented and clearly structured procedure. At the same time it is necessary to meet the environment-relevant legal requirements and to design the processes to be environment-oriented. The implementation of risk management and the integration of such a management instrument in an existing system in addition to the use of modern technologies and procedures can help to make the operation of the waste water treatment safer and consequently strengthen market position. The risk management process consists of three phases, risk identification, risk analysis/risk assessment and risk handling, which are based on each other, as well as of the risk managing. To achieve an identification of the risks as complete as possible, a subdivision of the kind of risks (e.g. legal, financial, market, operational) is suggested. One possibility to assess risks is the portfolio method which offers clear representation. It allows a division of the risks into classes showing which areas need handling. The determination of the appropriate measures to handle a risk (e.g. avoidance, reduction, shift) is included in the concluding third phase. Different strategies can be applied here. On the one hand, the cause-oriented strategy, aiming at preventive measures which aim to reduce the probability of occurrence of a risk (e.g. creation of redundancy, systems with low susceptibility to malfunction). On the other hand, the effect-oriented strategy, aiming to minimise the level of damage in case of an undesired occurrence (e.g. use of alarm systems, insurance cover).

The evolution of spillover effects between oil and stock markets across multi-scales using a wavelet-based GARCH-BEKK model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xueyong; An, Haizhong; Huang, Shupei; Wen, Shaobo

2017-01-01

Aiming to investigate the evolution of mean and volatility spillovers between oil and stock markets in the time and frequency dimensions, we employed WTI crude oil prices, the S&P 500 (USA) index and the MICEX index (Russia) for the period Jan. 2003-Dec. 2014 as sample data. We first applied a wavelet-based GARCH-BEKK method to examine the spillover features in frequency dimension. To consider the evolution of spillover effects in time dimension at multiple-scales, we then divided the full sample period into three sub-periods, pre-crisis period, crisis period, and post-crisis period. The results indicate that spillover effects vary across wavelet scales in terms of strength and direction. By analysis the time-varying linkage, we found the different evolution features of spillover effects between the Oil-US stock market and Oil-Russia stock market. The spillover relationship between oil and US stock market is shifting to short-term while the spillover relationship between oil and Russia stock market is changing to all time scales. That result implies that the linkage between oil and US stock market is weakening in the long-term, and the linkage between oil and Russia stock market is getting close in all time scales. This may explain the phenomenon that the US stock index and the Russia stock index showed the opposite trend with the falling of oil price in the post-crisis period.

The basis of orientation decoding in human primary visual cortex: fine- or coarse-scale biases?

PubMed

Maloney, Ryan T

2015-01-01

Orientation signals in human primary visual cortex (V1) can be reliably decoded from the multivariate pattern of activity as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The precise underlying source of these decoded signals (whether by orientation biases at a fine or coarse scale in cortex) remains a matter of some controversy, however. Freeman and colleagues (J Neurosci 33: 19695-19703, 2013) recently showed that the accuracy of decoding of spiral patterns in V1 can be predicted by a voxel's preferred spatial position (the population receptive field) and its coarse orientation preference, suggesting that coarse-scale biases are sufficient for orientation decoding. Whether they are also necessary for decoding remains an open question, and one with implications for the broader interpretation of multivariate decoding results in fMRI studies. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Graphene enterprise: mapping innovation and business development in a strategic emerging technology.

PubMed

Shapira, Philip; Gök, Abdullah; Salehi, Fatemeh

This paper explores enterprise development and commercialization in the field of graphene. Firm characteristics and relationships, value chain positioning, and factors associated with product entry are examined for a set of 65 graphene-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises located in 16 different countries. As well as secondary sources and bibliometric methods to profile developments in graphene, we use computerized data mining and analytical techniques, including cluster and regression modeling, to identify patterns from publicly available online information on enterprise web sites. We identify groups of graphene small and medium-sized enterprises differentiated by how they are involved with graphene, the materials they target, whether they make equipment, and their orientation toward science and intellectual property. In general, access to finance and the firms' location are significant factors that are associated with graphene product introductions. We also find that patents and scientific publications are not statistically significant predictors of product development in our sample of graphene enterprises. We further identify a cohort of graphene-oriented firms that are signaling plans to develop intermediate graphene products that should have higher value in the marketplace. Our findings suggest that policy needs to ensure attention to the introduction and scale-up of downstream intermediate and final graphene products and associated financial, intermediary, and market identification support. The paper demonstrates novel data methods that can be combined with existing information for real-time intelligence to understand and map enterprise development and commercialization in a rapidly emerging and growing new technology.

Graphene enterprise: mapping innovation and business development in a strategic emerging technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapira, Philip; Gök, Abdullah; Salehi, Fatemeh

2016-09-01

This paper explores enterprise development and commercialization in the field of graphene. Firm characteristics and relationships, value chain positioning, and factors associated with product entry are examined for a set of 65 graphene-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises located in 16 different countries. As well as secondary sources and bibliometric methods to profile developments in graphene, we use computerized data mining and analytical techniques, including cluster and regression modeling, to identify patterns from publicly available online information on enterprise web sites. We identify groups of graphene small and medium-sized enterprises differentiated by how they are involved with graphene, the materials they target, whether they make equipment, and their orientation toward science and intellectual property. In general, access to finance and the firms' location are significant factors that are associated with graphene product introductions. We also find that patents and scientific publications are not statistically significant predictors of product development in our sample of graphene enterprises. We further identify a cohort of graphene-oriented firms that are signaling plans to develop intermediate graphene products that should have higher value in the marketplace. Our findings suggest that policy needs to ensure attention to the introduction and scale-up of downstream intermediate and final graphene products and associated financial, intermediary, and market identification support. The paper demonstrates novel data methods that can be combined with existing information for real-time intelligence to understand and map enterprise development and commercialization in a rapidly emerging and growing new technology.

Three-dimensional orientation of iris in an ocular prosthesis using a customized scale.

PubMed

Gupta, Lokendra; Aparna, I N; Dhanasekar, B; Prabhu, Nayana; Malla, Nirjalla; Agarwal, Priyanka

2014-04-01

The success of an ocular prosthesis depends largely on the correct orientation of the iris disk. Various methods have been put forth to achieve this. This article emphasizes one such simplified method, wherein a customized scale has been used to orient the iris disk mediolaterally, superoinferiorly, and anteroposteriorly in an ocular prosthesis. A scleral wax pattern was fabricated. The customized scale was used to measure the dimension and orientation of the natural iris. These measurements were then transferred to the scleral wax pattern with the customized scale. An iris disk was fabricated using black crayon on the scleral wax pattern according to the measurements. The scleral wax pattern, including the iris disk, was then placed in the eye socket to verify its dimension and orientation. A prefabricated iris disk was modified according to the measured dimensions and transferred to the final scleral wax pattern. The transfer of these dimensions to the definitive prosthesis was achieved successfully, ultimately improving the patient's social and psychological well being. © 2013 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Awareness and Perceptions of Food Safety Risks and Risk Management in Poultry Production and Slaughter: A Qualitative Study of Direct-Market Poultry Producers in Maryland

PubMed Central

Baron, Patrick; Frattaroli, Shannon

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to document and understand the perceptions and opinions of small-scale poultry producers who market directly to consumers about microbial food safety risks in the poultry supply chain. Between January and November 2014, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of 16 owner-operators of Maryland direct-market commercial poultry farms. Three overarching thematic categories emerged from these interviews that describe: 1) characteristics of Maryland direct-market poultry production and processing; 2) microbial food safety risk awareness and risk management in small-scale poultry production, slaughter and processing; and 3) motivations for prioritizing food safety in the statewide direct-market poultry supply chain. Key informants provided valuable insights on many topics relevant to evaluating microbial food safety in the Maryland direct-market poultry supply chain, including: direct-market poultry production and processing practices and models, perspectives on issues related to food safety risk management, perspectives on direct-market agriculture economics and marketing strategies, and ideas for how to enhance food safety at the direct-market level of the Maryland poultry supply chain. The findings have policy implications and provide insights into food safety in small-scale commercial poultry production, processing, distribution and retail. In addition, the findings will inform future food safety research on the small-scale US poultry supply chain. PMID:27341034

Transferring diffractive optics from research to commercial applications: Part II - size estimations for selected markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunner, Robert

2014-04-01

In a series of two contributions, decisive business-related aspects of the current process status to transfer research results on diffractive optical elements (DOEs) into commercial solutions are discussed. In part I, the focus was on the patent landscape. Here, in part II, market estimations concerning DOEs for selected applications are presented, comprising classical spectroscopic gratings, security features on banknotes, DOEs for high-end applications, e.g., for the semiconductor manufacturing market and diffractive intra-ocular lenses. The derived market sizes are referred to the optical elements, itself, rather than to the enabled instruments. The estimated market volumes are mainly addressed to scientifically and technologically oriented optical engineers to serve as a rough classification of the commercial dimensions of DOEs in the different market segments and do not claim to be exhaustive.

Cross-sectional fluctuation scaling in the high-frequency illiquidity of Chinese stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Qing; Gao, Xing-Lu; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Stanley, H. Eugene

2018-03-01

Taylor's law of temporal and ensemble fluctuation scaling has been ubiquitously observed in diverse complex systems including financial markets. Stock illiquidity is an important nonadditive financial quantity, which is found to comply with Taylor's temporal fluctuation scaling law. In this paper, we perform the cross-sectional analysis of the 1 min high-frequency illiquidity time series of Chinese stocks and unveil the presence of Taylor's law of ensemble fluctuation scaling. The estimated daily Taylor scaling exponent fluctuates around 1.442. We find that Taylor's scaling exponents of stock illiquidity do not relate to the ensemble mean and ensemble variety of returns. Our analysis uncovers a new scaling law of financial markets and might stimulate further investigations for a better understanding of financial markets' dynamics.

Minnesota anglers' fisheries-related value orientations and their stewardship of fish resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bruskotter, J.T.; Fulton, D.C.

2008-01-01

Research on natural resource-related values and value orientations has grown substantially over the past decade. However, existing studies have focused almost exclusively on value orientations related to wildlife and forests. This article reports data from two mail surveys of Minnesota anglers used to develop scales for measuring fisheries-related value orientations. We report results of regression analyses examining the relationship between anglers' value orientations and norms concerning fisheries stewardship and the use of technological aids to angling. Results indicate 10 items reliably measure three value orientations we termed utilitarianism, dominance, and protectionism. Regression analyses suggest anglers' stewardship norms are influenced by all three value orientation types, while support for the use of technological aids was related with protectionism and utilitarianism, but not dominance. Results suggest anglers' fisheries-related value orientations cannot be adequately captured using single domain scales. Implications for the study of natural resources-related value orientations are discussed. Copyright ?? Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Time scales involved in emergent market coherence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwapień, J.; Drożdż, S.; Speth, J.

2004-06-01

In addressing the question of the time scales characteristic for the market formation, we analyze high-frequency tick-by-tick data from the NYSE and from the German market. By using returns on various time scales ranging from seconds or minutes up to 2 days, we compare magnitude of the largest eigenvalue of the correlation matrix for the same set of securities but for different time scales. For various sets of stocks of different capitalization (and the average trading frequency), we observe a significant elevation of the largest eigenvalue with increasing time scale. Our results from the correlation matrix study can be considered as a manifestation of the so-called Epps effect. There is no unique explanation of this effect and it seems that many different factors play a role here. One of such factors is randomness in transaction moments for different stocks. Another interesting conclusion to be drawn from our results is that in the contemporary markets the emergence of significant correlations occurs on time scales much smaller than in the more distant history.

Hierarchical structure of stock price fluctuations in financial markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Ya-Chun; Cai, Shi-Min; Wang, Bing-Hong

2012-12-01

The financial market and turbulence have been broadly compared on account of the same quantitative methods and several common stylized facts they share. In this paper, the She-Leveque (SL) hierarchy, proposed to explain the anomalous scaling exponents deviating from Kolmogorov monofractal scaling of the velocity fluctuation in fluid turbulence, is applied to study and quantify the hierarchical structure of stock price fluctuations in financial markets. We therefore observed certain interesting results: (i) the hierarchical structure related to multifractal scaling generally presents in all the stock price fluctuations we investigated. (ii) The quantitatively statistical parameters that describe SL hierarchy are different between developed financial markets and emerging ones, distinctively. (iii) For the high-frequency stock price fluctuation, the hierarchical structure varies with different time periods. All these results provide a novel analogy in turbulence and financial market dynamics and an insight to deeply understand multifractality in financial markets.

Mapping the climatic suitable habitat of oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) for introduction and cultivation at a global scale.

PubMed

Li, Guoqing; Du, Sheng; Wen, Zhongming

2016-07-21

Oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) is an important afforestation and ornamental tree species, which is native in eastern Asian. Therefore, a global suitable habitat map for oriental arborvitae is urgently needed for global promotion and cultivation. Here, the potential habitat and climatic requirements of oriental arborvitae at global scale were simulated using herbariums data and 13 thermal-moisture variables as input data for maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). The simulation performance of MaxEnt is evaluated by ten-fold cross-validation and a jackknife procedure. Results show that the potential habitat and climate envelop of oriental arborvitae can be successfully simulated by MaxEnt at global scale, with a mean test AUC value of 0.93 and mean training AUC value of 0.95. Thermal factors play more important roles than moisture factors in controlling the distribution boundary of oriental arborvitae's potential ranges. There are about 50 countries suitable for introduction and cultivation of oriental arborvitae with an area of 2.0 × 10(7) km(2), which occupied 13.8% of land area on the earth. This unique study will provide valuable information and insights needed to identify new regions with climatically suitable habitats for cultivation and introduction of oriental arborvitae around the world.

Mapping the climatic suitable habitat of oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) for introduction and cultivation at a global scale

PubMed Central

Li, Guoqing; Du, Sheng; Wen, Zhongming

2016-01-01

Oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) is an important afforestation and ornamental tree species, which is native in eastern Asian. Therefore, a global suitable habitat map for oriental arborvitae is urgently needed for global promotion and cultivation. Here, the potential habitat and climatic requirements of oriental arborvitae at global scale were simulated using herbariums data and 13 thermal-moisture variables as input data for maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). The simulation performance of MaxEnt is evaluated by ten-fold cross-validation and a jackknife procedure. Results show that the potential habitat and climate envelop of oriental arborvitae can be successfully simulated by MaxEnt at global scale, with a mean test AUC value of 0.93 and mean training AUC value of 0.95. Thermal factors play more important roles than moisture factors in controlling the distribution boundary of oriental arborvitae’s potential ranges. There are about 50 countries suitable for introduction and cultivation of oriental arborvitae with an area of 2.0 × 107 km2, which occupied 13.8% of land area on the earth. This unique study will provide valuable information and insights needed to identify new regions with climatically suitable habitats for cultivation and introduction of oriental arborvitae around the world. PMID:27443221

US stock market efficiency over weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly time scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, E.; Aguilar-Cornejo, M.; Femat, R.; Alvarez-Ramirez, J.

2014-11-01

In financial markets, the weak form of the efficient market hypothesis implies that price returns are serially uncorrelated sequences. In other words, prices should follow a random walk behavior. Recent developments in evolutionary economic theory (Lo, 2004) have tailored the concept of adaptive market hypothesis (AMH) by proposing that market efficiency is not an all-or-none concept, but rather market efficiency is a characteristic that varies continuously over time and across markets. Within the AMH framework, this work considers the Dow Jones Index Average (DJIA) for studying the deviations from the random walk behavior over time. It is found that the market efficiency also varies over different time scales, from weeks to years. The well-known detrended fluctuation analysis was used for the characterization of the serial correlations of the return sequences. The results from the empirical showed that interday and intraday returns are more serially correlated than overnight returns. Also, some insights in the presence of business cycles (e.g., Juglar and Kuznets) are provided in terms of time variations of the scaling exponent.

Reliability and factorial structure of the taoist-orientation scale for samples of Kuwaiti and American students.

PubMed

Lester, David; Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed

2002-08-01

In a sample of 460 Kuwaiti undergraduates and 273 American students, the Taoist-Orientation scale had different factor patterns in an item-analysis but had good internal consistency reliability for both samples.

The Reinvention of the Comprehensive School System in Finland: How Do Market-Oriented Reforms Impact upon Equity and Equality of Opportunity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ylonen, Annamari

2009-01-01

This article examines the changing nature of comprehensive schooling in Finland since the 1990s and focuses on analysing the impact of the changes on equity and equality of opportunity. Comparisons are made between the development of "school markets" in the south of the country and the situation in the north of the country where the case…

National Defense Budget Estimates for FY 2012

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

Net offsetting receipts (collections from the public that arise out of business-type or market -oriented activities of the government, and are...in various markets . Chapter 5 provides the standard economic factors, known as deflators, for calculating the effect of changes in price. 51...FO ERAL POSE RCES C3 & , INTEL SPACE MOBILITY FORCES GUARD & RESERVE FORCES RESEARC DEVLPM H & NT CE SU & M NTRAL PPLY AINT TRAINING MEDICAL & OTHER

Sustainability of Strategic Minerals in Southern Africa and Potential Conflicts and Partnerships

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

harmful emissions 7 into relatively inert exhaust, and jewelry (in oriental markets ). Iridium is used in petroleum and automobiles. Rhodium...University of Cape Town, interviewed August 20, 2010. 26 Kenneth Beilstein, precious metals marketing expert, Metalur Corporation of Switzerland , email...UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) U.S. Air Force Academy,Institute for National Security Studies ,USAFA,CO,80840 8

Community Orientation and Media Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuwirth, Kurt; And Others

1989-01-01

Examines the relationship among media use, participation in local shopping and leisure activities, and orientation toward the local community. Reexamines Robert Merton's Cosmopolitan scale, finding it to have both localite (exclusively local orientation) and cosmopolite (orientation to events outside the local community) dimensions. (MM)

Scaling and volatility of breakouts and breakdowns in stock price dynamics.

PubMed

Liu, Lu; Wei, Jianrong; Huang, Jiping

2013-01-01

Because the movement of stock prices is not only ubiquitous in financial markets but also crucial for investors, extensive studies have been done to understand the law behind it. In particular, since the financial crisis in 2008, researchers have a more interest in investigating large market volatilities in order to grasp changing market trends. In this work, we analyze the breakouts and breakdowns of both the Standard & Poor's 500 Index in the US stock market and the Shanghai Composite Index in the Chinese stock market. The breakout usually represents an ongoing upward trend in technical analysis while the breakdown represents an ongoing downward trend. Based on the renormalization method, we introduce two parameters to quantize breakouts and breakdowns, respectively. We discover scaling behavior, characterized by power-law distributions for both the breakouts and breakdowns in the two financial markets with different power-law exponents, which reflect different market volatilities. In detail, the market volatility for breakdowns is usually larger than that for breakouts. Moreover, as an emerging market, the Chinese stock market has larger market volatilities for both the breakouts and breakdowns than the US stock market (a mature market). Further, the short-term volatilities show similar features for both the US stock market and the Chinese stock market. However, the medium-term volatilities in the US stock market are almost symmetrical for the breakouts and breakdowns, whereas those in the Chinese stock market appear to be asymmetrical for the breakouts and breakdowns. The methodology presented here provides a way to understand scaling and hence volatilities of breakouts and breakdowns in stock price dynamics. Our findings not only reveal the features of market volatilities but also make a comparison between mature and emerging financial markets.

Scaling and Volatility of Breakouts and Breakdowns in Stock Price Dynamics

PubMed Central

Liu, Lu; Wei, Jianrong; Huang, Jiping

2013-01-01

Background Because the movement of stock prices is not only ubiquitous in financial markets but also crucial for investors, extensive studies have been done to understand the law behind it. In particular, since the financial crisis in 2008, researchers have a more interest in investigating large market volatilities in order to grasp changing market trends. Methodology/Principal Findings In this work, we analyze the breakouts and breakdowns of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index in the US stock market and the Shanghai Composite Index in the Chinese stock market. The breakout usually represents an ongoing upward trend in technical analysis while the breakdown represents an ongoing downward trend. Based on the renormalization method, we introduce two parameters to quantize breakouts and breakdowns, respectively. We discover scaling behavior, characterized by power-law distributions for both the breakouts and breakdowns in the two financial markets with different power-law exponents, which reflect different market volatilities. In detail, the market volatility for breakdowns is usually larger than that for breakouts. Moreover, as an emerging market, the Chinese stock market has larger market volatilities for both the breakouts and breakdowns than the US stock market (a mature market). Further, the short-term volatilities show similar features for both the US stock market and the Chinese stock market. However, the medium-term volatilities in the US stock market are almost symmetrical for the breakouts and breakdowns, whereas those in the Chinese stock market appear to be asymmetrical for the breakouts and breakdowns. Conclusions/Signicance The methodology presented here provides a way to understand scaling and hence volatilities of breakouts and breakdowns in stock price dynamics. Our findings not only reveal the features of market volatilities but also make a comparison between mature and emerging financial markets. PMID:24376577

Bilateral robotic priming before task-oriented approach in subacute stroke rehabilitation: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Hsieh, Yu-Wei; Wu, Ching-Yi; Wang, Wei-En; Lin, Keh-Chung; Chang, Ku-Chou; Chen, Chih-Chi; Liu, Chien-Ting

2017-02-01

To investigate the treatment effects of bilateral robotic priming combined with the task-oriented approach on motor impairment, disability, daily function, and quality of life in patients with subacute stroke. A randomized controlled trial. Occupational therapy clinics in medical centers. Thirty-one subacute stroke patients were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to receive bilateral priming combined with the task-oriented approach (i.e., primed group) or to the task-oriented approach alone (i.e., unprimed group) for 90 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. The primed group began with the bilateral priming technique by using a bimanual robot-aided device. Motor impairments were assessed by the Fugal-Meyer Assessment, grip strength, and the Box and Block Test. Disability and daily function were measured by the modified Rankin Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, and actigraphy. Quality of life was examined by the Stroke Impact Scale. The primed and unprimed groups improved significantly on most outcomes over time. The primed group demonstrated significantly better improvement on the Stroke Impact Scale strength subscale ( p = 0.012) and a trend for greater improvement on the modified Rankin Scale ( p = 0.065) than the unprimed group. Bilateral priming combined with the task-oriented approach elicited more improvements in self-reported strength and disability degrees than the task-oriented approach by itself. Further large-scale research with at least 31 participants in each intervention group is suggested to confirm the study findings.

[Evaluation of the medical value of a drug. A necessity for the Transparency Commission].

PubMed

Avouac, B

1992-01-01

The marketing approval (AMM) is based on criteria of pharmaceutical quality, efficacy and safety of use. Before marketing, the data are collected by means of double-blind, randomized, prospective clinical trials that compare the study product to a reference product. A post-AMM assessment is needed to define the increase of the medical benefit (ASMR) and the therapeutic value of the new drugs. The quantification of the ASMR is essential for registration on the list of drugs reimbursable for those who benefit from Social Security. The evaluation of the therapeutic value and the nature of the affection treated are the criteria upon which the reimbursement ratio is chosen. After marketing, the reevaluation of the medical benefit and the drugs' usefulness may be compared to the treatment's net medical cost (direct + indirect cost--avoided cost) in cost/utility or cost/benefit studies. The Transparency Commission has worked out a scale of assessment of the ASMR which will orient recommendation, or non-recommendation, of registration on the list of reimbursable drugs as well as price fixing proposals. In the future, the Transparency Commission is to strengthen its position regarding the good use of the drug through a better prescriber information system. Thanks to the pharmaco-epidemiology and the pharmaco-vigilance data, the Transparency Commission will be able to guarantee the post-marketing follow-up of the drugs. The examination of the products' conditions of use, the reevaluation of the treatment's advantages based on the utility studies and the epidemiological surveys, and the cost-benefit studies will contribute to a medical control of health spending linked to drug consumption.

Study of network resource allocation based on market and game theoretic mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yingmei; Wang, Hongwei; Wang, Gang

2004-04-01

We work on the network resource allocation issue concerning network management system function based on market-oriented mechanism. The scheme is to model the telecommunication network resources as trading goods in which the various network components could be owned by different competitive, real-world entities. This is a multidisciplinary framework concentrating on the similarity between resource allocation in network environment and the market mechanism in economic theory. By taking an economic (market-based and game theoretic) approach in routing of communication network, we study the dynamic behavior under game-theoretic framework in allocating network resources. Based on the prior work of Gibney and Jennings, we apply concepts of utility and fitness to the market mechanism with an intention to close the gap between experiment environment and real world situation.

Evolutions in food marketing, quantifying the impact, and policy implications.

PubMed

Cairns, Georgina

2013-03-01

A case study on interactive digital marketing examined the adequacy of extant policy controls and their underpinning paradigms to constrain the effects of this rapidly emerging practice. Findings were interactive digital marketing is expanding the strategies available to promote products, brands and consumer behaviours. It facilitates relational marketing; the collection of personal data for marketing; integration of the marketing mix, and provides a platform for consumers to engage in the co-creation of marketing communications. The paradigmatic logic of current policies to constrain youth-oriented food marketing does not address the interactive nature of digital marketing. The evidence base on the effects of HFSS marketing and policy interventions is based on conceptualizations of marketing as a force promoting transactions rather than interactions. Digital technologies are generating rich consumer data. Interactive digital technologies increase the complexity of the task of quantifying the impact of marketing. The rapidity of its uptake also increases urgency of need to identify appropriate effects measures. Independent analysis of commercial consumer data (appropriately transformed to protect commercial confidentiality and personal privacy) would provide evidence sources for policy on the impacts of commercial food and beverage marketing and policy controls. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

H2@Scale Resource and Market Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruth, Mark

The 'H2@Scale' concept is based on the potential for wide-scale utilization of hydrogen as an energy intermediate where the hydrogen is produced from low cost energy resources and it is used in both the transportation and industrial sectors. H2@Scale has the potential to address grid resiliency, energy security, and cross-sectoral emissions reductions. This presentation summarizes the status of an ongoing analysis effort to quantify the benefits of H2@Scale. It includes initial results regarding market potential, resource potential, and impacts of when electrolytic hydrogen is produced with renewable electricity to meet the potential market demands. It also proposes additional analysis effortsmore » to better quantify each of the factors.« less

Doctors' service orientation in public, private, and foreign hospitals.

PubMed

Andaleeb, Syed Saad; Siddiqui, Nazlee; Khandakar, Shahjahan

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study is to propose a doctors' service orientation (DSO) scale and uses it to compare the services received in public, private and foreign hospitals in a developing country from the patient's perspective. The scale was derived from the service quality literature and qualitative research. A questionnaire was designed next. Data were collected from patients who had used the services of doctors in a hospital. The scale demonstrated appropriate psychometric properties. Two clear patterns emerge from the study results: on 10 out of 12 measures of doctors' service orientation, there was no significant difference in their perceived behaviors between public and private hospitals and foreign doctors were "always" rated significantly higher. This study focused on one major city because of time and resource constraints. The findings are thus not generalizable to hospitals across the country. Also, because of translation and retranslation issues, the scale ought to be further tested for wider use. The scale may be used periodically in a comprehensive quality assurance program to exhort doctors to become more service oriented and to improve their performance over time.

Future Time Orientation and Student Expectations: An Empirical Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amyx, Douglas; Bristow, Dennis

2004-01-01

Navajo and Anglo college students' time orientation scores from the Future Time Orientation (FTO) Scale (Bristol & Amyx, 1996) were analyzed and compared. Anglo students were found to be significantly more future time oriented in two of the three dimensions: temporal distance and involvement with time. Future time orientation was used to explain…

NEXUS - Resilient Intelligent Middleware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaveh, N.; Hercock, R. Ghanea

Service-oriented computing, a composition of distributed-object computing, component-based, and Web-based concepts, is becoming the widespread choice for developing dynamic heterogeneous software assets available as services across a network. One of the major strengths of service-oriented technologies is the high abstraction layer and large granularity level at which software assets are viewed compared to traditional object-oriented technologies. Collaboration through encapsulated and separately defined service interfaces creates a service-oriented environment, whereby multiple services can be linked together through their interfaces to compose a functional system. This approach enables better integration of legacy and non-legacy services, via wrapper interfaces, and allows for service composition at a more abstract level especially in cases such as vertical market stacks. The heterogeneous nature of service-oriented technologies and the granularity of their software components makes them a suitable computing model in the pervasive domain.

Multiscale vector fields for image pattern recognition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Low, Kah-Chan; Coggins, James M.

1990-01-01

A uniform processing framework for low-level vision computing in which a bank of spatial filters maps the image intensity structure at each pixel into an abstract feature space is proposed. Some properties of the filters and the feature space are described. Local orientation is measured by a vector sum in the feature space as follows: each filter's preferred orientation along with the strength of the filter's output determine the orientation and the length of a vector in the feature space; the vectors for all filters are summed to yield a resultant vector for a particular pixel and scale. The orientation of the resultant vector indicates the local orientation, and the magnitude of the vector indicates the strength of the local orientation preference. Limitations of the vector sum method are discussed. Investigations show that the processing framework provides a useful, redundant representation of image structure across orientation and scale.

Orientation estimation of anatomical structures in medical images for object recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bağci, Ulaş; Udupa, Jayaram K.; Chen, Xinjian

2011-03-01

Recognition of anatomical structures is an important step in model based medical image segmentation. It provides pose estimation of objects and information about "where" roughly the objects are in the image and distinguishing them from other object-like entities. In,1 we presented a general method of model-based multi-object recognition to assist in segmentation (delineation) tasks. It exploits the pose relationship that can be encoded, via the concept of ball scale (b-scale), between the binary training objects and their associated grey images. The goal was to place the model, in a single shot, close to the right pose (position, orientation, and scale) in a given image so that the model boundaries fall in the close vicinity of object boundaries in the image. Unlike position and scale parameters, we observe that orientation parameters require more attention when estimating the pose of the model as even small differences in orientation parameters can lead to inappropriate recognition. Motivated from the non-Euclidean nature of the pose information, we propose in this paper the use of non-Euclidean metrics to estimate orientation of the anatomical structures for more accurate recognition and segmentation. We statistically analyze and evaluate the following metrics for orientation estimation: Euclidean, Log-Euclidean, Root-Euclidean, Procrustes Size-and-Shape, and mean Hermitian metrics. The results show that mean Hermitian and Cholesky decomposition metrics provide more accurate orientation estimates than other Euclidean and non-Euclidean metrics.

The marketing of partial hospitalization.

PubMed

Millsap, P; Brown, E; Kiser, L; Pruitt, D

1987-09-01

Health-care professionals are currently operating in the context of a rapidly changing health-care delivery system, including the move away from inpatient services to outpatient services in order to control costs. Those who practice in partial-hospital settings are in a position to offer effective, cost-efficient services; however, there continue to be obstacles which hinder appropriate utilization of the modality. The development and use of a well-designed marketing plan is one strategy for removing these obstacles. This paper presents a brief overview of the marketing process, ideas for developing a marketing plan, and several examples of specific marketing strategies as well as ways to monitor their effectiveness. Partial-hospital providers must take an active role in answering the calls for alternative sources of psychiatric care. A comprehensive, education-oriented marketing approach will increase the public's awareness of such alternatives and enable programs to survive in a competitive environment.

Health care: development of data for a marketing approach.

PubMed

Stitt, V J

1985-06-01

Marketing in health care is a relatively new process. It is a business tool that can serve a very useful purpose. Health care management has become aware of the usefulness of marketing in long-range planning. Through a well-thought-out marketing plan, the provider will not be leaving the future to chance. A well-conceived, patient-oriented, competitor-aware marketing plan should place the medical practice at a strategic advantage as the health care industry joins other industries in the competitive marketplace for the consumer's dollar.The ever-increasing political and regulatory environment that the health care field is undergoing emphasizes the need for the inclusion of marketing skills, such as cost containment, in the medical curriculum. It should be the obligation of the training facilities as well as medical societies to respond to this need by providing the education that will enable black providers to survive in this competitive environment.

Health Care: Development of Data for a Marketing Approach

PubMed Central

Stitt, Van J.

1985-01-01

Marketing in health care is a relatively new process. It is a business tool that can serve a very useful purpose. Health care management has become aware of the usefulness of marketing in long-range planning. Through a well-thought-out marketing plan, the provider will not be leaving the future to chance. A well-conceived, patient-oriented, competitor-aware marketing plan should place the medical practice at a strategic advantage as the health care industry joins other industries in the competitive marketplace for the consumer's dollar. The ever-increasing political and regulatory environment that the health care field is undergoing emphasizes the need for the inclusion of marketing skills, such as cost containment, in the medical curriculum. It should be the obligation of the training facilities as well as medical societies to respond to this need by providing the education that will enable black providers to survive in this competitive environment. PMID:4020892

[Object-oriented segmentation and classification of forest gap based on QuickBird remote sensing image.

PubMed

Mao, Xue Gang; Du, Zi Han; Liu, Jia Qian; Chen, Shu Xin; Hou, Ji Yu

2018-01-01

Traditional field investigation and artificial interpretation could not satisfy the need of forest gaps extraction at regional scale. High spatial resolution remote sensing image provides the possibility for regional forest gaps extraction. In this study, we used object-oriented classification method to segment and classify forest gaps based on QuickBird high resolution optical remote sensing image in Jiangle National Forestry Farm of Fujian Province. In the process of object-oriented classification, 10 scales (10-100, with a step length of 10) were adopted to segment QuickBird remote sensing image; and the intersection area of reference object (RA or ) and intersection area of segmented object (RA os ) were adopted to evaluate the segmentation result at each scale. For segmentation result at each scale, 16 spectral characteristics and support vector machine classifier (SVM) were further used to classify forest gaps, non-forest gaps and others. The results showed that the optimal segmentation scale was 40 when RA or was equal to RA os . The accuracy difference between the maximum and minimum at different segmentation scales was 22%. At optimal scale, the overall classification accuracy was 88% (Kappa=0.82) based on SVM classifier. Combining high resolution remote sensing image data with object-oriented classification method could replace the traditional field investigation and artificial interpretation method to identify and classify forest gaps at regional scale.

Studies of transformational leadership in consumer service: market orientation behavior and alternative roles for the mediators and moderators of change commitment.

PubMed

Yang, Yi-Feng

2013-12-01

The present paper evaluates the relation between transformational leadership and market orientation along with the mediating and moderating effects of change commitment for employees in customer centers in Taiwan. 327 questionnaires were returned by personnel at several customer centers in four different insurance companies. Inter-rater agreement was acceptable based on the multiple raters (i.e., the consumer-related employees from the division groups) of one individual (i.e., a manager)--indicating the aggregated measures were acceptable. The multi-source sample comprised data taken from the four division centers: phone services, customer representatives, financial specialists, and front-line salespeople. The relations were assessed using a multiple mediation procedure incorporating bootstrap techniques and PRODCLIN2 with structural equation modeling analysis. The results reflect a mediating role for change commitment.

Personality, Organizational Orientations and Self-Reported Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bamber, David; Castka, Pavel

2006-01-01

Purpose: To identify competencies connecting personality, organizational orientations and self-reported learning outcomes (as measured by concise Likert-type scales), for individuals who are learning for their organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Five concise factor scales were constructed to represent aspects of personality. Three further…

Introduction to Econophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantegna, Rosario N.; Stanley, H. Eugene

2007-08-01

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Efficient market hypothesis; 3. Random walk; 4. Lévy stochastic processes and limit theorems; 5. Scales in financial data; 6. Stationarity and time correlation; 7. Time correlation in financial time series; 8. Stochastic models of price dynamics; 9. Scaling and its breakdown; 10. ARCH and GARCH processes; 11. Financial markets and turbulence; 12. Correlation and anti-correlation between stocks; 13. Taxonomy of a stock portfolio; 14. Options in idealized markets; 15. Options in real markets; Appendix A: notation guide; Appendix B: martingales; References; Index.

The Multilateralization of Regional Security in Southeast and Northeast Asia: The Role of the Soviet Union

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-01

strategic, much less economic, mixed and conflicting strategies pursued by the advantages. Moreover, the socioeconomic gap principal regional and...By the early of Africa (Ethiopia) in favor of Moscow-backed 1980s, the market -oriented states of the West and forces. Japan, associated in the...incorporation of these economies into the capitalist nuclear war. Since each held the other hostage, only global market system. The gross inefficiencies

We’re All In This Together: The US-Vietnam Defense Relationship in an Offshore-Balanced Pacific Pivot

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-01

doi moi” market -oriented economic reforms and began to disengage forces from Cambodia. The collapse of the Soviet Union, Communist Vietnam’s...better SCS balancer while at the same time provides another avenue to strengthen economic ties between the countries by increasing the market for the...quarter 2012), 57-58, accessed 10 September 2013. Military & Government Collection, EBSCOhost . 33 Email correspondence between the author and

Patient satisfaction surveys and multicollinearity.

PubMed

Stratmann, W C; Zastowny, T R; Bayer, L R; Adams, E H; Black, G S; Fry, P A

1994-01-01

The measurement of patient satisfaction is now an integral part of hospital market research. Just as consumer satisfaction is a function of the extent to which providers do things right, the value of consumer-oriented market research is directly related to whether the research itself is done right. The use of poorly designed consumer research instruments, no matter how well executed, can cause multicollinearity among the independent variables, which, in turn, can result in misleading conclusions.

A Project to Develop a Marketing Plan in Support of William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, Texas

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

need for a consumer- oriented outlook ( Kotler 1987). Each of these authors are discussing the need for health care organizations to pursue effective...to the customer. Between these definitional extremes is the point of 17 view presented by Kotler and Clarke (1987). Their joint exhaustive definition...Types of Health Care Organizations, Adapted from Kotler Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Orqanizations (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice- Hall, 1987). GENERAL

Optimizing the scale of markets for water quality trading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, Martin W.; Patterson, Lauren A.; Chen, Yanyou; Schnier, Kurt E.; Yates, Andrew J.

2014-09-01

Applying market approaches to environmental regulations requires establishing a spatial scale for trading. Spatially large markets usually increase opportunities for abatement cost savings but increase the potential for pollution damages (hot spots), vice versa for spatially small markets. We develop a coupled hydrologic-economic modeling approach for application to point source emissions trading by a large number of sources and apply this approach to the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) within the watershed of the second largest estuary in the U.S. We consider two different administrative structures that govern the trade of emission permits: one-for-one trading (the number of permits required for each unit of emission is the same for every WWTP) and trading ratios (the number of permits required for each unit of emissions varies across WWTP). Results show that water quality regulators should allow trading to occur at the river basin scale as an appropriate first-step policy, as is being done in a limited number of cases via compliance associations. Larger spatial scales may be needed under conditions of increased abatement costs. The optimal scale of the market is generally the same regardless of whether one-for-one trading or trading ratios are employed.

a Method for Simultaneous Aerial and Terrestrial Geodata Acquisition for Corridor Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina, P.; Blázquez, M.; Sastre, J.; Colomina, I.

2015-08-01

In this paper, we present mapKITE, a new mobile, simultaneous terrestrial and aerial, geodata collection and post-processing method. On one side, the method combines a terrestrial mobile mapping system (TMMS) with an unmanned aerial mapping one, both equipped with remote sensing payloads (at least, a nadir-looking visible-band camera in the UA) by means of which aerial and terrestrial geodata are acquired simultaneously. This tandem geodata acquisition system is based on a terrestrial vehicle (TV) and on an unmanned aircraft (UA) linked by a 'virtual tether', that is, a mechanism based on the real-time supply of UA waypoints by the TV. By means of the TV-to-UA tether, the UA follows the TV keeping a specific relative TV-to-UA spatial configuration enabling the simultaneous operation of both systems to obtain highly redundant and complementary geodata. On the other side, mapKITE presents a novel concept for geodata post-processing favoured by the rich geometrical aspects derived from the mapKITE tandem simultaneous operation. The approach followed for sensor orientation and calibration of the aerial images captured by the UA inherits the principles of Integrated Sensor Orientation (ISO) and adds the pointing-and-scaling photogrammetric measurement of a distinctive element observed in every UA image, which is a coded target mounted on the roof of the TV. By means of the TV navigation system, the orientation of the TV coded target is performed and used in the post-processing UA image orientation approach as a Kinematic Ground Control Point (KGCP). The geometric strength of a mapKITE ISO network is therefore high as it counts with the traditional tie point image measurements, static ground control points, kinematic aerial control and the new point-and-scale measurements of the KGCPs. With such a geometry, reliable system and sensor orientation and calibration and eventual further reduction of the number of traditional ground control points is feasible. The different technical concepts, challenges and breakthroughs behind mapKITE are presented in this paper, such as the TV-to-UA virtual tether and the use of KGCP measurements for UA sensor orientation. In addition, the use in mapKITE of new European GNSS signals such as the Galileo E5 AltBOC is discussed. Because of the critical role of GNSS technologies and the potential impact on the corridor mapping market, the European Commission and the European GNSS Agency, in the frame of the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation "Horizon 2020," have recently awarded the "mapKITE" project to an international consortium of organizations coordinated by GeoNumerics S.L.

The Personal Selling Ethics Scale: Revisions and Expansions for Teaching Sales Ethics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donoho, Casey; Heinze, Timothy

2011-01-01

The field of sales draws a large number of marketing graduates. Sales curricula used within today's marketing programs should include rigorous discussions of sales ethics. The Personal Selling Ethics Scale (PSE) provides an analytical tool for assessing and discussing students' ethical sales sensitivities. However, since the scale fails to address…

Fluctuation scaling of quotation activities in the foreign exchange market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Aki-Hiro; Nishimura, Maiko; Hołyst, Janusz A.

2010-07-01

We study the scaling behavior of quotation activities for various currency pairs in the foreign exchange market. The components’ centrality is estimated from multiple time series and visualized as a currency pair network. The power-law relationship between a mean of quotation activity and its standard deviation for each currency pair is found. The scaling exponent α and the ratio between common and specific fluctuations η increase with the length of the observation time window Δt. The result means that although for Δt=1 (min), the market dynamics are governed by specific processes, and at a longer time scale Δt>100 (min) the common information flow becomes more important. We point out that quotation activities are not independently Poissonian for Δt=1 (min), and temporally or mutually correlated activities of quotations can happen even at this time scale. A stochastic model for the foreign exchange market based on a bipartite graph representation is proposed.

Scaling properties and universality of first-passage-time probabilities in financial markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perelló, Josep; Gutiérrez-Roig, Mario; Masoliver, Jaume

2011-12-01

Financial markets provide an ideal frame for the study of crossing or first-passage time events of non-Gaussian correlated dynamics, mainly because large data sets are available. Tick-by-tick data of six futures markets are herein considered, resulting in fat-tailed first-passage time probabilities. The scaling of the return with its standard deviation collapses the probabilities of all markets examined—and also for different time horizons—into single curves, suggesting that first-passage statistics is market independent (at least for high-frequency data). On the other hand, a very closely related quantity, the survival probability, shows, away from the center and tails of the distribution, a hyperbolic t-1/2 decay typical of a Markovian dynamics, albeit the existence of memory in markets. Modifications of the Weibull and Student distributions are good candidates for the phenomenological description of first-passage time properties under certain regimes. The scaling strategies shown may be useful for risk control and algorithmic trading.

BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH TOURISM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA.

PubMed

Vrkljan, Sanela; Hendija, Zvjezdana

2016-03-01

Health tourism can be generally divided into medical, health spa and wellness tourism. Health spa tourism services are provided in special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts, and include under medical supervision controlled use of natural healing factors and physical therapy in order to improve and preserve health. There are 13 special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts in Croatia. Most of them are financed through the state budget and lesser by sale on the market. More than half of their accommodation capacity is offered for sale on the market while the rest is under contract with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund. Domestic overnights are several times higher than foreign overnights. The aim of this study was to analyze business performance of special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts in Croatia in relation to the sources of financing and the structure of service users. The assumption was that those who are more market-oriented achieve better business performance. In proving these assumptions, an empirical research was conducted and the assumptions were tested. A positive correlation was proven in tested indicators of business performance of the analyzed service providers of health-spa tourism with a higher amount of overnight stays realized through sales on the market in relation to total overnight stays, with a greater share of foreign overnights in total of overnights and with a higher share of realized revenue on the market out of total revenue. The results of the research show that special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts that are more market-oriented are more successful in their business performance. These findings are important for planning the health and tourism policies in countries like Croatia.

Preventive maintenance. 'Problem recognition style' can be used to segment the market and promote healthier lifestyles.

PubMed

Jayanti, R K

1997-01-01

Problem recognition styles--desired state types (DSTs) and actual state types (ASTs)--have an effect on preventive health care decision making. Segmenting the market along these lines can help marketers position products and services to educate and attract people who will not see a doctor unless there is something wrong with them. Both groups expect the same benefits from preventive health care actions, but ASTs fail to act on those expectations. Therefore, marketing strategy touting the benefits of preventive health care might be futile. Educational promotional campaigns aimed at both DSTs and ASTs also are wasteful because DSTs already possess much health knowledge, lead wellness-oriented lifestyles, and practice preventive health behaviors.

Using relationship marketing to develop and sustain nurse loyalty: a case of a rural health care institution.

PubMed

Peltier, J W; Boyt, T; Westfall, J

1999-01-01

The prosperity of a health care organization is contingent on its ability to compete for and retain a high quality staff of "loyal" nurses. Although the benefits of maintaining a loyal nursing staff are obvious, turnover in the health care industry is dangerously high. One solution for reducing turnover is to develop and sustain a loyal nursing staff. The purpose of this article is to apply customer-oriented marketing theories and practices to better understand how strong nurse-provider relationships can be developed and maintained over time. The authors first examine relationship marketing literature as it applies to nurse relationship and management issues. Second, a framework for conceptualizing internal marketing efforts devoted to enhancing nursing staff satisfaction and retention in tested. Finally, strategies for practicing relationship marketing will be provided.

Medical group management: a marketing orientation.

PubMed

Bopp, K D; Allcorn, S

1986-09-01

This article considers the pragmatic aspects of conducting a situation/marketing audit for group medical practices. This audit is a key component in the formulation of a competitive strategy and the development of a marketing program. Given are a series of questions that may be used by medical groups to guide assessment of the opportunities and threats present in the environment as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the organization in meeting the environmental challenges. Furthermore, the article provides a framework for thinking about strategy and the variables that should be considered and aligned to achieve effective implementation of strategy. Finally, the parameters are outlined for deciding on a marketing program: the mix of marketing tools (service design, distribution channels, pricing and promotion) that should be employed to offensively and/or defensively position the medical group in the competitive marketplace.

Can extractive reserves save the rain forest: A ecological and socioeconomic comparison of non-timber forest product extraction systems in Peten, Guatemala, and West Kalimantan, Indonesia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salafsky, N.; Dugelby, B.L.; Terborgh, J.W.

1992-04-01

Extractive reserves in tropical rain forests, in which only non-timber products are harvested, have been heralded by some conservationists as a means of maintaining biodiversity while providing income for local people. The study of extraction systems in Peten, Guatemala, and in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, leads to a more tempered conclusion, for while the Peten program was quite successful, the Kalimantan program was not. The study finds the success of an extractive reserve to be contingent on: (1) ecological conditions, and (2) socioeconomic and political factors. Although the study focuses on market-oriented extractive reserves, many of the issues discussed apply asmore » well to other land uses such as the collection of non-timber forest products for household consumption or small-scale timber extraction.« less

Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Annual Small Business Conference

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-27

Technology Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services (MOBIS) Professional Engineering Services (PES) Environmental Services Advertising & Integrated ... Marketing Solutions (AIMS) Financial and Business Solutions (FABS) Financial and Business Solutions (FABS) Human Resources and EEO Services Temporary

The Persistence and Importance of Patriotism in the All-Volunteer Force

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-13

The description is cast in a theoretical framework which challenges the wisdom of focusing primarily on levels of pay and other market oriented conditions of work when establishing military manpower policy.

Development of cultural belief scales for mammography screening.

PubMed

Russell, Kathleen M; Champion, Victoria L; Perkins, Susan M

2003-01-01

To develop instruments to measure culturally related variables that may influence mammography screening behaviors in African American women. Instrumentation methodology. Community organizations and public housing in the Indianapolis, IN, area. 111 African American women with a mean age of 60.2 years and 64 Caucasian women with a mean age of 60 years. After item development, scales were administered. Data were analyzed by factor analysis, item analysis via internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha, and independent t tests and logistic regression analysis to test theoretical relationships. Personal space preferences, health temporal orientation, and perceived personal control. Space items were factored into interpersonal and physical scales. Temporal orientation items were loaded on one factor, creating a one-dimensional scale. Control items were factored into internal and external control scales. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the scales ranged from 0.76-0.88. Interpersonal space preference, health temporal orientation, and perceived internal control scales each were predictive of mammography screening adherence. The three tested scales were reliable and valid. Scales, on average, did not differ between African American and Caucasian populations. These scales may be useful in future investigations aimed at increasing mammography screening in African American and Caucasian women.

The euthanasia-religion nexus: exploring religious orientation and euthanasia attitude measures in a Muslim context.

PubMed

Aghababaei, Naser

Using religious orientation paradigm, this twofold study examined the relationship between euthanasia attitude and religiosity, and compared single-item and multi-item scales of euthanasia attitude. Three hundred students were asked whether they view euthanasia as moral. In addition, participants completed the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) and Religious Orientation Scale-Revised. Results indicated that intrinsic religiosity was the strongest correlate of negative attitudes toward euthanasia. This type of religiosity explained additional variance when added to the two types of extrinsic religiosity (social, personal), but the reverse was not the case. The fairly strong correlation of intrinsic religiosity with the EAS provides evidence of construct validity for the EAS and proved it to be a better measure for assessing euthanasia attitude, rather than the single-item scale.

Across the Threshold: A Call for ILR Proficiency Descriptor Banks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holman, Don

2017-01-01

Whereas the Interagency Language Roundtable Language Skill Level Descriptions broke new ground for assessing proficiency in foreign languages, the need for user-oriented (rather than assessment-oriented) proficiency scales has led, especially in Europe, to the creation of scales consisting of positively formulated "can-do" statements,…

School food environment: Quality and advertisement frequency of child-oriented packaged products within walking distance of public schools.

PubMed

Missbach, Benjamin; Pachschwöll, Caterina; Kuchling, Daniel; König, Jürgen

2017-06-01

Food marketing for children is a major concern for public health nutrition and many schools make efforts to increase healthy eating. Food environments surrounding schools in urban areas may undermine these efforts for healthy nutrition within school programs. Our study aim is to describe the nutrition environment within walking distance of schools in terms of food quality and food marketing and to explore the degree to which elements of the nutrition environment varies by proximity to schools. In a cross-sectional study, we analyzed the surrounding food environments of a convenience sample of 46 target schools within 950m walking distance in 7 different urban districts across Vienna, Austria. In total, we analyzed data from 67 fast food outlets and 54 supermarkets analyzing a total of 43.129 packaged snack food and beverage products, from which 85% were for adults and 15% of the products were child-oriented. Proximity to the schools did not affect the availability of child-oriented products and dedicated food advertisements for children. After applying nutrient profiling using the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) on child-oriented products, results showed that 15.8% of the packaged snack food were categorized as "healthy" foods and 84.2% as "less healthy"; for beverages 65.7% were categorized as "healthy" and 34.3% as "less healthy". In conclusion, our results show that child-oriented snacks are not more frequently advertised around schools but substantially lack in nutritional quality with the potential to undermine efforts for promoting healthy eating practices within schools.

Fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours.

PubMed

Trybou, Jeroen; Gemmel, Paul

2016-07-01

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the perceived quality of organisational exchange and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. Hospitals face increasing competitive market conditions. Registered nurses interact closely with patients and therefore play an important front-office role towards patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Registered nurses (n = 151) of a Belgian hospital received a questionnaire to assess the fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and their customer-oriented behaviours. We found a positive relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. More precisely administrative and professional psychological contract fulfilment relates significantly to nurses' service delivery and external representation. In case of internal influence only administrative psychological contract fulfilment was significantly related. Nurses' perceptions of the fulfilment of administrative and professional obligations are important to their customer-oriented behaviours. Nurse managers must be aware of the impact of fulfilling both administrative and professional obligations of registered nurses in order to optimise their customer-oriented behaviours. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Multi-scale correlations in different futures markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartolozzi, M.; Mellen, C.; di Matteo, T.; Aste, T.

2007-07-01

In the present work we investigate the multiscale nature of the correlations for high frequency data (1 min) in different futures markets over a period of two years, starting on the 1st of January 2003 and ending on the 31st of December 2004. In particular, by using the concept of local Hurst exponent, we point out how the behaviour of this parameter, usually considered as a benchmark for persistency/antipersistency recognition in time series, is largely time-scale dependent in the market context. These findings are a direct consequence of the intrinsic complexity of a system where trading strategies are scale-adaptive. Moreover, our analysis points out different regimes in the dynamical behaviour of the market indices under consideration.

Robust Optical Recognition of Cursive Pashto Script Using Scale, Rotation and Location Invariant Approach

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Riaz; Naz, Saeeda; Afzal, Muhammad Zeshan; Amin, Sayed Hassan; Breuel, Thomas

2015-01-01

The presence of a large number of unique shapes called ligatures in cursive languages, along with variations due to scaling, orientation and location provides one of the most challenging pattern recognition problems. Recognition of the large number of ligatures is often a complicated task in oriental languages such as Pashto, Urdu, Persian and Arabic. Research on cursive script recognition often ignores the fact that scaling, orientation, location and font variations are common in printed cursive text. Therefore, these variations are not included in image databases and in experimental evaluations. This research uncovers challenges faced by Arabic cursive script recognition in a holistic framework by considering Pashto as a test case, because Pashto language has larger alphabet set than Arabic, Persian and Urdu. A database containing 8000 images of 1000 unique ligatures having scaling, orientation and location variations is introduced. In this article, a feature space based on scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) along with a segmentation framework has been proposed for overcoming the above mentioned challenges. The experimental results show a significantly improved performance of proposed scheme over traditional feature extraction techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA). PMID:26368566

The global household: toward a feminist postcapitalist international political economy.

PubMed

Safri, Maliha; Graham, Julie

2010-01-01

The goal of this article is to introduce a new category into international political economy-the global household-and to begin to widen the focus of international political economy to include nonmarket transactions and noncapitalist production. As an economic institution composed of transnational extended families and codwellers (including international migrants and family members left behind in countries of origin), the global household is engaged in coordinating international migration, sending and receiving billions of dollars in remittances, and organizing and conducting market- and non-market-oriented production on an international scale. We first trace the discursive antecedents of the global household concept to theories of the household as a site of noncapitalist production and to feminist ethnographies of transnational families. In order to demonstrate the potential significance and effect of this newly recognized institution, we estimate the aggregate population of global households, the size and distribution of remittances, and the magnitude and sectoral scope of global household production. We then examine the implications of the global household concept for three areas of inquiry: globalization, economic development, and the household politics of economic transformation. Finally, we briefly explore the possibilities for research and activism opened up by a feminist, postcapitalist international political economy centered on the global household.

Maternal bodies, breast-feeding, and consumer desire in urban China.

PubMed

Gottschang, Suzanne Zhang

2007-03-01

Urban Chinese women in the 1990s formulated their infant-feeding decisions in the context of a society undergoing radical transformation as the nation moved from a centrally planned socialist economy to a global, market-oriented one. Narratives of new mothers in Beijing in the 1990s provide insights into the multiple forces that shaped their infant-feeding practices. These personal histories also illustrate the limitations of multilateral breast-feeding programs that emphasize breast-feeding as a natural interaction between mother and infant. The cases I present here demonstrate instead that the material, bodily manifestations of breast-feeding require nursing mothers to continually renegotiate relations with husbands, coworkers, and family. Chinese women's accounts also add insight to theoretical deliberations on gender and the body, for they demonstrate that cultural expectations and the demands of the lactating body must be considered to understand fully the process of women's decisions in a social and not strictly reproductive context. On a larger scale, the data also illustrate how global intervention, in the form of the WHO-UNICEF-sponsored Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, promotes breast-feeding as a woman's primary duty at the same time that market forces counter this message as women redefine their individual expectations and social relationships.

Impact of stock market structure on intertrade time and price dynamics.

PubMed

Ivanov, Plamen Ch; Yuen, Ainslie; Perakakis, Pandelis

2014-01-01

We analyse times between consecutive transactions for a diverse group of stocks registered on the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, and we relate the dynamical properties of the intertrade times with those of the corresponding price fluctuations. We report that market structure strongly impacts the scale-invariant temporal organisation in the transaction timing of stocks, which we have observed to have long-range power-law correlations. Specifically, we find that, compared to NYSE stocks, stocks registered on the NASDAQ exhibit significantly stronger correlations in their transaction timing on scales within a trading day. Further, we find that companies that transfer from the NASDAQ to the NYSE show a reduction in the correlation strength of transaction timing on scales within a trading day, indicating influences of market structure. We also report a persistent decrease in correlation strength of intertrade times with increasing average intertrade time and with corresponding decrease in companies' market capitalization-a trend which is less pronounced for NASDAQ stocks. Surprisingly, we observe that stronger power-law correlations in intertrade times are coupled with stronger power-law correlations in absolute price returns and higher price volatility, suggesting a strong link between the dynamical properties of intertrade times and the corresponding price fluctuations over a broad range of time scales. Comparing the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, we demonstrate that the stronger correlations we find in intertrade times for NASDAQ stocks are associated with stronger correlations in absolute price returns and with higher volatility, suggesting that market structure may affect price behavior through information contained in transaction timing. These findings do not support the hypothesis of universal scaling behavior in stock dynamics that is independent of company characteristics and stock market structure. Further, our results have implications for utilising transaction timing patterns in price prediction and risk management optimization on different stock markets.

Impact of Stock Market Structure on Intertrade Time and Price Dynamics

PubMed Central

Ivanov, Plamen Ch.; Yuen, Ainslie; Perakakis, Pandelis

2014-01-01

We analyse times between consecutive transactions for a diverse group of stocks registered on the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, and we relate the dynamical properties of the intertrade times with those of the corresponding price fluctuations. We report that market structure strongly impacts the scale-invariant temporal organisation in the transaction timing of stocks, which we have observed to have long-range power-law correlations. Specifically, we find that, compared to NYSE stocks, stocks registered on the NASDAQ exhibit significantly stronger correlations in their transaction timing on scales within a trading day. Further, we find that companies that transfer from the NASDAQ to the NYSE show a reduction in the correlation strength of transaction timing on scales within a trading day, indicating influences of market structure. We also report a persistent decrease in correlation strength of intertrade times with increasing average intertrade time and with corresponding decrease in companies' market capitalization–a trend which is less pronounced for NASDAQ stocks. Surprisingly, we observe that stronger power-law correlations in intertrade times are coupled with stronger power-law correlations in absolute price returns and higher price volatility, suggesting a strong link between the dynamical properties of intertrade times and the corresponding price fluctuations over a broad range of time scales. Comparing the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, we demonstrate that the stronger correlations we find in intertrade times for NASDAQ stocks are associated with stronger correlations in absolute price returns and with higher volatility, suggesting that market structure may affect price behavior through information contained in transaction timing. These findings do not support the hypothesis of universal scaling behavior in stock dynamics that is independent of company characteristics and stock market structure. Further, our results have implications for utilising transaction timing patterns in price prediction and risk management optimization on different stock markets. PMID:24699376

Mental illness and its effects on labour market outcomes.

PubMed

Cornwell, Katy; Forbes, Catherine; Inder, Brett; Meadows, Graham

2009-09-01

Mental illness can impact all stages of labour market engagement: lower rates of participation in the labour market, higher rates of unemployment and employment in low-skill or low-earning occupations relative to qualifications. Systematic mental health surveys provide an opportunity to examine the scale of such impacts. Though usually cross sectional in nature, such surveys commonly include historical data by self report that can be used to construct a retrospective cohort study, within which it is possible to examine temporal sequence of illness and employment experience and thereby explore issues of causality. The 1997 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing of Adults contains comprehensive questions relating to prevalence and level of disability associated with major mental disorders. Here we employ secondary analyses of the survey data to develop three models capturing workforce participation, unemployment and occupational level. Different versions of these models employ either broad diagnostic classes or numbers of disorders as indicators of mental disorder status. After reporting findings from these models we use them in combination to estimate labour market costs for Australia. Each disorder reduces the chance of participation in the labour market by 1.3 percentage points, an appreciable amount given that most individuals suffering from mental disorders have multiple disorders. There is a strongly significant effect of mental illness on employment and clear evidence of reduced occupational skill level. The impact of mental illness is very strong at every stage of engagement. Limitations include the self report nature of the assessments and lack of specific income data collection within the survey instrument. Other work based on this survey shows poor accessibility of recovery based and rehabilitation orientated services. These are the very services that have a role to play in increasing workforce participation, employment and occupational level. This assessment of these labour market effects suggests that increasing mental health care funding could yield substantial benefits to the economy. In 2007 a further survey of the Australian population was carried out that will provide an updated data set against which to re-examine this issue. The issue of comparability of the instrumentation between the two surveys will be complex, but valid comparisons across the two surveys should be feasible.

Advanced information society (11)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawa, Kotaro

Late in the 1980's the information system of Japanese corporation has been operated strategically to strengthen its competitive position in markets rather than to make corporate management efficient. Therefore, information-oriented policy in the corporation is making remarkable progress. This policy expands the intelligence activity in the corporation and also leads to the extension of the market in an information industry. In this environment closed corporate system is transformed into open one. For this system network and database are important managerial resources.

Production Efficiency and Market Orientation in Food Crops in North West Ethiopia: Application of Matching Technique for Impact Assessment

PubMed Central

Ayenew, Habtamu Yesigat

2016-01-01

Introduction Agricultural technologies developed by national and international research institutions were not benefiting the rural population of Ethiopia to the extent desired. As a response, integrated agricultural extension approaches are proposed as a key strategy to transform the smallholder farming sector. Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) of Ethiopian Farmers project is one of the development projects initiated by integrating productivity enhancement technological schemes with market development model. This paper explores the impact of the project intervention in the smallholder farmers’ wellbeing. Methods To test the research hypothesis of whether the project brought a significant change in the input use, marketed surplus, efficiency and income of farm households, we use a cross-section data from 200 smallholder farmers in Northwest Ethiopia, collected through multi-stage sampling procedure. To control for self-selection from observable characteristics of the farm households, we employ Propensity Score Matching (PSM). We finally use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques to estimate technical efficiency of farm households. Results The outcome of the research is in line with the premises that the participation of the household in the IPMS project improves purchased input use, marketed surplus, efficiency of farms and the overall gain from farming. The participant households on average employ more purchased agricultural inputs and gain higher gross margin from the production activities as compared to the non-participant households. The non-participant households on average supply less output (measured both in monetary terms and proportion of total produce) to the market as compared to their participant counterparts. Except for the technical efficiency of production in potato, project participant households are better-off in production efficiency compared with the non-participant counterparts. Conclusion We verified the idea that Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) of Ethiopian farmers’ project has contributed for the input and out market integration and/or market oriented agricultural production. Overall, we argue that these can be seen as an experimental model with a promising potential to improve the livelihood of the poor. Furthermore, we suggest that it is worthwhile to employ integrated agricultural extension programs with further targeting in the developing world. PMID:27391961

Production Efficiency and Market Orientation in Food Crops in North West Ethiopia: Application of Matching Technique for Impact Assessment.

PubMed

Ayenew, Habtamu Yesigat

2016-01-01

Agricultural technologies developed by national and international research institutions were not benefiting the rural population of Ethiopia to the extent desired. As a response, integrated agricultural extension approaches are proposed as a key strategy to transform the smallholder farming sector. Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) of Ethiopian Farmers project is one of the development projects initiated by integrating productivity enhancement technological schemes with market development model. This paper explores the impact of the project intervention in the smallholder farmers' wellbeing. To test the research hypothesis of whether the project brought a significant change in the input use, marketed surplus, efficiency and income of farm households, we use a cross-section data from 200 smallholder farmers in Northwest Ethiopia, collected through multi-stage sampling procedure. To control for self-selection from observable characteristics of the farm households, we employ Propensity Score Matching (PSM). We finally use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques to estimate technical efficiency of farm households. The outcome of the research is in line with the premises that the participation of the household in the IPMS project improves purchased input use, marketed surplus, efficiency of farms and the overall gain from farming. The participant households on average employ more purchased agricultural inputs and gain higher gross margin from the production activities as compared to the non-participant households. The non-participant households on average supply less output (measured both in monetary terms and proportion of total produce) to the market as compared to their participant counterparts. Except for the technical efficiency of production in potato, project participant households are better-off in production efficiency compared with the non-participant counterparts. We verified the idea that Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) of Ethiopian farmers' project has contributed for the input and out market integration and/or market oriented agricultural production. Overall, we argue that these can be seen as an experimental model with a promising potential to improve the livelihood of the poor. Furthermore, we suggest that it is worthwhile to employ integrated agricultural extension programs with further targeting in the developing world.

Deregulation of the California electric power industry: An analysis of electric and natural gas corporate mergers and their effect on the California electric power market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hornbuckle, James Dixon

Deregulation of the electric utility industry in California is moving in a direction that places greater reliance on the market forces of competition. Investor owned utilities (IOU's) are using mergers and acquisitions to improve their ability to compete in this new environment. Two large mergers were proposed in 1996 that could affect the California market. The first is between Enron Corporation, a large power marketer and Portland General Corporation, owner of Portland General Electric. The second is between Pacific Enterprises Inc., owner of Southern California Gas Company, the largest natural gas utility in the U. S., and Enova Corporation, owner of San Diego Gas and Electric Company. Understanding the impact of these mergers on the California electric power market is the focus of this study. This study examines hypotheses dealing with: (1) Merger Strategy, (2) Efficiency, and (3) Market Power. Using the Miles and Snow (1978) typology, I develop a strategic orientation model for the merger participants and their competitors. The results suggest a two-stage strategic orientation: (1) regulated core business stage, where the firms follow a Defender strategy, and (2) unregulated business stage, where the firms follow a Prospector strategy. Further, the results show the mergers are consistent with the strategy of Enron and Pacific Enterprises. Event study methodology, dollar gains/losses and market value weighted returns are used to determine if the mergers support the efficiency hypothesis. The evidence suggests the mergers lead to increased competitive advantage through improved efficiency for the participants. The results also suggest the mergers do not harm the rivals. The results of structural changes made by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in deregulation of the California market and analysis of the mergers by the CPUC and the Public Utility Commission of Oregon suggest that the exercise of market power is not a significant issue. Finally, the likely winners in the deregulated environment in California are the broad-based IOU firms, which use a combination Defender/Prospector strategy and do not over-commit resources to mergers or acquisitions.

Assessing restrictiveness of national alcohol marketing policies.

PubMed

Esser, Marissa B; Jernigan, David H

2014-01-01

To develop an approach for monitoring national alcohol marketing policies globally, an area of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Alcohol Strategy. Data on restrictiveness of alcohol marketing policies came from the 2002 and 2008 WHO Global Surveys on Alcohol and Health. We included four scales in a sensitivity analysis to determine optimal weights to score countries on their marketing policies and applied the selected scale to assess national marketing policy restrictiveness. Nearly, 36% of countries had no marketing restrictions. The overall restrictiveness levels were not significantly different between 2002 and 2008. The number of countries with strict marketing regulations did not differ across years. This method of monitoring alcohol marketing restrictiveness helps track progress towards implementing WHO'S Global Alcohol Strategy. Findings indicate a consistent lack of restrictive policies over time, making this a priority area for national and global action. © The Author 2014. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Sample-based synthesis of two-scale structures with anisotropy

DOE PAGES

Liu, Xingchen; Shapiro, Vadim

2017-05-19

A vast majority of natural or synthetic materials are characterized by their anisotropic properties, such as stiffness. Such anisotropy is effected by the spatial distribution of the fine-scale structure and/or anisotropy of the constituent phases at a finer scale. In design, proper control of the anisotropy may greatly enhance the efficiency and performance of synthesized structures. In this paper, we propose a sample-based two-scale structure synthesis approach that explicitly controls anisotropic effective material properties of the structure on the coarse scale by orienting sampled material neighborhoods at the fine scale. We first characterize the non-uniform orientations distribution of the samplemore » structure by showing that the principal axes of an orthotropic material may be determined by the eigenvalue decomposition of its effective stiffness tensor. Such effective stiffness tensors can be efficiently estimated based on the two-point correlation functions of the fine-scale structures. Then we synthesize the two-scale structure by rotating fine-scale structures from the sample to follow a given target orientation field. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through examples in both 2D and 3D.« less

Sample-based synthesis of two-scale structures with anisotropy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Xingchen; Shapiro, Vadim

A vast majority of natural or synthetic materials are characterized by their anisotropic properties, such as stiffness. Such anisotropy is effected by the spatial distribution of the fine-scale structure and/or anisotropy of the constituent phases at a finer scale. In design, proper control of the anisotropy may greatly enhance the efficiency and performance of synthesized structures. In this paper, we propose a sample-based two-scale structure synthesis approach that explicitly controls anisotropic effective material properties of the structure on the coarse scale by orienting sampled material neighborhoods at the fine scale. We first characterize the non-uniform orientations distribution of the samplemore » structure by showing that the principal axes of an orthotropic material may be determined by the eigenvalue decomposition of its effective stiffness tensor. Such effective stiffness tensors can be efficiently estimated based on the two-point correlation functions of the fine-scale structures. Then we synthesize the two-scale structure by rotating fine-scale structures from the sample to follow a given target orientation field. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through examples in both 2D and 3D.« less

Big bang and the policy prescription: health care meets the market in New Zealand.

PubMed

Gauld, R D

2000-10-01

This article discusses events that led up to and the aftermath of New Zealand's radical health sector restructuring of 1993. It suggests that "big bang" policy change facilitated the introduction of a set of market-oriented ideas describable as a policy prescription. In general, the new system performed poorly, in keeping with problems of market failure endemic in health care. The system was subsequently restructured, and elements of the 1993 structures were repackaged through a series of incremental changes. Based on the New Zealand experience, big bang produces change but not necessarily a predictive model, and the policy prescription has been oversold.

Marketing health promotion: hitting or missing the target in occupational health.

PubMed

Fontana, S A

1993-10-01

1. Occupational health nurses can use marketing strategies to plan, offer, and manage health promotion programs; and to conduct research aimed at better understanding the health needs of workers. 2. By applying a social marketing orientation to health promotion planning, occupational health nurses can tailor programs to fit employees' needs, and deliver health messages that are readily understandable to worker groups. 3. A priority in implementing any occupational health program or service is learning about the needs, desires, and health habits of employees. 4. Greater benefits to employee health may occur by targeting change in structures and systems at the workplace rather than solely focusing on lifestyle issues.

Managing the transition to integrated health care organizations.

PubMed

Griffith, J R

1996-01-01

Today's successful community hospitals should and will evolve into integrated health care organizations (IHCOs) that will share several common characteristics. IHCOs will have a community--not a membership--orientation, and this will be a distinguishing characteristic and a source of market appeal. The transition to IHCO will be a slow one, and to prosper, the IHCO will have to accommodate both price-oriented markets and traditional ones. Successful IHCOs will expand technical skills and capabilities to control costs and quality. New strategic competencies will have to be developed, and to do this, emerging IHCOs will improve the ability of managers to support decisions and sell them both to the buyers and the public at large. Excellent patient care will rest upon better trained, advised, and informed management teams. Making the change to an IHCO will take time and money, but organizations that make steady progress are likely to succeed.

Influence of family communication structure and vanity trait on consumption behavior: a case study of adolescent students in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Wei-Lung; Liu, Hsiang-Te; Lin, Tai-An; Wen, Yung-Sung

2008-01-01

The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between family communication structure, vanity trait, and related consumption behavior. The study used an empirical method with adolescent students from the northern part of Taiwan as the subjects. Multiple statistical methods and the SEM model were used for testing the hypotheses. The major findings were: (1) Socio-orientation has a significant effect on how physical appearance is viewed, and concept-orientation has a significant positive effect on achievement vanity. (2) how physical appearance is viewed has a significant positive effect on all dimensions of materialism, concerns about clothing, and use of cosmetics. (3) Achievement vanity has a significant positive relationship with price-based prestige sensitivity and concerns regarding clothing. The findings have implications for marketing theory as well as for practical applications in marketing.

Consumer perception, facts and possibilities to improve acceptability of health and sensory characteristics of pork.

PubMed

Verbeke, W; Van Oeckel, M J; Warnants, N; Viaene, J; Boucqué, C V

1999-10-01

Changes at consumer level, as well as an image decline of the meat sector, resulted in considerable decreases of fresh meat consumption. Consumer orientation is considered as a prerequisite to slow down or reverse the adverse fresh pork consumption evolution. Consumer perception of pork is taken as the starting point of this article. Focus is first on assessing differences between facts related to nutritional value and healthiness aspects of pork and their perception by Belgian meat consumers. Second, possibilities of improving pork characteristics are identified. Pork is perceived worst as compared to beef and poultry on the attributes leanness, healthiness, taste and tenderness. Consumer-oriented response strategies should focus at improving these intrinsic quality characteristics, before other elements like traceability, labelling or marketing can be implemented successfully. The possibilities to improve nutritional value, healthiness and sensory characteristics pertain to selection, pig diet composition, transport, slaughter and post-slaughter circumstances. A successful adoption of consumer orientation urges for co-operation throughout the entire pork production chain. The identified topics are key attention points for adequate production and marketing by the pork sector, as well as for consequent communication by government and public services.

Scaling Exponents in Financial Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyungsik; Kim, Cheol-Hyun; Kim, Soo Yong

2007-03-01

We study the dynamical behavior of four exchange rates in foreign exchange markets. A detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is applied to detect the long-range correlation embedded in the non-stationary time series. It is for our case found that there exists a persistent long-range correlation in volatilities, which implies the deviation from the efficient market hypothesis. Particularly, the crossover is shown to exist in the scaling behaviors of the volatilities.

Correlations of stock price fluctuations under multi-scale and multi-threshold scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Guo; Li, Huajiao; Feng, Sida; Liu, Xueyong; Jiang, Meihui

2018-01-01

The multi-scale method is widely used in analyzing time series of financial markets and it can provide market information for different economic entities who focus on different periods. Through constructing multi-scale networks of price fluctuation correlation in the stock market, we can detect the topological relationship between each time series. Previous research has not addressed the problem that the original fluctuation correlation networks are fully connected networks and more information exists within these networks that is currently being utilized. Here we use listed coal companies as a case study. First, we decompose the original stock price fluctuation series into different time scales. Second, we construct the stock price fluctuation correlation networks at different time scales. Third, we delete the edges of the network based on thresholds and analyze the network indicators. Through combining the multi-scale method with the multi-threshold method, we bring to light the implicit information of fully connected networks.

The Effects of Market Concentration on Residential Solar PV Prices: Competition, Installer Scale, and Soft Costs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

OShaughnessy, Eric J

Competition among residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installers may reduce PV price markups and yield lower prices. At the same time, competition may reduce installer experience and opportunities for cost reductions through learning-by-doing and economies of scale. These dynamics suggest that PV non-hardware or 'soft' costs and installed prices depend on the distribution of market shares among installers, also known as market concentration. This study leverages a rich data set of 226,769 residential PV systems to examine the relationship between market concentration, soft costs, and PV prices. The results show that PV prices are lower, on average, in more concentrated markets,more » i.e., markets with fewer installers or where few installers hold high market share. The study provides evidence that this relationship is non-linear, such that prices are minimized in markets with an optimal balance of the benefits of market concentration and the benefits of competition.« less

The design of water markets when instream flows have value.

PubMed

Murphy, James J; Dinar, Ariel; Howitt, Richard E; Rassenti, Stephen J; Smith, Vernon L; Weinberg, Marca

2009-02-01

The main objective of this paper is to design and test a decentralized exchange mechanism that generates the location-specific pricing necessary to achieve efficient allocations in the presence of instream flow values. Although a market-oriented approach has the potential to improve upon traditional command and control regulations, questions remain about how these rights-based institutions can be implemented such that the potential gains from liberalized trade can be realized. This article uses laboratory experiments to test three different water market institutions designed to incorporate instream flow values into the allocation mechanism through active participation of an environmental trader. The smart, computer-coordinated market described herein offers the potential to significantly reduce coordination problems and transaction costs associated with finding mutually beneficial trades that satisfy environmental constraints. We find that direct environmental participation in the market can achieve highly efficient and stable outcomes, although the potential does exist for the environmental agent to influence outcomes.

Strategic marketing in the NHS: Kwik-health NHS Trust.

PubMed

Laing, A W; Galbraith, A

1995-01-01

Unlike managers in most service organizations, hospital managers do not have significant control over the shape or cost of the service product or the manner of its delivery. Hence, the crucial issue for hospital management to address is how to develop the marketing of a service the control of which is divorced from those with the strategic market perspective. While the internal management of hospital care in NHS is in its infancy, initial developments such as clinical directorates point the way forward in creating a market orientation within provider units. Ultimately, it must be considered what degree of influence over clinical decisions affecting hospital services is realistic, ethical and desirable for strategic marketing and business services. Arguably there is a case for the adoption of some middle ground, with both sides moving from their present positions but perhaps with the clinicians moving furthest.

A Unidimensional Instrument for Measuring Internal Marketing Concept in the Higher Education Sector: IM-11 Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildiz, Suleyman Murat; Kara, Ali

2017-01-01

Purpose: Although the existing internal marketing (IM) scales include various scale items to measure employee motivation, they fall short of incorporating the needs and expectations of service sector employees. Hence, the purpose of this study is to present a practical instrument designed to measure the IM construct in the higher education sector.…

Sustainable Development in Indian Automotive Component Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaskaran, E.

2013-01-01

India is the world's second fastest growing auto market and boasts of the sixth largest automobile industry after China, the US, Germany, Japan and Brazil. The Indian auto component industry recorded its highest year-on-year growth of 34.2 % in 2010-2011, raking in revenue of US 39.9 billion; major contribution coming from exports at US five billion and fresh investment from the US at around US two billion. For inclusive growth and sustainable development most of the auto components manufacturers has adopted the cluster development approach. The objective is to study the technical efficiency (θ), peer weights (λ i ), input slacks (S-) and output slacks (S+) of four Auto Component Clusters (ACC) in India. The methodology adopted is using Data Envelopment Analysis of Input Oriented Banker Charnes Cooper Model by taking number of units and number of employments as inputs and sales and exports in crores as an outputs. The non-zero λ i 's represents the weights for efficient clusters. The S > 0 obtained for one ACC reveals the excess no. of units (S-) and employment (S-) and shortage in sales (S+) and exports (S+). However the variable returns to scale are increasing for three clusters, constant for one more cluster and with nil decrease. To conclude, for inclusive growth and sustainable development, the inefficient ACC should increase their turnover and exports, as decrease in no. of enterprises and employment is practically not possible. Moreover for sustainable development, the ACC should strengthen infrastructure interrelationships, technology interrelationships, procurement interrelationships, production interrelationships and marketing interrelationships to increase productivity and efficiency to compete in the world market.

Taylor’s Law of Temporal Fluctuation Scaling in Stock Illiquidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Qing; Xu, Hai-Chuan; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2016-08-01

Taylor’s law of temporal fluctuation scaling, variance ˜ a(mean)b, is ubiquitous in natural and social sciences. We report for the first time convincing evidence of a solid temporal fluctuation scaling law in stock illiquidity by investigating the mean-variance relationship of the high-frequency illiquidity of almost all stocks traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHSE) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) during the period from 1999 to 2011. Taylor’s law holds for A-share markets (SZSE Main Board, SZSE Small & Mediate Enterprise Board, SZSE Second Board, and SHSE Main Board) and B-share markets (SZSE B-share and SHSE B-share). We find that the scaling exponent b is greater than 2 for the A-share markets and less than 2 for the B-share markets. We further unveil that Taylor’s law holds for stocks in 17 industry categories, in 28 industrial sectors and in 31 provinces and direct-controlled municipalities with the majority of scaling exponents b ∈ (2, 3). We also investigate the Δt-min illiquidity and find that the scaling exponent b(Δt) increases logarithmically for small Δt values and decreases fast to a stable level.

Development and validation of a stock addiction inventory (SAI).

PubMed

Youn, HyunChul; Choi, Jung-Seok; Kim, Dai-Jin; Choi, Sam-Wook

2016-01-01

Investing in financial markets is promoted and protected by the government as an essential economic activity, but can turn into a gambling addiction problem. Until now, few scales have widely been used to identify gambling addicts in financial markets. This study aimed to develop a self-rating scale to distinguish them. In addition, the reliability and validity of the stock addiction inventory (SAI) were demonstrated. A set of questionnaires, including the SAI, south oaks gambling screen (SOGS), and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, for gambling disorder was completed by 1005 participants. Factor analysis, internal consistency testing, t tests, analysis of variance, and partial correlation analysis were conducted to verify the reliability and validity of SAI. The factor analysis results showed the final SAI consisting of two factors and nine items. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of SAI were verified. The Cronbach's α for the total scale was 0.892, and the SAI and its factors were significantly correlated with SOGS. This study developed a specific scale for financial market investments or trading; this scale proved to be reliable and valid. Our scale expands the understanding of gambling addiction in financial markets and provides a diagnostic reference.

Marketing concepts for pharmaceutical service development.

PubMed

Grauer, D W

1981-02-01

Marketing concepts as a mechanism to help pharmacy develop, communicate, and sell future pharmaceutical services to consumers are discussed. Pharmacy as a profession must define itself broadly to take advantage of future growth opportunities. These growth opportunities will be realized from unmet health-care needs and changing consumer life style trends and values. New services must therefore be oriented toward consumers (i.e., patients, health professionals, and third-party agencies) to gain acceptance. Dispensing and drug-knowledge-distribution pharmaceutical services are reviewed by a product life cycle analysis of sales profits versus time. A marketing mix for new pharmaceutical services is developed consisting of service, price, distribution, and promotion strategies. Marketing can encompass those key elements necessary to meet the organizational goals of pharmacy and provide a systematic, disciplined approach for presenting a new service to consumers.

Comparing emerging and mature markets during times of crises: A non-extensive statistical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namaki, A.; Koohi Lai, Z.; Jafari, G. R.; Raei, R.; Tehrani, R.

2013-07-01

One of the important issues in finance and economics for both scholars and practitioners is to describe the behavior of markets, especially during times of crises. In this paper, we analyze the behavior of some mature and emerging markets with a Tsallis entropy framework that is a non-extensive statistical approach based on non-linear dynamics. During the past decade, this technique has been successfully applied to a considerable number of complex systems such as stock markets in order to describe the non-Gaussian behavior of these systems. In this approach, there is a parameter q, which is a measure of deviation from Gaussianity, that has proved to be a good index for detecting crises. We investigate the behavior of this parameter in different time scales for the market indices. It could be seen that the specified pattern for q differs for mature markets with regard to emerging markets. The findings show the robustness of the stated approach in order to follow the market conditions over time. It is obvious that, in times of crises, q is much greater than in other times. In addition, the response of emerging markets to global events is delayed compared to that of mature markets, and tends to a Gaussian profile on increasing the scale. This approach could be very useful in application to risk and portfolio management in order to detect crises by following the parameter q in different time scales.

Perspectives on Pricing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litten, Larry H.

1986-01-01

The most provocative perspectives on pricing for colleges and universities have come from the introduction of marketing into higher education. A brief review of these developments is offered to serve as an orientation for the consideration of pricing issues per se. (Author/MLW)

Who's Gonna Pay the Piper for Free Online Databases?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacso, Peter

1996-01-01

Discusses new pricing models for some online services and considers the possibilities for the traditional online database market. Topics include multimedia music databases, including copyright implications; other retail-oriented databases; and paying for free databases with advertising. (LRW)

7 CFR 56.7 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 56.7 Section 56.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or...

7 CFR 56.7 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 56.7 Section 56.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or...

7 CFR 56.7 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 56.7 Section 56.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or...

7 CFR 56.7 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 56.7 Section 56.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or...

7 CFR 56.7 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 56.7 Section 56.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or...

Educational Software: A Developer's Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Timothy C.; Loane, Russell F.

1994-01-01

Examines the current status and short-term future of computer software development in higher education. Topics discussed include educational advantages of software; current program development techniques, including object oriented programming; and market trends, including IBM versus Macintosh and multimedia programs. (LRW)

20 CFR 632.38 - Classification of costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-job training, salaries, fringe benefits, equipment and supplies of personnel engaged in providing...; classroom space and utility costs; employability assessment; job related counseling for participants; job search assistance and labor market orientation; participant allowances, and tuition and entrance fees...

Enrollment Management in Academic Units

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeBiaso, Nick

2012-01-01

This study provides an understanding of how administrative leaders make decisions regarding enrollment management within academic units at a major research university in the southwestern United States. Key enrollment management functions of recruiting, admissions, marketing, orientation, financial aid/scholarships, academic advising, student…

New University Law Decreed in Chile.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, John

1981-01-01

Describes Chile's restructuring of higher education which emphasizes professional preparation in the universities and conforms to market-oriented economic theories of the government. Many of the social sciences and some natural science degree programs will be banished under this restructuring. (DS)

Customer service: the key to market differentiation.

PubMed

Stahl, D A

1997-06-01

Fierce competition in the subacute care environment makes customer service orientation essential. Four steps help to achieve quality customer service are: (1) institute core values; (2) identify your customers; (3) understand human resources; and (4) establish an efficient system.

Developing a New National Strategy for U.S.-Russian Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-02-24

National Startegy for U.S.-Russian Relations 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK...command economy to a free market economy. Judging by the problems being experienced integrating the old East German economy, viewed by many experts...as the most advanced of the Warsaw Pact countries, it’s becoming clear that moving to a market oriented economy is more costly, difficult, and

Pricing and performance in health maintenance organizations: a strategic management perspective.

PubMed

Conant, J S; Mokwa, M P; Burnett, J J

1989-03-01

Innovative, consumer-oriented pricing strategies have contributed to the impressive growth of health maintenance organizations (HMOs). In a national study of HMO marketing directors, the relationships between strategic management style and (1) the relative importance of pricing in competitive marketing strategy, (2) the effectiveness of price strategy planning, and (3) financial performance are examined. The findings indicate that HMOs practicing effective price planning also perform well on an overall basis. Insight into the content and substance of HMO pricing strategies is also provided.

Managed consumerism in health care.

PubMed

Robinson, James C

2005-01-01

The future of market-oriented health policy and practice lies in "managed consumerism," a blend of the patient-centric focus of consumer-driven health care and the provider-centric focus of managed competition. The optimal locus of incentives will vary among health services according to the nature of the illness, the clinical technology, and the extent of discretion in utilization. A competitive market will manifest a variety of comprehensive and limited benefit designs, broad and narrow contractual networks, and single-and multispecialty provider organizations.

U.S. Strategy in the Event of a Failure of Detente.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-05-01

industry involved in "high technology" product develop- ment and manufacturing for the DOD. Although the marketing efforts were clearly oriented towards...sometimes voiced in the United States that Japan or Western tarope would monopolize the Soviet market by default if the United States Kailed to seize...34 onLinrent " or even a more activist, offensive-mindtd apprL.> t(o poliLY, may, dependin6; on circumstances, constituLe the most relevant poli ; for

The commercial evolution of the Titan program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isakowitz, Steven

1988-07-01

The present status evaluation of proprietary efforts to turn the once exclusively government-requirements-oriented Titan launch vehicle into a successful commercial competitor is divided into three phases. The first phase notes recent changes in U.S. space transportation policy and the Titan configurations evaluated for commercial feasibility. The second phase is a development history for the current vehicle's marketing organization and the right-to-use agreement for a launch site. Phase three projects the prospective marketing climate for a commercial Titan vehicle and its planned improvements.

Modelling financial markets with agents competing on different time scales and with different amount of information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wohlmuth, Johannes; Andersen, Jørgen Vitting

2006-05-01

We use agent-based models to study the competition among investors who use trading strategies with different amount of information and with different time scales. We find that mixing agents that trade on the same time scale but with different amount of information has a stabilizing impact on the large and extreme fluctuations of the market. Traders with the most information are found to be more likely to arbitrage traders who use less information in the decision making. On the other hand, introducing investors who act on two different time scales has a destabilizing effect on the large and extreme price movements, increasing the volatility of the market. Closeness in time scale used in the decision making is found to facilitate the creation of local trends. The larger the overlap in commonly shared information the more the traders in a mixed system with different time scales are found to profit from the presence of traders acting at another time scale than themselves.

Principal axes estimation using the vibration modes of physics-based deformable models.

PubMed

Krinidis, Stelios; Chatzis, Vassilios

2008-06-01

This paper addresses the issue of accurate, effective, computationally efficient, fast, and fully automated 2-D object orientation and scaling factor estimation. The object orientation is calculated using object principal axes estimation. The approach relies on the object's frequency-based features. The frequency-based features used by the proposed technique are extracted by a 2-D physics-based deformable model that parameterizes the objects shape. The method was evaluated on synthetic and real images. The experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the method, both in orientation and the scaling estimations.

An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale: Examining the Variable of Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Shainna; Lambie, Glenn; Bloom, Zachary D.

2017-01-01

The Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS), developed by Bidell in 2005, measures counselors' levels of skills, awareness, and knowledge in assisting lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) clients. In an effort to gain an increased understanding of the construct validity of the SOCCS, researchers performed an exploratory factor analysis on…

Homogeneity of small-scale earthquake faulting, stress, and fault strength

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hardebeck, J.L.

2006-01-01

Small-scale faulting at seismogenic depths in the crust appears to be more homogeneous than previously thought. I study three new high-quality focal-mechanism datasets of small (M < ??? 3) earthquakes in southern California, the east San Francisco Bay, and the aftershock sequence of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. I quantify the degree of mechanism variability on a range of length scales by comparing the hypocentral disctance between every pair of events and the angular difference between their focal mechanisms. Closely spaced earthquakes (interhypocentral distance

Entrepreneurial Orientation Scale: Adaptation to Spanish.

PubMed

Boada-Grau, Joan; Sánchez-García, José Carlos; Viardot, Eric; Boada-Cuerva, Maria; Vigil-Colet, Andreu

2016-07-25

Entrepreneurship is linked to the perception of opportunities, to orientation, to attitudes, to the fear of failure and to entrepreneurial motivations. Entrepreneurial orientation is a fundamental construct for understanding the phenomenon of entrepreneurship. What is more, it is multidimensional and has attracted considerable attention from researchers in recent years. The objective of this study was to adapt the original 12-item English scale to Spanish and to analyze its psychometric properties. The participants in the present study were 925 Spanish employees (48.2% men, 51.5% women, M age = 42.49 years, SD age = 11.25) from the Autonomous Communities of Catalonia and Castilla-León. After applying an ESEM (RMSEA = .06; CFI = .97 and TLI = .95) a structure was determined made up of four factors which corroborated the structure of the original scale: Autonomy (α = .71 and CI = .68 - .73), Innovativeness (α = .70 and CI = .67 - .73), Risk Taking (α = .72 and CI = .68 - .74) and Competitive Aggressiveness (α = .70 and CI = .67 - .73). The four factors displayed suitable reliability. The study also found evidences of validity in relation to a series of external correlates and various scales which refer to workaholism, irritation and burnout. The scale presented here may prove useful for satisfactorily identifying, in Spanish, the entrepreneurial orientation of the working population.

Different animal welfare orientations towards some key research areas of current relevance to pastoral dairy farming in New Zealand.

PubMed

Webster, J R; Schütz, K E; Sutherland, M A; Stewart, M; Mellor, D J

2015-01-01

The New Zealand dairy industry needs to meet public expectations regarding animal welfare in order to retain the freedom to operate and achieve market success. Three key orientations towards animal welfare assessment have been identified, namely biological functioning, affective state and natural living, the last two of which are more recent foci for societal concern. Biological functioning was the first and most-studied aspect of animal welfare and continues to be important, but now the contribution of affective state to animal well-being is emphasised much more. Natural living, or naturalness, has received relatively less attention from animal welfare science. It is proposed that increasing the use of naturalness as a contextual reference point for considering species-specific behavioural expressions of affective state will enhance its inclusion in animal welfare assessment. Nevertheless, all three orientations need to be considered in order to evaluate the significance of welfare research findings. On this basis, five key aspects of the New Zealand dairy industry that have been the subject of recent research, due to the risk of them not meeting public expectations, are highlighted and discussed. The aspects are provision of shade and shelter, meeting targets for body condition, provision of comfortable surfaces for rearing calves, and for adult cows while off pasture, and pain relief for disbudding of calves. Research evidence indicates that the industry guidelines on body condition score, if met, would satisfy public expectations across the three orientations to animal welfare, whereas further work is needed on the other aspects. It is concluded that considering these three orientations to animal welfare when planning research and then evaluating the outcomes will help to promote the market success of the dairy industry in New Zealand.

Coping With Concentration.

PubMed

Greaney, Thomas L

2017-09-01

Provider market power is a powerful driver of high health care costs in the United States. Despite decades of antitrust litigation and regulatory interventions, the problem has worsened and threatens to undermine the benefits of market-based policies. A critical but neglected challenge for all health care reform proposals relying on market competition to address costs is finding effective tools to address the extant market power of dominant hospitals, hospital systems, and many specialty physician practices. This article analyzes the principal market-oriented approaches that have been used in the past and proposed for the future. It argues that antitrust law has an important but constrained role to play and has proved to be especially inept in dealing with extant market power. It finds serious deficiencies in the conduct decrees imposed by some courts and in open-ended regulatory regimes such as those established by Certificate of Public Advantage laws. Although not without administrative complications, policies that target providers who possess market power by capping prices may be the most effective means to control costs and retain the benefits of a competitive delivery system. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Managing Enrollments for Institutional Vitality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hossler, Don

1985-01-01

The concept of enrollment management is gaining acceptance as a means of ensuring institutional vitality. Those responsible for enrollment management must have direct responsibility for: student marketing and recruitment, pricing and financial aid, academic and career advising, academic assistance programs, institutional research, orientation,…

7 CFR 57.17 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 57.17 Section 57.17 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. [69 FR 57166, Sept. 24, 2004] ...

7 CFR 57.17 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 57.17 Section 57.17 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. [69 FR 57166, Sept. 24, 2004] ...

7 CFR 57.17 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 57.17 Section 57.17 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. [69 FR 57166, Sept. 24, 2004] ...

7 CFR 57.17 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 57.17 Section 57.17 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. [69 FR 57166, Sept. 24, 2004] ...

7 CFR 57.17 - Nondiscrimination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Nondiscrimination. 57.17 Section 57.17 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards..., political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. [69 FR 57166, Sept. 24, 2004] ...

Image classification independent of orientation and scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsenault, Henri H.; Parent, Sebastien; Moisan, Sylvain

1998-04-01

The recognition of targets independently of orientation has become fairly well developed in recent years for in-plane rotation. The out-of-plane rotation problem is much less advanced. When both out-of-plane rotations and changes of scale are present, the problem becomes very difficult. In this paper we describe our research on the combined out-of- plane rotation problem and the scale invariance problem. The rotations were limited to rotations about an axis perpendicular to the line of sight. The objects to be classified were three kinds of military vehicles. The inputs used were infrared imagery and photographs. We used a variation of a method proposed by Neiberg and Casasent, where a neural network is trained with a subset of the database and a minimum distances from lines in feature space are used for classification instead of nearest neighbors. Each line in the feature space corresponds to one class of objects, and points on one line correspond to different orientations of the same target. We found that the training samples needed to be closer for some orientations than for others, and that the most difficult orientations are where the target is head-on to the observer. By means of some additional training of the neural network, we were able to achieve 100% correct classification for 360 degree rotation and a range of scales over a factor of five.

Psychometric properties of the feedback orientation scale among South African salespersons.

PubMed

Lilford, Neil; Caruana, Albert; Pitt, Leyland

2014-02-01

Feedback to employees is an important management tool, and the literature demonstrates that it has a positive effect on learning, motivation, and job performance. This study investigates in a non-U.S. context the psychometric properties of the Feedback Orientation Scale. Data were gathered from a sample of 202 salespersons from a large South African firm within the industrial fuels and lubricants sector. Confirmatory Factor Analysis provided evidence for the intended dimensionality, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity of the scale.

Agricultural diversification as an important strategy for achieving food security in Africa.

PubMed

Waha, Katharina; van Wijk, Mark T; Fritz, Steffen; See, Linda; Thornton, Philip K; Wichern, Jannike; Herrero, Mario

2018-03-31

Farmers in Africa have long adapted to climatic and other risks by diversifying their farming activities. Using a multi-scale approach, we explore the relationship between farming diversity and food security and the diversification potential of African agriculture and its limits on the household and continental scale. On the household scale, we use agricultural surveys from more than 28,000 households located in 18 African countries. In a next step, we use the relationship between rainfall, rainfall variability, and farming diversity to determine the available diversification options for farmers on the continental scale. On the household scale, we show that households with greater farming diversity are more successful in meeting their consumption needs, but only up to a certain level of diversity per ha cropland and more often if food can be purchased from off-farm income or income from farm sales. More diverse farming systems can contribute to household food security; however, the relationship is influenced by other factors, for example, the market orientation of a household, livestock ownership, nonagricultural employment opportunities, and available land resources. On the continental scale, the greatest opportunities for diversification of food crops, cash crops, and livestock are located in areas with 500-1,000 mm annual rainfall and 17%-22% rainfall variability. Forty-three percent of the African cropland lacks these opportunities at present which may hamper the ability of agricultural systems to respond to climate change. While sustainable intensification practices that increase yields have received most attention to date, our study suggests that a shift in the research and policy paradigm toward agricultural diversification options may be necessary. © 2018 The Authors Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

"On the doctor's orders": A pilot study of the effects of website marketing for medical specialist providers under gatekeeping arrangements.

PubMed

Zwier, Sandra

2017-01-01

Websites from medical specialist providers are becoming increasingly marketing oriented, but there exists a paucity of empirical research on the effects. This experimental study explored effects of exposure to real websites from medical specialist providers among Dutch adults under physician gatekeeper arrangements. Exposure led to a stronger intention to seek treatment from the specialist provider and motivation to rely on the providers' claims. Weaker to absent effects were found for intention to question the physician gatekeeper's referral and this was chiefly motivated by the belief that "the doctor knows best." Implications for specialist provider marketing under gatekeeping arrangements are discussed.

Competitive strategy in turbulent healthcare markets: an analysis of financially effective teaching hospitals.

PubMed

Langabeer, J

1998-01-01

As the healthcare marketplace, characterized by declining revenues and heavy price competition, continues to evolve toward managed care, teaching hospitals are being forced to act more like traditional industrial organizations. Profit-oriented behavior, including emphases on market strategies and competitive advantage, is now a necessity if these hospitals are going to survive the transition to managed care. To help teaching hospitals evaluate strategic options that maximize financial effectiveness, this study examined the financial and operating data for 100 major U.S. teaching hospitals to determine relationships among competitive strategy, market environment, and financial return on invested capital. Results should help major hospitals formulate more effective strategies to combat environmental turbulence.

Liquidity spillover in international stock markets through distinct time scales.

PubMed

Righi, Marcelo Brutti; Vieira, Kelmara Mendes

2014-01-01

This paper identifies liquidity spillovers through different time scales based on a wavelet multiscaling method. We decompose daily data from U.S., British, Brazilian and Hong Kong stock markets indices in order to calculate the scale correlation between their illiquidities. The sample is divided in order to consider non-crisis, sub-prime crisis and Eurozone crisis. We find that there are changes in correlations of distinct scales and different periods. Association in finest scales is smaller than in coarse scales. There is a rise on associations in periods of crisis. In frequencies, there is predominance for significant distinctions involving the coarsest scale, while for crises periods there is predominance for distinctions on the finest scale.

Liquidity Spillover in International Stock Markets through Distinct Time Scales

PubMed Central

Righi, Marcelo Brutti; Vieira, Kelmara Mendes

2014-01-01

This paper identifies liquidity spillovers through different time scales based on a wavelet multiscaling method. We decompose daily data from U.S., British, Brazilian and Hong Kong stock markets indices in order to calculate the scale correlation between their illiquidities. The sample is divided in order to consider non-crisis, sub-prime crisis and Eurozone crisis. We find that there are changes in correlations of distinct scales and different periods. Association in finest scales is smaller than in coarse scales. There is a rise on associations in periods of crisis. In frequencies, there is predominance for significant distinctions involving the coarsest scale, while for crises periods there is predominance for distinctions on the finest scale. PMID:24465918

Characterizing the influence of atmospheric river orientation and intensity on precipitation distributions over North Coastal California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hecht, Chad W.; Cordeira, Jason M.

2017-09-01

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long (>2000 km) and narrow (500-1000 km) corridors of enhanced vertically integrated water vapor and enhanced integrated water vapor transport (IVT) that are responsible for a majority of global poleward moisture transport and can result in extreme orographic precipitation. Observational evidence suggests that ARs within different synoptic-scale flow regimes may contain different water vapor source regions, orientations, and intensities and may result in different precipitation distributions. This study uses k-means clustering to objectively identify different orientations and intensities of ARs that make landfall over the California Russian River watershed. The ARs with different orientations and intensities occur within different synoptic-scale flow patterns in association with variability in IVT direction and quasi-geostrophic forcing for ascent and lead to different precipitation distributions over the Russian River watershed. These differences suggest that both mesoscale upslope moisture flux and synoptic-scale forcing for ascent are important factors in modulating precipitation distributions during landfalling ARs.

[The Marketing of Healthcare Services in ENT-Clinics].

PubMed

Teschner, M; Lenarz, T

2016-07-01

The provision of healthcare services in Germany is based on fundamental principles of solidarity and is highly regulated. The question arises which conditions exist for marketing for healthcare services in ENT-clinics in Germany. The marketing options will be elicited using environmentally analytical considerations. The objectives can be achieved using measures derived from external instruments (service policy, pricing policy, distribution policy or communications policy) or from an internal instrument (human resources policy). The policy environment is particularly influenced by the regulatory framework, which particularly restricts the scope for both the pricing and communications policies. All measures must, however, reflect ethical frameworks, which are regarded as the fundamental premise underlying healthcare services and may be at odds with economic factors. Scope for flexibility in pricing exists only within the secondary healthcare market, and even there only to a limited extent. The significance of price in the marketing of healthcare services is thus very low. If marketing activities are to succeed, a market analysis must be carried out exploring the relevant factors for each individual provider. However, the essential precondition for the marketing of healthcare services is trust. The marketing of healthcare services differs from that of business management-oriented enterprises in other branches of economy. In the future the importance of marketing activities will increase. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Constructions of the patient in healthcare communications: six patient figures.

PubMed

Pors, Anja Svejgaard

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine how strategic, patient-centred communication plays a part in the discursive management of expectations posed to patients and healthcare organizations. The paper provides an analysis of four documents collected as part of an ethnographic case study regarding "The Perspective of the Patient" - a Danish Hospital's patient-centred communication programme. Mapping methods inspired by Grounded Theory are used to qualify the analysis. The paper shows that strategic patient-centred communication addresses both a care-oriented approach to the patient and deploys market perceptions of patients. Market and care is seen as co-existing organizing modes that entail expectations to the patient. In the communication programme the patient is constructed in six information-seeking patient figures: affective patient; target group patient; citizen with rights; patient as a competent resource; user as active partner; and consumer. As a result, the patient-centred communication programme renders the patient as a flexible figure able to fit organizational demands of both care orientation and market concerns. This study contributes to qualitative research in organizational health communication by combining two subfields - patient-centredness and health communication - in an empirical study of how market and care are intertwined in a patient-centred communication programme. The argument goes beyond the prevalent prescriptive approaches to patient-centredness and healthcare communication, instead providing a critical analytical perspective on strategic communication and patient-centredness and showing how expectations are posed to both patient and organization.

Evaluation of the Farmers' Markets for Kids programme.

PubMed

Dannefer, Rachel; Bryan, Erica; Osborne, Alyce; Sacks, Rachel

2016-12-01

To assess the impact of Farmers' Markets for Kids, a farmers' market-based, child-oriented nutrition education programme, on attitudes and behaviours related to preparing and consuming produce among child participants and their caregivers in New York City (NYC). Retrospective pre-test/post-test cross-sectional survey with caregivers of children participating in Farmers' Markets for Kids classes. Four NYC farmers' markets where Farmers' Markets for Kids classes are implemented; these markets serve low-income communities. Two hundred and twelve adult caregivers of children who participated in Farmers' Markets for Kids classes. Caregivers reported that children's consumption of fruits and vegetables had increased since participating in Farmers' Markets for Kids and that their children more frequently assisted with food preparation; both of these improvements were statistically significant. Caregivers also reported significant improvements in attitudes: since participating in Farmers' Markets for Kids, their children were more willing to try new fruits and vegetables and caregivers found it easier to prepare fruits and vegetables for their children. Almost all respondents (99 %) reported purchasing more fruits and vegetables since participating in Farmers' Markets for Kids and 95 % had prepared the programme's recipes at home. Findings suggest that Farmers' Markets for Kids may be an effective approach for increasing produce consumption among participating children and improving related attitudes among children and caregivers. This evaluation provides support for future efforts to undertake more rigorous evaluations of such programmes.

Assessing Politicized Sexual Orientation Identity: Validating the Queer Consciousness Scale.

PubMed

Duncan, Lauren E; Mincer, Elizabeth; Dunn, Sarah R

2017-01-01

Building on psychological theories of motivation for collective action, we introduce a new individual difference measure of queer consciousness, defined as a politicized collective identity around sexual orientation. The Queer Consciousness Scale (QCS) consists of 12 items measuring five aspects of a politicized queer identity: sense of common fate, power discontent, system blame, collective orientation, and cognitive centrality. In four samples of adult women and men of varied sexual orientations, the QCS showed good test-retest and Cronbach's reliability and excellent known-groups and predictive validity. Specifically, the QCS was positively correlated with identification as a member of the LGBTQ community, political liberalism, personal political salience, and LGBTQ activism and negatively correlated with right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation. QCS mediated relationships between several individual difference variables and gay rights activism and can be used with both LGBTQ people and allies.

The role of Chinese face in the perpetration of dating partner violence.

PubMed

Chan, Ko Ling

2012-03-01

This study explored the associations between the perpetration of partner violence and two types of face orientation-protective and acquisitive-in Chinese societies. Data from a convenience sample of 3,388 university students from Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing were analyzed. The participants completed the Protective and Acquisitive Face Orientation (PAFO) Scale Short Form and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) to measure their face orientations and experience of perpetrating violence against their dating partner. Acquisitive face orientation (AFO) was positively associated with the self-reported perpetration of physical and psychological partner violence. No significant associations were found between protective face orientation (PFO) and partner violence perpetration. Gender differences were found across all types of dating violence. City of residence, age, and SES were also associated with partner violence in specific ways. The findings gave insights on the possible mechanisms between partner violence and the concept of face to be explored in future research.

The interrelationship between orthorexia nervosa, perfectionism, body image and attachment style.

PubMed

Barnes, Marta A; Caltabiano, Marie L

2017-03-01

We investigated whether perfectionism, body image, attachment style, and self-esteem are predictors of orthorexia nervosa. A cohort of 220 participants completed a self-administered, online questionnaire consisting of five measures: ORTO-15, the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scale (MBSRQ-AS), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Correlation analysis revealed that higher orthorexic tendencies significantly correlated with higher scores for perfectionism (self-oriented, others-oriented and socially prescribed), appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation, self-classified weight, and fearful and dismissing attachment styles. Higher orthorexic tendencies also correlated with lower scores for body areas satisfaction and a secure attachment style. There was no significant correlation between orthorexia nervosa and self-esteem. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that overweight preoccupation, appearance orientation and the presence of an eating disorder history were significant predictors of orthorexia nervosa with a history of an eating disorder being the strongest predictor. Orthorexia nervosa shares similarities with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa with regards to perfectionism, body image attitudes, and attachment style. In addition, a history of an eating disorder strongly predicts orthorexia nervosa. These findings suggest that these disorders might be on the same spectrum of disordered eating.

Dimensionality and construct validity of an instrument designed to measure the metacognitive orientation of science classroom learning environments.

PubMed

Thomas, Gregory P

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish the factorial construct validity and dimensionality of the Metacognitive Orientation Learning Environment Scale-Science (MOLES-S) which was designed to measure the metacognitive orientation of science classroom learning environments. The metacognitive orientation of a science classroom learning environment is the extent to which psychosocial conditions that are known to enhance students' metacognition are evident within that classroom. The development of items comprising this scale was based on a theoretical understanding of metacognition, learning environments and the development of previous learning environments instruments. Four possible hypothesized structure models, each consistent with the literature, were reviewed and their merits were compared on the basis of empirical data drawn from two populations of 1026 and 1223 Hong Kong secondary school students using confirmatory factor analysis procedures. The scale was calibrated using the Rasch rating scale model using data from the 1223 student sample. The results suggest that there is strong evidence to support the factorial construct validity of the MOLES-S but that, on the basis of the Rasch analysis, there are still suggestions for further refinement and improvement of the MOLES-S.

[Marketing in veterinary practice; a theoretical framework].

PubMed

Schuurmans, A J; Smidts, A

1990-03-15

An increase in the number of veterinarians, while at the same time the number of animals has remained constant, has resulted in growing competition. By extending the range of products and by enlarging the veterinarians' scope of activities this competition can be decreased. A marketing-orientation will be helpful in this respect. This article indicates in which way marketing concepts can be used in a veterinary practice. The services of the veterinarian will be looked at by means of the Abell approach. This focuses on the functions performed by the services and examines, per function performed, for whom this might be interesting and which alternatives there might be. Next the concept of market segmentation is filled in for a veterinary practice by means of a hypothetical example. The marketing mix (product, place, price, promotion and personnel) is given considerable attention. The last element of marketing in a veterinary practice that is discussed here is the marketing information system. In a next article the question will be answered how marketing-directed the Dutch veterinarian works nowadays. To find this out research has been done; 166 vets were interviewed by telephone for approximately 40 minutes each.

[Competition between branded and generic drugs in Austria: evidence from the market for ACE inhibitors].

PubMed

Mahlich, J C; Stadler, I

2012-01-01

The market for pharmaceuticals in Austria is highly regulated and manufacturers cannot set prices freely after patent expiration of the pioneer drug. We wanted to examine the effect of price regulation on price competition between branded and generic drugs in Austria. We examined the Austrian market for ACE inhibitors and describe competitive dynamics by means of 6 indices. We compared our results with those of Grabowski and Vernon who studied the US market. According to our analysis the competition amongst the producers of generic drugs is not great and consequently, compared to the USA, over time the prices for generic products decrease less and their market share increases less. This is due to a market-oriented system in the USA which waives most regulatory provisions. Our conclusions are in line with the findings by Danzon und Chao (2000) who argue that in a price-regulated market competitive dynamics are less strongly developed. From a politico-economic view, the necessity of price regulations in the pharmaceutical market seems questionable, as price regulations generally also cause other negative effects, such as distorted economic incentives for research and development investments. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Business structure, ethnic shifts in labor markets, and violence: the link between company size, local labor markets, and non-Latino homicide.

PubMed

Barranco, Raymond E; Shihadeh, Edward S

2015-01-01

Combining several schools of thought, including the civic engagement thesis, we extend current research by linking three things at the county level; firm size, the ethnic composition of labor markets, and violent crime. Our results suggest that larger businesses (based on the average number of persons employed) are more likely to have an external orientation and long recruitment reach, and this is linked to ethnic shifts in labor markets toward Latino workers. Such shifts are in turn associated with high rates of homicide among non-Latinos. Through indirect effects modeling, we find that increases in Black homicide are linked to rises in concentrated poverty, while increases in White homicide are linked to changes in unemployment. We discuss the implications of our findings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A multidirectional communication model: implications for social marketing practice.

PubMed

Thackeray, Rosemary; Neiger, Brad L

2009-04-01

The landscape of sending and receiving information has changed dramatically in the past 25 years. The communication process is changing from being unidirectional to multidirectional as consumers are becoming active participants by creating, seeking, and sharing information using a variety of channels and devices. The purpose of this article is to describe how this shift in the communication process- where gatekeepers control the creation and content of information and consumers are less active recipients to one that reflects a multidirectional and more dynamic process with participative consumers-will affect the social marketing process. This shift in communication does not represent an option for social marketers so much as a necessity. As professionals respond to this evolving communication model, the practice of social marketing can remain vibrant as a relevant consumer-oriented approach to behavior change.

Preference bias of head orientation in choosing between two non-durables.

PubMed

Funaya, Hiroyuki; Shibata, Tomohiro

2015-01-01

The goal of this study is to investigate how customers' gaze, head and body orientations reflect their choices. Although the relationship between human choice and gaze behavior has been well-studied, other behaviors such as head and body are unknown. We conducted a two-alternatives-forced-choice task to examine (1) whether preference bias, i.e., a positional bias in gaze, head and body toward the item that was later chosen, exists in choice, (2) when preference bias is observed and when prediction of the resulting choice becomes possible (3) whether human choice is affected when the body orientations are manipulated. We used real non-durable products (cheap snacks and clothing) on a shopping shelf. The results showed that there was a significant preference bias in head orientation at the beginning 1 s when the subjects stood straight toward the shelf, and that the head orientation was more biased toward the selected item than the gaze and the center of pressure at the ending 1 s. Manipulating body orientation did not affect the result of choice. The preference bias detected by observing the head orientation would be useful in marketing science for predicting customers' choice.

Wording effect leads to a controversy over the construct of the social dominance orientation scale.

PubMed

Xin, Ziqiang; Chi, Liping

2010-01-01

Most investigations of individuals' social dominance orientation (SDO) have used the 16-item SDO scale developed by F. Pratto, J. Sidanius, L. M. Stallworth, and B. F. Malle (1994). The scale's authors believed it to be a unidimensional scale, but other researchers have found the scale has 2 or more factors. The present authors proposed a new hypothesis: The controversy of the scale structure was related to the wording effect of the scale. Based on a sample of Americans, Canadians, and Chinese, the present study indicated that what the scale measured was not only 1 trait of SDO, but also a negative-wording effect factor and that the scale structure was invariant across the 3 cultural groups. The existence of a wording effect reminds us to be cautious of the construct validity of the scale and interpretations of results.

Quality of Life. NARF Monograph Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Washington, DC.

Oriented to rehabilitation facilities that are interested in maintaining and expanding their markets, this pamphlet presents publication excerpts that provide an understanding of the impact of organizational quality. The excerpts emphasize development of quality products and services through motivation of staff, effective communication, use of…

Taking the initiative: nurse intrapreneurs in the NHS.

PubMed

Hewison, Alistair; Badger, Fran

2006-06-01

ENTREPRENEURSHIP HAS traditionally been associated with individuals operating in the private sector. However, there is increasing evidence to suggest that entrepreneurs have a role in public sector organisations, especially as governments encourage these to become more market oriented ( Ennew et al 1998 ).

Developing School Psychology in Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Le, Phuong; Hagans, Kristi; Powers, Kristin; Hass, Michael

2011-01-01

Like China, Vietnam is a communist country with increasingly capitalist economic policies. A fundamental change occurred in these policies with the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986 that called for a "free market with socialist orientations." However, this economic modernization has inadvertently…

The growth of selected leisure industries

Treesearch

Elizabeth R. Owen

1980-01-01

Rapidly rising sales of sporting equipment, as well as the phenomenal growth of receipts from a variety of recreation-oriented service industries, have contributed in establishing the recreation market as one of the most dynamic and fastest expanding sectors of the United States economy.

Strategic Planning for Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotler, Philip; Murphy, Patrick E.

1981-01-01

The framework necessary for achieving a strategic planning posture in higher education is outlined. The most important benefit of strategic planning for higher education decision makers is that it forces them to undertake a more market-oriented and systematic approach to long- range planning. (Author/MLW)

The cancellous bone multiscale morphology-elasticity relationship.

PubMed

Agić, Ante; Nikolić, Vasilije; Mijović, Budimir

2006-06-01

The cancellous bone effective properties relations are analysed on multiscale across two aspects; properties of representative volume element on micro scale and statistical measure of trabecular trajectory orientation on mesoscale. Anisotropy of the microstructure is described across fabric tensor measure with trajectory orientation tensor as bridging scale connection. The scatter measured data (elastic modulus, trajectory orientation, apparent density) from compression test are fitted by stochastic interpolation procedure. The engineering constants of the elasticity tensor are estimated by last square fitt procedure in multidimensional space by Nelder-Mead simplex. The multiaxial failure surface in strain space is constructed and interpolated by modified super-ellipsoid.

Effect of neurolinguistic programming training on self-actualization as measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory.

PubMed

Duncan, R C; Konefal, J; Spechler, M M

1990-06-01

Neurolinguistic programming training is based on principles that should enable the trainee to be more "present"-oriented, inner-directed, flexible, self-aware, and responsive to others, that is, more self-actualized. This study reports within-person changes on self-actualization measures of the Personal Orientation Inventory following a 24-day residential training in neurolinguistic programming. Significant positive mean changes were found for 18 master practitioners on nine of the 12 scales and for 36 practitioners on 10 of the 12 scales. Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that training increases individual self-actualization scores.

Multi-period natural gas market modeling Applications, stochastic extensions and solution approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egging, Rudolf Gerardus

This dissertation develops deterministic and stochastic multi-period mixed complementarity problems (MCP) for the global natural gas market, as well as solution approaches for large-scale stochastic MCP. The deterministic model is unique in the combination of the level of detail of the actors in the natural gas markets and the transport options, the detailed regional and global coverage, the multi-period approach with endogenous capacity expansions for transportation and storage infrastructure, the seasonal variation in demand and the representation of market power according to Nash-Cournot theory. The model is applied to several scenarios for the natural gas market that cover the formation of a cartel by the members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, a low availability of unconventional gas in the United States, and cost reductions in long-distance gas transportation. 1 The results provide insights in how different regions are affected by various developments, in terms of production, consumption, traded volumes, prices and profits of market participants. The stochastic MCP is developed and applied to a global natural gas market problem with four scenarios for a time horizon until 2050 with nineteen regions and containing 78,768 variables. The scenarios vary in the possibility of a gas market cartel formation and varying depletion rates of gas reserves in the major gas importing regions. Outcomes for hedging decisions of market participants show some significant shifts in the timing and location of infrastructure investments, thereby affecting local market situations. A first application of Benders decomposition (BD) is presented to solve a large-scale stochastic MCP for the global gas market with many hundreds of first-stage capacity expansion variables and market players exerting various levels of market power. The largest problem solved successfully using BD contained 47,373 variables of which 763 first-stage variables, however using BD did not result in shorter solution times relative to solving the extensive-forms. Larger problems, up to 117,481 variables, were solved in extensive-form, but not when applying BD due to numerical issues. It is discussed how BD could significantly reduce the solution time of large-scale stochastic models, but various challenges remain and more research is needed to assess the potential of Benders decomposition for solving large-scale stochastic MCP. 1 www.gecforum.org

Food Processing and Marketing: New Directions...New Opportunities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Mary A., Ed.

1995-01-01

This issue uses tomato processing to illustrate the new directions and opportunities available in the food market. Comparative advantage and economies of scale are discussed in relation to markets. Forecasting success in the market is attributed to studying consumer consumption trends by type and monitoring standards of living in 32 newly…

Oligopolistic competition in wholesale electricity markets: Large-scale simulation and policy analysis using complementarity models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helman, E. Udi

This dissertation conducts research into the large-scale simulation of oligopolistic competition in wholesale electricity markets. The dissertation has two parts. Part I is an examination of the structure and properties of several spatial, or network, equilibrium models of oligopolistic electricity markets formulated as mixed linear complementarity problems (LCP). Part II is a large-scale application of such models to the electricity system that encompasses most of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, the Eastern Interconnection. Part I consists of Chapters 1 to 6. The models developed in this part continue research into mixed LCP models of oligopolistic electricity markets initiated by Hobbs [67] and subsequently developed by Metzler [87] and Metzler, Hobbs and Pang [88]. Hobbs' central contribution is a network market model with Cournot competition in generation and a price-taking spatial arbitrage firm that eliminates spatial price discrimination by the Cournot firms. In one variant, the solution to this model is shown to be equivalent to the "no arbitrage" condition in a "pool" market, in which a Regional Transmission Operator optimizes spot sales such that the congestion price between two locations is exactly equivalent to the difference in the energy prices at those locations (commonly known as locational marginal pricing). Extensions to this model are presented in Chapters 5 and 6. One of these is a market model with a profit-maximizing arbitrage firm. This model is structured as a mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC), but due to the linearity of its constraints, can be solved as a mixed LCP. Part II consists of Chapters 7 to 12. The core of these chapters is a large-scale simulation of the U.S. Eastern Interconnection applying one of the Cournot competition with arbitrage models. This is the first oligopolistic equilibrium market model to encompass the full Eastern Interconnection with a realistic network representation (using a DC load flow approximation). Chapter 9 shows the price results. In contrast to prior market power simulations of these markets, much greater variability in price-cost margins is found when using a realistic model of hourly conditions on such a large network. Chapter 10 shows that the conventional concentration indices (HHIs) are poorly correlated with PCMs. Finally, Chapter 11 proposes that the simulation models are applied to merger analysis and provides two large-scale merger examples. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Common Capabilities for Trust and Security in Service Oriented Infrastructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brossard, David; Colombo, Maurizio

In order to achieve agility of the enterprise and shorter concept-to-market timescales for new services, IT and communication providers and their customers increasingly use technologies and concepts which come together under the banner of the Service Oriented Infrastructure (SOI) approach. In this paper we focus on the challenges relating to SOI security. The solutions presented cover the following areas: i) identity federation, ii) distributed usage & access management, and iii) context-aware secure messaging, routing & transformation. We use a scenario from the collaborative engineering space to illustrate the challenges and the solutions.

Risk and markets for ecosystem services.

PubMed

Bendor, Todd K; Riggsbee, J Adam; Doyle, Martin

2011-12-15

Market-based environmental regulations (e.g., cap and trade, "payments for ecosystem services") are increasingly common. However, few detailed studies of operating ecosystem markets have lent understanding to how such policies affect incentive structures for improving environmental quality. The largest U.S. market stems from the Clean Water Act provisions requiring ecosystem restoration to offset aquatic ecosystems damaged during development. We describe and test how variations in the rules governing this ecosystem market shift risk between regulators and entrepreneurs to promote ecological restoration. We analyze extensive national scale data to assess how two critical aspects of market structure - (a) the geographic scale of markets and (b) policies dictating the release of credits - affect the willingness of entrepreneurs to enter specific markets and produce credits. We find no discernible relationship between policies attempting to ease market entry and either the number of individual producers or total credits produced. Rather, market entry is primarily related to regional geography (the prevalence of aquatic ecosystems) and regional economic growth. Any improvements to policies governing ecosystem markets require explicit evaluation of the interplay between policy and risk elements affecting both regulators and entrepreneurial credit providers. Our findings extend to emerging, regulated ecosystem markets, including proposed carbon offset mechanisms, biodiversity banking, and water quality trading programs.

Predictions of the spontaneous symmetry-breaking theory for visual code completeness and spatial scaling in single-cell learning rules.

PubMed

Webber, C J

2001-05-01

This article shows analytically that single-cell learning rules that give rise to oriented and localized receptive fields, when their synaptic weights are randomly and independently initialized according to a plausible assumption of zero prior information, will generate visual codes that are invariant under two-dimensional translations, rotations, and scale magnifications, provided that the statistics of their training images are sufficiently invariant under these transformations. Such codes span different image locations, orientations, and size scales with equal economy. Thus, single-cell rules could account for the spatial scaling property of the cortical simple-cell code. This prediction is tested computationally by training with natural scenes; it is demonstrated that a single-cell learning rule can give rise to simple-cell receptive fields spanning the full range of orientations, image locations, and spatial frequencies (except at the extreme high and low frequencies at which the scale invariance of the statistics of digitally sampled images must ultimately break down, because of the image boundary and the finite pixel resolution). Thus, no constraint on completeness, or any other coupling between cells, is necessary to induce the visual code to span wide ranges of locations, orientations, and size scales. This prediction is made using the theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking, which we have previously shown can also explain the data-driven self-organization of a wide variety of transformation invariances in neurons' responses, such as the translation invariance of complex cell response.

A control-oriented lithium-ion battery pack model for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle cycle-life studies and system design with consideration of health management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordoba-Arenas, Andrea; Onori, Simona; Rizzoni, Giorgio

2015-04-01

A crucial step towards the large-scale introduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the market is to reduce the cost of its battery systems. Currently, battery cycle- and calendar-life represents one of the greatest uncertainties in the total life-cycle cost of battery systems. The field of battery aging modeling and prognosis has seen progress with respect to model-based and data-driven approaches to describe the aging of battery cells. However, in real world applications cells are interconnected and aging propagates. The propagation of aging from one cell to others exhibits itself in a reduced battery system life. This paper proposes a control-oriented battery pack model that describes the propagation of aging and its effect on the life span of battery systems. The modeling approach is such that it is able to predict pack aging, thermal, and electrical dynamics under actual PHEV operation, and includes consideration of random variability of the cells, electrical topology and thermal management. The modeling approach is based on the interaction between dynamic system models of the electrical and thermal dynamics, and dynamic models of cell aging. The system-level state-of-health (SOH) is assessed based on knowledge of individual cells SOH, pack electrical topology and voltage equalization approach.

[The development of the public health system between an increasing market orientation (commercialisation) and social responsibility].

PubMed

Trabert, G

2008-02-01

The development of the public health system between an increasing market orientation (commercialisation) and social responsibility is critically reflected by examining the medical care of those who are deprived. Poverty in Germany is dramatically increasing. There are confirmed findings on the correlation of being poor and being ill. Poverty leads to an increased number of cases of illness and a higher mortality rate. And vice versa, chronic illnesses very often cause impoverishment. This correlation has largely been ignored not only by the public but also by experts, especially when public health-care issues are on the political agenda. With reference to the current discussion about public health-care and the widespread disregard of the living conditions of the poor, the categories of "reasonable behaviour" (Kant) and "communicative behaviour" (Habermas) are reflected on in a philosophical excursion. Further interest groups affecting the political sphere, such as the pharmaceutical industry, the medical profession, patients and scientists are also examined with regard to public health-care. What are the premises of a health-care discussion that is controlled by economic considerations, particularly when keeping in mind the humanistic and Christian ethics of our society? And what does this mean for our responsibility for those who are handicapped and are in need of our help? Do decision makers and participants of the health-care discussion satisfy these ethical challenges? And what are the effects of the so-called "social peace" on social cooperation and economic power of a country? The increasing market orientation (commercialisation) of the public health sector can only be accepted on the basis of practiced humanity and social responsibility. In the light of a human public health-care, deprived people are in need of our solidarity.

Training needs analysis for engineering technicians in Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Mughairi, Abdulkarim Sultan

This thesis examines the transition from the Omani Colleges of Technology (CT) to employment of its engineering graduates. It arises out of concerns that the transition to the labour market for engineering graduate is problematical. The research was carried out to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) of engineering technicians required in the Omani market place. The aim is to provide local curriculum designers in the Colleges of Technology with sufficient information about the required KSA in order to create and enhance the engineering curriculum so that it has greater capacity to meet the needs of a variety of stakeholders and of employers in particular. This in turn has the potential to bridge the gap between what is presently taught and what the workplace demands. Personnel psychologists identify views concerning the skills that are required for different jobs. One of these is based on the assumption that quite different skills are required in different jobs (SCANS, 1990). This view generates approaches within job analysis: the worker-oriented and the task-oriented approaches. This research uses Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ), which is a worker-oriented job analysis instrument, to investigate the KSA required to perform some of the engineering technician jobs in Omani industries. In addition, semi-structured interviews were used to investigate the factors that either hinder or entirely prevent the new graduates from Colleges of Technology from being accepted in the workforce pool. The major research findings concern the dimensions of knowledge, skills, and abilities of six engineering technician job titles and the major factors that hinder or (prevent) the technical college graduates from being accepted in the market place in Oman. These findings would definitely help design better transition route and bridge the gap between the CT technicians engineering programmes and the workplace demands.

Religious Orientation and Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillen, Eileen K.; Helm, Herbert W., Jr.; McBride, Duane C.

2011-01-01

Religion is one of the major forces of control over sexuality, and many studies have observed an inverse relationship between religiosity and sexual permissiveness. The Religious Orientation Scale has been used to study the relationship between religious orientation and sexuality. It has been found that those with intrinsic views are more…

Electrodynamical Model of Quasi-Efficient Financial Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilinski, Kirill N.; Stepanenko, Alexander S.

The modelling of financial markets presents a problem which is both theoretically challenging and practically important. The theoretical aspects concern the issue of market efficiency which may even have political implications [1], whilst the practical side of the problem has clear relevance to portfolio management [2] and derivative pricing [3]. Up till now all market models contain "smart money" traders and "noise" traders whose joint activity constitutes the market [4, 5]. On a short time scale this traditional separation does not seem to be realistic, and is hardly acceptable since all high-frequency market participants are professional traders and cannot be separated into "smart" and "noisy." In this paper we present a "microscopic" model with homogenuous quasi-rational behaviour of traders, aiming to describe short time market behaviour. To construct the model we use an analogy between "screening" in quantum electrodynamics and an equilibration process in a market with temporal mispricing [6, 7]. As a result, we obtain the time-dependent distribution function of the returns which is in quantitative agreement with real market data and obeys the anomalous scaling relations recently reported for both high-frequency exchange rates [8], S&P500 [9] and other stock market indices [10, 11].

The association between cultural orientation and drinking behaviors among university students in Wuhan, China.

PubMed

Tang, Hongxiu; Cai, Weibin; Wang, Hongjing; Zhang, Qing; Qian, Ling; Shell, Duane F; Newman, Ian M; Yin, Ping

2013-01-01

This study examines the association between cultural orientation and drinking behaviors among university students. Cultural orientation is the measure of how the cultural values of individuals living in their own society are influenced by cultural values introduced from the outside. In 2011, a cross-sectional survey collected data from 1279 university students from six universities in central China. Participants used a likert scale to rank a series of statements reflecting cultural values from the previously validated Chinese Cultural Orientation Scale and answered questions about their drinking behaviors and socio-demographic characteristics. Statistically significant differences in cultural orientation were observed for gender, hometown and type of university attendance. Traditional-oriented students were more likely to be occasional drinkers or nondrinkers, while marginal-oriented students, bicultural-oriented students and western-oriented students were more likely to be regular drinkers. Bicultural orientation (OR = 1.80, P<0.05) and marginal orientation (OR = 1.64, P<0.05) increased the likelihood of the student being regular drinking, compared to students with traditional orientations. Males (OR = 4.40, P<0.05) had a higher likelihood of regular drinking than females, graduate students (OR = 2.59, P<0.05) had a higher likelihood of regular drinking than undergraduates, students from urban areas (OR = 1.79, P<0.05) had a higher likelihood of regular drinking than those from towns/rural areas, and students attending key universities (OR = 0.48, P<0.05) had a lower likelihood of regular drinking than those attending general universities. Cultural orientation influences drinking behaviors. Traditional cultural orientation was associated with less drinking while western cultural orientation, marginal cultural orientation and bicultural orientation were associated with more drinking. The role of gender, hometown and university attendance is partially moderated through the influence of cultural orientation. The relationship between a traditional cultural orientation and alcohol drinking suggests that traditional Chinese cultural values should be examined for their role in possibly reducing alcohol-related risks through education and policy initiatives.

Volatility return intervals analysis of the Japanese market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, W.-S.; Wang, F. Z.; Havlin, S.; Kaizoji, T.; Moon, H.-T.; Stanley, H. E.

2008-03-01

We investigate scaling and memory effects in return intervals between price volatilities above a certain threshold q for the Japanese stock market using daily and intraday data sets. We find that the distribution of return intervals can be approximated by a scaling function that depends only on the ratio between the return interval τ and its mean <τ>. We also find memory effects such that a large (or small) return interval follows a large (or small) interval by investigating the conditional distribution and mean return interval. The results are similar to previous studies of other markets and indicate that similar statistical features appear in different financial markets. We also compare our results between the period before and after the big crash at the end of 1989. We find that scaling and memory effects of the return intervals show similar features although the statistical properties of the returns are different.

Neoliberal reforms in Swedish primary health care: for whom and for what purpose?

PubMed

Dahlgren, Göran

2008-01-01

The conservative government that came to power in Sweden in 2006 has initiated major market-oriented reforms in the health sector. Its first health care policy bill changed the health legislation to make it possible to sell/transfer public hospitals to commercial providers while maintaining public funding. Far-reaching market-oriented primary health care reforms are also initiated, for example in Stockholm County. They are typically presented as "free choice models" in which "the money follows the patient." The actual and likely effects of these reforms in terms of access and quality of care are discussed in this article. One main finding is that existing social inequities in geographic access to care not only are reinforced but also become very difficult to change by democratic political decisions. Furthermore, dynamic market forces will gradually reduce the quality of care in low-income areas while both access and quality of care will be even better in high-income areas. Public funds are thus transferred from people living in low-income areas to people living in high-income areas, even though the need for good health services is much greater in the low-income areas. Certain policy options for reversing the inverse law of care are also presented.

Modular organization and hospital performance.

PubMed

Kuntz, Ludwig; Vera, Antonio

2007-02-01

The concept of modularization represents a modern form of organization, which contains the vertical disaggregation of the firm and the use of market mechanisms within hierarchies. The objective of this paper is to examine whether the use of modular structures has a positive effect on hospital performance. The empirical section makes use of multiple regression analyses and leads to the main result that modularization does not have a positive effect on hospital performance. However, the analysis also finds out positive efficiency effects of two central ideas of modularization, namely process orientation and internal market mechanisms.

Family planning: pitting the private sector against a public problem.

PubMed

Harvey, P D

1975-01-01

A most promising recent international development has been the harnessing of commercial marketing techniques to promote family planning. Although most projects of this type are government approved and subsidized by international funding organizations, they are a striking departure from traditional government-operated, medically oriented programs. Results have often been dramatic because of certain attributes of the commercial sector, such as 1) marketing, management, finance, distribution, and logistics skills; 2) awareness of and sensitivity to consumers' needs; and 3) the consistent and self-sustaining motivation of profit.