Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social integration processes in Estonia and Slovakia

Studies of interethnic integration in Central Eastern Europe have sought to account for the impact that institutional settings, structural conditions and elite-level interaction have on the accommodation of and conflict resolution between ethnic groups. Much existing literature has placed particular emphasis on the importance of institutional factors, both domestically and as a result of international pressure. Simultaneously, scholarship on the issue has left out of focus the contributions of non-dominant minority actors to the dynamics of interethnic relations. Where minorities are taken into account, this happens largely in terms of their failure to recognise structural opportunities for their inclusion into majority society. This study analyses interethnic integration in the Central Eastern European context from the perspective of structuration theory. Structuration theory provides a sound theoretical foundation in order to study non-dominant agency and its impact on the structures of integration, owing to its ability to reconcile dichotomies. The thesis comprises a comparative case study of interethnic interaction in Estonia and Slovakia, focusing on the Russian-speaking and the Hungarian minority respectively. A structuration approach is applied to the empirical findings in order to problematise practices of integration and their constraints that lie in the institutional and interaction context of Estonian and Slovak post-Communist society. I argue that although Russian-speakers in Estonia and Hungarians in Slovakia are constrained by institutional environs and majority-dominated structures, minority members actively participate in and shape institution-building and group formation in their interaction with majorities. Minority integration is analysed in terms of the minorities’ co-operation within, counteraction against and formulation of alternatives to the status quo structures of interethnic relations.
Heritage and cultural tourism: the role of the aesthetic when visiting Mỹ Sơn and Cham Museum, Vietnam

Research on motivations and perceptions of tourists at a cultural heritage site is not rare but the personal and aesthetic context of visitors’ experiences have been neglected in much of the literature on cultural tourist attraction management. Using qualitative methods, this study explores the nature of demand for heritage tourism with particular attention to the appreciation gained by visitors of indigenous Cham culture, its arts of exotic sculptures, and its monuments and architecture. These dimensions describe an evolutionary experience of place that moves some tourists from a position of relatively shallow interest to an almost spiritual position due in some part to the role of the aesthetic that rises from landscape and dance.
A Behavioural Finance Model of Exchange Rate Expectations within a Stock‐Flow Consistent Framework

The paper combines behavioural finance to a stock‐flow consistent model of a two‐country economy in the portfolio tradition, with imperfect asset substitutability. ‘Conventionalists’ and ‘chartists’ set their expectations of changes in exchange rates based on some assessed fundamental value and past trends, respectively. We find that exchange rate expectations have a significant effect on exchange rate movements and trade account balances during the traverse and in steady states. A flexible exchange rate regime will continue to provide stabilizing properties, as long as the proportion of chartist actors relative to other agents is not overly large.
Earnings Conservatism and Audit Committee Financial Expertise

type="main" xml:id="acfi12042-abs-0001"> Using an Australian sample of 494 firm-year observations, this study finds that accounting financial expertise is the primary type of expertise that influences earnings conservatism, rather than nonaccounting financial expertise. The association between accounting financial expertise and conservatism holds only when the accounting financial expert(s) on audit committees is (are) independent. Overall, results suggest that audit committee accounting financial expertise is important in recognising the asymmetrical timeliness of losses. Findings provide a better understanding of the dynamics between audit committee financial expertise and earnings conservatism and demonstrate the importance of accounting financial expertise in improving financial reporting quality.
High precision adaptive control for XY-table driven by piezo-actuator

The XY-table is composed of two piezo electric actuators (PEA) and a positioning mechanism (PM). Due to existence of hysteretic nonlinearity in the PEA and the friction in the PM, the high precision control for the XY-table is a challenging task. This paper discusses the high precision adaptive control for the XY-table, where the hysteresis is described by Prandtl-Ishlinskii model. The proposed control law ensures the global stability of the controlled stage, and the position error can be controlled to approach to zero asymptotically. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
The Portuguese online wine buying consumer

Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to investigate the main characteristics, buying habits, motivations, influences, and overall satisfaction of Portuguese online consumers of wine, as well as to assess whether this market segment can be considered a niche.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted in a Portuguese online wine shop during the last three months of 2009. The questionnaire included questions about the consumers’ socio‐demographic characteristics, motivations, buying habits and factors influencing online buying behaviour. The questionnaires were delivered by e‐mail to regular and new customers when a transaction was processed online. Of the 82 questionnaires received, 74 were sufficiently complete to be used in the study.Findings – The online wine market can be considered a niche in Portugal. As the authors’ empirical work shows, this segment is mainly composed of young, male, well‐educated, high‐income consumers who buy wine online from home often less than once a month. They ar.
Development of institutional downsizing theory: evidence from the MNC downsizing strategy and HRM practices in Taiwan

Although downsizing is one of the most essential strategies of a firm, its effectiveness has been controversial. Institutional downsizing theory asserts that institutional factors influence the motivation of firms to adopt organisational downsizing as a common strategy. Institutional factors not only lead the internal motivation for downsizing, but also influence external downsizing actions. To develop institutional downsizing theory further, this study empirically examines whether the theory applies to the responsible downsizing strategy of multinational corporations (MNCs) and human resource management (HRM) practices to enhance intellectual capital. This study investigated 224 firms in Taiwan, including local firms and MNC subsidiaries from different countries, as the sample to examine this research question. The results revealed a high degree of isomorphism in actual downsizing strategy and HRM practices among these firms. However, universal value is a vital institutional force not discussed in the literature. The findings of this study support and extend institutional downsizing theory and imply the downsizing strategies of MNCs and HRM practices. However, the research background of this study is only in Taiwan; this may limit the generalisation capability of the findings to other contexts and cultures.
Impact of CAP Subsidies on Technical Efficiency of Crop Farms in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden

This paper analyses the impacts of CAP reforms, particularly subsidies on technical efficiency of crop farms. An output distance function is employed and estimated together with an inefficiency effects model to capture the effects of CAP subsidies and farmer characteristics on farm efficiency. The model is applied to FADN data (period 1995-2004) of crop farms in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The study shows that the 10-year average technical efficiency is 64% in Germany, 76% in the Netherlands and 71% in Sweden. The average annual changes in technical efficiency are 0.1%, 0.4% and 2.3%, respectively. The share of crop subsidies in total subsidies has a negative impact on technical efficiency in Germany but a positive impact in Sweden, although insignificant in the Netherlands. The share of total subsidies in total farm revenues has negative impacts on technical efficiency in all three countries, consistent with income and insurance effects. Positive (negative) change in technical efficiency is mainly attributable to farm size (degree of specialisation) in Germany, and degree of specialisation (degree of subsidy dependence) in the Netherlands and Sweden. Copyright (c) 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2010 The Agricultural Economics Society.
Market valorization in broadcasting policy in Ghana: abandoning the quest for media democratization

Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) policies have inaugurated a new paradigm in postcolonial governance that is characterized by a predilection for market instrumentality in policy articulation. A review of colonial and, indeed, early post-colonial communication policies demonstrates that the state had always resisted the lure of the market because of the quest to democratize media access. The early postcolonial state thought of national resources as to be regulated more by the requirements of national community need than by the rules of exchange-value. This article puts the development of broadcasting policy in Ghana into historical perspective and shows how commodification has been resisted until the implementation of SAP policies in the last two decades. It argues that the state’s abandonment of responsibility in relation to the business of broadcasting will come at a heavy price of a non-democratized electronic media, as rural areas remain unattractive to broadcasting-for-profit enterprises.
General Franco as Military Leader

BOTH during his lifetime, and after his death, General Franco was reviled by his enemies on the left and subjected to the most absurd adulation by his admirers on the right. As the victor in a bloody civil war which inflamed passions throughout the world, that is hardly surprising. Leaving aside his personal political success in remaining in power for nearly four decades, his victory in the Spanish Civil War was his greatest and most glorious achievement, something reflected in the judgements of detractors and hagiographers alike. For the left, Franco the general was a slow-witted mediocrity whose battlefield triumphs were owed entirely to the unstinting military assistance of Hitler and Mussolini. For the right, Franco the general was the twentieth-century incarnation of Alexander the Great, of Napoleon and of the great warrior hero of Spanish legend, El Cid.
GENETIC TRANSMISSION OF DEPRESSIVE PSYCHOSES

From the survey of the genetic aspects of mano-depressive psychosis recently published by Zerbin-Riidin ( 1967) it appears that no clear-cut solution has been found to the problem of genetic transmission of affective psychoses. The observation about female preponderance among affective psychotics has also been assessed variously by different researchers and has produced contrasting interpretations Lange, Rosanoff et al. 1934, Slater 1936, 1938, Stenstedt 1952, Rainer 1966, Zerbin-Riidin 1967. I t should a t once be noted that earlier studies concerning the mano-depressive psychosis have in general been less restrictive in delimiting the condition; therefore patients who suffered manic and depressive phases, as well as those who suffered exclusirely recurrent depressions, have been included in the materials. In Hoffman’s ( 1921 ) classical study, the cyclothynic personality has also been considered in the genetic analysis. Within the framework of a large investigation project concerning affective psychoses, a family investigation of 138 bipolar (mano-depressive) and 139 depressed psychotics who suffered exclusively recurring depressive attacks ( called in the following “unipolar”) was reported by Perris 1966, I. We use Leonhard’s 1957-1966 classification wherein “bipolar” psychotics mean those who have suffered both manic and depressive phases. By “mipolar” psychotics, we mean patients mho had suffered a t least three separate depressive attacks vithout the occurrence of manic or hypomanic phases. The risk of diagnostic error according to this procedure can be considered slight (Perris 1967a). The observation time for both groups, counted fxom the first episode to the termination of the observation, averaged 20 years (Pewis 1966, I 1967a) without distinguishing between bipolar and unipolar patients. The unipolar were on average older than the bipolar at the termination of the observation (averaging 65 and 51 years, respectively).
Effects of the market factor on portfolio diversification: the case of market crashes

This paper investigates empirically the effects of the market factor on the degree of portfolio diversification extracted from Markowitz's mean-variance (MV) model to explore an alternative method for improving the practical usefulness of the model. It controls for various properties included in a correlation matrix of stocks in a portfolio. According to the results based on correlation matrices with and without the property of the market factor, the strength of the market factor has a negative effect on the degree of portfolio diversification in the MV model. This finding is stronger for periods of market crashes. These results suggest that the method for controlling for properties included in the correlation matrix might be a possible solution for enhancing the usefulness of the MV model from a practical perspective.
Dividend policy, signalling and free cash flow: an integrated approach

Purpose - Scholars have examined the importance of a firm's dividend policy through two competing paradigms: the signalling hypothesis and the free cash-flow hypothesis. It has been argued that our understanding of dividend policy is hindered by the lack of a model that integrates the two hypotheses. The purpose of this paper is to address this by developing a theoretical dividend model that combines the signalling and free cash-flow motives. The objective of the analysis is to shed light on the complex relationship between dividend policy, managerial incentives and firm value. Design/methodology/approach - In order to consider the complex nature of dividend policy, a dividend signalling game is developed, in which managers possess more information than investors about the quality of the firm (asymmetric information), and may invest in value-reducing projects (moral hazard). Hence, the model combines signalling and free cash-flow motives for dividends. Furthermore, managerial communication and reputation effects are incorporated into the model. Findings - Of particular interest is the case where a firm may need to cut dividends in order to invest in a new value-creating project, but where the firm will be punished by the market, since investors are behaviourally conditioned to believe that dividend cuts are bad news. This may result in firms refusing to cut dividends, hence passing up good projects. This paper demonstrates that managerial communication to investors about the reasons for the dividend cut, supported by managerial reputation effects, may mitigate this problem. Real world examples are provided to illustrate the complexity of dividend policy. Originality/value - This work has been inspired by, and develops that of Fuller and Thakor, and Fuller and Blau, which considers the signalling and free cash-flow motives for dividends. Whereas those authors consider the case where firms only have new negative net present value (NPV) projects available (so that dividend increases provide unambiguously positive signals to the market in both the signalling and free cash-flow cases), in this paper's model, the signals may be ambiguous, since firms may need to cut dividends to take positive NPV projects. Hence, the model assists in understanding the complexity of dividend policy.
An investigation of the security of caregiver attachment during middle childhood in children with high-functioning autistic disorder

Previous research has investigated caregiver attachment relationships in children with autism during early childhood, with few differences found from matched control groups. However, little is known of this relationship during middle childhood (ages 8–12 years). In this study, the aim was to establish whether there are differences in the security of attachment in children with high-functioning autism compared to typically developing children. A secondary aim was to establish whether caregivers’ perceptions of their child’s attachment to them accorded with the children’s own reports. Twenty-one children with high-functioning autism and 17 typically developing children were administered the Kerns Security Scale and the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment–Revised, and caregivers completed the same questionnaires from the viewpoint of their child. There were no differences between the groups in the children’s and parents’ reports of attachment security. Parents’ and children’s reports were moderately correlated on the Kerns Security Scale but were not correlated on the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment–Revised. The results indicate that levels of attachment security in children with high-functioning autism are not different from those in typically developing children.
Listen before you leap: Sri Lankan health professionals’ perspectives on m-health

Given the increasingly widespread use of mobile phones in the developing world, the application of this technology for healthcare (also referred to as m-health) has tremendous potential. However, there is a need for more research on factors that influence the sustainable and scalable adoption of m-health in developing countries. To fill this gap, in this study, drawing on the theory of diffusion of innovation, we conducted in-depth interviews with 29 health professionals in Sri Lanka to understand their views on the benefits and barriers to adopting m-health. Participants had mixed views on the adoption of this technology. Reasons for m-health adoption included efficiency and usefulness in emergency situations. Barriers to adoption included risks for miscommunication/misinterpretation and lack of systems/policies for implementing m-health technology. With regard to the innovation-decision process, most participants appear to be in the stages of “persuasion” and “decision”; with regard to degree of innovativeness, interviewees comprise a mix of “early adopters” and “laggards. ” Assuming mobile health apps afford improvements in health outcomes for developing countries, contextual factors in each national setting should inform design and implementation of m-health interventions.
RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT: A LAND MANAGEMENT CASE STUDY

Network analysis of information systems management is the focus of this study. Its premise is that resource scarcity will force public sector organizations to integrate and coordinate systems development tasks with other agencies in ways that will give rise to networked interorganizational capabilities. Emphasis is placed on the effect that the joint adoption by public organizations of advanced information technologies is likely to have on existing approaches to managerial decision making, particularly in the federal bureaucracy. Information models of organization suggest that expanded information processing capacity can correspondingly increase institutional capability and responsiveness, although information technology (IT) also tends to generate increasingly complex internal and external demands on the information management capacities of organizations. [1] In interorganizational domains, a history of technical collaboration, along with shared missionx and common interests, conditions the process of adoption of information systems. A case study of a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in an effort at the joint development of a major computer information system will indicate the need for new approaches to the management and evaluation of coordinated IT projects capable of sustaining organizational innovation. One important issue is the relationship between the cultures and practices of emergent team-led management and established centrally directive management. An assessment of the BLM Automated Land and Mineral Records System (ALMRS) indicates that, as adversity and uncertainty increase, institutional capacity and efficacy may also increase proportionally, and resource constraint might actually prompt the development of new organizational capabilities. For this somewhat paradoxical outcome to obtain, however, public agencies must address information demands flexibly, adaptively, and cooperatively, modifying their management systems in complementary ways. They can, for instance, tackle the high costs of information system deployment by sharing expertise through interorganizational networks of user-experts. However, information systems innovation requires the corresponding development of organizational and managerial capabilities. A movement toward decentralization and teamwork may be expected to require new, integrative, forms of information systems management, and political management skills need to be brought into play to stave off external threats long enough for these changes to occur. Absent these enabling conditions, fledgling or even established team approaches to information systems development may be in jeopardy.
Compatibility effects in judgment and choice.

One of the main ideas that has emerged from behavioral decision research is a constructive conception of judgment and choice. According to this view, preferences and beliefs are actually constructed – not merely revealed – in the elicitation process. This conception is entailed by findings that normatively equivalent methods of elicitation often give rise to systematically different responses (e.g., Slovic, Fischhoff, & Lichtenstein, 1982; Tversky, Sattath, & Slovic, 1988). To account for these data within a constructive framework, we seek explanatory principles that relate the characteristics of the task to the attributes of the objects under study. One such notion is the compatibility hypothesis, which states that the weight of a stimulus attribute is enhanced by its compatibility with the response. The rationale for this hypothesis is twofold. First, noncompatibility between the input and the output requires additional mental operations, which often increase effort and error and may reduce impact. Second, a response mode may prime or focus attention on the compatible features of the stimulus. Common features, for example, are weighted more heavily in judgments of similarity than in judgments of dissimilarity, whereas distinctive features are weighted more heavily in judgments of dissimilarity (Tversky, 1977). Consequently, entities with many common and many distinctive features (e.g., East and West Germany) are judged as both more similar to each other and as more different from each other than entities with relatively fewer common and fewer distinctive features (e.g., Sri Lanka and Nepal).
Bond Market Access, Credit Quality, and Capital Structure: Canadian Evidence

We examine the impact of bond market access (measured by having a credit rating) on leverage for Canadian high credit quality (HQ) and low credit quality (LQ) firms, and find that the leverage impact is more pronounced for LQ firms. The results are similar for U.S. firms. Our results are confirmed when we control for the firm's credit quality, examine the change in leverage around rating initiation, and account for the issue size effect. A similar leverage impact for Canadian and U.S. LQ firms suggests that the Canada-U.S. bond market integration has mitigated the financial constraints for Canadian LQ firms.