Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simple Decentralized Feedback Strategies for Route Guidance in Traffic Networks

The paper presents a feedback route guidance strategy for complex, meshed traffic networks. Essential components of the strategy are simple, decentralized control laws of the bang-bang, P, or PI types that may be designed based on trial-and-error. Simulation investigations demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed strategy for two example networks under several scenarios of demand and incident conditions. Feedback route guidance, though exclusively based on measurable instantaneous travel times (no predictions, no demand nor origin-destination information are provided), is shown to equalize experienced travel times along any couple of used alternative routes in the network, and to considerably reduce travel delays compared to the no-control case.
Decreasing Trend of Overlapping Multilocus Sequence Types between Human and Chicken Campylobacter jejuni Isolates over a Decade in Finland

ABSTRACT We describe the long-term multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis of the population structure and dynamics of 454 Finnish human Campylobacter jejuni isolates, as well as 208 chicken isolates, collected during the mid-1990s to 2007. The sequence type clonal complexes (ST CC) ST-45 CC, ST-21 CC, and ST-677 CC were the most common ones found among all isolates, and they covered 73.9% of all isolates. The ST-283 CC also was found frequently among chicken isolates (8.2%). The predominant STs among all isolates were ST-45, ST-50, and ST-677. ST-137 and ST-230 were common among human isolates, and ST-267 was found more frequently among chicken isolates than human isolates. The ST-45 CC was significantly associated with chicken isolates (P < 0.01), whereas the ST-21 CC was associated with human isolates (P < 0.001). The ST-677 CC was not associated with any host (P = 0.5), and an opposite temporary trend of this complex was seen among chicken and human isolates, with an increase in the former and a decrease in the latter during the study period. Furthermore, the ST-22 and ST-48 CCs were significantly associated with human isolates (P < 0.01), but neither of the CCs was found in chicken isolates. The annual overlap between STs from human and chicken isolates decreased from 76% at the beginning of the study to 58% at the end. Our results suggest that the importance of chicken as a reservoir for strains associated with human infections has declined despite the consumption of domestic chicken meat increasing during the follow-up period by 83%.
The Internationalization Strategy of Spanish Indigenous Franchised Chains: A Resource‐Based View**

In this paper, we identify characteristics of Spanish franchised chains that favor the adoption of an internationalization strategy and those that have a negative influence from a resource‐based perspective. Data used were drawn from Annual Franchise Guidebooks published in Spain for 2005. Various independent variables were taken into account and the final sample included 316 Spanish franchised chains. In order to detect relevant differences between chains with some degree of internationalization and those that only operate in the Spanish domestic market, we conducted a discriminant analysis to discover which of the independent variables contributed significantly to a correct classification of chains to their corresponding group (those that have chosen to spread activities abroad and those that have not).
Money Doctors

We present a new model of money management, in which investors delegate portfolio management to professionals based not only on performance, but also on trust. Trust in the manager reduces an investor&apos;s perception of the riskiness of a given investment, and allows managers to charge higher fees to investors who trust them more. Money managers compete for investor funds by setting their fees, but because of trust the fees do not fall to costs. In the model, 1) managers consistently underperform the market net of fees but investors still prefer to delegate money management to taking risk on their own, 2) fees involve sharing of expected returns between managers and investors, with higher fees in riskier products, 3) managers pander to investors when investors exhibit biases in their beliefs, and do not correct misperceptions, and 4) despite long run benefits from better performance, the profits from pandering to trusting investors discourage managers from pursuing contrarian strategies relative to the case with no trust. We show how trust-mediated money management renders arbitrage less effective, and may help destabilize financial markets.
Impact of e-Quality and service recovery on loyalty: A study of e-banking in Spain

The purposes of this study are twofold: (i) to propose and apply scales to measure service quality and service recovery in the setting of electronic banking (e-banking) services; and (ii) to examine the impact of electronic service quality (e-quality) and service recovery (e-recovery) on loyalty (e-loyalty) in the setting of e-banking services. An online questionnaire is used to survey 428 Spanish customers of e-banking services (123 of whom have reported a service failure) using modified versions of the E-S-QUAL and E-RecS-QUAL scales. The data are analysed by exploratory factor analysis to: (i) test the applicability of the scales to the setting of online banking services: and (ii) generate and test a model of e-quality, e-recovery, and e-loyalty using structural equation modelling. Three of the four dimensions of the original E-S-QUAL scale and two of the three dimensions of the original E-RecS-QUAL scale are confirmed in the setting of e-banking services. The study reassures managers of online banks that modified versions of the E-S-QUAL and E-RecS-QUAL scales are appropriate instruments for measuring e-quality and e-recovery. The study also provides empirical evidence that efficiency of a website and responsiveness to complaints have a positive influence on e-loyalty. The study is the first to provide definitive empirical evidence (in the context of e-banking) of the presumed link between: (i) the e-quality and e-recovery dimensions proposed in the E-S-QUAL and E-RecS-QUAL scales; and (ii) the construct of loyalty.
The Influence of Expectations, Risk Attitudes, and Behavioral Biases on Investment Decisions

In order to contribute to a better understanding of individual and aggregate decision making under risk and in order to analyze the influence of risk attitudes, expectations, and biases on decision making under risk, this thesis addresses the following research questions: 1. What are the main determinants of risky choice? Should financial institutions use lottery questions to elicit risk attitudes in a financial context? (Chapter 2) 2. Are risk attitudes and expectations stable over time? What drives changes in risk taking behavior? (Chapter 3) 3. Is overconfidence related to overreaction to new information? Do overreacting subjects invest in less efficient portfolios? (Chapter 4) 4. Is overreaction to new information present in a market setting where subjects receive feedback and can learn over time? (Chapter 5)
Managerial cognition, sunk costs, and the evolution of industry structure

A significant body of research investigates whether intraindustry competitors hold a common pattern of beliefs (or schema). Some work suggests that socially constructed shared beliefs, not technology‐based economic factors, determine industry structure. While research on managerial cognition is important because it helps strategy researchers incorporate bounded rationality into otherwise hyper‐rational theories, we take issue with the notion that the social construction works independently of economic factors. Empirical studies looking for shared beliefs find conflicting results. Some work suggests that managers in an industry share a common set of beliefs; other work finds the opposite (managers do not share common beliefs). Understanding, if and to what extent, managerial cognition influences industry structure and competitive heterogeneity would greatly expand our understanding of strategy and firm performance. We model bounded rationality, cognition (belief formation), competition (economic restraints), and industry structure (competitive heterogeneity). We find that competitive pressure and bounded rationality induce agents (firms or managers) to focus their attention on nearby competitors. Thus, firms develop biased estimates of their competitive environment. These estimates correlate with the estimates of nearby firms. Thus, clusters of firms will have similar beliefs resulting in stable strategic and performance heterogeneity within an industry. However, as competitive pressures and the costs of strategic change decrease, managerial beliefs tend to converge, and the pattern of strategies that emerges is consistent with those predicted by economic theory, even under conditions of bounded rationality. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Managing non-standard international experience: evidence from a Finnish company

Purpose - – This paper extends the increasing debates about the role of international experience through mechanisms other than standard expatriation packages, in particular through the use of short-term assignments. It explores the different forms of short-term assignments (project work, commuter assignments, virtual international working and development assignments) and the different sets of positive and negative implications these can have for the company and the individuals concerned. The integration-differentiation debate is reflected here as elsewhere in IHRM, with the company moving towards greater centralization and control of its use of these assignments. Design/methodology/approach - – Since the research is exploratory, we adopted a qualitative approach to get a more in-depth understanding on the realities the corporations and the assignees are facing. The study was implemented through a single case study setting in which the data were collected by interviewing ( Findings - – The present case study provides evidence about the characteristics of short-term assignments as well as the on the management of such assignments. The paper identifies various benefits and challenges involved in the use of short-term assignments both from the perspectives of the company and assignees. Furthermore, the findings support the view that a recent increase in the popularity of short-term assignments has not been matched by the development of HRM policies for such assignments. Research limitations/implications - – As a single case study, limitations in the generalizability of the findings should be kept in mind. More large-scale research evidence is needed around different forms of international assignments beyond standard expatriation in order to fully capture the realities faced by international HRM specialists Practical implications - – The paper identifies many challenges but also benefits of using short-term assignments. The paper reports in-depth findings on HR development needs that organizations face when expanding the use of such assignments. Social implications - – The paper identifies many challenges but also benefits of using short-term assignments. The paper reports in-depth findings on HR development needs that organizations face when expanding the use of such assignments. Originality/value - – Empirical research on short-term assignments is still very limited. In that way the paper provides much needed in-depth evidence on why such assignments are used, what challenges are involved in the use of such assignments and what kinds of HR-development needs are involved.
The Effects of Cultural Values in Word-of-Mouth Communication

When new products and brands are introduced into other cultures, the speed and extent of the product's acceptance are important concerns for marketers. The spread of positive word of mouth (WOM) and the lack of negative WOM about the product or brand by early adopter groups are critical to the product's successful diffusion in a population. This is the first study to investigate the effects of consumers’ cultural values on their WOM behavior. Data analysis from two samples indicates that the pattern, type, and target receivers of consumers’ WOM activity depend on their cultural values. The authors use Hofstede's four cultural dimensions to test the effects of cultural values on WOM behavior to social in- and out-groups. They find that all four dimensions have significant effects on WOM engagement to those groups. Although the authors could not determine the causal nature of the relationships because of the sample design used, they argue that marketers should monitor the cultural values of their market to anticipate in- and out-group discussions and the choice of appropriate brand communication strategies in other countries.
Incisional Continuous Fascia Iliaca Block Provides More Effective Pain Relief and Fewer Side Effects than Opioids After Pelvic Osteotomy in Children

BACKGROUND: Intravenous opioid therapy is frequently used for postoperative pain management in children after orthopedic surgery but causes side effects such as respiratory depression, vomiting, sedation, and urinary retention. To investigate whether a continuous incisional fascia iliaca compartment (FIC) block provides more effective postoperative pain relief with fewer side effects than IV morphine, we performed a prospective, double-blind, randomized study to compare both techniques. METHODS: Thirty children (ASA physical status I–II) aged 3 mo to 6 yr undergoing a pelvic osteotomy were included in the study. The children were randomized for either morphine IV and placebo (saline) via a FIC catheter (Group M) or placebo (saline) IV and ropivacaine via a FIC catheter (Group R). All patients received general anesthesia using inhaled sevoflurane and IV fentanyl. Perioperatively, a FIC catheter was placed by the surgeon. All patients received either a bolus dose of morphine IV (Group M) or ropivacaine 0.75% via the FIC catheter (Group R) at the end of surgery. Postoperatively, Group M received morphine IV 20 &mgr;g·kg−1·h−1 and Group R ropivacaine 0.2% 0.1 mL·kg−1·h−1 via the FIC catheter. In both groups, saline was administered along the other route. All children were assessed for pain, sedation, time until first oral intake, and adverse effects for 48 h postoperatively. During this period, all children had a urinary catheter. RESULTS: The study was completed by 28 children. In the anesthetic recovery room, children in Group M had significantly higher pain scores. These children were also significantly more sedated during the study period. The incidence of vomiting did not differ between the groups; however, children in Group R had first oral intake significantly earlier than Group M. A local retrospective study revealed an incidence of urinary retention of 4.7% in the ropivacaine-treated patients and 39% in the morphine-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous incisional FIC block provides excellent postoperative pain relief, less sedation, and better return of appetite than morphine IV after pelvic osteotomy in children.
Electoral Competition and Special Interest Politics

We study the competition between two political parties for seats in a parliament. The parliament will set two types of policies: ideological and non-ideological. The parties have fixed positions on the ideological issues, but choose their non-ideological platforms to attract voters and campaign contributions. In this context, we ask: How do the equilibrium contributions from special interest groups influence the platforms of the parties? We show that each party is induced to behave as if it were maximizing a weighted sum of the aggregate welfares of informed voters and members of special interest groups. The party that is expected to win a majority of seats caters more to the special interests.
Early phonology revealed by international adoptees' birth language retention

Significance Dutch adults who, as international adoptees, had heard Korean early in life but had forgotten it learned to identify an unfamiliar three-way Korean consonant distinction significantly faster than controls without such experience. Even adoptees who had been adopted at 3–5 mo of age showed the learning advantage. Thus, early exposure to spoken language, even in the first half-year of life, leaves traces that can facilitate later relearning. Before 6 mo, infants often discriminate foreign-language phonological contrasts better than adults can. This has been widely held to mean that infants younger than 6 mo have no native-language phonological knowledge to capture spoken input. Our findings are significant because they indicate that phonological knowledge is indeed in place before age 6 mo. Until at least 6 mo of age, infants show good discrimination for familiar phonetic contrasts (i.e., those heard in the environmental language) and contrasts that are unfamiliar. Adult-like discrimination (significantly worse for nonnative than for native contrasts) appears only later, by 9–10 mo. This has been interpreted as indicating that infants have no knowledge of phonology until vocabulary development begins, after 6 mo of age. Recently, however, word recognition has been observed before age 6 mo, apparently decoupling the vocabulary and phonology acquisition processes. Here we show that phonological acquisition is also in progress before 6 mo of age. The evidence comes from retention of birth-language knowledge in international adoptees. In the largest ever such study, we recruited 29 adult Dutch speakers who had been adopted from Korea when young and had no conscious knowledge of Korean language at all. Half were adopted at age 3–5 mo (before native-specific discrimination develops) and half at 17 mo or older (after word learning has begun). In a short intensive training program, we observe that adoptees (compared with 29 matched controls) more rapidly learn tripartite Korean consonant distinctions without counterparts in their later-acquired Dutch, suggesting that the adoptees retained phonological knowledge about the Korean distinction. The advantage is equivalent for the younger-adopted and the older-adopted groups, and both groups not only acquire the tripartite distinction for the trained consonants but also generalize it to untrained consonants. Although infants younger than 6 mo can still discriminate unfamiliar phonetic distinctions, this finding indicates that native-language phonological knowledge is nonetheless being acquired at that age.
The Value Relevance of Management Forecasts and Their Impact on Analysts' Forecasts: Empirical Evidence from Japan

A major financial disclosure feature in Japan is that stock exchanges require firms to provide next year's earnings forecasts. This study investigates the value relevance of Japanese management earnings forecasts and their impact on analysts' earnings forecasts. First, the value relevance of management forecasts is investigated using a valuation framework provided by Ohlson (2001), in which firm value is expressed as a function of book value, current earnings and next year's expected earnings. The analysis yields that of the three accounting variables examined, management forecasts have the highest correlation and incremental explanatory power with stock price. Next, the impact of management forecasts on analysts' forecasts is examined. The results show that more than 90% of changes in analysts' forecasts are explained by management forecasts alone. Further analysis reveals that the heavy dependence of financial analysts on management forecasts in formulating their own forecasts may partially be attributed to the relatively high accuracy of management forecasts. At the same time, financial analysts also somewhat modify management forecasts when certain financial factors indicate that the credibility of management forecasts is in doubt. Overall, this study presents empirical evidence that Japanese management forecasts provide useful information for the market and have a significant influence on analysts' forecasts.
The Institutionalisation of Unaccountability: Loading the Dice of Corporate Social Responsibility Discourse

The article contributes to institutional theory and, in particular, to the literature examining institutional change by adopting a critical-discursive approach to show that an open arena, where conflicting discourses are freely contested, is insufficient to produce institutional change. The authors draw on Bourdieu’s concept of field, as a system of social relations, to question the potential of field struggle to alter taken-for-granted norms in society. Empirically, the article examines recent government-led Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Spain. We are introduced to the three institutional mechanisms established to shape the Spanish CSR agenda, which are based on social dialogue and stakeholder consultation. The analysis of the case, based on documents produced by three multi-stakeholder forums and interviews with participants to the consultation processes, is rich and thought-provoking. The authors identify two sub-discourses dominating consultations on CSR, which they label ‘the dominant’ and ‘the heretic’. The dominant discourse aligns CSR with business interests and promotes a voluntary approach to CSR. The heretic discourse articulates CSR in terms of the ecological crisis and social injustice faced by contemporary societies. The analysis indicates that, in spite of vivid and contradictory processes of stakeholder consultation, the heretic discourse not only lost the battle but in fact ‘self-subjugated’ to the dominant discourse. The final outcome is a voluntary approach to CSR being officially adopted in Spain. This is a significant finding because we are dealing with a societal story, not an organisational one (inherently business-laden). Although these conclusions might not be a surprise for readers of SEAJ, it is a worrying story and shows how state institutions are captured by the dominant business-as-usual CSR discourse. Positioning the article in a larger picture, I think it has several merits. It provides evidence of the poor performance of stakeholder consultation processes for promoting social and environmental issues in society. It also touches on a key challenge for contemporary CSR discourse, i.e. its inability to deal simultaneously with business growth, social injustice and a finite planet. These findings could be uncomfortable reading for the managerially oriented stakeholder and CSR literature if the article manages to reach a non-accounting audience. From this perspective, it is a pity that social and environmental accounting research and other socially and environmentally interested literatures remain largely disconnected. The study further brings a more refined understanding of discourse, by showing that discursive purity does not exist as such. Societal actors adopting one discourse or another also borrow elements from competing discourses. Finally, the study seems to suggest that Social and Environmental Accountability Journal Vol. 32, No. 2, 109–118, September 2012
Issue Ownership of the Economy: Cross-Time Effects on Vote Choice

Issue ownership has become a useful concept for explaining party and voter behaviour in electoral democracies. This article argues that issue ownership can also provide us with a better understanding of the economic issue’s impact on the vote because perceptions of party competence at managing the economy can counterbalance the influence of retrospective economic evaluations, by encouraging voters to put economic performance (good or bad) into perspective. These general expectations are tested with the use of individual-level survey data from five Canadian Election Studies conducted between 1984 and 2011. That relatively long period of time allows estimation of the impact on incumbent vote choice of competence perceptions and economic assessments during both good and bad economic times. Consequently, the article shows that issue ownership of the economy matters to vote choice, that its influence has been consistent across elections, and that it outweighs the impact of retrospective economic judgements.