Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two Paradigms of Negotiation: Bargaining and Problem Solving

The development of negotiation theory over recent decades has been organized around two major paradigms: bargaining and problem solving. For the bargaining paradigm, indicators of flexibility include concession rates, initiation of new proposals, and other soft behaviors. For the problem-solving perspective, flexibility is usually indicated by a search for better, mutually beneficial solutions to problems that satisfy the needs, identities, and interests of all parties. Empirical research generally reveals that bargaining behaviors are used more frequently in international negotiations than is problem solving. This may be explained by the dominance of the realist paradigm of international relations, within which most diplomats are socialized. Since diplomats generally construct their image of negotiations in terms of bargaining, it is hardly surprising that these behaviors should be prevalent in actual negotiations. In addition, empirical research methods utilized to study negotiations tend to emphasize bargaining variables, and more subtle problem-solving behaviors are more difficult to detect. The empirical prevalence of bargaining, however, does not imply that it is the best method to induce flexibility in international negotiations. On the contrary, most research tends to reveal that problem solving produces greater flexibility and more frequent, efficient, equitable, and durable agreements than bargaining does.
Employee involvement and the middle manager: saboteur or scapegoat?

This article reports on the results of a study of managers' attitudes to employee involvement. Contrary to a number of existing studies, this research found middle managers' attitudes to be no more negative than those of senior managers. As hypothesised, managers' intentions to support employee involvement were found to be inversely related to recent managerial job loss and positively related to managers' experience of employee involvement. Contrary to expectations, the study revealed a positive relationship between recent delayering and intentions to support the involvement of employees. The study also reveals a complex curvilinear relationship between managers' perceptions of their own empowerment and their attitudes to employee involvement. The article draws out a number of implications for practice.
The Atc Quota Elimination And The Mexican Cotton Industry: Measuring Potential Impacts On Us Cotton Exports

The textile and clothing trade agreements signed by the U.S. may bring about important adjustments in the international textile and cotton markets affecting trade flows between the US and Mexico. Mexico is the largest importer of U.S. cotton while the US market is critical for the Mexican textile/clothing sector This paper presents the results of a comprehensive econometric and simulation model that allows for the assessment of some of the implications of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing's quota eliminations on Mexico's cotton consumption and U.S. cotton exports to that country.
Reconsidering the European Parliament’s Legislative Influence: Formal vs. Informal Procedures

Abstract More and more legislative decisions are reached in early stages of the co‐decision procedure through informal negotiations among representatives of the EU institutions. This study argues that the European Parliament has an advantage in such negotiations relative to the Council due to the latter’s limited organizational resources to handle the increased legislative workload under the co‐decision procedure. The main implication of this theoretical argument is that the Parliament’s impact on the content of legislation should be higher when informal negotiations are conducted rather than when agreement is reached at the end of the procedure in conciliation. To examine this claim, a quantitative comparative study of the success of the Parliament’s amendments in two legislative decision‐making processes in the field of transport was conducted. The results reveal that the EP’s influence during co‐decision is indeed larger in the case of an early agreement.
The Relationship of Age and Radiographic Incidence of Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence in Pediatric Patients

Objective To determine if age affects radiographic incidence of superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) in pediatric patients. Study Design Retrospective case review. Setting Tertiary children’s hospital. Patients Patients (0–18 yr) with high-resolution computed tomography (CT) temporal bone scans from April 2001 to February 2013. Interventions Diagnostic high-resolution CT temporal bone scans. Main Outcome Measures Findings of dehiscent, thin, or normal SSC on CT scans (including reconstructed Poschl views). Interobserver radiographic interpretation rate between neuroradiologist and otologist. Results Seven-hundred CT scans (1,400 ears) were reviewed, and 1,188 ears were acceptable for analysis. Twenty-three ears (1.9%) had dehiscent SSC, 185 ears (15.6%) had thin SSC, and 980 ears (82.5%) had normal SSC. Median ages of dehiscent, thin, and normal canals were 5, 7, and 9 years, respectively ( p < 0.05). As age increased, the incidence of dehiscent and thin SCC cases decreased; for example, dehiscent or thin canal existed in 51.4% of children less than 12 months, 17.5% of children between 1 and 2 years, 18.5% of children between 3 and 10 years, and 10.9% of children between 11 and 18 years. The &kgr; value of agreement between neuroradiologist and otologist was 0.814, demonstrating a high value of agreement (p < 0.05). Conclusion Radiographic SSCD, although uncommon, appears to be more prevalent in younger children, especially infants younger than 12 months. This suggests that the SSC may develop more bony covering with age.
Cooperative business-NGO partnerships in Hong Kong: NGO perspective

Over the past decade, processes of environmental reform have been increasingly shaped by cooperative management between businesses, government and NGOs. This paper provides results of extensive interviews to assess cooperative environmental relationships between businesses and NGOs in Hong Kong and the barriers and positive drivers for these partnerships. Interviews with ten partnering NGOs found most optimistic about what has been achieved. Non-partnering NGOs interviewed were also hopeful about future partnerships. Overall, NGOs expressed the need for capacity building on governance issues, on negotiating partnerships and hope that business associations and government can provide necessary support. Issues of weak economy, business dominated thinking, weak civil society and lack of top-level commitment to environment need addressing. Comparison of small and large NGOs showed similar gains and surprisingly even similar types of partnerships. This study identified Seven Skills for Partnership Success to build on Plante and Bendell's Art of Collaboration.
Changes in Norwegian public opinion on alcohol policy, 2005-2012

Aims During the last two decades there has been a substantial liberalisation of Norwegian alcohol policy in terms of increased availability of alcohol. We have studied what happens with public support for alcohol control policies in a country where the policy is liberalised. First, we summarise the findings from previous Norwegian studies on changes in attitudes toward alcohol control policies. Second, we present new empirical analyses on changes in attitudes toward a broad spectre of policies in 2005–2012, and whether the pattern of change varied according to gender, age, education and alcohol use. Design The empirical analyses were based on self-reported attitudes toward Norwegian alcohol policies from nine web surveys conducted among 20–69-year-old Norwegians (N = 12 304). Results The analyses showed increased support for a wide range of restrictive alcohol policy measures from 2005 to 2012 – both for measures that had been liberalised and those that had been stable. We found no substantial moderation by gender, age, educational level and drinking frequency, which indicates that the pattern of change was similar for various sub-groups based on such variables. Conclusions Previous research has observed a shift toward increasing support for a restrictive alcohol policy around the millennium. Current data shows that this trend has continued until 2012. We discuss the relationship between alcohol policy and public opinion, and propose that the trend may be connected to changes in value orientations, increased experience with alcohol-related harm and changes in beliefs about the harm-limiting effect of restrictive measures.
The Brain Gain of Corporate Boards: Evidence from China

type="main"> We study the impact of directors with foreign experience on firm performance in emerging markets. Using a unique data set from China, we exploit the introduction of policies to attract talented emigrants and increase the supply of individuals with foreign experience in different provinces at different times. We document that performance increases after firms hire directors with foreign experience and identify the channels through which the emigration of talent may lead to a brain gain. Our findings provide evidence on how directors transmit knowledge about management practices and corporate governance to firms in emerging markets.
E-Business Barriers in Iran's Free Trade Zones

Currently there are 24 free trade and special economic zones in Iran. Problem Statement: of these zones is lack of e-business and this is in spite of managements' desire to have proper infrastructure for e-business in these zones. The goal of this study is to determine and explain e-business barriers in free trade and special economic zones in Iran. Approach: Our approach in this study is based-on Delphi method. We used Delphi method to conduct our study and chose 25 members for our Delphi panel, who were given the outcomes of literature review. We asked the panel group to rank the barriers by importance and provide any other problems or issues they found during their studies. Results: The result of four rounds of Delphi panels declared five main barriers for implementing e-business in the regions including: Infrastructural barriers, Property rights issues, Mistrust in E- payments, financial barriers and Shortage of IT skills. Conclusions/Recommendations: We concluded that to implement e-business in the Iranian free zones and special economical districts, there are some infrastructure requirements such as high speed internet, wide internet band, proper laws and regulations; so that small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) could utilize e-business.
Long-Run Competition in Capacity, Short-Run Competition in Price, and the Cournot Model

In this article we investigate the nature of equilibrium in markets in which firms choose the scale of operation before they make pricing decisions. We analyze a duopoly model in which firms choose their capacities before engaging in Bertrand-like price competition. We demonstrate that the Cournot outcome is unlikely to emerge in such markets and that the equilibrium tends to be more competitive than the Cournot model would predict. In addition, our results indicate a tendency toward asymmetric firm sizes and price dispersion that results from the mixed strategies firms use in equilibrium.
Sticker Charts: A Method for Improving Adherence to Treatment of Chronic Diseases in Children

Abstract: Poor adherence is a common problem and may be an underlying cause of poor clinical outcomes. In pediatric populations, positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts may increase motivation to adhere to treatment regimens. To review the use of sticker charts to improve adherence in children with chronic disease, Medline and PsycINFO searches were conducted using the key words “positive reinforcement OR behavior therapy” and “adherence OR patient compliance” and “child. ” Randomized controlled retrospective cohort or single‐subject‐design studies were selected. Studies reporting adherence to the medical treatment of chronic disease in children using positive reinforcement techniques were included in the analysis. The systematic search was supplemented by identifying additional studies identified through the reference lists and authors of the initial articles found. Positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts increase adherence to medical treatment regimens. In several studies, this effect was maintained for months after the initial intervention. Better adherence correlated with better clinical outcomes in some, but not all, studies. Few studies examining the use of sticker charts were identified. Although single‐subject‐design studies are useful in establishing the effect of a behavioral intervention, larger randomized controlled trials would help determine the precise efficacy of sticker chart interventions. Adherence to medical treatments in children can be increased using sticker charts or other positive reinforcement techniques. This may be an effective means to encourage children with atopic dermatitis to apply their medications and improve clinical outcomes.
Householder status and residence type as correlates of radon awareness and testing behaviors.

OBJECTIVES The primary aim of this research was to assess radon awareness and testing across 2 housing types. DESIGN AND SAMPLE Cross-sectional prevalence study with time trends. National, probabilistic sample of 18,138 and 29,632 respondents from the 1994 and 1998 National Health Interview Surveys, respectively. RESULTS Odds ratio (OR) estimates confirmed that occupants of single family homes/townhomes were twice as likely to have ever heard of radon (1994: OR=2.18; confidence intervals [CI]=2.01-2.36) (1998: OR=2.26; CI=2.09-2.44) and also more likely to know if their household air had been tested for radon (1994: OR=2.04; CI=1.57-2.65) (1998: OR=1.38; CI=1.19-1.59) as occupants of apartments/condominiums. Time trend analyses revealed that radon awareness improved from 69.4% to 70.7% and home testing among those with knowledge of radon increased from 9.7% to 15.5% over the 4-year period. CONCLUSIONS Housing type provided fairly stable estimates of radon awareness and testing. Findings demonstrate that housing status may be a useful variable to differentiate risk for radon awareness and testing. Public health nurses should consider their client's housing type when assessing families for environmental risks.
Do Macroeconomic Variables Forecast Bond Returns?

This paper studies time varying bond returns via macroeconomic variables. We find that a single macro index consisting of inflation, real activities and money can predict annual excess bond returns of 1-5 year maturities with R-squares up to 37%. The macro factor has a symmetric tent-shape, when projected onto forward rates. In addition, i) it predicts longer-term bond returns better than shorter-term returns, ii) it is countercyclical and independent of each bond yield and iii) it predicts excess stock returns. Results are robust to measurement errors and lags. Through detailed analyses, we argue that macroeconomic variables could account for the information in long-maturity forward rates almost entirely in light of return predictability.
Public Employee Acceptance of New Technological Processes: The case of an internal call centre

Abstract The present work explores employee acceptance of process innovation in a public administration from a complementary three-fold theoretical perspective, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Cognitive Model of Satisfaction (CMS) and the Satisfaction-loyalty Model (SLM). The proposed model integrates these approaches, and considers the moderating effect of employees' perceived experience with the new process. Although findings support that behavioural intentions are determined by perceived usefulness, satisfaction and attitude towards the new technology, we find that as employees' perceived experience increases, use intention becomes a routine, and the evaluation of the new process proves irrelevant in terms of usefulness or quality.
A trend to trust? The rise of new leisure trusts in the UK

As a non-mandatory public service, leisure faces an uncertain future as it competes for scarce local government resources. Around half of British mainland local authorities still provide the majority of municipal leisure services directly. However, since the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) in 1989, a wider range of organizations has become involved in the delivery of these services than at any time in their history. 'Best value' (BV), the successor to CCT, has turned up the heat on this trend by forcing local authorities to review the form of service delivery. In the current environment, one of the available options which has generated considerable interest is that of 'new leisure trusts'. In this article we look in depth at the reasons why the trend toward trusts has gathered pace in the last decade, the claims made for trusts' structural and managerial advantages, and their potential for synergy, or 'collaborative advantage' (Huxham, 1995).
What Explains the Valuation Difference between Intangible‐Intensive Profit and Loss Firms?

Prior research suggests that loss firms are valued based on their abandonment/adaptation option values, while profit firms are valued as going concerns. However, conservative accounting treatment of expensing of R&D leads many R&D-intensive firms to report losses even though they are not in financial distress. In this paper we investigate the difference in valuation of profit and loss firms that invest in intangibles, either through internal development (R&D) or purchases. The accounting treatment for internally developed intangibles is conservative in that US GAAP requires immediate expensing. Yet, it allows recognition of purchased intangibles. We find that in valuation of firms with high recognized-intangible assets, book value has more prominence in loss firms than profit firms, while that is not the case for firms with high R&D expenditures. This suggests that their abandonment/adaptation option explains the difference in valuation between profit and loss firms with high recognized-intangibles, while conservative accounting explains the valuation difference between profit and loss firms with high R&D intensity. This result suggests that recognition of intangibles in financial statements might mitigate the conservative bias in accounting numbers.
Influence of Inventory Data Sets on Life‐Cycle Assessment Results: A Case Study on PVC

This study compared six widely used European life‐cycle assessment (LCA) inventory data sets, identified those, data elements that introduce major differences, and quantitatively determined the influence of these data elements for a cradle‐to‐gate LCA o f polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Large differences in data (10‐ I 100%) were found. Data on substances with recognized high environmental impact and easily determined emissions and environmental impacts, like those related to energy, show the least differences. Process‐specific emissions show larger differences. Substantially more substances emitted t o air than t o water or soil are reported, and differences between the values are less. Furthermore, various inventory data sets donot always cover the same substances. Often, individual substances, such as specific (chlorinated) hydrocarbons and metals, are collectively categorized rather than individually reported. Specific data elements o f the inventory causing many differences were geographical, temporal, and technological representativeness; categorization o f substances; naming of substance categories; use of different category definitions: system boundaries; and allocation method. The influence of these differences on LCA results, determined through sensitivity analysis, was significant, typically 10‐ 100%. Results emphasize the importance of appropriate and explicitly described data sets and the necessity o f sensitivity analyses. Results also show the need for a regularly updated and openly available database with high quality data. The availability of such a database would improve the reliability of LCA and thereby stimulate its application.
In utero transplanted human hepatocytes allow postnatal engraftment of human hepatocytes in pigs

In utero cell transplantation (IUCT) can lead to the postnatal engraftment of human cells in the xenogeneic recipient. Most reports of IUCT have involved hematopoietic stem cells. It is unknown whether human hepatocytes used for IUCT in fetal pigs will lead to the engraftment of these same cells in the postnatal environment. In this study, fetal pigs received direct liver injections of 1 × 107 human hepatocytes in utero and were delivered by cesarean section at term. The piglets received a second direct liver injection of 5 × 107 human hepatocytes 1 week after birth. The serum was analyzed for human albumin 2, 4, and 6 weeks after engraftment. Piglet livers were harvested 6 weeks after transplantation and were examined by immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction, and fluorescence in situ hybridization for human‐specific sequences. Piglets undergoing IUCT with human hepatocytes that were postnatally engrafted with human hepatocytes showed significant levels of human albumin production in their serum at all postengraftment time points. Human albumin gene expression, the presence of human hepatocytes, and the presence of human beta‐2 microglobulin were all confirmed 6 weeks after engraftment. IUCT in fetal pigs with human hepatocytes early in gestation allowed the engraftment of human hepatocytes, which remained viable and functional for weeks after transplantation. IUCT followed by postnatal engraftment may provide a future means for large‐scale expansion of human hepatocytes in genetically engineered pigs. Liver Transpl 19:328–335, 2013. © 2013 AASLD.
Effective buyer‐supplier interaction patterns in ongoing service exchange

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop theory on effective buyer‐seller interaction for different types of business services. A classification of business services which identifies four service types based on how they are used by the buying company is used.Design/methodology/approach – Propositions based on earlier work in this area and validate these empirically by studying interaction in nine ongoing service exchanges at two different buying companies are developed.Findings – For the three service types that could be identified in the case companies, the extent to which companies display a pattern of interaction that is in line with the proposed pattern has a positive effect on service exchange success has been largely found. Some aspects of the proposed patterns, however, seem less critical for success than others, leading to minor revisions in the effective patterns of interaction.Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of this study is that only the interaction patterns for.
Women's groups and women's subordination: an analysis of policies towards rural women in Kenya

Rural women in Kenya are burdened by heavy workloads, often being responsible not just for attending to domestic needs — including provision of food for their families — but having as well to work as casual labourers. They are further hampered by lack of access to income obtained from the sale of cash crops grown by the household, even though they often contribute labour to the cultivation of such crops. In these and other ways they suffer the impact of gender relations which place them firmly in a position of economic subordination. The Kenyan government has acknowledged that women are ‘disadvantaged’ and has made a formal commitment to alleviate their situation. Economic and political crises, however, have tended to displace attention from the needs of oppressed groups in Kenya, including women. But it would be questionable in any case that the prevailing perception of a solution based on ‘integrating women into development’ would bring about significant change. Rayah Feldman examines a set of organisat.