Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MC or MP: Enterprise Decision-Making Considering Brand Effect and Product Line Cost

With the continuous improvement of information technology and production technology, mass customization (MC) strategy has been more and more widely used. MC can cater to consumers' preferences to the greatest extent, seize market share, and charge higher prices. As a result, more and more enterprises have chosen MC strategy, and some of them (such as DELL) have achieved great success. However, MC is not always a perfect strategy due to its high technical costs, management costs, material costs and the delay cost of MC to consumers. Therefore, weighing the pros and cons of MC to make the most suitable strategy has become an urgent problem for enterprises. Based on the traditional MC decision-making model, on the one hand, we introduce the brand effect to analyze the impact of the implementation of MC strategy on consumer utility from the perspective of brand value; on the other hand, we introduce product line cost to quantitatively measure the enterprise cost premium brought by the degree of customization of the MC. The following findings, that is, the decision-making situation of enterprises under different internal and external circumstances, as well as the optimal pricing and customization degree (MC only) under different strategies (MP or MC) are obtained, which are: (i) if enterprises have relatively high negative brand effects, they should resolutely refrain from adopting MC strategy; (ii) the enterprise will choose the MC strategy only when the product line cost is low enough, and the increase of consumer retention price will increase the possibility of MC strategy adopted; (iii) in the same situation, enterprises with positive brand effects are more likely to adopt the MC strategy than those with negative brand effects, and it can also charge higher optimal prices under the MC strategy.
Theoretical Definition of the Equations of Cycle of Money, of Minimum Escaped Savings and of Velocity of Financial Liquidity

Abstract: This paper is about the comparison of the velocity of minimum escaped savings with the velocity of financial liquidity. This analysis is based on the cycle of money in combination with the velocity of minimum escaped savings with the velocity of financial liquidity. This means that used the minimum escaped savings and the enforcement savings as are parts of these velocities. Thence, we compare the velocity of the financial liquidly with the velocity of the minimum escaped savings.
Strengthening Local Credit Markets Through Lender-Level Index Insurance

This paper considers lender-level index insurance as a means of expanding access to credit in disaster-prone communities. In this approach, the lender transfers the disaster risk of loans in its portfolio by contracting on an observable measure of the catastrophe. I develop and calibrate a dynamic, stochastic model using data from a community lender in Peru that is vulnerable to El Niño-related flooding. The modeled lender can insure against El Niño using an index-based product that is available for purchase by financial intermediaries in Peru. I examine how premium rates, basis risk, and background risk may in influence the lender's insurance decision and credit supply. Overall, the results suggest that lender-level index insurance holds promise for reducing disaster-related credit supply shocks and expanding credit access in vulnerable communities.
The Effects of Natural Disasters and Economic Volatility on Fertility

This paper examines whether economic or environmental instability affects fertility. My identification strategy uses regional data to exploit the natural variation within each of the two countries I examine: one European country - Italy - and one Asian country - Japan. I use the variance of the detrended wage to measure economic volatility; the crude death rate to measure mortality risk; and the number and magnitudes of natural disasters to measure environmental instability. According to my results, natural disasters have a significant negative effect on fertility in both countries, while mortality risk and economic volatility have significant negative effects in Italy but no effect in Japan. Thus, instability, particularly that arising from the natural environment, appears to cause a decrease in fertility.
Currency Risk Factors in a Recursive Multi-Country Economy

Focusing on the ten countries with the most-traded currencies, we provide novel empirical evidence about the existence of significant heterogenous exposure to global growth news shocks. We incorporate this empirical fact in a frictionless risk-sharing model with recursive preferences, multiple countries, and multiple consumption goods whose supply is subject to both global and local short- and long-run shocks. Since news shocks are priced, heterogenous exposure to global long-run growth shocks results in both a relevant reallocation of international resources and currency adjustments. Our unified framework replicates the properties of the HML-FX and HML-NFA carry trade strategies studied by Lustig et al. (2011) and Della Corte et al. (2013).
Heterogeneous worker flows and Japan’s labour market

ABSTRACT This study analyzes the roles of heterogeneous worker flows in Japan’s labour market. I divide workers into regular, non-regular, and self-employed and other workers and examine the effects of these different types of worker flows on Japan’s labour stocks. I find that the fluctuations in the job separation rate for non-regular workers and the participation margin are relatively important for the evolution of Japan’s unemployment rate. Further, the transitions between regular and non-regular jobs play a major role in the dynamics of Japan’s non-regular worker ratio.
Does Curvature Enhance Forecasting?

In this paper, we analyze the importance of curvature term structure movements on forecasts of interest rate means. An extension of the exponential three-factor Diebold and Li (2006) model is proposed, where a fourth factor captures a second type of curvature. The new factor increases model ability to generate more volatile and non-linear yield curves, leading to a significant improvement of forecasting ability, in special for short-term maturities. A forecasting experiment adopting Brazilian term structure data on Interbank Deposits (IDs) generates statistically significant lower bias and Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) for the suggested model, for most examined maturities, under three different forecasting horizons. Consistent with recent empirical analysis of bond risk premium, when a second curvature is included, despite explaining only a small portion of interest rate variability, it changes the structure of model risk premium leading to better predictions of bond excess returns.
Contribuição ao conhecimento da incidência da brucelose no Estado do Paraná (Brasil)

The author carried out an examination of brucellosis on the cattle of the State of Parana (Brazil). In cow milk, an incidence of 7,90 percent was found, but a severe focus was located in Castro county (29,92 percent). In cattle, breaded extensively, the incidence was 16,49 percent. An higher percentage was located particular in the vicinity of the State of Sao Paulo, in which the livestock in general are kept on artificial pasturages. Sixty breeding farms were visited and 1716 samples of serum,sera from cattle were examined, as well as 797 sera from cows milk.
An Old Boys' Club No More: Pluralism in Participation and Performance at the Olympic Games

This paper examines the growing diversity of participation and achievement in the Olympics. A wide set of socioeconomic variables is correlated with medaling, particularly with respect to the Summer Games and women's events. Host advantage is particularly acute in judged contests such as gymnastics. However, there is evidence that the influence of correlates such as country size, per capita income, and membership in the communist bloc is declining over time as competition becomes increasingly diverse. These effects are less evident in the Winter Games, events that require significant capital investments, and judged contests.
Managerial Effectiveness

In highly competitive global economy, companies realizing the fact that their employee, especially those at the managerial levels, is the only sources of competitive advantage. In the past decade managerial talent is the hottest issue and measuring manager’s performance has increasingly focused and interesting area for researchers and practitioners. It is commonly believed that managers are the most important assets of nations, organization and institutions to meet the challenges of global competition. The long term stability of any organization depends on the knowledge skills, competencies, positive attitude and behavior of its managers. In the past decades substantial numbers of managers and management scholars have been involved in a debate concerning the effectiveness of management It is generally believed that management education creates a vital link between economic progress, organizational effectiveness, and people’s performance at organizational levels. In those respect managers have played a considerably more significant role in the overall success of their organizations and development of their nations. Management institutions have incorporated new discipline and update their content to train their graduates in all aspects. Management education is the only source which will enhance the managerial effectiveness. No doubt, many factors influence managerial effectiveness but among all the factors management education attracts considerable attention across the world. In emerging business environment management education is in a central role for manager’s education. Management education has been imparting formal business skill to a wide range of business leaders and has thus democratized business management. Business institution are striving towards creation of knowledge, skills and competencies and many more things which make management education compulsory for the companies as well as individual. These business colleges imparted basic skills about the principles of trade and commerce to clerks and supervisors from fields as diverse as banking, transport, and accounting. Management education is inevitable for sustainable development of managers. Requirement of various skills for performing various tasks with well equipped knowledge are of crucial importance for today’s manager, hence management education scores over other streams of education. It is assumed that business schools as supplier of business managers can produce well trained and ethically responsible managers and management education is potential source for managerial effectiveness. This research tries to link effectiveness of executive skill with and without formal education.
Two-Pass Cross-Sectional Regression of Factor Pricing Models: Minimum Distance Approach

The two-pass cross-sectional regression method has been widely used to evaluate linear factor pricing models. One drawback of the studies based on this method is that statistical inferences are often made ignoring potential conditional heteroskedasticity or/and autocorrelation in asset returns and factors. Based on an econometric framework called minimum distance (MD), this paper derives the asymptotic variance matrices of two-pass estimator under general assumptions. The MD method we consider is as simple as the traditional two-pass method. However, it has several desirable properties. First, we find an MD estimator whose asymptotic distribution is robust to conditional heteroskedasticity or/and autocorrelation in asset returns. Despite this robustness, the MD estimator has smaller asymptotic standard errors than other two-pass estimators popularly used in the literature. Second, we obtain a simple chi-statistic for model misspecification test, which has a simple form similar to the usual generalized method of moments tests. We also discuss the link between the MD method and the other methods such as generalized least squares and maximum likelihood. A limited empirical exercise is conducted to demonstrate the empirical relevance of the MD method.
Broadband Internet and Protests: Evidence from the Occupy Movement

This paper investigates the influence of broadband Internet availability in the occurrence of events of civil unrest, both with theory and empirical evidence. We first propose minor changes to a recent model of protests considering the hypothesis that the Internet sets an environment for communication and information exchange that boosts collective dissatisfaction towards unfair policies. We then use collected data on the locations of 2011's Occupy Movement in the United States, together with an instrumental variable approach, to estimate the positive, statistically significant impact of one extra Internet Service Provider on the probability of evidencing protests in a given location.
Conservação pós-colheita de mangas Tommy Atkins armazenadas sob atmosfera modificada

O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a conservacao pos-colheita de mangas ‘Tommy Atkins’, durante o armazenamento em condicoes de temperatura ambiente, utilizando diferentes tipos de embalagens. Os tratamentos foram: frutos acondicionados individualmente em bandejas de acetato transparente, revestidas com filme plastico de cloreto de polivinila (PVC esticavel) de 14 µm, sem e com sache de permanganato de potassio, preparado utilizando-se vermiculita como substrato, impregnada com KMnO 4 (10g / 500g de fruto); frutos acondicionados individualmente em sacos plasticos de polietileno de baixa densidade 25 µm de parede simples (PE) confeccionado ou nao com permanganato de potassio e frutos acondicionados, em grupos de 5, em caixas de papelao com tampa, revestidas internamente ou nao, com filme plastico confeccionado com permanganato de potassio. Os frutos foram armazenados a temperatura ambiente media de 24,4 °C, 70% UR. Foram avaliadas a perda de massa fresca, aparencia, firmeza da polpa, teor de solidos soluveis, acidez titulavel e acido ascorbico. Verificou-se que os melhores tratamentos de atmosfera modificada foram os de acondicionamento individual dos frutos de manga em bandejas de acetato transparentes, recoberta com o filme de PVC esticavel, com ou sem permanganato de potassio (BA e BAP), pois contribuiram para prolongar a conservacao dos frutos em 4 dias, em relacao ao controle (sem embalagem), em condicoes de temperatura ambiente (media de 24,4 oC). O permanganato de potassio na forma utilizada neste estudo (sache preparado utilizando-se vermiculita como substrato, impregnada com KMnO 4 , na proporcao de 10g / 500g de fruto e impregnado em filme plastico) nao interferiu nos resultados obtidos para a conservacao dos frutos.
Road Pricing under Travel Time Variability

This paper analyzes the impact of road pricing for the bottleneck model with endogenous random delay. We extend the widely used scheduling model by integrating trip scheduling, endogenous traffic congestion, travel time variability (TTV), and road pricing into one modeling framework to analyze the role of road pricing in addressing TTV. This paper examines the social economic benefits under TTV, defines the value of travel time variability accordingly, and derives analytical results to illustrate properties of the model, including the impact of road pricing and TTV on travelers and the system performance. For travelers, the presence of TTV leads to spreading in their departure profile, hence reduction in queuing cost, at the expense of increases in scheduling cost and random delay cost. As for the system, TTV reduces the social surplus. This study shows that road pricing can be used as a means to compensate or mitigate the social surplus loss due to TTV.
Technological Capability, Marketing Capability, and Firm Performance in Turbulent Conditions ( 技术能力�?市场能力与�?业绩效：基于环境�?确定性的研究 )

The manner in which technological capability and marketing capability can be successfully leveraged is an important research issue. Based on the resource�? management model, this study aims to answer two research questions: (1) whether technological capability and marketing capability are complementary or supplementary capabilities; and (2) how technological capability and marketing capability can be used appropriately to respond to environmental turbulence. Based on a face�? to�? face interview survey of 212 Chinese firms, we find that technological capability and marketing capability have synergistic effects. We also find that technological turbulence enhances the performance effect of technological capability, but impedes that of marketing capability; whereas market turbulence advances the performance effect of marketing capability, but impedes that of technological capability. Thus, the appropriate way to leverage technological capability and marketing capability is to integrate them and to deploy technological capability to respond to technological turbulence and marketing capability to respond to market turbulence. 摘�? 如何有效地实现技术能力和市场能力的价值是目�? 管�? �研究中的一个�? �? 问题。 根�? �资�? 管�? �模型，本文试图回答如下两个问题：（1）技术能力与市场能力之间是互补的还是替代的关系？ （2）如何有效地利用技术能力和市场能力�? �应对环境的�? 确定性。 通过对212家中国�? 业进行的�? �对�? �访谈调查，本文�? �现：技术能力和市场能力之间存在�? �? �效应。 �? �时，技术�? 确定性增强了技术能力与�? 业绩效的关系，但是�? 低了市场能力与�? 业绩效的关系；而市场�? 确定性增强了市场能力与�? 业绩效的关系，但是�? 低了技术能力与�? 业绩效的关系。 因此，有效地实现技术能力和市场能力价值的方�? 包括：整�? �技术能力和市场能力�? ��? �挥他们的�? �? �效应，以�? �利用技术能力�? �应对技术的�? 确定性，利用市场能力�? �应对市场的�? 确定性。
Capacidade de combinação de linhagens avançadas e cultivares comerciais de melancia

Este trabalho objetivou estimar a natureza e a magnitude dos efeitos da capacidade combinatoria geral (CGC) de seis genitores e especifica (CEC) de nove hibridos, provenientes de um esquema de cruzamentos dialelicos parciais. O experimento foi realizado na Estacao Experimental da Embrapa Rondonia, em Machadinho do Oeste – RO, no periodo de marco a junho de 2005. Os tratamentos compuseram-se de dois grupos de genitores, sendo o primeiro composto pelas linhagens Cpafro 34.305, Cpafro 74.105 e Cpafro 45.202; e o segundo, pelas cultivares comerciais ‘Charleston Gray’, ‘Sugar Baby’ e ‘Omaru Yamato’, alem dos nove hibridos, os quais foram avaliados em delineamento em blocos casualizados, com tres repeticoes, e parcelas de sete plantas, quanto a 10 caracteristicas agronomicas. Os efeitos da CGC foram superiores aos da CEC para a maioria das caracteristicas estudadas, evidenciando a predominância do efeito aditivo no controle genico destas. Na maioria dos genitores, foram verificados efeitos de CGC favoraveis ao melhoramento da cultura, sendo ‘Sugar Baby’ e ‘Charleston Gray’ os genotipos mais promissores para estrategias de melhoramento intrapopulacional visando a obtencao de cultivares de frutos pequenos e grandes, respectivamente. Com base na CEC, as combinacoes hibridas superiores e, portanto, com maior potencial de aproveitamento comercial foram: Cpafro 74.105 x Sugar Baby, de frutos pequenos e Cpafro 74.105 x Charleston Gray, de frutos grandes.
Seasonality of insect herbivory on the leaves of Neoboutonia macrocalyx in the Kibale National Park, Uganda

Summary The seasonality of herbivory on the leaves of Neoboutonia macrocalyx Pax. in Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda, was studied. A total of 2929 fallen leaves was collected during 15 months under randomly-selected trees in three different habitats; natural forest and two selectively cut forest sites. The percentage of leaf area eaten and leaf size were estimated. Leaf herbivory was highly seasonal and correlated with rainfall in the previous 2 months, but less than 100 mm monthly rainfall had no effect. There was no correlation between leaf size and rainfall. Although Kibale Forest has two wet seasons, insect feeding on leaves had only one peak during the major rainy season from September to December. Three to four months after peak herbivory, leaves had very low rates of insect damage. Habitat had only a small effect on the amount of insect feeding. The sampling time accounted for 71% of variation in leaf herbivory. New leaves were formed continuously year-round. The constant leaf production by Neoboutonia trees may be an adaptation to escape generalist herbivorous insects which might be synchronized with the major wet season when the leaf flush of the most other deciduous species occurs. Thus, the availability of fresh leaves is not acting as a regulating factor in seasonality of Neoboutonia herbivory. Resume On a etudie l’aspect saisonnier de la consommation des feuilles de Neoboutonia macrocalyx Pax. dans le Parc National de Kibale, en Ouganda. On a recolte un total de 2929 feuilles tombees pendant 15 mois sous des arbres choisis au hasard dans trois habitats differents: la foret naturelle et deux sites forestiers soumis a des coupes selectives. On a estime le pourcentage de feuille mangees et la taille des feuilles. L’activite de manger des feuilles etait tres saisonniere et liee aux chutes de pluie des deux mois precedents, moins de 100 mm de chutes de pluie mensuelle n’ayant aucun effet. Il n’y avait pas de relation entre les chutes de pluie et la taille des feuilles. Bien que la Foret de Kibale connaise deux saisons des pluies, les insectes qui se nourrissent des feuilles ne presentaient qu’un pic, pendant la plus importante des deux, de septembre a decembre. Trois a quatre mois apres ce pic, les feuilles montraient de tres faibles taux d’attaques d’insectes. L’habitat n’avait que peu d’effet sur la quantite d’insectes qui se nourrissaient. Le moment de la recolte determinait 71% de la variation de la consommation des feuilles. Les nouvelles feuilles se forment tout au long de l’annee. La production constante de feuilles par Neoboutonia est peut-etre une adaptation pour echapper aux insectes herbivores generalistes qui pourraient etre synchronises avec la saison des pluies principle, lorsque la plupart des autres especes decidues produisent le plus de feuilles. Donc, la disponibilite de feuilles frai? ches n’agit pas comme un facteur regulateur dans l’aspect saisonnier de la consommation de Neoboutonia.
The Impact of Hedge Fund Activism on the Target Firm’s Existing Bondholders

In contrast to previous studies documenting positive abnormal returns to target shareholders, we find that hedge fund activism significantly reduces existing bondholders’ wealth. Bondholders earn an average excess bond return of -3.9% around the initial 13D filing date, and an additional average excess bond return of -6.4% over the remaining year after the filing date. When examining the reasons behind these results, we find that negative excess bond returns are related to a subsequent decline in cash on hand (loss of collateral effects) and an increase in total debt as a percentage of total assets. In addition, negative bond returns are more prominent when the hedge fund activist conducts a confrontational campaign against the target firm or if the activist gains at least one seat on the target’s board within a year of the initial 13D filing. We also find evidence of an expropriation of wealth from the bondholder to the shareholder. We conclude that the intervention of the activist results in the firm taking actions that are deleterious to bondholder wealth.
Rule-of-Thumb Consumers, Nominal Rigidities and the Design of Interest Rate Rules

This paper argues that, in the presence of nominal wage rigidities, the existence of Rule-of-Thumb agents and price rigidities does not cause a change in the Taylor Principle as suggested by Galí et al. (2004), and that the only rigidity relevant for this result is that faced by Rule-of-Thumb consumers. For doing so, a New-Keynesian model with Rule-of-Thumb agents is proposed. The model discriminates between both type of agents when defining wage rigidities, thus al- lowing to identify and measure the factors that affect the Taylor Principle, this also allows to drop complete markets for Rule-of-Thumb agents, and the simple use of non-separable utility functions in order to determine the incidence of the wealth effect when facing staggered wages.