bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Application of Computerized Psychological and Educational Assessment in South Australia
Authors: Costello Brian R.
Published: January 2017

At the 36th Annual Convention of the International Council of Psychologists (ICP) in Munich (1978), my colleagues introduced me to notions of computerized psychological assessment. These greatly departed from traditional pencil and paper tests with automated scoring techniques. The Marking Sense Reader and Optical Character Reader were replaced by the Visual Display Unit for scoring, tests administration and even biofeedback interface. These ideas were being pioneered in the United States by Dr Kenneth Colby of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Clinic (in psychiatry) and Professor Colonel Russel N. Cassel of Project Innovation at Chula Vista (in psychology).
Linear and Curvilinear Considerations of Machiavellianism and School Leader Effectiveness
Authors: Andrea Ronald K. , Conway James A.
Published: January 2017

The current concerns for increasing administrator effectiveness, particularly in the ‘loosely coupled’ condition characteristic of public schools, is the fundamental emphasis of this study. Major findings support the proposition that significant linear and curvilinear relationships exist between a principal's level of Machiavellianism and his or her perceived effectiveness as a school leader.
Incipient Workplace Democracy among United States Clerical Workers
Authors: Feldberg Roslyn L. , Glenn Evelyn Nakano
Published: January 2017

We begin by defining workplace democracy and by arguing that the rate and degree of change taking place in clerical work makes workplace democratization particularly relevant today. Focussing on the work process, we explore examples of incipient workplace democracy in four clerical settings: a data entry pool, a payroll office, ward secretaries in a hospital and secretaries in a university department. The unique aspects of clerical work — its femaleness, place in organizations and varying degrees of interaction with managers, professionals and clients — are analyzed to show how they have influenced the development of more democratic work organization in each setting.
Some Basic Issues in Economic Democracy
Authors: Aage Hans
Published: January 2017

Based on a comparison of some recent and earlier proposals for economic democracy some basic, mainly economic, issues are identified: rights of property, management and income; decisions on technology and investment; political institutions; the functions of the state and the market. The Yugoslav solution and a recent Danish blueprint for economic democracy show striking similarities. Many proposals share the problem that despite increasing consensus and motivation inside the firm, self-management does not automatically provide social responsibility of management or a solution to problems arising from the separation of economic authority and economic responsibility which are immanent in administered economies.
Quantitative Analysis of the Role of Biomass in Latin America
Authors: Sanchez-Sierra Gabriel , Umaña-Quesada Alvaro
Published: January 2017

Biomass, particularly that in the form of fuelwood, is considered to be the principal source of energy for a majority of Third World countries. However, quantitative assessment of fuelwood utilization is often difficult, both because of its ‘non-commercial’ status in many areas, and because of the lack of informaton arising from an unwillingness to officially acknowledge the high reliance of much of the population on this ‘unsophisticated’ fuel.

This paper attempts to outline the current biomass utilization trends for Latin American countries. There, it can be shown that a high degree of correlation exists between low per capita income and a high proportion of fuelwood utilization and that the majority of fuelwood is used by the rural public sector, not the commercial and residential sectors. Generally, the trend is towards increased use of biomass energy both as a result of increased growth rates of rural populations and accelerated growth of marginal rural areas. The effect of this increased use has been to increase prices of fuelwood, and the systematic destruction of forest resources may have serious environmental consequences for these regions, with what is essentially a renewable energy source being rendered non-renewable.

Recommendations are made as how to provide an integrated approach to the assessment of biomass as a national energy resource in Latin America, with implications for other areas of the world.
Economic Prospects for Wind Farming
Authors: Katzman Martin T.
Published: January 2017

Several American utilities have contracted to purchase electricity from ‘windfarmers’, and many others are beginning to explore this option. The value of conventional fuel and capacity savings will influence the terms under which utilities enter these contracts. A quantitative assessment of these savings is undertaken using computer models that simulate the dispatching of conventional capacity and calculate the reliability of this capacity. These models identify the conventional costs avoided by utilities as a consequence of windfarming. The impact of various levels of windmill penetration is simulated in five sites in the USA, representing a wide range of average wind speeds. The cost of wind energy is less than the value of fuel savings alone for utilities which possess substantial oil- and-gas-fired generating capacity and which serve sites with winds above 12 m.p.h. In such sites, 1kW of conventional capacity is displaced by 2–5 kW windmill capacity. Increased windmill penetration reduces the value of fuel and capacity savings per kW.
The Exploitation of Offshore Oilfields by Means of Tunnels and Underground Excavations
Authors: Walton Bernard
Published: January 2017

A brief description is given of the present methods of exploiting offshore hydrocarbon discoveries by locating development drilling and production equipment on fixed platforms or on the seabed. At present, these methods are inadequate, or unsuitable for water depths greater than about 200 m. A novel underground method of development is described, and comparisons are made with the existing platform developments.

The underground oilfield development system may be applied in locations where extreme weather, busy shipping lanes or very deep water prohibit existing methods. No new technology is required, as well-developed mining and civil engineering techniques would be used.

There are many incidental advantages in using the underground method, including safety of oil operations located underground, security from sabotage, and environmental protection. In addition, capital and operating costs will be considerably less than with fixed platform developments.
Oil Imports
Authors: Fritz Markus
Published: January 2017

While the Eastern bloc countries (in particular the USSR) are self-sufficient (i.e. non-vulnerable) in terms of energy (a basic prerequisite for state existence) at least up to the turn of the century, the Western democracies cannot survive on their own reserves of energy, on which their economies and infrastructures are primarily based. This is especially true for the USA.

In case of an oil embargo (as happened almost a decade ago), if the US oil reserves are subsequently depleted, at least the US transportation system (based almost completely on oil) could break down, and with it micro- and macroeconomic supply of the country. This has never occurred in history before, but it may happen tomorrow, showing kore devastating consequences than any nuclear war. The only way out of this ‘vicious circle’ is the large-scale production of synfuels from domestic coal and oil shale reserves. This however, requires a political strategy which is excluded from daily politics and not dependent on free market forces only.
Structural Changes and Performance of the German Oil Industry
Authors: Schürmann Heinz Jürgen
Published: January 2017

More than in many other countries, the oil market in West Germany is traditionally characterised by liberal trade patterns. This open market allowed a virtually free inflow of oil products. Hence, the pressure on prices at Rotterdam's spot market affected directly the product prices for German consumers. In all end-product markets, oligopoly and strong competition by outsiders prevail. If the cutthroat competition is intensified, this may lead to an alteration of the supply structure within the group of the quite heterogeneous market participants.

The West German oil industry is passing through a period of painful economic adjustments. The shrinking of the market, changing demand patterns, and financial losses have led to the shedding of considerable over-capacity in refining and distribution. The process includes both a drastic reduction of simple (straight-run) distillation capacity and an increase in conversion potential, along with toll refining, reduction of marketing outlets, concentration of participants in processing and distribution, attempts at optimisation of downstream activities within the Common Market area, as well as the promotion of joint ventures with foreign state companies. The approach to the adaptation process varies from company to company according to upstream and downstream strength, financial position, access to sources of supply, international linkages, and special areas of interest.

Of course, over-capacity of refining is a global phenomenon that cannot be eliminated without international co-operation. The problems may, after all, become even more complex after new export refineries in OPEC countries have been completed.

This paper presents the results and features that reflect the reaction of the main companies affected. It describes the chances and challenges of a free oil market system. In recent years the petroleum industry in Germany has suffered heavy financial losses, and has embarked on a radical and seemingly successful adaptation process, but it remains vulnerable to developments on the world oil market. It would gain from better co-ordinated policies within the framework of the European Community—including a free play of market forces and a standardisation of environmental controls. Farther afield, the necessity for closer links to the government-controlled companies in producing countries is perceived to secure sources of supply on a basis of mutual advantage.
Energy Development in Canada — An Overview
Authors: Murphy Lawrence
Published: January 2017

While Canada is likely to remain a net energy supplier in total over the next twenty years, the country will experience imbalances regionally and for particular types of energy that raise concerns about the security of Canadian energy supply.

The options available to deal with these imbalances can be looked at from three perspectives: (i) economic criteria, including options for new sources of conventional oil and gas, synthetic oil supplies, substitution for oil, renewable energy, imports and new technologies; (ii) commercial criteria, encompassing various types of commercial risk (reserves estimates, scheduling, technology, market, fiscal, financial, and so on); and (iii) political criteria, including regional economic development objectives, energy development policies, environmental regulations, and security of energy supply.

The pursuit of national economic priorities suggests that the least-cost alternatives be pursued first. Economic priorities may require an appropriate sharing of risks, if private risks associated with desired energy development are unacceptable to investors. Government objectives go well beyond concern of economic efficiency into areas of regional economic growth, diversification of supply sources and protection of the environment. An energy strategy will ultimately emerge from the balancing of all these considerations.
Energy Use in Canada: View from the Soft Path
Authors: Brooks David B.
Published: January 2017

This paper focuses on changing energy use and changing analysis of energy use in Canada from the point of view of policy analysis. End-use efficiency for energy has been improving in Canada, though by less than in other countries. However, conventional forecasts of energy use tend to ignore the implications of those gains, and they are therefore either misleading or unduly constraining for purposes of policy development. An alternative approach, which uses a method of analysis called backcasting rather than forecasting, is preferable for policy purposes. A backcasting analysis for Canada shows that significant cuts in absolute energy use are both technically and economically feasible. More broadly, this feasibility analysis demonstrates that there is no specific amount ot type of energy that is “required” for a given GNP nor is there a “base case” for energy use that is anything more than an analytical construct. Rather, there are lots of options, and different scenarios that will get us from one to another. To a very real extent, a developed country gets the level and character of energy use that it chooses.
International Coal Supply and the Principal Countries Involved
Authors: Jamieson Eric
Published: January 2017

In response to a directive from member countries in 1983, IEA Coal Research initiated a series of techno-economic studies designed to assess the future cost and availability of steam coal supplies for export from major existing and potential producing countries. As a means of setting this assessment work in a world context and to help explain why certain countries were selected for study and the order in which those studies have been carried out, the paper provides background information on world coal supply (4,400 Mt) and hard coal trade (330 Mt) for 1986.

Since 1983 reports have been published on Colombia, United States, South Africa, Canada and the People's Republic of China; reports are currently in draft form for the Soviet Bloc and Australia; and studies are in progress for the Asia/Pacific Region and for Western Europe.

The paper goes on to review the evolution of the study work, study methodology and typical report format. Generalised conclusions are drawn on coal supply categories, the economies of scale required to produce and deliver low value coal products, and the principal factors affecting coal pricing. More specific conclusions are then drawn for each country and finally the programme of future work in this field is indicated.

The overall objective of this assessment work has now been geared towards producing integrated projections of world supply of all the principal coal products that are expected to be traded 15–20 years ahead and for those projections to be kept current and issued as annual reports.
The International Coal Trade and Price Outlook
Authors: Doyle Guy
Published: January 2017

The paper starts with a brief review of recent trends in the international coal market and an examination of the linkage between coal and oil prices. It is argued that while oil prices had a significant impact on coal prices in the 1973–87 period, future coal price trends will be driven more by demand and supply developments in the coal market itself. Taking thermal coal as an example, future demand and supply developments are examined. Demand and supply are brought together by using an aggregate world supply curve. The plausible range of prices for 2000 is determined by reading off the supply curve at the appropriate projected demand levels.
Air Pollution Control and its Impacts on Coal Use
Authors: Vernon Jan
Published: January 2017

Over the last decade, environmental concerns have played an increasing role in energy decision making, from siting of new energy facilities to national policy changes, such as Sweden's decision to phase out nuclear power. Concern about atmospheric pollution from fossil fuel combustion, reflected in increasingly strict emission limits, has imposed additional costs and technical demands on coal-fired plants. Estimates from the Federal Republic of Germany, the USA and the OECD indicate that air pollution control can account for a third of the capital costs for a new coal-fired power plant.

This article outlines the current status of regulations on air pollutant emissions from coal-fired plants, describes action being taken to meet regulations and its potential impacts on coal utilisation. The article focuses on sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which have seen major recent developments in regulations and control methods.
Carbon Dioxide and Climatic Change
Authors: Smith Irene
Published: January 2017

Certainties and uncertainties in the issue of the greenhouse gases are discussed. It is an established fact that the concentrations of these trace gases — CO2 chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), methane, nitrous oxide and ozone — are increasing in the lower atmosphere as a result of human activities. The contribution of coal use to the greenhouse effect is about 15 to 20%. Future emissions of the greenhouse gases form one of the greatest sources of uncertainty. The potential for reducing emissions of the greenhouse gases is discussed. While steps are being taken to control CFC, the greenhouse gases with the greatest rate of increase, the scope for reducing CO2 emissions is limited. Climatic model results suggest that there will be a noticeable global warming in one or two decades with more uncertain regional changes. Observations are consistent with these results but there is as yet no conclusive causal link with increases in the greenhouse gases.
Electricity Demand in the Province of Quebec from 1990 to 2010
Authors: BÉLanger Danny , Bernard Jean-Thomas
Published: January 2017

This paper presents the results of two simulations which analyze Hydro-Quebec development plan of March 1989. The first one takes as given Hydro-Quebec's electricity demand forecast and derives over time, financial implications of this demand. This simulation yields an electricity demand forecast of 1.8% and an average annual price increase of 5.0% over the 1990-2010 simulation period. In contrast, the second simulation takes into account the interaction between electricity price and electricity demand. Despite having the same underlying macroeconomic assumptions, the endogenous demand simulation yields an average annual growth in electricity demand of 2.2% and an average price increase of 5.5% over the simulation period. This translates by the year 2010 into an increased demand of 18 TWh or 8.8% more than forecasted. To satisfy this demand, energy generation would have to be increased by 21 TWh while peak production capacity would have to be increased by 3,893 MW. Finally, for several years, Hydro-Quebec would have difficulties in reaching the 25% capitalization ratio target.
The Role of Canadian Natural Gas in North American Markets
Authors: Coad L.A.
Published: January 2017

Canadian exporters now compete for US trade with relatively few regulatory and market impediments and further increases in sales can be expected. Natural gas resources are available and an excess of productive capacity in conventional areas of western Canada as high as 1 EJ per year is possible. Considerable supplies from unconventional sources are expected to be available. Exports now utilize 80% of pipeline capacity with expansions planned to serve the Californian market, to serve the Northeast US and to market northern Canadian gas. Exports of 1.9 to 2.0 Tcf/yr are possible.
Alternative Energy in Canada
Authors: Dolenko A.
Published: January 2017

The federal government, through the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology encourages the production and use of alternative energies and efficiency in the use of all energies: In transportation this involves efficiency and emission control for gas and alcohol fuels; the use of hydrogen, fuel cells and batteries. Development of bio-energy deals with handling combustion and chemical conversion. There are also active programmes in the renewable energies-solar, photovoltaic, wind and hydro.
Fuel Ethanol in Brazil: Its Use and Prospects
Authors: Eden Michael J.
Published: January 2017

Ethanol derived from sugar cane has become an important vehicle fuel in Brazil since the creation in 1975 of the Programa Nacional do Álcool (PROÁLCOOL). Fuel ethanol production costs are generally higher than those of gasoline, but, with government subsidies, the use of anhydrous ethanol mixed with gasoline and of hydrous ethanol in lieu of gasoline has become widespread. The use of ethanol has offered economic and strategic benefits, as it has reduced Brazil's traditional dependence on imported petroleum. However, domestic petroleum production is now rising steadily, and the prospects for fuel ethanol will depend more on its inherent competitiveness and, to some extent, environmental merit than on its strategic importance. It is suggested that significant advances can be made in the efficiency of ethanol production and that for the present it is desirable to persist with sugar cane as the main chemical feedstock. However, crops like manioc and sweet sorghum and also woody biomass offer supplementary or alternative feedstocks, which, in the long term, may be preferable on economic or other grounds and which thus deserve continuing investigation. In general, it is appropriate for Brazil to persist with fuel ethanol as a renewable energy source, while seeking to improve production efficiency.
Thermal History and Hydrocarbon Maturity Study in the Norton Basin, Alaska
Authors: Yu Z. , Li Y. , Lerche I.
Published: January 2017

Two COST wells in the Norton Basin of Alaska were examined using a one-dimensional quantitative dynamic model (1-D). By inversion of vitrinite reflectance data with the present day thermal gradient in the basin, the paleothermal history of the basin was reconstructed and showed two high thermal peaks, one during the initial stage of basin development (60–50 MaBP) and the other at late Miocene (15–5 MaBP). The early thermal peak corresponded to thinning of the lithosphere and subsidence with upwelling of the hot asthenosphere, and the more recent thermal high was caused by the subsidence and volcanic activity during late Miocene. The Norton Basin is thermally mature with hydrocarbon generation occurring in 15–2 MaBP.

Modeling the fluid flow and geopressure development using a two-dimensional fluid flow/compaction model in the basin shows that the directions of fluid movement are both vertical and towards the Yukon Horst, a main horst structure in the basin, suggesting that the hydrocarbons might accumulate in structures around the Yukon Horst and in stratigraphic traps within the basin, which are expected to be common because of the depositional variation of the various facies.
Wellhead Natural Gas Price Determination – Some Comments
Authors: Herbert John H.
Published: January 2017

In this note we examine the relationship between the wellhead price of natural gas and institutional changes in the industry and other factors that influence this price. As part of this examination we estimate an equation to summarize the monthly relationship between the price of natural gas at the wellhead and the price of residual fuel oil and other variables between January 1987 and December 1991.
Ecological Problems Associated with Overhead Electric Power Transmission and Possible Solutions
Authors: Alexandrov G.N. , Kashina V.A. , Lisochkina T.V. , Podporkin G.V.
Published: January 2017

It is possible to use designs of overhead high voltage electricity lines which minimise environmental damage. The designs proposed from studies at St. Petersburg Technical University are outlined and the benefits given.
Uranium Reserves Worldwide
Authors: Bhar R.
Published: January 2017

The Uranium Institute has developed a set of definitions for classifying uranium resources and places the resources into three cost categories. The definitions are given in full, and are supplemented by tables giving the current statistics together with a production forecast to the year 2010.

All the statistics are derived from current Uranium Institute reports.
Economic Reserves Now Equivalent to Only Two Years UK Energy Consumption
Authors: Jenkins Gilbert
Published: January 2017

British Coal had a policy of keeping its coal reserves confidential. With the threat of privatisation and coincidentally, substantial loss of markets, British Coal provided reserves estimates to the John T. Boyd Company and the UK DTI published the figures in the Boyd report. The total reserves in British Coal's pits were 620.5 million tonnes at the end of 1992 which is equivalent to two years UK energy consumption.

There are large quantities of coal in place (resources) in the UK. Pits are being closed because the coal in those pits cannot be produced economically. When a pit is closed, any remaining reserves would be reclassified as resources because of the unacceptably high capital cost of reopening the pit or opening a new one.
Russia's Oil Prices: Moving toward the Market
Authors: Khartukov Eugene M.
Published: January 2017

The painful perestroika of the ex-Soviet oil industry has been accompanied by an accelerated transition from the previous all-embracing and inflexible price control to actually decontrolled market pricing for both crude oil and oil products. The freed and soaring oil prices quickly hit equilibrium levels, led to sizeable contraction of inland oil demand, and generated two interrelated crises of nonpayment and overproduction. Rising transportation costs resulted in spontaneous “regionalization” of the national oil market and made oil product imports a feasible alternative to long-haul domestic supplies. While retail product prices became comparable with those in some Western countries, the backwardness of the country's refining industry and the resultant low gross product worth still are keeping domestic prices of crude oil substantially below world market parities. Though the rapid “globalization” of internal crude oil prices is on the Russian government's agenda, an immediate rise to world price levels is neither desirable nor actually possible.
The Puertollano IGCC Project, a 335 MW Demonstration Power Plant for the Main Electricity Companies in Europe
Authors: Sendin Ulpiano
Published: January 2017

The paper describes the status of the 335 Mwe gross (ISO conditions) IGCC project of ELCOGAS in Puertollano/Spain based on the PRENFLO coal gasification process, at the beginning of its third year of engineering and construction.

The project is funded within the Thermie programme of the Commission of the European Communities, being its first targeted project.

The status of the IGCC project is presented. Coal gasification is based on the PRENFLO entrained-flow principle with dry fuel dust feeding. An almost complete raw gas desulphurization leads to very low SO2 contents in the flue gas. Sulphur from the coal will be available as elemental sulphur. By saturation of the desulphurized gas and the mixing with the nitrogen from the air separation unit the integrated power plant concept also achieves very low NOx contents in the flue gas.

Commissioning tests for the combined cycle plant fed with natural gas will start during mid-1995. and will be followed by one year plant operation, before commissioning of the IGCC power plant.
Recent Developments in Hong Kong's Water Heating and Cooking Fuel Market
Authors: Walls W. David
Published: January 2017

The Consumer Council of Hong Kong recently released a report assessing competition in the domestic water heating and cooking fuel market. In this paper, based on Walls (1995), the author provides provide an objective view of this fuel market. An alternative organisation for the gas fuel industry is suggested that would promote competition without the introduction of a regulatory commission.
Can the Book of Proverbs Be a Player in “Biblical Theology”?
Authors: Murphy Roland E.
Published: January 2017

Proverbs does not have a role in the game as currently played. The many theological construals of the past century, although helpful, founder on the concept of thematic unity. This paper suggests a separate track: exegesis of individual passages, which may (or may not) have intertextual associations.
Zechariah's Unbelief and Early Jewish-Christian Relations: The Form and Structure of Luke 1:5–25 as a Clue to the Narrative Agenda of the Gospel of Luke
Authors: Harmon Steven R.
Published: January 2017

The narrative agenda of the Gospel of Luke seeks to move the implied reader (who resembles the “Godfearer” of Acts) from an interest in Judaism to conversion to Christianity. Luke 1:5–25 introduces this agenda by highlighting both continuity and discontinuity between Judaism and Christianity. Use of the Hebrew Bible commissioning narrative form establishes a continuity between Judaism and Christianity, appealing to the implied reader's attraction to Judaism yet suggesting conversion to Christianity as a natural next step. A chiastic structure that focuses on Zechariah's unbelieving response to the announcement of John's birth introduces a discontinuity between Judaism and Christianity, suggesting to the implied reader that the time has come to go beyond Judaism and embrace Christianity.
One Form of Social Exchange or Two? “Euergetism,” Patronage, and Testament Studies
Authors: Joubert Stephan J.
Published: January 2017

Researchers usually understand ancient Roman patronage and Greek “euegetism” as one and the same social exchange relationship, the difference being one of form rather of substance. In view of a brief investigation of primary historical data, ranging from Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics, to honorary inscriptions, to Seneca's De beneficiis, the present scholarly status quo is challenged in this essay. A more nuanced view of ancient Mediterranean reciprocity in general, and “euergetism” and patronage in general, is presented. Finally, some implications of these findings are spelled out in terms of the interpretation of the Second Testament.
The Social Background of Early Israels Rejection of Cultic Images: A Proposal
Authors: Kennedy James M.
Published: January 2017

Early Israel's rejection of the cultic image stems from the social revolt by which Canaanite-Israelite peasantry overthrew a hierarchical social structure. In its place it attempted to form a society marked by decentralized power and an even distribution of material goods. At the social level, the idol functioned as a legitimating device for Canaanite social hierarchies. Through sacrifice to the idol, large amounts of material productivity were funneled into the control of the Canaanite priestly and royal classes. The idol was therefore a kind of tax or tribute gathering device. In this context, Israelite hostility to cultic images yields to a possible two-fold interpretation. First, by repudiating the cultic image, Israel rid itself of an important source of wealth for the ruling classes, thereby thwarting possible internal programs seeking to re-establish political hierarchy. Second, frontier Israel was insuring that agricultural goods used in cultic sacrifice would be circulated back into the producing community. An imageless cult was one way of enhancing political and economic self-sufficiency.
Nicodemus and The Samaritan Woman: Contrasting Models of Discipleship
Authors: Pazdan Mary Margaret
Published: January 2017

An investigation of the narratives within the first six chapters of the Fourth Gospel indicates that Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman function as foils within the larger typology of persons from Galilee, Samaria amd Judaea who respond to Jesus. Taken together, the narratives form a diptych (3:1–21; 4:1–42). They also form the center panel of a triptych occurring between 1:19–2:25 (first panel) and 4:43–6:69 (third panel). Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman are discussed in relationship to one another and to the narratives surrounding them for their dramatic development. The dialogical character of each narrative reveals religious insights which complement one another as well as the narrative chapters which bracket them.
The Church's Memory of Jesus: A Social Science Analysis of 1 Thessalonians
Authors: Keightley Georgia Masters
Published: January 2017

The collective memory theory of Maurice Halbwachs shows that the memory traditions of Jesus recorded in the Second Testament have a function beyond the mere provision of factual information about the historical figure. From this perspective, the memory of Jesus is understood to be constitutive of Christian community and to be normative for the collective self-definition. This essay explores this theory by way of an analysis of 1 Thessalonians.
The Use of the Bible in a New Resource Book
Authors: Sloyan Gerard S.
Published: January 2017

After first examining the Document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (1993) for its wide-ranging discussion of the methods and approaches in contemporary exegetical practice, and the special characteristics of Catholic interpretation, this article explores the way the Bible is employed in Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994). The volume is an exhaustive treatment of doctrine and morality prepared to help bishops oversee aid books for adults and children studying the Catholic tradition. It has sold many millions of copies worldwide in a variety of languages. Catechism presents the teaching of the Second Council of the Vatican (1962–1965) on the need to discover the sacred writers' intention in each book and passage of the Scriptures, taking into account the cultural conditions and literary genres in use at the time. It follows this with an exposition of the four senses of Scripture that prevailed in the patristic and medieval periods. The latter features the typology that not only finds a fulfillment of First Testament persons and events in the Second but extends it homiletically outside the pages of the Bible to illustrate the mysteries of faith by a figurative rather than a critical use of Scripture. While Catechism often features the “literal” or “plain” sense of Scripture, it seems to avoid employing the results of progress in biblical studies during the last 150 years. This makes it a puzzling mixture of the up-to-date and the severely dated.
Does the Bible Speak about Gays or Same-Sex Orientation? A Test Case in Biblical Ethics: Part I
Authors: White Leland J.
Published: January 2017

This article examines the biblical texts commonly cited on the question of same-sex behavior in the light of three core values of traditional Mediterranean culture: honor, reproductivity, and holiness. Genesis 19, Leviticus 18–20, Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 6, and 1 Timothy 1 are each shown to reflect these core values. For this reason these texts frame the ethical issue in terms of males fulfilling their traditional culturally defined roles rather than in terms of the contemporary ethical challenge presented by males and females who are understood by themselves and others as constitutionally oriented towards same-sex behavior. Thus, the biblical texts in question fail to address either those known as gays and lesbians or the issues arising from same-sex orientation.
Locating the Gospel of Mark A Model of Agrarian Biography
Authors: Chapman Dean W.
Published: January 2017

Markan geographical “mistakes” are routinely invoked to support the hypothesis that Mark did not live in the Holy Land. Nothing, however, is made of the fact that the writer, probably from a rural, peasant background, and surely with little command of the Greek language, has stocked his work with specific geographical references, many of which are placed correctly, and some of which are linked correctly in sequence. This article proposes that the so-called “mistakes” are the result of a paradigmatic difference between 20th-century western culture and that of the first-century Mediterranean. The “pre-operatory” (Piaget and Inhelder) concept of spacer characterized by topological (rather than Euclidean, projective) relationships, is both “systematic and lasting” in the developing child. Until cultural pressures demand the shift to “abstract” space, a child functions experientially with notions of proximity, separation, enclosure, etc., in a “plastic,” subjective world. Hallpike finds a similar reconstruction of space among many extant aboriginal peoples, and Sydney Blatt traces this Piagetian development in the history of art. The Rajum Hani‘ stone, found in Jordan and dating from the first centuries CE, suggests that a literate near-contemporary of Mark did indeed grasp space in “pre-operatory” fashion. A model for such a paradigm of geography is presented, which re-interprets Mark's geographical “mistakes,” and then shifts the emphasis to questions of boundary and territoriality (Sack). Two conclusions are drawn: (1) that Mark was probably Judean, and (2) that Mark understood Jesus' travels territorially—as the physical expression of Jesus' lordship over Mark's “world.”
The Problem of Anti Judaism in 1 Thess 2:14–16 and Related Pauline Texts
Authors: Wortham Robert A.
Published: January 2017

Concepts from the fields of social psychology and symbolic anthropology are utilized in this case study to gain a clearer understanding of the problem of anti-Judaism in 1 Thess 2:14–16 and related Pauline texts. The study begins with a theoretical discussion of the nature of prejudice and conflict. Texts suggesting that Paul may have experienced feelings of personal inadequacy and texts describing Paul's association with Jewish groups prior to, at the time of, and after the Thessalonian incident are analyzed in investigating the problem of Pauline anti-Judaism. These texts suggest that occasionally Paul felt inadequate, that others may have perceived him as possessing a marginal social status, and that he was opposed by various groups throughout his ministry. Each of these factors could be associated with the development and expression of prejudicial attitudes. Paul's prejudice, however, was of a religious, not a racial, nature.
Memory, Tradition, and the Construction of the Past in Ancient Israel
Authors: Blenkinsopp Joseph
Published: January 2017

The article discusses the role of social memory over against historiography in the formation of historical tradition in ancient Israel with special reference to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE and its aftermath. The collective memory of the past cannot be adequately accounted for by oral tradition detached from rituals of re-enactment, commemorative ceremonies, bodily gestures, and the like, for which the Passover ceremony provides the best example. Survival of the disaster of 586 was possible only by remembering in this way.
Jesus as Astral Prophet
Authors: Malina Bruce J.
Published: January 2017

Jesus' final discourse in the Synoptics is replete with words, phrases and statements typical of ancient Mediterranean astronomy/astrology. Further, forecasts concerning the Son of Man coming from the sky and the destruction of a Jerusalem, a temple city, clearly entail astronomical and astrological dimensions. These features point to traditions about Jesus as astral prophet and his concern with sky events, much like Israel's astral prophets and their focus on celestial territoriality.
The Galilean Fishing Economy and the Jesus Tradition
Authors: Hanson K. C.
Published: January 2017

Building on the earlier studies of ancient fishing by Rostovtzeff and Wuellner, this article examines fishing as a sub-system within the political economy and the domestic economy of first-century Galilee. I employ a model of embedded economics to articulate the relationships between the various players in the sub-system: the Roman emperors; Herod Antipas; the tax administrators; the brokers, tax collectors, and toll collectors; the fishing families; the hired laborers; the suppliers of raw goods and other products; fish processors; and shippers and carters. This model is developed in order to provide a more focussed frame of reference for the interpretation of the Jesus tradition (metaphors and narratives) and the location of Jesus' activity and network recruitment in Galilean fishing villages.
Reload Employee Stock Option Plans: Incentive Alignment or Rent Extraction
Authors: Hemmer Thomas , Matsunaga Steve , Shevlin Terry
Published: January 2017

A reload option awards a new option for every share tendered to exercise an existing option. We use a sample of 242 firms that adopted reload provisions to investigate claims that firms use reload options to encourage early exercise and increase share ownership (incentive alignment) against the competing claim that reloads transfer wealth from shareholders to managers. We find that CEOs of reload firms tend to have lower levels of ownership and less influence over the Board of Directors than CEOs of firms in a control group. Our results are generally more consistent with the incentive alignment hypothesis than the competing wealth transfer (rent extraction) hypothesis.
The Association between Bankruptcy Outcome and Price Reactions to Bankruptcy Filings
Authors: Rose-Green Ena , Dawkins Mark C.
Published: January 2017

This study investigates the association between bankruptcy outcome and the capital market's reaction to bankruptcy filings. Our sample consists of 77 firms that filed bankruptcy petitions between 1980 and 1996. We investigate whether, at the time of bankruptcy filing, the market differentiates between firms that are subsequently liquidated and firms that are subsequently reorganized. Our results indicate that liquidated firms have significantly larger negative price reactions at bankruptcy filing than reorganized firms. This result holds after controlling for a going-concern audit report in the period prior to bankruptcy filing, a technical or debt service default in the period prior to bankruptcy filing, firm size, prior Wall Street Journal announcement of a possible bankruptcy filing, firm financial condition, and other predisclosure information. Our findings suggest that the market has a high degree of insight into the subsequent bankruptcy resolution.
Mentoring and Organizational Justice among Audit Professionals
Authors: Siegel Philip H. , Reinstein Alan , Miller Cathleen L.
Published: January 2017

This study integrates current perspectives on “organizational justice” and mentoring theory to develop a framework through which the mentoring process can be reviewed and analyzed. Hypotheses developed from this framework are tested based on a sample of 118 audit professionals from local, regional, national, and international CPA firms. Results indicate that audit professionals who were mentored perceived more distributive and procedural justice, perhaps leading to increased tensions among protégé and nonprotégé auditors. The mentoring functions of psychosocial and role modeling are positively related to distributive and procedural justice, indicating mentoring's importance in understanding fairness in the workplace. After controlling for distributive and procedural justice, psychosocial mentoring makes significant contributions to explaining variances in career expectations, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment; however, role modeling mentoring contributes only additional explanatory variance to career expectations and organizational commitment, while career development mentoring contributes only additional explanatory variance for organizational commitment.
On the Predictability of Kibbutz Financial Distress: A Principal Component Analysis with Bootstrap Confidence Intervals
Authors: Avishur Arieh , Tsoref Yigal
Published: January 2017

This paper proposes an econometric model for conditional forecasting of kibbutz financial distress for a range of one to three years. The primary interest in examining the economic performance of the kibbutz is that its driving characteristic is collective rather than individual profit-maximizing. Thus, this study contributes to bridging the gap between literature on labor-managed firms and the theoretical and empirical models aimed at predicting financial distress. This study is also motivated by the kibbutz debt crisis of the mid-1980s.

The annual change in productive equity, scaled by either productive assets or annual sales, is assumed to represent kibbutz financial confidence. The attribute vector contains 26 explanatory variables defined over eight different dimensions: liquidity, profitability, cash flow, operating efficiency and growth, capital structure, saving rate, demography, and size. The model as a whole exhibits high statistical significance, efficiency of forecast, and a good fit. It outperforms the naive forecast model in all calculated measures of dispersion. This outcome is reaffirmed by the bootstrap simulation. The findings of this paper suggest that financially distressed kibbutzim are less profitable, tend to be highly leveraged, are characterized by low and even negative saving rates, and have a higher social burden. The paper provides empirical support for the emergency cash reserve, the optimal capital structure, and the heterogeneity hypotheses. The results are also consistent with predictions of organization theory derived from nontransferability of member rights.
CEO Domination, Growth Opportunities, and their Impact on Audit Fees
Authors: Tsui Judy S. L. , Jaggi Bikki , Gul Ferdinand A.
Published: January 2017

This study examines the relationship between a firm's internal monitoring mechanism and its impact on the audit fee. The first hypothesis investigates whether firms with independent corporate boards (chief executive officer and chairman being separate individuals) provide a more effective internal monitoring mechanism and are thus associated with lower control risk, resulting in lower audit effort and fees as compared to nonindependent, CEO-dominated boards. The second hypothesis examines whether the effectiveness of the internal monitoring mechanism provided by independent corporate boards is independent of the firms' growth opportunities. High-growth firms are by nature more difficult to monitor due to the existence of discretionary investments and measurement problems associated with future assets. Thus, the negative association between independent corporate boards and audit fees is expected to be affected by a firm's growth. Results using 650 observations from Hong Kong companies provide support for both hypotheses.
Market Expectations for First-Time Going-Concern Recipients
Authors: Blay Allen D. , Geiger Marshall A.
Published: January 2017

Prior research on market reaction to going-concern modifications indicates that unanticipated modifications cause a negative market reaction, whereas anticipated modifications produce no similar reaction. This paper uses previously proposed measures of market expectations and a naive model—actual subsequent viability status—to assess market reaction to going-concern report recipients. Our results indicate that a naive measure of market expectations provides information to the market that is incremental to previously developed measures when using market reaction as an indication of changed expectations. Multiple regression analyses controlling for firm size, going-concern expectation, bankruptcy probability, changes in financial condition, default status, and delisting support our finding of differential abnormal returns based on subsequent viability, and indicate a need for improved models of market expectations.
Insider Holding Requirements, Stock Options, and Stock Appreciation Rights
Authors: Balsam Steven , Paek Wonsun
Published: January 2017

This study examines how a Securities and Exchange Commission rule change affected the design of executive compensation contracts. It shows that a change in insider holding requirements for employee stock options led to a widespread decrease in the use of stock appreciation rights. Further, we find firms that decrease their use of stock appreciation rights compensate employees by increasing their use of employee stock options.

The Securities and Exchange Commission rule change provides a unique opportunity to examine the use of compensation methods as it caused firms to examine their policies and make an active decision to modify their practices. Cross-sectionally, we find the likelihood a firm decreases its use of stock appreciation rights positively associated with the magnitude of expense associated with stock appreciation rights, the firm's use of income-increasing accounting methods, leverage, and the ratio of market to book value of assets. We also find a significant interaction effect for the magnitude of expense when interacted with profitability.