bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Benefit Incidence Methodology for Mixed Goods
Authors: Dean James M.
Published: March 2007

This paper develops a methodology for computing the benefit incidence of mixed goods. The paper draws on a theoretically based framework for ana lyzing the benefit incidence of public goods but extends this framework con ceptually and makes it more operational through integrating it with recent work on the determinants of municipal expenditures. The new methodology is applied to municipal expenditures in Canada, and the benefit incidence of these expenditures is found to be regressive.
Different Forms of Outside Aid: a Collective-Choice Model for Predicting Effects On Local Educational Expenditure
Authors: Chang Cyril F.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a method for predicting the effects of different forms of outside aid on local educational expenditure. The predictive power of the suggested method is demonstrated with an experiment using district-level data collected for the State of Virginia. The paper also tests the recent theoretical results of David Bradford and Wallace Oates who have argued (1) that in a median-voter setting matching grants are more stimulative than lump sum grants of the same amount, and (2) that under certain conditions lump sum grants are equivalent in their effects to a reduction in federal and state personal taxes. The test results are favorable.
Explaining Challengers' Campaign Expenditures: the Importance of Sunk Nontransferable Brand Name
Authors: Lott John R.
Published: March 2007

This article will (1) respecify existing empirical work on sunk nontransferable investments in terms of Jacobsen's work on campaign expenditures, (2) control for the effect of past political brand name possessed by the challenger on entry barriers, and (3) discuss the theoretical difference between the long-run and short-run effects of campaign expenditure limit laws. Considerations for the ideal form of campaign expenditure limit laws will also be discussed.
Economic Effects of Including Services in the Sales Tax Base: an Applied General Equilibrium Analysis
Authors: Baum Donald N.
Published: March 2007

An applied general equilibrium model is employed to determine the effects of including additional services in the sales tax base. This approach allows the incidence of the base-broadening policy to be determined when all prices and quantities are variable. The base-broadening policy is a potential Pareto-improvemen, its differential incidence is progressive, and the policy reduces (increases) the quantity of labor supplied by the lower (higher) income households. The latter result, upward-sloping labor supply curves with respect to both the cost of living and the wage, is surpriseng. The source of this result is that the income effect on labor-leisure choice of a change in the cost of living is larger than the income effect of a change in the wage.
Optimal-Sized Tuition Tax Credits Reconsidered: Comment
Authors: Frey Donald E.
Published: March 2007

In a recent article, Martinello and West (1988) argued that a tuition tax credit, while costing the federal government lost revenue, would provide substantial net governmental savings when all levels of government are considered This article demonstrates that their conclusion is highly contingent on the assumption of an infinitely elastic supply of private education. In a more general analysis that allows both demand and supply elasticities to vary, it is demonstrated that a tuition tax credit in most plausible cases results in far smaller savings or even net costs to all levels of government. This analysis further shows that if the government objective really were to maximize net governmental savings on education, then a private enrollment tax, not credit, might be the way to accomplish the goal. Again, conclusions are contingent on demand and supply elasticities.
Residential Demand for Water and the Pricing of Municipal Water Services
Authors: Martin Randolph C. , Wilder Ronald P.
Published: March 2007

A large microdata sample is used to estimate the price elasticity of residential demand for water services. Data on delinquency of payments at the household level are employed to draw inferences about service termination. The issue of service termination permits a discussion of the public goods aspects of water and sewer service and of the appropriate pricing policy for municipal water services.
Productive Efficiency and Contract Management: Some Evidence From Public Transit Agencies
Authors: Good David H.
Published: March 2007

This article examines a form of public production that contracts out the top Abstract management of the transit agency. This allows a test of Fama's conjecture that competition among managers, even when financial incentives are deferred, is sufficient to mitigate the principal-agency problem. Previous work has found little difference in cost and has concluded that the public versus contract management distinction is of little practical interest. This article demonstrates that, whereas total costs are similar, the input selection and input utilization decisions that lead to total cost are quite different between management types. This cost decomposition goes a long way toward describing how and why productive inefficiency occurs and what can be done to eliminate this inefficiency.
The Effect of Federal Policies On Local Public Infrastructure Investment
Authors: Eberts Randall W. , Fox William F.
Published: March 2007

The linkage between federal policy and municipal investment decisions is empirically estimated. The findings of this article indicate that federal policies should be designed with recognition of the potential effects on local investment decisions. Deductibility of state and local taxes is found to have a strong effect on demand for investment. Intergovernmental aid appears to have a small positive influence on investment demand. Investment demand is estimated to have grown after passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA86). Because TRA86 eliminated sales tax deductibility, this suggests that sales taxes are not used at the margin to finance investments. Factors not related to federal tax policy, such as mandates, must explain the subsequent investment growth. Evidence is found that federal policies can increase investment by influencing municipal willingness to issue debt, as measured by the percentage of resources raised through debt. However, the effect disappears when the debt share is simultaneously estimated with investment demand
Portfolio Analysis and Vertical Equity: a New York Application
Authors: Mallick Rajiv , Harmon Oskar Ragnar
Published: March 2007

This study makes two contributions to the literature on portfolio models and the analysis of state finances. First, the study applies recent developments in time series analysis—unit root tests for stationarity—to develop more efficient estimates of tax growth and tax instability than heretofore. Second, the study extends the conventional tax portfolio model, which balances the portfolio mix to maximize stability for selected growth targets, to encompass a third tax policy goal: vertical equity. The model is applied to New York State to demonstrate its practical usefulness as a fiscal tool for state policy analysts.
Supply-Side Economics and the Price Level Elasticity of Aggregate Demand
Authors: Kyer Ben L. , Maggs Gary E.
Published: March 2007

A concept that has been largely ignored in the economic literature is the price level elasticity of aggregate demand. The purpose of this article is to integrate this concept into supply-side economic theory and demonstrate the conditions under which decreased tax rates induce higher tax revenues. Within a standard aggregate demand, aggregate supply reduced form model, it is found that the relationship between tax rates and tax revenues depends on two factors: the tax rate elasticity of aggregate supply and the price level elasticity of aggregate demand. More specifically, it is found that a tax decrease that increases the aggregate supply of goods and services is more likely to also increase tax revenue when the price level elasticity of aggregate demand is greater. Alternatively, for a tax rate decrease to increase tax revenue, the tax rate elasticity of aggregate supply must be greater when the price level elasticity of aggregate demand is lower.
The Effects of Business Taxes On Output and Location of the Firm Under Uncertainty
Authors: Yeh Chiou-Nan , Suwanakul Sontachai , Mai Chao-Cheng
Published: March 2007

In this article, a triangular production-location model is used to show that when output price is random, the imposition of business taxes (including lump-sum tax, profit tax, output tax, and input tax) can have significant effects on the optimal location and output of a firm attempting to maximize a von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function of profits. In addition, using the concept of differential incidence, the authors also made a comparison of the magnitudes of the impacts of these taxes on the output and location of the firm and indicates that the effects of these taxes differ according to the tax structure.
The Income Tax Compliance Cost of Big Business
Authors: Slemrod Joel B. , Blumenthal Marsha
Published: March 2007

A survey of 1,329 of the largest corporations m the United States reveals that the average annual cost of compliance with federal and subfederal corporation income taxes is approximately $1.565 million, implying an aggregate annual compliance cost of over $2 billion. As a fraction of revenue raised, these compliance costs are lower than estimates that have been made for the individual income tax. The cost-to-revenue ratio is higher for state corporate tax systems than it is for the federal tax system, presumably reflecting the nonuniformity of state tax systems There is near unanimity among senior corporate tax officers that the Tax Reform Act of 1986 added complexity to the tax system, resulting in a combination of higher compliance costs and less accurate information transmission. They point to, in particular, the alternative minimum tax, inventory capitalization rules, and the taxation of foreign-source income as growing sources of complexity.
When) is Consumption Taxation Equivalent to Wage Taxation ?
Authors: Lopez-Garcia Miguel-Angel
Published: March 2007

This article deals with the question of the equivalence between consumption taxationand wage income taxation. It is argued that when individuals behave according to strict life-cycle reasons, these taxes are not equivalent in either of the standard senses. Although a balanced-budget increase in the wage tax unambiguously de creases the steady-state capital-labor ratio, a balanced-budget increase in the consumption tax may have any impact on long-run capital accumulation. A differential incidence shift from wage to consumption taxation is associated with a higher value of the steady-state capital-labor ratio and increases welfare when the starting point is a dynamically efficient steady state. However, in the presence of intergen erational altruism, consumption and wage taxes are structurally equivalent (i.e., both in balanced-budget terms and under a differential incidence approach). An increase in any of them entails no effect on the steady-state capital-labor ratio and welfare level, with the only consequence of transferring resources away from the private sector and to the government.
A Massively Parallel Algorithm for K2 Entropy Computation: Case Studies of Model Systems and in Vivo Data
Authors: Chirravuri Sridhar , Bhandarkar Suchendra M. , Whitmire David
Published: March 2007

Grassberger and Procaccia's estimate of Kolmogorov entropy, i.e., K2 entropy (Grassberger and Procaccia, 1983), is a commonly used measure of chaos present in complex dynamic systems. The design and imple mentation of a massively parallel algorithm on the MasPar MP-2 system for the computation of K2 en tropy is presented. The parallel implementation on a 2,048-processor MasPar MP-2 system is shown to have a speedup of approximately 1,000. The parallel algo rithm for the computation of the correlation integral, in conjunction with the serial algorithm for the determi nation of an optimal scaling region in the correlation integral plot, are used as a computational tool to ana lyze the heart-rate dynamics of canine subjects intoxi cated with ethanol. Results indicate that the K 2 entropy and correlation dimension have an inverse correlation with the blood-ethanol concentration.
Generalized Linear Models: Loglinear Modeling in Managerial Research
Authors: White Michael C. , Tansey Richard , Smith Mark , Long Rebecca G.
Published: March 2007

In the past three decades we have seen the emergence of the generalized linear model (GLM) techniques for analyzing discrete multivariate data when the independent and dependent variables are categorical, ordinal, or mixed. The primary statistical techniques are loglinear modeling, probit, and logistic regression. The purpose of this article is to (a) briefly describe the emergence of these discrete multivariate techniques in the medical and social sciences, (b) disclose their relationship to one another, and (c) demonstrate the utility of hierarchical loglinear modeling in managerial research
Heterogeneity of Error Variance and the Assessment of Moderating Effects of Categorical Variables: A Conceptual Review
Authors: Aguinis Herman , Pierce Charles A.
Published: March 2007

Homogeneity of within-subgroup error (residual) variance is a necessary statistical assumption for the appropriate use of moderated multiple regression (MMR) for assessing the effects of categorical moderator variables (e.g., ethnicity, gender). We provide a conceptual review of the homogeneity of error variance assumption in the context of MMR analyses. First, we clarify issues pertaining to the violation of the homogeneity of error variance assumption and differentiate it from the homoscedasticity assumption. Second, we delineate the implications of violating the homogeneity of error variance assumption for organizational theory and practice. Finally, we critically review solutions recently proposed to mitigate the detrimental effects of violating the homogeneity of error variance assumption on conclusions regarding the effects of categorical moderator variables.
What Makes Service Research Centers Effective?
Authors: van Birgelen Marcel , de Ruyter Ko , Wetzels Martin
Published: March 2007

Academic service research centers have been positioned as a research partner for service companies. In this article, the authors present a framework for assessing their effectiveness. The results of an empirical study conducted during 2 years suggest that user satisfaction is central to establishing decision maker trust, as well as promoting the use of the information. In both years, quality of content and researcher characteristics were identified as key drivers of satisfaction. In the initial stage of the relationship between the service research center and the client firm, information use is also driven by the political acceptability of the information. It was found that trust had no effect on information use. However, the results of the second year suggest that particularly trust in the researcher becomes a crucial factor as the relationship develops, because it directly affects the use of information by academic service research centers.
A Practitioner’s Comment on Aimee L. Drolet and Donald G. Morrison’s “Do We Really Need Multiple-Item Measures in Service Research?”
Authors: Grapentine Terry H.
Published: March 2007

The author responds to issues raised by Drolet and Morrison concerning their 2001 article assessing the use of multiple-item scales in service research. He critiques their arguments on both theoretical and practical grounds, putting forth a case supporting the use of these scales. His primary conclusions are (a) that using multiple-item scales in applied research does not necessarily have to be expensive, (b) that the amount of information contained in a particular item of a multiple-item scale goes beyond simply contributing to the scale’s reliability per se, and (c) that multiple-item scales often are needed in service research to measure complex constructs and ensure an appropriate level of measurement validity.
Comparing Service Delivery to What Might Have Been
Authors: Zeelenberg Marcel , Pieters Rik
Published: March 2007

The effects of the specific emotions disappointment and regret on customers’ behavioral responses to failed service encounters were examined. Study 1, using a vignette methodology, showed that regret was more associated with switching behavior than was disappointment and that disappointment was more associated with word of mouth and complaining than was regret. These results were largely replicated in Study 2, in which each customer was asked to report an autobiographical episode in which he or she experienced dissatisfaction with a service. Characteristics of this experience, as well as regret, disappointment, satisfaction, and behavioral responses, were assessed. As hypothesized, regret had a direct effect on customers’ switching, over and above the effect of dissatisfaction. Moreover, disappointment had a direct effect on word of mouth, over and above the effect of dissatisfaction. Finally, neither regret nor disappointment had a direct effect on the actual complaining in Study 2.
Virtual Virility, or, Does Medicine Make the Man?
Authors: HAIKEN ELIZABETH
Published: March 2007

While men continue to enjoy a privileged position in the physical market, increasing numbers of American men are pursuing enhancement technologies ranging from hair transplants to penile augmentation. Contemporary discourse that positions these efforts to alter appearance as evidence of a masculine drive for economic success rather than as part of a feminine narcissism reflects historical biases against male preoccupation with appearance; contemporary discourse that acclaims these efforts as liberating for American men minimizes the extent to which men, like women, are vulnerable to market-driven cultural imperatives regarding physical attractiveness.
The Computer Approach To Comprehensive Building Envelope Optimization Studies
Authors: Meckler Milton
Published: March 2007

A simplified 3 step computer optimization technique for determining most cost effective insulation values is presented for building envelope construction materials taking into account direct energy flow interactions of probable building heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems by life cycle analysis methods. Results from an ac tual office/laboratory design project are presented to demonstrate methodology.
Energy Requirements for Thermal Insulations
Authors: Hill R.K.
Published: March 2007

As part of an overall view of the energy expended in buildings this paper ex amines the relationship between the gross energy requirements to manufac ture typical thermal insulations and the "energy pay back period." It is shown that the pay back period is less than one heating season for the relatively mild winter conditions of South East Australia.
Standard Reference Materials in the European Community
Authors: De Ponte F.
Published: March 2007

Standard reference materials within the European Community are developed by the "Bureau Communautaire de Reference." The development of reference materials for the measurements of steady-state thermal transmission properties was started in 1975 with two candidates: a high-density resin-bonded glass-fibre board and Pyrex. The first is now the reference material RM 64, certified be tween 170 and 370 K.

The second candidate, Pyrex, is still under investigation, first of all to find a reliable procedure to correctly define the surface temperatures of specimens under test.

Only recently it was decided to develop a reference material for measure ments on light-density fibrous insulations that exhibit a relevant so-called thickness-effect. Investigations started on a 10 kg/m3 organic fibrous material. The reason for this preliminary choice was the large thickness-effect of the material and its acceptable homogeneity; the main limit of this material is its dimensional stability under compressive load and after thermal cycling.

For each material, short accounts are given on experimental results and on future research programs.
Quantification of Smoke Production during ICBO Type Room Corner Tests
Authors: Waterman T.E. , Damijonaitis R.A.
Published: March 2007

A method was developed to quantify smoke evolution during an ICBO type room corner fire test using temperature and smoke density measurements taken at the room doorway. This method eliminates the need for an overhead canopy hood/ex haust duct system to collect and quantify the smoke emitted from the doorway. The method was established by examining various combinations of room-doorway mea surements as candidate smoke prediction techniques. These included the in-doorway vertical profile of measured temperature or velocity, coupled with averaged smoke density measured across the doorway width or height, or horizontally outward from the doorway top. The basis for assessing the utility of each candidate method was its ability to predict, from doorway measurements, the smoke production measured by a hood/exhaust duct system. The data used in this evaluation were from four ICBO type room corner fire tests conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (ULI) for SPI under a previous contract.

The recommended prediction technique estimates volumetric outflow of combus tion products from the doorway from the vertical temperature profile in the door way. The temperature profile is truncated to include only data above the inflow- outflow interface. The "best" estimate of smoke density (concentration) in the outflow was obtained from instrumentation oriented horizontally outward from the top of the doorway.

The authors presented a paper, "Quantification of Smoke Production During ICBO Type Room Corner Tests—An SPI Report," to the 30th Annual Technical/ Marketing Conference in October 1986. Although the described research was near ing completion at the time of that presentation, significant factors, particularly on matters related to data truncation, became evident only shortly before the presenta tion, and long after submitting the paper for pre-print in the conference proceedings. The purpose of this presentation is to briefly summarize previously reported materi als, address new research findings, present conclusions, and make recommendations both for implementation of the analysis technique and for data collection in future ICBO type room fire testing.
Recent Advances in the Development of Rigid Polyurethane Foams of Improved Thermal Insulation Efficiency
Authors: Cunningham A. , Jeffs G.M.F. , Rosbotham I.D. , Sparrow D.J.
Published: March 2007

The fundamental mechanisms of heat transfer through rigid polyure thane (PUR) foam are reviewed in terms of three distinct elements, λ g, λ s and λ r, which represent heat transfer by thermal conductivity through the gas phase, solid phase and by radiation respectively. It is demonstrated that values for λ g and λ s can be estimated, and from the measured λ-value of the foam, an approximation of λ r ob tained by difference.

This shows that there is considerable scope for improving the thermal insulation efficiency of these materials. Small reductions in λ-value can be obtained by op timisation of λ g and λ s elements, but the main scope for improvement is by reduction of λ r. This can be partially achieved by the production of foam with very fine cells. However there are strong indications that the cell windows are transparent to radiative heat transfer and several other factors need to be taken into account in re ducing λ r to its minimum practical value. Combining all these factors, laboratory foams can be produced consistently with λ-values 20-30% lower than typical com mercial material.

λ-value ageing, which results from air ingress into the cells of the foam, can be substantially eliminated by covering the foam with air impermeable barriers. How ever recent developments have shown that by optimisation of foam formulations, the rate of ageing and the aged λ-value can also be significantly reduced in uncovered foams.

The excellent insulation properties of PUR foams compared with competitive ma terials is a consequence of the low value of λ g which results from the encapsulation of the Refrigerant 11 blowing agent inside the foam cells. Supplies of Refrigerant 11 may become limited in the future, with potential adverse effects on the insulation efficiency of PUR foam. In such a situation the indications are that any losses in in sulation efficiency can be minimised and be more than compensated for by further optimisation of the approaches discussed in this paper.
Factors Governing Heat Transfer through Closed Cell Foam Insulation
Authors: Glicksman Leon R. , Torpey M.
Published: March 2007

The factors governing the heat transfer through foam insulation are reviewed and a predictive model is presented. Heat transfer takes place by conduction through gas within the foam cell, by conduction through the solid polymer and by thermal radiation. The gas conductivity is a function of the local gas composition. A given volume of polymer in a cell wall transmits twice the heat as the same volume in a strut. Radiation can be accurately predicted by assuming the cell walls are trans parent and the struts are opaque. The radiation heat transfer is proportional to the square root of the foam density and inversely proportional to the cell diameter to the first power. Addition of metal flakes to the polymer shows promise in reducing the transparency of the cell walls.
Closed-Cell Elastomeric Foams as Water-Vapor-Retardant Insulators on Cold Pipes
Authors: Behrens E.W. , Sirdeshpande G. , Wöss H.P.
Published: March 2007

Closed-cell elastomeric foams are used not only as thermal insulators but also as water vapor retardants on cold surfaces. The article discusses the extent to which refrigeration and air conditioning systems are protected by these materials against moisture absorption.
Investigation of Heat Transfer in Evacuated Foil-Spacer Multilayer Insulations
Authors: Degen Karl Georg , Rossetto Silvano , Reichenauer Thomas , Fricke Jochen
Published: March 2007

For a comparison of different evacuated foil-spacer insulations, the heat transfer coefficient, as a function of temperature and packing density, was measured using an evacuable, guarded flat-plate apparatus. The mean temperature was varied between 260 K and 550 K, the packing density from 1 to 15 foils per mm. Other experimentally changed parameters were type and emissivity ∈ f of foils and type of spacer. The measurements allow one to determine contributions from solid conduction and radiative transport, as well as the coupling between these two heat transfer modes. The coupling is characterized by an effective foil emissivity ∈* f, with ∈f ≤ ∈*f≤ 1. The goal of the investigation is the optimization of foil-spacer vacuum super-insulations. The lowest heat transfer coefficients achieved were 0.01 W.m-2.K-1 at 300 K for a 1 mm thick stack of 7 polyimide foils, aluminized on both sides with glass fiber fabric spacers.
Effective Thermal Conductivity of Flat-Slab and Round-Pipe Insulations in the Presence of Condensation
Authors: Wijeysundera N.E. , Zheng B.F. , Iqbal M. , Hauptmann E.G.
Published: March 2007

This article develops an analytical model for heat and water vapor transfer in flat-slab and round-pipe thermal insulations. The model is validated by comparing its predictions with available experimental data. The effective thermal conductivity of the insulation in the presence of condensation depends on seven design and operating variables. The effect of these variables is determined by a parametric study. The effective thermal conductivity increases with decreasing cold surface temperature until condensation begins to occur in the slab and then decreases gradually. For practical operating conditions, the effective thermal conductivity varies from about 1 5 to 15 times the dry-state value The computed data arc prc sented in the form of design curves which may be used to estimate the effective ther mal conductivity for flat-slab and round-pipe insulation systems
Thermal Conductivity of Moist Masonry Materials
Authors: Sandberg Per Ingvar
Published: March 2007

In the European standardization organization CEN, a working group has developed a standard describing the procedures to be used when determin ing the thermal conductivity of masonry materials such as brick, aerated concrete, etc. It applies to measurements using a guarded hot plate or a heat flow meter appara tus. This paper deals with those clauses of the standard related to measurements on moist materials and describes the background and considerations needed for the drafting of these clauses.

Preparation and conditioning of the test specimens are described.

The paper analyses the effect of moisture redistribution during the measurements and reviews different options for dealing with these effects.

It is possible, for the materials considered, to restrict the errors caused by effects of moisture in the materials to less than about 5%-that is to the same order of magni tude as the errors of the guarded hot plate or heat flow meter apparatus itself when testing dry masonry materials.
Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Part I: EIFS Standards Development in the U.S
Authors: Williams Mark F. , Lamp Williams Barbara
Published: March 2007

An exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) is intended to provide a weather barrier and thermal insulation layer that protects the building interior from moisture ingress and reduces the effect of indoor temperature changes. The first in a three-part series about EIFS standards in the U.S., this article reviews standards activities in progress at the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). A discussion on selection of ASTM test methods is provided. Future articles in the series will discuss the use of standard test methods for EIFS claddings.
A Heat Transfer Note on Temperature Dependent Thermal Conductivity
Authors: Peavy B.A.
Published: March 2007

This paper is concerned with the heat transfer through materials whose thermal conductivities vary with temperature. In particular, complete solu tions are given for the steady state, one dimensional conduction heat transfer through a material with a temperature dependent thermal conductivity by use of the Kirch hoff transform. To determine this property as a function of temperature and for an application temperature range, a series of tests should be performed at different aver age temperatures and temperature differences and then a suitable temperature func tion (polynomial, exponential, etc.) should be found from the definition of the effec tive thermal conductivity. Discussion and examples are given for the temperature dependent apparent thermal conductivity of thermal insulating materials.
Book Reviews : Politics in Constitutional Law: Cases and Questions, by Christopher E. Smith. Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers, 1992, pp
Authors: Gossett Charles W.
Published: March 2007

Books applicable to the broad field of program evaluation are reviewed. Books may be reviewed singly or in groups to illuminate similarities and differences in intent, philosophy, and usefulness. Persons with suggestions of books to be reviewed or those who wish to submit a review should contact Dr. Byron R. Burnham, Evaluation Specialist ( Cooperative Extension Service, Utah State University, Logan, UT84322-4900; phone: 801-750-1637 ) forspecific instructions. In general, a review of an individual book should not exceed four double-spaced typewritten pages; groups of books may require additional lengths.
Book Reviews : Data Analysis, An Introduction, by Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995, 75 pages
Authors: Mustian R. David
Published: March 2007

Books applicable to the broad field ofprogram evaluation are reviewed. Books may be reviewed singly or in groups to illuminate similarities and differences in intent, philosophy, and usefulness. Persons with suggestions of books to be reviewed, or those who wish to submit a review, should contact Perry Sailor (Department of Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-2810; phone: 801-797-0090 or e-mail: perrys@cpd2.usu.edu). In general, a review of an individual book should not exceed four double-spaced typewritten pages; groups of books may require additional lengths.

In the past, EP policy has been to commission a single review for each book. That will continue to be the practice for most books, but in the future, two reviews will be commissioned for books judged by the Editor and/or Book Review Editor to be major works in evaluation. Such major evaluation books would include evaluation texts, edited books of evaluation readings, or other books dedicated solely to extending evaluation theory or practice. Conversely, books that focus on methods or techniques shared by evaluation and other disciplines or professions (e.g., statistics; measurement; observation methods) will receive a single review.
Cops at the Door: The Impact of Citizen Surveys by Police on Public Attitudes
Authors: Travis Lawrence F. , Novak Kenneth J. , Winston Craig N. , Hurley David C.
Published: March 2007

This research assesses the impact on citizen satisfaction with the police of police door-to-door surveys of residents. Results suggest that these surveys may lead to lower ratings of citizen satisfaction with the police. However, this effect may be mitigated by notifying citizens of the impending inquiry prior to conducting the survey. It is suggested that police agencies that choose to implement this type of information collection technique make extensive efforts to notify citizens of the upcoming survey and the motivation for the police survey.
Community Prosecution
Authors: Swope Ross E.
Published: March 2007

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., initiated a pilot community prosecution project in that city in 1996. This article describes this innovative program and examines the impact of this project on the prosecutors, police officers, and residents of the Fifth Police District in Northeast Washington, D.C. It describes the successes that can be achieved by including prosecutors in the partnership between the police and community.
Reinventing Government: The Views of Police Middle Managers
Authors: Vito Gennaro F. , Kunselman Julie
Published: March 2007

This article presents data drawn from the written views of middle managers representing police departments from across the nation. The respondents were attending the Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville. During the course of their studies, they read Osborne and Gaebler's (1992) Reinventing Government. In a written essay, they were asked to identify the three best and worst ideas from this text. The results indicate that these police middle managers supported the elements of reinvention that reflected the ideals of community policing. They attacked other ideas as inefficient, inequitable, or unethical. Overall, their views reflect cautious support for the changes expressed in Reinventing Government.
Cancer-Induced Fatigue and Skeletal Muscle Wasting: The Role of Exercise
Authors: Al-Majid Sadeeka , McCarthy Donna O.
Published: March 2007

Fatigue is the most frequently reported symptom by cancer patients. Many of these patients perceive fatigue as the most distressing symptom associated with their illness because it imposes limitations on their physical activity level. Skeletal muscle wasting, which occurs as part of cancer cachexia, is one of the mechanisms that contribute to fatigue. Cancerinduced skeletal muscle wasting may occur despite normal food intake and is not prevented by nutritional supplementation. Evidence suggests that endurance exercise ameliorates cancer-related fatigue. There is no compelling evidence to support that exerciseinduced reduction in fatigue is related to preservation of muscle mass. Resistance exercise attenuates muscle wasting associated with a variety of catabolic conditions. However, its effects on cancer-induced muscle wasting have not been adequately studied. This article describes the physiological mechanisms implicated in the induction of cancer-related muscle wasting, summarizes findings from endurance and resistance exercise studies in relation to fatigue and muscle wasting during cancer and selected clinical conditions, and proposes directions for future research.
The Cynical Manager
Authors: Cutler Ian
Published: March 2007

In the world of work today, cynicism describes a set of attitudes frequently attributed to managers, workers and customers alike. What do these attitudes represent and what do they tell us about ourselves? This article offers a philosophical and cultural history of cynicism before addressing fundamental questions about cynicism: what it is; where it comes from; how it is manifested; and how it affects organizations. The author concludes that for some individuals, cynicism is not merely a reaction to external events but an endogenous perspective of life. It may be that for these individuals cynicism furnishes a strategic mode of thinking about and approaching a whole range of organizational dynamics. After providing some insight into the nature of cynicism itself; an argument is presented which recognizes a brand of cynicism which, contrary to the `popular' understanding of the term, provides a positive and optimistic force for change. For example, in a culture which increasingly relies on sound bites as a substitute for critical dialogue, cynicism can provide a theoretical bridge between what we are told is happening and what we instinctively feel.
The Aesthetics of Management Storytelling
Authors: Taylor, Steven S. , Fisher Dalmar , Dufresne Ronald L.
Published: March 2007

An aesthetics perspective on storytelling contributes to an understanding of how and why some stories are more effective than others. Three ideas about the nature of aesthetic experience—that it is (1) felt meaning from abductive reasoning, (2) characterized by feelings of connectedness, and (3) enjoyed for its own sake-supply criteria for identifying story quality and suggest how to make stories more effective. This idea of good and bad stories informs every aspect of management storytelling, which we illustrate by reviewing the functions of management storytelling using Mintzberg's taxonomy of the roles of the manager Furthermore, through Mintzberg's taxonomy, we show the contributions of aesthetically strong management stories to organizational learning.
Developing Countries and Technical Cooperation or Whose Country is It? Whose Money is It?
Authors: Hacon Richard
Published: March 2007

This article outlines the setting in which UN Specialised Agency technical coopera tion projects take place and describes the progress of one key activity in such a project.
Trends in Managerial Reinvention
Authors: Marsick Victoria J.
Published: March 2007

Managers are reinventing business, technology, the corporation, and themselves. This author identifies four trends in managerial reinvention through a review of selected recent journals: renewing entrepreneurial focus, refraining the manager's leadership role, reimagining organizational life, and reconnecting to the socio-political-economic-cultural context. The author then maps challenges for managerial learning in light of the learning organization by examining each trend at four learning levels: individual, team, organizational, and societal. The article concludes with a discussion of challenges common to each learning level for all four trends.
Linking Executive Education to Strategic Imperatives
Authors: Ready Douglas A. , Vicere Albert A. , White Alan F.
Published: March 2007

This article explores the purposes, benefits and limitations to both in-company and university-based executive education as a tool for management and executive development. It also points to mitigations in the field, offers explanations for these trends, and begins to structure a framework for integrating executive education into a strategy-driven executive development system. The article concludes by introducing an early stage framework for examining how executive development processes might be integrated more effectively for enhanced corporate competitiveness.
Emphasizing Learning in Management Research
Authors: Vince Russ
Published: March 2007

This paper explores what may be distinctive about management research undertaken from a perspective on management learning. There are some general principles that influence research in this field and the author sets these in relation to key issues that seem to have a particular influence on the learning process. The objective is to present a framework of questions which might particularly represent aspects of research within management learning, and the general phrase used to depict this framework is the notion of 'research as learning'. Such an approach is interested in the integration of specific dynamics that are part of the processes of both research and learning. The paper describes how these dynamics can be utilized in the process of management research, placing specific emphasis on what learning means within, and how it affects the practice of, research in management learning.
Developing Cross-Cultural Management Skills
Authors: Richards David
Published: March 2007

It is rapidly becoming a truism in academic writing on International Management that personnel intending to work on international assignments will benefit from predeparture training, for example in cross-cultural interaction. Debate continues about whether such training should be culture-general or culture-specific and whether it should be based on the transmission of information or the development of skills through experiential learning. Finding an integrated programme of study that endeavours to enhance and develop values and behaviour that seem `appropriate' to the practice of international business is, however, unusual. This collective anticipatory socialization into values and behaviour linked to innovation and change at home, and to effective communication and negotiation across cultures, is found in the Northern Territory University's International MBA Programme. The aims of this article are to describe and analyse this process and to review the literature on the effectiveness of cross-cultural training, particularly that which examines the nature of the skills necessary for cross-cultural interaction and the effects produced by certain kinds of training design. This provides support for the particular methods of cross-cultural education and training which are found in the MBA programme.
The Reflecting Team as an Alternative Case Teaching Model
Authors: Griffith William
Published: March 2007

Contemporary business school faculties continue in their efforts to enhance graduates' preparation in terms of communication skills, critical thinking skills, perspective taking, and the ability to collaborate. The reflecting team case model presented here is a conversational, student centered, narratively based alternative to the traditional hierarchical, instructor centered, analytical model. It will hopefully be a welcome addition to the case instruction repertoire, aiming at the enhancement of students' skills in areas of both process and knowledge application. Process aspects include balancing power, dealing with gender differences, encouraging agreements among participants with diverse viewpoints, change processes, question construction, the art of positive denotation, and the development of action items. It is also attempts to place students in a `zone of proximal development', which would catalyze the development of more advanced models of cognitive and emotional intelligence.
Narrative Infrastructure in Product Creation Processes
Authors: Deuten J. Jasper , Rip Arie
Published: March 2007

In product creation processes, perhaps even more than in organization processes in general, uncertainties are addressed and complexity is reduced. In retrospect, linearized success stories are told. The history of a product innovation in a biotechnology firm is used to show how actually, over time, attributions and typifications in stories, and the implied stories contained in interactions, link up and an overall plot emerges. Such a social-semiotic analysis identifies the narrative infrastructure which enables, as well as constrains, further actions, just like narrative enables and constrains the characters involved. In the specific `genre' of product creation processes, the role of `hero' shifts from the project team to the emerging product itself. Managers and other actors involved can profit from the reflexive understanding offered by social-semiotic analysis, and avoid becoming captive of the path they follow, even though reflexivity may hinder the build-up of thrust in the process.
Actors and Networks or Agents and Structures: Towards a Realist View of Information Systems
Authors: Mutch Alistair
Published: March 2007

Actor-network theory (ANT) has achieved a measure of popularity in the analysis of information systems. This paper looks at ANT from the perspective of the social realism of Margaret Archer. It argues that the main issue with ANT from a realist perspective is its adoption of a `flat' ontology, particularly with regard to human beings. It explores the value of incorporating concepts from ANT into a social realist approach, but argues that the latter offers a more productive way of approaching information systems.
Organizational Kitsch
Authors: Linstead Stephen
Published: March 2007

Kitsch as a descriptive and evaluative term is popularly deployed in the context of art and artifacts, contemporarily denoting that which is perhaps poor in taste, quality or refinement yet which retains some sort of mildly perverse attractiveness. It prettifies the problematic, makes the disturbing reassuring, and establishes an easy (and illusory) unity of the individual and the world. This article draws on historical sources and contemporary theory across a range of critical disciplines to expand our current awareness of the range of the concept and its organizational relevance. It examines how its acceptation has developed to incorporate mass production techniques and development in the reproductive technologies which can allow us to apply it with more precision to the field of organization studies. Kitsch is not so much a metaphor as a multifaceted response to modernity of great complexity in its very simplicity, and its key features are summarized. The article then identifies the presence of kitsch in two examples of thinking about organizing—the work of Abraham Maslow as an example of needs-based organization theory, and Peters and Waterman's In Search of Excellence, the founding example of the `excellence' school which claims the status of theory. It is not the identification of kitsch as an aesthetic style in organizing which is significant, but the recognition of kitsch as an ontology of being which effectively masks the experience of being—interposing itself as a comforting buffer between ourselves and the `real', and often being taken for it. Kitsch, rather than being a mere matter of stylistics, can be seen as one of the key philosophical problems of modernity and should therefore be taken seriously by organization theory.
The Internationalization of Firms and Markets: Its Significance and Institutional Structuring
Authors: Whitley Richard
Published: March 2007

The growing interdependence of the industrialized economies as a result of increasing foreign direct investment by transnational companies has been seen as leading to fundamental changes in the world economy. Three aspects of such changes can be identified: the establishment of a distinct global system of coordination and competition, the denationalization of leading firms and the international standardization of managerial structures and practices. These changes depend, however, on the development of distinct and powerful supra-national institutions and the limited cohesion and variety of national institutions. As long as national political, financial, labour and cultural systems remain quite different and integrated, and at least as powerful as international ones, the postwar internationalization of firms and markets is limited in degree and significance.