bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Coworkers’ Relationship Quality and Interpersonal Emotions in Team-Member Dyads in China: the Moderating Role of Cooperative Team Goals
Authors: Lam Catherine K. , Huang Xu , Walter Frank , Chan Simon C. H. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the origins of discrete interpersonal emotions in team-member dyads using two independent samples from an education institute and a telecommunication services company in China. Results across both studies showed that the quality of team members’ dyadic relationships positively relates to interpersonal admiration, sympathy, and envy, and negatively relates to interpersonal contempt. Furthermore, teams’ cooperative goals moderate these dyad-level linkages. The association of relationship quality with interpersonal emotions is particularly pronounced in teams with less cooperative goals but buffered in teams with more cooperative goals. Finally, on the individual level of analysis, envy and contempt are inversely associated with team members’ work performance, objectively measured. These findings provide new insights about key antecedents and crucial moderators in the development of interpersonal emotions in Chinese work teams and reiterate the relevance of these emotions for tangible performance outcomes.
Transformations of the Sacred in East Timor
Authors: Bovensiepen Judith , Delgado Rosa Frederico 
Published: July 2016

AbstractFor Catholic missionaries in the early twentieth century, the only way to achieve true conversion of Timorese ancestral ritualists was the deliberate destruction of sacredlulikhouses. Although Timorese allegedly participated enthusiastically in this destruction,lulik(a term commonly translated as sacred, proscribed, holy, or taboo) remains a key part of ritual practice today. This article offers a dynamic historical analysis of what may be described as a particular form of Southeast Asian animism, examining how people's relationships with sacred powers have changed in interaction with Catholic missionaries. It links the inherent ambivalence of endogenous occult powers to religious and historical transformations, teasing out the unintended consequences of the missionaries' attempts to eradicate and demonizelulik. Comparing historical and ethnographic data from the center of East Timor, it argues that, contrary to the missionaries' intentions, the cycles of destruction, withdrawal, and return that characterized mission history ended up strengtheninglulik. Inspired by anthropological studies of “taboo” and “otherness,” especially the work of Mary Douglas and Valerio Valeri, this article makes visible the transformation of the sacred in relation to outside agents: when relations with foreign powers were productive, the positive sides oflulikas a source of wealth and authority were brought out; yet when outsiders posed a threat, the dangerous and threatening aspects oflulikwere accentuated. This analysis allows us to highlight the relational dimensions of sacred powers and their relation to ongoing social transformations.
Battles for the Golden Grain: Paddy Soldiers and the Making of the Northeast India–East Pakistan Border, 1930–1970
Authors: Sur Malini 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis essay explores the fragmentation of provincial rice fields into warring postcolonial territories in mid-twentieth-century South Asia. I focus on rice as a powerful grain that connected the shifting borders of British colonial Assam and Bengal, and later Northeast India and East Pakistan (1930–1970). I show how state repression and competing claims to rice harvests contended with shifting terrains. At important historical junctures, rice came to link cultivation and territorialization, state violence and food, and dispossession and espionage. I engage with the powerful symbolism attached to rice by colonial and post-colonial officials, border guards, and cultivators who were variously conceived of as peasants andadivasis, as they sought to settle, cultivate, demarcate, and govern new national boundaries in a radically changing landscape. This paper situates rice battles within current discussions on Asia's borderlands to show how rice established the border as a space for alterity and to expose the blurred boundaries between static peasants and mobileadivasis, and between cultivation and soldiering.
FARMER RESEARCH NETWORKS AS A STRATEGY FOR MATCHING DIVERSE OPTIONS AND CONTEXTS IN SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE
Authors: NELSON REBECCA , COE RICHARD , HAUSSMANN BETTINA I. G. 
Published: July 2016

SUMMARYThe agricultural research and development institutions in most developing countries are poorly equipped to support the needs of millions of smallholder farmers that depend upon them. The research approaches taken by these systems explicitly or implicitly seek simple, one-size-fits-all solutions for problems and opportunities that are extremely diverse. Radical change is needed to facilitate the agroecological intensification of smallholder farming. We propose that large-scale participatory approaches, combined with innovations in information and communications technology (ICT), could enable the effective matching of diverse options to the wide spectrum of socio-ecological context that characterize smallholder agriculture. We consider the requirements, precedents and issues that might be involved in the development of farmer research networks (FRNs). Substantial institutional innovation will be needed to support FRNs, with shifts in roles and relationships amongst researchers, extension providers and farmers. Where farmers’ organizations have social capital and strong facilitation skills, such alignments may be most feasible. Novel information management capabilities will be required to introduce options and principles, enable characterization of contexts, manage data related to option-by-context interactions and enable farmers to visualize their findings in useful and intelligible ways. FRNs could lead to vastly greater capacity for technical innovation, which could in turn enable greater productivity and resilience, and enhance the quality of rural life.
Will up-scaled forest conservation incentives in the Peruvian Amazon produce cost-effective and equitable outcomes?
Authors: BÖRNER JAN , WUNDER SVEN , GIUDICE RENZO 
Published: July 2016

SUMMARYDeforestation and forest degradation in the Peruvian Amazon represent a major threat to biodiversity-related ecosystem services and the global climate. In 2010, the Peruvian Ministry of Environment launched the National Forest Conservation Program for Climate Change Mitigation, an innovative approach to maintaining forest cover of over 54 million hectares of land in protected areas and indigenous and peasant communities. A key component is a payments for environmental services scheme encouraging investments in sustainable land and forest uses in community-controlled territories. We conducted an ex-ante assessment of how the program would play out in terms of conservation cost–effectiveness, income effects and distributional (equity) outcomes if payments were up-scaled, as intended, to all native communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Our spatially explicit impact assessment relied on remotely sensed deforestation data and field data-supported estimates of conservation opportunity costs. We found that the spatially heterogeneous distribution of forestland and economic returns to multiple land uses across communities results in important tradeoffs between hypothetical cost–effectiveness, poverty alleviation and equity outcomes. Nevertheless, our scenario analyses suggested that alternative design options for payment schemes could improve both cost–effectiveness and equity outcomes simultaneously.
The Casualty Actuarial Society and Actuarial Studies in development of Non-Life Insurance in North America
Authors: Longley-Cook L. H. 
Published: July 2016

Thank you, Mr. Masterson, Sir George and friends. Mr. Masterson told you that Mr. Longley-Cook was going to give this report originally. Since he can't, he has turned it over to me, and I shall deliver it practically the way he has written it.The profession of actuary originating in the need for a scientific approach to the problems of early life insurance companies, has broadened its scope over the years, and many actuaries now provide valuable contributions to the scientific study of problems in insurance, commerce and industry which are completely unrelated to life insurance. Because a large majority of actuaries are concerned, however, with problems of life insurance and pension plans, those outside these fields have felt the need for an association which is concerned with their special interests.I feel most honoured to take part in the birth of Astin, an association for the study of insurance problems outside of the life insurance field. It was most wise that Astin has been formed as a section of the International Congress and not as an independent organization because, although our problems may be different, we will gain much in our mutual association.A specialist should not, in his devotion to his particular line of study, lose touch with the broader and more general developments of science. Cross-fertilization of ideas can, on many occasions, prove invaluable. It was over 48 years ago that Mr. Stanley Otis and others suggested that a society of actuaries and statisticians of liability companies be formed. Some five years later, the Casualty Actuarial and Statistical Society of America—later to be known by the shorter title of Casualty Actuarial Society—was inaugurated.
Some Numerical Aspects in Transient Risk Theory
Authors: Janssen J. , Delfosse Ph. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractWe give some actual possibilities for computing numerical values in the classical risk models both in transient and asymptotical cases by introducing the concept of normed model. Some recent approximations are tested on numerical examples.We also emphasize the interest of these methods to compute waiting time distributions (transient and stationary cases) in queueing theory.
A note on the ruin problem for a class of stochastic processes with interchangeable increments
Authors: Grandell Jan , Peiram Lars 
Published: July 2016

SummaryModels for the risk business of an insurance company are often constructed by weighting pure Poisson models. In this paper it is verified that it is possible to calculate the probability of ruin in such weighted models by weighting ruin probabilities of pure Poisson models.
Statement of Principles Regarding Property and Casualty Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Liabilities
Authors:   Committee on Loss Reserves
Published: July 2016

The purpose of this statement is to provide general guidelines for the use of actuaries engaged in the establishment and review of loss and loss adjustment expense reserves. It is a statement of the Casualty Actuarial Society's Committee on loss Reserves. The statement consists of three parts.1. Definitions2. Considerations3. ProceduresThe balance sheet of the Fire and Casualty Annual Statement includes liabilities that are not subject to precise valuation. The reserves for unpaid losses (line 1, page 3 of the Annual Statement) and the reserve for unpaid loss adjustment expense (line 2, page 3 of the Annual Statement) cannot be precisely determined in advance. These reserves must be estimated. Because of their relative size and the difficulty in achieving accurate estimates of their values, these liabilities are vitally important balance sheet items. It is important that proper actuarial and statistical procedures be employed in order to improve the likelihood of reliable reserve estimates. Without reliable reserve estimates, an accurate evaluation of the financial condition of a fire and casualty insurer cannot be accomplished.Loss reserving involves the current financial evaluation of costs associated with future contingent events, a matter of fundamental interest to actuaries. The contingencies involved are those factors which affect the cost of future payments on insured events which have already occurred. As ratemaking is another application of the same estimating process, the actuarial methodology is similar in many respects.The definitions in the next section apply to both loss reserves and loss adjustment expense reserves.For the purpose of this statement the terms “loss” and “claim” will be used interchangeably.
Calculation of Provisions Using Credibility Theory
Authors: Cabral M. A. Pereira , Garcia J. M. Afonso 
Published: July 2016

The increasing difficulties facing the insurer when he measures certain risks and fundamentaly when that measurement has to be carried out “a priori” are not easily overcome. Thus, the greater part of the insurance companies still use in numerous branches subjective methods of assessing a risk, which unfortunately do not lead to the best results. Especially in certain risks with undefined characteristics, the problem becomes more accentuated to the point of being practically impossible to class risks whose behaviour would be homogeneous.For example we can analyse the numerous problems of this nature arising in the motor insurance in all countries in assessing the combined risk motor-car and driver.Numerous solutions have been proposed and amongst them a system of premiums adapted to the actual risk and very especially the credibility premiums represent a fundamental step in the evaluation of these types of risks, for they have an advantage of at least as experience increases assuming an authentic measurement “a posteriori” of the true degree of risk which they cover.
Recursive Evaluation of a Family of Compound Distributions
Authors: Panjer Harry H. 
Published: July 2016

Compound distributions such as the compound Poisson and the compound negative binomial are used extensively in the theory of risk to model the distribution of the total claims incurred in a fixed period of time. The usual method of evaluating the distribution function requires the computation of many convolutions of the conditional distribution of the amount of a claim given that a claim has occurred. When the expected number of claims is large, the computation can become unwieldy even with modern large scale electronic computers.In this paper, a recursive definition of the distribution of total claims is developed for a family of claim number distributions and arbitrary claim amount distributions. When the claim amount is discrete, the recursive definition can be used to compute the distribution of total claims without the use of convolutions. This can reduce the number of required computations by several orders of magnitude for sufficiently large portfolios.Results for some specific distributions have been previously obtained using generating functions and Laplace transforms (see Panjer (1980) including discussion). The simple algebraic proof of this paper yields all the previous results as special cases.
An Application of Credibility Theory to Solvency Margins: Some Comments on a Paper by G. W. De Wit and W. M. Kastelijn
Authors: Henrik Ramlau-Hansen  
Published: July 2016

AbstractSome comments are given on a recent paper by de Wit and Kastelijn (1980) and alternative methods for analysing loss ratios are proposed in connection with the determination of the necessary solvency margins of non-life insurance companies. The methods are illustrated by a numerical example.
Théorie du bonus: Consequences de L'Etude de Mr. le Professeur Frechet
Authors: Franckx  
Published: July 2016

La théorie du bonus n'en est qu'à ses débuts et, afin d'en étudier une première approximation, Monsieur le Professeur Fréchet a utilisé la théorie des chaînes de Markoff-Poincaré; la première synthèse de cette théorie a été donnée dans son livre „Recherches théoriques modernes sur le calcul des probabilités — 2ème livre — Gauthier Villars”.Nous trouvons que l'idée de Monsieur Fréchet, précisée dans un cadre bien défini d'hypothèses, est particulièrement intéressante et nous voudrions, quant à nous, essayer de dégager pour les actuaires les conséquences qu'une telle hypothèse introduit. On pourra en déduire une marche à suivre pour vérifier dans quelle mesure cette hypothèse cadre avec la réalité.L'hypothèse fondamentale de Monsieur Fréchet consiste à admettre:1°) l'existence d'une probabilité pour qu'un véhicule ayant eu i sinistres au cours de l'année calendrier, subisse j sinistres au cours de l'exercice suivant;2°) que cette probabilité est indépendante de la voiture et de l'année considérée.Si nous considérons les possibilités réduites à r = 3 cas (de façon à simplifier l'exposé, ce qui ne limite en rien le raisonnement), les possibilités seront complètement définies par le tableau ou matrice de la chaîne de Markoff-Poincaré (voir page suivante).L'existence d'une chaîne de Markoff-Poincaré entraîne un certain nombre de conséquences, développées et démontrées dans l'ouvrage cité de Monsieur Fréchet.
Reserves of Motor-Vehicle Insurance in Finland
Authors: Pentikäinen Teivo 
Published: July 2016

The Ministry of Social Affairs, which acts i.a. as the supervising office in Finland, has given instructions regarding the normal reserves of insurance companies. A summary of these and some comments are given here as far as they concern motor-vehicle insurance. The instructions as far as they concern the subject referred to in the following in the items 2-6, 9 and 10, were compiled by a committee, presided over by Mr. I. Ketola, M. Sc, which availed itself of the experience of several Finnish insurance companies.In order to give a review of the system as a whole many items, which are mathematically trivial and well-known, are briefly explained.The conventional principle of “pro rata parte temporis” is followed, which leads to the well-known reserve
where P is the premium income of the company. This provides that the days when the premiums fall due are approximately equally distributed over the year (which can be checked from the premium sums of the different months in the book-keeping) or at least have no cluster points in the second half of the year and that the cost of the collecting of premiums is not less than 0.2 P. A more accurate calculation takes into account i.a. temporary short term policies etc.In casu-reserve. All unpaid claims (except those mentioned later) due to accidents which occured before the end of the account year, are listed and rated one by one. Doubtful cases, e.g. where the cause of the accident is still under litigation, are calculated in accordance with the “worst” alternative.
Introductory report
Authors: Jansen J. H. C. 
Published: July 2016

As reports on work done on subjects discussed at earlier colloquia and on new lines of investigation 6 papers have been laid down on my table (To be exact, 5 on my table and the last one on my chair at the beginning of this colloquium on Wednesday morning).Four of them deal with problems concerning the estimation of reserves. These are the papers by Beard, Molinaro, Benedikt and Hovinen.The other two papers, each of which has two authors, namely Kauppi and Ojantakanen and van Klinken and Groenenberg deal with mathematical questions of more general interest.I can repeat what my colleagues have said this week:Although the number of the papers is rather small, the importance and the quality of them seem to me to be very great.The paper of R. E. Beard concerns the studies he has made on the data provided by the 6th Conference of European Insurance Supervisory Services. Suitable statistics of motor insurance on which to experiment have been made available relating to 28 European insurance companies. Beard has made certain preliminary studies of these statistics. His paper has been written against the background of these studies. Although only the broadest indications of numerical values are given, since the detailed statistics are confidential, nevertheless the comments made are based on the studies of the figures. Therefore these comments have a considerable practical utility.As a basic principle on which to build calculations of technical reserves it is assumed that the claim frequency rate will be constant and that the distribution of claims by amount will be stable, both apart from random fluctuations. Although it is hardly possible to prove the validity of these assumptions, there could be no basis for calculation if these principles were not true.
Estimating incurred claims
Authors: Benedikt V. 
Published: July 2016

The problem of estimating the final amount after settlement of Motor and General Third Party claims incurred during an underwriting year is of considerable importance for direct writing companies, as well as for reinsurers. While methods of considerable precision have been proposed for direct writing companies' business (ref. 1,2), a less exact but simpler method, which is applicable, i.a., to non-proportional reinsurance, could also be of interest.The method uses the so-called “chain relatives” (ref. 3) computed from the figures for incurred losses similar to those quoted on p. 157, ref. 1. The year in which losses Si,j have occurred is designated by the subscript i, whilst the years in which the corresponding amount of losses paid plus outstanding has been ascertained (or estimated) are designated by the subscript j.“Chain relatives” are defined as a ratio
If the available statistics embrace n years, ai,j can be computed for every j = 1, 2, 3, … n—1 but only for i ≤ n—j. To obtain estimates of ai,j for every i > n—j up to i = n we shall use E(ai,j)for fixed j.The underlying hypothesis concerning ai,j is that every ai,j consists of a systematic part and of a random part. The random parts can always be assumed to have the mean = 0. For fixed j the systematic parts are a function of the index for the value of money and of several parameters defining the process of claims settlement. The index for the value of money obviously being constant for each fixed j, it is assumed that the other parameters are also constant for fixed j. This, of course, presupposes that the average proportion (over the years of occurrence) of settlement of the incurred losses is independent of their initial volume and of the year of occurrence.
The rescue of an insurance company after ruin
Authors: Borch Karl 
Published: July 2016

1.1. In the different versions of the “Theory of Risk” it is almost universally assumed that ruin or bankruptcy marks the end of the game. The earlier versions of the theory tried to estimate the probability of this event, and studied the steps which an insurance company could take to bring probability of ruin down to an acceptable level. The more modern versions of the theory of risk tend to formulate the problem in economic terms, and study the cost of postponing or avoiding ruin.In a recent discussion of a paper [4] surveying the development of the theory of risk, Professor Bather suggested that ruin may not necessarily be the end. If an otherwise sound insurance company gets into difficulties, so that ruin looms large, it is very likely that steps will be taken to rescue the company, for instance by refinancing, or in more extreme cases, by a merger.1.2. To practical insurance men the simple suggestion of Professor Bather may seem next to trivial. Insurance companies get into difficulties fairly regularly, and rescue operations are considered in the insurance world, if not daily, at least annualy. The suggestion has, however, far-reaching implications for the theory of risk, and these do not seem to have been fully realised. If ruin does not mean the end of the game, but only the necessity of raising additional money, the current theories of risk may have to be radically revised. In this paper we shall discuss some of these implications.