bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Setting up environmental management systems under ISO 14001
Authors: Uzumeri Mustafa V. , Tabor Richard H. , Stanwick Sarah D. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAs business continues to become more multinational, more and more U. S. companies will be affected by international environmental accounting standards. Now the International Standards Organization (ISO) is on the verge of issuing a new series of rules, ISO 14001, for environmental management systems. The authors explain what the CFO must know about ISO 14001, and they show how one company has actually implemented the new standard.
Understanding FAS 123's new disclosure requirements for stock‐based compensation
Authors: Akresh Murray S. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractEven if you continue to record stock compensation expense under APB 25, you still must measure the fair value of stock compensation awards, and determine pro forma net income and earnings per share just as if you had applied the new fair value rules. The author reveals what you need to know about the new disclosure requirement, and shows what other companies have done with FAS 123 disclosures in their annual reports.
Preventing financial software disaster and liability: The CFO's year 2000 checklist
Authors: Mooney J. Lowell , Wright Harry R. , Rogers Camille F. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA widespread software “bug” could play havoc with many accounting and information systems on January 1 of the year 2000. But CFOs cannot just leave this huge problem to computer experts, say the authors. They explain how the problem will affect CFOs, and specific steps you can take to protect your company.
More lessons in revenue recognition—review of recent SEC enforcement actions
Authors: Plunkett Linda M. , Rouse Robert W. , Herring Rebecca B. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractGenerally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) advise that revenue should not be recognized until an exchange has occurred, the earnings process is complete, and the collection of the sale is reasonably assured. These conditions are normally satisfied when products are exchanged for cash (or claims to cash) and when the entity has substantially satisfied its obligations in order to be entitled to the benefits. Generally, a transfer of risks and rewards has to occur in order to effect an exchange for the revenue recognition.
Dealing with an independent auditor: What does he look for, and what are his own risks?
Authors: Byington J. Ralph , Christensen Jo Ann 
Published: July 2007

AbstractTo deal effectively with an independent auditor, CFOs must understand the auditor's viewpoint and concerns. That is especially true when it comes to white collar crime. What red flags does the auditor look for? And how does auditing for these illegal activities put the auditor and his firm at risk?
Is your auditor protecting your confidential data?
Authors: Parham Abbie Gail , Fletcher Leslie B. , Gurley A. Lee 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIndependent auditors are required to maintain the confidentiality of client‐related information. But a published study suggests that accounting firms may not be providing adequate protection for confidential client electronic data on PCs or laptops. The authors detail some key steps CFOs should take to make sure that auditors safeguard sensitive company information.
How to choose the right environmental accounting software
Authors: Stanwick Sarah D. , Stanwick Peter A. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractComplying with environmental regulations will continue to be a major concern as we approach the 21st century. Most companies try to use their existing software to track environmental costs. But with the cost of environmental penalties rising, that may he a mistake. The authors show how to select more specialized software that helps you improve compliance—and lowers the risk of expensive penalties.
An information ‐ expectation framework for decisions under uncertainty
Authors: Yilmaz M. R. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractDespite being in existence for many decades, normative decision theory has not become a commonly used tool for real‐world decisions. This paper considers the reasons for this situation and suggestions for circumventing them. The main suggestion involves a two‐stage framework in terms of the information available to the decision maker and his/her expectations under the available acts. This framework is well suited for decisions with incomplete structure, which is typical of real decision situations. Within this framework a specific multiplicative model is also discussed.
Experiments comparing qualitative approaches to rank ordering of multiattribute alternatives
Authors: Larichev O. I. , Moshkovich H. M. , Mechitov A. I. , Olson David L. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractZAPROS, a method to support rank ordering tasks using ordinal input from decision makers, is discussed and compared with a preference cone technique and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). It provides a means to identify inconsistencies in ordinal decision tasks, yielding verification and explanation of results for partial ordering of a large set of alternatives. The results indicate that ZAPROS provides no less accuracy in task solution, while having some advantages from a behavioural point of view. Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the methods under consideration in accordance with differences in task characteristics is carried out.
Scale sensitivity in the multiplicative AHP and SMART
Authors: Lootsma F. A. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractWe consider first a variant of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with a one‐parametric class of geometric scales to quantify human comparative judgement and with a multiplicative structure: logarithmic regression to calculate the impact scores of the alternatives at the first evaluation level and a geometric‐mean aggregation rule to calculate the final scores at the second level. We demonstrate that the rank order of the impact scores and final scores is scale‐independent. Finally we show that the multiplicative AHP is an exponential version of the simple multi‐attribute rating technique (SMART). In fact, the multiplicative AHP is concerned with ratios of intervals on the dimension of desirability, whereas SMART analyses differences in the corresponding orders of magnitude.
An evolutionary approach to support decision making with linear decision models
Authors: Korhonen Pekka J. , Narula Subhash C. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn this paper we consider decision problems that can be described as linear decision models. These models have been traditionally solved using linear programming, fuzzy linear programming, multiple‐objective linear programming or ‘what‐if’ analysis. Using these approaches, one encounters a number of difficulties. We propose an ‘evolutionary approach’ to overcome these difficulties. In the proposed approach the decision maker does not have to precisely specify the model (i.e. the objective functions, the RHS values, etc.) at the beginning of the solution procedure. In fact, the model evolves as the solution procedure proceeds.
Selecting a new technology strategy using multiattribute, multilevel decision trees
Authors: Cook Wade D. , Johnston David A. , Kress Moshe 
Published: July 2007

AbstractResearch indicates that selecting a strategy to best exploit a new technology is a complex decision‐making process. The task involves making a series of decisions with multiple alternatives, each to be evaluated by multiple criteria whose values have high levels of uncertainty. This paper presents a methodology for modelling a new technology decision using decision trees and an optimizing algorithm. A problem of a mining company considering the adoption of new technology is used to illustrate the decision‐making task and modelling methodology. A numerical solution to the case demonstrates the potential of the optimizing technique in strategy selection.
Clustering, dependence and ratio scales in AHP: Rank reversals and incorrect priorities with a single criterion
Authors: Wedley William C. , Schoner Bertram , Choo Eng Ung 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn the analytic hierarchy process, it is often thought that rank reversals cannot occur in a single‐criterion problem. This paper demonstrates that if it is necessary to cluster items under a single criterion, such reversals are possible. The reversals occur prior to aggregating across clusters and are caused by a failure to make reference to the alternatives when performing criteria comparisons. Rank reversals, however, are only a symptom of the problem. The real problem is a failure to calibrate global weights to a common scale which spans different clusters. Even in the absence of reversals, aggregated weights from the AHP's relative mode of measurement can fail to maintain composite ratio relationships.
Group decision as a twice multicriteria optimum problem
Authors: D'alessandro Paolo 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper studies the problem of aggregation of preferences, preserving the multicriteria nature of the individual decision process. The resulting group decision problem is in effect a twice multicriteria optimum problem. We give a structural theory for the efficient set of this optimum problem. Moreover, on the basis of this theory we study the relationships between optimality, consensus and evaluation. We confirm the pathological nature of aggregation of preferences, but in a new setting and with a different meaning.
Preference structures and threshold models
Authors: Abbas Moncef , Vincke Philippe 
Published: July 2007

AbstractPreferences are often represented in terms of a function, in the deterministic case as well as in the probabilistic case. In the present paper we develop a new numerical representation of preference structures for which the strict preference relation (P) is without circuit but not necessarily transitive. Moreover, we investigate the consequences of the representation for the usual preference structures. In particular, we propose new formulations for the numerical representation of the interval order structure.
Price‐directive decision making in hierarchical systems with conflicting preferences
Authors: Bogetoft Peter , Ming Cheng , Tind Jørgen 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn this paper we consider a classical model of price‐directive decision making in hierarchical organizations, namely Dantzig‐Wolfe decomposition, well known from single‐objective programming. Here, however, we allow for preference differences that are usually observed between a central unit and a subunit in an organizational structure. The procedure models, therefore, how decision making may evolve in a context with decentralized information as well as intra‐ and interpersonal conflicts.Several numerical experiments with the procedure have been performed. The results of those experiments demonstrate that the procedure in many instances converges towards an efficient solution, despite the differences in the criteria weights used in the master problem and the subproblem respectively. This suggests that some amount of goal discordance need not prohibit efficient decision making in a hierarchical organization.
On the evaluation and application of different scales for quantifying pairwise comparisons in fuzzy sets
Authors: Triantaphyllou E. , Lootsma F. A. , Pardalos P. M. , Mann S. H. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractOne of the most critical issues in many applications of fuzzy sets is the successful evaluation of membership values. A method based on pairwise comparisons provides an interesting way of evaluating membership values. That method was proposed by Saaty, almost 20 years ago, and since then has captured the interest of many researchers around the world. However, recent investigations reveal that the original scale may cause severe inconsistencies in many decision‐making problems. Furthermore, exponential scales seem to be more natural for humans to use in many decision‐making problems. In this paper two evaluative criteria are used to examine a total of 78 scales which can be derived from two widely used scales. The findings in this paper reveal that there is no single scale that can outperform all the other scales. Furthermore, the same findings indicate that a few scales are very efficient under certain conditions. Therefore, for a successful application of a pairwise‐comparison‐based method the appropriate scale needs to be selected and applied.
Pairwise agreement of gradient directions in interactive multicriterion optimization
Authors: Troutt Marvin D. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractStatistical tests involving mean directions have in the past been limited to two‐ and three‐dimensional settings, perhaps owing to their primary applications to such fields as geology, meteorology and related earth sciences. In the study of interactive multicriterion optimization it becomes necessary to compare gradient directions obtained from decision makers by two or more methods. Typically these direction vectors are in a higher‐dimensional space. This paper provides a general procedure based on Householder transformations which is potentially suitable for any finite dimension. An illustration and comparison of the method are provided.
A multi‐objective mathematical programming problem with fuzzy relation constraints
Authors: Wang Hsiao‐Fan 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn this study we discuss the problem of multi‐objective mathematical programming with constraints defined by ‘max‐min’ composite fuzzy relation equations. Since the feasible region is normally non‐convex, the properties of the efficient points of a non‐convex feasible region under multi‐objectives are investigated and illustrated by examples. The necessary and sufficient conditions are proposed and proved. To facilitate decisions, a procedure that transforms these efficient points of an interval‐valued decision space into a constant‐valued decision space is proposed when the level of confidence is given by a decision maker. Then the transformed problem becomes a multi‐attribute decision problem that can be evaluated by Yager's method to find the optimal alternative.
A characterization of ‘min’ as a procedure for exploiting valued preference relations and related results
Authors: Pirlot Marc 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper is concerned with procedures which transform valued preference relations on a set of alternatives into crisp relations. We present a simple characterization of a procedure that ranks alternatives in decreasing order of their minimal performance. This is done by means of three axioms that are shown to be independent. Among other results, we characterize in a very similar manner a procedure called ‘leximin’ and investigate two families of procedures whose intersection is the ‘min’ procedure.
Lexicographic order preservation and stochastic dominance
Authors: Lavalle Irving H. , Fishburn Peter C. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractStochastic dominance concerns conditions on outcome probabilities that are necessary and sufficient for one act to be (strictly) preferred to another according to all preference relations that share certain properties, one of which customarily is an Archimedean property sufficient to entail existence of real‐valued representations. We relax this assumption to permit linear lexicographic utility of finite and known dimensionality. In some situations, levels of the lexicographic hierarchy could correspond to explicit criteria or attributes. In our model, subjective probabilities emerge as matrix premultipliers of the outcome utility vectors. We thus obtain matrix probability generalizations of the familiar cumulative probability conditions for stochastic dominance.
Experimental consideration of preference in decision making under certainty
Authors: Corner James L. , Buchanan John T. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper describes an experiment in decision making under certainty with multiple, conflicting objectives and continuous decision variables. Two techniques for analysing such problems are considered: one taken from the paradigm of multicriteria decision making (MCDM), a non‐directed approach called the NAIVE technique, and one from the paradigm of multiattribute decision analysis (D/A), the SMART technique. While the two techniques seek and are throught to arrive at the same end—a solution which is in some sense optimal for the decision maker (DM)—the former approach implicitly incorporates DM preferences while the latter approach considers preferences explicitly. The setting is a laboratory study using a sample of university students on a three‐criteria problem which is designed to study the extent to which value functions implied/assessed by the techniques are consistent with DMs' holistic ranking of alternatives. Results show that (1) the two techniques of interest show significantly better rank order correlation with holistic judgement compared with other techniques, (2) DMs prefer the non‐directed MCDM approach and (3) subjects break down into two groups: those that use assessable value functions when ranking and those that do not. This implies that for small‐dimensioned problems DMs may first need to be classified as to the assessability of their value functions before a solution method is chosen.
The operation of Lake Kariba: A multiobjective decision analysis
Authors: Insua David Rios , Salewicz Kazimierz A. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe paper describes a successful application of Bayesian decision analysis to the operation of the Lake Kariba hydropower system. This management problem is complicated by the high uncertainty of the inflow process, multiple and conflicting objectives and the influence of time on some of the parameters in the management task. Inflows to the reservoir are forecast through dynamic linear models. Managerial preferences are modelled through a multiattribute utility function. Since the solution of the exact model is computationally too demanding, a heuristic method is applied to find a feasible control strategy. A comparison with results obtained by methods used previously demonstrates the superiority of the methodology presented here.
A multiple‐objective dispersion problem
Authors: White D. J. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn this paper we study a multiple‐objective dispersion problem from an efficient solution and value function perspective. A general fundamental theorem on non‐dominance is given and a polar co‐ordinate elimination heuristic is given for the case of R2. Some general results are given for the existence of a linearly weighted objective function whose maximal value will give a most preferred solution, for convex or concave value functions, and a heuristic is developed for the case where these conditions do not hold.
Simplified approaches for multicriteria decision making under uncertainty
Authors: Stewart Theodor J. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe problem of uncertainty in the outcome of decisions has tended to be glossed over by many MCDM methods, with the exception of multiattribute utility theory (MAUT). MAUT does, however, require quite complicated preference elicitations and knowledge of the full multivariate distribution of outcomes. Results from a series of simulation studies indicate that the preference orderings of MAUT are only minimally changed when using a simple additive aggregation of marginal utilities, especially in relation to the natural imprecisions inherent in preference elicitation. It is shown in the simulations that by far the most critical aspect of multicriteria decision analysis under uncertainty is not the form of aggregation, but the correct elicitation of marginal utilities which properly represent decision maker preferences over gambles. We relate the results obtained here to other results on the approximation of distributions by three‐ or five‐point discrete distributions, and suggest that the use of deterministic MCDM methods of any form (not necessarily value function techniques), applied to an extended formulation in which each criterion measure is repeated for three or five ‘scenarios’, can be justified.
The growth of the nonprofit sector in the 1980s: Facts and interpretation
Authors: Ben‐Ner Avner , Van Hoomissen Theresa 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe nonprofit sector was the growth sector of the 1980s. This is the conclusion reached from detailed examination of the growth trends of major industry groups in New York State in the years 1981 through 1987. The analysis in this article suggests that the growth of the nonprofit sector was due primarily to the strong orientation of the economy toward services, where the nonprofit sector has traditionally had an important presence. Within service industries as a whole, the nonprofit and for‐profit sectors grew at comparable rates; however, nonprofit growth was concentrated in semipublic services and in services where information is often difficult for consumers to acquire and understand, while the for‐profit sector grew in simpler and more privately oriented services. The analysis shows that the nonprofit sector filled much of the gap left by reduced or stagnating government services. However, the growth of the nonprofit sector may be difficult to sustain in the future if sufficient entrepreneurial talent and other resources are not forthcoming.
Profits and incentive compensation in nonprofit firms
Authors: Steinberg Richard 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIncentive contracts based on profit sharing, cost reduction, or other measures of performance no longer need to endanger a nonprofit firm's tax exemption; such measures have been urged for adoption in the nonprofit sector. However, the nonprofit differs from the for‐profit sector in that contracts have side effects on the solicitation and offering of donations and on the character of those who choose to work in the nonprofit sector. In addition, it is more difficult in the nonprofit sector to obtain an appropriate output measure for use in calculating bonuses.
Fund‐raising by hospital foundations
Authors: Pink George H. , Leatt Peggy 
Published: July 2007

Abstract1986–87 data for eighty hospitals in Ontario and their foundations are used to assess the influence of various socioeconomic characteristics of the constituent populations and selected characteristics of the beneficiary hospitals on foundation revenue. Six factors appear to increase hospital foundation revenue: a higher percentage of the population that is elderly, a lower percentage of the population born outside Canada, a higher percentage of the population that has not moved within the past year, a larger hospital market share, teaching‐status for the beneficiary hospital, and a higher level of foundation expenses.
Organizational metamorphosis: A study of eighteen nonprofit mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations
Authors: Singer Mark I. , Yankey John A. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis article reviews the literature on nonprofit mergers and presents a study of eighteen nonprofit merger, acquisition, or consolidation transactions. The findings underscore financial reasons as the chief motivation for mergers and cite the inability of small agencies to compete as an important contributing factor. Morale and productivity declined when staff had serious concerns about their future. Good leadership and honest and open communication were considered vital to ensuring a smooth merger process.
Japanese corporate philanthropy in the United States
Authors: Lombardo Barbara J. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAs Japanese companies rapidly become an integral part of corporate America, not‐for‐profit organizations are anxious to receive their philanthropic support. This article provides an introductory description of the scope, characteristics, and implications of Japanese corporate philanthropy in the United States. The author offers advice to American not‐for‐profits seeking Japanese corporate funding and discusses the current controversy over Japanese corporate philanthropy.