Sophistication Level Research Articles

SOPHISTICATION IN THE USE OF BUDGETING PRACTICES

Previous studies regarding the budgeting practices topic seek to conduct surveys about what budgeting practices are used by companies, but there is no initiative to indicate which of them can be best suited. This paper aims to construct a model to assess the level of sophistication of the budgeting practices of companies. To build the model, we used MCDA-C (Multicriteria Decision Aiding - Constructivist) methodology. We developed the model with the use of a value function for conversion of the scale, the method of the Direct Score was used. The model enables the demonstration of the sophistication level in the use of surveyed budgeting practices as well as for comparisons between research in different countries and industries. Using an instrument from another area of knowledge, the model contributes to measure the sophistication level of budgeting practices used.

Effect of two viscosity models on lethality estimation in sterilization of liquid canned foods.

A numerical study on 2D natural convection in cylindrical cavities during the sterilization of liquid foods was performed. The mathematical model was established on momentum and energy balances and predicts both the heating dynamics of the slowest heating zone (SHZ) and the lethal rate achieved in homogeneous liquid canned foods. Two sophistication levels were proposed in viscosity modelling: 1) considering average viscosity and 2) using an Arrhenius-type model to include the effect of temperature on viscosity. The remaining thermodynamic properties were kept constant. The governing equations were spatially discretized via orthogonal collocation (OC) with mesh size of 25 × 25. Computational simulations were performed using proximate and thermodynamic data for carrot-orange soup, broccoli-cheddar soup, tomato puree, and cream-style corn. Flow patterns, isothermals, heating dynamics of the SHZ, and the sterilization rate achieved for the cases studied were compared for both viscosity models. The dynamics of coldest point and the lethal rate F0 in all food fluids studied were approximately equal in both cases, although the second sophistication level is closer to physical behavior. The model accuracy was compared favorably with reported sterilization time for cream-style corn packed at 303 × 406 can size, predicting 66 min versus an experimental time of 68 min at retort temperature of 121.1 ℃.

Trade liberalization and export sophistication in Vietnam

ABSTRACTThis paper empirically examines the impacts of trade liberalization policy on the sophistication level of Vietnam's exports from 2001 to 2010. The export sophistication measure proposed by Hausmann and co-workers is computed by using the disaggregated trade data. By descriptive analysis, this indicator reveals that Vietnam's export structure was similar to that of Indonesia and the Philippines and then became much more similar to Thailand after Vietnam's accession to World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition, this paper econometrically analyzes the effects of trade liberalization on Vietnam's industry-level export sophistication with the additional consideration of its WTO accession in 2007. This paper suggests that tariff reductions have a positive impact on the sophistication level of Vietnam's industry exports. Trade liberalization has a stronger impact on the nonmanufacturing sectors than on manufacturing sectors. However, the results also imply that the WTO membership does not have any additional effects on Vietnam's industry export sophistication.

A Model of Costly Interpretation of Asset Prices

We propose a model in which investors have to spend effort to interpret the informational content of asset prices in financial markets. Investors do not fully understand the price function, but they still infer information from prices and choose the optimal trading strategies given their beliefs. We show that as investors' sophistication level increases, trading volume increases, while disagreement among investors can exhibit a hump-shape. In the limit, investors fully understand the price function, the price approaches to be fully revealing as in the standard rational-expectations equilibrium model, but trading volume diverges to infinity. Sophistication harms welfare through generating excessive speculative trading but benefits welfare through lowering the equilibrium return volatility. We finally allow investors to study market data to endogenize the sophistication level, and find that studying market data exhibits strategic complementarity, so that multiple equilibria can arise.

Sophistication of China’s Manufactured Exports and Determinants

The technological structure of China's manufactured exports has significantly upgraded with the rapid export growth since the 1990s, which caused us to think whether the sophistication of China's manufactured export has caught up that of the developed countries. This paper calculates the VS-adjusted index of sophistication of China's manufactured exports by eliminating the “technological contribution” of imported intermediates resulted from vertical specialization, and then empirically tests the determinants of China's sophistication of manufactured exports. It is found that the genuine sophistication level of China's manufacturing exports measured by VS-adjusted domestic sophistication is lower than the usual measurement of total sophistication. What's more, both the levels of domestic sophistication and total sophistication of China's manufacturing exports are obviously lower than those of the main OECD countries. The embodied sophistication of imported intermediates is quite larger than total sophistication of manufactured exports from China, especially in usually labelled high-tech manufacturing sectors. The empirical results show that improvement of factor structure, R&D investment, and financial development play a decisive role in upgrading both domestic and total sophistication of China's manufactured exports, while vertical specializations and FDI play little role in enhancing domestic sophistication of China's manufactured exports.

More Trends in Predatory Publishing Practices

More Trends in Predatory Publishing Practices

Corporate governance and initial compliance with IFRS in emerging markets: The case of income tax accounting in Egypt

The paper examines the corporate governance factors and the independent audit quality as determinants of compliance with IFRS recognition and disclosure requirements of income tax accounting in Egypt. Using the initial IFRS adoption in Egypt, the results show evidence that corporate governance factors that indicate the sophistication level of both company's management and owners (i.e., institutional ownership and foreign representation on the board) and the perceived quality of the engaged auditor improve compliance with IFRS requirements. Companies with higher levels of institutional ownership and foreign representation on the board are more likely to engage an audit firm with international affiliation and comply with IFRS recognition and disclosure requirements. The results underline the significance of professional development and regulations of local audit industries in emerging countries for actual compliance with IFRS requirements when they are officially adopted in these countries.

Nurse Assistant Communication Strategies About Pressure Ulcers in Nursing Homes.

There is growing recognition of benefits of sophisticated information technology (IT) in nursing homes (NHs). In this research, we explore strategies nursing assistants (NAs) use to communicate pressure ulcer prevention practices in NHs with variable IT sophistication measures. Primary qualitative data were collected during focus groups with NAs in 16 NHs located across Missouri. NAs (n = 213) participated in 31 focus groups. Three major themes referencing communication strategies for pressure ulcer prevention were identified, including Passing on Information, Keeping Track of Needs and Information Access. NAs use a variety of strategies to prioritize care, and strategies are different based on IT sophistication level. NA work is an important part of patient care. However, little information about their work is included in communication, leaving patient records incomplete. NAs' communication is becoming increasingly important in the care of the millions of chronically ill elders in NHs.

When the Use of Positive Language Backfires: The Joint Effect of Tone, Readability, and Investor Sophistication on Earnings Judgments

ABSTRACTRecent studies document that market participants react positively to the positive language sentiment or tone embedded in financial disclosures, and that investors’ reactions to negative news are more muted with poor disclosure readability. However, while language sentiment and readability co‐occur in practice, their joint effects remain largely unexplored. In an experiment with MBA students as participants, we investigate how the effect of language sentiment varies with readability and investor sophistication level. We find that language sentiment influences investors’ judgments when readability is low, but not when readability is high. Specifically, when readability is low, disclosures couched in positive language lead to higher earnings judgments for less sophisticated investors, but lower earnings judgments for more sophisticated investors. These findings show that the main effects of readability and language sentiment documented in prior studies have boundary effects, and may reverse when both variables are jointly considered along with investor sophistication.

State e-Government Portals in Malaysia

Most of the international e-Government benchmarking studies have focused on national government websites such as portal of ministries at the national level. This paper examines the level of sophistication of e-Government websites for different states in Malaysia, as opposed to a national level assessment, both in terms of the breadth and depth of e-Government service offering. This paper adds to the existing body of knowledge in relation to e-Government web portal assessment in two ways. First, studies pertaining to e-Government in Malaysia focus mainly on implementation issues at the Federal/National level– The authors examined State level implementation of e-Government services. Secondly, they used a predetermined instrument to assess the sophistication level of State government web portals, by consolidating different measurement items from our review of literature over the past ten years. The authors analyzed the website for a total of thirteen states in Malaysia, in relation to six different dimension measures of e-Government service offerings, as prescribed by literature. These six dimension measures are the extent of transparency, interactivity, usability and accessibility of the portal, citizen participation, security and privacy, and maturity level of services. A content analysis of the web portal was done, using a predetermined instrument developed based on our review of literature on this topic, in the past ten years. Their findings suggest that different State Governments in Malaysia demonstrate different levels of maturity in relation to the six dimensions measured.

To err is human: Implementation in quantal response equilibria

We study the implementation problem when players are prone to make mistakes. To capture the idea of mistakes, Logit Quantal Response Equilibrium (LQRE) is used, and we consider a case in which players are almost rational, i.e., the sophistication level of players approaches infinity. We show that quasimonotonicity, a small variation of Maskin monotonicity, and no worst alternative are the necessary conditions for restricted Limit LQRE (LLQRE) implementation. Moreover, these conditions are sufficient for both restricted and unrestricted LLQRE implementations if there are at least three players and if at least one player has a state-independent worst alternative.

MadAnalysis 5, a user-friendly framework for collider phenomenology

We present MadAnalysis 5, a new framework for phenomenological investigations at particle colliders. Based on a C++ kernel, this program allows us to efficiently perform, in a straightforward and user-friendly fashion, sophisticated physics analyses of event files such as those generated by a large class of Monte Carlo event generators. MadAnalysis 5 comes with two modes of running. The first one, easier to handle, uses the strengths of a powerful Python interface in order to implement physics analyses by means of a set of intuitive commands. The second one requires one to implement the analyses in the C++ programming language, directly within the core of the analysis framework. This opens unlimited possibilities concerning the level of complexity which can be reached, being only limited by the programming skills and the originality of the user. Program summaryProgram title: MadAnalysis 5Catalogue identifier: AENO_v1_0Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AENO_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this program is granted under the terms of the GNU General Public License.No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 31087No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 399105Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: PYTHON, C++.Computer: All platforms on which Python version 2.7, Root version 5.27 and the g++ compiler are available. Compatibility with newer versions of these programs is also ensured. However, the Python version must be below version 3.0.Operating system: Unix, Linux and Mac OS operating systems on which the above-mentioned versions of Python and Root, as well as g++, are available.Classification: 11.1.External routines: ROOT (http://root.cern.ch/drupal/)Nature of problem: Implementing sophisticated phenomenological analyses in high-energy physics through a flexible, efficient and straightforward fashion, starting from event files such as those produced by Monte Carlo event generators. The event files can have been matched or not to parton-showering and can have been processed or not by a (fast) simulation of a detector. According to the sophistication level of the event files (parton-level, hadron-level, reconstructed-level), one must note that several input formats are possible.Solution method: We implement an interface allowing the production of predefined as well as user-defined histograms for a large class of kinematical distributions after applying a set of event selection cuts specified by the user. This therefore allows us to devise robust and novel search strategies for collider experiments, such as those currently running at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, in a very efficient way.Restrictions: Unsupported event file format.Unusual features: The code is fully based on object representations for events, particles, reconstructed objects and cuts, which facilitates the implementation of an analysis.Running time: It depends on the purposes of the user and on the number of events to process. It varies from a few seconds to the order of the minute for several millions of events.

An Exploratory Study of the Level of Sophistication of Management Accounting Practices in Jordan

Purpose – The research aims to provide a view of the present role of management accounting to identify the extent of usage of management accounting practices (MAPs) and finally to determine the sophistication level of MAPs by employing International Federation of Accountants model (IFAC) in the Jordanian financial sector. Design/methodology/approach – To attain these objectives, the research used the questionnaire method 64 valid questionnaires were returned, giving a 67.3% response rate. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyse the responses. Findings – Regarding the life-cycle stages, it was revealed that 67.2% of the respondent companies are located in the first two stages. The research reported that traditional practices are still widespread and highly used, rarely using the more sophisticated or advanced practices, and that there is a diversity of practices used in the financial sector context. In general, the research revealed that budgeting practices and financial measures are heavily used, and there is a lack of usage of decision making practices and strategic analysis practices. Concerning the sophistication level of MAPs, the research revealed that almost all of the Jordanian financial sector companies are located in the first stage by 64.1% and 29.7% of companies in the second stage based on the IFAC model, thus indicating the simplicity of information that they require. This, in turn, reflects the simplicity of practices that are used in the Jordanian financial sector. Originality/value – Provides a broad overview of management accounting practices in the Jordanian financial sector, indicates is a lack of using MAPs in the developing countries, and indicates the improvement which would take place in the Jordanian financial sector in terms of the adoption of more sophisticated or advance MAPs.

Determinants of capital budgeting methods and hurdle rates in Nordic firms

AbstractWe study the determinants for the choice of capital budgeting methods and the setting of hurdle rates (WACCs) in five Nordic countries. Combining survey data with a rich set of determinants, including ownership data, CFO characteristics, and financial data, we find that the use of the Net Present Value method and the sophistication of the capital budgeting are related to firm characteristics, variables proxying for real option features in investments and CFO characteristics (age and education). We also find support for significantly higher hurdle rates than motivated by economic theory. The premium is weakly positively related to managerial short‐term pressure and strongly negatively related to the sophistication level of the firm’s capital budgeting.

Impacts of Environment Uncertainty, Logistics IT, Management System Sophistication Level and Organizational Structure on Logistics Performance

Impacts of Environment Uncertainty, Logistics IT, Management System Sophistication Level and Organizational Structure on Logistics Performance

“Get Them While They’re Young”: Reflections of Young Gay Men Newly Diagnosed With HIV Infection

Thirty years into the epidemic, young men who have sex with men (YMSM) continue to be the largest at-risk group for HIV infection in the United States. In this qualitative study, face-to-face confidential interviews were conducted with 10 recently diagnosed YMSM. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors that may have contributed to each young man's recent HIV diagnosis and to solicit his perspectives on the design and efficacy of existing HIV prevention programs. Content analysis of the interview data revealed four major themes: personal risks, lack of relevant education, accessing the Internet, and the need for mentors. The informants in this study recommended the formulation of age-specific education interventions and the development of HIV prevention interventions that match the sophistication level and needs of today's gay youth to reduce the number of new HIV infections in YMSM.

Introduction to special issue on terrorism informatics

Since September 11th, the multidisciplinary field of terrorism informatics has experienced tremendous growth, and research communities as well as local, state, and national governments are facing increasingly more complex and challenging issues. The challenges facing the intelligence and national security communities worldwide include accurately and efficiently monitoring, analyzing, predicting and preventing terrorist activities. The development and use of advanced information technologies, including methodologies, models and algorithms, infrastructure, systems, and tools for national/international and homeland security related applications have provided promising new directions for study. Terrorism informatics has been defined as the application of advanced methodologies, information fusion and analysis techniques to acquire, integrate process, analyze, and manage the diversity of terrorism-related information for international and homeland security-related applications (Chen et al. 2008). It is a highly interdisciplinary and comprehensive field. The wide variety of methods used in terrorism informatics are derived from Computer Science, Informatics, Statistics, Mathematics, Linguistics, Social Sciences, and Public Policy, and these methods are involved in the collection of huge amounts of many types of multi-lingual information from varied and multiple sources. Information fusion and information technology analysis techniques, which include data mining, data integration, language translation technologies, and image and video processing, play central roles in the prevention, detection, and remediation of terrorism. The purpose of this special issue is to bring together international researchers, engineers, policy makers, and practitioners working on terrorism informatics as well as related fields such as the organizational and social sciences. We have accepted nine papers that report research in terrorism informatics. They study a variety of topics from terrorist social networks to terrorist Website sophistication, from online forum to Twitter, and from English content to Chinese content. They represent a good mix of multiple disciplines and look at terrorism informatics from different perspectives. The first two papers provide comprehensive reviews of the field, demand, techniques and trends. These papers provide guidelines as what are the interests and challenges in this community. “Tracking and Disrupting Dark Networks: Challenges of Data Collection and Analysis” by Roberts (Roberts 2011) provide challenges of data collection and analysis from within the intelligence community. Various relevant government agencies, their research interests and their ongoing projects on terrorism information collection and analysis are introduced. “Computational Approaches to Suspicion in Adversarial Settings” by Skillicorn 2011 provides a computational framework for adversarial data analysis in the context of crime and terrorism investigations. The author reviewed and discussed three major components including adversary-based data collection and characteristics, the detection techniques that identify suspicious individuals, and the network-based association techniques that find individuals related to a known suspicious individual. The next four papers focus on web content analysis with the last one also addresses web structure analysis to reveal sophistication level of terrorist websites. Two of them look at a new and promising data source: Twitter. “Information Control H. Chen Management Information Systems, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

Determinants of Capital Budgeting Methods and Hurdle Rates in Nordic Firms

Using survey data for 157 Nordic firms, we study the determinants for the choice of capital budgeting methods and the setting of hurdle rates (WACCs) in five Nordic countries. We combine survey data with a rich set of determinants, including ownership data, CFO characteristics, as well as financial data (firm characteristics). We find that the use of the NPV method as a primary method, and the sophistication of the capital budgeting, is related both to firm characteristics, variables proxying for real option features in investments, as well as to CFO characteristics (age and education). We also find support for a significant positive hurdle rate premium (i.e. a hurdle rate higher than motivated by economic theory). The premium is weakly related to managerial short-term pressure, and strongly negatively to the sophistication level of the firm's capital budgeting. This relationship goes in line with the predictions from real options and agency theory, since explanations from both categories combine the use of higher hurdle rates with a higher use of multiple methods and rules of thumb.

Assessment of E-services and their Systems

Modern economy is shifting from goods to services. Together with rapid expansion of the information economy and electronic networks it converges in the concept of eservice. Public administrations like any other organizations or individuals can provide electronic services using modern information and communication technologies. A primary goal for public sector organizations is not only to improve operation efficiency and organizational effectiveness to resolve significant, long-term challenges but they need to use existing resources more efficiently to provide public services, must improve the control of their budgets as such projects are mostly funded by tax payers. E-services are developed by applying new technologies, standards and learning from the best practices. We can define e-services as the result of automation, enhancement and integration of the business processes of the traditional services that are moving towards the e-services on demand. Due to their increasing complexity public services are typically not implemented by a single organization that provides the service. Instead, they are composed of independent services hosted by different data and service providers. The growing users’ requirements stimulate the provided e-services to respond more effectively to their needs. E-services should be easily and simply accessed in some standard way using different access media and devices. The developments of e-service models were made for the purpose of contributing to a more qualitative and effective development of e-services. The varying complexity, different maturity and rapid growth of the number of new eservices promote the assessment and their comparison with each other. It is vital to discover procedures which can examine these e-services and their systems. The e-service models make it possible to measure eservices and their systems in different ways and dimensions. The periodic evaluation (or self-evaluation) of e-services is challenged in the need of assessment in what sophistication level the e-service is at the current moment. This paper presents the e-service evaluation model for the assessment and comparison of e-services in public sector and their systems. The e-service evaluation model will assist the authorities and other organizations to assess the maturity and complexity of the e-services provided, and the systems that support these services. It should be helpful in comparing of e-services with other e-services or the same e-services provided by other organizations in the country and/or with other countries. The e-service model is based on the Reference Model for Service Oriented Architecture. The hierarchical structure of evaluation criteria that is the basis of the e-service evaluation model is presented.

A Strategy for Reversing Pakistan's Dismal Export Performance

This paper examines Pakistan’s export performance during the last three decades and finds that it has been very poor in comparison with the performance of other countries in Asia. Although Pakistan is exporting to a diversified market base, the high level of product concentration and low sophistication level of the country’s exports are crucial factors underlying this poor performance. This paper identifies agriculture and medium technology exports as potential drivers of export growth and highlights specific policies and investments needed to enhance the competitiveness of exports from these sectors. In addition, the paper examines the policy environment for export competitiveness and proposes measures for providing a policy framework, particularly a supportive exchange rate policy, to boost the performance of the sector. Finally, it puts forward broad recommendations for promoting the export sector of Pakistan.