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Goodness-of-fit in production models:a Bayesian perspective
No full textWe propose a general approach for modeling production technologies, allowing for modeling both inefficiency and noise that are specific for each input and each output. The approach is based on amalgamating ideas from nonparametric activity analysis models for production and consumption theory with stochastic frontier models. We do this by effectively re-interpreting the activity analysis models as simultaneous equations models in Bayesian compression and artificial neural networks framework. We make minimal assumptions about noise in the data and we allow for flexible approximations to input- and output-specific slacks. We use compression to solve the problem of an exceeding number of parameters in general production technologies and also incorporate environmental variables in the estimation. We also present Monte Carlo simulation results and an empirical illustration of this approach for US banking data.</p
Italian adaptation of the no-mobile-phone-phobia questionnaire:factorial validity with the ESEM technique and population-based cut-off scores
No full textNomophobia is a multifaceted phenomenon characterized by fear and anxiety when individuals feel disconnected from their technological environment. Its assessment remains difficult due to limited tools and lack of empirically supported cut-off points. This study aimed to contribute to the Italian validation of the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), testing a four-factor structure and establishing normative data by age and gender. Data were collected from 1447 participants. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) assessed different factorial configurations. A bifactor ESEM (B-ESEM) with a four-factor solution showed the best fit (CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.06), offering a more accurate representation than the three-factor model. Scores were computed for the 1st and the 99th percentile and for each ventile; the 80th and 95th percentiles indicate risk and presence of nomophobia, respectively. Females scored highest across age groups, while older adults reported the lowest levels. These findings support the NMP-Q’s reliability and use in the Italian context.</p
Co-opted boards and bidder performance
No full textPurpose: Defining co-opted directors as those who join a company’s board after an incumbent chief executive officer assumes office, this study aims to investigate the influence of co-opted boards on bidder performance.Design/methodology/approach: This study applies ordinary least squares regression analyses to a sample of 8,939 acquisition observations announced by US firms spanning the 1999–2019 period. Event study methodology was employed to capture the market response to acquisition announcements. Propensity score matching technique, a two-stage least squares instrumental variable approach and model selection through the Lasso method were performed for robustness and endogeneity correction purposes.Findings: The results depict a significant negative relationship between a co-opted board and return to acquirers, suggesting that managers under co-opted boards make value-destructing Mergers and Acquisitions deals. We also show that the relationship between board co-option and acquisition performance is positively moderated by institutional ownership while being negatively moderated by an entrenched board. Our additional tests reveal that board co-option reduces acquisition efficiency and leads to worse financial performance.Practical implications: This study offers important implications for regulators and policymakers by highlighting how poor monitoring of the board of directors can influence announcement returns.Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper appears to be the first investigation that makes a link between board co-option and various dimensions of acquisition decision
Leveraging virtual brand community engagement and consumer brand identification as a bounce-back brand recovery strategy:role of brand endorsers
Get PDFBrand community engagement in the virtual environment during a brand crisis has gained attention from firms and marketing scholars due to innovative technologies. However, there is a limited empirical insight into its antecedents and consequences. This study, grounded in signaling and social identity theories, introduces the relationship between endorser credibility, virtual brand community engagement, and consumer brand identification as a pro-active brand recovery strategy. It also examines the impact of virtual brand engagement and consumer brand identification on brand love and forgiveness. The data were collected from online automobile brand community members. The results show that celebrity endorsers' trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise can be used as communication signals to expedite the process of consumer brand identification and virtual brand community engagement. Consumers who strongly identify with the brand and engage in its virtual community are more likely to develop an emotional bond with the brand and forgive it following a crisis. Interestingly, the study finds that the relationships between endorser credibility attractiveness and virtual consumer brand identification, endorser credibility trustworthiness and consumer brand identification, and consumer brand identification and virtual brand community are nonlinear.</p
A content and quality evaluation of mobile classroom behavior management applications
Get PDFThis study evaluated the quality and behavior change techniques (BCTs) included in 11 freely available mobile classroom behavior management applications (mCBM apps). We found that mCBM apps included a limited number of BCTs, with an average of 9 of 21 possible BCTs. Consequence-based BCTs like rewards and feedback were common, while antecedent-based strategies like prompts and reminders were less prevalent. Some mCBM apps also included BCTs related to sharing and exporting data. There was no significant correlation between the number of BCTs and the apps’ overall quality ratings based on the user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale. However, there was a positive correlation between the number of BCTs and the Engagement and Information subdomains of this scale. The findings contribute to understanding mCBM apps design and functionality, providing insights for future development and evaluation. However, concerns were raised about some features of mCBM apps and the degree to which apps ensured data privacy and security. Further research is needed to assess the quality and benefits of mCBM apps for students and teachers.</p
Institutional responses to sexual harassment and misogyny towards women teachers from boys in Australian schools in the post-#metoo era
No full textSexual harassment and misogyny are historical experiences of the teaching workforce in Australia. While #metoo promised a moment of reckoning for all girls and women, this reckoning has been less acutely felt in Australian schools, evidenced by a persistence of sexual harassment and misogyny despite progress allegedly made in political and public discourse. In this paper, we draw on data from interviews with 30 women teachers and critically examine their reflections on responses from their school leadership to sexual harassment and misogyny from boys. We demonstrate that school-level responses to misogyny do not reflect broader attitudinal shifts initiated by #metoo, indicating that school leadership largely remains beholden to institutional norms and gender regimes that legitimate and consolidate practices of hegemonic masculinity that subordinate girls and women. We conclude by calling for a renewed focus on addressing cultures of misogyny and sexism in schools at both a policy and classroom level.</p
Learning from a dilemma:the opportunities online teaching provided for teacher growth and development
Get PDFThe global 2020 COVID-19 pandemic impacted teaching and learning in all education institutions. The unprecedented and rapid shift from classroom based to fully online teaching raised unfamiliar dilemmas for educators, requiring immediate operational and pedagogical changes to meet previously unimagined demands. This study reports how an Australian school harnessed this experience and the teacher professional learning which ensued. Online focus groups were conducted with 50 teachers. The theoretical lens of Pedagogical equilibrium was used to explain the sense of unrest, curiosity, uncertainty and perplexity evident in teachers’ responses as they began to address unfamiliar challenges. Data analysis revealed such disequilibrium provided opportunity for teachers to work together to socially construct new professional knowledge in three key areas: teacher agency, community collaboration and teacher well-being. The findings demonstrate the importance of positioning such disruptions as opportunities for teacher professional growth and strategically encouraging teachers to reflect, articulate and share their learnings. When done effectively, these processes can embody a dynamic, collaborative community culture based on respect, reciprocity and trust. Such a culture shift not only supports the construction of both individual and collective professional knowledge but also enhances teacher well-being.</p
Large skew-t copula models and asymmetric dependence in intraday equity returns
Get PDFSkew-t copula models are attractive for the modeling of financial data because they allow for asymmetric and extreme tail dependence. We show that the copula implicit in the skew-t distribution of Azzalini and Capitanio allows for a higher level of pairwise asymmetric dependence than two popular alternative skew-t copulas. Estimation of this copula in high dimensions is challenging, and we propose a fast and accurate Bayesian variational inference (VI) approach to do so. The method uses a generative representation of the skew-t distribution to define an augmented posterior that can be approximated accurately. A stochastic gradient ascent algorithm is used to solve the variational optimization. The methodology is used to estimate skew-t factor copula models with up to 15 factors for intraday returns from 2017 to 2021 on 93 U.S. equities. The copula captures substantial heterogeneity in asymmetric dependence over equity pairs, in addition to the variability in pairwise correlations. In a moving window study we show that the asymmetric dependencies also vary over time, and that intraday predictive densities from the skew-t copula are more accurate than those from benchmark copula models. Portfolio selection strategies based on the estimated pairwise asymmetric dependencies improve performance relative to the index.</p
Beyond #MeToo in Iran:change through informal feminist educational leadership
Get PDFWomen’s bodies in Iran have historically been used as a medium to operationalise social control and power. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, this social control has tightened, manifesting within a misogynistic regime and patriarchal society where lack of legal protection and the culture of shame and silence suppress conversations on sexual harassment, with lack of sexuality education exacerbating the situation. In this context, those involved in the #MeToo movement stepped into an educational vacuum, providing crucial informal leadership around sexuality education, adding to, and building up to, other movements for women in Iran. In this paper, we discuss how informal leaders have used social media platforms such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to help raise awareness of sexual harassment in Iran, help women find solidarity rather than shame, and create an educational platform for sexuality education. #MeToo was an important stepping stone for #feminism that is continuing to date.</p
Authentic assessment:from panacea to criticality
No full textAuthentic assessment is often positioned as an educational panacea, invoked in response to a broad range of complex problems. This paper considers authentic assessment in relation to three key challenges: preparing graduates for the future, cheating, and inclusion. Despite literature supporting its potential benefits, there is limited evidence on the relationship between authentic assessment and these challenges. Through an uncritical blending of authenticity with broader educational goals, the label ‘authentic assessment’ risks becoming a distraction or a thought-terminating cliché, impeding deeper conversation and interrogation. We argue that authenticity should be considered as a set of aspirational principles within a broader pedagogical framework. Authenticity in assessment requires thoughtful and contextualised design, and the negotiation of trade-offs with other educational goals. The concept of authenticity, if used judiciously, can foster critical conversations and meaningful interrogation of educational practices, rather than serving as an oversimplified solution to complex problems.</p