Texas A&M International University: Research Information Online (RIO)
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Religiosity, Attitude Toward Business, and Ethical Beliefs: Hispanic Consumers in the United States
No full textGrowth of the Hispanic consumer population in America is changing the marketplace landscape. Due to their considerable buying power, a better understanding of Hispanic consumer behavior has become a necessity. The marketing literature has examined issues regarding religiosity and attitude toward business in regards to consumer ethical beliefs as well as research differentiating consumers on the basis of ethnicity due to their inherently different religious principles. Therefore, the present study contributes to the existing consumer ethics literature by examining the roles of religiosity and attitude toward business in determining consumer ethical beliefs. Furthermore, this study compares the relationships among religiosity, attitude toward business, and ethical beliefs at the sub-cultural level (i. e., between Hispanic and Anglo-American consumers). Survey data compare a sample of 187 predominately Catholic Hispanic consumers with a sample of 127 predominately protestant Anglo consumers. Results suggest a positive relationship between intrinsic religiousness and beliefs that questionable consumer activities are unethical. However, extrinsic religiousness does not impact consumer views as to the ethicality of consumer practices. Hispanics exhibit higher levels of extrinsic religiousness than Anglos, but no difference in terms of their intrinsic religiousness. Results also suggest that Hispanics have a more negative attitude toward business than Anglos do. Implications of these results are discussed. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V
Análisis del discurso político infantil en primarias públicas de Guadalupe, Nuevo León.
No full textLa presente investigación analiza información recopilada a través de entrevistas grupales focalizadas de 34 niños que estudian en escuelas primarias públicas, realizadas en noviembre de 2010 en el municipio de Guadalupe, Nuevo León. La meta fue la búsqueda de pensamiento crítico o independiente en la opinión política de los infantes (utilizando el análisis del discurso como metodología para la interpretación), así como dar cuenta de la importancia de los medios de información y de la influencia familiar. Se identificaron ideologías, creencias, grupos de inclusión y exclusión, actores e instituciones políticas, implícitos de las expresiones discursivas, incluyendo su contexto personal y nacional en el aspecto educativo y de violencia. Los resultados indican que los niños no son elementos pasivos pues hay visos de pensamiento contracorriente, fuera de la opinión pública. El paternalismo, la consideración de funcionarios como individuos todopoderosos y de la ciudadanía como un ente desprotegido, la dificultad de abstracción y de plantear la posibilidad de romper con el sistema, así como la lealtad de grupo, fueron algunos de los tópicos encontrados. Además, insisten en la necesidad de participación infantil, de mejora de educación, de información y sobre todo, de ser tomados en cuenta por los adultos. AbstractThis research analyzes information collected through 34 focused group interviews of students in public elementary school; these interviews were carried out on November 2010, in Guadalupe, Nuevo León (Mexico). The goal was to search for critical thought in the public opinion of children (using discourse analysis as the methodology for interpretation). As well, it attempts to identify the influence of media and their families in these children. Ideologies, beliefs, in-groups and out-groups, institutions and political actors, implicit elements in their discourse, including the personal and national context of the interviewees in regards to education and violence were all identified. The results suggest that children aren’t passive actors in the world and that there are gleams of counter-current thoughts in their discourse, which are different from the public opinion. Some of the topics found were: paternalism, politicians as all-mighty people versus citizenship as an unprotected entity, a difficulty for abstraction and establishment of the possibility to confront the system and political group loyalty (for a particular party). Above all, kids insist on their need for political participation, improved education and information, and above all, to be heard by adults
Effects of high-intensity exercise training on body composition, abdominal fat loss, and cardiorespiratory fitness in middle-aged Korean females
No full textThe primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high-intensity exercise training under relatively equal energy expenditure on whole body fat and abdominal fat loss, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Twenty-two untrained middle-aged Korean females were randomized into one of the following groups: control, low-intensity training group (LI), and high-intensity training group (HI). Subjects completed 14 weeks of training at 50% maximal oxygen consumption (LI) or 70% maximal oxygen consumption (HI) with the volume of exercise equated relative to kilograms of body weight. Weekly exercise volumes were 13.5 METs{dot operator}h/week for the first 4 weeks, 18 METs{dot operator}h/week for next 5 weeks, and 22.5 METs{dot operator}h/week for the final 5 weeks. Data were analyzed using 2-way repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc test, using Bonferroni\u27s correction. HI showed significant reductions in fat mass (p \u3c 0.05), total abdominal fat (p \u3c 0.01), and subcutaneous abdominal fat (p \u3c 0.01). LI reduced total abdominal fat (p \u3c 0.05), but there were no other significant changes found in the control or LI groups. Maximal oxygen consumption was enhanced in both HI and LI with no significant group difference. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased significantly in HI (p \u3c 0.05). IL-6, C-reactive protein, TNF-a, and other blood lipids were unaltered following training. Results indicate that high-intensity exercise training is more beneficial in whole body and abdominal fat loss; however, cardiorespiratory enhancement shows a dose-response relationship with weekly exercise volume. It is suggested that 14 weeks of aerobic exercise training at either high- or lowintensity is not sufficient enough to induce changes in levels of inflammatory proteins
Contingent claim valuation: The case of advanced index certificates
No full textIn this paper we introduce a new financial product named Advanced Index Certificates and we provide detailed descriptions of the product specifications. We show that the payoff of an Advanced Index Certificate can be duplicated by the combination of a zero coupon bond, a call option on the index and a put option on the index. We develop pricing formulas to price the certificates. We apply the pricing models to a certificate issued by Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank AG as an example to examine how well the model fits empirical data. Finally, a detailed survey of the 1.4 billion Advanced Index Certificates market for 36 issues outstanding on August 2005 is presented and the profitability in the primary market is examined. The results are in line with previous studies pricing other structured products. Moreover, using the sample of Outperformance Certificates from the Hernandez et al.(2007) study and the sample of Bonus Certificates from the Hernandez et al. (2008) study we test whether Advanced Index Certificates are mispriced more or less than the other structured products. The results show a significant positive difference
Understanding 21\u3csup\u3est\u3c/sup\u3e century cybercrime for the \u27common\u27 victim: Frances P Bernat and Nicholas Godlove argue that it is time to extend the principle of universal jurisdiction to the typical types of cyber-offences
No full textThe innovation and ubiquity of computer connective technology has opened a terra nova for illegal activity. People can socialise, game, bank, and manipulate cameras and locks from any location with internet access. In the United States, youth have \u27hyper-interconnectivity\u27 - they are always connected to the internet for information and social contact (Netburn, 2012). Hyper-interconnectivity connects the younger generation in a worldwide social network: in 2009, about one fourth of the world\u27s population had access to the internet (Lu et al., 2010) and social networking has made worldwide inroads. The new found connectivity allows for the commission of old crimes in new soil: the internet. What this means is that victims are now geographically untied to their victimisers: fraud, theft, or threatening communications have no geographical tether between offender and victim. Notwithstanding its disparate forms, victimisation is commonly called cybercrime. © 2012 Copyright Centre for Crime and Justice Studies
Research article electronic media variety and virtual team performance: The mediating role of task complexity coping mechanisms
No full textResearch problem: Much of the research on electronic communication media so far has been characterized by a focus on the impact that specific media may have on individuals and teams, as opposed to the impact that multiple media, when used in combination, may have on individuals and teams. Research questions: (1) Does a high degree of media variety facilitate the implementation of team mechanisms for coping with task complexity? (2) Does the degree of implementation of team mechanisms for coping with task complexity positively influence team performance? Literature review: Based on a focused literature review, we develop a new set of propositions relating media variety and team performance, which we tested in the context of teams engaged in new product development. Methodology: Data from 290 new product development teams in 66 organizations located in the Northeastern US were analyzed through partial least squares-based structural equation modeling. The analysis was conducted with the software WarpPLS 2.0. Results and discussion: The results of the analysis suggest that a high degree of electronic communication media variety facilitates the implementation of task complexity coping mechanisms, such as coordination activities, in new product development teams. This, in turn, seems to lead to significant gains in team efficiency and effectiveness in those teams. The results also suggest that while electronic communication media variety plays an important facilitation role, by facilitating coordination activities, it has a much less pronounced direct effect on team efficiency and effectiveness. In other words, in the absence of task complexity coping mechanisms, such as coordination activities, a high degree of media variety may not be very useful for teams carrying out complex tasks such as new product development. © 2012 IEEE
Davidow, W. H. (2011). Overconnected: The Promise and Threat of the Internet. Nueva York: Delphinum.
Get PDFConsultar texto completo para acceder a la reseña de la obra: Davidow, W. H. (2011). Overconnected: The Promise and Threat of the Internet. Nueva York: Delphinum
Bridging antimony knowledge gaps by assessing its behavior in a semi arid creek
No full textAntimony (Sb) contamination in aquatic systems, due in large part to mining and smelting activities, is both an ecological and environmental concern. As will be discussed in the first section of this chapter, several knowledge gaps are hindering our complete understanding of antimony behavior in aquatic systems including a variety of issues relating to transport, sorption/desorption, speciation, and bioavailability and uptake of antimony. The second part of this chapter will summarize key results from recent Sb studies in a contaminated creek in a semi-arid environment and evaluate the contribution of these findings in filling some of the existing knowledge gaps in the understanding of antimony behavior. Results presented in section 2 include: an assessment of antimony concentrations in the water and sediment of this contaminated creek, an evaluation of the potential direct and indirect effects of rainfall on Sb cycling, chemical binding forms of antimony on streambed sediments and the implications for antimony mobility and bioavailability, and the potential effects of stream water chemistry on antimony release from contaminated sediment. Finally, preliminary bioavailability results of antimony uptake by the freshwater bivalve mollusk, Corbicula fluminea, will also be presented. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved
On zero duality gap in surrogate constraint optimization: The case of rational-valued functions of constraints
No full textThis paper is concerned with the constrained optimization problem. A detailed discussion of surrogate constraints with zero duality gaps is presented. Readily available surrogate multipliers are considered that close the duality gaps where constraints are rational-valued. Through illustrative examples, the sources of duality gaps are examined in detail. While in the published literature, in many situations conclusions have been made about the existence of non-zero duality gaps, we show that taking advantage of full problem information can close the duality gaps. Overlooking such information can produce shortcomings in the research in which a non-zero duality gap is observed. We propose theorems to address the shortcomings and report results regarding implementation issues. © 2011 Elsevier Inc
The impact of individualism on buyer-supplier relationship norms, trust and market performance: An analysis of data from Brazil and the U.S.A.
No full textThis study focuses on the impact of the cultural dimension of individualism, face-to-face communication and the effect of relational norms such as supplier involvement and trust on the market performance of buyer firms. We use the culture literature and social exchange theory to test hypotheses using a sample of Brazilian and US manufacturing firms. The data were analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling, employing nonlinear partial least squares regression. Our findings indicate that individualism is negatively related to the involvement of suppliers in the production process but is not associated with trust in suppliers. In addition face-to-face communication seems to have a positive effect on supplier involvement and trust. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd