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Empirical Survey (empirical + survey)
Selected AbstractsAN EMPIRICAL SURVEY OF RESIDENTIAL WATER DEMAND MODELLINGJOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 5 2008Andrew C. Worthington Abstract The increased reliance on demand-side management policies as an urban water consumption management tool has stimulated considerable debate among economists, water utility managers, regulators, consumer interest groups and policymakers. In turn, this has fostered an increasing volume of literature aimed at providing best-practice estimates of price and income elasticities, quantifying the impact of non-price water restrictions and gauging the impact of non-discretionary environmental factors affecting residential water demand. This paper provides a synoptic survey of empirical residential water demand analyses conducted in the last 25 years. Both model specification and estimation and the outcomes of the analyses are discussed. [source] Internal Auditing and Risk Assessment in Large Italian Companies: an Empirical SurveyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 3 2003Marco Allegrini This paper aims at achieving an overall view regarding the state of the art of internal auditing in large Italian companies. Mainly, it is focused on risk assessment practices and on the execution of a risk-based approach in the audit process. The research is based on a survey carried out on the ,Top100' companies listed at the Italian Stock Exchange. Survey results reveal that practices vary significantly among three different models: 1A few companies (25%) carry out mainly traditional compliance activities and they generally follow an audit-cycle approach for the annual audit planning; 2In most companies (67%), internal auditors adopt the COSO model and perform mainly operational auditing. Risk-based approach is applied predominantly at macro level. 3Finally, it is possible to identify a very few large companies (8%), in which auditors are applying a risk-based approach both at macro and micro level. [source] Measurement Equivalence Using Generalizability Theory: An Examination of Manufacturing Flexibility DimensionsDECISION SCIENCES, Issue 4 2008Manoj K. Malhotra ABSTRACT As the field of decision sciences in general and operations management in particular has matured from theory building to theory testing over the past two decades, it has witnessed an explosion in empirical research. Much of this work is anchored in survey-based methodologies in which data are collected from the field in the form of scale items that are then analyzed to measure latent unobservable constructs. It is important to assess the invariance of scales across groups in order to reach valid, scientifically sound conclusions. Because studies have often been conducted in the field of decision sciences with small sample sizes, it further exacerbates the problem of reaching incorrect conclusions. Generalizability theory can more effectively test for measurement equivalence in the presence of small sample sizes than the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tests that have been conventionally used for assessing measurement equivalency across groups. Consequently, we introduce and explain the generalizability theory (G-theory) in this article to examine measurement equivalence of 24 manufacturing flexibility dimension scales that have been published in prior literature and also compare and contrast G-theory with CFA. We show that all the manufacturing flexibility scales tested in this study were invariant across the three industry SIC groups from which data were collected. We strongly recommend that G-theory should always be used for determining measurement equivalence in empirical survey-based studies. In addition, because using G-theory alone does not always reveal the complete picture, CFA techniques for establishing measurement equivalence should also be invoked when sample sizes are large enough to do so. Implications of G-theory for practice and its future use in operations management and decision sciences research are also presented. [source] Suicides and suicide ideation in the Bible: an empirical surveyACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2005H. J. Koch Objective:, The aim of this review is to summarize all data on suicidal behaviour reported in the Bible and to discuss basic implications for medical ethical positions. Method:, All books of the Jerusalem Bible, including the apocrypha accepted in the Catholic canon, were searched for all cases of suicide, attempted suicide and suicidal ideation clearly identifiable as such. Results:, The Bible including the apocrypha reports about 10 completed suicides and 11 cases of suicide attempt or ideation. The Bible considers human life as a divine gift but suicide per se is neither condemned nor approved. Those suffering from suicidal thoughts are treated with respect and support is offered. Conclusion:, Theological teaching on suicide was influenced for centuries by the biased negative opinion of the early fathers of the church and scholastic savants, but these opinions are not substantiated by a thorough reading of the Bible. [source] | ||||||||||