Future Information (future + information)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Impact of investors' status on their evaluation of positive and negative, and past and future information

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 5 2008
Anna M. Cianci
M41 Abstract This paper examines the effect of investors' status (current and prospective) on their evaluation of information varying in valence (negative and positive) and temporality (past and future). Master of Business Administration graduates, proxying for current or prospective investors, rated the relevance of negative, positive, past, and future Management Discussion and Analysis information. Investors' relevance ratings of information resulted in the following ranking (from highest to lowest): negative-future, negative-past, positive-future, and positive-past information. Furthermore, prospective investors (relative to current) rated positive and future information as more relevant and negative information as less relevant. Implications for effective disclosure strategies and policies are discussed. [source]


The information needs of doctors-in-training: case study from the Cairns Library, University of Oxford

HEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2000
Maureen Forrest
The objective of this study was to find out more about the information needs of doctors-in-training and to identify their preferred sources of information. The methodology included interviews with consultants and administrators, a focus group discussion with library staff and a postal questionnaire sent to 347 doctors-in-training (there was a 43% return). The shortcomings of a questionnaire primarily composed of closed questions were addressed by the inclusion of one-to-one interviews which offered the opportunity for more in-depth commentary on specific issues highlighted in the questionnaire. Results indicated the frequency with which various types of information sources were consulted and how this related to the ,ease of access' of each information source. There was also the opportunity to comment on future information needs. It was clear from the interviews as well as comments made on the questionnaire that the two most important requirements for doctors-in-training were ,more time to find and obtain information' and ,better access to information sources when and where they are needed'. The results, although not surprising, included specific suggestions that have been used for the strategic planning of the library service to deliver the best possible support to users within the current framework of evidence-based medicine. [source]


Hybrid adaptive predictive control for a dynamic pickup and delivery problem including traffic congestion

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 2 2008
Cristián E. Cortés
Abstract This paper presents a hybrid adaptive predictive control approach to incorporate future information regarding unknown demand and expected traffic conditions, in the context of a dynamic pickup and delivery problem with fixed fleet size. As the routing problem is dynamic, several stochastic effects have to be considered within the analytical expression of the dispatcher assignment decision objective function. This paper is focused on two issues: one is the extra cost associated with potential rerouting arising from unknown requests in the future, and the other is the potential uncertainty in travel time coming from non-recurrent traffic congestion from unexpected incidents. These effects are incorporated explicitly in the objective function of the hybrid predictive controller. In fact, the proposed predictive control strategy is based on a multivariable model that includes both discrete/integer and continuous variables. The vehicle load and the sequence of stops correspond to the discrete/integer variable, adding the vehicle position as an indicator of the traffic congestion conditions. The strategy is analyzed under two scenarios. The first one considers a predictable congestion obtained using historical data (off-line method) requiring a predictive model of velocities distributed over zones. The second scenario that accepts unpredictable congestion events generates a more complex problem that is managed by using both fault detection and isolation and fuzzy fault-tolerant control approaches. Results validating these approaches are presented through a simulated numerical example. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Welfare Measures when Agents can Learn: A Unifying Theory,

THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 540 2009
Jinhua Zhao
We extend Graham's (1981) welfare analysis under uncertainty to a dynamic environment where the agent can delay and obtain information. The dynamic willingness to pay locus unifies the concepts of option price, dynamic WTP, commitment costs and quasi-option value. Option price (dynamic WTP) corresponds to the ex ante WTP when the agent ignores (recognises) the learning opportunity. The commitment cost, or the difference between option price and dynamic WTP, equals the annualised and monetised quasi-option value. State contingent contracts have added value by allowing trading among agents with heterogeneous access to future information and delay opportunities. [source]