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Measurement Models (measurement + models)
Selected AbstractsFunctional Management Competence and Growth of Young Technology-Based FirmsCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008Sören Salomo Acknowledging an increased research interest into the success factors for young technology-based firms in the last decade, the present study serves two main purposes. First, we aim at developing a comprehensive concept of functional management competence in young technology-based firms. Functional management competence covers the understanding of and proficiency in managing specific functional tasks (Katz, 1974). As we focus on young technology-based firms, it is suggested that marketing, financial and technology management tasks are at the core of functional management competence. Second, we aim at delineating and validating an appropriate measurement model for functional management competence. In order to test the model's nomological validity, we investigate the impact of functional management competence on firm growth. Therefore, building on established firm development approaches, we propose a phase model for the development of young technology-based firms. Our study builds upon data from 212 young technology-based firms in the field of microtechnology, nanotechnology, electronics, optics and lasers. We use formative measurement models to establish valid and reliable constructs and a path model based on partial least squares modelling to investigate the performance effects. The results suggest that functional management competences generally are significant drivers of firm development speed. In particular, technology and marketing management competences are shown to impact development speed. While technology management competence is positively driving development speed, the marketing management competence impact on speed is mediated by competitive advantage of the new products developed by young technology-based firms. Financial management competence has no significant link to firm development speed. [source] Implications of Evidence-Centered Design for Educational TestingEDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 4 2006Robert J. Mislevy Evidence-centered assessment design (ECD) provides language, concepts, and knowledge representations for designing and delivering educational assessments, all organized around the evidentiary argument an assessment is meant to embody. This article describes ECD in terms of layers for analyzing domains, laying out arguments, creating schemas for operational elements such as tasks and measurement models, implementing the assessment, and carrying out the operational processes. We argue that this framework helps designers take advantage of developments from measurement, technology, cognitive psychology, and learning in the domains. Examples of ECD tools and applications are drawn from the Principled Assessment Design for Inquiry (PADI) project. Attention is given to implications for large-scale tests such as state accountability measures, with a special eye for computer-based simulation tasks. [source] The Impact of Life Events on Perceived Financial Stress, Clothing-Specific Lifestyle, and Retail Patronage: The Recent IMF Economic Crisis in KoreaFAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES RESEARCH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2000Soyeon Shim Using Andreasen's Model of Life Change Effects as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a model that depicts the direct and indirect influence of a life event, the Korean International Monetary Fund (IMF) crisis, on financial stress, clothing-specific lifestyle, and retail patronage behavior. A total of 502 females from two major metropolitan cities in Korea responded to a survey questionnaire. A structural equation modeling technique was used to test the hypotheses. Several statistical criteria supported theoretical, causal relationships among the measurement models in the study, providing strong support for Andreasen's model. More specifically, the IMF impact had affected retail patronage behavior directly as well as indirectly through clothing-specific lifestyles and financial stress. Both clothing-specific lifestyles and financial stress had an influence on retail patronage behavior. The IMF event had a stronger direct and total impact than financial stress on changes in retail patronage behavior. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. [source] Metrics: HRM's Holy Grail?HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009A New Zealand case study What gets measured in business is noticed and acted on. The importance of human resource management (HRM) to be noticed as a vital key to business success has been argued profusely by the HRM profession over the last three decades. While the importance of human resource (HR) measurement is not disputed by business managers, the search for meaningful generic HR metrics is like HRM's Holy Grail. The purpose of this research is to investigate the issues confronting a sample of business organisations concerning measurement issues. It examines the current measurement practices used and their HR measurement needs. Developing appropriate HR measures, in terms of adding value, allows organisations to refocus their resources for leverage. Inappropriate measures simply encourage inappropriate behaviours not in the long-term interests of the business. We know that HRM is less prepared than other business functions (like finance or management information systems) to quantify its impact on business performance. Our results suggest that HR metrics as the Holy Grail of HRM remain elusive. This research signals the importance of developing relevant and meaningful HR measurement models, while acknowledging that the actual metrics used (unlike accounting measures) may vary from business to business. [source] Downturn Credit Portfolio Risk, Regulatory Capital and Prudential Incentives,INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF FINANCE, Issue 2 2010DANIEL RÖSCH ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the level and cyclicality of bank capital requirement in relation to (i) the model methodologies through-the-cycle and point-in-time, (ii) four distinct downturn loss rate given default concepts, and (iii) US corporate and mortgage loans. The major finding is that less accurate models may lead to a lower bank capital requirement for real estate loans. In other words, the current capital regulations may not support the development of credit portfolio risk measurement models as these would lead to higher capital requirements and hence lower lending volumes. The finding explains why risk measurement techniques in real estate lending may be less developed than in other credit risk instruments. In addition, various policy recommendations for prudential regulators are made. [source] A psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the stage of change-readiness and treatment-eagerness scaleJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 17 2009Mei-Yu Yeh Aims., The present study analysed the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the stage of change-readiness and treatment-eagerness scale among alcohol-dependent patients and investigated whether a three-factor structure fit the data. Background., The stage of change-readiness and treatment-eagerness scale is a 19-item instrument designed to measure alcohol-dependent patients' motivation for change. However, this instrument had not been translated and validated for use in Taiwan. Design., Survey. Methods., A sample of 161 alcohol-dependent patients receiving alcohol-related treatment in psychiatric hospital outpatient and inpatient units was included. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on three-factor measurement models of the stage of change-readiness and treatment-eagerness scale. Results., Confirmatory factor analyses supported the presence of a three-factor modified model (ambivalence, recognition and taking steps) among alcohol-dependent patients. Higher internal item consistency was found for the recognition and taking step factors, while the ambivalence factor was shown to have lower internal consistency. Convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity were obtained for the assessment of severity of alcohol dependence. Conclusions., The results indicated that the 11-item, three-factor modified Chinese version of the stage of change readiness and treatment eagerness scale provided best goodness of fit for the data in this study. This study demonstrated that the Chinese version of the stage of change readiness and treatment eagerness scale is a reliable and valid self-report measure for the assessment of changing motivation in alcohol-dependent patients. Relevance to clinical practice., The Chinese version of stage of change readiness and treatment eagerness scale is applicable for use in clinical treatment and research, predicting motivation for change and evaluating intervention outcomes in Taiwan. [source] Resolution of structure characteristics of AE signals in multiphase flow system,From data to informationAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 10 2009Yi-Jun He Abstract This investigation was performed to study the underlying structure characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) signals, which could be helpful not only to understand a relatively complete picture of hydrodynamics in multiphase flow systems, but also to extract the most useful information from the original signals with respect to a particular measurement requirement. However, due to AE signals are made up of emission from many acoustic sources at different scales, the resolution of AE signals is often very complicated and appears to be relatively poorly researched. In this study, the structure characteristics of AE signals measured both in gas,solid fluidized bed and liquid,solid stirred tank were researched in detail by resorting to wavelet transform and rescaled range analysis. A general criterion was proposed to resolve AE signals into three physical-related characteristic scales, i.e., microscale, mesoscale, and macroscale. Multiscale resolution of AE signals implied that AE signals in microscale represented totally the dynamics of solid phase and could be applied to measure particle-related properties. Furthermore, based on the structure characteristics of AE signals, useful features related to particles motion were extracted to establish two new prediction models, one for on-line measurements of particle size distribution (PSD) and average particle size in gas,solid fluidized bed and the other for on-line measurement of the suspension height in liquid,solid stirred tank. The prediction results indicated that (1) measurements of PSD and average particle size using AE method showed a fairly good agreement with that using sieve method both for laboratory scale and plant scale fluidized beds, and (2) measurements of the suspension height using AE method showed a fairly good agreement with that using visual method. The results thus validated that the extracted features based on analyses of structure characteristics of AE signals were very useful for establishing effective on-line measurement models with respect to some particular applications. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Item response theory: applications of modern test theory in medical educationMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 8 2003Steven M Downing Context Item response theory (IRT) measurement models are discussed in the context of their potential usefulness in various medical education settings such as assessment of achievement and evaluation of clinical performance. Purpose The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast IRT measurement with the more familiar classical measurement theory (CMT) and to explore the benefits of IRT applications in typical medical education settings. Summary CMT, the more common measurement model used in medical education, is straightforward and intuitive. Its limitation is that it is sample-dependent, in that all statistics are confounded with the particular sample of examinees who completed the assessment. Examinee scores from IRT are independent of the particular sample of test questions or assessment stimuli. Also, item characteristics, such as item difficulty, are independent of the particular sample of examinees. The IRT characteristic of invariance permits easy equating of examination scores, which places scores on a constant measurement scale and permits the legitimate comparison of student ability change over time. Three common IRT models and their statistical assumptions are discussed. IRT applications in computer-adaptive testing and as a method useful for adjusting rater error in clinical performance assessments are overviewed. Conclusions IRT measurement is a powerful tool used to solve a major problem of CMT, that is, the confounding of examinee ability with item characteristics. IRT measurement addresses important issues in medical education, such as eliminating rater error from performance assessments. [source] Democracy as a Latent VariableAMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008Shawn Treier We apply formal, statistical measurement models to the Polity indicators, used widely in studies of international relations to measure democracy. In so doing, we make explicit the hitherto implicit assumptions underlying scales built using the Polity indicators. Modeling democracy as a latent variable allows us to assess the "noise" (measurement error) in the resulting measure. We show that this measurement error is considerable and has substantive consequences when using a measure of democracy as an independent variable in cross-national statistical analyses. Our analysis suggests that skepticism as to the precision of the Polity democracy scale is well founded and that many researchers have been overly sanguine about the properties of the Polity democracy scale in applied statistical work. [source] | ||||||||||||||||