Showing papers by "Baltic International Academy published in 2016"

Tolerance limits on order statistics in future samples coming from the Pareto distribution

Abstract: It is often desirable to have statistical tolerance limits available for the distributions used to describe time-to-failure data in reliability problems. For example, one might wish to know if at least a certain proportion, say β, of a manufactured product will operate at least T hours. This question cannot usually be answered exactly, but it may be possible to determine a lower tolerance limit L(X), based on a random sample X, such that one can say with a certain confidence γ that at least 100β% of the product will operate longer than L(X). Then reliability statements can be made based on L(X), or, decisions can be reached by comparing L(X) to T. Tolerance limits of the type mentioned above are considered in this paper, which presents a new approach to constructing lower and upper tolerance limits on order statistics in future samples. Attention is restricted to invariant families of distributions under parametric uncertainty. The approach used here emphasizes pivotal quantities relevant for obtaining tolerance factors and is applicable whenever the statistical problem is invariant under a group of transformations that acts transitively on the parameter space. It does not require the construction of any tables and is applicable whether the past data are complete or Type II censored. The proposed approach requires a quantile of the F distribution and is conceptually simple and easy to use. For illustration, the Pareto distribution is considered. The discussion is restricted to one-sided tolerance limits. A practical example is given.

A New Approach to Constructing Tolerance Limits on Order Statistics in Future Samples Coming from a Normal Distribution

Abstract: Although the concept of statistical tolerance limits has been well recognized for long time, surprisingly, it seems that their applications remain still limited. Analytic formulas for the tolerance limits are available in only simple cases, for example, for the upper or lower tolerance limit for a univariate normal population. Thus it becomes necessary to use new or innovative approaches which will allow one to construct tolerance limits on future order statistics for many populations. In this paper, a new approach to constructing lower and upper tolerance limits on order statistics in future samples is proposed. Attention is restricted to invariant families of distributions under parametric uncertainty. The approach used here emphasizes pivotal quantities relevant for obtaining tolerance factors and is applicable whenever the statistical problem is invariant under a group of transformations that acts transitively on the parameter space. It does not require the construction of any tables and is applicable whether the past data are complete or Type II censored. The proposed approach requires a quantile of the F distribution and is conceptually simple and easy to use. For illustration, the normal distribution is considered. The discussion is restricted to one-sided tolerance limits. A practical example of finding a warranty assessment of image quality is given.

Private Higher Education In Latvia: Funding And Quality Assurance

Abstract: In today's globalizing world the importance of education as an important factor of the development of economy and society in general is increasingly growing. Investing in education now becomes essential for the creation of a long-term economic growth potential and an adequate respond to technological and demographic changes that have a transformative impact on labor markets and employment. The important component of the higher education systems of many countries is formed by private higher education institutions, although in each case they have national specifics. On the one hand, private education has been recognized as such, on the other hand it has not been fully determined yet what place it should occupy as a private actor. The answer to this question largely depends on the ideology and specific policy in the reforms of individual countries.

Estimation of the parameter of satisfaction with services in tourism: content analysis of online customer reviews

Abstract: To increase the competitiveness the hotels have to satisfy their guests’ requirements, anticipate their wishes and offer new services; this is quite problematic for the hotel business. The paper considers the opportunities of employing online guest reviews to reveal the hotel ratings and attributes, significant for guests. The implementation of this research method is specified by the quality of information obtained via the internet; it is published on a voluntary basis, statements are initiated by users; moreover, consumers estimate the services and offers, having certain emotional importance for them; it allows segmenting the factors according to the level of their emotional significance. This segmentation is of utmost importance since the principal aim of the researches devoted to the assessment of the level of consumers’ satisfaction is to reveal the indicators of company activities from the position of customers’ priorities and emotional evaluations. The content analysis discovers the indicators, significant for the beach hotels customers. 90 hotels were grouped according to 16 categories. The results display that the guests responses can be used for investigating the importance of hotel attributes and determining the peculiarities of various hotel customers groups. The obtained results can be used for service package improvement and for hotel description in advertisement and reservation systems.

Research of Self-Esteem of Youth Using Implicit Association Tests and Self-Reported Procedures

Abstract: Research aim is to investigate self-esteem of young people, using Single-Category Implicit Association Tests (SC-IAT) and self-reported procedures. Research questions: Are there differences between effects of implicit self-associations: performance, social, appearance and general? What factors can describe a set of measured implicit and explicit variables, characterizing self-esteem? Are the results of implicit and explicit measurements independent from each other? What are the features of the contribution of explicit global self-esteem, state self-esteem (performance, social, appearance) and implicit self-associations (performance, social, appearance) into the implicit general self-associations? Is there the compliance of measurement results of self-esteem obtained with SC-IAT and self-reported procedures? Method: Participants – 132, age 18-30 years (M=25.4, SD=4.0). Implicit measures: Modified versions of SC-IAT: SC-IAT_1 (Performance self-associations, D(P)), SC-IAT_2 (Social self-associations, D(S)), SC-IAT_3 (Appearance self-associations, D(A)), SC-IAT_4 (General self-associations, D(SA)), developed on the basis of SC-IAT. Explicit measures: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and State Self-Esteem Scale by Heatherton and Polivy. Results: Partial correspondence of measurements’ results using IAT and self-reported procedures was found. It was found that the main contribution to the General self-associations is made by the Social self-associations, Appearance self-associations and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem. The results of implicit and explicit measurements are independent from each other.

Conflictological culture of personality in a professional environment (by the example of pedagogues and engineers)

Abstract: The levels of conflictological culture of pedagogues and engineers, the peculiarities of its formation as well as the comparison of the conflictological culture’s levels among representatives of these specialties on the base of their gender and work experience are analyzed in the proposed research Each specialist owns a certain level of the conflictological culture’s development and he/she expresses it in a professional environment The relevance of the research’s theme is caused by the necessity to improve conflictological culture of specialists for their further successful activities The Aim of the research is the identification of differences in the levels’ formation of specialists’ conflictological culture by the example of pedagogues and engineers and the influence of such a characteristic as a gender and work experience on it The Object of the research is the process of forming conflictological culture of pedagogues and engineers The Methods of the research are the following:1 the theoretical analysis of scientific literature on the given problem;2the empirical analysis of obtained data reflected the level’s formation of pedagogues and engineers

Research of implicit attitudes towards gambling for gamblers and non-gamblers

Abstract: The importance of studying attitudes towards gambling has been recently recognized in the field of gambling. Research aim is to examine whether non-gamblers and gamblers exhibit both positive and negative implicit attitudes towards gambling-related stimuli. Research questions: (I) What is the valence of implicit associations with gambling among gamblers and non-gamblers? (II) Are the differences in attitudes towards gambling revealed by explicit and implicit methods among gamblers and non–gamblers? (III) Is there a consistency between results obtained by implicit measures and explicit measures of attitude towards gambling? Methods: Participants - 98, age 18-58, Mdn=34 years. Groups: Social Gamblers – 24, Problem Gamblers – 25, Non-Gamblers – 49. Implicit measures: Modified version of Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT). Explicit measures: “Gambling Attitudes and Beliefs (GABS)” and “Gamblers anonymous twenty questions (GA-20)”. Results and Conclusions. (I) Both positive and negative implicit gambling associations were found in each of the groups. (II) Explicit attitudes towards gambling are most pronounced in social gamblers and most not pronounced in non-gamblers. Differences in implicit associations with gambling among the groups were not found. (III) In case of positive implicit associations, a negative correlation between the results of explicit and implicit measurements was found. It is possible that the use of negative implicit associations will contribute to the classification of gamblers with low, moderate and high risk.

An amicable agreement or another form of debt restructuring in insolvency procedure for individuals in latvia

Abstract: The goal of this article is to explore the features of using insolvency proceedings in Latvia and to elaborate on special proposals for modernizing the laws. In the legislation, there has been no prospect from a legal perspective to restructure an individual’s debts. Namely, individuals have no opportunity to use legal protection within the framework of the insolvency proceedings to reach an amicable agreement with creditors, or create another form of debt restructuring. Eliminating this gap in legislation is therefore necessary. In this article, analytical, comparative, historical and deductive methods are used to explore the legal norms that regulate the insolvency proceedings for an individual. The aim is to identify the distinctive features of the proceedings; to analyze the problematic aspects of laws and develop proposals for modernizing the legislation of Latvia in this field. The novelty of this research pertains to it being the first attempt in Latvia to examine the question of legal regulation of insolvency proceedings in complexity, with a practical proposal to improve Latvian legal norms and avoid bankruptcy problems. The outcome of this study includes a proposal to supplement the Act on Insolvency with the Article “Amicable Agreement”, for deciding upon the state of insolvency. This relates to an agreement between the creditors and the debtor to fulfil obligations before an auction of the debtor’s property.

Lifelong education as a key factor of the transformation and development of the human capital’s potential

Abstract: The Actuality of the proposed research is caused by the facts that the rapid development of market relations in the Latvian economy and a high level of life in the “old countries” of the European Union affect the outlook of the majority of young people in Latvia. There is a tendency to reduce the motivation for obtaining fundamental education by giving preference to acquisition of certain professional skills allowed to get ‘quick money”. The Object of the research is the transformation process of students’ beliefs, values, competences, experience during their lifelong learning. The Aim of the research in to analyze the influence of lifelong education on the transformation of students’ beliefs, values, competences and experience. The Methods of the research are the following: 1.theoretical methods: the theoretical analysis of the scientific literature on the given problem; 2.quantitative methods: questionnaires; 3.the empirical analysis of the survey’s answers given by students of Latvian higher and vocational schools about the transformation of their beliefs, values, competences, experience during the process of lifelong learning. The Baltic International Academy (Riga, Latvia), The Latvian Agricultural University and the Jelgava College (Jelgava, Latvia) were used as the experimental Base of the research.

Job satisfaction and basic vital needs satisfaction among working women

Abstract: Due to the achieved formal gender equality, traditional social roles within families have changed – approximately a half of women do not only raise children and run their households, but are working in some profession also. However, women feel themselves more responsible for family issues in comparison with their husbands, and that makes them sacrifice professional and career interests for the sake of family and children.The aim of the research is to investigate the level of job satisfaction and its relation with satisfaction of basic vital needs (according to Maslow's needs pyramid) in working women – single and married.A positive correlation was found between the level of job satisfaction and the level of satisfied material needs and security needs in working women. Some differences were found between single and married working women in levels of job satisfaction: 31% of single working women were satisfied fully by their job (but only 4% of the married). It was shown that the need for communication is correlated neither with job satisfaction nor with civil status of women. The need for recognition was partially satisfied in both women's groups, even in the case of their satisfaction with job. In case of dissatisfaction with job both groups demonstrated dissatisfied need for recognition. The need for self-expression was satisfied partially or dissatisfied in both groups of working women.Generally, all basic vital needs were satisfied on the lower level among married women. So, a presence of work-life imbalance indirectly has been shown in the married women, who have to sacrifice a better paid job for the sake of having more free time for the family. Such rejection of some social roles in working women (moms) has been reported in literature.

Analysis of the Influence of Product Reliability on the Cost Structure of the Manufacturer Performing Warranty Repair of the Released Products

Abstract: We wspolczesnej gospodarce rynkowej kazde przedsiebiorstwo walczy o klienta. Żebyprzyciągnąc i utrzymac klientow, firmy tworzą i rozwijają szeroki wachlarz dodatkowych ofert, ktore sprawiają, ze ich produkty są bardziej atrakcyjne. Są nimi preferencyjne warunki platności, elastyczny system obnizek cen dla klientow zbiorowych i indywidualnych, jak rowniez systemy gwarancji i konserwacji wytwarzanych produktow.