University of Mannheim

About: University of Mannheim is a education organization based out in Mannheim, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & European union. The organization has 4448 authors who have published 12918 publications receiving 446557 citations. The organization is also known as: Uni Mannheim & UMA.

A multigrid platform for real-time motion computation with discontinuity-preserving variational methods

Abstract: Variational methods are among the most accurate techniques for estimating the optic flow. They yield dense flow fields and can be designed such that they preserve discontinuities, estimate large displacements correctly and perform well under noise and varying illumination. However, such adaptations render the minimisation of the underlying energy functional very expensive in terms of computational costs: Typically one or more large linear or nonlinear equation systems have to be solved in order to obtain the desired solution. Consequently, variational methods are considered to be too slow for real-time performance. In our paper we address this problem in two ways: (i) We present a numerical framework based on bidirectional multigrid methods for accelerating a broad class of variational optic flow methods with different constancy and smoothness assumptions. Thereby, our work focuses particularly on regularisation strategies that preserve discontinuities. (ii) We show by the examples of five classical and two recent variational techniques that real-time performance is possible in all cases¯even for very complex optic flow models that offer high accuracy. Experiments show that frame rates up to 63 dense flow fields per second for image sequences of size 160 x 120 can be achieved on a standard PC. Compared to classical iterative methods this constitutes a speedup of two to four orders of magnitude.

Public Opinion and Executive Compensation

Abstract: We investigate whether public opinion influences the level and structure of executive compensation. During 1992--2008, the negativity of press coverage of chief executive officer (CEO) pay varied significantly, with stock options being the most criticized pay component. We find that after more negative press coverage of CEO pay, firms reduce option grants and increase less contentious types of pay such as salary, although overall compensation does not change. The reduction in option pay after increased press negativity is more pronounced when firms, CEOs, and boards have stronger reputation concerns. Our within-firm, within-year identification shows the results cannot be explained by annual changes in accounting rules regarding executive compensation, stock market conditions, or pay mean reversion. This paper was accepted by Brad Barber, finance.

Workaholism and daily recovery : a day reconstruction study of leisure activities

Abstract: This study among 85 individuals used a day reconstruction approach to examine whether workaholism moderates the relationship between daily activities during non-work time and daily well-being in the evening (evening happiness, momentary vigor before bedtime, and momentary recovery before bedtime). Specifically, it was hypothesized that daily work-related activities during the evening have a stronger negative relationship with daily well-being for employees high (versus low) in workaholism and that daily physical and social activities have a stronger positive relationship with well-being for employees high (versus low) in workaholism. The results of multilevel analyses largely supported the hypotheses for daily physical and work-related activities but not for social activities during non-work time. These findings imply that organizations should not encourage their employees and particularly those who score high on workaholism to work during non-work time and instead promote physical exercise.

Investigating the relationship between product involvement and consumer decision‐making styles

Abstract: Recently, a number of studies have investigated consumer decision-making styles (CDMS) and their importance to consumer behaviour research. However, research designs suggested to date are mainly replications of a study by Sproles and Kendall (1986) proposing eight mental characteristics, the so-called Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI). The CSI has been applied across cultures, but without critically examining its validity and reliability. A major concern is the postulated product independence of CSI. The aim of this study is to further develop this approach, to apply it to different product categories and to investigate the relationship between product involvement and CDMS. In doing so, we conducted a survey in Great Britain and Germany, and analysed the data using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Not only did we demonstrate that there is a relationship between products and CDMS, but also that CDMS are governed by consumers' perceived product involvement. Important implications for marketing practice can be derived. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.