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Showing papers on "Quality (business) published in 1968"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although management assumes a relationship between price and quality when making decisions about pricing and when acting against price cutting within distribution channels, little research on this relationship has been conducted as discussed by the authors, and little research has been done on the relationship between quality and price.
Abstract: Although management assumes a relationship between price and quality when making decisions about pricing and when acting against price cutting within distribution channels, little research on this ...

131 citations




Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The problems of self-learning are discussed, and a general method of solving these problems is described, and the ideas of optimal algorithms which minimize the proposed performance criteria are found.
Abstract: The problems of self-learning are discussed, and a general method of solving these problems is described. Performance criteria for evaluating the quality of self-learning are given, and the algorithms for self-learning which minimize the proposed performance criteria are found. The ideas of optimal algorithms are introduced. In the conclusion, the special nature of the problems of self-learning is discussed.

57 citations


Proceedings ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1968
TL;DR: In the absence of specific, applicable quantitative measurement tools there exists no means of defining the desired level of quality in a computer program, where quality is considered as something beyond correct program functioning, nor of ascertaining whether the desiredlevel has been achieved.
Abstract: A black-box approach typifies current software quality assurance procedures: a program is good it it satisfies certain operating specifications. While it is common to manage the development of software under quality assurance systems previously devised for hardware, the tools of measurement are not transferable owing to the very basic differences in the nature of hardware and software. In the absence of specific, applicable quantitative measurement tools there exists no means of defining the desired level of quality in a computer program, where quality is considered as something beyond correct program functioning, nor of ascertaining whether the desired level has been achieved. A user should be able to specify precisely how good a product he wishes to buy, such things as how easy the program should be to run production with and how easily it can be modified. Rarely can the user even discuss these factors, much less specify the extent of their importance to him.

57 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article found that teachers' salaries were not significantly related to the output measures of quality, while factors exogenous to the local school system-factors reflecting socioeconomic characteristics of the communities in which the school systems were located-were observed to have a significant effect upon quality.
Abstract: Studies analyzing expenditures for public education have used a variety of inputs into the educational process as proxies for the quality of education. This study attempts to isolate some of the inputs which do, in fact, have an effect upon educational quality. To accomplish this, output measures of quality were derived from a sample of 5,000 West Virginia University students who had graduated from high schools within the state. The results show that only one of the input variables examined, teachers' salaries, was significantly related to the output measures of quality. In addition, factors exogenous to the local school system-factors reflecting socioeconomic characteristics of the communities in which the school systems were located-were observed to have a significant effect upon quality. The results give rise to dual conclusions. First, input variables seem to be imprecise measures of educational quality. Second, the empirical evidence provides some support for the contention that the quality of education may be improved by offering higher salaries to teachers.

50 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Dec 1968-Isis
TL;DR: May as discussed by the authors analyzed the entire literature in FIGURE 1 and showed that a small sample consisting of all publications on one topic has the decisive advantage of revealing the interrelationships between papers and the contrasts between the genetic patterns of an entire discipline.
Abstract: To analyze the entire literature in FIGURE 1. Cumulative totals of the entire detail is beyond individual resources, mathematical literature N (right scale) and of but some hints can be obtained from determinants D (left scale). The scale for N a small sample. Randomized choice has been contracted by a factor of 100. Both might yield examples with \"typical\" curves are smoothed but fit the data very individual characteristics, but a closely. sample consisting of all publications on one topic has the decisive advantage of revealing the interrelationships between papers and the contrasts between the genetic patterns of an entire discipline and of * University of Toronto. Bibliographic paper has been filmed by the Mathematical search was supported by the Penrose Fund Association of America under the title \"Who of the American Philosophical Society, counts Killed Determinants?\" and is distributed by and calculations by the Society of Sigma Xi. Modern Learning Aids. The National Science Foundation and Office 1 For the derivation of the curve and furof Education provided partial support for ther details see K. O. May, \"Quantitative my historical research during 1964-1966. A Growth of the Mathematical Literature,\" lecture based on an earlier version of this Science, 1966, 154 (No. 3757): 1672-1673.

32 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Scientific and technical exhibits exist in a profusion of types, styles, sizes, and designs to impart knowledge about various technical subjects and/or to change the attitudes of the viewers in a favorable direction toward science, its people, and its institutions.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION Scientific and technical exhibits exist in a profusion of types, styles, sizes, and designs However, their underlying purpose is generally the same--to impart knowledge about various technical subjects and/or to change the attitudes of the viewers in a favorable direction toward science, its people, and its institutions Such exhibits are considered by many to be a uniquely appropriate and effective means of narrowing the gap between the sophisticated world of modern science and technology and the "everyday" world of that abstraction we call the general public

28 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine carefully the problem of determining a numerical measure which reflects the quality of the population apportionment in a legislative body, and eventually arrive at a measure which superficially seems somewhat esoteric, but which turns out ultimately to be easily interpretable.
Abstract: This paper attempts to examine carefully the problem of determining a numerical measure which reflects the quality of the population apportionment in a legislative body. We desire a single index, an index which takes advantage of the available population data, and an index which is readily understood. It should be said that we are not concerned with the much more difficult problem of legislative districting—actually drawing district boundaries on a map—but concentrate our attention only on the quality of apportionment in the particular, but important, sense of population equality. In order to accomplish this purpose I review a number of increasingly complex possibilities and eventually arrive at a measure which superficially seems somewhat esoteric, but which turns out ultimately to be easily interpretable. It will be convenient to proceed heuristically with the development by carrying along a small concrete example. For this purpose, consider the six congressional districts of Connecticut.

15 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a regression approach is presented to the problem of extracting the influences of quality change on price and a price index for new farm tractors is calculated which allows for considerable, post-war, quality improvements in the input.
Abstract: Because of the many uses of price indices it is important that they be corrected for quality change. This paper presents a regression approach to the problem of extracting the influences of quality change on price and a price index for new farm tractors is calculated which allows for the considerable, post-war, quality improvements in the input. The results indicate that whilst the average price of tractors has risen rapidly over the post-war period, the true (constant quality) price has shown only a small increase. Some implications of these results are put forward—particularly with regard to the measurement of gross investment and capital stock, and to the importance of input quality change in explaining increasing agricultural productivity over time. Finally, firm level decision making leads to the observed changes over time in the quality demanded of an input: some consideration is given to the place of factor quality selection in firm theory.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a case study of the ways in which income differences between two outlying residential areas of Leeds affect the quantity and quality of shopping facilities found within them is presented.
Abstract: A case study is presented of the ways in which income differences between two outlying residential areas of Leeds affect the quantity and quality of shopping facilities found within them. Cursory a...


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reveal distinct cycles directly related to the major military conflicts of the twentieth century which had an important impact on the quantity and quality of British aircraft production, and suggest that these cycles may have relevance for other countries and other industries.
Abstract: This study reveals distinct cycles directly related to the major military conflicts of the twentieth century which had an important impact on the quantity and quality of British aircraft production. The author also suggests that these cycles may have relevance for other countries and other industries.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of success and failure in a complex decision-making task on subjective estimates of information quality was investigated, and it was found that quality initially is perceived to improve.
Abstract: The effect of experimentally-induced success and failure in a complex decision-making task on subjective estimates of infor­ mation quality was obtained for information relevant to Ss' own decision-making area and that of a marginal group member. It was found that quality initially is perceived to improve. Estimates of quality for success and failure conditions do not differ until success and failure levels are quite high. Once high levels of success are reached, Ss in the success condition consider information was further improving, while Ss in failure conditions maintain previous perceptions. The implications of this result for complexity theory are considered. Considerable research has been concerned with the effect of information on human behavior. Implicitly some of the work has dealt directly with the effect of information quality. For instance, from the view of information theory (e.g., Attneave, 1959), an amount of information that reduces uncertainty to a particular degree can be viewed as possessing "quality." In other words, information communicating a bite of information would be of higher quality than information communicating a bit of infor­ mation. Similarly, information levels that produce optimal integrative information processing characteristics (Driver & Streufert, 1966; Schroder, Driver, & Streufert, 1967) might be seen as possessing greater quality than information levels that produce less than optimal integrative information processing. Such conceptualizations of information quality, although based on subject performance, are experimenter defined. What, however, is the S's perception of information quality? A partial attempt to answer that question is made in this paper. Streufert & Streufert (1968) have recently demonstrated that groups of Ss exposed to increasing failure conditions attribute as much cause, to their own decisions as they credit to an opponent's decisions when they are asked to explain the basis of their present (failure) situation. These estimates of causality do not change over different failure levels. However, Ss in increasing success condi­ tions tend to attribute more and more causality to their own decisions. If attributions of quality to information would follow similar patterns, then one might expect that under high success condi­ tions, Ss would consider information to be of higher quality than they would under low success, or low and high failure conditions. If, on the other hand, information quality perceptions are structurally determined (Driver & Streufert, 1966; Schroder et ai, 1967), no differences between success and failure conditions should emerge. In this research the effect of increasing failure and increasing success on perceived information quality is investigated. In addition to estimates of information quality concerning the S's own decision area, estimates of quality for information relevant to the decisions of a marginal group member are obtained. Subjects and Task. Thirty-six paid undergraduate male volunteers from an eastern state university were placed into 18 two-man decision-making teams. The Ss were instructed to act as equal rank decision makers in a simulated internation game situation. (The setting is discussed in detail in Streufert, K1iger, Cast ore, & Driver, 1967.) Each team was given the task of making military, economic, intelligence, and negotiation decisions regarding an international conflict situation with some Vietnam characteristics. Teams were told that they were playing a game against another team which supposedly had been instructed to oppose them. All functions of the "enemy team" were pre-programmed and performed by the Es. Consequences of the



01 May 1968
TL;DR: In this article, the same method of design can be used for a wide range of problems, including the most computationally intensive problems, as well as a wide variety of other problems.
Abstract: THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE MAJOR FACTORS CONCERNED IN MIX DESIGN ARE CLEARLY INDICATED ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF RECENT RESEARCH. ONCE THE BASIC CONCEPTS ARE FULLY UNDERSTOOD IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE SAME METHOD OF DESIGN CAN BE USED FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF CONCRETES AND MATERIALS. DIFFERENT TYPES OF CEMENT, FINE AGGREGATE AND COARSE AGGREGATE ARE READILY INCLUDED IN DESIGN FOR THE MOST ECONOMICAL CONCRETE. FURTHERMORE, DESIGN CAN BE BASED ON EITHER ACCURATE LABORATORY DATA OR COMPARATIVE AND VISUAL ESTIMATES AS CONSIDERED NECESSARY. MANY OF THE OBSERVATIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE FROM PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE CAN NOW BE ASSESSED BOTH QUANTITATIVELY AND RATIONALLY BY REFERENCE TO THE DESIGN RELATIONSHIPS. /AUTHOR/



Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of efficient pricing of an efficient amount of highway capacity is presented, taking into account peak and stochastic demand and USERS' diversity of preference for preference.
Abstract: A STUDY OF EFFICIENT PRICING OF AN EFFICIENT AMOUNT OF HIGHWAY CAPACITY, TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION PEAKED AND STOCHASTIC DEMAND AND USERS' DIVERSITY OF PREFERENCES FOR QUALITY. /A/RRL/


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the steps in the creative process and the quality of the process in individual children, rather than the products of that process, and found that there was no one right answer to any of the questions posed.
Abstract: no one right answer, the possibilities for creative thinking increase accordingly. In the present study, tests, and accompanying experimental training program, there was no one right answer to any of the questions posed. What was being studied were the steps in the creative process and the quality of the process in individual children, rather than the products of that process. The investigator sought to test the following hypothesis: As measured by the author’s tests of creative problem solving, an experimental group of third and sixth grade pupils will produce significantly more responses of an abstract nature after exposure to


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of the milking machine on milk quality are discussed and an approach to the problem of machine design is suggested. But, it is pointed out that the requirements for high quality milk production may contradict the needs of the farmer with a large herd who is short of labour.
Abstract: Advisory officers and milking machine manufacturers have, in the past, criticised scientists on the ground, it is claimed, that no attempt is made to describe developments associated with farming in terms which can be understood by intelligent laymen. This article deals with the specific problem of the effects of the milking machine on milk quality. It suggests one approach to the problem of machine design. There may well be other solutions which have not yet been explored. It is realised that the requirements for high quality milk production may contradict the needs of the farmer with a large herd who is short of labour. There is also the problem of mastitis. These aspects will be examined in later articles in the series, with the thought that, out of an up-to-date consideration of all the problems involved, a working solution will emerge which will be economical, efficient and available to New Zealand farmers.



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Bell System has committed itself to provide educational and employment programs for the disadvantaged in many cities throughout the United States as mentioned in this paper, and to indicate some of the possibilities, Mr Gilmer outlines a number of the programs developed by members of the Bell System.