Showing papers on "Quality (business) published in 1978"
3,258 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model of a single market in which goods of different qualities are sold and sellers advertise is presented, where buyers react plausibly but not optimally to experience gained by purchasing and to sellers' advertising.
Abstract: This essay presents a model of a single market in which goods of different qualities are sold and sellers advertise. Sellers advertise noncooperatively, knowing rivals' outlays and buyers' behavior patterns. Buyers react plausibly but not optimally to experience gained by purchasing and to sellers' advertising. Various properties of equilibria are analyzed. For some parameter values, the lowest-quality brands have the largest equilibrium market shares, advertising budgets, and profits. This is especially likely if buyers' behavior indicates confidence that better brands spend more on advertising.
420 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a Cobb-Douglas production function is modified so that unionization is included as a variable and the resulting functional form is similar to that used to isolate the effect of worker quality in previous studies.
Abstract: In order to estimate the effects of unions on worker productivity, a Cobb-Douglas production function is modified so that unionization is included as a variable The resulting functional form is similar to that used to isolate the effect of worker quality in previous studies Using state by two-digit SIC observations for US manufacturing, unionization is found to have a substantial positive effect on output per worker However, this result depends on two important assumptions which we cannot verify directly; attempts to relax these assumptions are not conclusive
398 citations
248 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the possibility of quality certification as an alternative to exit from the market in such situations and examine the economic properties of the quality certification process, which unravels from the top down.
Abstract: In markets with qualitative uncertainty, pricing on the basis of average quality will be unattractive to participants whose products are above average in quality. This note examines the possibility of quality certification as an alternative to exit from the market in such situations. Examples dealing with labor market uncertainties illustrate the economic properties of the quality certification process, which unravels from the top down. The economic motivations and patterns of this form of price discrimination are similar to those encountered in standard "lemons" models.
211 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1978
TL;DR: Theories of schooling and society: The Functional And Conflict Paradigms 3. Explanations of the Expansion of Schooling 4. Schooling and Equality of Opportunity 5. Explaining Unequal Achievement: School Quality and the IQ Controversy 6. Do Schools Reinforce Inequality? 7. What Schools Teach: Problems of Cultural Transmission 8. Schools as Organizations: Problems with Order, Control, and Motivation 9. Conclusion: The Limits and Possibilities of SchoolING Bibliography Index.
Abstract: Preface 1. The Sociological Approach To Schooling 2. Theories of Schooling and Society: The Functional And Conflict Paradigms 3. Explanations of the Expansion of Schooling 4. Schooling and Equality of Opportunity 5. Explaining Unequal Achievement: School Quality and the IQ Controversy 6. Do Schools Reinforce Inequality? 7. What Schools Teach: Problems of Cultural Transmission 8. Schools as Organizations: Problems of Order, Control, and Motivation 9. Conclusion: The Limits and Possibilities of Schooling Bibliography Index
176 citations
TL;DR: In this article, it was hypothesized that approach toward an environment and the desire to affiliate there are influenced by the emotion-eliciting quality of that environment, and two studies were conducted with undergraduates.
Abstract: It was hypothesized that approach toward an environment and the desire to affiliate there are influenced by the emotion-eliciting quality of that environment. In two studies, undergraduates (N = 20...
175 citations
01 Jan 1978
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a relationship between quality and uncertainty in the automotive market and use the automobile market as a finger exercise to illustrate and develop these thoughts. But this market is chosen for its concreteness and ease in understanding rather than for its importance or realism.
Abstract: Publisher Summary
This chapter presents a relationship between quality and uncertainty. The existence of goods of many grades poses interesting and important problems for the theory of markets. There are many markets in which buyers use some market statistic to judge the quality of prospective purchases. It is perceived that in these markets, social and private returns differ, and therefore, in some cases, governmental intervention may increase the welfare of all parties. The automobile market is used as a finger exercise to illustrate and develop these thoughts. This market is chosen for its concreteness and ease in understanding rather than for its importance or realism.
145 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors defined the user-perceived quality of interactive systems in terms of statistically nonoverlapping categories, so-called dimensions or factors, identified by factor analysis.
Abstract: User-perceived quality of interactive systems is defined in terms of statistically nonoverlapping categories, so-called dimensions or factors Categories are identified by factor analysis and represent a dimensional concept of the quality of interactive systems as perceived by its users. Each category describes essential user requirements.
10 May 1978
TL;DR: Categories are identified by factor analysis and represent a dimensional concept of the quality of interactive systems as perceived by its users, which describes essential user requirements.
Abstract: User-perceived quality of interactive systems is defined in terms of statistically non-overlapping categories, so-called dimensions or factors. Categories are identified by factor analysis and represent a dimensional concept of the quality of interactive systems as perceived by its users. Each category describes essential user requirements.This paper reports on a method and some initial results in the analysis of user-perceived quality of interactive systems. It is based on research work described in more detail elsewhere7.The methodology of approach is suitable for software requirements definition and human factors engineering.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The teacher has a peculiar responsibility for the conduct of the interactions and intercommunications which are the very life of the group as a community, and it is absurd to exclude the teacher from membership in the group.
Abstract: The principle that development of experience comes about through interaction means that education is essentially a social process. This quality is realized in the degree in which individuals form a community group. It is absurd to exclude the teacher from membership in the group. As the most mature member of the group he has a peculiar responsibility for the conduct of the interactions and intercommunications which are the very life of the group as a community.*
TL;DR: In this article, the authors distinguished quality of graduates from quality of education, which is renamed "efficiency of education" and defined the first concept in a quantitative manner, the second by way of a set of 66 statements concerning the efficiency of education derived from judgements about the effectiveness of particular teaching methods in the achievement of different types of teaching objectives.
Abstract: In this paper “quality of graduates” is distinguished from “quality of education”, which is renamed “efficiency of education”. The first concept is defined in a quantitative manner, the second by way of a set of 66 statements concerning the efficiency of education derived from judgements about the effectiveness of particular teaching methods in the achievement of different types of teaching objectives.
TL;DR: In this article, an intermediate-level model of the earnings process is presented, which contains a job-quality equation, a research-output equation, and an earnings equation, in which research output and job quality enter causally.
Abstract: Our model of the earnings process contains (1) a job-quality equation which describes the type of academic job one obtains; (2) a research-output equation; and (3) an earnings equation, in which research output and job quality enter causally. Underlying this model of the earnings process is, of course, a more fundamental set of relationships that is, a set of demand, supply, and production functions which reflect utility maximization on the part of market participants. The model we develop is an intermediatelevel model, more refined than a single-equation approach but not as complete as one based on demand, supply, and production considerations and not as complete as we would like.1 A more complete model would also have separate production functions for teaching, public service, and departmental administrative outputs. The model presented here permits testing several hypotheses. In the job-quality equation (1), the quality of institutional affiliation of a particular economist that is, his or her "job quality" is hypothesized to be determined primarily by (a) the individual's characteristics, such as intelli-
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of congestion on recreational behavior within a household production model of consumer behavior were examined for both remote and developed camping activities, and it was found that congestion was most likely to affect the decision to participate and not the level once that decision had been made.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a model to analyze properties of demand functions for the quantity and quality of physicians' services and apply the model to study the demand for pediatric care.
Abstract: When the quality of a good varies, quantity in physical units may be a very misleading measure of total consumption. In this paper it is argued that differences in quality are a distinguishing feature of the market for physicians' services. We develop a model to analyze properties of demand functions for the quantity and quality of physicians' services and apply the model to study the demand for pediatric care--physicians' services rendered to children. The theoretical model of quantity-quality substitution provides a framework for demand analysis whenever the market for a good is distinguished by a quality component.
TL;DR: A longitudinal analysis of changes in adaptation associated with seeking help on a representative sample of Chicago area adults who had experienced one of three transitions or four crises during the interval between 1972 and follow-up 1976--77 interviews finds no evidence that help-seeking has positive adaptive consequences.
Abstract: This study reports on a longitudinal analysis of changes in adaptation associated with seeking help on a representative sample of Chicago area adults who had experienced one of three transitions or four crises during the interval between 1972 and follow-up 1976--77 interviews. For each event, respondents are classified into three groups according to their help-seeking behavior: those who went to professionals, those who went only to their social networks, and those who had the event but sought no help. Nine measures of adaptation are used: symptoms of anxiety and depression and strains and stresses in four role areas. Statistical controls equate the groups on demographic characteristics, perceived stress, personal resources, access to help, and elapsed time since the event. There are no consistent statistical significant differences among the groups. No evidence is found that help-seeking has positive adaptive consequences. The findings are not likely to result from an inadequate sample, outcome measures, or statistical controls, but could result from insufficient information on the kind, quality, and duration of the help provided.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report that high quality planning is associated with a high level of performance, as measured by improvement in profits, rates of return on invested capital and rates of increase in total funds employed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider the production activity of cities in identifying the supply of labor and use a rich set of environmental attributes to develop new estimates of the hedonic prices for urban amenities.
Abstract: AS consumers choose among cities, they may trade off higher earnings against differences in the consumption of environmental goods. Commuter travel time, crime and air quality, the quality of educational and health facilities, each may involve unpurchased environmental goods. Decisions about -the consumption of such goods are made simultaneously with the choice of city of residence. By examining the compensating earnings differentials relative to differences in environmental goods across cities, one can estimate hedonic prices for each environmental attribute. The hedonic prices may be useful in valuing the benefit of environmental improvement, and as weights in constructing an index of the quality of life, as Tobin and Nordhaus (1972) propose. By relating the index of the quality of life to city size, something may be learned about the effect of urban growth on the quality of life. This method is a substantial improvement over the index of Liu (1975). Previous efforts to estimate these hedonic prices by Izraeli (1974) and by Hoch and Drake (1974) have been unsatisfying for several reasons. First, they model only the consumer side, while ignoring the possibility that differences in productivity may influence wage determination. Thus, they do not indicate the conditions necessary for their equations to be identified. Second, they do not include variables representative of a wide range of environmental attributes. Exclusion of important categories of environmental attributes may unduly bias the estimates. Hoch and Drake (1974), for example, focus on climate while ignoring many other environmental attributes. Third, if one includes a wide array of environmental attributes, one is confronted with a serious multicollinearity problem. Kelley (1977) takes explicit account of the demand side of the labor market in estimating hedonic prices for amenities. His analysis, however, does not account for differences in the cost of living in different cities, apparently assuming that all goods are traded in national markets. In addition, Kelley does not account for differences in labor force quality in different cities. This essay considers the production activity of cities in identifying the supply of labor. A rich set of environmental attributes is then used to develop new estimates of the hedonic prices for urban amenities.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether other informational cues-specifically, product price and country of manufacture-influence the industrial buyer's perception of product quality and found that these cues have important implications for industrial marketing managers as well as for professional purchasing managers.
Abstract: P RODUCT QUALITY has long been recognized as one product attribute of great importance in the buying process. Both consumers and industrial buyers must decide whether the quality of a given product will satisfy their particular buying requirement. It is difficult to discuss industrial marketing without focusing on the concept of product quality. 1 In industrial organizations, product specifications represent one way of dealing with the assessment of minimum levels of required product quality. The question to be investigated in this article is whether other informational cues-specifically, product price and country of manufacture-influence the industrial buyer's perception of product quality. Findings of this research have important implications for industrial marketing managers as well as for professional purchasing managers.
01 Jan 1978
Posted Content•
TL;DR: Kirzner as discussed by the authors argues that "it is more useful to look to price theory to help understand how the decisions of individual participants in the market interact to generate the market forces which compel changes in prices, outputs, and methods of production and in the allocation of resources".
Abstract: Stressing verbal logic rather than mathematics, Israel M. Kirzner provides at once a thorough critique of contemporary price theory, an essay on the theory of entrepreneurship, and an essay on the theory of competition. Competition and Entrepreneurship offers a new appraisal of quality competition, of selling effort, and of the fundamental weaknesses of contemporary welfare economics. Kirzner's book establishes a theory of the market and the price system which differs from orthodox price theory. He sees orthodox price theory as explaining the configuration of prices and quantities that satisfied the conditions for equilibrium. Mr. Kirzner argues that "it is more useful to look to price theory to help understand how the decisions of individual participants in the market interact to generate the market forces which compel changes in prices, outputs, and methods of production and in the allocation of resources." Although Competition and Entrepreneurship is primarily concerned with the operation of the market economy, Kirzner's insights can be applied to crucial aspects of centrally planned economic systems as well. In the analysis of these processes, Kirzner clearly shows that the rediscovery of the entrepreneur must emerge as a step of major importance.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the literature on the long and short-term relationships between energy and the quality of life as measured by commonly used indicators such as health, economic well-being, crime and suicide statistics, and general satisfaction.
Abstract: This paper is organized around three tasks: (a) to review the literature on the long- and short-term relationships between energy and the quality of life as measured by commonly used indicators such as health, economic well being, crime and suicide statistics, and general satisfaction; (b) to discuss use of the term life-styles as a prelude to discussing the relation between energy, life-styles, and social organization; and (c) to comment on how such understanding is relevant to the development of energy policies that origi nate from a user rather than a producer perspective and that are concerned with the purposes for which energy is used to improve the human condition. There are contrary positions that may serve as starting points in our discussions. First, there is the contradiction between the now traditional view that more energy and new sources of energy will improve our lives, and the observation that a decline in the quality of life indicators has accompanied great energy growth. A second contradiction deals with be