Latent class analysis for segmenting preferences of investment bonds

Market segmentation is a key component of conjoint analysis which addresses consumer preference heterogeneity. Members in a segment are assumed to be homogenous in their views and preferences when worthing an item but distinctly heterogenous to members of other segments. Latent class methodology is one of the several conjoint segmentation procedures that overcome the limitations of aggregate analysis and a-priori segmentation. The main benefit of Latent class models is that market segment membership and regression parameters of each derived segment are estimated simultaneously. The Latent class model presented in this paper uses mixtures of multivariate conditional normal distributions to analyze rating data, where the likelihood is maximized using the EM algorithm. The application focuses on customer preferences for investment bonds described by four attributes; currency, coupon rate, redemption term and price. A number of demographic variables are used to generate segments that are accessible and actionable.peer-reviewe

Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being

[Excerpt] Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being (Older Americans 2010) is the fifth in a series of reports produced by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum) that describe the overall status of the U.S. population age 65 and over. Once again, this report uses data from over a dozen national data sources to construct broad indicators of well-being for the older population and to monitor changes in these indicators over time. By following these data trends, more accessible information will be available to target efforts to improve the lives of older Americans. With the exception of the indicator on nursing home utilization, for which new data are not available at this time, all indicators from the last edition reappear in Older Americans 2010. The Forum hopes that this report will stimulate discussions by policymakers and the public, encourage exchanges between the data and policy communities, and foster improvements in federal data collection on older Americans. By examining a broad range of indicators, researchers, policymakers, service providers, and the federal government can better understand the areas of well-being that are improving for older Americans and the areas of well-being that require more attention and effort

Enhancing project-related behavioral competence in education

The workforce has increasingly been demanding an educational model that produces students experienced in real project management (PM) practices. This includes producing technically competent students--one who can manage real-world project constraints of cost and schedule but also possess critical project related behavioral competence. Such soft skills are essential if a project is to run smoothly and eventually succeed. In this paper, we describe an educational framework grounded in outcomes based education to enhance project-related behavioral competence. Instructors can leverage this framework to augment their existing courses and develop the critical career skill sets of graduating students

Older Americans Update 2006: Key Indicators of Well-Being

[Exerpt] As the baby boom generation anticipates retirement, a growing proportion of older Americans are in fact remaining in the workforce. Labor force participation rates for older women have increased significantly since the mid-1980s, and for older men, since the mid-1990s, according to an updated report from the government\u27s Federal Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. The labor force statistics are among several updated facts and figures in the Forum\u27s databook series on aging

Selected Indicators of Retirement Resources Among People Aged 55-64: 1984, 1994, 2004

[Excerpt] As the leading edge of the baby boom approaches retirement age, policy makers and the public are asking, “How will people approaching age 65 fare in retirement, particularly compared to previous generations?” Although this is a difficult question to answer, some insight can be gained by comparing the retirement resources of people who are 55–-64 today to those of earlier generations. Selected Indicators of Retirement Resources Among People Aged 55–-64:1984, 1994, and 2004 (Retirement Resources), produced by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum), used national data to provide a comparison of select measures of retirement resources among people aged 55-–64 in 2004 to the resources of earlier cohorts in 1984 and 1994. Retirement Resources focuses primarily on two areas –– measures of economic resources that comprise retirement income (Social Security benefits, financial wealth and assets, and occupational pension income) and insurance against health care risk (the availability of employer-provided health insurance that continues after retirement; the purchase of long-term care insurance; and the availability of adult children for informal care). This report is not intended to be a comprehensive study of retirement resources among people nearing retirement; in particular, it does not include important areas such as health status, lifestyle behavior, health care utilization, and/or health care costs. Instead, the report highlights similarities and differences in retirement income and insurance against health care risks among three different cohorts. Retirement Resources differs from other Forum reports in that it focuses on the population nearing age 65, rather than those who are already age 65 and over. Recognizing that decisions people make before they retire can play a major role in how well prepared they are for retirement, the Forum has compared retirement resources across three cohorts of people aged 55–-64 to show how the needs of older people in the future may differ from the needs of older people today

Work-related psychological health and psychological type among lead elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom

Building on a series of recent studies concerned with assessing work-related psychological health and psychological type among various groups of church leaders, this study reports new data provided by 134 Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) together with the two scales of the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI) concerned with emotional exhaustion and satisfaction in ministry. Compared with other groups of church leaders, Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion and higher levels of satisfaction in ministry. Compared with other groups of church leaders, there was a higher proportion of extraverts among Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches. There was only a weak association between psychological type and burnout