Brand Reputation and Product Recall

Every year, firms make numerous announcements to recall products that are deemed unsafe or defective. These recalls pose a significant threat to a firm\u27s brand reputation. The strong, negative reactions of consumers and the media to the recalls initiated by Toyota in 2010 show how fragile brands are in the wake of a recall. Firms spend a great amount of resources on building strong brands and it is unclear how such brands influence the firm\u27s decision to announce a recall and the consumer\u27s decision to return the recalled product. The objective of this dissertation is to shed some light on these subjects through two essays. The first essay focuses on the role of brands on the firm\u27s recall timing decision whereas the second essay focuses on the role of brands on the consumer\u27s product return decision. The findings from both studies have important implications for managers and policy makers regarding the management of product recalls

Defense Contractor Profit

This research seeks to achieve two objectives: 1) to provide a comprehensive survey of research related to defense contractor profitability, and 2) to conduct an updated analysis of such profitability. No previous comprehensive survey of the topic was found in the academic literature. Therefore, the provision of such a survey may significantly benefit future researchers. A paucity of recent defense contractor profit research related was identified; only one published study analyzed data after 2000 and none used data more recent than 2010. This research reconciles the gap in recent defense contractor profit studies via objective two. Panel data analysis is employed to examine the profitability of defense contractors between 2009 and 2018. The relationship between contractor influence in the defense marketplace and profits from defense business is explored as well as the relationship between contractor operating risk and defense business profits. Additionally, the relationship between defense contractor profitability and the percentage of total sales attributed to defense (versus commercial sales) is investigated. Neither contractor influence, nor risk was found to have a moderating effect on defense business profits. The empirical evidence did however indicate a positive relationship between contractor profitability and the percentage of total sales from defense business

History and Theory of Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis (NIRS)

The use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as an analytical technique has evolved greatly since it was first demonstrated to be a viable method of obtaining molecular compositional information from the “scanning” of a sample. Potential applications of the technology envisioned by early pioneers in the field have been realized or exceeded time after time, and it has now become a very broadly applied means of instrumental analysis. It is worth recalling the historical progression of the technology and the fact that the earliest applications were developed to meet the challenges of agricultural product analysis. In particular, forage analysis is one of the areas where the advantages and possibilities made development of systems dedicated to overcoming the challenges well worth the effort, and helped usher in innovations that could be more widely used in other areas. Various attributes of the technology combine or individually lend themselves to development of systems that can be routinely used for rapid multiconsitiuent analysis, with either limited or no sample preparation. When developed to their ultimate potential, such systems can be utilized with littleto-no understanding of the underlying principles. In many cases a user can simply “scan” a sample using the NIRS “black box” and obtain results on a computer screen or in a printout in less time than it would take to write them down in a notebook. However, an understanding of how NIRS works, and the inherent theoretical capabilities and limitations of what it can do, will give the user a deeper appreciation for the technology and a basis for ensuring that it is operating properly and being optimally utilized

The Relationship Between Debt to GDP and the Wealth Gap

The debt to GDP ratio has been used as a key indicator for economists, governments and investors as a general measure of a country\u27s ability to repay debt. The primary focus of our analysis was to see if there was correlation between the United States debt to GDP ratio and the wealth gap. We found this topic to be highly interesting and theoretical about the current social and political structure of the world today. According to Ray Dalio the founder of Bridgewater Associates the wealth gap today is at levels that have not been seen since 1935. He also states that along with the increasing wealth gap there is an increase in populist movements amongst the country, which was also the case in times before World War 2. We were highly interested in these claims and decided to investigate further. Although we will not be able to conduct any regressions on the claims of increased populism, we are able to analyze the current situation of the American wealth gap. To conduct our study we decided that to obtain an accurate measure of the wealth gap, we would need independent variables for the share of wealth obtained by the top 1% of all Americans, and the share of wealth owned by the bottom 50% of all Americans. Our initial prediction was that a larger debt to GDP ratio would increase the wealth gap. We ran a series of regressions to test this hypothesis. We then found statistically significant information to back up our hypothesis. Multicollinearity was present in our regression analysis but limited to a minimal amount

A statistical analysis of Norges Bank’s forecasts

In this paper, we perform a statistical analysis of the forecasting properties of Norges Bank’s macroeconomic forecasts in the period 1998 – 2019. As a part of the analysis we assess Norges Bank’s forecasts against similar forecasts by Statistics Norway and forecasts from simple models. The review shows that Norges Bank’s projections have stood up well compared with Statistics Norway’s projections and have generally been better than forecasts from simple models, especially in the short run. The projections were for the most part unbiased, but for wages and CPI inflation adjusted for tax changes and excluding energy prices (CPI-ATE), the projections were too high one and two years ahead. The productivity growth projections were too high at all horizons. Exchange rate projections based on "random walk" models were better than Norges Bank’s projections.publishedVersio

Which patient experiences are you capturing? Investigating differences in patient experience drivers by race/ethnicity and survey mode

To address existing disparities in healthcare for underserved populations, healthcare providers and policymakers need to understand how the experiences of these patients differ to take meaningful action. In this study, we examine whether drivers of patient experiences (PX) for underserved populations vary. Using data from the 2018 and 2019 CAHPS Adult PCMH/Adult Primary Care 6 Month (n = 166,349), we examine differences in the importance of PX drivers - effective communication, helpful and courteous staff, timely appointments, and providers’ use of information - across underserved patients. We further examine whether different survey modes compound the observed differences. The findings show that there is significant variation in PX drivers across underserved patients, such that Asian American patients place less importance on effective communication and timely appointments but more emphasis on helpful and courteous staff than the average patient. In contrast, Black or African American patients place a higher importance on timely appointments. We observe additional differences when survey modes are taken into consideration, implying that for underserved populations the way in which patient feedback is collected matters. Taken together, the results from this study highlight the need to not only examine the overall PX for patients of underserved populations but understand which drivers matter. Moreover, our findings imply the need to make various survey modes available to capture patient feedback in a way that is responsive to the needs of each of these populations so that a representative sample is collected as survey mode significantly moderates the PX captured. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Connective TissueIAcidic Phosphate Preblends In Low Fat, High Added-Water Frankfurters

Preblending modified beef connective tissue with an acidic phosphate has been shown to increase collagen solubility of the connective tissue. Increased collagen solubility may improve the textural properties and other characteristics of the final product to which the preblend is added. The objective of this research was to determine the effects on product quality of adding an acidic phosphate/ connective tissue preblend to low-fat, high added-water frankfurters. Product analyses included proximate composition, emulsion stability, yield, pH, collagen solubility, purge loss, color, objective texture and consumer acceptance. Preblending modified connective tissue with acidic phosphate provided few textural or yield advantages to the final product. However, preblending with subsequent addition of alkaline phosphate to the final batter created a product similar to the control. Employing the preblending concept may also add flexibility to production schedules. Use of modified connective tissue increases profitability of desinewing operations while maintaining or improving the quality of the final product to which it is added

Connective TissueIAcidic Phosphate Preblends In Low Fat, High Added-Water Frankfurters

Preblending modified beef connective tissue with an acidic phosphate has been shown to increase collagen solubility of the connective tissue. Increased collagen solubility may improve the textural properties and other characteristics of the final product to which the preblend is added. The objective of this research was to determine the effects on product quality of adding an acidic phosphate/ connective tissue preblend to low-fat, high added-water frankfurters. Product analyses included proximate composition, emulsion stability, yield, pH, collagen solubility, purge loss, color, objective texture and consumer acceptance. Preblending modified connective tissue with acidic phosphate provided few textural or yield advantages to the final product. However, preblending with subsequent addition of alkaline phosphate to the final batter created a product similar to the control. Employing the preblending concept may also add flexibility to production schedules. Use of modified connective tissue increases profitability of desinewing operations while maintaining or improving the quality of the final product to which it is added