Pass-Through And The Prediction Of Merger Price Effects

We use Monte Carlo experiments to study how pass-through can improve merger price predictions, focusing on the first order approximation (FOA) proposed in Jaffe and Weyl [2013]. FOA addresses the functional form misspecification that can exist in standard merger simulations. We find that the predictions of FOA are tightly distributed around the true price effects if pass-through is precise, but that measurement error in pass-through diminishes accuracy. As a comparison to FOA, we also study a methodology that uses pass-through to select among functional forms for use in simulation. This alternative also increases accuracy relative to standard merger simulation and proves more robust to measurement error

Experimental comparison of compulsory and non compulsory arbitration mechanisms

We run a series of experiments to compare the well known arbitration scheme FOA (Final Offer Arbitration) with a new arbitration scheme, non compulsory, we proposed in a companion paper (Tanimura and Thoron (2008)): ROC (Recursive Offer Conciliation). The two mechanisms are also compared with a negotiation without arbitration. We observe that the ROC mechanism seems to cumulate the advantages of the two other procedures, it avoids the high frequency of impasses observed under the FOA procedure and it is as efficient as the Free procedure in this respect. Furthermore, in an asymmetric treatment, it helps the subjects to find an agreement around the equal split of the surplus, like the arbitrator of the FOA procedure does, but without imposing anything on them.negotiation; bargaining; arbitration; Raiffa solution; chilling effect; dispute resolution; experiments

An external focus of attention enhances manual tracking performance

The present study investigated the enhancement effects of an external focus of attention (FOA) in the context of a manual tracking task, in which participants tracked both visible and occluded targets. Three conditions were compared, which manipulated the distance of the FOA from the participant as well as the external/internal dimension. As expected, an external FOA resulted in lower tracking errors than an internal FOA. In addition, analyses of participants’ movement patterns revealed a systematic shift toward higher-frequency movements in the external FOA condition, consistent with the idea that an external FOA exploits the natural movement dynamics available during skilled action. Finally, target visibility did not influence the effect of focused attention on tracking performance, which provides evidence for the proposal that the mechanisms that underlie FOA do not depend directly on vision

Baseball Arbitration to Resolve International Law Disputes: Hit or Miss?

This Article assesses a concrete proposal that may address some of the current backlash against international courts and tribunals: baseball arbitration, also known as final offer arbitration (FOA), where disputing parties each offer an answer to the dispute (their “final offer”) and the adjudicator’s task is strictly limited to picking one or the other answer (“hit or miss”). FOA preserves a crucial role for neutral, third-party adjudication but puts more responsibility on states to work out positive solutions themselves. When carefully calibrated, FOA can, at least for some types of disputes (especially numerical ones between two parties), enhance both efficiency (speed, reduced cost, and complexity) and accuracy (reasonable party offers versus tribunals splitting the difference between extreme demands). In addition, FOA should facilitate, rather than chill, settlement and long-term cooperation, and it puts states rather than tribunals in the driver’s seat. FOA can also reduce certain sovereignty costs (no giving reasons or setting precedential value for awards) and may unlock state consent to arbitration where traditionally it is lacking or heavily contested. Although FOA would seem to be particularly suited to settling international law disputes (where sovereignty costs and suspicion toward tribunals run high), surprisingly, FOA is virtually unknown to international lawyers. Ironically, it is also exactly where FOA is now being confirmed in treaty practice—to settle international tax disputes—that FOA shows its limits. In other settings where FOA is not currently practiced, such as certain trade or investment disputes, FOA has great potential. Neither “hit” nor “miss,” the choice should, in most cases, not be between opting into either reasoned arbitration or baseball arbitration. An optimal dispute resolution mechanism is likely a combination of both reasoned arbitration (on threshold issues) and FOA (on numerical questions)

You May Call Me Professor: Professor Form of Address in Email Communication and College Student Reactions to Not Knowing What to Call Their Professors

This experimental study tested whether a professor’s form of address (FOA) and email signature influenced students’ perceptions of the professor’s credibility, approachability, and likability. Guided by communication accommodation theory, the study investigated the likelihood that students would reciprocate a professor’s FOA in email communication. Participants were randomly assigned to one of seven conditions varying by professor FOA (doctor, professor, first name) and email signature (present or not), with a signature only control condition. Results indicated students were more likely to reciprocate the FOA when an email signature was not present. Open-ended responses suggested students perceive instructors more positively when instructors specify a FOA and feel anxious and uncertain when professors do not specify a FOA

Research on low density thermal insulation materials for use above 3000 deg f fourth quarterly status report, oct. 1 - dec. 31, 1964

Zirconium oxide polycrystalline fibers for improving structural rigidity and thermal insulation of zirconium oxide foa

Impact of focus of attention on aiming performance in the first-person shooter videogame Aim Lab

Funding: The authors received funding of £300 from the University of St Andrews-School of Psychology and Neuroscience which is awarded to all Psychology BSc students to complete dissertation research.Research examining the impact of Focus of Attention (FoA) has consistently demonstrated a benefit of adopting an external FoA over an internal FoA across a variety of sports and other domains. However, FoA research has yet to be applied within the rapidly growing world of competitive gaming. This study investigated whether an external FoA provided benefits over an internal FoA for aiming performance in First-Person Shooter (FPS) videogames, using the aim-training game Aim Lab. The study explored whether the level of participants’ previous experience of FPS games impacted any effect, as few studies have investigated this directly. Participants with high (N=20) and low (N=17) FPS experience who had a minimum of 200 hours FPS experience were selected for the study. The participants were instructed before each set of ten trials to either attend to their wrist/arm movements (internal FoA) or to the target (external FoA). There was no significant main effect of FoA on performance and no significant interaction between FoA and experience. In contrast to findings in other studies, an external FoA provided no performance benefits over an internal FoA in the FPS game Aim Lab. We discuss methodological issues related to the measures used and suggest avenues for future research with a view to improving understanding of putative underlying mechanisms for FoA effects.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Major League Baseball\u27s Answer to Salary Disputes and the Strike:

Initially, this paper will briefly consider arbitration in general and then discuss the evolution of FOA and its implementation into MLB salary disputes. This paper will thereafter analyze the praises and criticisms of FOA, and establish that FOA is a superior mechanism for resolving salary disputes in professional sports because the FOA system is designed to facilitate negotiation and settlement rather than to resolve the dispute subsequent to adversarial hearings

THE ROLE OF “FOCUS OF ATTENTION” ON THE LEARNING OF NON-NATIVE SPEECH SOUNDS: ENGLISH SPEAKERS LEARNING OF MANDARIN CHINESE TONES

Focus of attention (FOA) has been demonstrated to affect motor learning and performance of many motor skills. FOA refers to the performer’s focus while performing the task. The purpose of this dissertation was to assess the role of FOA in the speech domain. The research asked whether external or internal FOA would individually or differentially facilitate the learning of Mandarin Chinese tones by native English speakers. As a secondary question and experimental control, this study also examined whether the four tones were produced with the same accuracy. Forty-two females, between the ages of 18 and 24 were randomly assigned to one of three groups: external FOA (EFOA), internal FOA (IFOA) and control (C). During the acquisition phase, the groups were instructed to either focus on the sound produced (EFOA), the vibration in the voice box (IFOA), or no related FOA instructions (control). Participants were required to repeat the Mandarin words after an auditory model. To assess learning, the participants repeated the practiced words in a retention test, and repeated similar but unpracticed words during a transfer test. The data was collected in two sessions. The dependent variables were the root mean squared error (acoustic measure) and percentage of correctly perceived tones (perceptual measure). There was a significant difference among the four Mandarin Chinese tones for the three groups (Tones 1 and 4 were produced with significantly higher accuracy than Tones 2 and 3) before acquisition phase. There was, however, no significant difference among the three FOA groups on the dependent variables. The results contradict the FOA effects in the literature derived from limb motor learning and oral-nonspeech learning experiments. This study represents the first attempt to test the FOA in the speech domain. As such, it is premature to draw firm conclusions about the role of FOA in speech motor learning based on these results. The discussion focuses on factors that might have led to the current results. Because FOA represents a potential factor that might affect speech motor learning, future research is warranted to study the effect of FOA in the speech domain

Mental Imagery, Observational Learning and External Focus in Experts

The current study examined the possible additive benefits of focus of attention (FOA) on observational learning, mental imagery, and physical practice. Utilizing a full-body multiphase physical task allowed us to examine the influence of each of these effects on overall athletic performance. Subjects were limited to experts in the selected long-jump task. Internal and external foci of attention were compared using a mixed factorial analysis of variance. A difference was found reflecting longer distances jumped for internal FOA than for external FOA. This effect, however, was attributed to unintended differences between the two groups due to their level of expertise. Normalized data corrected for this problem and revealed no effect of FOA. Although FOA did not influence speed or distance overall, an external FOA produced a pattern of higher levels of improvement following physical practice when compared to internal FOA. Furthermore, both analyses yielded a significant effect of condition, reflecting longer distances following physical practice than following mental or observational practice