A critical rationalist approach to organizational learning: testing the theories held by managers

The common wisdom is that Popper's critical rationalism, a method aimed at knowledge validation through falsification of theories, is inadequate for managers in organizations. This study falsifies this argument in three phases: first, it specifies the obstructers that prevent the method from being employed; second, the critical rationalist method is adapted for strategic management purposes; last, the method and the hypotheses are tested via action research. Conclusions are that once the obstructers are omitted the method is applicable and effective

Occupation numbers in a quantum canonical ensemble: a projection operator approach

Recently, we have used a projection operator to fix the number of particles in a second quantization approach in order to deal with the canonical ensemble. Having been applied earlier to handle various problems in nuclear physics that involve fixed particle numbers, the projector formalism was extended to grant access as well to quantum-statistical averages in condensed matter physics, such as particle densities and correlation functions. In this light, the occupation numbers of the subsequent single-particle energy eigenstates are key quantities to be examined. The goal of this paper is 1) to provide a sound extension of the projector formalism directly addressing the occupation numbers as well as the chemical potential, and 2) to demonstrate how the emerging problems related to numerical instability for fermions can be resolved to obtain the canonical statistical quantities for both fermions and bosons.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Wigner distribution functions for complex dynamical systems: the emergence of the Wigner-Boltzmann equation

The equation of motion for the reduced Wigner function of a system coupled to an external quantum system is presented for the specific case when the external quantum system can be modeled as a set of harmonic oscillators. The result is derived from the Wigner function formulation of the Feynman-Vernon influence functional theory. It is shown how the true self-energy for the equation of motion is connected with the influence functional for the path integral. Explicit expressions are derived in terms of the bare Wigner propagator. Finally, we show under which approximations the resulting equation of motion reduces to the Wigner-Boltzmann equation

Variational Truncated Wigner Approximation

In this paper we reconsider the notion of an optimal effective Hamiltonian for the semiclassical propagation of the Wigner distribution in phase space. An explicit expression for the optimal effective Hamiltonian is obtained in the short time limit by minimizing the Hilbert-Schmidt distance between the semiclassical approximation and the real state of the system. The method is illustrated for the quartic oscillator

Self-energy correction to dynamic polaron response

We present the first order self-energy correction to the linear response coefficients of polaronic systems within the truncated phase space approach developed by the present authors. Due to the system-bath coupling, the external pertubation induces a retarded internal field which dynamically screens the external force. Whereas the effect on the mobility is of second order, dynamical properties such as the effective mass and the optical absorption are modified in first order. The Fr\"ohlich polaron is used to illustrate the results

Creating a new Ontology: a Modular Approach

Creating a new Ontology: a Modular ApproachComment: in Adrian Paschke, Albert Burger, Andrea Splendiani, M. Scott Marshall, Paolo Romano: Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Semantic Web Applications and Tools for the Life Sciences, Berlin,Germany, December 8-10, 201

The default premium and corporate bond experience

A study that represents the first effort to tie together the differential returns required by holders of low-rated coporate bonds and the actual default experiences of these issues.Debt ; Corporate bonds

EU Law, International Law, and Economic Sanctions Against Terrorism: The Judiciary in Distress?

This Article seeks to examine the relationship between European Union (“EU”) law, international law, and the protection of fundamental rights in light of recent case law of the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) and the Court of First Instance (“CFI”) relating to economic sanctions against individuals. It first looks at the judgment in Kadi. After a short presentation of the factual and legal background, it explores the question of whether the EU has competence to adopt smart sanctions. It then examines whether the EU is bound by resolutions of the UNSC, whether the ECJ has jurisdiction to review Community measures implementing such resolutions, and looks at the applicable standard of judicial scrutiny. It analyzes the contrasting views of the CFI, the Advocate General, and the ECJ, taking account also of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR” or “Strasbourg Court”). Further, the Article explores the consequences of annulling the contested regulation. It then turns to discussing CFI case law in relation to sanctions lists drawn up not by the UNSC but by the Community. The Article concludes by welcoming the judgment of the ECJ. While its reasoning on the issue of Community competence is questionable, once such competence is established, it is difficult to support the abrogation of Community standards for the protection of fundamental rights. Such standards should ensure procedural due process while recognizing the importance of public security