Positioning Cotton in the Market for Quality: An Application of Market Segmentation for West Texas

This study provides guidance for cotton marketing efforts by determining major market segments with quality thresholds for West Texas. Given its present quality performance, great potential segments are from higher-end international segments with significant value-added. Moreover, the potential to serve these market segments is growing with improvements in production technology.cotton economics, market segmentation, needs assessment, West Texas cotton, Marketing, Q130, M310,

Conflict of Interest?: Executive-Auditor Relationship and the Likelihood of a SEC-Prompted Restatement

This study examines the relationship between executives and their independent auditor to see if there is a conflict of interest in their interaction. This study was motivated by the meltdowns, partially caused by fraudulent accounting, of many public companies in the late 1990s and early 2000s and the consequent passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This study examines the variables of audit fees, fees for other services, and auditor tenure to see if they are connected with the occurrence of an SEC-prompted restatement. The results show no significant correlation between amount of fees and the likelihood of an SEC-prompted restatement but indicate a negative correlation between length of executive-auditor relationship and the occurrence of an SEC-prompted restatement

Selected highlights from the 50(th) Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology, Orlando, USA, 18-21 March 2001

The recent scientific session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), held in Orlando, provided a forum for ongoing cardiovascular clinical trials from around the world. The high point was clearly the first ever release of results from the CURE study. The Late-Breaking Clinical Trials sessions also featured results and interim data from other trials such as MIRACLE, CAPRICORN, SVG WRIST, RITZ 2, SoS and PRINCE. New applications for data from the OPUS-TIMI16 trial were discussed and promising results from initial studies into the experimental drug ALT-711 showed the way for further studies

OPTIMAL GRADE DEFINITIONS FOR MULTIPLE QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

The growing importance of quality in agricultural markets makes effective segregation and grading essential to efficient marketing strategy. In this paper, we develop an economic model, potentially applicable to many products, to determine optimal segregation strategies based on multiple stochastic quality measures. The model is applied to Oklahoma wheat quality data.Marketing,

MEASURING COMPETITION FOR TEXTILES: DOES THE U.S. MAKE THE GRADE?

U.S. textile manufacturing is coming under increasing pressure from foreign competition. This paper evaluates the U.S. competitive position in the yarn segment using established quantifiable measures and provides an overall competitive assessment. The study found the industry in a relatively weak competitive position but that U.S. competitive position is improving.competitiveness, cotton yarn, revealed comparative advantage, tariff equivalent, International Relations/Trade, F29, L67, O57,

How Can Decision Making Be Improved?

The optimal moment to address the question of how to improve human decision making has arrived. Thanks to fifty years of research by judgment and decision making scholars, psychologists have developed a detailed picture of the ways in which human judgment is bounded. This paper argues that the time has come to focus attention on the search for strategies that will improve bounded judgment because decision making errors are costly and are growing more costly, decision makers are receptive, and academic insights are sure to follow from research on improvement. In addition to calling for research on improvement strategies, this paper organizes the existing literature pertaining to improvement strategies, highlighting promising directions for future research.

Effects of Differential Rotation on the Maximum Mass of Neutron Stars

The merger of binary neutron stars is likely to lead to differentially rotating remnants. In this paper we numerically construct models of differentially rotating neutron stars in general relativity and determine their maximum allowed mass. We model the stars adopting a polytropic equation of state and tabulate maximum allowed masses as a function of differential rotation and stiffness of the equation of state. We also provide a crude argument that yields a qualitative estimate of the effect of stiffness and differential rotation on the maximum allowed mass.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in Ap

A GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR GRAIN BLENDING AND SEGREGATION

The Hennessy and Wahl model of optimal grain blending and segregation (GBS) is extended to the case where it is not possible to separate components within a load. Analytical solutions are not available when segregation is the optimal strategy, and so solutions are obtained with nonlinear optimization. The model is then used to determine the optimal sorting of hard red winter wheat by protein content. Most of the benefits from sorting can be obtained with only two bins.blending, grain, segregation, Crop Production/Industries,

MILL-LEVEL PRICE ESTIMATES FOR U.S. COTTON QUALITY

Replaced with revised version of paper 02/11/04.Demand and Price Analysis,