A Threshold Interpretation of the Ratio-Form Contest Success Function

Ratio-form contest success functions have been widely used due to their appealing axiomatic properties. Existing microfoundational models offer additional justifications for their use in specific economic applications. I propose a new structure under which a ratio-form contest success function can be derived as a limit result using an underlying contest with multiple rounds and threshold success levels. This model generalizes the stochastic equivalence of ratio-form contest success functions and patent race games, allowing greater fl exibility in the underlying structural interpretation. I additionally formulate a spatial interpretation of the model and apply the general structure to existing models of conflict.

A Conflict Theory of Voting

Research in the behavioral psychology of voting has found that voters tend to be poorly informed, highly responsive to candidate personality, and follow a "fast and frugal" heuristic. This paper analyzes optimal candidate strategies in a two-party election in which voters are assumed to behave according to these traits. Under this assumption, candidates face a trade-off between appealing to a broader base and being overly ambiguous in their policy stances. A decrease in the cost of ambiguity within this model offers a parsimonious justification for the increase in voter independence, candidate ambiguity, and party politics that empirical studies have revealed over the last five decades. I additionally argue a decrease in the cost of ambiguity is a natural result of the primary system, campaign finance reform, and changing media environment.

An Interpretivist Study Of Customer Self-Service Technology Usage And Experiences In The Tourism Sector.

This study provides an interpretivist exploration of customer usage and experiences of self-service technologies (SSTs) in the tourism sector. Tourism customers are increasingly using a wide range of SSTs, for example, to make reservations online and use self-check-in and „bag and tag‟ facilities at airports. While SST research to date has provided insights into the factors affecting customer SST adoption decisions, the aim of this study is to explore customers‟ perspectives on their usage and experiences of SSTs in the tourism sector. This interpretivist study employs a two-stage qualitative methodology of short qualitative interviews with 133 participants at an international airport, followed by 32 in-depth interviews with SST users in the tourism sector. Seven motivations for SST usage are identified in this research. Whilst motivations such as convenience and access to lower prices have received some research attention, three new motivations emerge in this research, namely forced usage, eco-friendliness and empathy for other customers. In addition, customer experiences of SSTs are explored through the lens of the value-in-experience concept. This approach illustrates whether SST usage creates value for the customer (e.g. a sense of accomplishment) or destroys value (e.g. a perception of lack of control over the SST encounter). Using the theoretical lens of Service-Dominant Logic, an analysis of SST experiences indicates that customers undertake a variety of SST roles, such as that of convenience seeker, motivated worker, enforced worker and judge. Some of these roles indicate that customers are often required to use SSTs by the tourism provider, and may not be given other options (e.g. personal encounter with employees). Similarly, customers often assume the role of partial employee, by working on behalf of the tourism provider, to assist other customers who experience SST difficulties. Therefore, it is asserted that from the user‟s point of view, SST usage is often imposed upon customers, as opposed to being offered as an option, thus challenging the traditional customer-centricity of the marketing paradigm, as proposed by the Service-Dominant Logic. A key contribution of this study is the development and examination of a model of SST usage, which illustrates the complex, nuanced and often contradictory nature of a customer‟s usage and experiences. This model may facilitate marketers, managers and policy makers in planning strategic service interventions to enhance value creation in SST usage and ensure successful implementation of SSTs in the tourism sector and the wider services sector

A Review of Key Factors Affecting Consumers\u27 Adoption and Usage of Self-Service Technologies in the Tourism Sector

During the past ten years self-service technologies (SSTs) have attracted research attention especially in the banking, retail and airline sectors. The infusion of technology in the service encounter has been identified as being advantageous to both the service provider and the consumer, provided that SSTs gain adoption among consumers. In light of the importance of consumer participation in SSTs, this paper reviews the state of the SST adoption literature in an attempt to identify the most important influencing factors. Seven factors emerged as the ones of key research interest in the literature and they are discussed in more detail. These include risk, trust, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, technology readiness, preference for personal contact and demographic variables

Are X-ray Technician students interested and what is their theoretical knowledge in the field of ultrasound diagnostics

Introduction: The modern education of X-ray technicians includes knowledge of ultrasound diagnostics, which is part of the imaging diagnostics. Students in the Medical College “Y. Philaretova”- Sofia receive theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in this field in the Echographic Techniques section, which is included in the Fundamentals of Imaging Diagnosis. X-ray Methods disciplibe.Aim: The aim of the study is to illustrate the interest of the students in ultrasound diagnostics and also the results of the study of their basic knowledge on this topic.Material and methods: Documentary and sociological methods were used. Students from the X-ray Technician program of the Medical College, Sofia were subject of the study. Mathematical and statistical calculations were conducted and presented graphically.Results: The results of the study conducted in January 2019 showed that a large part of the students investigated were interested in the possibilities of practicing this part of the imaging diagnosis. From the survey on the theoretical knowledge of the participants in the Infrastructure Project, input. 4872 / 09.07.2018 of MU-Sofia, it was determined that they were well acquainted with the basic material but there were also questions that were not answered correctly because of the insufficient and unsatisfactory training in the training facilities.Conclusion: In order to have adequately prepared professional with quality professional skills, a more in-depth and practice-oriented training is needed as well as good knowledge of topographic and ultrasound anatomy

A Review of Key Factors Affecting the Adoption of Self-Service Technologies in Tourism.

During the past ten years self-service technologies (SSTs) have attracted research attention especially in the banking, retail and airline sectors. The infusion of technology in the service encounter has been identified as being advantageous to both the service provider and the consumer. Service provider companies may reduce costs, increase consumer satisfaction and tap into new markets which have been made accessible via the Internet. From a consumer’s point of view, SSTs can save money and time, provide convenience, and in some cases, enjoyment. All the above mentioned advantages are achievable only if SSTs gain adoption among consumers. In light of the importance of consumer participation in SSTs, this paper reviews the state of the SST adoption literature in an attempt to identify the most important influencing factors. Seven factors emerged as the ones of key research interest in the literature and they are discussed in more detail. These include risk, trust, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, technology readiness, preference for personal contact and demographic variables. Previous research has shown that SSTs are not a uniform group and adoption factors differ across SST types and in various contexts and cultures. The paper reviews the SST classifications to date in search of a comprehensive, widely agreed one, which may facilitate adoption research. The tourism context has not been included extensively in the SST literature except for the travel industry where airlines are among the best in utilizing online search, reservations and check-in. The rapid development of technology and increasing price and quality competition in the marketplace has put pressure on tourism companies to adapt their strategy in order to remain viable

Essays on the theory of conflict

This dissertation consists of two papers in the field of conflict theory. In the first paper, I offer a model of American Presidential politics in which voters utilize an information heuristic. Specifically, voters vote for the candidate who espouses their ideal policy platform. If both candidates advocate this platform, voters probabilistically choose a candidate based on a contest success function incorporating policy ambiguity and candidate personality. Using this framework, I find that the optimal level of policy overlap in any given election is based only on voters' sensitivity towards policy ambiguity. As such, the recent changes in American presidential election trends are also expected to rely on this sensitivity. In the second paper, I propose a new microeconomic structure under which a ratio-form contest success function can be derived as a limit result using an underlying contest with multiple rounds and threshold success levels. This model generalizes the stochastic equivalence of ratio-form contest success functions and patent race games, allowing greater flexibility in the underlying structural interpretation. In addition, I formulate a spatial interpretation of the model in which the effectivity functions of a contest success function are related to a player's ability to increase his precision in hitting a target. Through the use of the threshold success level, I am able to relate a given effectivity function to a precision technology having desired productive characteristics

A bullet core specimen form NE Bulgaria

The paper discusses the first find of a bullet core from the territory of Bulgaria. This core fills in a gap in the occurrence of this technology in between the Marmara Sea basin and the northwestern part of the Pontic region. Because the core from the vicinity of Varna is a surface find it is difficult to determine its chronological position

Imaging methods for ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis

Ankylosing spondylitis (Bekhterev's disease) is a form of chronic inflammation in the spine and sacroillitic joints, with or without involvement of the peripheral joints. The genetic factors are considered to be of major importance to the disease. The aim of the review is to familiarize the audience with the symptoms, etiology and imaging methods for diagnosing the disease. A documentary method has been used. Research and analysis of literary and Internet sources describing the disease and the use of imaging techniques for analyzing it have been done. Diagnosis is based on: symptoms, findings in X-ray and blood tests. Imaging methods are key tools for detecting, diagnosing, and monitoring patients with Bekhterev's disease. The cause of the disease remains unknown and to date there is no cure for permanent and final cure, but the role of imaging diagnosis in this process is indispensable for modern medicine

Study of the Role of Rhus Copallina in the Community Dynamics of the Forest-Prairie Ecotone in North-Central Oklahoma

Botan