Inflation Target Instability and Interest Rates

The implementation of explicit quantitative inflation targets elucidates the assessment of credibility of future monetary policy. Here the explicit inflation target is time-varying and stochastic with asymmetric information. It is shown that central bank independence promotes lower inflation but not at the cost of increased output variability. Marked political instability and instrument dependence are detrimental to credibility, and impede monetary policy with unchanged long term nominal interest rates. The marginal effect from less independence on interest rate volatility is increasing in political instability. Strategic delegation of an optimal inflation target with a monetary reform eliminates the inflation bias. Empirical evidence substantiates the predictions when confronted with cross-country OECD data.inflation target; credibility; political instability; independence

From field to plate: Farmer-to-consumer direct marketing for organic and regional products

The importance of direct marketing for high quality farm products has increased in the last few years. This paper analyses the impact of customer satisfaction and its driving forces for farmer-to-consumer direct marketing and is based on a customer survey in 30 organic and conventional on-farm stores in Germany. The results emphasize the role of the store atmosphere and customer service as the main influencing factors on customer satisfaction

Sisältölähtöinen markkinointiviestintä Facebookissa : case Silminnäkijä

Opinnäyte on kaksiosainen. Tuoteosa on televisiodokumentti Yleisradiolle. Toisessa osassa pohdin Silminnäkijä-ohjelman Facebook-sisältömarkkinointia. Tavoitteena on tuottaa toimenpide-ehdotuksia ohjelman Facebook-sivun sisältömarkkinoinnin kehittämiseksi. Teoriaosuudessa käsitellään verkkoviestinnän tavoitteenasettelua ja kohderyhmän muuttunutta roolia sekä keinoja valitun kohderyhmän tavoittamiseen ja sitouttamiseen. Lisäksi käsitellään sosiaalisen median eri määritelmiä ja Facebook-yhteisöpalvelua. Tutkimusmenetelmät ovat sekä määrällisiä että laadullisina. Aineistona käytetään ohjelman Fa-cebook-sivulle julkaistuja sisältöjä ja taustahaastattelua. Johtopäätös on, että vaikuttavan ja tehokkaan Facebook-sisältömarkkinoinnin suunnittelemiseksi ja toteuttamiseksi tarvitaan laajempi näkemys koko verkkoviestinnän tavoitteista ja kohderyhmistä. Tällä hetkellä Silminnäkijä-ohjelma tavoittelee Facebook-yhteisöpalvelun kautta liian suurta kohderyhmää. Uuden kohderyhmän valitseminen ja sille hyödyllisten ja kiinnostuvien sisältöjen tuottaminen on tärkein askel kohti parempaa sisältömarkkinointia Facebookissa

Harmonic Sums and Mellin Transforms

The finite and infinite harmonic sums form the general basis for the Mellin transforms of all individual functions $f_i(x)$ describing inclusive quantities such as coefficient and splitting functions which emerge in massless field theories. We discuss the mathematical structure of these quantities.Comment: Contribution to the Proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering and QCD, DIS99, DESY-Zeuthen, April 1999; Nucl. Phys. B (Proc. Suppl.

Major and Trace-Element Chemistry of Minerals in Lithologies A and B in Martian Meteorite EETA79001: Petrogenesis Revisited

EETA79001 is a unique shergottite composed of two mafic lithologies (termed LithA and LithB) that are separated by an igneous contact. Both lithologies have basaltic compositions; however, LithA contains megacrysts of olivine, orthopyroxenes, and chromite whereas LithB does not; also, LithA is finer-grained than LithB. Currently, the literature is in disagreement regarding the formation of this unique meteorite, especially regarding LithA. Different formational theories (e.g. fractional crystallization, magma mixing, assimilation, and impact melting) have their own constraints (chemical, thermal, or petrographic). This study uses petrographic observations combined with major- and trace- element compositions within minerals to investigate the petrogenesis of LithA. Previous formational theories are addressed and a new model is proposed. The groundmass composition of LithA is important in explaining the relationship between megacrysts and the groundmass. Previous estimates do not consider weighted compositional averages or overgrowths on olivine megacrysts. In this study, a new estimate of the LithA groundmass composition is obtained using weighted averages of zoned minerals (major-element), and includes the overgrowth rims on megacrysts. Here, I introduce a new LithA formational model that involves the mixing of cold megacrysts with magma. This hybrid model suggests that the interaction of the megacrysts and magma altered the heat balance and changed the crystallization sequence, as evidenced by the major-element trend in pyroxenes and the finer grain size of the LithA groundmass. The megacryst overgrowths and groundmass then crystallized, and was later followed by the removal of the late-stage fractionated melt (liquid ~Mg# 20). This new model would explain the formation of the overgrowths and avoids the heat constraints associated with magma mixing and assimilation. However, a short-coming of this theory lies in the necessity for the late-stage removal of the last ~10% of the melt, necessary to modify the original magma composition to that of the observed LithA groundmass composition

Efficacy of the Lidcombe Program for Early Stuttering in a Public School Setting: A Pilot Investigation

The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) To determine what type of early intervention for stuttering is being offered in the public schools and compare those interventions to the Lidcombe Program for early stuttering. 2) To find out if the Lidcombe Program can be effectively implemented in the public schools. A small focus group of speech language pathologists was conducted and a questionnaire was completed by 47 school speech language pathologists in Knoxville, TN. The questionnaire revealed that school clinicians have very little familiarity with the Lidcombe Program, most do not use any particular evidenced-based programs for fluency intervention, parents have very limited roles in the treatment of preschool students who stutter, and most children are not being identified for services until approximately third grade. In order to determine if the Lidcombe program could be implemented effectively in the schools, one treatment subject, female, 4;5, received Lidcombe treatment for 10 weeks at her school while a control subject, male, 5;3, received traditional therapy from his school SLP. The treatment subject decreased in severity from moderate to mild and her percent stuttered syllables (PSS) was reduced by 76% (from 25% to 6%). The control subject increased in severity from moderate-severe to severe and his PSS rose from 12% to 16%. As a result, it appears that the Lidcombe Program can be effectively implemented in the public schools and it would be extremely cost-effective for schools to use the program. Community education and SLP training, however, are essential to increase early identification and intervention of children who stutter

Labor Law - Arbitration - Determination of the Question of Arbitrability Under Section 301(a) of Labor-Manabement Relations Act

Plaintiff- union brought an action under section 301 (a) of the Labor-Management Relations Act to compel arbitration of a grievance over the subcontracting of work by defendant-employer. The collective bargaining agreement provided that questions as to the proper interpretation or application of any of the provisions of the agreement would be submitted to arbitration and that all matters involving exclusively managerial functions were excluded from arbitration. The trial court held the grievance not arbitrable. On appeal, held, reversed. An implied covenant of good faith and fair dealings and the fact that some private arbitrators have held that the conventional recognition clause by implication prohibits unrestricted employer subcontracting prevent the court from saying with positive assurance that the contract is not susceptible to an interpretation that covers the dispute. Local 1912, International Association of Machinists v. United States Potash Co., (10th Cir. 1959) 270 F. (2d) 496

Graduate Students as Future Mandated Reporters

This study focuses on the departments of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Nursing, and Education at Valparaiso University to explore the preparedness of graduate students as future mandated reporters. The goal is to ascertain how graduate students in career fields responsible for working directly with children learn about and experience the topics of child maltreatment and mandated reporting in their graduate training programs. The overall purpose is to understand and inform graduate students and programs of the current state of training, including identifying critical gaps and potential action steps, used to prepare school psychologists, counselors, nurses, and educators for their future roles as mandated reporters

Apology and Retraction

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