Business Interruption, Income Loss & Value-At-Risk To Catastrophes

Not all risks are insurable. In accordance with the natural and fundamental operation of the practice of insurance, insurers envision certain characteristics that they attribute to “ideally insurable” risks. One of these key elements of an insurable risk is the degree of loss caused by the risk, if loss were to occur. For an insurer, an insurable risk would ideally not result in devastatingly destructive loss; in other words, the risk must not be catastrophic. However, the difficulty of insuring against catastrophes does not lessen the importance for companies to be able to estimate how their own performance will be impacted by the occurrence of a catastrophic loss. This paper aims to estimate the extent of a firm’s business interruption, income loss, and value-at-risk to a catastrophic loss event. The study involves a Poisson-Pareto calamity simulation to estimate business interruption and income loss, and a modified VaR simulation that offers a customized estimation of value-at-risk to catastrophe. The data utilized to run these simulations is gathered from the financial statements of a thoroughly and realistically imagined hand-tool manufacturing company—Kingston Tools, Inc.—in order to provide an estimation of the firm’s risk in a catastrophic event

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) Approach in Recreational Golfers

Although gaining popularity in the field of sport psychology, there is little empirical support behind the MAC approach. Moreover, none of these studies have examined the effectiveness of the MAC approach when applied to recreational or non-competitive athletes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of the MAC approach on recreational golfers. Nineteen participants were randomly assigned to either the MAC treatment or control condition. Participants completed baseline and post-intervention golf performance tasks, as well as measures of mindfulness, flow, thought occurrence, and anxiety. Results showed that compared to the control group, the MAC treatment group exhibited significant increases in levels of mindfulness, and a trend towards significance in levels of flow. However, no significant changes were found on the golf performance tasks in the MAC and control groups from baseline to postintervention. Several potential explanations for these findings are discussed, as well as directions for future research

Perceived Factors Of A Quality Student Teaching Experience

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of student teachers and university supervisors regarding four factors that contribute to a quality student teaching experience: mentor teacher, university supervisor, clinical environment, and student teacher. Data in this concurrent mixed method study were collected from student teachers and university supervisor using surveys and focus groups. Data were collected from surveys and focus groups concurrently, analyzed separately, and merged for interpretation. Of all four factors, the mentor teacher was identified as the most important factor in a quality student teaching experience. Four other primary conclusions relate to the most important attributes of each factor that contribute to a quality student teaching experience. The implications of this study confirm the need for appropriate selection and preparation of mentor teachers, faculty in clinical environments, and university supervisors in order to offer the highest quality student teaching experience

Comparing the Multidimensional Behavioral Health Screen to the PHQ-9 in predicting depression-related symptomatology in a primary medical care sample

Depression is the most common form of psychopathology affecting people in the US. It is commonly diagnosed and treated in primary medical care settings, creating a need for a reliable, quick self-report tool used for the assessment of depression in this context. There is a current shift in the way psychopathology is conceptualized, as the field transitions from a categorical, syndrome-based model to a dimensional model. This transition should be reflected in the assessment tool used within the primary care setting. The Multidimensional Behavioral Health Screen is being developed as a brief and efficient screening-level assessment tool for core psychopathology components (rather than syndromes), with a specific focus on depressive symptomatology. This study presents empirical evidence supporting the implementation of the MBHS as a reliable and valid mental health screener to be administered in primary care clinics

The Diene Effect: The Design, Development, and Mechanistic Investigation of Metal-Catalyzed Diene-yne, Diene-ene, and Diene-allene [2+2+1] Cycloaddition Reactions

Metal-catalyzed diene-yne, diene-ene, and diene-allene [2+2+1] cycloaddition reactions provide new methods for the facile construction of highly functionalized five-membered rings. These reactions can be conducted with a variety of substrate substitution patterns and functional groups and often in the absence of solvent. The special reactivity of dienes, a key to enabling or enhancing the effectiveness of the [2+2+1] and other reactions, is significantly different from that of alkynes, alkenes, or allenes. For example, the [2+2+1] reaction of a diene-yne is accelerated compared to that of the corresponding ene-yne. An even more dramatic "diene effect" is found with diene-enes and diene-allenes. While bis-enes and ene-allenes are not reported to yield [2+2+1] cycloadducts, the related diene-enes and diene-allenes undergo efficient [2+2+1] cycloadditions, providing new routes to cyclopentanones and alkylidenecyclopentanones. Mechanistic studies suggest that the unique reactivity observed with dienes arises from their participation in the putative rate-determining reductive elimination step by providing an additional energy-lowering coordination site for the transition metal catalyst

DFT Mechanistic Investigation of an Enantioselective Tsuji–Trost Allylation Reaction

A comprehensive mechanistic examination of an asymmetric palladium-catalyzed Tsuji–Trost allylation reaction that identifies the enantioselective step was completed utilizing DFT computational tools and the nudged elastic band method. Key components of the study include (a) plausible reaction pathways for the full interconversion of a square-planar palladium allyl enolate intermediate with low barriers relative to the subsequent enantioselectivity-determining reductive C–C coupling step, thereby disputing the previously identified mechanism, (b) a detailed analysis of the factors influencing the stereochemical control involved in forming the preferred configuration via the reductive C–C coupling step, (c) a comprehensive examination of the competing outer-sphere mechanism that includes a metal counterion as an escort to the nucleophile in order to modulate the effects of modeling the reaction step of oppositely charged species, and (d) examination of the possible role water plays in stabilizing a keto-coordinated adduct of PdII-?1-allyl, formed early in the catalytic cycle, relative to a carboxylate-coordinated adduct, the known resting state of the reaction. Barrier energies for the enantioselective C–C coupling are investigated with several levels of theory, and together they support a reaction mechanism consistent with the preferred formation of the correct enantiomer on the basis of the enantiomer of the ligand selected

Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed [2+2], [2+2+2], and [2+2+2+2] Cycloadditions of Dienes or Alkynes with a Bis-ene

A novel metal-catalyzed, all-alkene [2+2+2] cycloaddition reaction involving a strained and conformationally restricted bis-ene and a diene is reported. Modification of the catalyst leads to competition with a diene-ene [2+2] reaction, and when an alkyne was used in place of the diene, [2+2+2] and [2+2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions occurred involving the bis-ene and 1 or 2 equiv of the alkyne

Exploring the motivations and decision making of sustainable entrepreneurs: implications for apparel manufacturing in the United States

There is a growing interest in sustainability in response to what some consider to be the "throwaway" consumer culture of today (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013). Sustainability is a growing trend across industries and among consumers, as more people consider the implications of their actions for the future. The goal of this thesis is to understand the role of sustainable entrepreneurship within the apparel manufacturing sector. While consumption passed the point of the earth's sustainability in 1978, it does not appear that this trend will end anytime soon. Indeed, during 2010 alone, 13.1 million tons of textile waste was generated in the U.S. (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2012). Rather than focusing solely on profit, the notion of sustainable development encourages a focus on what is known as the "triple bottom line" (Elkington, 1997), which combines economic gain with environmental and social value creation (Hockerts & Wustenhagen, 2010). The purpose of this study is to explore the motivations and decision-making of sustainable apparel entrepreneurs and to investigate their business models with regard to the broader implications they may have for U.S. apparel manufacturing as a whole. Using a case study approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with the founders of six sustainable apparel companies headquartered in the Southeastern United States. Interviews lasted for approximately one to three hours in length, and were recorded with participant's consent. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted thematically. Three conceptual areas of Philosophy, Positioning, and Production resulted from the analysis. Within these conceptual areas, a total of ten themes surfaced and were used to structure the interpretation. Based on the interpretation, four key drivers of motivation and decision-making were identified: (a) Altruism, (b) Self-Definition, (c) Symbiosis, and (d) Blind Impulse. In addition, four key business model attributes were defined: (a) Product Stewardship, (b) Value Alignment, (c) Strategic Partnerships, and (d) the Triple Bottom Line. Based on the findings, several recommendations for potential startups were made, including the following: (a) align goals, (b) allow for mistakes, (c) make the most of resources, and (d) nurture relationships. Because there is a limited amount of research that explores sustainable apparel entrepreneurs, the results of this study provide an in-depth understanding of the benefits and challenges involved in running a sustainable apparel business. Future empirical research is needed to further investigate sustainable apparel entrepreneurship from other angles, such as across cultures and from other perspectives including those of suppliers and customers. Such research would further enrich our overall understanding of what it means to produce apparel sustainably