Pairwise comparison matrices: an empirical research

Our research focused on testing various characteristics of pairwise comparison (PC) matrices in controlled experiments. About 270 students have been involved in the test exercises and the final pool contained 450 matrices. Our team conducted experiments with matrices of different size obtained from different types of MADM problems. The matrix elements have been generated by different questioning orders, too. The cases have been divided into 18 subgroups according to the key factors to be analyzed. The testing environment made it possible to analyze the dynamics of inconsistency as the number of elements increased in a given case. Various types of inconsistency indices have been applied. The consequent behavior of the decision maker has also been analyzed in case of incomplete matrices using indicators to measure the deviation from the final ranking of alternatives and from the final score vector

Advancing the Empirical Research on Lobbying

This essay identifies the empirical facts about lobbying which are generally agreed upon in the literature. It then discusses challenges to empirical research in lobbying and provides examples of empirical methods that can be employed to overcome these challenges—with an emphasis on statistical measurement, identification, and casual inference. The essay then discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and effective use of the main types of data available for research in lobbying. It closes by discussing a number of open questions for researchers in the field and avenues for future work to advance the empirical research in lobbying

Explanations of pedophilia: Review of empirical research

This article reviews empirical research to discover what support exists for theories that attempt to explain why adults become sexually interested in and involved with immature children. These theories are first organized into four basic categories: emotional congruence-why the adult congruence - why an emotional need to relate to a child; sexual arousl-why the adult could become sexually aroused by a child; blockage - why alternative sources of sexual and emotional gratification are not available; or disinhibition - why the adult is not deterred from such an interest by normal prohibitions. The review shows that the best experimental research has been directed toward establishing that pedophiles do not show an unusual pattern of sexual arousal toward children, although no good evidence yet exists about why this is so; a number of studies have concurred that pedophiles are blocked in their social and heterosexual relationships; the use of alcohol is well established as a disinhibiting factor that plays a role in a great many pedophile offenses; at least one study gives support to the \u27emotional congruence\u27 idea that children, because of their lack of dominance, have some special meaning for pedophiles; and there is evidence that many pedophiles were themselves victims of pedophile behavior when they were children. The article also demonstrates that pedophilia research is, in general, characterized by some serious theoretical and methodological flaws. As a result, caution should be exercised in generalizing findings until more careful research is undertaken

Demand methods of price management: An empirical research

One factor which companies often take as a reference point for their pricing decisions is demand. This, however, is often done only partially, with priority being given to quantitative factors rather than qualitative factors. In this context, the aim of this study was to supply companies with a tool to facilitate and enhance price management in areas related to demand. In order to achieve this objective, the following procedure was implemented. Firstly, an extensive review of existing literature was carried out. This has made it possible to identify a set of factors which can influence consumer behaviour with respect to prices, and which should therefore be taken into account when making pricing decisions. The factors identified were then grouped into several categories (variables related to price, variables related to the product, variables related to the characteristics and the behaviour of the consumer, and variables related to the context of the purchase), in order to offer an overall, linked view. An empirical study was then carried out, interviewing price managers in a selection of companies from Andalusia (Spain). The objective was to gather data on their methods of price management, and to evaluate the practical usefulness of the sets of factors identified. The results of the study have made it possible to draw some interesting conclusions on price management. One of these is the importance which companies attach to pricing decisions. These decisions were taken in all cases by higher management teams. However, on analysing the factors which intervene in pricing decisions, it has been observed that their number is limited. In general, cost is still the major factor, while demandrelated aspects, in particular qualitative aspects, play a secondary role. On investigating the reasons for the priority given to quantitative rather than qualitative data, interviewees basically gave two answers. On the one hand, quantitative information (costs and sales) is easier to obtain, use and interpret than qualitative information (motivation, perception and attitude). On the other hand, most companies, and in particular the smaller ones, have no budget available for qualitative market studies. There may be a third reason for this behaviour, which was not explicitly mentioned at first by interviewees. This is the lack of knowledge regarding qualitative demand factors: their nature, their meaning, their usefulness and the way in which they can be incorporated into pricing decisions. This study is a first step towards solving this deficiency, since it proposes a chart which contains numerous restrictions in an integrated, organised fashion. Logically, it would be impractical to take them all into account simultaneously. This is where the work of each company begins, using market studies to establish priorities between the different factors

Critical Realism and Empirical Research Methods in Education

In the light of recent writings of Richard Pring, and in relation to the application of empirical research methods in education, this paper offers a corrective to a neo-realist viewpoint and develops a critical realist perspective. The argument is made that the deployment of empirical research methods needs to be underpinned by a meta-theory embracing epistemological and ontological elements; that this meta-theory does not commit one to the view that absolute knowledge of the social world is possible; and that critical realism is the most appropriate meta-theory to underpin the use of empirical research methods. Further to this, unhelpful dualisms between quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and between structure and agency, are discussed in relation to neo-realist and critical realist perspectives

Internet sex addiction: a review of empirical research

The advent of the internet has added another medium in which people can engage in sexual behaviour. This ranges from the passive consumption of online pornography to the interactive exchange of sexual content in cybersex chat rooms. It is believed that access, affordability and anonymity are critical factors that make the Internet viable for the acquisition, development and maintenance of online sexuality. For some, sexual behaviours online are fulfilling, whereas for others, they may take on addictive qualities. Internet sex addiction can be conceptualized as the intersection between Internet addiction and sex addiction and the current literature suggests that there does not appear a clear dividing line between these psychopathologies. The aim of this paper was to provide a comprehensive overview of the empirical studies that have investigated Internet sex addiction in adults. Based on these, it was concluded that engaging in sexual behaviours on the Internet can go awry and result in Internet sex addiction, as it can lead to a wide variety of negative consequences for the individuals affected. Particular attention is drawn to the implications for future research in order to establish the pathological status of Internet sex addiction as a sub-form of Internet addiction, that shares characteristics of real life sex addiction, but which is not to be equated with it. Accordingly, the need for a clear diagnostic framework to clinically assess Internet sex addiction is emphasized as the first step towards understanding the potentially psychopathological qualities and repercussions of sexual behaviours on the Internet

Right to Work Laws: Legislative Background and Empirical Research

[Excerpt] Since the NLRA was amended by the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, individual states have had the option of enacting laws that prohibit union security agreements. These state laws supersede the union security provisions of the NLRA and are known as right to work (RTW) laws. As of this writing, 23 states have enacted RTW laws. This report is divided into two parts. The first part discusses RTW laws themselves. It provides a brief legislative history on the federal role in the regulation of unions, a summary of the origin and development of RTW laws, a discussion of recent events at the state level, and federal legislation related to RTW. The second part of the report reviews the varied empirical research on the effects of RTW laws. Specifically, it will discuss the mixed evidence indicating relationships between RTW laws and other economic outcomes

Preliminary Survey on Empirical Research Practices in Requirements Engineering

Context and Motivation:\ud Based on published output in the premium RE conferences and journals, we observe a growing body of research using both quantitative and qualitative research methods to help understand which RE technique, process or tool work better in which context. Also, more and more empirical studies in RE aim at comparing and evaluating alternative techniques that are solutions to common problems. However, until now there have been few meta studies of the current state of knowledge about common practices carried out by researchers and practitioners in empirical RE. Also, surprisingly little has been published on how RE researchers perceive the usefulness of these best practices.\ud \ud Objective:\ud The goal of our study is to improve our understanding of what empirical practices are performed by researchers and practitioners in RE, for the purpose of understanding the extent to which the research methods of empirical software engineering are adopted in the RE community.\ud \ud Method:\ud We surveyed the practices that participants of the REFSQ conference have been using in their empirical research projects. The survey was part of the REFSQ 2012 Empirical Track.\ud \ud Conclusions:\ud We found that there are 15 commonly used practices out of a set of 27. The study has two implications: first it presents a list of practices that are commonly used in the RE community, and a list of practices that still remain to be practiced. Researchers may now make an informed decision on how to extend the practices they use in producing and executing their research designs, so that their designs get better. Second, we found that senior researchers and PhD students do not always converge in their perceptions about the usefulness of research practices. Whether this is all right and whether something needs to be done in the face of this finding remains an open question