The role of viewing distance and viewing angle on referees’ decision-making performance during the FIFA World Cup 2014

The present study aims to reveal the effects of positioning on decision-making performance in top-level refereeing in association football. To this end, for all 64 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2014, potential foul-play situations were videometrically analysed in terms of the referee’s position relative to the infringement. Contrary to earlier studies, viewing angles were analysed in addition to viewing distances and error rates were considered for not only falsely whistled but also falsely non-whistled events. Moreover, direct logistic regression analysis was applied to detect position-dependent differences. For the total of 1,527 potential foul play situations, an overall low error rate of 6.9% was found. The similar numbers of total whistle (n = 52) and non-whistle errors (n = 54) reflect referees’ ability to balance both types of errors. Regarding the overall viewing-distance effect, referees were 2.58 times (95% CI 1.47–4.54) more likely to commit a whistle error at 10–15 m and 5.51 times (95% CI 1.35–22.47) more likely to commit a non-whistle error at 0–5 m, corresponding to the position ranges occurring with the highest (10–15 m: 30.3%) and lowest (0–5 m: 5.8%) frequencies. In contrast, no significant effects of viewing-angle on decision-making accuracy could be revealed.     

Contextual factors affecting the utility of surrogates within exploratory search

In this paper we investigate how information surrogates might be useful in exploratory search and what information it is useful for a surrogate to contain. By comparing assessments based on artificially created information surrogates, we investigate the effect of the source of information, the quality of an information source and the date of information upon the assessment process. We also investigate how varying levels of topical knowledge, assessor confidence and prior expectation affect the assessment of information surrogates. We show that both types of contextual information affect how the information surrogates are judged and what actions are performed as a result of the surrogates.     

When virtual reality meets realpolitik: Social media shaping the Arab government–citizen relationship

Since most activists participating in the recent uprisings in Arab countries have been using social media to an unprecedented extent, public analyst and researchers have rushed to reflect on and explain the phenomena, often attributing a ‘change agency’ to social media as such. This argumentative research collects evidence from literature, recent surveys and focus groups in order to contextualize our understanding of the role of social media and its usage in reshaping the Arab government–citizen relationship: Are the traits of social media significant enough to single them out and discuss their specific impact on the government–citizen relationship? Are we well advised to attribute an ‘agency’ of social media in shaping politics and inducing political change? And in view of the actual use of social media: What are the options of containing emerging ‘destructive’ phenomena and ‘improving’ the government–citizen relationship? Answers are outlined to support contextualized design of social media technology and regulation: (1) Arab citizens basically support democratic concepts; however (2) social media as such do not act and therefore do not ‘create’ e.g. democracy; rather (3) social media enable a new political sphere for Arab citizens, nevertheless challenged by realpolitik; and (4) social media need care taking in terms of shaping political communication and shaping the media itself in order to serve well as mediator among citizens and between citizens and government.     

Cinema Demand In Germany

This paper examines the German cinema market using time series data covering the period 1950–2002. Applying estimation techniques such as OLS, 2SLS and SUR, we identify interrelations between the number of seats, the average real prices and the demand for movies per capita. Furthermore, we test for the long-run relationship between demand, prices and real income and estimate the elasticity of demand with respect to these variables.JEL–Classification: C22, C23, L82     

Graduate teacher motivation for choosing a job in education

This article compares individuals already in teaching and non-teaching teacher graduates, and explores the motivation to pursue a teaching job based on job motives and work values. From the response of 241 recently graduated teachers it may be concluded that teachers consider intrinsic, altruistic and interpersonal features as strong job-specific motivators. Furthermore, teachers prefer altruistic and interpersonal work values, while non-teachers are more attracted by individualistic work values such as career opportunities and executive power.     

Comparison of Individual Criteria and Externally Imposed Criteria for Stage Allocation: Findings from an Internet Study Addressing Physical Activity

Stage-matched interventions can only be more effective than “one-size-fits-all” interventions if they target participants' specific needs. Therefore, individuals must be allocated to a stage that truly reflects their mindsets. Various criteria for stage allocation exist. This study's objective was to demonstrate the impact of different classification criteria on stage allocation, and which criterion yields the best reflection of individuals' mindsets. The sample consists of 569 internet users. Physical activity, intention to change, and four stages of change (Non-Intender, Intender, Maintaining Actor, and Changing Actor) were assessed. Staging was based on two criteria: individual criteria and externally imposed criteria (30 min of physical activity on at least 4 days of the week). Hypotheses were tested by multivariate analyses and validity tests. As predicted, the different criteria affected stage allocation, and staging based on the individual criterion seemed to reflect individuals' intention to change and behavior better than staging based on the external standard.     

Process integration,information sharing,and system interoperation in government: A comparative case analysis

In recent years, government agencies on all levels and in all branches have increasingly engaged in harmonizing business processes, standardizing information sharing, and interoperating their information systems, which indicates a rising need for intra- and inter-government collaboration. Simultaneously, the technical capacity for process integration, information sharing, and system interoperation/interoperability (INT-IS-IOP) has also greatly increased. While a number of INT-IS-IOP projects have faced serious challenges leading to problematic project outcomes, other projects have produced the desired results. Using the amended Scholl/Klischewski (2007) framework this study systematically analyzes documents of nineteen cases of mostly successful projects, which were carried out across Europe. Based on the results of this analysis, we identify and document key foci and characteristics of successful projects. The comparative case analysis also helps assess the explanatory power of the Scholl/Klischewski framework, its applicability to practice, and its utility for evaluative purposes.