Combining Economic and Conjoint Analysis to Determine Optimal Academic Services

In today's era of global competition, organizations must manage their functions and activities in a manner such that they are responsive to customers' needs and can provide excellence in service to the customer while also being efficient and cost conscious. These issues are extremely common in corporate organizations, but such concerns are equally relevant in service industries, including institutions of higher education. This study is conducted at a private, undergraduate institution of higher education. We utilize focus group evaluation and conjoint analysis combined with economic analysis in the form of a newly designed preferred utility economic cost diagram to pick the ideal services that should be provided to enrolled students at the institution. The package of ideal services accounts for preferred utility expressed by students and a new methodology (preferred utility function) to balance these against financial considerations to optimize services and financial gains for a college adult education program. This combination of focus groups and mathematical techniques can be easily employed by educational institutes.     

主体创造性思维中的心理定势效应

创造性思维是人类区别于动物的最根本的标志。研究它的内在机制的重要意义和最终目的在于使人类创造力的发展从自我走向自觉,从而尽可能挖掘出人类的创造潜力。本文认为“心理定势效应”是创造性思维的内在机制,并从它的研究历史、界定、动作流程以及它在主体创造性思维中的正负效应等方面进行了深入探讨,以求对个人和社会创造潜力的发掘有所裨益。     

论政府评价的标准

综合中外各国政治学家的政府评价观，笔者认为，对政府的评价必须抛弃传统的用经济基础、阶级基础的标准来评价政府的简单方法，只有综合运用合法性、合利性和合德性评价标准，才能对一个政府作出客观而公正的评价。     

普世伦理的正义及其对功利价值的优先性

力求在普世伦理的理论框架内重新解释伦理正义这一基本概念。通过检省目的论与道义论两种经典的普遍伦理学探究方式,深入探究了正义或道义与功利或人权两种基本的社会伦理选择方略及其正当合理性;进而借助于比较分析的方法,努力厘定伦理正义的规范特性、伦理正义原则的制定程序及其获取普遍有效性的条件,并证明在普世伦理的价值系统中,伦理正义相对于功利价值的优先地位。     

一类随机微分效用的风险厌恶性

通过倒向重随机微分方程引入了一类随机微分效用,讨论其风险厌恶性。     

Experimental and thermal stress investigation on side wall deformation at the pendent convective pass in a utility boiler

An experimental investigation is performed on side wall deformation at the pendant convective pass （PCP） in a 300 MW and a 600 MW utility boiler. The temperature distributions are measured on the side wall areas of the water-cooled wall, the PCP and the horizontal convective pass （HCP） in the two utility boilers. These experiments show that there are great temperature differences in the side wall areas during the startup process in both utility boilers. These temperature differences can reach 80-150 ~C with the side wall temperature in the PCP area higher than those in the water-cooled wall and the HCP. The highest temperature in the PCP is close to the flue gas side temperature at the same position in the horizontal flue gas pass. Thermal stress analyses are conducted in the side wall areas in the water-cooled wall, the PCP and the HCP with the software ANSYS. The results show that, at great temperature differences, the PCP side wall undergoes negative thermal stresses that exceed the yield strength causing deformation in the PCP side wall.     

柏拉图教育思想对当今教改的启示

柏拉图作为西方大学雏形柏拉图学园的创立者,其教育思想至今仍然对中国教育及教学改革有着重要的借鉴价值。在教育理念方面,柏拉图致力于引导人而不是培养人才,即唤醒以理性原则行事的人,而不是如机械部件般有用于产业发展和社会需要的人才。在教学过程方面,柏拉图通过研讨的方式推进各门课程的教学,将人导向理性。这有利于刺激学生的思维,有效推进教育理念的实现,而不是仅仅灌输知识。基于以上,在教学成果方面,柏拉图获得的是超功利的音乐家、智慧的哲学王这一硕果,而不是有用的材料或长脚的书柜。     

(1) Recent developments

Abstract

This paper identifies the different types of health science libraries located in various organizations engaged in research, education and training, administration and programme implementation relating to health and family welfare. These medical libraries have been grouped into four categories namely research, academic, medical and hospital, based on the functions of the organization/institution to which they are attached. Based on an all India survey, the resources, such as documents, manpower, finances and equipment of 248 health science libraries belonging to the allopathy system (modern medicine) have been examined. Basic library services, such as reference, current awareness, bibliography, MEDLARS/MEDLINE, abstracting/indexing, and photocopying have been studied. The information collected on various indices relating to medical library resources have been analysed and presented, indicating their strengths and weaknesses. The survey indicated a significant imbalance among the resources held and services rendered. Some measures for the improvement of the existing resources, services and their utilization have been suggested.     

Components, systems and discontinuities: The case of magnetic recording and playback equipment

Using the history of magnetic recording and playback equipment, this paper explores the relationship between incremental improvements in components and technological discontinuities in systems. It finds that improvements in components have been the major source of all discontinuities in the industry. Focusing just on tape-based systems, all of the basic design approaches had been identified by the late 1950s and thus one of the largest technological challenges for firms has been to modify the design in response to improvements in the magnetic recording density of tape. This paper explores this phenomenon by analyzing data on equipment performance and price, and several design choices for the tape-based equipment. It shows how improvements in the magnetic recording density have changed the tradeoffs that exist between price and different dimensions of performance and between various design choices and thus led to about 10 technological discontinuities in magnetic tape system design.     

产品概念交合分析的原理与案例研究

顾客或潜在顾客对新产品的效用、构成新产品的属性的重要度和各水平的效用的评价信息是制定新产品开发战略和技术策略的重要前提。为了解这些信息,目前的理论与实践通常采用的是不符合顾客实际判断环境 的综合方法,结果不理想。本文介绍一种分解法－交合分析法（Conjoint Analysis）的原理及其应用的案例。