Rahul Parsa

Fitting bivariate loss distributions with copulas

Abstract Various processes in casualty insurance involve correlated pairs of variables. A prominent example is the loss and allocated loss adjustment expenses on a single claim. In this paper the bivariate copula is introduced and an approach to conducting goodness-of-fit tests is suggested. A large example illustrates the concepts.

Perturbing Nonnormal Confidential Attributes: The Copula Approach

Protecting confidential, numerical data in databases from disclosure is an important issue both for commercial organizations as well as data-gathering and disseminating organizations (such as the Census Bureau). Prior studies have shown that perturbation methods are effective in protecting such confidential data from snoopers. Perturbation methods have to provide legitimate users with accurate (unbiased) information, and also provide adequate security against disclosure of confidential information to snoopers. For databases described by nonnormal multivariate distributions, existing perturbation methods do not provide unbiased characteristics. In this study, we develop a copula-based perturbation method capable of maintaining the marginal distribution of perturbed attributes to be the same before and after perturbation. In addition, this method also preserves the rank order correlation between the confidential and nonconfidential attributes, thereby maintaining monotonic relationships between attributes. The method proposed in this study provides a high level of protection against inferential disclosure. An investigation of the new perturbation method for simulated databases shows that the method performs effectively. The methodology presented in this study represents a signicant step toward improving the practical applicability of data perturbation methods.

An Improved Security Requirement for Data Perturbation with Implications for E-Commerce

With the rapid increase in the ability to store and analyze large amounts of data, organizations are gathering extensive data regarding their customers, vendors, and other entities. There has been a concurrent increase in the demand for preserving the privacy of confidential data that may be collected. The rapid growth of e-commerce has also increased calls for maintaining privacy and confidentiality of data. For numerical data, data perturbation methods offer an easy yet effective solution to the dilemma of providing access to legitimate users while protecting the data from snoopers (legitimate users who perform illegitimate analysis). In this study, we define a new security requirement that achieves the objective of providing access to legitimate users without an increase in the ability of a snooper to predict confidential information. We also derive the specifications under which perturbation methods can achieve this objective. Numerical examples are provided to show that the use of the new specification achieves the objective of no additional information to the snooper. Implications of the new specification for e-commerce are discussed.

The Spread of Statistical Significance Testing in Psychology The Case of the Journal of Applied Psychology, 1917-1994

Because the widespread use of statistical significance testing has deleterious consequences for the development of a cumulative knowledge base, the American Psychological Associations Board of Scientific Affairs is in the process of appointing a Task Force whose charge includes the possibility of phasing out such testing in textbooks and journal articles. Just how popular is significance testing in psychology? This issue is examined in the present historical study, which uses data from randomly selected issues of the Journal of Applied Psychology for the period 1917-94. Results indicate that the practice of significance testing, at one time of restricted usage, has expanded to the point that it is virtually synonymous with empirical analysis. The data also lend support to Gigerenzer and Murrays (1987) allegation that an inference revolution occurred in psychology during the period 1940-55. Unfortunately, it is concluded that the ubiquity of significance testing constitutes a classic example of the overadoption of a methodology.

Change in Consumer Patronage and Willingness to Pay at Different Levels of Service Attributes in Restaurants: A Study in India

Consumer patronage and consumer willingness to pay are the two most important criteria for business development. The current study investigates the changing preferences of consumers in a developing economy with respect to three major service attributes from the restaurant industry: food quality, service, and ambiance. Results indicated that consumers give greater preference to quality over service in high-end restaurants and prefer service compared with ambiance in quick-service restaurants. Food quality was found to have strong interaction effect with two other variables. When food quality was improved from low to high, consumer preferences for ambiance and service tended to change accordingly in the same direction, but not necessarily at the same level. Thus, restaurateurs have a strategic advantage when they choose high quality food and an appropriate level of service or ambiance. Consumer expectations are significantly different for high-end, full-service restaurants and quick-service restaurants in service attributes.

Why Restaurants Fail? Part IV: The Relationship between Restaurant Failures and Demographic Factors

Although location is a significant factor in a restaurant’s survival chances, contrary to the commonly held belief, the presence of nearby homes did not help in lowering failure rates between 2000 and 2010 for restaurants in Boulder, Colorado. Instead, having a substantial population of apartment dwellers and transient residents (notably, university students) enhanced the restaurants’ success, as did the presence of people aged eighteen to twenty-four, those with higher educational levels, non-household families, and low- to middle-income families. Larger restaurants and those with chain affiliation had a greater probability of success than small, quick-service operations. Among the factors that had little effect on restaurant success or failure were unemployment rates, the nature of nearby residents’ profession, and the geographical presence of families with children under eighteen. The study’s results also support the long-held industry perception regarding avoiding locations where restaurants have already failed. When a location had experienced three ownership turnovers, the study found that the location generally ceased to host restaurants as tenants. As explained further in this article, this is the fourth in a series of examinations of the elements of restaurant success and failure.

Bone health screening, education, and referral project in northwest Iowa: creating a model for community pharmacies

OBJECTIVE To identify women 60 years of age or older at risk for osteoporosis, provide education, and refer at-risk women to physicians through a community pharmacy screening program and to develop a model in community pharmacies for this service. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Northwest Iowa between August 2005 and October 2005. PARTICIPANTS 159 women 60 years of age or older screened at five pharmacies. INTERVENTIONS Five pharmacies completed education on osteoporosis, received training on use of the Achilles InSight by GE Lunar, and screened women 60 years of age or older for osteoporosis. Patients received education on osteoporosis and risk factors during the screening and were stratified as low, moderate, or high risk based on a T-score. Patients at risk were referred to their physician for further evaluation. Pharmacists telephoned patients at 3 and 6 months after screening to determine self-initiated or provider-initiated changes in their treatment plan. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Descriptive population characteristics, proportion of participants with medical risk factors for osteoporosis, proportion of patients screened at risk, and proportion of physician or patient self-initiated changes instituted as a result of the screening. RESULTS Of the 159 women screened, 53% were rated as moderate or severe risk and referred to their physicians. Three- and 6-month follow-up results revealed a high proportion of self-initiated lifestyle or medication changes and a small proportion of physician-initiated changes. CONCLUSION The majority of women 60 years of age or older who attended a community pharmacy osteoporosis screening were at moderate or high risk for osteoporosis. A fee-for-service model was created for community pharmacists to improve recognition and treatment of patients at risk. A toolkit will be created for pharmacists to promote their role in improving the bone health of older patients.

Marketing's “Oscars”: a citation analysis of award‐winning articles

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to see whether it is possible to reliably detect, prospectively, superior intellectual contributions to marketings literature.Design/methodology/approach – Citation data accessed on the Institute of Scientific Information Web of Science were used to examine the impact of award‐winning marketing articles with those of lead articles and non‐lead articles in the same journal issues.Findings – Award‐winners gathered more citations than those for the two comparison groups. It is shown, however, that this finding should not be taken for granted. The peer review system frequently fails to identify high quality, innovative research.Research limitations/implications – The paper only considers US marketing journals.Originality/value – This is the only in‐depth study of the impact of award‐winning research in the marketing community.

Assessing Faculty Productivity by Research Impact: Introducing Dp2 Index

Assessing hospitality faculty-research output has become a subject of research in its own right. Unfortunately most of the currently available assessment instruments are limited in their ability to consider consistency, productivity, originality, and longevity of productivity in hospitality research. Thus, this article introduces a new research productivity index using secondary sources of data for evaluating faculty research productivity, based on four criteria: quantity, quality, consistency, and longevity. The proposed Dp2 index uses publicly available secondary data sources in assessing the research productivity of hospitality faculty. The proposed Dp2 index is parsimonious, effective, flexible, adaptable, and easy to implement.

The Status of Science Safety in Kentucky Secondary Schools

ABSTRACT Our study sought to answer two questions: what is the status of safety in Kentucky school science programs, and can pragmatic tools be developed to address identified science safety needs? Between the spring of 2003 and the fall of 2004, state agency representatives worked with science safety researchers to assess the status of science safety in Kentucky schools and then create the Total Science Safety System CD-Kentucky Edition that contained all applicable federal and state laws, codes, and professional standards. In addition the CD included safety audits, chemical databases, safety videos, and strategic weblinks. This report concentrates on findings about science laboratory safety at the secondary level gathered from teacher surveys representing approximately 54 Kentucky school districts. Among the most significant findings was that teachers from the participating schools did not know or consistently observe many standard safety procedures. Furthermore, most participating science teachers generally were not aware of applicable science safety laws, codes, and standards.