, Lexicographic Preferences in Discrete Choice Experiments: Consequences on Individual-Specific Willingness to Pay Estimates

In discrete choice experiments respondents are generally assumed to consider all of the attributes across each of the alternatives, and to choose their most preferred. However, results in this paper indicate that many respondents employ simplified lexicographic decision-making rules, whereby they have a ranking of the attributes, but their choice of an alternative is based solely on the level of their most important attribute(s). Not accounting for these simple decision-making heuristics introduces systemic errors and leads to biased point estimates, as they are a violation of the continuity axiom and a departure from the use of compensatory decision-making. In this paper the implications of lexicographic preferences are examined. In particular, using a mixed logit specification this paper investigates the sensitivity of individual-specific willingness to pay (WTP) estimates conditional on whether lexicographic decision-making rules are accounted for in the modelling of discrete choice responses. Empirical results are obtained from a discrete choice experiment that was carried out to address the value of a number of rural landscape attributes in Ireland

Optimal Route Search with the Coverage of Users' Preferences

The preferences of users are important in route search and planning. For example, when a user plans a trip within a city, their preferences can be expressed as keywords shopping mall, restaurant, and museum, with weights 0.5, 0.4, and 0.1, respectively. The resulting route should best satisfy their weighted preferences. In this paper, we take into account the weighted user preferences in route search, and present a keyword coverage problem, which finds an optimal route from a source location to a target location such that the keyword coverage is optimized and that the budget score satisfies a specified constraint. We prove that this problem is NP-hard. To solve this complex problem, we pro- pose an optimal route search based on an A* variant for which we have defined an admissible heuristic function. The experiments conducted on real-world datasets demonstrate both the efficiency and accu- racy of our proposed algorithms.

Employee 'words' on high involvement work practices, value congruence and burnout

This article examined the impact of perceived high involvement work practices (HIWPs) on person-organization value congruence (P-O fit) and long term burnout. The study was conducted in a Canadian general hospital. Findings from structural equation modeling (N = 185) revealed that perceived HIWPs were significantly positively associated with P-O fit. While there was no direct effect of HIWPs on burnout, P-O fit fully mediated the relationship between perceptions of HIWPs and burnout. We discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of HIWPs influence on P-O fit and burnout.

Spectacle design preferences among Chinese primary and secondary students and their parents: A qualitative and quantitative study

Purpose: To identify the specific characteristics making glasses designs, particularly those compatible with adjustable glasses, more or less appealing to Chinese children and their parents. Patients and Methods: Primary and secondary school children from urban and rural China with < = -1.00 diopters of bilateral myopia and their parents ranked four conventional-style frames identified by local optical shops as popular versus four child-specific frames compatible with adjustable spectacles. Scores based on the proportion of maximum possible ranking were computed for each style. Selected children and their parents also participated in Focus Groups (FGs) discussing spectacle design preference. Recordings were transcribed and coded by two independents reviewers using NVivo software. Results: Among 136 urban primary school children (age range 9-11 years), 290 rural secondary school children (11-17 years) and 16 parents, all adjustable-style frames (scores on 0-100 scale 25.7-62.4) were ranked behind all conventional frames (63.0-87.5). For eight FGs including 12 primary children, 26 secondary children and 16 parents, average kappa values for NVivo coding were 0.81 (students) and 0.70 (parents). All groups agreed that the key changes to make adjustable designs more attractive were altering the round lenses to rectangular or oval shapes and adding curved earpieces for more stable wear. The thick frames of the adjustable designs were considered stylish, and children indicated they would wear them if the lens shape were modified. Conclusions: Current adjustable lens designs are unattractive to Chinese children and their parents, though this study identified specific modifications which would make them more appealing.

Triggering employee voice under the European Information and Consultation Directive: A non-union case study

The transposition of the 2002/14/EC Directive, establishing a general framework for information and consultation (I&C), has proven contentious in largely voluntarist systems of employment regulation. Receiving particular criticism is the employee ‘opt-in’ mechanism as a means to access I&C rights. For non-union employees in particular, the ability and potential to negotiate rights for I&C is widely seen to be problematic. This article uniquely examines the opt-in mechanism in the context of non-unionism, considering how non-union employers respond to non-union employees invoking their legislative rights to I&C. Drawing upon a case study conducted over four years in a large non-union multinational, the evidence shows how the opt-in and negotiation process function to the advantage of the employer rather than the intended regulatory impact to advance employee rights