A reference check is a selection tool that used quite often by employers for identifying their potential employees. It has often been introduced in Human Resource Management textbooks, management articles, or consulting companies¡¦ training courses. However, when compared with other selection tools, a reference check obviously lacks both systematic researches and empirical studies to prove its credibility. This study is to gain an understanding as to the reason why an employer undertakes a reference check; how employers undertake a reference check and the overall procedure; and the influence and beneficial results of reference check. And I interviewed 12 HR professionals to collect their personal experiences about reference check. The results show that a reference check is one of the guarantee mechanisms for employers for not hiring an unqualified candidate. Employers take references from referees regarding their comments on applicants, who have already passed several selection processes and selection tools, in order to filter out the applicants who have some unfound problems in precious selection processes or tools. With regards to the hired applicants, employers could understand more about their personalities, strengths and weaknesses from the reference check results. Normally applicants would not list referees with whom they have had bad relations, so employers might undertake an unofficial reference check through their own personal network to collect information that will not be biased by good relations between applicant and referees. The results also show that some applicants may overestimate their good relationships with their referees, and list the referees who give their negative evaluations on applicants. In general, the referees who are familiar with the applicant, and who are willing to provide a reference along with those who undertake the reference check in a very sensitive manner, are the two key factors that make the reference check work well. Key word: Reference check, Selection

This study examined the generalization of the Dynamic Dominance Hypothesis (DDH) in regard to limb dominance, limb selection, and limb action. This study was inspired by the finding that limb selection changes from dominant-arm to nondominant-arm occur around an object position of 80° for right-handers and 100° for left-handers after passing the body midline (90°) into contralateral hemispace. For Study 1 and Study 2, 10 right-handed and 10 left-handed adults participated and reaching with the right and left arms of right- and left-handers was made to each of nine targets using free-choice and forced-choice paradigms. The purpose of Study 1 was to determine the relationship between limb selection and the DDH among both handedness groups. Thus, Study 1 addressed the following questions: Can the DDH explain why people select their nondominant hand for reaching into their contalateral hemispace? Do predictions of the DDH hold for right- and left-handers? Our results suggest that control efficiency with regard to a reduction in degrees of freedom in reaching movements seems to be a more fundamental cause for the limb selection phenomenon rather than the DDH. Also, our data reveal that kinematic differences between right- and left-handers with regard to utilization of joints for reaching explain limb selection differences between both handedness groups. The aim of Study 2 was to extend generalization of the DDH using a wide range of movement speed. Thus, Study 2 addressed the following question: Do propositions of the DDH hold for a wide range of speeds? Our data indicate the DDH does not hold for either slow or fast speed in reaching movements. Rather, a change in kinematics with regard to utilization of joints in reaching movements is associated with movement speed. Considered together, our data indicate that the DDH is an inadequate explanation of differences in limb selection, limb dominance (handedness), and limb action (speed). Rather, our findings with regard to control efficiency seem to be more fundamental and justified explanations for limb differences in the control of reaching based on the context of our task.

This dissertation is a compilation of essays highlighting the usefulness of game theory in understanding socio-economic phenomena. The second chapter tries to provide a reason for the strict codes of conduct that have been imposed on unmarried girls in almost every society at some point of time in its history using tools from classical game theory. If men prefer to marry submissive women, then parents of girls will have an incentive to signal the submissiveness of their daughters in various ways in order to attract better matches. At the same time, parents will find it costlier to signal the submissiveness of girls who are not really submissive. This line of reasoning thus helps us interpret phenomena such as veiling, footbinding, and sequestration of women in general as signals of submissiveness. The third chapter attempts to rationalize some of the ad hoc rules proposed for dividing a bankrupt estate using tools from evolutionary game theory. The ad hoc rules differ from each other because of the axioms that are imposed in addition to efficiency and claims boundedness. Efficiency requires that the estate be completely divided between the claimants, and claims boundedness requires that no claimant be awarded more than her initial contribution. This dissertation tries to show that an ad hoc rule can be rationalized as the unique self-enforcing long run outcome of Young's [46] evolutionary bargaining model by using certain intuitive rules for the Nash demand game. In the fourth chapter I present a simple model of conflict over inputs in an economy with ill-defined property rights. Agents produce output from the land they hold, which in turn can be allocated to consumption or the production of guns. There is no agency to enforce rights over the initial land holdings, and the future holdings of land are determined using a contest success function that depends on the guns produced by both agents. I characterize the equilibria in which only one, both, and none of the agents produce guns, as a function of the total land and the inequality of initial land holdings for general forms of utility, production, cost, and contest success functions.

Apply Page rank-like approach to web service workflow field. At the same time, no one try to device an engine that validates a composite web service workflow by means of FSM, which has formal theoretical base. In this work, we presented an algorithm to build up the composition FSM, which is a criterion to know a composition is feasible or not. We introduce nested cycle hierarchy to address the problem that PageRank weight assignment would favor cycle structure.

This research consists of two parts. The first part examines the posterior probability integrals for a family of linear models which arises from the work of Hart, Koen and Lombard (2003). Applying Laplace's method to these integrals is not entirely straightforward. One of the requirements is to analyze the asymptotic behavior of the information matrices as the sample size tends to infinity. This requires a number of analytic tricks, including viewing our covariance matrices as tending to differential operators. The use of differential operators and their Green's functions can provide a convenient and systematic method to asymptotically invert the covariance matrices. Once we have found the asymptotic behavior of the information matrices, we will see that in most cases BIC provides a reasonable approximation to the log of the posterior probability and Laplace's method gives more terms in the expansion and hence provides a slightly better approximation. In other cases, a number of pathologies will arise. We will see that in one case, BIC does not provide an asymptotically consistent estimate of the posterior probability; however, the more general Laplace's method will provide such an estimate. In another case, we will see that a naive application of Laplace's method will give a misleading answer and Laplace's method must be adapted to give the correct answer. The second part uses numerical methods to compute the "exact" posterior probabilities and compare them to the approximations arising from BIC and Laplace's method.

An effective principal is the catalyst for an effective school. For this reason, it is imperative that education stakeholders all over the world become responsible for addressing the selection, preparation and development of principals. The purpose of this study is to explore the similarities and differences in the selection process, preparation programs and the professional development practices as perceived by elementary school principals in urban public schools in the southern U.S and urban public schools in eastern China. The naturalistic paradigm of inquiry was used to frame the study and acquire and analyze data. The sample consisted of fourteen elementary school principals in a southern, urban area in the U.S. and an eastern, urban area in China selected via a purposive sample. The researcher visited their campuses between September, 2004 and January, 2005. Intensive interviews and observations were used to gather information from principals in American and Chinese urban elementary schools. Data from interviews were unitized into categories. Some of the conclusions included: ?? The American respondents indicated that current admission criteria for entrance into educational leadership programs were not sufficient for identifying a candidate??s aptitude for being a successful principal. ?? The Chinese principals believed that most selected Chinese principals are successful school leaders. ?? The American principals were satisfied with the effectiveness of the university preparation programs. ?? The Chinese principals were not satisfied with the effectiveness of classroom instruction of preparation programs. ?? The American principals felt that their professional development programs were helpful for improving their practice and their schools. ?? The Chinese principals were not satisfied with the effectiveness of the professional development programs. ?? Similarities and differences exist between the American and Chinese respondents?? perceptions of selection, preparation, and professional development.

Through varying personnel selection methods, corporations have obtained suitable employees. In the public, corporations use numerological ways to select employees can not to announce. This paper is to collect opinions of numerologists and corporations who have had the experience of use numerological ways to select employees, and to understand that selection by using numerological ways whether effects or not. The examination is done by analyzing tests materials collected from numerologists and corporations who have had the experience of use numerological ways to select employees. This research finds potential interviewers by leave messages at numerological websites. During interview, there is no job seeker has experience of numerological ways selection be find. Opinions of numerologists and corporations who have had the experience of use numerological ways to select employees are classified into two categories. Numerologists and corporations who have had the experience of use numerological ways to select employees think select employees by numerological way can be used. They think can screening job seeker¡¦s resume by Zewei numerology, Horoscope and blood type, and using Face reading in interview.

Hochsch. für Wirtschafts-, Rechts- und Sozialwiss., Diss.--St. Gallen, 1994.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 1999. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-117).

Thesis (M.L.H.R.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 27-29).