Why are dual-task costs reduced with ideomotor (IM) compatible tasks (see e.g. Greenwald & Shulman, 1973)? In a series of experiments, I tested the way in which task structure affects dual-task performance (Halvorson et al., 2012). The results suggest that in some cases, typical dual-task costs arise from task structure rather than response limitations. Further examination of this question has shown that dual-task costs cannot be predicted solely on the basis of the relationship between the stimuli and the responses; the relationship between the tasks, or the task pairing, plays a critical role in whether the tasks overlap and performance is impaired. A series of experiments using novel task pairings showed that when one task uses a spatial central code and the other uses a verbal central code, dual-task costs are eliminated.

No description available.

This study examines the operating costs of, and intentional compliance with, the value added tax (VAT) in Ethiopia. The study focuses on assessing the magnitude and nature of operating costs, identifying areas in the design and administration of the tax that contribute to the operating costs and the problems in the operation of the tax at large, and also on the link between VAT compliance costs and intentional output VAT reporting compliance decisions. The study adopts a mixed methods research approach to test a series of hypotheses and answer research questions that emerge through the review of existing literature and the experiences of the researcher in respect of the Ethiopian tax system. Specifically, the study uses surveys of taxpayers and tax practitioners, experimental design, interviews with tax officials and documentary analysis. The study statistically analyses the data elicited from the surveys and experimental design. It also analyses the results of in-depth interviews with tax officials and examination of documents held by tax authorities and other institutions. The results of this combined research methodology reveal that VAT operating costs in Ethiopia in the fiscal year 2005/06 appear to be relatively low. However, this low level of operating costs may not imply that the VAT system in Ethiopia is simple. In particular, in the case of administrative costs it is argued that it may indicate that the tax authorities are under-resourced which in turn may have affected their ability to accomplish the responsibilities entrusted to them. In respect of compliance costs, although the total costs seem to be low, it is contended that their regressiveness is likely to impact on the equity of the tax system as a whole. Further, the results show that VAT compliance costs and intentional VAT reporting compliance decisions are inversely correlated; but this correlation is statistically weak. The results also identify several concerns in the design and administration of the tax that have bearing on the operating costs and the operation of the tax. Specifically, the existence of the relatively high registration threshold, the high frequency of VAT reporting, the use of the invoice method of accounting (the latter two pertain mainly to small businesses) and weak administration are noted. iv The thesis suggests a series of measures which could be taken by the government and by the tax authorities in particular, to address the various problems identified in the study. These measures include strengthening the administration; allowing small businesses to adopt the cash basis of accounting and report less frequently; and reducing the registration threshold. The use of tax education is also emphasised as a strategy to improve compliance.

This thesis investigates key issues concerning how active equity fund managers add value: measuring alpha (Chapter 3), generating alpha (Chapters 4, 5 and 6) and transaction cost minimisation (Chapter 7). Chapter 3 proposes important methodological adjustments to the widely adopted benchmarking methodology of Daniel, Grinblatt, Titman and Wermers (1997). Applying this modified benchmark to a sample of active funds and simulated passive portfolios that mimic fund manager style characteristics, statistically lower tracking error is documented, compared with using the standard methodology. These findings suggest that improved specifications of characteristic benchmarks represent better methods in accurately quantifying fund manager skill. Chapter 4 examines a portfolio strategy which selects stocks using the undisclosed monthly holdings of Australian active funds. When considering a large range of strategies incorporating portfolio holdings information, the top performing strategies are robust to data-snooping and are economically and statistically significant when incorporating transaction costs. Accounting for look-ahead bias in the formation of a strategy, statistically significant alpha of at least 6.88 percent per year is found when following the best performing strategy holding 20 stocks or more in the previous month. Chapter 5 examines the relation of active equity fund managers location proximity to a stock??s corporate headquarter using portfolio holdings data. Contrary to much international research, this study reveals evidence inconsistent with a location advantage for Melbourne and Sydney-based funds. Chapter 6 examines retail investor trading on the Australian Stock Exchange. The performance of retail investors is highly heterogeneous: discount (non-discount) retail brokerage investors lose -0.59 (-0.05) percent intraday and experience negative (positive) returns over the subsequent year. These findings are inconsistent with retail investors exerting price pressure or providing liquidity to institutions. Chapter 7 examines whether equity fund managers use multiple brokers in a trade package in order to lower their price impact and brokerage costs. Using the daily trades of funds, multiple broker trades are not found to have lower costs compared to a single broker, even when controlling for the informativeness of the trade package and potential endogeneity. These findings suggest that fund managers do not lower their costs when using multiple brokers.

The aim of this research was to determine the extent of use, by Australian manufacturers, of lean manufacturing techniques, and the current and future implications for industrial designers. A survey was conducted to gather data on organisation demographics, the role of the industrial designer, production techniques and product development. The survey was distributed to 220 manufacturing organisations undertaking product development in Australia. The number of surveys returned was 134, representing a 60.9 percent response rate. The surveyed organisations represented a broad cross-section of Australian manufacturers by size, location and industry. Manufacturing organisations were categorised into three groups: lean manufacturers, emerging users of lean manufacturing and non-lean manufacturers. It was concluded that lean manufacturing is being adopted by Australian manufacturers and that lean manufacturing is impacting on the role of the industrial design. In general, the data obtained in this research confirms views expressed in the literature that describes current changes in the manufacturing industry. This literature suggests that design will become the next competitive 'weapon', and become a central part of organisational strategy. However, the data also suggests the design profession has still some way to go to adequately grasp its full professional potential, particularly in the area of product development management. The results indicate that industrial designers underperformed in five functional areas that could be considered fundamental to the service normally provided by industrial designers and they have not exceeded expectations in any of the functions included in the survey. It was found that overall, industrial designers were not regarded highly by organisations as a source of new product ideas. Another troubling finding was that industrial designers were generally not perceived as being suitable to manage product development groups. The results of this research could be used to guide educational institutions in regard to curricula for industrial design courses so that future graduates may more effectively fulfil industry requirements.

Background: Access to &quot high-cost medicines&quot under Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is characterised by strict eligibility criteria. The PBS access scheme for the anti-rheumatic biologicals (etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab) was examined for concordance with Australia?s National Medicines Policy. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders were conducted. National, aggregated prescription and expenditure data from Medicare Australia and dispensing data from the Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee were analysed. Access to biologicals was also examined from an ethical perspective. Results: Interviewees agreed that controlled access to high-cost medicines was broadly equitable and practical but specific concerns included: timeliness of access; bureaucracy of the process; contentious cases of individual patients being denied access; insufficient patient information; the quantum of resources required to administer the access scheme; inadequate stakeholder consultation. The access requirement of a history of failure of conventional anti-rheumatic drugs was supported. Recommendations included proactive review of the access criteria and outcomes; greater transparency and formal stakeholder involvement to increase public confidence in the definition of &quot target patient population" and a formal appeal mechanism to increase the fairness and accountability of the PBS. Establishment of an appeal mechanism is supported by &quot accountability for reasonableness&quot framework grounded in procedural justice. Data needed to examine the health outcomes associated with the use of biologicals on a national level was not easily available. This shortcoming is discordant with National Medicines Policy. Utilisation of biologicals over the first two years of PBS-subsidy was conservative but with considerable variability across States and Territories (an 8-fold difference between the jurisdictions), usage roughly correlating with access to rheumatologists. Introduction of PBS-subsidised biologicals did not alter the trends in utilisation of non-biological anti-rheumatic drugs. Conclusions: This research suggests that policy-makers focus upon: explicitly considering ethical principles and formally involving stakeholders when developing policies on access to high-cost medicines; improving communication and providing information based on increased transparency; and establishing formal mechanisms for review of and appeals against PBS decisions. The comprehensive evaluation of medicine use and outcomes post-subsidy is critical for the future of the PBS. The National Medicines Policy has proved a useful framework for evaluating this access scheme.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

<p>The objectives of this study include: (1) to examine how exercisers understand the concept of a healthy person, and how satisfied they are with their health; (2) to examine goals and reasons to exercise and the perceived importance of health to reach the goals; (3) to examine strategies both to avoid injuries, overtraining, or burnout and to strengthen health among exercisers and if exercisers put their health under risk in order to achieve their goals; (4) to examine how exercisers perceive “benefits” and “costs” of exercise participation in relation to satisfaction with health and exercise. The sample consists of 12 regular exercisers (7 men & 5 women; age: M = 25.4  5.9). A semi-structured interview guide was created for this study, and based on earlier research and the working model. The qualitative data were analysed by means of both deductive and inductive analyses and 12 category profiles have been developed. Overall exercisers showed a positive perception/attitude and perception to exercise participation and most of them pointed out their satisfaction with their health. Exercisers presented much more data related to benefits of their exercise participation than to costs. Exercisers reported that health is important for them and the majority of the exercisers never put their health at risk. The results are discussed from the point of view of the Perceived health and sport/exercise participation model.</p><p>Keywords: Benefits, Costs, Exercise, Perceived health, and Satisfaction.</p>

The aim of this Thesis is to study the relationship of investment decision with technological progress and the adoption of new technologies. In more specific, the main focus is given to some policy experiment. This dissertation is divided in 4 chapters, including the introduction and the review of the literature: · The Second Chapter deals with the impact of productive public capital on the decision to invest, taking into account irreversibility and uncertainty. Many authors have stressed the importance of the Government as ultimate risk manager. On the one hand, there is an extensive literature on how public expenditure affects growth. The purpose of the chapter is to take another perspective: to study if the productive public capital can reduce the risk faced by the private sector, in the presence of irreversibility and uncertainty. Thereby, we want to emphasize the stabilizing role for the public capital. · The Third Chapter: introduces a theoretical link between embodied technological progress, the irreversibility and uncertainty literature. In this model, Replacement is postponed in the presence irreversibility and uncertainty. The age of the oldest machine evolves stochastically. Firms can invest even if they are not using all the units, getting rid from the perfect procycle models in the irreversible literature. Furthermore, we reproduce the empirical evidence at firm level: investment is lumpy and infrequent. · The Fourth Chapter studies the impact of public policies aiming at the reduction of the adoption cost of new technologies. We assume an economy that presents AK production function with two distinct features: the adoption of new technologies is costly and embodied in new machines, and there is diffusion and learning process. Studying how technological progress, uncertainty and irreversibility affect the decision to undertake new projects and the acquisition of new equipments by private sector, we expect that this Thesis can contribute not only with academic debate but also with the efficiency of public policies.