Differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) naturally arise in many applications, but present numerical and analytical difficulties. The index of a DAE is a measure of the degree of numerical difficulty. In general, the higher the index is, the more difficult it is to solve the DAE. Therefore, it is desirable to transform the original DAE into an equivalent DAE with lower index. In this paper, we p...

Many operations managers have realized the potential of guanxi to facilitate business transactions. Likewise, operations management researchers have looked at the negative impact caused by the bullwhip effect on excess inventory and the impact of the bullwhip effect on business performance. To date, however, no empirical research has integrated these research streams. Therefore, we draw on both...

Using a measurement model of brand name and consumer preferences, this study aims to investigate the effects of brand name on consumer preferences in Turkmenistan. This study sought to investigate specifically, the influence of brand name on consumer’s preferences by utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Moreover, all possible correlations between these dimensions or domains o...

This study investigates the effect of co-production on customer loyalty (attitudinal and behavioral separately) and factors which may boost co-production in an Iranian bank. To investigate co-production in banking services, the proposed model of Auh et al. (2007) was applied. Given the fact that many banks try to get the status of their main customers, co-production was examined due to its pote...

Oscillation properties of solutions of the forced second order linear difference equation ∆(rk∆xk) + ckxk+1 = hk are investigated. The authors show that if the forcing term h does not oscillate, in some sense, too rapidly, then the oscillation of the unforced equation implies oscillation of the forced equation. Some results illustrating this statement and extensions to the more general half-lin...

This study explored the relationship between psychological traits, demographics and financial behavioral biases for individual investors in Taiwan stock market. By using questionnaire survey method conducted in 2010, there are 554 valid convenient samples collected to examine the determinants of three types of behavioral biases. Based on literature review, two hypothesized models are constructe...

This paper explores the development of students' knowledge of mathematical procedures. Students' tendency to develop rote knowledge of procedures has been widely commented on. I postulate an alternative, more "intelligent" endpoint for the development of procedural knowledge, where students choose to deviate from established solving patterns on particular problems for greater efficiency. The pu...

This study developed and tested a theory-based measure of authentic leadership using five separate samples obtained from China, Kenya, and the United States. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a higher order, multidimensional model of the authentic leadership construct (the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire [ALQ]) comprising leader self-awareness, relational transparency, internalized mora...

The dynamical evolution of a chemically reacting system is governed by the equations of chemical kinetics, which exhibit a wide range of time scales thus giving rise to stiff equations. In the ratecontrolled constrained equilibrium method (RCCE), the dynamical evolution of the system is governed by the kinetics of the species associated with the slower timescales (kinetically controlled), while...

A regular matrix pencil sE − A and its rank one perturbations are considered. We determine the sets in C ∪ {∞} which are the eigenvalues of the perturbed pencil. We show that the largest Jordan chains at each eigenvalue of sE − A may disappear and the sum of the length of all destroyed Jordan chains is the number of eigenvalues (counted with multiplicities) which can be placed arbitrarily in C∪...