Decisions and Elections: Explaining the Unexpected

Book Description

This highly accessible book offers undergraduates and professionals a new, different interpretation and resolution of Arrow's and Sen's theorems. Using simple mathematics, it shows that these negative conclusions arise because, in each case, some of their assumptions negate other crucial assumptions. Once this is understood, not only do the conclusions become expected, but a wide class of other phenomena can also be anticipated. These include inter alia legislative cycles, supply and demand economics, statistical paradoxes, and diverse voting/election paradoxes.

Customer Reviews:

Cuts through the hype on voting methods & paradoxes.......2004-03-17

This books cuts through much of the hype surrounding voting methods and paradoxes. Saari explains the primacy of the Borda Count when voters rank their choices. This will make the book controversial among devotees of other methods, such as Condorcet Voting, Instant Runoff Voting, and Approval Voting.

For example, Saari fully explains the paradoxes of Condorcet or pairwise tallies of voter rankings (A is ranked over B in the final tally if over half the voters rank A over B). This is due to the fact that a pairwise tally ignores the strength or intensity of a voter's ranking of A over B (is A ranked just above B? or is A ranked first and B last? etc.). Saari shows how to modify a controversial hypothesis of Arrow's Theorem in a reasonable way so that good voting methods, such as the Borda Count, do exist. However most other voting methods, such as those mentioned above, fail one or more of the modified Arrow hypotheses, and Saari shows how to construct voting paradoxes out of these failures.

Mathematician Saari has investigated other kinds of "social choice" paradox as well. However the quality of the exposition is somewhat uneven - sometimes there are brilliant illustrations of various phenomena, sometimes obtuse verbiage (I am a mathematician myself). This is an "undergraduate level" book which should accessible to a larger audience. I can recommend that Saari find a good expositer co-author to better reach that large audience.

Mathematician Bangs on the Pulpit: Circular Thinking Exposed.......2002-01-16

In my humble opinion, although the copy editors should have been a little more attentive to some glaring typographical errors, this is a very important book, an important contribution to the mathematical development of the social sciences. Saari shows how one fundamental insight involving the subtle loss of available information when a whole is broken down into parts leads to surprising resolutions to a broad spectrum of mind boggling problems, dilemma's and paradoxes. Fundamentally, this book is all about recognizing cyclic thinking for what it is, and straightening it out.

Reading this book reminded me of another book I reviewed, titled _A Darwinian Left_, by Princeton University philosopher Peter Singer, in which he issued a call for "the development of a field of social research that shows the way towards a more cooperative society" (pg. 47). Singer should be pleased with Saari's book, as it makes a fundamental theoretical contribution along that line, and shows how to apply it.

The single most memorable part of Saari's book, to my mind (as something of a community activist), is Saari's analysis of the logic of a noise ordinance in Keweenaw County, Michigan. He uses this ordinance to illustrate how individual and societal rights can be logically consistent after all, in spite of a Theorem by another Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen, which asserts something to the contrary. Another stand out, in my mind, is Saari's explanation of how the well known "Prisoner's Dilemma" is resolved by a slightly revised version of the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as they did to you."

Saari shows how Kenneth Arrow's seminal "Impossibility Theorem," which is often interpreted as a proof that can be no such thing as a fair and consistent voting method when there are more than 2 candidates, is based on fairness criteria which are inconsistent with one another. I learned in logic class that you can resolve a dilemma by eliminating an internal inconsistency of the argument. Saari does just that with Arrow's Theorem.

"Obviously," writes Saari, "whenever the actual conditions defining our decision procedures differ from what we intended, then unexpected conclusions and paradoxes can occur. This point, although obvious, is sufficiently important that I repeat it often enough to resemble a preacher banging on the pulpit." (pg. 26).

Many introductory math textbooks draw too strong a conclusion from Arrow's Theorem, and claim that it proves that a fair and consistent voting method is an impossibility when there are more than 2 candidates. To the contrary, his theorem only proves that there is no method which can satisfy all of his fairness criteria. In other words, Arrow proved that his criteria are inconsistent with one another. In particular, Saari shows that Arrow's "Binary Independence" criterion is inconsistent with non-cyclic outcomes. We must remember that "fairness" is not a strictly objective thing. It necessarily involves an evaluative judgment, and is based on questionable intuitions. Arrow's Theorem may be interpreted as providing a good reason to subject his fairness criteria to further scrutiny, to try to understand why his particular criteria are inconsistent with each other, and to come up with more satisfactory results with other elementary fairness criteria or axioms. Saari interprets and scrutinizes Arrow's Theorem in exactly this way, and comes up with more satisfying results. Among other things, he finds that, if Arrow's "binary independence" condition is slightly modified so as to require a procedure to pay attention to the strength of a voters preferences (he calls his version the "intensity of binary independence" condition), then the Borda Count procedure solves the problem and satisfies the theorem.

Now, I am no professional voting theorist, but I have studied this subject and his work in some depth, and I think Saari has made a very important contribution to voting theory. At least two other ground breaking voting theorists, Amartya Sen and Kenneth Arrow, have received Nobel Prizes in Economics for their contributions. It seems to me that Saari should the next.

Book Description

Learning by Doing in Markets, Firms, and Countries draws out the underlying economics in business history by focusing on learning processes and the development of competitively valuable asymmetries. The essays show that organizations, like people, learn that this process can be organized more or less effectively, which can have major implications for how competition works.

The first three essays in this volume explore techniques firms have used to both manage information to create valuable asymmetries and to otherwise suppress unwelcome competition. The next three focus on the ways in which firms have built special capabilities over time, capabilities that have been both sources of competitive advantage and resistance to new opportunities. The last two extend the notion of learning from the level of firms to that of nations. The collection as a whole builds on the previous two volumes to make the connection between information structure and product market outcomes in business history.

Learning by Doing in Markets, Firms, and Countries (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)

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Learning by Doing in Markets, Firms, and Countries (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)
Naomi R. Lamoreaux Daniel M. G. Raff Peter Temin
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPFZI8

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LEARNING BY DOING IN MARKETS, FIRMS, AND COUNTRIES. National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report
Naomi R. et al. (editors). Lamoreaux
Manufacturer: Univ. of Chicago Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7KRF8

Book Description

Yield improvement is one goal of virtually every crop breeding program. Many programs concentrate on identifying the genetic traits responsible for higher yield and selecting each of them in the later stages of the breeding cycle. However, selection for yield directly is still the most effective method, since yield is determined by a combination of traits and environmental factors. This book presents a whole-system, or holistic model for the improvement of adaptation, maturity, and yield. Central to its thesis is a recognition that competition between several components of the plant system determines yield and other cultivar characteristics. The book examines this competition and uses the results to provide insights into plant systems in general. It then shows how to enhance the success of breeding trials by balancing different yield components while taking into account prevailing field conditions. Based principally on 25 years research by the authors, the ideas presented in this book are invaluable reading for crop physiologists and plant breeders.

Book Description

We are living in the early stages of a looming worldwide extinction crisis. Abundant evidence shows that the current rate of species extinctions is nearing its highest level since the asteroid collision 65 million years ago, and that humans are largely responsible. This book addresses the urgent need to understand and find solutions to this crisis. Written by an international team of contributors who are among the best-known and most active experimental biologists working in the field of conservation biology today, it provides a unique approach by focusing on individual species rather than whole plant and animal communities. Emphasizing throughout how conservation biology can benefit from an experimental approach, the book looks at a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic species--from giant pandas and tree snails to sea turtles and Steller sea lions--and demonstrates what can be done both to preserve rare species and to combat invasive organisms. Finally, contributors show how we can bridge the gap between policy makers and research scientists in order to develop lasting solutions to these problems.

Predator-prey interactions: experimental and field approaches.(SPECIAL THEME SECTION): An article from: Journal of Shellfish Research

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Predator-prey interactions: experimental and field approaches.(SPECIAL THEME SECTION): An article from: Journal of Shellfish Research
Michal Kowalewski , and Lindsey R. Leighton
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Shellfish Research, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2007. The length of the article is 2184 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Predator-prey interactions: experimental and field approaches.(SPECIAL THEME SECTION)
Author: Michal Kowalewski
Publication: Journal of Shellfish Research (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Page: 217(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Amazon.com

It is widely acknowledged that businesses today must harness the Net to effectively utilize the myriad details they glean from--and then pass around to--their various stakeholders. But how best to do that? e-Business Intelligence, by the head of a global company that helps others develop such efforts, lays out a variety of interrelated methodologies already in use by pioneering corporations around the world. In doing so, author Bernard Liautaud explains how to move from data (the extensive raw stats to which most contemporary firms are privy) to information (the proper context in which they must be applied) to intelligence (the collective knowledge from which appropriate actions are initiated). Liautaud shows how companies like Eli Lilly, MasterCard, and British Airways have created electronic relationships among employees, suppliers, consumers, and business partners to boost marketing, customer service, quality control, purchasing, and other activities. He explains how internal "information democracies" allow them to instantaneously distribute pertinent details throughout their organizations, while external "information embassies" facilitate the rapid transfer of pertinent facts to outside constituencies. To help readers develop their own individualized strategies, he presents specifics on gathering "customer intelligence," sharing product information, optimizing supply chains, and performing other critical tasks. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

Internationally celebrated ebusiness innovator, Bernard Liautaud, explains why the key to ebusiness success is knowing how to transform the vast reservoir of raw data found in every company into a corporate intelligence gold mine.

This book focuses on the three main areas of ebusiness intelligence—intranets, extranets, and business-to-business ecommerce. He describes cutting-edge strategies for accessing, analyzing, and sharing corporate data both internally and externally with customers, partners, and suppliers. With the help of case studies from Lucent, Dow Chemical, Disney, Go Network, and other ebusiness giants, Liautaud explains the what, why, and how of ebusiness intelligence in the new information economy.

Bernard Liautaud (Palo Alto, CA) is CEO of Business Objects, the world's leading provider of ebusiness solutions, and, according to Intelligent Enterprise magazine, one of the "12 Most Influential Companies in the Information Technology Industry." In 1996, five years after founding Business Objects, Liataud was named one of BusinessWeek's "Hottest Entrepreneurs of the Year."

Customer Reviews:

very good.......2006-02-03

Great for someone who is looking to expand his knowledge of what is BI and how to use it to improve his performance results.
Buy it, worth the money!

Exactly to the point.......2005-03-12

This book goes exactly to the point that hurts most of the companies even in this days of year 2005. It will take some time to define the standards in this BI industry but definitely this book marks the beginning of it. Other more detailed more sophisticated books might be written by others but the most difficult is to write the first one. Others inspired by this book will probably write new ones.

Not enough details to be useful.......2003-08-19

I found this book to be very weak in details and concepts. It's easy to say that companies need business intelligence and throw around some very vague and general facts and examples. And that's what this book does. The case studies offer no details at all. If you've never heard of e-business or intelligence (basically if you've been living in a cave) then this book will introduce the topic at a high level. But if you're looking for more information you'd better look some place else. I know the author is the founder of Business Objects, but I just expected more from this book and was very disappointed.

No business intelligence, just business promotion.......2002-11-27

While doing periodical research on the business intelligence subject, I found this book as a new acquisition at the university library; sorry, but it is a long white paper on the advantages and why to use a software tool for doing business intelligence, never minding about any data/facts that may be found out of the bits and bytes world: Informal sources? External data? Competitor intelligence? Who cares, if you want a 360° view of your customer, don't need more than a computer and some software--at the end, culture, attitude and pure business sense seem like a waste of time. Suddenly, I discovered why this bothered me: The autor is one of Business Objects' top executives! Now, it all made sense: It is like other books written by people who need to sell a product (and Business Objects is a good seller indeed) so writting down their way of seeing the world gets them a guruesque position in front of their customers and prospects. If you need to really learn about business intelligence, don't bother reading it: you can find lots of free white papers that cover the same subject in the BI software vendors web sites. Trying to understand business intellingence as something that needs nothing more than a software tool, leaving behind all the intelectual and analytical work to do, is equivalent to define mathematics as the use of a scientific calculator.

Should be read by all managers!.......2002-08-26

This book was written for managers in mind. This book does not cover technical details of data warehouses or data mining. Given its scope this book accomplishes its task efficiently, with no real wasted anecdotes and personal opinions. The author a well-known expert on business objects really displays his ability to convey the information accurately and illustrates his points well. This will aid any manager get up to speed on the missing information sources that can occur in any business and apply them to their own business. Overall, this book accomplishes what it intends to do and that is to inform the reader on the various methods a business can utilize information to gain efficiency and a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Book Description

Marketing has evolved rapidly both as an academic and practical discipline and is now regarded as a fundamental part of the activities of most progressive business and organizations. Strategic Market Relationships provides a re-examination of the nature and scope of marketing as a subject and develops ideas about how organizations originate, sustain and develop relationships with their customers and suppliers.

Book Description

One of the greatest events in financial history will occur in 1999: the birth of the euro and the emergence of a unified European capital market. This is the first academic text to consider the medium term impact of a single currency on these markets. It tackles several key questions: Once the euro is in place, what is likely to change in European capital markets? How is the structure of the bond, equity, and derivative markets going to be affected? Are these markets going to be integrated? Is the disappearence of exchange rate uncertainty going to affect risk premium on the equity and corporate debt markets? Is the euro going to compete with the US dollar, and does this matter? Is the introduction of the euro likely to change the sources of competitive advantages of financial institutions? What are going to be the key factors for success in the industry? The European Capital Markets Institute commissioned a report to address these issues. Drawn from various countries and fields of research - banking, economics, and finance - the contributors analyse the structural effects of the introduction of euro on European capital markets.

Book Description

Turkey is an attractive location for Western foreign investment because of its emerging role as a springboard for foreign companies to access the newly emerging markets of Central Asia via entering joint ventures with Turkish partners. Turkey's own emerging potential and its market attractiveness for an incremental share of world foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have also been confirmed by the U.S. government, designating the country as one of the ten Big Emerging Markets along with China, India, Russia and Brazil, which are expected to offer the greatest commercial growth opportunities in the 21st century due to their high economic growth and rapidly growing population. Tatoglu and Glaister provide an empirical analysis of the core dimensions of FDI activity based on primary data collected from Western multinationals engaged in either wholly-owned subsidiaries or joint ventures and from local Turkish firms which are the partners in joint ventures in Turkey. Written for scholars and students of international business, global management, and strategic management, as well as for executives who are actively pursuing international market opportunities and managers in Turkish firms seeking joint venture partners, this book provides a timely account of the key facets of Western FDI activity in Turkey. Tatoglu and Glaister analyze location specific influences, strategic motives, partner selection criteria in joint ventures, management control issues and performance.

Book Description

Strategic information and contacts for conducting successful export-import and business operation in the country. Information on export-import products, exporters and importers, regulations, opportunities. Updated annually.

Italy Export-Import and Business Directory

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Italy Export-Import and Business Directory
USA International Business Publications
Manufacturer: International Business Publications, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Directories | Catalogs & Directories | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0739742248

Book Description

Ultimate directory for conducting export-import operations in the country. Largest exporters and importers, strategic government and business contacts, selected export-import regulations and more

Italy Export-Import Trade and Business Directory

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Italy Export-Import Trade and Business Directory
USA International Business Publications
Manufacturer: International Business Publications, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Directories | Catalogs & Directories | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0739758659

Italy Industrial and Business Directory (World Business, Investment and Government Library)

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Italy Industrial and Business Directory (World Business, Investment and Government Library)
USA IBP
Manufacturer: International Business Publications, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0739797344

Book Description

Strategic industrial, investment, and business contacts for conducting export-import and investment activity in the country. Strategic and practical economic and business information. Updated annually

United States-Italy Trade Directory and CD-ROM 1998-1999

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United States-Italy Trade Directory and CD-ROM 1998-1999
Italy-America Chamber of Commerce
Manufacturer: Italy-America Chamber of Commerce
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Directories | Catalogs & Directories | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0967499208

Book Description

The United States-Italy Trade Directory is a comprehensive register of U.S. companies doing business with Italy. Published, since 1955, by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce, it lists U.S. importers and exporters dealing with Italy including cross indexes of products, brand names and Italian companies represented in the U.S. Also included are members of the Italian Chamber network in the U.S., numerous other business and trade organizations and information on import and export rules, immigration and taxation. The above information is also accessible on the included CD-ROM.

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Italy: Business Directory

Manufacturer: Business Information Agency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1418717487

Product Description

12,000 COMPANIES IN ITALY! Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalist economy remains divided into the developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Just a few facts: One packaging machine out of every four in the world bears the wording "Made in Italy"; Italy is the world leader in food technology machinery and technology, consistently exporting over 90% of their production each year; Italian farm equipment manufacturers produce the largest variety of equipment in the world; Italy is enjoying wide world repute in fashion production, and its fascinating and glamorous fashion style is internationally recognized. This excellent guide will help you to discover the Italian business community with its unique products. It lists top Italian suppliers and manufactures from all industries and sectors. Information provided includes key fields of information such as company name, location, contact information, contact name, industry descriptions, SIC codes, line of business, manufacturing indicator, number of employees, year established, legal status, subsidiary indicator.

Italy: Business Guide to the Banks, Financial & Insurance Companies

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Italy: Business Guide to the Banks, Financial & Insurance Companies

Manufacturer: Business Information Agency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1418718866

Product Description

AN ITALIAN BUSINESS REFERENCE COLLECTION MUST! The directory covers around 3,000 registered banks, financial and insurance companies in Italy. It's the choice for completing your Italian business reference collection! Information provided includes key fields of information such as company name, location, contact information, contact name, industry descriptions, SIC codes, line of business, manufacturing indicator, number of employees, year established, legal status, subsidiary indicator.

Italy: Business Guide to the Key Construction Companies

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Italy: Business Guide to the Key Construction Companies

Manufacturer: Business Information Agency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1418718858

Product Description

A list of approximately 1,500 Italian companies in construction fields. This volume offers up-to-date information about builders involved in private residence construction as well as industrial and military complexes, highways, railroads, bridges, tunnels, pipelines and communication lines. Firms which outfit and provide engineering support for the building industry are also included. Information provided includes key fields of information such as company name, location, contact information, contact name, industry descriptions, SIC codes, line of business, manufacturing indicator, number of employees, year established, legal status, subsidiary indicator.

Italy: Business Guide to the Key Service Companies

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Italy: Business Guide to the Key Service Companies

Manufacturer: Business Information Agency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1418720275

Product Description

5,000 KEY SERVICE COMPANIES IN ITALY! Information provided includes key fields of information such as company name, location, contact information, contact name, industry descriptions, SIC codes, line of business, manufacturing indicator, number of employees, year established, legal status, subsidiary indicator.

Italy: Business Guide to the Key Transportation & Communication Companies

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Italy: Business Guide to the Key Transportation & Communication Companies

Manufacturer: Business Information Agency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1418720267

Product Description

5,000 TRANSPORTATION COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY COMPANIES IN ITALY! Information provided includes key fields of information such as company name, location, contact information, contact name, industry descriptions, SIC codes, line of business, manufacturing indicator, number of employees, year established, legal status, subsidiary indicator.

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