This paper presents a methodology for conceptual modeling which is based on a new modeling primitive, the niche, and associated constructs granularity and reconciliation. A niche is an environment where entities interact for a specific purpose, playing specific roles, and according to the norms and constraints of that environment. Granularity refers to the relative level of power or influence o...

Previous studies have shown that the risk of divorce is low during the first months of marriage; it then increases, reaches a maximum, and thereafter begins to decline. Some researchers consider this pattern consistent with the notion of a "seven-year itch," while others argue that the rising-falling pattern of divorce risk is a consequence of misspecification of longitudinal models because of ...

People often find it more difficult to distinguish ethnic out-group members compared with ethnic in-group members. A functional approach to social cognition suggests that this bias may be eliminated when out-group members display threatening facial expressions. In the present study, 192 White participants viewed Black and White faces displaying either neutral or angry expressions and later atte...

This study focused on the heterogeneity of consumer reactions, measured through poultry meat purchase intentions, when facing three cases of risk. The heterogeneity was analysed by latent class logistic regression that included all three risk cases. Approximately 60% of the respondents belonged to the group of production risk avoiders, in which the intention to purchase risk food was significan...

Heterogeneous groups are valuable, but differences among members can weaken group identification. Weak group identification may be especially problematic in larger groups, which, in contrast with smaller groups, require more attention to motivating members and coordinating their tasks. We hypothesized that as groups increase in size, productivity would decrease with greater heterogeneity. We st...

The evolution of resource sharing requires that the fitness benefits to the recipients be much higher than the costs to the giver, which requires heterogeneity among individuals in the fitness value of acquiring additional resources. We develop four models of the evolution of resource sharing by either direct or indirect reciprocity, with equal or unequal partners. Evolution of resource sharing...

Despite diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic advances, growing incidence of cancer and high rate of mortality among patients affected by specific cancer types indicate current clinical measures are not ideally useful in eradicating cancer. Chemoresistance and subsequent disease relapse are believed to be mainly driven by the cell-molecular heterogeneity of human tumors that necessitates perso...

Income Satisfaction Inequality and its Causes In this paper, the concept of Income Satisfaction Inequality is operationalized on the basis of individual responses to an Income Satisfaction question posed in the German SocioEconomic Panel (GSOEP). Income satisfaction is the subjective analogue of the objective income concept and includes objective income inequality as a special case. The paper i...

Many markets are converging, as communications and logistic networks become more integrated and firms from all parts of the world are expanding operations on a global scale. At the same time, other markets are becoming more diverse, and marketers are increasingly encountering economic and cultural heterogeneity. The authors examine the implications of these trends and the extent to which they n...