The monograph gives a theoretical explanation of observed cooperative behavior in common pool situations. The incentives for cooperative decision making are investigated by means of a cooperative game theoretical framework. In a first step core existence results are worked out. Whereas general core existence results provide us with an answer for mutual cooperation, nothing can be said how strong these incentives and how stable these cooperative agreements are. To clarify these questions the convexity property for common pool TU-games in scrutinized in a second step. It is proved that the convexity property holds for a large subclass of symmetrical as well as asymmetrical cooperative common pool games. Core existence and the convexity results provide us with a theoretical explanation to bridge the gap between the observation in field studies for cooperation and the noncooperative prediction that the common pool resource will be overused and perhaps endangered.

Community colleges are under intense pressure to change in response to shifts in an increasingly complex environment. Stakeholders are placing simultaneously contradictory demands on colleges for more and better service, increased accountability, and more efficient use of resources in order to get the most from colleges in tough economic times. These demands have contributed to cultural fragmentation in community colleges as staff are pulled in competing directions by events beyond their control. The upshot is a circumstance in which leaders are finding that culture is perhaps the most powerful element affecting organizational performance and change. The old saw "culture eats strategy for breakfast' epitomizes the importance of culture as a means for enhancing the long-term viability of an organization. This book provides fresh analysis of organizational culture in the community college context with a critical examination of the relationship between organizational culture and change. Readers will benefit from frank advice with insights to drive change by transforming and leveraging culture to shape the future of community colleges.

This volume contains a selection of manuscripts referring to lectures presented at the Symposium on Operations Research 1999 (SOR'99) held at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Sep- tember 1 -3, 1999. This international conference took place under the auspices of the German OR society (GOR), and it was the first one organized in Germany since the foundation of GOR by merger of the two predecessor societies (DGOR and GMOOR) in 1998. The Symposium had 420 participants from 22 countries around the world. It attracted academicians and practitioners working in various fields of Operations Research and provided them with the most recent developments and advances in the full spectrum of Operations Research and related areas in economics, mathematics, and computer science. The selection of contributions to SOR'99 accepted by the program committee and the invited pa- pers formed a program which consisted of 265 lectures in 19 sections, including 2 plenary and 19 semi plenary presentations. 119 manuscripts were submitted for publication in the proceedings vo- lume. Due to the page limit for this volume and in order to insure a high quality level of the OR Proceedings a further review procedure had to take place which was strongly supported by the sec- tion chairpersons. It resulted in a selection of 87 manuscripts which are now presented in this volume.

Variational inequalities proved to be a very useful tool for investigation and solution of various equilibrium type problems arising in Economics, Operations Research, Mathematical Physics, and Transportation. This book is devoted to a new general approach to constructing solution methods for variational inequalities, which was called the combined relaxation approach. This approach is rather flexible and allows one to construct various methods both for single-valued and for multi-valued variational inequalities, including nonlinear constrained problems. The other essential feature of the combined relaxation methods is that they are convergent under very mild assumptions. The book can be viewed as an attempt to discribe the existing combined relaxation methods as a whole.

This volume is a collection of papers presented at the Workshop on fll-Posed Variational Problems and Regularization Techniques held at the University of Trier (Germany) in September 1998. From September 3 through September 5, 1998, about 50 scientists met at Trier to discuss recent developments in the field of ill-posed variational prob lems and variational inequalities. 17 lectures were delivered, covering a large range of theoretical, numerical and practical aspects. The topics, as well as the invited speakers, were selected by the organizers. The main topics dis cussed were o Regularization methods for equilibrium problems o Variational inequalities and complementarity problems and their reg ularization o Regularization of fixed point problems o Links between approximation, penalization and regularization o Bundle methods, nonsmooth optimization and regularization o Error bounds for regularized optimization problems The organizers are gratful to all participants for their contribution to the success of this workshop. We also wish to express our cordial thanks for the financial support granted by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschajt, Bonn and the University of Trier. We are indebted to the referees for their helpful comments and suggestions and to our colleagues of the University Trier for their assistance in preparing this volume. M. Thera, U niversite de Limoges (France) R. Tichatschke, University of Trier (Germany) Contents Antipin A., Vasil'ev F. Regularization Method for Equilibrium Programming Problem with Inaccurate Initial Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Attouch H., Champion T. LP-Regularization of the Non-Parametric Minimal Surface Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Auslender A., Teboulle M., Ben-Tiba S."

The Consequences of Governance Fragmentation explains the ongoing legacy of Milwaukee's longstanding school voucher policy. The book details the evolution of school choice in Milwaukee, its impacts on student achievement, key externalities such as school closures and political conflict, and the ways in which the Milwaukee voucher program challenges traditional notions of accountability and democratic control. Michael R. Ford concludes that the voucher policy has fragmented public education to the point where true aggregate level progress of pupils is impossible and proposes an umbrella governance structure to bring funding and accountability equity to all publicly funded Milwaukee schools.

This book is unique in identifying and presenting tools to environmental decision-makers to help them improve the quality and clarity of their work. These tools range from software to policy approaches, and from environmental databases to focus groups. Equally of value to environmental managers, and students in environmental risk, policy, economics and law.

This volume presents 71 articles dealing with models and methods of data analysis and classification, statistics and stochastics, information systems and text analysis as well as manifold applications. These articles are se lected from about 160 papers presented at the 20th Annual Conference of the Gesellschaft fUr Klassifikation. This conference was organized by R. Klar, at the Abteilung fiir Medizinische Informatik of the University of Freiburg from March 6 to 8, 1996. Based on the submitted and revised papers eight sections have been arranged, where the number of papers in the sections is given in parentheses: 1. Data Analysis and Classification (10) 2. Neural Networks and Pattern Recognition (4) 3. Statistical Models and Methods (11) 4. Information Systems: Design and Implementation (7) 5. Text Analysis and Information Retrieval (10) 6. Applications in Medicine (15) 7. Applications in Economics and Social Sciences (7) 8. Applications in Archaeology, Biology, Linguistics and Dialectometry (7) This grouping doesn't separate strictly, but it shows how theoretical aspects, applications and interdisciplinarities are interrelated in many respects. For convenience of the reader the contents of this volumne is briefly summarized. 1. Data Analysis and Classification This section presents ten articles dealing with different problems of data analysis and classification, especially with several aspects of multidimen sional scaling (MDS), three-way data analysis, stochastic aspects in cluster ing and regression of ordinal data. The survey article of M. W. Trosset considers an approach to define and classify MDS problems as optimization problems."

Although everyone has goals, only some people successfully attain their respective goals on a regular basis. With this in mind, the author attempts to answer the question of why some people are more successful than others. He begins with the assumption that the key to personal success is effective decision-making, and then utilizes his own theory--The Self-Regulation Model--to explain the origin and nature of individual differences in decision-making competence. The author also summarizes a number of existing models of decision-making and risk-taking.
This book has two primary goals:
* to provide a comprehensive review of the developmental literature on the decision-making skills of children, adolescents, and adults, and
* to propose a theoretical model of decision-making skill that offers a better description of this skill than prior accounts.
Taken together, the literature review and theoretical model help the reader acquire a clear sense of the development of decision-making skills as well as reasons for the developmental differences that seem to emerge.

Learning from experience, making decisions on the basis of the available information, and proceeding step by step to a desired goal are fundamental behavioural qualities of human beings. Nevertheless, it was not until the early 1940's that such a statistical theory - namely Sequential Analysis - was created, which allows us to investigate this kind of behaviour in a precise manner. A. Wald's famous sequential probability ratio test (SPRT; see example (1.8 turned out to have an enormous influence on the development of this theory. On the one hand, Wald's fundamental monograph "Sequential Analysis" ( Wa]*) is essentially centered around this test. On the other hand, important properties of the SPRT - e.g. Bayes optimality, minimax-properties, "uniform" optimality with respect to expected sample sizes - gave rise to the development of a general statistical decision theory. As a conse quence, the SPRT's played a dominating role in the further development of sequential analysis and, more generally, in theoretical statistics."

This monograph is intended for an advanced undergraduate or graduate course as well as for researchers, who want a compilation of developments in this rapidly growing field of operations research. This is a sequel to our previous works: "Multiple Objective Decision Making--Methods and Applications: A state-of-the-Art Survey" (No.164 of the Lecture Notes); "Multiple Attribute Decision Making--Methods and Applications: A State-of-the-Art Survey" (No.186 of the Lecture Notes); and "Group Decision Making under Multiple Criteria--Methods and Applications" (No.281 of the Lecture Notes). In this monograph, the literature on methods of fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) has been reviewed thoroughly and critically, and classified systematically. This study provides readers with a capsule look into the existing methods, their characteristics, and applicability to the analysis of fuzzy MADM problems. The basic concepts and algorithms from the classical MADM methods have been used in the development of the fuzzy MADM methods. We give an overview of the classical MADM in Chapter II. Chapter III presents the basic concepts and mathematical operations of fuzzy set theory with simple numerical examples in a easy-to-read and easy-to-follow manner. Fuzzy MADM methods basically consist of two phases: (1) the aggregation of the performance scores with respect to all the attributes for each alternative, and (2) the rank ordering of the alternatives according to the aggregated scores.

"Teaching through problem-solving" is a commonly used phrase for mathematics educators. This book shows how to use worthwhile and interesting mathematics tasks and problems to build a classroom culture based on students' reasoning and thinking. It develops a set of axioms about problem-solving classrooms to show teachers that mathematics is playful and engaging. It presents an aspirational vision for school mathematics, one which all teachers can bring into being in their classrooms.

Although scientists have effectively employed the concepts of probability to address the complex problem of prediction, modern science still falls short in establishing true predictions with meaningful lead times of zero-probability major disasters. The recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and China are tragic reminders of the critical need for improved methods of predicting natural disasters. Drawing on their vast practical experience and theoretical studies, Dr. Yi Lin and Professor Shoucheng OuYang examine some of the problems that exist in the modern system of science to provide the understanding required to improve our ability to forecast and prepare for such events. Presenting a series of new understandings, theories, and a new system of methodology, Irregularities and Prediction of Major Disasters simplifies the world-class problem of prediction into a series of tasks that can be learned, mastered, and applied in the analysis and prediction of forthcoming changes in materials or fluids. These internationally respected authors introduce their novel method of digitization for dealing with irregular information, proven effective for predicting transitional changes in events. They also: Unveil a new methodology for forecasting zero-probability natural disasters Highlight the reasons for common forecasting failures Propose a method for resolving the mystery of nonlinearity Include numerous real-life case studies that illustrate how to properly digitize available information Supply proven methods for forecasting small-probability natural disasters This authoritative resource provides a systematic discussion of the non-evolutionality of the modern system of science-analyzing its capabilities and limitations. By touching on the n

The axiomatic foundations of the Bayesian approach to decision making assurne precision in the decision maker's judgements. In practicc, dccision makers often provide only partial and/or doubtful information. We unify and expand results to deal with those cases introducing a general framework for sensitivity analysis in multi-objective decision making. We study first decision making problems under partial information. We provide axioms leading to modelling preferences by families of value functions, in problems under certainty, and moJelling beliefs by families of probability distributions and preferences by familics of utility functions, in problems under uncertainty. Both problems are treated in parallel with the same parametric model. Alternatives are ordered in a Pareto sense, the solution of the problem being the set of non dominated alternatives. Potentially optimal solutions also seem acceptable, from an intuitive point of view and due to their relation with the nondominated ones. Algorithms are provided to compute these solutions in general problems and in cases typical in practice: linear and bilinear problems. Other solution concepts are criticised on the grounds of being ad hoc. In summary, we have a more ro bust theory of decision making based on a weaker set ofaxioms, but embodying coherence, since it essentially implies carrying out a family of coherent dccision anitlyses."

This thought provoking book is concerned with the need to deal adequately with uncertainty in environmental decision making. The author advances a critique of the use of traditional models and then develops an alternative model of decision making under uncertainty, based on the work of George Shackle. Richard Young forwards a critique of the conventional expected utility approach and, using an alternative conceptualisation of environmental uncertainty, contends that there are a number of different modes of uncertainty and that many environmental decisions are characterised by what is termed 'hard uncertainty'. The presence of hard uncertainty radically alters the way in which environmental uncertainty can be dealt with at both an epistemological and a practical level and poses a number of problems for traditional decision making frameworks based on probability. The author goes on to apply the model to a case study of the Belize Southern Highway - the first major application of Shackle's theory in the context of environmental economics. Detailing and explaining practical and theoretical approaches, this book will interest and inform academics in the fields of environmental economics and environmental science, geography, economics and social science, as well as decision makers in governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Eminently suited to classroom use as well as individual study, Roger Myerson's introductory text provides a clear and thorough examination of the models, solution concepts, results, and methodological principles of noncooperative and cooperative game theory. Myerson introduces, clarifies, and synthesizes the extraordinary advances made in the subject over the past fifteen years, presents an overview of decision theory, and comprehensively reviews the development of the fundamental models: games in extensive form and strategic form, and Bayesian games with incomplete information.

"Game Theory" will be useful for students at the graduate level in economics, political science, operations research, and applied mathematics. Everyone who uses game theory in research will find this book essential.

This mono graph is intended for an advanced undergraduate or graduate course as weIl as for the researchers who want a compilation of developments in this rapidly growing field of operations research. This is a sequel to our previous work entitled "Multiple Objective Decision Making--Methods and Applications: A State-of-the-Art Survey," (No. 164 of the Lecture Notes). The literature on methods and applications of Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) has been reviewed and classified systematically. This study provides readers with a capsule look into the existing methods, their char acteristics, and applicability to analysis of MADM problems. The basic MADM concepts are defined and a standard notation is introduced in Part 11. Also introduced are foundations such as models for MADM, trans formation of attributes, fuzzy decision rules, and methods for assessing weight. A system of classifying seventeen major MADM methods is presented. These methods have been proposed by researchers in diversified disciplines; half of them are classical ones, but the other half have appeared recently. The basic concept, the computational procedure, and the characteristics of each of these methods are presented concisely in Part 111. The computational procedure of each method is illustrated by solving a simple numerical example. Part IV of the survey deals with the applications of these MADM methods."

The purpose of this book is to articulate an aspirational vision for education, one that deeply engages students in complex and meaningful work and prepares students for the personal, social, and societal problems and opportunities facing them and our society. However, simply adopting an aspirational vision for a high quality learning environment isn't the real challenge. Most educators, students, and parents don't need a lot of convincing that schools can and should do more. Many educators espouse ambitious goals for their students, articulating the need for "21st century skills," and classrooms that are more innovative, responsive, and collaborative. However, so many of our classrooms fall woefully short of these goals. That's because knowing the why and the what is sometimes not enough. Teachers need help with the how. Accordingly, this book does not stop at simply articulating a vision of the possible; the book also helps individuals visualize what it can look like, and supports teachers, parents, and other engaged community members as they work towards closing the gap between what is possible and what is currently realized.

The purpose of this book is to share with teachers a successful coaching model that has been researched, designed, piloted, evaluated and used across a range of schools. It is a peer coaching model which teachers use with teachers. It is a model which, as a coach or coachee, both parties will learn from. While the model is directed to teachers, it is equally applicable and transferable to other professions.The book is clear and concise with relevant background information, a step-by-step process, and includes case studies.

Kids love exploring new ways of solving problems, especially in fun and challenging puzzle formats. In Math and Logic Puzzles That Make Kids Think!, the author presents several variations on Sudoku-the most well-known type of logic puzzle-in an easy-to-use, exciting format perfect for any math classroom. These language-independent logic puzzles provide kids with great problems to stretch how they think and reason. Each puzzle variation utilizes some of the basic strategies of Sudoku puzzles, but each one also draws upon other areas of mathematics-ordering of numbers, properties of geometric shapes, basic operations, or enriched number sense. This book provides teachers with puzzles arranged by difficulty level that can be used to support and enhance students' mathematical investigations. It also provides a new and exciting context for the development of students' deductive reasoning skills, which can lay the foundation for further mathematical exploration. Grades 6-8

How do we determine whose positions count in the making of foreign policy? Does it matter how these policymakers are configured? Does the decision-making process such people engage in influence the type of policy that results? This volume synthesizes the literatures on leadership, group dynamics, organizational theory, and coalition politics to demonstrate how the nature of the decision unit shapes foreign policy. Beginning with a systematic assessment of the position of decision-making theory in the study of international politics, contributors explore how policymakers' preferences become aggregated in the foreign policymaking process when there is a predominant leader or they are organized into single groups or coalitions. The book is comparative in nature examining the foreign policy decisions of countries from all regions of the world.

Behind heart disease and cancer, medical error is now listed as one of the leading causes of death. Of the many medical errors that may lead to injury and death, diagnostic failure is regarded as the most significant. Generally, the majority of diagnostic failures are attributed to the clinicians directly involved with the patient, and to a lesser extent, the system in which they work. In turn, the majority of errors made by clinicians are due to decision making failures manifested by various departures from rationality. Of all the medical environments in which patients are seen and diagnosed, the emergency department is the most challenging. It has been described as a "wicked" environment where illness and disease may range from minor ailments and complaints to severe, life-threatening disorders. The Cognitive Autopsy is a novel strategy towards understanding medical error and diagnostic failure in 42 clinical cases with which the author was directly involved or became aware of at the time. Essentially, it describes a cognitive approach towards root cause analysis of medical adverse events or near misses. Whereas root cause analysis typically focuses on the observable and measurable aspects of adverse events, the cognitive autopsy attempts to identify covert cognitive processes that may have contributed to outcomes. In this clinical setting, no cognitive process is directly observable but must be inferred from the behavior of the individual clinician. The book illustrates unequivocally that chief among these cognitive processes are cognitive biases and other flaws in decision making, rather than knowledge deficits.

Current edition description Written by two of the leading experts in critical thinking, this book focuses on an integrated, universal concept of critical thinking that is both substantive and applicable to any and every situation in which human thinking is necessary. It provides readerse with the basic intellectual tools needed for life-long learning, helping them understand the mind and how its three functions - thinking, feeling, motivation - influence and are influenced by one another. This book fosters the development of fair-minded critical thinking. Features the intellectual standards: clarity, precision, accuracy, logicalness, significance, depth, breadth, and fairness; The importance of good questioning; and intellectual tools to read for deep and lasting comprehension, and to write in ways that show clarity of reasonability of thought. For all that want to improve their critical thinking skills to apply to their job or life. The text features: Think for Yourself activities - throughout each chapter. (Ex. pp 29, 127). ~Help students take ownership of basic concepts as they learn them. Practical and learnable format. ~Simplifies complex ideas to make learning easier for students. Focus on thinking across the disciplines. (Ex. pp 119-120). ~Helps students to think within the various disciplines, rather than memorizing facts. Students are taught to learn to think like an historian, like a scientist, like a psychologist, etc. Critical thinking focus - When students internalize intellectual standards - such as clarity, precision, accuracy, logicalness, significance, depth, breadth, and fairness - they use them on a daily basis to upgrade their thinking, and to assess the thinking of others. (Ex. 12, 152). ~Gives students intellectual standards they can use in every dimension of their thinking. Features intellectual tools to read for deep and lasting comprehension, and to write in ways that show clarity of reasonability of thought. (Ex. 133). ~Teaches students to read closely and write substantively. Good questions are the key to good thinking - Thinkers who know how to ask relevant questions in context are better able to think their way through complex issues. (Ex. pp 83, 87, 93). ~Teaches students to ask the questions the best thinkers ask. Website - www.criticalthinking.org. ~Links students to the world's largest and most prestigious critical thinking website and provides forums for student and faculty discussions. International approach - with translations into German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and Malay. ~Provides students with the opportunity to read portions of the text in their native language. "This book is well-written, lucid and contains abundant examples and applications that not only enliven the subject matter but present relevant contexts for building understanding and advanced critical thinking. In addition, it is faithful to the complexity and work required to improve one's thinking. It does not soft-pedal the challenge but actually throws down the gauntlet to the worthy Reader to pick it up." --Stephen J. Knopp, Ph.D., Ohio University "This concise version is a more comprehensive and robust textbook. Many Critical Thinking books cover thinking from a narrow angle, but Paul and Elder offer a model of critical thinking that can be applied not only to academic disciplines but also to life in general." --Connie Wolfe, Surry Community College