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Description
In accordance with the Principal Agent Theory, Property Right Theory, Incentive Theory, and Human Capital Theory, firms face agency problems due to “separation of ownership and management”, which call for effective corporate governance. Ownership structure is a core element of the corporate governance. The differences in ownership structures thus may

In accordance with the Principal Agent Theory, Property Right Theory, Incentive Theory, and Human Capital Theory, firms face agency problems due to “separation of ownership and management”, which call for effective corporate governance. Ownership structure is a core element of the corporate governance. The differences in ownership structures thus may result in differential incentives in governance through the selection of senior management and in the design of senior management compensation system. This thesis investigates four firms with four different types of ownership structures: a public listed firm with the controlling interest by the state, a public listed firm with a non-state-owned controlling interest, a public listed firm a family-owned controlling interest, and a Sino-foreign joint venture firm. By using a case study approach, I focus on two dimensions of ownership structure characteristics – ownership diversification and differences in property rights so as to document whether there are systematic differences in governance participation and executive compensation design. Specifically, I focused on whether such differences are reflected in management selection (which is linked to adverse selection and moral hazard problems) and in compensation design (the choices of performance measurements, performance pay, and in stock option or restricted stock). The results are consistent with my expectation – the nature of ownership structure does affect senior management compensation design. Policy implications are discussed accordingly.
ContributorsGao, Shenghua (Author) / Pei, Ker-Wei (Thesis advisor) / Li, Feng (Committee member) / Shen, Wei (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
Advances in experimental techniques have allowed for investigation of molecular dynamics at ever smaller temporal and spatial scales. There is currently a varied and growing body of literature which demonstrates the phenomenon of \emph{anomalous diffusion} in physics, engineering, and biology. In particular many diffusive type processes in the cell have

Advances in experimental techniques have allowed for investigation of molecular dynamics at ever smaller temporal and spatial scales. There is currently a varied and growing body of literature which demonstrates the phenomenon of \emph{anomalous diffusion} in physics, engineering, and biology. In particular many diffusive type processes in the cell have been observed to follow a power law $\left \propto t^\alpha$ scaling of the mean square displacement of a particle. This contrasts with the expected linear behavior of particles undergoing normal diffusion. \emph{Anomalous sub-diffusion} ($\alpha<1$) has been attributed to factors such as cytoplasmic crowding of macromolecules, and trap-like structures in the subcellular environment non-linearly slowing the diffusion of molecules. Compared to normal diffusion, signaling molecules in these constrained spaces can be more concentrated at the source, and more diffuse at longer distances, potentially effecting the signalling dynamics. As diffusion at the cellular scale is a fundamental mechanism of cellular signaling and additionally is an implicit underlying mathematical assumption of many canonical models, a closer look at models of anomalous diffusion is warranted. Approaches in the literature include derivations of fractional differential diffusion equations (FDE) and continuous time random walks (CTRW). However these approaches are typically based on \emph{ad-hoc} assumptions on time- and space- jump distributions. We apply recent developments in asymptotic techniques on collisional kinetic equations to develop a FDE model of sub-diffusion due to trapping regions and investigate the nature of the space/time probability distributions assosiated with trapping regions. This approach both contrasts and compliments the stochastic CTRW approach by positing more physically realistic underlying assumptions on the motion of particles and their interactions with trapping regions, and additionally allowing varying assumptions to be applied individually to the traps and particle kinetics.
ContributorsHoleva, Thomas Matthew (Author) / Ringhofer, Christian (Thesis advisor) / Baer, Steve (Thesis advisor) / Crook, Sharon (Committee member) / Gardner, Carl (Committee member) / Taylor, Jesse (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
The theme for this work is the development of fast numerical algorithms for sparse optimization as well as their applications in medical imaging and source localization using sensor array processing. Due to the recently proposed theory of Compressive Sensing (CS), the $\ell_1$ minimization problem attracts more attention for its ability

The theme for this work is the development of fast numerical algorithms for sparse optimization as well as their applications in medical imaging and source localization using sensor array processing. Due to the recently proposed theory of Compressive Sensing (CS), the $\ell_1$ minimization problem attracts more attention for its ability to exploit sparsity. Traditional interior point methods encounter difficulties in computation for solving the CS applications. In the first part of this work, a fast algorithm based on the augmented Lagrangian method for solving the large-scale TV-$\ell_1$ regularized inverse problem is proposed. Specifically, by taking advantage of the separable structure, the original problem can be approximated via the sum of a series of simple functions with closed form solutions. A preconditioner for solving the block Toeplitz with Toeplitz block (BTTB) linear system is proposed to accelerate the computation. An in-depth discussion on the rate of convergence and the optimal parameter selection criteria is given. Numerical experiments are used to test the performance and the robustness of the proposed algorithm to a wide range of parameter values. Applications of the algorithm in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and a comparison with other existing methods are included. The second part of this work is the application of the TV-$\ell_1$ model in source localization using sensor arrays. The array output is reformulated into a sparse waveform via an over-complete basis and study the $\ell_p$-norm properties in detecting the sparsity. An algorithm is proposed for minimizing a non-convex problem. According to the results of numerical experiments, the proposed algorithm with the aid of the $\ell_p$-norm can resolve closely distributed sources with higher accuracy than other existing methods.
ContributorsShen, Wei (Author) / Mittlemann, Hans D (Thesis advisor) / Renaut, Rosemary A. (Committee member) / Jackiewicz, Zdzislaw (Committee member) / Gelb, Anne (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
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Description
In vertebrate outer retina, changes in the membrane potential of horizontal cells affect the calcium influx and glutamate release of cone photoreceptors via a negative feedback. This feedback has a number of important physiological consequences. One is called background-induced flicker enhancement (BIFE) in which the onset of dim background enhances

In vertebrate outer retina, changes in the membrane potential of horizontal cells affect the calcium influx and glutamate release of cone photoreceptors via a negative feedback. This feedback has a number of important physiological consequences. One is called background-induced flicker enhancement (BIFE) in which the onset of dim background enhances the center flicker response of horizontal cells. The underlying mechanism for the feedback is still unclear but competing hypotheses have been proposed. One is the GABA hypothesis, which states that the feedback is mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter released from horizontal cells. Another is the ephaptic hypothesis, which contends that the feedback is non-GABAergic and is achieved through the modulation of electrical potential in the intersynaptic cleft between cones and horizontal cells. In this study, a continuum spine model of the cone-horizontal cell synaptic circuitry is formulated. This model, a partial differential equation system, incorporates both the GABA and ephaptic feedback mechanisms. Simulation results, in comparison with experiments, indicate that the ephaptic mechanism is necessary in order for the model to capture the major spatial and temporal dynamics of the BIFE effect. In addition, simulations indicate that the GABA mechanism may play some minor modulation role.
ContributorsChang, Shaojie (Author) / Baer, Steven M. (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Carl L (Thesis advisor) / Crook, Sharon M (Committee member) / Kuang, Yang (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
Factory production is stochastic in nature with time varying input and output processes that are non-stationary stochastic processes. Hence, the principle quantities of interest are random variables. Typical modeling of such behavior involves numerical simulation and statistical analysis. A deterministic closure model leading to a second

Factory production is stochastic in nature with time varying input and output processes that are non-stationary stochastic processes. Hence, the principle quantities of interest are random variables. Typical modeling of such behavior involves numerical simulation and statistical analysis. A deterministic closure model leading to a second order model for the product density and product speed has previously been proposed. The resulting partial differential equations (PDE) are compared to discrete event simulations (DES) that simulate factory production as a time dependent M/M/1 queuing system. Three fundamental scenarios for the time dependent influx are studied: An instant step up/down of the mean arrival rate; an exponential step up/down of the mean arrival rate; and periodic variation of the mean arrival rate. It is shown that the second order model, in general, yields significant improvement over current first order models. Specifically, the agreement between the DES and the PDE for the step up and for periodic forcing that is not too rapid is very good. Adding diffusion to the PDE further improves the agreement. The analysis also points to fundamental open issues regarding the deterministic modeling of low signal-to-noise ratio for some stochastic processes and the possibility of resonance in deterministic models that is not present in the original stochastic process.
ContributorsWienke, Matthew (Author) / Armbruster, Dieter (Thesis advisor) / Jones, Donald (Committee member) / Platte, Rodrigo (Committee member) / Gardner, Carl (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
Swarms of animals, fish, birds, locusts etc. are a common occurrence but their coherence and method of organization poses a major question for mathematics and biology.The Vicsek and the Attraction-Repulsion are two models that have been proposed to explain the emergence of collective motion. A major issue

Swarms of animals, fish, birds, locusts etc. are a common occurrence but their coherence and method of organization poses a major question for mathematics and biology.The Vicsek and the Attraction-Repulsion are two models that have been proposed to explain the emergence of collective motion. A major issue for the Vicsek Model is that its particles are not attracted to each other, leaving the swarm with alignment in velocity but without spatial coherence. Restricting the particles to a bounded domain generates global spatial coherence of swarms while maintaining velocity alignment. While individual particles are specularly reflected at the boundary, the swarm as a whole is not. As a result, new dynamical swarming solutions are found.

The Attraction-Repulsion Model set with a long-range attraction and short-range repulsion interaction potential typically stabilizes to a well-studied flock steady state solution. The particles for a flock remain spatially coherent but have no spatial bound and explore all space. A bounded domain with specularly reflecting walls traps the particles within a specific region. A fundamental refraction law for a swarm impacting on a planar boundary is derived. The swarm reflection varies from specular for a swarm dominated by

kinetic energy to inelastic for a swarm dominated by potential energy. Inelastic collisions lead to alignment with the wall and to damped pulsating oscillations of the swarm. The fundamental refraction law provides a one-dimensional iterative map that allows for a prediction and analysis of the trajectory of the center of mass of a flock in a channel and a square domain.

The extension of the wall collisions to a scattering experiment is conducted by setting two identical flocks to collide. The two particle dynamics is studied analytically and shows a transition from scattering: diverging flocks to bound states in the form of oscillations or parallel motions. Numerical studies of collisions of flocks show the same transition where the bound states become either a single translating flock or a rotating (mill).
ContributorsThatcher, Andrea (Author) / Armbruster, Hans (Thesis advisor) / Motsch, Sebastien (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Platte, Rodrigo (Committee member) / Gardner, Carl (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
Need-based transfers (NBTs) are a form of risk-pooling in which binary welfare exchanges

occur to preserve the viable participation of individuals in an economy, e.g. reciprocal gifting

of cattle among East African herders or food sharing among vampire bats. With the

broad goal of better understanding the mathematics of such binary welfare and

Need-based transfers (NBTs) are a form of risk-pooling in which binary welfare exchanges

occur to preserve the viable participation of individuals in an economy, e.g. reciprocal gifting

of cattle among East African herders or food sharing among vampire bats. With the

broad goal of better understanding the mathematics of such binary welfare and risk pooling,

agent-based simulations are conducted to explore socially optimal transfer policies

and sharing network structures, kinetic exchange models that utilize tools from the kinetic

theory of gas dynamics are utilized to characterize the wealth distribution of an NBT economy,

and a variant of repeated prisoner’s dilemma is analyzed to determine whether and

why individuals would participate in such a system of reciprocal altruism.

From agent-based simulation and kinetic exchange models, it is found that regressive

NBT wealth redistribution acts as a cutting stock optimization heuristic that most efficiently

matches deficits to surpluses to improve short-term survival; however, progressive

redistribution leads to a wealth distribution that is more stable in volatile environments and

therefore is optimal for long-term survival. Homogeneous sharing networks with low variance

in degree are found to be ideal for maintaining community viability as the burden and

benefit of NBTs is equally shared. Also, phrasing NBTs as a survivor’s dilemma reveals

parameter regions where the repeated game becomes equivalent to a stag hunt or harmony

game, and thus where cooperation is evolutionarily stable.
ContributorsKayser, Kirk (Author) / Armbruster, Dieter (Thesis advisor) / Lampert, Adam (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Motsch, Sebastien (Committee member) / Gardner, Carl (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
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Description冷链物流主要是指食品在生产到消费者食用前始终处于适宜的温度环境,以保障食品品质、降低流通过程中的损耗。冷链物流相比于传统物流而言是一项更复杂的系统性工程,受到政策和市场需求的影响呈现迅猛发展态势。但是,冷链物流企业长期以来因规模小、固定资产少、服务范围窄、服务规范性弱而发展困难重重,核心问题是资金的问题。政府引导和鼓励打造冷链物流产业园,推动产业园投资和建设主体打造平台,实现对园区内冷链企业的聚集效应并通过金融服务解决企业发展的资金问题。通过产融结合助力冷链物流企业发展,成为目前冷链物流行业发展的主要方式和未来趋势。

本研究聚焦冷链物流产业园金融服务助力冷链物流企业发展问题,主要研究内容包括:第一,基于产融结合理论,梳理冷链物流企业与产业园之间关系,从供需两侧探索冷链物流企业和产业园的金融服务的范围、类型和特点。第二,基于平台理论,构建冷链物流企业采纳产业园金融服务的研究模型,探索金融服务影响冷链物流企业的经营因素,分析冷链物流企业采纳产业园金融服务的因素和途径。第三,基于信息不对称理论,关切信息技术支持和知识分享在冷链物流企业采纳产业园提供金融服务过程中的调节作用。同时,梳理产业园提供金融服务可能面临哪些风险,制订冷链物流企业入驻园区的标准,防范风险。

本文运用实证研究方法,通过对国内18家冷链物流相关的产业园、物流园、冷链物流、商贸流通、金融等企业实地考察和专家访谈基础上,拟定问卷并对268家企业进行调查收集数据,使用结构方程模型进行假设检验。研究发现:金融服务的有形性、可靠性、移情性、经济性对冷链物流企业采纳产业园金融服务影响显著,而响应性的影响不显著。同时

信息技术支持和知识共享的调节作用不显著。最后,针对产业园吸引冷链物流企业提供金融服务、冷链物流企业采纳产业园金融服务的风险,提出防范策略措施。
ContributorsYang, Su (Author) / Shen, Wei (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Xinlei (Thesis advisor) / Gu, Bin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
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Description财富管理是一个高度信息不对称的行业,因此投资人需要尽可能减少自身的不确定来做投资决策,通过文献整理,本文发现通过建立信任来消除不确定性是很多投资人都会选择的帮助投资决策的方法。纵观历史,美国2007-2008年的金融危机也恰恰导致金融市场投资人对于理财机构信任的严重缺失,相同的情况也可能发生在中国财富管理市场,因此本文将此选作研究重点,希望深入研究财富管理公司投资人对理财师的信任来得到一系列结论。本文最终发现就平台和理财师相比,投资人更看重平台的信誉度。 投资人大多认为平台的信誉度要高于理财师的信誉度,但是这并不意味着理财师不重要。本文进一步的分析发现,多数投资人会和理财师建立起一种私人联系,且该私人关系有助于加强客户和平台的联系。投资人认为行业经验、为人诚恳,说话可信以及责任心是加强这种私人关系的重要因素。最后,投资人对于钜派平台的信任主要由对于理财师的信任来维持,同时对于理财师的信任主要来自与情感信任。本文的发现对财富管理平台具有战略意义。
ContributorsWu, Qimin (Author) / Shen, Wei (Thesis advisor) / Chang, Chun (Thesis advisor) / Zhu, Hongquan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
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Description摘要

在复杂多变的商业环境中,企业传统的人力资源管理已经难以应对日益频发的员工职业倦怠、人际间矛盾冲突、频繁跳槽等局面与问题。企业员工工作的价值与意义早已不再是传统的雇佣模式下,通过出卖劳动力或智力从而获得工资以实现“养家糊口”的目的那么单纯与简单,员工也希望通过辛勤的工作,以获得个体的幸福感、荣誉感与认同感等。对于现代企业的管理者而言,员工追求事业的提升、个人价值的实现,不仅体现在薪酬、福利待遇的提升,更重要的是员工个人的成长以及潜能和竞争力的提升。

随着组织行为学和心理学的不断发展与演变,与员工幸福感相关的研究备受关注。对现代企业而言,管理者借助制度设计对员工幸福积极管理,可以最大限度地发挥员工的积极性、主动性与创造性,实现员工与企业之间的利益相趋同,从而更为高效地实现组织的目标。基于此,本文以民营企业员工工作幸福感作为研究的切入点,借助理论分析、问卷调查和实证分析相结合的研究方法,系统深入地研究我国民营企业员工工作幸福感的构成、可控前因和绩效后果等问题。

本文研究发现:

第一,员工薪酬的提高有助于员工工作幸福感的提升,薪资对基层员工幸福感的影响显著高于其对高层员工幸福感的影响;

第二,完善的晋升机制对于中层员工而言更能提升其幸福感,完善的晋升机制更有利于中层员工;

第三,公平性的提高有助于提高员工工作幸福感,而且这种正效应更多体现在基层员工群体之中;

第四,高层员工更注重自我价值的实现,高层员工的工作挑战性越高,其自我实现需求获得的满足感则约高,但是对于基层员工和中层员工而言,其效果则恰恰相反,基础员工和高层员工更多地将工作挑战性和压力看作是一种负面的因素;

第五,员工幸福感的确会给企业带来正向的绩效。

本文的研究框架和实证结论不仅可以丰富学术界有关员工工作幸福感的研究,而且为企业管理者进行绩效管理以及员工工作质量的提升提供理论和实证借鉴。
ContributorsShu, Man (Author) / Shen, Wei (Thesis advisor) / Wu, Fei (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Xin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019