scholarly journals Statistical Methods Use in Small Enterprises: Relation to Performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ksenija Dumičić ◽  
Lea Bregar ◽  
Berislav Žmuk

Abstract Background: There are several factors that lead to an improved level of competitiveness and increased net income of enterprises. Previous studies have shown that an appropriate use of statistical methods has positive effects on the level of competitiveness and on enterprises’ net income in general. Objectives: This study analyses the statistical methods use in Croatian small enterprises. The goal of this research is to establish whether most Croatian small enterprises use statistical methods and whether the enterprises that use statistical methods on average have greater net income than the enterprises that do not use statistical methods. Methods/Approach: A web survey was conducted on the sample of 631 small enterprises in Croatia in 2012. In the analysis a complex survey design was taken into account. Results: The results have shown that in most Croatian small enterprises statistical methods are not used. The enterprises that use statistical methods on average have greater net income than the enterprises that do not use them. Conclusions: The results suggest that even though the use of statistical methods in small enterprises leads to higher net income, they are not used in the majority of Croatian small enterprises. If Croatian small enterprises want to succeed on the demanding European Union’s market they should consider using statistical methods in their business.

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berislav Žmuk

Abstract This paper aims to address differences in the use of statistical methods by enterprises as one of the factors leading to the uneven level of economic development between different regions. For research purposes, a web survey was conducted on a sample of 667 Croatian enterprises in 2013. In order to better distinguish between Croatian regions, a complex sample survey design was used. The results show that the highest rates of statistical methods use among enterprises are in the Central and East region (36.96%). The conducted logistic regression analysis showed that the enterprises that use statistical methods have 63.5% greater odds of achieving positive net income than enterprises that do not. The research results point out the need for the adoption of statistical methods as a tool for achieving higher net income and for reducing economic dissimilarities between regions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Francis ◽  
Karen Kemper ◽  
Joel Williams ◽  
Liwei Chen

Abstract Objectives Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease which significantly contributes to disability among older adults. Dietary factors are suggested to play a role in preventing OA, however, studies in this area spare. The objective of this study was to assess the association between adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and OA in American adults. Methods This study included United States (US) adults (≥aged 20 years) who participated NHANES cycles 2007–2016. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score was calculated from nine food items with a higher DASH score indicating better adherence to the DASH dietary pattern. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, education, race/ethnicity, household income, smoking, alcohol consumption, and total energy intake were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of DASH with OA. All analyses accounted for the complex survey design. Results Among the 17,349 participants included in this study, 9.05% reported OA. The DASH score was inversely associated with OA. The aOR (95% CI) were 1.00 (ref), 0.09 (0.70, 1.16), and 0.74 (0.58, 0.94) (Ptrend = 0.01) across the DASH score tertiles. When analyses were stratified by BMI categories (normal, overweight, obese) the magnitude of the association was stronger and remained significant only among obese participants (i.e., BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Among participants with an obese BMI, participants with a DASH score in the highest tertile compared to participants with a DASH score in the lowest tertile had a 17% lower likelihood of having OA (P = 0.009). Conclusions In a representative sample of American adults, higher adherence to the DASH dietary pattern was associated with lower likelihood of having OA and this association was particularly evident among obese individuals. Funding Sources N/A. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs


2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1362-1372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Burden ◽  
Yasmine Probst ◽  
David Steel ◽  
Linda Tapsell

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the impact of the complex survey design used in the 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (ANCNPAS07) on prevalence estimates for intakes of groups of foods in the population of children.DesignThe impacts on prevalence estimates were determined by calculating design effects for values for food group consumption. The implications of ignoring elements of the sample design including stratification, clustering and weighting are discussed.SettingThe ANCNPAS07 used a complex sample design involving stratification, a high degree of clustering and estimation weights.SubjectsAustralian children aged 2–16 years.ResultsDesign effects ranging from <1 to 5 were found for the values of mean consumption and proportion of the population consuming the food groups. When survey weights were ignored, prevalence estimates were also biased.ConclusionsIgnoring the complex survey design used in the ANCNPAS07 could result in underestimating the width of confidence intervals, higher mean square errors and biased estimators. The magnitude of these effects depends on both the parameter under consideration and the chosen estimator.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diva Aliete dos Santos Vieira ◽  
Josiane Steluti ◽  
Eliseu Verly-Jr ◽  
Dirce Maria Marchioni ◽  
Regina Mara Fisberg

AbstractObjectiveTo assess Fe intake, calculate the prevalence of inadequate Fe intake and identify food contributors to Fe intake during 2003 and 2008 in a population-based study, reflecting before and after the mandatory fortification of flour with Fe.DesignTwo cross-sectional population-based studies conducted in 2003 and 2008. Dietary intake was evaluated by 24 h recall and the Software for Intake Distribution Estimation (PC-SIDE) was used to estimate within-person variance and prevalence of inadequate Fe intake. The statistical analysis was conducted considering the complex survey design.SettingSão Paulo, Brazil.SubjectsAdolescents, adults and elderly adults of both sexes, interviewed in 2003 (n 2386) and 2008 (n 1661).ResultsThe Fe intake mean increased in all populations in the post-fortification period. A reduction of over 90 % was observed in the prevalence of inadequate Fe intake among men for all age groups analysed. When evaluating women, despite the substantial reduction (over 63 %), prevalence of inadequate Fe intake remained high (34 %) in those aged 19–50 years. Major food contributors to Fe intake before fortification were beans, beef, vegetables and dairy. There was an alteration in the contributors in the post-fortification period, with bread, beef, beans and biscuits as main contributors.ConclusionsThe mandatory fortification with Fe significantly furthered the reduction in the prevalence of inadequacy, except among women of reproductive age, and changed the main contributors to this nutrient in the studied population. Therefore, monitoring of Fe addition in flour is essential to assess compliance to the fortified flour policy and to guarantee a safe Fe intake for all the population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeromey B. Temple ◽  
Heather Wong ◽  
Angeline Ferdinand ◽  
Scott Avery ◽  
Yin Paradies ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A recent Royal Commission into the treatment of Australians living with disabilities has underscored the considerable exposure to violence and harm in this population. Yet, little is known about exposure to violence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities. The objective of this paper was to examine the prevalence, disability correlates and aspects of violence and threats reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities. Methods Data from the 2014–15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey were used to measure physical violence, violent threats and disability. Multivariable logistic and ordinal logistic regression models adjusted for complex survey design were used to examine the association between measures of disability and exposure to violence and violent threats. Results In 2014–15, 17% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–64 with disability experienced an instance of physical violence compared with 13% of those with no disability. Approximately 22% of those with a profound or severe disability reported experiencing the threat of physical violence. After adjusting for a comprehensive set of confounding factors and accounting for complex survey design, presence of a disability was associated with a 1.5 odds increase in exposure to physical violence (OR = 1.54 p < 0.001), violence with harm (OR = 1.55 p < 0.001), more frequent experience of violence (OR = 1.55 p < 0.001) and a 2.1 odds increase (OR = 2.13 p < 0.001) in exposure to violent threats. Severity of disability, higher numbers of disabling conditions as well as specific disability types (e.g., psychological or intellectual) were associated with increased odds of both physical violence and threats beyond this level. Independent of these effects, removal from one’s natural family was strongly associated with experiences of physical violence and violent threats. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, regardless of disability status, were more likely to report partner or family violence, whereas men were more likely to report violence from other known individuals. Conclusion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability are at heightened risk of physical violence and threats compared to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability, with increased exposure for people with multiple, severe or specific disabilities.


Author(s):  
Jeromey Temple

A considerable body of empirical evidence exists on the demographic and socio-economic correlates of food insecurity in Australia. An important omission from recent studies, however, is an understanding of the role of stressful life events, or stressors in explaining exposure to food insecurity. Using nationally representative data from the 2014 General Social Survey and multivariable logistic regression, this paper reports on the association between 18 discrete stressors and the likelihood of reporting food insecurity in Australia. The results, adjusted for known correlates of food insecurity and complex survey design, show that exposure to stressors significantly increased the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. Importantly, stressors related to employment and health approximately doubled the odds of experiencing food insecurity. The results underscore the complex correlates of food insecurity and indicates that conceptually it interacts with many important social and economic problems in contemporary Australia. There is no simple fix to food insecurity and solutions require co-ordination across a range of social and economic policies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 208-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Dai ◽  
Michael D Sweat ◽  
Mulugeta Gebregziabher

Purpose To show a novel application of a weighted zero-inflated negative binomial model in modeling count data with excess zeros and heterogeneity to quantify the regional variation in HIV-AIDS prevalence in sub-Saharan African countries. Methods Data come from latest round of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in three countries (Ethiopia-2011, Kenya-2009 and Rwanda-2010) using a two-stage cluster sampling design. The outcome is an aggregate count of HIV cases in each census enumeration area of each country. The outcome data are characterized by excess zeros and heterogeneity due to clustering. We compare scale weighted zero-inflated negative binomial models with and without random effects to account for zero-inflation, complex survey design and clustering. Finally, we provide marginalized rate ratio estimates from the best zero-inflated negative binomial model. Results The best fitting zero-inflated negative binomial model is scale weighted and with a common random intercept for the three countries. Rate ratio estimates from the final model show that HIV prevalence is associated with age and gender distribution, HIV acceptance, HIV knowledge, and its regional variation is associated with divorce rate, burden of sexually transmitted diseases and rural residence. Conclusions Scale weighted zero-inflated negative binomial with proper modeling of random effects is shown to be the best model for count data from a complex survey design characterized by excess zeros and extra heterogeneity. In our data example, the final rate ratio estimates show significant regional variation in the factors associated with HIV prevalence indicating that HIV intervention strategies should be tailored to the unique factors found in each country.


2003 ◽  
Vol 54 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arijit Chaudhuri

We encounter a practical problem when from a finite population a complex survey design justifies selection of a sample in five stages. The design stipulates selecting a specified number of n(> 2) first stage units by Rao, Hartley and Cochran's (RHC, 1962) scheme followed by simple random sampling (SRS) without replacement (WOR) in each of the four subsequent stages. At the implementation stage a resource crunch calls for reducing the first stage sample size from n to m ( m < n). The consequential modifications in the methods of estimation of population total, mean and ratio of two totals and those of the variance of the first and the mean square errors of the latter two estimators are spelt out. The problem arises in the context of designing audits of Government documents by appropriate sampling.


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