Alexander Lill, André Meyer, Thomas Fritz, On the Helpfulness of Answering Developer Questions on Discord with Similar Conversations and Posts from the Past, In: 46th International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 2024), ACM Digital library, 2024-04-14. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
 
A big part of software developers’ time is spent finding answers to their coding-task-related questions. To answer their questions, developers usually perform web searches, ask questions on Q&A websites, or, more recently, in chat communities. Yet, many of these questions have frequently already been answered in previous chat conversations or other online communities. Automatically identifying and then suggesting these previous answers to the askers could, thus, save time and effort. In an empirical analysis, we first explored the frequency of repeating questions on the Discord chat platform and assessed our approach to identify them automatically. The approach was then evaluated with real-world developers in a field experiment, through which we received 142 ratings on the helpfulness of the suggestions we provided to help answer 277 questions that developers posted in four Discord communities. We further collected qualitative feedback through 53 surveys and 10 follow-up interviews. We found that the suggestions were considered helpful in 40% of the cases, that suggesting Stack Overflow posts is more often considered helpful than past Discord conversations, and that developers have difficulties describing their problems as search queries and, thus, prefer describing them as natural language questions in online communities. |
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Sergei Ketkov, A study of distributionally robust mixed-integer programming with Wasserstein metric: on the value of incomplete data, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 313 (2), 2024. (Journal Article)
 
This study addresses a class of linear mixed-integer programming (MILP) problems that involve uncertainty in the objective function parameters. The parameters are assumed to form a random vector, whose probability distribution can only be observed through a finite training data set. Unlike most of the related studies in the literature, we also consider uncertainty in the underlying data set. The data uncertainty is described by a set of linear constraints for each random sample, and the uncertainty in the distribution (for a fixed realization of data) is defined using a type-1 Wasserstein ball centered at the empirical distribution of the data. The overall problem is formulated as a three-level distributionally robust optimization (DRO) problem. First, we prove that the three-level problem admits a single-level MILP reformulation, if the class of loss functions is restricted to biaffine functions. Secondly, it turns out that for several particular forms of data uncertainty, the outlined problem can be solved reasonably fast by leveraging the nominal MILP problem. Finally, we conduct a computational study, where the out-of-sample performance of our model and computational complexity of the proposed MILP reformulation are explored numerically for several application domains. |
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Mateusz Dolata, Kevin Crowston, Making sense of AI systems development, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 2023. (Journal Article)
 
We identify and describe episodes of sensemaking around challenges in modern Artificial-Intelligence (AI)-based systems development that emerged in projects carried out by IBM and client companies. All projects used IBM Watson as the development platform for building tailored AI-based solutions to support workers or customers of the client companies. Yet, many of the projects turned out to be significantly more challenging than IBM and its clients had expected. The analysis reveals that project members struggled to establish reliable meanings about the technology, the project, context, and data to act upon. The project members report multiple aspects of the projects that they were not expecting to need to make sense of yet were problematic. Many issues bear upon the current-generation AI’s inherent characteristics, such as dependency on large data sets and continuous improvement as more data becomes available. Those characteristics increase the complexity of the projects and call for balanced mindfulness to avoid unexpected problems. |
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Jakub Lokoč, Stelios Andreadis, Werner Bailer, Aaron Duane, Cathal Gurrin, Zhixin Ma, Nicola Messina, Thao-Nhu Nguyen, Ladislav Peška, Luca Rossetto, Loris Sauter, Konstantin Schall, Klaus Schoeffmann, Omar Shahbaz Khan, Florian Spiess, Lucia Vadicamo, Stefanos Vrochidis, Interactive video retrieval in the age of effective joint embedding deep models: lessons from the 11th VBS, Multimedia Systems, Vol. 29 (6), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
This paper presents findings of the eleventh Video Browser Showdown competition, where sixteen teams competed in known-item and ad-hoc search tasks. Many of the teams utilized state-of-the-art video retrieval approaches that demonstrated high effectiveness in challenging search scenarios. In this paper, a broad survey of all utilized approaches is presented in connection with an analysis of the performance of participating teams. Specifically, both high-level performance indicators are presented with overall statistics as well as in-depth analysis of the performance of selected tools implementing result set logging. The analysis reveals evidence that the CLIP model represents a versatile tool for cross-modal video retrieval when combined with interactive search capabilities. Furthermore, the analysis investigates the effect of different users and text query properties on the performance in search tasks. Last but not least, lessons learned from search task preparation are presented, and a new direction for ad-hoc search based tasks at Video Browser Showdown is introduced. |
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Markus Leippold, Hanlin Yang, Mixed-Frequency Predictive Regressions, Journal of Forecasting, Vol. 42 (8), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
We explore the performance of mixed-frequency predictive regressions for stock returns from the perspective of a Bayesian investor. We develop a constrained parameter learning approach for sequential estimation allowing for belief revisions. Empirically, we find that mixed-frequency models improve predictability, not only because of the combination of predictors with different frequencies but also due to the preservation of high-frequency features such as time-varying volatility. Temporally aggregated models misspecify the evolution frequency of the volatility dynamics, resulting in poor volatility timing and worse portfolio performance than the mixed-frequency specification. These results highlight the importance of preserving the potential mixed-frequency nature of predictors and volatility in predictive regressions. |
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Fabienne Jedelhauser, Raphael Flepp, Egon Franck, Overshadowed by Popularity: The Value of Second-Tier Stars in European Football, Journal of Sports Economics, Vol. 24 (8), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
While second-tier stars lack popularity compared to superstars, their marginal contribution to team performance on the pitch relative to that of superstars is unknown. Relying on league-specific preseason market value distributions to define superstars and second-tier stars, we compare the marginal contributions of superstars and second-tier stars to team performance on the pitch in the top five European football leagues. Examining the impact of unexpected injury-related absences, we find that second-tier stars’ marginal contribution is at least equal to that of superstars. Thus, the players with arguably the highest costs for clubs do not contribute accordingly to short-run sportive success. |
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Pascal Flurin Meier, Raphael Flepp, Egon Franck, Replication: Do coaches stick with what barely worked? Evidence of outcome bias in sports, Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 99, 2023. (Journal Article)
 
We replicate the finding of Lefgren et al. (2015) showing that professional basketball coaches in the NBA discontinuously change their starting lineup more often after narrow losses than after narrow wins. This result is consistent with outcome bias because such narrow outcomes are conditionally uninformative. As our paper shows, this pattern is not restricted to the NBA; we also find evidence of outcome bias in the top women’s professional basketball league and college basketball. Finally, we show that outcome bias in coaching decisions generalizes to the National Football League (NFL). We conclude that outcome bias is credible and robust, although it has weakened over time in some instances. |
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Francesco D’Ercole, Alexander Wagner, The green energy transition and the 2023 Banking Crisis, Finance Research Letters, Vol. 58, 2023. (Journal Article)
 
This study examines the stock price reactions of environmentally responsible stocks during the onset of the 2023 banking crisis, triggered by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Our findings indicate that stocks poised to benefit from the shift to a low-carbon economy underperformed during the 2023 crisis. This suggests that investors anticipate a slowdown in climate tech development due to distress in the banking sector. Our results underscore the significance of considering not only the influence of the climate crisis on financial stability, but also the pivotal role that financial stability plays in ensuring a successful energy transition. |
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José M Jorquera Valero, Pedro M Sánchez Sánchez, Manuel Gil Pérez, Alberto Huertas Celdran, Gregorio Martínez Pérez, Cutting-Edge Assets for Trust in 5G and Beyond: Requirements, State-of-the-Art, Trends & Challenges, ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 55 (11), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
In 5G and beyond, the figure of cross-operator/domain connections and relationships grows exponentially among stakeholders, resources, and services, being reputation-based trust models one of the capital technologies leveraged for trustworthy decision-making. This work studies novel 5G assets on which trust can be used to overcome unsuitable decision-making and address current requirements. First, it introduces a background and general architecture of reputation-based trust models. Afterward, it analyzes pivotal 5G assets on which trust can enhance their performance. Besides, this article performs a comprehensive review of the current reputation models applied to 5G assets and compares their properties, features, techniques, and results. Finally, it provides current trends and future challenges to conducting forthcoming research in the area. |
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Emmanuel Mamatzakis, Steven Ongena, Mike G Tsionas, Why do households repay their debt in UK during the COVID-19 crisis?, Journal of Economic Studies, Vol. 50 (8), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
Purpose: In this paper, the authors investigate whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impacts household finances, like household debt repayments in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach: This paper employs a vector autoregressive (VAR) model that nests neural networks and uses Mixed Data Sampling (MIDAS) techniques. The authors use data information related to COVID-19, financial markets and household finances.
Findings: The authors' results show that household debt repayments' response to the first principal component of COVID-19 shocks is negative, albeit of low magnitude. However, when the authors employ specific COVID-19-related data like vaccines and tests the responses are positive, insinuating the underlying dynamic complexities. Overall, confirmed deaths and hospitalisations negatively affect household debt repayments. The authors also report low persistence in household debt repayments. Generalised impulse response functions (IRFs) confirm the main results. As draconian measures, the lockdowns are eased and the COVID-19 shocks are diminishing, and household financial data converge to the levels prior to the pandemic albeit with some lags.
Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that examines the impact of the pandemic on household debt repayments. The authors' findings show that policy response in the future should prioritise innovation of new vaccines and testing. |
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Fabio Braggion, Felix Von Meyerinck, Nic Schaub, Inflation and Individual Investors' Behavior: Evidence from the German Hyperinflation, Review of financial studies, Vol. 36 (12), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
We analyze how individual investors respond to inflation. We introduce a unique dataset containing information on local inflation and security portfolios of more than 2,000 clients of a German bank between 1920 and 1924, covering the German hyperinflation. We find that individual investors buy less (sell more) stocks when facing higher local inflation. This effect is more pronounced for less sophisticated investors. Moreover, we document a positive relation between local inflation and forgone returns following stock sales. Our findings are consistent with individual investors suffering from money illusion. Alternative explanations such as consumption needs are unlikely to drive our results. |
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Claudia Custodio, Miguel Ferreira, Emilia Garcia, Indirect Costs of Financial Distress, Review of Finance, Vol. 27 (6), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
We estimate the indirect costs of financial distress due to lost sales by exploiting real estate shocks and cross-supplier variation in real estate assets and leverage. We show that for the same client buying from different suppliers, the client’s purchases from distressed suppliers decline by an additional 13% following a drop in local real estate prices. The effect is more pronounced in more competitive industries, manufacturing, durable goods, less-specific goods, and when the costs of switching suppliers are low. Our results suggest that clients reduce their exposure to suppliers in financial distress. |
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Micah Goldsmith Edelson, Todd Anthony Hare, Goal-dependent hippocampal representations facilitate self-control, Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 43 (46), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
Hippocampal activity linking past experiences and simulations of the future with current goals can play an important role in decision-making. The representation of information within the hippocampus may be especially critical in situations where one needs to overcome past rewarding experiences and exert self-control. Self-control success or failure may depend on how information is represented in the hippocampus and how effectively the representation process can be modified to achieve a specific goal. We test this hypothesis using representational similarity analyses of human (female/male) neuroimaging data during a dietary self-control task in which individuals must overcome taste temptations to choose healthy foods. We find that self-control is indeed associated with the way individuals represent taste information (valance) in the hippocampus and how taste representations there adapt to align with different goals/contexts. Importantly, individuals who were able to shift their hippocampal representations to a larger degree to align with the current motivation were better able to exert self-control when facing a dietary challenge. These results suggest an alternative or complementary neurobiological pathway leading to self-control success and indicate the need to update the classical view of self-control to continue to advance our understanding of its behavioral and neural underpinnings. |
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Cédric Chambru, Environmental shocks, religious struggle, and resilience: a contribution to the economic history of Ancien Régime France, European Review of Economic History, Vol. 27 (4), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
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Dieter Pfaff, Patricia Dorothee Ruffing-Straube, David Staubli, Aufdeckung von Steuerhinterziehung in der Schweiz durch den automatischen Informationsaustausch, Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Vol. 24 (3), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
Die Hinterziehung von Steuern soll durch den international eingeführten automatischen Informationsaustausch (AIA) aufgedeckt und eingedämmt werden. Zudem besteht in der Schweiz seit 2010 die straflose Selbstanzeige. Im Zusammenhang mit der internationalen Einführung des AIA ist ein deutlicher Anstieg der straflosen Selbstanzeigen zu beobachten. Dabei werden erhebliche kantonale Unterschiede sichtbar. So ist die Anzahl strafloser Selbstanzeigen pro zehntausend Steuerpflichtige in Kantonen mit hohen Vermögensteuern, getrieben durch die bevölkerungsstarken Genferseekantone, nach der Einführung des AIA tendenziell höher. Da das Selbstanzeigeverhalten im Zuge des AIA vorwiegend ausländisches Vermögen und Einkommen betrifft, könnte auch der Anteil der zugewanderten Wohnbevölkerung eine Rolle spielen. |
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Loris Sauter, Tim Bachmann, Luca Rossetto, Heiko Schuldt, Spatially Localised Immersive Contemporary and Historic Photo Presentation on Mobile Devices in Augmented Reality, In: MM '23: The 31st ACM International Conference on Multimedia, ACM Digital Library, New York, NY, USA, 2023-11-02. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
 
These days, taking a photo is the most common way of capturing a moment. Some of these photos captured in the moment are never to be seen again. Others are almost immediately shared with the world. Yet, the context of the captured moment can only be shared to a limited extent. The continuous improvement of mobile devices has not only led to higher resolution cameras and, thus, visually more appealing pictures but also to a broader and more precise range of accompanying sensor metadata. Positional and bearing information can provide context for photos and is thus an integral aspect of the captured moment. However, it is commonly only used to sort photos by time and possibly group by place. Such more precise sensor metadata, combined with the increased computing power of mobile devices, can enable more and more powerful Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities, especially for communicating the context of a captured photo. Users can thereby witness the captured moment in its real location and also experience its spatial contextualization. With the help of a suitable data augmentation, such context-preserving presentation can be extended even to non-digitally born content, including historical images. This offers new immersive ways to experience the cultural history of one's current location. In this paper, we present an approach for location-based image presentation in AR on mobile devices. With this approach, users can experience captured moments in their physical context. We demonstrate the power of this approach based on a prototype implementation and evaluate it in a user study. |
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Daniel Fasnacht, Offene und digitale Ökosysteme: Mehrwert durch Branchen- und Technologiekonvergenz, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, Berlin, 2023-11-02. (Book/Research Monograph)
 
In the digital paradigm, collaborative value creation takes place across organisational boundaries while the consumer moves to the centre. Value will be created in the future through the combination of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, the internet of things, blockchain, cloud and quantum computing, and the customer journey will span different sectors. The golden triangle of digital ecosystems includes commerce, social media, and finance. Companies that understand the benefits of the platform economy can achieve exponential growth and become winners of the digital transformation. They can share knowledge and resources across organisational boundaries, react quickly to market changes and find the balance between existing businesses and new markets. The future of work and leadership in open and digital ecosystems requires rethinking and new dynamic capabilities such as openness, agility, and ambidexterity. The book is based on years of research. It expands traditional management models with pragmatic strategy and action concepts, which are explained with diverse practical examples of tech companies from the USA, cross-industry ecosystems from China and healthcare platforms from Switzerland. |
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Andreas Barth, Valerie Laturnus, Sasan Mansouri, Alexander Wagner, Conflicted Analysts and Initial Coin Offerings, Management Science, Vol. 69 (11), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
This paper studies the contribution of analysts to the functioning and failure of the market for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). The assessments of freelancing analysts exhibit biases due to reciprocal interactions of analysts with ICO team members. Even favorably rated ICOs tend to fail raising some capital when a greater portion of their ratings reciprocate prior ratings. 90 days after listing on an exchange the market capitalization relative to the initial funds raised is smaller for tokens with more reciprocal ratings. These findings suggest that conflicts of interest help explain the failure of ICOs. |
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Stijn Decoster, Leander de Schutter, Jochen Menges, David De Cremer, Jeroen Stouten, Does change incite abusive supervision? The role of transformational change and hindrance stress, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 33 (4), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
To remain competitive, organizations tend to change their established ways of working, their strategy, the core values, and the organizational structure. Such thorough changes are referred to as transformational change. Unfortunately, transformational change is often unsuccessful because organizational members do not always welcome the change. Although organizations often expect their supervisors to be successful role-models and change-agents during the transformational change process, we argue that initiating transformational change could increase supervisors' hindrance stress levels, which may result in abusive behaviors towards employees. More specifically, in a multi-source survey and an experimental study, we find evidence that transformational change is associated with supervisors' experienced hindrance stress, which subsequently led to more abusive behaviors towards employees. |
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Violetta Splitter, Paula Jarzabkowski, David Seidl, Middle Managers’ Struggle Over Their Subject Position in Open Strategy Processes, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 60 (7), 2023. (Journal Article)
 
In this paper we examine middle managers’ struggle over their subject position as strategists in the context of participative strategy processes. Based on a longitudinal case study of a company undertaking an Open Strategy process, we show how the wider inclusion of front-line employees in developing new strategy undermines the traditional subject position of middle managers. Based on these findings, we develop a process model depicting the recursive dynamics of middle managers’ struggles to maintain their subject positions in the face of employee participation. With these findings we contribute to the literature on middle managers by advancing our understanding of the implications of employee participation for middle managers’ subject position as strategists and their different ways of reclaiming their subject position. We also contribute to the literature on Open Strategy by revealing the implications for traditional strategy actors as well as by explaining the processual dynamics of participation over time. |
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