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This article presents the results of the financial literacy assessment of young Mexican students between the ages of 17 and 24 enrolled in public and private institutions in five Mexican cities. This study's objective was to approach the financial knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes of young Mexicans through focus groups and questionnaires to identify their perceptions of complex thinking and its use for financial products and services. The most relevant findings suggest that (a) most of the young participants in the study use banking services through their parents, (b) there are significant gender differences in financial knowledge and behaviors, (c) critical thinking significantly and positively correlates with financial behaviors and attitudes, and (d) the level of critical thinking predicts financial behavior. There is a need to develop women's critical thinking to discern between the financial behavior they socially imitate and their capabilities to become more involved in financial issues, thus decreasing the gender gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how training of facilitators and coordinators can promote the creation of high-performing innovation teams in SMEs, and analyzes why some trained teams are successful and others are not. Within a participatory action research framework, eight innovation teams were newly created in six SMEs in the Spanish service sector and were followed up over six months. Facilitators and coordinators underwent 12 h of training prior to creating new innovation teams in their own organizations, whose work was followed up over six months. Team processes and results were analyzed based on both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews, incident diaries, and open questions) data that were gathered longitudinally across the study period. Our results showed that, despite complaints about poor management of face-to-face meetings, difficulties in the use of information and communication technologies and work overload are surmountable. The greatest barrier for innovation teams is a lack of commitment on the part of top managers and low involvement and participation by team members. Reflexivity, both inside and outside the team (i.e. in follow up sessions), was one of the most valued and useful strategies for innovation teams. Our findings highlight the importance of training programs that can provide both technical and emotional support to team facilitators and coordinators and enable SMEs to create high-performing innovation teams despite their limited financial and human resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of quantile regression models with measurement errors in predictors is becoming increasingly popular. High leverage points in predictors can have substantial impacts on these models. Here, we propose a predictive leverage statistic for these models, assuming that the measurement errors follow a multivariate normal distribution, and derive its exact distribution. We compare its performance versus known predictive leverage statistics using simulation and a real dataset. The proposed statistic is shown to have desirable features. It is also the first predictive leverage statistic having its distribution derived in a closed form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to compare the Baldrige and Business Excellence models by evaluating their respective effects on TQM dynamics. A number of comparative studies in relation to the Baldrige and Business Excellence Model are recorded in the literature. These studies are mainly criteria based where the criteria of each model are compared with an idealized set of criteria. Moreover, the criteria usually take the form of auditing or summative based constructs. These approaches are based on the auditing and assessment assumptions within the models. However, there is a paucity of studies, which compare the models by evaluating their contributions to TQM dynamics and their formative role in developing TQM in organizations. The study involves analysing a multiple case analysis involving 20 Baldrige Model and 20 Business Excellence Model organizations. A multi-model TQM dynamics framework is used to compare the models. It is found that the two National Quality models did not adequately model TQM dynamics, with the Baldrige model, in particular, failing to model the strategic dynamics of TQM. Thus, there is a need to develop dynamic representations and models of TQM to avoid oversimplification in theory and praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]