Research for Methodology

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Use of MEPRS Data for Comparing CHAMPUS and MTF Costs
August 1, 1990
The Medical Expense and Performance Reporting System (MEPRS) contains detailed cost and workload data for Navy Medical Treatment Facilities (MTFs). This memorandum describes some of the limitations of MEPRS data for calculating cost per admission by medical specialty. Some of these limitations stem from the organization of MEPRS data by functional work centers; others reflect problems in the collection of MEPRS data.
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Integration of Navy R&D Program Data: Are There 'Families' of R&D Profiles
July 1, 1990
This paper, undertaken as part of CNA's Quo Vadis II project, examines alternative statistical models for the cumulative distribution of cost and time of Navy Research and Development (R&D) projects.
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Hedging Against the Unthinkable: U.S. Military Responses to Third World Nuclear Crises
July 1, 1990
Presents briefing slides and accompanying text on the changing nuclear threat and the assumptions and methodology used for a scenario analysis. Conditions under which U.S. leaders would seriously consider use of military force to deal with Third World nuclear crises and military options of the U.S. are considered. Annexes include threat methodology and a description of scenarios.
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The Dynamic Structure of Navy Research and Development Budgets: A Time-Series Analysis
June 1, 1990
This paper investigates the dynamic nature of the Navy's Research and Development (R&D) budget by examining the Navy's budget in the aggregate and by functional activity (i.e., manpower, operation and maintenance, procurement, and research and development). Qualitative conclusions about trends in each functional area are made using constant-dollar plots for the period 1955-88. The percentage of the aggregate Department of the Navy (DON) budget that is allotted to R&D has been remarkably consistent at 10 percent over the last 30 years. A forecast for the R&D budget percentage is made for the next 5 years using statistical techniques. Thus, independent forecasts of the aggregate DON budget can be used to generate alternative R&D budget forecasts.
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Analyzing Soviet Intentions: A Short Guide to Soviet Military Literature
March 1, 1989
This research contribution lays out a methodology for interpreting the Soviet literature dealing with military affairs. The following aspects are covered: the subject matter that normally yields the best evidence of Soviet intentions; the theoretical disciplines involved with this subject matter and their relationship to official channels; the problem of determining the truthfulness and authoritativeness of Soviet statements; and the rules of analysis in coping with their literature.
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Relations Between Sustaining Engineering, Methods of Management, and System Quality
December 1, 1987
The relations between Sustaining Engineering (SE) usage, methods of management, and system quality are determined in this research memorandum. Principal components analysis was used to combine multiple measures of effectiveness into a single measure of aircraft quality and multiple program characteristics into a single measure of high-level management. Levels of SE usage were used with these measures to determine the relations, if any.
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Alternative Modeling Approaches for Setting Cost-Effective Qualification Standards
May 1, 1987
The Rand Corporation has developed a model that determines cost-effective enlistment standards for Military Occupational Specialties. Since this model may have an impact on enlistment policy, it is important that the modeling approach used to determine the enlistment standards be fully understood. This research memorandum describes the modeling technique used by the Rand Corporation and compares the Rand approach to alternative modeling methods in an attempt to determine the sensitivity of the model outcome to the methodology employed.
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Issues in the Development of a Competency Scale: Implications for Linking Job Performance and Aptitude
April 1, 1987
The selection of test content and the construction of job performance tests has not followed any specific methodology. For determining qualification standards on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a more absolute interpretation is required of the performance test scores. This report proposes that a domain-referenced approach is necessary for the linkage of job performance and aptitude in determining standards on the ASVAB. This absolute interpretation of test scores, called competency-based measurement, is based upon two critical requirements of the test construction process: detailed specification of the job requirements domain and appropriate sampling of test content from that domain.
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Design, Development, and Play of Navy Wargames
March 1, 1987
This paper describes some of the important elements of wargame design, development, and play. Wargame design is the art of creating a warfare model or simulation to be used in wargaming; wargame development is the process of testing and refining that model to make it more effective in achieving its objectives; and wargame play is the exercising of the model by becoming an integral part of it.
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Alcohol and Drug Use in the Marine Corps in 1983, Volume II, Appendixes A-H
July 1, 1984
This is volume II of a two-volume report on the results of a study concerning alcohol and drug use in the Marine Corps. It contains eight appendixes presenting detailed data and analyses supporting the main text in Volume I. The questionnaire used in the survey is reproduced in appendix A; appendix B describes the survey methodology; appendix C contains tables giving the sizes of the populations and samples surveyed; appendix D addresses the accuracy of the results obtained from the survey; appendix E describes the composite measure, or index, developed for estimating the monthly consumption of alcoholic beverages; appendix F looks at the patterns of responses to the questionnaires and how consistent they were; appendix G contains tables showing the prevalence of alcohol and drug use by unit type, location, and pay grade; and appendix H shows the relationship between urinalysis test results and use of drugs at the time tested.
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