Taxonomy of digital community currency platforms*

ABSTRACT

Community currencies are used to pay for products or services within specific groups defined by geographical boundaries or specific common interests. Financial crises, social emergence in developing countries, and increased access to digital devices have stimulated a growing number of communities worldwide to develop digital currency projects. These projects use technologies ranging from traditional plastic cards to mobile phones and blockchain technologies. Following the design science research approach, this paper analyzes digital community currencies (DCCs) by developing a taxonomy based on platform architecture, governance, transactionality and virtuality. By investigating 22 DCC platforms around the world, 4 groups were distinguished: local, proprietary, commons and cyber. The identification of these four different groups of digital community currencies allows us to better discuss the potentials and limitations of each one of them. The presented taxonomy can be useful to researchers and practitioners both to explain and to design DCC platforms. Discussing each of the emerging categories from the proposed taxonomy helps us to provide insights into DCCs, offering a new theoretical frame for investigating the particular case of digital payment platforms.     

Effect of temperature on raw whole milk density and its potential impact on milk payment in the dairy industry

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature on whole milk density measured at four different temperatures: 5, 10, 15, and 20 °C. A total of ninety-three individual milk samples were collected from morning milking of thirty-two Holstein Friesian dairy cows, of national average genetic merit, once every two weeks over a period of 4 weeks and were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for milk composition analysis. Density of the milk was evaluated using two different analytical methods: a portable density meter DMA35 and a standard desktop model DMA4500M (Anton Paar GmbH, UK). Milk density was analysed with a linear mixed model with the fixed effects of sampling period, temperature and analysis method; triple interaction of sampling period x analysis method x temperature; and the random effect of cow to account for repeated measures. The effect of temperature on milk density (ρ) was also evaluated including temperature (t) as covariate with linear and quadratic effects within each analytic method. The regression equation describing the curvature and density–temperature relationship for the DMA35 instrument was ρ = 1.0338−0.00017T−0.0000122T² (R² = 0.64), while it was ρ = 1.0334 + 0.000057T−0.00001T² (R² = 0.61) for DMA4500 instrument. The mean density determined with DMA4500 at 5 °C was 1.0334 g cm⁻³, with corresponding figures of 1.0330, 1.0320 and 1.0305 g cm⁻³ at 10, 15 and 20 °C, respectively. The milk density values obtained in this study at specific temperatures will help to address any bias in weight–volume calculations and thus may also improve the financial and operational control for the dairy processors in Ireland and internationally.     

Ex post demand information sharing between differentiated suppliers and a common retailer

We consider ex post demand information sharing in a two-echelon supply chain in which two suppliers sell differentiated products through a common retailer. We model three scenarios of information sharing to characterise the conditions under which information sharing may benefit or hurt different players: (1) no supplier is informed; (2) only one supplier is informed; and (3) both suppliers are informed. We find that the retailer may voluntarily share the low demand information when the product differentiation and demand magnitude satisfy certain conditions. In contrast, the retailer has no incentive to share the high demand information, even though this information benefits the suppliers. To achieve information sharing, we propose a side payment mechanism, which allows benefitted players to subsidise hurtful players. Finally, we extend our model by considering a situation where the suppliers have limited capacity and may invest to ramp up production capacity to satisfy a high demand.     

浅谈工程款支付与工程成本的关系

通过对四种工程类型工程成本投入情况的分析,介绍了工程资金投入的特点,阐述了承发包双方各自承担的工程风险,探讨了在工程产品的阶段性移交时产生预付款回扣问题应考虑的要点,提出了有关工程预付款回扣及工程款支付的建议,以体现工程预付款回扣的合理性。     

加强工程计量变更管理有效控制建设投资

：分析了工程计量支付、工程变更在整个工程建设中的地位、作用及二者的关系，并就如何管理工程计量支付工作进行了论述，提出了审核工程变更的必要性及其内容。     

施工企业防范被拖欠工程款的策略——"事中补遗"

本文论述了施工企业防范被拖欠工程款的策略中的第二步——“事中补遗”。通过列举施工中可能出现和可能发生的问题,提出注意防范和解决问题的措施、办法。重点是指引施工企业在现行法制尚不健全、市场秩序尚未规范的情况下,为了求生存、拿任务,在策略性地放弃部分利益、维权条款的情况下,如何在履约期间实施“合同遗漏补救、工期顺延确认、收集索赔证据、缓建、停工催收欠款”等“事中补遗”工作,确保企业的合法权益完全避免或者尽量减少被侵害。     

浅谈BT项目施工阶段投资控制

就投资方项目管理部如何有效控制施工阶段投资做一探讨,结合以往参与管理BT项目投资的经验,详细阐述了其控制措施、工程量清单控制、计量支付控制和工程变更及费用控制,从而达到控制投资的目的。     

公路工程费用支付的控制

主要从公路工程费用支付的原则、方法、基本程序等方面,结合工作实际中的体会,论述了如何提高工程计量与支付水平,从而达到有效控制工程项目费用目标的实现,对工程建设的参与各方均有较大的实际意义。     

论政府投资工程委托代建保证担保

阐明了工程保证担保的惩罚性作用机理是有效解决政府投资工程主体间委托代理问题的途径;在借鉴国际工程保证担保的基础上,根据我国政府投资工程委托代建保证担保特点和现状,对政府投资工程委托代建保证担保模式和品种进行了探讨;提出了政府投资工程委托代建保证担保的改进措施。     

建设工程施工合同中两种付款方式的比较

被誉为“建筑业血脉”的工程款支付是整个建设工程合同的核心,是建设工程顺利实施的基础,是许多问题解决的根源所在,同时也是引发合同纠纷的主要原因之一。所以,在建设工程施工合同中有必要根据工程项目的具体情况选择合适的工程款支付方式,往往会起到事半功倍的效果。