On the impact of spatial pattern,aggregation, and model parameters in planar Huff-type competitive location and design problems

A chain wants to set up a single new facility in a planar market where similar facilities of competitors, and possibly of its own chain, are already present. Fixed demand points split their demand probabilistically over all facilities in the market proportionally with their attraction to each facility, determined by the different perceived qualities of the facilities and the distances to them, through a gravitational or logit type model. Both the location and the quality (design) of the new facility are to be found so as to maximize the profit obtained for the chain. Several types of constraints and costs are considered. Applying an interval analysis based global optimization method on several spatial patterns in a quasi-real-world environment, the behaviour of optimal solutions is investigated when changes are made in the basic model parameters. The study yields valuable insight for modellers into the impact of spatial pattern and various model parameters of the model on the resulting location and design decision. Spatial patterns differ in distribution of demand, of own and/or competing facilities, and of facility qualities. Studied model parameters include push force effects, investment restrictions and aggregation of demand. An extended version of this paper including additional studies on model parameters and the exact data used in the computational experiments is available at Optimization Online (see Tóth et al. (2008)). This work has been supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (TIN2008-01117, SEJ2005-06273/ECON and ECO2008-00667/ECON), Junta de Andalucía (P08-TIC-3518), and in part by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).     

基于结合分析的产品意象造型设计研究

为设计出符合消费者感性需求的产品,提出基于结合分析的产品意象造型设计方法。首先采用多元尺度法和聚类分析法选择典型样本,进而应用形态分析法确定产品的属性和各属性的水平。其次,利用因子分析法确定产品的感性意象,并用造型吸引力对其进行整合。在此基础上,使用对应分析法对感性意象和产品属性的关系进行探讨。最后,利用结合分析建立二者之间的数学模型。该文结合办公座椅进行研究,结果表明该方法是正确可行的。     

An econometric analysis of the effects of the penalty points system driver's license in Spain

This article seeks to quantify the effects of the penalty points system driver's license during the 18-month period following its coming into force. This is achieved by means of univariate and multivariate unobserved component models set up in a state space framework estimated using maximum likelihood. A detailed intervention analysis is carried out in order to test for the effects and their duration of the introduction of the penalty points system driver's license in Spain. Other variables, mainly indicators of the level of economic activity in Spain, are also considered. Among the main effects, we can mention an average reduction of almost 12.6% in the number of deaths in highway accidents. It would take at least 2 years for that effect to disappear. For the rest of the safety indicator variables (vehicle occupants injured in highway accidents and vehicle occupants injured in accidents built-up areas) the effects disappeared 1 year after the law coming into force.     

The impact of childhood symptoms of conduct disorder on driver aggression in adulthood

Background

Despite limited empirical investigation, existing scientific literature suggests that individuals with a history or current diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD) may be more likely to demonstrate reckless and aggressive driving. Much of the limited research in this field examines the impact of childhood CD on driver behaviour and collision risk in young adults. Few if any, studies assess the impact of this disorder on driver behaviour beyond age 21 years. The current research is a population-based study of the impact of CD symptoms during childhood on the risk of engaging in driver aggression during adulthood.

Methods

Data are based on telephone interviews with 5230 respondents who reported having driven in the past year. Data are derived from the 2011–2013 cycles of the CAMH Monitor, an ongoing cross-sectional survey of adults in Ontario, Canada aged 18 years and older. A binary logistic regression analysis of self-reported driver aggression in the previous 12 months was conducted, consisting of measures of demographic characteristics, driving exposure, problem substance use, alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and childhood (before age 15) symptoms of CD.

Results

When entered with demographic characteristics, driving exposure, and other potential confounders, childhood symptoms of CD increased the odds of reporting driver aggression more than two-fold (adjusted OR = 2.12). Exploratory analyses of the interaction between childhood symptoms of CD and age was not a significant predictor of driver aggression.

Conclusions

Results suggest that symptoms of CD during childhood are associated with significantly increased odds of self-reported driver aggression during adulthood. Limitations and future directions of the research are discussed.     

基于组织机构代码数据浅析宁波市海洋产业结构现状与发展对策

本文以宁波市组织机构代码数据库为基础,对宁波市海洋产业组织机构的区域分布、经济行业、机构类型、经济类型、投资金额等进行分析,以此来探讨宁波市海洋产业结构、区域发展重点、投资方式、发展方向等方面的对策措施。     

基于时间竞争的单元组织结构初探

合拢管理包括三层涵义:合拢个体独立运作、组织全面协调、坚定的目标和信任体制.基于合拢管理思想,提出了基于快速反应能力的单元组织结构模型.人员、角色和业务单元是组成单元组织框架的最基本构件.业务单元与工作团队在工作目标及性质、组织依赖性和柔性、规模边界和管理方式等方面存在本质区别.     

An encompassing view on markdown pricing strategies: an analysis of the Austrian mobile phone market

Fierce competition and rapid technological progress have considerably reduced the life cycle length for mobile phones in the last decade. Once a new mobile phone is launched, providers on the market under consideration practice a markdown strategy. Profits of the providers are generated mainly via the monthly (base plus variable) fees accruing during contract duration whereas the mobile phones are over large parts of their life cycle sold below the constant purchase price charged by the OEM supplier. The problem of applying such markdown strategies has recently been further emphasized by an increased competition among the providers cutting back revenues generated by the contracts. Although providers frequently complain about this situation of pre- and cross financing the mobile phones, none of them has yet risked stopping the practiced markdown pricing strategies. In our contribution, we investigate a new model for the analysis of the effects of alternative (markdown) pricing strategies. Building on previous research that has investigated the dynamics and feedbacks between pricing and inventory decisions caused by delays and inaccurate forecasts, we develop a more encompassing view on the market considering the dependency and dynamics between customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat purchase rates. Furthermore, we explicitly model price and reference price effects and their impact on the attraction of new customers. Various data sources are employed to calibrate a system dynamics model for one of the providers and its interrelation with a typical supplier and the customers. Our model indicates that a reduction of the currently practiced markdown strategy would reduce the provider’s overall profit for contract customers. In contrast, the results for prepaid customers could be improved by a careful reduction of markdowns.This research was supported by WWTF project: Mathematical Modeling for an integrated Demand and Supply Chain Management. The authors wish to thank Alf Kimms, the editor and the anonymous referees for their valuable comments     

An analysis of thermal gradient impact in thermal–mechanical fatigue testing

Thermal–mechanical fatigue (TMF) testing is a good method to decrease the number of isothermal tests for non‐isothermal behaviour laws identification. Based on experimental results of the TMF Standard European Working Group, this study aims to investigate the impact of thermal gradients on mechanical heterogeneity within the gage length specimen. The quality of the TMF test is examined by an energy criterion related to error bounds for nonlinear behaviour. A sensitivity analysis is then made for a given behaviour law identified on a TMF test to answer to the above question. Moreover the geometric instability phenomenon, already noticed by Sheffler and Coffin, is modelled herein.     

The role of impressions on users’ tactile interaction with product materials: An analysis of associative concept networks

Depth impressions are an inner associative layer of humans’ expressed impressions. To analyze tactile interaction, it is essential to examine what users feel and imagine and how they create depth impressions by touching and looking at different product materials. On the basis of tactile interactions, this study aims to capture and analyze users’ depth impressions of materials. This research also proposes an ‘impressionably’ new tactile material for design from the viewpoint of depth impressions. To capture depth impressions, we investigated users’ tactile interactions in an experiment. The experiment used samples of six common natural and artificial materials, along with the proposed new micro-print-based material. A concept network-based method was employed in two stages to analyze the experimentally obtained verbalized protocols and to identify any depth impressions. This method allowed us to capture and analyze the depth impressions behind the surface impressions. This research found that the feel of materials’ tactile naturalness and users’ habituation to the tested samples are related to their depth impressions and the complexity of their concept networks. The depth impressions and concept network of the proposed micro-print material are distinct and beyond those for existing natural or artificial materials. These findings will provide the basis for employing new analysis tools and facilitate the development of impressionably better tactile materials for design.     

产业集群特征对集群内人才根植意愿的影响——基于我国四个产业集群的一项实证研究

通过文献回顾与理论推理,提出产业集群特征与集群内人才根植意愿的关系模型,并以武汉光谷、北京中关村、苏州工业园区、东莞振安工业园四个产业集群为对象进行实证分析.运用验证性因素分析、方差分析、回归分析以及优势分析等方法处理数据.研究发现:集群经济、集群人才政策和集群文化三个维度对人才根植意愿有显著的正向影响,其影响程度从大到小依次为集群人才政策、集群经济、集群文化;不同职务、不同年龄的人才其根植意愿具有显著差异;集群生活环境、性别、学历对集群内人才根植意愿没有显著影响.     

Policy analysis and decision making in a network: how to improve the quality of analysis and the impact on decision making

In a network, parties have different interests and are interdependent. This hampers collective decision making. If, in such a network, a policy analysis is made to support the decision making, the findings from this analysis are likely to lack authority. For a policy analysis to be authoritative and to contribute to collective decision making, a process of interaction between the analyst and the parties concerned should be organized. This is called process management. This article presents a number of guidelines for such a process. They are based on two case studies into the use of policy analysis in networks.     

An empirical study on the impact of critical success factors on the balanced scorecard performance in Korean green supply chain management enterprises

Rapid industrial modernisation and economic reform have been features of the Korean economy since the 1990s, and have brought with it substantial environmental problems. In response to these problems, the Korean government has been developing approaches to promote cleaner production technologies. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is emerging to be an important approach for Korean enterprises to improve performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of GSCM CSFs (critical success factors) on the BSC (balanced scorecard) performance by the structural equation modelling, using empirical results from 249 enterprise respondents involved in national GSCM business in Korea. Planning and implementation was a dominant antecedent factor in this study, followed by collaboration with partners and integration of infrastructure. However, activation of support was a negative impact to the finance performance, raising the costs and burdens. It was found out that there were important implications in the implementation of GSCM.     

An artificial-viscosity method for the lagrangian analysis of shocks in solids with strength on unstructured, arbitrary-order tetrahedral meshes

We present an artificial viscosity scheme tailored to finite-deformation Lagrangian calculations of shocks in materials with or without strength on unstructured tetrahedral meshes of arbitrary order. The artificial viscous stresses are deviatoric and satisfy material-frame indifference exactly. We have assessed the performance of the method on selected tests, including: a two-dimensional shock tube problem on an ideal gas; a two-dimensional piston problem on tantalum without strength; and a three-dimensional plate impact problem on tantalum with strength. In all cases, the artificial viscosity scheme returns stable and ostensibly oscillation-free solutions on meshes which greatly underresolve the actual shock thickness. The scheme typically spreads the shock over 4 to 6 elements and captures accurately the shock velocities and jump conditions. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An exploratory study of the impact of information communication technology (ICT) or computer mediated communication (CMC) on the level of violence and access to service among intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in Canada

This paper presents exploratory research on the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) or computer mediated technologies (CMCs) (i.e., cell phones and the internet) among immigrant women who are intimate partner violence survivors (IPV) in Canada. The discussion begins with a presentation of initial data examining the impact of such technology on the level and extent of violence experienced by IPV survivors, and on their ability to access appropriate services. Furthermore, an assessment of whether this form of technology aided in the development of a prevention or safety plan, is explored. The data is based on non-random sample surveys of immigrant women IPV survivors with Canada. While the limited scholarship on ICT or CMC usage indicates that there is a digital divide and that various socio-demographic factors do play a role in utilizing the technology, our data does not display a black and white or any streamlined pattern with regards to the digital divide and sociodemographics factors. An examination of the participants' various sociodemographics indicates that the digital divide within this population is not influenced by access or knowledge to the technology but by other factors often not discussed in the intersectionality models. An intersectional model of race and immigration status along with the existing literature on intimate partner violence among immigrant women especially issues of isolation and social networking inform this paper.