A tabu search heuristic for the heterogeneous vehicle routing problem on a multigraph

We study a time-constrained heterogeneous vehicle routing problem on a multigraph where parallel arcs between pairs of vertices represent different travel options based on criteria such as time, cost, and distance. We formulate the problem as a mixed-integer linear programming model and develop a tabu search heuristic that efficiently addresses computational challenges due to parallel arcs. Numerical experiments show that the heuristic is highly effective and that freight operators can achieve advantages in cost and customer service by considering alternative paths, especially when route duration limits are restrictive and/or when vehicles of smaller capacity are dispatched to serve remote customers.     

A note on the spread between the rates of fixed and variable rate loans

An expression of the optimal expected spread between the rates of fixed and variable rate loans offered by a competitive risk-averse bank is derived. We find that the expected spread varies directly with the volatility of the funding cost, the bank's degree of risk aversion, and the competitive profit margin on variable rate loans. Our analysis also characterizes the optimal mix of fixed and variable rate lending in a bank's loan portfolio.     

A model of currency crises with heterogeneous market beliefs

This paper shows that the approach followed by Tamborini (2015) in analyzing and interpreting the euro area public debt crisis, based on the role played by agents characterized by heterogeneous market beliefs, can be applied also to the case of currency crises. By doing so, rather than considering the private sector as an atomistic player endowed with perfect information, and by considering a central bank that optimizes the amount of unsterilized inflow of foreign reserves in a Mundell-Fleming type speculative attack model, allows to explain the interest rates convex non-linearity that characterized, for example, a country like Italy during the 1992–93 EMS crisis.     

Measurement of redistributive effect of tax rates from a longitudinal perspective: an application of the fixed taxable income approach

The primary objective of this article is to explore how the redistributive effects of tax rate change when using the fixed taxable income approach – where tax rates for each year in a period are applied to taxable income for a base year to calculate rate effects – instead of using an existing procedure to compute the rate effects. Standard rate effects are found to differ considerably from those calculated using the fixed taxable income approach in terms of both level and longitudinal trend.     

The motorcycle to passenger car ownership ratio and economic growth: A cross-country analysis

Cross-country statistics have revealed steady growth in the number of motorcycles in many less advanced economic countries (LAEC) with emerging economies due to increased urbanisation and personal wealth. In contrast, an opposite trend is occurring in advanced economic countries (AEC), with cars replacing motorcycles as income grows. Motor vehicle crashes and injuries are an inevitable consequence of a high motorcycle population. This study focused on understanding how economic growth affects the motorcycle to passenger car (MPC) ownership ratio and what factors underlie this relationship. The data used in this analysis contained a sample of 80 countries at various levels of economic developmental growth over the 48-year period between 1963 and 2010. The results pointed to an inverted U-shaped relationship between the MPC ownership ratio and the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Generally, the MPC ownership ratio increased with income at a lower level and decreased with income at a higher level. The evidence indicated that urbanisation, the total road length per thousand population, and a proxy for purchasing power with regard to vehicle purchases were the underlying factors that contributed to this relationship.     

委托理财案件审理的司法成本问题探析

本文在率先发现委托理财案件存在着司法成本以及该成本持续上升状况的同时，从全新角度解说了这一现状的成因正是法律的确定性不清所引起的法律关系混淆。我国《信托法》没有很好地发挥信托信号机制的积极作用，通过信托信号区分信托关系与代理等其他法律关系的区别，因而导致委托理财关系法律性质难以认定，并催生出保底条款这一畸形做法，给法院审理案件带来困难并进一步加大了司法解释出台的难度。     

基于投入产出法的上海市固定资产投资效应分析

本文主要利用上海市投入产出表及有关统计数据分析固定资产投资对上海市重点部门及产业结构升级的带动作用;并测算了单位固定资产投资诱发的收入分配结构。研究表明,投资在上海市国内生产总值(GDP)中占有较高的比重,但投资对GDP的贡献率并不高;相对而言,优先发展资本与知识要素比较密集的制造业,同时不应放弃对纺织业、化学工业和金属冶炼及压延加工等传统工业的投资。单位固定资产投资诱发的收入分配结构中,单位固定资产投资诱发的劳动者报酬基本没有大的变动,诱发的社会纯收入中企业的营业盈余比例有所提高。     

平均年成本法在固定资产更新决策中的应用及缺陷

固定资产更新决策是在继续使用旧设备和更新新设备之间进行的选择。本文基于平均年成本法的基本原理,阐述平均年成本法在固定资产更新决策中的应用,指出平均年成本法在应用中存在的缺陷。     

Fixed and mobile broadband substitution in Sweden

This paper aims to investigate whether mobile broadband (MB) is a complementary or substitute service to fixed broadband (FB) by examining survey data collected by the Post-och telestyrelsen (PTS) in 2009. These data are supplemented with provider broadband service price data. Study findings indicate that price and housing mode are important determinants for broadband connections. In addition, the living area and service provider affect the probability of broadband access. In particular, the own-price and cross-price elasticities show that MB is substitute service to FB in most geographic area of Sweden.