时变环境下选址问题的一个启发式算法

配送中心选址作为物流管理中的一个重要研究问题受到广泛重视。然而,文献中所涉及的选址模型大都是静态的,即沿一条路径行进时所需的成本(或时间)是与出发时间无关的函数。但在实际生活中,它往往是会随时间的变化而变化的,这类问题被称为时变环境下的选址问题。文中讨论了时变环境下的单配送中心到多个零售点带容量约束的选址问题。由于该问题是NP-完备的,我们给出了一个启发式算法。     

Expatriate pay satisfaction: the role of organizational inequities,assignment stressors and perceived assignment value

Using equity, stress and buffer theories, we investigate the role played by organizational inequities (organizational justice and provision of benefits) and assignment stressors (work adjustment and role novelty) in predicting expatriate pay satisfaction. We also assess the role of perceived assignment value as an important buffer that moderates the above relationships. With a sample of 78 expatriates from nine nationalities working in Hong Kong, we find that organizational justice and work adjustment are both positively related to expatriate pay satisfaction. We also find that perceived assignment value strengthens the provision of benefits–pay satisfaction and work adjustment–pay satisfaction relationships. Limitations and managerial implications are discussed.     

Stepwise ordinal efficiency for the random assignment problem

We introduce a notion of efficiency, called Stepwise Ordinal Efficiency (SOE), and prove that it coincides with a fairness notion of interim favoring ranks, in the sense of Harless (2018). We also prove that SOE implies ordinal efficiency, while it is not compatible with rank efficiency. Then, we provide an impossibility result which states that no mechanism meets SOE, weak strategy-proof, and strong equal treatment of equals. Finally, we show that a modified eating algorithm satisfies SOE.     

On the assignment of students to topics: A Variable Neighborhood Search approach

This article presents a study of a practical assignment problem found in teaching within higher education. Here, students are assigned to scientific topics for which written papers must be submitted. Often, preferences across topics exist among other side constraints that should be considered in solving the problem of interest. Characterizing attributes of real-world problems were studied for scientific departments in Economics and Business Administration at German universities by sending out 800 questionnaires, and analyzing the 203 responses.Based on earlier studies, a Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) approach was formulated to solve the resulting assignment problem. Several neighborhood search operators were tested, and numerical results are reported for a range of problem scenarios taken from real-world cases. It was observed that VNS leads to superior results vs. single operator local search approaches. Furthermore, we were able to show that in the studied problem, the effectiveness of certain neighborhoods was, to a large extent, dependent on the structures of the underlying problem.An extension of the problem was formulated by integrating a second objective function, which simultaneously balances the workload of staff members while maximizing student utility. The VNS approach was implemented in a computer system, available free of charge, providing decision support for selected other institutions within higher education.     

A genetic algorithm based approach to transactional and QoS-aware service selection

As there are various risks of failure when Web services are deployed in unreliable environment, the execution of a composite Web service (CWS) requires the transaction mechanism to guarantee its reliable execution. However, the existing service selection approaches consider QoS and transaction separately and have not considered that transactional properties may affect the QoS such as the execution time of a CWS. This work addresses the importance of considering transactional properties and how the transactional properties affect the QoS simultaneously in the process of service selection by a QoS-aware and transactional-aware selection approach. First, a performance evaluation method is proposed to calculate the execution time of a transactional CWS. Then, a genetic algorithm based approach, which takes into account the execution time, price, transactional property and successful execution rate of CWS, is presented to achieve global optimisation service selection. Finally, experimental results show the efficiency and effectiveness of the approach.     

Location-allocation problem for intra-transportation system in a big company by using meta-heuristic algorithm

This paper presents the location-allocation problem of parking facilities in Mobarakeh Steel Company. The aim is to find the optimal location for the parking facilities and allocate travels between departments to each parking facility. To optimize the cost and facing the transportation demands of all departments, a mathematical model is designed and solved by a commercial software package. Also, the number of vehicles allocated to each parking facility is determined. A hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm combining a genetic algorithm with parallel simulated annealing is developed which can be used even in more complicated structure of the problem. The results show that this hybrid algorithm is highly efficient in solving this kind of problems.     

Estimating a frequency unseen: an application to ornithology

The second author is involved in a capture–mark–recapture study of some wader species. Part of his program deals with resight observations. On a particular day he visually inspects a fairly stable population to identify the ringed birds by reading their ring-number. Some ringed birds will be missed, so observations are repeated on other days. The issue of main interest is whether, after some repetitions, we can be sufficiently sure that all the ringed birds in the population have been identified or, equivalently, that the frequency of unseen birds is zero.
Most current theory is concerned with an asymptotic setting. In our 'exact' context the emphasis is on the determination of the 'probability' that the frequency of unseen birds is zero. This issue is settled by considering the more general problem of 'estimating' the frequency of the unseen birds by providing a predictive inference in the form of a probability distribution. We develop methods of inference based on the assumption of a bird-independent probability p _i of identifying a ringed bird on day i , as well as without this assumption. In Section 5 we critically examine these approaches.     

RPMInter-work: a multi-agent approach for planning the task-role assignments in inter-organisational workflow

ABSTRACT

Workflow management is a core component of modern Enterprise Information Systems (EISs) infrastructure that automates the execution of critical business processes. One of the particular interests of the security community is how to ensure the completion of the workflow execution in the presence of authorisation constraints. These constraints present some restrictions on the users or the roles that are authorised to execute the workflow tasks. The goal is to enforce the legal assignments of access privileges to the executors of the workflow tasks. Despite the variety of approaches proposed in this context, an approach dedicated to the inter-organisational workflows is still missing. In this paper, we take a step towards this goal by proposing a multi-agent-based model, named RPMInter-Work (task-Role assignment Planning Model for Inter-organisational Workflow). Our approach aims to perform the planning of the task-role assignments in inter-organisational workflow in presence of authorisation constraints that are related to task-role assignments. In our research work, this planning problem is formulated as a DisCSP (Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problem). Our proposed contribution is based on the requirements of inter-organisational workflows, in particular, the autonomy of the participating organisations and the respect of their privacy. A prototype of RPMInter-Work is implemented using JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment) platform and some evaluation results of this prototype are exposed in this paper.     

Trainees' reactions to training: an analysis of the factors affecting overall satisfaction with training

The study examines a relatively neglected, but important, aspect of the analysis and evaluation of training, namely trainees' immediate reaction to training. In particular, we focused on an analysis of the factors that affect participants' overall satisfaction with training. We first identified three key situational antecedents of training satisfaction, including trainees' perceptions of the efficiency and usefulness of the training, and their perceptions of trainer performance. Specific hypotheses relating each of these factors to training satisfaction were then developed and tested using data from a sample of about 3000 trainees from a range of Italian companies participating in a large-scale regionally-funded training programme involving over 300 different training courses. The results revealed that, although all three hypothesised antecedents were significantly positively related to training satisfaction, the perceived usefulness of training had the strongest effect. Importantly, the results also suggest the lack of any clear compensatory effects of the three antecedents on training satisfaction. Theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

A dual-clustering algorithm for a robust medical grid partition problem considering patient referral

The medical grid including hospitals at all levels is a new hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system. It is assumed to provide health services for residents in a certain area, allowing free referral of patients, so as to effectively utilize medical resources. Therefore, from the perspective of the government, the key issue is how to divide the medical grid in a robust and balanced manner. In this paper, various deterministic factors, such as hospital level, location and department, as well as uncertain factors, including patient distribution or population density, are considered in decision-making. To solve this problem, a dual-clustering algorithm based on K-means and K-medoids (DCKK) is developed with local search methods to minimize the average patient waiting and travelling time. The experimental results show that DCKK algorithm can generate better and more robust grid partition solutions than the existing mainstream algorithms in different scenarios. In addition, the rules between the number of medical grids and the number of patients, as well as the hospital sharing between medical grids, are also studied. Finally, a real medical grid partition case of Ji'nan, China, with forty hospitals in four urban areas, is studied, and five medical grids are recommended.     

社区人居环境满意度研究——以大连市为例

以大连市为例,通过问卷调查形式,引入DPSIR模型,运用数学和地理空间分析的方法,定量研究社区人居环境的满意度.研究表明,虽然大连市是人居环境优秀城市,但是居民对社区人居环境满意度的评价却属"一般"等级;从指标权重排列看,社区人居环境的满意度受居民自身状况影响较大,如收入状况、文化层次等;大连市社区人居环境满意度较高社区的分布形式既有分散的核心点分布,又有集中连片的条带状布局.     

Latent variable models for time series: A frequency domain approach with an application to the permanent income hypothesis

The theory of estimation and inference in a very general class of latent variable models for time series is developed by showing that the distribution theory for the finite Fourier transform of the observable variables in latent variable models for time series is isomorphic to that for the observable variables themselves in classical latent variable models. This implies that analytic work on classical latent variable models can be adapted to latent variable models for time series, an implication which is illustrated here in the context of a general canonical form. To provide an empirical example a latent variable model for permanent income is developed, its parameters are shown to be identified, and a variety of restrictions on these parameters implied by the permanent income hypothesis are tested.     

A smoothed maximum score estimator for the binary choice panel data model with an application to labour force participation

In a binary choice panel data model with individual effects and two time periods, Manski proposed the maximum score estimator based on a discontinuous objective function and proved its consistency under weak distributional assumptions. The rate of convergence is low ( N ^1/3) and its limit distribution cannot easily be used for statistical inference. In this paper we apply the idea of Horowitz to smooth Manski's objective function. The resulting smoothed maximum score estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal with a rate of convergence that can be made arbitrarily close to N ^1/2, depending on the strength of the smoothness assumptions imposed. The estimator can be applied to panels with more than two time periods and to unbalanced panels. We apply the estimator to analyze labour force participation of married Dutch females.     

The impact on the cultural diversity to employees' job satisfaction between mainland China and Taiwan: a comparison of Taiwanese invested companies

This study explores how the Chinese values (Integrations, Confucian Work Dynamism, Human-heartedness and Moral Discipline) impact employees' satisfaction (ES). Employees who work in mainland China for companies whose parent companies are based in Taiwan were surveyed. The results can be summarized as the following: ‘Integration’, ‘Confucian Work Dynamism’ and ‘Human-heartedness’ are significantly different between Taiwanese and Chinese employees, while ‘Moral discipline’ is not; Taiwanese employees have higher ES than Chinese employees; Taiwanese employees view ‘career planning’ is the most important, while Chinese employees think ‘management system’ is most important; For Taiwanese employees, ‘Salary and benefit’, ‘Working load’ and ‘Management system’ have effects on ES; Age and Education have effects on Chinese employees.     

Factors influencing applicant willingness to apply for the advertised job opening: the mediational role of credibility,satisfaction and attraction

The present study examined the effects of the information given in a job advertisement on the potential applicants' willingness to apply for the job opening with the mediating roles of credibility of and satisfaction from the information given in the ad and attraction to the organization. One hundred and fifty-four students were randomly assigned to the three different versions of job advertisement. Additionally, a questionnaire package was given to each participant. The results showed that advertisement type affected the willingness of potential applicants to apply for the job and this relationship was mediated by credibility.     

Dose–response modelling for bivariate covariates with and without a spike at zero: theory and application to binary outcomes

In epidemiology and clinical research, there is often a proportion of unexposed individuals resulting in zero values of exposure, meaning that some individuals are not exposed and those exposed have some continuous distribution. Examples are smoking or alcohol consumption. We will call these variables with a spike at zero (SAZ). In this paper, we performed a systematic investigation on how to model covariates with a SAZ and derived theoretical odds ratio functions for selected bivariate distributions. We consider the bivariate normal and bivariate log normal distribution with a SAZ. Both confounding and effect modification can be elegantly described by formalizing the covariance matrix given the binary outcome variable Y. To model the effect of these variables, we use a procedure based on fractional polynomials first introduced by Royston and Altman (1994, Applied Statistics 43: 429–467) and modified for the SAZ situation (Royston and Sauerbrei, 2008, Multivariable model‐building: a pragmatic approach to regression analysis based on fractional polynomials for modelling continuous variables, Wiley; Becher et al., 2012, Biometrical Journal 54: 686–700). We aim to contribute to theory, practical procedures and application in epidemiology and clinical research to derive multivariable models for variables with a SAZ. As an example, we use data from a case–control study on lung cancer.     

Using economic impact analysis for arts management: an empirical application to a music institute in the USA

Economic impact analysis can be used strategically by arts managers to provide information pertaining to making and justifying effective managerial and marketing decisions. The three aspects of economic impact analysis—direct, indirect and induced—reveal information such as arts participants' expenditure patterns, rationale for expenditure, relationships between participant demographics and expenditure, and amount of expenditure outside arts institutions. Arts managers can use the information and data to match product offerings of the institution with those of its participants; increase the participants' participation in, satisfaction with and loyalty to the institution; increase the stature and validity of the arts institution within the community; price the products of the arts institute; and increase community and financial support for arts institutions. This synergistic use of economic impact analysis information with marketing information is illustrated using a music institute in the USA. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications     

A methodology to rank enterprise application integration platforms from a performance perspective: an analytic hierarchy process-based approach

ABSTRACT

Companies’ software ecosystems comprise applications that support their business processes. Frequently, these applications have been developed with different technologies and with no concern about integration. Integration platforms are tools that facilitate the development and execution of integration solutions. In this article, we propose a methodology to support software engineers in the decision-making process for an integration platform when performance is a central requirement. The proposed methodology adds objective criteria for performance assessment purposes and has been used to rank the five most popular integration platforms in order to prove its feasibility.     

Methodological Advances in DEA: A survey and an application for the Dutch electricity sector

We survey the methodological advances in DEA over the last 25 years and discuss the necessary conditions for a sound empirical application. We hope this survey will contribute to the further dissemination of DEA, the knowledge of its relative strengths and weaknesses, and the tools currently available for exploiting its full potential. Our main points are illustrated by the case of the DEA study used by the regulatory office of the Dutch electricity sector (Dienst Toezicht Elektriciteitswet; Dte) for setting price caps.     

An evolutionary approach to the delimitation of labour market areas: an empirical application for Chile

An evolutionary approach to the delimitation of labour market areas: an empirical application for Chile. Spatial Economic Analysis. Labour market areas (LMAs) are argued to represent a more appropriate policy framework than administrative units for the analysis of spatial labour market activity. This article develops LMAs for Chile by applying an evolutionary computation approach. This innovative approach defines LMAs through an optimization process by maximization of internal cohesion, subject to restrictions of minimum levels of self-containment and population. To evaluate the appropriateness of the LMAs, comparative analyses are performed between alternative delimitations based on different parameter configurations of the proposed method versus administrative boundaries and the most widely used method for official LMA delimitation, the travel-to-work areas method.