Energy Informatics

Due to the increasing importance of producing and consuming energy more sustainably, Energy Informatics (EI) has evolved into a thriving research area within the CS/IS community. The article attempts to characterize this young and dynamic field of research by describing current EI research topics and methods and provides an outlook of how the field might evolve in the future. It is shown that two general research questions have received the most attention so far and are likely to dominate the EI research agenda in the coming years: How to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) to (1) improve energy efficiency, and (2) to integrate decentralized renewable energy sources into the power grid. Selected EI streams are reviewed, highlighting how the respective research questions are broken down into specific research projects and how EI researchers have made contributions based on their individual academic background.     

Individual fishing quotas and fishing capacity in the US Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery

Overcapacity (OC) and excess capacity (EC) are serious obstacles affecting the sound management of commercial fisheries around the world. The use of individual fishing quotas (IFQs) has been proposed as a promising management tool to cope with these challenges. However, the empirical evidence on the efficacy of this instrument is scarce. Drawing on a stochastic distance frontier analysis, we investigate the impact of the US Gulf of Mexico red snapper IFQ program on fishing capacity, capacity utilisation (CU) and OC. The paper also offers an alternative approach to compute species‐specific capacity measurements for multispecies fisheries. Our findings show that following the introduction of the IFQ program, fishing capacity decreased, primarily due to the exit of a large number of fishing vessels. CU increased marginally indicating modest decreases in EC. Conversely, we find that OC remains high. Our estimates suggest that about one‐fifth of the actual fleet could harvest the entire quota.     

Mobile communication networks and Internet technologies as drivers of technical efficiency improvement

Empirical research on the determinants of technical efficiency (TE) is essential for policy formulation, in particular in low-income countries.     

Warning: retention may be dangerous to your organization's health

In times of personnel shortages, we too often think we must avoid turnover at all costs. Yet some turnover is desirable and much needed. Retaining the wrong individuals can obstruct the very changes essential for our organizations' survival.     

Statistical process adjustment: a brief retrospective, current status, and some opportunities for further work

Industrial statisticians frequently face problems in their practice where adjustment of a manufacturing process is necessary. In this paper, a view of the origins and recent work in the area of statistical process adjustment (SPA) is provided. A discussion of some topics open for further research is also given including new problems in semiconductor manufacturing process control. The goal of the paper is to help display the SPA field as a research area with its own identity and content, and promote further interest in its development and application in the industry.     

University spin-off programmes: How can they support the NTBF creation?

University researchers create technological opportunities that give rise to NTBF. The commercialization process of these opportunities is very complex, thus requiring universities to have programmes to support it (USOP). In this research 37 Spanish programmes, and 20 spin offs created with the support of the Technological University of Catalonia’s USOP (Innova Programme), have been examined. The study describes the technological opportunity creation, recognition and exploitation processes, and classifies the factors that determine it. Finally, the study develops a four-action-line-model that contributes to better understand how the activities carried out by USOPs minimize the barriers for spin off creation.     

Sustainability in small tourist businesses: the link between initiatives and performance

This study explores the combined effects of adopting sustainable practices on small tourism companies’ performance. The existing literature provides insufficient data on sustainable behaviour because most studies on environmental practices focus on larger companies in the tourism sector, and a gap exists in social practices. This study is based on a survey of 374 restaurant managers. It uses structural equation modelling to study direct links between three dimensions – quality, environmental practices and social practices – and financial performance and market success factors. Significant differences with earlier studies are found. This study suggests that proactive sustainable practices can benefit small service companies by improving competitiveness even in difficult times. Practical implications are discussed in relation to sustainable practices.     

An interdisciplinary model of soybean yield in the Amazon Basin: The climatic, edaphic, and economic determinants

Soybean production is one of the main economic forces driving the expansion of the agricultural frontier in the Brazilian Amazon. To assess the potential for expansion we estimate a model of soybean yield that integrates the major climatic, edaphic, and economic determinants in the Amazon Basin. Yield is modeled as a function of yield as simulated by a crop physiology model that captures the effects of climate and physical attributes on the development of soybean plant; fertilizer applications; and economic/spatial parameters such as credit, transports costs and latitude. Current values of these determinants indicate that roughly 20% of Amazon Region or ∼ 1,000,000 km² (excluding protected areas) can generate yields greater than 2000 kg/ha. Soybean production may be possible over a wider area of Amazon, but realizing this potential requires improvements in economic determinants such as the transportation infrastructure.     

An exploration of the effects of past experience and tourist involvement on destination loyalty formation

Gaining the loyalty of visitors is one of the main challenges of destinations. Previous studies generally agree that satisfaction is the key driver of tourist loyalty. However, it is necessary to conduct a more thorough study of destination loyalty formation by exploring the role of other variables as direct antecedents of loyalty and as moderators of the satisfaction–loyalty relationship. With this in mind, this study examines the influences of two variables that are especially relevant in the study of consumer behaviour in tourism: past experience and involvement. The results obtained from a sample of 807 tourists visiting a destination in Spain suggest that (1) satisfaction and past experience have a significant influence on loyalty; (2) it is necessary to separately consider the two dimensions of loyalty (i.e. the intention to return to a destination and the intention to recommend it) to understand loyalty formation; and (3) past experience is a quasi-moderator variable as it directly influences tourist loyalty and moderates the satisfaction–loyalty relationship. The findings of this research may help managers make decisions about market segmentation and guide the marketing efforts to gain loyal tourists.