基于像素级估计的视频显著性检测

为了减少背景噪声干扰,准确地从复杂视频中提取显著目标,提出一种具有时空一致性的视频显著区域检测算法。将视频帧划分为超像素,以超像素为基本单元提取光流特征,在时空一致性原则指导下动态融合颜色、边界信息和光流特征,获取视频显著图。在此基础上,借助视频帧的细节和区域特征对视频显著图进行细化增强。实验结果表明,算法的准确率[CD*2]召回率曲线在复杂图像数据库中高于传统经典算法,具有足够高的鲁棒性,能够减少相机运动和背景运动以及突变情况对跟踪检测的影响。所提方法能够在各种运动模式下和外观复杂场景中较为完整地提取显著目标,可作为预处理技术,改善目标跟踪、行为检测、视频压缩等的性能。     

Riding the US wave: spectrum auctions in the digital age

Given its significant technological advantages compared to analog broadcasting, digital television (DTV) will be the television system of the future. However, it requires a full replacement of analog television sets by digital receivers, as DTV can only be watched with special equipment. In order to make this transition happen smoothly without losing the analog television audience, both signals have to be simulcasted until a substantial coverage with DTV broadcasting has been achieved. Australia and the US meanwhile have established a regulatory framework to lead this transition towards the end of analog broadcasting, the so-called analog switch-off. Part of the US regime is the FCC's obligation to reassign analog frequencies after the switch-off has taken place by means of auction. Spectrum auctions, however, originate not from the US but from New Zealand, where they have been used since the end of 1989 and ever since been subject to legal and political criticism. The article outlines the principles of both the DTV and spectrum auctions regulation and shows the links between both areas of telecommunications regulation. It concludes by suggesting that the analog switch-off is a unique opportunity to reconsider current spectrum policies, as it frees large amounts of the radio spectrum that are today occupied by analog broadcasting and will soon be subject to one of the biggest frequency reassignment processes in the history of telecommunications regulation.     

Targeted advertising as a signal

This study presents a signaling model of advertising for horizontally differentiated products. The central ingredients of the model are two important characteristics of advertising—targeting, and noisy information content. The theory yields interesting results about the informational role of targeted advertising, and its consequences. First, targeting can itself serve as a signal on product attributes. Second, the effectiveness of targeting depends not only on firms knowing consumer preferences, but on consumers knowing that firms know this. This creates a distinction between strategies of targeting and personalization. Third, the effectiveness of targeting in equilibrium may (far) exceed the information contained directly in the targeted message. Fourth, information content is not, however, superfluous. Specifically, when ads contain no information, a targeting equilibrium does not exist. Together, these results reveal how advertising conveys information both through the content of the message and the firm’s choice of advertising medium. Furthermore, the model is robust to the various critiques of prior work on ads-as-signals: namely, that ad content is irrelevant, ad exposure is unnecessary, and the choice of ads as signals is inherently arbitrary.

对中小企业品牌战略选择的思考

品牌战略是企业在日趋激烈的竞争环境中,面临产品、技术与服务日趋同质化的形势下,谋求以品牌创造差异化的战略抉择。在当今品牌角逐的时代,任何一个品牌都开始于中小企业,企业靠品牌生存,市场靠品牌整合,地方靠品牌发展,国家靠品牌振兴。品牌所具有的无形资产价值,品牌产品所包含的质量价值和商标的价值,将使品牌给企业承包带来巨大的经济效益。本文就创新品牌的必要性及创建品牌时应注意的问题进行探讨,并提出了品牌建设中的相应对策。     

Supplier integration in new product development: Computer mediated communication,knowledge exchange and buyer performance

In new product development (NPD), the buyer–supplier relationship is changing. Suppliers are becoming an integral part of the design team. This study investigates the effectiveness of computer-mediated and face-to-face communication channels on knowledge exchange between buyer and supplier firms, and ultimately buyer NPD and market performance. Open innovation literature and media richness theory are used to develop hypotheses which are then empirically tested using data collected from 157 R&D project managers from U.S. manufacturing firms. To date, empirical studies on the link between supplier integration and buyer performance show conflicting results. Structural equation modeling found a significant positive link between knowledge exchange and NPD performance, measured both in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, and a significant positive link between effective and efficient NPD and market performance. A surprising finding is that contrary to media richness theory, email can perform like face-to-face communication transmitting rich information and having a positive relationship to knowledge exchange between buyer and supplier. It was also found that with face-to-face communication, knowledge exchange fully mediates the relationship with effective NPD while with email communication knowledge exchange fully mediates the relationship with efficient NPD. Video conferencing was found to have no significant effect on knowledge exchange and the effect of web-based tools was significant and negative. The implications of these findings in theory and practice are discussed.     

领导社交媒介自我表露、领导可信度与上下级关系:内隐领导原型匹配的权变作用

社交媒介自我表露是一种具体的社交媒介使用行为,对现代人的工作和生活都产生了不可忽视的影响。在工作情境中,领导的社交媒介自我表露尤其容易引起员工的高度关注。然而,领导的社交媒介自我表露对其在组织中的上下级关系将会产生何种影响有待深入探讨。鉴于此,基于社会信息加工理论和内隐领导理论,本文提出领导社交媒介自我表露的影响效应取决于内隐领导原型匹配的程度。当员工认为领导与其心目中内隐领导原型匹配程度高时,领导的社交媒介自我表露能够提升员工对领导的可信度感知,从而促进上下级关系,而当领导与员工心目中的内隐领导原型匹配程度低时,上述影响效果会减弱。通过对204份企业领导-下属配对问卷调查数据进行分析,本研究提出的被中介的调节模型得到支持。本研究的发现有利于深入认识组织中社交媒介自我表露的有效性,启发了领导需要考虑下属对表露解读的能动性,从而更合理地利用社交媒介平台进行自我表露,促进上下级关系良性发展。     

Developing personas & use cases with user survey data: A study on the millennials’ media usage

The aim of the study is to investigate the characteristics of millennials on the usage of media (music, photo/video) and media-related devices. An online survey was conducted on 360 millennials. Based on the results, we developed representative use cases to be used in experience design projects based on the actual media usage data collected. We also classified the millennials into four specific groups by applying statistical cluster analysis techniques. The characteristics of each group were further identified. The results of this study will help designers to develop products and services that meets the needs of their target consumers.     

What’s fit to print: The effect of ownership concentration on product variety in daily newspaper markets

This paper examines the effect of ownership concentration on product position, product variety and circulation in the US daily newspaper market. The effects of consolidation in differentiated product markets cannot be determined solely from theory. Because multi-product firms internalize business stealing, mergers may encourage firms to reposition products, leading to more, not less, variety. Using data on the assignment of reporters to topical areas at 706 newspapers in 1993, 1999 and 2004, results show that both differentiation and variety increase with ownership concentration. Moreover, greater concentration increases variety over a range of topics and does not reduce readership.     

The impact of reduced visibility caused by air pollution on construal level

Although ample research has recognized air pollution as a severe threat to human health and emotion, little research has been conducted on its impact on consumers' information‐processing style. This study explores the effect of reduced visibility caused by air pollution on the construal level adopted by consumers. Specifically, we document how low visibility caused by air pollution makes people more inclined to adopt an abstract mindset, whereas high visibility on a clean day makes people more inclined to adopt a concrete mindset. Across a set of three field studies and one laboratory experiment, we employ alternate measures of construal level: behavioral identification index (Studies 1 and 4) and categorization task (Study 2). Our research provides empirical evidence of the proposed effect and rules out alternative explanations. Additionally, as a downstream consequence, reduced visibility due to air pollution causes individuals to favor desirability over feasibility in product trade‐offs (Study 3). Our findings shed new light on construal level theory from an ecological perspective and provide meaningful marketing suggestions.     

Conceptual modelling for supply chain inventory visibility

Visibility becomes increasingly important for companies that seek to globalise their supply chains due to the increasing complexity involved. This paper contributes to the research on Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) from an inventory perspective with a focus on inventory visibility, which is a critical part of SCV. The characteristics of Inventory Visibility (IV), which are inherited from SCV, are conceptually analysed. A theoretical model in terms of atom, single, and compound visibility, is developed based on the characteristics identified. A method for objectively measuring IV is presented together with a case example to demonstrate its convenience and usefulness.