Design and planning for green global supply chains under periodic review replenishment policies

We quantify the impact of jointly optimizing strategic network design and tactical inventory planning on the cost and CO₂ emissions of multi-echelon logistics networks. The obtained insights indicate that longer optimized replenishment cycles reduce a node’s transportation cost and CO₂ emissions but increase its inventory costs. Moreover, under a fixed replenishment cycle, a node’s service level increases when supplied by a satellite warehouse. Finally: (i) the costs of implementing optimal green network design decisions could be misleading if inventory planning is neglected, (ii) greening of supply chains could become expensive, (iii) current legislative CO₂ ton prices hardly influence logistics networks.     

模糊层次分析法优化BP神经网络的交通冲突预测模型

本文通过全面剖析影响交通冲突的原因,以交通流量、道路几何设计和道路环境三方面的因素建立指标层次结构体系。提出基于模糊层次分析(FAHP)法优化BP神经网络(BPNN)的预测模型,应用于交通冲突预测。     

Operational performance of U.S. public rail transit and implications for public policy

In today's tough economic environment, governments at all levels face significant budget shortfalls and public rail transit systems must compete with other public services for government subsidies. It is critical that public rail transit systems be concerned with their operational performance and efficient use of resources. In this paper, we develop a methodology that measures a rail transit system's performance relative to that of other rail transit systems, compares its performance to an appropriate efficient benchmark system, and identifies the sources of its inefficiency. We analyze the relationship between public subsidies and operational performance of public rail systems and show an inverse relationship between subsidization and efficiency.     

How do stakeholder interactions influence national food security policy in the Caribbean? The case of Saint Lucia

Increasingly, multi-stakeholder processes have been recognized as being necessary to the development of public policies seeking to promote systemic innovation in response to complex and multidimensional challenges, such as household food security, rural development, and environmental change. Saint Lucia, a small island developing state located in the Caribbean, has been grappling with a wide range of agriculture, food and nutrition security challenges with varying degrees of policy success. Recognizing the significance of the challenge, this paper explores the nature of the stakeholder interactions surrounding the development of Saint Lucia’s 2009–2015 National Agricultural Policy and considers some of the implications for food and agriculture-related policy outcomes. Results reveal a general lack of supportive conditions for effective multi-stakeholder processes, including low stakeholder participation levels, conflicting roles of different forms of social capital in the interactions between stakeholders, and missing “boundary” organizations capable of facilitating a transition towards more flexible and adaptive institutions, enhanced knowledge exchange and learning, and greater trust among stakeholders in the policy network. Future avenues for research and development are subsequently identified.     

Predation and network based price discrimination in Chile

This paper uses a model of strategic interaction among firms –that set discriminatory and nonlinear prices– in addition to public information on prices of the plans marketed by the three major mobile phone companies, to assess the extent to which on-net/off-net price differentials in the plans they offered could represent predatory practices in the mobile telephony market in Chile. The results show that the largest companies offered a few plans with an off-net/on-net price differential larger than what a competitive theoretical model predicts. This larger differential is consistent with the notion of predation defined by Hoernig (2007) as reducing a competitor's profits. Despite the fact that these plans were a small fraction of all the plans mobile phone firms offered, they were recently banned by the antitrust authority because of their potential anticompetitive effects.     

从“大数据”到“智能数据”——剖析德国国家智能数据创新实验室的定位和模式

面对全球范围的"大数据之争",德国具备信息技术产业及市场快速增长、信息技术服务业和软件业世界领先、传统制造业数字化基础良好等优势条件,亦有明显的结构性缺陷。为落实"数字变革战略",实施"数字议程",提升德国在大数据领域的核心竞争力,德国联邦政府联合科技界和产业界代表,启动了全新的国家尖端研究平台一一"智能数据创新实验室",提出"智能数据"创新理念,通过推动产学研合作,对大数据进行进阶的智能化处理,以抢占未来的战略发展高地。本文对该平台的定位和模式进行了剖析,供国内有关部门参考。     

基于PCA-BP-GA的BOT项目风险预测研究

由于BOT项目本身的长期性和复杂性,所以在BOT项目实施前需要准确科学的预测出所面临的风险大小。针对BOT项目风险影响因素众多的问题,先利用主成分分析法进行降维,然后利用遗传算法找出BP神经网络的最优全值阈值,建立了PCAGA-BP BOT项目风险预测模型。同时将以往的BOT项目数据作为学习样本,对BOT项目风险进行预测,并利用某地污水厂的例子进行验证,说明此模型对实际工程的科学指导性。     

Operating efficiency in Chinese universities: An extended two-stage network DEA approach

The result shows that it accepts the null hypothesis. Namely, there is no significant difference in the operating efficiency of universities in different regions. That is to say, although the efficiency of the central and western universities is slightly better than that of the eastern universities in terms of the average efficiency, there is no significant efficiency difference among the eastern, central, and western regions statistically. Therefore, it shows a balanced development trend for the efficiency of universities in different regions.     

Spillovers between sovereign CDS and exchange rate markets: The role of market fear

As important variables in financial market, sovereign credit default swaps (CDS) and exchange rate have correlations and spillovers. And the volatility spillovers between the two markets become further complicated with the effect of market fear caused by extreme events such as global pandemic. This paper attempts to explore the complex interactions within the “sovereign CDS-exchange rate” system by adopting the forecast error variance decomposition method. The results show that there is a relatively close linkage between the two markets and the total spillover index of the system is dynamic. For most of the past, the exchange rate has a higher spillover effect on the sovereign CDS than vice versa. Moreover, after the market fear variables are introduced, the “sovereign CDS-exchange rate” system and market fear variables present bidirectional spillovers. The results of the study have particular significance for maintaining the financial stability and preventing risk contagion between markets.     

An Application of the Dynamic Network DEA Model: The Case of Banks in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

In this study, we apply the dynamic network slack-based measure data envelopment analysis model (DNSBM) to measure the efficiency of Taiwanese banks during the period 2005–11. Using the network structure, we define intellectual capital creation capability as one of the production stages. In order to capture the dynamics of the transformation process, the nonperforming loans and loan loss reserves are defined as carryover items. This study offers sufficient information for managers to understand not only the overall performance of their banks but also the efficiency of each production stage and the dynamic changes of the overall and divisional efficiencies.