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Market Demand (market + demand)
Selected AbstractsMarket demand and the duration of business projects: the housing industryMANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2010Kostas Axarloglou In this study, we propose that companies strategically choose to pursue projects of certain duration according to the fluctuations in market demand conditions. During a market upturn, when more business opportunities are available, companies choose short projects, committing thus their resources for a short period of time and so to better exploit the upcoming business opportunities. On the other hand, in a market downturn projects of longer duration are preferable, since they protect the company from the consequences of adverse market conditions. Finally, these insights appear relevant at least in the US housing industry, where builders pursue longer building projects during the market downturn and shorter ones during the market upturn. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Channel Coordination for a Supply Chain with a Risk-Neutral Manufacturer and a Loss-Averse Retailer,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2007Charles X. Wang ABSTRACT This articles considers a decentralized supply chain in which a single manufacturer is selling a perishable product to a single retailer facing uncertain demand. It differs from traditional supply chain contract models in two ways. First, while traditional supply chain models are based on risk neutrality, this article takes the viewpoint of behavioral principal,agency theory and assumes the manufacturer is risk neutral and the retailer is loss averse. Second, while gain/loss (GL) sharing is common in practice, there is a lack of analysis of GL-sharing contracts in the supply chain contract literature. This article investigates the role of a GL-sharing provision for mitigating the loss-aversion effect, which drives down the retailer order quantity and total supply chain profit. We analyze contracts that include GL-sharing-and-buyback (GLB) credit provisions as well as the special cases of GL contracts and buyback contracts. Our analytical and numerical results lend insight into how a manufacturer can design a contract to improve total supply chain, manufacturer, and retailer performance. In particular, we show that there exists a special class of distribution-free GLB contracts that can coordinate the supply chain and arbitrarily allocate the expected supply chain profit between the manufacturer and retailer; in contrast with other contracts, the parameter values for contracts in this class do not depend on the probability distribution of market demand. This feature is meaningful in practice because (i) the probability distribution of demand faced by a retailer is typically unknown by the manufacturer and (ii) a manufacturer can offer the same contract to multiple noncompeting retailers that differ by demand distribution and still coordinate the supply chains. [source] Personal Income Distribution and Market StructureGERMAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 3 2002Corrado Benassi Income distribution affects market demand and its elasticity, and, as a consequence, the optimal behaviour of firms and market equilibrium. This paper focuses on the effects of income polarization, and presents a model where , for any unimodal density function describing income distribution of the consumers , income polarization leads to market concentration, i.e., to a smaller number of firms able to survive in the long run, provided that the firms' fixed costs are sufficiently low. [source] Waiting for Broadband: Local Competition and the Spatial Distribution of Advanced Telecommunication Services in the United StatesGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2004TONY H. GRUBESIC ABSTRACT With the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission and all fifty U.S. states to encourage the deployment of advanced telecommunication capability in a reasonable and timely manner. Today, with the rollout of advanced data services such as digital subscriber lines (xDSL), cable modems, and fixed wireless technologies, broadband has become an important component of telecommunication service and competition. Unfortunately, the deployment of last-mile infrastructure enabling high-speed access has proceeded more slowly than anticipated and competition in many areas is relatively sparse. More importantly, there are significant differences in the availability of broadband services between urban and rural areas. This paper explores aspects of broadband access as a function of market demand and provider competition. Data collected from the Federal Communications Commission is analyzed using a geographic information system and spatial statistical techniques. Results suggest significant spatial variation in broadband Internet access as a function of provider competition in the United States. [source] Value-centric framework and pareto optimality for design and acquisition of communication satellitesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING, Issue 6 2009Joy Brathwaite Abstract Investments in space systems are substantial, indivisible, and irreversible, characteristics of high-risk investments. Traditional approaches to system design, acquisition, and risk mitigation are derived from a cost-centric mindset, and as such they incorporate little information about the value of the spacecraft to its stakeholders. These traditional approaches are appropriate in stable environments. However, the current technical and economic conditions are distinctly uncertain and rapidly changing. Consequently, these traditional approaches have to be revisited and adapted to the current context. We propose that in uncertain environments, decision-making with respect to design and acquisition choices should be value-based. We develop a value-centric framework, analytical tools, and an illustrative numerical example for communication satellites. Our two proposed metrics for decision-making are the system's expected value and value uncertainty. Expected value is calculated as the expected NPV of the satellite. The cash inflow is calculated as a function of the satellite loading, its transponder pricing, and market demand. The cash outflows are the various costs for owning and operating the satellite. Value uncertainty emerges due to uncertainties in the various cash flow streams, in particular because of market conditions. We propagate market uncertainty through Monte Carlo simulation, and translate it into value uncertainty for the satellite. The end result is a portfolio of Pareto-optimal satellite design alternatives. By using value and value uncertainty as decision metrics in the down-selection process, decision-makers draw on more information about the system in its environment, and in making value-based design and acquisition choices, they ultimately make more informed and better choices. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Why do Underwriters Charge Low Underwriting Fees for Initial Public Offerings in Taiwan?JOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 7-8 2006Hsuan-Chi Chen Abstract:, In Taiwan, underwriting fees for initial public offerings (IPOs) are extremely low compared to fees in other countries. From 1989 to 1999, the average underwriting fee for IPOs in Taiwan is 0.99%,far below the regulatory limit. Although the Taiwanese underwriting industry is highly concentrated, underwriting fees do not cluster at any particular level. We examine the underwriting fee and income structure in Taiwan and find support for an incentive hypothesis. Underwriters have an incentive to charge lower underwriting fees when market demand for IPO shares increases and capital gains account for a larger portion of their total income. [source] Herding versus Hotelling: Market Entry with Costly InformationJOURNAL OF ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, Issue 3 2008David B. Ridley Why do businesses such as fast-food restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels cluster? In the classic analysis of Hotelling, firms cluster to attract consumers who have travel costs. We present an alternative model where firms cluster because one firm is free riding on another firm's information about market demand. One consequence of this free riding is that an informed firm might forego a market that it knows to be profitable. Furthermore, an uninformed firm might earn higher profits when research costs are high, because it can credibly commit to ignorance. [source] A historical review of research on the weaver ant Oecophylla in biological controlAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Paul Van Mele Abstract 1,Although the weaver ant Oecophylla is the first written record of biological control, dating from 304 ad, there have been fewer than 70 scientific publications on this predator as a biological control agent in Asia, from the early 1970s onwards, and fewer than 25 in Africa. 2,Apart from crop-specific ecological and perceptual factors, a historical review shows that political and market forces have also determined the extent to which Oecophylla was incorporated into research and development programmes. 3,In Africa, research on weaver ants in biological control concentrated on export crops, such as coconut and cocoa, whereas, in Asia and Australia, research focused on fruit and nut crops, primarily destined for domestic markets. 4,Increased evidence of pesticide inefficiency under tropical smallholder conditions, changing paradigm shifts in participatory research and a growing scientific interest in local knowledge in the early 1990s opened up new avenues for research on conservation biological control. 5,Lobbying and advocacy have been needed to ensure that Oecophylla was recognized as an effective biological control agent. 6,With an increased market demand for organic produce, holistic approaches such as conservation biological control, particularly the use of Oecophylla, are increasing in importance. 7,Multi-stakeholder strategies for collaborative learning are proposed for a better control of major fruit, nut and timber tree pests in Africa, Asia and Australia. [source] Regulating a Monopolist with Unknown Demand: Costly Public Funds and the Value of Private InformationJOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 5 2004Iñaki Aguirre In this paper, we analyze the optimal regulation policy when the regulated firm has better information concerning the market demand than the regulator. We show that introducing a cost on public funds into the Planner's objective function does not lead to qualitative results similar to those obtained by introducing distributional considerations. In particular we show that under constant marginal cost the full information policy is not implementable and that the optimal regulatory policy results in informational rents. The social value of private information and the firm's informational rents are both increasing functions of the cost of the public funds. [source] Total lipid, fatty acid composition and lipid oxidation of Indian white shrimp (Fenneropenaeus indicus) fed diets containing different lipid sourcesJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 6 2009Hossein Ouraji Abstract BACKGROUND: Seafood is an important constituent of the human diet. In Iran, Indian white shrimp (Fenneropenaeus indicus) is the major cultured shrimp species as a result of market demand, local availability and growth rate. It is mainly reared using commercial feed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing 50% of the fish oil by vegetable oils in shrimp feed on total lipid, fatty acid composition and lipid oxidation of shrimp muscle. RESULTS: No significant differences in total lipid content (6.1,7.3 g kg,1) were found between edible tissues of shrimp fed different diets. The major fatty acids in shrimp muscle were palmitic, oleic, lionoleic, stearic, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Higher levels of EPA and DHA were observed in muscle of shrimp fed a diet containing fish oil. Oxidative rancidity, measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, for all shrimps did not exceed 0.2 mg malonaldehyde kg,1 muscle tissue, which was low and acceptable. CONCLUSION: This study had shown that the fatty acid composition of feed directly affects the fatty acid composition of Indian white shrimp muscle. Farmed Indian white shrimp can be considered as a species of low fat and shrimp muscle was quite stable to oxidation during storage. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Size Economies of a Pacific Threadfin Polydactylus sexfilis Hatchery in HawaiiJOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 4 2002Lotus E. Kam A spreadsheet model has been developed to determine the viable scale for a commercial Pacific threadfin Polydactylus sexfilis hatchery in Hawaii. The production scheme is modeled after current practices performed at the Oceanic Institute in Waimanalo, Hawaii. For a hatchery enterprise producing 1.2 million fry per year, the cost associated with raising one 40-d-old 1.00-g fry is estimated at 22.01ø. The largest variable costs are in labor and supplies, which comprise 49% and 9% of the total production cost. The combined annualized fixed cost for development and equipment is approximately 12% of total production cost. At a sale price of 25ø per fry, the 20-yr internal rate of return (IRR) is 30.63%. In comparison to the 22.01ø unit cost for 1.2 million fry production, analyses of smaller enterprises producing 900,000 and 600,000 fry per year reflected significant size diseconomies with unit costs of 27.41ø and 38.82ø, respectively. Demand to support a large scale Pacific threadfin commercial hatchery is uncertain. Since smaller scale commercial hatcheries may not be economically feasible, facilities may seek to outsource live feed production modules or pursue multiproduct and multiphase approaches to production. An analysis of the production period length, for example, indicates that the cost for producing a day-25 0.05-g fry is 17.25ø before tax and suggests the financial implications of transferring the responsibility of the nursery stage to grow-out farmers. Evaluation of the benefits gained from changes in nursery length, however, must also consider changes in facility requirements, mortality, and shipping costs associated with transit, and the growout performance of and market demand for different size fry. Sensitivity analyses also indicate the potential cost savings associated with the elimination of rotifer, microalgae, and enriched artemia production. Managerial decisions, however, must also consider the quality and associated production efficiencies of substitutes. [source] Wage Commitment, Signalling, and Entry Deterrence or AccommodationLABOUR, Issue 4 2006Rupayan Pal The wage carries information about market demand, which is crucial to an uninformed entrant, and in addition affects the entrant's post-entry cost through labour market institutions. The union may wish to deter or accommodate entry depending on whether the entrant will hire from a different source or from the union. Equilibrium wage is distorted downwardly (upwardly) for deterrence (accommodation); but because of wage correlation a low (high) wage can also turn entry profitable (unprofitable). Therefore, separating equilibrium may not always exist, and entry outcomes may be inefficient. [source] Product line extensions: causes and effectsMANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2008Article first published online: 27 JUL 200, Kostas Axarloglou In this paper, and using data from a sample of five US manufacturing industries, we study the implications of market demand growth on product line extensions and the effects of the latter on industry profit margins. Companies extend their product lines in response to expansions in market demand and this tends to depress profit margins in the industry. Finally, these results are quantitatively significant. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Lot Sizing for Optimal Collection and Use of Remanufacturable Returns over a Finite Life-CyclePRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006Atalay Atasu Reverse supply chains process used product returns to recover value by re-processing them via remanufacturing operations. When remanufacturing is feasible, the longer the return flows are delayed during the active (primary) market demand period of the product, the lower the value that can be recovered through these operations. In fact, in order to recover the highest value from remanufactured products, the collection rates, return timings, and reusability rates should be matched with the active market demand and supply. With these motivations, this paper is aimed at developing analytical models for the efficient use of returns in making production, inventory, and remanufacturing decisions during the active market. More specifically, we consider a stylistic setting where a collector collects used product returns and ships them to the manufacturer who, in turn, recovers value by remanufacturing and supplies products during the active market demand. Naturally, the manufacturer's production, inventory and remanufacturing decisions and costs are influenced by the timing and quantity of the collector's shipments of used product returns. Hence, we investigate the impact of the timing of returns on the profitability of the manufacturer-collector pair by developing system-wide cost optimization models. Analyzing the properties of the optimal shipment frequency, we observe that the fastest reverse supply chain may not always be the most efficient one. [source] Innovation as response to emissions legislation: revisiting the automotive catalytic converter at Johnson MattheyR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2010Lan Tao Can environmental legislation spur innovative response? This case describes the development of the automotive catalytic converter (ACC) at Johnson Matthey (JM), a precious metals company that entered the automotive industry as a component provider. The market was unfamiliar to JM and highly competitive, but in the 1970s the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced standards for emissions control by automotive companies well ahead of current practice. JM responded to the prospect of market demand for a technology that could meet the regulations. The EPA policy of technology ,forcing' stimulated collaboration for innovation among companies from a variety of industries. Our case evidence shows that the key innovator, JM, achieved its breakthrough as a result of proactive R&D management by the product champion together with sustained corporate support at a high level and partnership strategies. [source] FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: CHANGING LOCATION-SPECIFIC ADVANTAGES AS SIGNALS OF COMPETITIVENESSTHE DEVELOPING ECONOMIES, Issue 3 2009Frank L. BARTELS F21; R3; P42; F23 This paper uses longitudinal factor analysis of location-specific advantages that are relevant to the foreign direct investment decisions of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to signal changes in location competitiveness. A total of 1,216 responses by MNEs to a survey in 15 SSA countries are analyzed. We find that, first, over a three-year period (2002,5), MNEs perceive a positive change in the market-servicing environment in SSA. Second, MNEs find negative changes in SSA regarding the availability of input factors and characteristics of market demand. [source] Behavioral responses of one western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) group at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic, to tourists, researchers and trackersAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2010Michelle Klailova Abstract Gorilla tourism, widely perceived as a lucrative industry, is propelled by strong market demand with programs in five countries and for three of four gorilla subspecies. Human presence may negatively affect wild gorillas, potentially lowering immunity and increasing the likelihood of acquiring human-borne disease. Yet, behavioral impacts of humans on wild gorilla behavior remain largely unexplored, particularly for western lowland gorillas. We evaluate the impact of tourist presence, human observer numbers (tourists, trackers, and researchers), and human observer distance on the behavior of one habituated gorilla group at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic. Behavioral data were collected for more than 12 months from January 2007. Of silverback aggressive events, 39% (N=229) were human directed, but 65% were low-level soft barks. Adult females, and one in particular, were responsible for the highest number of aggressive events toward humans. Humans maintained closer proximity to the silverback when tourists were present, although tourist numbers had no significant impact on overall group activity budgets or rates of human-directed aggression. However, as research team size increased, group feeding rates decreased. Close observer,silverback distance correlated with a decrease in his feeding rates and an increase in human monitoring. He directed less aggression toward observers at distances >10,m, although observers spent 48.5% of time between 6 and 10,m of the silverback. We discuss gorilla personality as a factor in human-directed aggression. We explore whether the current 7,m distance limit governing gorilla tourism, based on disease transmission risks, is sufficient considering the potential behavioral stressor of close human presence. We recommend increasing minimum observation distance to >10,m where possible, decreasing observer group sizes, particularly after a visit consisting of maximum numbers and restricting tourist access to 1 visit/day. Am. J. Primatol. 72:897,906, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Real Options, Product Market Competition, and Asset ReturnsTHE JOURNAL OF FINANCE, Issue 2 2009FELIPE L. AGUERREVERE ABSTRACT We study how competition in the product market affects the link between firms' real investment decisions and their asset return dynamics. In our model, assets in place and growth options have different sensitivities to market wide uncertainty. The strategic behavior of market participants influences the relative importance of these components of firm value. We show that the relationship between the degree of competition and assets' expected rates of return varies with product market demand. When demand is low, firms in more competitive industries earn higher returns, whereas when demand is high firms in more concentrated industries earn higher returns. [source] THE ROLE OF DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY IN LOCAL TELECOMMUNICATION ENTRY AND MARKET EVOLUTION: 1999,2002,THE JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2006SHANE GREENSTEIN We examine the role of differentiation among competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) in nearly 1,200 U.S. cities in 1999 and 2002, before and after a valuation crash affecting communications firms. We test and reject the null hypothesis of homogeneous competitors. We also find strong evidence that differentiated CLECs account for both potential market demand and the business strategies of competitors when making their entry decisions. Finally, product heterogeneity in markets in 1999 helps predict how the structure of markets evolved through 2002. We conclude that the policy debate for local telecommunications regulation should account for differentiated behavior. [source] COURNOT COMPETITION IN A TWO-DIMENSIONAL CIRCULAR CITYTHE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 1 2005MARÍA ISABEL BERENGUER MALDONADO In this paper we develop a Cournot competition model between two firms located in a two-dimensional circular city. This city consists of a circumference and all the points in its interior for which movement between any two points can be made in a straight line. Firms have zero costs and market demand is symmetrically linear. We show that there exists a single state of equilibrium in which the firms agglomerate in the centre of the circle. [source] Income Distribution, Price Elasticity and the ,Robinson Effect'THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 5 2004Corrado Benassi In The Economics of Imperfect Competition, Joan Robinson argued that an increase of the consumers' incomes should make demand less elastic,which, although reasonable about individual demand as an assumption on preferences, suggests a role for income distribution as far as market demand is concerned. We use Esteban's (International Economic Review, Vol. 27 (1986), No. 2, pp. 439,444) income share elasticity to provide sufficient conditions on income distribution that support the ,Robinson effect',i.e. such that a negative (positive) relationship between individual income and price elasticity translates into a negative (positive) relationship between mean income and market demand elasticity. The paper also provides a framework to study the effects of distributive shocks on the price elasticity of market demand. [source] The effects of introduced tilapias on native biodiversityAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 5 2005Gabrielle C. Canonico Abstract 1.The common name ,tilapia' refers to a group of tropical freshwater fish in the family Cichlidae (Oreochromis, Tilapia, and Sarotherodon spp.) that are indigenous to Africa and the southwestern Middle East. Since the 1930s, tilapias have been intentionally dispersed worldwide for the biological control of aquatic weeds and insects, as baitfish for certain capture fisheries, for aquaria, and as a food fish. They have most recently been promoted as an important source of protein that could provide food security for developing countries without the environmental problems associated with terrestrial agriculture. In addition, market demand for tilapia in developed countries such as the United States is growing rapidly. 2.Tilapias are well-suited to aquaculture because they are highly prolific and tolerant to a range of environmental conditions. They have come to be known as the ,aquatic chicken' because of their potential as an affordable, high-yield source of protein that can be easily raised in a range of environments , from subsistence or ,backyard' units to intensive fish hatcheries. In some countries, particularly in Asia, nearly all of the introduced tilapias produced are consumed domestically; tilapias have contributed to basic food security for such societies. 3.This review indicates that tilapia species are highly invasive and exist under feral conditions in every nation in which they have been cultured or introduced. Thus, the authors have concluded that, despite potential or observed benefits to human society, tilapia aquaculture and open-water introductions cannot continue unchecked without further exacerbating damage to native fish species and biodiversity. Recommendations include restricting tilapia culture to carefully managed, contained ponds, although exclusion is preferred when it is feasible. Research into culture of indigenous species is also recommended. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] CAPACITY EXPANSION IN MARKETS WITH INTER-TEMPORAL CONSUMPTION EXTERNALITIESAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC PAPERS, Issue 2 2010Article first published online: 20 MAY 2010, HIROSHI KITAMURA This paper analyses market capacity expansion in the presence of inter-temporal consumption externalities such as consumer learning, networks and bandwagon effects. An externality leads to an endogenous shift of market demand that responds to past market capacity. Whereas market capacity grows in waves, its magnitude depends on the degree of market concentration. The competitive environment contributes to S-shaped time patterns of market capacity expansion. On the other hand, using a low introductory price, a monopolist plans an initially larger amount of market cultivation than a competitive market capacity expansion. [source] Overcoming barriers to sustainability: an explanation of residential builders' reluctance to adopt clean technologiesBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 8 2009Jonatan Pinkse Abstract The construction industry has great opportunities to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings. However, in this industry, diffusion of cost-effective clean technologies has been notoriously slow and below potential. This paper sheds light on factors that explain why construction companies have been reluctant to adopt energy-efficient technologies. It questions why some companies have intensified their investments in clean technologies, while others are lagging behind. Based on a multiple case study of four Dutch building contractors, the paper shows that contractors that actively gather information and build internal technical capacity are keener on adopting energy-efficient technologies. Findings also reveal that it will be a major challenge for the construction industry to communicate the advantages of clean technologies to (potential) home buyers and create market demand. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Prospects for conserving biodiversity in Amazonian extractive reservesECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 3 2002Susan M. Moegenburg Abstract Non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction is a popular alternative to timber extraction that figures prominently in efforts to utilize tropical forests sustainably. But the ability to conserve biodiversity through NTFP management, particularly in extractive reserves in Amazonia, has remained untested. We found that intensive management of Euterpe oleracea (Palmae) fruit, one of the most important extractive products in the Amazon, has substantial impacts on biodiversity, whereas moderate management does not. We mimicked traditional levels of fruit harvest in a replicated experiment over one fruiting season. High-intensity harvest (75% of fruits removed) reduced avian frugivore species diversity by 22%. Low-intensity harvest (40% of fruits removed), however, had no effect on diversity. On a larger scale, we found that forests with enriched densities of E. oleracea supported more fruit-eating birds but fewer non fruit-eating birds than non-enriched forests. Taken together, these results suggest that intensive NTFP management to meet market demands may trigger substantial ecological impacts, at least at the level of our study. E. oleracea harvest should be limited where conservation of biodiversity is a goal. [source] Forecasting for the LCD monitor marketJOURNAL OF FORECASTING, Issue 4 2008Shin-Lian Lo Abstract The TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor,liquid crystal display) industry is one of the key global industries with products that have high clock speed. In this research, the LCD monitor market is considered for an empirical study on hierarchical forecasting (HF). The proposed HF methodology consists of five steps. First, the three hierarchical levels of the LCD monitor market are identified. Second, several exogenously driven factors that significantly affect the demand for LCD monitors are identified at each level of product hierarchy. Third, the three forecasting techniques,regression analysis, transfer function, and simultaneous equations model,are combined to forecast future demand at each hierarchical level. Fourth, various forecasting approaches and disaggregating proportion methods are adopted to obtain consistent demand forecasts at each hierarchical level. Finally, the forecast errors with different forecasting approaches are assessed in order to determine the best forecasting level and the best forecasting approach. The findings show that the best forecast results can be obtained by using the middle-out forecasting approach. These results could guide LCD manufacturers and brand owners on ways to forecast future market demands. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Improving change tolerance through Capabilities-based design: an empirical analysisJOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008Ramya Ravichandar Abstract We introduce a Capabilities-based approach for constructing large-scale systems such that they are change - tolerant. The inherent complexity of software systems increases their susceptibility to change when subjected to the vagaries of user needs, technology advances, market demands, and other change-inducing factors. Despite the inevitability of change, traditional requirements engineering strives to develop systems based on a fixed solution; a mostly unsuccessful approach as evidenced by the history of system failures. In contrast, we utilize Capabilities,functional abstractions that are neither as amorphous as user needs nor as rigid as system requirements,to architect systems that accommodate change with minimum impact. These entities are designed to exhibit the desirable characteristics of high cohesion, low coupling, and balanced abstraction levels and are generated by a two-phased process called Capabilities Engineering. Phase I mathematically exploits the structural semantics of a function decomposition graph,a representation of user needs,to formulate change-tolerant Capabilities. Phase II optimizes these Capabilities to comply with schedule and technology constraints. In this paper, we present the overall framework of this process and detail the algorithm to identify Capabilities. In addition, we empirically evaluate the change tolerance of Capabilities resulting from Phase I. For this we examine the ripple effect of needs change on a real-world Course Evaluation System based on the original requirements-based design and the corresponding Capabilities-based design. Our experimental results indicate, with statistical significance, that the Capabilities-based design is less impacted by change and thereby improves the change tolerance of the system when subjected to needs volatility. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Biotechnology of the Banana: A Review of Recent ProgressPLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2000G. R. Rout Abstract: A number of biotechnological tools have been developed which could help breeders to evolve new plant types to meet the demand of the food industry in the next century. Available techniques for the transfer of genes could significantly shorten the breeding procedures and overcome some of the agronomic and environmental problems which would otherwise not be possible through conventional methods. In vitro protocols have been standardized to allow commercially viable propagation of desired clones of Musa. An overview of the regeneration of banana by direct and indirect organogenesis, and somatic embryogenesis is presented in this article. In addition, the use of several other biotechnological techniques to enrich the genome of banana, such as selection of somaclonal variants, screening for various useful characteristics, cryopreservation, genetic transformation and molecular genetics are reviewed. In conclusion, the improvement of banana through modern biotechnology should help ensure food security by stabilizing production levels in sustainable cropping systems geared towards meeting domestic and export market demands. [source] A comparison of three land-based containment systems for use in culturing green sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Müller) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006Tara L Daggett Abstract Worldwide, most sea-urchin populations are in decline. Future market demands will likely be met through aquaculture, which may consist of gonad enhancement of wild-caught sea urchins. In this context, we examined three land-based containment systems for suitability in maintaining commercial-size green sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis). Mortality rate, gonad quantity, gonad quality (colour, brightness, firmness, texture) and cleaning efficiency associated with each containment system were the criteria for comparing the effectiveness of the systems (large raceways, small raceways and washtub tanks). After 6 weeks, urchins maintained in large raceways displayed significantly higher mortality rates than urchins maintained in either the small raceways or washtub tanks (mean±SD: 24.3±10.4%, 8.0±3.5% and 4.3±1.5% respectively). Significant differences in cleaning time were detected among the three systems with washtub tanks requiring significantly more cleaning time (0.11±0.02 min urchin,1) than the other two systems and large raceways requiring significantly less cleaning time (0.06±0.02 min urchin,1) than the other two systems. No significant differences in gonad characteristics were detected among the three containment systems. Because of the higher mortality rate in the large raceways and the increased cleaning time required for the washtub tanks, the small raceways were considered to be the best of the three systems tested. [source] Skill Formation and Utilisation in the Post-Soviet Transition: Higher Education Planning in Post-Soviet GeorgiaHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2010Irakli GvaramadzeArticle first published online: 1 MAR 2010 Changes in the former Soviet system had a dramatic influence on higher education in Georgia. The main objective of the current article is to analyse implications of the post-Soviet transition for the skill formation and skill utilisation system in Georgia. In particular, the study analyses recent trends in Georgian higher education including privatisation and economic liberalisation. The discussion builds upon theories of transition and relevance of skill formation theories to the post-Soviet transition. The article argues that increasing competition among public universities and newly emerged private universities has not improved the quality of higher education provision. On the contrary, it has contributed to an imbalance between the labour market's demand for skills and awarded qualifications, a mismatch and irrelevance of skills and high unemployment rates among university graduates. The article demonstrates that economic approaches in the transition context could not explain the complex logic between the skill formation and skill utilisation mechanisms. It further concludes that the discrepancies between the skill formation and skill utilisation systems had a negative impact upon skill modernisation in Georgia. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||