Constraint bipartite vertex cover: simpler exact algorithms and implementations

Constraint bipartite vertex cover is a graph-theoretical formalization of the spare allocation problem for reconfigurable arrays. We report on an implementation of a parameterized algorithm for this problem. This has led to considerable simplifications of the published, quite sophisticated algorithm. Moreover, we can prove that the mentioned algorithm could be quite efficient in practial situations. We also discuss possible generalizations and enhancements.     

Edge lifting and total domination in graphs

Let u and v be vertices of a graph G, such that the distance between u and v is two and x is a common neighbor of u and v. We define the edge lift of uv off x as the process of removing edges ux and vx while adding the edge uv to G. In this paper, we investigate the effect that edge lifting has on the total domination number of a graph. Among other results, we show that there are no trees for which every possible edge lift decreases the total domination number and that there are no trees for which every possible edge lift leaves the total domination number unchanged. Trees for which every possible edge lift increases the total domination number are characterized.     

An Exploratory Study of the Impact of e‐Service Process on Online Customer Satisfaction

Although extensive academic research has examined the dynamics of interpersonal interactions between service providers and customers, much less research has investigated customer service encounters through technological interfaces such as the Web in electronic commerce transactions. Corporate websites have become an important point of contact with customers for many companies. Service has been described as one of the most important attributes for online business to influence traffic and sales. However, more research is needed to understand how Web‐based technological capabilities of services affect customer satisfaction. In this paper, we propose viewing the interface between online buyers and sellers through the lens of service management to identify possible determinants of online customer satisfaction. A company's website is considered its electronic service delivery system. We look at this electronic service delivery system from its process point of view. Our findings indicate that as the electronic service delivery system process improves, a customer's perception of the website's ease of use increases, leading to increased service value and perceived control over the process, which increases customer satisfaction. The research provides evidence that the technological capabilities embedded in the website processes are an important factor in determining service quality and ultimately online customer satisfaction.     

On the Definition and Age-Dependency of the Value of a Statistical Life

The value of preventing a fatality or (saving) a statistical life is an important question in health economics as well as environmental economics. This paper adds new insights to several of the issues discussed in the literature. It is shown that the conventional way of measuring the value of a statistical life yields a biased estimate, in general. The major exception is the case where the estimate can be based on an infinitely short drop in the hazard rate. This is so in both life cycle models with and without actuarially fair annuities. Moreover, the claim that there are strong theoretical reasons for believing that the value of statistical life declines with age is shown to be wrong.     

To be,or not to be,that is the question: An empirical study of the WTP for an increased life expectancy at an advanced age

This study reports an attempt to measure the value of an increased survival probability at advanced ages. It turns out that the average willingness to pay for a program which would increase the expected length of life by one year, conditional on having survived to the age of 75 years, is lower than $1,500. The willingness to pay increases with a person's age, but at a low and seemingly constant rate (1–4 percent per year).     

Stress experienced by informal caregivers On conflicting demands in everyday life

Stress was defined as a conflict experienced between contradictory demands on the disposition of time and space in the life situation of caregivers. The following questions were asked: are there any family or gender related patterns to be found in the individual expressions of stress experiences? How can differences in stress experiences be explained in terms of work load, sociocultural demands related to gender and family relations, or lack of control in everyday life? What are the effects of a well developed welfare system? What are the differences between a rural and an urban setting and how do different life modes influence sociocultural demands and individual decision latitudes, creating and limiting different contributions of care? How are cultural characteristics reflected in stress experiences? The sample consists of 99 care recipients, all in intense formal care, and the person identified by the care recipient as the person in the informal network who contributed most or took most responsibility in caregiving. Stress experience among main helpers is related to area of living, main helper's gender, kin relation to the care recipient and lack of a shared responsibility within the informal network. Obtaining support in the caring situation reduces the instrumental demands and also the experience of stress. Women in urban areas had less caring commitments in the informal network but also experienced more stress. Help from public home services, however, was not found to reduce the instrumental demands and experiences of stress in all situations.     

Putting Peace to the Vote: Displaced Persons and a Future Referendum on Nagorno-Karabakh

Fifteen years after the war over Nagorno-Karabakh, the conflictremains unresolved, and Azerbaijan remains host to one of theworld's largest per capita populations of internally displacedpersons (IDPs). Current plans for a settlement of the conflictenvision a crucial role for these IDPs, by proposing their returnand participation in a referendum to decide the future statusof the disputed territory. This article outlines several issuesthat need to be considered when arranging for such a referendum:what territory will the referendum concern, who will be eligibleto vote, what options will voters choose among, and how willthe results be determined? These issues arise from previousexperiences of peace processes that provided for referenda.In conclusion, the article argues that the referendum be arrangedin such a way as to increase uncertainty about the outcome,rather than gearing it towards one that seeks to confirm andlegitimize a solution negotiated by governments.     

Trends in Development Aid,Negotiation Processes and NGO Policy Change

Non-governmental organizations (NGO) and government donor agencies (GDA) are often caught in a dilemma; an NGO between responsiveness to its target group(s), expectations of individual donors and demands of its GDA; GDA between its policy to respect NGO’s integrity, its wish to keep NGOs accountable for received fund and its operation within the bounds of its general policies. This dilemma is mirrored in the NGO–GDA negotiation for funds. Based on negotiation theory and using three explanatory approaches, 18 years of negotiations between an NGO, Vi Skogen (ViS) and its GDA, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), are analyzed in order to demonstrate how organizational structures, power relations and the context influence the outcome of the negotiations. All three approaches help to explain how ViS managed, mainly in the interest of its individual donors, to resist changes demanded by Sida and also to explain how the agendas of ViS and Sida finally converged.