A stratified unrelated question randomized response model using Neyman allocation

This paper applies stratified random sampling using Neyman allocation to Mangat et al. (1992 Mangat, N.S., Singh, R., Singh, S. (1992). An improved unrelated question randomized response strategy. Cal. Stat. Assoc. Bull. 42:277–281.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) unrelated question randomized response (RR) strategy for both completely truthful reporting and less than completely truthful reporting. It is shown that, for the prior information given, our new model is more efficient in terms of variance (in the case of completely truthful reporting) and mean square error (in terms of less than completely truthful reporting) than Kim and Elam's (2007 Kim, J.M., Elam, M.E. (2007). A stratified unrelated question randomized response model. Stat. Papers 48:215–233.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) model. Numerical illustrations and graphs are also given in support of the present study.     

A formative evaluation of the recovery public works programme in Blantyre City,Malawi

Public works programmes (PWPs) are popular social protection instruments in the context of chronic poverty but very little has been published in the way of implementation and outcomes of these programmes. This paper presents a formative process and outcome evaluation of the recovery PWP in Blantyre City, Malawi. The evaluation used longitudinal household survey data of PWP beneficiaries, programme records and interview responses from programme staff and community leaders. Largely, the process evaluation findings showed an agreement between actual and planned activities. The outcome evaluation found indications that the PWP community assets offered some potential benefits to the communities, and that PWP wages allowed the beneficiaries to purchase some food. This however, did not translate into more meals per day, nor did the earnings prevent the decline in household assets as expected. Given a plausible PWP theory and high implementation fidelity, the PWP wage rate or number of days was either just enough to smooth participant income, or insufficient altogether, to enable achievement of more distal outcomes.     

China and global internet governance: toward an alternative analytical framework

Drawing on historical methods, this study assesses the conventional “cyber-sovereignty” framework, which has been used to capture and interpret China’s stance toward global Internet governance. This framework focuses on political control and tends to reduce China’s policies to the attempts by an authoritarian state to elevate governments and intergovernmental organizations to be the only legitimate governors of global cyberspace. As it traces the evolution of China’s relationship with the global Internet in the past three decades, the study demonstrates that China’s stance is more complex than the prevalent framework allows and that it is both built upon and different from the US-centric, market-oriented Internet governance scheme. This study recognizes the inadequacy of the conventional framework and invokes a theory of critical political economy of communication, thereby offering an alternative model to explicate the complex power dynamics behind China’s changing strategies. The alternative model advanced in this study is based on the understanding of China’s evolving approach as the product of multifaceted interactions among a group of power-holders that include both state agencies and business units on the transnational level.     

中国城市商业银行的资产重组模式选择——以徽商银行为例

我国城市商业银行正处在一个生存与发展的关键阶段,资产重组是我国城市商业银行改革的核心内容,也是寻找外部开放与内部改革之间平衡点的关键。从徽商银行的特殊性出发,对我国城市商业银行进行现状分析,提出我国城市银行走出困境的方案——资产重组。以徽商银行成功资产重组为案例,分析其过程,从而为其他城市商业银行资产重组模式的正确选择提供借鉴作用。     

Water cycle algorithm for solving the reliability-redundancy allocation problem with a choice of redundancy strategies

Abstract

This paper proposes a new mathematical model for the reliability-redundancy allocation problem (RRAP) with a choice of redundancy strategies. To maximize the reliability of a system, this model chooses the best redundancy strategy from among both active and standby ones for each subsystem. For those with a standby strategy, a continuous time Markov chain model is used to calculate the exact reliability values. In order to solve the proposed mixed-integer non-linear programing model, a powerful evolutionary algorithm, called water cycle algorithm (WCA), is developed and implemented on three famous benchmark problems. Finally, the results of different benchmark problems are compared with those previously reported to show the superiority of the proposed model and the efficiency of WCA.     

面向多样化需求的M RO 服务资源配置模型与算法

针对大型复杂企业维修任务集的多服务需求点和多样化需求特征,基于服务需求视角,定义一类多服务需求点下的MRO服务资源配置问题,建立以MRO服务提供商整体服务成本为优化目标,同时考虑资源紧张度、信任度和多服务需求点不同工期要求的问题模型;针对模型中的关键参数（即服务成本和资源紧张度）的特征进行分析,并给出相应的度量方法;在此基础上,设计改进的模拟植物生长算法实现求解,算法通过启发式获得初始可行解,并进行敏感性分析。研究结果表明, MRO服务资源配置模型和算法是可行和有效的,服务成本的波动、信任度和资源紧张度的变化对于资源配置结果均有影响,模型能够有效提高维修服务成本的估算能力,同时能够保持MRO服务提供商资源配置的稳定性。     

基于动态损失厌恶投资组合模型的最优资产配置与实证研究

从行为金融学的角度考虑投资者损失厌恶的心理特征,建立预期效用最大化的动态损失厌恶投资组合优化模型。以我国股票市场为依托,将市场分为上升、下降和盘整三种状态,研究动态损失厌恶投资组合模型的最优资产配置和绩效表现,并与静态损失厌恶投资组合模型、M-V投资组合模型和CVaR投资组合模型进行比较。最后,在具有交易成本的条件下对动态模型进行稳健性检验。得出结论：不同情况下,动态损失厌恶投资者具有不同的最优资产配置比例,且动态损失厌恶投资组合模型明显优于静态模型、M-V投资组合模型和CVaR投资组合模型。     

主体风险规避情形下多属性逆向拍卖利润分配研究

本文针对采供双方风险规避的多属性逆向拍卖环境下的利润分配与采供关系建立问题,构建了非合作与合作博弈模型,分析了主体风险态度对利润分配结果的影响,得出建立和发展合作关系的条件,并确定了利润最优分配比例。结合仿真实验得出：1）采供双方非合作时,影响双方利润的因素：供应商成本参数,参与拍卖的供应商数量等。2）双方合作时,对利润的分配比例,受双方风险规避系数的影响;采购商提供给供应商的补贴受双方风险规避系数和讨价还价能力的影响。3）双方建立合作的基本条件需同时满足集体理性和个体理性,而长期合作的必要条件是双方效用最大化前提下的确定最优分配比例。     

Strategic Sourcing in the Presence of Uncertain Supply and Retail Competition

This study develops an analytical model to evaluate competing retail firms' sourcing strategies in the presence of supply uncertainty. We consider a common supplier that sells its uncertain supply to two downstream retail firms engaging in price competition in a horizontally differentiated product market. The focal firm has a dual‐sourcing option, while the rival firm can only source from the common supplier. We assess the system‐wide effects of supply uncertainty on the focal firm's incentive to pursue the dual‐sourcing strategy. We find that the focal firm's dual‐sourcing strategy can create a win–win situation that leads to increased retail prices and expected profits for both firms. Furthermore, under certain conditions, we show that it is beneficial for the focal firm to strategically source from the common supplier, even if its alternative supplier offers a lower wholesale price. Overall, we identify two types of incentives for adopting the dual‐sourcing strategy: the incentive of mitigating supply risk through supplier diversification and the incentive of strategic sourcing for more effective retail competition.     

Improving Humanitarian Operations through Technology‐Enabled Collaboration

Humanitarian supply chains involve many different entities, such as government, military, private, and non‐governmental organizations and individuals. Well‐coordinated interactions between entities can lead to synergies and improved humanitarian outcomes. Information technology (IT) tools can help facilitate collaboration, but cost and other barriers have limited their use. We document the use of an IT tool to improve last‐mile supply distribution and data management in one of many camps for internally displaced persons after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and we describe other current uses of technology in camp management. Motivated by these examples and the interest among humanitarian organizations in expanding the use of such tools to facilitate coordination, we introduce a cooperative game theory model and explore insights about the conditions under which multi‐agency coordination is feasible and desirable. We also outline an agenda for future research in the area of technology‐enabled collaboration in the humanitarian sector.