We propose a modeling framework for the data generating process of waste disposal in recyclable waste containers. It is based on a discrete mixture of count data models representing populations depositing dierent quantities in the containers, thus reflecting a realistic underlying behavior. It is tested on real data coming from ultrasound sensors mounted inside the containers and exhibits better in- and out-of-sample performance compared to a simple count data model assuming only one deposit quantity. The purpose of the mixture model is to forecast container waste levels at a future date when collection will take place. It thus becomes the first-step ingredient in a framework for ecient waste collection optimization.
We consider a mix transportation problem, which allows to combine a multi-modal public and a ride-sharing transports, in a dynamic environment. The main idea of our approach consists in labelling interesting nodes of a geographical map with information about either riders or drivers, in so-called buckets. Based on the information contained in these buckets, we compute admissible ride-sharing possibilities. To restrict the needed amount of memory, among the different stops along a public transportation path, we only consider the transshipment nodes, where travellers have to make a change between two modes. Each of those stops are potential pick-up or drop-off stops for ride-sharing. We consider a drivers’ maximal waiting time, as well as the maximal driving detour time depending on the actual drive. Each new drive activates a search for new ride-sharing of existing riders. Each new ride activates another process which searches for potential drivers. Among all admissible ride-sharing possibilities, only those which best improve the earliest arrival time are selected. We provide numerical results using real road network of the Lorraine region (FR) and real data provided by a local company. Our numerical experiment shows a running time of a few seconds, suitable for a new real-time transportation application.
Since the early 90’s, three dimensional virtual reality has raised interest as it appeared to allow users to feel immersed in virtual environments. Yet, expensive and cumbersome equipment were required and this technology has never delivered on its promises. In the last two years, affordable head mounted displays, which have very recently, or will very soon be launched on the market, have revived the hope that virtual reality might now really be up for a breakthrough. Although in the early 2000’s research in the use of Virtual Reality in teaching or in Marketing, had shown interesting results, no literature could be found on the sense of being there experienced by users of the new head mounted displays. This research aims at looking into the sense of presence perceived by users of these new affordable devices. It observes that all those who participated in this research experienced a high sense of presence for two different types of devices, and that although on average, participants were only moderately inspired in suggesting possible uses of the technology in the future, marketing students were by far, those who were the most creative. These results are encouraging for the use of this technology for both marketing and marketing teaching.
The marketing education community is well suited to be a leader in online education and the internet has proven a powerful tool in teaching a variety of marketing courses. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are one of the fastest growing approaches to teaching and learning in the new digital paradigm. They are categorized either as cMOOCs following a connectivist approach, or as xMOOCs based on behaviorist principles. In xMOOC environments, forums, if they function as a community, may however play a real connectivist role. This paper builds on the criteria of Herring (2004) in order to determine the existence and dynamics of a community in a Marketing MOOC. In a connectivist approach, forum participants request help, answer questions, discuss concepts and techniques and suggest application and additional learning material, thus co-creating knowledge. In today’s online teaching methods, users are included in multi-way processes which are not well accounted for in the literature often describing one-way processes. These dynamics may be key in ensuring a strong and well-functioning learning community. This research questions the existence of a clear distinction between cMOOCs and xMOOCs. It also observes that equal gender roles in marketing classes don’t seem to be replicated in MOOC environments, i.e. female participants appear to adopt lower profiles in MOOC forums.
Berth allocation and material handling problems in ports are generally solved independently. This article provides a framework for aligning allocation decisions of berth and ship un-loader in an integrative manner. The ultimate goal of these decisions is to minimize the waiting time, operating time and ships priority deviation. As the sojourn time of a ship in port is costly, and given the scale and the complexity of the problem, a Decision Support System (DSS) is developed for the port authority. Two different approaches have been considered in this paper: (1) Solving the problem sequentially by decomposing the problem into two sub-problems- the berth allocation and the dynamic allocation of ship un-loaders in different berths (2) solving the problem by integrating berth allocation and dynamic allocation problem. Controlled Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm and Chemical Reaction Optimization are proposed in designing the DSS. Computational experiments are conducted on information provided from an Indian port. Results show that integrating berth and ship un-loader allocation achieves significant cost savings by considerably reducing the ship sojourn time in port.
How established is the horizontal permeability between modes of vocational education and training (VET) in Switzerland? Formally encouraged by the Swiss law on VET, horizontal permeability refers to transitions across VET modes, i.e. between dual and school-based VET. This paper first discusses why horizontal permeability is indeed relevant and then empirically examines the horizontal permeability of the Swiss VET system for a given occupation – commercial VET. The latter is the largest VET domain in Switzerland and, importantly, a domain in which school-based VET is well established. The empirical analysis uses panel data following a cohort for over 10 years in the Canton of Geneva. Results show that going from school-based to dual VET within commercial VET increases chances to earn a qualification, however students changing modes lose half a year in the process. These findings suggest that, at least in commercial VET, horizontal permeability is only partial.
The current paper aims to develop an effective and integrated MCDM model for the evaluation of the sustainability practices in the banking services, employing a multi-stage, fuzzy MCDM model that integrates the Balanced Scorecard, fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS. The approach aims to evaluate sustainability from the following four perspectives: financial stability, customer relationship management, internal business process and environment-friendly management system. A real implementation dealing with the six largest commercial banks in India is discussed. The results highlights the critical aspects of the evaluation criteria and the issues in improving sustainable banking performances. Regarding the sustainability issues, it is shown that the environment-friendly management system takes a back seat compared with the other criteria. Furthermore, the results show that there is a misunderstanding of the role that corporate social responsibility plays with respect to environmental issues. The developed evaluation model offers a valuable management tool for banks' administrators by assisting them in strategic choices in order to achieve their objective of sustainability and sustainable banking. Moreover, it offers a measuring tool with unique features that complements the emerging trend of integrated reporting considering uncertainty.
Compared to the disputed rise of China in Africa, the emergence of India has been rather neglected. Facing a quasi-absence of reliable data and literature, this article makes an attempt to explore the expanding presence of India in Africa’s agro-food sector. Based on a preliminary collection of information in Eastern and Western Africa, the analysis suggests that India’s corporate sector has been the main driver, with the facilitation of pro-active Indo-African business networks historically established in Eastern and Southern Africa in particular. The role of the government of India has been occasional and subsidiary.
The two-level problem studied in this paper consists of optimizing the refueling costs of a fleet of locomotives over a railway network. The goal consists of determining: (1) the number of refueling trucks contracted for each yard (truck assignment problem denoted TAP), and (2) the refueling plan of each locomotive (fuel distribution problem denoted FDP). As the FDP can be solved efficiently with existing methods, the focus is put on the TAP only. In a first version of the problem (denoted (P1)), various linear costs (e.g., fuel, fixed cost associated with each refueling, weekly operating costs of trucks) have to be minimized while satisfying a set of constraints (e.g., limited capacities of the locomotives and the trucks). In contrast with the existing literature on this problem, two types of nonlinear cost components will also be considered, based on the following ideas: (1) if several trucks from the same fuel supplier are contracted for the same yard, the supplier is likely to propose discounted prices for that yard (problem (P2)); (2) if a train stops too often on its route, a penalty is incurred, which represents the dissatisfaction of the clients (problem (P3)). Even if exact methods based on a MILP formulation are available for (P1), they are not appropriate anymore to tackle (P2) and (P3). Various methods are proposed for the TAP: a descent local search, a tabu search, and al earning tabu search (LTS). The latter is a new type of local search algorithm. It involves a learning process relying on a trail system, and it can be applied to any combinatorial optimization problem. Results are reported and discussed for a large set of instances (for (P1), (P2) and (P3)), and show the good performance of LTS.
