Competitive Structure Research Articles

Rural banking spatial competition and stability

This study empirically examined the spatial competition and stability of rural banks. Using detailed quarter-balanced panel bank-level data on rural banks in Indonesia, this study investigated spatial competition and bank stability using a spatial autoregressive model (SAR) constructed by weight matrices based on the inverse distance between a bank and its neighboring banks to measure market power using the adjusted-Lerner index. The significant characteristics of rural banks were discussed, and a unique dataset was used, such as provincial GDP, inflation, and forex. The results showed that banks exerted some pricing power with an existing inverted U-shaped relationship, which was consistent with the monopolistically competitive structure of the industry. This supported the competition-fragility hypothesis. In addition, the evidence showed that bank stability increased with a decrease in the stability of neighboring banks.

Effects of task structure and attribution target on responsibility attributions in human–robot interaction

Responsibility attribution refers to beliefs about the cause of an event or outcome. This study investigates the effects of cooperation and competition on responsibility attributions after success and failure in human–robot interaction. A 2 × 2 × 2 mixed-design experiment was conducted, with task structure (cooperation vs. competition) and attribution target (self vs. robot) as within-subject variables and task outcome (win vs. lose) as a between-subject variable. Forty students from a university campus participated in the experiment. They cooperated with or competed against a humanoid robot in a picture memory game whose outcome either exceeded (success) or did not reach (failure) an expected outcome. Afterward, participants allocated the causal responsibility between themselves and the humanoid robot for a specified performance success or failure. It was found that participants attributed more responsibility for success to themselves than to the humanoid robot, and such self-serving bias was greater in competitive than in cooperative structures. Additionally, participants attributed more responsibility for failure to themselves than to the humanoid robot in cooperative structures but not in competitive structures. Moreover, the competitiveness index of unsuccessful participants moderated the relationship between the task structure and the differential responsibility attribution between the self and the robot. Furthermore, participants evaluated the humanoid robot more positively in cooperative than competitive structures. Finally, participants had higher accuracy in cooperative structures, although they subjectively perceived that they performed better in competitive structures. These findings provide insight to guide people's attributional behavior, task performance, and evaluation of robots in the desired manner from the perspective of task structure design.

The Causes of Agricultural Trade Growth between China and Central Asia under the Background of "the Belt and Road" -- An Empirical Analysis Based on CMS Model

Central Asia is rich in land, solar and thermal resources, as well as its agricultural labor force. It has superior conditions for agricultural production, which has strong complementarity with China in the agricultural field. Under the current complex international economic and political situation, strengthening cooperation between the two sides in the agricultural field can achieve win-win cooperation, which is also conducive to reversing the situation that developed countries restrict China's agricultural trade. The constant market share model (CMS) is used in this paper to empirical analyze the causes of agricultural trade growth between China and Central Asia from 1995 to 2021 based on UN COMTRADE data. The results show that the interaction between the promotion of the import scale of agricultural products and the improvement of its competitiveness is the main reason for the growth of agricultural exports of both sides; For classified agricultural products, the factors affecting the growth of export volume are different. The main factors restricting export volume growth of China and Central Asia are insufficient competitiveness and unreasonable export commodity structure respectively. In the new era, both sides should strengthen communication and cooperation, adjust the export structure of agricultural products and stabilize the competitiveness of it to further improve trade volume growth.

Market structure, trader behaviour and performance of small ruminants marketing in Benin, West Africa

Livestock markets are characterised by imperfections, distortions, and efficiency problems that impact livestock marketing. The purpose of this research was to analyse the sheep and goat marketing system in Benin using the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) approach. Primary data were collected from 215 small ruminant traders selected from 21 markets to calculate the market concentration degree, marketing margin, and efficiency. The four largest traders’ concentration ratio (CR4) and Hirschman Herfindahl Index (HHI) show that small ruminant markets have an effective competition structure. These markets were unconcentrated, and barriers to entry were nonexistent, except for trading capital. Small ruminants sold in markets differed according to the animal’s body condition, ecotype, age, sex, and coat colour. These attributes and periods of sale are the main factors that influence pricing. Transport costs, animal feed and care costs, transport, and market taxes were the main transaction costs faced by the traders. The total transaction costs per sheep and goats were estimated at 742.7 ± 530.7 XOF and 663.2 ± 463.6 XOF respectively (XOF is a common and official currency of the eight member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. 1 USD = 612,38 XOF). Average marketing margin was 5,869.2 ± 4,357.7 XOF per sheep and 3,851.2 ± 1,597.8 XOF per goat. The marketing efficiency was 78.8% for sheep and 78.9% for goats. This depended significantly on the type of trader, whereby wholesalers were the least efficient. Efficiency, including transaction costs and marketing margins, did not vary significantly between sheep and goats. To improve the efficiency of small ruminant marketing, attention needs to be given to improving the road infrastructure that serves markets and formulating new marketing policies on taxes.

Revealed preference tests for price competition in multi-product differentiated markets

Assumptions of competitive structure are often crucial for marginal cost estimation and counterfactual predictions. This paper introduces tests for price competition among multi-product firms. The tests are based on the firm’s revealed preference (revealed profit function). In contrast to other approaches based on estimated demand functions such as conduct parameter estimation, the proposed tests do not require any instrumental variables, even though the models can accommodate structural error terms. In this paper, I employ a demand structure introduced by Nocke and Schutz (Econometrica 86(2):523–557, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA14720), the discrete/continuous choice model, which nests the multinomial logit demand and CES demand functions. Any price and quantity data can be rationalized by price competition under a discrete/continuous choice model and increasing marginal costs. Adding more assumptions to the demand functions, such as logit, CES, or the co-evolving and log-concave property produces some falsifiable restrictions.

Why intervention in Afghan media failed to provide support for peace talks

This article presents and discusses data from two research methods on journalism in Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover of power in August 2021. News reports from the time of the intra-Afghan peace talks in September 2020 were analyzed using the Peace Journalism model. These were found to be predominantly War Journalism, leaving audiences cognitively primed for violent conflict responses and likely to overlook or fail to value peace initiatives. Interviews with 16 Afghan journalists revealed this pattern to be at odds with their aspirations and role perceptions. They wanted to report more in the style of Peace Journalism: revealing backgrounds and contexts; highlighting successes and achievements; giving a voice to all rival parties, and covering peace initiatives from whatever level. The constraints they identified, as impeding their preferred reporting approaches, were categorized using Reese and Shoemaker's Hierarchy of Influences model. Some were attributed to the commercial competitive market structure of Afghan media under the internationally supported government, after an initial infusion of development aid was reduced. In any such intervention in future, it is argued, news can play a positive role in building a constituency for peace—but only if aid interventions ensure that media are not left to operate on a purely commercial basis.

Bench2Bedside 2022 Case Competition & Conference: Translational Research Proposals

The Bench2Bedside Case Competition & Conference is an undergraduate initiative which aims to further undergraduate student understanding of translational research. This initiative prompts students to examine clinical questions through a basic science lens while examining laboratory work from a clinical perspective. It promotes an understanding of how clinical research is conducted, effective ways of communicating cross-disciplinary research findings, how findings are critically evaluated, and productively applied to patient care. Students engage in a two round case competition involving an initial written research proposal stage, followed by an oral presentation stage. The case competition is based on a case study developed in conjunction with an authority in translational research. Experts with a rich understanding of translational research are also involved in judging the case competition, along with workshops conducted during the conference portion of the event. This year’s case study focused on neurocognitive disorder and COVID-19 in an elderly patient. The research proposal abstracts for competition finalists are highlighted in this abstract book. For more information on the competition structure, and conference offerings please visit https://bench2bedside.club/.

Does a tragedy of the commons due to individual competition arise from genetically fixed traits or plastic traits in dryland wheat? An experimental verification

Abstract Growth redundancy, the overgrowth of resource-foraging organs in crop stands, is often detrimental to yield and is thus called a ‘tragedy of the commons’. A tragedy can also arise owing to the plastic overproduction of competitive structures when intra-variety individuals forage in close proximity to each other. However, little is known about the sensitivity of crop varieties and resource availability to this ‘plastic’ tragedy. Pot experiments were designed to investigate this issue. The root competition environment was imposed by growing two plants of the same variety in mesh and plastic partitions. Two wheat varieties (old Monkhead and modern 92-46) were used, and two resource levels were established. Compared with 92-46, Monkhead allocated more biomass to stems and leaves and concurrently less to seeds. We identified intra-variety neighbour effects only in 4 out of 24 allometric comparisons with a small magnitude. Allometric data also revealed a lowered response to fertilizer addition in 92-46 than in Monkhead. Based on a limited sample size, our results revealed a trade-off between above-ground vegetative growth and crop yield. This trade-off resulted in a tragedy of the commons in old Monkhead and enhanced yields in modern 92-46. The tragedy of the commons in wheat may generally arise from genetically fixed traits in terms of growth redundancy in old varieties, rather than from the plastic behaviour of individuals. Modern 92-46 may adopt a conservative strategy of resource use, whereas old Monkhead employs an exploitative strategy. Our findings highlight breeders should select genotypes with low individual competitiveness.

Stadium attendance demand in the men's UEFA Champions League: Do fans value sporting contest or match quality?

This paper is the first to empirically analyse the determinants of stadium attendance demand in the men's UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious competition in club football. The analysis covers 1,234 matches from 2009/10 to 2018/19 across 32 nations. The results show that outcome uncertainty and competitive intensity are not significantly associated with higher attendances, but the level of team quality is, for all fans, and the presence of star players is, for fans of clubs outside the top five European leagues. The empirical analysis-based on Tobit model regressions-enables an evidence-informed discussion of the competition structure of the UCL and the highly charged debate surrounding a potential European Super League. The article also offers insights for the wider body of academic knowledge on stadium attendance demand, by adding rare analysis of an international cup competition and an improved understanding of the connection between star players and fan interest in European football.

THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES TO THE ANALYSIS OF LABOR MARKETS COMPETITIVENESS UNDER INCREASING MIGRATION PROCESSES

Abstract. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the content, structure and signifi cance of the labor market competitiveness in preserving the human potential of the national economy under conditions of instability. The research methods used include methods of fundamental economic science, comparative analysis, and a systemic approach. The main theoretical and conceptual approaches to understanding the essence and structural elements of the labor market competitiveness are systematized, and the author’s concept of the studied issue is developed. It is found that the structure of labor market competitiveness is shaped by economic parameters (competitiveness of labor force, jobs, labor performance, motivation, institutional support). In the sectoral aspect, it is possible to consider the competitiveness of the labor markets of individual industries and sectors of the economy. At the same time, the competitiveness of global, national, regional and local labor markets, labor markets of urban/rural, border/remote, stable/depressed areas is based on spatial characteristics. A qualitative approach to constructing the category of labor market competitiveness involves a set of specifi c features that determine it, in particular: quality, fl exibility, balance, stability, resilience of the labor market and safety (security) at work. The transformations of the labor market and human capital structure, which occur under the infl uence of migration, basically refer to gender-age and professional-qualifi cation changes of the economically active population, to restructuring of the labor market conditions, to the changes in the market fl exibility, resilience, effi ciency, safety and functionality. The decisive role of the labor market as a determinant of economic competitiveness and migration security of the state has been proven. It is found that under current geopolitical conditions and with the new stage of the European integration development of Ukraine, increasing the competitiveness of the domestic labor market can act as one of the mechanisms of socio-economic convergence of Ukraine and the European Union. Keywords: human resources, labor market, migration, competitiveness, security, conceptual basis.

Digital financial and banking competition network: Evidence from China.

The rapid development of digital finance resulted in fierce competition in the banking industry. The study used Bank-corporate credit data to measure interbank competition based on social network model, and we transformed the regional digital finance index into bank-level digital finance index using each bank's registry and license information. Furthermore, we employed QAP (quadratic assignment procedure) to empirically test the effects of digital finance on the competitive structure among banks. Based on which, we verified its heterogeneity and investigated the mechanisms through which the digital finance affected the banking competition structure. The study finds that, digital finance reshapes the banking competition structure, and intensifies the inter-bank involution while increasing the evolution. The large nation-owned banks have been in central position in the banking network system, with stronger competitiveness and higher strength of digital finance development. For large banks, digital financial development has no significant impact on inter-bank co-opetition and is only more significantly correlated with banking weighted competitive networks. For small and medium-sized banks, digital finance has a significant impact on both co-opetition and competitive pressure. Meanwhile, digital finance also led to the increasing homogeneous competition. In addition, compared with large nation-owned banks, the competitiveness of small and medium-sized joint-equity commercial banks and urban commercial banks are more vulnerable to digital finance and resulting in homogenization problems. Mechanism analysis showed that (1) digital finance promotes the overall competitiveness of the banking industry by improving the inclusiveness of financial services, which expands the service scope (scale effect); (2) digital finance promotes the competition by improving the pricing ability, risk identification ability and finally the capital allocation ability of banks (Pricing effect). The above findings provide new ideas for the governance of banking competition and the realization of a new pattern of economic development.

Determination of optimal potential parameters for the self-assembly of various lattice structures

We present a gradient-based optimization method that precisely designs simplified isotropic potentials for self-assembly of targeted lattice structures. An ansatz potential and its constraints are constructed to directly reflect the characteristics of a Bravais lattice for the target crystal, and the method is able to design the simplified potential systematically and smoothly. The potential is simplified with a Gaussian function in reciprocal space to minimize the information loss caused by Fourier transform in each design update. Design optimization formulation is derived using design sensitivity to relative entropy, employing a Fourier-Filtered Relative Entropy Minimization (FF-REM) formulation embedded in LAMMPS code to be used as an optimization tool. The potential obtained through this optimization method can successfully self-assemble low-coordinated crystals, such as square, triangle, honeycomb, and Kagome lattices, without further smoothing techniques. It turns out that completely removing the competitive alternative structures is an important condition for improving stability in self-assembling the target lattice in various density ranges.

Adverse inclusion of asymmetric advertisers in position auctions

Product listing platforms commonly use generalized second-price auctions to select competing advertisers for limited ad positions. However, when advertisers are asymmetric, position auctions may confound the post-auction competition structure and thus endogenize the bidders’ values of the ad positions. We build an analytical model to examine the impact of position auctions on an asymmetric market structure, which consists of a mass marketer and two specialized advertisers of heterogeneous quality efficiencies. The advertisers bid for two ad slots and then compete for the market in price and quality. We find that the asymmetric market structure may increase the uncertainty of the auction outcomes, which then may induce the advertisers to underbid using a conservative strategy profile in the locally-envy free equilibrium. Consequently, the auction outcome may adversely include the less-efficient specialized advertiser. This result is stronger than the position paradox in the classic auction literature, as the advertiser with a competitive advantage may be driven out and obtain zero profit.

Effects of the invasive aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray, 1853) on ecosystem properties and services

AbstractEcosystems provide benefits to humans, including provisioning, regulating, and cultural services. However, invasive species can threaten ecosystem well-functioning and services provided. One invasive species with such potential is the New Zealand mud snail (NZMS) Potamopyrgus antipodarum. The aims of this study are focused on the quantitative review of (1) the NZMS impacts on ecosystem properties and their direct links with ecosystem services, and (2) the ecosystem services that can be affected by the NZMS. The high density reached by this species in most of the invaded ecosystems and its highly competitive ability affect ecosystem structure and functioning. However, some facilitation processes on native species may result in an improvement of some services. The NZMS tends to positively affect cultural services (88% positive cases) but negatively to provisioning services (77% of cases). Regarding, regulating and maintenance services, the proportions of positive and negative effects were similar (45% vs 36%, respectively). Therefore, the NZMS is a species with numerous negative impacts on ecosystem services. However, ecosystem services related to health (e.g., dilution effect against parasites) and research (e.g., biomonitoring) are cultural services that the NZMS can improve. No economic assessment of the impacts of the NZMS is available in the literature.

A marriage-market perspective on risk-taking and career choices

We document that women are less likely than men to be in “risky” occupations, i.e., those that exhibit large within-occupation wage dispersion. We first demonstrate that a new theoretical channel—the competitive structure of the marriage market—may incentivize both men and women to choose riskier careers with lower wage returns. We then show that a unifying factor—women’s relative inability to reap the benefits of a risky career due to their shorter reproductive span and consequent career-family trade-off—can help rationalize a set of gender differences in labor-market and marriage-market outcomes. Using data from the United States, we provide empirical evidence that supports the model predictions.

Word-Based Processor Structure for Montgomery Modular Multiplier Suitable for Compact IoT Edge Devices

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology that forms a huge network of different objects and intelligent devices. IoT Security is becoming more important due to the exchange of sensitive sensor data and the potential for incorporating the virtual and real worlds. IoT edge devices create serious security threats to network systems. Due to their limited resources, it is challenging to implement cryptographic protocols on these devices to secure them. To address this problem, we should perform compact implementation of cryptographic algorithms on these devices. At the heart of most cryptographic algorithms is the modular multiplication operation. Therefore, efficient implementation of this operation will have a great impact on the implementation of the whole cryptographic protocol. In this paper, we will focus on the resource and energy efficient hardware implementation of the adopted Montgomery modular multiplication algorithm over GF(2m). The main building block of the proposed word-based processor structure is a processor array that has a modular structure with local connectivity between its processing elements. The ability to manage the saving amounts of area, delay, and consumed energy is the main benefit of the suggested hardware structure. We used ASIC technology to implement the suggested word-based processor structure. The final results show an average reduction in the area of 86.3% when compared with the competitive word-based multiplier structures. Additionally, the recommended design achieves significant average savings in area-time product, power, and consumed energy of 53.7%, 83.2%, and 72.6%, receptively, over the competitive ones. The obtained results show that the provided processor structure is best suited for application in compact IoT edge devices with limited resources.

Sport4Me: A people focused approach to engaging Australians in sport.

The traditional model of community club-based sport is fine for those, particularly children and youth, who enjoy the competitive focus and have the skills and commitment to play. But societal preferences during leisure time have changed dramatically over recent decades. However, sport organisations have made limited progress in response to these changes in providing ways in which children and youth can participate outside the traditional competitive structures and environments. In this paper the context of community club-based structures is reviewed leading into an assessment of the associated impact of these structures on sport participation. Children and youth's current motivations to play sport including what makes sport fun to play, are considered. It is then demonstrated that the associations between motivations to play sport and the factors that contribute to fun and enjoyment, are often misaligned for many individuals, with a primary focus on competition-based structures to deliver community club sport. In the final part of the paper a model for community sport organisations where people are put first is proposed - Sport4Me. Sport4Me is about flexible, inclusive, equitable sporting opportunities that focus on friends, fun, physical literacy and play. The model would complement the traditional competitive club-based model and afford participants more choice whilst fostering an environment that promotes lifelong involvement in sport. This model will require structural and cultural changes to the sporting environment and include coaching practices. Sport4Me is an evidence-based model, but it is not radical in its conceptualisation but rather, builds on previously proposed approaches, considers the needs and wants of potential sport participants and widens the scope of sport delivery.

Impact of the Election Formula Change on the Structure of Competition in Local Legislatures: Lessons from Poland

The aim of the article is to illustrate the political consequences of changes in the electoral system for elections to municipal councils in Poland introduced in 2018. For the purposes of the article, the following hypothesis is formulated: the changes in the electoral formula for elections to municipal councils with more than 20,000 inhabitants (excluding CCS), introduced under the 2018 amendment to the electoral law, alters the structure of political competition. The changes include: decreasing the advantage of the victorious election committee over its main rival (CI index), decreasing the number of relevant participants in the struggle for power (ENP index), broadening the extent to which the distribution of seats reflects the preferences of voters (PI index), and decreasing the ‘ownership’ of the most powerful electoral committee (AI index).

Game Analysis of Container Ports Co‐Competition and Coordinated Development in Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area

The port groups of the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area faces a new competitive and cooperative game structure concerning global competition, making it is necessary to build a comprehensive port coordination and development mechanism. In this study, we apply the logistics model to conduct parameter estimation and evolution trend analysis on the development of the port group and highlight that the current container throughput of the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area port group will reach the maximum and the new impetus is needed to push it into the next round of development and evolution. Combined with the theory of ecological population, the Lotka–Volterra model of multiple groups is introduced to study competition and cooperation game, explore their interaction, and provide quantitative support for the formation of different central port groups in the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area. The study provides references for strengthening the construction of complementary resources and coordinated mechanism within the port group, realizing the differential development between ports in the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area.

The computer modelling of the vertical loading on a long-base flat wagon loaded with hopper containers

The article presents the results of the computer modelling of the vertical loading on the long-base flat wagon loaded with hopper containers. The research was made for a long-base 13-7024 flat wagon. The accelerations and their distribution fields were determined with the finite element method in SolidWorks Simulation. The maximum acceleration was concentrated in the middle part of the bearing structure of the flat wagon and amounted to 1.47 m/s2. At this vertical acceleration value the motion of the wagon can be estimated as excellent. The model designed was verified with an F-test. The results of the calculation demonstrated that the hypothesis on adequacy of the model was not rejected. The results of the research will be of value for those concerned about developing advanced and competitive container structures and improving the cost-effectiveness of the rail transport.