Maximization Theory Research Articles

THE IMPACT OF NON-FOOD COMMODITY INFLATION ON CHANGES OF HOUSEHOLD WELFARE IN ACEH PROVINCE

<p><span class="fontstyle0">The relations of inflation and poverty can be seen from the contribution commodities of poverty contributor. Increasing prices on the commodity of poverty contributor leads to declining real incomes and income loss in households causing poverty. The commodity of poverty contributor is dominated by fuel and LPG commodities. The AIDS model is a development of the Engel curve and Marshall equations derived from the theory of satisfaction maximization. This model uses the budget share of<br />household on a selected commodity to represent demand variables. This study is an empirical study. The data used are primary and secondary data obtained from field research and literature. The study is located in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. By using an almost ideal model of demand or an AIDS model, it will be seen that household behavior responds to changes in the price of the commodity of poverty contributor. From observation, inflation rate of non food commodity has a big effect on the welfare of Aceh Province community, both for Banda Aceh and Meulaboh households. The on-food commodity inflation has a huge influence to reduce household welfare in<br />Meulaboh.</span></p><p><span class="fontstyle0"><br /></span><span class="fontstyle2">JEL Classification: </span><span class="fontstyle0">D10, D11, D12</span></p><p><span class="fontstyle0"><br /></span><span class="fontstyle2">Keywords: </span><span class="fontstyle0">AIDS Model, Elasticity, Inflation, Non-food Commodity of Poverty<br />Contributor.</span></p>

You can't always get what you want: Capacity constraints in a choice-based school system

Centralized school enrollment is designed to improve the allocation of seats in choice-based systems. We study the quality of K-12 public school placements relative to revealed family preferences using data from New Orleans, where a market-based school system allocates most seats through a centralized enrollment lottery. We propose a theory of family utility maximization under school choice systems with and without guaranteed placements. Using an instrumental variables strategy, we estimate the causal effect of losing a school placement lottery on the school quality a student receives. We find a significant gap between preferred and actual school quality for students who do not win a first-choice assignment, some of which is regained when multiple rounds of assignment are offered. From the supply side, this allows schools of choice to operate with weak demand by enrolling students who fail to win assignment to oversubscribed schools of greater quality and higher preference ranking.

Substitution effect or complementation effect for bicycle travel choice preference and other transportation availability: Evidence from US large-scale shared bicycle travel behaviour data

Abstract Among all transportation modes, how do people choose their strategy when commuting? To better understand travel behaviour in new era, we introduce the perspective of “Multi-Choice” to complement that of existing “Single-Choice” based on the random utility maximisation theory and focus on actual travel data from the Pronto! system in Seattle in 2015, to test such a theory as well as other geographical and demographical data. By using mixed multiple regression, we find that at the peak of weekday use, the accessibility of other transportation modes (quantified by their density of infrastructure) could affect the departure flow of the Pronto! stations around them (within a 0.5 km buffer), but in a different trend in terms of multi-choice process. Besides those, we also find that the density of the points of interest around the station could positively affect departure flows on weekends, while the traffic-related factors did not. The current study broadens the traditional perspective of travel demand models by introducing a multi-choice option, and testing it against actual mode choices in people's daily behaviour using shared-bicycle data from Pronto!, Seattle.

From a garbage crisis to sustainability strategies: The case study of Naples’ waste collection firm

Abstract Sustainability strategies have become a key element in various firms. Although many studies have discussed the sustainability adoption process, a gap exists between studies with pure deductive theorizing and those that focus on empirical practices by comparing the main theoretical models with empirical evidence. Additionally, there has been little research on the sustainability process for public service organizations such as waste collection firms. This paper focuses on how sustainability strategies are developed in waste collection firms. Specifically, we analyse an extreme case, the waste collection firm of the municipality of Naples (WCFMN). This company is a public utility firm owned by the municipality of Naples. Analysing a distinct case provides the opportunity to gain insights and explore how firms develop an overall sustainability strategy, from its motivations to its effects. Our findings support legitimacy theory while providing food for thought about the relation between legitimacy theory and utility maximization theory. Legitimacy theory explains the sustainability adoption process of the WCFMN, whereas utility maximization theory should inform future strategies. Thus, we enrich the ongoing debate about the connections between sustainability drivers, strategies, actions and performance. These findings will help executives and managers of public service organizations to identify and exploit the most effective means of managing the adoption of corporate social responsibility.

Modelling the evolution of recrystallization texture for a non-grain oriented electrical steel

A new methodology based on the strain energy release maximization (SERM) theory and Avrami-type kinetics is introduced to predict the evolution of recrystallization texture in a non-grain oriented (NGO) electrical steel. The deformation orientation and the activated slip system of each orientation, which can be developed by cold rolling for a hot-rolled NGO electrical steel, were calculated using the finite element method and visco-plastic self-consistent model. Afterwards, the recrystallization orientations that can evolve from each deformation orientation were determined by the SERM theory, and their fraction over the annealing time was calculated based on the Avrami-type kinetic equation. As a result, this approach for the NGO electrical steel could successfully predict the formation of γ-fiber with strong {1 1 1}〈1 1 2〉 component during recrystallization, which was in good agreement with the experimental results.

Reduction of Food Commodities Contributor Inflation on Household Welfare Changes in The Province of Aceh

<p>The relationship of inflation and poverty can be seen from the contribution of the commodity contributor poverty. Increases in the prices of commodities contributor to poverty led to declining real incomes and loss of income(incomeloss)households, causing poverty. Commodities contributor to poverty is dominated by food commodities. Rice and filter cigarettes are commodities contributor to poverty in Aceh most dominant. Model AIDS is a development of the Engel curve and Marshall equations derived from the theory of maximization of satisfaction. These models use a proportion of household expenditure on a commodity selected to represent variable demand. This research is empirical study. The data used are primary and secondary data obtained from field research and literature. Research will be located in Banda Aceh and Aceh Barat. Using the model of demand is almost ideal or model of AIDS will be seen household behavior in response to changes in commodity prices contributor of poverty. From these observations, the inflation rate of food commodities greatly affect the welfare of the people of Aceh province, both for household Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. Inflation of food commodities had a huge influence to reduce household welfare in Banda Aceh. Furthermore, the majority of households Meulaboh work in agriculture and fisheries. So it can meet its own needs and also be produksen. Many factors substitutes (goods substitution) and cultural factors affecting the level of price elasticity of the goods themselves for food commodities, changes in the elasticity of greater food in Banda Aceh than the district of Meulaboh.</p><p><br />Keywords: Elasticity, Food Commodities contributor to poverty, Inflation, Model of AIDS</p>

An Assessment of the Traditional Theory of Firm Based Assumption of Profit Maximization in an Organization

The traditional theory of the firm is based on the assumption of profit maximisation that the firm is a single unit with a single objective. One of the many assumption underlying the profit maximisation theory is all interested parties have one aim that is stakeholders and managers work towards profit maximisation. Information symmetry is also assumed. However, overtime the relationship between ownership and control in firms has changed substantially. This has brought to some the question as to the validity of the profit maximisation assumption of the traditional theory.

Quality-Aware Energy Optimization in Wireless Video Communication With Multipath TCP

The advancements in wireless communication technologies prompt the bandwidth aggregation for mobile video delivery over heterogeneous access networks. Multipath TCP (MPTCP) is the transport protocol recommended by IETF for concurrent data transmission to multihomed terminals. However, it still remains challenging to deliver user-satisfied video services with the existing MPTCP schemes because of the contradiction between energy consumption and received video quality in mobile devices. To enable the energy-efficient and quality-guaranteed video streaming, this paper presents an energy-distortion-aware MPTCP (EDAM) solution. First, we develop an analytical framework to characterize the energy-distortion tradeoff for multipath video transmission over heterogeneous wireless networks. Second, we propose a video flow rate allocation algorithm to minimize the energy consumption while achieving target video quality based on utility maximization theory. The performance of the proposed EDAM is evaluated through both experiments in real wireless networks and extensive emulations in exata. Experimental results show that EDAM exhibits performance advantages over existing MPTCP schemes in energy conservation and video quality.

Optimal investment with intermediate consumption under no unbounded profit with bounded risk

Abstract We consider the problem of optimal investment with intermediate consumption in a general semimartingale model of an incomplete market, with preferences being represented by a utility stochastic field. We show that the key conclusions of the utility maximization theory hold under the assumptions of no unbounded profit with bounded risk and of the finiteness of both primal and dual value functions.

Quantal Response Statistical Equilibrium in Economic Interactions: Theory and Estimation

Social science addresses systems in which the individual actions of participants interacting in complex, non-additive ways through institutional structures determine social outcomes. In many cases, the institutions incorporate enough negative feedback to stabilize the resulting outcome as an equilibrium. We study a particular type of such equilibria, quantal response statistical equilibrium (QRSE) using the tools of constrained maximum entropy modeling developed by E. T. Jaynes. We use Adam Smith’s theory of profit rate maximization through competition of freely mobile capitals as an example. Even in many cases where key model variables are unobserved, it is possible to infer the parameters characterizing the equilibrium through Bayesian methods. We apply this method to the Smithian theory of competition using data where firms’ profit rates are observed but the entry and exit decisions that determine the distribution of profit rates is unobserved, and confirm Smith’s prediction of the emergence of an average rate of profit, along with a characterization of equilibrium statistical fluctuations of individual rates of profit.

Optimal travel information provision strategies: an agent-based approach under uncertainty

ABSTRACTInformation influences travel behavior a great deal. This paper applies and further develops an agent-based approach to modeling travel behavior under uncertainty and different information provision strategies. Artificially intelligent agents, with the capability of learning, information acquisition, searching, and decision, are constructed instead of the typical representative agents formulated by utility maximization theory. Meanwhile, the presumption of sequential behavior process is relaxed. Agents are flexible to adjust travel mode, departure time, and route in response to a stimulus. A traffic simulator is also integrated in order to simulate agents' travel experiences on a transportation network. The agent-based model is then integrated into a simulation-based optimization (SBO) framework to analyze the effects of different information provision strategies. It is found that providing real-time traffic information to agents does not always result in improved network traffic condition or higher network reliability. Thus, we employ SBO technique to identify the optimal information provision strategies to support policy/planning decision-making.

An experimental study on cumulative prospect theory learning model of travelers’ dynamic mode choice under uncertainty

Abstract In this paper, we examined travelers’ dynamic mode choice behavior under travel time variability. We found travelers’ inconsistent risk attitudes through a binary mode choice experiment. Although the results deviated from the traditional utility maximization theory and could not be explained by the payoff variability effect, they could be well captured in a cumulative prospect theory (CPT) framework. After considering the imperfect memory effect, we found that the prediction ability of the cumulative prospect theory learning (CPTL) model could be significantly improved. The experimental results were also compared with the CPTL model and the reinforcement learning (REL) model. This study empirically showed the potential of alternative theories to better capture travelers’ day-to-day mode choice behavior under uncertainty. A new definition of willingness to pay (WTP) in a CPT framework was provided to explicitly consider travelers’ perceived value increases in travel time.

INSTITUCIONES, ECONOMÍA CLÁSICA Y ECONOMÍA EVOLUTIVA

En este trabajo se ofrecen consideraciones acerca de la teoría evolutiva y sus posibilidades para complementar la teoría clásica de la maximización del beneficio. En particular, se muestra la imitación como alternativa a la opti-mización clásica cuando existe racionalidad acotada. Se analiza la evolución del comportamiento corrupto en una sociedad de individuos maximiza-dores de su bienestar pero que deben tomar decisiones bajo condiciones de información imperfecta.

Numerical analysis on the formation of P-orientation near coarse precipitates in FCC crystals during recrystallization

Particles or precipitates in physical metallurgy are important microstructural components which control mechanical properties and phase transformation behaviors such as the recrystallization, grain growth and anisotropy of metallic materials. In particular, particle stimulated nucleation followed by an oriented growth of P-oriented grains is a commonly accepted premise, and many industrial grade cold rolled Al alloys exhibit strong P-texture after annealing. Accordingly, substantial efforts have been invested in texture and engineering studies to explore exactly how particle stimulated nucleation leads to the formation of P-oriented grains after annealing in cold-rolled Al alloys. Despite extensive experimental observations on the formation of P-oriented grains, the theoretical grounds for the formation of P-oriented grains is not yet fully established. In this work, we employ crystal plasticity theory and strain energy release maximization theory to uncover the nucleation mechanism of P-orientations near a coarse precipitate of a plane strain compressed Al alloy. The strain energy release maximization theory used in this work demonstrates that the nucleation of P-orientation is primarily possible due to stable P-orientations and near P-orientations formed during plane strain compression, which act as nuclei that recrystallize into P-orientations.

Information Asymmetries and Risk Management in Healthcare Markets: The U.S. Affordable Care Act in Retrospect

:This article critically examines the pertinent issues in ex ante and ex post moral hazard in healthcare markets, with the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA) as its focal point of inquiry. First, it compares the various types of information asymmetries resulting from the production, allocation, and utilization of health insurance. Second, it reviews the literature on adverse selection, moral hazard, and risk mitigation against which salient ACA reforms are analyzed. In contrasting conventional moral hazard from an alternative theory of welfare maximization, it suggests that healthcare (over)utilization cannot necessarily be considered wasteful, even if it ends up costing insurers more on a short-term basis. Costs and savings attributable to healthcare spending under the ACA will vary between the consumer, insurer, and regulator-subsidizer. Despite the ambiguities surrounding definitions of “health,” the challenge of containing inefficient moral hazard, and encouraging its desirable counterpart, lies in the tradeoffs that arise between consumer access to affordable and quality healthcare and the market competitiveness of health insurers. The new Trump administration will have to address these tradeoffs in repealing and replacing the ACA, particularly in light of escalating insurance premiums and deductibles, narrower provider networks, and technical implementation issues.

Transit Shift Response Analysis Through Fuzzy Rule Based-Choice Model: A Case Study of Indian Metropolitan City

The productivity of most of the public transport services has greatly reduced due to the absence of appropriate transit planning strategies. The efficacy of public transport system is undoubtedly governed by transit accessibility, and provision of transit supply and service facilities by transport organizations. If a transit system, and its operations prove to be inefficient, its patronage shifts towards private mode or para-transit, resulting in an uneconomical and environmentally degraded system. Therefore, the identification of attributes influencing consumers’ choice of transit system becomes an important aspect in urban context. The conventional Logit modelling approach, based on the theory of random utility maximization has been attempted by many. Moreover, the approach possesses certain limitations in addressing the uncertainty lying in humans’ choice decisions and ambiguous expressions made by travellers for the available options. Whereas, Fuzzy Logic, an Artificial Intelligence technique works on the principle of simple and logical ‘If-Then’ rules, framed to predict the preferred choice through approximate reasoning. The study precisely attempts to analyze the transit choice behaviour of urbanites, with the help of fuzzy rule based transit choice model, considering Surat, a fast developing Indian metropolitan city in the state of Gujarat as the study area. Walking distance to a bus stop, waiting time at a bus stop, and bus schedule reliability are observed to be the governing accessibility attributes, and thus are considered further for model development. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis showing the impacts of accessibility attributes on transit shift is carried out as an application of the developed model.

Von Thünen: Capital, Production Functions, Marginal Productivity Wages, and the Natural Wage

AbstractThis paper puts seminal contributions to theory of production functions and maximization of explicit quantitative objective functions by Johann Heinrich von Thünen into a systematic historical perspective. We show that his comprehensive ‘Tableau Economiques’ do imply two exact parametric production functions. Moreover, the renowned ‘geometric mean wage’ formula is restated as an exact CES marginal labor productivity wage for σ= 2. We review four alternative modes of normative (natural) wage calculations without an explicit production function, and conclude that von Thünen’s natural wage differentiation formulas are bona fide alternatives for deriving the natural wage formula.

Agroforestry and Management of Trees in Bunya County, Mayuge District, Uganda

Woody plant resources continue to disappear in anthropogenic landscapes in Uganda. To slow down further loss of these resources requires the collaboration of farmers in tree planting in agroforestry systems. Tree planting interventions with the collaboration of farmers require a good understanding of tree management practices as well as trees that best satisfy farmers’ needs. We carried out this research to determine (1) the most preferred tree species and reasons why they are preferred, (2) the species conservation statuses, and (3) existing tree management practices and challenges to tree planting. Fourteen priority species valued because they yield edible fruits and timber have been prioritised in this study. Farmers are interested in managing trees but are constrained by many factors, key among which is scarcity of land and financial capital to manage tree planting. Trees are managed in crop fields and around the homestead. From farmers’ reports, the highly valued species are increasing in the landscape. In conclusion, the potential to manage trees in agroforestry systems exists but is hampered by many challenges. Secondly, the liking of trees that supply edible fruits seems to support the welfare maximisation theory which ideally states that rural people manage trees with the aim of having regular access to products that satisfy their household needs and not for income generation.

Humor in School Jokes: A Pragmatic Study

In our lives, there are many instances where we encounter jokes. The media; printed, online, or broadcasted, presents jokes in many ways. Some television programs have their own form of humour such as through talk shows or other kinds of performances. In printed media, we can read humour through comic. Online media also provides certain sites to deliver jokes. We are familiar with 9gag or other sites which post funny pictures or memes. This paper is going to analyse how the jokes in online media is presented using a pragmatic point of view. The researchers took the data from the website and chose the joke about school life and analysed the 30 school jokes using the reference and maxim theory. The result of this study shows that in order to create a school joke, the joke maker violates the reference and maxim.Keywords: school joke, reference, maxim

Cooperative Patterns in the Egyptian Colloquial Arabic

This article described the cooperative patterns formed in the Egyptian speech community using Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA). The data were taken by using participatory observation method through the recording and note-taking techniques. By employing Grice’s theory of cooperative principles and maxims, this study suggested that speech events in Egyptian society had a variety of cooperative patterns. The varied patterns could be seen in the negotiation processes to reach an agreement. Therefore, the negotiations required a lot of energy and time.