On the Multi-Kind BahnCard Problem

The BahnCard problem is an important problem in the realm of online decision making. In its original form, there is one kind of BahnCard associated with a certain price, which upon purchase reduces the ticket price of train journeys for a certain factor over a certain period of time. The problem consists of deciding on which dates BahnCards should be purchased such that the overall cost, that is, BahnCard prices plus (reduced) ticket prices, is minimized without having knowledge about the number and prices of future journeys. In this paper, we extend the problem such that multiple kinds of BahnCards are available for purchase. We provide an optimal offline algorithm, as well as online strategies with provable competitiveness factors. Furthermore, we describe and implement several heuristic online strategies and compare their competitiveness in realistic scenarios

Drivers of consumer behavior and competitive strategy outcomes:plurality of perspectives, modeling, and empirical evidence

Durch die rasante Entwicklung von Internet- und Telekommunikationstechnologien hat sich die Interaktion der Wettbewerbskräfte grundlegend verändert. Letztendlich kosteninduziert durch die IT-Entwicklung, erfährt das Customer Relationship Management (CRM) eine ständig wachsende Bedeutung für Unternehmensstrategie und Markterfolg. Ausgehend von der These, dass die gesteigerte Verbreitung von CRM-Strategien Unternehmen unterstützen kann, wertvolle und längerfristige Beziehungen zu Ihren Kunden zu etablieren, bedient diese Dissertation aktuelle Themen wie “Wachstum des e-Commerce”, “Bedeutung von CRM-Strategie, -Konzeption und -Performance” sowie “Evolution von Märkten”. Neben dem Wechsel von kunden- und firmengetriebener Sichtweise werden dabei interdisziplinäre Modellierungsansätze verwendet. Ergebnisse beinhalten konzeptionelle und strategische Implikationen hinsichtlich der effektiven Gestaltung von CRM-Prozessen und -Strategien und des Erfolges in zweiseitigen Märkten.In the course of the rapid development of Internet and telecommunication technologies the interaction of competitive forces has changed fundamentally. Eventually cost-induced by the IT-development, customer relationship management (CRM) has become increasingly important for business strategy and market success. Based on reasoning how the increased penetration of CRM philosophies and strategies in organizations can help to improve firms in establishing valuable long-term relationships with their customers, this thesis considers current issues as “growth of e-commerce”, “significance of CRM strategy, conception and performance” and “evolutionary market dynamics”. In this connection, customer- as well as firm-driven interdisciplinary modeling approaches are adopted. The findings bear conceptional and strategic implications for the effective design of CRM processes and strategies, and for the success in two-sided markets

Transport Policy, Acceptance and the Media

The last two decades have seen a substantial change in the basic philosophy underlying European transportation policy. Due to the Commission's efforts and due to supporting jurisdiction by the European Court of Justice the dominant approach to transportation policy has become far more market oriented. This change of approach in transportation policy will only be successful and sustainable if the problem of acceptability will be solved. For researchers this entails that their perspective must change from the normative to the positive aspects of transportation policy-making. This paper reports work undertaken within research project TIPP (Transportation Institutions in the Policy Process) funded by the European Commission. In this work it has been attempted to develop a theoretical structure that merges the positive economic theory of regulation with cognitive psychology and traffic psychology. This theoretical structure offers a matrix of actors and factors that are seen to be essential for success or failure in the implementation of a certain measure of transport policy. Four case studies were carried out in order to check the plausibility of this approach. The case studies are the failure of the German Railway (Deutsche Bahn AG) to introduce a new tariff system in passenger transport in the period 2002-2003, the attempt to introduce a toll for HGVs in Germany, the failure to operate a private tolled motorway in Hungary (M1/M15), the failure to introduce a road-pricing system in the densely populated Randstad area in the Netherlands. --Transportation Policy,Europe,Common Transport Policy,Transport Regulation,Acceptability

Analysis of Power-Down Systems with Five States

We consider a device, which has states ON, OFF and fixed number of intermediate states.In the ON state the device uses full power whereas in the OFF state the device consumes no energy but a constant cost is associated with switching back to ON. Intermediate states use some fraction of energy proportional to the usage time but switching back to the ON state has a constant setup cost depending on the current state. Such systems are widely used to conserve energy, for example to speed scale CPUs, to control data centers, or to manage renewable energy. We analyze such a system in terms of competitive analysis and give a heuristic for finding optimal online algorithms. We then use our approach to discuss five-state systems which are widely used in practice

Online algorithms for conversion problems : an approach to conjoin worst-case analysis and empirical-case analysis

A conversion problem deals with the scenario of converting an asset into another asset and possibly back. This work considers financial assets and investigates online algorithms to perform the conversion. When analyzing the performance of online conversion algorithms, as yet the common approach is to analyze heuristic conversion algorithms from an experimental perspective, and to analyze guaranteeing conversion algorithms from an analytical perspective. This work conjoins these two approaches in order to verify an algorithms\u27 applicability to practical problems. We focus on the analysis of preemptive and non-preemptive online conversion problems from the literature. We derive both, empirical-case as well as worst-case results. Competitive analysis is done by considering worst-case scenarios. First, the question whether the applicability of heuristic conversion algorithms can be verified through competitive analysis is to be answered. The competitive ratio of selected heuristic algorithms is derived using competitive analysis. Second, the question whether the applicability of guaranteeing conversion algorithms can be verified through experiments is to be answered. Empirical-case results of selected guaranteeing algorithms are derived using exploratory data analysis. Backtesting is done assuming uncertainty about asset prices, and the results are analyzed statistically. Empirical-case analysis quantifies the return to be expected based on historical data. In contrast, the worst-case competitive analysis approach minimizes the maximum regret based on worst-case scenarios. Hence the results, presented in the form of research papers, show that combining this optimistic view with this pessimistic view provides an insight into the applicability of online conversion algorithms to practical problems. The work concludes giving directions for future work.Ein Conversion Problem befasst sich mit dem Eintausch eines Vermögenswertes in einen anderen Vermögenswert unter Berücksichtigung eines möglichen Rücktausches. Diese Arbeit untersucht Online-Algorithmen, die diesen Eintausch vornehmen. Der klassische Ansatz zur Performanceanalyse von Online Conversion Algorithmen ist, heuristische Algorithmen aus einer experimentellen Perspektive zu untersuchen; garantierende Algorithmen jedoch aus einer analytischen. Die vorliegende Arbeit verbindet diese beiden Ansätze mit dem Ziel, die praktische Anwendbarkeit der Algorithmen zu überprüfen. Wir konzentrieren uns auf die Analyse des präemtiven und des nicht-präemtiven Online Conversion Problems aus der Literatur und ermitteln empirische sowie analytische Ergebnisse. Kompetitive Analyse wird unter Berücksichtigung von worst-case Szenarien durchgeführt. Erstens soll die Frage beantwortet werden, ob die Anwendbarkeit heuristischer Algorithmen durch Kompetitive Analyse verifiziert werden kann. Dazu wird der kompetitive Faktor von ausgewählten heuristischen Algorithmen mittels worst-case Analyse abgeleitet. Zweitens soll die Frage beantwortet werden, ob die Anwendbarkeit garantierender Algorithmen durch Experimente überprüft werden kann. Empirische Ergebnisse ausgewählter Algorithmen werden mit Hilfe der Explorativen Datenanalyse ermittelt. Backtesting wird unter der Annahme der Unsicherheit über zukünftige Preise der Vermögenswerte durchgeführt und die Ergebnisse statistisch ausgewertet. Die empirische Analyse quantifiziert die zu erwartende Rendite auf Basis historischer Daten. Im Gegensatz dazu, minimiert die Kompetitive Analyse das maximale Bedauern auf Basis von worst-case Szenarien. Die Ergebnisse, welche in Form von Publikationen präsentiert werden, zeigen, dass die Kombination der optimistischen mit der pessimistischen Sichtweise einen Rückschluss auf die praktische Anwendbarkeit der untersuchten Online-Algorithmen zulässt. Abschließend werden offene Forschungsfragen genannt

Essays in experimental economics

This thesis consists of studies in the field of experimental economics. The first two chapters of the thesis deal with the issue of subject selection in Cournot Oligopoly experiments. In particular, chapter 1 presents a study which was designed to test whether a predominant personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) can account for differences in behavior between subjects in a Cournot Duopoly with random matching. Chapter 2 investigates whether Malaysian managers behave differently than Malaysian students (and German students) in a Cournot Triopoly. Chapter 3 presents a study in the field of environmental economics that investigates whether the initial allocation of emission permits and the auction design affect the adoption of advanced technology in a market with many small asymmetric firms, particularly, when the regulator commits himself ex-ante to the level of permits. Chapter 4 provides a natural investigation of a market sharing certain features with the ultimatum bargaining game. The introduction of the Schleswig-Holstein ticket (S-H ticket) by the German train company created a market which is characterized by ‘proposers’ who offer to take ‘responders’ with their ticket for a specified price. A deadline imposed by the trains’ departure time on the bargainers transforms the situation into an ultimatum bargaining situation. Chapter 4 thoroughly describes this market, which we refer to as the Kiel market for budget travel by train. Finally, Appendix A presents a bootstrap approach to determine critical values for the dynamic quintile test as a common diagnostic tool for model based Value-at-Risk estimates

Three Essays on the Positive and Negative Consequences of Corporate Social Responsibility and Irresponsibility

Doctoral thesis of Samuel Staeble

Sustainable Development and Resource Productivity

The fourth Factor X publication from the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), Sustainable Development and Resource Productivity: The Nexus Approaches explores the interdependencies of sustainable development paths and associated resource requirements, describing and analysing the necessities for a more resource efficient world. The use of and competition for increasingly scarce resources are growing worldwide with current production and consumption patterns of industrialised economies soon to reach the point where the ecosphere will be overtaxed far beyond its limits. Against this background, this volume examines the important initiatives to monitor resource use at the international, EU and national level. The current trends and challenges related to sustainable resource use are discussed, including international challenges for a resource efficient world, megatrends, justice and equitable access to resources. In the second part of the book, contributions examine implementation strategies. They assess the concept known as circular economy and discuss the theory of growth and the role of the financial and education systems. The final section places special emphasis on practical examples. Overall, the book presents concrete ways and examples of achieving more sustainability in practice. Discussing solutions for a more sustainable use of natural resources, this book is essential reading for scholars and students of natural resources and sustainable development and decision-makers and experts from the fields of policy development, industry and civil society