Performance modeling of e-procurement workflow using Generalised Stochastic Petri net (GSPN)

This paper proposes a Generalised Stochastic Petri net (GSPN) model representing a generic e-procurement workflow process. The model displays the dynamic behaviour of the system and shows the inter relationship of process activities. An analysis based on matrix equation approach enabled users to analyse the critical system's states, and thus justify the process performance. The results obtained allow users for better decision making in improving e-procurement workflow performance

An explanatory study on electronic commerce for reverse logistics.

In this paper we consider the role Electronic Commerce plays and can play for Reverse Logistics. After short introductions to electronic commerce and reverse logistics, we give an overview of existing internet sites for reverse logistics. These sites can be classified as electronic markets, supply of used parts and complete reverse logistic solutions. Finally we draw some lines to the future

Characteristics of Australian B2B imarketplaces

Existing research on B2B iMarketplaces (and intermediaries operating them) focuses primarily on viewing US iMarketplace web sites or conducting case studies. This paper extends this work by presenting survey findings of the total identifiable population of Australian B2B iMarketplace intermediaries to describe the iMarketplace characteristics and to determine if the findings provide more generalisable support for the literature.<br /

E-COMMERCE IN AGRICULTURE: DEVELOPMENT, STRATEGY, AND MARKET IMPLICATIONS

Marketing,

Scalable Internet auctions

Current Internet based auction services rely, in general, on a centralised auction server; applications with large and geographically dispersed bidder client bases are thus supported in a centralised manner. Such an approach is fundamentally restrictive as too many users can overload the server, making the whole auction process unresponsive. Further, such an architecture can be vulnerable to server's failures, if not equipped with sufficient redundancy. In addition, bidders who are closer to the server are likely to have relatively faster access to the server than remote bidders, thereby gaining an unfair advantage. To overcome these shortcomings, this thesis investigates ways of enabling widely distributed, arbitrarily large number of auction servers to cooperate in conducting an auction. Allowing a bidder to register with anyone of the auction servers and place bids there, coupled with periodic exchange of auction information between servers forms the basis of the solution investigated to achieve scalability, responsiveness and fairness. Scalability and responsiveness are achieved since the total load is shared amongst many bidder servers; fairness is achieved since bidders are able to register with their local servers. The thesis presents the design and implementation of an hierarchically structured distributed Internet auction system. Protocols for inter-server cooperation are presented. Each server may be replicated locally to mask node failures. Performance evaluations of centralised and distributed configurations are performed to show the advantages of the distributed configuration over the centralised one.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceIranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology : Isfahan UniversityGBUnited Kingdo

Tradable Rights and Transaction Costs: a comparative analysis of alternative policy instruments for emissions, road use and public deficits

Although permit trading ranks low in the political hierarchy of most countries, it is climbing up. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by more than 55 % of industrialized countries and international permit trading is one of the four mechanisms of the Protocol. These actual developments have made the instrument better known and have put the effectiveness of existing policy under increasing pressure. However, the choice between other policy instruments and permit trading can only be made when case-specific factors are taken into account. We have focussed on one factor, namely transaction costs. We have demonstrated that the historical view of preferring other (market-based) instruments above tradable permits because of excessive transaction costs is incorrect. The argument rests on an incomplete and inaccurate definition of transaction costs. Furthermore, we have shown that the current policy instruments used, such as environmental taxation, road pricing and the Stability Pact, induces in some cases even more transaction costs. If these instruments would be designed in such a way to be as effective and efficient as tradable permits, their transaction costs would prohibit their use. Dissertation zur Erlangung des Grads einer Doktorin der Wirtschaftswissenschaft (Dr. rer. pol.) der Universität Erfurt, Staatswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 5. Dezember 200