Joint Beacon Power and Beacon Rate Control Based on Game Theoretic Approach in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

In vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), each vehicle broadcasts its information periodically in its beacons to create awareness for surrounding vehicles aware of their presence. But, the wireless channel is congested by the increase beacons number, packet collision lost a lot of beacons. This paper tackles the problem of joint beaconing power and a beaconing rate in VANETs. A joint utilitybased beacon power and beacon rate game are formulated as a non-cooperative game and a cooperative game. A three distributed and iterative algorithm (Nash Seeking Algorithm, Best Response Algorithm, Cooperative Bargaining Algorithm) for computing the desired equilibrium is introduced, where the optimal values of each vehicle beaconing power and beaconing rate are simultaneously updated at the same step. Extensive simulations show the convergence of a proposed algorithm to the equilibrium and give some insights on how the game parameters may vary the game outcome. It is demonstrated that the Cooperative Bargaining Algorithm is a fast algorithm that converges the equilibrium

Net Neutrality

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Chris Marsden maneuvers through the hype articulated by Netwrok Neutrality advocates and opponents. He offers a clear-headed analysis of the high stakes in this debate about the Internet's future, and fearlessly refutes the misinformation and misconceptions that about' Professor Rob Freiden, Penn State University Net Neutrality is a very heated and contested policy principle regarding access for content providers to the Internet end-user, and potential discrimination in that access where the end-user's ISP (or another ISP) blocks that access in part or whole. The suggestion has been that the problem can be resolved by either introducing greater competition, or closely policing conditions for vertically integrated service, such as VOIP. However, that is not the whole story, and ISPs as a whole have incentives to discriminate between content for matters such as network management of spam, to secure and maintain customer experience at current levels, and for economic benefit from new Quality of Service standards. This includes offering a ‘priority lane' on the network for premium content types such as video and voice service. The author considers market developments and policy responses in Europe and the United States, draws conclusions and proposes regulatory recommendations

Net Neutrality

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Chris Marsden maneuvers through the hype articulated by Netwrok Neutrality advocates and opponents. He offers a clear-headed analysis of the high stakes in this debate about the Internet's future, and fearlessly refutes the misinformation and misconceptions that about' Professor Rob Freiden, Penn State University Net Neutrality is a very heated and contested policy principle regarding access for content providers to the Internet end-user, and potential discrimination in that access where the end-user's ISP (or another ISP) blocks that access in part or whole. The suggestion has been that the problem can be resolved by either introducing greater competition, or closely policing conditions for vertically integrated service, such as VOIP. However, that is not the whole story, and ISPs as a whole have incentives to discriminate between content for matters such as network management of spam, to secure and maintain customer experience at current levels, and for economic benefit from new Quality of Service standards. This includes offering a ‘priority lane' on the network for premium content types such as video and voice service. The author considers market developments and policy responses in Europe and the United States, draws conclusions and proposes regulatory recommendations

Analysis of WIMAX/BWA Licensing in India: A real option approach

Indian Internet and broadband market has experienced very slow growth and limited penetration till now. The introduction of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) is expected to aid in increasing the penetration of internet and broadband in India. The report sheds light on the guidelines and procedure used in 4G/BWA spectrum auction and presents comparative analysis of the competing technologies, providing the information about suitability of each technology available. Recently held 4G/ BWA spectrum auction saw enthusiastic participation by the industry and even saw some new entrants in Indian broadband market. Government benefited by Rs, 385bn that it earned as revenue from the auction of the spectrum and projected it as successful auction. However, the question remains if the auctions were efficient and whether they led to creation of value or will it prove to be burden to the telecom operators and will depress their balance sheet for years to come. The report uses both traditional valuation methods such as Discounted Cash Flow as well as Real Option approach to answer such questions. Using DCF analysis, the broadband subscribers have been forecasted to grow from present 13.77mn to 544mn by the end of 2025. The wireless subscribers are forecasted to be 70% of the total broadband subscribers after 5 years of roll out as it will be difficult to replace all wireline subscribers with wireless subscribers in India due to the high cost of wireless broadband and new technology. WiMAX is expected to increase its presence with time and reach 90mn subscribers from meager 0.35mn subscribers by 2025. Using industry wide cost of capital as 12.05%, the Net Present Value has been found Rs 221bn aggregate with an IRR of 17.1%. Using Real option approach, the value of license has been calculated as Rs 437bn which is 13.5% more than the spectrum fees paid by the operators. This mismatch, between the auction value and the correct value that should have been discovered by supply-demand dynamics, can be due to limited participants in BWA spectrum auctions and companies such as TATA and Reliance opting out of the auction process midway as well as uncertainty about acceptance of new technology with Indian subscribers.WiMAX, broadband, 3G spectrum, 4G,broadband wireless access, valuation, licensing, real option

Factors influencing consumers’ online purchase behaviour of skin care

2015 dissertation for MA in International Marketing Management. Selected by academic staff as a good example of a masters level dissertation. Purpose – The purpose of this paper is investigating which factors influence consumers’ purchase behaviour of skin care online, and what impact online trust has on mitigating the effects of risk normally associated with shopping online. The study explores industry specific variables and their effects on online consumer behaviour. The study also aims to explore what motivates consumers to purchase skin care online. Design/methodology/approach – The research design is exploratory in nature following a positivist approach, using statistical methods to examine data. The scale used was constructed by the author using themes present in the literature describing consumer behaviour online. The scale was confirmed suitable by testing its internal validity. A questionnaire was formed and administered online via Facebook. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out to construct the underlying themes present in consumer behaviour when purchasing skin care online. Findings – The findings confirm that trust is an essential component for influencing consumer behaviour when purchasing skin care online. The six factors observed in the research were quality of service, website safety, Intangibility, Brand reputation, website interactivity and shopping motivations. Where there is increased risk shopping online, consumers will respond to a website well, when measures are put in place to ease risks, such as security policies and a well-designed web environment. Research limitations/implications – The exploratory nature of the research mean that the factors extracted from the data can be explored further in relation to the skin care market. There are still concepts regarding different demographic segments that can also be explored in relation to this research. Further studies following more stringent and reliable testing may be needed to fully verify results. Practical implications – The results show interesting implications for online vendors, who should explore interactivity online as a means to mitigating risk. Originality/Value – This study explored the factors influencing consumers purchase behaviour of skin care, which to the researcher’s knowledge is an area that has not been covered by existing literature. The paper lays the groundwork for further examination of the themes that emerged from this research

The e-health opportunity for the telecommunication industry and Portugal Telecom: a case study

JEL classification system: M10 - General Business Administration; I100 - Health: GeneralElectronic-Health (e-health) is a recent answer to some pressing challenges on health. Aging of western societies and treatments’ rising costs raised doubts about health systems’ sustainability. Individuals, companies and public administration alike are looking for technology to find aid in addressing these challenges. Several industries are tacking those issues offering innovative solutions among which Telecommunication’s. Nonetheless, this industry is facing challenges from over-the-top players menacing its business model. Portugal Telecom shares these challenges and is looking to diversify to guarantee future growth, namely, by developing in e-health solutions. This case study follows two important threads in strategy literature: diversification and the resource-based view, applied Portugal Telecom and the e-health opportunity. As a case study, it aims providing readers a tool to better understand and employ strategic management concepts and frameworks in an applied business context. E-health as an opportunity for growth to Telecommunication companies and Portugal Telecom is described from three points of view: i) an actual market need ii) that may be addressed by Telecommunication companies and iii) should be addressed by those companies as they need to grow. It is shown how increasing concern with health issues by individuals, general public, companies and public administration is driving technology to find innovative answers to those same issues (i). Then, it is explained how Telcos may and in fact are addressing those issues, namely, by developing e-health solutions for their customers (ii). Finally, it is argued why Telcos should address this opportunity due their eroding revenues and margins (iii).‘Electronic-health’ (e-saúde) é uma resposta recente a alguns desafios na saúde. O envelhecimento das sociedades ocidentais e custos crescentes dos tratamentos levantaram dúvidas acerca da sustentabilidade do sistema de saúde. Indivíduos, empresas e administração pública procuram tecnologia capaz de ajudá-los a enfrentar esses desafios. Várias indústrias endereçam esses problemas oferecendo soluções inovadoras, incluindo a indústria das telecomunicações. Porém, esta indústria enfrenta desafios de concorrentes ‘over-the-top’ que ameaçam o seu modelo de negócio. A Portugal Telecom partilha estes desafios e procura diversificar o negócio para garantir crescimento futuro, desenvolvendo soluções de e-Saúde. Este estudo de caso segue duas linhas da literatura de gestão: diversificação e a visão baseada-em-recursos, aplicada à Portugal Telecom e à oportunidade da e-saúde. Como estudo de caso, procura oferecer aos leitores uma ferramenta para melhor compreender e empregar conceitos / enquadramentos teóricos de gestão estratégica num contexto de negócio. A e-saúde como oportunidade de crescimento para empresas de Telecomunicações e a Portugal Telecom é descrita sob três perspetivas: i) uma necessidade real do mercado ii) que pode ser endereçada por empresas de Telecomunicações e iii) deve ser endereçada por essas empresas que precisam de crescer. Mostra-se como a preocupação crescente com problemas de saúde pelos indivíduos, público geral, empresas e administração pública tem levado a respostas tecnológicas inovadoras para esses problemas (i). Posteriormente, explica-se como as Telcos podem e estão a endereçar esses problemas, nomeadamente, via soluções de e-saúde (ii). Finalmente, argumenta-se porque devem as Telcos endereçar esta oportunidade devido à erosão de receitas e margens (iii)