What drives the Rebound Effect in transportation? An evaluation based on a Traveling Purchaser Problem

Limiting climate change is one of the most important challenges of the 21st century. Focusing on the transport sector, encouraging the use of more energy-efficient transport modes, and improving the performance of vehicles are the main targets in the fight for GHG reductions. However, due to Rebound Effect (RE), it is proven that improvements in engine fuel efficiency result in lower cost per kilometer driven and can induce individuals to use vehicles more often or to drive longer distances. As a result, the potential energy savings from improved energy efficiency could be partially or totally offset. Therefore, we decided to examine "What drives the Rebound Effect in transportation". To answer this research question, a Traveling Purchaser Problem was evaluated. This simple real-life business application models a situation in which a company owns one or several vehicles and has to buy specific products. The goal is to select and visit a subset of suppliers to satisfy a given demand for each product while minimizing both purchasing and travel costs. In total, 510 instances of this problem with various characteristics and parameters were generated and solved using the optimization software AIMMS. The impact of five main experimentations was deeply investigated. In addition, the trends obtained from these experiments were confirmed by fitting a logistic regression and a decision tree. The results of the various experiments showed that four variables can influence the occurrence of RE in a transportation network. On the one hand, RE tended to increase with the number of potential suppliers from which the firm can choose and the number of vehicles that the company owns to procure the products. On the other hand, the exclusivity of the products to source, as well as the introduction of a distance-traveled tax, reduced the occurrence of RE. To sum up, significant conclusions could be drawn from the experiments and the results can be easily transferred to real-life business applications. Recommendations for possible future studies were also discussed.nhhma

THE PATMAN ACT IN PRACTICE

A recent act of Congress directed against price discrimination and related phases of buying and selling has already become famous as the Robinson-Patman Act, so named for its two principal sponsors in Congress. This act has been much written about, and yet those whose law practice confronts them with daily problems in its application to the actuality of the business world find daily new aspects. The act has something to say with reference to every business transaction (in or related sufficiently to interstate commerce) which involves a price or a service or a facility in connection with the sale of a commodity. Business actuality is so varied that the important problems already seriously studied by practitioners under this act in a little over six months would be sketchily treated in anything short of a treatise of hundreds of pages

Naturally Occurring Asbestos in Alaska and Experiences and Policy of Other States Regarding its Use

INE/AUTC 09.0

Analysis of Alaska Transportation Sectors to Assess Energy Use and Impacts of Price Shocks and Climate Change Legislation

We analyzed the use of energy by Alaska’s transportation sectors to assess the impact of sudden fuel prices changes. We conducted three types of analysis: 1) Development of broad energy use statistics for each transportation sector, including total annual energy and fuel use, carbon emissions, fuel use per ton-mile and passenger-mile, and cost of fuel per ton-mile and passenger-mile. 2) Economic input-output analysis of air, rail, truck, and water transportation sectors. 3) Adjustment of input-output modeling to reflect sudden fuel price changes to estimate the potential impact on industry output and employment. Alaska air transportation used approximately 1.9 billion gallons of fuel annually; 961 million gallons were used for intra-state and exiting Alaska flights. Water transportation used 101.8 million gallons annually, approximately 84.3 million gallons for intra-state and exiting segments. Railroad and truck transportation used 5.1 and 8.8 million gallons annually, respectively. Simulated fuel price increases resulted in an estimated $456.8 million in value-added losses to the Alaska economy through the increase in cost of transportation services, as well as an equivalent loss in income to Alaska household of$26.8 million. A carbon emissions tax would have the greatest impact on the cost of air transportation services followed by water, trucking and rail.309002 DTRT06-G-0011List of Figures / List of Tables / Acknowledgements / Abstract / Executive Summary / Introduction / Background / Research Approach / Findings and Applications / Conclusions / References / Appendix A. Marine Transportation Companies / Appendix B. Barge Fuel Use Calculations / Appendix C. Data Dictionary of Variables and Sources Used for Aviation Fuel Estimates / Appendix D. Glossary of Economic Impact Term

The Full Cost of High-Speed Rail: An Engineering Approach

This paper examines the full costs, defined as the sum of private and social costs, of a high speed rail system proposed for a corridor connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco in California. The full costs include infrastructure, fleet capital and operating expenses, the time users spend on the system, and the social costs of externalities, such as noise, pollution, and accidents. Comparing these full costs to those of other competing modes contributes to the evaluation of the feasibility of high speed rail in the corridor. The paper concludes that high speed rail is significantly more costly than expanding existing air service, and marginally more expensive than auto travel. This suggests that high speed rail is better positioned to serve shorter distance markets where it competes with auto travel than longer distance markets where it substitutes for air. .

The Northern Alfalfa Seed Picture: Marketing

South Dakota has long been one of the leading states in the production of alfalfa seed. South Dakota alfalfa seed, along with that grown in neighboring states, has commanded premium prices in eastern markets because of its winter-hardy characteristics. This Northern alfalfa seed, predominantly a non-certified seed, has recently come into competition with certified alfalfa seed grown in such western states as California and Washington. This competition has resulted in a continuing decline in the demand for Northern alfalfa seed in the eastern markets. Accordingly, lower prices have been received by the South Dakota grower for his seed crop. This marketing problem has prompted research investigations in alfalfa seed production and marketing by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. This research has dealt with (1) production methods in South Dakota and other areas, (2) marketing methods and problems, and (3) the economics of alfalfa seed production in South Dakota