The effects of qos level degradation cost on provider selection and task allocation model in telecommunication networks

Firms acquire network capacity from multiple suppliers which offer different Quality of Service (QoS) levels. After acquisition, day-to-day operations such as video conferencing, voice over IP and data applications are allocated between these acquired capacities by considering QoS requirement of each operation. In optimal allocation scheme, it is generally assumed each operation has to be placed into resource that provides equal or higher QoS Level. Conversely, in this study it is showed that former allocation strategy may lead to suboptimal solutions depending upon penalty cost policy to charge degradation in QoS requirements. We model a cost minimization problem which includes three cost components namely capacity acquisition, opportunity and penalty due to loss in QoS

THE EFFECTS OF QOS LEVEL DEGRADATION COST ON PROVIDER SELECTION AND TASK ALLOCATION MODEL IN TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS

Abstrac

The Effects of QoS Level Degradation Cost on Provider Selection and Task Allocation Model in Telecommunication Networks

─Abstract ─ Firms acquire network capacity from multiple suppliers which offer different Quality of Service (QoS) levels. After acquisition, day-to-day operations such as video conferencing, voice over IP and data applications are allocated between these acquired capacities by considering QoS requirement of each operation. In optimal allocation scheme, it is generally assumed each operation has to be placed into resource that provides equal or higher QoS Level. Conversely, in this study it is showed that former allocation strategy may lead to suboptimal solutions depending upon penalty cost policy to charge degradation in QoS requirements. We model a cost minimization problem which includes three cost components namely capacity acquisition, opportunity and penalty due to loss in QoS

Telekom ağlarında kademeli fiyatlandırmayla kapasite kiralanması ve iş dağılımı

Bu çalışmada bir şirketin, birden fazla tedarikçiden ağ kapasitesi kiralarken karşılaşılacağı eniyileme problemi incelenmiştir. Problem ele alınırken, bir firmanın veri ağları üzerinde gerçekleştirebileceği işler sabit zamanlı ve sabit boyutlu işler olmak üzere başlıca iki kategoriye ayrılmıştır. Bu iki kategorideki işlerin ihtiyaç duydukları zaman ve bant genişlikleri ile kalite gereksinimleri oldukça farklıdır. Bu nedenle çalışmada; farklı fiyat, kalite ve görev dağılımlarının firmaların optimal davranışını nasıl etkilediği analiz edilmiştir. Problemin karmaşıklığını biraz olsun azaltmak amacıyla, kaynak ve talep hazır olduğu sürece, kapasite için bir üst limit bulunmadığı ve kapasitenin limitsiz olduğu varsayılmıştır. Firmaların bu maliyet en küçültme problemi modellenirken, Courcoubetis ve diğerlerinin (2000a) önerdiği her bir tedarikçinin doğru parçalarından oluşan dışbükey doğrusal amaç fonksiyonuna sahip olduğu kademeli (tax-band) fiyatlandırma politikası dikkate alınmış ve amaç fonksiyonu iki tür maliyeti yansıtacak şekilde oluşturulmuştur. Bu maliyetlerden ilki, tedarikçilerin farklı fiyat seviyelerini yansıtan satın alma maliyetidir. İkinci maliyet ise, son teslim tarihlerinin kaçırılması veya vadelerin geçirilmesi, kalitenin düşmesinden kaynaklanan maliyetler ve karar merci bilinçli olarak hizmet niteliği düzeyini düşürdüğünde veya başka bir tedarikçiye yöneldiğinde meydana gelen hizmet niteliği değişim maliyeti gibi olası fırsat maliyetleridir. Ayrıca, gevşetilmiş problemin çözümünde daha iyi bir alt sınır elde etmek için Genelleştirilmiş Bender Ayrıştırma (Generalized Bender’s Decompomposition – GBD) algoritması uygulanmıştır

User acceptance of shuttle bus decision support system based on smartphone probes

One of the most common procedures in service transport is to adjust the service location information of the passengers or the bus stops. Service companies assign a staff to update service information. These staff prepare lists of passengers and give them to service drivers. In this study, a model is proposed to facilitate the process of updating the service. With the smartphone application, a platform has been prepared in which passengers can automatically update their service information by selecting one of the three closest stops offered to them before the service hour. After development and implementation, its user acceptance is tested and validated via the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model and structural equation modeling. The main purpose of this study is to determine the acceptance and use of the mobile passenger application by the passengers. In this context, the moderator effect of the frequency of mobile use of passengers, education levels, genders, and ages on the performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating condition, behavioral intention, and use behavior of passenger mobile applications was examined. As a result of the research, it was found out that the frequency of mobile usage has a moderator effect on both the effect of facilitation conditions on the actual use and the effect of behavioral intention on actual use. And also, it appears that the education level has a moderator effect on the effect of facilitating conditions on the actual use, and gender has a moderator effect on the effect of behavioral intention on the actual use. The proposed decision support system reduces the workload of service companies and facilitates the process, which is normally long and painful. Thus, customer satisfaction also increases. Hence, position and stop information between the service firm, passengers, and the drivers is easily and instantly shared

A fuzzy long-term investment planning model for a genco in a hybrid electricity market considering climate change impacts

We study the long-term generation capacity investment problem of an independent power generation company (GenCo) that functions in an environment where GenCos perform business with both bilateral contracts (BC) and transactions in the day-ahead market (DAM). A fuzzy mixed integer linear programming model with a fuzzy objective and fuzzy constraints is developed to incorporate the impacts of imprecision/uncertainty in the economic environment on the calculation of the optimal value of the GenCo’s objective function. In formulating the fuzzy objective function we also include the potential impacts of climate change on the energy output of hydroelectric power plants. In addition to formulating and solving the capacity planning/investment problem, we also performed scenario-based (sensitivity) analysis to explore how investment decisions of the GenCos change when fuzziness (tolerance) in the maximum energy output of hydroelectric units and/or drought expectation increases. The proposed model is novel and investigates the effects of factors like drought expectations of climate changes, hydroelectric power plant investments, and other power generation technology investment options