Designing Reliable Center Systems: A Vector Assignment Center Location Problem

The p‐center problem is one of the most important models in location theory. Its objective is to place a fixed number of facilities so that the maximum service distance for all customers is as small as possible. This article develops a reliable p‐center problem that can account for system vulnerability and facility failure. A basic assumption is that located centers can fail with a given probability and a customer will fall back to the closest nonfailing center for service. The proposed model seeks to minimize the expected value of the maximum service distance for a service system. In addition, the proposed model is general and can be used to solve other fault‐tolerant center location problems such as the (p, q)‐center problem using appropriate assignment vectors. I present an integer programming formulation of the model and computational experiments, and then conclude with a summary of findings and point out possible future work.     

旅行社顾客教育、顾客的心理受权及消费价值之间的关系

本文在文献研究的基础上,提出一个包含顾客教育、顾客心理受权及消费价值的研究模型,并利用作者在旅行社收集的数据,对模型进行了实证检验。数据分析结果表明:顾客教育对顾客心理受权有显著的直接正向影响;顾客心理受权对顾客感知的风险有显著的直接负向影响,对顾客感知的消费价值有显著的直接正向影响。本次研究结果丰富了学术界在顾客教育、顾客受权的研究成果,对旅行社通过顾客教育增强顾客心理受权感,进而提高顾客感知的消费价值有一定的参考价值。     

UNIFORM SPATIAL PRICING

ABSTRACT Uniform spatial pricing means that a firm delivers its product to any customer at a fixed price, independent of location. Economic theory explains the use of uniform pricing by the added profit generated by absorbing freight charges of distant customers. I extend this insight by demonstrating that when demand elasticity and transportation cost are positively enough correlated, uniform pricing generates higher profits than mill pricing. I show that this result can better explain observed patterns of price policy choice by mail order and web firms. A second result is application of this idea to firms with many shipping facilities.     

Determining Market Areas Captured by Competitive Facilities: A Continuous Equilibrium Modeling Approach

Many existing models concerning locations and market areas of competitive facilities assume that customers patronize a facility based on distance to that facility, or perhaps on a function of distances between the customer and the different facilities available. Customers are generally assumed to be located at certain discrete demand points in a two-dimensional space, or continuously distributed over a one-dimensional line segment. In this paper these assumptions are relaxed by employment of a continuum optimization model to characterize the equilibrium choice behavior of customers for a given set of competitive facilities over a heterogeneous two-dimensional space. Customers are assumed to be scattered continuously over the space and each customer is assumed to choose a facility based on both congested travel time to the facility and on the attributes of the facility. The model is formulated as a calculus of variations problem and its optimality conditions are shown to be equivalent to the spatial customer-choice equilibrium conditions. An efficient numerical method using finite element technique is proposed and illustrated with a numerical example.     

LOCATING OUTSIDE A LINEAR CITY CAN BENEFIT CONSUMERS*

ABSTRACT We investigate the effects of restricting the locations of firms in Hotelling duopoly models. In standard location‐price models, the equilibrium distance between firms is too great from the viewpoint of consumer welfare. Thus, restricting the locations of firms and shortening the distance between them improves consumer welfare by reducing prices and transport costs. We introduce strategic reward contracts into location‐price models and find that, in contrast to the above result, restrictions on the locations of firms reduce consumer welfare. These restrictions reduce transport costs but increase prices by changing the strategic commitments of the firms.     

在线旅游服务提供者顾客需求知识的探索性研究——基于在线旅游服务提供者和顾客的调查

在线旅游的快速发展对在线旅游服务提供商提出了新的要求。与实体环境下的旅游服务提供者类似,在线旅游服务提供者也需要准确识别顾客需求,尤其是个体消费者的需求,进而进行精准营销。现有关于顾客需求知识的研究主要针对员工-顾客服务界面,在线旅游服务发生于人-机交互界面,服务提供者顾客需求知识的内涵和构成有待进一步深入探讨。本文通过对在线旅游服务企业的员工和使用在线旅游服务的顾客进行深入访谈,归纳了在线旅游服务提供者顾客需求知识的内涵、获取顾客需求知识的方式以及在这一过程中顾客扮演的角色,并提出了管理建议。     

西安大唐芙蓉园国内游憩利用价值评估

近年来,旅游资源的游憩价值评估受到越来越多的关注,对旅游资源进行评估是对其合理开发利用的前提。西安大唐芙蓉园是以唐文化著称的主题公园,本文选用基于分区的多目的地旅行费用法(MZTC)对其国内游憩利用价值进行了评估,由评估结果可知,大唐芙蓉园的旅游资源具有相当大的游憩开发潜力,为国内TCM今后的研究提供案例和借鉴。另外,基于分区的多目的地旅行费用法(MZTC)在此处应用相对合理,对于与大唐芙蓉园所处区位类似的历史文化主题公园或旅游地也可应用此方法进行评估。     

Duopoly prices under congested access*

Abstract. Consider two firms, at different locations, supplying a homogenous good at constant marginal production cost. Consumers incur travel costs to the firm for each unit purchased, and the travel costs increase with the amount of travel to each firm (congestion). When all traffic and all congestion are generated by travel to a duopolist, both the Nash–Bertrand equilibrium prices and the Nash–Cournot equilibrium prices exceed the sum of the marginal production cost and the marginal external travel cost. However, when the road is shared by travelers to the duopolists' facilities and travelers in competitive markets, the Nash–Bertrand duopoly price equals the competitive price and the Nash–Cournot price contains a markup.     

旅游服务顾客满意度模型实证研究

作者在文献研究的基础上,构建旅游服务顾客满意度模型,并在广州某餐馆和某宾馆向顾客收集数据,对模型进行实证检验。数据分析结果表明：服务公平性和顾客的消费情感是旅游服务顾客满意程度的重要决定因素;对不同的服务质量属性,实绩和期望与实绩之差对顾客满意度的作用过程不同;顾客的期望对顾客满意度并没有直接影响。     

Uniform Pricing Versus Mill Pricing

This paper analyzes the coexistence of different pricing strategies. The purpose is to discuss how firms that are limited to uniform pricing affect the outcome of price competition among mill–price–setting firms. Price competition among (three) firms that are restricted to mill pricing is analyzed within the classic Hotelling framework and uniform–price–setting firms are considered as first movers. If uniform–price–setting firms deliver any good, they effectively separate mill–price–setting firms from each other. Finally, it is shown that price competition among first movers strengthens the effects of cross–type price competition.     

Hotelling Games with Three,Four, and More Players*

Abstract. This paper extends the interval Hotelling model with quadratic transport costs to the n‐player case. For a large set of locations including potential equilibrium configurations, we show for n > 2 that firms neither maximize differentiation—as in the duopoly model—nor minimize differentiation—as in the multi‐firm game with linear transport cost. Subgame perfect equilibria for games with up to nine players are characterized by a U‐shaped price structure and interior corner firm locations. Results are driven by an asymmetry between firms. Interior firms are weaker competitors than their rivals at the corners. Increasing the number of firms shifts even more power to the corner firms. As a result, there is too much differentiation from the social perspective if n ≤ 3, while adding firms leads to a level of differentiation in equilibrium below the social optimum.     

主题酒店顾客感知服务质量与购后行为的关系研究——基于深圳市主题酒店的实证研究

主题酒店是未来酒店业的发展趋势,是顾客需求升级和酒店业市场竞争加剧的产物。本研究基于顾客感知服务质量的三因素模型和购后行为模式,根据主题酒店的服务特征,构建适合主题酒店服务质量与购后行为关系的计量量表,并以深圳市的六家主题酒店顾客为调查对象展开问卷调查,收集数据,采用结构方程分析软件进行数据分析。根据实证研究结果,对概念模型进行验证,分析主题酒店服务质量与其客人购后行为之间的关系,提出主题酒店改进服务质量的相关建议。     

旅游预订网站顾客所感知的关系利益对顾客忠诚感的影响——兼论替代者吸引力的调节作用

作者通过对在线旅游预订网站顾客进行实证调研,研究顾客感知的关系利益对顾客忠诚感的影响,以及替代产品／服务吸引力对关系利益与顾客忠诚感之间关系的调节作用。数据分析结果表明：在网络预订环境中,顾客获得的信任利益、社交利益和特殊待遇利益都会对顾客忠诚感产生影响。其中特殊待遇利益对顾客忠诚感的正向影响最大,其次是信任利益,而社交利益会对顾客忠诚感产生负向影响。替代者的吸引力大小对顾客感知的信任利益、社交利益和特殊待遇利益与顾客忠诚感之间的相互关系均有显著的调节作用。论文对研究结果进行了讨论,提出了相关的管理建议。     

A SPATIAL COMPETITION APPROACH TO CENTRAL PLACE THEORY: SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES*

ABSTRACT. This paper investigates the potential offered by the model of spatial competition for the study of central place theory. We consider n firms selling m substitutable or complementary goods to a continuum of consumers evenly distributed along a linear segment. Consumers have the same income and the same utility function which is quadratic in the goods supplied by the firms and linear in the numeraire. The main results are as follows. (1) In any location equilibrium in which all goods are consumed everywhere, each good supplied by a single firm is sold at the market center. In Christaller's terminology, this means that when the exhaustive principle holds in equilibrium, highest-order goods are made available at the center. (2) When all goods (excluding the numéraire) are complements to each other and each good is sold by a single firm, there always exists an equilibrium in which all the firms locate coincidentally. (3) If the stores selling a given good are under the control of a single owner then, in any equilibrium for which the exhaustive principle holds, the stores are located in a way such that the total transport cost (borne by consumers) is minimized.     

Multiple Facilities Location in the Plane Using the Gravity Model

Two problems are considered in this article. Both problems seek the location of p facilities. The first problem is the p median where the total distance traveled by customers is minimized. The second problem focuses on equalizing demand across facilities by minimizing the variance of total demand attracted to each facility. These models are unique in that the gravity rule is used for the allocation of demand among facilities rather than assuming that each customer selects the closest facility. In addition, we also consider a multiobjective approach, which combines the two objectives. We propose heuristic solution procedures for the problem in the plane. Extensive computational results are presented.     

Cournot Retail Chains

In this paper a model of spatial Cournot competition among retail firms is devised and used to assess the effect of a variety of structural factors on retail prices and profits. The model illustrates the spatial chain of interaction that firms must anticipate to reach equilibrium when organized in chains or as independents. It shows the sensitivity of price to the location of stores, the number of stores per location, and transportation cost.     

CAN REGIONALIZATION OF LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICES INCREASE A REGION'S WEALTH?*

ABSTRACT. In the presence of agglomeration and congestion externalities the sequence of location choices made by firms results in an inefficient distribution of economic activity, since individual firms do not bear the congestion costs they impose on other firms. In this paper, we model the interaction of public authority service strategies and firm location choices. We show that a self-interested regional authority can effect a welfare-improving distribution of economic activity when compared with an economy without an authority or an economy with local authorities. However, we also show that the conditions under which the authority would induce a welfare enhancing distribution depends on the authority's strategic posture, as well as the nature and size of public subsidies for the authority. The conditions necessary for a regional authority to choose an efficiency enhancing strategy may be difficult to achieve.     

沉没成本、制度环境与企业出口地理动态

本文使用2002-2011年中国海关出口数据,探究成本视角下企业出口地理动态和作用机制。实证结果表明企业出口活动和邻近企业溢出均对企业在出口市场上的进入和退出存在显著双面性影响：企业出口活动不利于企业进入新市场,但利于企业继续留在国外已有市场中;邻近企业溢出为企业进入新市场创造了有利条件,但加快了企业从已有市场退出。本文还发现在市场化程度较低和政府干预程度较高的地区,企业出口活动和邻近企业溢出发挥的“双面性”影响明显。这意味地方制度环境能影响中国企业出口地理动态,塑造了企业出口的动机和策略。     

Culturally clustered or in the cloud? How amenities drive firm location decision in Berlin

Creative firms are neither capital‐ nor land‐intensive in production. They predominantly rely on creative and specialized labor and, assuming a strong competition for workers, are therefore increasingly dependent on the location of their (potential) employees. If these creative and highly qualified employees are attracted by consumption amenities such as bars, clubs, and restaurants, then it follows that these same amenities may determine the location of creative service firms. I investigate this hypothesis by examining whether Berlin Internet start‐up firms locate in urban amenity‐rich places. Identification builds on the fall of the Berlin Wall. A 1 percent increase in amenity density raises the probability of a start‐up location by almost 2 percent. A comparison with other service industries suggests that amenities are significant to the location choice of creative sectors, whereas no effect can be observed for nonreative firms.     

上海大都市区物联网产业集聚与空间演化

新兴技术产业的空间集聚与扩散对大都市区的空间结构有直接的影响,厘清新兴技术产业的空间分布和区位选择规律对新兴产业集群培育和大都市区空间结构调整都具有重要的政策意义。本文分析了上海市物联网企业的空间分布和集聚特征,结果发现初创期物联网企业在郊区集聚,随后向郊区其他区域扩散,并呈现出从单极向多极集聚转变的空间演化进程。通过构建负二项回归探究上海物联网企业的区位选择因素,结果表明制度因素和企业集聚效应对企业区位选择有重要影响。在产业发展初创期,企业区位选择受政府管制和市场机制双重影响,其中制度因素发挥了关键作用;而在随后的兴起期,产业集聚效应对新企业的入驻具有强大的吸引力。