THE MAXIMUM CAPTURE PROBLEM IN A WEIGHTED NETWORK*

ABSTRACT. In this paper, a conditional location problem on a weighted network is examined. Attraction functions are defined and the problem is formulated as a mixed integer program. A method which simultaneously locates an additional facility on the given network and optimizes its weight is then described. A numerical example is provided.     

The Persistence of Milpa Agriculture in Highland Guatemala1

In southwestern Guatemala, within the western realms of the basin of Quezaltenango, peasants have maintained the traditional system of milpa agriculture in the face of repeated cultural intrusions. The Spanish conquest resulted in the adoption of a plethora of tools, crops and domesticated animals that modified, but did not alter the basic character of the milpa. The milpa system has evolved more recently to accommodate the production of cash crops, principally wheat and potatoes. Chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and improved varieties of seed have been accepted as necessary adjuncts in the production of these crops. In contradiction of the counsel of well-intentioned advisors, however, the Guatemalan peasants persist in their adherence to the traditional milpa. Many Westerners are inclined to regard this as irrational behavior. Although not capable of articulating fully all of the subtle advantages of milpa agriculture, the majority of the region's peasants perceive the milpa as an economically secure and culturally compatible agricultural system that has evolved on a trial-and-error basis over a long period of time. This is not to suggest that the subsistence-oriented milpa will not ultimately give way to the commercialization of agriculture, as has occurred to a limited degree elsewhere in Guatemala. Given the veneration of maize as embodied in rituals and native religious beliefs, however, agricultural commercialization will likely occur only to the extent that the peasant perceives the potential monetary gain to outweigh the security and cultural good embodied in the traditional customs and practices.     

Ethical consumption? There's an app for that. Digital technologies and everyday consumption practices

Ethical consumption mobile phone apps are increasingly popular. These apps allow consumers to scan the barcodes of products they are considering purchasing and determine whether or not they align with their ethics. App technologies are often applauded for their potential to provide consumers with targeted, crowd-sourced information about products while shopping and to foster more political, and less individualistic, consumption practices by connecting users to one another and to campaigns. There is a growing field of scholarship conceptually examining the role of information and digital technologies in ethical consumption. However, there is little empirical research on how consumers engage with ethical consumption apps in everyday ways. Drawing on an in-depth study with 21 participants, this paper explores how app use mediates people's experiences of ethical consumption. We contend that the app design structures and limits how individuals engage in ethically motivated consumption and influences their conceptualizations of ethical consumption as a political practice. We conclude by illustrating that critically examining what it means to be “ethical” in a digital world is a crucial area of research for geographers, particularly as these ethics play out through the everyday use of mobile technologies.