Search results for "Profit"
showing 10 items of 406 documents
A matheuristic for the Team Orienteering Arc Routing Problem
2015
In the Team OrienteeringArc Routing Problem (TOARP) the potential customers are located on the arcs of a directed graph and are to be chosen on the basis of an associated profit. A limited fleet of vehicles is available to serve the chosen customers. Each vehicle has to satisfy a maximum route duration constraint. The goal is to maximize the profit of the served customers. We propose a matheuristic for the TOARP and test it on a set of benchmark instances for which the optimal solution or an upper bound is known. The matheuristic finds the optimal solutions on all, except one, instances of one of the four classes of tested instances (with up to 27 vertices and 296 arcs). The average error o…
“Let’s make lots of money”: the determinants of performance in the recorded music sector
2017
This research analyzes the performance of 467 record labels in eight European countries over a period of 13 years (2003-2015). The main goal is to explain a relative measure of profitability in terms of observed variables, although the nature of the dataset also allows us to include non-observed firm and country effects. To this end alternative models are estimated and three main research questions are tested, namely: (1) the effect of the dual structure of the recorded music market, in which a competitive segment and an oligopoly coexist; (2) the extent and source of the volatility of profits in record labels; and (3) the nonlinear impact of size on performance.
Fruit yield and quality responses of apple cvars Gala and Fuji to partial rootzone drying under Mediterranean conditions
2012
SUMMARYIncreasing irrigation efficiency is a major goal for fruit production in dry Mediterranean environments. The present study was conducted in three consecutive years (2007–09) under typical Mediterranean conditions and tested the effect of partial rootzone drying (PRD) on yield and fruit quality of two apple cultivars: Gala, with fruit maturing in summer and Fuji, with fruit maturing in autumn. Three irrigation treatments were imposed: conventional irrigation (CI), PRD (0·50 of CI water on one side of the rootzone, which was alternated periodically) and continuous deficit irrigation (DI, 0·50 of CI water on both sides of the rootzone). During the 2008 and 2009 irrigation seasons, DI re…
Economic sustainability of early potato production in the Mediterranean area
2014
The interactions between a given commercial enterpr ise, its territory and development, have become a key issue in recent years. Theories of economic dev elopment tell us that a territory may undergo development provided viable, economically sustainab le commercial activities exist. Based on the latter postulate, the present paper analyzes the economic sustainability of farming enterprises growing early potatoes in a Mediterranean setting. In particular, the study was conducted in south-eastern Sicily, island in the centre of the Mediterranean. The resu lts underscore their modest profitability, mainly d ue to a lack of entrepreneurial strategies aimed at en hancing production. This situati…
The scent of Mare Nostrum : medicinal and aromatic plants in Mediterranean soils
2012
In the Mediterranean area, the simultaneous occurrence of pedological, climatic and economic constraints often sets a limit on the profitability of agriculture, and farmers are forced to grow a reduced number of species, dealing with a secure—albeit low—market income. The introduction of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) inside the current farming systems could represent a useful means to meet the multifunctional role of agriculture: producing safe food, in respect of the environment, and contributing to the development of rural areas. The study of the relationships between MAPs and the soils in which they may be grown may have two approaches: (1) the evaluation of yield and qualitative …
R&D WITH SPILLOVERS: MONOPOLY VERSUS NONCOOPERATIVE AND COOPERATIVE DUOPOLY
2010
This paper compares industry profit and R&D propensity for a duopoly conducting either noncooperative or cooperative R&D and a monopoly, using two different basic models of strategic R&D. One postulates spillovers in R&D inputs and predicts that equilibrium joint profit and R&D levels are always larger under monopoly. The other postulates spillovers in R&D outputs and sometimes predicts that joint profit and R&D levels are larger under either of the alternative scenarios. In addition, unlike input spillovers, spillovers in R&D outputs sometimes exert a positive effect on both effective and private noncooperative R&D levels.
Cost and profit efficiency in the Spanish banking sector (1985–1996): a non-parametric approach
2003
The aim of this article is to analyse the efficiency in costs and in profits of the Spanish banking sector (SBS) in the period 1985–1996 using a non-parametric approach. The results obtained show the existence of profit efficiency levels well below those corresponding to cost efficiency, alternative profit efficiency being below standard profit efficiency. These results imply the existence of market power in the setting of prices and/or the existence of differences in the quality of bank output reflected in the differences in prices. With regard to the immediate future, of full economic and monetary integration, the reduction of profit levels associated with higher competitive pressure may …
The Impact of Exchange Rate Fluctuations on Profit Margins: The UK Car Market, 1971–2002
2007
We investigate the impact on profit margins of exchange rate fluctuations in order to examine optimal pricing policy by source countries in the UK car market. We first estimate a nested logit deman...
Revisiting the Mathematical Difficulties in Patinkin Cartel Model and Joint Profit Maximization
2015
We discuss the mathematical difficulties encountered in Patinkin's classical cartel model. It may be impossible to derive Patinkin's cartel by finding the reciprocal marginal cost functions: it could be impossible for cartel members to compute a solution, unless certain assumptions are made to simplify the problem, such as quasi-linear marginal costs or constant marginal costs. The total cost function is incoherent with respect to the sum of members' total cost. The model cannot handle constant marginal costs but we remind that de Mesnard's (2009, 2011) model of cartel with exogenous market shares allow solving the problem. We conclude that the Patinkin model of cartel is not so self-eviden…
Culture at work: how culture affects workplace behaviors
2014
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to give structure to the argument that “culture matters.” Further, the aim is to show how cultural differences shape the use of incentives within firms and point toward culturally affected degrees of efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – The paper incorporates differences in the evaluation of the stimuli money, order, and monitoring into a simple efficiency wage model. Profit maximizing firms are assumed. Findings – It is found that the use of incentives should respect the cultural surrounding. Data from a real-world analysis can partly be explained with this model, which was not done before. Research limitations/implications – The major limitation…