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Vom 18. bis 20. September 1974 trafen sich wiederum über 300 OR-Fachleute und am Operations Research Interessierte zu der inzwischen schon zur Tradition gewordenen Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft ftir Operations Research, um Erfahrungen aus­ zutauschen, über Probleme und Methoden zu diskutieren, und um ihren Beitrag zum Fortschritt des Operations Research zu leisten. Man traf sich dieses Mal in der in vielen Hinsichten äußerst reizvollen Stadt Würzburg, die einen zugleich würdevollen als auch'anregenden Rahmen ftir den Gedankenaustausch bot. Die Tatsache, daß Würzburg der Sitz des Physica-Verlags ist, der die DGOR dankens­ werterweise dorthin eingeladen hatte, ist einer der Gründe daftir, daß wir bereits zwei Monate nach Abschluß der Tagung die 35 Vorträge umfassenden Proceedings vorlegen können. Die Autoren dieser Beiträge stammen aus Deutschland und Österreich, und sie sind wie­ derum sowohl in der Praxis als auch in den Hochschulen tätig. Es ist daher wiederum nicht verwunderlich, daß das Spektrum der Beiträge von recht theoretischen Vorträgen bis zu Berichten über praktische Anwendungen längst bekannter OR-Verfahren reicht. Wir verstehen diese Zusammensetzung des Tagungsprogrammes als einen Teil der Einlö­ sung des Versprechens, daß die DGOR die Aktivitäten, sowohl der DGU als auch des AKOR fortzuführen bereit und gewillt ist.

This book includes a selection of refereed papers presented at the'Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society (OR2016),'which took place at the Helmut-Schmidt-Universität / Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg, Germany, Aug. 30 - Sept. 2, 2016. Over 700 practitioners and academics from mathematics, computer science, business/economics, and related fields attended the conference. The scientific program included around 475 presentations on the theme Analytical Decision Making, focusing on the process of researching complex decision problems and devising effective solution methods towards better decisions. The book presents papers discussing classical mathematical optimization, statistics and simulation techniques. Such approaches are complemented by computer science methods and tools for the processing of data and the design and implementation of information systems. The book also examines recent advances in information technology, which allow big data volumes to be treated and enable real-time predictive and prescriptive business analytics to drive decisions and actions. Further, it includes problems modeled and treated under consideration of uncertainty, risk management, behavioral issues, and strategic decision situations.

This book contains substantially extended and revised versions of the best papers from the 15th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, ICEIS 2013, held in Angers, France, in July 2013.The 29 full and two invited papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 321 submissions. They reflect state-of-the-art research focusing mainly on real-world applications and highlight the benefits of information systems and technology for industry and services, thus connecting academia with the world of real enterprises.The topics covered are: databases and information systems integration, artificial intelligence and decision support systems, information systems analysis and specification, software agents and Internet computing, human–computer interaction, and enterprise architecture.

Theodor Fontane sagte: Ein guter Spruch ist die Wahrheit eines ganzen Buches in einem einzigen Satz. Mit diesem Naschlagewerk sind Sie immer gut gerüstet, wenn Sie nach einer gelungenen Einleitung für eine Rede oder nach einer pointierten Aussage für eine Diskussion suchen. Über 3.000 sorgfältig ausgewählte Zitate von zahlreichen Persönlichkeiten aus Management, Literatur und Politik helfen Ihnen, Ihre eigenen Gedanken auf den Punkt zu bringen. Ein ausführliches Sach- und Personenregister erleichtert die Suche nach dem passenden Ausspruch. Die zusätzliche Sortierung nach Themen hilft Ihnen, für jeden Anlass ein treffendes Zitat zu finden.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Agent-Mediated Electronic Commerce, AMEC 2002, held in Bologna, Italy in July 2002 during the AAMAS 2002 conference. The 20 revised full papers presented together with an introductory survey by the volume editors were carefully selected and improved during two rounds of reviewing and revision. The book gives a unique overview of the state of the art of designing mechanisms and systems for agent-mediated e-commerce- The papers are organized in topical sections on electronic auctions, negotiations, and electronic markets.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Perspectives in Business Informatics Research, BIR 2020. The conference was initially planned to be held in Vienna, Austria, during September 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was postponed to be held together with BIR 2021. The 14 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 48 submissions. The papers were organized in topical sections as follows: Digital Transformation and Technology Acceptance; Multi-perspective Enterprise Models and Frameworks; Supporting Information Systems Development; Literature and Conceptual Analysis; and Value Creation and Value Management.

The paper coordinated by Prof. Dr. Bogdan Cristian Onete is a topical subject in the context of the present informational era. It suggests a distinct approach regarding social media and the peer-to-peer platforms from the perspective of the quality of services and collaborative consumption. The research of the paper includes a quantitative research regarding the implications of peer-to-peer platforms concerning the consumer, and a qualitative research with regards to social media and its degree of influence on the quality of services. This research presents many interesting findings regarding the consumer perception of quality of services in the context of the sharing economy. These findings are valuable for all parties working in the domain of the sharing economy or collaborative consumption.

Are you a current or aspiring Ph.D. student determined to overcome the challenges that lie ahead? Do not let statistics discourage you, because this comprehensive guide is here to help you defy the odds and reach the pinnacle of academic achievement. With failure rates hovering between 40% and 50%, it is crucial to equip yourself with the right skills to ensure your success. In this book, you will embark on a transformative journey toward becoming a confident and accomplished scholar. This book takes a meticulous approach, addressing the six essential skills every Ph.D. student must possess: research, writing, presentation, time management, persistence, and collaboration. Each chapter delves into the significance of these skills within the Ph.D. process, explores the necessary competences, and provides practical strategies for their acquisition. Armed with numerous tips, tricks, and actionable advice, this invaluable resource empowers you to optimize your performance throughout your Ph.D. journey. Within these pages, you will discover how to assess your current skill set, identify areas for improvement, and develop a personalized academic development plan. With the aid of many informative figures and tables, you will find quick and easy access to expert guidance. Do not let uncertainty and self-doubt hinder your progress. “Unlocking PhD Success” is your roadmap to triumph, supporting you every step of the way as you conquer the challenges of doctoral studies. Embrace this book as your trusted companion, and unlock your full potential as an exceptional Ph.D. candidate.

This book covers high-quality peer-reviewed research papers presented at the 18th International Symposium of Organizational Sciences (SymOrg 2022) held in Belgrade, Serbia, from 11 to 14 June 2022. The aim of the book is providing stimulative framework for readers to explore viable alternatives and indicate implications for the post-pandemic world. Researchers from academia and industry present their original work focusing on different aspects of sustainable management and digital transformation including blockchain technology, business analytics, e-business, innovation, digital operations and logistics management, financial industry, public administration, lean business systems, digital transformation projects, human resources, marketing and communication, and quality and standardization. The chapters could be useful for industry experts, research institutions, universities, and all others who share a common interest in contemporary organizational sciences.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Serviceology for Services, held in Osaka, Japan, in March 2020.The 16 full papers and 3 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 58 submissions. The papers are organized around the following topics: hospitality management; service innovation and employee engagement; service marketing and consumer behavior; customer experience and service design; service engineering and implementation.

Research collaboration is a critical enabler for scientific knowledge production and innovation but poses significant challenges, particularly if it is carried out in a distributed and geographically dispersed fashion. Jens-Henrik Soeldner investigates how social research networking sites can help make scientific collaboration in management research more productive and successful. The author builds on a comprehensive literature review and two empirical studies to elucidate how social research networking sites can be leveraged for various research-related tasks.

This book reports new developments in applied econometrics. All papers originated in two international workshops that were organized in the University of Munich on July 6-7, 1989, and on January 11 - 12, 1990. Financial support for these conferences by the University of Munich and the Thyssen Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. Since then all papers were substantially revised and updated. We wish to thank all authors for their patience with the revisions and Thomas Bauer, Lucie Merkle and Gisela Loos for editorial help. The ftrst section of the book collects contributions that address new'Methodological Developments'. Two of them deal with problems in microeconometrics, the other two consider multi-equation systems. Martin Kukuk and Gerd Ronning treat'Ordinal Variables in Microeconometric Models'. They especially deal with the case of limited-dependent variable models where some exogenous variables are either measured on an interval scale or a nominal scale. They discuss and compare two methods to deal with the problem. In his paper on'Goodness of Fit in Qualitative Choice Models: Review and Evaluation', Klaus F. Zimmermann investigates methods to summarize the predictive quality of models that deal with discrete alternatives. For these models, a widely accepted measure for evaluation like the R2, as in the case of ordinary least squares, does not exist. The paper summarizes the literature and suggests reasonable choices for evaluation on the basis of large-scale Monte Carlo investigations.

The First International Conference on Insurance Solvency was held at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from June 18th through June 20th, 1986. The conference was the inaugural event for Wharton's Center for Research on Risk and Insurance. In atten­ dance were thirty-nine representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The papers presented at the Conference are published in two volumes, this book and a companion volume, Classical Insurance Solvency Theory, J. D. Cummins and R. A. Derrig, eds. (Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1988). The first volume presented two papers reflecting important advances in actuarial solvency theory. The current volume goes beyond the actuarial approach to encom­ pass papers applying the insights and techniques of financial economics. The papers fall into two groups. The first group con­ sists of papers that adopt an essentially actuarial or statistical ap­ proach to solvency modelling. These papers represent methodology advances over prior efforts at operational modelling of insurance companies. The emphasis is on cash flow analysis and many of the models incorporate investment income, inflation, taxation, and other economic variables. The papers in second group bring financial economics to bear on various aspects of solvency analysis. These papers discuss insurance applications of asset pricing models, capital structure theory, and the economic theory of agency.

The proceedings of the'Economics and Business Competitiveness International Conference'(EBCICON) provides a selection of papers, either research results or literature reviews, on business transformation in the digital era. Nine major subject areas, comprising accounting and governance, customer relations, entrepreneurship, environmental issues, finance and investment, human capital, industrial revolution 4.0, international issues, and operations and supply chain management are presented in the proceedings. These papers will provide new insights into the knowledge and practice of business and economics in the digital era. Therefore, parties involved in business and economics such as academics, practitioners, business leaders, and others will be interested in the contents of the proceedings.

This volume of Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics includes selected papers from the 24th Eurasia Business and Economics Society (EBES) Conference, held in Bangkok. The theoretical and empirical papers gathered here cover diverse areas of business and management from different geographic regions; yet the main focus is on the latest findings on evolving marketing methods, analytics, communication standards, and their effects on customer value and engagement. The volume also includes related studies that analyze sustainable consumer behavior, and business strategy-related topics such as cross-border restructuring, quality management standards, and the internationalization of SMEs.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Conference on Scalable Uncertainty Management, SUM 2007, held in Washington, DC, USA, in October 2007. The 20 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions for inclusion in the book. The papers address artificial intelligence researchers, database researchers and practitioners.

This book features research presented and discussed during the Research & Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) 2023. As such, this book offers a unique insight into emerging topics, issues and developments pertinent to the fields of technology, innovation and education and their social impact. Papers included in this book apply inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to query such issues as technology-enhanced teaching and learning, smart cities, information systems, cognitive computing and social networking. What brings these threads of the discussion together is the question of how advances in computer science—which are otherwise largely incomprehensible to researchers from other fields—can be effectively translated and capitalized on so as to make them beneficial for society as a whole. In this context, Rii Forum and Rii Forum proceedings offer an essential venue where diverse stakeholders, including academics, the think tank sector and decision-makers, can engage in a meaningful dialogue with a view to improving the applicability of advances in computer science.

The ffiM Japan International Symposium Energy and Environment - Global Warming was held in the Keidanren Guesthouse at the foot of Mt. Fuji, from October 21 to 24, 1990. The symposium was conducted in the context of ffiM Japan's longstanding commitment to good corporate citizenship. On this beautiful planet with its inter-dependent waters, lands and atmo­ sphere, we consider that the problems relating to the global environment are the most serious that the human race will face in the near future. The symposium provided an opportunity for forty scientists and researchers, from a wide variety of international backgrounds, to address matters relating to the global environment in an international forum. Eighteen papers were presented followed by panel and group discussions, on which the concluding remarks and recommendations are based. We chose three types of papers to target different aspects of the condition of the global environment: the natural science component; the socio-economic component; and the energy component which links these two. On the first day the symposium began with a plenary speech by Dr. J. Kondo followed by three keynote speeches, each with a particular focus. The following day, six speakers offered papers relating to the previous day's keynote speeches.

This book arises from a meeting held at Wiston House, Sussex, UK, in September 1987. The meeting brought together academic, governmental and industrial experts from eight countries to discuss the increasingly important sUbject of the relations between civil and defence technologies. It was primarily funded under the Advanced Research Workshops Programme of NATO's Scientific Affairs Division, and was the first science policy workshop funded by the Programme. Additional financial support came from the Leverhulme Trust. The choice of topic, of speakers and, finally, of papers to be published was entirely ours. The conclusions reached were our own and those of the partIcipants. They were not in any way guided by NATO; nor do they represent NATO policy. We speak for all the participants in offering our thanks to the NATO SCIentific Affairs Division, especially Secretary General Durand and Dr. Craig Sinclair, for rnei r- generosity and encouragement. WIthout them this book would not exist. We thank the Leverhulme Trust for enabling assistance to be provided to the Workshop Directors, in the form of lain Bate, who himself played a major part in the success of the meeting. The staff of Wiston House must also be thanked for prOViding an admirable environment for the meeting. For secretarial support prior to the meeting we thank Gill Miller and Lesley Price. Finally, we offer special thanks to Mrs. Yvonne Aspinall for converting all the papers, in whatever state they were presented, into camera-ready copy with such professionalism and gOOd humour.

Das vorliegende Buch ist die zweite Veröffentlichung innerhalb der Reihe'Afrika-Studien', die über den rein wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Bereich hinausgeht und sich mit sozialwissenschaftliehen Fragen im weiten Sinne des 1 Wortes befaßt. Es ist eine systematische und zum Teil kritisch-analytische Bestandsaufnahme der Forschungstätigkeit der letzten zehn Jahre in Zentral­ Ostafrika auf dem Gebiet der Geschichtsforschung, Ethnologie, Soziologie, Sozialpsychologie, Psychologie und Nationalökonomie, erwachsen aus der Vorbereitung einer Studie über die'Situation und Rolle der Frau in der wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Entwicklung Ostafrikas'. Die Afrika-Studien­ stelle beauftragte die Verfasserirr dieses Buches im September 1963, während eines sechsmonatigen Studienaufenthaltes in Ostafrika dort die notwendigen Daten und Informationen zu sammeln, die zur Ausarbeitung des eigentlichen Forschungsplanes benötigt wurden. Diese Sammlung von Informationen sollte zugleich Anhaltspunkte für ein 1965 beginnendes größeres Programm der Sozialforschung in Ostafrika liefern, sowie den laufenden wirtschafts­ wissenschaftlichen und anderen Forschungsvorhaben der Afrika-Studien­ stelle dienlich sein. Die Notwendigkeit einer engen Zusammenarbeit der Wirtschaftsfor­ schung mit den benachbarten sozialwissenschaftliehen Disziplinen braucht heutzutage auch in Deutschland nicht mehr betont zu werden. Die inter­ disziplinäre Form der Forschung gibt uns gerade in Afrika am ehesten eine Chance, zu wirklichkeitsnahen und theoretisch gesicherten Ergebnissen zu kommen. Werden doch in Afrika die wirtschaftlichen Vorgänge auf natio­ naler und regionaler Ebene sowohl mitbestimmt durch die Eigenart traditio­ neller Wirtschaften auf dem'grass-roots level', als auch durchVerhaltens­ und Denkweisen, die wir schwer nachvollziehen können und die stärker als bei uns Menschen der westlichen Industriegesellschaft im nicht-ökonomischen und irrationalen Bereich wurzeln.

Technical change is produced by the interaction of a large number of technical, economic, social and institutional factors. One of the starting points is the concept of national innovation systems. The aim of this book is to take Finland as an example illustrating the challenges faced by small countries. The characteristics and performance of the Finnish national innovation system of the last couple of decades are analyzed. The Finnish experience is put in a broader context by comparing it with a few other countries. The development paths possible in the near future are assessed. According to the results, many problems remain despite favourable developments in several technology indicators. The rigidities of the social institutions created during the 1970s and 1980s seem to have become obstacles for economic and technological development. There are fairly large differences between the countries studied, and even between the culturally and historically close Nordic countries. However,Finland and Sweden seem to share the same kind of encompassing collective risk-sharing systems, which may have detrimental effects on, for instance, incentives related to innovativeness. Increasing globalisation requires further development of the national system of innovation. Technology policy must be seen as one part of more encompassing social and economic policies, and the role of factors such as well-functioning institutions, appropriate education and sound incentive systems is highly important. The papers of this book are written by experts of various research disciplines. They reflect the respective views on the issue how technical change in Finland can be explained. It is also discussed how Finland fares in comparison to Denmark, Sweden, Japan and the United States.

Current Issues in Maritime Economics contains a selection of the papers presented at an international conference held in Rotterdam, June 1991. The book contains 11 papers from many world leaders in maritime economic analysis and will be of interest to shipping professsionals as well as to students of the field. Current Issues in Maritime Economics addresses three major areas of interest. First, contributors discuss the rapidly changing international context. Second, the relationship between market structure and the workability of competition is analyzed. The final area concerns the decision processes of firms in the changing shipping world. Individually these papers might have found their way into volumes on subjects as disparate as business finance, industrial structure, mathematical modelling or political philosophy. Together they offer a broad representation of both the issues and the style of analysis adopted by many of the world's leading maritime economists.

This volume is the proceedings of a symposium entitled'Bottom Line Results from Strategic Human Resource Planning'which was held at Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island on June 11-14, 1991. The meeting was sponsored by the Research Committee of the Human Resource Planning Society (HRPS). In developing the agenda, the Research Committee continued the approach used in previous HRPS research symposia. The focus of these meetings is on the linkage ofthe state-of-practice with the state-of-the-art. Particular attention was placed on research studies which were application oriented so that member organizations can see examples of ways to extend current practices with the knowledge presented by the applications. The meeting had sessions on: (1) The Strategic Role of Human Resources, (2) Globalization, (3) Downsizing, (4) Quality as a Strategic Human Resource Issue, (5) Forecasting Human Resource Needs, and (6) Managing People to Build Competitive Advantage. Twenty six papers were presented with discussion periods at appropriate points in the meeting. This volume contains twenty two ofthese papers along with an introductory paper. A short summary is also provided at the beginning of each major subdivision into which the papers are arranged. Thanks are in order for all who contributed to the success of the meeting.

This book is a multi-purpose document. It can be used as a text by teachers, as a reference manual by researchers, and as a practical guide by statisticians. It covers 1165 references from different research journals through almost 1900 citations across 1194 pages, a large number of complete proofs of theorems, important results such as corollaries, and 324 unsolved exercises from several research papers. It includes 159 solved, data-based, real life numerical examples in disciplines such as Agriculture, Demography, Social Science, Applied Economics, Engineering, Medicine, and Survey Sampling. These solved examples are very useful for an understanding of the applications of advanced sampling theory in our daily life and in diverse fields of science. An additional 173 unsolved practical problems are given at the end of the chapters. University and college professors may find these useful when assigning exercises to students. Each exercise gives exposure to several complete research papers for researchers/students.

Management Science is often confronted with optimization problems characterised by weak underlying theoretical models and complex constraints. Among them, one finds data analysis, pattern recognition (classification, multidimensional analysis, discriminant analysis) as well as modelling (forecasting, confirmatory analysis, expert system design). In recent years, biomimetic approaches have received growing attention from Marketing, Finance and Human Resource researchers and executives as effective tools for practically handling such problems. Biomimetic approaches include a variety of heuristic methods - such as neural networks, genetic algorithms, immunitary nets, cellular automata - that simulate nature's way of solving complex problems and, thus, can be considered as numerical transpositions of true life problem solving. Bio-Mimetic Approaches in Management Science presents a selection of recent papers on biomimetic approaches and their application to Management Science. Most of these papers were presented at the last ACSEG/CAEMS International Congresses (Approches Connexionnistes en Sciences Economiques et de Gestion/Connectionnist Approaches in Economics and Management Science). All papers combine the discussion of conceptual issues with illustrative empirical applications, and contain detailed information on the way heuristics are practically implemented. The advantages and limits of the biomimetic approaches are discussed in several of the papers, either by comparing these approaches with more classical methods (logit models, clustering), or by investigating specific issues like overfitting and robustness. Synthesizing overviews are provided, as well as new tools for coping with some of the limitations of biomimetic methods.

During recent years auditory research has advanced quite rapidly in the area of experimental psychology as well as in that of physiology. Scientists working in both areas have in cornrnon the study of the process in HEARING, yet different scientific areas always tend to diverge. A SYMPOSIUM ON PSY­ CHOPHYSICAL MODELS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTS IN HEARING was or­ ganized for the exchange of information and to stimulate dis­ cussion between research workers in psychoacoustics, neurophy­ siology, anatomy, morphology and hydromechanics. The basic aim of holding this syrnposium was to halt the divergence and to initiate the kind of multi-disciplinary research that will be need ed to elucidate the hearing process as a whole. The present proceedings comprise the papers, which were circulated to the participants two months before the syrnposium and discussed during the syrnposium, together with some cornrnents and additional re­ marks. These cornrnents and rernarks do not, however, represent the full discussions but only the parts available in written form. We have arranged the material in five sections: I. Structure and Neurobiology of the Inner Ear II. Cochlear Mechanisms III. Auditory Frequency Analysis IV. Auditory Time Analysis V. Nonlinear Effects Within the limits of a syrnposium, none of these topics could be treated comprehensively; moreover, most of the papers concerned problems having several aspects.

units. This can be seen as an indicator of the extent to which the MNC is capable of putting its corporate-level resources to work on aglobaI scale. Becerra and San­ tal6 find that about ten percent of the variability of regional units is attributable to corporate effects. The more internationalized the MNC is, the stronger the cor­ porate effect. This suggests that the more internationalized MNCs are also more successful in integrating their international operations, whether by employing worldwide home-grown advantages, or by spreading over the entire organization resources and capabilities developed by a particular subsidiary. This integration within the MNC, that can be assumed to be responsible for the stronger corporate effect in the more internationalized MNCs in Becerra and Santal6's sampie, is the focus of Mauri and Sambharya's paper. These authors study the effect of global integration on the performance of the MNC, operatio­ nalizing global integration as the inter-area product flows within the multinatio­ nal. They find a non-linear relation between global integration and MNC per­ formance. At low levels of global integration, there is a negative relation with performance, which turns positive at intermediate levels, but negative again at very high levels of global integration. Their explanation is that at very low and very high levels of integration the balance between the costs and benefits of global integration activities is negative.

This volume is a collection of empirical and theoretical research papers regarding Economics, Public Finance and Business written by researchers from several different universities. The studies include a wide range of topics from issues in Economics, Public Finance and Business. The book is aimed at educators, researchers, and students interested in Public Finance, Business and Economics.

This book features research presented and discussed during the Research & Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) 2022. As such, this book offers a unique insight into emerging topics, issues and developments pertinent to the fields of technology, innovation and education and their social impact. Papers included in this book apply inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to query such issues as technology-enhanced teaching and learning, smart cities, information systems, cognitive computing and social networking. What brings these threads of the discussion together is the question of how advances in computer science – which are otherwise largely incomprehensible to researchers from other fields – can be effectively translated and capitalized on so as to make them beneficial for society as a whole. In this context, Rii Forum and Rii Forum proceedings offer an essential venue where diverse stakeholders, including academics, the think tank sector and decision-makers, canengage in a meaningful dialogue with a view to improving the applicability of advances in computer science.

This is an open access book. Department of Management Faculty of Economics Universitas Negeri Malang seeks high quality research paper for the 3rd Business Innovation Sustainability and Technology International Conference (BISTIC) 2023 that was held on July 25th, 2023. We invite all professors, researchers, students, practitioners, and other enthusiasts to participate in The Business Innovation Sustainability and Technology International Conference (BISTIC) 2023 to present, share, and discuss the phenomenon depicted by academic research result as a strategic way to enlarge and enhance the research development together. This year, BISTIC is held as a virtual conference where there will be online presentation.

This book presents papers on continuous-time consumption­ investment models by Suresh Sethi and various co-authors. Sir Isaac Newton said that he saw so far because he stood on the shoulders of gi­ ants. Giants upon whose shoulders Professor Sethi and colleagues stand are Robert Merton, particularly Merton's (1969, 1971, 1973) seminal papers, and Paul Samuelson, particularly Samuelson (1969). Karatzas, Lehoczky, Sethi and Shreve (1986), henceforth KLSS, re­ produced here as Chapter 2, reexamine the model proposed by Mer­ ton. KLSS use methods of modern mathematical analysis, taking care to prove the existence of integrals, check the existence and (where appro­ priate) the uniqueness of solutions to equations, etc. KLSS find that un­ der some conditions Merton's solution is correct; under others, it is not. In particular, Merton's solution for aHARA utility-of-consumption is correct for some parameter values and not for others. The problem with Merton's solution is that it sometimes violates the constraints against negative wealth and negative consumption stated in Merton (1969) and presumably applicable in Merton (1971 and 1973). This not only affects the solution at the zero-wealth, zero-consumption boundaries, but else­ where as well. Problems with Merton's solution are analyzed in Sethi and Taksar (1992), reproduced here as Chapter 3.

The theme ofthe conference at which the papers in this book were presented was'Systems Thinking in Europe'. Members of the United Kingdom Systems Society (UKSS) were conscious that the systems movementflourishes notonly in the UK, America and the Antipodes, but also in continental Europe, both East and West, and in the USSR, a nation increasingly being welcomed by the European comity. Membership of the UKSS had not perhaps had the opportunity, however, of hearing important new ideas from continental Europe, and this conference provided an opportunity to do so. Some interesting papers are to be found here from both the West and the East, if the editors may be forgiven for perpetuating what may be an increasingly irrelevant dichotomy. One lesson to be learned from this conference, though, is that systems thinking is truly international. This is not to say that there is one systems paradigm unifonnly applied, however. Perhaps the core of systems thinking is that one is interested in complex'wholes'with emergent properties, to which cybernetic ideas can be applied. Examples of such systems thinking can be found in these proceedings, for example in the section entitled'Applications of Systems Thinking'. Attempts to bring about change with these ideas, however, have given rise to a diversity of approaches, as is evidenced by the papers dealing with the application of methodologies in the'hard'and'soft'systems traditions.

In recent years, population economics has become increasingly popular in both economic and policy analysis. For the inquiry into the long term development of an economy, the interaction between demographic change and economic activity cannot be neglected without omitting major aspects of the problems. This volume helps to further developments in theoretical and applied demographical economics covering the issues of demographic change and economic development. The interaction between demographic change and economic development in the long run is one central issue. One conjecture is that it is mainly the relative population pressure which controls the pace of economic development. However, econometric evidence presented in the book does not support this hypothesis. Other papers deal with the relationships between fertility and business cycle fluctuations, the timing of births, the efficiency in intergenerational transfers, the role of open economies for the population issue, historical perspectives of demographic change in Hungary and an outline of recent developments of applied modelling using input-output models, programming models or econometric techniques.

Insurance companies, as well as banks and thrift institutions, have traditionally reported assets and liabilities on the basis of their amortized cost, or book value. But following the turmoil in securities markets due to highly volatile interest rate fluctuations in the 1980s and the early 1990s, and problems caused by inadequate liquidity, in the mid-1990s the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a new ruling calling for financial intermediaries to report the fair, or market, value of most assets. Called FAS 115, this new standard is the first step in the eventual change to valuing all the assets and liabilities belonging to financial intermediaries under the fair value accounting method. Thus, these changes will pose tremendous future implications for three key business measures of a financial intermediary: Solvency: if the fair values of assets and liabilities are out-of-step, then healthy companies may report negative net worth and insolvent companies may appear to be in sound financial condition. Reported Earnings: if the fair values of assets and liabilities are out of step, then reported earnings will not accurately represent the financial operations of the company. Risk Management: FASB recently postponed the implementation of its new rules on accounting for the use of derivatives instruments. However, if the final set of rules for figuring the fair value of derivatives is not carefully crafted, it may be possible that companies prudently hedging their risks are subject to penalties in their financial reports, while companies taking greater risks appear to have less volatile financial performance. Compared to banks and other financial intermediaries, life insurance companies have the longest term and most complex liabilities, and hence the new FASB requirement poses the most severe challenges to the life insurance industry. The lessons learned from the debate amonglife insurance academics and professionals about how respond to the fair value reporting rule will be instructive to their counterparts in other sectors of the insurance industry, as well as those involved with other financial institutions. Of particular note are the two papers which comprise Part III. The first provides examples of the fair valuing of annuity contracts, while the second offers examples of the fair valuing of term insurance products. As the papers collected in The Fair Value of Insurance Business extend and update some of the issues treated in a previous Salomon Center conference volume, The Fair Value of Insurance Liabilities, this new volume may be viewed as a companion to the earlier book.

As the title indicates, Essays in Honor of James A. Graaskamp: Ten Years After, is a collection of essays written to honor Graaskamp's major contributions to the field of real estate education and practice over the course of three decades. Upon his death in 1988, the industry lost a major influence for advancing the real estate discipline, both as an academic field and a professional field. The authors in this volume seek to extend Graaskamp's contributions and move the real estate discipline forward. The papers address the challenges posed by the market to return our attention to real estate fundamentals, and to strike a proper balance between Main Street and Wall Street. The authors and editors hope that this book will influence the industry to incorporate many of Grasskamp's ideas into mainstream real estate education and practice. Over the course of his career, Graaskamp made many noteworthy contributions to real estate theory and practice, ideas that if resurrected could offset some of the pressure in the industry to move away from market fundamentals. The authors try to capture the essence of Graaskamp's messages, and intend that the papers serve as a point of departure for discussing the future role and nature of real estate education. Part I focuses on the major contributions to the real estate discipline made by Graaskamp and the Wisconsin Real Estate Program. Part II contains some personal recollections and photos of Graaskamp, and also a summary of the groups that make up the Wisconsin Real Estate Program, a major co-sponsor of this volume. The rest of the book's three main parts are structured around major topics that reflect the multidisciplinary nature of real estate as espoused by Graaskamp. Part III treats real estate feasibility and development, Part IV concentrates on real estate valuation, and Part V discusses institutional economics.

It was at the fifth SEEP-Conference on Economic Ethics and philosophy in autumn 1997 that the organizational work of the seventh conference in 1999 was entrusted to the editors of this volume. Prof. Peter Koslowski, series editor of The Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy, SEEP, expressed the hope that the SEEP-Conference be held in the Far-East for the fist time would bring a new comparative aspect to economic ethics and philosophy. Further, the agenda of economic ethics seemed to increase its significance also in Japan and other Asian countries especially due to the spread of corruption in the government and business under the financial crisis that attacked these nations in the late 1990s. Though we chose'Com­ petition, Trust, and Cooperation'as the general theme of the conference, this should include the collusion, distrust, and corruption as the opposite side of the medal. The conference was held on March 10-12, 1999 at the Kansai Seminar House of the Nippon Christian Academy, Kyoto, Japan. Fourteen papers were submitted to the conference. In addition to twelve papers that are printed in this volume, Prof. Ruisheng Wang (Capital Normal University, Beijing) read his paper on ethical problems in the context of Asian financial crisis and Prof. Agnar Sandmo (Norwegian School of Economics and Busi­ ness Administration) did the same by his paper on societal aspect of the competition promotion policy.

This book has an objective and a focus. It provides the reader with: • an in-depth acquaintance with the theory of the firm developed by Erich Gutenberg • an insight into a coherent body of current German research in the theory of the firm. The book is divided into two parts. The first part lays the foundations. It presents Gutenberg's theory of the firm to the English speaking reader. Considering the great importance that Erich Gutenberg has had in Germany and taking into consideration the impact that the translations of his path-breaking three volumes'Principles of Management'have had in France, the Spanish speaking countries, and in Japan, it was felt that it was necessary, on the occasion of his tOOth anniversary, to present a concise summary of his contributions to the theory of the firm to an English speaking scientific community. Six papers present Gutenberg's theory in the light of the theoretical advances that he stimulated as well as in the framework of other theoretical developments like capital market theory, transaction cost theory, principal agent theory, and contract theory. The papers show that Gutenberg's theory is highly relevant for theory and highly influential in the practice of management.

Eugene A. Feinberg Adam Shwartz This volume deals with the theory of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) and their applications. Each chapter was written by a leading expert in the re­ spective area. The papers cover major research areas and methodologies, and discuss open questions and future research directions. The papers can be read independently, with the basic notation and concepts ofSection 1.2. Most chap­ ters should be accessible by graduate or advanced undergraduate students in fields of operations research, electrical engineering, and computer science. 1.1 AN OVERVIEW OF MARKOV DECISION PROCESSES The theory of Markov Decision Processes-also known under several other names including sequential stochastic optimization, discrete-time stochastic control, and stochastic dynamic programming-studiessequential optimization ofdiscrete time stochastic systems. The basic object is a discrete-time stochas­ tic system whose transition mechanism can be controlled over time. Each control policy defines the stochastic process and values of objective functions associated with this process. The goal is to select a'good'control policy. In real life, decisions that humans and computers make on all levels usually have two types ofimpacts: (i) they cost orsavetime, money, or other resources, or they bring revenues, as well as (ii) they have an impact on the future, by influencing the dynamics. In many situations, decisions with the largest immediate profit may not be good in view offuture events. MDPs model this paradigm and provide results on the structure and existence of good policies and on methods for their calculation.

Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is an interdisicplinary research area devoted to exploring the issues of designing computer-based systems that enhance the abilities of cooperating workers to coordinate and integrate their activities in an efficient, effective, and flexible manner. This rigorously selected volume represents both practical and theoretical approaches from many of the leading researchers in the field. As an interdisciplinary area of research, CSCW is characterized by bringing together widely disparate research traditions and perspectives into an arena of collaboration and contention. The selected papers reflect the diverse approaches and cultures of this multi-disciplinary field. This collection will be of interest to a wide audience - because of the huge practical import of the issues and because of the interdisciplinary nature of the problems and the solutions proposed. In particular, the volume will be of interest to researchers and professionals in computing, sociology, cognitive science, and human factors.

This volume contains a selection of papers that were presented at the International Workshop on Dynamic Competitive Analysis, held in Montr6al, Canada, September 1-2, 1995. The workshop was organized by the editors of the proceedings volume. The proceedings contain both'full papers'and shorter pieces, to be considered as'work in progress'. The choice of a rather broad theme for the workshop was deliberate and done in order to attract researchers from different areas of the marketing science community that usually do not get together. Obviously, a volume like this cannot be exhaustive in the coverage of the dynamics of marketing competition but we are confident that it will convey to the reader an impression of what are the current themes in this field of research. The book should be useful to researchers in marketing science, applied game theorists, graduate students, as well as practitioners in marketing with an interest in methods and examples of dynamic competitive analysis.

The present volume contains the texts of the papers and criti­ cal commentary presented at the one-day conference'Financing the world economy in the nineties'at Tilburg University (23 March 1988). This conference was organized by the Post-graduate School of Banking and Finance of'The Tilburg Institute of Advanced Studies'(T.I.A.S.) which is closely associated to Tilburg University. It should be borne in mind that all the chapters were written before March 1988. Although some were revised later, none of the authors has been asked to include develop­ ments which have occurred since. To achieve a better understanding of the current financial imbalances in the world economy and its consequences and to discuss the alternatives to correct these imbalances, this conference brought to­ gether outstanding authorities from the academic world, from the inter­ national supervisors, and from the industrial companies and the banks. After the editor's introduction about the external disequilib­ ria in the world economy and the burden of economic adjustment, Chapter 1 is the text of the opening address by Dr. Witteveen. He calls atten­ tion to the central issue, which financing needs that we can see now may persist into the nineties and how can they be met? In this context he mentions the U.S.-current account deficit, the need for stable exchange rates and the international debt problem.

This volume is the proceedings of a symposium entitled'Human Resource Strategies for Organizations in Transition'which was held at Salve Regina College, Newport, Rhode Island on May 30 - June 2, 1989. The meeting was sponsored by the Research Committee of the Human Resource Planning Society (HRPS). In developing the agenda, the Research Committee built upon the format of the previous HRPS research symposia. The intent in these meetings is on the linkage of the state-of-practice with the state-of-the-art. Particular attention was placed on research studies which were application oriented so that member organizations can see examples of ways to extend current practices with the knowledge presented by the applications. The meeting has sessions on: (1) Reshaping the Organization for the Twenty-first Century, (2) Coping with Major Organizational Change, (3) Organization Downsizing, (4) Evaluating the Human Resource Function and (5) The Impact of Corporate Culture on Future Human Resource Practices. Thirty papers were presented with discussion sessions at appropriate points in the meeting. This volume contains twenty one of these papers along with an introductory paper. A short summary is also provided at the beginning of each major subdivision into which the papers are arranged.

Components of System Safety contains the invited papers presented at the tenth annual Safety-critical Systems Symposium, held in Southampton, February 2002. The papers included in this volume are representative of modern safety thinking, the questions that arise from it, and the investigations that result. They are all aimed at the transfer of technology, experience, and lessons to and within industry, and they offer a broad range of views. Not only do they show what has been done and what could be done, but they also lead the reader to speculate on ways in which safety might be improved.

Computing Tools for Modeling, Optimization and Simulation reflects the need for preserving the marriage between operations research and computing in order to create more efficient and powerful software tools in the years ahead. The 17 papers included in this volume were carefully selected to cover a wide range of topics related to the interface between operations research and computer science. The volume includes the now perennial applications of rnetaheuristics (such as genetic algorithms, scatter search, and tabu search) as well as research on global optimization, knowledge management, software rnaintainability and object-oriented modeling. These topics reflect the complexity and variety of the problems that current and future software tools must be capable of tackling. The OR/CS interface is frequently at the core of successful applications and the development of new methodologies, making the research in this book a relevant reference in the future. The editors'goal for this book has been to increase the interest in the interface of computer science and operations research. Both researchers and practitioners will benefit from this book. The tutorial papers may spark the interest of practitioners for developing and applying new techniques to complex problems. In addition, the book includes papers that explore new angles of well-established methods for problems in the area of nonlinear optimization and mixed integer programming, which seasoned researchers in these fields may find fascinating.