Salesforce contracting under model uncertainty

This paper considers a firm's salesforce contracting problem under model uncertainty. Based on the notion of multiplier preferences, we capture model uncertainty and explicitly characterize the structure of the optimal contract. Our findings provide guidelines on the design of salesforce compensation contracts in practical situations.     

Relative deprivation as a cause of risky behaviors

ABSTRACT

Combining a standard measure of concern about low relative wealth and a standard measure of relative risk aversion leads to a novel explanation of variation in risk-taking behavior identified and documented by social psychologists and economists. We obtain two results: (1) Holding individual i’s wealth and his rank in the wealth distribution constant, the individual’s relative risk aversion decreases when he becomes more relatively deprived as a result of an increase in the average wealth of the individuals who are wealthier than he is. (2) If relative deprivation enters the individual’s utility function approximately linearly then, holding constant individual i’s wealth and the average wealth of the individuals who are wealthier than he is, the individual’s relative risk aversion decreases when he becomes more relatively deprived as a result of a decline in his rank. Our findings provide a theoretical support for evidence about the propensity of relatively deprived individuals to gamble and resort to other risky behaviors.     

Dynamic models of segregation†

Some segregation results from the practices of organizations, some from specialized communication systems, some from correlation with a variable that is non‐random; and some results from the interplay of individual choices. This is an abstract study of the interactive dynamics of discriminatory individual choices. One model is a simulation in which individual members of two recognizable groups distribute themselves in neighborhoods defined by reference to their own locations. A second model is analytic and deals with compartmented space. A final section applies the analytics to ‘neighborhood tipping.’ The systemic effects are found to be overwhelming: there is no simple correspondence of individual incentive to collective results. Exaggerated separation and patterning result from the dynamics of movement. Inferences about individual motives can usually not be drawn from aggregate patterns. Some unexpected phenomena, like density and vacancy, are generated. A general theory of ‘tipping’ begins to emerge.     

消费者偏好驱动的制销供应链利润分配策略

从企业社会责任对消费者偏好的影响入手,运用博弈论的基本思想,对制销供应链中,制造商与分销商一次性博弈的定价和利润分配策略进行了研究,并在此基础上对不同情况下制销双方重复性博弈的均衡结果进行了讨论.结果表明:在两类制销供应链中,联盟定价都是制销双方一次性博弈的唯一纳什均衡结果,且在制销双方商定的利润分配因子的取值范围内双方联盟后所得的利润高于联盟之前;在两类制销供应链中,制造商与分销商坚持联盟定价对双方的长期利润都是最优的.     

An axiomatic analysis of concordance–discordance relations

Outranking methods propose an original way to build a preference relation between alternatives evaluated on several attributes that has a definite ordinal flavor. Indeed, most of them appeal the concordance/non-discordance principle that leads to declaring that an alternative is “superior” to another, if the coalition of attributes supporting this proposition is “sufficiently important” (concordance condition) and if there is no attribute that “strongly rejects” it (non-discordance condition). Such a way of comparing alternatives is rather natural. However, it is well known that it may produce binary relations that do not possess any remarkable property of transitivity or completeness. This explains why the axiomatic foundations of outranking methods have not been much investigated, which is often seen as one of their important weaknesses. This paper uses conjoint measurement techniques to obtain an axiomatic characterization of preference relations that can be obtained on the basis of the concordance/non-discordance principle. It emphasizes their main distinctive feature, i.e. their very crude way to distinguish various levels of preference differences on each attribute. We focus on outranking methods, such as ELECTRE I, that produce a reflexive relation, interpreted as an “at least as good as” preference relation. The results in this paper may be seen as an attempt to give such outranking methods a sound axiomatic foundation based on conjoint measurement.     

认股权证的保险精算定价

引入Mogens Bladt和Tina Hviid Rydberg在无市场假设下关于期权定价的保险精算方法,利用公平保费原则和价格过程的实际概率测度,建立认股权证的定价模型,并给出定价公式.当投资者对原生资产期望回报率为无风险利率时,该定价为风险中性价格.     

Proportional fair scheduling using water-filling technique for SC-FDMA based D2D communication

The resource allocation in SC-FDMA is constrained by the condition that multiple subchannels should be allocated to a single user only if they are adjacent. Therefore, the scheduling scheme of a D2D-cellular system that uses SC-FDMA must also conform to the so-called adjacency constraint. This paper proposes a heuristic algorithm with low computational complexity that applies proportional fair (PF) scheduling in the D2D-cellular system. The proposed algorithm consists of two main phases: (i) subchannel allocation and (ii) adjustment of data rates, which are executed for both CUEs and DUEs. In the subchannel allocation phase for CUEs (or D2D pairs), the users’ data rates are maximized via optimal power allocation to frequency-contiguous subchannels. In the second phase, a PF scheduling problem is solved to decide the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of both CUEs and D2D pairs. Both phases of the proposed algorithm benefit from the Water-Filling (WF) technique. The simulation results suggest that the proposed scheme performs similar to optimal PF scheduling from the perspective of users’ data rate and their logarithmic sum. An additional benefit of the proposed scheme is its low computational overhead.     

Reducing Cognitive Effort in Scoring Negotiation Space Using the Fuzzy Clustering Model

Negotiation scoring systems are fundamental tools used in negotiation support to facilitate parties searching for negotiation agreement and analyzing its efficiency and fairness. Such a scoring system is obtained in prenegotiation by implementing selected multiple criteria decision-aiding methods to elicit the negotiator’s preferences precisely and ensure that the support is reliable. However, the methods classically used in the preference elicitation require much cognitive effort from the negotiators, and hence, do not prevent them from using heuristics and making simple errors that result in inaccurate scoring systems. This paper aims to develop an alternative tool that allows scoring the negotiation offers by implementing a sorting approach and the reference set of limiting profiles defined individually by the negotiators in the form of complete packages. These limiting profiles are evaluated holistically and verbally by the negotiator. Then the fuzzy decision model is built that uses the notion of increasing the preference granularity by introducing a series of limiting sub-profiles for corresponding sub-categories of offers. This process is performed automatically by the support algorithm and does not require any additional preferential information from the negotiator. A new method of generating reference fuzzy scores to allow a detailed assignment of any negotiation offer from feasible negotiation space to clusters and sub-clusters is proposed. Finally, the efficient frontier and Nash’s fair division are used to identify the recommended packages for negotiation in the bargaining phase. This new approach allows negotiators to obtain economically efficient, fair, balanced, and reciprocated agreements while minimizing information needs and effort.     

Cryptanalysis of fair quantum blind signatures

We investigate the fair quantum blind signature scheme proposed by Wang and Wen [Wang T Y and Wen Q Y 2010 Chin.Phys.B 19 060307],which uses the fundamental properties of quantum mechanics and the availability of a trusted arbitrator.However,in this paper,we find that the protocol cannot satisfy the property of non-forgeability even under the condition that the trusted arbitrator is totally credible.Moreover,a simple feasible suggestion for improving the protocol is proposed.