Improved customer choice predictions using ensemble methods

In this paper various ensemble learning methods from machine learning and statistics are considered and applied to the customer choice modeling problem. The application of ensemble learning usually improves the prediction quality of flexible models like decision trees and thus leads to improved predictions. We give experimental results for two real-life marketing datasets using decision trees, ensemble versions of decision trees and the logistic regression model, which is a standard approach for this problem. The ensemble models are found to improve upon individual decision trees and outperform logistic regression.     

The practice for eight-year operation of the cobalt-60 irradiation facility at Beijing Radiation Application Research Center

The radiation facility was made by Sulzer Company in Switzerland. The designed capacity is 3.7 × 10¹⁶Bq( 1MCi) and 12.21 × 10¹⁵Bq(330kCi)of Cobalt -60 source was loaded at the first phase. Current cobalt -60 source-loading is 2.4 × 10¹⁶Bq(650kCi). The equipment assembling and installation regulating and testing were completed at the end of 1988. The facility was put into commissioning in 1989. It operates 7000–8000 hours per year. The facility has been utilized to carry out many research work and irradiate many kinds of items. Lots of economical benefits have been gained since then. Now it is becoming a radiation processing model base in China. This paper summarized the strong and weak points of the design of the facility through in eight years' practice and analysed the economical benefits.     

Facilitation of consumer loyalty toward branded applications: The dual-route perspective

Although many brands develop mobile applications (apps) to build relationships with consumers, most branded apps fail to retain consumers’ loyalty. This study examines the facilitation of consumer loyalty toward branded apps (continuance intention, in-app purchase intention, and word-of-mouth intention) from the dual-route perspective. One route is the affective (relationship) route, where brand benefits (functional benefits, experiential benefits, symbolic benefits, and monetary benefits) drive parasocial interactions between consumers and the brand, which, in turn, influences branded app loyalty. The other route is the utility route, where system characteristics (system quality and information quality) affect perceived usefulness, which, in turn, facilitates branded app loyalty. An online survey was conducted, and the research model was empirically tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings support the dual-route perspective according to which both affective and utilitarian paths facilitate branded app loyalty. The key theoretical contribution of this study is that it moves beyond the utilitarian path and finds the affective (relationship) path to give a more complete picture of the facilitation of consumer loyalty in the branded app context. A strategy is provided to suggest to practitioners how to design branded apps to facilitate consumer loyalty.     

Effects of brand anthropomorphism on consumer-brand relationships on social networking site fan pages: The mediating role of social presence

This study aimed to investigate the effects of brand anthropomorphism on consumer-brand relationships in a social media marketing context. We hypothesized that anthropomorphism on a brand’s Facebook fan page can strengthen the relationships between brands and consumers by yielding both social presence and a positive inference regarding the brand’s quality as a relationship partner. Our longitudinal experiment confirmed the effects of brand anthropomorphism on consumer-brand relationships on social media and the mediating role of social presence. The results suggest that when the anthropomorphized brand had relationships with consumers, a favorable attitude was shown toward the brand. Further, the participants perceived the anthropomorphized brand as a trustworthy relationship partner, giving more “Likes” for the posts from the anthropomorphized brand than those from the non-anthropomorphized brand. Further, the results confirmed that these favorable relationships were maintained even after the participants became aware of a brand transgression.     

基于SWOT分析的我国民营快递业发展问题探讨

随着电子商务以及网购的日益盛行，国内货运业务呈现出爆炸式增长，这给国内民营快递企业带来了前所未有的机遇。但民营快递企业以低成本加盟连锁方式虽然在短时间内能够得以快速的扩张，但其低水平的服务和自主经营、自负盈亏的运作方式，已经成为约束民营快递行业快速发展的瓶颈。因此，如何与国外快递业巨头和国有快递企业抗衡，已经成为关乎我国民营快递行业生死存亡的难题。论文通过SWOT分析法对民营快递企业进行了全面而又深入分析，最后对民营快递企业的发展提出了一些建设性的建议，希望对民营快递业走出困境并健康发展有所帮助。     

A BIOECONOMIC APPROACH TO THE FAUSTMANN–HARTMAN MODEL: ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS IN MANAGED FOREST

Abstract This paper develops a bioeconomic forestry model that makes it possible to take ecosystem services that are independent of the age structure of trees into account. We derive the Faustmann–Hartman optimal harvesting strategy as a special case. The bioeconomic model is then extended to account for the fact that forest harvesting decisions impact on other ecological resources, which provide benefits for the wider community. The paper focuses on impacts associated with disturbance caused by logging operations and habitat destruction due to tree removal. This enables us to explore the interactions between forest management and the dynamics of ecological resources. The optimal rotation rule is obtained as a variation on the traditional Faustmann–Hartman equation, where an additional term captures the potential benefits derived from the growth of the ecological resource valued at its shadow price. The steady‐state solutions to the problem and sensitivity to model parameter are identified using numerical analysis.     

高效能接入网络助电信运营商从互联网价值链获益

面对成为互联网流量管道供应商的尴尬,运营商需要构建一张具有以下特征的高能效接入网：高带宽（每用户达到50M甚至更高）、低延时、成本最优化的全IP宽带接入;采用可以同时满足家庭宽带用户、商业用户和移动基站回程等应用的统一融合的接入网平台;具有用户/业务/应用智能感知功能来保障正确的流量处理。高效能接入网将帮助运营商成为急速增长的高附加值互联网内容产业链的一部分。     

The impact of online brand community characteristics on customer engagement: An application of Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm

The advent of interactive digital platforms has led people to progressively interact on such platforms, urging organizations to create online communities to engage customers with them and with each other to enhance brand loyalty. This study attempts to investigate what motivates customers to engage in these brand communities. Through a questionnaire survey of 430 Facebook users, this study investigates whether and how the unique characteristics (information quality, system quality, virtual interactivity, and rewards) of online brand communities affect customer engagement. The consequent effect of customer engagement on brand loyalty is also examined. This study frames and empirically validates a model for engaging customers with online brand communities on Facebook, considering the moderating role of gender. The Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm is solicited to justify the theoretical background of this study. The data were analyzed using structure equation modelling. Results reveal that each of the characteristics positively influences customer engagement, with information quality and virtual interactivity bearing the strongest influence. Customer engagement also exhibits a strong positive impact on brand loyalty. This results further reveal that gender gap in the online environment is declining as the impact of all the four characteristics of online brand communities on customer engagement was invariable across male and female members.     

家电行业的质量战略

质量管理要符合品牌价值规律,为品牌价值管理服务,这是品牌质量战略的要点,应该对质量资产进行关注和评估。该文介绍了目前家电行业品牌质量管理需加强的几个重要领域。     

The decision to raise firm value through a sports-business exchange: How much are Real Madrid’s goals worth to its president’s company’s goals?

Global brands emerging from the world of sports are becoming commonplace, and firms invest in the realm of sports, usually through sponsorship initiatives, to get a link with these global brands. Over and above just a mere business link, what if a company makes a personal commitment to get into the core of a renowned, celebrated sports team? This article provides managers with a procedure to analyze, in a weekly basis, how valuable this type of decision is. A conceptual model shows that the personal involvement of a firm’s figurehead in a first-class sports club can impact positively on firm value if the person is doing well in the task s/he is entrusted with by the club. The empirical application to the soccer club Real Madrid, over 1,409 days and 215 matches, finds that the club’s performance on the field has a significant impact on the economic returns of its president’s company, with asymmetrical effects on firm value in a “loss aversion” pattern, that is, lost matches have a greater effect on firm value than games won.