Perbandingan Penerbitan dan Harga Buku Mengikut Genre di Malaysia dan Jepun Menggunakan Data Akses Terbuka dan Simulasi Monte Carlo

[The article is written in Bahasa Malaysia] Reading habits are often associated with an increased cognitive level. However, book genre can also affect the cognitive level. This is because different book genres can be attributed to different type of knowledge and tendency towards a specific book genre can be viewed as a preference toward a specific type of knowledge. Research on Malaysian’s interest and the tendency towards book genre and type of knowledge can be investigated using the publication data of each book genre and its prices. The objective of this research is to analyze and compare the book publications and the average price of each book’s genre in Malaysia with Japan. Comparison was done based on book categorization genre strategy to 12 book genre. Based on Monte Carlo simulation method data, Malaysians are attracted to book genre on Language, literature, and science. While the Japanese are more interested in the book genre of social sciences and hobbies/art. The similarity between Malaysian and Japanese are that both societies also favors book genre of literature. However, it is possible that the themes of literary genre in Japan and Malaysia are very different. The result of this study can be used to identify the differences between Malaysian and Japanese reading habits as well as used for formulating strategies to changed Malaysian reading habits toward the style of Japanese reading habits.

SISTEM PENUNJANG KEPUTUSAN PEMILIHAN SUPPLIER DI TIA PET SHOP DENGAN METODE (SAW)

The goal to be achieved in this research is a decision support system that can provide support to decision makers in determining the supplier to be selected. The decision support system made using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method in processing the data. Based on the results of data processing and information obtained, the decision support system made was successful in giving preference and ranking of suppliers in accordance with the criteria given by the decision maker. In selecting suppliers at Tia Pet Shop, the criteria used are quality, average price, packaging and speed of delivery. Keywords: Decision Support System; Simple Additive Weighting; Supplier; Abstrak: Tujuan yang ingin dicapai dalam penelitian ini yaitu sebuah sistem penunjang keputusan yang dapat memberikan dukungan kepada pembuat keputusan dalam menentukan supplier yang akan dipilih. Sistem penunjang keputusan yang dibuat menggunakan metode Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) dalam melakukan pemprosesan datanya. Berdasarkan hasil pengolahan data dan informasi yang didapat sistem penunjang keputusan yang dibuat berhasil memberikan preferensi dan perangkingan supplier sesuai dengan kriteria yang diberikan oleh pembuat keputusan. Dalam pemilihan supplier di Tia Pet Shop kriteria yang digunakan yaitu kualitas, harga rata-rata, pengemasan dan kecepatan pengiriman. Kata kunci: Simple Additive Weighting; Supplier; Sistem Penunjang Keputusan

Reducing the cost of electricity transmission services of industrial enterprises connected to the electric networks of electric power producers

Reducing the cost of electricity consumption by industrial enterprises is the most important area of increasing the operational efficiency of their activities. The article is devoted to the issue of reducing the cost of paying for the service component of the transport component of purchased electrical energy from industrial enterprises that have technological connection to the electrical networks of electricity producers. The article makes an empirical study of the features of the pricing of payment for the services of the transport component of purchased electrical energy for industrial enterprises connected to the electric grids of electricity producers with the identification of factors influencing the overestimation of the cost of paid electricity, and calculating such overestimations using the example of a typical schedule of electricity consumption of a machinebuilding enterprise for various regions Russia. On the basis of the developed author's indicators (tariff coefficient for electricity transportation by the level of GNP, index of tariff coefficient for electricity transportation, weighted average price for electricity transportation, index of weighted average price for electricity transportation, integral index of efficiency of GNP tariffs) study of the effectiveness of the application of tariffs for the transport of electricity for industrial enterprises connected to the electric networks of electricity producers. Based on the calculated indicators, the article groups the regions into three main groups, with the development of recommendations for managing the cost of purchasing electricity by the component of the cost of the transport component of purchased electricity in each group. As the most optimal option for reducing the cost of electricity transportation, the author proposes the introduction of demand management for electricity consumption, which will reduce the costs of industrial enterprises that pay for the transport component of purchased electricity at unfavorable tariff configurations.

Heterogeneity in Domestic Water Demand: An Application of Multilevel Analysis to the City of Valencia (Spain)

This paper deals with the question of unobservable heterogeneity and problems of scale in urban water demand. For this purpose, the determinants of domestic water consumption and the elasticities were estimated using a hierarchical model. For our empirical analysis, a household level data panel from Valencia (Spain) between 2009 and 2011 was available. Households were assigned to the city neighbourhoods to which they belong, which allowed us to incorporate the intra-urban scale into the analysis. In the estimate, the average price paid by each household in each bimonthly period was used due to the current tariff structure in Valencia. Regarding our results, there were differences in the consumption between the different neighbourhoods that were not independent of the average price paid by households. We found that 27% of the variability in consumption was explained by differences in household behaviour. In addition, an average price-elasticity in Valencia for all periods of −1.868 was obtained as well as a range of elasticities for the different neighbourhoods between (−1.53 and −1.21). From the results obtained, it is possible to extract relevant information for local water managers in order to apply economic instruments, prices and taxes to urban water demand.

Traditional salt processing activities of rural women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The traditional salt processing activities of rural women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was investigated. Two Local Government Areas were purposively selected out of the 13 LGAs in the state and a total of 90 respondents were used for the study. Frequency, percentage and mean score were used in data analysis. Most (68%) of the respondents belonged to salt makers group. The majority (98.9%) of the salt makers indicated that their method of salt production involved pan evaporation with firewood. About 63% of the salt makers engaged in salt production during the dry season. A greater percentage (63.2%) indicated that they fetch brine as the need arises. The majority (86.6%) indicated using ash to filter the brine, while the majority (97.2%) reported that it takes less than 1 day to produce filtrate. About 67% of the women produced 6-10 bags of salt in a month while 53.4% sold 7-10 bags in a month. Salt makers sold salt at an average price of N3,650 per bag. Findings show that 24.7% earned N10,000- N19,999 per month. Major contributions of salt making to the wellbeing of households were: medicinal value (M=2.96), payment of children/ward school fees (M=2.96), better feeding and nutrition (M=2.93). Government should provide aids to the salt processors by providing the basic infrastructure to improve the quality and quantity of salt produced.

An Application of the Tourist Test to Colombian Merchants

Cash is still widely used in Colombia, even among merchants that accept payment cards. Indeed, 60% of these merchants use dissuasive strategies to make their clients pay with cash. This shows that merchant service costs (MSC) for cards are not optimal in the sense of the Tourist Test. We present estimates of MSC compatible with the Tourist Test, such that merchants are indifferent between being paid with cash or cards. We find that cash is less costly than cards at the average retail-sales transaction-value, hence there is no positive optimal MSC at this ticket value. For the average card transaction ticket, the optimal MSC would be positive but far below the rates charge by the industry (0.74% in a short-term scenario). Yet, the additional incentive that sales-tax evasion provides to cash payments reduces the Tourist Test MSC to 0.44%. Our estimates for long-term scenarios yield even lower optimal MSC. An average price cap regulation that strikes a middle ground between these figures, and is complemented with sales-tax evasion measures, should discourage merchant strategies that deter consumers from paying with cards and will accommodate the wide heterogeneity in merchants´ scale, payment processing processes and ticket size. These results should be taken as a guideline as the estimations depend on the underlying assumptions and only consider the merchant´s side of the card industry.

Exploring menstrual products: A systematic review and meta-analysis of reusable menstrual pads for public health internationally

Background Girls and women need effective, safe, and affordable menstrual products. Single-use menstrual pads and tampons are regularly provided by agencies among resource-poor populations. Reusable menstrual pads (RMPs: fabric layers sewn together by an enterprise for manufacture of menstrual products) may be an effective alternative. Methods For this review (PROSPERO CRD42020179545) we searched databases (inception to November 1, 2020) for quantitative and qualitative studies that reported on leakage, acceptability, or safety of RMPs. Findings were summarised or combined using forest plots (random-effects meta-analysis). Potential costs and environmental savings associated with RMPs were estimated. Results A total of 44 studies were eligible (~14,800 participants). Most were conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC, 78%), and 20% in refugee settings. The overall quality of studies was low. RMP uptake in cohort studies ranged from 22–100% (12 studies). One Ugandan trial among schoolgirls found leakage with RMPs was lower (44.4%, n = 72) compared to cloths (78%, n = 111, p<0.001). Self-reported skin-irritation was 23.8% after 3 months among RMP-users in a Ugandan cohort in a refugee setting (n = 267), compared to 72.8% at baseline with disposable pad use. There were no objective reports on infection. Challenges with washing and changing RMP were reported in LMIC studies, due to lack of water, privacy, soap, buckets, and sanitation/drying facilities. Among 69 brands, the average price for an RMP was $8.95 (standard deviation [sd] $5.08; LMIC $2.06, n = 10, high-income countries [HIC] $10.11), with a mean estimated lifetime of 4.3 years (sd 2.3; LMIC 2.9, n = 11; HIC 4.9 years, n = 23). In 5-year cost-estimates, in LMICs, 4–25 RMPs per period would be cheaper (170–417 US$) than 9–25 single-use pads, with waste-savings of ~600–1600 single-use pads. In HICs, 4–25 RMPs would be cheaper (33–245 US$) compared to 20 single-use tampons per period, with waste-savings of ~1300 tampons. Conclusion RMPs are used internationally and are an effective, safe, cheaper, and environmentally friendly option for menstrual product provision by programmes. Good quality studies in this field are needed.

Monte Carlo Simulation of the Effect of Heterogeneous Too-Cheap Prices on the Average Price Preference for Remanufactured Products

A prevailing assumption in research on remanufactured products is “the cheaper, the better”. Customers prefer prices that are as low as possible. Customer price preference is modeled as a linear function with the minimal price at customers’ willingness to pay (WTP), which is assumed to be homogeneous and constant in the market. However, this linearity assumption is being challenged, as recent empirical studies have testified to customer heterogeneity in price perception and demonstrated the existence of too-cheap prices (TC). This study is the first attempt to investigate the validity of the linearity assumption for remanufactured products. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to estimate how the average market preference changes with the price of the remanufactured product when TC and WTP are heterogeneous across individual customers. Survey data from a previous study were used to fit and model the distributions of TC and WTP. Results show that a linear or monotonically decreasing relationship between price and customer preference may not hold for remanufactured products. With heterogeneous TC and WTP, the average price preference revealed an inverted U shape with a peak between the TC and WTP, independent of product type and individual customers’ preference function form. This implies that a bell-shaped or triangular function may serve as a better alternative than a linear function can when modeling market-price preference in remanufacturing research.

Principal Trading Arrangements: When Are Common Contracts Optimal?

Many financial arrangements reference market prices that are yet to be realized at the time of contracting and consequently susceptible to manipulation. Two of the most common such arrangements are as follows: (i) guaranteed volume-weighted average price (VWAP) contracts, which reference the VWAP prevailing over an execution window, and (ii) market-on-close contracts, which reference the price prevailing at the window’s end. To study such situations, we introduce a stylized model of financial contracting between a client, who wishes to trade a large position, and the client’s dealer. We provide conditions under which guaranteed VWAP contracts are optimal in this principal-agent problem. In contrast, market-on-close contracts generally cannot be optimal. These results explain the use of guaranteed VWAP contracts in practice, question the use of market-on-close contracts, and suggest considerations for the design of financial benchmarks. This paper was accepted by Haoxiang Zhu, finance.

Exact and inexact decompositions of trade price indices

A reasonable concept for the true trade price index in situations where low-price countries capture market shares from high-price countries is the average price paid by importers for the same quality of good or service from all exporting countries. However, decompositions of trade price indices are usually inexact in the sense that the average price used as the underlying aggregator formula is not exactly reproduced. In this paper, we compare analytically exact and inexact decompositions of trade price indices, paying particular attention to the bias in aggregate inflation occurring from applying the first-order Taylor series approximation and not the quadratic approximation lemma to a geometric average price. Our calculations, using the Norwegian clothing industry as an illustration, reveal that the bias in aggregate inflation over the sample period of 1997–2016 is quite substantial and as much as 0.6 percentage point in some years. We therefore conclude that the quadratic approximation lemma should be used in practice to exactly reproduce the underlying aggregator formula.