A Weighted Statistical Network Modeling Approach to Product Competition Analysis

Statistical network models have been used to study the competition among different products and how product attributes influence customer decisions. However, in existing research using network-based approaches, product competition has been viewed as binary (i.e., whether a relationship exists or not), while in reality, the competition strength may vary among products. In this paper, we model the strength of the product competition by employing a statistical network model, with an emphasis on how product attributes affect which products are considered together and which products are ultimately purchased by customers. We first demonstrate how customers’ considerations and choices can be aggregated as weighted networks. Then, we propose a weighted network modeling approach by extending the valued exponential random graph model to investigate the effects of product features and network structures on product competition relations. The approach that consists of model construction, interpretation, and validation is presented in a step-by-step procedure. Our findings suggest that the weighted network model outperforms commonly used binary network baselines in predicting product competition as well as market share. Also, traditionally when using binary network models to study product competitions and depending on the cutoff values chosen to binarize a network, the resulting estimated customer preferences can be inconsistent. Such inconsistency in interpreting customer preferences is a downside of binary network models but can be well addressed by the proposed weighted network model. Lastly, this paper is the first attempt to study customers’ purchase preferences (i.e., aggregated choice decisions) and car competition (i.e., customers’ co-consideration decisions) together using weighted directed networks.

The role of the time-based product life cycle cost technique in managing costs in economic units

The purpose of this study is to direct interest in using the sound methodology in cost management and to choose a more effective approach to managing costs from a series of alternatives in order to obtain more accurate data on the cost of the product. Competition in the market, Clarifying the role of the time-based product life cycle costing technique in providing integrated information on resources and their costs and for each stage of the product life cycle, which would contribute to managing costs throughout the product life cycle. To achieve this goal, the time-based product life cycle costing technique was applied on data obtained from the laboratory records, the research sample, as well as the field experience. The research reached several conclusions, the most important of which is that the failure of traditional cost systems to meet the requirements and objectives of management as they are no longer able to provide accurate data that help the administration in making decisions as a result of changes and developments in the business environment, most notably the intense competition, which resulted in the emergence of modern techniques in the field of management Cost that is able to keep pace with these changes and developments. The most important of which is the time-based product life-cycle cost technique.

Farmers’ perception of rice production community enterprise’s roles: evidence from Chachoengsao Province, Thailand

Rice production community enterprises (RPCEs) have emerged in Thailand as a group initiative supported by the government to help address the challenges of rice farmers in rural areas. However, farmers still faced problems due to a lack of targeted programs and policies to improve the enterprise’s roles in the community. This study investigated farmer-members’ perception of an RPCE’s specific roles. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 201 farmers in Sanam Chai Khet District, Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. Data were analyzed using the weighted average index (WAI) method to assess the farmers’ perception of the RPCE’s roles. Results reveal that RPCE members have a strong perception of the enterprise’s role in increasing their income. Other roles such as knowledge and skills improvement, supplying inputs at a fair price, increasing social network, product competition with rivals, and provision of credit facilities, were rated as medium, demonstrating the considerable efforts exerted by RPCEs to improving its members. Moreover, a weak rating was given by members for the enterprise’s role as a saving source implying that government should further intensify its support for RPCEs in terms of promoting the saving behavior among members. This study suggests that stronger policy support should be given to upgrade RPCEs based on how members perceived them. This would encourage more member participation and secure more benefits and income for members of the community enterprise.

Transboundary Watershed Pollution Control and Product Market Competition With Ecological Compensation and Emission Tax: A Dynamic Analysis

Product competition and pollution control are closely related to watershed environmental management, but existing literature rarely investigates them in an identical framework. Therefore, this paper develops a multiple differential game model to analyze product market competition and ecological compensation games between watershed regions based on the assumption that a region can choose four strategies to regulate its manufacturers while cooperating with other regions in the basin. Then, solve the model and obtain a simultaneous equilibrium between the governments and manufacturers for the first time. The results show that: the combination of emissions tax and ecological compensation results in the highest social welfare and water ecology for all regions in a basin. Furthermore, the ecological compensation rate independent of emissions tax policy and ecological compensation does not shift investment from downstream to upstream, but it can induce the upstream region to increase investment in management. In addition, if the governments impose an emissions tax, manufacturers' output in both regions decreases, and the upstream region is higher than in the downstream region.

Competitive Product Identification and Sales Forecast Based on Consumer Reviews

Sellers readily obtain consumer product evaluations from online reviews in order to identify competitive products in detail and predict sales. Firstly, we collect product review data from shopping websites, social media, product communities, and other online platforms to identify product competitors with the help of word-frequency cooccurrence technology. We take mobile phones as an example to mine and analyze product competition information. Then, we calculate the product review quantity, review emotion value, product-network heat, and price statistics and establish the regression model of online product review forecasts. In addition, the neural-network model is established to suggest that the relationships among factors are linear. On the basis of analyzing and discussing the impact of product sales of the competitors, product price, the emotional value of the reviews, and product-network popularity, we construct the sales forecast model. Finally, to verify the validity of the factor analysis affecting the sales and the rationality of the established model, actual sales data are used to further analyze and verify the model, showing that the model is reasonable and effective.

Maximizing the Influence of the Innovative Products Diffusion considering Advertisement and Promotion Strategies

With the acceleration of product updates and the intensification of product competition, product market strategies become the primary consideration for the enterprises, and the advertisement and promotion strategies are considered the two important strategies implemented by enterprises. This paper considers the enterprises of similar products and substitute, their formation of a competition between traditional products and innovative products, and establishes a mixed node-level information diffusion model to describe the dynamic product diffusion process with complex network theories. We implement advertising strategies for potential buyers who have not obtained product information and implement promotional strategies for those who have obtained product information. In accordance with Pontryagin maximization principle, we seek the best strategy to maximize the impact of innovative products and use numerical calculations to simulate the diffusion state of products. We found that the advertisement strategies play a decisive role in the marketing of innovative products. If product promotion strategies are added, the spread of innovative products will be more effective and more influential.

Research on the Formation, Breakthrough and Countermeasures of the Captive Governance Mode of China’s Sporting Goods Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Companies

The integration of China’s sporting goods industry into the global value chain (GVC) has brought opportunities for the development of the industry. However, the both-ends-abroad OEM production mode is "locked" in the low value-added processing and production link in the GVC, which is located at the lowest end of the GVC. When international financial crisis breaks out, the orders of domestic OEM companies decrease significantly, which directly affects the development of the companies. Thus, it indicates that China's sporting goods OEM companies should not rely too much on international processing and export trade, but to rely on the local market to build a national value chain (NVC), integrate domestic and foreign sellers and suppliers and form an orderly product competition and certain market share ability through corporate mergers and acquisitions, product outsourcing, etc. Through the leverage of NVC, leading companies can achieve the expansion of the competitive advantages. Cultivate domestic multinational companies that can compete with international multinational companies in NVC, so that they can focus on the governance and control of the core links of the value chain, realize independent product research and development, brand and sales channel construction, support and help small and medium-sized domestic enterprises take the path of professional development in NVC, actively guide and encourage cooperation with the core to create value chain advantages, and achieve win-win cooperation and products’ functional upgrade.

JURNAL PENGARUH USER EXPERIENCE (UX) DESIGN TERHADAP KEMUDAHAN PENGGUNA DALAM MENGGUNAKAN APLIKASI CARSWORLD

Rapid advances in digital technology are followed by intense competition for digital products. Digital product competition requires every business business to keep trying to facilitate their users as an effort to improve the User Experience of each user. User Experience (UX) Design is an important thing for digital businesses to pay attention to. The ease of user interaction or use of digital products will make the digital product widely used and anti to be abandoned. The better User Experience (UX) Design of a digital product, will make the user more comfortable in using it and as an impact, the user will become a loyal user and may be happy to recommend the product to others. Carsworld app, is the nearest car service online booking application. This application was created in 2018 and has been downloaded more than 10 thousand times on Playstore. This research will discuss about how User Experience (UX) Design affects the ease of users in using Carsworld application. The research was conducted by descriptive quantitative method based on 3 (Three) factors that need to be considered by user experience designer (UX) design as an effort to provide convenience for users of Carsworld application namely Usability, Look and Feel. The results of the study showed that User Experience (UX) Design affects the ease of users in using Carsworld application.