Envelope Theorems in Economics: Historical Development and Modern Cost-Benefit Applications

This paper reviews some historical development and modern applications of the envelope theorems in economics from a static to a dynamic context. First, we show how the static version of the theorem surfaced in economics, which had eventually lead to the well-known Shephard’s lemma in microeconomics. Second, we present its dynamic version in terms of the classical calculus of variations and optimal control theory via the optimized Hamiltonian function. Third, we show some applications of the theorem for deriving dynamic cost-benefifit rules with special reference to environmental projects involving the green or comprehensive net national product (CNNP). Finally, we illustrate how to extend the cost-benefifit rules to a stochastic economic growth setting.

APPLICATION POSSIBILITIES OF DYNAMIC VALUE STREAM MAPPING IN PRODUCTION LOGISTICS

An increase in the number of product types required by customers results in an increase in the complexity of logistics systems. This finding is particularly characteristic of production logistics systems, where the use of flexible production systems is becoming increasingly important. One of the defining tools for the development of these processes is the value process mapping method, a static version of which suitable for the simultaneous examination of a product family has become widespread in corporate practice. The paper presents the method of dynamic value stream mapping, which is also suitable for the examination of complex logistics systems, exploring its steps and the possibilities of its application in production logistics. An example prepared using the VSM module of the Plant Simulation framework is also presented to illustrate the application of the method.

A comparative study of animation versus static effects in the spatial concept-based metaphor awareness-raising approach on EFL learners’ cognitive processing of request strategies

abstract This study evaluates the relative effects of two cognitive linguistic approaches – using animated versus static scenes in an illustration based on the spatial concept-oriented metaphor – and a non-cognitive linguistic approach on the Japanese EFL learners’ processing of request strategies with degrees of politeness. The cognitive linguistic approach consisted of applying the metaphor politeness is distance in the teaching of different degrees of politeness. It involved a spatial concept projection through which participants could understand degrees of politeness in terms of the spatially visualized concepts of near–far and high–low relationships associated with three social variables – closeness, power, and speaker difficulty – in either animated or static illustration. In contrast, the non-cognitive linguistic approach involved rote learning of target English polite requests in a list. The results demonstrated that the static version of the cognitive linguistic approach enabled participants to process degrees of politeness and perform as well as those who underwent the animated version. Moreover, the animation effects did not appear to have had a major impact on the overall performance of groups subjected to both cognitive language approaches. The results also showed that the cognitive linguistic approach groups outperformed the non-cognitive linguistic approach and control groups.

Argumentation schemes as a way of arguments studies

The paper investigates argument (argumentation) schemes that are used in the theory of argumentation for analyzing everyday reasoning. Such schemes should be understood as structures representing the most general types of argument. Today they are studied not only from theoretical perspectives but also in relation to their application in education and information technologies. Argumentation schemes allow us to identify, produce and evaluate real arguments, as well as critically assess discussions. Despite their popularity, argumentation schemes face some problems. The current presentation introduces the concept of schemes, describes their possible classifications, analyzes strengths and limitations in various approaches. However, the main focus of the paper is on the direction in which the conception of an argument scheme is being developed. I argue that the new stage of its development can be correlated with the birth of a dynamic style of argument in­vestigation that is opposed to a static version. A similar dichotomy can be observed in logic that stands for two types of formality: as pertaining to forms and as pertaining to rules.

‘Not the Real Me’: Social Imaginaries of Personal Data Profiling

In this article, I present findings from my Data Personas study, in which I invited Australian adults to respond to the stimulus of the ‘data persona’ to help them consider personal data profiling and related algorithmic processing of personal digitised information. The literature on social imaginaries is brought together with vital materialism theory, with a focus on identifying the affective forces, relational connections and agential capacities in participants’ imaginaries and experiences concerning data profiling and related practices now and into the future. The participants were aware of how their personal data were generated from their online engagements, and that commercial and government agencies used these data. However, most people suggested that data profiling was only ever partial, configuring a superficial and static version of themselves. They noted that as people move through their life-course, their identities and bodies are subject to change: dynamic and emergent. While the digital data that are generated about humans are also lively, these data can never fully capture the full vibrancy, fluidity and spontaneity of human experience and behaviour. In these imaginaries, therefore, data personas are figured as simultaneously less-than-human and more-than-human. The implications for understanding and theorising human-personal data relations are discussed.

A Dynamic Game Theory Model For Tourism Supply Chains

This article contributes to the game-theoretic analysis of tourism supply chains. We start with a baseline model including three types of agents: (a) one theme park, (b) multiple accommodation providers, and (c) multiple tour operators. We investigate the strategic dynamics (i.e., collaboration and competition) embedded in a market with two different tourism supply chains, and then we extend our model to an infinite-horizon repeated game arguing that agents would face the same decision problem in each week of every holiday season in each year. We show how agents in a tourism supply chain end up with higher profits in any given period of a repeated game compared with their profits in the static version of the game.

The Cash-in-Advance Model—First Step

Introduces a nearly static version of the standard cash-in-advance constraint model with endogenous production using labor. The Lagrangian formulation is introduced, and the first-order conditions and multipliers are derived.

Ellis Island

Italian-American writer of the third-generation Robert Viscusi tells about the migratory tragedy of Italians in North America in his Ellis Island, a strongly innovative collection which combines history and autobiography. The poem consists of 624 sonnets unfolding through personal memories, historical researches and bold metaphors. The well-known opposition between earth and sea becomes here a match and a very realistic argument on the idea of transformation and mutability typical of a part of humanity that changes through migration. Ellis Island is the final place of changes, just as the poem itself, which can be read in the printed and static version, but also in the ever-changing, randomly generated one, available on the dedicated website by the author’s decision. A form in line with the content and its true meaning.

The odonate phenotypic database, a new open data resource for comparative studies of an old insect order

We present The Odonate Phenotypic Database (OPD): an online data resource of dragonfly and damselfly phenotypes (Insecta: Odonata). Odonata is a relatively small insect order that currently consists of about 6400 species belonging to 32 families. The database consists of multiple morphological, life-history and behavioral traits, and biogeographical information collected from literature sources. We see taxon-specific phenotypic databases from Odonata and other organismal groups as becoming an increasing valuable resource in comparative studies. Our database has phenotypic records for 1011 of all 6400 known odonate species. The database is accessible at http://www.odonatephenotypicdatabase.org/, and a static version with an information file about the variables in the database is archived at Dryad.

Cheating as a dynamic marketing strategy in monopoly, cartel and duopoly

In 2015 it was discovered that Volkswagen had manipulated the exhaust emissions of its (diesel) cars. Since then, numerous other automotive car manufacturers were strongly suspected to violate against the same emission standards. This paper investigates how and why firms (monopoly, cartel and duopoly) engage in cheating, more precisely, promising attributes that are actually not part of the product. Firms make claims in order to better market their product but risk damaging their future reputation. The upshot of the paper is the stark difference between open loop and Markov perfect oligopolistic equilibrium outcomes. More precisely, the latter mitigates cheating substantially even below the levels attained by monopolies and cartels (unless consumers have a very short memory), which is contrary to the outcome in the limiting static version of the game. Therefore, revealing the true state (e.g., by mandating strict inspections) could force firms to use this information and play in Markov instead of open loop strategies.