Game Theory Analysis on Seasonal Coupons from Business Perspective

Issuing coupons is a common marketing tool for business to increase demand and create profits. Mooncake coupons are among the most popular coupons in China. However, such popularity has sparked heated debate nationwide. In this regard,the paper studies the phenomenon through game theory model that deals with the relationship between mooncake makers,as for their efforts in balancing the number of coupons issued and the amount of mooncakes actually produced,and scalpers,as for the repurchase discount they enjoy, to finally bring a win-win situation. For mooncake makers to print more coupons than their actual production capacities while keeping the risks under control,a prior agreement should be made with the scalpers to set certain rules,among which the variable k is particularly important.

Preparation and Characterization of Ni-Ferrite Coating on Carbon Steel Coupons

The effect of the presence of Ni in solution as Ni-EDTA complex in lithiated water at roon temperature and pH 10.5 on the formation of ferrite coating on carbon steel surface was studie in an autoclave at 523 K for 12 days at different Ni concentrations with varying amounts of free EDTA. The Ni-ferrite coating was characterized by XRD, SIMS and XPS and also bulk chemical analysis by AAS and UV-visible spectrophotometer. The chemical composition of Ni-ferrite coating showed variation with depth acro5s solution-oxide interface to oxide-metal interface.The content of Ni in the oxide coating on the surface near solution-oxide intedece was found to be higher than the average Ni content estimated by analysis after descaling the coating

Efficacy of Antimicrobial Lauric Arginate against <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>on Stainless Steel Coupons

Commercially processed foods become contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes in post-processing environments where favorable conditions help the bacteria thrive. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Lauric arginate (LAE) as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for certain food applications. This study evaluated the efficacy of Mirenat-N (LAE dissolved in food-grade propylene glycol) against L. monocytogenes on food contact surfaces. A three-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes was used to inoculate 24 polished stainless steel coupons with three treatments, 100 ppm and 200 ppm solutions of LAE and water (control);two sub-treatments of high (6 log CFU/ml) and low (4 log CFU/ml) inoculum levels;and two contact times of 5 and 15 min. Attached bacteria were dislodged by vortexing coupons for 1 min with 20 g of 3-mm solid glass beads in 10 ml of 0.1% peptone diluent, and bacterial populations were calculated by plating onto modified oxford medium (MOX) and thin agar layer MOX (TALMOX). The 100 ppm treatment showed average reductions of 1.38 and 2.57 log CFU/coupon at the low inoculum level and 0.37 and 0.62 log CFU/coupon at high inoculum levels, after 5 and 15 min exposure, respectively. For 200 ppm at the high inoculum level, 1.23 and 1.88 log CFU/coupon reductions were seen for 5 and 15 min, respectively;the low inoculum level at 5 and 15 min exposure showed reductions of ≤1.5 log CFU/coupon. The 100 ppm LAE treatment was more effective at low inoculum levels for 5 and 15 min contact times and may be used to control low levels of contamination of L. monocytogenes on food contact surfaces.

Impacts of Platform’s Omnichannel Coupons on Multichannel Suppliers

While coupons that can be redeemed only in online channels have been issued by e-commerce platforms for decades, a new type of platform’s coupons, i.e., omnichannel coupons, which can be redeemed in both online and store channels, is gaining popularity with the rise of the omnichannel retail mode. It is interesting to explore the conditions under which omnichannel coupons are more advantageous to platforms and multichannel suppliers that sell products through platforms and physical stores. Two game models are developed in two cases where an e-commerce platform offers single channel coupons or omnichannel coupons for a multichannel supplier. Two scenarios are considered: one in which a consumer’s valuation of a product that fits his or her need is homogeneous and another in which the valuation is heterogeneous. Equilibrium outcomes show that under the homogeneous scenario, the product price and coupon face value in both coupon modes increase with the product’s fit probability when the cross-selling revenue is high, while decrease with the product’s fit probability when the cross-selling revenue is low. However, under the heterogeneous scenario, the price in both modes increases with the product’s fit probability only when the supplier’s loss from returns is low and the cross-selling revenue is high, and the coupon face value always decreases with the product’s fit probability. Compared with single channel coupons, omnichannel coupons may lead to a higher product price under certain conditions. Furthermore, omnichannel coupons can lead to higher total demand and benefit both the platform and the supplier if and only if the product’s fit probability is low and the supplier’s loss from returns is high. An extension shows that the platform’s preference for omnichannel coupons is weakened when the supplier offers a partial refund policy.

Sampling from a Mixture of Different Groups of Coupons

A collector samples coupons with replacement from a pool containing g uniform groups of coupons,where"uniform group"means that all coupons in the group are equally likely to occur(while coupons of different groups have different probabilities to occur).For each j=1,...,g,let Tj be the number of trials needed to detect Group j,namely to collect all Mj coupons belonging to it at least once.We first derive formulas for the probabilities P{T1<···<Tg}and P{T1=∧^gj=1Tj}.After that,without severe loss of generality,we restrict ourselves to the case g=2 and compute the asymptotics of P{T1<T2}as the number of coupons grows to infinity in a certain manner.Then,we focus on T:=T1∨T2,i.e.the number of trials needed to collect all coupons of the pool(at least once),and determine the asymptotics of E[T]and V[T],as well as the limiting distribution of T(appropriately normalized)as the number of coupons becomes large.

The Use of Models to Evaluate Corrosion Effects on Mild Steel Heat Exchanger in Water and Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA)

Heat exchanger is an important equipment used in process industries for cooling and heating purposes. Its design configuration which involves the flow of cold and hot fluids within the exchanger subjects it to corrosion attack. The article utilized the principle of mass and energy conservation in the development of weight and temperature models to study the effect of corrosion on mild steel coupon inside the exchanger containing water and Mono ethanol amine (MEA). The models developed were resolved analytically using Laplace Transform and simulated using Excel as simulation tool and data obtained from experiment in the laboratory to obtain profiles of weight loss and temperature as a function of time. The weight loss and performance of mild steel under various corrosive conditions were examined which indicates the effect of corrosion on the mild steel heat exchanger in water and MEA media. The result shows that water is more corrosive than MEA at higher temperatures and at lower temperatures of 35°C and 1 atm, MEA has inhibitive properties than water as indicated by the weight loss result with time. The comparative analysis between the results obtained from the model simulation and experimental results shows that the result obtained from the model is more reliable and demonstrated better performance characteristics as it clearly shows mild steel heat exchanger experiences more corrosive effect in water medium than MEA at higher temperatures. And at lower temperatures, MEA becomes more inhibitive and less corrosive than water. The model simulation results correlate with various literatures and hence, it is valid for future referencing.

Effect of Environmental Conditions on Tin (Sn) Whisker Growth

This research focuses on tin whisker growth under two different environmental conditions namely hygrothermal and a salt solution. Tin coated brass coupons were used for this study to analyze the growth of tin whiskers over time. Their growth rates were examined periodically using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The physical characteristics of the tin whiskers were identified for each environmental condition. It was discovered that submersion of tin coated brass substrates in 5% salt solution considerably increased the density (number of whiskers per unit area), and the length of the whiskers. In addition, it was found that the geometry and aspect ratio of tin whiskers were different for each environment.

Zero-Coupon bond pricing模型的最优系统与群不变解(英文)

将李群理论用于金融问题中出现的数学模型的微分方程,研究了Zero-Coupon bond pricing模型.求出了该模型的单参数李点对称及它相应的群伴随表达式,由此求得该模型允许的一维李群的子代数的最优系统并且利用最优系统构造该模型相应的微分方程的一些特殊的不同类的闭解.

Evaluation of Potential for Translocation of <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>from Floor Drains to Food Contact Surfaces in the Surrounding Environment Using <i>Listeria innocua</i>as a Surrogate

Floor drains in processing environments harbor Listeria spp. due to continuous presence of humidity and organic substrates. Cleaning and washing activities in food-processing facilities can translocate the bacterial cells from the drain to the surrounding environment, thus contaminating food products still in production. This study evaluated the potential for translocation of Listeria monocytogenes from drains to food contact surfaces in the surrounding environment using Listeria innocua as a surrogate. A 7 × 7 × 8-foot polycarbonate flexi-glass chamber with a 10-inch-diameter drain mounted on an aluminum cabinet was used. Stainless steel coupons (6.4 × 1.9 × 0.1 cm, 12 per height) were hung at 1, 3, and 5 feet inside the chamber. Four treatment sets;non-inoculated, non-treated;non-inoculated, treated;inoculated, treated;inoculated non-treated;and two subtreatments of 8 h and 48 h were performed. For the inoculated sets, meat slurry (10 gof ground beef in 900 mL water) and a four-strain cocktail of Listeria innocua at 7 - 8 log CFU/mL were used. For the treated sets, in addition, a commercial cleaner and sanitizer was applied. The drain was cleaned using a pressure hose (40 - 50 psi) after 8 h and 48 h. Coupons were then removed and enriched in listeria enrichment broth to establish if any cell translocated from the drain onto the stainless steel coupons via aerosols generated during washing. Confirmation was done using VIP Listeria rapid test kits. Results indicated translocation at all three heights ranging from 2% - 25%. Significantly higher translocation (p Listeria spp. from drains to food contact surfaces does occur and increases with increased proximity to the drain.

基于PCIe Gen5的低成本Coupon设计

数字技术发展日新月异,新一代服务器产品中,PCIe Gen5信号速率已经达到32 Gb/s,为了确保其信号完整性设计,单板损耗监控必不可少,优良的Coupon设计因此显得尤为重要。传统Coupon多采用Litek探头技术,以折线方式布线,尽管技术成熟,但存在占用空间大,数据稳定性差等问题。从产品设计的低成本需求出发,对PCIe Gen5信号的低成本Coupon设计展开研究,结合差分绕线理论分析以及仿真数据,对几种不同绕线方式进行分析对比,选择了一种低空间占有率且高可靠性的Coupon布线方式,并对测试治具进行了改进。实验结果表明,提出的Coupon设计方法不仅比传统方法占用空间少,而且数据稳定性更高,更加有利于Coupon的低成本、高可靠性设计。

小纸条 大学问——出版经济学研究遗忘的角落:“COUPON经济”

纵观COUPON的历史和横览COUPON在世界各地的发展。揭示COUPON促销心理,分析COUPON的优势和不足。

何为Coupon?

在美国、加拿大等国,coupon一词简直无处不在。拿起一本书,你会发现书中或封底附有一张 coupon,这是一份订单;走到街上,你会看到一个鸡蛋摊前许多人手握 coupon 等候买蛋,这时coupon 是张优惠券;如果在一家娱乐场所前有人持 coupon 入场,这时的 coupon 则是入场券。乍一看 coupon 真令人眼花缭乱,但归纳起来主要是以上三种。

How to Promote Sales: Discount Promotion or Coupon Promotion?

In this paper,we examine how a merchant should choose between discount promotion(offering a discount through an online third-party promotion platform)and coupon promotion(ssuing on-package coupons directly to consumers).We develop a two-period model in which the merchant optimizes the promotion decision in the first period and does not promote in the second period.We identify two consumer segments:informed consumers who are aware of the merchant's offering at the beginning of the first period and know the true quality of the product,and uninformed consumers who are not aware of the merchant's offering at the beginning of the first period and underestimate the product quality.Moreover,the merchant has access only to informed consumers when adopting coupon promotion or when choosing not to promote,while the merchant can access both informed consumers and uninformed consumers when offering discount promotion.In this setting,we find that the merchant should offer discount promotion when the quality estimation of uninformed consumers is large and/or when the proportion of informed consumers is small;otherwise,the merchant should adopt coupon promotion when the effect of coupons in the first period is large and choose not to promote when the effect of coupons in the first period is small.

Towards privacy-preserving user targeting

User targeting via behavioral analysis is becoming increasingly prevalent in online messaging services.By taking into account users'behavior information such as geographic locations,purchase behaviors,and search histories,vendors can deliver messages to users who are more likely to have a strong preference.For example,advertisers can rely on some ad-network for distributing ads to targeted users.However,collecting such personal information for accurate targeting raises severe privacy concerns.In order to incentivize users to participate in such behavioral targeting systems,addressing the privacy concerns becomes of paramount importance.We provide a survey of privacy-preserving user targeting.We present the architectures of user targeting,the security threats faced by user targeting,and existing approaches to privacy-preserving user targeting.Some future research directions are also identified.