Consumers often evaluate alternatives differently based on whether they are performing the search online, or offline physically in a store. Information is available more systematically online for consumers to evaluate thus enabling them to rate each and every feature of the product. However, certain attributes (such as size) are difficult to judge without the physical inspection of the product ...

Transportation sector generates a considerable part of each nation's gross domestic product and considered among the largest consumers of oil products in the world. This paper proposes a heuristic method for the vehicle routing problem with hard time windows while incorporating the costs of fuel, driver, and vehicle. The proposed heuristic uses a novel speed optimization algorithm to reach its ...

A comprehensive evaluation of the residual levels of Organochlorine insecticides (OCIs) in the sediment cores of Cochin Estuarine System (CES) is highlighted in this research article. It assessed the distribution pattern and impact of these xenobiotics in this environmental niche. Fifteen persistent organochlorine compounds (OCs) were quantitatively analysed in the six sediment core samples col...

A comprehensive evaluation of the residual levels of Organochlorine insecticides (OCIs) in the sediment cores of Cochin Estuarine System (CES) is highlighted in this research article. It assessed the distribution pattern and impact of these xenobiotics in this environmental niche. Fifteen persistent organochlorine compounds (OCs) were quantitatively analysed in the six sediment core samples col...

Consideration of consumers’ demand for food quality entails several aspects. Quality itself is a complex and dynamic concept, and constantly evolving technical progress may cause changes in consumers’ judgment of quality. To improve our understanding of the factors influencing the demand for quality, food quality must be defined and measured from the consumer’s perspective (Cardello, 1995). The...

In the new economy Small and Medium Enterprises face new challenges in their Business-to-Consumers transactions, such as the use of new Information and Communication Technologies. Electronic commerce may represent a competitive strategy to make enterprises of the agro-food sector more visible to consumers, if usability is adequately taken into account. The main barrier to the development of suc...

Firms in developing countries often avoid paying taxes by making informal payments to business tax inspectors. These bribes increase the cost of operating a business, and the price charged to consumers. To decrease these costs, we designed a feedback incentive scheme for business tax inspectors that rewards them according to the anonymous evaluation submitted by inspected firms. The scheme incr...

Consumers’ product evaluation, choice, and use are driven by both utilitarian and hedonic considerations. Digital games, that are typically considered to be a homogenous product category, are often claimed to be high on hedonic value. However, there is a multitude of digital games genres available. Differences in their appeal, gameplay, and purpose in practice indicate that digital games vary s...