Arnab Adhikari

A route efficiency analysis using Shannon entropy-based modified DEA method and route characteristics investigation for urban bus transport in India

ABSTRACT In the context of urban bus transport, the efficiency study of the bus routes, the impact of the contextual factors on the efficiency, and environmental performance measurement have not been paid enough attention. For performance evaluation, scholars mostly apply conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) model whose limitation regarding handling the undesirable parameter limits its usefulness in the presence of undesirable outputs. Here, we propose a Shannon entropy-based output-oriented consolidated DEA model for the holistic performance measurements of the bus routes. Apart from operational and financial performance measurement, we introduce a novel ‘emission metric’ for environmental performance assessment of the bus routes. We show the context-specific implementation of several modified DEA models for measuring the efficiencies of the bus routes and integrate the efficiencies from different models into a single score using Shannon entropy approach. We apply the proposed method on 21 bus routes of Kolkata, an urban city in India. Our method facilitates consistent and more improved score in case of profit-making and loss-making routes, respectively. According to our analysis, route length, route overlapping, number of intermediate stoppages, and cost structure play a crucial role in the performance. We provide several route-specific as well as policy-level recommendations.

An Analytical Modelling Approach for Assessing the Impact of Competition on a Homogenous Product Firm’s Investment Decision in Innovation:

Since the 2000s, the world has experienced a phenomenal growth of innovation initiatives in the homogenous product business. In this context, market competition is considered as one of the most important factors that influence innovation. Still, there is an absence of studies that capture the impact of competition on the innovation activities of homogenous product firms. Also, there is a dearth of analytical works that facilitate the theorization of the impact of competition on a firm’s innovation activities. It motivates us to propose an analytical methodology to assess the impact of the competition on a firm’s innovation in the context of the homogenous product market. We present a quantity competition based Cournot model to determine a homogenous product firm’s optimal output quantity and profitability. Here, we introduce a novel ‘innovation factor’ that describes a homogenous product firm’s innovation capability. We also devise the criteria regarding firm’s incentive to make an investment decision in innovation activity. According to our findings using analytical modelling and numerical analysis, a firm’s profitability decreases with increasing degree of competition. Also, a firm’s incentive to engage in innovation activity depends on the degree of competition, its innovation capability and fixed costs associated with the innovation.

Case Article—ABCtronics: Manufacturing, Quality Control, and Client Interfaces

Teaching statistics in an undergraduate or a graduate business administration course, business analytics course, or engineering program remains a challenging task for the instructors. Often students fail to comprehend the real-life application of statistical concepts with the help of disconnected textbook examples. This failure inspires scholars to develop case studies on statistical theories in real-life industry backgrounds or realistic industrial settings. Recognizing the students’ difficulty to understand the diverse statistical concepts in a realistic setting, we design a case study in an industrial background to facilitate students’ learning. It is constructed by drawing inspiration from real-life business scenarios in the context of the integrated chip manufacturing industry. It helps to bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and practical application. The case starts with introducing various probability distributions and gradually incorporates intricate concepts of statistics like sampli...