Search Results (3)

Salespeople, as the core executors of product distribution, form a classical principal–agent relationship with the firm. A substantial body of academic research has focused on how firms can develop optimal sales incentive contracts in various scenarios to achieve precise and effective motivation of their salespeople. However, in sales management practice, firms face a tradeoff between management precision and control costs. Therefore, instead of tailoring contracts for each individual, they tend to adopt standardized incentive contracts for the broader range of salespeople. This practice has called the effectiveness of standardized incentive schemes into question. These questions have received limited attention in prior research, yet they hold significant theoretical and practical relevance for optimizing sales incentive mechanisms and improving managerial effectiveness. This study underscores the critical role of salesperson heterogeneity in shaping the effectiveness of standardized incentive contracts. By constructing game-theoretical models of standardized sales incentive contracts in two scenarios and analyzing how heterogeneous salespeople respond to these contracts, the study finds that heterogeneity weakens the incentive effectiveness of standardized contracts. To address this challenge, we propose two practical evaluation methods to help firms assess and adjust both the degree of salesperson heterogeneity and the actual effectiveness of standardized incentive contracts. Full article

This paper proposes an algorithm that provides operational strategies for multiple heterogeneous mobile robot systems utilized in many real-world applications, such as deliveries, surveillance, search and rescue, monitoring, and transportation. Specifically, the authors focus on developing an algorithm that solves a min–max multiple depot heterogeneous asymmetric traveling salesperson problem (MDHATSP). The algorithm is designed based on a primal–dual technique to operate given multiple heterogeneous robots located at distinctive depots by finding a tour for each robot such that all the given targets are visited by at least one robot while minimizing the last task completion time. Building on existing work, the newly developed algorithm can solve more generalized problems, including asymmetric cost problems with a min–max objective. Though producing optimal solutions requires high computational loads, the authors aim to find reasonable sub-optimal solutions within a short computation time. The algorithm was repeatedly tested in a simulation with varying problem sizes to verify its effectiveness. The computational results show that the algorithm can produce reliable solutions to apply in real-time operations within a reasonable time. Full article

Autism spectrum disorders represent a heterogeneous group of clinical situations, and are mainly represented by a deficit of social communication. In this study, we compare two strategies to enhance communicative/social skills, namely self-video modeling and peer video modeling. The subjects were divided into two groups treated via the method of self-video modeling (group 1) or peer video modeling (group 2). For both groups of subjects affected by ASD-HF (Autism Spectrum Disorder-high-functioning), three different activities were proposed: (a) interacting with a salesperson while making a purchase, (b) initiating and maintaining a conversation with peers, and (c) starting and maintaining an enjoyable activity with a peer. The ability to rapidly accomplish the task was used as the main criteria to appraise the groups’ responses to the proposed activities. In group 1, the use of self-video modeling procedures demonstrated a faster and correct execution of the three proposed tasks (especially task 3) when compared to group 2. In group 2, the use of peer video modeling has instead led to a slower acquisition of abilities to process and perform the tasks. The use of self-video modeling speeds up the acquisition of skills to perform communicative/social tasks, compared to peer video modeling’s slower performance in subjects with ASD-HF. Results could be related to either the amount of time the subject is exposed to the task or to the capacity of ASD-HF subjects to self-value one’s own actions more than others. In our work, we have tried to reset the differences in exposure time. Therefore, self-video modeling is demonstrated to be more effective, as it produces a response to the signification/mirroring characteristic of ASD-HF. Full article