In this thesis, we study brand choice problem via the following three perspectives: a company's market share management, introduction of customers with different perspectives, and an analysis of an application domain which is illustrative of these issues. Our contributions following these perspectives include: (1) development of a stochastic differential-jump game (SDJG) model for brand competition in a specific situation wherein market share is modeled by a jump-diffusion process, (2) a robust hierarchical logit/probit model for market heterogeneity, and (3) applications of logit/probit model to the dynamic pricing problem occurring in production-inventory systems with jump events. Our research explores the use of quantitative method of operations research to control the dynamics of market share and provides a precise estimation method to integrate more detail information in discrete brand choice models.

The environmental horticulture industry, also known as the “Green Industry”, is the second most important sector in the United States’ agricultural economy in terms of economic output and one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture; however, it has experienced a steady slowdown in growth in the past years. Floriculture and nursery crops average annual growth rate decreased from 13.64% in the 1970s to approximately 2.87% in the 2000s, and the industry is currently considered to be facing a mature market. The Texas A&M Agricultural Program, in an attempt to help Texas’ green industry producers compete effectively in an evolving marketplace, developed the Texas Superstar TM and Earth-Kind TM programs. Both of these programs intend to raise awareness among consumers of Texas-grown plant material while promoting environmental responsibility, and to increase producers’ profitability by providing them with products that can be sold at a price premium. In spite of the considerable investments on research and marketing that have been done in order to assure the release of every new plant, no research has investigated the effectiveness of these branding efforts in terms of consumer’s behavior. This research seeks to evaluate brand awareness and willingness-to-pay on the part of lawn and garden consumers. The discrete choice models used were the logit and probit model on brand awareness and the tobit model on the conditional willingness-to-pay. Results from this study conclude that consumers’ awareness of Texas Superstar TM and Earth-Kind TM in the Texas area is low, but the satisfaction level among aware consumers is high. The presence of awareness was found to increase willingness-to-pay for Texas Superstar TM and Earth-Kind TM by about 10%. Furthermore, profiles of the consumers’ behavioral and demographic characteristics that are more likely to influence brand awareness and willingness-to-pay were identified.

Travelers' value of travel time savings (VTTS) are often used to estimate the benefits of transportation facilities, including managed lanes (MLs). With various eligibility criteria and time of day pricing on the MLs, the VTTS estimation is complicated. This is evident by the underestimation of VTTS on MLs in many of the previous studies. This study investigates stated preference (SP) survey design strategies and differentiating the VTTS for ordinary and some common urgent situations faced by the travelers in an attempt to improve on VTTS estimation on MLs. This study used three different survey design strategies (including a D-efficient design) in an internet based survey of Katy Freeway travelers. It was found that a random attribute level generation strategy, where the VTTS presented in the alternative was adjusted based on the answer to a previous SP question, performs better than the other two designs with respect to VTTS estimation and other survey design efficiency criteria. The analysis to differentiate the VTTS for ordinary and urgent trips was carried out using the state of art in the mixed logit model estimation. It was found that travelers value their travel time savings much more when facing most of these urgent situations rather than ordinary situations. Both peak and off-peak period travelers' VTTS were also found to be significantly greater when on urgent trips. Survey design attribute level ranges were found to significantly affect the VTTS estimation. Further, in order to understand the policy implications of these findings it was demonstrated that classifying all trips as ordinary can significantly underestimate the VTTS benefits offered by the MLs. Additionally, the VTTS of any urgent trips would be greatly underestimated. The study also demonstrated that many of the low and medium income group travelers on urgent trips can have VTTS greater than that of the highest VTTS traveler from the high income group on an ordinary trip. These findings have significant policy implications since the benefits of MLs (and of most transportation investments) are primarily derived from travel time savings. Underestimating the VTTS and hence the benefits for MLs can result in reducing the likelihood of funding such facilities. This study provides an important first step in the proper estimation of these benefits by suggesting modifications to SP surveys to better capture the influence of urgent trips on the value of a ML facility.

none

ABSTRACT The definition of economic voting by Lewis-Beck indicates constituency can cast a ballot for the benefit of the ruling party while they definitely confirm economic performance by past; vice versa. The study also expresses Western democratic countries periodically hold the Election of Central Administration Leading Cadre and the Legislative Election; furthermore, it shows in response to economic voting during constituency go into deciding by ballot at the meantime. Seeing that documents of the research in Taiwan of voting behavior among constituency much focus on national identification, political party and candidate characteristics; the other way round, less focus on economic performance or economic governance ability. It is unworthy truth for Taiwan Economy to be no longer wonderingly splendid manifestation. Therefore, this study longs for by way of observing materials and data in poll centers behind the President Election in 1996, 2000 as well as the Legislative Election in 1998, 2001. Consequently, it searches out whether economic voting manifestation for Taiwan constituency; it awaits to comprehend if the Economy is one of main variable while voting by constituency in Taiwan? Moreover, it attempts to observing constituency to be part of which social background characteristics. On the basis of the above-mentioned analysis, this study comes at something: I. Economic evaluation is indeed an influential factor; due to unique historical culture background, the crucial point in voting still inferiors to identification of political party and unity-independence position. Nevertheless, candidates among latterly national elections propose unexceptionable policy to lure constituency; newspapers and mass media describe prosperity fluctuation by a wide margin. The effect of economic issues is more and more significant in future election. It may observe continually. II. The study detects low-education-level constituency easily possess economic voting behavior than high-education-level constituency, but it is not fit in with foreign relevant economic voting theory - it is worthy of probing into variations between Taiwan and foreign countries. Over and above, owning-occupation constituency easily possesses economic voting behavior than non-owning-occupation constituency. It hopes adding the gender and age factors in future research. Key Words: Economic Evaluation, Voting Behavior, the Legislative Election, the President Election, Multinomial Logit Model

This thesis analyzes the tenure choice behavior of Turkish household heads over the period between 1985 and 2000, using a method of logit. The probability of owning the housing unit an individual lives in, is modeled by using demographic, labor market, migrational characteristics of the household head and the provincial differences as the explanatory variables. The results show that age and education of the household heads are positively correlated with probability of homeownership and they are the most influential factors determining the tenure choice of Turkish households and the discrepancy in the homeownership rates of the regions. The empirical analysis also displays that internal migrants have lower probabilities than natives and the length of stay matters the most for the tenure choice of internal migrants.

Due to recent pricing studies that have revealed substantial variability in values of time among decision makers with the same socioeconomic characteristics, there is substantial interest in modeling the observed heterogeneity. This study addresses this problem by revealing a previously overlooked connection between choice set and choice behavior. This study estimates a discrete choice model for mode plus route plus time choice, subdivides the population according to empirically formed choice sets, and finds systematic variations among four choice set groups in user preferences for price managed lanes. Rather than assume the same values of the coefficients for all users, the model is separately estimated for each choice set group, and the null hypothesis of no taste variations among them is rejected, suggesting that choice set is an indicator for choice behavior. In the State Route 91 study corridor, the price-managed lanes compete with at least two other congestion-avoiding alternatives. The principal hypothesis is that a person’s willingness to pay depends on whether or not he perceives as personally feasible the option to bypass some congestion in a traditional carpool lane or by traveling outside the peak period. The procedure for estimating the choice sets empirically is predicated on the notion that individuals operate within a wide array of unobservable constraints that can establish the infeasibility of either alternative. The universal choice set includes eight combinations of mode and time and route, wherein there are exactly two alternatives for each. Choice sets are formed from an assumed minimum set, which is expanded to one of three others whenever a non-zero choice probability for either ridesharing, or shoulder period travel, or both is revealed in a person’s history of choice behavior. Based on the test of taste variations, this author finds different values of time across the four choice set groups in the study sample. If these relationships can be validated in other locations, this would make a strong case for modeling choice behavior in value pricing as a function of choice set.

<p>The aim of this thesis is to study the effect of smoking and drinking on wages in Sweden. The data used in this study is the Swedish Level-of-living survey (LNU) from 1991. A multinomial logit model and the marginal effects from the estimated model are used to study the effect of smoking and drinking on wages in Sweden. The empirical results conclude that medium drinking increases the probability of having a high income, i.e. there is a positive significant relationship between medium drinking and wages in Sweden. Also concluded from the empirical results is that there is not a significant relationship between smoking and wages in Sweden.</p>

<p>This study analyzes the determinants of return migration from Sweden to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and outmigration to third country during the time period 1994-2003. The study is limited to the refugees who arrived to Sweden 1993-1994. One important aim is also to find out to what extent the propensity of return migration is affected by integration and participation in the Swedish labor market.</p><p>There is a larger fraction of the refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina who return than migrate to a third country. The results show that a higher education is affecting the return migration decision positively, but not the migration to another country. Since the social protection system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is partially undeveloped, only those with a well paid job or wealthy relatives can afford any mishaps. Highly educated individuals are expected to have these economical prerequisites. Being employed in Sweden or receiving social benefits there, give negative marginal effects on the probability of emigration. Therefore, the position on the Swedish labor market has importance for an emigration decision. Being married or having children decreases the probability of emigration. However, the family status effects are stronger for outmigration to a third country. Further, it is more likely for a family to return than emigrate to a third country. It is also more likely for women to return, while there is a larger fraction of men that migrate to a third country. Summarizing the most important findings, the probability of outmigration is strongly reduced by the level of integration.</p><p>This is not only an analysis of individual micro data. The political and economic differences between home country and source country are also compared. Pull-factors seem to dominate return migration since Sweden has a more stabilized economic and political situation. However, the refugees must have strong economic prerequisites or wealthy relatives to support them, in order to realize a return migration decision. A large fraction of the refugees who wish to return do not have the possibilities to realize their return intentions. They consider themselves as temporary migrants, but have involuntary become permanent migrants in Sweden.</p>

Concerns regarding energy security, resource sustainability, and environmental protection have heightened interests in renewable fuels and sparked the research and development of ethanol as a transportation fuel. This study examines consumers’ willingness to pay for ethanol from various potential feedstocks; corn, switchgrass and wood wastes. Data was collected via a survey of fuel consumers across the United States in 2009. Results show that consumers have a preference for E85 (a fuel blend with 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) from corn, switchgrass and wood wastes compared to E0 (gasoline) and a preference for E85 from switchgrass and wood wastes, but not corn when compared to E10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline). Also, consumers have a preference for E85 compared to E10 but not compared to E0. Mean WTP for E85 was insignificant across all models, but significant for all other product attributes; percentage of fuel imported, percentage of greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and the proximity of fuel in driving distance. This suggests a WTP for a combination of fuel attributes associated with ethanol rather than just for E85. Results suggest that price and proximity of the fuel have a greater impact on fuel selection than percentage of the fuel imported and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Republicans had a positive WTP for E85 compared to E10 and a negative WTP for E85 compared to E0 regardless of feedstock, which may suggest that Republicans actually have no preference for E85; however, these findings may also suggest that Republicans view E85 as a voluntary “policy” whereas E10 is an example of government intrusion in the free market. Thus, they may ultimately have preferences over the manner in which the blend is being introduced to the market. Across all models, those undecided in political affiliation, those previously familiar with ethanol, and those who prefer to devote U.S. farmland to food instead of fuel generally exhibited a lower WTP for E85 while Westerners, those worried about the environment, and those believe that reducing dependence on foreign oil is more important than environmental protection generally had a greater WTP for E85.