A new multivariate random walk model with slowly changing drift and cross-correlations for multivariate processes is introduced and investigated in detail. In the model, not only the drifts and the cross-covariances but also the cross-correlations between single series are allowed to change...

The security of both technical and trade credit factors becomes a serious bottleneck that affects the current development of e-business. Honest behavior is one of the important aspects of trade credit safety. It is a vital step to establish and maintain a safe credit system. In this paper, we...

Here we demonstrate thermal energy storage cement mortar (TESCM) fabricated by integrating ordinary cement mortar with a composite phase change material (PCM) based on n-octadecane and expanded graphite (EG). The mass percentage of n-octadecane in the composite PCM can reach as high as 90% due...

Improper operating temperature will degrade the performances of electronic components, Li-ion batteries and photovoltaic (PV) cells, which calls for a good thermal management system. In this paper, specific attention is paid to the thermal management systems based on the phase change materials...

Customer satisfaction index (CSI) is an important concept for evaluating the quality of service in e-commerce. It permits to evaluate the validity of an e-commerce operation from the point of view of consumers. In this paper, we present a model of CSI in e-commerce using fuzzy techniques and...

Differences in diesel fuel prices can significantly distort competition both between and within domestic road haulage markets. This is well illustrated by the case of the UK, where diesel fuel prices are by far the highest in the EU. The paper examines the effects of high and rising fuel prices...

<title>Abstract</title> Between 1997 and 2004, gross domestic product increased in real terms in the UK by one‐fifth, while the volume of road freight movement remained stable. This suggests that the long‐awaited decoupling of economic and freight transport growth has begun, possibly leading to a new era...

The British government was planning to introduce a system of road-user charging for lorries in 2008. In July 2005, it decided to abandon these plans and incorporate the development of a charging scheme for trucks into a future road pricing system for all categories of traffic. This paper...

Over the past 20 years large British retailers have transformed the system of shop delivery by centralizing inventory at distribution centres and delivering supplies in large consolidated loads. This rationalization of the pattern of delivery receives little mention in retailers' environmental...

This paper reports on research undertaken to determine the baseline trends in logistics and supply chain management and associated environmental effects up to 2020. Factors affecting freight transport demand, truck fuel consumption and related CO2 emissions are classified into six categories in...