Social cost functions in humanitarian operations are defined as the sum of logistics and deprivation costs. They are widely regarded as appropriate objective functions, even though the way they were introduced requires cautiously formulated deprivation cost functions for the analyzed goods and...

The life-cycle hypothesis implies that consumption would not decline at retirement. However, several studies found relevant declines in food consumption after retirement for the United States. Others concluded that this contradiction of the life-cycle hypothesis is solved by allowing for broader...

Manufacturers usually benefit by dividing their innovation processes into distinct phases in order to ensure that the development activities are performed efficiently in an appropriate sequence. Users usually do not apply such structured processes. They follow a more intuition-driven approach....

We report on a survey of the innovation activities and characteristics of 153 users of outdoor-related consumer products. We find a high level of innovation by these consumers. Thirty-seven percent report that they have developed ideas for new or improved products, and more than 9% report...

Municipalities in Germany develop policy plans referred to as 'Energetische Quartierskonzepte' (EQ, pl. EQs) to lower and decarbonize the energy consumption of existing buildings in whole city districts. These EQs describe the status-quo, a strategy, and measures for the energy-related...