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Realistic composite vehicles with 2, 3, 5 and 9 axles, consisting of a truck with one or two trailers, are addressed in this paper by computational models for vehicle–bridge interaction analysis.

The vehicle–bridge interaction (VBI) models are formed by sets of 2-D rigid blocks interconnected by mass, damping and stiffness elements to simulate their suspension system. The passage of the vehicles is performed at different speeds. Several rolling surface profiles are admitted, considering the maintenance grade of the pavement. The spectral density functions are generated from an experimental database to form the longitudinal surface irregularity profiles. A computational code written in Phyton based on the finite element method was developed considering the Euler–Bernoulli beam model.

Several models of composite heavy vehicles are presented as manufactured and currently travel on major roads. Dynamic amplification factors are presented for each type of composite vehicle.

The VBI models for compound heavy vehicles are 2-D.

This work contributes to improving the safety and lifetime of the bridges, as well as the stability and comfort of the vehicles when passing over a bridge.

The structural response of the bridge is affected by the type and size of the compound vehicles, their speed and the conservative grade of the pavement. Moreover, one axle produces vibrations that can be superposed by the vibrations of the other axles. This effect can generate not usual dynamic responses.

The simulated scenarios can be used to compute risk premiums per risk class in the portfolio. These can then be used to adjust the policy premiums by accounting for storm risk.

A complete model to analyse and characterise future losses of the property portfolio of an insurance company due to hurricanes is proposed. The model is calibrated by using the loss data of the Fidelidade insurance company property portfolio resulting from Hurricane Leslie, which hit the centre of continental Portugal in October, 2018.

Several scenarios are simulated and risk maps are constructed. The risk map of the company depends on its portfolio, especially its exposure, and provides a Hurricane risk management tool for the insurance company.

A statistical model is considered, in which weather data is not required. The authors reconstruct the behaviour of storms through the registered claims and respective losses.

This study aims to investigate the interplay between environmental concerns, consumer attitudes and their influence on sustainable practices within the craft beer industry, exploring how consumers’ perception of environmental attributes impact their purchase intentions regarding craft beer.

The study used a quantitative approach, using a self-administered survey instrument comprised 28 Likert-scale items. Data was gathered from a convenience sample of 319 craft beer consumers. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the measurement model’s validity and reliability. Subsequently, partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships.

This study’s findings challenge established notions within the field, demonstrating that water conservation, carbon footprint reduction, organic farming and local sourcing practices hold significant influence on consumers’ purchase intentions regarding sustainable craft beer. These findings depart from previous research that suggested a less pronounced impact of specific sustainability practices on consumer behavior.

This study contributes to the literature by revealing consumer insights into the environmental implications of craft beer choices, empowering them to make informed purchasing decisions aligned with their sustainability values. However, acknowledging potential limitations, sample size and demographic composition (young adults in Brazil) potentially impact the generalizability of the findings.

This study addresses the understanding of consumer attitudes and priorities regarding environmental sustainability within the craft beer industry. By focusing on the tangibility of specific sustainable attributes the research shows how these practices influence consumer perceptions and purchasing intentions.

The chapter discusses an articulation detected in the Ursula School between the discipline/indiscipline logic (Rodrigues, 2007) and the contemporary cultural tone in which to be is to be perceived, be seen (Türcke, 2010), experienced by Brazilian adolescents. The pursuit of being seen/perceived was persistent in the statements of the students who participated in the research. An ethnographic perspective guided the methodology of the research. The text aims to describe articulations present in the Ursula School, the empirical locus of the investigation. The empirical data of the paper are presented through ethnographic discussions. The ethnography found students eager to be seen/perceived by their peers and/or school professionals. It reinforces the pleasure/power spirals (Foucault, 2012) contained in disciplining, being disciplined, or being undisciplined. At the same time, it highlights a game between seeing and being seen (Bhabha, 2004). Nevertheless, students’ behavior was ambivalent, as some ethnographic data show. The articulations described in the chapter enable us to discuss how adolescents have recently experienced school. As well as this chapter allows sociological considerations about a school that remains a pivotal institution in the lives of adolescents, but is traversed by externals logics, mainly derived from industrialized cultural elements. The Türcke (2010) assertion will be explored through a new question. Be is to be perceived and seen by who, and in which context?

This chapter tells the story of how the concept of Pareto efficiency was shipped from Lausanne to the modern US theory of competitive general equilibrium, focusing on the specific role of Maurice Allais. It identifies similarities in both epistemological approach and theoretical achievements realized first by Pareto, then by Allais, and finally by Debreu and Arrow and Hahn. It also shows that these similarities are not casual, since historical circumstances account for the influence of Pareto on Allais and later of Allais on Arrow and Debreu.

The case study is based on a series of in-depth interviews carried out with the owners and directors of the company. The data are complemented by documentary analysis, including descriptions of internal processes and industry information. For the teaching note, the authors opt for an exploratory study using the open-ended approach of grounded theory.

Arette^® is a Mexican family business dedicated to the production and sale of tequila, fusing the artisanal with the new in its production processes. Sales take place mostly in the European and American markets. The foreign market for tequila is very attractive but also very demanding both in terms of financial resources and time. Although the company has managed to enter this market through bars and restaurants, it has not yet managed to reach the final consumers (those who order margaritas in bars). Jaime, Eduardo and Lalo are wondering whether it might be time to invest more resources in ensuring that Arette^® is not just a brand for fine cocktails. Until now, their main promotional tool has been word of mouth, and they are not sure what their next step should be – to focus on the international or the domestic market.

The case study can be incorporated into undergraduate classes, where it could serve as part of an international marketing course, in particular, as an international sales strategy and implementation session. It can be used to teach basic concepts and their application.

This case study focuses on the decision that many small companies have to make at some point in their business strategy, which is to focus either on the international or domestic market: The objectives are as follows:

1. To identify the variables that increase or modify the demand for Tequila.

2. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of focusing on a domestic Tequila market or focusing on an international market.

3. Identify the critical variables that a small company faces if it wants to go international such as.

4. Identify if there are forms of diversification for Tequila Arette such as new markets or new products, or both.

In the years following the publication of A Theory of Consumption (1923), Hazel Kyrk’s book became the flagship of the field that would later be known as the economics of consumption. It stimulated theoretical and empirical work on consumption. Some of the existing literature on Kyrk (e.g., Kiss & Beller, 2000; Le Tollec, 2020; Tadajewski, 2013) depicted her theory as the starting point of the economics of consumption. Nevertheless, how and why it emerged the way it did remain largely unexplored. This chapter examines Kyrk’s intellectual background, which, we argue, can be traced back to two main movements in the United States: the home economics and the institutionalist. Both movements conveyed specific endeavors as responses to the US material and social transformations that occurred at the turn of the 20th century, notably the perceived changing role of consumption and that of women in US society. On the one hand, Kyrk pursued first-generation home economists’ efforts to make sense of and put into action the shifting of women’s role from domestic producer to consumer. On the other hand, she reinterpreted Veblen’s (1899) account of consumption in order to reveal its operational value for a normative agenda focused on “wise” and “rational” consumption. This chapter studies how Kyrk carried on first-generation home economists’ progressive agenda and how she adapted Veblen’s fin-de-siècle critical account of consumption to the context of the household goods developed in 1900–1920. Our account of Kyrk’s intellectual roots offers a novel narrative to better understand the role of gender and epistemological questions in her theory.

This article responds to Daniel Kuehn’s critique and expands on the discussion of James Buchanan’s later essay, which has received insufficient attention. The focus is on the 1965 revision of the “Virginia Plan for Universal Education” by Buchanan and Warren Nutter. While the revision is acknowledged by all, its significance is debated. The authors argue that Nutter and Buchanan’s original contribution lies in contrasting implied majority rule with explicit proportional representation, a distinction not found in Milton Friedman’s work. The period between 1959 and 1965 witnessed changes, including the development of an economic approach to constitutions and the attempt to prevent parents from using vouchers for integrated schools. The 1965 addition highlights the importance of alternative democratic decision rules and sets the stage for Buchanan’s subsequent work on racially determined policies. Buchanan’s involvement with racial issues extended beyond the voucher proposal, including his support for affirmative action. The addition to the 1965 voucher proposal addresses the impact of decision rules on minority well-being. The mischaracterization of minority concerns is addressed, drawing on Lani Guinier’s book and quoting Buchanan’s principles of fair representation. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of the 1965 addition in Buchanan’s work on racial fairness and its connection to Lani Guinier’s perspectives.