Are large farms more efficient? Tenure security, farm size and farm efficiency: evidence from northeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yuepeng; Ma, Xianlei; Shi, Xiaoping

2017-04-01

How to increase production efficiency, guarantee grain security, and increase farmers' income using the limited farmland is a great challenge that China is facing. Although theory predicts that secure property rights and moderate scale management of farmland can increase land productivity, reduce farm-related costs, and raise farmer's income, empirical studies on the size and magnitude of these effects are scarce. A number of studies have examined the impacts of land tenure or farm size on productivity or efficiency, respectively. There are also a few studies linking farm size, land tenure and efficiency together. However, to our best knowledge, there are no studies considering tenure security and farm efficiency together for different farm scales in China. In addition, there is little study analyzing the profit frontier. In this study, we particularly focus on the impacts of land tenure security and farm size on farm profit efficiency, using farm level data collected from 23 villages, 811 households in Liaoning in 2015. 7 different farm scales have been identified to further represent small farms, median farms, moderate-scale farms, and large farms. Technical efficiency is analyzed with stochastic frontier production function. The profit efficiency is regressed on a set of explanatory variables which includes farm size dummies, land tenure security indexes, and household characteristics. We found that: 1) The technical efficiency scores for production efficiency (average score = 0.998) indicate that it is already very close to the production frontier, and thus there is little room to improve production efficiency. However, there is larger space to raise profit efficiency (average score = 0.768) by investing more on farm size expansion, seed, hired labor, pesticide, and irrigation. 2) Farms between 50-80 mu are most efficient from the viewpoint of profit efficiency. The so-called moderate-scale farms (100-150 mu) according to the governmental guideline show no advantage in efficiency. 3) Formal land certificates and farmer's participation in land rental market are found to be important determinants of the profit efficiency across different scale of farms. 4) Fertilizer use has been excessive in Liaoning and could lead to the decline of crop profit.

The next $120,000: a case study to illustrate analysis of alternative farm investments in fixed assets.

PubMed

St-Pierre, N R; Shoemaker, D; Jones, L R

2000-05-01

Dairy scientists specializing in the area of farm management are increasingly involved in analysis of farm investments in fixed assets. There have been instances where the wrong procedures were used to assess investments in fixed assets, leading to erroneous and possibly disastrous conclusions. A detailed case study of a dairy farm facing the decision of where best to invest an unexpected $120,000 windfall is used to illustrate the various facets of financial analysis. Indicators of profitability, liquidity, solvency, repayment capacity, and financial efficiency are explained and applied to the farm case to produce a detailed analysis of the current financial position of the firm. Long-range budgets of four alternate investment options and their impact on all financial indicators are presented. The four options are: 1) to pay down debt, 2) to purchase an additional 100 cows, 3) to install automatic milk yield recording in the parlor, and 4) to build new heifer facilities. All four investments are profitable. Therefore, an analysis limited to profitability indicators would conclude that any of the four options is a good investment. However, liquidity and financial efficiency issues showed that the option of purchasing 100 cows is far superior to the three others. We conclude that a complete and thorough financial analysis is required to evaluate the impact of long-run investments in fixed assets.

Comparison of efficiency and profitability of investor-owned multihospital systems with not-for-profit hospitals.

PubMed

Sear, A M

1991-01-01

It is often assumed that investor-owned hospitals are more market driven than are not-for-profit hospitals, and that they will maximize output and minimize inputs, to the exclusion of other management strategies. To resolve the conflicting research evidence, this study analyzed efficiency and profitability measures for approximately 50 investor-owned and 60 not-for-profit hospitals in Florida for the period from 1982 through 1988. The results indicate that the investor-owned hospitals used significantly fewer FTE staff per bed, had significantly fewer manhours per adjusted patient day, and paid significantly less in wages and had significantly higher operating margins (profit) than did the not-for-profit institutions.

Analysis of Household Electricity Consumption Patterns and Economy of Water Heating Shifting and Saving Bulbs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosin, Argo; Moller, Taavi; Lehtla, Madis; Hoimoja, Hardi

2010-01-01

This article analyses household electricity consumption based on an object in Estonia. Energy consumption of workday and holiday by loads (including high and low tariff energy consumption) is discussed. The final part describes the evaluation of profitability of common investments of consumption shifting and replacing inefficient devices with more efficient ones. Additionally it describes shifting problems and shifting equipment profitability in real-time tariff system.

Prediction of hospital failure: a post-PPS analysis.

PubMed

Gardiner, L R; Oswald, S L; Jahera, J S

1996-01-01

This study investigates the ability of discriminant analysis to provide accurate predictions of hospital failure. Using data from the period following the introduction of the Prospective Payment System, we developed discriminant functions for each of two hospital ownership categories: not-for-profit and proprietary. The resulting discriminant models contain six and seven variables, respectively. For each ownership category, the variables represent four major aspects of financial health (liquidity, leverage, profitability, and efficiency) plus county marketshare and length of stay. The proportion of closed hospitals misclassified as open one year before closure does not exceed 0.05 for either ownership type. Our results show that discriminant functions based on a small set of financial and nonfinancial variables provide the capability to predict hospital failure reliably for both not-for-profit and proprietary hospitals.

48 CFR 1615.404-70 - Profit analysis factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... of disputed claims as measures of economical and efficient contract performance. This factor will be..., and practices having viability to the program at large. OPM will not consider improvements and...

48 CFR 1615.404-70 - Profit analysis factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... of disputed claims as measures of economical and efficient contract performance. This factor will be..., and practices having viability to the program at large. OPM will not consider improvements and...

Impact of robotic operative efficiency on profitability.

PubMed

Geller, Elizabeth J; Matthews, Catherine A

2013-07-01

We sought to determine the impact of robotic operative efficiency on profitability and assess the impact of secondary variables. Financial data were collected for all robotic cases performed for fiscal years 2010 (FY10) and 2011 (FY11) at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and included 9 surgical subspecialties. Profitability was defined as a positive operating income. From July 2009 through June 2011, 1295 robotic cases were performed. Robotic surgery was profitable in both fiscal years, with an operating income of $386,735 in FY10 and $822,996 in FY11. In FY10, urogynecology and pediatric surgery were the only nonprofitable subspecialties. In FY11, all subspecialties were profitable. Profitability was associated with case time, payor mix, and procedure type (all P < .05). Urogynecology case time decreased from 220-179 minutes (P = .012) and pediatric surgery from 418-258 minutes (P = .019). Robotic operative efficiency has a large impact on overall profitability regardless of surgical specialty. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Financial standards for HMOs.

PubMed

Parsons, Robert J; Gustafson, Gary; Nelson, Ray D; Murray, Bruce P; Dwore, Richard B

2002-02-01

In today's health care environment, it is important to assess the liquidity and profitability performance of HMOs. This study focuses on three liquidity ratios and three profitability ratios derived from national databases of between 740 and 776 HMOs from 1996 to 1999. Most of the HMOs appear to be using more debt and are less liquid now than they were in 1995. Since administrative overhead costs and dollars spent on medical costs have been increasing, HMOs' margins have been consistently negative. A more careful analysis of overhead costs and the cost of the delivery of medical services could result in improved HMO quality of care, efficiencies, and a return to positive profit margins.

DISPAQ: Distributed Profitable-Area Query from Big Taxi Trip Data.

PubMed

Putri, Fadhilah Kurnia; Song, Giltae; Kwon, Joonho; Rao, Praveen

2017-09-25

One of the crucial problems for taxi drivers is to efficiently locate passengers in order to increase profits. The rapid advancement and ubiquitous penetration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology into transportation industries enables us to provide taxi drivers with locations that have more potential passengers (more profitable areas) by analyzing and querying taxi trip data. In this paper, we propose a query processing system, called Distributed Profitable-Area Query ( DISPAQ ) which efficiently identifies profitable areas by exploiting the Apache Software Foundation's Spark framework and a MongoDB database. DISPAQ first maintains a profitable-area query index (PQ-index) by extracting area summaries and route summaries from raw taxi trip data. It then identifies candidate profitable areas by searching the PQ-index during query processing. Then, it exploits a Z-Skyline algorithm, which is an extension of skyline processing with a Z-order space filling curve, to quickly refine the candidate profitable areas. To improve the performance of distributed query processing, we also propose local Z-Skyline optimization, which reduces the number of dominant tests by distributing killer profitable areas to each cluster node. Through extensive evaluation with real datasets, we demonstrate that our DISPAQ system provides a scalable and efficient solution for processing profitable-area queries from huge amounts of big taxi trip data.

DISPAQ: Distributed Profitable-Area Query from Big Taxi Trip Data †

PubMed Central

Putri, Fadhilah Kurnia; Song, Giltae; Rao, Praveen

2017-01-01

One of the crucial problems for taxi drivers is to efficiently locate passengers in order to increase profits. The rapid advancement and ubiquitous penetration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology into transportation industries enables us to provide taxi drivers with locations that have more potential passengers (more profitable areas) by analyzing and querying taxi trip data. In this paper, we propose a query processing system, called Distributed Profitable-Area Query (DISPAQ) which efficiently identifies profitable areas by exploiting the Apache Software Foundation’s Spark framework and a MongoDB database. DISPAQ first maintains a profitable-area query index (PQ-index) by extracting area summaries and route summaries from raw taxi trip data. It then identifies candidate profitable areas by searching the PQ-index during query processing. Then, it exploits a Z-Skyline algorithm, which is an extension of skyline processing with a Z-order space filling curve, to quickly refine the candidate profitable areas. To improve the performance of distributed query processing, we also propose local Z-Skyline optimization, which reduces the number of dominant tests by distributing killer profitable areas to each cluster node. Through extensive evaluation with real datasets, we demonstrate that our DISPAQ system provides a scalable and efficient solution for processing profitable-area queries from huge amounts of big taxi trip data. PMID:28946679

A National Study of Efficiency for Dialysis Centers: An Examination of Market Competition and Facility Characteristics for Production of Multiple Dialysis Outputs

PubMed Central

Ozgen, Hacer; A. Ozcan, Yasar

2002-01-01

Objective To examine market competition and facility characteristics that can be related to technical efficiency in the production of multiple dialysis outputs from the perspective of the industrial organization model. Study Setting Freestanding dialysis facilities that operated in 1997 submitted cost report forms to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), and offered all three outputs—outpatient dialysis, dialysis training, and home program dialysis. Data Sources The Independent Renal Facility Cost Report Data file (IRFCRD) from HCFA was utilized to obtain information on output and input variables and market and facility features for 791 multiple-output facilities. Information regarding population characteristics was obtained from the Area Resources File. Study Design Cross-sectional data for the year 1997 were utilized to obtain facility-specific technical efficiency scores estimated through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). A binary variable of efficiency status was then regressed against its market and facility characteristics and control factors in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Principal Findings The majority of the facilities in the sample are functioning technically inefficiently. Neither the intensity of market competition nor a policy of dialyzer reuse has a significant effect on the facilities' efficiency. Technical efficiency is significantly associated, however, with type of ownership, with the interaction between the market concentration of for-profits and ownership type, and with affiliations with chains of different sizes. Nonprofit and government-owned facilities are more likely than their for-profit counterparts to become inefficient producers of renal dialysis outputs. On the other hand, that relationship between ownership form and efficiency is reversed as the market concentration of for-profits in a given market increases. Facilities that are members of large chains are more likely to be technically inefficient. Conclusions Facilities do not appear to benefit from joint production of a variety of dialysis outputs, which may explain the ongoing tendency toward single-output production. Ownership form does make a positive difference in production efficiency, but only in local markets where competition exists between nonprofit and for-profit facilities. The increasing inefficiency associated with membership in large chains suggests that the growing consolidation in the dialysis industry may not, in fact, be the strategy for attaining more technical efficiency in the production of multiple dialysis outputs. PMID:12132602

A national study of efficiency for dialysis centers: an examination of market competition and facility characteristics for production of multiple dialysis outputs.

PubMed

Ozgen, Hacer; Ozcan, Yasar A

2002-06-01

To examine market competition and facility characteristics that can be related to technical efficiency in the production of multiple dialysis outputs from the perspective of the industrial organization model. Freestanding dialysis facilities that operated in 1997 submitted cost report fonns to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), and offered all three outputs--outpatient dialysis, dialysis training, and home program dialysis. The Independent Renal Facility Cost Report Data file (IRFCRD) from HCFA was utilized to obtain information on output and input variables and market and facility features for 791 multiple-output facilities. Information regarding population characteristics was obtained from the Area Resources File. Cross-sectional data for the year 1997 were utilized to obtain facility-specific technical efficiency scores estimated through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). A binary variable of efficiency status was then regressed against its market and facility characteristics and control factors in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. The majority of the facilities in the sample are functioning technically inefficiently. Neither the intensity of market competition nor a policy of dialyzer reuse has a significant effect on the facilities' efficiency. Technical efficiency is significantly associated, however, with type of ownership, with the interaction between the market concentration of for-profits and ownership type, and with affiliations with chains of different sizes. Nonprofit and government-owned Facilities are more likely than their for-profit counterparts to become inefficient producers of renal dialysis outputs. On the other hand, that relationship between ownership form and efficiency is reversed as the market concentration of for-profits in a given market increases. Facilities that are members of large chains are more likely to be technically inefficient. Facilities do not appear to benefit from joint production of a variety of dialysis outputs, which may explain the ongoing tendency toward single-output production. Ownership form does make a positive difference in production efficiency, but only in local markets where competition exists between nonprofit and for-profit facilities. The increasing inefficiency associated with membership in large chains suggests that the growing consolidation in the dialysis industry may not, in fact, be the strategy for attaining more technical efficiency in the production of multiple dialysis outputs.

The Economic Efficiency of European Football Clubs--Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pyatunin, Aleksey V.; Vishnyakova, Angelina B.; Sherstneva, Natalia L.; Mironova, Svetlana P.; Dneprov, Sergey A.; Grabozdin, Yuriy P.

2016-01-01

The relevance of this paper lies in the fact that football business has grown significantly in the past 20 years and football clubs have become large companies, which in an effort to be profitable and successful on the field need to improve the efficiency of their business. The aim of this article is to measure economic efficiency of 48 big…

[Analysis of financial statements of Japanese private hospitals (1982-1991)].

PubMed

Matsuda, S; Murata, H

1996-06-01

In order to clarify the financial situation of Japanese private hospitals, the financial statements provided by the Social Welfare and Medical Service Corporation were analyzed for the period from 1982 to 1991. The results clarified the low growth rate and low profitability of the Japanese private hospitals, although their financial situation was relatively stable. However, the efficiency of cost has been stalled in recent years and profitability has been declining due to the low turnover rate of capital. According to the CVP analysis, the Profit volume ratio of the investigated hospitals has been increased to the level of 95%. This situation means that, in the current financial situation, more than half of the Japanese private hospitals will go into the red if revenue declines 5% due to some short term change in the managerial environment.

Efficiency determinants and capacity issues in Brazilian for-profit hospitals.

PubMed

Araújo, Cláudia; Barros, Carlos P; Wanke, Peter

2014-06-01

This paper reports on the use of different approaches for assessing efficiency of a sample of major Brazilian for-profit hospitals. Starting out with the bootstrapping technique, several DEA estimates were generated, allowing the use of confidence intervals and bias correction in central estimates to test for significant differences in efficiency levels and input-decreasing/output-increasing potentials. The findings indicate that efficiency is mixed in Brazilian for-profit hospitals. Opportunities for accommodating future demand appear to be scarce and strongly dependent on particular conditions related to the accreditation and specialization of a given hospital.

The proprietary hospital industry: a financial analysis 1972-1982.

PubMed

Michel, A; Shaked, I; Daley, J

1985-01-01

This paper evaluates the performance of both specific firms within the American for-profit hospital industry and the industry as a whole. First, traditional financial analysis is used to evaluate individual publicly traded for-profit chains. Then, industry performance from 1973 to 1982 is evaluated using a set of measures based on Modern Portfolio Theory. The traditional financial analysis indicates that the industry seems increasingly profitable as well as increasingly healthy from the perspective of utilizing its assets and reducing its collection period. However, the industry's rapid growth rate has strained its ability to use additional debt funding and has created a potentially dangerous liquidity position. Measures based on Modern Portfolio Theory indicate that the average return of the industry has improved over the past 5 years. However, its risk has also increased. Nevertheless, the increase in risk is more than offset by the increased average return. In addition, recent legislation designed 'to reward the efficient' has introduced a significant degree of uncertainty into the industry's performance for the coming years. Thus, hospitals' ability to maintain the substantial profitability and rate of growth they have experienced over the past decade will depend on how well they will adapt to the changing environment.

Analysis of the rationale for, and consequences of, nonprofit and for-profit ownership conversions.

PubMed Central

Mark, T L

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To examine percursors to private hospitals conversion, both from nonprofit status to for-profit status and from for-profit to nonprofit status, as well as the effect of hospital conversions on hospital profitability, efficiency, staffing, and the probability of closure. DATA SOURCES: The Health Care Financing Administration's Medicare Cost Reports and the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals. STUDY DESIGN: Bivariate and multivariate analyses comparing conversion hospitals to nonconversion hospitals over time were conducted. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS: The study sample consisted of all private acute care hospital conversions that occurred from 1989 through 1992. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Hospitals that converted had significantly lower profit margins prior to converting than did nonconversion hospitals. This was particularly true for nonprofit to for-profit conversions. After converting, both nonprofit and for-profit hospitals significantly improved their profitability. Nonprofit to for-profit hospital conversions were associated with a decrease in the ratio of staff to patients. No association was found between for-profit to nonprofit conversion and staff-to-patient ratios. The difference seems partially attributed to the fact that nonprofit hospitals that converted had higher staff ratios than the industry average. For-profit to nonprofit hospital conversions were associated with an increase in the ratio of registered nurses to patients and administrators to patients, despite the fact that nonprofit and for-profit hospitals did not differ in these ratios. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement in financial performance following hospital conversions may be a benefit to the community that policymakers want to consider when regulating hospital conversions. PMID:10201853

Standard cost systems lead to efficiency and profitability.

PubMed

Bennett, J P

1985-09-01

Today's healthcare managers are finding that business methods such as product line planning, productivity monitoring, and advance cost measurement are necessary to operate an efficient and profitable organization. But to use these methods, managers need information about costs. Specifically, they need costs standards to determine how efficiently and profitably their institutions are operating. To develop a standard cost system, managers must be aware of the kinds of standards used, the motivational effect of standards on employee productivity, the steps necessary for effective implementation and maintenance, and the advantages and disadvantages of a standard cost system.

Effect of probiotic supplementation on organic feed to alternative antibiotic growth promoter on production performance and economics analysis of quail.

PubMed

Lokapirnasari, W P; Dewi, A R; Fathinah, A; Hidanah, S; Harijani, N; Soeharsono; Karimah, B; Andriani, A D

2017-12-01

The purpose of this study was to know the production performance and economic analysis in quail which use probiotic supplementation to alternate antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) to feed consumption, water consumption, egg production, egg mass, feed conversion, and feed efficiency. About 240 quails ( Coturnix coturnix japonica) at 14 weeks of age were completely randomized into four treatments, each treatment consisted of six replications and each replication consisted by 10 heads. The treatment was T0 (organic feed without AGP and without probiotic), T1 (organic feed + 0.001% AGP), T2 (organic feed + 0.005% probiotic in feed), and T3 (organic feed + 0.005% probiotic in drinking water). The probiotic consist of 1.2×10 5 CFU/g of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus . The results showed that the probiotic supplementation both in feed and water give a significant impact to feed consumption, water intake, feed conversion, feed efficiency, and quail day production, but no statistical difference of egg mass. The T3 also show the most profitable business analysis, which has the best result in income, profit, break-even point, return cost ratio, benefit-cost ratio, and return on investment. It can be concluded that giving 0.005% probiotic in drinking water to get the best egg production and profit.

Comparative study on DuPont analysis and DEA models for measuring stock performance using financial ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsad, Roslah; Shaari, Siti Nabilah Mohd; Isa, Zaidi

2017-11-01

Determining stock performance using financial ratio is challenging for many investors and researchers. Financial ratio can indicate the strengths and weaknesses of a company's stock performance. There are five categories of financial ratios namely liquidity, efficiency, leverage, profitability and market ratios. It is important to interpret the ratio correctly for proper financial decision making. The purpose of this study is to compare the performance of listed companies in Bursa Malaysia using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and DuPont analysis Models. The study is conducted in 2015 involving 116 consumer products companies listed in Bursa Malaysia. The estimation method of Data Envelopment Analysis computes the efficiency scores and ranks the companies accordingly. The Alirezaee and Afsharian's method of analysis based Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (CCR) where Constant Return to Scale (CRS) is employed. The DuPont analysis is a traditional tool for measuring the operating performance of companies. In this study, DuPont analysis is used to evaluate three different aspects such as profitability, efficiency of assets utilization and financial leverage. Return on Equity (ROE) is also calculated in DuPont analysis. This study finds that both analysis models provide different rankings of the selected samples. Hypothesis testing based on Pearson's correlation, indicates that there is no correlation between rankings produced by DEA and DuPont analysis. The DEA ranking model proposed by Alirezaee and Asharian is unstable. The method cannot provide complete ranking because the values of Balance Index is equal and zero.

Modeling efficiency at the process level: an examination of the care planning process in nursing homes.

PubMed

Lee, Robert H; Bott, Marjorie J; Gajewski, Byron; Taunton, Roma Lee

2009-02-01

To examine the efficiency of the care planning process in nursing homes. We collected detailed primary data about the care planning process for a stratified random sample of 107 nursing homes from Kansas and Missouri. We used these data to calculate the average direct cost per care plan and used data on selected deficiencies from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting System to measure the quality of care planning. We then analyzed the efficiency of the assessment process using corrected ordinary least squares (COLS) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). Both approaches suggested that there was considerable inefficiency in the care planning process. The average COLS score was 0.43; the average DEA score was 0.48. The correlation between the two sets of scores was quite high, and there was no indication that lower costs resulted in lower quality. For-profit facilities were significantly more efficient than not-for-profit facilities. Multiple studies of nursing homes have found evidence of inefficiency, but virtually all have had measurement problems that raise questions about the results. This analysis, which focuses on a process with much simpler measurement issues, finds evidence of inefficiency that is largely consistent with earlier studies. Making nursing homes more efficient merits closer attention as a strategy for improving care. Increasing efficiency by adopting well-designed, reliable processes can simultaneously reduce costs and improve quality.

Characteristics of High- and Low-Efficiency Hospitals.

PubMed

Rosko, Michael; Wong, Herbert S; Mutter, Ryan

2017-01-01

We compared performance, operating characteristics, and market environments of low- and high-efficiency hospitals in the 37 states that supplied inpatient data to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from 2006 to 2010. Hospital cost-inefficiency estimates using stochastic frontier analysis were generated. Hospitals were then grouped into the 100 most- and 100 least-efficient hospitals for subsequent analysis. Compared with the least efficient hospitals, high-efficiency hospitals tended to have lower average costs, higher labor productivity, and higher profit margins. The most efficient hospitals tended to be nonteaching, investor-owned, and members of multihospital systems. Hospitals in the high-efficiency group were located in areas with lower health maintenance organization penetration and less competition, and they had a higher share of Medicaid and Medicare admissions. Results of the analysis suggest there are opportunities for public policies to support improved efficiency in the hospital sector.

United States petroleum pipelines: An empirical analysis of pipeline sizing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coburn, L. L.

1980-12-01

The undersizing theory hypothesizes that integrated oil companies have a strong economic incentive to size the petroleum pipelines they own and ship over in a way that means that some of the demand must utilize higher cost alternatives. The DOJ theory posits that excess or monopoly profits are earned due to the natural monopoly characteristics of petroleum pipelines and the existence of market power in some pipelines at either the upstream or downstream market. The theory holds that independent petroleum pipelines owned by companies not otherwise affiliated with the petroleum industry (independent pipelines) do not have these incentives and all the efficiencies of pipeline transportation are passed to the ultimate consumer. Integrated oil companies on the other hand, keep these cost efficiencies for themselves in the form of excess profits.

A genetic analysis of post-weaning feedlot performance and profitability in Bonsmara cattle.

PubMed

van der Westhuizen, R R; van der Westhuizen, J; Schoeman, S J

2009-02-25

The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing profitability in a feedlot environment and to estimate genetic parameters for and between a feedlot profit function and productive traits measured in growth tests. The heritability estimate of 0.36 for feedlot profitability shows that this trait is genetically inherited and that it can be selected for. The genetic correlations between feedlot profitability and production and efficiency varied from negligible to high. The genetic correlation estimate of -0.92 between feed conversion ratio and feedlot profitability is largely due to the part-whole relationship between these two traits. Consequently, a multiple regression equation was developed to estimate a feed intake value for all performance-tested Bonsmara bulls, which were group fed and whose feed intakes were unknown. These predicted feed intake values enabled the calculation of a post-weaning growth or feedlot profitability value for all tested bulls, even where individual feed intakes were unknown. Subsequently, a feedlot profitability value for each bull was calculated in a favorable economic environment, an average economic environment and in an unfavorable economic environment. The high Pearson and Spearman correlations between the estimate breeding values based on the average economic environment and the other two environments suggested that the average economic environment could be used to calculate estimate breeding values for feedlot profitability. It is therefore not necessary to change the carcass, weaned calf or feed price on a regular basis to allow for possible re-rankings based on estimate breeding values.

Long-Term Impact of the Farm Financial Analysis Training Curriculum on FSA Borrowers in Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balliet, Kenneth L.; Douglass, Mark B.; Hanson, Gregory

2010-01-01

The Farm Financial Analysis Training (FFAT) course covers fundamental skills and concepts in liquidity, profitability, solvency, and efficiency. The research reported here identifies and measures the impacts of FFAT on participants including: 1) perceived gains in knowledge, 2) changes in management behavior, 3) changes in specific farm assets and…

Home care business management software not just for scheduling.

PubMed

Morey, Rick

2012-10-01

Rule number one for running a successful, profitable home care company: It is essential to have an efficient, cost-effective administrative operation. A hard fact of the home care industry is that the location of an agency, to a large extent, dictates the billing rates as well as caregiver pay. Therefore, agency profitability is primarily dependent on how efficiently the company is run. Software, used in the right way, helps agencies become more productive andmore profitable.

Vacuum boilers developed heating surfaces technic and economic efficiency evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slobodina, E. N.; Mikhailov, A. G.; Semenov, B. A.

2018-01-01

The vacuum boilers as manufacturing proto types application analysis was carried out, the possible directions for the heating surfaces development are identified with a view to improving the energy efficiency. Economic characteristics to evaluate the vacuum boilers application efficiency (Net Discounted Income (NDI), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Profitability Index (PI) and Payback Period) are represented. The given type boilers application technic and economic efficiency criteria were established. NDI changing curves depending on the finning coefficient and operating pressure were obtained as a result of the conducted calculation studies.

Strategic relatedness in mergers and financial performance: the case of the health maintenance organization industry in the United States.

PubMed

Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2002-11-01

Knowledge and identification of strategic factors associated with favourable post-acquisition performance can be of benefit to both managers and shareholders. From a management perspective, the identification of contextual factors that can influence postmerger performance is 'strategic' in nature, and should be considered in the analysis of future acquisitions. Within the context of the health maintenance organization (HMO) industry, this study examines the impact of strategic relatedness on postmerger financial performance. Strategic relatedness is conceptualized as similarity between the acquirer and target HMOs in terms of operational efficiency, marketing orientation, organizational structure and profit orientation. Regression analysis showed that similarity in operational efficiency and similarity in HMO structure were associated with better postmerger financial performance. However, marketing orientation similarity and profit orientation similarity were not significantly related to postmerger performance. This finding suggests that HMO mergers involving firms with similar strategic orientations and similar approaches to the delivery of care have greater strategic fit and experience better financial performance.

Evaluating the Impacts of an Agricultural Water Market in the Guadalupe River Basin, Texas: An Agent-based Modeling Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, E.; Cai, X.; Minsker, B. S.

2014-12-01

Agriculture comprises about 80 percent of the total water consumption in the US. Under conditions of water shortage and fully committed water rights, market-based water allocations could be promising instruments for agricultural water redistribution from marginally profitable areas to more profitable ones. Previous studies on water market have mainly focused on theoretical or statistical analysis. However, how water users' heterogeneous physical attributes and decision rules about water use and water right trading will affect water market efficiency has been less addressed. In this study, we developed an agent-based model to evaluate the benefits of an agricultural water market in the Guadalupe River Basin during drought events. Agricultural agents with different attributes (i.e., soil type for crops, annual water diversion permit and precipitation) are defined to simulate the dynamic feedback between water availability, irrigation demand and water trading activity. Diversified crop irrigation rules and water bidding rules are tested in terms of crop yield, agricultural profit, and water-use efficiency. The model was coupled with a real-time hydrologic model and run under different water scarcity scenarios. Preliminary results indicate that an agricultural water market is capable of increasing crop yield, agricultural profit, and water-use efficiency. This capability is more significant under moderate drought scenarios than in mild and severe drought scenarios. The water market mechanism also increases agricultural resilience to climate uncertainty by reducing crop yield variance in drought events. The challenges of implementing an agricultural water market under climate uncertainty are also discussed.

Profitable ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration of sludge biomass: Modelling of biomethanation and energy parameter analysis.

PubMed

Kavitha, S; Rajesh Banu, J; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Kaliappan, S; Yeom, Ick Tae

2018-04-01

In this study, microwave irradiation has been employed to disintegrate the sludge biomass profitably by deagglomerating the sludge using a mechanical device, ultrasonicator. The outcomes of the study revealed that a specific energy input of 3.5 kJ/kg TS was found to be optimum for deagglomeration with limited cell lysis. A higher suspended solids (SS) reduction and biomass lysis efficiency of about 22.5% and 33.2% was achieved through ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration (UMWD) when compared to microwave disintegration - MWD (15% and 20.9%). The results of biochemical methane potential (BMP) test were used to estimate biodegradability of samples. Among the samples subjected to BMP, UMWD showed better amenability towards anaerobic digestion with higher methane production potential of 0.3 L/g COD representing enhanced liquefaction potential of disaggregated sludge biomass. Economic analysis of the proposed method of sludge biomass pretreatment showed a net profit of 2.67 USD/Ton respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring the performance of Internet companies using a two-stage data envelopment analysis model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Xiongfei; Yang, Feng

2011-05-01

In exploring the business operation of Internet companies, few researchers have used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate their performance. Since the Internet companies have a two-stage production process: marketability and profitability, this study employs a relational two-stage DEA model to assess the efficiency of the 40 dot com firms. The results show that our model performs better in measuring efficiency, and is able to discriminate the causes of inefficiency, thus helping business management to be more effective through providing more guidance to business performance improvement.

The importance of working capital management for hospital profitability: evidence from bond-issuing, not-for-profit U.S. hospitals.

PubMed

Rauscher, Simone; Wheeler, John R C

2012-01-01

Increased financial pressures on hospitals have elevated the importance of working capital management, that is, the management of current assets and current liabilities, for hospitals' profitability. Efficient working capital management allows hospitals to reduce their holdings of current assets, such as inventory and accounts receivable, which earn no interest income and require financing with short-term debt. The resulting cash inflows can be reinvested in interest-bearing financial instruments or used to reduce short-term borrowing, thus improving the profitability of the organization. This study examines the relationship between hospitals' profitability and their performance at managing two components of working capital: accounts receivable, measured in terms of hospitals' average collection periods, and accounts payable, measured in terms of hospitals' average payment periods. Panel data derived from audited financial statements for 1,397 bond-issuing, not-for-profit U.S. hospitals for 2000-2007 were analyzed using hospital-level fixed-effects regression analysis. The results show a negative relationship between hospitals' average collection period and profitability. That is, hospitals that collected on their patient revenue faster reported higher profit margins than did hospitals that have larger balances of accounts receivable outstanding. We also found a negative relationship between hospitals' average payment period and their profitability. Hospital managers did not appear to delay paying their vendors. Rather, the findings indicated that more profitable hospitals paid their suppliers faster, possibly to avoid high effective interest rates on outstanding accounts payable, whereas less profitable hospitals waited longer to pay their bills. The findings of this study suggest that working capital management indeed matters for hospitals' profitability. Efforts aimed at reducing large balances in both accounts receivable and accounts payable may frequently be worthwhile investments that have the potential to reduce the costs associated with working capital management and thus improve the profitability of an organization.

Influence of individual rationality on continuous double auction markets with networked traders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Junhuan

2018-04-01

This paper investigates the influence of individual rationality of buyers and sellers on continuous double auction market outcomes in terms of the proportion of boundedly-rational buyers and sellers. The individual rationality is discussed in a social network artificial stock market model by embedding network formation and information set. Traders automatically select the most profitable trading strategy based on individual and social learning of the profits and trading strategies of themselves and their neighbors, and submit orders to markets. The results show that (i) a higher proportion of boundedly-rational sellers induces a higher market price, higher sellers' profits and a higher market efficiency; (ii) a higher proportion of boundedly-rational sellers induces a lower number of trades and lower buyers' profits; (iii) a higher proportion of boundedly-rational buyers induces a lower market price, a lower number of trades, and lower sellers' profits; (iv) a higher proportion of boundedly-rational buyers induces higher buyers' profits and a higher market efficiency.

Severity of illness and profitability: a patient level analysis.

PubMed

Carpenter, C E; Rosko, M D; Louis, D Z; Yuen, E J

1999-11-01

Crafting a payment mechanism for hospitals that provides for the legitimate operating needs of efficient institutions is an enduring health policy dilemma. The Prospective Payment System used by Medicare and some other payers in the US has been criticized for not adjusting for differences in severity of illness within diagnosis-related groups (DRGs). Previous studies have examined the relationship between profitability and severity of illness at the hospital level. This study examines the relationships between severity of illness and cost, revenue, and profit at the patient level. Two measures of severity (disease stage and number of unrelated diseases) were significant predictors of cost per case, and often had better predictive power than DRGs. In most instances, payers did not compensate adequately for severity so that higher values for the severity variables resulted in financial losses for the hospital.

Quantitative Analysis of Non-Financial Motivators and Job Satisfaction of Information Technology Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mieszczak, Gina L.

2013-01-01

Organizations depend extensively on Information Technology professionals to drive and deliver technology solutions quickly, efficiently, and effectively to achieve business goals and profitability. It has been demonstrated that professionals with experience specific to the company are valuable assets, and their departure puts technology projects…

78 FR 8500 - Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form 6-Q); Comment Request; Extension

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-06

... necessary or appropriate. Financial accounting and reporting provides necessary information concerning a... entities within the energy industry. It also provides timely disclosures of the impacts that new accounting... jurisdictional entities assists the Commission in its analysis of profitability, efficiency, risk and in its...

78 FR 24187 - Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form 6-Q); Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-24

... necessary or appropriate. Financial accounting and reporting provides necessary information concerning a... entities within the energy industry. It also provides timely disclosures of the impacts that new accounting... jurisdictional entities assists the Commission in its analysis of profitability, efficiency, risk, and in its...

The economics of for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals.

PubMed

Reinhardt, U E

2000-01-01

This paper examines the economics of for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals through the prism of capital acquisitions. The exercise suggests that of two hospitals that are equally efficient in producing health care, the for-profit hospital would have to charge higher prices than the not-for-profit hospital would, to break even on capital acquisitions. The reasons for this divergence are (1) the typically higher cost of equity capital that for-profit hospitals face; and (2) the income taxes they must pay. The paper recommends holding tax-exempt hospitals more formally accountable for the social obligation they shoulder, in return for their tax preference.

Lessons from international experience in controlling pharmaceutical expenditure. III: Regulating industry.

PubMed Central

Bloor, K.; Maynard, A.; Freemantle, N.

1996-01-01

This is the third of three papers that review international policies to control spending on drugs and to improve the efficiency of drug use. This paper reviews policies regulating the supply of drugs, particularly licensing and reimbursement controls, price and profit regulation. Price and profit controls contain few incentives for improving cost effective use of drugs, and focus on cost containment and profitability of domestic industry. Carefully monitored economic evaluation could lead to improvements in efficiency and benefits to patients and the health care system. PMID:8664771

Nonprofit conversion: theory, evidence, and state policy options.

PubMed Central

Marsteller, J A; Bovbjerg, R R; Nichols, L M

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To describe the contributions of nonprofit hospitals and health plans to healthcare markets and to analyze state policy options with regard to the conversion of nonprofits to for-profit status. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Secondary national and state data from a variety of sources, 1980-present. STUDY DESIGN: Policy analysis. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Development of a conceptual economic framework; analysis of empirical, legal, and theoretical literature; and review of statutes, rules, and court decisions. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Three main rationales support special status for nonprofits, especially hospitals: charity care, other community benefits, and consumer protection. The main social rationale for for-profits is their incentives for better efficiency. There are reasons to expect that nonprofit and for-profit goals differ; however, measured differences in community hospital cost, prices, and quality between nonprofit and for-profit hospitals are undetectable or inconclusive. Nonprofit hospitals do provide more uncompensated care than for-profit hospitals. Similarities between nonprofit and for-profit hospitals may exist because nonprofits may set norms that for-profits follow to some degree. States have substantial power and discretion in overseeing nonprofit conversions. Some have regularized oversight through new legislation that constrains, but does not eliminate, state officials' discretion. These statutes may be deferential to converting entities and their buyers or may be very restrictive of them. CONCLUSIONS: Overseeing the appropriate disposition of nonprofit assets in individual conversions is extremely important. States should also monitor local market conditions through community benefits assessments and other data collection, however, to accurately assess (and possibly redress) what is lost or gained from conversion. Local market conditions are likely more important in determining hospital behavior than ownership form. Potentially, a mix of for-profit and nonprofit hospitals in a given market may improve market performance due to constraints the two ownership types may exercise over one another. If nonprofits disappear, the states may need to maintain quality and access norms through regulation. Images Figure 1 PMID:9865231

Evolutionary technology adoption in an oligopoly market with forward-looking firms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamantia, F.; Radi, D.

2018-05-01

In this paper, we propose an evolutionary oligopoly game of technology adoption in a market with isoelastic demand and two possible (linear) production technologies. While one technology is characterized by lower marginal costs, the magnitude of fixed costs entails that a technology does not necessarily dominate the other. Firms are forward-looking as they assess the profitability of employing either technology according to the corresponding expected profits. The dynamics of the system is studied through a piecewise-smooth map, for which we present a local stability analysis of equilibria and show the occurrence of smooth and border collision bifurcations. Global analysis of the model is also presented to show the coexistence of attractors and its economic significance. This investigation reveals that firms can fail to learn to adopt the more efficient technology.

Evolutionary technology adoption in an oligopoly market with forward-looking firms.

PubMed

Lamantia, F; Radi, D

2018-05-01

In this paper, we propose an evolutionary oligopoly game of technology adoption in a market with isoelastic demand and two possible (linear) production technologies. While one technology is characterized by lower marginal costs, the magnitude of fixed costs entails that a technology does not necessarily dominate the other. Firms are forward-looking as they assess the profitability of employing either technology according to the corresponding expected profits. The dynamics of the system is studied through a piecewise-smooth map, for which we present a local stability analysis of equilibria and show the occurrence of smooth and border collision bifurcations. Global analysis of the model is also presented to show the coexistence of attractors and its economic significance. This investigation reveals that firms can fail to learn to adopt the more efficient technology.

An investigation of Forex market efficiency based on detrended fluctuation analysis: A case study for Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abounoori, Esmaiel; Shahrazi, Mahdi; Rasekhi, Saeed

2012-06-01

The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) states that asset prices fully reflect all available information. As a result, speculators cannot predict the future behavior of asset prices and earn excess profits at least after adjusting for risk. Although initial tests of the EMH were performed on stock market data, the EMH was soon applied to other markets including foreign exchange (FX). This study uses the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) technique to test 01:12:2005-18:04:2010 Iranian Rial/US Dollar exchange rate time series data to see if it can be explained by the weak form of the EMH. Moreover, to determine changes in the degree of inefficiency over time, the whole period has been divided into four subperiods. The study shows that the Iranian Forex market (the Rial/Dollar case) is weak-form inefficient over the whole period and in each of the subperiods. However, the degree of inefficiency is not constant over time. The findings suggest that profitable risk-adjusted trades could be made using past data.

Profitability analysis of KINGLONG nearly 5 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mei; Wen, Jinghua

2017-08-01

Profitability analysis for measuring business performance and forecast its prospects play an important role. In this paper, the research instance King Long Motor in understanding the basic theory on the basis of financial management, to take a combination of theory and data analysis methods, combined with a measure of profitability related indicators of King Long Motor company’s profitability do a specific analysis to identify factors constraining the profitability of Kinglong company exists and the motivation to improve profitability, which made recommendations to improve the profitability of Kinglong car company to promote the company’s future can be better and faster development.)

Organizational rationality, performance, and social responsibility: results from the hospital industry.

PubMed

Becker, Edmund R; Potter, Sharyn J

2002-01-01

Drawing on stakeholder theory and Weber's distinction between formal and substantive rationality, we posit that: (1) for-profit organizations manage stakeholders in ways that result in the organization being more efficient and less socially responsible than organizations that are not as profit oriented, and (2) organizations with major corporate relationships that are not local manage stakeholders in a manner that results in the organization being more efficient and less socially responsible than organizations without such arrangements. We test these hypotheses with 1994 data on 4,705 of the nation's short-term general hospitals using two measures of hospital efficiency and four measures of social responsibility. Results confirm that for-profit hospitals and hospitals lacking local ties are managing stakeholder relationships in ways that increases the efficiency of these hospitals but decreases their social responsiveness. We conclude by speculating that organizational efficiency and social responsibility may be inversely related and then summarize some of the academic, managerial, and policy implications, with emphasis on the implications for stakeholder theory.

Evaluation of the Effect of Non-Current Fixed Assets on Profitability and Asset Management Efficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubyanaya, Alexandra V.; Izmailov, Airat M.; Nikulina, Ekaterina Y.; Shaposhnikov, Vladislav A.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to investigate the problem, which stems from non-current fixed assets affecting profitability and asset management efficiency. Tangible assets, intangible assets and financial assets are all included in non-current fixed assets. The aim of the research is to identify the impact of estimates and valuation in…

Efficiency disparities among community hospitals in Tennessee: do size, location, ownership, and network matter?

PubMed

Roh, Chul-Young; Moon, M Jae; Jung, Kwangho

2013-11-01

This study examined the impact of ownership, size, location, and network on the relative technical efficiency of community hospitals in Tennessee for the 2002-2006 period, by applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure technical efficiency (decomposed into scale efficiency and pure technical efficiency). Data envelopment analysis results indicate that medium-size hospitals (126-250 beds) are more efficient than their counterparts. Interestingly, public hospitals are significantly more efficient than private and nonprofit hospitals in Tennessee, and rural hospitals are more efficient than urban hospitals. This is the first study to investigate whether hospital networks with other health care providers affect hospital efficiency. Results indicate that community hospitals with networks are more efficient than non-network hospitals. From a management and policy perspective, this study suggests that public policies should induce hospitals to downsize or upsize into optional size, and private hospitals and nonprofit hospitals should change their organizational objectives from profit-driven to quality-driven.

Fuel economy and life-cycle cost analysis of a fuel cell hybrid vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Kwi Seong; Oh, Byeong Soo

The most promising vehicle engine that can overcome the problem of present internal combustion is the hydrogen fuel cell. Fuel cells are devices that change chemical energy directly into electrical energy without combustion. Pure fuel cell vehicles and fuel cell hybrid vehicles (i.e. a combination of fuel cell and battery) as energy sources are studied. Considerations of efficiency, fuel economy, and the characteristics of power output in hybridization of fuel cell vehicle are necessary. In the case of Federal Urban Driving Schedule (FUDS) cycle simulation, hybridization is more efficient than a pure fuel cell vehicle. The reason is that it is possible to capture regenerative braking energy and to operate the fuel cell system within a more efficient range by using battery. Life-cycle cost is largely affected by the fuel cell size, fuel cell cost, and hydrogen cost. When the cost of fuel cell is high, hybridization is profitable, but when the cost of fuel cell is less than 400 US$/kW, a pure fuel cell vehicle is more profitable.

The role of private non-profit healthcare organizations in NHS systems: Implications for the Portuguese hospital devolution program.

PubMed

Almeida, Álvaro S

2017-06-01

The national health services (NHS) of England, Portugal, Finland and other single-payer universalist systems financed by general taxation, are based on the theoretical principle of an integrated public sector payer-provider. However, in practice one can find different forms of participation of non-public healthcare providers in those NHS, including private for profit providers, but also third sector non-profit organizations (NPO). This paper reviews the role of non-public non-profit healthcare organizations in NHS systems. By crossing a literature review on privatization of national health services with a literature review on the comparative performance of non-profit and for-profit healthcare organizations, this paper assesses the impact of contracting private non-profit healthcare organizations on the efficiency, quality and responsiveness of services, in public universal health care systems. The results of the review were then compared to the existing evidence on the Portuguese hospital devolution to NPO program. The evidence in this paper suggests that NHS health system reforms that transfer some public-sector hospitals to NPO should deliver improvements to the health system with minimal downside risks. The very limited existing evidence on the Portuguese hospital devolution program suggests it improved efficiency and access, without sacrificing quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost analysis and the practicing radiologist/manager: an introduction to managerial accounting.

PubMed

Forman, H P; Yin, D

1996-06-01

Cost analysis is inherently one of the most tedious tasks falling on the shoulders of any manager. In today's world, whether in a service business such as radiology or medicine or in a product line such as car manufacturing, accurate cost analysis is critical to all aspects of management: marketing, competitive strategy, quality control, human resource management, accounting (financial), and operations management, to name but a few. This is a topic that we will explore with the intention of giving the radiologist/manager the understanding and the basic skills to use cost analysis efficiently, making sure that major financial decisions are being made with adequate cost information, and showing that cost accounting is really managerial accounting in that it pays little attention to the bottom line of financial statements but places much more emphasis on equipping managers with the information to determine budgets, prices, salaries, and incentives and influences capital budgeting decisions through an understanding of product profitability rather than firm profitability.

An empirical investigation of for-profit and tax-exempt nonprofit hospitals engaged in joint ventures.

PubMed

Smith, Pamela C

2004-01-01

Joint ventures between nonprofit and for-profit hospitals offer opportunities for collaboration to increase efficiency. These transactions have attracted the attention of the Internal Revenue Service, which may threaten tax-exempt status. This article analyzes inherent financial characteristics of nonprofit hospitals that joint venture with for-profit hospitals and those that choose not to joint venture.

Enhanced representations of lithium-ion batteries in power systems models and their effect on the valuation of energy arbitrage applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakti, Apurba; Gallagher, Kevin G.; Sepulveda, Nestor; Uckun, Canan; Vergara, Claudio; de Sisternes, Fernando J.; Dees, Dennis W.; Botterud, Audun

2017-02-01

We develop three novel enhanced mixed integer-linear representations of the power limit of the battery and its efficiency as a function of the charge and discharge power and the state of charge of the battery, which can be directly implemented in large-scale power systems models and solved with commercial optimization solvers. Using these battery representations, we conduct a techno-economic analysis of the performance of a 10 MWh lithium-ion battery system testing the effect of a 5-min vs. a 60-min price signal on profits using real time prices from a selected node in the MISO electricity market. Results show that models of lithium-ion batteries where the power limits and efficiency are held constant overestimate profits by 10% compared to those obtained from an enhanced representation that more closely matches the real behavior of the battery. When the battery system is exposed to a 5-min price signal, the energy arbitrage profitability improves by 60% compared to that from hourly price exposure. These results indicate that a more accurate representation of li-ion batteries as well as the market rules that govern the frequency of electricity prices can play a major role on the estimation of the value of battery technologies for power grid applications.

Toward allocative efficiency in the prescription drug industry.

PubMed

Guell, R C; Fischbaum, M

1995-01-01

Traditionally, monopoly power in the pharmaceutical industry has been measured by profits. An alternative method estimates the deadweight loss of consumer surplus associated with the exercise of monopoly power. Although upper and lower bound estimates for this inefficiency are far apart, they at least suggest a dramatically greater welfare loss than measures of industry profitability would imply. A proposed system would have the U.S. government employing its power of eminent domain to "take" and distribute pharmaceutical patents, providing as "just compensation" the present value of the patent's expected future monopoly profits. Given the allocative inefficiency of raising taxes to pay for the program, the impact of the proposal on allocative efficiency would be at least as good at our lower bound estimate of monopoly costs while substantially improving efficiency at or near our upper bound estimate.

Specialty hospitals emulating focused factories: a case study.

PubMed

Kumar, Sameer

2010-01-01

For 15 years general hospital managers faced new competition from for-profit specialty hospitals that operate on a "focused factory" model, which threaten to siphon-off the most profitable patients. This paper aims to discuss North American specialty hospitals and to review rising costs impact on general hospital operations. The focus is to discover whether specialty hospitals are more efficient than general hospitals; if so, how significant is the difference and also what can general hospitals do in light of the rising specialty hospitals. The case study involves stochastic frontier regression analysis using Cobb-Douglas and Translog cost functions to compare Minnesota general and specialty hospital efficiency. Analysis is based on data from 117 general and 19 specialty hospitals. The results suggest that specialty hospitals are significantly more efficient than general hospitals. Overall, general hospitals were found to be more than twice as inefficient compared with specialty hospitals in the sample. Some cost-cutting factors highlighted can be implemented to trim rising costs. The case study highlights some managerial levers that general hospital operational managers might use to control rising costs. This also helps them compete with specialty hospitals by reducing overheads and other major costs. The study is based on empirical modeling for an important healthcare operational challenge and provides additional in-depth information that has health policy implications. The analysis and findings enable healthcare managers to guide their institutions in a new direction during a time of change within the industry.

Cost analysis of cassava cellulose utilization scenarios for ethanol production on flowsheet simulation platform.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian; Fang, Zhenhong; Deng, Hongbo; Zhang, Xiaoxi; Bao, Jie

2013-04-01

Cassava cellulose accounts for one quarter of cassava residues and its utilization is important for improving the efficiency and profit in commercial scale cassava ethanol industry. In this study, three scenarios of cassava cellulose utilization for ethanol production were experimentally tested under same conditions and equipment. Based on the experimental results, a rigorous flowsheet simulation model was established on Aspen plus platform and the cost of cellulase enzyme and steam energy in the three cases was calculated. The results show that the simultaneous co-saccharification of cassava starch/cellulose and ethanol fermentation process (Co-SSF) provided a cost effective option of cassava cellulose utilization for ethanol production, while the utilization of cassava cellulose from cassava ethanol fermentation residues was not economically sound. Comparing to the current fuel ethanol selling price, the Co-SSF process may provide an important choice for enhancing cassava ethanol production efficiency and profit in commercial scale. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New geospatial approaches for efficiently mapping forest biomass logistics at high resolution over large areas

Treesearch

John Hogland; Nathaniel Anderson; Woodam Chung

2018-01-01

Adequate biomass feedstock supply is an important factor in evaluating the financial feasibility of alternative site locations for bioenergy facilities and for maintaining profitability once a facility is built. We used newly developed spatial analysis and logistics software to model the variables influencing feedstock supply and to estimate and map two components of...

Economic Efficiency On Overseeding Grasslands From Preajba - Gorj County In 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dragoş Mihai, Medelete; Radu Lucian, Pânzaru

2015-09-01

This study was achieved using the support of strategic project "Support Scholarships University in Romania by the European Doctoral and Post-doctoral (SCHOLARSHIPS DOC-POSTDOC)", ID 133255. The paper emphasizes the importance of meadows and hayfields production, considering that their value can be increased using over-seeding and organic-mineral fertilizers. Experience is located in the Experimental Center for Meadows Culture -Preajba, Gorj County, on natural meadow of Agrostis capillaris, over-seeded with Red clover. The production have increase with fertilizer dose, but maximum economic efficiency was found on variant that use only organically fertilizer. It should be noted that organic fertilizers are used in the first year only partially by plants. The indicators of economic efficiency used are: raw product, variable costs, fixed costs, production costs, and the indices: total expenditure rate of profit, income taxes, net profit and net profit rate.

Furrow Diking in Conservation Tillage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Crop production in the Southeastern U.S. can be limited by water; thus, supplemental irrigation is needed to sustain profitable crop production. Increased water capture would efficiently improve water use and reduce supplemental irrigation amounts/costs, thus improving producer’s profit margin. We q...

76 FR 37184 - Discretionary Bus and Bus Facilities Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-24

..., Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU), Public Law 109-59, August... in public transportation, or private non- profit organizations. This notice includes priorities... engaged in public transportation, or private non-profit organizations.'' B. Background Maintaining the...

Return and profitability of space programs. Information - the main product of flights in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolova, Irena

The basic branch providing global information, as a product on the market, is astronautics and in particular aero and space flights. Nowadays economic categories like profitability, return, and self-financing are added to space information. The activity in the space information service market niche is an opportunity for realization of high economic efficiency and profitability. The present report aims at examining the possibilities for return and profitability of space programs. Specialists in economics from different countries strive for defining the economic effect of implementing space technologies in the technical branches on earth. Still the priorities here belong to government and insufficient market organization and orientation is apparent. Attracting private investors and searching for new mechanisms of financing are the factors for increasing economic efficiency and return of capital invested in the mentioned sphere. Return of utilized means is an economically justified goal, a motive for a bigger enlargement of efforts and directions for implementing the achievements of astronautics in the branches of economy on earth.

Segmenting health maintenance organizations to study productivity and profitability.

PubMed

Sobol, M G

2000-01-01

As the decade ended, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) were increasing in popularity as a means of health care delivery. These groups take many forms, so it is important for the analyst to see if the efficiency and financial results for these different forms vary. The four major forms are profit vs. not-for-profit, chain vs. non-chain, group/staff vs. individual practice association (IPA), and federally qualified vs. non-federally qualified. Using a nationwide database of all the HMOs in the United States, the article compares liquidity rates, leverage ratios, profitability ratios, marketing, and per member ratios across the four groups using paired t tests. The two classifications that showed the most differences were group/staff vs. IPA and federally qualified vs. non-federally qualified. IPAs have a better liquidity position and lower leverage ratios than group/staff but their administrative costs are higher and the time to receive payments and to pay debts is higher. Non-federally qualified have somewhat higher liquidity ratios and higher profitability ratios. These significant differences in financial outcomes indicate that studies of HMOs should segment different major forms of organizations and study them separately before trying to show the effects of different policies on HMO efficiency and effectiveness.

Relationship among performance, carcass, and feed efficiency characteristics, and their ability to predict economic value in the feedlot.

PubMed

Retallick, K M; Faulkner, D B; Rodriguez-Zas, S L; Nkrumah, J D; Shike, D W

2013-12-01

A 4-yr study was conducted using 736 steers of known Angus, Simmental, or Simmental × Angus genetics to determine performance, carcass, and feed efficiency factors that explained variation in economic performance. Steers were pen fed and individual DMI was recorded using a GrowSafe automated feeding system (GrowSafe Systems Ltd., Airdrie, Alberta, Canada). Steers consumed a similar diet and received similar management each year. The objectives of this study were to: 1) determine current economic value of feed efficiency and 2) identify performance, carcass, and feed efficiency characteristics that predict: carcass value, profit, cost of gain, and feed costs. Economic data used were from 2011 values. Feed efficiency values investigated were: feed conversion ratio (FCR; feed to gain), residual feed intake (RFI), residual BW gain (RG), and residual intake and BW gain (RIG). Dependent variables were carcass value ($/steer), profit ($/steer), feed costs ($/steer • d(-1)), and cost of gain ($/kg). Independent variables were year, DMI, ADG, HCW, LM area, marbling, yield grade, dam breed, and sire breed. A 10% improvement in RG (P < 0.05) yielded the lowest cost of gain at $0.09/kg and highest carcass value at $17.92/steer. Carcass value increased (P < 0.05) as feed efficiency improved for FCR, RG, and RIG. Profit increased with a 10% improvement in feed efficiency (P < 0.05) with FCR at $34.65/steer, RG at $31.21/steer, RIG at $21.66/steer, and RFI at $11.47/steer. The carcass value prediction model explained 96% of the variation among carcasses and included HCW, marbling score, and yield grade. Average daily gain, marbling score, yield grade, DMI, HCW, and year born constituted 81% of the variation for prediction of profit. Eighty-five percent of the variation in cost of gain was explained by ADG, DMI, HCW, and year. Prediction equations were developed that excluded ADG and DMI, and included feed efficiency values. Using these equations, cost of gain was explained primarily by FCR (R(2) = 0.71). Seventy-three percent of profitability was explained, with 55% being accounted for by RG and marbling. These prediction equations represent the relative importance of factors contributing to economic success in feedlot cattle based on current prices.

Prototype Power and Communications System for EeV Cosmic Rays Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Russ, James S.

2010-08-31

An analysis of improving the power output of small wind turbines by adding a venturi housing was done. Including the effects of back pressure developed at the input to the housing lowers the efficiency gain from a factor of 5 to a factor of 2 for a turbine blade radius of 24 inches. The gain is small enough that only large systems could profit from the application.

New indicators based on personnel cost for management efficiency in a hospital.

PubMed

Nakagawa, Yoshiaki; Yoshihara, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Yoshinobu

2011-08-01

A simple and fair benchmarking system or financial indicators for use on the clinical department level have been lacking to evaluate the management efficiency and activity of each clinical department or division of a hospital. New financial indicators have therefore been developed based on personnel costs. Indicator 1: The ratio of marginal profit after personnel cost per personnel cost (RMP). Indicator 2: The ratio of investment (=indirect cost) per personnel cost (RIP). The difference between RMP and RIP demonstrates the operation profit in US Dollars for personnel cost (OPP). A turning point in profitability similar to the break-even point (BEP) and break-even ratio (BER) could be also defined by the combination of the RMP and RIP. The merits of these two indicators are not only the ability to indicate the relationship between the medical profit and the investments in the hospital, but also the capability to demonstrate such indicators as BEP, BER and OPP on a single graph. The two indicators were applied to the hospitals in the National Hospital Organization and to the clinical department in one hospital. Using these two indicators, it was possible to evaluate the management efficiency and medical activity not only in the whole hospital but also in each department and DPC/DRG group. This will be of use to a manager of a hospital in checking the management efficiency of his/her hospital despite the variations among hospitals, departments and divisions.

Higher Education and the Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Catharine

2015-01-01

Neoclassical economists make the case for profit seeking firms in the private sector because they supply goods and services efficiently, meeting consumer demand at the least possible price and the highest quality. The government also supplies some goods and services directly, and also has made provisions for non-profit firms to do so, recognizing…

Ownership status and home health care performance.

PubMed

Grabowski, David C; Huskamp, Haiden A; Stevenson, David G; Keating, Nancy L

2009-01-01

Few studies have analyzed for-profit and nonprofit differences in the home health care sector. Using data from the National Home and Hospice Care Survey, we found that patients in nonprofit agencies were more likely to be discharged within 30 days under Medicare cost-based payment compared to patients in for-profit agencies. However, this difference in length of enrollment did not translate into meaningful differences in discharge outcomes between nonprofit and for-profit patients, suggesting that-under a cost-based payment system-nonprofits may behave more efficiently relative to for-profits. These results highlight the importance of organizational and payment factors in the delivery of home health care services.

Assessing overall, technical, and scale efficiency among home health care agencies.

PubMed

Valdmanis, Vivian G; Rosko, Michael D; Leleu, Hervé; Mukamel, Dana B

2017-06-01

While home health care agencies (HHAs) play a vital role in the production of health, little research has been performed gauging their efficiency. Employing a robust approach to data envelopment analysis (DEA) we assessed overall, technical, and scale efficiency on a nationwide sample of HHAs. After deriving the three efficiency measures, we regressed these scores on a variety of environmental factors. We found that HHAs, on average, could proportionally reduce inputs by 28 % (overall efficiency), 23 % (technical efficiency) and 6 % (scale efficiency). For-profit ownership was positively associated with improvements in overall efficiency and technical efficiency and chain ownership was positively associated with global efficiency. There were also state-by-state variations on all the efficiency measures. As home health becomes an increasingly important player in the health care system, and its share of national health expenditures increases, it has become important to understand the cost structure of the industry and the potential for efficiencies. Therefore, further research is recommended as this sector continues to grow.

The effects of for-profit multihospital system ownership on hospital financial and operating performance.

PubMed

Lynch, J R; McCue, M J

1990-11-01

The financial and operating performance of independent not-for-profit hospitals acquired by US for-profit multi-hospital systems in 10 Southern states between the years 1978 and 1982 was explored. The impact of system ownership on acquired hospitals was investigated by comparing the average financial performance of hospitals in the two years immediately prior to acquisition to the average for 1984 and 1985 and by comparing changes in the performance of acquired hospitals with changes in matched independent facilities. Findings suggest that for-profit multi-hospital systems were able to improve many of the financial and operating problems of acquired facilities. In comparison to independent not-for-profit hospitals, acquired hospitals were found to increase access to long-term debt, make improvements to plant and equipment, improve profitability, and increase efficiency to a greater extent. Prices in acquired hospitals rose more than those in independents and liquidity decreased to a greater extent.

Production of Magnesium and Aluminum-Magnesium Alloys from Recycled Secondary Aluminum Scrap Melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gesing, Adam J.; Das, Subodh K.; Loutfy, Raouf O.

2016-02-01

An experimental proof of concept was demonstrated for a patent-pending and trademark-pending RE12™ process for extracting a desired amount of Mg from recycled scrap secondary Al melts. Mg was extracted by electrorefining, producing a Mg product suitable as a Mg alloying hardener additive to primary-grade Al alloys. This efficient electrorefining process operates at high current efficiency, high Mg recovery and low energy consumption. The Mg electrorefining product can meet all the impurity specifications with subsequent melt treatment for removing alkali contaminants. All technical results obtained in the RE12™ project indicate that the electrorefining process for extraction of Mg from Al melt is technically feasible. A techno-economic analysis indicates high potential profitability for applications in Al foundry alloys as well as beverage—can and automotive—sheet alloys. The combination of technical feasibility and potential market profitability completes a successful proof of concept. This economical, environmentally-friendly and chlorine-free RE12™ process could be disruptive and transformational for the Mg production industry by enabling the recycling of 30,000 tonnes of primary-quality Mg annually.

Evaluation of comparative advantages in the profitability and competitiveness of the small-scale dairy system of Tulancingo Valley, Mexico.

PubMed

Posadas-Domínguez, Rodolfo Rogelio; Del Razo-Rodríguez, Oscar Enrique; Almaraz-Buendía, Isaac; Pelaez-Acero, Armando; Espinosa-Muñoz, Verónica; Rebollar-Rebollar, Samuel; Salinas-Martínez, Jesús Armando

2018-06-01

This article combines a Policy Analysis Matrix with a sensitivity and poverty line analysis with the objective of evaluating the economic contribution of comparative advantages to the private profitability and competitiveness of small-scale dairy systems. For 1 year, socioeconomic data were collected from 82 farms selected from four strata via statistical sampling. Two scenarios were established to determine the quantitative contribution of comparative advantages: (1) a simulated scenario, which accounted for the cost of purchasing the total food and the opportunity cost of the family labour force (FLF), and (2) an actual production scenario, which accounted for the cost of producing food and eliminating the payment of the FLF and included other income. The E3 and E4 producers were the most profitable and competitive in the simulated scenario and actual production scenario. Of the four scales evaluated, the E2 and E1 producers were the most efficient in taking advantage of the economic contribution provided by the comparative advantages in their own production of food and employment of the FLF, in addition to accounting for other income, a condition that increased their profitability by 171 and 144% and competitiveness by 346 and 273%, respectively. The poverty results indicated that only E3 and E4 producers were non-vulnerable in the simulated scenario and actual production scenario. The purchase of food was the comparative advantage with the greatest sensitivity to cost increases in the two scenarios analysed, which exacerbated the effect on the E1 and E2 producers.

Methods utilized in evaluating the profitability of commercial space processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloom, H. L.; Schmitt, P. T.

1976-01-01

Profitability analysis is applied to commercial space processing on the basis of business concept definition and assessment and the relationship between ground and space functions. Throughput analysis is demonstrated by analysis of the space manufacturing of surface acoustic wave devices. The paper describes a financial analysis model for space processing and provides key profitability measures for space processed isoenzymes.

Profitability analysis in the hospital industry.

PubMed Central

Cleverley, W O

1978-01-01

Measures of marginal profit are derived for the two payment classes--cost payers and charge payers--that the hospital industry must consider in profitability analysis, i.e., prediction of the excess of revenue over expenses. Two indexes of profitability, use when payment mix is constant and when it is nonconstant, respectively, are derived from the two marginal profit measures, and one of them is shown to be a modification of the contribution margin, the conventional measure of profitability used in general industry. All three measures--the contribution margin and the two new indexes of profitability--are used to estimate changes in net income resulting from changes in patient volume with and without accompanying changes in payment mix. The conventional measure yields large overestimates of expected excess revenue. PMID:632101

Market Efficiency and the Risks and Returns of Dynamic Trading Strategies with Commodity Futures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Switzer, Lorne N.; Jiang, Hui

This paper investigates relationships between profits from dynamic trading strategies, risk premium, convenience yields, and net hedging pressures for commodity futures. As a market efficiency study, it crosses a number of disciplines, including traditional finance, behavioral finance, and behavioral psychology. The term structure of oil, gold, copper and soybeans futures markets contains predictive power for the corresponding term premium. However, only oil futures and soybean futures lead their spot premium. Significant momentum profits are identified in both outright futures and spread trading strategies when the spot premium and the term premium are used to form winner and loser portfolios. Profits from active strategies based on winner and loser portfolios are conditioned on market structure and net hedging pressure effects. Dynamic trading strategies based on contracts with extreme backwardation, extreme contango, and extreme hedging pressures are also tested. On average, spread trading outperforms outright futures trading in capturing the term structure risk and hedging pressure risk. For such strategies, long-short the long-term spread offers the greatest and most significant return and it offers the only exploitable trading profits built on the past hedging pressure. The existence of profits from active trading strategies based on winners is consistent with behavioral finance and behavioral psychology models in which market participants irrationally overreact to information and trends.

Guiding bioprocess design by microbial ecology.

PubMed

Volmer, Jan; Schmid, Andreas; Bühler, Bruno

2015-06-01

Industrial bioprocess development is driven by profitability and eco-efficiency. It profits from an early stage definition of process and biocatalyst design objectives. Microbial bioprocess environments can be considered as synthetic technical microbial ecosystems. Natural systems follow Darwinian evolution principles aiming at survival and reproduction. Technical systems objectives are eco-efficiency, productivity, and profitable production. Deciphering technical microbial ecology reveals differences and similarities of natural and technical systems objectives, which are discussed in this review in view of biocatalyst and process design and engineering strategies. Strategies for handling opposing objectives of natural and technical systems and for exploiting and engineering natural properties of microorganisms for technical systems are reviewed based on examples. This illustrates the relevance of considering microbial ecology for bioprocess design and the potential for exploitation by synthetic biology strategies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection Input Output by Restriction Using DEA Models Based on a Fuzzy Delphi Approach and Expert Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsad, Roslah; Nasir Abdullah, Mohammad; Alias, Suriana; Isa, Zaidi

2017-09-01

Stock evaluation has always been an interesting problem for investors. In this paper, a comparison regarding the efficiency stocks of listed companies in Bursa Malaysia were made through the application of estimation method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). One of the interesting research subjects in DEA is the selection of appropriate input and output parameter. In this study, DEA was used to measure efficiency of stocks of listed companies in Bursa Malaysia in terms of the financial ratio to evaluate performance of stocks. Based on previous studies and Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM), the most important financial ratio was selected. The results indicated that return on equity, return on assets, net profit margin, operating profit margin, earnings per share, price to earnings and debt to equity were the most important ratios. Using expert information, all the parameter were clarified as inputs and outputs. The main objectives were to identify most critical financial ratio, clarify them based on expert information and compute the relative efficiency scores of stocks as well as rank them in the construction industry and material completely. The methods of analysis using Alirezaee and Afsharian’s model were employed in this study, where the originality of Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (CCR) with the assumption of Constant Return to Scale (CSR) still holds. This method of ranking relative efficiency of decision making units (DMUs) was value-added by the Balance Index. The interested data was made for year 2015 and the population of the research includes accepted companies in stock markets in the construction industry and material (63 companies). According to the ranking, the proposed model can rank completely for 63 companies using selected financial ratio.

Strategic Thinking about How Costs and Goals Interact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanaugh, John C.; Graves, William H.

2010-01-01

In the grand economic scheme, the intense public pressure to lower costs came late to higher education. No institution--public or private, non-profit or for-profit--has escaped the always difficult, sometimes protracted discussions of how to increase efficiency and lower costs. Although this intense pressure predates the recent great recession,…

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing mortality rates of private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals

PubMed Central

Devereaux, P.J.; Choi, Peter T.L.; Lacchetti, Christina; Weaver, Bruce; Schünemann, Holger J.; Haines, Ted; Lavis, John N.; Grant, Brydon J.B.; Haslam, David R.S.; Bhandari, Mohit; Sullivan, Terrence; Cook, Deborah J.; Walter, Stephen D.; Meade, Maureen; Khan, Humaira; Bhatnagar, Neera; Guyatt, Gordon H.

2002-01-01

Background Canadians are engaged in an intense debate about the relative merits of private for-profit versus private not-for-profit health care delivery. To inform this debate, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing the mortality rates of private for-profit hospitals and those of private not-for-profit hospitals. Methods We identified studies through an electronic search of 11 bibliographical databases, our own files, consultation with experts, reference lists, PubMed and SciSearch. We masked the study results before determining study eligibility. Our eligibility criteria included observational studies or randomized controlled trials that compared private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals. We excluded studies that evaluated mortality rates in hospitals with a particular profit status that subsequently converted to the other profit status. For each study, we calculated a relative risk of mortality for private for-profit hospitals relative to private not-for-profit hospitals and pooled the studies of adult populations that included adjustment for potential confounders (e.g., teaching status, severity of illness) using a random effects model. Results Fifteen observational studies, involving more than 26 000 hospitals and 38 million patients, fulfilled the eligibility criteria. In the studies of adult populations, with adjustment for potential confounders, private for-profit hospitals were associated with an increased risk of death (relative risk [RR] 1.020, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.003–1.038; p = 0.02). The one perinatal study with adjustment for potential confounders also showed an increased risk of death in private for-profit hospitals (RR 1.095, 95% CI 1.050–1.141; p < 0.0001). Interpretation Our meta-analysis suggests that private for-profit ownership of hospitals, in comparison with private not-for-profit ownership, results in a higher risk of death for patients. PMID:12054406

Price Analysis and the Effects of Competition.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-10-01

state of the market . For instance, is it possible that competition can squeeze a company to greater efficiency or lower profits in the short run, but...dual- source competition . The Stackelberg model recognizes two types of firm behavior. A firm may choose to be a leader and pursue a dominant market ...strate- gies in areas of potential competition . In this instance, the follower firm will serve that segment of the market that the leader firm cannot

The effect of feed demand on greenhouse gas emissions and farm profitability for organic and conventional dairy farms.

PubMed

Kiefer, Lukas; Menzel, Friederike; Bahrs, Enno

2014-12-01

The reduction of product-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in milk production appears to be necessary. The reduction of emissions on an individual farm might be highly accepted by farm owners if it were accompanied by an increase in profitability. Using life cycle assessments to determine the product carbon footprints (PCF) and farm-level evaluations to record profitability, we explored opportunities for optimization based on analysis of 81 organic and conventional pasture-based dairy farms in southern Germany. The objective of the present study was to detect common determining factors for low PCF and high management incomes (MI) to achieve GHG reductions at the lowest possible operational cost. In our sample, organic farms, which performed economically better than conventional farms, produced PCF that were significantly higher than those produced by conventional farms [1.61 ± 0.29 vs. 1.45 ± 0.28 kg of CO₂ equivalents (CO₂eq) per kg of milk; means ± SD)]. A multiple linear regression analysis of the sample demonstrated that low feed demand per kilogram of milk, high grassland yield, and low forage area requirements per cow are the main factors that decrease PCF. These factors are also useful for improving a farm's profitability in principle. For organic farms, a reduction of feed demand of 100 g/kg of milk resulted in a PCF reduction of 105 g of CO₂eq/kg of milk and an increase in MI of approximately 2.1 euro cents (c)/kg of milk. For conventional farms, a decrease of feed demand of 100 g/kg of milk corresponded to a reduction in PCF of 117 g of CO₂eq/kg of milk and an increase in MI of approximately 3.1 c/kg of milk. Accordingly, farmers could achieve higher profits while reducing GHG emissions. Improved education and training of farmers and consultants regarding GHG mitigation and farm profitability appear to be the best methods of improving efficiency under traditional and organic farming practices.

Three-year financial analysis of pharmacy services at an independent community pharmacy.

PubMed

Doucette, William R; McDonough, Randal P; Mormann, Megan M; Vaschevici, Renata; Urmie, Julie M; Patterson, Brandon J

2012-01-01

To assess the financial performance of pharmacy services including vaccinations, cholesterol screenings, medication therapy management (MTM), adherence management services, employee health fairs, and compounding services provided by an independent community pharmacy. Three years (2008-10) of pharmacy records were examined to determine the total revenue and costs of each service. Costs included products, materials, labor, marketing, overhead, equipment, reference materials, and fax/phone usage. Costs were allocated to each service using accepted principles (e.g., time for labor). Depending on the service, the total revenue was calculated by multiplying the frequency of the service by the revenue per patient or by adding the total revenue received. A sensitivity analysis was conducted for the adherence management services to account for average dispensing net profit. 7 of 11 pharmacy services showed a net profit each year. Those services include influenza and herpes zoster immunization services, MTM, two adherence management services, employee health fairs, and prescription compounding services. The services that realized a net loss included the pneumococcal immunization service, cholesterol screenings, and two adherence management services. The sensitivity analysis showed that all adherence services had a net gain when average dispensing net profit was included. Most of the pharmacist services had an annual positive net gain. It seems likely that these services can be sustained. Further cost management, such as reducing labor costs, could improve the viability of services with net losses. However, even with greater efficiency, external factors such as competition and reimbursement challenge the sustainability of these services.

Hospital ownership and financial performance: what explains the different findings in the empirical literature?

PubMed

Shen, Yu-Chu; Eggleston, Karen; Lau, Joseph; Schmid, Christopher H

2007-01-01

This study applies meta-analytic methods to conduct a quantitative review of the empirical literature on hospital ownership since 1990. We examine four financial outcomes across 40 studies: cost, revenue, profit margin, and efficiency. We find that variation in the magnitudes of ownership effects can be explained by a study's research focus and methodology. Studies using empirical methods that control for few confounding factors tend to find larger differences between for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals than studies that control for a wider range of confounding factors. Functional form and sample size also matter. Failure to apply log transformation to highly skewed expenditure data yields misleadingly large estimated differences between for-profits and not-for-profits. Studies with fewer than 200 observations also produce larger point estimates and wide confidence intervals.

Performance of US teaching hospitals: a panel analysis of cost inefficiency.

PubMed

Rosko, Michael D

2004-02-01

This research summarizes an analysis of the impact of environment pressures on hospital inefficiency during the period 1990-1999. The panel design included 616 hospitals. Of these, 211 were academic medical centers and 415 were hospitals with smaller teaching programs. The primary sources of data were the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals and Medicare Cost Reports. Hospital inefficiency was estimated by a regression technique called stochastic frontier analysis. This technique estimates a "best practice cost frontier" for each hospital that is based on the hospital's outputs and input prices. The cost efficiency of each hospital was defined as the ratio of the stochastic frontier total costs to observed total costs. Average inefficiency declined from 14.35% in 1990 to 11.42% in 1998. It increased to 11.78% in 1999. Decreases in inefficiency were associated with the HMO penetration rate and time. Increases in inefficiency were associated with for-profit ownership status and Medicare share of admissions. The implementation of the provisions of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 was followed by a small decrease in average hospital inefficiency. Analysis found that the SFA results were moderately sensitive to the specification of the teaching output variable. Thus, although the SFA technique can be useful for detecting differences in inefficiency between groups of hospitals (i.e., those with high versus those with low Medicare shares or for-profit versus not-for-profit hospitals), its relatively low precision indicates it should not be used for exact estimates of the magnitude of differences associated with inefficiency-effects variables.

Financial Analysis of For Profit Child Care: A Work in Progress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephens, Keith

1989-01-01

Compares revenues, debts, investments, and profit margins of for-profit publicly and privately owned day care centers. An evaluation tool was developed through analysis of financial statements of seven privately owned child care businesses and six publicly owned child care chains. (RJC)

Increased energy efficiency of a steel foundry plant by using a cleaner production quick-E-scan methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmeni, Zelda; Pan, Xiaowei

2017-07-01

The Quick-E-Scan methodology is a simple and quick method that is used to achieve operational energy efficiency as opposed to detailed energy audits, which therefore offers a no cost or less cost solutions for energy management programs with a limited budget. The quick-E-scan methodology was used to assesses a steel foundry plant based in Benoni through dividing the foundry into production sections which entailed a review of the current processes and usage patterns of energy within the plant and a detailed analysis of options available for improvement and profitable areas in which energy saving measures may be implemented for an increase energy efficiency which can be presented to management of the company.

For-profit medicare home health agencies' costs appear higher and quality appears lower compared to nonprofit agencies.

PubMed

Cabin, William; Himmelstein, David U; Siman, Michael L; Woolhandler, Steffie

2014-08-01

For-profit, or proprietary, home health agencies were banned from Medicare until 1980 but now account for a majority of the agencies that provide such services. Medicare home health costs have grown rapidly since the implementation of a risk-based prospective payment system in 2000. We analyzed recent national cost and case-mix-adjusted quality outcomes to assess the performance of for-profit and nonprofit home health agencies. For-profit agencies scored slightly but significantly worse on overall quality indicators compared to nonprofits (77.18 percent and 78.71 percent, respectively). Notably, for-profit agencies scored lower than nonprofits on the clinically important outcome "avoidance of hospitalization" (71.64 percent versus 73.53 percent). Scores on quality measures were lowest in the South, where for-profits predominate. Compared to nonprofits, proprietary agencies also had higher costs per patient ($4,827 versus $4,075), were more profitable, and had higher administrative costs. Our findings raise concerns about whether for-profit agencies should continue to be eligible for Medicare payments and about the efficiency of Medicare's market-oriented, risk-based home care payment system. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Efficiency of private and public primary health facilities accredited by the National Health Insurance Authority in Ghana.

PubMed

Alhassan, Robert Kaba; Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward; Akazili, James; Spieker, Nicole; Arhinful, Daniel Kojo; Rinke de Wit, Tobias F

2015-01-01

Despite improvements in a number of health outcome indicators partly due to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Ghana is unlikely to attain all its health-related millennium development goals before the end of 2015. Inefficient use of available limited resources has been cited as a contributory factor for this predicament. This study sought to explore efficiency levels of NHIS-accredited private and public health facilities; ascertain factors that account for differences in efficiency and determine the association between quality care and efficiency levels. The study is a cross-sectional survey of NHIS-accredited primary health facilities (n = 64) in two regions in southern Ghana. Data Envelopment Analysis was used to estimate technical efficiency of sampled health facilities while Tobit regression was employed to predict factors associated with efficiency levels. Spearman correlation test was performed to determine the association between quality care and efficiency. Overall, 20 out of the 64 health facilities (31 %) were optimally efficient relative to their peers. Out of the 20 efficient facilities, 10 (50 %) were Public/government owned facilities; 8 (40 %) were Private-for-profit facilities and 2 (10 %) were Private-not-for-profit/Mission facilities. Mission (Coef. = 52.1; p = 0.000) and Public (Coef. = 42.9; p = 0.002) facilities located in the Western region (predominantly rural) had higher odds of attaining the 100 % technical efficiency benchmark than those located in the Greater Accra region (largely urban). No significant association was found between technical efficiency scores of health facilities and many technical quality care proxies, except in overall quality score per the NHIS accreditation data (Coef. = -0.3158; p < 0.05) and SafeCare Essentials quality score on environmental safety for staff and patients (Coef. = -0.2764; p < 0.05) where the association was negative. The findings suggest some level of wastage of health resources in many healthcare facilities, especially those located in urban areas. The Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders should undertake more effective need analysis to inform resource allocation, distribution and capacity building to promote efficient utilization of limited resources without compromising quality care standards.

Quality of care in for-profit and not-for-profit nursing homes: systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Comondore, Vikram R; Zhou, Qi; Stone, Samuel B; Busse, Jason W; Ravindran, Nikila C; Burns, Karen E; Haines, Ted; Stringer, Bernadette; Cook, Deborah J; Walter, Stephen D; Sullivan, Terrence; Berwanger, Otavio; Bhandari, Mohit; Banglawala, Sarfaraz; Lavis, John N; Petrisor, Brad; Schünemann, Holger; Walsh, Katie; Bhatnagar, Neera; Guyatt, Gordon H

2009-01-01

Objective To compare quality of care in for-profit and not-for-profit nursing homes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomised controlled trials investigating quality of care in for-profit versus not-for-profit nursing homes. Results A comprehensive search yielded 8827 citations, of which 956 were judged appropriate for full text review. Study characteristics and results of 82 articles that met inclusion criteria were summarised, and results for the four most frequently reported quality measures were pooled. Included studies reported results dating from 1965 to 2003. In 40 studies, all statistically significant comparisons (P<0.05) favoured not-for-profit facilities; in three studies, all statistically significant comparisons favoured for-profit facilities, and the remaining studies had less consistent findings. Meta-analyses suggested that not-for-profit facilities delivered higher quality care than did for-profit facilities for two of the four most frequently reported quality measures: more or higher quality staffing (ratio of effect 1.11, 95% confidence interval 1.07 to 1.14, P<0.001) and lower pressure ulcer prevalence (odds ratio 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.98, P=0.02). Non-significant results favouring not-for-profit homes were found for the two other most frequently used measures: physical restraint use (odds ratio 0.93, 0.82 to 1.05, P=0.25) and fewer deficiencies in governmental regulatory assessments (ratio of effect 0.90, 0.78 to 1.04, P=0.17). Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence suggests that, on average, not-for-profit nursing homes deliver higher quality care than do for-profit nursing homes. Many factors may, however, influence this relation in the case of individual institutions. PMID:19654184

To Cut Costs, Ought Colleges Look to For-Profit Models?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blumenstyk, Goldie

2008-01-01

It's not just the climbing walls and the salaries for star professors driving up the cost of college. In some cases, costs go up because the culture and management of traditional institutions are simply not structured to promote efficiency and savings. At for-profit colleges, it's a different story. There, the "incentives to save money are…

Essays on empirical analysis of multi-unit auctions: Impacts of financial transmission rights on the restructured electricity industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, Hailing

This dissertation uses recently developed empirical methodologies for the study of multi-unit auctions to test the impacts of Financial Transmission Rights (FTRs) on the competitiveness of restructured electricity markets. FTRs are a special type of financial option that hedge against volatility in the cost of transporting electricity over the grid. Policy makers seek to use the prices of FTRs as market signals to incentivize efficient investment and utilization of transmission capacity. However, prices will not send the correct signals if market participants strategically use FTRs. This dissertation uses data from the Texas electricity market to test whether the prices of FTRs are efficient to achieve such goals. The auctions studied are multi-unit, uniform-price, sealed-bid auctions. The first part of the dissertation studies the auctions on the spot market of the wholesale electricity industry. I derive structural empirical models to test theoretical predictions as to whether bidders fully internalize the effect of FTRs on profits into their bidding decisions. I find that bidders are learning as to how to optimally bid above marginal cost for their inframarginal capacities. The bidders also learn to bid to include FTRs into their profit maximization problem during the course of the first year. But starting from the second year, they deviated from optimal bidding that includes FTRs in the profit maximization problems. Counterfactual analysis show that the primary effect of FTRs on market outcomes is changing the level of prices rather than production efficiency. Finally, I find that in most months, the current allocations of FTRs are statistically equivalent to the optimal allocations. The second part of the dissertation studies the bidding behavior in the FTR auctions. I find that FTRs' strategic impact on the FTR purchasing behavior is significant for large bidders---firms exercising market power in the FTR auctions. Second, trader forecasts future FTR credit very accurately while large generators' forecasts of future FTR credit tends to be biased upward. Finally, the bid shading patterns are consistent with theoretical predictions and support the existence of common values.

Factor analysis of financial and operational performance measures of non-profit hospitals.

PubMed

Das, Dhiman

2009-01-01

To understand the important dimensions of the financial and operational performance of non-profit hospitals. Secondary data for non-profit US hospitals between 1996 and 2004. I use iterative principal factor analysis of hospitals' financial and operational ratios for each year of the study. For factor interpretation, I use oblique rotation. Financial ratios were created using cost report data from HCRIS 2552-96 available from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS). I identify five factors--capital structure, profitability, activity, liquidity, and an operational factor--that explain most of the variation in the performance of non-profit hospitals. I also find that capital structure is more important than profitability in determining the performance of these hospitals. The importance of capital structure highlights a significant shift in the organization of the non-profit hospitals' finances.

Administrative Coordination in Non-Profit Human Service Delivery Networks: The Role of Competition and Trust

PubMed Central

Bunger, Alicia C.

2014-01-01

Non-profit human service organizations operating within the same regional network are often faced with dual pressure to compete as well as coordinate administrative operations (by sharing funding, staff or space) to enhance efficiency. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that competing organizations coordinate, despite the risks. Trust, or perceived trustworthiness between two organizations may mitigate the negative influence of competition on coordination, however there have been few explicit tests of this hypothesis among non-profit organizations. Drawing on quantitative data collected from a network of 36 non-profit children’s behavioral health organizations, this paper empirically tests how competition and perceived trustworthiness interact to influence administrative coordination. Results support the hypothesis that trustworthiness moderates the influence of competition on administrative coordination. Findings suggest that as competing non-profit leaders build trust, the more their agencies coordinate their administrative functions. This study highlights the importance of leaders’ perceptions for organizational strategy. PMID:25349468

Customer and service profitability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ballaban, M.; Kelly, K.; Wisniewski, L.

1996-03-01

The rapid pace of competitive change in the generation sector has pushed electric utilities to rethink the concept of being obligated to serve all customers and with this change, the notion of measuring customer profitability is also being redefined. Traditionally, uniform services were provided to all customers. Rates were based on each customer classes` contribution to average costs, and consequently return was equally allocated across all customer segments. Profitability was defined strictly on an aggregate basis. The increasing demand for choice by electric customers will require electricity providers to redefine if not who they serve, than certainly how they providemore » differentiated services tailored to specific customer segments. Utilities are beginning to analyze the value, or profitability, of offering these services. Aggregate data no longer provides an accurate assessment of how resources should be allocated most efficiently. As services are unbundled, so too must costs be disaggregated to effectively measure the profitability of various options.« less

Clinical laboratory as an economic model for business performance analysis

PubMed Central

Buljanović, Vikica; Patajac, Hrvoje; Petrovečki, Mladen

2011-01-01

Aim To perform SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of a clinical laboratory as an economic model that may be used to improve business performance of laboratories by removing weaknesses, minimizing threats, and using external opportunities and internal strengths. Methods Impact of possible threats to and weaknesses of the Clinical Laboratory at Našice General County Hospital business performance and use of strengths and opportunities to improve operating profit were simulated using models created on the basis of SWOT analysis results. The operating profit as a measure of profitability of the clinical laboratory was defined as total revenue minus total expenses and presented using a profit and loss account. Changes in the input parameters in the profit and loss account for 2008 were determined using opportunities and potential threats, and economic sensitivity analysis was made by using changes in the key parameters. The profit and loss account and economic sensitivity analysis were tools for quantifying the impact of changes in the revenues and expenses on the business operations of clinical laboratory. Results Results of simulation models showed that operational profit of €470 723 in 2008 could be reduced to only €21 542 if all possible threats became a reality and current weaknesses remained the same. Also, operational gain could be increased to €535 804 if laboratory strengths and opportunities were utilized. If both the opportunities and threats became a reality, the operational profit would decrease by €384 465. Conclusion The operational profit of the clinical laboratory could be significantly reduced if all threats became a reality and the current weaknesses remained the same. The operational profit could be increased by utilizing strengths and opportunities as much as possible. This type of modeling may be used to monitor business operations of any clinical laboratory and improve its financial situation by implementing changes in the next fiscal period. PMID:21853546

Clinical laboratory as an economic model for business performance analysis.

PubMed

Buljanović, Vikica; Patajac, Hrvoje; Petrovecki, Mladen

2011-08-15

To perform SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of a clinical laboratory as an economic model that may be used to improve business performance of laboratories by removing weaknesses, minimizing threats, and using external opportunities and internal strengths. Impact of possible threats to and weaknesses of the Clinical Laboratory at Našice General County Hospital business performance and use of strengths and opportunities to improve operating profit were simulated using models created on the basis of SWOT analysis results. The operating profit as a measure of profitability of the clinical laboratory was defined as total revenue minus total expenses and presented using a profit and loss account. Changes in the input parameters in the profit and loss account for 2008 were determined using opportunities and potential threats, and economic sensitivity analysis was made by using changes in the key parameters. The profit and loss account and economic sensitivity analysis were tools for quantifying the impact of changes in the revenues and expenses on the business operations of clinical laboratory. Results of simulation models showed that operational profit of €470 723 in 2008 could be reduced to only €21 542 if all possible threats became a reality and current weaknesses remained the same. Also, operational gain could be increased to €535 804 if laboratory strengths and opportunities were utilized. If both the opportunities and threats became a reality, the operational profit would decrease by €384 465. The operational profit of the clinical laboratory could be significantly reduced if all threats became a reality and the current weaknesses remained the same. The operational profit could be increased by utilizing strengths and opportunities as much as possible. This type of modeling may be used to monitor business operations of any clinical laboratory and improve its financial situation by implementing changes in the next fiscal period.

A financial ratio analysis of for-profit and non-profit rural referral centers.

PubMed

McCue, Michael J; Nayar, Preethy

2009-01-01

National financial data show that rural referral center (RRC) hospitals have performed well financially. RRC hospitals' median cash flow margin ratio was 10.04% in 2002 and grew to 11.04% in 2004. The aim of this study is to compare the ratio analysis of key operational and financial performance measures of for-profit RRCs to those of private, non-profit RRCs. To control for accounting aberrations within a given year, we selected RRCs that reported 3 consecutive fiscal years of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cost report data, starting with fiscal year 2004 and ending with fiscal year 2006. Given a limited sample size of 28 for-profit RRCs and 127 non-profits, we used the non-parametric median test to assess median differences in operational and key financial measures between the 2 groups. For-profit RRCs treated less complex cases and reported fewer discharges per bed and fewer occupied beds than did non-profits. However, for-profit RRCs staffed their beds with fewer full-time-equivalent (FTE) personnel and served a higher proportion of Medicaid patients. For-profit RRCs generated operating cash flow margins in excess of 19%, compared to only 8.1% for non-profits, and maintained newer plant and equipment. For-profit RRCs generated a substantially higher cash flow margin by controlling their operating costs.

Efficiency of U.S. Dialysis Centers: An Updated Examination of Facility Characteristics That Influence Production of Dialysis Treatments

PubMed Central

Shreay, Sanatan; Ma, Martin; McCluskey, Jill; Mittelhammer, Ron C; Gitlin, Matthew; Stephens, J Mark

2014-01-01

Objective To explore the relative efficiency of dialysis facilities in the United States and identify factors that are associated with efficiency in the production of dialysis treatments. Data Sources/Study Setting Medicare cost report data from 4,343 free-standing dialysis facilities in the United States that offered in-center hemodialysis in 2010. Study Design A cross-sectional, facility-level retrospective database analysis, utilizing data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate facility efficiency. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Treatment data and cost and labor inputs of dialysis treatments were obtained from 2010 Medicare Renal Cost Reports. Demographic data were obtained from the 2010 U.S. Census. Principal Findings Only 26.6 percent of facilities were technically efficient. Neither the intensity of market competition nor the profit status of the facility had a significant effect on efficiency. Facilities that were members of large chains were less likely to be efficient. Cost and labor savings due to changes in drug protocols had little effect on overall dialysis center efficiency. Conclusions The majority of free-standing dialysis facilities in the United States were functioning in a technically inefficient manner. As payment systems increasingly employ capitation and bundling provisions, these institutions will need to evaluate their efficiency to remain competitive. PMID:24237043

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRUCK EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGIES IN CLASS 8 TRACTOR-TRAILERS BASED ON A TRACTIVE ENERGY ANALYSIS USING MEASURED DRIVE CYCLE DATA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LaClair, Tim J; Gao, Zhiming; Fu, Joshua S.

2014-01-01

Quantifying the fuel savings that can be achieved from different truck fuel efficiency technologies for a fleet s specific usage allows the fleet to select the combination of technologies that will yield the greatest operational efficiency and profitability. This paper presents an analysis of vehicle usage in a commercial vehicle fleet and an assessment of advanced efficiency technologies using an analysis of measured drive cycle data for a class 8 regional commercial shipping fleet. Drive cycle measurements during a period of a full year from six tractor-trailers in normal operations in a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier were analyzed to develop amore » characteristic drive cycle that is highly representative of the fleet s usage. The vehicle mass was also estimated to account for the variation of loads that the fleet experienced. The drive cycle and mass data were analyzed using a tractive energy analysis to quantify the fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions benefits that can be achieved on class 8 tractor-trailers when using advanced efficiency technologies, either individually or in combination. Although differences exist among class 8 tractor-trailer fleets, this study provides valuable insight into the energy and emissions reduction potential that various technologies can bring in this important trucking application.« less

Derivative Trade Optimizing Model Utilizing GP Based on Behavioral Finance Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumura, Koki; Kawamoto, Masaru

This paper proposed a new technique which makes the strategy trees for the derivative (option) trading investment decision based on the behavioral finance theory and optimizes it using evolutionary computation, in order to achieve high profitability. The strategy tree uses a technical analysis based on a statistical, experienced technique for the investment decision. The trading model is represented by various technical indexes, and the strategy tree is optimized by the genetic programming(GP) which is one of the evolutionary computations. Moreover, this paper proposed a method using the prospect theory based on the behavioral finance theory to set psychological bias for profit and deficit and attempted to select the appropriate strike price of option for the higher investment efficiency. As a result, this technique produced a good result and found the effectiveness of this trading model by the optimized dealings strategy.

Impact of including growth, carcass and feed efficiency traits in the breeding goal for combined milk and beef production systems.

PubMed

Hietala, P; Juga, J

2017-04-01

Improving feed efficiency in dairy cattle could result in more profitable and environmentally sustainable dairy production through lowering feed costs and emissions from dairy farming. In addition, beef production based on dairy herds generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of meat output than beef production from suckler cow systems. Different scenarios were used to assess the profitability of adding traits, excluded from the current selection index for Finnish Ayrshire, to the breeding goal for combined dairy and beef production systems. The additional breeding goal traits were growth traits (average daily gain of animals in the fattening and rearing periods), carcass traits (fat covering, fleshiness and dressing percentage), mature live weight (LW) of cows and residual feed intake (RFI) traits. A breeding scheme was modeled for Finnish Ayrshire under the current market situation in Finland using the deterministic simulation software ZPLAN+. With the economic values derived for the current production system, the inclusion of growth and carcass traits, while preventing LW increase generated the highest improvement in the discounted profit of the breeding program (3.7%), followed by the scenario where all additional traits were included simultaneously (5.1%). The use of a selection index that included growth and carcass traits excluding LW, increased the profit (0.8%), but reduced the benefits resulted from breeding for beef traits together with LW. A moderate decrease in the profit of the breeding program was obtained when adding only LW to the breeding goal (-3.1%), whereas, adding only RFI traits to the breeding goal resulted in a minor increase in the profit (1.4%). Including beef traits with LW in the breeding goal showed to be the most potential option to improve the profitability of the combined dairy and beef production systems and would also enable a higher rate of self-sufficiency in beef. When considering feed efficiency related traits, the inclusion of LW traits in the breeding goal that includes growth and carcass traits could be more profitable than the inclusion of RFI, because the marginal costs of measuring LW can be expected to be lower than for RFI and it is readily available for selection. In addition, before RFI can be implemented as a breeding objective, the genetic correlations between RFI and other breeding goal traits estimated for the studied population as well as information on the most suitable indicator traits for RFI are needed to assess more carefully the consequences of selecting for RFI.

Costs, commitment and locality: a comparison of for-profit and not-for-profit health plans.

PubMed

2004-01-01

Following on the heels of the first national study demonstrating differences in the community benefits provided by not-for-profit and for-profit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) (Schlesinger, Mitchell, and Gray 2003), this study of the New York state market shows significant differences in premiums, administrative overhead and commitment to safety net coverage between nonprofit and for-profit health plans. This study shows that for-profit health plans do act differently than not-for-profit plans in terms of performance, efficiency, and contribution to safety net programs. Moreover, it suggests that not-for-profit health insurers operating in a predominantly for-profit market act in many ways like for-profits. The New York state insurance market provides an ideal study environment because one can compare a large number of policyholders and plans in both business models (for-profit and not-for-profit) that share an identical legislative and regulatory environment. New York has large populations being provided coverage under both models and no allowances had to be made for state-to-state political and/or legal differences. Specifically, this study shows that: The downstate insurance market is predominantly for-profit, while the upstate market is almost entirely not-for-profit. The recent conversion of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield to a for-profit model moves the downstate market further into the for-profit column, while the upstate region remains not-for-profit. Insurers in the upstate not-for-profit market are more administratively efficient than insurers in the downstate region. Compared to the downstate region, insurers in upstate New York spent 1.5% less of their operating revenues on administrative expenses. The additional 1.5% of spending on administrative expenses downstate totals dollars 137,000,000. Upstate insurers spend significantly more of the revenues received on payments for medical care. Downstate insurers spent 80.4% of operating revenues on medical care. Upstate insurers spent 87.7% of operating revenue on medical care. If health care spending patterns downstate were similar to upstate, the additional 7.3% allocated to medical care would total dollars 678,000,000. A lower level of investment in medical care in the downstate region translated into higher underwriting gains, which totaled 8.1% of operating revenue. Plans in the upstate region reported underwriting gains of only 2.3%. Not-for-profit insurers offer more cost effective (i.e., lower) premium options for consumers. In 2002, the upstate market had the lowest operating revenues (premiums) statewide, averaging dollars 184 per member per month (pmpm); the not-for-profit plans downstate averaged dollars 203 pmpm. Premiums in the for-profit segment of the downstate market averaged dollars 221 pmpm in 2002. The not-for-profit upstate market has proved its viability, while maintaining commitments to New York safety net and Medicare programs. The not-for-profit upstate market experienced a dollars 12 million loss in New York safety net programs in 2002, but generated dollars 131 million in underwriting gains for all product lines combined. Furthermore, upstate revenue gains in 2002 exceeded 2001 results by dollars 45 million. Not-for-profit HMOs, both upstate and downstate, participate in state-sponsored safety net programs to a far greater degree than the downstate for-profit managed care organizations. Within the plan group selected for this study, the not-for-profit plans supported 88% of the enrollment in New York state-sponsored programs, compared with for-profit plans' support of only 12% of safety net membership. Not-for-profit plans have also demonstrated a higher level of dedication to the Medicare Plus Choice product line than for-profit insurers downstate. In 2002, not-for-profit plans enrolled 73% of this population of 385,000 elderly statewide. Despite the favorable financial returns in the product line, for-profit insurers downstate enrolled only 105,000 Medicare risk members in 2002, or 27% of the statewide total. The emergence in New York of health care insurance markets that are predominantly for-profit raises significant public policy issues, especially with reference to community benefits and services. Should the upstate health insurance environment change with the entrance of for-profit plans or conversion of existing plans to for-profit status, the upstate market is likely to look very similar to the downstate in that there will be diminished access to care for the at-risk population; premium costs will be higher and administrative costs will be higher. The health care insurance market upstate would become less attentive to the provision of public goods as insurers strive to maximize their economic advantages.

Factors affecting the entry of for-profit providers into a price regulated market for formal long-term care services: a case study from Japan.

PubMed

Tokunaga, Mutsumi; Hashimoto, Hideki

2013-01-01

While the distinct behaviors of for-profit and non-profit providers in the healthcare market have been compared in the economic literature, their choices regarding market entry and exit have only recently been debated. Since 2000, when public Long-Term Care Insurance was introduced in Japan, for-profit providers have been able to provide formal long-term homecare services. The aim of this study is to determine which factors have affected market entry of for-profit providers under price regulation and in competition with existing non-profit providers. We used nation-wide panel data from 2002 to 2010, aggregated at the level of local public insurers (n = 1557), a basic area unit of service provision. The number of for-profit providers per elderly population in the area unit was regressed against factors related to local demand and service costs using first-difference linear regression, a fixed effects model, and Tobit regression for robustness checking. Results showed that demand (the number of eligible care recipients) and cost factors (population density and minimum wage) significantly influenced for-profit providers' choice of market entry. These findings indicate that for-profit providers will strategically choose a local market for maximizing profit. We believe that price regulation should be redesigned to incorporate quality of care and market conditions, regardless of the profit status of the providers, to ensure equal access to efficient delivery of long-term care across all regions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hospital activity and hospital profits.

PubMed

Hegji, Charles E

2007-01-01

The paper uses data from a cross section of southeastern hospitals to examine which activities are profitable for hospitals. The analysis suggests that hospitals may operate at less than profit-maximizing levels of output. In addition, contrary to popular belief emergency rooms are shown to be profit generating centers for hospitals.

An algorithm for testing the efficient market hypothesis.

PubMed

Boboc, Ioana-Andreea; Dinică, Mihai-Cristian

2013-01-01

The objective of this research is to examine the efficiency of EUR/USD market through the application of a trading system. The system uses a genetic algorithm based on technical analysis indicators such as Exponential Moving Average (EMA), Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Filter that gives buying and selling recommendations to investors. The algorithm optimizes the strategies by dynamically searching for parameters that improve profitability in the training period. The best sets of rules are then applied on the testing period. The results show inconsistency in finding a set of trading rules that performs well in both periods. Strategies that achieve very good returns in the training period show difficulty in returning positive results in the testing period, this being consistent with the efficient market hypothesis (EMH).

An Algorithm for Testing the Efficient Market Hypothesis

PubMed Central

Boboc, Ioana-Andreea; Dinică, Mihai-Cristian

2013-01-01

The objective of this research is to examine the efficiency of EUR/USD market through the application of a trading system. The system uses a genetic algorithm based on technical analysis indicators such as Exponential Moving Average (EMA), Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Filter that gives buying and selling recommendations to investors. The algorithm optimizes the strategies by dynamically searching for parameters that improve profitability in the training period. The best sets of rules are then applied on the testing period. The results show inconsistency in finding a set of trading rules that performs well in both periods. Strategies that achieve very good returns in the training period show difficulty in returning positive results in the testing period, this being consistent with the efficient market hypothesis (EMH). PMID:24205148

Addressing oil price changes through business profitability in oil and gas industry in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Vătavu, Sorana; Lobonț, Oana-Ramona; Para, Iulia; Pelin, Andrei

2018-01-01

In this paper, we investigate how crude oil price and volume traded affected the profitability of oil and gas companies in the United Kingdom (UK) since the financial crisis started in 2008. The study benefit from insights of the financial statements, to develop a model that focuses on how changes in oil price impact corporate performance. In order to observe the financial indicators that influence the performance, as well as the effects that changes in oil prices and demand of crude oil have on the profitability of oil and gas companies, we apply comparative regression analysis, including the generalised method of moments estimation technique for panel data set. The sample is consisting of 31 oil and gas companies in the UK, and the period analysed is 2006-2014. Results show that profitable oil and gas companies managed to face the drop in oil price and recover, characterized by significant cash flows and stock turnover, efficient use of assets, and high solvency rates. Although the oil price and volume traded do not significantly affect profitability and other financial ratios, if the oil price continues to decrease, it would permanently alter both the UK economy and oil and gas companies. In order to survive, companies make drastic cuts and defer essential investments, often at the long-term expense of asset performance. This study is important in a world where the energy consumption steadily grew over time. However, the renewable energy is cheaper and more environmentally friendly, and thus, countries where oil and gas industry is one of the most popular sectors face an economic decline. These results could be useful for investors, managers or decision makers, reclaiming strategic decisions in the current uncertain and volatile environment.

Sodium thiosulphate induced immobilized bacterial disintegration of sludge: An energy efficient and cost effective platform for sludge management and biomethanation.

PubMed

Ushani, U; Kavitha, S; Yukesh Kannah, R; Gunasekaran, M; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Nguyen, Dinh Duc; Chang, Soon Woong; Rajesh Banu, J

2018-07-01

The present study aimed to gain better insights into profitable biomethanation through sodium thiosulphate induced immobilized protease secreting bacterial disintegration (STS-IPBD) of sludge. STS disperse the flocs at 0.08 g/g SS of dosage and assists the subsequent bacterial disintegration. Immobilization of bacteria increases the hydrolytic activity of cells towards effective liquefaction of sludge. A higher liquefaction of 22% was accomplished for STS-IPBD when compared to immobilized protease secreting bacterial disintegration (IPBD alone). The kinetic parameters of Line Weaver Burk plot analysis revealed a maximal specific growth rate (µmax) of 0.320 h -1 for immobilized cells when compared to suspended free cells showing the benefit of immobilization. Floc dispersion and immobilization of bacteria imparts a major role in biomethanation as the methane generation (0.32 gCOD/g COD) was higher in STS-IPBD sample. The cost analysis showed that STS - IPBD was a feasible process with net profit of 2.6 USD/Ton of sludge. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associated petroleum gas utilization in Tomsk Oblast: energy efficiency and tax advantages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vazim, A.; Romanyuk, V.; Ahmadeev, K.; Matveenko, I.

2015-11-01

This article deals with oil production companies activities in increasing the utilization volume of associated petroleum gas (APG) in Tomsk Oblast. Cost-effectiveness analysis of associated petroleum gas utilization was carried out using the example of gas engine power station AGP-350 implementation at Yuzhno-Cheremshanskoye field, Tomsk Oblast. Authors calculated the effectiveness taking into account the tax advantages of 2012. The implementation of this facility shows high profitability, the payback period being less than 2 years.

The Relative Importance of Market Power and Efficiency to Profitability in the Defense Sector: A Firm Based Analysis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Operations Research Charles E. Schmeling, Capt t December 1983 Approved for public release... research and development expense, and firm size. Market power is measured by the four-firm concentration ratio and the number of firms in each industry...OF THIS PAGE Acknowledgements I wish to take this opportunity to thank the people who have assisted me in this research effort. First of all, I would

Sourcing of Steam and Electricity for Carbon Capture Retrofits.

PubMed

Supekar, Sarang D; Skerlos, Steven J

2017-11-07

This paper compares different steam and electricity sources for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) retrofits of pulverized coal (PC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants. Analytical expressions for the thermal efficiency of these power plants are derived under 16 different CCS retrofit scenarios for the purpose of illustrating their environmental and economic characteristics. The scenarios emerge from combinations of steam and electricity sources, fuel used in each source, steam generation equipment and process details, and the extent of CO 2 capture. Comparing these scenarios reveals distinct trade-offs between thermal efficiency, net power output, levelized cost, profit, and net CO 2 reduction. Despite causing the highest loss in useful power output, bleeding steam and extracting electric power from the main power plant to meet the CCS plant's electricity and steam demand maximizes plant efficiency and profit while minimizing emissions and levelized cost when wholesale electricity prices are below 4.5 and 5.2 US¢/kWh for PC-CCS and NGCC-CCS plants, respectively. At prices higher than these higher profits for operating CCS retrofits can be obtained by meeting 100% of the CCS plant's electric power demand using an auxiliary natural gas turbine-based combined heat and power plant.

Profitability primer: a guide to profitability analysis in the electric power industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woo, C.K.; Lloyd-Zannetti, D.; Martin, J.

1996-06-01

As the electric power industry is opened to forces of competition, increased attention must be focused to develop products and services that deliver good value to customers and to identify customer segments that are profitable to serve. This primer introduces the concept of profitability analysis and its application to the electric power industry. The primer recognizes that some segments of the business will remain monopolistic and subject to regulations, while other segments will become competitive. The primer also recognizes that customer profitability is critically dependent on a host of related issues such as how internal costs are allocated to variousmore » functions and how revenues are collected and allocated.« less

No association of smoke-free ordinances with profits from bingo and charitable games in Massachusetts.

PubMed

Glantz, S A; Wilson-Loots, R

2003-12-01

Because it is widely played, claims that smoking restrictions will adversely affect bingo games is used as an argument against these policies. We used publicly available data from Massachusetts to assess the impact of 100% smoke-free ordinances on profits from bingo and other gambling sponsored by charitable organisations between 1985 and 2001. We conducted two analyses: (1) a general linear model implementation of a time series analysis with net profits (adjusted to 2001 dollars) as the dependent variable, and community (as a fixed effect), year, lagged net profits, and the length of time the ordinance had been in force as the independent variables; (2) multiple linear regression of total state profits against time, lagged profits, and the percentage of the entire state population in communities that allow charitable gaming but prohibit smoking. The general linear model analysis of data from individual communities showed that, while adjusted profits fell over time, this effect was not related to the presence of an ordinance. The analysis in terms of the fraction of the population living in communities with ordinances yielded the same result. Policymakers can implement smoke-free policies without concern that these policies will affect charitable gaming.

Payments for care at private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Devereaux, P.J.; Heels-Ansdell, Diane; Lacchetti, Christina; Haines, Ted; Burns, Karen E.A.; Cook, Deborah J.; Ravindran, Nikila; Walter, S.D.; McDonald, Heather; Stone, Samuel B.; Patel, Rakesh; Bhandari, Mohit; Schünemann, Holger J.; Choi, Peter T.-L.; Bayoumi, Ahmed M.; Lavis, John N.; Sullivan, Terrence; Stoddart, Greg; Guyatt, Gordon H.

2004-01-01

Background It has been shown that patients cared for at private for-profit hospitals have higher risk-adjusted mortality rates than those cared for at private not-for-profit hospitals. Uncertainty remains, however, about the economic implications of these forms of health care delivery. Since some policy-makers might still consider for-profit health care if expenditure savings were sufficiently large, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare payments for care at private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals. Methods We used 6 search strategies to identify published and unpublished observational studies that directly compared the payments for care at private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals. We masked the study results before teams of 2 reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility of all studies. We confirmed data or obtained additional data from all but 1 author. For each study, we calculated the payments for care at private for-profit hospitals relative to private not-for-profit hospitals and pooled the results using a random effects model. Results Eight observational studies, involving more than 350 000 patients altogether and a median of 324 hospitals each, fulfilled our eligibility criteria. In 5 of 6 studies showing higher payments for care at private for-profit hospitals, the difference was statistically significant; in 1 of 2 studies showing higher payments for care at private not-for-profit hospitals, the difference was statistically significant. The pooled estimate demonstrated that private for-profit hospitals were associated with higher payments for care (relative payments for care 1.19, 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.33, p = 0.001). Interpretation Private for-profit hospitals result in higher payments for care than private not-for-profit hospitals. Evidence strongly supports a policy of not-for-profit health care delivery at the hospital level. PMID:15184339

Federal Higher Education Policy and the Profitable Nonprofits. Policy Analysis. No. 678

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fried, Vance H.

2011-01-01

Undergraduate education is a highly profitable business for nonprofit colleges and universities. They do not show profits on their books, but instead take their profits in the form of spending on some combination of research, graduate education, low-demand majors, low faculty teaching loads, excess compensation, and featherbedding. The industry's…

Lender Profitability in the Student Loan Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Sarah

This report provides results of a study that measured lender profitability in the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program and compares these results with the profitability of other types of lending. Data analysis reveals credit card lending to be the highest average level of profitability over the 5-year period considered. Other lending types, in…

Reproduction

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reproductive efficiency, or percentage of lamb crop raised and marketed, is the major factor affecting profitability of a sheep flock. Frequently, an increased reproductive rate will be the most efficient way to increase income rather than an increase in numbers of ewes. Consequently, increasing th...

A Financial Ratio Analysis of For-Profit and Non-Profit Rural Referral Centers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCue, Michael J.; Nayar, Preethy

2009-01-01

Context: National financial data show that rural referral center (RRC) hospitals have performed well financially. RRC hospitals' median cash flow margin ratio was 10.04% in 2002 and grew to 11.04% in 2004. Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the ratio analysis of key operational and financial performance measures of for-profit RRCs to…

Factors associated with profitability in pasture-based systems of milk production.

PubMed

Hanrahan, L; McHugh, N; Hennessy, T; Moran, B; Kearney, R; Wallace, M; Shalloo, L

2018-06-01

The global dairy industry needs to reappraise the systems of milk production that are operated at farm level with specific focus on enhancing technical efficiency and competitiveness of the sector. The objective of this study was to quantify the factors associated with costs of production, profitability, and pasture use, and the effects of pasture use on financial performance of dairy farms using an internationally recognized representative database over an 8-yr period (2008 to 2015) on pasture-based systems. To examine the associated effects of several farm system and management variables on specific performance measures, a series of multiple regression models were developed. Factors evaluated included pasture use [kg of dry matter/ha and stocking rate (livestock units/ha)], grazing season length, breeding season length, milk recording, herd size, dairy farm size (ha), farmer age, discussion group membership, proportion of purchased feed, protein %, fat %, kg of milk fat and protein per cow, kg of milk fat and protein per hectare, and capital investment in machinery, livestock, and buildings. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated costs of production per hectare differed by year, geographical location, soil type, level of pasture use, proportion of purchased feed, protein %, kg of fat and protein per cow, dairy farm size, breeding season length, and capital investment in machinery, livestock, and buildings per cow. The results of the analysis revealed that farm net profit per hectare was associated with pasture use per hectare, year, location, soil type, grazing season length, proportion of purchased feed, protein %, kg of fat and protein per cow, dairy farm size, and capital investment in machinery and buildings per cow. Pasture use per hectare was associated with year, location, soil type, stocking rate, dairy farm size, fat %, protein %, kg of fat and protein per cow, farmer age, capital investment in machinery and buildings per cow, breeding season length, and discussion group membership. On average, over the 8-yr period, each additional tonne of pasture dry matter used increased gross profit by €278 and net profit by €173 on dairy farms. Conversely, a 10% increase in the proportion of purchased feed in the diet resulted in a reduction in net profit per hectare by €97 and net profit by €207 per tonne of fat and protein. Results from this study, albeit in a quota limited environment, have demonstrated that the profitability of pasture-based dairy systems is significantly associated with the proportion of pasture used at the farm level, being cognizant of the levels of purchased feed. The Authors. Published by FASS Inc. and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Does outsourcing affect hospital profitability?

PubMed

Danvers, Kreag; Nikolov, Pavel

2010-01-01

Organizations outsource non-core service functions to achieve cost reductions and strategic benefits, both of which can impact profitability performance. This article examines relations between managerial outsourcing decisions and profitability for a multi-state sample of non-profit hospitals, across 16 states and four regions of the United States. Overall regression results indicate that outsourcing does not necessarily improve hospital profitability. In addition, we identify no profitability impact from outsourcing for urban hospitals, but somewhat positive effects for teaching hospitals. Our regional analysis suggests that hospitals located in the Midwest maintain positive profitability effects with outsourcing, but those located in the South realize negative effects. These findings have implications for cost reduction efforts and the financial viability of non-profit hospitals.

Sector strength and efficiency on developed and emerging financial markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiedor, Paweł

2014-11-01

In this paper we analyse the importance of sectors and market efficiency on developed and emerging financial markets. To perform this we analyse New York Stock Exchange between 2004 and 2013 and Warsaw Stock Exchange between 2000 and 2013. To find out the importance of sectors we construct minimal spanning trees for annual time series consisting of daily log returns and calculate centrality measures for all stocks, which we then aggregate by sectors. Such analysis is of interest to analysts for whom the knowledge of the influence of particular groups of stocks to the market behaviour is crucial. We also analyse the predictability of price changes on those two markets formally, using the information-theoretic concept of entropy rate, to find out the differences in market efficiency between a developed and an emerging market, and between sectors themselves. We postulate that such analysis is important to the study of financial markets as it can contribute to the profitability of investments, particularly in the case of algorithmic trading.

Analysis of the financial factors governing the profitability of lunar helium-3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kulcinski, G. L.; Thompson, H.; Ott, S.

1989-01-01

Financial factors influencing the profitability of the mining and utilization of lunar helium-3 are examined. The analysis addressed the following questions: (1) which financial factors have the greatest leverage on the profitability of He-3; (2) over what range can these factors be varied to keep the He-3 option profitable; and (3) what ultimate effect could this energy source have on the price of electricity for U.S. consumers. Two complementary methods of analysis were used in the assessment: rate of return on incremental investment required and reduction revenue requirements (total cost to customers) achieved. Some of the factors addressed include energy demand, power generation costs with and without fusion, profitability for D-He(3) fusion, annual capital and operating costs, launch mass and costs, He-3 price, and government funding. Specific conclusions are made with respect to each of the companies considered: utilities, lunar mining company, and integrated energy company.

Impact of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis on profit efficiency in semi-extensive dairy sheep and goat farms of Apulia, southern Italy.

PubMed

Sardaro, Ruggiero; Pieragostini, Elisa; Rubino, Giuseppe; Petazzi, Ferruccio

2017-01-01

A recent study on paratubercolosis in semi-extensive dairy sheep and goat farms in Apulia revealed a flock positivity of 60.5% and a seroprevalence of 3.0% for sheep and 14.5% for goat, with peaks of 50%. In such a context, providing detailed economic information is crucial for the implementation of a suitable control plan. In this paper we investigated the impact of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) on profit efficiency of the Apulian dairy sheep and goat farms. Empirical results through a stochastic frontier model showed that the uninfected farms had a mean level of profit efficiency of 84%, which dropped to 64% in the presence of paratubercolosis as it negatively affected the productivity of feeding, veterinary and labour factors. Structural, managerial and production aspects were involved in the greater inefficiency of the infected farms compared to the uninfected ones: lower experience and schooling of farmers, no access to credit, fewer family members (women in particular) participating in the farming activities, high density of animals per hectare, small flocks, high number of goats in mixed flocks, no confinement practices for young and purchased animals and no pasture rotation. Hence, targeted interventions on these factors by decision makers can ensure effectiveness and efficiency to veterinary and economic action plans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Capacity Adequacy and Revenue Sufficiency in Electricity Markets With Wind Power

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levin, Todd; Botterud, Audun

2015-05-01

We present a computationally efficient mixed-integer program (MIP) that determines optimal generator expansion decisions, as well as periodic unit commitment and dispatch. The model is applied to analyze the impact of increasing wind power capacity on the optimal generation mix and the profitability of thermal generators. In a case study, we find that increasing wind penetration reduces energy prices while the prices for operating reserves increase. Moreover, scarcity pricing for operating reserves through reserve shortfall penalties significantly impacts the prices and profitability of thermal generators. Without scarcity pricing, no thermal units are profitable, however scarcity pricing can ensure profitability formore » peaking units at high wind penetration levels. Capacity payments can also ensure profitability, but the payments required for baseload units to break even increase with the amount of wind power. The results indicate that baseload units are most likely to experience revenue sufficiency problems when wind penetration increases and new baseload units are only developed when natural gas prices are high and wind penetration is low.« less

Estimating Hardwood Sawmill Conversion Efficiency Based on Sawing Machine and Log.

Treesearch

Michael W. Wade; Steven H. Bullard; Philip H. Steele; Philip A. Araman

1992-01-01

Increased problems of hardwood timber availability have caused many sawmillers, industry analysts, and planners to recognize the importance of sawmill conversion efficiency. Conversion efficiency not only affects sawmill profits, but is also important on a much broader level. Timber supply issues have caused resource planners and policy makers to consider the effects...

Multi-Objective Bidding Strategy for Genco Using Non-Dominated Sorting Particle Swarm Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saksinchai, Apinat; Boonchuay, Chanwit; Ongsakul, Weerakorn

2010-06-01

This paper proposes a multi-objective bidding strategy for a generation company (GenCo) in uniform price spot market using non-dominated sorting particle swarm optimization (NSPSO). Instead of using a tradeoff technique, NSPSO is introduced to solve the multi-objective strategic bidding problem considering expected profit maximization and risk (profit variation) minimization. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to simulate rivals' bidding behavior. Test results indicate that the proposed approach can provide the efficient non-dominated solution front effectively. In addition, it can be used as a decision making tool for a GenCo compromising between expected profit and price risk in spot market.

The Profitability of an Investment in Photovoltaics in South Carolina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welsh, Thomas McClain

As renewable energy becomes more prevalent across the United States and the world, solar energy investment has also grown. There have been many studies done on photovoltaic (PV) systems in terms of energy payback and efficiency, but little research done to understand a PV system as a financial investment specific to South Carolina. This study aims to understand the return on investment that a PV system can achieve. More specifically whether PV systems in areas of South Carolina that uses Duke Energy achieve a favorable return on investment and what affects the profitability. This study uses the PVwatts calculator provided by NREL as well as an investment simulation to calculate the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value on 1024 simulated 5kW PV arrays and evaluates their profitability. It then uses this information to apply it to real case studies for houses in South Carolina. This study found that shade has a significant impact on profitability of investment. At 30% shading, profitability drops near 0% IRR or below. Orientation impacts profitability significantly as well. Panels that are facing south, southeast, and southwest yielded the best return. While north, northeast and northwest orientations yielded very low or negative IRR. East and west facing panels can yield positive financial return, but this return is lower than panels orientated to the south. PV systems oriented towards the east or west must have optimal conditions to remain efficient. This study found that tilt had minimal impact on financially return. Incentives also significantly impacted profitability of investment. For a PV system to be profitable, federal, state, and Duke Energy incentives needed to be applied to the investment. When homes with PV systems are sold also has a great impact on profitability. Research has shown that there is a housing premium for homes with PV systems (Adomatis, 2015). This premium is highest when first installed and declines as the PV systems age. People also associate premiums with houses with PV systems even if the system is not adding much value to the home. This study has also found that the price of the PV system impacts investment. Premium grade panels had significantly less return compared to standard grade panels because prices per watt were higher.

Profitability Analysis of Soybean Oil Processes.

PubMed

Cheng, Ming-Hsun; Rosentrater, Kurt A

2017-10-07

Soybean oil production is the basic process for soybean applications. Cash flow analysis is used to estimate the profitability of a manufacturing venture. Besides capital investments, operating costs, and revenues, the interest rate is the factor to estimate the net present value (NPV), break-even points, and payback time; which are benchmarks for profitability evaluation. The positive NPV and reasonable payback time represent a profitable process, and provide an acceptable projection for real operating. Additionally, the capacity of the process is another critical factor. The extruding-expelling process and hexane extraction are the two typical approaches used in industry. When the capacities of annual oil production are larger than 12 and 173 million kg respectively, these two processes are profitable. The solvent free approach, known as enzyme assisted aqueous extraction process (EAEP), is profitable when the capacity is larger than 17 million kg of annual oil production.

Profitability Analysis of Soybean Oil Processes

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Soybean oil production is the basic process for soybean applications. Cash flow analysis is used to estimate the profitability of a manufacturing venture. Besides capital investments, operating costs, and revenues, the interest rate is the factor to estimate the net present value (NPV), break-even points, and payback time; which are benchmarks for profitability evaluation. The positive NPV and reasonable payback time represent a profitable process, and provide an acceptable projection for real operating. Additionally, the capacity of the process is another critical factor. The extruding-expelling process and hexane extraction are the two typical approaches used in industry. When the capacities of annual oil production are larger than 12 and 173 million kg respectively, these two processes are profitable. The solvent free approach, known as enzyme assisted aqueous extraction process (EAEP), is profitable when the capacity is larger than 17 million kg of annual oil production. PMID:28991168

Valuing goodwill: not-for-profits prepare for annual impairment testing.

PubMed

Heuer, Christian; Travers, Mary Ann K

2011-02-01

Accounting standards for valuing goodwill and intangible assets are becoming more rigorous for not-for-profit organizations: Not-for-profit healthcare organizations need to test for goodwill impairment at least annually. Impairment testing is a two-stage process: initial analysis to determine whether impairment exists and subsequent calculation of the magnitude of impairment. Certain "triggering" events compel all organizations--whether for-profit or not-for-profit--to perform an impairment test for goodwill or intangible assets.

A strategy for enhancing financial performance: a study of general acute care hospitals in South Korea.

PubMed

Choi, Mankyu; Lee, Keon-Hyung

2008-01-01

In this study, the determinants of hospital profitability were evaluated using a sample of 142 hospitals that had undergone hospital standardization inspections by the South Korea Hospital Association over the 4-year period from 1998 to 2001. The measures of profitability used as dependent variables in this study were pretax return on assets, after-tax return on assets, basic earning power, pretax operating margin, and after-tax operating margin. Among those determinants, it was found that ownership type, teaching status, inventory turnover, and the average charge per adjusted inpatient day positively and statistically significantly affected all 5 of these profitability measures. However, the labor expenses per adjusted inpatient day and administrative expenses per adjusted inpatient day negatively and statistically significantly affected all 5 profitability measures. The debt ratio negatively and statistically significantly affected all 5 profitability measures, with the exception of basic earning power. None of the market factors assessed were shown to significantly affect profitability. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the profitability of hospitals can be improved despite deteriorating external environmental conditions by facilitating the formation of sound financial structures with optimal capital supplies, optimizing the management of total assets with special emphasis placed on inventory management, and introducing efficient control of fixed costs including labor and administrative expenses.

No association of smoke-free ordinances with profits from bingo and charitable games in Massachusetts

PubMed Central

Glantz, S; Wilson-Loots, R

2003-01-01

Background: Because it is widely played, claims that smoking restrictions will adversely affect bingo games is used as an argument against these policies. We used publicly available data from Massachusetts to assess the impact of 100% smoke-free ordinances on profits from bingo and other gambling sponsored by charitable organisations between 1985 and 2001. Methods: We conducted two analyses: (1) a general linear model implementation of a time series analysis with net profits (adjusted to 2001 dollars) as the dependent variable, and community (as a fixed effect), year, lagged net profits, and the length of time the ordinance had been in force as the independent variables; (2) multiple linear regression of total state profits against time, lagged profits, and the percentage of the entire state population in communities that allow charitable gaming but prohibit smoking. Results: The general linear model analysis of data from individual communities showed that, while adjusted profits fell over time, this effect was not related to the presence of an ordinance. The analysis in terms of the fraction of the population living in communities with ordinances yielded the same result. Conclusion: Policymakers can implement smoke-free policies without concern that these policies will affect charitable gaming. PMID:14660778

Comparison and Association of Intellectual Capital: An Investigation and Measurement of the Value of Intellectual Capital Assets and Their Contribution to Stakeholder Perception within the Framework of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helm Stevens, Roxanne

2011-01-01

PROBLEM: Many of the preliminary approaches to strategic management of intellectual capital or knowledge assets have not been attempted in the not-for-profit arena. Additionally, because there is no marketplace value for not-for-profit firms or a valuation system for intangible assets, the identification and measurement necessary for efficient and…

Risk aversion affects economic values of blue fox breeding scheme.

PubMed

Peura, J; Kempe, R; Strandén, I; Rydhmer, L

2016-12-01

The profit and production of an average Finnish blue fox farm was simulated using a deterministic bio-economic farm model. Risk was included using Arrow-Prat absolute risk aversion coefficient and profit variance. Risk-rated economic values were calculated for pregnancy rate, litter loss, litter size, pelt size, pelt quality, pelt colour clarity, feed efficiency and eye infection. With high absolute risk aversion, economic values were lower than with low absolute risk aversion. Economic values were highest for litter loss (18.16 and 26.42 EUR), litter size (13.27 and 19.40 EUR), pregnancy (11.99 and 18.39 EUR) and eye infection (12.39 and 13.81 EUR). Sensitivity analysis showed that selection pressure for improved eye health depended strongly on proportion of culled animals among infected animals and much less on the proportion of infected animals. The economic value of feed efficiency was lower than expected (6.06 and 8.03 EUR). However, it was almost the same magnitude as pelt quality (7.30 and 7.30 EUR) and higher than the economic value of pelt size (3.37 and 5.26 EUR). Risk factors should be considered in blue fox breeding scheme because they change the relative importance of traits. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Improving feed efficiency in dairy production systems – challenges and possibilities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Improving production efficiency has always been a goal of animal agriculture to ensure an abundant food and fiber supply, and to maintain producer profitability. In recent decades, the concept of sustainable agriculture emerged, which includes the additional goals of safeguarding natural resources, ...

Integration and the performance of healthcare networks:do integration strategies enhance efficiency, profitability, and image?

PubMed Central

Wan, Thomas T.H.; Ma, Allen; Y.J.Lin, Blossom

2001-01-01

Abstract Purpose This study examines the integration effects on efficiency and financial viability of the top 100 integrated healthcare networks (IHNs) in the United States. Theory A contingency- strategic theory is used to identify the relationship of IHNs' performance to their structural and operational characteristics and integration strategies. Methods The lists of the top 100 IHNs ranked in two years, 1998 and 1999, by the SMG Marketing Group were merged to create a database for the study. Multiple indicators were used to examine the relationship between IHNs' characteristics and their performance in efficiency and financial viability. A path analytical model was developed and validated by the Mplus statistical program. Factors influencing the top 100 IHNs' images, represented by attaining ranking among the top 100 in two consecutive years, were analysed. Results and conclusion No positive associations were found between integration and network performance in efficiency or profits. Longitudinal data are needed to investigate the effect of integration on healthcare networks' financial performance. PMID:16896405

Statistical analysis of the count and profitability of air conditioners.

PubMed

Rady, El Houssainy A; Mohamed, Salah M; Abd Elmegaly, Alaa A

2018-08-01

This article presents the statistical analysis of the number and profitability of air conditioners in an Egyptian company. Checking the same distribution for each categorical variable has been made using Kruskal-Wallis test.

The long memory and the transaction cost in financial markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Daye; Nishimura, Yusaku; Men, Ming

2016-01-01

In the present work, we investigate the fractal dimensions of 30 important stock markets from 2006 to 2013; the analysis indicates that the Hurst exponent of emerging markets shifts significantly away from the standard Brownian motion. We propose a model based on the Hurst exponent to explore the considerable profits from the predictable long-term memory. We take the transaction cost into account to justify why the market inefficiency has not been arbitraged away in the majority of cases. The empirical evidence indicates that the majority of the markets are efficient with a certain transaction cost under the no-arbitrage assumption. Furthermore, we use the Monte Carlo simulation to display "the efficient frontier" of the Hurst exponent with different transaction costs.

The Role of Entrepreneurial Activities in Academic Pharmaceutical Science Research

PubMed Central

Stinchcomb, Audra L.

2010-01-01

Academic pharmaceutical science research is expanding further and further from the University setting to encompass the for-profit private company setting. This parallels the National Institutes of Health momentum to include multiple funding opportunities for University and private company collaboration. It has been recognized that the non-profit and for-profit combination research model can accelerate the commercialization of pharmaceutical products, and therefore more efficiently improve human health. Entrepreneurial activities require unique considerations in the University environment, but can be modeled after the commercialization expansion of the academic healthcare enterprise. Challenges and barriers exist to starting a company as an entrepreneurial faculty member, but the rewards to one's personal and professional lives are incomparable. PMID:20017206

[NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 3:] Technical communications in aeronautics: Results of an exploratory study. An analysis of profit managers' and nonprofit managers' responses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Glassman, Myron; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Oliu, Walter E.

1989-01-01

Data collected from an exploratory study concerned with the technical communications practices of aerospace engineers and scientists were analyzed to test the primary assumption that profit and nonprofit managers in the aerospace community have different technical communications practices. Five assumptions were established for the analysis. Profit and nonprofit managers in the aerospace community were found to have different technical communications practices for one of the five assumptions tested. It was, therefore, concluded that profit and nonprofit managers in the aerospace community do not have different technical communications practices.

Development of technology for creating intelligent control systems for power plants and propulsion systems for marine robotic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iakovleva, E. V.; Momot, B. A.

2017-10-01

The object of this study is to develop a power plant and an electric propulsion control system for autonomous remotely controlled vessels. The tasks of the study are as follows: to assess remotely controlled vessels usage reasonability, to define the requirements for this type of vessel navigation. In addition, the paper presents the analysis of technical diagnostics systems. The developed electric propulsion control systems for vessels should provide improved reliability and efficiency of the propulsion complex to ensure the profitability of remotely controlled vessels.

The Application of Incentives and the Defense Business Operations Fund

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

The Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF) is an attempt to incorporate private sector business incentives into the public sector. Truly efficient...or resources are missing an organization will not become more cost effective and efficient. The private sector goal is profit maximization. This goal

Taxes, bankruptcy costs, and capital structure in for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals.

PubMed

Huang, Sean S; Yang, Jie; Carroll, Nathan

2018-02-01

About 60% of the US hospitals are not-for-profit and it is not clear how traditional theories of capital structure should be adapted to understand the borrowing behavior of not-for-profit hospitals. This paper identifies important determinants of capital structure taken from theories describing for-profit firms as well as prior literature on not-for-profit hospitals. We examine the differential effects these factors have on the capital structure of for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals. Specifically, we use a difference-in-differences regression framework to study how differences in leverage between for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals change in response to key explanatory variables (i.e. tax rates and bankruptcy costs). The sample in this study includes most US short-term general acute hospitals from 2000 to 2012. We find that personal and corporate income taxes and bankruptcy costs have significant and distinct effects on the capital structure of for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals. Specifically, relative to not-for-profit hospitals: (1) higher corporate income tax encourages for-profit hospitals to increase their debt usage; (2) higher personal income tax discourages for-profit hospitals to use debt; and (3) higher expected bankruptcy costs lead for-profit hospitals to use less debt. Over the past decade, the capital structure of for-profit hospitals has been more flexible as compared to that of not-for-profit hospitals. This may suggest that not-for-profit hospitals are more constrained by external financing resources. Particularly, our analysis suggests that not-for-profit hospitals operating in states with high corporate taxes but low personal income taxes may face particular challenges of borrowing funds relative to their for-profit competitors.

Systems Theory, Excellence, and Values: Will They Mix?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Howard R.

1977-01-01

Academic planning in higher education is strongly influenced by business management theories and practices. The author questions the usefulness of this approach because the nature of higher education differs from the nature of a profit-making business. However, rational planning to achieve efficiency is relevant if efficiency is not confined to…

Efficient silvicultural practices for eastern hardwood management

Treesearch

Gary W. Miller; John E. Baumgras

1994-01-01

Eastern hardwood forests are now managed to meet a wide range of objectives, resulting in the need for silvicultural alternatives that provide timber, wildlife, aesthetics, recreation, and other benefits. However, forest management practices must continue to be efficient in terms of profiting from current harvests, protecting the environment, and sustaining production...

Aquaculture genomics, genetics and breeding in the United States: Current status, challenges, and priorities for future research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Advancing the production efficiency and profitability of aquaculture is dependent upon the ability to utilize a diverse array of genetic resources. The ultimate goals of aquaculture genomics, genetics and breeding research are to enhance aquaculture production efficiency, sustainability, product qua...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

Dollars saved through energy efficiency can directly impact your bottom line. Whether you are planning for a major renovation or upgrading individual pieces of building equipment, these improvements can help reduce operating costs, save on utility bills, and boost profits. This fact sheet provides guidelines for SBA lenders to understand the value of financing energy efficiency investments.

Prisons for Profit: Public Justice, Private Interests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donahue, John D.

This paper examines several aspects of the private prison debate: (1) How much scope is there for improving the technical and economic efficiency of incarceration through contracting-out to private prison entrepreneurs? (2) Will a fully developed corrections industry be sufficiently competitive to ensure that any efficiency gains are passed on to…

FORAGES AND PASTURES SYMPOSIUM: Improving efficiency of production in pasture- and range-based beef and dairy systems.

PubMed

Mulliniks, J T; Rius, A G; Edwards, M A; Edwards, S R; Hobbs, J D; Nave, R L G

2015-06-01

Despite overall increased production in the last century, it is critical that grazing production systems focus on improving beef and dairy efficiency to meet current and future global food demands. For livestock producers, production efficiency is essential to maintain long-term profitability and sustainability. This continued viability of production systems using pasture- and range-based grazing systems requires more rapid adoption of innovative management practices and selection tools that increase profitability by optimizing grazing management and increasing reproductive performance. Understanding the genetic variation in cow herds will provide the ability to select cows that require less energy for maintenance, which can potentially reduce total energy utilization or energy required for production, consequently improving production efficiency and profitability. In the United States, pasture- and range-based grazing systems vary tremendously across various unique environments that differ in climate, topography, and forage production. This variation in environmental conditions contributes to the challenges of developing or targeting specific genetic components and grazing systems that lead to increased production efficiency. However, across these various environments and grazing management systems, grazable forage remains the least expensive nutrient source to maintain productivity of the cow herd. Beef and dairy cattle can capitalize on their ability to utilize these feed resources that are not usable for other production industries. Therefore, lower-cost alternatives to feeding harvested and stored feedstuffs have the opportunity to provide to livestock producers a sustainable and efficient forage production system. However, increasing production efficiency within a given production environment would vary according to genetic potential (i.e., growth and milk potential), how that genetic potential fits the respective production environment, and how the grazing management fits within those genetic parameters. Therefore, matching cow type or genetic potential to the production environment is and will be more important as cost of production increases.

The Profit-Maximizing Firm: Old Wine in New Bottles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felder, Joseph

1990-01-01

Explains and illustrates a simplified use of graphical analysis for analyzing the profit-maximizing firm. Believes that graphical analysis helps college students gain a deeper understanding of marginalism and an increased ability to formulate economic problems in marginalist terms. (DB)

Failsafe modes in incomplete minority game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Xiaobo; Wan, Shaolong; Chen, Wen

2009-09-01

We make a failsafe extension to the incomplete minority game model, give a brief analysis on how incompleteness will effect system efficiency. Simulations that limited incompleteness in strategies can improve the system efficiency. Among three failsafe modes, the “Back-to-Best” mode brings most significant improvement and keeps the system efficiency in a long range of incompleteness. A simple analytic formula has a trend which matches simulation results. The IMMG model is used to study the effect of distribution, and we find that there is one junction point in each series of curves, at which system efficiency is not influenced by the distribution of incompleteness. When pIbar > the concentration of incompleteness weakens the effect. On the other side of , concentration will be helpful. When pI is close to zero agents using incomplete strategies have on average better profits than those using standard strategies, and the “Back-to-Best” agents have a wider range of pI to win.

Development of an activity-based costing model to evaluate physician office practice profitability.

PubMed

Dugel, Pravin U; Tong, Kuo Bianchini

2011-01-01

Newer treatment regimens for age-related macular degeneration have significantly affected traditional and non-traditional retinal services across all types of practice settings around the country as they seek to find a balance among delivering best patient care, keeping operating costs under control, and maintaining profitability. A systematic retrospective review of a multi-city, multi-physician retinal practice's accounting system to obtain data on revenues, expenses, and profit. Data reviewed were from practice management systems to obtain claims level data on clinical procedures across 7 primary activity centers: non-laser surgery, laser surgery, office visits, optical coherence tomography (OCT), non-OCT diagnostics, drugs and drug injections, and research. All treated patients from a retina practice from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2007. Retrospective claims data review from a multi-physician retina practice detailing Current Procedural Terminology and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System procedures performed and billed, submitted charges, allowed charges, and net collections. Analyses were performed by an outside firm and verified by a risk advisory firm. Identifying practice efficiencies/inefficiencies as they relate to patient care. An elaborate analysis using activity-based costing (ABC) showed that increased office visits and OCT and non-OCT diagnostics had a significant negative impact on the practice's profit margins, whereas surgical procedures contributed to the majority of the practice's profit margins because of the lower operating costs associated with surgery. The practice was able to accommodate the demand in patient volume, medical retina services, and medical imaging with the advent of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy and realized a seismic shift in operating costs. The practice attempted to deliver state-of-the-art patient care in a cost-effective manner, yet underwent a significant decline in its financial health. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Harnessing the genetics of the modern dairy cow to continue improvements in feed efficiency.

PubMed

VandeHaar, M J; Armentano, L E; Weigel, K; Spurlock, D M; Tempelman, R J; Veerkamp, R

2016-06-01

Feed efficiency, as defined by the fraction of feed energy or dry matter captured in products, has more than doubled for the US dairy industry in the past 100 yr. This increased feed efficiency was the result of increased milk production per cow achieved through genetic selection, nutrition, and management with the desired goal being greater profitability. With increased milk production per cow, more feed is consumed per cow, but a greater portion of the feed is partitioned toward milk instead of maintenance and body growth. This dilution of maintenance has been the overwhelming driver of enhanced feed efficiency in the past, but its effect diminishes with each successive increment in production relative to body size and therefore will be less important in the future. Instead, we must also focus on new ways to enhance digestive and metabolic efficiency. One way to examine variation in efficiency among animals is residual feed intake (RFI), a measure of efficiency that is independent of the dilution of maintenance. Cows that convert feed gross energy to net energy more efficiently or have lower maintenance requirements than expected based on body weight use less feed than expected and thus have negative RFI. Cows with low RFI likely digest and metabolize nutrients more efficiently and should have overall greater efficiency and profitability if they are also healthy, fertile, and produce at a high multiple of maintenance. Genomic technologies will help to identify these animals for selection programs. Nutrition and management also will continue to play a major role in farm-level feed efficiency. Management practices such as grouping and total mixed ration feeding have improved rumen function and therefore efficiency, but they have also decreased our attention on individual cow needs. Nutritional grouping is key to helping each cow reach its genetic potential. Perhaps new computer-driven technologies, combined with genomics, will enable us to optimize management for each individual cow within a herd, or to optimize animal selection to match management environments. In the future, availability of feed resources may shift as competition for land increases. New approaches combining genetic, nutrition, and other management practices will help optimize feed efficiency, profitability, and environmental sustainability. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

77 FR 19991 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-03

... business entities under the proposed action. The profitability of these vessels as a result of this... sardine ex-vessel price per mt to conduct a profitability analysis because cost data for the harvesting... small entities' profitability compared to last season, due to the much higher HG this fishing season...

The Profitability Analysis of PT. Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. Before and After Privatization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurasiah, I.; Anggara

2017-03-01

This study purposes to determine differences in the profitability of PT. Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. before and after privatization using Net Profit Margin (NPM), Return on Investmen (ROI) and Return on Equity (ROE). This research used a case study method with a qualitative approach. The data used are secondary data from official financial statements of PT. Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. periode 2008-2013, 3 years before privatization and 3 years after privatization. Data analysis was performed by reviewing the financial statement data, calculate & determine the value of profitability ratios before and after privatization, and determine the amount of the average difference before and after privatization. The result proved that the average ratio of profitability calculated by applying NPM, ROI and ROE in every year shows a decrease that caused imbalance components forming of NPM, ROI, ROE, where profit is getting down while the selling, total assets and equity increase more and more from the previous period. The implication for the next research is a research that focus on determine how long a company can emerged from the crisis by privatization decision.

Framework to evaluate the worth of hydraulic conductivity data for optimal groundwater resources management in ecologically sensitive areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feyen, Luc; Gorelick, Steven M.

2005-03-01

We propose a framework that combines simulation optimization with Bayesian decision analysis to evaluate the worth of hydraulic conductivity data for optimal groundwater resources management in ecologically sensitive areas. A stochastic simulation optimization management model is employed to plan regionally distributed groundwater pumping while preserving the hydroecological balance in wetland areas. Because predictions made by an aquifer model are uncertain, groundwater supply systems operate below maximum yield. Collecting data from the groundwater system can potentially reduce predictive uncertainty and increase safe water production. The price paid for improvement in water management is the cost of collecting the additional data. Efficient data collection using Bayesian decision analysis proceeds in three stages: (1) The prior analysis determines the optimal pumping scheme and profit from water sales on the basis of known information. (2) The preposterior analysis estimates the optimal measurement locations and evaluates whether each sequential measurement will be cost-effective before it is taken. (3) The posterior analysis then revises the prior optimal pumping scheme and consequent profit, given the new information. Stochastic simulation optimization employing a multiple-realization approach is used to determine the optimal pumping scheme in each of the three stages. The cost of new data must not exceed the expected increase in benefit obtained in optimal groundwater exploitation. An example based on groundwater management practices in Florida aimed at wetland protection showed that the cost of data collection more than paid for itself by enabling a safe and reliable increase in production.

Trade-off Between Quality, Price, and Profit Orientation in Germany's Nursing Homes.

PubMed

Geraedts, Max; Harrington, Charlene; Schumacher, Daniel; Kraska, Rike

International data suggest that for-profit nursing homes tend to provide lower quality than not-for-profit nursing homes. In Germany, the relationships between profit orientation, price and quality of nursing homes have not been investigated. We performed an observational study using secondary data from statutory quality audits of all nursing homes in Germany. The relationships were analyzed bivariately via Mann-Whitney U -Test and Kruskal-Wallis Test respectively, followed by a multivariate variance analysis which also covered the interaction effect between quality, price and type of ownership. 41 % of 10,168 German nursing homes were for-profit charging on average about 10 % less than not-for-profit homes. In five out of six quality categories under study, for-profit nursing homes provided lower quality than not-for-profit homes. Quality of care in all quality categories improved with increasing prices per day. However, for four out of six quality categories examined, the quality difference between for-profit and non-profit nursing homes existed independent of the price charged. When selecting a nursing home it is therefore advisable to consider the profit orientation of the institution. German legislation should require that statutory public quality reports contain details on the profit orientation of nursing homes.

Cost, volume and profitability analysis.

PubMed

Tarantino, David P

2002-01-01

If you want to increase your income by seeing more patients, it's important to figure out the financial impact such a move could have on your practice. Learn how to run a cost, volume, and profitability analysis to determine how business decisions can change your financial picture.

A comparison of quality measures between for-profit and nonprofit medicare-certified home health agencies in Michigan.

PubMed

Haldiman, Kathryn L; Tzeng, Huey-Ming

2010-04-01

This exploratory study investigated the differences in the means of quality measures between for-profit and nonprofit Medicare-certified home health agencies in Michigan. The research question was: Do nonprofit agencies provide higher quality of care than for-profit agencies? Twelve publicly available quality measures were retrieved in May 2009 and used for analysis. Independent t tests found significant differences between for-profit and nonprofit agencies on 6 of the 12 measures, with for-profit agencies performing better on 5 measures. The relative value of both types of ownership should be recognized. Future research may focus on using standardized quality measures to explore further the impact of profit orientation on home health quality of care.

Effects of production and market factors on ethanol profitability for an integrated first and second generation ethanol plant using the whole sugarcane as feedstock

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Sugarcane is an attractive feedstock for ethanol production, especially if the lignocellulosic fraction can also be treated in second generation (2G) ethanol plants. However, the profitability of 2G ethanol is affected by the processing conditions, operating costs and market prices. This study focuses on the minimum ethanol selling price (MESP) and maximum profitability of ethanol production in an integrated first and second generation (1G + 2G) sugarcane-to-ethanol plant. The feedstock used was sugarcane juice, bagasse and leaves. The lignocellulosic fraction was hydrolysed with enzymes. Yields were assumed to be 95% of the theoretical for each of the critical steps in the process (steam pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis (EH), fermentation, solid/liquid separation, anaerobic digestion) in order to obtain the best conditions possible for ethanol production, to assess the lowest production costs. Techno-economic analysis was performed for various combinations of process options (for example use of pentoses, addition of leaves), EH conditions (water-insoluble solids (WIS) and residence time), operating cost (enzymes) and market factors (wholesale prices of electricity and ethanol, cost of the feedstock). Results The greatest reduction in 2G MESP was achieved when using the pentoses for the production of ethanol rather than biogas. This was followed, in decreasing order, by higher enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency (EHE), by increasing the WIS to 30% and by a short residence time (48 hours) in the EH. The addition of leaves was found to have a slightly negative impact on 1G + 2G MESP, but the effect on 2G MESP was negligible. Sugarcane price significantly affected 1G + 2G MESP, while the price of leaves had a much lower impact. Net present value (NPV) analysis of the most interesting case showed that integrated 1G + 2G ethanol production including leaves could be more profitable than 1G ethanol, despite the fact that the MESP was higher than in 1G ethanol production. Conclusions A combined 1G + 2G ethanol plant could potentially outperform a 1G plant in terms of NPV, depending on market wholesale prices of ethanol and electricity. Therefore, although it is more expensive than 1G ethanol production, 2G ethanol production can make the integrated 1G + 2G process more profitable. PMID:24559312

Effects of production and market factors on ethanol profitability for an integrated first and second generation ethanol plant using the whole sugarcane as feedstock.

PubMed

Macrelli, Stefano; Galbe, Mats; Wallberg, Ola

2014-02-21

Sugarcane is an attractive feedstock for ethanol production, especially if the lignocellulosic fraction can also be treated in second generation (2G) ethanol plants. However, the profitability of 2G ethanol is affected by the processing conditions, operating costs and market prices. This study focuses on the minimum ethanol selling price (MESP) and maximum profitability of ethanol production in an integrated first and second generation (1G + 2G) sugarcane-to-ethanol plant. The feedstock used was sugarcane juice, bagasse and leaves. The lignocellulosic fraction was hydrolysed with enzymes. Yields were assumed to be 95% of the theoretical for each of the critical steps in the process (steam pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis (EH), fermentation, solid/liquid separation, anaerobic digestion) in order to obtain the best conditions possible for ethanol production, to assess the lowest production costs. Techno-economic analysis was performed for various combinations of process options (for example use of pentoses, addition of leaves), EH conditions (water-insoluble solids (WIS) and residence time), operating cost (enzymes) and market factors (wholesale prices of electricity and ethanol, cost of the feedstock). The greatest reduction in 2G MESP was achieved when using the pentoses for the production of ethanol rather than biogas. This was followed, in decreasing order, by higher enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency (EHE), by increasing the WIS to 30% and by a short residence time (48 hours) in the EH. The addition of leaves was found to have a slightly negative impact on 1G + 2G MESP, but the effect on 2G MESP was negligible. Sugarcane price significantly affected 1G + 2G MESP, while the price of leaves had a much lower impact. Net present value (NPV) analysis of the most interesting case showed that integrated 1G + 2G ethanol production including leaves could be more profitable than 1G ethanol, despite the fact that the MESP was higher than in 1G ethanol production. A combined 1G + 2G ethanol plant could potentially outperform a 1G plant in terms of NPV, depending on market wholesale prices of ethanol and electricity. Therefore, although it is more expensive than 1G ethanol production, 2G ethanol production can make the integrated 1G + 2G process more profitable.

Eco-efficiency Analysis of Furniture Product Using Life Cycle Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinawati, Dyah Ika; Sriyanto; Sari, Diana Puspita; Prayodha, Andana Cantya

2018-02-01

Furniture is one of Indonesia's main commodities strategically role in economic growth and employment in Indonesia. In their production process there many wastes resulted, such as such as sawdust, cuttings - pieces of wood, components that do not conform to specifications and the edges of wood from a log. Contrast with requirement of timber for furniture industries, availability of raw material sources decrease because of limited forest areas. Beside that, using electricity and chemical material in furniture production process have impact to environment. This study aim to assess the eco-cost and eco-efficiency ratio of the product so strategic recommendations to improve the eco-efficiency of products can be designed. The results of data processing showed the environmental costs of the furniture production process amount Rp 30.887.84. Eco-efficiency index of furniture products studied was 4,79 with the eco-efficiency ratio of 79,12%. This result means that the measured furniture products already profitable and sustainable, as well as its production process is already fairly efficient. However, improved performance of the production process can still be done to improve the eco-efficiency by minimizing the use of raw materials.

Strategic planning for public health practice using macroenvironmental analysis.

PubMed Central

Ginter, P M; Duncan, W J; Capper, S A

1991-01-01

Macroenvironmental analysis is the initial stage in comprehensive strategic planning. The authors examine the benefits of this type of analysis when applied to public health organizations and present a series of questions that should be answered prior to committing resources to scanning, monitoring, forecasting, and assessing components of the macroenvironment. Using illustrations from the public and private sectors, each question is examined with reference to specific challenges facing public health. Benefits are derived both from the process and the outcome of macroenvironmental analysis. Not only are data acquired that assist public health professionals to make decisions, but the analytical process required assures a better understanding of potential external threats and opportunities as well as an organization's strengths and weaknesses. Although differences exist among private and public as well as profit and not-for-profit organizations, macroenvironmental analysis is seen as more essential to the public and not-for-profit sectors than the private and profit sectors. This conclusion results from the extreme dependency of those areas on external environmental forces that cannot be significantly influenced or controlled by public health decision makers. PMID:1902305

Some early lessons from the rise of managed behavioral health care in the United States.

PubMed

Schowalter, J E

1998-01-01

In the 1990s the United States has, because of an unacceptable surge in health care costs, made a revolutionary shift of the reimbursement process from fee-for-service to managed care's restricted, discounted and capitated payment approaches. Mental health care has for 150 years largely been subsidized by tax supported hospitals and clinics. Federal and state governments have recently instead begun to direct much of their monies to for-profit national managed mental health care companies. While efficiency has improved and the steep rise in costs has been eased, the major drawback of this change is a too enthusiastic focus on corporate profits. Since on the whole managed care organizations do not reinvest profits into medical education or research and may pull out of the health care business once the business is no longer so profitable, clinicians and academicians must become more successful in urging politicians and the citizenry to better manage managed care.

Longitudinal analysis of high-technology medical services and hospital financial performance.

PubMed

Zengul, Ferhat D; Weech-Maldonado, Robert; Ozaydin, Bunyamin; Patrician, Patricia A; OʼConnor, Stephen J

U.S. hospitals have been investing in high-technology medical services as a strategy to improve financial performance. Despite the interest in high-tech medical services, there is not much information available about the impact of high-tech services on financial performance. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of high-tech medical services on financial performance of U.S. hospitals by using the resource-based view of the firm as a conceptual framework. Fixed-effects regressions with 2 years lagged independent variables using a longitudinal panel sample of 3,268 hospitals (2005-2010). It was hypothesized that hospitals with rare or large numbers (breadth) of high-tech medical services will experience better financial performance. Fixed effects regression results supported the link between a larger breadth of high-tech services and total margin, but only among not-for-profit hospitals. Both breadth and rareness of high-tech services were associated with high total margin among not-for-profit hospitals. Neither breadth nor rareness of high-tech services was associated with operating margin. Although breadth and rareness of high-tech services resulted in lower expenses per inpatient day among not-for-profit hospitals, these lower costs were offset by lower revenues per inpatient day. Enhancing the breadth of high-tech services may be a legitimate organizational strategy to improve financial performance, especially among not-for-profit hospitals. Hospitals may experience increased productivity and efficiency, and therefore lower inpatient operating costs, as a result of newer technologies. However, the negative impact on operating revenue should caution hospital administrators about revenue reducing features of these technologies, which may be related to the payer mix that these technologies may attract. Therefore, managers should consider both the cost and revenue implications of these technologies.

Why public health services? Experiences from profit-driven health care reforms in Sweden.

PubMed

Dahlgren, Göran

2014-01-01

Market-oriented health care reforms have been implemented in the tax-financed Swedish health care system from 1990 to 2013. The first phase of these reforms was the introduction of new public management systems, where public health centers and public hospitals were to act as private firms in an internal health care market. A second phase saw an increase of tax-financed private for-profit providers. A third phase can now be envisaged with increased private financing of essential health services. The main evidence-based effects of these markets and profit-driven reforms can be summarized as follows: efficiency is typically reduced but rarely increased; profit and tax evasion are a drain on resources for health care; geographical and social inequities are widened while the number of tax-financed providers increases; patients with major multi-health problems are often given lower priority than patients with minor health problems; opportunities to control the quality of care are reduced; tax-financed private for-profit providers facilitate increased private financing; and market forces and commercial interests undermine the power of democratic institutions. Policy options to promote further development of a nonprofit health care system are highlighted.

Success under duress: policies and practices managers view as keys to profitability in five California hospitals with challenging payer mix.

PubMed

Rundall, Thomas; Oberlin, Shelley; Thygesen, Brian; Janus, Katharina

2012-01-01

Hospitals with a challenging payer mix (CPM)-high proportions of uninsured and Medicaid patients and a low proportion of commercially insured patients-are an important source of care for low-income, uninsured people. Achieving profitability is difficult for CPM hospitals. From 2005 through 2008, only one-third of 67 CPM hospitals in California reported positive total margins. In-depth group interviews were completed with the management leadership teams of a diverse group of five profitable CPM hospitals to identify the management strategies and practices that the hospitals' leadership teams credited for their financial success. Twelve management policy and practice topics were identified. Four of the policies and practices that managers identified involve organizational actions to increase hospital revenue or operational efficiency. These factors are consistent with those identified in previous research. However, managers also identified eight factors not previously revealed in research on hospital profitability, including management policies and practices that establish the organizational culture, workforce, relationships, monitoring systems, and governance necessary to ensure that hospital employees and affiliated physicians support and successfully implement organizational actions necessary to achieve profitability.

78 FR 6794 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-31

... will impact these small entities in the same manner. The profitability of these vessels as a result of... Pacific sardine ex-vessel price per mt to conduct a profitability analysis because cost data for the... rule will decrease the effected small entities' potential profitability compared to last season, due to...

76 FR 4854 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-27

... disproportionality between small and large business entities under the proposed action. The profitability of these.... NMFS used average Pacific sardine ex-vessel price per mt to conduct a profitability analysis because... approximately $11.5 million. There will also likely be a drop in profitability based on this rule compared to...

75 FR 56976 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-17

... proposed action. The profitability of these vessels as a result of this proposed rule is based on the...-vessel price per mt to conduct a profitability analysis because cost data for the harvesting operations... drop in profitability based on this rule as the 2010/2011 available harvest (11,000 mt) is twice the...

Accountability, efficiency, and the "bottom line" in non-profit organizations.

PubMed

Cutt, J

1982-01-01

Financial reporting by non-profit organizations deals only with accountability for propriety and regularity, and ignores output measurement. The development of output measures of a physical or index nature offers a means of relating dollar costs to output in the form of cost-efficiency or cost-effectiveness measures, but does not provide any measure of the absolute value or worthwhileness of such programs. This fundamental absolute value question should be asked of all non-profit programs and documented to the greatest possible extent in budgetary submissions, and subsequent control and audit. In public sector non-profit programs, the posing of this question requires information on consumer demand other than in aggregative and imprecise form through the political process, and much improved information on the cost side. Eliciting demand information is feasible in the case of public programs with separable benefits by the use of a variety of pricing techniques, direct or imputed, whether or not the service in question is ultimately financed on a user-pay basis. The problem of eliciting demand is more difficult in the case of public goods, but improved demand information can be obtained, ideally by an approach such as the use of a Clarke tax. The argument can be extended to encompass questions of income distribution, stabilization, regulation and tax policy. Recent developments in program evaluation in the federal government are important, but remain deficient in failing to address the question of absolute value.

Non-linear forecasting in high-frequency financial time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strozzi, F.; Zaldívar, J. M.

2005-08-01

A new methodology based on state space reconstruction techniques has been developed for trading in financial markets. The methodology has been tested using 18 high-frequency foreign exchange time series. The results are in apparent contradiction with the efficient market hypothesis which states that no profitable information about future movements can be obtained by studying the past prices series. In our (off-line) analysis positive gain may be obtained in all those series. The trading methodology is quite general and may be adapted to other financial time series. Finally, the steps for its on-line application are discussed.

Factors of U.S. Hospitals Associated with Improved Profit Margins: An Observational Study.

PubMed

Ly, Dan P; Cutler, David M

2018-02-14

Hospitals face financial pressure from decreased margins from Medicare and Medicaid and lower reimbursement from consolidating insurers. The objectives of this study are to determine whether hospitals that became more profitable increased revenues or decreased costs more and to examine characteristics associated with improved financial performance over time. The design of this study is retrospective analyses of U.S. non-federal acute care hospitals between 2003 and 2013. There are 2824 hospitals as subjects of this study. The main measures of this study are the change in clinical operating margin, change in revenues per bed, and change in expenses per bed between 2003 and 2013. Hospitals that became more profitable had a larger magnitude of increases in revenue per bed (about $113,000 per year [95% confidence interval: $93,132 to $133,401]) than of decreases in costs per bed (about - $10,000 per year [95% confidence interval: - $28,956 to $9617]), largely driven by higher non-Medicare reimbursement. Hospitals that improved their margins were larger or joined a hospital system. Not-for-profit status was associated with increases in operating margin, while rural status and having a larger share of Medicare patients were associated with decreases in operating margin. There was no association between improved hospital profitability and changes in diagnosis related group weight, in number of profitable services, or in payer mix. Hospitals that became more profitable were more likely to increase their admissions per bed per year. Differential price increases have led to improved margins for some hospitals over time. Where significant price increases are not possible, hospitals will have to become more efficient to maintain profitability.

Financial performance, employee well-being, and client well-being in for-profit and not-for-profit nursing homes: A systematic review.

PubMed

Bos, Aline; Boselie, Paul; Trappenburg, Margo

Expanding the opportunities for for-profit nursing home care is a central theme in the debate on the sustainable organization of the growing nursing home sector in Western countries. We conducted a systematic review of the literature over the last 10 years in order to determine the broad impact of nursing home ownership in the United States. Our review has two main goals: (a) to find out which topics have been studied with regard to financial performance, employee well-being, and client well-being in relation to nursing home ownership and (b) to assess the conclusions related to these topics. The review results in two propositions on the interactions between financial performance, employee well-being, and client well-being as they relate to nursing home ownership. Five search strategies plus inclusion and quality assessment criteria were applied to identify and select eligible studies. As a result, 50 studies were included in the review. Relevant findings were categorized as related to financial performance (profit margins, efficiency), employee well-being (staffing levels, turnover rates, job satisfaction, job benefits), or client well-being (care quality, hospitalization rates, lawsuits/complaints) and then analyzed based on common characteristics. For-profit nursing homes tend to have better financial performance, but worse results with regard to employee well-being and client well-being, compared to not-for-profit sector homes. We argue that the better financial performance of for-profit nursing homes seems to be associated with worse employee and client well-being. For policy makers considering the expansion of the for-profit sector in the nursing home industry, our findings suggest the need for a broad perspective, simultaneously weighing the potential benefits and drawbacks for the organization, its employees, and its clients.

The role of non-financial performance measures in predicting hospital financial performance: the case of for-profit system hospitals.

PubMed

Vélez-González, Heltie; Pradhan, Rohit; Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2011-01-01

Non-financial measures have found increasing acceptance in the business world--however, their application in the health care industry remains limited. The purpose of this article is to understand the influence of non-financial measures (efficiency, productivity, and quality) on the financial performance of for-profit system hospitals. The sample consists of 499 for-profit system hospitals in the United States from 1999 to 2002. Data analyzed include the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey, Medicare Cost Reports, Joint Commission's quality scores, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital Case Mix Index. Dependent variables consist of financial measures (operating and total margins), while independent variables include measures of efficiency, productivity, and quality. Our results suggest the influence of non-financial performance measures on financial performance; occupancy rate positively influences financial performance while greater labor intensity may have negative implications for financial performance. In addition, we show that quality positively influences financial performance thereby offering a potential business case for quality. This result has important managerial and policy implications as it may incentivize capital and human resource investments required to improve hospital quality of care.

An environmental, economic, and social assessment of improving cattle finishing weight or average daily gain within U.S. beef production.

PubMed

White, R R; Capper, J L

2013-12-01

The objective of this study was to assess environmental impact, economic viability, and social acceptability of 3 beef production systems with differing levels of efficiency. A deterministic model of U.S. beef production was used to predict the number of animals required to produce 1 × 10(9) kg HCW beef. Three production treatments were compared, 1 representing average U.S. production (control), 1 with a 15% increase in ADG, and 1 with a 15% increase in finishing weight (FW). For each treatment, various socioeconomic scenarios were compared to account for uncertainty in producer and consumer behavior. Environmental impact metrics included feed consumption, land use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), and N and P excretion. Feed cost, animal purchase cost, animal sales revenue, and income over costs (IOVC) were used as metrics of economic viability. Willingness to pay (WTP) was used to identify improvements or reductions in social acceptability. When ADG improved, feedstuff consumption, land use, and water use decreased by 6.4%, 3.2%, and 12.3%, respectively, compared with the control. Carbon footprint decreased 11.7% and N and P excretion were reduced by 4% and 13.8%, respectively. When FW improved, decreases were seen in feedstuff consumption (12.1%), water use (9.2%). and land use (15.5%); total GHGe decreased 14.7%; and N and P excretion decreased by 10.1% and 17.2%, compared with the control. Changes in IOVC were dependent on socioeconomic scenario. When the ADG scenario was compared with the control, changes in sector profitability ranged from 51 to 117% (cow-calf), -38 to 157% (stocker), and 37 to 134% (feedlot). When improved FW was compared, changes in cow-calf profit ranged from 67% to 143%, stocker profit ranged from -41% to 155% and feedlot profit ranged from 37% to 136%. When WTP was based on marketing beef being more efficiently produced, WTP improved by 10%; thus, social acceptability increased. When marketing was based on production efficiency and consumer knowledge of growth-enhancing technology use, WTP decreased by 12%-leading to a decrease in social acceptability. Results demonstrated that improved efficiency also improved environmental impact, but impacts on economic viability and social acceptability are highly dependent on consumer and producer behavioral responses to efficiency improvements.

Propulsion/flight control integration technology (PROFIT) design analysis status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlin, C. M.; Hastings, W. J.

1978-01-01

The propulsion flight control integration technology (PROFIT) program was designed to develop a flying testbed dedicated to controls research. The preliminary design, analysis, and feasibility studies conducted in support of the PROFIT program are reported. The PROFIT system was built around existing IPCS hardware. In order to achieve the desired system flexibility and capability, additional interfaces between the IPCS hardware and F-15 systems were required. The requirements for additions and modifications to the existing hardware were defined. Those interfaces involving the more significant changes were studied. The DCU memory expansion to 32K with flight qualified hardware was completed on a brassboard basis. The uplink interface breadboard and a brassboard of the central computer interface were also tested. Two preliminary designs and corresponding program plans are presented.

An Analysis of Organizational Performance Based on Hospital Specialization Level and Strategy Type

PubMed Central

Kim, Han-Sung; Kim, Young-Hoon; Woo, Jung-Sik; Hyun, Sook-Jung

2015-01-01

Introduction Hospitals are studying the focused factory concept and attempting to increase their power in a competitive industry by becoming more specialized. Methodology This study uses the information theory index (ITI) and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) to analyze the extent of specialization by Korean hospitals that receive national health insurance reimbursements. Hierarchical regression analysis is used to assess the impact of hospital specialization on the following four aspects of operational performance: productivity, profitability, efficiency and quality of care. Study Results The results show that a focused strategy (high HHI) improves the income and adjusted number of patients per specialist through the efficient utilization of human resources. However, a diversified strategy (high ITI) improves the hospital utilization ratio, income per bed and adjusted number of patients per bed (controlling for material resources such as beds). In addition, as the concentration index increases, case-mix mortality rates and referral rates decrease, indicating that specialization has a positive relationship with quality of care. PMID:26218570

An Analysis of Organizational Performance Based on Hospital Specialization Level and Strategy Type.

PubMed

Kim, Han-Sung; Kim, Young-Hoon; Woo, Jung-Sik; Hyun, Sook-Jung

2015-01-01

Hospitals are studying the focused factory concept and attempting to increase their power in a competitive industry by becoming more specialized. This study uses the information theory index (ITI) and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) to analyze the extent of specialization by Korean hospitals that receive national health insurance reimbursements. Hierarchical regression analysis is used to assess the impact of hospital specialization on the following four aspects of operational performance: productivity, profitability, efficiency and quality of care. The results show that a focused strategy (high HHI) improves the income and adjusted number of patients per specialist through the efficient utilization of human resources. However, a diversified strategy (high ITI) improves the hospital utilization ratio, income per bed and adjusted number of patients per bed (controlling for material resources such as beds). In addition, as the concentration index increases, case-mix mortality rates and referral rates decrease, indicating that specialization has a positive relationship with quality of care.

Positioning matrix of economic efficiency and complexity: a case study in a university hospital.

PubMed

Ippolito, Adelaide; Viggiani, Vincenzo

2014-01-01

At the end of 2010, the Federico II University Hospital in Naples, Italy, initiated a series of discussions aimed at designing and applying a positioning matrix to its departments. This analysis was developed to create a tool able to extract meaningful information both to increase knowledge about individual departments and to inform the choices of general management during strategic planning. The name given to this tool was the positioning matrix of economic efficiency and complexity. In the matrix, the x-axis measures the ratio between revenues and costs, whereas the y-axis measures the index of complexity, thus showing "profitability" while bearing in mind the complexity of activities. By using the positioning matrix, it was possible to conduct a critical analysis of the characteristics of the Federico II University Hospital and to extract useful information for general management to use during strategic planning at the end of 2010 when defining medium-term objectives. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Technical Communications in Aeronautics: Results of an Exploratory Study. An Analysis of Profit Managers' and Nonprofit Managers' Responses. NASA Technical Memorandum 101626.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinelli, Thomas E.; And Others

Data collected from an exploratory study concerned with the technical communications practices of aerospace engineers and scientists were analyzed to test the primary assumption that profit and nonprofit managers in the aerospace community have different technical communications practices. Profit and nonprofit managers were compared in five…

How to map your industry's profit pool.

PubMed

Gadiesh, O; Gilbert, J L

1998-01-01

Many managers chart strategy without a full understanding of the sources and distribution of profits in their industry. Sometimes they focus their sights on revenues instead of profits, mistakenly assuming that revenue growth will eventually translate into profit growth. In other cases, they simply lack the data or the analytical tools required to isolate and measure variations in profitability. In this Manager's Tool Kit, the authors present a way to think clearly about where the money's being made in any industry. They describe a framework for analyzing how profits are distributed among the activities that form an industry's value chain. Such an analysis can provide a company's managers with a rich understanding of their industry's profit structure--what the authors call its profit pool--enabling them to identify which activities are generating disproportionately large or small shares of profits. Even more important, a profit-pool map opens a window onto the underlying structure of the industry, helping managers see the various forces that are determining the distribution of profits. As such, a profit-pool map provides a solid basis for strategic thinking. Mapping a profit pool involves four steps: defining the boundaries of the pool, estimating the pool's overall size, estimating the size of each value-chain activity in the pool, and checking and reconciling the calculations. The authors briefly describe each step and then apply the process by providing a detailed example of a hypothetical retail bank. They conclude by looking at ways of organizing the data in chart form as a first step toward plotting a profit-pool strategy.

Coauthorship and Institutional Collaborations on Cost-Effectiveness Analyses: A Systematic Network Analysis

PubMed Central

Catalá-López, Ferrán; Alonso-Arroyo, Adolfo; Aleixandre-Benavent, Rafael; Ridao, Manuel; Bolaños, Máxima; García-Altés, Anna; Sanfélix-Gimeno, Gabriel; Peiró, Salvador

2012-01-01

Background Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) has been promoted as an important research methodology for determining the efficiency of healthcare technology and guiding medical decision-making. Our aim was to characterize the collaborative patterns of CEA conducted over the past two decades in Spain. Methods and Findings A systematic analysis was carried out with the information obtained through an updated comprehensive literature review and from reports of health technology assessment agencies. We identified CEAs with outcomes expressed as a time-based summary measure of population health (e.g. quality-adjusted life-years or disability-adjusted life-years), conducted in Spain and published between 1989 and 2011. Networks of coauthorship and institutional collaboration were produced using PAJEK software. One-hundred and thirty-one papers were analyzed, in which 526 authors and 230 institutions participated. The overall signatures per paper index was 5.4. Six major groups (one with 14 members, three with 7 members and two with 6 members) were identified. The most prolific authors were generally affiliated with the private-for-profit sector (e.g. consulting firms and the pharmaceutical industry). The private-for-profit sector mantains profuse collaborative networks including public hospitals and academia. Collaboration within the public sector (e.g. healthcare administration and primary care) was weak and fragmented. Conclusions This empirical analysis reflects critical practices among collaborative networks that contributed substantially to the production of CEA, raises challenges for redesigning future policies and provides a framework for similar analyses in other regions. PMID:22666435

A religiously affiliated health care system in today's competitive market: a success story.

PubMed

King, J G

1984-09-01

In today's competitive health care market, not-for-profit religiously affiliated health care systems face multiple challenges for survival. Their mission of providing for the effective and efficient delivery of quality health care and health-related services for the benefit of individuals, families, and society and a philosophy of maintaining a Christian emphasis in all endeavors conflicts with many of the current competitive themes in health care. The successful system profiled here is Evangelical Health Systems (EHS), a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

49 CFR 260.17 - Credit risk premium analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... past and projected: (A) Profitability; (B) Liquidity; (C) Financial strength; (D) Size; and (E) Level... improving revenues, profitability and cash flow from operations; and (B) Reliance on third parties for...

49 CFR 260.17 - Credit risk premium analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... past and projected: (A) Profitability; (B) Liquidity; (C) Financial strength; (D) Size; and (E) Level... improving revenues, profitability and cash flow from operations; and (B) Reliance on third parties for...

49 CFR 260.17 - Credit risk premium analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... past and projected: (A) Profitability; (B) Liquidity; (C) Financial strength; (D) Size; and (E) Level... improving revenues, profitability and cash flow from operations; and (B) Reliance on third parties for...

49 CFR 260.17 - Credit risk premium analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... past and projected: (A) Profitability; (B) Liquidity; (C) Financial strength; (D) Size; and (E) Level... improving revenues, profitability and cash flow from operations; and (B) Reliance on third parties for...

Impact of reproductive efficiency over time and mare financial value on economic returns among Thoroughbred mares in central Kentucky.

PubMed

Bosh, K A; Powell, D; Neibergs, J S; Shelton, B; Zent, W

2009-12-01

There have been no studies reporting the impact of reproductive efficiency and mare financial value on economic returns. To explore the economic consequences of differences in reproductive efficiency over time in the Thoroughbred mare. Complete production records for 1176 mares were obtained. Production history and drift in foaling date were calculated. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing the probability of producing a registered foal in 2005. The 'net present value' and 'internal rate of return' were calculated for economic scenarios involving different initial mare financial values, levels of reproductive efficiency, and durations of investment. Among mares that did not produce a foal every year (63%), the mean time before failing to produce a registered foal was 3.4 years. The majority of mares drifted later in their foaling dates in subsequent foaling seasons. Increasing mare age, foaling after 1st April, needing to be mated multiple times during the season, and producing a lower number of foals in continuous sequence during previous years decreased the probability of producing a registered foal. Over a 7 year investment period, live foals must be produced in all but one year to yield a positive financial return. Profitability was highest among mares of greatest financial value. Mares are long-term investments due to the extended period before there is a return on the investment. Improving our understanding of mare, stallion and management factors that affect the likelihood of producing a live foal are critical to ensuring a positive financial return. Additional work is needed to test the robustness of the study's conclusions when the cost and revenue assumptions are varied. This information can assist in assessing mare profitability and developing management strategies to maximise profitability.

Analysis of profitability of using a heat recovery system from grey water discharged from the shower (case study of Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kordana, Sabina; Słys, Daniel

2017-11-01

The paper analyses the profitability of the use of Drain Water Heat Recovery units. An original simulation model was used for this purpose, and a detached residential building located in Poland was selected as the test facility. The conducted analysis proved that the type of the hot water heater has decisive influence on the profitability level of such an investment. Application of the abovementioned technology is particularly profitable, when water is heated with the use of an electrical device. When the energy source in the system is a gas water heater, the obtained calculation results are not as favourable, and the period of investment return in many cases exceeds the expected service life of these devices. Moreover, the analysis demonstrated that the potential energy savings, and thus also the financial savings, may be in both cases increased as a result of simultaneous intake of water from various water taps.

Impact of HMO mergers and acquisitions on financial performance.

PubMed

Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2002-01-01

This study examines the effect of health maintenance organization (HMO) mergers and acquisitions on financial performance, as indicated by cash flow returns, profitability ratios, and efficiency indicators. Pooled, cross-sectional files of financial performance data were created for HMO mergers occurring in the period of 1988 to 1994. The study uses a time-series design involving the analysis of pre- and post-acquisition financial performance measured over a period of four years. Change scores for the industry-adjusted financial performance measures were calculated and then evaluated using t-tests. The study showed that HMO mergers had a positive effect on financial performance and efficiency. This effect disappeared, however, after adjusting for HMO industry returns. Potential synergies arising from HMO mergers have been largely illusory. Mergers may have been a result of non-value enhancing motives or management overconfidence.

Cost-volume-profit and net present value analysis of health information systems.

PubMed

McLean, R A

1998-08-01

The adoption of any information system should be justified by an economic analysis demonstrating that its projected benefits outweigh its projected costs. Analysis differ, however, on which methods to employ for such a justification. Accountants prefer cost-volume-profit analysis, and economists prefer net present value analysis. The article explains the strengths and weaknesses of each method and shows how they can be used together so that well-informed investments in information systems can be made.

Modeling genetic and non-genetic variation of feed efficiency and its partial relationships between component traits as a function of management and environmental factors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feed efficiency (FE), characterized as the ability to convert feed nutrients into saleable milk or meat directly affects the profitability of dairy production, is of increasing economic importance in the dairy industry. We conjecture that FE is a complex trait whose variation and relationships or pa...

Efficient and Competitive Rationing

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-01

that state S enterprises can organize markets that implement priority service efficiently. In Section 5 we study the operation of competitive markets ...exposition.) 5. COMPETITIVE RATIONING We examine next the incentives for profit-maximizing firms in competitive markets to offer priority service. Our...importantly, those equilibria that do exist show that firms have an incentive not to differentiate. It seems clear, 59 therefore, that in competitive markets

The Daniel Boone Success Story: A Food Service Turnaround.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Toula

1991-01-01

Changes in the marketing and management of a Pennsylvania food service program made it more attractive to students. An increase in student participation and operational efficiency yielded profitability in food service operations. (MLF)

76 FR 53412 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Commercial Operator's Annual Report (COAR)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-26

... provides a consistent time series according to which groundfish resources may be managed more efficiently...: Business or other for-profit organizations. Estimated Number of Respondents: 166. Estimated Time per...

Do diagnosis-related group-based payments incentivise hospitals to adjust output mix?

PubMed

Liang, Li-Lin

2015-04-01

This study investigates whether the diagnosis-related group (DRG)-based payment method motivates hospitals to adjust output mix in order to maximise profits. The hypothesis is that when there is an increase in profitability of a DRG, hospitals will increase the proportion of that DRG (own-price effects) and decrease those of other DRGs (cross-price effects), except in cases where there are scope economies in producing two different DRGs. This conjecture is tested in the context of the case payment scheme (CPS) under Taiwan's National Health Insurance programme over the period of July 1999 to December 2004. To tackle endogeneity of DRG profitability and treatment policy, a fixed-effects three-stage least squares method is applied. The results support the hypothesised own-price and cross-price effects, showing that DRGs which share similar resources appear to be complements rather substitutes. For-profit hospitals do not appear to be more responsive to DRG profitability, possibly because of their institutional characteristics and bonds with local communities. The key conclusion is that DRG-based payments will encourage a type of 'product-range' specialisation, which may improve hospital efficiency in the long run. However, further research is needed on how changes in output mix impact patient access and pay-outs of health insurance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Farm Business Management Analysis: Adjusting the Farm Business to Increase Profit. Unit III. Volume 15, Number 3. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denker, Robert; And Others

Designed primarily for Missouri vocational agricultural instructors participating in the Farm Business Management Analysis Program, this instructor's guide, consisting of 10 lessons, deals with adjusting a farm business to increase profits. The following topics are covered in the individual lessons: law and the farm family, planning income tax…

Open pit mining profit maximization considering selling stage and waste rehabilitation cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muttaqin, B. I. A.; Rosyidi, C. N.

2017-11-01

In open pit mining activities, determination of the cut-off grade becomes crucial for the company since the cut-off grade affects how much profit will be earned for the mining company. In this study, we developed a cut-off grade determination mode for the open pit mining industry considering the cost of mining, waste removal (rehabilitation) cost, processing cost, fixed cost, and selling stage cost. The main goal of this study is to develop a model of cut-off grade determination to get the maximum total profit. Secondly, this study is also developed to observe the model of sensitivity based on changes in the cost components. The optimization results show that the models can help mining company managers to determine the optimal cut-off grade and also estimate how much profit that can be earned by the mining company. To illustrate the application of the models, a numerical example and a set of sensitivity analysis are presented. From the results of sensitivity analysis, we conclude that the changes in the sales price greatly affects the optimal cut-off value and the total profit.

Energy conservation in ice skating rinks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dietrich, B.K.; McAvoy, T.J.

1980-01-01

An economic and energy analysis of ice rinks was made to examine the areas in which energy could be profitably conserved. The areas where new equipment could make a major reduction in energy use are: the use of waste heat for space heating, the installation of a low emissivity false ceiling to reduce radiant heat, the use of a load cycling controller to reduce refrigeration costs, and the installation of more efficient lighting systems. Changes in rink operating procedure that could cut energy use are: higher refrigerant temperatures, thinner ice, the use of colder resurfacing water, turning the compressors andmore » pumps off at night, and reducing ventilation.« less

Profitable solutions to climate, oil, and proliferation.

PubMed

Lovins, Amory B

2010-05-01

Protecting the climate is not costly but profitable (even if avoided climate change is worth zero), mainly because saving fuel costs less than buying fuel. The two biggest opportunities, both sufficiently fast, are oil and electricity. The US, for example, can eliminate its oil use by the 2040s at an average cost of $15 per barrel ($2000), half by redoubled efficiency and half by alternative supplies, and can save three-fourths of its electricity more cheaply than operating a thermal power station. Integrative design permits this by making big energy savings cheaper than small ones, turning traditionally assumed diminishing returns into empirically observed expanding returns. Such efficiency choices accelerate climate-safe, inexhaustible, and resilient energy supply-notably the "micropower" now delivering about a sixth of the world's electricity and 90% of its new electricity. These cheap, fast, market-financeable, globally applicable options offer the most effective, yet most underestimated and overlooked, solutions for climate, proliferation, and poverty.

Experiment and modeling of paired effect on evacuation from a three-dimensional space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jun, Hu; Huijun, Sun; Juan, Wei; Xiaodan, Chen; Lei, You; Musong, Gu

2014-10-01

A novel three-dimensional cellular automata evacuation model was proposed based on stairs factor for paired effect and variety velocities in pedestrian evacuation. In the model pedestrians' moving probability of target position at the next moment was defined based on distance profit and repulsive force profit, and evacuation strategy was elaborated in detail through analyzing variety velocities and repulsive phenomenon in moving process. At last, experiments with the simulation platform were conducted to study the relationships of evacuation time, average velocity and pedestrian velocity. The results showed that when the ratio of single pedestrian was higher in the system, the shortest route strategy was good for improving evacuation efficiency; in turn, if ratio of paired pedestrians was higher, it is good for improving evacuation efficiency to adopt strategy that avoided conflicts, and priority should be given to scattered evacuation.

IMPROVEMENT OF BUSINESS EFFICIENCY USING A MULTI-AGENT SIMULATION FOR HIGHWAY PATROL ON URBAN EXPRESSWAY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okamoto, Taro; Taniguchi, Eiichi; Yamada, Tadashi

In Japan, the network of urban expressway has been expanding with the development of urban areas. However, the patrol systems in the urban expressway has not been operated on the basis of scientific evidence, but of conformity and experience. It is therefore crucial to efficiently operate such systems, not only to facilitate the rapid recovery of decreased expressway functionality, but also to acquire the income that supports the operation of privatized expressway companies. Therefore, we develop a multiagent simulation model consisting of the decision-making of four agents, including expressway company, highway patol company, road network users and road authority. These agents determines their schemes depending on their profit obtained. Results of the simulation identyfies the schemes that could offer the profits to the expressway companies in terms of the convenience of the users and the improvement of their operation.

Revenue-based cost assignment: a potent but hidden threat to the survival of the multispecialty medical practice.

PubMed

Cooper, Robin; Kramer, Theresa R

2010-03-01

To demonstrate detrimental effects of revenue-based cost assignment (RBCA) in clinical practice and to compare that system with activity-based costing (ABC). Four cost-allocation methods including RBCA were applied to a comprehensive ophthalmology practice using typical accounting methods. Data were obtained by a survey of practitioners or practices and/or extracted from decision support and practice management systems. Inaccuracies and distortions in reported costs were enumerated. Accounting scenario analysis was used to predict resultant provider and managerial decisions. A sampling survey was used to analyze other specialties. ABC was applied to the practice. RBCA causes procedures with higher profitability to appear less profitable and those with lower profitability to appear more profitable. The distortion in reported costs, in medical settings, is often sufficient to incentivize providers with higher profitability to exit a practice and those with lower profitability to remain in it. The departure of providers causes the residual practice profits to decline. These detrimental effects occur in many subspecialties, which suggests a national effect on health care. ABC allocation can reduce cost distortions and eliminate detrimental effects. RBCA leads to fragmentation of health care and a reduction in the profitability of multispecialty practices. Its use may slow the updating of reimbursement and help eliminate low-profitability specialties.

Factors affecting profitability for craniotomy.

PubMed

Popp, A John; Scrime, Todd; Cohen, Benjamin R; Feustel, Paul J; Petronis, Karen; Habiniak, Sharon; Waldman, John B; Vosburgh, Margaret M

2002-04-15

The authors studied factors influencing hospital profitability after craniotomy in patients who underwent craniotomy coded as diagnosis-related group (DRG) 1 (17 years of age with nontraumatic disease without complication) and who met their hospital's craniotomy pathway criteria and had a hospital length of stay 4 days or less during a 20-month period. Data in all patients meeting these criteria (76 cases) were collected and collated from various hospital databases. Twenty-one cases were profitable and 55 were not. Variables traditionally influencing cost of care, such as surgeon, procedure, length of operation, and pharmacy use had no significant effect on whether a patient was profitable. The most important influence on profitability was the individual payor. Cases in which care was reimbursed under the prospective payment system based on DRGs were nearly always profitable whereas those covered by per diem plans were nearly always nonprofitable. 1) Hospital information systems should be customized to deliver consolidated data for timely analysis of cost of care for individual patients. This information may be useful in negotiating profitable contracts. 2) A clinical pathway was successful in reducing the difference in cost of care between profitable and nonprofitable postcraniotomy cases. 3) In today's health care environment both cost containment and revenue assume importance in determining profitability.

Understanding profitability: Why some customers are hot and others are not

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sioshansi, F.P.

Gone are the days when utilities would boast how many new customers were being added to their system annually-regardless of whether they were in fact profitable to serve or not-as if bigger was always better. In a not too distant future, and with the liberalization of the business environment, some utilities may no longer wish to serve certain customers on their systems, while at the same time aggressively wooing other customers. With the anticipated arrival of competition and erosion of utility franchise service areas, the electric power industry will gradually evolve into a mode where customers will be segmented intomore » finer groups and evaluated based on their expected profit margins-theoretically the difference between the revenues expected from them and the cost of serving them. Understanding this basic concept, and the mastery of the art of arriving at the correct profit margin for each market segment, will be essential to overall business profitability and survival in the future. In practice, however, many utilities are ill-prepared to accomplish such fundamental analyses correctly and consistently because they do not have the correct analytical framework, the right information, or the right tools to perform the analysis. This paper will outline the fundamentals of market segmentation and evaluating customer profitability. It will also illustrate how to balance the cost of serving a customer with the revenues derived to produce a {open_quotes}reasonable{close_quotes} profit margin in each market segment. EPRI has developed a software tool specifically designed to assist utility analysts perform this type of work. Other ongoing research in the area of profitability analysis is also described.« less

Investing to Survive in a Duopoly Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto, Alberto A.; Oliveira, Bruno M. P. M.; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Ferreira, Miguel

We present deterministic dynamics on the production costs of Cournot competitions, based on perfect Nash equilibria of nonlinear R&D investment strategies to reduce the production costs of the firms at every period of the game. We analyse the effects that the R&D investment strategies can have in the profits of the firms along the time. We show that small changes in the initial production costs or small changes in the parameters that determine the efficiency of the R&D programs or of the firms can produce strong economic effects in the long run of the profits of the firms.

Entry decisions in the generic pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Morton, F M

1999-01-01

Data on all generic drug entries in the period 1984-1994 are used to estimate which markets heterogeneous potential entrants will decide to enter. I find that organizational experience predicts entry. Firms tend to enter markets with supply and demand characteristics similar to the firm's existing drugs. Larger revenue markets, markets with more hospital sales, and products that treat chronic conditions attract more entry. The simultaneous nature of entry leads to an additional interpretation: specialization is profitable because of the severe risk to profits when a market is "overentered." However, I am unable to make any conclusions about the efficiency of entry decisions.

Economic values of growth and feed efficiency for fish farming in recirculating aquaculture system with density and nitrogen output limitations: a case study with African catfish (Clarias gariepinus).

PubMed

Besson, M; Komen, H; Aubin, J; de Boer, I J M; Poelman, M; Quillet, E; Vancoillie, C; Vandeputte, M; van Arendonk, J A M

2014-12-01

In fish farming, economic values (EV) of breeding goal traits are lacking, even though they are key parameters when defining selection objectives. The aim of this study was to develop a bioeconomic model to estimate EV of 2 traits representing production performances in fish farming: the thermal growth coefficient (TGC) and the feed conversion ratio (FCR). This approach was applied to a farm producing African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). In the RAS, 2 factors could limit production level: the nitrogen treatment capacity of the biofilter or the fish density in rearing tanks at harvest. Profit calculation includes revenue from fish sales, cost of juveniles, cost of feed, cost of waste water treatment, and fixed costs. In the reference scenario, profit was modeled to zero. EV were calculated as the difference in profit per kilogram of fish between the current population mean for both traits (µt) and the next generation of selective breeding (µt+Δt) for either TGC or FCR. EV of TGC and FCR were calculated for three generations of hypothetical selection on either TGC or FCR (respectively 6.8% and 7.6% improvement per generation). The results show that changes in TGC and FCR can affect both the number of fish that can be stocked (number of batches per year and number of fish per batch) and the factor limiting production. The EV of TGC and FCR vary and depend on the limiting factors. When dissolved NH3-N is the limiting factor for both µt and µt+Δt, increasing TGC decreases the number of fish that can be stocked but increases the number of batches that can be grown. As a result, profit remains constant and EVTGC is zero. Increasing FCR, however, increases the number of fish stocked and the ratio of fish produced per kilogram of feed consumed ("economic efficiency"). The EVFCR is 0.14 €/kg of fish, and profit per kilogram of fish increases by about 10%. When density is the limiting factor for both µt and µt+Δt, the number of fish stocked per batch is fixed; therefore, extra profit is obtained by increasing either TGC, which increases the annual number of batches, or by decreasing FCR, which decreases annual feed consumption. EVTGC is 0.03 €/kg of fish and EVFCR is 0.05-0.06 €/kg of fish. These results emphasize the importance of calculating economic values in the right context to develop efficient future breeding programs in aquaculture.

Modeling cost of ultrasound versus nerve stimulator guidance for nerve blocks with sensitivity analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Spencer S; John, Raymond S

2010-01-01

Ultrasound guidance for regional anesthesia has increased in popularity. However, the cost of ultrasound versus nerve stimulator guidance is controversial, as multiple and varying cost inputs are involved. Sensitivity analysis allows modeling of different scenarios and determination of the relative importance of each cost input for a given scenario. We modeled cost per patient of ultrasound versus nerve stimulator using single-factor sensitivity analysis for 4 different clinical scenarios designed to span the expected financial impact of ultrasound guidance. The primary cost factors for ultrasound were revenue from billing for ultrasound (85% of variation in final cost), number of patients examined per ultrasound machine (10%), and block success rate (2.6%). In contrast, the most important input factors for nerve stimulator were the success rate of the nerve stimulator block (89%) and the amount of liability payout for failed airway due to rescue general anesthesia (9%). Depending on clinical scenario, ultrasound was either a profit or cost center. If revenue is generated, then ultrasound-guided blocks consistently become a profit center regardless of clinical scenario in our model. Without revenue, the clinical scenario dictates the cost of ultrasound. In an ambulatory setting, ultrasound is highly competitive with nerve stimulator and requires at least a 96% success rate with nerve stimulator before becoming more expensive. In a hospitalized scenario, ultrasound is consistently more expensive as the uniform use of general anesthesia and hospitalization negate any positive cost effects from greater efficiency with ultrasound.

Economic gains stimulate negative evaluations of corporate sustainability initiatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makov, Tamar; Newman, George E.

2016-09-01

In recent years, many organizations have sought to align their financial goals with environmental ones by identifying strategies that maximize profits while minimizing environmental impacts. Examples of this `win-win' approach can be found across a wide range of industries, from encouraging the reuse of hotel towels, to the construction of energy efficient buildings, to the large-scale initiatives of multi-national corporations. Although win-win strategies are generally thought to reflect positively on the organizations that employ them, here we find that people tend to respond negatively to the notion of profiting from environmental initiatives. In fact, observers may evaluate environmental win-wins less favourably than profit-seeking strategies that have no environmental benefits. The present studies suggest that how those initiatives are communicated to the general public may be of central importance. Therefore, organizations would benefit from carefully crafting the discourse around their win-win initiatives to ensure that they avoid this type of backlash.

Encouraging information sharing to boost the name-your-own-price auction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yahong; Li, Jinlin; Huang, He; Ran, Lun; Hu, Yusheng

2017-08-01

During a name-your-own-price (NYOP) auction, buyers can learn a lot of knowledge from their socially connected peers. Such social learning process makes them become more active to attend the auction and also helps them make decisions on what price to submit. Combining an information diffusion model and a belief decision model, we explore three effects of bidders' information sharing on the buyers' behaviors and the seller profit. The results indicate that information sharing significantly increases the NYOP popularity and the seller profit. When enlarging the quality or quantity of information sharing, or increasing the spreading efficiency of the network topology, the number of attenders and the seller profit are increased significantly. However, the spread of information may make bidders be more likely to bid higher and consequently lose surplus. In addition, the different but interdependent influence of the successful information and failure information are discussed in this work.

Demulsification key to production efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Svetgoff, J.A.

1988-08-01

Concern over the declining profitability in the petroleum industry has generated renewed interest in reducing costs and enhancing profits. This article discusses one are often overlooked when trying to optimize profits, the process of demulsification. Resolving crude oil emulsions is a costly operational problem in most producing fields. Because it is one of the least understood facets of the petroleum industry, the costs associated with demulsification are often excessive. Although there are many similarities, desalting is a separate subject from demulsification. The removal of produced water from crude oil is the primary goal of demulsification, while minimizing the salt contentmore » in crude oil is the object of a desalting program. Understanding demulsification and desalting concepts is important to design engineers. The author discusses how this knowledge enables them to design systems that minimize operating costs while meeting present, as well as future, needs.« less

Improving productivity and profitability of a bioanalytical business through sales and operation planning.

PubMed

Islam, Rafiqul

2013-07-01

Today's bioanalytical CROs face increasing global competition, highly variable demand, high fixed costs, pricing pressure, and increasing demand for quality and speed. Most bioanalytical laboratories have responded to these challenges by implementing automation and by implementing process improvement methodologies (e.g., Six Sigma). These solutions have not resulted in a significant improvement in productivity and profitability since none of them are able to predict the upturn or downturn in demand. High volatility of demand causes long lead times and high costs during peak demand and poor productivity during trough demand. Most bioanalytical laboratories lack the tools to align supply efficiently to meet changing demand. In this paper, sales and operation planning (S&OP) has been investigated as a tool to balance supply and demand. The S&OP process, when executed effectively, can be the single greatest determinant of profitability for a bioanalytical business.

Dairy cows fed on tropical legume forages: effects on milk yield, nutrients use efficiency and profitability.

PubMed

Castro-Montoya, J M; García, R A; Ramos, R A; Flores, J M; Alas, E A; Corea, E E

2018-04-01

Two trials with multiparous dairy cows were conducted. Experiment 1 tested the effects of increasing forage proportion in the diet (500, 600, and 700 g/kg DM) when a mixed sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and jackbean (Cannavalia ensiformis) silage was used as forage. Experiment 2 studied the substitution of sorghum silage and soybean meal by jackbean silage or fresh cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) forage in the diet. All diets were iso-energetic and iso-proteic. In each experiment, 30 cows were used and separated into three groups. In experiment 1, there were no differences in dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY), or apparent total tract digestibility (aTTd) among the three diets, but milk fat content increased with increasing forage proportion, even though the similar neutral detergent fiber of all diets. Nitrogen use efficiency was highest in the diet containing 600 g forage/kg DM, and some evidence was observed for a better profitability with this forage proportion. In experiment 2, feeding legumes increased DMI despite no effects on aTTd. Milk yield increased in line with DMI, with a larger increase for the fresh cowpea. Nitrogen use efficiency and milk composition were not affected by the diets. The increased MY and lower feed costs increased the economic benefits when feeding legumes, particularly when feeding fresh cowpea. Feeding fresh cowpea or jackbean silage to dairy cows appears to be an alternative to soybean as protein source, ideally at a forage proportions of 600 g/kg DM, without altering milk yield and quality and increasing the farm profitability.

[Are privately owned hospitals more efficient? Results of a survey of the international literature].

PubMed

Sibbel, R; Nagarajah, B

2012-06-01

In no other European country has the privatisation of hospitals taken such dimensions in the last 15 years as in Germany. Thereby a higher efficiency of private ownership is often assumed as a potential driver. The aim of this study is to analyse the current state of research on the question of whether private hospitals are more efficient, or whether the public ones are just plain worse operators of clinics. As a contribution to answering the relevant question, a systematic review of the international literature on benchmarking the performance of hospitals as a function of ownership on the basis of the efficiency measurement using DEA (data envelopment analysis) was conducted. In the closer analysis 8 studies were accepted; of which 3 refer to the U.S.A., 3 to the German and one to the Taiwanese and South Korean health-care sector. These studies compare private hospital operators with other types of ownership, where they differ considerably in their methodological approaches. 5 studies reveal that public and not-for-profit hospitals are more efficient than those in private ownership. One study concludes the opposite, and 2 could not demonstrate any significant differences between the different hospital ownerships. This result is a surprise taking into consideration the development and discussion in Germany in recent years and in comparison to studies based on alternative approaches to efficiency measurement. The detailed analysis of the studies shows that because of weaknesses and a variety of differences in the methodological structure of the studies a really convincing answer regarding the first question ultimately cannot be derived from the results. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Development of a methodology for the detection of hospital financial outliers using information systems.

PubMed

Okada, Sachiko; Nagase, Keisuke; Ito, Ayako; Ando, Fumihiko; Nakagawa, Yoshiaki; Okamoto, Kazuya; Kume, Naoto; Takemura, Tadamasa; Kuroda, Tomohiro; Yoshihara, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

Comparison of financial indices helps to illustrate differences in operations and efficiency among similar hospitals. Outlier data tend to influence statistical indices, and so detection of outliers is desirable. Development of a methodology for financial outlier detection using information systems will help to reduce the time and effort required, eliminate the subjective elements in detection of outlier data, and improve the efficiency and quality of analysis. The purpose of this research was to develop such a methodology. Financial outliers were defined based on a case model. An outlier-detection method using the distances between cases in multi-dimensional space is proposed. Experiments using three diagnosis groups indicated successful detection of cases for which the profitability and income structure differed from other cases. Therefore, the method proposed here can be used to detect outliers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Laboratory and software applications for clinical trials: the global laboratory environment.

PubMed

Briscoe, Chad

2011-11-01

The Applied Pharmaceutical Software Meeting is held annually. It is sponsored by The Boston Society, a not-for-profit organization that coordinates a series of meetings within the global pharmaceutical industry. The meeting generally focuses on laboratory applications, but in recent years has expanded to include some software applications for clinical trials. The 2011 meeting emphasized the global laboratory environment. Global clinical trials generate massive amounts of data in many locations that must be centralized and processed for efficient analysis. Thus, the meeting had a strong focus on establishing networks and systems for dealing with the computer infrastructure to support such environments. In addition to the globally installed laboratory information management system, electronic laboratory notebook and other traditional laboratory applications, cloud computing is quickly becoming the answer to provide efficient, inexpensive options for managing the large volumes of data and computing power, and thus it served as a central theme for the meeting.

The Resurgence of America's Auto Industry

ScienceCinema

Zimmer, Stephen; Cischke, Sue

2018-05-01

A look at how strategic investments and partnerships between the Energy Department and automakers have helped the American auto industry become a leader in advanced and fuel-efficient vehicles — creating jobs and boosting profits in the process.

Returns on equity to not-for-profit hospitals: theory and implementation.

PubMed Central

Conrad, D A

1984-01-01

It is argued that not-for-profit hospitals can be assumed to generate a return on equity capital due, in principle, to competition in the final product market for hospital services and in the capital market. Practical difficulties in identifying claimants to the net income of the firm, as well as the incentive problems of cost-based reimbursement, suggest that a competitive pricing approach is likely to be the appropriate means to provide a reasonable return on equity for the not-for-profit and the for-profit hospital. Implications of the analysis for the correct discount rate in investment decisions are outlined. PMID:6724955

Welfare Impact of Virtual Trading on Wholesale Electricity Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giraldo, Juan S.

Virtual bidding has become a standard feature of multi-settlement wholesale electricity markets in the United States. Virtual bids are financial instruments that allow market participants to take financial positions in the Day-Ahead (DA) market that are automatically reversed/closed in the Real-Time (RT) market. Most U.S. wholesale electricity markets only have two types of virtual bids: a decrement bid (DEC), which is virtual load, and an increment offer (INC), which is virtual generation. In theory, financial participants create benefits by seeking out profitable bidding opportunities through arbitrage or speculation. Benefits have been argued to take the form of increased competition, price convergence, increased market liquidity, and a more efficient dispatch of generation resources. Studies have found that price convergence between the DA and RT markets improved following the introduction of virtual bidding into wholesale electricity markets. The improvement in price convergence was taken as evidence that market efficiency had increased and many of the theoretical benefits realized. Persistent price differences between the DA and RT markets have led to calls to further expand virtual bidding as a means to address remaining market inefficiencies. However, the argument that price convergence is beneficial is extrapolated from the study of commodity and financial markets and the role of futures for increasing market efficiency in that context. This viewpoint largely ignores details that differentiate wholesale electricity markets from other commodity markets. This dissertation advances the understanding of virtual bidding by evaluating the impact of virtual bidding based on the standard definition of economic efficiency which is social welfare. In addition, an examination of the impacts of another type of virtual bid, up-to-congestion (UTC) transactions is presented. This virtual product significantly increased virtual bidding activity in the PJM interconnection market since it became available to be used by financial traders in September 2010. Stylized models are used to determine the optimal bidding strategy for the different virtual bids under different scenarios. The welfare analysis shows that the main impact of virtual bidding is surplus reallocation and that the impact on market efficiency is small by comparison. The market structure is such that it is more likely to see surplus transfers from consumers to producers. The results also show that outcomes with greater price convergence as a result of virtual bidding activity were not necessarily more efficient, nor do they always correct surplus distribution distortions that result from bias in the DA expectation of RT load. Compared to INCs and DECs, the UTC analysis showed that UTCs do not have the same self-corrective incentives towards price convergence and are less likely to lead to nodal price convergence or correct for surplus distribution distortions caused by uncertainty and bias in the DA expectation of RT load. Additionally, the analysis showed that UTCs allow financial traders to engage in low risk high volume trading strategies that, while profitable, may have little to no impact on price convergence or market efficiency.

Hospital finance.

PubMed

Herman, M J

1998-01-01

This article summarizes key areas of focus for the analysis of risk in the hospital segment of the health care industry. The article is written from a commercial bank lending perspective. Both for-profit (C-corporations) and 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit segments are addressed.

Nursing home performance under case-mix reimbursement: responding to heavy-care incentives and market changes.

PubMed Central

Davis, M A; Freeman, J W; Kirby, E C

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of case mix-adjusted reimbursement policy and market factors on nursing home performance. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Data from Medicaid certification inspection surveys, Medicaid cost reports, and the Kentucky State Center for Health Statistics for the years 1989 and 1991, to examine changes in nursing home performance stemming from the adoption of case mix-adjusted reimbursement in 1990. STUDY DESIGN: In addition to cross-sectional regressions, a first-difference approach to fixed-effects regression analyses was employed to control for facility differences that were essentially fixed during the survey years and to estimate the effects of time-varying predictors on changes in facility expenditures, efficiency, and profitability. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Facilities that increased the proportion of Medicaid residents and eliminated excess capacity experienced higher profitability gains during the beginning phase of case-mix reimbursement. Having a heavy-care resident population was positively related to expenditures prior to reimbursement reform, and it was negatively related to expenditures after the case-mix reimbursement policy was introduced. While facility-level changes in case mix had no reliable influence on costs or profits, nursing homes showing an increased prevalence of poor-quality nursing practices exhibited increases in efficiency and profitability. At the market level, reductions in excess or empty nursing home beds were accompanied by a significant growth in home health services. Moreover, nursing homes located in markets with expanding home health services exhibited higher increases in costs per case-mix unit. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of the reimbursement system appear to reward a cost minimization orientation with potentially detrimental effects on quality of care. These effects, exacerbated by a supply-constrained market, may be mitigated by policies that encourage the expansion of home health service availability. PMID:9776938

Nursing home performance under case-mix reimbursement: responding to heavy-care incentives and market changes.

PubMed

Davis, M A; Freeman, J W; Kirby, E C

1998-10-01

To examine the effect of case mix-adjusted reimbursement policy and market factors on nursing home performance. Data from Medicaid certification inspection surveys, Medicaid cost reports, and the Kentucky State Center for Health Statistics for the years 1989 and 1991, to examine changes in nursing home performance stemming from the adoption of case mix-adjusted reimbursement in 1990. In addition to cross-sectional regressions, a first-difference approach to fixed-effects regression analyses was employed to control for facility differences that were essentially fixed during the survey years and to estimate the effects of time-varying predictors on changes in facility expenditures, efficiency, and profitability. Facilities that increased the proportion of Medicaid residents and eliminated excess capacity experienced higher profitability gains during the beginning phase of case-mix reimbursement. Having a heavy-care resident population was positively related to expenditures prior to reimbursement reform, and it was negatively related to expenditures after the case-mix reimbursement policy was introduced. While facility-level changes in case mix had no reliable influence on costs or profits, nursing homes showing an increased prevalence of poor-quality nursing practices exhibited increases in efficiency and profitability. At the market level, reductions in excess or empty nursing home beds were accompanied by a significant growth in home health services. Moreover, nursing homes located in markets with expanding home health services exhibited higher increases in costs per case-mix unit. Characteristics of the reimbursement system appear to reward a cost minimization orientation with potentially detrimental effects on quality of care. These effects, exacerbated by a supply-constrained market, may be mitigated by policies that encourage the expansion of home health service availability.

Performing well in financial management and quality of care: evidence from hospital process measures for treatment of cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Dong, Gang Nathan

2015-02-01

Fiscal constraints faced by U.S. hospitals as a result of the recent economic downturn are leading to business practices that reduce costs and improve financial and operational efficiency in hospitals. There naturally arises the question of how this finance-driven management culture could affect the quality of care. This paper attempts to determine whether the process measures of treatment quality are correlated with hospital financial performance. Panel study of hospital care quality and financial condition between 2005 and 2010 for cardiovascular disease treatment at acute care hospitals in the United States. Process measures for condition-specific treatment of heart attack and heart failure and hospital-level financial condition ratios were collected from the CMS databases of Hospital Compare and Cost Reports. There is a statistically significant relationship between hospital financial performance and quality of care. Hospital profitability, financial leverage, asset liquidity, operating efficiency, and costs appear to be important factors of health care quality. In general, public hospitals provide lower quality care than their nonprofit counterparts, and urban hospitals report better quality score than those located in rural areas. Specifically, the first-difference regression results indicate that the quality of treatment for cardiovascular patients rises in the year following an increase in hospital profitability, financial leverage, and labor costs. The results suggest that, when a hospital made more profit, had the capacity to finance investment using debt, paid higher wages presumably to attract more skilled nurses, its quality of care would generally improve. While the pursuit of profit induces hospitals to enhance both quantity and quality of services they offer, the lack of financial strength may result in a lower standard of health care services, implying the importance of monitoring the quality of care among those hospitals with poor financial health.

A longitudinal analysis of the impact of hospital service line profitability on the likelihood of readmission.

PubMed

Navathe, Amol S; Volpp, Kevin G; Konetzka, R Tamara; Press, Matthew J; Zhu, Jingsan; Chen, Wei; Lindrooth, Richard C

2012-08-01

Quality of care may be linked to the profitability of admissions in addition to level of reimbursement. Prior policy reforms reduced payments that differentially affected the average profitability of various admission types. The authors estimated a Cox competing risks model, controlling for the simultaneous risk of mortality post discharge, to determine whether the average profitability of hospital service lines to which a patient was admitted was associated with the likelihood of readmission within 30 days. The sample included 12,705,933 Medicare Fee for Service discharges from 2,438 general acute care hospitals during 1997, 2001, and 2005. There was no evidence of an association between changes in average service line profitability and changes in readmission risk, even when controlling for risk of mortality. These findings are reassuring in that the profitability of patients' admissions did not affect readmission rates, and together with other evidence may suggest that readmissions are not an unambiguous quality indicator for in-hospital care.

Wise Investment? Modeling Industry Profitability and Risk of Targeted Chemotherapy for Incurable Solid Cancers

PubMed Central

Conter, Henry J.; Chu, Quincy S.C.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Pharmaceutical development involves substantial financial risk. This risk, rising development costs, and the promotion of continued research and development have been cited as major drivers in the progressive increase in drug prices. Currently, cost-effective analyses are being used to determine the value of treatment. However, cost-effective analyses practically function as a threshold for value and do not directly address the rationale for drug prices. We set out to create a functional model for industry price decisions and clarify the minimum acceptable profitability of new drugs. Methods: Assuming that industry should only invest in profitable ventures, we employed a linear cost-volume-profit breakeven analysis to equate initial capital investment and risk and post–drug-approval profits, where drug development represents the bulk of investment. A Markov decision analysis model was also used to define the relationships between investment events risk. A systematic literature search was performed to determine event probabilities, clinical trial costs, and total expenses as inputs into the model. Disease-specific inputs, current market size across regions, and lengths of treatment for cancer types were also included. Results: With development of single novel chemotherapies costing from $802 to $1,042 million (2002 US dollars), pharmaceutical profits should range from $4.3 to $5.2 billion, with an expected rate of return on investment of 11% annually. However, diversification across cancer types for chemotherapy can reduce the minimum required profit to less than $3 billion. For optimal diversification, industry should study four tumor types per drug; however, nonprofit organizations could tolerate eight parallel development tracks to minimize the risk of development failure. Assuming that pharmaceutical companies hold exclusive rights for drug sales for only 5 years after market approval, the minimum required profit per drug per month per patient ranges from $294 for end-stage lung cancer to $3,231 for end-stage renal cell carcinoma. Conclusion: Pharmaceutical development in oncology is costly, with substantial risk, but is also highly profitable. Minimum acceptable profits per drug per month of treatment per patient vary with prevalence of disease, but they should be less than $5,000 per month of treatment in the developed world. Minimum acceptable profits may be lower for treatments with additional efficacy in the earlier stages of a tumor type. However, this type of event could not be statistically modeled. PMID:29447097

Dynamics and management of stage-structured fish stocks.

PubMed

Meng, Xinzhu; Lundström, Niklas L P; Bodin, Mats; Brännström, Åke

2013-01-01

With increasing fishing pressures having brought several stocks to the brink of collapse, there is a need for developing efficient harvesting methods that account for factors beyond merely yield or profit. We consider the dynamics and management of a stage-structured fish stock. Our work is based on a consumer-resource model which De Roos et al. (in Theor. Popul. Biol. 73, 47-62, 2008) have derived as an approximation of a physiologically-structured counterpart. First, we rigorously prove the existence of steady states in both models, that the models share the same steady states, and that there exists at most one positive steady state. Furthermore, we carry out numerical investigations which suggest that a steady state is globally stable if it is locally stable. Second, we consider multiobjective harvesting strategies which account for yield, profit, and the recovery potential of the fish stock. The recovery potential is a measure of how quickly a fish stock can recover from a major disturbance and serves as an indication of the extinction risk associated with a harvesting strategy. Our analysis reveals that a small reduction in yield or profit allows for a disproportional increase in recovery potential. We also show that there exists a harvesting strategy with yield close to the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and profit close to that associated with the maximum economic yield (MEY). In offering a good compromise between MSY and MEY, we believe that this harvesting strategy is preferable in most instances. Third, we consider the impact of harvesting on population size structure and analytically determine the most and least harmful harvesting strategies. We conclude that the most harmful harvesting strategy consists of harvesting both adults and juveniles, while harvesting only adults is the least harmful strategy. Finally, we find that a high percentage of juvenile biomass indicates elevated extinction risk and might therefore serve as an early-warning signal of impending stock collapse.

Livestock vaccination in India: an analysis of theory and practice among multiple stakeholders.

PubMed

Rathod, P; Chander, M; Bangar, Y

2016-12-01

An effective and efficient disease prevention and control strategy is of paramount importance to improve the quality and quantity of livestock production in the Indian context. Although livestock vaccination is considered an emerging innovation of socioeconomic importance in the Indian dairy industry, the rate of adoption and diffusion of vaccination technology is very low at field level. In this context, the authors examined the efforts of the Government of India to protect livestock health and control disease, considered the lessons learnt from rinderpest eradication, looked at field practices and the reality on the ground, and studied the perceptions of multiple stakeholders with regards to the relevance, profitability and sustainability of vaccination. In this study, the authors consider policy implications for the Indian dairy industry using the responses of 360 dairy farmers, 80 research scientists and 40 extension workers in India. The study revealed that scientists and extension experts rated vaccination highly in terms of its relevance, profitability and sustainability, while the perception of farmers was less favourable. The study also observed that, even after implementation of various disease control programmes with heavy financial expenditure, there was a wide gap between farmers and scientists and between farmers and extension workers with regards to their perceptions of the relevance, profitability and sustainability of vaccination, while the gap was very narrow between scientists and extension workers. It can be concluded, therefore, that there is a need to generate innovations for disease control that are perceived as relevant, profitable and sustainable so as to encourage higher levels of diffusion and adoption at field level. This study recommends that farmers partner with researchers and extension workers to ensure effective generation and transfer of new dairying technologies, leading to higher production and productivity in the Indian dairy sector. © OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health), 2016.

Maintenance Process Strategic Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasiulewicz-Kaczmarek, M.; Stachowiak, A.

2016-08-01

The performance and competitiveness of manufacturing companies is dependent on the availability, reliability and productivity of their production facilities. Low productivity, downtime, and poor machine performance is often linked to inadequate plant maintenance, which in turn can lead to reduced production levels, increasing costs, lost market opportunities, and lower profits. These pressures have given firms worldwide the motivation to explore and embrace proactive maintenance strategies over the traditional reactive firefighting methods. The traditional view of maintenance has shifted into one of an overall view that encompasses Overall Equipment Efficiency, Stakeholders Management and Life Cycle assessment. From practical point of view it requires changes in approach to maintenance represented by managers and changes in actions performed within maintenance area. Managers have to understand that maintenance is not only about repairs and conservations of machines and devices, but also actions striving for more efficient resources management and care for safety and health of employees. The purpose of the work is to present strategic analysis based on SWOT analysis to identify the opportunities and strengths of maintenance process, to benefit from them as much as possible, as well as to identify weaknesses and threats, so that they could be eliminated or minimized.

Characterization of the rainbow trout spleen transcriptome and identification of immune-related genes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Disease susceptibility affects production efficiency and profitability in rainbow trout aquaculture. There is limited information available regarding the functions and mechanisms of teleost immune pathways. Immunogenomics provides powerful approaches to identify disease resistance genes/gene pathway...

48 CFR 49.202 - Profit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... ordinarily should not be required, but if available should be considered); (2) Engineering work, production scheduling, planning, technical study and supervision, and other necessary services; (3) Efficiency of the contractor, with particular regard to— (i) Attainment of quantity and quality production; (ii) Reduction of...

Technology for America's economic growth : a new direction to build economic strength

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-02-22

Investing in technology is investing in America's future: a growing economy with more high-skill, high-wage jobs for American workers; a cleaner environment where energy efficiency increases profits and reduces pollution; a stronger, more competitive...

7 CFR 4284.942 - Proposal evaluation criteria and scoring applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... 4284.942 Section 4284.942 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GRANTS Value-Added... operational efficiency, profitability, and overall economic sustainability resulting from the project. In...

7 CFR 4284.942 - Proposal evaluation criteria and scoring applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... 4284.942 Section 4284.942 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GRANTS Value-Added... operational efficiency, profitability, and overall economic sustainability resulting from the project. In...

7 CFR 4284.942 - Proposal evaluation criteria and scoring applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... 4284.942 Section 4284.942 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GRANTS Value-Added... operational efficiency, profitability, and overall economic sustainability resulting from the project. In...

Downsizing: Measuring the Costs of Failure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appelbaum, Steven H.; Lavigne-Schmidt, Suzanne; Peytchev, Mihail; Shapiro, Barbara

1999-01-01

Review of literature on downsizing from 1994 to 1998 found evidence that some downsizing is inevitable and can have positive outcomes (increased efficiency, competitiveness, profits). However, poor implementation by unprepared managers makes the experience worse than necessary for individuals and organizations. (SK)

Skatole biodegradation via isolates from swine manure

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Animal waste disposal and odor control have become a major issue for animal production facilities. As an attempt to improve efficiency and profit margins, many livestock operations have become large concentrated rearing facilities. As a result, many concerns over potentially adverse environmental ...

Reducing Transaction Costs for Energy Efficiency Investments and Analysis of Economic Risk Associated With Building Performance Uncertainties: Small Buildings and Small Portfolios Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Langner, R.; Hendron, B.; Bonnema, E.

2014-08-01

The small buildings and small portfolios (SBSP) sector face a number of barriers that inhibit SBSP owners from adopting energy efficiency solutions. This pilot project focused on overcoming two of the largest barriers to financing energy efficiency in small buildings: disproportionately high transaction costs and unknown or unacceptable risk. Solutions to these barriers can often be at odds, because inexpensive turnkey solutions are often not sufficiently tailored to the unique circumstances of each building, reducing confidence that the expected energy savings will be achieved. To address these barriers, NREL worked with two innovative, forward-thinking lead partners, Michigan Saves and Energi,more » to develop technical solutions that provide a quick and easy process to encourage energy efficiency investments while managing risk. The pilot project was broken into two stages: the first stage focused on reducing transaction costs, and the second stage focused on reducing performance risk. In the first stage, NREL worked with the non-profit organization, Michigan Saves, to analyze the effects of 8 energy efficiency measures (EEMs) on 81 different baseline small office building models in Holland, Michigan (climate zone 5A). The results of this analysis (totaling over 30,000 cases) are summarized in a simple spreadsheet tool that enables users to easily sort through the results and find appropriate small office EEM packages that meet a particular energy savings threshold and are likely to be cost-effective.« less

Cost inefficiency in Washington hospitals: a stochastic frontier approach using panel data.

PubMed

Li, T; Rosenman, R

2001-06-01

We analyze a sample of Washington State hospitals with a stochastic frontier panel data model, specifying the cost function as a generalized Leontief function which, according to a Hausman test, performs better in this case than the translog form. A one-stage FGLS estimation procedure which directly models the inefficiency effects improves the efficiency of our estimates. We find that hospitals with higher casemix indices or more beds are less efficient while for-profit hospitals and those with higher proportion of Medicare patient days are more efficient. Relative to the most efficient hospital, the average hospital is only about 67% efficient.

Profitability of grazing versus mechanical forage harvesting on New York dairy farms.

PubMed

Gloy, B A; Tauer, L W; Knoblauch, W

2002-09-01

The profitability of rotational grazing versus mechanical harvesting of forages was estimated using data from 237 nongrazing and 57 grazing farms participating in the New York farm business summary program in the year 2000. The objective was to perform an empirical comparison of the profitability of grazing versus mechanical forage harvesting systems. A regression analysis technique that controls for treatment selection bias is used to determine the impact of grazing on the rate of return on assets. This is accomplished by joint maximum likelihood estimation of a probit adoption function and a profit function. The results indicate that treatment selection does not have an important impact on the estimate of the profitability of grazing. There were wide ranges and overlap of profitability among herds using the two systems. However, other things equal, farmers utilizing grazing systems were at least if not more profitable than farmers not using grazing systems. After controlling for the factors influencing the decision to graze, we found that herd size, rate of milk production per cow, and prices received for milk have a strong positive impact on profitability. Farmers who perceive potential lifestyle benefits that might be obtained by implementing a grazing system likely do not have to pay an income penalty for adopting a grazing system.

The policy implications of the cost structure of home health agencies.

PubMed

Mukamel, Dana B; Fortinsky, Richard H; White, Alan; Harrington, Charlene; White, Laura M; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen

2014-01-01

To examine the cost structure of home health agencies by estimating an empirical cost function for those that are Medicare-certified, ten years following the implementation of prospective payment. 2010 national Medicare cost report data for certified home health agencies were merged with case-mix information from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS). We estimated a fully interacted (by tax status) hybrid cost function for 7,064 agencies and calculated marginal costs as percent of total costs for all variables. The home health industry is dominated by for-profit agencies, which tend to be newer than the non-profit agencies and to have higher average costs per patient but lower costs per visit. For-profit agencies tend to have smaller scale operations and different cost structures, and are less likely to be affiliated with chains. Our estimates suggest diseconomies of scale, zero marginal cost for contracting with therapy workers, and a positive marginal cost for contracting with nurses, when controlling for quality. Our findings suggest that efficiencies may be achieved by promoting non-profit, smaller agencies, with fewer contract nursing staff. This conclusion should be tested further in future studies that address some of the limitations of our study.

Profit and loss analysis for an intensive care unit (ICU) in Japan: a tool for strategic management

PubMed Central

Cao, Pengyu; Toyabe, Shin-ichi; Abe, Toshikazu; Akazawa, Kouhei

2006-01-01

Background Accurate cost estimate and a profit and loss analysis are necessary for health care practice. We performed an actual financial analysis for an intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital in Japan, and tried to discuss the health care policy and resource allocation decisions that have an impact on critical intensive care. Methods The costs were estimated by a department level activity based costing method, and the profit and loss analysis was based on a break-even point analysis. The data used included the monthly number of patients, the revenue, and the direct and indirect costs of the ICU in 2003. Results The results of this analysis showed that the total costs of US$ 2,678,052 of the ICU were mainly incurred due to direct costs of 88.8%. On the other hand, the actual annual total patient days in the ICU were 1,549 which resulted in revenues of US$ 2,295,044. However, it was determined that the ICU required at least 1,986 patient days within one fiscal year based on a break-even point analysis. As a result, an annual deficit of US$ 383,008 has occurred in the ICU. Conclusion These methods are useful for determining the profits or losses for the ICU practice, and how to evaluate and to improve it. In this study, the results indicate that most ICUs in Japanese hospitals may not be profitable at the present time. As a result, in order to increase the income to make up for this deficit, an increase of 437 patient days in the ICU in one fiscal year is needed, and the number of patients admitted to the ICU should thus be increased without increasing the number of beds or staff members. Increasing the number of patients referred from cooperating hospitals and clinics therefore appears to be the best strategy for achieving these goals. PMID:16403235

Health workers' perceptions of private-not-for-profit health facilities' organizational culture and its influence on retention in Uganda.

PubMed

Shumba, Constance Sibongile; Kielmann, Karina; Witter, Sophie

2017-12-06

An in-depth understanding of how organizational culture is experienced by health workers (HWs), and influences their decisions to leave their jobs is a fundamental, yet under-examined, basis for forming effective retention strategies. This research examined HWs' working experiences and perceptions of organisational culture within private-not-for-profit, largely mission-based hospitals, and how this influenced retention. Thirty-two HWs, including managers, in 19 health facilities in Uganda were interviewed using a semi-structured topic guide. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic content analysis. Interviews showed that the organizational culture was predominantly hierarchical, with non-participative management styles which emphasized control and efficiency. HWs and managers held different perceptions of the organizational culture. While the managers valued results and performance, HWs valued team work, recognition and participative management. The findings of this study indicate that organizational culture influences retention of HWs in health facilities and provide a useful context to inform health care managers in the PNFP sub-sector in Uganda and similar contexts. To improve retention of HWs, a gradual shift in organizational culture will be necessary, focussing on the values, beliefs and perceptions which have the greatest influence on observable behaviour.

Sequential Auctions in Uncertain Information Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatima, Shaheen; Wooldridge, Michael; Jennings, Nicholas R.

This paper analyzes sequential auctions for private value objects using second-price sealed-bid rules. Now, the equilibrium bids for such auctions depend on the information uncertainty of the bidders. Specifically, there are three key auction parameters that the bidders could be uncertain about: the valuations of the objects for sale, the number of objects for sale, and the number of participating bidders. We analyse the bidding behaviour for each of these three sources of uncertainty. For each setting, we first find the equilibrium bidding strategies for the individual auctions that comprise a series. Then we analyze the effect of these uncertainties on the computational and economic properties of the equilibrium solution. The former analysis is essential if we want to use software agents to bid on our behalf. The latter is essential because both the auctioneer and the bidders want to know how these uncertainties affect their profits. Thus we compare the outcomes for these settings from the perspective of the bidders (i.e., in terms of their profits), from the perspective of the auctioneer (i.e., in terms of his revenue), and from a global perspective (i.e., in terms of auction efficiency).

New Systems of Food Service Management for the Air Force

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-09-01

Without good management and successful innovations to meet customer needs, institutional food systems either survive precariously, or on a...unlimited access to all base facilities as well as the innovative , profit oriented management of the contractor. The results of this analysis and its...of innovative , profit-oriented management on the part of the contractor. The results of this analysis, along with its impact on the data presented in

Role of Surgical Services in Profitability of Hospitals in California: An Analysis of Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Annual Financial Data.

PubMed

Moazzez, Ashkan; de Virgilio, Christian

2016-10-01

With constant changes in health-care laws and payment methods, profitability, and financial sustainability of hospitals are of utmost importance. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between surgical services and hospital profitability. The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development annual financial databases for the years 2009 to 2011 were used for this study. The hospitals' characteristics and income statement elements were extracted for statistical analysis using bivariate and multivariate linear regression. A total of 989 financial records of 339 hospitals were included. On bivariate analysis, the number of inpatient and ambulatory operating rooms (ORs), the number of cases done both as inpatient and outpatient in each OR, and the average minutes used in inpatient ORs were significantly related with the net income of the hospital. On multivariate regression analysis, when controlling for hospitals' payer mix and the study year, only the number of inpatient cases done in the inpatient ORs (β = 832, P = 0.037), and the number of ambulatory ORs (β = 1,485, 466, P = 0.001) were significantly related with the net income of the hospital. These findings suggest that hospitals can maximize their profitability by diverting and allocating outpatient surgeries to ambulatory ORs, to allow for more inpatient surgeries.

Relationship of Automobile Characteristics to List Prices and Profit Margins -- A Preliminary Analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-08-01

The report describes research on potential impacts of fuel economy regulations on the U.S. automobile industry. The study focused on the possible effects of auto "down-sizing" on manufacture profit margins. Historical price data were used to estimate...

48 CFR 215.404-4 - Profit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... DEFENSE CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 215.404-4... prenegotiation profit or fee objective on any negotiated contract action when cost or pricing data is obtained... analysis when assessing cost realism in competitive acquisitions. (2) When using a structured approach, the...

A Bayesian approach for incorporating economic factors in sample size design for clinical trials of individual drugs and portfolios of drugs.

PubMed

Patel, Nitin R; Ankolekar, Suresh

2007-11-30

Classical approaches to clinical trial design ignore economic factors that determine economic viability of a new drug. We address the choice of sample size in Phase III trials as a decision theory problem using a hybrid approach that takes a Bayesian view from the perspective of a drug company and a classical Neyman-Pearson view from the perspective of regulatory authorities. We incorporate relevant economic factors in the analysis to determine the optimal sample size to maximize the expected profit for the company. We extend the analysis to account for risk by using a 'satisficing' objective function that maximizes the chance of meeting a management-specified target level of profit. We extend the models for single drugs to a portfolio of clinical trials and optimize the sample sizes to maximize the expected profit subject to budget constraints. Further, we address the portfolio risk and optimize the sample sizes to maximize the probability of achieving a given target of expected profit.

Performance analysis of different rice-based cropping systems in tropical region of Nepal.

PubMed

Pokhrel, Anil; Soni, Peeyush

2017-07-15

Energy inputs, environmental impacts and economic outputs are the main concerns in today's agricultural production systems. The current study investigated the energy, environmental and financial performances of different rice-based cropping systems (CSs). The CSs studied were: Rice-Wheat-Fallow (R-W-F), Rice-Wheat-Maize (R-W-M), Rice-Wheat-Mungbean (R-W-Mu), Rice-Lentil-Maize (R-L-M), Rice-Lentil-Mungbean (R-L-Mu), Rice-Garlic (R-G) and Rice-Onion (R-O). Primary data were collected from 210 randomly selected farms by using structured questionnaire. In this study, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to analyze the technical efficiencies of the farms in order to estimate their energy inputs saving potential, under different CSs. Among the studied systems, R-W-M, R-L-M and R-W-Mu were found energy efficient, R-L-Mu, R-W-F and R-W-Mu were efficient considering their greenhouse gas emissions, and R-G, R-O and R-L-M were more profitable systems. Based on the combined energy, environmental and economic criteria, we conclude that R-L-M, R-L-Mu and R-W-M are the most energy, environmentally and economically efficient CSs as compared to other systems in the study. The mean technical efficiency scores of farms indicated a considerable potential of reducing energy inputs (18-34%), without compromising the economic return of the majority farms under different CSs. The results of this study support eco-efficient CSs with modern production technologies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Profitability of Contrarian Strategies in the Chinese Stock Market

PubMed Central

Shi, Huai-Long; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2015-01-01

This paper reexamines the profitability of loser, winner and contrarian portfolios in the Chinese stock market using monthly data of all stocks traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange covering the period from January 1997 to December 2012. We find evidence of short-term and long-term contrarian profitability in the whole sample period when the estimation and holding horizons are 1 month or longer than 12 months and the annualized return of contrarian portfolios increases with the estimation and holding horizons. We perform subperiod analysis and find that the long-term contrarian effect is significant in both bullish and bearish states, while the short-term contrarian effect disappears in bullish states. We compare the performance of contrarian portfolios based on different grouping manners in the estimation period and unveil that decile grouping outperforms quintile grouping and tertile grouping, which is more evident and robust in the long run. Generally, loser portfolios and winner portfolios have positive returns and loser portfolios perform much better than winner portfolios. Both loser and winner portfolios in bullish states perform better than those in the whole sample period. In contrast, loser and winner portfolios have smaller returns in bearish states, in which loser portfolio returns are significant only in the long term and winner portfolio returns become insignificant. These results are robust to the one-month skipping between the estimation and holding periods and for the two stock exchanges. Our findings show that the Chinese stock market is not efficient in the weak form. These findings also have obvious practical implications for financial practitioners. PMID:26368537

Profitability of Contrarian Strategies in the Chinese Stock Market.

PubMed

Shi, Huai-Long; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2015-01-01

This paper reexamines the profitability of loser, winner and contrarian portfolios in the Chinese stock market using monthly data of all stocks traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange covering the period from January 1997 to December 2012. We find evidence of short-term and long-term contrarian profitability in the whole sample period when the estimation and holding horizons are 1 month or longer than 12 months and the annualized return of contrarian portfolios increases with the estimation and holding horizons. We perform subperiod analysis and find that the long-term contrarian effect is significant in both bullish and bearish states, while the short-term contrarian effect disappears in bullish states. We compare the performance of contrarian portfolios based on different grouping manners in the estimation period and unveil that decile grouping outperforms quintile grouping and tertile grouping, which is more evident and robust in the long run. Generally, loser portfolios and winner portfolios have positive returns and loser portfolios perform much better than winner portfolios. Both loser and winner portfolios in bullish states perform better than those in the whole sample period. In contrast, loser and winner portfolios have smaller returns in bearish states, in which loser portfolio returns are significant only in the long term and winner portfolio returns become insignificant. These results are robust to the one-month skipping between the estimation and holding periods and for the two stock exchanges. Our findings show that the Chinese stock market is not efficient in the weak form. These findings also have obvious practical implications for financial practitioners.

Design and operation considerations for attic inlets

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Improving energy efficiency and environmental control in poultry facilities is essential for profitability. Increases in energy costs have prompted evaluation of solar energy systems and passive solar systems such as attic inlets have been adopted as a means to reduce fuel usage. Successful implem...

Grower demand for sensor-controlled irrigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lichtenberg, Erik; Majsztrik, John; Saavoss, Monica

2015-01-01

Water scarcity is likely to increase in the coming years, making improvements in irrigation efficiency increasingly important. An emerging technology that promises to increase irrigation efficiency substantially is a wireless irrigation sensor network that uploads sensor data into irrigation management software, creating an integrated system that allows real-time monitoring and control of moisture status that has been shown in experimental settings to reduce irrigation costs, lower plant loss rates, shorten production times, decrease pesticide application, and increase yield, quality, and profit. We use an original survey to investigate likely initial acceptance, ceiling adoption rates, and profitability of this new sensor network technology in the nursery and greenhouse industry. We find that adoption rates for a base system and demand for expansion components are decreasing in price, as expected. The price elasticity of the probability of adoption suggests that sensor networks are likely to diffuse at a rate somewhat greater than that of drip irrigation. Adoption rates for a base system and demand for expansion components are increasing in specialization in ornamental production: growers earning greater shares of revenue from greenhouse and nursery operations are willing to pay more for a base system and are willing to purchase larger numbers of expansion components at any given price. We estimate that growers who are willing to purchase a sensor network expect investment in this technology to generate significant profit, consistent with findings from experimental studies.

Data Sharing: Convert Challenges into Opportunities.

PubMed

Figueiredo, Ana Sofia

2017-01-01

Initiatives for sharing research data are opportunities to increase the pace of knowledge discovery and scientific progress. The reuse of research data has the potential to avoid the duplication of data sets and to bring new views from multiple analysis of the same data set. For example, the study of genomic variations associated with cancer profits from the universal collection of such data and helps in selecting the most appropriate therapy for a specific patient. However, data sharing poses challenges to the scientific community. These challenges are of ethical, cultural, legal, financial, or technical nature. This article reviews the impact that data sharing has in science and society and presents guidelines to improve the efficient sharing of research data.

Data Sharing: Convert Challenges into Opportunities

PubMed Central

Figueiredo, Ana Sofia

2017-01-01

Initiatives for sharing research data are opportunities to increase the pace of knowledge discovery and scientific progress. The reuse of research data has the potential to avoid the duplication of data sets and to bring new views from multiple analysis of the same data set. For example, the study of genomic variations associated with cancer profits from the universal collection of such data and helps in selecting the most appropriate therapy for a specific patient. However, data sharing poses challenges to the scientific community. These challenges are of ethical, cultural, legal, financial, or technical nature. This article reviews the impact that data sharing has in science and society and presents guidelines to improve the efficient sharing of research data. PMID:29270401

Hospital ownership and performance: evidence from stroke and cardiac treatment in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lien, Hsien-Ming; Chou, Shin-Yi; Liu, Jin-Tan

2008-09-01

This paper compares program expenditure and treatment quality of stroke and cardiac patients between 1997 and 2000 across hospitals of various ownership types in Taiwan. Because Taiwan implemented national health insurance in 1995, the analysis is immune from problems arising from the complex setting of the U.S. health care market, such as segmentation of insurance status or multiple payers. Because patients may select admitted hospitals based on their observed and unobserved characteristics, we employ instrument variable (IV) estimation to account for the endogeneity of ownership status. Results of IV estimation find that patients admitted to non-profit hospitals receive better quality care, either measured by 1- or 12-month mortality rates. In terms of treatment expenditure, our results indicate no difference between non-profits and for-profits index admission expenditures, and at most 10% higher long-term expenditure for patients admitted to non-profits than to for-profits.

Perceived profitability and well-being in Australian dryland farmers and irrigators.

PubMed

Peel, Dominic; Berry, Helen L; Schirmer, Jacki

2015-08-01

To describe the relationship between self-reported farm profitability and farmer well-being, and to explore potential implications for farmer assistance policy. Cross-sectional analysis of farmers from Regional Wellbeing Survey data (wave 1, 2013) and comparison between groups. Participants were 1172 dryland farmers (35% women) and 707 irrigators (24% women). The Personal Wellbeing Index and the Kessler 10-item measure of general psychological distress. There is a consistent and significant relationship between higher profitability, greater well-being and less distress among dryland farmers and irrigators. The relationship between farm profitability and the well-being of Australian dryland farmers and irrigators has the potential to inform farmer assistance policy. Assistance programs can be more effective if they explicitly incorporate a profitability assessment into their targeting and eligibility requirements and a well-being component into program design and delivery. Rural Australia. Not applicable. © 2015 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

48 CFR 415.404-4 - Profit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) Termination settlements; and (v) Cost-plus-award-fee contracts; (b) Unless otherwise restricted by contracting... CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 415.404-4 Profit. (a)(1) USDA will use a... negotiation is based on cost analysis. (2) The following types of acquisitions are exempt from the...

Design study on the efficiency of the thermal scheme of power unit of thermal power plants in hot climates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedlov, A.; Dorokhov, Y.; Rybakov, B.; Nenashev, A.

2017-11-01

At the stage of pre-proposals unit of the thermal power plants for regions with a hot climate requires a design study on the efficiency of possible options for the structure of the thermal circuit and a set of key parameters. In this paper, the thermal circuit of the condensing unit powerfully 350 MW. The main feature of the external conditions of thermal power plants in hot climates is the elevated temperature of cooling water of the turbine condensers. For example, in the Persian Gulf region as the cooling water is sea water. In the hot season of the year weighted average sea water temperature of 30.9 °C and during the cold season to 22.8 °C. From the turbine part of the steam is supplied to the distillation-desalination plant. In the hot season of the year heat scheme with pressure fresh pair of 23.54 MPa, temperature 570/560 °C and feed pump with electric drive (EDP) is characterized by a efficiency net of 0.25% higher than thermal schem with feed turbine pump (TDP). However, the supplied power unit with PED is less by 11.6 MW. Calculations of thermal schemes in all seasons of the year allowed us to determine the difference in the profit margin of units of the TDP and EDP. During the year the unit with the TDP provides the ability to obtain the profit margin by 1.55 million dollars more than the unit EDP. When using on the market subsidized price of electricity (Iran) marginal profit of a unit with TDP more at 7.25 million dollars.

Cost analysis of prophylactic intraoperative cystoscopic ureteral stents in gynecologic surgery.

PubMed

Fanning, James; Fenton, Bradford; Jean, Geraldine Marie; Chae, Clara

2011-12-01

Prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stent placement is performed to decrease operative ureteric injury, though few data are available on the effectiveness of this procedure, and no data are available on its cost. To analyze the cost of prophylactic intraoperative cystoscopic ureteral stents in gynecologic surgery. All cases of prophylactic ureteral stent placement performed in gynecologic surgery during a 1-year period were identified and retrospectively reviewed through the electronic medical records database of Summa Health System. Costs were obtained through the Healthcare Cost Accounting System. The principles of cost-effective analysis were used (ie, explicit and detailed descriptions of costs and cost-effectiveness statistics). Importantly, we evaluated cost and not charges or financial model estimates. In addition, we obtained the contribution margins (ie, the hospital's net profit or loss) for prophylactic ureteral stent placement. Other gynecologic procedures were also analyzed. Among 792 major inpatient gynecologic procedures, 18 cases of prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stents were identified. Median costs were as follows: additional cost of prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting, $1580; additional cost of surgical resources, $770; cost of ureteral catheters, $427; cost of surgeons, $383. The contribution margins per case for various gynecologic surgical procedures were as follows: oophorectomy, $2804 profit; abdominal hysterectomy, $2649 profit; laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH), $1760 profit. When intraoperative ureteral stenting was added, the contribution margins changed to the following: oophorectomy, $782 profit; abdominal hysterectomy, $627 profit; LAVH, $262 loss. Overall, the contribution margin profit was decreased by about 85%, from $2400 to $380. Prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting in gynecologic surgery decreases a hospital's contribution margin. Because of the expense of this procedure, as well as scientific data suggesting a lack of effectiveness, the authors argue that prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting should not be used in gynecologic surgery to decrease operative ureteric injury.

The Impact of Subsidies on the Ecological Sustainability and Future Profits from North Sea Fisheries

PubMed Central

Heymans, Johanna Jacomina; Mackinson, Steven; Sumaila, Ussif Rashid; Dyck, Andrew; Little, Alyson

2011-01-01

Background This study examines the impact of subsidies on the profitability and ecological stability of the North Sea fisheries over the past 20 years. It shows the negative impact that subsidies can have on both the biomass of important fish species and the possible profit from fisheries. The study includes subsidies in an ecosystem model of the North Sea and examines the possible effects of eliminating fishery subsidies. Methodology/Principal Findings Hindcast analysis between 1991 and 2003 indicates that subsidies reduced the profitability of the fishery even though gross revenue might have been high for specific fisheries sectors. Simulations seeking to maximise the total revenue between 2004 and 2010 suggest that this can be achieved by increasing the effort of Nephrops trawlers, beam trawlers, and the pelagic trawl-and-seine fleet, while reducing the effort of demersal trawlers. Simulations show that ecological stability can be realised by reducing the effort of the beam trawlers, Nephrops trawlers, pelagic- and demersal trawl-and-seine fleets. This analysis also shows that when subsidies are included, effort will always be higher for all fleets, because it effectively reduces the cost of fishing. Conclusions/Significance The study found that while removing subsidies might reduce the total catch and revenue, it increases the overall profitability of the fishery and the total biomass of commercially important species. For example, cod, haddock, herring and plaice biomass increased over the simulation when optimising for profit, and when optimising for ecological stability, the biomass for cod, plaice and sole also increased. When subsidies are eliminated, the study shows that rather than forcing those involved in the fishery into the red, fisheries become more profitable, despite a decrease in total revenue due to a loss of subsidies from the government. PMID:21637848

The strategic use of forward contracts: Applications in power markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lien, Jeffrey Scott

This dissertation develops three theoretical models that analyze forward trading by firms with market power. The models are discussed in the context of recently restructured power markets, but the results can be applied more generally. The first model considers the profitability of large firms in markets with limited economies of scale and free entry. When large firms apply their market power, small firms benefit from the high prices without incurring the costs of restricted output. When entry is considered, and profit opportunity is determined by the cost of entry, this asymmetry creates the "curse of market power;" the long-run profits of large firms are reduced because of their market power. I suggest ways that large power producers can cope with the curse of market power, including the sale of long-term forward contracts. Past research has shown that forward contracts can demonstrate commitment to aggressive behavior to a competing duopolist. I add explicitly modeled entry to this literature, and make the potential entrants the audience of the forward sale. The existence of a forward market decreases equilibrium entry, increases the profits of large firms, and enhances economic efficiency. In the second model, a consumer representative, such as a state government or regulated distribution utility, bargains in the forward market on behalf of end-consumers who cannot organize together in the spot market. The ability to organize in forward markets allows consumers to encourage economic efficiency. When multiple producers are considered, I find that the ability to offer contracts also increases consumer surplus by decreasing the producers' profits. In some specifications of the model, consumers are able to capture the full gains from trade. The third model of this dissertation considers the ability of a large producer to take advantage of anonymity by randomly alternating between forward sales and forward purchases. The large producer uses its market power to always obtain favorable settlement on its forward transactions. Since other participants in the market cannot anticipate the large producer's eventual spot market behavior they cannot effectively arbitrage between markets. I find that forward transaction anonymity leads to spot price destabilization and cost inefficiency.

For-Profit Hospital Status and Rehospitalizations to Different Hospitals: An Analysis of Medicare Data

PubMed Central

Kind, Amy JH; Bartels, Christie; Mell, Matthew W; Mullahy, John; Smith, Maureen

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND About one-quarter of rehospitalized Medicare patients are admitted to hospitals different from their original. The extent to which this practice is related to for-profit hospital status, and impacts payments and mortality, is unknown. OBJECTIVE To describe and examine predictors of and payments for rehospitalization to a different hospital within 30 days among Medicare beneficiaries in for-profit and in not-for-profit/public hospitals. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Medicare fee-for-service hospitals throughout the United States. PARTICIPANTS Random 5% national sample of Medicare beneficiaries with acute-care rehospitalizations within 30-days of discharge, 2005–2006 (N=74,564). MEASUREMENTS 30-day rehospitalizations to different hospitals; total payments/mortality over subsequent 30-days. Multivariate logistic and quantile regression models included index hospital for-profit status, discharge counts, geographic region, rural-urban commuting area, and teaching status; and patient sociodemographics, disabled status, comorbidities, and a measure of risk-adjustment. RESULTS 22% (16,622) of the sample was rehospitalized to a different hospital. Factors associated with increased risk for rehospitalization to a different hospital included being hospitalized within a for-profit, major medical school-affiliated, or low volume index hospital, and having a Medicare-defined disability. When compared to those rehospitalized to the same hospital, patients rehospitalized to different hospitals had significantly higher adjusted 30-day total payments (median additional $1,308/patient, p-value<0.001), but no significant differences in 30-day mortality, regardless of index hospital for-profit status. LIMITATIONS The analysis lacked detailed clinical data, and did not assess specific provider practice motivations or the role of patient choice. CONCLUSIONS Rehospitalizations to different hospitals are common among Medicare beneficiaries, more likely among those initially hospitalized at a for-profit hospital, and related to increased overall payments without improved mortality. PMID:21135295

A break-even analysis of major ear surgery.

PubMed

Wasson, J D; Phillips, J S

2015-10-01

To determine variables which affect cost and profit for major ear surgery and perform a break-even analysis. Retrospective financial analysis. UK teaching hospital. Patients who underwent major ear surgery under general anaesthesia performed by the senior author in main theatre over a 2-year period between dates of 07 September 2010 and 07 September 2012. Income, cost and profit for each major ear patient spell. Variables that affect major ear surgery profitability. Seventy-six patients met inclusion criteria. Wide variation in earnings, with a median net loss of £-1345.50 was observed. Income was relatively uniform across all patient spells; however, theatre time of major ear surgery at a cost of £953.24 per hour varied between patients and was the main determinant of cost and profit for the patient spell. Bivariate linear regression of earnings on theatre time identified 94% of variation in earnings was due to variation in theatre time (r = -0.969; P < 0.0001) and derived a break-even time for major ear surgery of 110.6 min. Theatre time was dependent on complexity of procedure and number of OPCS4 procedures performed, with a significant increase in theatre time when three or more procedures were performed during major ear surgery (P = 0.015). For major ear surgery to either break-even or return a profit, total theatre time should not exceed 110 min and 36 s. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Utilization of HIV-related services from the private health sector: A multi-country analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Wenjuan; Sulzbach, Sara; De, Susna

2011-01-01

Increasing the participation of the private health sector in the AIDS response could help to achieve universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Yet little is known about the extent to which the private health sector is delivering HIV-related services. This study uses data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS) from 12 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean to explore use of HIV testing and STI care from the private for-profit sector, and its association with household wealth status. The analysis indicates that the private for-profit health sector is active in HIV-related service delivery, although the level of participation varies by region and country. From 3 to 45 percent of women and 6 to 42 percent of men reported the private for-profit sector as their source of the most recent HIV testing. While in some countries, use of the private for-profit health sector for HIV testing and STI care increases with wealth, in others the relationship is not clear, as there are no significant differences in using private for-profit HIV-related services between the rich and the poor. We conclude that as the global AIDS response evolves from emergency relief to sustained country programs, broader consideration of the role of the private for-profit health sector may be warranted. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of milk yield on biological efficiency and profit of beef production from birth to slaughter.

PubMed

Miller, S P; Wilton, J W; Pfeiffer, W C

1999-02-01

Effect of milk yield (MY) on biological efficiency and gross margin as an indicator of profit potential of beef production from birth to slaughter was determined. Data included 9 yr of spring-born single male calves. Biological efficiency was calculated as carcass weight/total feed energy intake, including nonlactating and lactating intakes of cow and creep and feedlot intakes of calf. Slaughter end point was finish constant at 9 mm of fat thickness. Gross margin was determined as returns minus feed costs. Three breeding systems were analyzed: purebred Hereford (HE), large rotational (LR), and small rotational (SR). Analyses were performed separately by breeding system when differences in the effect of MY among breeding systems were significant. Increased MY was associated with increased preweaning gain (P < .001), increased weight at start of feedlot trial (P < .001), and increased hot carcass weight (P < .05). No significant (P > .10) effect of MY on age at slaughter or on carcass weight per day of age at slaughter was found. Increased MY was associated with increased cow lactating energy intake (P < .10) and negatively associated with calf creep intake (P < .01). No effects of MY on intake of the cow during the nonlactating period, calf feedlot intake, or total feed intake were found. Increased MY was associated with a reduction in backfat thickness of the cow during the lactating period (P < .01) with no change in body weight. In the subsequent nonlactating period, increasing MY was associated with increased backfat thickness (P < .10) and body weight (P < .05). No effect of MY on change in backfat or weight of cow from calving to the end of the next nonlactating period was found. No effect of MY on biological efficiency to slaughter was detected. Milk yield was positively associated with gross margin from birth to slaughter (P < .05); results were similar when cow feed prices were reduced by 30%. Increased MY was associated with increased biological efficiency to weaning in HE (P < .01) and SR (P < .10), with no effect found in LR. When feeding cows to requirements, milk yield has a positive effect on the profit potential of beef production from birth to slaughter.

The biomarket.

PubMed

Maruthappu, Mahiben; Williams, Callum

2013-01-01

Political analysis can enrich our understanding of the interface between health and society. Here, a theoretical framework called 'the biomarket' is proposed, one that describes the interaction between life, power and the market, and the progressive institutionalisation of this dynamic by state actors. This framework expands upon 'biopower', a social concept developed by Michel Foucault. The role of the biomarket is illustrated by analysis of a range of cases, namely the relationships between global health and the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries. The potential adverse consequences of the biomarket are demonstrated, revealing how in some instances, important social measures of welfare are discarded for the sake of economic efficiency and profit. The authors conclude that the biomarket may serve to deepen our understanding of the authority and control exerted by corporations over life, positing that the biomarket must be further regulated for sustainable advances in global health.

Feeding differently processed soya bean. Part 1. Effect on performance, protein utilization, relative organ weights, carcass traits and economics of producing broiler-chickens.

PubMed

Aletor, V A; Olonimoyo, F I

1992-01-01

The comparative utilization of differently processed (roasted, cooked and oil cake) soya bean base diets and groundnut cake diet were evaluated in a feeding trial using 100 day-old Anak broiler-chicks. The response criteria included performance, protein utilization, relative organ weights, carcass traits and economy of production. At the end of the feeding trial, the average weight gains of chicks fed processed soya bean diets were significantly (P less than 0.05) higher than those fed groundnut cake and raw soya bean diets. Both feed consumption and efficiency were significantly (P less than 0.05) enhanced by processing. For example, feed consumption was highest in the chicks fed soya bean oil cake and least in those fed raw bean. Feed efficiency was best in chicks fed roasted soya bean. The relative weights [g/100 g body wt.] of the liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, gizzard and bursa were not significantly affected by the differently processed soya bean while the raw bean (unprocessed) significantly (P less than 0.01) increased pancreas weight. The dressed weight [%], eviscerated weight [%] and the relative weight of the thigh, drumsticks, chest, back and head were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatments. However, the relative weights of the shank and belly fat were significantly (P less than 0.05) affected. Cost-benefit analysis showed that the processed soya bean gave higher profit than groundnut cake diet. Among the soya bean diets, profit was in the order: roasted greater than cooked greater than oil cake greater than raw bean.

Economic Evaluation of the Production Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles via Liquid-Phase Route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandiyanto, A. B. D.; Fariansyah, R.; Ramadhan, M. F.; Abdullah, A. G.; Widiaty, I.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the production of magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles. The evaluation was done in two perspectives: engineering and economic evaluation. The engineering perspective concerned about the analysis of the production rate based on the available apparatuses and raw materials, completed with mass balance calculation. The economic analysis was conducted based on several economic parameters: gross profit margin (GPM), internal return rate (IRR), payback period (PBP), cumulative net present value (CNPV), break even point (BEP), and profit to investment (PI). The engineering perspective showed that the production of MgO is feasibly done in small scale industry. This is verified by the potential production using current available apparatuses and raw materials in the market. Economic analysis obtained that the present project is profitable. But, for some cases, further studies must be done to get the present production process is attractive for investor.

Economic Analysis of a Laser-Powered, Global Small Aerospacecraft Transportation System (G-SATS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walton, David; List, George; Myrabo, Leik N.

2005-04-01

A first-order economic analysis is performed for a revolutionary transport technology intended for hypersonic world travel — powered by laser energy beamed from satellite solar power stations, with relay mirrors in low Earth orbit. A fleet of 1-person to 5-person, `tractor-beam' lightcraft will enable direct port-to-port (no refueling) trips, half-way around the globe in under an hour — riding suborbital boost-glide trajectories through space. Estimates are presented of vehicle size, ridership, revenues, fleet size, capital, operating and maintenance costs, and expected profitability for a lightcraft-based global transportation system called G-SATS. On a net present value basis, over a 20-year time span, G-SATS should have a profit margin of over 20% — implying not only the ability to be profitable, but also a potential market penetrability that goes well beyond the conservative assumptions made in this analysis.

Enhancing efficiency of production cost on seafood process with activity based management method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarigan, U.; Tarigan, U. P. P.

2018-02-01

The efficiency of production costs has an important impact maintaining company presence in the business world, as well as in the face of increasingly sharp global competition. It was done by identifying and reducing non-value-added activities to decrease production costs and increase profits. The study was conducted at a company engaged in the production of squid (seafood). It has a higher product price than the market as Rp 50,000 per kg while the market price of squid is only Rp 35,000 per kg. The price of the product to be more expensive compared with market price, and thereby a lot more consumers choose the lower market price. Based on the discussions conducted, the implementation of Activity Based Management was seen in the reduction of activities that are not added value in the production process. Since each activities consumers cost, the reduction of nonvalue-added activities has effects on the decline of production cost. The production’s decline costs mainly occur in the reduction of material transfer costs. The results showed that there was an increase after the improvement of 2.60%. Increased production cost efficiency causes decreased production costs and increased profits.

The impact of managed competition on diversity, innovation and creativity in the delivery of home-care services.

PubMed

Randall, Glen E

2008-07-01

Reforming publicly funded healthcare systems by introducing elements of competition, often by allowing for-profit providers to compete with not-for-profit providers, is a strategy that has become commonplace in Western democracies. It is widely thought that the competitive forces of the marketplace will lead to greater efficiency, diversity and even innovation in the delivery of services. Between 1997 and 2000, a model of 'managed competition' was introduced as a major reform to the delivery of home-care services in Ontario, Canada. It was expected that by allowing greater competition within the home-care sector, this model would constrain costs and encourage provider agencies to become more innovative and creative in meeting service delivery needs. The purpose of this case study is to explore the impact of the managed competition reform on the for-profit and the not-for-profit organisations that provided rehabilitation home-care services, and, more specifically, to assess the extent to which the goal of greater diversity, innovation and creativity was achieved following implementation of the reform. A purposive sample of 49 key informants were selected for in-depth interviews, and a survey of the 36 organisations that provided rehabilitation home-care services and the 43 community care access centres that purchased services from these provider agencies was conducted. Data were collected between November 2002 and May 2003. Findings demonstrate that a combination of coercive, mimetic and normative isomorphic pressures have constrained diversity, innovation and creativity within the home-care sector. The implication is that the features that have traditionally distinguished for-profit and not-for-profit provider agencies from each other are rapidly disappearing, and a new hybrid organisational structure is evolving.

Model prototype utilization in the analysis of fault tolerant control and data processing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalev, I. V.; Tsarev, R. Yu; Gruzenkin, D. V.; Prokopenko, A. V.; Knyazkov, A. N.; Laptenok, V. D.

2016-04-01

The procedure assessing the profit of control and data processing system implementation is presented in the paper. The reasonability of model prototype creation and analysis results from the implementing of the approach of fault tolerance provision through the inclusion of structural and software assessment redundancy. The developed procedure allows finding the best ratio between the development cost and the analysis of model prototype and earnings from the results of this utilization and information produced. The suggested approach has been illustrated by the model example of profit assessment and analysis of control and data processing system.

Locomotor Experience: A Facilitator of Spatial Cognitive Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kermoian, Rosanne; Campos, Joseph J.

1988-01-01

Studies were designed to test the prediction that spatial search strategies in infants may be influenced by locomotor experience. The pattern of findings suggests that infants with efficient modes of locomotion are more likely than others to profit from the experiences generated by locomotion. (RJC)

Irrigation frequency and timing influence pepper yields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Information on how fertilizer and irrigation affect production of vegetables can help growers improve resource use efficiency and profitability. Fertilizer was applied at the recommended rate and twice the recommended rate to bell and non-pungent jalapeno peppers, both Capsicum annuum L., in 2009 a...

Sugarcane Fertilizer Recommendations for the 2008 Crop Year

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Louisiana sugarcane producers continue to face challenges as they attempt to maximize profits and increase production efficiency. This year yet another challenge has been added through the significant increase in the cost of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizers. Due to these i...

An Evolutionary History of Oriented Strandboard (OSB)

Treesearch

John I. Zerbe; Zhiyong Cai; George B. Harpole

2015-01-01

To improve wood utilization efficiency, oriented strandboard (OSB) was developed; 80% of the wood removed from the forest can now be processed into marketable products. This manuscript describes the history of developing this most profitable wood product, OSB, and the early FPL contribution in development.

Performance-Based Measurement: Action for Organizations and HPT Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larbi-Apau, Josephine A.; Moseley, James L.

2010-01-01

Basic measurements and applications of six selected general but critical operational performance-based indicators--effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, profitability, return on investment, and benefit-cost ratio--are presented. With each measurement, goals and potential impact are explored. Errors, risks, limitations to measurements, and a…

Re-inventing clinical trials through TransCelerate.

PubMed

Gill, Dalvir

2014-11-01

TransCelerate BioPharma was formed in 2012 as a non-profit organization with a mission to collaborate across the biopharmaceutical research and development community to identify, prioritize, design and facilitate the implementation of solutions to drive efficient, effective and high-quality delivery of new medicines.

77 FR 65053 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-24

... Ave. NW., Suite 8140, Washington, DC 20220, or online at www.PRAComment.gov . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION... of a U.S. company in order to do a national security analysis of the acquisition. Affected Public: Private Sector: businesses or other for-profits; Not-for-profit institutions. Estimated Total Annual...

Profitability and risk analysis of soybean planting date by maturity group

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Limited knowledge exists on estimated soybean yield response to planting date to determine the profit-maximizing planting date for soybean production by maturity group (MG) in the southern United States. Furthermore, determining the optimal MG and crop insurance coverage level that is preferred by r...

Vulnerability of health to market forces.

PubMed

Brezis, Mayer; Wiist, William H

2011-03-01

This article reviews adverse influences of for-profit enterprises on health care and public health, and examines significance for public policy. Narrative review. For-profit health-care industries may increase costs and reduce quality, leading to market failure and contributing to the USA's unflattering position in international comparisons of health-care efficiency. Drug and device corporations use strategies such as making biased inferences, influencing scientists and physicians, marketing rather than informing the public, and lobbying to control their own industry regulations to create market advantage. Successful marketing leads to the increased use of costly profit-making drugs and procedures over cheaper, nonpatented therapies. Because resources are limited, the overuse of costly modalities contributes to expensive health care, which presents a challenge to universal coverage. The free market also fosters the proliferation of industries, such as tobacco, food, and chemicals, which externalize costs to maximize profits, seek to unduly influence research by paying experts and universities, and attempt to control the media and regulatory agencies. Most vulnerable to the cumulative harm of these tactics are children, the poor, the sick, and the least educated. The free market can harm health and health care. The corporate obligation to increase profits and ensure a return to shareholders affects public health. Such excesses of capitalism pose formidable challenges to social justice and public health. The recognition of the health risks entailed by corporation-controlled markets has important implications for public policy. Reforms are required to limit the power of corporations.

The recruiter's excitement--features of thoracic vibrations during the honey bee's waggle dance related to food source profitability.

PubMed

Hrncir, Michael; Maia-Silva, Camila; Mc Cabe, Sofia I; Farina, Walter M

2011-12-01

The honey bee's waggle dance constitutes a remarkable example of an efficient code allowing social exploitation of available feeding sites. In addition to indicating the position (distance, direction) of a food patch, both the occurrence and frequency of the dances depend on the profitability of the exploited resource (sugar concentration, solution flow rate). During the waggle dance, successful foragers generate pulsed thoracic vibrations that putatively serve as a source of different kinds of information for hive bees, who cannot visually decode dances in the darkness of the hive. In the present study, we asked whether these vibrations are a reliable estimator of the excitement of the dancer when food profitability changes in terms of both sugar concentration and solution flow rate. The probability of producing thoracic vibrations as well as several features related to their intensity during the waggle phase (pulse duration, velocity amplitude, duty cycle) increased with both these profitability variables. The number of vibratory pulses, however, was independent of sugar concentration and reward rate exploited. Thus, pulse number could indeed be used by dance followers as reliable information about food source distance, as suggested in previous studies. The variability of the dancer's thoracic vibrations in relation to changes in food profitability suggests their role as an indicator of the recruiter's motivational state. Hence, the vibrations could make an important contribution to forager reactivation and, consequently, to the organisation of collective foraging processes in honey bees.

Production of biosolid fuels from municipal sewage sludge: Technical and economic optimisation.

PubMed

Wzorek, Małgorzata; Tańczuk, Mariusz

2015-08-01

The article presents the technical and economic analysis of the production of fuels from municipal sewage sludge. The analysis involved the production of two types of fuel compositions: sewage sludge with sawdust (PBT fuel) and sewage sludge with meat and bone meal (PBM fuel). The technology of the production line of these sewage fuels was proposed and analysed. The main objective of the study is to find the optimal production capacity. The optimisation analysis was performed for the adopted technical and economic parameters under Polish conditions. The objective function was set as a maximum of the net present value index and the optimisation procedure was carried out for the fuel production line input capacity from 0.5 to 3 t h(-1), using the search step 0.5 t h(-1). On the basis of technical and economic assumptions, economic efficiency indexes of the investment were determined for the case of optimal line productivity. The results of the optimisation analysis show that under appropriate conditions, such as prices of components and prices of produced fuels, the production of fuels from sewage sludge can be profitable. In the case of PBT fuel, calculated economic indexes show the best profitability for the capacity of a plant over 1.5 t h(-1) output, while production of PBM fuel is beneficial for a plant with the maximum of searched capacities: 3.0 t h(-1). Sensitivity analyses carried out during the investigation show that influence of both technical and economic assessments on the location of maximum of objective function (net present value) is significant. © The Author(s) 2015.

A new approach to optimal selection of services in health care organizations.

PubMed

Adolphson, D L; Baird, M L; Lawrence, K D

1991-01-01

A new reimbursement policy adopted by Medicare in 1983 caused financial difficulties for many hospitals and health care organizations. Several organizations responded to these difficulties by developing systems to carefully measure their costs of providing services. The purpose of such systems was to provide relevant information about the profitability of hospital services. This paper presents a new method of making hospital service selection decisions: it is based on an optimization model that avoids arbitrary cost allocations as a basis for computing the costs of offering a given service. The new method provides more reliable information about which services are profitable or unprofitable, and it provides an accurate measure of the degree to which a service is profitable or unprofitable. The new method also provides useful information about the sensitivity of the optimal decision to changes in costs and revenues. Specialized algorithms for the optimization model lead to very efficient implementation of the method, even for the largest health care organizations.

Research on the Rural Express Alliance based on ANP improved profit Allocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Yufeng; Zhang, Bin

2018-01-01

Online shopping platform in rural distribution difficulties, leading to rural online shopping market and logistics market development is slow. At present, China Post and other private courier companies are not possible to do. So we need to build distribution alliances. Reasonable profit allocation mechanism is the key to the stable development of this distribution alliance. So we proposed the Shapley Value Method and the ANP Improved Model to allocate profits. Finally, the rationality of the method is proved by numerical analysis before and after using the corrected Shapley Value.

Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-12-31

The Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency (FEWE) was established in Poland at the end of 1990. FEWE, as an independent and non-profit organization, has the following objectives: to strive towards an energy efficient national economy, and to show the way and methods by use of which energy efficiency can be increased. The activity of the Foundation covers the entire territory of Poland through three regional centers: in Warsaw, Katowice and Cracow. FEWE employs well-known and experienced specialists within thermal and power engineering, civil engineering, economy and applied sciences. The organizer of the Foundation has been Battelle Memorial Institute - Pacificmore » Northwest Laboratories from the USA.« less

Engineering Analysis and Economic Evaluation of the Synthesis of Composite CuO/ZnO/ZrO2 Nanocatalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandiyanto, A. B. D.; Hayati, W. R.; Aziz, T. A.; Ragadhita, R.; Abdullah, A. G.; Widiaty, I.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the synthesis process of composite CuO/ZnO/ZrO2 (CZZ) nanocatalyst. The CZZ nanocatalyst is used as a catalyst in the hydrogenation reaction, which is used to convert harmful CO2 gas into liquid fuels such as methanol. In this study, CZZ produced using the sol-gel autocombustion method was selected as a model of the production procedure. The evaluation was conducted into two factors: engineering and economic analysis. Engineering analysis was analyzed based on the available apparatuses and raw materials in online web. Then, these data were used and compared with the mass balance approximation. The economic analysis was done using several economic parameters, including such as gross margin, internal rate return, payback period, cumulative net value, break even point (BEP), profitability index on sales to investment. Engineering analysis showed the present method can be applied using available apparatuses and raw materials in market. Economic analysis result confirmed that the present project is profitable. The analysis concluded that the present project for the production of CZZ nanocatalyst is prospective in small scale industry and profitable (by positive values in all economic parameters).

The effect of age at first calving and calving interval on productive life and lifetime profit in korean holsteins.

PubMed

Do, Changhee; Wasana, Nidarshani; Cho, Kwanghyun; Choi, Yunho; Choi, Taejeong; Park, Byungho; Lee, Donghee

2013-11-01

This study was performed to estimate the effect of age at first calving and first two calving intervals on productive life and life time profit in Korean Holsteins. Reproduction data of Korean Holsteins born from 1998 to 2004 and lactation data from 276,573 cows with birth and last dry date that calved between 2000 and 2010 were used for the analysis. Lifetime profit increased with the days of life span. Regression of Life Span on Lifetime profit indicated that there was an increase of 3,800 Won (approximately $3.45) of lifetime profit per day increase in life span. This is evidence that care of each cow is necessary to improve net return and important for farms maintaining profitable cows. The estimates of heritability of age at first calving, first two calving intervals, days in milk for lifetime, lifespan, milk income and lifetime profit were 0.111, 0.088, 0.142, 0.140, 0.143, 0.123, and 0.102, respectively. The low heritabilities indicated that the productive life and economical traits include reproductive and productive characteristics. Age at first calving and interval between first and second calving had negative genetic correlation with lifetime profit (-0.080 and -0.265, respectively). Reducing age at first calving and first calving interval had a positive effect on lifetime profit. Lifetime profit increased to approximately 2,600,000 (2,363.6) from 800,000 Won ($727.3) when age at first calving decreased to (22.3 month) from (32.8 month). Results suggested that reproductive traits such as age at first calving and calving interval might affect various economical traits and consequently influenced productive life and profitability of cows. In conclusion, regard of the age at first calving must be taken with the optimum age at first calving for maximum lifetime profit being 22.5 to 23.5 months. Moreover, considering the negative genetic correlation of first calving interval with lifetime profit, it should be reduced against the present trend of increase.

The Effect of Age at First Calving and Calving Interval on Productive Life and Lifetime Profit in Korean Holsteins

PubMed Central

Do, Changhee; Wasana, Nidarshani; Cho, Kwanghyun; Choi, Yunho; Choi, Taejeong; Park, Byungho; Lee, Donghee

2013-01-01

This study was performed to estimate the effect of age at first calving and first two calving intervals on productive life and life time profit in Korean Holsteins. Reproduction data of Korean Holsteins born from 1998 to 2004 and lactation data from 276,573 cows with birth and last dry date that calved between 2000 and 2010 were used for the analysis. Lifetime profit increased with the days of life span. Regression of Life Span on Lifetime profit indicated that there was an increase of 3,800 Won (approximately $3.45) of lifetime profit per day increase in life span. This is evidence that care of each cow is necessary to improve net return and important for farms maintaining profitable cows. The estimates of heritability of age at first calving, first two calving intervals, days in milk for lifetime, lifespan, milk income and lifetime profit were 0.111, 0.088, 0.142, 0.140, 0.143, 0.123, and 0.102, respectively. The low heritabilities indicated that the productive life and economical traits include reproductive and productive characteristics. Age at first calving and interval between first and second calving had negative genetic correlation with lifetime profit (−0.080 and −0.265, respectively). Reducing age at first calving and first calving interval had a positive effect on lifetime profit. Lifetime profit increased to approximately 2,600,000 (2,363.6) from 800,000 Won ($727.3) when age at first calving decreased to (22.3 month) from (32.8 month). Results suggested that reproductive traits such as age at first calving and calving interval might affect various economical traits and consequently influenced productive life and profitability of cows. In conclusion, regard of the age at first calving must be taken with the optimum age at first calving for maximum lifetime profit being 22.5 to 23.5 months. Moreover, considering the negative genetic correlation of first calving interval with lifetime profit, it should be reduced against the present trend of increase. PMID:25049735

Person-Organization Commitment: Bonds of Internal Consumer in the Context of Non-profit Organizations.

PubMed

Juaneda-Ayensa, Emma; Clavel San Emeterio, Mónica; González-Menorca, Carlos

2017-01-01

From an Organizational Behavior perspective, it is important to recognize the links generated between individuals and the organization that encourage a desire for permanence. After more than a half century of research, Organizational Commitment remains one of the open questions in the Psychology of Organizations. It is considered an essential factor for explaining individual behavior in the organization such as satisfaction, turnover intention, or loyalty. In this paper, we analyze different contributions regarding the nature of the bond between the individual and the organization. Taking into account the peculiarities of Non-profit Organizations, we present different interpretation for later validation, comparing results from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the four models obtained using exploratory factor analysis, both conducted on a sample of 235 members of Non-profit Organizations.

AWARE@HOME: PROFITABLY INTEGRATING CONSERVATION INTO THE AMERICAN HOME

EPA Science Inventory

While American households are the most resource consuming in the world, they are unlikely to become more efficient users of public utilities because of: 1) large time delays between utility use and the receipt of utility bills; 2) the inconvenience of personally checking and ...

Language Learning as Linguistic Entrepreneurship: Implications for Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Costa, Peter; Park, Joseph; Wee, Lionel

2016-01-01

The growing emphasis on accountability, competitiveness, efficiency, and profit demonstrates how language education has been impacted by neoliberalism. To bring out the implications of neoliberalism on language education, we explore how language learning is increasingly constructed as a form of linguistic entrepreneurship, or "an act of…

Controlling Inventory: Real-World Mathematical Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Thomas G.; Özgün-Koca, S. Asli; Chelst, Kenneth R.

2013-01-01

Amazon, Walmart, and other large-scale retailers owe their success partly to efficient inventory management. For such firms, holding too little inventory risks losing sales, whereas holding idle inventory wastes money. Therefore profits hinge on the inventory level chosen. In this activity, students investigate a simplified inventory-control…

Educational Authority in the ''Open Door'' Marketplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deterding, Nicole M.; Pedulla, David S.

2016-01-01

In recent years, private for-profit education has been the fastest growing segment of the U.S. postsecondary system. Traditional hiring models suggest that employers clearly and efficiently evaluate college credentials, but this changing institutional landscape raises an important question: How do employers assess credentials from emerging…

77 FR 48951 - Inviting Applications for Value-Added Producer Grants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-15

..., and local and regional food systems are encouraged. Proposals must demonstrate economic viability and... announcement from prior year carry-over funds. Awards may be made for either economic planning or working... the project, as well as the operational efficiency, profitability, and overall economic sustainability...

[Comparative analysis of the non-profit, for-profit and public hospital providers: American experiences].

PubMed

Mogyorósy, Zsolt

2004-07-04

The new legislation allowed hospitals and other health care facilities to be converted into for-profit status. The detailed regulatory framework is under development in Hungary. This article reviews the literature of studies comparing hospital financial performance and the quality of care before and after conversion from public or non-profit status to for-profit. Studies were identified through electronic search of Medline (Pubmed), EconLit, Cochrane Library, Economic Evaluation Database (EED), az Health Technology Assessment (HTA) databases, library files and reference lists. The literature search was extended to the Internet, World Bank, International Labor Office (ILO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and WHO websites as well as government, academic institutions and large insurance companies web pages for unpublished online information. Time series and before-after studies and systematic literature reviews were included. The conversion from non-profit to for-profit status improved the profitability of the hospitals. However the quality of care (measures in mortality, frequency of side effects, complications) might suffer in the first couple years of the conversion. The conversion may increase the total health care expenditures per capita. Trustful relationship between patients and physicians may also be threatened. The generalisability of the American experiences into the Hungarian single payer system may be limited. From societal point of view, for-profit providers could provide socially beneficial care in areas where it is possible to define, monitor and evaluate the nature and quality characteristics of the services, as well as market competition can be ensured. However most of the healthcare services are too complex to fall into this category.

Path connectivity based spectral defragmentation in flexible bandwidth networks.

PubMed

Wang, Ying; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Yongli; Zhang, Jiawei; Zhao, Jie; Wang, Xinbo; Gu, Wanyi

2013-01-28

Optical networks with flexible bandwidth provisioning have become a very promising networking architecture. It enables efficient resource utilization and supports heterogeneous bandwidth demands. In this paper, two novel spectrum defragmentation approaches, i.e. Maximum Path Connectivity (MPC) algorithm and Path Connectivity Triggering (PCT) algorithm, are proposed based on the notion of Path Connectivity, which is defined to represent the maximum variation of node switching ability along the path in flexible bandwidth networks. A cost-performance-ratio based profitability model is given to denote the prons and cons of spectrum defragmentation. We compare these two proposed algorithms with non-defragmentation algorithm in terms of blocking probability. Then we analyze the differences of defragmentation profitability between MPC and PCT algorithms.

The Policy Implications of the Cost Structure of Home Health Agencies

PubMed Central

Mukamel, Dana B; Fortinsky, Richard H; White, Alan; Harrington, Charlene; White, Laura M; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen

2014-01-01

Purpose To examine the cost structure of home health agencies by estimating an empirical cost function for those that are Medicare-certified, ten years following the implementation of prospective payment. Design and Methods 2010 national Medicare cost report data for certified home health agencies were merged with case-mix information from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS). We estimated a fully interacted (by tax status) hybrid cost function for 7,064 agencies and calculated marginal costs as percent of total costs for all variables. Results The home health industry is dominated by for-profit agencies, which tend to be newer than the non-profit agencies and to have higher average costs per patient but lower costs per visit. For-profit agencies tend to have smaller scale operations and different cost structures, and are less likely to be affiliated with chains. Our estimates suggest diseconomies of scale, zero marginal cost for contracting with therapy workers, and a positive marginal cost for contracting with nurses, when controlling for quality. Implications Our findings suggest that efficiencies may be achieved by promoting non-profit, smaller agencies, with fewer contract nursing staff. This conclusion should be tested further in future studies that address some of the limitations of our study. PMID:24949224

48 CFR 1515.404-471 - EPA structured approach for developing profit or fee objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... profit or fee objective. (5) The weight factors discussed in this section are designed for arriving at... involving creative design. (B) Consideration should be given to the managerial and technical efforts.../technical and general labor. Analysis of labor should include evaluation of the comparative quality and...

48 CFR 1515.404-471 - EPA structured approach for developing profit or fee objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... profit or fee objective. (5) The weight factors discussed in this section are designed for arriving at... involving creative design. (B) Consideration should be given to the managerial and technical efforts.../technical and general labor. Analysis of labor should include evaluation of the comparative quality and...

48 CFR 1515.404-471 - EPA structured approach for developing profit or fee objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... profit or fee objective. (5) The weight factors discussed in this section are designed for arriving at... involving creative design. (B) Consideration should be given to the managerial and technical efforts.../technical and general labor. Analysis of labor should include evaluation of the comparative quality and...

48 CFR 1515.404-471 - EPA structured approach for developing profit or fee objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... profit or fee objective. (5) The weight factors discussed in this section are designed for arriving at... involving creative design. (B) Consideration should be given to the managerial and technical efforts.../technical and general labor. Analysis of labor should include evaluation of the comparative quality and...

48 CFR 1515.404-471 - EPA structured approach for developing profit or fee objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... profit or fee objective. (5) The weight factors discussed in this section are designed for arriving at... involving creative design. (B) Consideration should be given to the managerial and technical efforts.../technical and general labor. Analysis of labor should include evaluation of the comparative quality and...

Miller Table Company: A Profit Analysis Case Integrating Managerial Accounting, Microeconomics and Marketing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Louise

2014-01-01

This paper describes a unique integrative business case appropriate for use in a managerial accounting course or other business courses related to economics or marketing. The case describes a scenario in which a managerial accountant is assisting in business decisions relating to factors influencing the profitability of a small manufacturing…

Quantitative Financial Analysis of Alternative Energy Efficiency Shareholder Incentive Mechanisms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cappers, Peter; Goldman, Charles; Chait, Michele

2008-08-03

Rising energy prices and climate change are central issues in the debate about our nation's energy policy. Many are demanding increased energy efficiency as a way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower the total cost of electricity and energy services for consumers and businesses. Yet, as the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPEE) pointed out, many utilities continue to shy away from seriously expanding their energy efficiency program offerings because they claim there is insufficient profit-motivation, or even a financial disincentive, when compared to supply-side investments. With the recent introduction of Duke Energy's Save-a-Watt incentive mechanism andmore » ongoing discussions about decoupling, regulators and policymakers are now faced with an expanded and diverse landscape of financial incentive mechanisms, Determining the 'right' way forward to promote deep and sustainable demand side resource programs is challenging. Due to the renaissance that energy efficiency is currently experiencing, many want to better understand the tradeoffs in stakeholder benefits between these alternative incentive structures before aggressively embarking on a path for which course corrections can be time-consuming and costly. Using a prototypical Southwest utility and a publicly available financial model, we show how various stakeholders (e.g. shareholders, ratepayers, etc.) are affected by these different types of shareholder incentive mechanisms under varying assumptions about program portfolios. This quantitative analysis compares the financial consequences associated with a wide range of alternative incentive structures. The results will help regulators and policymakers better understand the financial implications of DSR program incentive regulation.« less

Impact of facility size and profit status on intermediate outcomes in chronic dialysis patients.

PubMed

Frankenfield, D L; Sugarman, J R; Presley, R J; Helgerson, S D; Rocco, M V

2000-08-01

Little information is available regarding the influence of dialysis facility size or profit status on intermediate outcomes in chronic dialysis patients. We have combined data from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Core Indicators Project; the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facility survey; and the HCFA On-Line Survey, Certification, and Reporting System to analyze trends in this area. For hemodialysis patients, larger facilities were more likely than smaller facilities to perform dialysis on patients who were younger than 65 years of age, black, or undergoing dialysis 2 years or more (P < 0.001). Nonprofit facilities were more likely to perform dialysis on patients with diabetes mellitus as a cause of ESRD and less likely to perform dialysis on patients with hypertension as a cause of ESRD compared with for-profit units (P < 0.05). By multivariate analysis, larger facility size was modestly associated with a greater Kt/V value and urea reduction ratio, but not with hematocrit or serum albumin values. Facility profit status was not associated with these intermediate outcomes. For peritoneal dialysis patients, there were no significant differences in patient demographics based on facility size. More patients in nonprofit units had been undergoing dialysis 2 or more years than patients in for-profit units (P < 0.05). By univariate analysis, patients in larger facilities were more likely to have an adequacy measure performed than patients from smaller facilities (P < 0.05). There were few substantial differences in intermediate outcomes in chronic dialysis patients based on facility size or profit status.

Assessment of a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) model for Telemonitoring patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF).

PubMed

Grustam, Andrija S; Vrijhoef, Hubertus J M; Koymans, Ron; Hukal, Philipp; Severens, Johan L

2017-10-11

The purpose of this study is to assess the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) model for telemonitoring patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) by analysing the value it creates, both for organizations or ventures that provide telemonitoring services based on it, and for society. The business model assessment was based on the following categories: caveats, venture type, six-factor alignment, strategic market assessment, financial viability, valuation analysis, sustainability, societal impact, and technology assessment. The venture valuation was performed for three jurisdictions (countries) - Singapore, the Netherlands and the United States - in order to show the opportunities in a small, medium-sized, and large country (i.e. population). The business model assessment revealed that B2C telemonitoring is viable and profitable in the Innovating in Healthcare Framework. Analysis of the ecosystem revealed an average-to-excellent fit with the six factors. The structure and financing fit was average, public policy and technology alignment was good, while consumer alignment and accountability fit was deemed excellent. The financial prognosis revealed that the venture is viable and profitable in Singapore and the Netherlands but not in the United States due to relatively high salary inputs. The B2C model in telemonitoring CHF potentially creates value for patients, shareholders of the service provider, and society. However, the validity of the results could be improved, for instance by using a peer-reviewed framework, a systematic literature search, case-based cost/efficiency inputs, and varied scenario inputs.

Assessing the economic impacts of drought from the perspective of profit loss rate: a case study of the sugar industry in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Lin, L.; Chen, H.

2015-07-01

Natural disasters have enormous impacts on human society, especially on the development of the economy. To support decision-making in mitigation and adaption to natural disasters, assessment of economic impacts is fundamental and of great significance. Based on a review of the literature on economic impact evaluation, this paper proposes a new assessment model of the economic impacts of droughts by using the sugar industry in China as a case study, which focuses on the generation and transfer of economic impacts along a simple value chain involving only sugarcane growers and a sugar-producing company. A perspective of profit loss rate is applied to scale economic impact. By using "with and without" analysis, profit loss is defined as the difference in profits between disaster-hit and disaster-free scenarios. To calculate profit, analysis of a time series of sugar price is applied. With the support of a linear regression model, an endogenous trend in sugar price is identified and the time series of sugar price "without" disaster is obtained, using an autoregressive error model to separate impact of disasters from the internal trend in sugar price. Unlike the settings in other assessment models, representative sugar prices, which represent value level in disaster-free conditions and disaster-hit conditions, are integrated from a long time series that covers the whole period of drought. As a result, it is found that in a rigid farming contract, sugarcane growers suffer far more than the sugar company when impacted by severe drought, which may promote reflections among various economic bodies on economic equality related to the occurrence of natural disasters. Further, sensitivity analysis of the model built reveals that sugarcane purchase price has a significant influence on profit loss rate, which implies that setting a proper sugarcane purchase price would be an effective way of realizing economic equality in future practice of contract farming.

Entrepreneurial systems. Do it yourself for profit and pleasure.

PubMed

Manuel, G; Young, K

1991-11-28

You don't have to have a degree in computing or a 1 m pounds budget to create a system that improves efficiency or saves money. Gren Manuel introduces a special report which celebrates the small-scale initiatives devised and implemented by health staff armed only with a personal computer.

Productivity: An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swartz, Carl

This training package explains productivity in terms of the difference between worker output and company input. Output is defined in terms of the products and/or services of an organization (number and/or quality of units produced, efficiency of time use, marginal profits) and in terms of behavior (labor turnover, disruptions in routine, wasted…

Becoming Resilient: Disaster Planning and Recovery: NREL Experts Assist Before and After a Disaster (Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hotchkiss, E.

This fact sheet provides information on how private industry; federal, state, and local governments; non-profit organizations; and communities can utilize NREL's expertise, tools, and innovations to incorporate energy efficiency and renewable energy into the planning, recovery, and rebuilding stages of disaster.

Move Your Continuing Education Unit from Function to Performance-Based.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kodgis, Damian

This document explores the policies and practices essential for maintaining a profitable, efficient, and productive continuing education program. A continuing education organizational structure must produce results (sales) and services (delivery), and organizational roles must be clearly defined so that income is linked to expenses. Sales and…

Personnel's Newest Challenge: Helping to Cope with Greater Stress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Student, Kurt R.

1978-01-01

Emotional strain and feelings of tension, anxiety, and a sense of futility can result from the inner conflict between a manager's needs for efficiency, profit, productivity, and so forth, and a heightened concern about the welfare and self-worth of the individuals who work for him or her. (Author/IRT)

Corn response to nitrogen management under fully-irrigated vs. water-stressed conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Characterizing corn grain yield response to nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate is critical for maximizing profits, optimizing N use efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts. Although a large data base of yield response to N has been compiled for highly productive soils in the upper Midwest U.S., f...

Ammonium and skatole biodegradation by swine waste microflora in a flow-through bioreactor

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Animal waste disposal and odor control have become a major issue for animal production facilities. As an attempt to improve efficiency and profit margins, many livestock operations have become large concentrated rearing facilities. As a result, many concerns over potentially adverse environmental im...

Techno-Human Mesh: The Growing Power of Information Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Cynthia K.

This book examines the intersection of information technologies, power, people, and bodies. It explores how information technologies are on a path of creating efficiency, productivity, profitability, surveillance, and control, and looks at the ways in which human-machine interface technologies, such as wearable computers, biometric technologies,…

Recycling Pressure-Sensitive Products

Treesearch

Jihui Guo; Larry Gwin; Carl Houtman; Mark Kroll; Steven J. Severtson

2012-01-01

The efficient control of contaminants such as metals, plastics, inks and adhesives during the processing of recovered paper products determines the profitability of recycling mills. In fact, it is arguably the most important technical obstacle in expanding the use of recycled paper.1-4 An especially challenging category of contaminants to manage...

Economics of adopting solar photovoltaic energy systems in irrigation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matlin, R.W.; Katzman, M.T.

An economic analysis concerning the adoption of solar photovoltaic energy systems in irrigation has been made compared to conventional fossil fuel energy sources. The basis for this analysis is presented along with a discussion as to the time of initial profitability, the time of optimal investment, the effects of the tax system, the cost per acre that would make irrigation unviable, and possible governmental incentives that would promote the deployment of photovoltaic irrigation systems between the time of initial profitability and the time of optimal investment.

Defining the breeding goal for a sheep breed including production and functional traits using market data.

PubMed

Theodoridis, A; Ragkos, A; Rose, G; Roustemis, D; Arsenos, G

2017-11-16

In this study, the economic values for production and functional traits of dairy sheep are estimated through the application of a profit function model using farm-level technical and economic data. The traits incorporated in the model were milk production, prolificacy, fertility, milking speed, longevity and mastitis occurrence. The economic values for these traits were derived as the approximate partial derivative of the specified profit function. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted in order to examine how potential changes in input and output prices would affect the breeding goal. The estimated economic values of the traits revealed their economic impact on the definition of the breeding goal for the specified production system. Milk production and fertility had the highest economic values (€40.30 and €20.28 per standard genetic deviation (SDa)), while, mastitis only had a low negative value of -0.57 €/SDa. Therefore, breeding for clinical mastitis will have a minor impact on farm profitability because it affects a small proportion of the flock and has low additive variance. The production traits, which include milk production, prolificacy and milking speed, contributed most to the breeding goal (70.0%), but functional traits still had a considerable share (30.0%). The results of this study highlight the importance of the knowledge of economic values of traits in the design of a breeding program. It is also suggested that the production and functional traits under consideration can be categorized as those which can be efficiently treated through genetic improvement (e.g. milk production and fertility) while others would be better dealt with through managerial interventions (e.g. mastitis occurrence). Also, sub-clinical mastitis that affects a higher proportion of flocks could have a higher contribution to breeding goals.

Dancing bees tune both duration and rate of waggle-run production in relation to nectar-source profitability.

PubMed

Seeley, T D; Mikheyev, A S; Pagano, G J

2000-09-01

For more than 50 years, investigators of the honey bee's waggle dance have reported that richer food sources seem to elicit longer-lasting and livelier dances than do poorer sources. However, no one had measured both dance duration and liveliness as a function of food-source profitability. Using video analysis, we found that nectar foragers adjust both the duration (D) and the rate (R) of waggle-run production, thereby tuning the number of waggle runs produced per foraging trip (W, where W= DR) as a function of food-source profitability. Both duration and rate of waggle-run production increase with rising food-source profitability. Moreover, we found that a dancing bee adjusts the rate of waggle-run production (R) in relation to food-source profitability by adjusting the mean duration of the return-phase portion of her dance circuits. This finding raises the possibility that bees can use return-phase duration as an index of food-source profitability. Finally, dances having different levels of liveliness have different mean durations of the return phase, indicating that dance liveliness can be quantified in terms of the time interval between consecutive waggle runs.

Economies of scale and asset values in power production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Considine, T.J.

While innovative trading tools have become an increasingly important aspect of the electricity business, the future of any firm in the industry boils down to a basic bread and butter issue of generating power at competitive costs. While buying electricity from power pools at spot prices instead of generating power to service load may be profitable for some firms in the short run, the need to efficiently utilize existing plants in the long run remains. These competitive forces will force the closure of many inefficient plants. As firms close plants and re-evaluate their generating asset portfolios, the basic structure ofmore » the industry will change. This article presents some quantitative analysis that sheds light on this unfolding transformation.« less

Complaints in for-profit, non-profit and public nursing homes in two Canadian provinces

PubMed Central

McGregor, Margaret J; Cohen, Marcy; Stocks-Rankin, Catherine-Rose; Cox, Michelle B; Salomons, Kia; McGrail, Kimberlyn M; Spencer, Charmaine; Ronald, Lisa A; Schulzer, Michael

2011-01-01

Background Nursing homes provide long-term housing, support and nursing care to frail elders who are no longer able to function independently. Although studies conducted in the United States have demonstrated an association between for-profit ownership and inferior quality, relatively few Canadian studies have made performance comparisons with reference to type of ownership. Complaints are one proxy measure of performance in the nursing home setting. Our study goal was to determine whether there is an association between facility ownership and the frequency of nursing home complaints. Methods We analyzed publicly available data on complaints, regulatory measures, facility ownership and size for 604 facilities in Ontario over 1 year (2007/08) and 62 facilities in British Columbia (Fraser Health region) over 4 years (2004–2008). All analyses were carried out at the facility level. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to assess the association between type of facility ownership and frequency of complaints. Results The mean (standard deviation) number of verified/substantiated complaints per 100 beds per year in Ontario and Fraser Health was 0.45 (1.10) and 0.78 (1.63) respectively. Most complaints related to resident care. Complaints were more frequent in facilities with more citations, i.e., violations of the legislation or regulations governing a home, (Ontario) and inspection violations (Fraser Health). Compared with Ontario’s for-profit chain facilities, adjusted incident rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals of verified complaints were 0.56 (0.27–1.16), 0.58 (0.34–1.00), 0.43 (0.21– 0.88), and 0.50 (0.30– 0.84) for for-profit single-site, non-profit, charitable, and public facilities respectively. In Fraser Health, the adjusted incident rate ratio of substantiated complaints in non-profit facilities compared with for-profit facilities was 0.18 (0.07–0.45). Interpretation Compared with for-profit chain facilities, non-profit, charitable and public facilities had significantly lower rates of complaints in Ontario. Likewise, in British Columbia’s Fraser Health region, non-profit owned facilities had significantly lower rates of complaints compared with for-profit owned facilities. PMID:22567074

Cost-benefit analysis and emission reduction of energy efficient lighting at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional.

PubMed

Ganandran, G S B; Mahlia, T M I; Ong, Hwai Chyuan; Rismanchi, B; Chong, W T

2014-01-01

This paper reports the result of an investigation on the potential energy saving of the lighting systems at selected buildings of the Universiti Tenaga Nasional. The scope of this project includes evaluation of the lighting system in the Library, Admin Building, College of Engineering, College of Information Technology, Apartments, and COE Food court of the university. The main objectives of this project are to design the proper retrofit scenario and to calculate the potential electricity saving, the payback period, and the potential environmental benefits. In this survey the policy for retrofitting the old lighting system with the new energy saving LEDs starts with 10% for the first year and continues constantly for 10 years until all the lighting systems have been replaced. The result of the life cycle analysis reveals that after four years, the selected buildings will bring profit for the investment.

Cost-Benefit Analysis and Emission Reduction of Energy Efficient Lighting at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional

PubMed Central

Ganandran, G. S. B.; Mahlia, T. M. I.; Ong, Hwai Chyuan; Rismanchi, B.; Chong, W. T.

2014-01-01

This paper reports the result of an investigation on the potential energy saving of the lighting systems at selected buildings of the Universiti Tenaga Nasional. The scope of this project includes evaluation of the lighting system in the Library, Admin Building, College of Engineering, College of Information Technology, Apartments, and COE Food court of the university. The main objectives of this project are to design the proper retrofit scenario and to calculate the potential electricity saving, the payback period, and the potential environmental benefits. In this survey the policy for retrofitting the old lighting system with the new energy saving LEDs starts with 10% for the first year and continues constantly for 10 years until all the lighting systems have been replaced. The result of the life cycle analysis reveals that after four years, the selected buildings will bring profit for the investment. PMID:25133258

Using pattern analysis methods to do fast detection of manufacturing pattern failures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Evan; Wang, Jessie; Sun, Mason; Wang, Jeff; Zhang, Yifan; Sweis, Jason; Lai, Ya-Chieh; Ding, Hua

2016-03-01

At the advanced technology node, logic design has become extremely complex and is getting more challenging as the pattern geometry size decreases. The small sizes of layout patterns are becoming very sensitive to process variations. Meanwhile, the high pressure of yield ramp is always there due to time-to-market competition. The company that achieves patterning maturity earlier than others will have a great advantage and a better chance to realize maximum profit margins. For debugging silicon failures, DFT diagnostics can identify which nets or cells caused the yield loss. But normally, a long time period is needed with many resources to identify which failures are due to one common layout pattern or structure. This paper will present a new yield diagnostic flow, based on preliminary EFA results, to show how pattern analysis can more efficiently detect pattern related systematic defects. Increased visibility on design pattern related failures also allows more precise yield loss estimation.

Person-Organization Commitment: Bonds of Internal Consumer in the Context of Non-profit Organizations

PubMed Central

Juaneda-Ayensa, Emma; Clavel San Emeterio, Mónica; González-Menorca, Carlos

2017-01-01

From an Organizational Behavior perspective, it is important to recognize the links generated between individuals and the organization that encourage a desire for permanence. After more than a half century of research, Organizational Commitment remains one of the open questions in the Psychology of Organizations. It is considered an essential factor for explaining individual behavior in the organization such as satisfaction, turnover intention, or loyalty. In this paper, we analyze different contributions regarding the nature of the bond between the individual and the organization. Taking into account the peculiarities of Non-profit Organizations, we present different interpretation for later validation, comparing results from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the four models obtained using exploratory factor analysis, both conducted on a sample of 235 members of Non-profit Organizations. PMID:28775699

M&A needn't be a loser's game.

PubMed

Selden, Larry; Colvin, Geoffrey

2003-06-01

Three out of four acquisitions fail; they destroy wealth for the buyer's shareholders, who end up worse off than they would have been had the deal not been done. But it doesn't have to be that way, argue the authors. In evaluating acquisitions, companies must look beyond the lure of profits the income statement promises and examine the balance sheet, where the company keeps track of capital. It's ignoring the balance sheet that causes so many acquisitions to destroy shareholders' wealth. Unfortunately, most executives focus only on sales and profits going up, never realizing that they've put in motion a plan to destroy their company's true profitability--its return on invested capital. M&A, like other aspects of running a company, works best when seen as a way to create shareholder value through customers. Some deals are sought to help create better value propositions for the business or to better execute current strategies--or to block competitors from doing these things. But most deals are about customers and should start with an analysis of customer profitability. Some customers are deliciously profitable; others are dismal money losers. The better an acquirer understands the profitability of its own customers, the better positioned it will be to perform such analyses on other companies. In this article, the authors show that customer profitability varies far more dramatically than most managers suspect. They also describe how to measure the profitability of customers. By understanding the economics of customer profitability, companies can avoid making deals that hurt their shareholders, they can identify surprising deals that do create wealth, and they can salvage deals that would otherwise be losers.

Quality of care in investor-owned vs not-for-profit HMOs.

PubMed

Himmelstein, D U; Woolhandler, S; Hellander, I; Wolfe, S M

1999-07-14

The proportion of health maintenance organization (HMO) members enrolled in investor-owned plans has increased sharply, yet little is known about the quality of these plans compared with not-for-profit HMOs. To compare quality-of-care measures for investor-owned and not-for-profit HMOs. Analysis of the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Version 3.0 from the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Quality Compass 1997, which included 1996 quality-of-care data for 329 HMO plans (248 investor-owned and 81 not-for-profit), representing 56% of the total HMO enrollment in the United States. Rates for 14 HEDIS quality-of-care indicators. Compared with not-for-profit HMOs, investor-owned plans had lower rates for all 14 quality-of-care indicators. Among patients discharged from the hospital after myocardial infarction, 59.2% of members in investor-owned HMOs vs 70.6% in not-for-profit plans received a beta-blocker (P<.001); 35.1% of patients with diabetes mellitus in investor-owned plans vs 47.9% in not-for-profit plans had annual eye examinations (P<.001). Investor-owned plans had lower rates than not-for-profit plans of immunization (63.9% vs 72.3%; P<.001), mammography (69.4% vs 75.1%; P<.001), Papanicolaou tests (69.2% vs 77.1%; P<.001), and psychiatric hospitalization (70.5% vs 77.1%; P<.001). Quality scores were highest for staff- and group-model HMOs. In multivariate analyses, investor ownership was consistently associated with lower quality after controlling for model type, geographic region, and the method each HMO used to collect data. Investor-owned HMOs deliver lower quality of care than not-for-profit plans.

A Web Application for Cotton Irrigation Management on The US Southern High Plains. Part I: Crop Yield Modeling and Profit Analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irrigated cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) production is a central part of west Texas agriculture that depends on the essentially non-renewable water resource of the Ogallala aquifer. Web-based decision support tools that estimate the profit effects of irrigation for cotton under varying lint price, p...

Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: An Analysis of the Role of the For-Profit Higher Education Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Brittny Adair

2013-01-01

This research project examines the influence of the for-profit college sector on the 2008 reauthorization of the "Higher Education Act." It is based on interviews with Congressional staff, college lobbyists, and higher education reporters, as well as the "Congressional Record" and advocacy materials. Findings indicate that the…

Analysis of Servant-Leadership Characteristics: Case Study of a For-Profit Career School President

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiatt, Elaine M.

2010-01-01

Servant leadership is a challenging leadership philosophy to study empirically. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to determine if an effective leader of a for-profit career school displays the 10 servant-leader characteristics, identified by Larry R. Spears (1995) in "Reflections on Leadership," according to respondents,…

For-Profit Colleges and Universities: Their Markets, Regulation, Performance, and Place in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hentschke, Guilbert C., Ed.; Lechuga, Vicente M., Ed.; Tierney, William G., Ed.

2010-01-01

This book offers a clear-eyed and balanced analysis of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs), reviewing their history, business strategies, and management practices; setting them in the context of marketplace conditions, the framework of public policy and government regulations; and viewing them in the light of the public good. Individual…

Assessing the feasibility and profitability of cable logging in southern upland hardwood forests

Treesearch

Chris B. LeDoux; Dennis M. May; Tony Johnson; Richard H. Widmann

1995-01-01

Procedures developed to assess available timber supplies from upland hardwood forest statistics reported by the USDA Forest Services' Forest Inventory and Analysis unit were modified to assess the feasibility and profitability of cable logging in southern upland hardwood forests. Depending on the harvest system and yarding distance used, cable logging can be...

Impact of in-woods product merchandizing on profitable logging opportunities in southern upland hardwood forests

Treesearch

Dennis M. May; Chris B. LeDoux; John B. Tansey; Richard Widmann

1994-01-01

Procedures developed to assess available timber supplies from upland hardwood forest statistics reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) units, were modified to demonstrate the impact of three in-woods product-merchandizing options on profitable logging opportunities in upland hardwood forests in 14 Southern...

Future consequences of decreasing marginal production efficiency in the high-yielding dairy cow.

PubMed

Moallem, U

2016-04-01

The objectives were to examine the gross and marginal production efficiencies in high-yielding dairy cows and the future consequences on dairy industry profitability. Data from 2 experiments were used in across-treatments analysis (n=82 mid-lactation multiparous Israeli-Holstein dairy cows). Milk yields, body weights (BW), and dry matter intakes (DMI) were recorded daily. In both experiments, cows were fed a diet containing 16.5 to 16.6% crude protein and net energy for lactation (NEL) at 1.61 Mcal/kg of dry matter (DM). The means of milk yield, BW, DMI, NEL intake, and energy required for maintenance were calculated individually over the whole study, and used to calculate gross and marginal efficiencies. Data were analyzed in 2 ways: (1) simple correlation between variables; and (2) cows were divided into 3 subgroups, designated low, moderate, and high DMI (LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI), according to actual DMI per day: ≤ 26 kg (n=27); >26 through 28.2 kg (n=28); and >28.2 kg (n=27). The phenotypic Pearson correlations among variables were analyzed, and the GLM procedure was used to test differences between subgroups. The relationships between milk and fat-corrected milk yields and the corresponding gross efficiencies were positive, whereas BW and gross production efficiency were negatively correlated. The marginal production efficiency from DM and energy consumed decreased with increasing DMI. The difference between BW gain as predicted by the National Research Council model (2001) and the present measurements increased with increasing DMI (r=0.68). The average calculated energy balances were 1.38, 2.28, and 4.20 Mcal/d (standard error of the mean=0.64) in the LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI groups, respectively. The marginal efficiency for milk yields from DMI or energy consumed was highest in LDMI, intermediate in MDMI, and lowest in HDMI. The predicted BW gains for the whole study period were 22.9, 37.9, and 75.8 kg for the LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI groups, respectively. The present study demonstrated that marginal production efficiency decreased with increasing feed intake. Because of the close association between production and intake, the principle of diminishing marginal productivity may explain why increasing milk production (and consequently increasing intake) does not always enhance profitability. To maintain high production efficiency in the future, more attention should be given to optimizing rather than maximizing feed intake, a goal that could be achieved by nutritional manipulations that would increase digestibility or by using a diet of denser nutrients that would provide all nutritional requirements from lower intake. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating costs of sea lice control strategy in Norway.

PubMed

Liu, Yajie; Bjelland, Hans Vanhauwaer

2014-12-01

This paper explores the costs of sea lice control strategies associated with salmon aquaculture at a farm level in Norway. Diseases can cause reduction in growth, low feed efficiency and market prices, increasing mortality rates, and expenditures on prevention and treatment measures. Aquaculture farms suffer the most direct and immediate economic losses from diseases. The goal of a control strategy is to minimize the total disease costs, including biological losses, and treatment costs while to maximize overall profit. Prevention and control strategies are required to eliminate or minimize the disease, while cost-effective disease control strategies at the fish farm level are designed to reduce the losses, and to enhance productivity and profitability. Thus, the goal can be achieved by integrating models of fish growth, sea lice dynamics and economic factors. A production function is first constructed to incorporate the effects of sea lice on production at a farm level, followed by a detailed cost analysis of several prevention and treatment strategies associated with sea lice in Norway. The results reveal that treatments are costly and treatment costs are very sensitive to treatment types used and timing of the treatment conducted. Applying treatment at an early growth stage is more economical than at a later stage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recycling Pricing and Coordination of WEEE Dual-Channel Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering Consumers' Bargaining.

PubMed

Zhu, Xiaodong; Wang, Jing; Tang, Juan

2017-12-15

Environmentally friendly handling and efficient recycling of waste electrical on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) have grown to be a global social problem. As holders of WEEE, consumers have a significant effect on the recycling process. A consideration of and attention to the influence of consumer behavior in the recycling process can help achieve more effective recycling of WEEE. In this paper, we built a dual-channel closed-loop supply chain model composed of manufacturers, retailers, and network recycling platforms. Based on the influence of customer bargaining behavior, we studied several different scenarios of centralized decision-making, decentralized decision-making, and contract coordination, using the Stackelberg game theory. The results show that retailers and network recycling platforms will reduce the direct recovery prices to maintain their own profit when considering the impact of consumer bargaining behavior, while remanufacturers will improve the transfer payment price for surrendering part of the profit under revenue and the expense sharing contract. Using this contract, we can achieve supply chain coordination and eliminate the effect of consumer bargaining behavior on supply chain performance. It can be viewed from the parameter sensitivity analysis that when we select the appropriate sharing coefficient, the closed-loop supply chain can achieve the same system performance under a centralized decision.

Recycling Pricing and Coordination of WEEE Dual-Channel Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering Consumers’ Bargaining

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xiaodong; Wang, Jing; Tang, Juan

2017-01-01

Environmentally friendly handling and efficient recycling of waste electrical on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) have grown to be a global social problem. As holders of WEEE, consumers have a significant effect on the recycling process. A consideration of and attention to the influence of consumer behavior in the recycling process can help achieve more effective recycling of WEEE. In this paper, we built a dual-channel closed-loop supply chain model composed of manufacturers, retailers, and network recycling platforms. Based on the influence of customer bargaining behavior, we studied several different scenarios of centralized decision-making, decentralized decision-making, and contract coordination, using the Stackelberg game theory. The results show that retailers and network recycling platforms will reduce the direct recovery prices to maintain their own profit when considering the impact of consumer bargaining behavior, while remanufacturers will improve the transfer payment price for surrendering part of the profit under revenue and the expense sharing contract. Using this contract, we can achieve supply chain coordination and eliminate the effect of consumer bargaining behavior on supply chain performance. It can be viewed from the parameter sensitivity analysis that when we select the appropriate sharing coefficient, the closed-loop supply chain can achieve the same system performance under a centralized decision. PMID:29244778

Implementation of a cost-accounting model in a biobank: practical implications.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Sanchez, Maria Beatriz; Lopez-Valeiras, Ernesto; García-Montero, Andres C

2014-01-01

Given the state of global economy, cost measurement and control have become increasingly relevant over the past years. The scarcity of resources and the need to use these resources more efficiently is making cost information essential in management, even in non-profit public institutions. Biobanks are no exception. However, no empirical experiences on the implementation of cost accounting in biobanks have been published to date. The aim of this paper is to present a step-by-step implementation of a cost-accounting tool for the main production and distribution activities of a real/active biobank, including a comprehensive explanation on how to perform the calculations carried out in this model. Two mathematical models for the analysis of (1) production costs and (2) request costs (order management and sample distribution) have stemmed from the analysis of the results of this implementation, and different theoretical scenarios have been prepared. Global analysis and discussion provides valuable information for internal biobank management and even for strategic decisions at the research and development governmental policies level.

The economic and environmental consequences of implementing nitrogen-efficient technologies and management practices in agriculture.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Mauzerall, Denise L; Davidson, Eric A; Kanter, David R; Cai, Ruohong

2015-03-01

Technologies and management practices (TMPs) that reduce the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer while maintaining crop yields can improve N use efficiency (NUE) and are important tools for meeting the dual challenges of increasing food production and reducing N pollution. However, because farmers operate to maximize their profits, incentives to implement TMPs are limited, and TMP implementation will not always reduce N pollution. Therefore, we have developed the NUE Economic and Environmental impact analytical framework (NUE) to examine the economic and environmental consequences of implementing TMPs in agriculture, with a specific focus on farmer profits, N fertilizer consumption, N losses, and cropland demand. Our analytical analyses show that impact of TMPs on farmers' economic decision-making and the environment is affected by how TMPs change the yield ceiling and the N fertilization rate at the ceiling and by how the prices of TMPs, fertilizer, and crops vary. Technologies and management practices that increase the yield ceiling appear to create a greater economic incentive for farmers than TMPs that do not but may result in higher N application rates and excess N losses. Nevertheless, the negative environmental impacts of certain TMPs could be avoided if their price stays within a range determined by TMP yield response, fertilizer price, and crop price. We use a case study on corn production in the midwestern United States to demonstrate how NUE can be applied to farmers' economic decision-making and policy analysis. Our NUE framework provides an important tool for policymakers to understand how combinations of fertilizer, crop, and TMP prices affect the possibility of achieving win-win outcomes for farmers and the environment. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Optimal damper placement research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, Vladimir; Kuzhin, Bulat

2017-10-01

Nowadays increased noise and vibration pollution on technopark and research laboratories territories, which is negatively influencing on production of high-precision measuring instruments. The problem is actual for transport hubs, which experience influence of machines, vehicles, trains and planes. Energy efficiency is one of major functions in modern road transport development. The problem of environmental pollution, lack of energy resources and energy efficiency requires research, production and implementation of energy efficient materials that would be the foundation of environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure in road traffic. Improving the efficiency of energy use is a leading option to gain better energy security, improve industry profitability and competitiveness, and reduce the overall energy sector impacts on climate change. This paper has next indirect goals. Research impact of vibration on constructions, such as bus and train stations, terminals, which are mostly exposed to oscillation. Extend the buildings operation by decreasing the negative influence. Reduce expenses on maintenance and repair works. It is important not to forget about seismic protection, which is actual nowadays, when the safety stands first. Analysis of devastating earthquakes for last few years proves reasonableness of application such systems. The article is dedicated to learning dependence of damper location on natural frequency. As a model for analyze was simulated concrete construction with variable profile. We used program complex Patran for analyzing the model.

Integrating metabolic modeling and population heterogeneity analysis into optimizing recombinant protein production by Komagataella (Pichia) pastoris.

PubMed

Theron, Chrispian W; Berrios, Julio; Delvigne, Frank; Fickers, Patrick

2018-01-01

The methylotrophic yeast Komagataella (Pichia) pastoris has become one of the most utilized cell factories for the production of recombinant proteins over the last three decades. This success story is linked to its specific physiological traits, i.e., the ability to grow at high cell density in inexpensive culture medium and to secrete proteins at high yield. Exploiting methanol metabolism is at the core of most P. pastoris-based processes but comes with its own challenges. Co-feeding cultures with glycerol/sorbitol and methanol is a promising approach, which can benefit from improved understanding and prediction of metabolic response. The development of profitable processes relies on the construction and selection of efficient producing strains from less efficient ones but also depends on the ability to master the bioreactor process itself. More specifically, how a bioreactor processes could be monitored and controlled to obtain high yield of production. In this review, new perspectives are detailed regarding a multi-faceted approach to recombinant protein production processes by P. pastoris; including gaining improved understanding of the metabolic pathways involved, accounting for variations in transcriptional and translational efficiency at the single cell level and efficient monitoring and control of methanol levels at the bioreactor level.

Do Robotic Surgical Systems Improve Profit Margins? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of California Hospitals.

PubMed

Shih, Ya-Chen Tina; Shen, Chan; Hu, Jim C

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to examine the association between ownership of robotic surgical systems and hospital profit margins. This study used hospital annual utilization data, annual financial data, and discharge data for year 2011 from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. We first performed bivariate analysis to compare mean profit margin by hospital and market characteristics and to examine whether these characteristics differed between hospitals that had one or more robotic surgical systems in 2011 and those that did not. We applied the t test and the F test to compare mean profit margin between two groups and among three or more groups, respectively. We then conducted multilevel logistic regression to determine the association between ownership of robotic surgical systems and having a positive profit margin after controlling for other hospital and market characteristics and accounting for possible correlation among hospitals located within the same market. The study sample included 167 California hospitals with valid financial information. Hospitals with robotic surgical systems tended to report more favorable profit margins. However, multilevel logistic regression showed that this relationship (an association, not causality) became only marginally significant (odds ratio [OR] = 6.2; P = 0.053) after controlling for other hospital characteristics, such as ownership type, teaching status, bed size, and surgical volumes, and market characteristics, such as total number of robotic surgical systems owned by other hospitals in the same market area. As robotic surgical systems become widely disseminated, hospital decision makers should carefully evaluate the financial and clinical implications before making a capital investment in this technology. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecology and Economics of Using Native Managed Bees for Almond Pollination.

PubMed

Koh, Insu; Lonsdorf, Eric V; Artz, Derek R; Pitts-Singer, Theresa L; Ricketts, Taylor H

2018-02-09

Native managed bees can improve crop pollination, but a general framework for evaluating the associated economic costs and benefits has not been developed. We conducted a cost-benefit analysis to assess how managing blue orchard bees (Osmia lignaria Say [Hymenoptera: Megachildae]) alongside honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) can affect profits for almond growers in California. Specifically, we studied how adjusting three strategies can influence profits: (1) number of released O. lignaria bees, (2) density of artificial nest boxes, and (3) number of nest cavities (tubes) per box. We developed an ecological model for the effects of pollinator activity on almond yields, validated the model with published data, and then estimated changes in profits for different management strategies. Our model shows that almond yields increase with O. lignaria foraging density, even where honey bees are already in use. Our cost-benefit analysis shows that profit ranged from -US$1,800 to US$2,800/acre given different combinations of the three strategies. Adding nest boxes had the greatest effect; we predict an increase in profit between low and high nest box density strategies (2.5 and 10 boxes/acre). In fact, the number of released bees and the availability of nest tubes had relatively small effects in the high nest box density strategies. This suggests that growers could improve profits by simply adding more nest boxes with moderate number of tubes in each. Our approach can support grower decisions regarding integrated crop pollination and highlight the importance of a comprehensive ecological economic framework for assessing these decisions. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Assessing the economic impacts of drought from the perspective of profit loss rate: a case study of the sugar industry in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Lin, L.; Chen, H.

2015-02-01

Natural disasters have enormous impacts on human society, especially on the development of the economy. To support decision making in mitigation and adaption to natural disasters, assessment of economic impacts is fundamental and of great significance. Based on a review of the literature of economic impact evaluation, this paper proposes a new assessment model of economic impact from drought by using the sugar industry in China as a case study, which focuses on the generation and transfer of economic impacts along a simple value chain involving only sugarcane growers and a sugar producing company. A perspective of profit loss rate is applied to scale economic impact with a model based on cost-and-benefit analysis. By using analysis of "with-and-without", profit loss is defined as the difference in profits between disaster-hit and disaster-free scenarios. To calculate profit, analysis on a time series of sugar price is applied. With the support of a linear regression model, an endogenous trend in sugar price is identified, and the time series of sugar price "without" disaster is obtained using an autoregressive error model to separate impact by disasters from the internal trend in sugar price. Unlike the settings in other assessment models, representative sugar prices, which represent value level in disaster-free condition and disaster-hit condition, are integrated from a long time series that covers the whole period of drought. As a result, it is found that in a rigid farming contract, sugarcane growers suffer far more than the sugar company when impacted by severe drought, which may promote the reflections on economic equality among various economic bodies at the occurrence of natural disasters.

Hospital financial management: what is the link between revenue cycle management, profitability, and not-for-profit hospitals' ability to grow equity?

PubMed

Singh, Simone Rauscher; Wheeler, John

2012-01-01

Effective revenue cycle management--from appointment scheduling and patient registration at the front end of the revenue cycle to billing and cash collections at the back end--plays a crucial role in hospitals' efforts to improve their financial performance. Using data for 1,397 bond-issuing, not-for-profit US hospitals for 2000 to 2007, this study analyzed the relationship between hospitals' performance at managing the revenue cycle and their profitability and ability to build equity capital. Hospital-level fixed effects regression analysis was used to model four different measures of profitability and equity capital as functions of two key financial indicators of revenue cycle management--amount of patient revenue and speed of revenue collection. The results indicated that higher amounts of patient revenue in relation to a hospital's assets were associated with statistically significant increases in operating and total profit margins, free cash flow, and equity capital (p < 0.01 for all four models); that is, hospitals that generated more patient revenue per dollar of assets invested reported improved financial performance. Likewise, a statistically significant link existed between lower revenue collection periods and all four indicators of hospital financial performance (p < 0.01 for three models; p < 0.05 for one model). Hospitals that collected faster on their patient revenue reported higher profit margins and larger equity values. For revenue cycle managers, these findings represent good news: Streamlining a hospital's management of the patient revenue cycle can advance the organization's financial viability by improving profitability and enabling equity growth.

Hard gains through soft contracts: productive engagement of private providers in tuberculosis control.

PubMed Central

Lönnroth, Knut; Uplekar, Mukund; Blanc, Léopold

2006-01-01

Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in the number of initiatives involving "for-profit" private health care providers in national tuberculosis (TB) control efforts. We reviewed 15 such initiatives with respect to contractual arrangements, quality of care and success achieved in TB control. In seven initiatives, the National TB Programme (NTP) interacted directly with for-profit providers; while in the remaining eight, the NTP collaborated with for-profit providers through intermediary not-for-profit nongovernmental organizations. All but one of the initiatives used relational "drugs-for-performance contracts" to engage for-profit providers, i.e. drugs were provided free of charge by the NTP emphasizing that providers dispense them free of charge to patients and follow national guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. We found that 90% (range 61-96%) of new smear-positive pulmonary TB cases were successfully treated across all initiatives and TB case detection rates increased between 10% and 36%. We conclude that for-profit providers can be effectively involved in TB control through informal, but well defined drugs-for-performance contracts. The contracting party should be able to reach a common understanding concerning goals and role division with for-profit providers and monitor them for content and quality. Relational drugs-for-performance contracts minimize the need for handling the legal and financial aspects of classical contracting. We opine that further analysis is required to assess if such "soft" contracts are sufficient to scale up private for-profit provider involvement in TB control and other priority health interventions. PMID:17143461

Sustainable sunlight to biogas is via marginal organics.

PubMed

Shilton, Andy; Guieysse, Benoit

2010-06-01

Although biogas production from algae offers higher sunlight to biomass energy conversion efficiencies its production costs simply cannot compete with terrestrial plants. Unfortunately terrestrial plant cropping for biogas production is, in its own right, neither particularly sustainable nor profitable and its ongoing application is only driven by energy security concerns resulting in taxpayer subsidies. By comparison, scavenging the organic energy residual/wastes from food production offers a far more profitable and sustainable proposition and has an energy potential that dwarfs anything biogas production from dedicated energy crops can realistically offer. Thus researchers wanting to assist the development of sustainable biogas systems with viable process economics should forget about terrestrial and algal energy cropping and focus on the realm of scavengers. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does governance matter? Board configuration and performance in not-for-profit hospitals.

PubMed

Alexander, Jeffrey A; Lee, Shoou-Yih D

2006-01-01

As performance accountabilities, external oversight, and market competition among not-for-profit (NFP) hospitals have grown, governing boards have been given a more central leadership role. This article examines these boards' effectiveness, particularly how their configuration influenced a range of performance outcomes in NFP community hospitals. Results indicate that hospitals governed by boards using a corporate governance model, versus hospitals governed by philanthropic-style boards, were likely to be more efficient and have more admissions and a larger share of the local market. Occupancy and cash flow were generally unrelated to hospitals' governing board configuration. However, effects of governance configuration were more pronounced in freestanding and public NFP hospitals compared with system-affiliated and private NFP hospitals, respectively.

The role of entrepreneurial activities in academic pharmaceutical science research.

PubMed

Stinchcomb, Audra L

2010-06-01

Academic pharmaceutical science research is expanding further and further from the University setting to encompass the for-profit private company setting. This parallels the National Institutes of Health momentum to include multiple funding opportunities for University and private company collaboration. It has been recognized that the nonprofit and for-profit combination research model can accelerate the commercialization of pharmaceutical products, and therefore more efficiently improve human health. Entrepreneurial activities require unique considerations in the University environment, but can be modeled after the commercialization expansion of the academic healthcare enterprise. Challenges and barriers exist to starting a company as an entrepreneurial faculty member, but the rewards to one's personal and professional lives are incomparable. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Does Governance Matter? Board Configuration and Performance in Not-for-Profit Hospitals

PubMed Central

Alexander, Jeffrey A; Lee, Shoou-Yih D

2006-01-01

As performance accountabilities, external oversight, and market competition among not-for-profit (NFP) hospitals have grown, governing boards have been given a more central leadership role. This article examines these boards' effectiveness, particularly how their configuration influenced a range of performance outcomes in NFP community hospitals. Results indicate that hospitals governed by boards using a corporate governance model, versus hospitals governed by philanthropic-style boards, were likely to be more efficient and have more admissions and a larger share of the local market. Occupancy and cash flow were generally unrelated to hospitals' governing board configuration. However, effects of governance configuration were more pronounced in freestanding and public NFP hospitals compared with system-affiliated and private NFP hospitals, respectively. PMID:17096640

Performance and Costs in Higher Education: A Proposal for Better Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capaldi, Elizabeth D.; Abbey, Craig W.

2011-01-01

Although virtually all universities have accounting systems that track every dollar in accordance with the accounting rules required by auditors, these systems are not adequate to inform their leaders or the public about the profit and loss, productivity, or efficiency of their activities. Instead, they obscure the different revenue sources on…

Rough Mill Improvement Guide for Managers and Supervisors

Treesearch

Philip H. Mitchell; Jan Wiedenbeck; Bobby Ammerman; Bobby Ammerman

2005-01-01

Wood products manufacturers require an efficient recovery of product from lumber to remain profitable. A company's ability to obtain the best yield in lumber cut-up operations (i.e., the rough mill) varies according to the raw material, product, processing equipment, processing environment, and knowledge and skill of the rough mill's employees. This book...

Correlations between measures of feed efficiency and feedlot return for F1 lambs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Objective estimates of feedlot return for progeny of terminal-sire breeds of sheep are needed to improve lamb profitability. Thus, we used recent economic data to determine the effects of terminal-sire breed on returns of F1 lambs. Annually for 3 yr, Columbia, USMARC Composite, Suffolk, and Texel ra...

Women's Energy Tool Kit: Home Heating, Cooling and Weatherization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byalin, Joan

This book is the first in a series of Energy Tool Kits designed for women by Consumer Action Now, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy resources. Information is provided in 16 sections: introduction, home energy survey; caulking; weatherstripping (double-hung and sliding windows, and casement,…

Evaluation Methods Basis of Strategy Development Effectiveness of the Enterprise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zotova, Anna S.; Kandrashina, Elena A.; Ivliev, Andrey D.; Charaeva, Marina V.

2016-01-01

The urgency to study the problem is caused by the necessity to make management decisions in terms of reducing goods life cycle, reducing profitability of production, increasing speed of technological progress. In this context, this article aims to identify and elaborate the tools for integrated diagnostic of strategy efficiency, taking into…

Maryland | Midmarket Solar Policies in the United States | Solar Research |

Science.gov Websites

(RECs). Meter aggregation: Virtual net metering is allowed for agricultural customers, non-profits, and solar PV technology. Mathias Agricultural Energy Efficiency Grant Program Maryland Energy Administration Farms and agricultural businesses are eligible for grants of up to 50% of the system cost, capped at

Design, Test, Redesign: Simulation in Technology, Engineering, and Design Education Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swinson, Ronnie; Clark, Aaron C.; Ernst, Jeremy V.; Sutton, Kevin

2016-01-01

Today's engineers, designers, and technologists are often thrust into the role of problem solver, from the initial design phase of a product or process all the way to final development. Many engineers in manufacturing environments are tasked with solving problems and continuously improving processes to enhance company profitability, efficiency,…

Child Protection, Public Services and the Chimera of Market Force Efficiency.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Richard W.

1996-01-01

Describes child protection systems in England and ongoing changes in their services. Considers effects of a market force approach on the organization of child protection services in relation to coordination versus fragmentation and profit versus professionalism. Concludes that the idea that a market force approach to child protection will lead to…

Taylor-Made Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lonergan, David

2011-01-01

Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) was an efficiency expert whose concerns were less about avoiding worker fatigue and more about increasing profit margins by any means necessary. Taylor was devoted to finding the One Best Way to carry out a task and then training workers to do that task unvaryingly; attempts by employees to improve their own…

Aquaculture genomics, genetics and breeding in the United States: current status, challenges, and priorities for future research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The ultimate goals of aquaculture genomics, genetics and breeding research are to enhance aquaculture production efficiency, sustainability, product quality, and profitability in support of the commercial sector and for the benefit of consumers. In order to achieve these goals, it is important to un...

Introducing the Intellectual Capital Interplay Model: Advancing Knowledge Frameworks in the Not-for-Profit Environment of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helm-Stevens, Roxanne; Brown, Kneeland C.; Russell, Julia K.

2011-01-01

Knowledge management has the potential to develop strategic advantage and enhance the performance of an organization in terms of productivity and business process efficiency. For this reason, organizations are contributing significant resources to knowledge management; investing in information location and implementing knowledge management…

Issues and Challenges for Small Countries in Attracting and Hosting International Students: The Case of Lithuania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urbanovic, Jolanta; Wilkins, Stephen; Huisman, Jeroen

2016-01-01

The spread of the neo-liberal ideology internationally has encouraged increased marketisation of higher education systems right around the world. With marketisation promoting competition, efficiency and revenue generation, many countries have begun to recruit more foreign students. Higher education has moved towards becoming a profitable commodity…

Optimization of the bank's operating portfolio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borodachev, S. M.; Medvedev, M. A.

2016-06-01

The theory of efficient portfolios developed by Markowitz is used to optimize the structure of the types of financial operations of a bank (bank portfolio) in order to increase the profit and reduce the risk. The focus of this paper is to check the stability of the model to errors in the original data.

Spatial analysis of participation in the Waterloo Residential Energy Efficiency Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ge Bella

Researchers are in broad agreement that energy-conserving actions produce economic as well as energy savings. Household energy rating systems (HERS) have been established in many countries to inform households of their house's current energy performance and to help reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, the national EnerGuide for Houses (EGH) program is delivered by many local delivery agents, including non-profit green community organizations. Waterloo Region Green Solutions is the local non-profit that offers the EGH residential energy evaluation service to local households. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the determinants of household's participation in the residential energy efficiency program (REEP) in Waterloo Region, to explain the relationship between the explanatory variables and REEP participation, and to propose ways to improve this kind of program. A spatial (trend) analysis was conducted within a geographic information system (GIS) to determine the spatial patterns of the REEP participation in Waterloo Region from 1999 to 2006. The impact of sources of information on participation and relationships between participation rates and explanatory variables were identified. GIS proved successful in presenting a visual interpretation of spatial patterns of the REEP participation. In general, the participating households tend to be clustered in urban areas and scattered in rural areas. Different sources of information played significant roles in reaching participants in different years. Moreover, there was a relationship between each explanatory variable and the REEP participation rates. Statistical analysis was applied to obtain a quantitative assessment of relationships between hypothesized explanatory variables and participation in the REEP. The Poisson regression model was used to determine the relationship between hypothesized explanatory variables and REEP participation at the CDA level. The results show that all of the independent variables have a statistically significant positive relationship with REEP participation. These variables include level of education, average household income, employment rate, home ownership, population aged 65 and over, age of home, and number of eligible dwellings. The logistic regression model was used to assess the ability of the hypothesized explanatory variables to predict whether or not households would participate in a second follow-up evaluation after completing upgrades to their home. The results show all the explanatory variables have significant relationships with the dependent variable. The increased rating score, average household income, aged population, and age of home are positively related to the dependent variable. While the dwelling size and education has negative relationships with the dependent variable. In general, the contribution of this work provides a practical understanding of how the energy efficiency program operates, and insight into the type of variables that may be successful in bringing about changes in performance in the energy efficiency project in Waterloo Region. Secondly, with the completion of this research, future residential energy efficiency programs can use the information from this research and emulate or expand upon the efforts and lessons learned from the Residential Energy Efficiency Project in Waterloo Region case study. Thirdly, this research also contributes to practical experience on how to integrate different datasets using GIS.

Comparison of the financial performance of Islamic and conventional bank in Malaysia during and after economic crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadir, Norhidayah A.; Jaffar, Aidatullaini; Abdullah, Nur Lina; Harun, Nurzalina

2013-09-01

This paper is a continuation of our former work. In this paper, we compare the financial performance of the two banking systems that exist in Malaysia over two periods of time, during economic crisis (1997-1999) and after economic crisis (2001-2003). In order to see the conventional as well as Islamic bank's performance over these two periods of time, the study uses 10 financial ratios which are broadly categorized into 4 groups: (a) profitability ratios; (b) liquidity ratios; (c) risk and solvency ratios; and (d) efficiency ratios. Next, the study used T-test in determining the significance of the differential performance of the two banks over two periods of time. By using inter-bank comparison, the study found that, conventional bank has better performance, efficient, more profitable and has greater risk as compared to Islamic bank. However, in terms of utilizing asset, Islamic bank is better than conventional bank. As an overall, conventional bank is better in much aspect due to the longer history and experience in the industry than Islamic bank that start their operation in 1983.

A multi-objective model for closed-loop supply chain optimization and efficient supplier selection in a competitive environment considering quantity discount policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jahangoshai Rezaee, Mustafa; Yousefi, Samuel; Hayati, Jamileh

2017-06-01

Supplier selection and allocation of optimal order quantity are two of the most important processes in closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) and reverse logistic (RL). So that providing high quality raw material is considered as a basic requirement for a manufacturer to produce popular products, as well as achieve more market shares. On the other hand, considering the existence of competitive environment, suppliers have to offer customers incentives like discounts and enhance the quality of their products in a competition with other manufacturers. Therefore, in this study, a model is presented for CLSC optimization, efficient supplier selection, as well as orders allocation considering quantity discount policy. It is modeled using multi-objective programming based on the integrated simultaneous data envelopment analysis-Nash bargaining game. In this study, maximizing profit and efficiency and minimizing defective and functions of delivery delay rate are taken into accounts. Beside supplier selection, the suggested model selects refurbishing sites, as well as determining the number of products and parts in each network's sector. The suggested model's solution is carried out using global criteria method. Furthermore, based on related studies, a numerical example is examined to validate it.

A web application for cotton irrigation management on the U.S. southern high plains. Part I: Crop yield modeling and profit analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irrigated cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) production is a central part of west Texas agriculture that depends on the essentially non-renewable water resource of the Ogallala aquifer. Web-based decision support tools that estimate the profit effects of irrigation for cotton under varying lint price, p...

Job Quality in Non-Profit Organizations. CPRN Research Series on Human Resources in the Non-Profit Sector.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullen, Kathryn; Schellenberg, Grant

The quality of jobs in nonprofit organizations in Canada was examined through a review of data from Canada's Workplace and Employer Survey, which collected data from a nationally representative sample of Canadian workplaces and paid employees in those workplaces. Key findings of the analysis were as follows: (1) overall, compared to the for-profit…

Techno-economic and profitability analysis of food waste biorefineries at European level.

PubMed

Cristóbal, Jorge; Caldeira, Carla; Corrado, Sara; Sala, Serenella

2018-07-01

Food waste represents a potential source to produce value-added materials replacing the use of virgin ones. However, the use of food waste as feedstock in biorefineries is still at an early stage of development and studies assessing its economic viability at large scale are lacking in the literature. This paper presents a techno-economic and profitability analysis of four food waste biorefineries that use wastes from tomato, potato, orange, and olive processing as feedstock. The study includes the assessment of potentially available quantities of those waste flows in Europe. Due to the low technology readiness level of this kind of biorefineries, a screening methodology to estimate the investment and manufacturing costs as well as two profitability ratios (the return on investment and the payback time) was adopted. Results show that not all the waste feedstocks have the same potential. The most profitable options are those related to implementing fewer plants, namely concentrating the production and capitalising on economies of scale while being at risk of increasing externalities, e.g. due to logistics of the feedstocks. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Estimation of economic values for traits of dairy sheep: I. Model development.

PubMed

Wolfová, M; Wolf, J; Krupová, Z; Kica, J

2009-05-01

A bioeconomic model was developed to estimate effects of change in production and functional traits on profit of dairy or dual-purpose milked sheep under alternative management systems. The flock structure was described in terms of animal categories and probabilities of transitions among them, and a Markov chain approach was used to calculate the stationary state of the resultant ewe flock. The model included both deterministic and stochastic components. Performance for most traits was simulated as the population average, but variation in several traits was taken into account. Management options included lambing intervals, mating system, and culling strategy for ewes, weaning and marketing strategy for progeny, and feeding system. The present value of profit computed as the difference between total revenues and total costs per ewe per year, both discounted to the birth date of the animals, was used as the criterion for economic efficiency of the production system in the stationary state. Economic values (change in system profit per unit change in the trait) of up to 35 milk production, growth, carcass, wool, and functional traits may be estimated.

Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Harter, James K; Schmidt, Frank L; Hayes, Theodore L

2002-04-01

Based on 7,939 business units in 36 companies, this study used meta-analysis to examine the relationship at the business-unit level between employee satisfaction-engagement and the business-unit outcomes of customer satisfaction, productivity, profit, employee turnover, and accidents. Generalizable relationships large enough to have substantial practical value were found between unit-level employee satisfaction-engagement and these business-unit outcomes. One implication is that changes in management practices that increase employee satisfaction may increase business-unit outcomes, including profit.

Hospital Financial Conditions and the Provision of Unprofitable Services

PubMed Central

Bazzoli, Gloria J.; Hsieh, Hui-Min

2011-01-01

Increases in hospital financial pressure resulting from public and private payment policy may substantially reduce a hospital’s ability to provide certain services that are not well compensated or are frequently used by the uninsured. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of hospital financial condition on the provision of these unprofitable services for the insured and uninsured. Economic theory provides the conceptual underpinnings for the analysis, and a longitudinal empirical analysis is conducted for an eight-year study period. The results indicate that not-for-profit hospitals with strong financial performance provide more unprofitable services for the insured and uninsured than do not-for-profit hospitals with weaker condition. For-profit hospital provision of these services is not influenced by their financial condition and instead may reflect actions to meet community expectations or to offer a sufficiently broad service array to maintain the business of insured patients. PMID:21625342

Environmental performance, profitability, asset utilization, debt monitoring and firm value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bukit, R. Br; Haryanto, B.; Ginting, P.

2018-02-01

The growing issue on firm value shows that firm value is not only determined by the firm ability to increase financial profit, but also by the company's concern in maintaining the environmental condition. The industrial development produces waste that pollutes the environment that has potential to serious impact on the next life. In addition to provide financial benefits, companies are increasingly facing pressure to be socially responsible for the survival of the company. However, past findings demonstrate that the effect of environmental performance, profitability, and asset utilization to the firm’s value are still unclear. This study aims to test whether environmental performance, firm profitability and asset utilization can effectively enhance firm value in two different conditions: intensive debt monitoring and less intensive debt monitoring. Sample of companies is taken from the list of Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period of 2013 to 2015. Using multiple regression analysis, discloses that: in intensive monitoring, managers tend to have high firm value when company has high environmental performance and or high profitability and high asset utilization. Monitoring system needs to be intensified especially for companies with the above characteristics.

Economics, energy, and environmental assessment of diversified crop rotations in sub-Himalayas of India.

PubMed

Singh, Raman Jeet; Meena, Roshan Lal; Sharma, N K; Kumar, Suresh; Kumar, Kuldeep; Kumar, Dileep

2016-02-01

Reducing the carbon footprint and increasing energy use efficiency of crop rotations are the two most important sustainability issues of the modern agriculture. Present study was undertaken to assess economics, energy, and environmental parameters of common diversified crop rotations (maize-tomato, and maize-toria-wheat) vis-a-vis traditional crop rotations like maize-wheat, maize + ginger and rice-wheat of the north-western Himalayan region of India. Results revealed that maize-tomato and maize + ginger crop rotations being on par with each other produced significantly higher system productivity in terms of maize equivalent yield (30.2-36.2 t/ha) than other crop rotations (5.04-7.68 t/ha). But interestingly in terms of energy efficiencies, traditional maize-wheat system (energy efficiency 7.9, human energy profitability of 177.8 and energy profitability of 6.9 MJ/ha) was significantly superior over other systems. Maize + ginger rotation showed greater competitive advantage over other rotations because of less consumption of non-renewable energy resources. Similarly, maize-tomato rotation had ability of the production process to exploit natural resources due to 14-38% less use of commercial or purchased energy sources over other crop rotations. Vegetable-based crop rotations (maize + ginger and maize-tomato) maintained significantly the least carbon footprint (0.008 and 0.019 kg CO2 eq./kg grain, respectively) and the highest profitability (154,322 and 274,161 Rs./ha net return, respectively) over other crop rotations. As the greatest inputs of energy and carbon across the five crop rotations were nitrogen fertilizer (15-29% and 17-28%, respectively), diesel (14-24% and 8-19%, respectively) and irrigation (10-27% and 11-44%, respectively), therefore, alternative sources like organic farming, conservation agriculture practices, soil and water conservation measures, rain water harvesting etc. should be encouraged to reduce dependency of direct energy and external carbon inputs particularly in sub-Himalayas of India.

Decision and coordination of low-carbon supply chain considering technological spillover and environmental awareness.

PubMed

Xu, Lang; Wang, Chuanxu; Li, Hui

2017-06-08

We focus on the impacts of technological spillovers and environmental awareness in a two-echelon supply chain with one-single supplier and one-single manufacturer to reduce carbon emission. In this supply chain, carbon abatement investment becomes one of key factors of cutting costs and improving profits, which is reducing production costs in the components and products-the investment from players in supply chain. On the basis of optimality theory, the centralized and decentralized models are respectively established to investigate the optimal decisions and profits. Further, setting the players' profits of the decentralized scenario as the disagreement points, we propose a bargaining-coordination contract through revenue-cost sharing to enhance the performance. Finally, by theoretical comparison and numerical analysis, the results show that: (i) The optimal profits of players and supply chain improve as technological spillovers and environmental awareness increase, and the profits of them in the bargaining-coordination contract are higher than that in the decentralized scenario; (ii) Technological spillovers between the players amplify the impact of "free-ride" behavior, in which the supplier always incentives the manufacturer to improve carbon emission intensity, but the cooperation will achieves and the profits will improve only when technological spillovers and environmental awareness are great; (iii) The contract can effectively achieve coordinated supply chain, and improve carbon abatement investment.

Oil-free transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovins, Amory B.

2015-03-01

Automotive efficiency can be cost-effectively improved ˜2-3× by integrated reductions in mass, drag, and rolling resistance. (Mass is the key because it causes two-thirds of tractive load.) These improvements make affordable a variety of electrified advanced powertrain options that can raise efficiency by a further ˜2×, achieving ˜1-2 L-gasoline-equivalent per 100 km. These innovations are starting to enter the market. They could spread more by competition than by regulation. So will 3× gains in truck and 3-6× gains in airplane efficiency. Such superefficient vehicles can profitably eliminate oil use and decouple mobility from climate change and pollution.

Nursing home costs, Medicaid rates, and profits under alternative Medicaid payment systems.

PubMed Central

Schlenker, R E

1991-01-01

This analysis compares nursing home costs, Medicaid payment rates, and profits under three Medicaid nursing home payment systems: case-mix, facility-specific, and class-rate systems. Data used were collected from 135 nursing homes in seven states. The association of case mix with costs, rates, and profits under the three payment systems was of particular interest. Case mix was more strongly associated (positively) with patient care cost and the Medicaid rate for the case-mix systems than for the other systems, particularly the class-rate systems. In contrast, case mix and profits were not associated in the case-mix or facility-specific systems, but were negatively associated in the class rate systems. Overall, the results suggest that case-mix systems have some important advantages over other payment systems, but further research is needed on larger samples and involving the newer case-mix systems. PMID:1743972

Assessing Social – Ecological Trade-Offs to Advance Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management

PubMed Central

Voss, Rudi; Quaas, Martin F.; Schmidt, Jörn O.; Tahvonen, Olli; Lindegren, Martin; Möllmann, Christian

2014-01-01

Modern resource management faces trade-offs in the provision of various ecosystem goods and services to humanity. For fisheries management to develop into an ecosystem-based approach, the goal is not only to maximize economic profits, but to consider equally important conservation and social equity goals. We introduce such a triple-bottom line approach to the management of multi-species fisheries using the Baltic Sea as a case study. We apply a coupled ecological-economic optimization model to address the actual fisheries management challenge of trading-off the recovery of collapsed cod stocks versus the health of ecologically important forage fish populations. Management strategies based on profit maximization would rebuild the cod stock to high levels but may cause the risk of stock collapse for forage species with low market value, such as Baltic sprat (Fig. 1A). Economically efficient conservation efforts to protect sprat would be borne almost exclusively by the forage fishery as sprat fishing effort and profits would strongly be reduced. Unless compensation is paid, this would challenge equity between fishing sectors (Fig. 1B). Optimizing equity while respecting sprat biomass precautionary levels would reduce potential profits of the overall Baltic fishery, but may offer an acceptable balance between overall profits, species conservation and social equity (Fig. 1C). Our case study shows a practical example of how an ecosystem-based fisheries management will be able to offer society options to solve common conflicts between different resource uses. Adding equity considerations to the traditional trade-off between economy and ecology will greatly enhance credibility and hence compliance to management decisions, a further footstep towards healthy fish stocks and sustainable fisheries in the world ocean. PMID:25268117

A proposed selection index for feedlot profitability based on estimated breeding values.

PubMed

van der Westhuizen, R R; van der Westhuizen, J

2009-04-22

It is generally accepted that feed intake and growth (gain) are the most important economic components when calculating profitability in a growth test or feedlot. We developed a single post-weaning growth (feedlot) index based on the economic values of different components. Variance components, heritabilities and genetic correlations for and between initial weight (IW), final weight (FW), feed intake (FI), and shoulder height (SHD) were estimated by multitrait restricted maximum likelihood procedures. The estimated breeding values (EBVs) and the economic values for IW, FW and FI were used in a selection index to estimate a post-weaning or feedlot profitability value. Heritabilities for IW, FW, FI, and SHD were 0.41, 0.40, 0.33, and 0.51, respectively. The highest genetic correlations were 0.78 (between IW and FW) and 0.70 (between FI and FW). EBVs were used in a selection index to calculate a single economical value for each animal. This economic value is an indication of the gross profitability value or the gross test value (GTV) of the animal in a post-weaning growth test. GTVs varied between -R192.17 and R231.38 with an average of R9.31 and a standard deviation of R39.96. The Pearson correlations between EBVs (for production and efficiency traits) and GTV ranged from -0.51 to 0.68. The lowest correlation (closest to zero) was 0.26 between the Kleiber ratio and GTV. Correlations of 0.68 and -0.51 were estimated between average daily gain and GTV and feed conversion ratio and GTV, respectively. These results showed that it is possible to select for GTV. The selection index can benefit feedlotting in selecting offspring of bulls with high GTVs to maximize profitability.

A Step-by-Step Design Methodology for a Base Case Vanadium Redox-Flow Battery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Mark; Counce, Robert M.; Watson, Jack S.; Zawodzinski, Thomas A.; Kamath, Haresh

2012-01-01

The purpose of this work is to develop an evolutionary procedure to be used by Chemical Engineering students for the base-case design of a Vanadium Redox-Flow Battery. The design methodology is based on the work of Douglas (1985) and provides a profitability analysis at each decision level so that more profitable alternatives and directions can be…

Determining Relevant Financial Statement Ratios in Department of Defense Service Component General Fund Financial Statements

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

a . Gross Profit Ratio Modified to Budget Compliance Ratio ....70 b...statements. 1. Objective and Users For a business to make a profit , it is often required to obtain funds from lenders or investors to purchase the...required to determine conclusions regarding the financial position of a business. It is important for users to acknowledge that a ratio analysis is

Profiting and providing less care: comprehensive services at for-profit, nonprofit, and public opioid treatment programs in the United States.

PubMed

Bachhuber, Marcus A; Southern, William N; Cunningham, Chinazo O

2014-05-01

Opioid use disorders are frequently associated with medical and psychiatric comorbidities (eg, HIV infection and depression), as well as social problems (eg, lack of health insurance). Comprehensive services addressing these conditions improve outcomes. To compare the proportion of for-profit, nonprofit, and public opioid treatment programs offering comprehensive services, which are not mandated by government regulations. Cross-sectional analysis of opioid treatment programs offering outpatient care in the United States (n=1036). Self-reported offering of communicable disease (HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and viral hepatitis) testing, psychiatric services (screening, assessment and diagnostic evaluation, and pharmacotherapy), and social services support (assistance in applying for programs such as Medicaid). Mixed-effects logistic regression models were developed to adjust for several county-level factors. Of opioid treatment programs, 58.0% were for profit, 33.5% were nonprofit, and 8.5% were public. Nonprofit programs were more likely than for-profit programs to offer testing for all communicable diseases [adjusted odds ratios (AOR), 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2, 2.5], all psychiatric services (AOR, 8.0; 95% CI, 4.9, 13.1), and social services support (AOR, 3.3; 95% CI, 2.3, 4.8). Public programs were also more likely than for-profit programs to offer communicable disease testing (AOR, 6.4; 95% CI, 3.5, 11.7), all psychiatric services (AOR, 25.8; 95% CI, 12.6, 52.5), and social services support (AOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4, 4.3). For-profit programs were significantly less likely than nonprofit and public programs to offer comprehensive services. Interventions to increase the offering of comprehensive services are needed, particularly among for-profit programs.

Genetic relationships between growth and carcass traits and profitability in Japanese Brown cattle.

PubMed

Kahi, A K; Oguni, T; Sumio, Y; Hirooka, H

2007-02-01

The objectives of this study were 1) to examine the genetic relationship between growth and carcass traits and carcass price (CaP) and profitability in Japanese Brown cattle, 2) to estimate economic values of carcass and growth traits as regression coefficients of price and profit traits on growth and carcass traits using a multiple regression model, and 3) to compare direct and indirect predictions of the genetic merit of profit obtained from multitrait analysis and selection index, respectively. Growth and carcass traits considered in this study were ADG during the feedlot period, CWT, LM area (LMA), rib thickness (RT), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), and marbling score (MS). Carcass price was evaluated as a price trait independent of its influence on profit. Profit traits were defined as 1) net income per year (PROF1), 2) net income per year/energy requirement (PROF2), and 3) net income per year minus feed costs (PROF3). Correlations between direct and indirect predictions were estimated based on EBV of sires and dams with progeny records. The heritability estimate for CaP was 0.41. The heritability estimates for profit traits were high and were 0.62, 0.66, and 0.60 for PROF1, PROF2, and PROF3, respectively. The genetic correlations between CaP and ADG, CWT, LMA, RT, SFT, and MS were 0.19, 0.14, 0.30, 0.38, -0.11, and 0.98, respectively. Among the profit traits, PROF1 had the greatest genetic correlations with growth and carcass traits. The correlations with ADG, CWT, LMA, RT, SFT, and MS were 0.30, 0.21, 0.24, 0.39, -0.01, and 0.69, respectively. These estimates indicate that use of profit traits as a selection criterion may promote desirable correlated responses in growth and carcass traits. The economic values for growth and carcass traits estimated relative to CaP and each profit trait differed because of the apparent differences in the description of these traits. The correlations between EBV for the same profit traits from direct and indirect predictions were high and ranged from 0.818 to 0.846 based on EBV of sires and from 0.786 to 0.798 based on EBV of dams. The strong correlations between direct and indirect predictions for profit indicate that there is no advantage to selecting directly for profit compared with an index with all of the component traits.

Health Insurance as a Two-Part Pricing Contract *

PubMed Central

Lakdawalla, Darius; Sood, Neeraj

2013-01-01

Monopolies appear throughout health care. We show that health insurance operates like a conventional two-part pricing contract that allows monopolists to extract profits without inefficiently constraining quantity. When insurers are free to offer a range of insurance contracts to different consumer types, health insurance markets perfectly eliminate deadweight losses from upstream health care monopolies. Frictions limiting the sorting of different consumer types into different insurance contracts restore some of these upstream monopoly losses, which manifest as higher rates of uninsurance, rather than as restrictions in quantity utilized by insured consumers. Empirical analysis of pharmaceutical patent expiration supports the prediction that heavily insured markets experience little or no efficiency loss under monopoly, while less insured markets exhibit behavior more consistent with the standard theory of monopoly. PMID:23997354

How long is the memory of the US stock market?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Paulo; Dionísio, Andreia

2016-06-01

The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), one of the most important hypothesis in financial economics, argues that return rates have no memory (correlation) which implies that agents cannot make abnormal profits in financial markets, due to the possibility of arbitrage operations. With return rates for the US stock market, we corroborate the fact that with a linear approach, return rates do not show evidence of correlation. However, linear approaches might not be complete or global, since return rates could suffer from nonlinearities. Using detrended cross-correlation analysis and its correlation coefficient, a methodology which analyzes long-range behavior between series, we show that the long-range correlation of return rates only ends in the 149th lag, which corresponds to about seven months. Does this result undermine the EMH?

Do public nursing home care providers deliver higher quality than private providers? Evidence from Sweden.

PubMed

Winblad, Ulrika; Blomqvist, Paula; Karlsson, Andreas

2017-07-14

Swedish nursing home care has undergone a transformation, where the previous virtual public monopoly on providing such services has been replaced by a system of mixed provision. This has led to a rapidly growing share of private actors, the majority of which are large, for-profit firms. In the wake of this development, concerns have been voiced regarding the implications for care quality. In this article, we investigate the relationship between ownership and care quality in nursing homes for the elderly by comparing quality levels between public, for-profit, and non-profit nursing home care providers. We also look at a special category of for-profit providers; private equity companies. The source of data is a national survey conducted by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare in 2011 at 2710 nursing homes. Data from 14 quality indicators are analyzed, including structure and process measures such as staff levels, staff competence, resident participation, and screening for pressure ulcers, nutrition status, and risk of falling. The main statistical method employed is multiple OLS regression analysis. We differentiate in the analysis between structural and processual quality measures. The results indicate that public nursing homes have higher quality than privately operated homes with regard to two structural quality measures: staffing levels and individual accommodation. Privately operated nursing homes, on the other hand, tend to score higher on process-based quality indicators such as medication review and screening for falls and malnutrition. No significant differences were found between different ownership categories of privately operated nursing homes. Ownership does appear to be related to quality outcomes in Swedish nursing home care, but the results are mixed and inconclusive. That staffing levels, which has been regarded as a key quality indicator in previous research, are higher in publicly operated homes than private is consistent with earlier findings. The fact that privately operated homes, including those operated by for-profit companies, had higher processual quality is more unexpected, given previous research. Finally, no significant quality differences were found between private ownership types, i.e. for-profit, non-profit, and private equity companies, which indicates that profit motives are less important for determining quality in Swedish nursing home care than in other countries where similar studies have been carried out.

Modeling Responses of Dryland Spring Triticale, Proso Millet and Foxtail Millet to Initial Soil Water in the High Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dryland farming strategies in the High Plains must make efficient use of limited and variable precipitation and stored water in the soil profile for stable and sustainable farm productivity. Current research efforts focus on replacing summer fallow in the region with more profitable and environmenta...

Efficiency in Universities: The La Paz Papers. Studies on Education; Vol. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumsden, Keith

Most universities have been organized as non-profit public or private institutions. Their objectives have not been clearly defined nor has their behavior been well understood. In practice, the management of universities is carried out by administrators who depend largely on government funding and/or private donations. They are subject to various…

Effectiveness and Efficiencies of Private Military Corporations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

generalize. While some private military corporations provide direct combat services , others provide ancillary services —such as laundry and food...collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services , Directorate for Information...for traditional military forces. The PMC consists of a for profit firm that provides military services that range from combat operations to training

Revolution in Training Executive Review of Navy Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-08-08

AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7 . PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) United States Navy Chief of...telling us that investments in the learning of people pay off in improvements in profitability and employee effectiveness and satisfaction, and... 7 Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness are Important

Machine grading of lumber : practical concerns for lumber producers

Treesearch

William L. Galligan; Kent A. McDonald

2000-01-01

Machine lumber grading has been applied in commercial operations in North America since 1963, and research has shown that machine grading can improve the efficient use of wood. However, industry has been reluctant to apply research findings without clear evidence that the change from visual to machine grading will be a profitable one. For instance, mill managers need...

Weather-based pest forecasting for efficient crop protection

Treesearch

Rabiu Olatinwo; Gerrit Hoogenboom

2014-01-01

Although insects, pathogens, mites, nematodes, weeds, vertebrates, and arthropods are different in many ways, they are regarded as pests. They are a major constraint to crop productivity and profitability around the world caused by direct and indirect damage to valuable crops. Insect pests, pathogens, and weeds account for an estimated 45% of pre- and post-harvest...

The Outlook in Business and Related Fields

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Robert

2009-01-01

As oil prices fluctuate widely and a worldwide recession grows, people are seeing a fundamental shift in the U.S. economy and in consumer buying behavior. This shift is forcing every organization to maximize its efficiency in order to remain profitable and is thereby creating a higher demand for new staff who have management and project management…

Junior Faculty of Color in the Corporate University: Implications of Neoliberalism and Neoconservatism on Research, Teaching and Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osei-Kofi, Nana

2012-01-01

In higher education today, an overwhelming acceptance of neoliberal and neoconservative ideologies that advance corporate logics of efficiency, competition and profit maximization is commonplace. Market-driven logics and neoconservative ideals shape decision-making about what is taught, how material is taught, who teaches, who does research, who…

Assessment of the temperature cut-off point by a commercial intravaginal device to predict parturition in piedmontese beef cows

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dystocic parturitions have an adverse impact on animal productivity, and therefore the profitability of the farm. In this regard, an accurate calving prediction is essential since it allows for efficient and prompt assistance for the dam and the calf. Numerous approaches to predict parturition have ...

Genomic prediction of continuous and binary fertility traits of females in a composite beef cattle breed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reproduction efficiency is a major factor in the profitability of the beef cattle industry. Genomic selection (GS) is a promising tool that may improve the predictive accuracy and genetic gain of fertility traits. There is a wide range of traits used to measure fertility in dairy and beef cattle inc...

Effect of strain and diet on growth performance characteristics and relative expression of genes coding for electron transport chain in channel catfish

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The major cost in aquaculture production systems is feed, and the use of biotechnology approaches to identify fishes with superior feed efficiency (FE) may have a positive influence on profitability. There been little use of genetically based technologies to assess FE in culture fishes. Mitochondria...

Analysis of a large dataset of mycorrhiza inoculation field trials on potato shows highly significant increases in yield.

PubMed

Hijri, Mohamed

2016-04-01

An increasing human population requires more food production in nutrient-efficient systems in order to simultaneously meet global food needs while reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have the potential to enhance crop yield, but their efficiency has yet to be demonstrated in large-scale crop production systems. This study reports an analysis of a dataset consisting of 231 field trials in which the same AMF inoculant (Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM 197198) was applied to potato over a 4-year period in North America and Europe under authentic field conditions. The inoculation was performed using a liquid suspension of AMF spores that was sprayed onto potato seed pieces, yielding a calculated 71 spores per seed piece. Statistical analysis showed a highly significant increase in marketable potato yield (ANOVA, P < 0.0001) for inoculated fields (42.2 tons/ha) compared with non-inoculated controls (38.3 tons/ha), irrespective of trial year. The average yield increase was 3.9 tons/ha, representing 9.5 % of total crop yield. Inoculation was profitable with a 0.67-tons/ha increase in yield, a threshold reached in almost 79 % of all trials. This finding clearly demonstrates the benefits of mycorrhizal-based inoculation on crop yield, using potato as a case study. Further improvements of these beneficial inoculants will help compensate for crop production deficits, both now and in the future.

Strategic groups, performance, and strategic response in the nursing home industry.

PubMed

Zinn, J S; Aaronson, W E; Rosko, M D

1994-06-01

This study examines the effect of strategic group membership on nursing home performance and strategic behavior. Data from the 1987 Medicare and Medicaid Automated Certification Survey were combined with data from the 1987 and 1989 Pennsylvania Long Term Care Facility Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 383 Pennsylvania nursing homes. Cluster analysis was used to place the 383 nursing homes into strategic groups on the basis of variables measuring scope and resource deployment. Performance was measured by indicators of the quality of nursing home care (rates of pressure ulcers, catheterization, and restraint usage) and efficiency in services provision. Changes in Medicare participation after passage of the 1988 Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act (MCCA) measured strategic behavior. MANOVA and Turkey HSD post hoc means tests determined if significant differences were associated with strategic group membership. Cluster analysis produced an optimal seven-group solution. Differences in group means were significant for the clustering, performance, and conduct variables (p < .0001). Strategic groups characterized by facilities providing a continuum of care services had the best patient care outcomes. The most efficient groups were characterized by facilities with high Medicare census. While all strategic groups increased Medicare census following passage of the MCCA, those dominated by for-profits had the greatest increases. Our analysis demonstrates that strategic orientation influences nursing home response to regulatory initiatives, a factor that should be recognized in policy formation directed at nursing home reform.

Feeding strategy, nitrogen cycling, and profitability of dairy farms.

PubMed

Rotz, C A; Satter, L D; Mertens, D R; Muck, R E

1999-12-01

On a typical dairy farm today, large amounts of N are imported as feed supplements and fertilizer. If this N is not recycled through crop growth, it can lead to large losses to the atmosphere and ground water. More efficient use of protein feed supplements can potentially reduce the import of N in feeds, excretion of N in manure, and losses to the environment. A simulation study with a dairy farm model (DAFOSYM) illustrated that more efficient feeding and use of protein supplements increased farm profit and reduced N loss from the farm. Compared to soybean meal as the sole protein supplement, use of soybean meal along with a less rumen degradable protein feed reduced volatile N loss by 13 to 34 kg/ha of cropland with a small reduction in N leaching loss (about 1 kg/ha). Using the more expensive but less degradable protein supplement along with soybean meal improved net return by $46 to $69/cow per year, dependent on other management strategies of the farm. Environmental and economic benefits from more efficient supplementation of protein were generally greater with more animals per unit of land, higher milk production, more sandy soils, or a daily manure hauling strategy. Relatively less benefit was obtained when either alfalfa or corn silage was the sole forage on the farm or when relatively high amounts of forage were used in animal rations.

A Classification and Analysis of Contracting Literature

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

Pricing Model ( CAPM . This is a model designed by investment analysts to determine required rates of return given the systematic risk of a company. The...For the amount of risk they take, these profit margins were not excessively high. The author examined profitability in terms of the Capital Asset ...taxonomy was applied was limited , the results were necessarily qualified. However, at the least this application provided areas for further research

Mechanistic Considerations Used in the Development of the PROFIT PCI Failure Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pankaskie, P. J.

A fuel Pellet-Zircaloy Cladding (thermo-mechanical-chemical) Interactions (PC!) failure model for estimating the probability of failure in !ransient increases in power (PROFIT) was developed. PROFIT is based on 1) standard statistical methods applied to available PC! fuel failure data and 2) a mechanistic analysis of the environmental and strain-rate-dependent stress versus strain characteristics of Zircaloy cladding. The statistical analysis of fuel failures attributable to PCI suggested that parameters in addition to power, transient increase in power, and burnup are needed to define PCI fuel failures in terms of probability estimates with known confidence limits. The PROFIT model, therefore, introduces an environmentalmore » and strain-rate dependent strain energy absorption to failure (SEAF) concept to account for the stress versus strain anomalies attributable to interstitial-disloction interaction effects in the Zircaloy cladding. Assuming that the power ramping rate is the operating corollary of strain-rate in the Zircaloy cladding, then the variables of first order importance in the PCI fuel failure phenomenon are postulated to be: 1. pre-transient fuel rod power, P{sub I}, 2. transient increase in fuel rod power, {Delta}P, 3. fuel burnup, Bu, and 4. the constitutive material property of the Zircaloy cladding, SEAF.« less

Outcome switching in randomized controlled oncology trials reporting on surrogate endpoints: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Falk Delgado, Alberto; Falk Delgado, Anna

2017-08-23

Inconsistent reporting of clinical trials is well-known in the literature. Despite this, factors associated with poor practice such as outcome switching in clinical trials are poorly understood. We performed a cross-sectional analysis to evaluate the prevalence of, and the factors associated with outcome switching. PubMed and Embase were searched for pharmaceutical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in oncology reporting on a surrogate primary outcome published in 2015. Outcome switching was present in 18% (39/216). First-author male sex was significantly more likely associated with outcome switching compared to female sex with an OR of 3.05 (95% CI 1.07-8.64, p = 0.04) after multivariable adjustment. For-profit funded RCTs were less likely associated with outcome switching compared to non-profit funded research with an OR of 0.22 (95% CI 0.07-0.74, p = 0.01). First author male sex was more likely associated with outcome switching compared to female sex in drug oncology RCTs reporting on a primary surrogate endpoint. For-profit funded research was less likely associated with outcome switching compared to research funded by non-profit organizations. Furthermore, 18 percent of drug oncology trials reporting on a surrogate endpoint could have a higher risk of false positive results due to primary outcome switching.

Much ado about nothing? The financial impact of physician-owned specialty hospitals.

PubMed

Chakravarty, Sujoy

2016-06-01

The U.S. hospital industry has recently witnessed a number of policy changes aimed at aligning hospital payments to costs and these can be traced to significant concerns regarding selection of profitable patients and procedures by physician-owned specialty hospitals. The policy responses to specialty hospitals have alternated between payment system reforms and outright moratoriums on hospital operations including one in the recently enacted Affordable Care Act. A key issue is whether physician-owned specialty hospitals pose financial strain on the larger group of general hospitals through cream-skimming of profitable patients, yet there is no study that conducts a systematic analysis relating such selection behavior by physician-owners to financial impacts within hospital markets. The current paper takes into account heterogeneity in specialty hospital behavior and finds some evidence of their adverse impact on profit margins of competitor hospitals, especially for-profit hospitals. There is also some evidence of hospital consolidation in response to competitive pressures by specialty hospitals. Overall, these findings underline the importance of the payment reforms aimed at correcting distortions in the reimbursement system that generate incentives for risk-selection among providers groups. The identification techniques will also inform empirical analysis on future data testing the efficacy of these payment reforms.

A market, operation, and mission assessment of large rural for-profit hospitals with positive cash flow.

PubMed

McCue, Michael J

2007-01-01

National benchmark data for 2002 indicate that large rural for-profit hospitals have a median cash flow margin of 19.5% compared to 9.2% for their nonprofit counterparts. This study aims to gain insight regarding the driving factors behind the high cash flow performance of large rural for-profit hospitals. Using 3 annual periods of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid cost report data with the last fiscal year ending between September 30, 2002, and August 30, 2003, the study found a cash flow margin of 21.5% for the large rural for-profit hospitals. All these facilities were owned by hospital management companies. To assess their underlying market, operational, and mission factors, these hospitals were compared to a similar comparison group of large rural nonprofit hospitals that are system owned and have positive cash flows. Using logistic regression analysis, the study found lower operating expense per adjusted discharge and salary expense as a percentage of total operating expense among large rural for-profit, system-owned hospitals with positive cash flows relative to nonprofits with similar traits. Overall, the findings of this study reflect how these for-profit hospitals, which are owned by hospital management companies, focus on controlling their labor costs as well as operating costs per discharge in order to achieve a greater positive cash flow position.

Subfield profitability analysis reveals an economic case for cropland diversification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandes, E.; McNunn, G. S.; Schulte, L. A.; Bonner, I. J.; Muth, D. J.; Babcock, B. A.; Sharma, B.; Heaton, E. A.

2016-01-01

Public agencies and private enterprises increasingly desire to achieve ecosystem service outcomes in agricultural systems, but are limited by perceived conflicts between economic and ecosystem service goals and a lack of tools enabling effective operational management. Here we use Iowa—an agriculturally homogeneous state representative of the Maize Belt—to demonstrate an economic rationale for cropland diversification at the subfield scale. We used a novel computational framework that integrates disparate but publicly available data to map ˜3.3 million unique potential management polygons (9.3 Mha) and reveal subfield opportunities to increase overall field profitability. We analyzed subfield profitability for maize/soybean fields during 2010-2013—four of the most profitable years in recent history—and projected results for 2015. While cropland operating at a loss of US 250 ha-1 or more was negligible between 2010 and 2013 at 18 000-190 000 ha (<2% of row-crop land), the extent of highly unprofitable land increased to 2.5 Mha, or 27% of row-crop land, in the 2015 projection. Aggregation of these areas to the township level revealed ‘hotspots’ for potential management change in Western, Central, and Northeast Iowa. In these least profitable areas, incorporating conservation management that breaks even (e.g., planting low-input perennials), into low-yielding portions of fields could increase overall cropland profitability by 80%. This approach is applicable to the broader region and differs substantially from the status quo of ‘top-down’ land management for conservation by harnessing private interest to align profitability with the production of ecosystem services.

Identifying Financially Sustainable Pricing Interventions to Promote Healthier Beverage Purchases in Small Neighborhood Stores

PubMed Central

Kumanyika, Shiriki; Gittelsohn, Joel; Adam, Atif; Wong, Michelle S.; Mui, Yeeli; Lee, Bruce Y.

2018-01-01

Introduction Residents of low-income communities often purchase sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at small, neighborhood “corner” stores. Lowering water prices and increasing SSB prices are potentially complementary public health strategies to promote more healthful beverage purchasing patterns in these stores. Sustainability, however, depends on financial feasibility. Because in-store pricing experiments are complex and require retailers to take business risks, we used a simulation approach to identify profitable pricing combinations for corner stores. Methods The analytic approach was based on inventory models, which are suitable for modeling business operations. We used discrete-event simulation to build inventory models that use data representing beverage inventory, wholesale costs, changes in retail prices, and consumer demand for 2 corner stores in Baltimore, Maryland. Model outputs yielded ranges for water and SSB prices that increased water demand without loss of profit from combined water and SSB sales. Results A 20% SSB price increase allowed lowering water prices by up to 20% while maintaining profit and increased water demand by 9% and 14%, for stores selling SSBs in 12-oz cans and 16- to 20-oz bottles, respectively. Without changing water prices, profits could increase by 4% and 6%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that stores with a higher volume of SSB sales could reduce water prices the most without loss of profit. Conclusion Various combinations of SSB and water prices could encourage water consumption while maintaining or increasing store owners’ profits. This model is a first step in designing and implementing profitable pricing strategies in collaboration with store owners. PMID:29369758

Identifying Financially Sustainable Pricing Interventions to Promote Healthier Beverage Purchases in Small Neighborhood Stores.

PubMed

Nau, Claudia; Kumanyika, Shiriki; Gittelsohn, Joel; Adam, Atif; Wong, Michelle S; Mui, Yeeli; Lee, Bruce Y

2018-01-25

Residents of low-income communities often purchase sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at small, neighborhood "corner" stores. Lowering water prices and increasing SSB prices are potentially complementary public health strategies to promote more healthful beverage purchasing patterns in these stores. Sustainability, however, depends on financial feasibility. Because in-store pricing experiments are complex and require retailers to take business risks, we used a simulation approach to identify profitable pricing combinations for corner stores. The analytic approach was based on inventory models, which are suitable for modeling business operations. We used discrete-event simulation to build inventory models that use data representing beverage inventory, wholesale costs, changes in retail prices, and consumer demand for 2 corner stores in Baltimore, Maryland. Model outputs yielded ranges for water and SSB prices that increased water demand without loss of profit from combined water and SSB sales. A 20% SSB price increase allowed lowering water prices by up to 20% while maintaining profit and increased water demand by 9% and 14%, for stores selling SSBs in 12-oz cans and 16- to 20-oz bottles, respectively. Without changing water prices, profits could increase by 4% and 6%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that stores with a higher volume of SSB sales could reduce water prices the most without loss of profit. Various combinations of SSB and water prices could encourage water consumption while maintaining or increasing store owners' profits. This model is a first step in designing and implementing profitable pricing strategies in collaboration with store owners.

Profitability analysis of a femtosecond laser system for cataract surgery using a fuzzy logic approach.

PubMed

Trigueros, José Antonio; Piñero, David P; Ismail, Mahmoud M

2016-01-01

To define the financial and management conditions required to introduce a femtosecond laser system for cataract surgery in a clinic using a fuzzy logic approach. In the simulation performed in the current study, the costs associated to the acquisition and use of a commercially available femtosecond laser platform for cataract surgery (VICTUS, TECHNOLAS Perfect Vision GmbH, Bausch & Lomb, Munich, Germany) during a period of 5y were considered. A sensitivity analysis was performed considering such costs and the countable amortization of the system during this 5y period. Furthermore, a fuzzy logic analysis was used to obtain an estimation of the money income associated to each femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (G). According to the sensitivity analysis, the femtosecond laser system under evaluation can be profitable if 1400 cataract surgeries are performed per year and if each surgery can be invoiced more than $500. In contrast, the fuzzy logic analysis confirmed that the patient had to pay more per surgery, between $661.8 and $667.4 per surgery, without considering the cost of the intraocular lens (IOL). A profitability of femtosecond laser systems for cataract surgery can be obtained after a detailed financial analysis, especially in those centers with large volumes of patients. The cost of the surgery for patients should be adapted to the real flow of patients with the ability of paying a reasonable range of cost.

20 CFR 435.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

20 CFR 435.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

20 CFR 435.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

20 CFR 435.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

Economic analysis of a herpes zoster vaccination program in 19 affiliated supermarket pharmacies.

PubMed

Hedden, Megan A; Kuehl, Peggy G; Liu, Yifei

2014-01-01

To examine the economic impact of providing herpes zoster vaccine (ZOS) in 19 affiliated supermarket pharmacies in a midwestern metropolitan area from the perspective of the pharmacy and to identify factors associated with greater rates of vaccine delivery and profitability. 19 affiliated supermarket pharmacies in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Immunizations with ZOS were expanded from 2 pharmacies to all 19 affiliated pharmacies. Various methods to promote the vaccine were used, including personal selling, store signage, and circular ads. In addition to a broad perspective pharmacoeconomic model, a localized perspective model is proposed to determine profitability for the service. Factors associated with greater success in vaccine delivery and profitability were identified. Net financial gains or losses were calculated for each vaccine administered for each of the 19 pharmacies and for the entire supermarket chain. 662 vaccines were given during the study period, accounting for 6.7% of all eligible patients. The profit per vaccine averaged $9.60 (5.7%) and $28.37 (18.9%) using the broad and localized perspective models, respectively. Success of the ZOS program was demonstrated using both models. Certain factors correlated with greater profits when using the localized perspective model.

Where Hospital Boards Often Fail: Auditing Leadership Performance.

PubMed

Friedman, Susan Y; Rabkin, Mitchell T

2018-03-06

Hospital boards address quality of care and patient safety as well as financial performance through long-accepted practices. By contrast, a hospital's administrative operations and institutional culture are not usually subject to such detailed scrutiny. Yet, despite a healthy bottom line and patient commendations, hospital personnel can be underperforming, burdened with poor morale, and suffering from less than optimal leadership, unwarranted inefficiency, and ethically questionable management practices. The resulting employee dissatisfaction or disengagement can affect productivity, quality, turnover, innovation, patient and donor attraction and retention, public image, etc., and can be missed by an unsuspecting board. While boards do not scrutinize most administrative operations, they do examine financial performance, through review of the independent auditor's Management Letter. Designed to help the chief financial officer (CFO) improve the efficiency and integrity of the hospital's financial systems and to recommend improvements to the board for implementation (rather than to assess the CFO's performance), the Management Letter has no equal with respect to a comparable evaluation of the hospital's administrative performance and workplace culture. When, as is often the case, there is only superficial review of the chief executive officer, the board has no source of analysis or recommendations to improve the hospital's institutional environment. In this Invited Commentary, the authors suggest a methodology to provide such a review, leading to a Leadership Letter, and discuss its utility for both non-profit and for-profit organizations.

The POETICs of industrial carbon dioxide emissions in Japan: an urban and institutional extension of the IPAT identity.

PubMed

Scholz, Stephan

2006-09-27

This study applies the POETICs framework (population, organization, environment, technology, institutions and culture) to an analysis of industrial carbon dioxide emissions in Japanese cities. The inclusion of institutional variables in the form of International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives membership, ISO 14001 implementation, and non-profit sector activity addresses the ecological limitations of the often used IPAT (impact = population x affluence x technology) approach. Results suggest the weak existence of an environmental Kuznets curve, in which the wealthiest cities are reducing their emissions through increased efficiency. Significant institutional impacts are also found to hold in the predicted directions. Specifically, panel and cross-sectional regressions indicate that membership in the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives and non-profit organizational presence have negative effects on industrial carbon dioxide emissions. The presence of institutional drivers at the city level provides empirical support for the POETICs rubric, which recasts the ecological framing of the IPAT identity in a more sociological mold. The results also indicate that Japanese civil society has a role to play in carbon mitigation. More refined studies need to take into consideration an expanded set of methods, drivers, and carbon budgets, as applied to a broader range of cases outside of Japan, to more accurately assess how civil society can bridge the issue of scale that separates local level policy concerns from global level climate dynamics.

Energy budgeting and carbon footprint of transgenic cotton-wheat production system through peanut intercropping and FYM addition.

PubMed

Singh, Raman Jeet; Ahlawat, I P S

2015-05-01

Two of the most pressing sustainability issues are the depletion of fossil energy resources and the emission of atmospheric green house gases like carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The aim of this study was to assess energy budgeting and carbon footprint in transgenic cotton-wheat cropping system through peanut intercropping with using 25-50% substitution of recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) of cotton through farmyard manure (FYM) along with 100% RDN through urea and control (0 N). To quantify the residual effects of previous crops and their fertility levels, a succeeding crop of wheat was grown with varying rates of nitrogen, viz. 0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha(-1). Cotton + peanut-wheat cropping system recorded 21% higher system productivity which ultimately helped to maintain higher net energy return (22%), energy use efficiency (12%), human energy profitability (3%), energy productivity (7%), carbon outputs (20%), carbon efficiency (17%), and 11% lower carbon footprint over sole cotton-wheat cropping system. Peanut addition in cotton-wheat system increased the share of renewable energy inputs from 18 to 21%. With substitution of 25% RDN of cotton through FYM, share of renewable energy resources increased in the range of 21% which resulted into higher system productivity (4%), net energy return (5%), energy ratio (6%), human energy profitability (74%), energy productivity (6%), energy profitability (5%), and 5% lower carbon footprint over no substitution. The highest carbon footprint (0.201) was recorded under control followed by 50 % substitution of RDN through FYM (0.189). With each successive increase in N dose up to 150 kg N ha(-1) to wheat, energy productivity significantly reduced and share of renewable energy inputs decreased from 25 to 13%. Application of 100 kg N ha(-1) to wheat maintained the highest grain yield (3.71 t ha(-1)), net energy return (105,516 MJ ha(-1)), and human energy profitability (223.4) over other N doses applied to wheat. Application of 50 kg N ha(-1) to wheat maintained the least carbon footprint (0.091) followed by 100 kg N ha(-1) (0.100). Our study indicates that system productivity as well as energy and carbon use efficiencies of transgenic cotton-wheat production system can be enhanced by inclusion of peanut as an intercrop in cotton and substitution of 25% RDN of cotton through FYM, as well as application of 100 kg N ha(-1) to succeeding wheat crop.

Usability Tests in Medicine: A Cost-Benefit Analysis for Hospitals Before Acquiring Medical Devices for Theatre.

PubMed

Gonser, Phillipp; Fuchsberger, Thomas; Matern, Ulrich

2017-08-01

The use of active medical devices in clinical routine should be as safe and efficient as possible. Usability tests (UTs) help improve these aspects of medical devices during their development, but UTs can be of use for hospitals even after a product has been launched. The present pilot study examines the costs and possible benefits of UT for hospitals before buying new medical devices for theatre. Two active medical devices with different complexity were tested in a standardized UT and a cost-benefit analysis was carried out assuming a different device bought at the same price with a higher usability could increase the efficiency of task solving and due to that save valuable theatre time. The cost of the UT amounted up to €19.400. Hospitals could benefit from UTs before buying new devices for theatre by reducing time-consuming operator errors and thereby increase productivity and patient safety. The possible benefits amounted from €23.300 to €1.570.000 (median = €797.000). Not only hospitals could benefit economically from investing in a UT before deciding to buy a medical device, but especially patients would profit from a higher usability by reducing possible operator errors and increase safety and performance of use.

Measuring efficiency: the association of hospital costs and quality of care.

PubMed

Jha, Ashish K; Orav, E John; Dobson, Allen; Book, Robert A; Epstein, Arnold M

2009-01-01

Providers with lower costs may be more efficient and, therefore, provide better care than those with higher costs. However, the relationship between risk-adjusted costs (often described as efficiency) and quality is not well understood. We examined the relationship between hospitals' risk-adjusted costs and their structural characteristics, nursing levels, quality of care, and outcomes. U.S. hospitals with low risk-adjusted costs were more likely to be for-profit, treat more Medicare patients, and employ fewer nurses. They provided modestly worse care for acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure but had comparable rates of risk-adjusted mortality. We found no evidence that low-cost providers provide better care.

Development of efficiency indicators of operating room management for multi-institutional comparisons.

PubMed

Tanaka, Masayuki; Lee, Jason; Ikai, Hiroshi; Imanaka, Yuichi

2013-04-01

The efficiency of a hospital's operating room (OR) management can affect its overall profitability. However, existing indicators that assess OR management efficiency do not take into account differences in hospital size, manpower and functional characteristics, thereby rendering them unsuitable for multi-institutional comparisons. The aim of this study was to develop indicators of OR management efficiency that would take into account differences in hospital size and manpower, which may then be applied to multi-institutional comparisons. Using administrative data from 224 hospitals in Japan from 2008 to 2010, we performed four multiple linear regression analyses at the hospital level, in which the dependent variables were the number of operations per OR per month, procedural fees per OR per month, total utilization times per OR per month and total fees per OR per month for each of the models. The expected values of these four indicators were produced using multiple regression analysis results, adjusting for differences in hospital size and manpower, which are beyond the control of process owners' management. However, more than half of the variations in three of these four indicators were shown to be explained by differences in hospital size and manpower. Using the ratio of observed to expected values (OE ratio), as well as the difference between the two values (OE difference) allows hospitals to identify weaknesses in efficiency with more validity when compared to unadjusted indicators. The new indicators may support the improvement and sustainment of a high-quality health care system. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

New Provider Models for Sweden and Spain: Public, Private or Non-profit? Comment on "Governance, Government, and the Search for New Provider Models".

PubMed

Jeurissen, Patrick P T; Maarse, Hans

2016-06-29

Sweden and Spain experiment with different provider models to reform healthcare provision. Both models have in common that they extend the role of the for-profit sector in healthcare. As the analysis of Saltman and Duran demonstrates, privatisation is an ambiguous and contested strategy that is used for quite different purposes. In our comment, we emphasize that their analysis leaves questions open on the consequences of privatisation for the performance of healthcare and the role of the public sector in healthcare provision. Furthermore, we briefly address the absence of the option of healthcare provision by not-for-profit providers in the privatisation strategy of Sweden and Spain. © 2016 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

22 CFR 518.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

49 CFR 19.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

49 CFR 19.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

22 CFR 518.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

49 CFR 19.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

22 CFR 518.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

22 CFR 518.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

22 CFR 518.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

49 CFR 19.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price quotations submitted...

Lower extremity endovascular interventions: can we improve cost-efficiency?

PubMed

O'Brien-Irr, Monica S; Harris, Linda M; Dosluoglu, Hasan H; Dayton, Merril; Dryjski, Maciej L

2008-05-01

Management of lower extremity arterial disease with endovascular intervention is on the rise. Current practice patterns vary widely across and within specialty practices that perform endovascular intervention. This study evaluated reimbursement and costs of different approaches for offering endovascular intervention and identified strategies to improve cost-efficiency. The medical records of all patients admitted to a university health system during 2005 for an endovascular intervention were retrospectively reviewed. Procedure type, setting, admission status, and financial data were recorded. Groups were compared using analysis of variance, Student t test for independent samples, and chi2. A total of 296 endovascular interventions were completed, and 184 (62%) met inclusion criteria. Atherectomy and stenting were significantly more costly when performed in the operating room than in the radiology suite: atherectomy, dollars 6596 vs dollars 4867 (P = .002); stent, dollars 5884 vs dollars 3292, (P < .001); angioplasty, dollars 2251 vs dollars 1881 (P = .46). Reimbursement was significantly higher for inpatient vs ambulatory admissions (P < .001). Costs were lowest when the endovascular intervention was done in the radiology suite on an ambulatory basis and highest when done as an inpatient in the operating room (dollars 5714 vs dollars 12,278; P < .001). Contribution margins were significantly higher for inpatients. Net profit was appreciated only for interventions done as an inpatient in the radiology suite. Reimbursement, contribution margins, and net profit were significantly lower among private pay patients in both the ambulatory and inpatient setting. The 30-day hospital readmission after ambulatory procedures was seven patients (6%). Practice patterns for endovascular interventions differ considerably. Costs vary by procedure and setting, and reimbursement depends on admission status and accurate documentation; these dynamics affect affordability. Organizing vascular services within a hub will ensure that care is delivered in the most cost-efficient manner. Guidelines may include designating the radiology suite as the primary venue for endovascular interventions because it is less costly than the operating room. Selective stenting policies should be considered. Contracts with private insurers must include carve-outs for stent costs and commensurate reimbursement for ambulatory procedures, and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT; American Medical Association, Chicago, Ill) coding must be proficient to make ambulatory endovascular interventions fiscally acceptable.

Global Sensitivity Analysis for Large-scale Socio-hydrological Models using the Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Y.; Garcia-Cabrejo, O.; Cai, X.; Valocchi, A. J.; Dupont, B.

2014-12-01

In the context of coupled human and natural system (CHNS), incorporating human factors into water resource management provides us with the opportunity to understand the interactions between human and environmental systems. A multi-agent system (MAS) model is designed to couple with the physically-based Republican River Compact Administration (RRCA) groundwater model, in an attempt to understand the declining water table and base flow in the heavily irrigated Republican River basin. For MAS modelling, we defined five behavioral parameters (κ_pr, ν_pr, κ_prep, ν_prep and λ) to characterize the agent's pumping behavior given the uncertainties of the future crop prices and precipitation. κ and ν describe agent's beliefs in their prior knowledge of the mean and variance of crop prices (κ_pr, ν_pr) and precipitation (κ_prep, ν_prep), and λ is used to describe the agent's attitude towards the fluctuation of crop profits. Notice that these human behavioral parameters as inputs to the MAS model are highly uncertain and even not measurable. Thus, we estimate the influences of these behavioral parameters on the coupled models using Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA). In this paper, we address two main challenges arising from GSA with such a large-scale socio-hydrological model by using Hadoop-based Cloud Computing techniques and Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) based variance decomposition approach. As a result, 1,000 scenarios of the coupled models are completed within two hours with the Hadoop framework, rather than about 28days if we run those scenarios sequentially. Based on the model results, GSA using PCE is able to measure the impacts of the spatial and temporal variations of these behavioral parameters on crop profits and water table, and thus identifies two influential parameters, κ_pr and λ. The major contribution of this work is a methodological framework for the application of GSA in large-scale socio-hydrological models. This framework attempts to find a balance between the heavy computational burden regarding model execution and the number of model evaluations required in the GSA analysis, particularly through an organic combination of Hadoop-based Cloud Computing to efficiently evaluate the socio-hydrological model and PCE where the sensitivity indices are efficiently estimated from its coefficients.

Optic flow informs distance but not profitability for honeybees.

PubMed

Shafir, Sharoni; Barron, Andrew B

2010-04-22

How do flying insects monitor foraging efficiency? Honeybees (Apis mellifera) use optic flow information as an odometer to estimate distance travelled, but here we tested whether optic flow informs estimation of foraging costs also. Bees were trained to feeders in flight tunnels such that bees experienced the greatest optic flow en route to the feeder closest to the hive. Analyses of dance communication showed that, as expected, bees indicated the close feeder as being further, but they also indicated this feeder as the more profitable, and preferentially visited this feeder when given a choice. We show that honeybee estimates of foraging cost are not reliant on optic flow information. Rather, bees can assess distance and profitability independently and signal these aspects as separate elements of their dances. The optic flow signal is sensitive to the nature of the environment travelled by the bee, and is therefore not a good index of flight energetic costs, but it provides a good indication of distance travelled for purpose of navigation and communication, as long as the dancer and recruit travel similar routes. This study suggests an adaptive dual processing system in honeybees for communicating and navigating distance flown and for evaluating its energetic costs.

Optic flow informs distance but not profitability for honeybees

PubMed Central

Shafir, Sharoni; Barron, Andrew B.

2010-01-01

How do flying insects monitor foraging efficiency? Honeybees (Apis mellifera) use optic flow information as an odometer to estimate distance travelled, but here we tested whether optic flow informs estimation of foraging costs also. Bees were trained to feeders in flight tunnels such that bees experienced the greatest optic flow en route to the feeder closest to the hive. Analyses of dance communication showed that, as expected, bees indicated the close feeder as being further, but they also indicated this feeder as the more profitable, and preferentially visited this feeder when given a choice. We show that honeybee estimates of foraging cost are not reliant on optic flow information. Rather, bees can assess distance and profitability independently and signal these aspects as separate elements of their dances. The optic flow signal is sensitive to the nature of the environment travelled by the bee, and is therefore not a good index of flight energetic costs, but it provides a good indication of distance travelled for purpose of navigation and communication, as long as the dancer and recruit travel similar routes. This study suggests an adaptive dual processing system in honeybees for communicating and navigating distance flown and for evaluating its energetic costs. PMID:20018787

Using the pallet costing system to determine costs and stay competitive in the pallet industry

Treesearch

A. Jefferson Jr. Palmer; Bruce G. Hansen; Bruce G. Hansen

2002-01-01

In order to stay competitive and keep production costs at a minimum, wood pallet manufacturers must plan, monitor, and control their various production activities. Cost information on pallet manufacturing operations, must be gathered and analyzed so that the plant manager can determine whether certain activities are efficient and profitable. The Pallet Costing System (...

76 FR 16650 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Order Approving Proposed Rule Change To Amend...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-24

... investors and the public interest; and are not designed to permit unfair discrimination among customers... proposed rule's impact on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. 15 U.S.C. 78c(f). \\9\\ 15 U.S.C... between customers based on the nature and profitability of their business. Currently under BOX's rules, an...

A Human Systems Integration Approach to Energy Efficiency in Ground Transportation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

Granite Construction Organizational Structure .........................................53 Figure 7. A Comparison of USMC Structure to Granite Construction...Caterpillar Corporation and the implementation and use of their telematics systems within a company called Granite Construction. Granite Construction...profit over 250 million dollars annually. In addition, similar to the USMC, Granite Construction handles both large and small scale projects in a

Negawatts for Buildings: Observations from the Past 25 Years

ScienceCinema

Lee Eng Lock

2017-12-09

Many authoritative studies over the past several decades state that energy efficiency, aka Negawatts, is cheaper, faster, cleaner, more sustainable and more profitable than building more power plants of any kind. In this Jan. 20, 2009 Berkeley Lab lecture, Lee Eng Lock of Singapore's TRANE discusses the barriers, success stories as well as failures associated with the Negawatt revolution.

Efficiency from Pharmacy Inventory Technology: A Means to Improving Quality in Non-Profit Hospitals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKelvey, Florence Ann

2013-01-01

Hospitals, like all organizations, have both a mission and a finite supply of resources with which to accomplish that mission. Because the inventory of therapeutic drugs is among the more expensive resources needed by a hospital to achieve its mission, a conceptual model of structure plus process equals outcome posits that adequate emphasis should…

Why Customers Use or Do Not Use Internet Banking: A Case Study of a Community Bank

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beadnell, Stephen Allen

2014-01-01

The banking industry is being challenged by shareholders and consumers to provide its products in the most efficient manner, provide good customer service, and earn a fair profit. Although the infrastructure is in place to serve most customers through Internet banking, the number of customers using this channel is less than expected. The purpose…

Tests of a theory for diel activity and habitat selection

Treesearch

Steven F. Railsback; Bret C. Harvey; John W. Hayse; Kirk E. Lagory

2005-01-01

For many animals, selecting whether to forage during day or night is a critical fitness problem: at night, predation risks are lower but feeding is less efficient. Habitat selection is a closely related problem: the best location for nocturnal foraging could be too risky during daytime, and habitat that is safe and profitable in daytime may be unprofitable at night. We...

Color machine vision in industrial process control: case limestone mine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paernaenen, Pekka H. T.; Lemstrom, Guy F.; Koskinen, Seppo

1994-11-01

An optical sorter technology has been developed to improve profitability of a mine by using color line scan machine vision technology. The new technology adapted longers the expected life time of the limestone mine and improves its efficiency. Also the project has proved that color line scan technology of today can successfully be applied to industrial use in harsh environments.

Regional not-for-profit systems: can they compete with national investor-owned firms?

PubMed

Hernandez, R; Hill, D B

1984-01-01

The relative competitive advantages of regional and national systems are summarized in Figure One. As illustrated, each type of system has unique competitive advantages at the corporate level. While it is difficult to state that either system has distinct advantages that place it in a superior position relative to the other, it seems that in the short-run investor-owned systems have operating characteristics that may result in more efficient internal functioning because of more centralized control over resource allocation and performance systems, greater possibilities for economies of scale, and greater access to capital. However, it was previously noted that growing pressures from government and the business community will lead to tighter constraints on the profitability of investments in the health care sector. The possibility of this shift suggests that the access to capital advantage enjoyed by investor-owned systems may not continue. Additionally, regional systems that are part of larger affiliated organizations such as the Sun Alliance and the Voluntary Hospitals of America are developing means to pool their access to debt funds, thus reducing the cost of capital for member institutions. The group purchasing contracts developed by these large systems also have resulted in significant savings. The distinction between regional and national systems on centralized control are becoming less pronounced. Investor-owned systems are seeking to determine how they might best decentralize selected decisions to be more responsive to local markets while not-for-profit regional systems are recognizing that they must centralize selected decisions to obtain more efficient, rational operation. The long-run outlook suggests that the competitive advantages that have been identified will become less pronounced and that both systems will survive in the marketplace.

Drivers of U.S. mineral demand

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sznopek, John L.

2006-01-01

Introduction: The word 'demand' has different meanings for different people. To some, it means their 'wants and needs,' to others it is what they consume. Yet, when considering economics, demand refers to the specific amounts of goods or services that individuals will purchase at various prices. Demand is measured over a given time period. It is determined by a number of factors including income, tastes, and the price of complementary and substitute goods. In this paper, the term consumption is used fairly synonymously with the term demand. Most mineral commodities, like iron ore, copper, zinc, and gravel, are intermediate goods, which means that they are used in the production of other goods, called final goods. Demand for intermediate goods is called derived demand because such demand is derived from the demand for final goods. When demand increases for a commodity, generally the price rises. With everything else held constant, this increases the profits for those who provide this commodity. Normally, this would increase profits of existing producers and attract new producers to the market. When demand for a commodity decreases, generally the price falls. Normally, this would cause profits to fall and, as a consequence, the least efficient firms may be forced from the industry. Demand changes for specific materials as final goods or production techniques are reengineered while maintaining or improving product performance, for example, the use of aluminum in the place of copper in long distance electrical transmission lines or plastic replacing steel in automobile bumpers. Substitution contributes to efficient material usage by utilizing cheaper or technically superior materials. In this way, it may also alleviate materials scarcity. If a material becomes relatively scarce (and thus more expensive), a more abundant (and less expensive) material generally replaces it (Wagner and others, 2003, p. 91).

An Analysis of Superintendent-CEO Evaluation as Compared to Executive Officer Evaluation in Private Education, Higher Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and For-Profit Corporations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hentze, Brandon T.

2010-01-01

The accountability movement of the early 1990s, along with the No Child Left Behind legislation of 2001, required a change in the role of the school district superintendent. The long-used model of superintendent-manager was no longer appropriate to lead school districts in this new era of accountability. A new model of the superintendency emerged…

Survey of DoD Profit Policy and Further Analysis of the Estimation Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-01

CAPITAL ASSET PRICING MODEL 21 E. APPLICATION OF THE CAPM TO WEIGHTED TO THE WEIGHTED GUIDLELINES POLICY 24 1. Pure...Working Capital Employed : 9 4. Facilities Capital 11 C. EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICY 12 III. CAPTIAL ASSET PRICING MODEL OF DOD PROFIT 19 A. OVERVIEW 19...and Rogerson’s approach to the weighted guidelines policy using a capital asset pricing model approach. Both models are examined in the

2 CFR 215.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (OMB CIRCULAR... procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price...

15 CFR 14.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

2 CFR 215.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (OMB CIRCULAR... procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price...

45 CFR 2543.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... SERVICE GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT... procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price...

45 CFR 2543.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... SERVICE GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT... procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price...

45 CFR 2543.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... SERVICE GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT... procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price...

15 CFR 14.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

15 CFR 14.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

15 CFR 14.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT, AND... every procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison...

2 CFR 215.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (OMB CIRCULAR... procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price...

45 CFR 2543.45 - Cost and price analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... SERVICE GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT... procurement action. Price analysis may be accomplished in various ways, including the comparison of price...

Economic analysis of microaerobic removal of H2S from biogas in full-scale sludge digesters.

PubMed

Díaz, I; Ramos, I; Fdz-Polanco, M

2015-09-01

The application of microaerobic conditions during sludge digestion has been proven to be an efficient method for H2S removal from biogas. In this study, three microaerobic treatments were considered as an alternative to the technique of biogas desulfurization applied (FeCl3 dosing to the digesters) in a WWTP comprising three full-scale anaerobic reactors treating sewage sludge, depending on the reactant: pure O2 from cryogenic tanks, concentrated O2 from PSA generators, and air. These alternatives were compared in terms of net present value (NPV) with a fourth scenario consisting in the utilization of iron-sponge-bed filter inoculated with thiobacteria. The analysis revealed that the most profitable alternative to FeCl3 addition was the injection of concentrated O2 (0.0019 €/m(3) biogas), and this scenario presented the highest robustness towards variations in the price of FeCl3, electricity, and in the H2S concentration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A multivariate and stochastic approach to identify key variables to rank dairy farms on profitability.

PubMed

Atzori, A S; Tedeschi, L O; Cannas, A

2013-05-01

The economic efficiency of dairy farms is the main goal of farmers. The objective of this work was to use routinely available information at the dairy farm level to develop an index of profitability to rank dairy farms and to assist the decision-making process of farmers to increase the economic efficiency of the entire system. A stochastic modeling approach was used to study the relationships between inputs and profitability (i.e., income over feed cost; IOFC) of dairy cattle farms. The IOFC was calculated as: milk revenue + value of male calves + culling revenue - herd feed costs. Two databases were created. The first one was a development database, which was created from technical and economic variables collected in 135 dairy farms. The second one was a synthetic database (sDB) created from 5,000 synthetic dairy farms using the Monte Carlo technique and based on the characteristics of the development database data. The sDB was used to develop a ranking index as follows: (1) principal component analysis (PCA), excluding IOFC, was used to identify principal components (sPC); and (2) coefficient estimates of a multiple regression of the IOFC on the sPC were obtained. Then, the eigenvectors of the sPC were used to compute the principal component values for the original 135 dairy farms that were used with the multiple regression coefficient estimates to predict IOFC (dRI; ranking index from development database). The dRI was used to rank the original 135 dairy farms. The PCA explained 77.6% of the sDB variability and 4 sPC were selected. The sPC were associated with herd profile, milk quality and payment, poor management, and reproduction based on the significant variables of the sPC. The mean IOFC in the sDB was 0.1377 ± 0.0162 euros per liter of milk (€/L). The dRI explained 81% of the variability of the IOFC calculated for the 135 original farms. When the number of farms below and above 1 standard deviation (SD) of the dRI were calculated, we found that 21 farms had dRI<-1 SD, 32 farms were between -1 SD and 0, 67 farms were between 0 and +1 SD, and 15 farms had dRI>+1 SD. The top 10% of the farms had a dRI greater than 0.170 €/L, whereas the bottom 10% farms had a dRI lower than 0.116 €/L. This stochastic approach allowed us to understand the relationships among the inputs of the studied dairy farms and to develop a ranking index for comparison purposes. The developed methodology may be improved by using more inputs at the dairy farm level and considering the actual cost to measure profitability. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New technologies for solar energy silicon - Cost analysis of BCL process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yaws, C. L.; Li, K.-Y.; Fang, C. S.; Lutwack, R.; Hsu, G.; Leven, H.

1980-01-01

New technologies for producing polysilicon are being developed to provide lower cost material for solar cells which convert sunlight into electricity. This article presents results for the BCL Process, which produces the solar-cell silicon by reduction of silicon tetrachloride with zinc vapor. Cost, sensitivity, and profitability analysis results are presented based on a preliminary process design of a plant to produce 1000 metric tons/year of silicon by the BCL Process. Profitability analysis indicates a sales price of $12.1-19.4 per kg of silicon (1980 dollars) at a 0-25 per cent DCF rate of return on investment after taxes. These results indicate good potential for meeting the goal of providing lower cost material for silicon solar cells.

Feasibility Study of Regenerative Burners in Aluminum Holding Furnaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Mohamed I.; Al Kindi, Rashid

2014-09-01

Gas-fired aluminum holding reverberatory furnaces are currently considered to be the lowest efficiency fossil fuel system. A considerable volume of gas is consumed to hold the molten metal at temperature that is much lower than the flame temperature. This will lead to more effort and energy consumption to capture the excessive production of the CO2. The concern of this study is to investigate the feasibility of the regenerative-burners' furnaces to increase the furnace efficiency to reduce gas consumption per production and hence result in less CO2 production. Energy assessments for metal holding furnaces are considered at different operation conditions. Onsite measurements, supervisory control and data acquisition data, and thermodynamics analysis are performed to provide feasible information about the gas consumption and CO2 production as well as area of improvements. In this study, onsite measurements are used with thermodynamics modeling to assess a 130 MT rectangular furnace with two regenerative burners and one cold-air holding burner. The assessment showed that the regenerative burner furnaces are not profitable in saving energy, in addition to the negative impact on the furnace life. However, reducing the holding and door opening time would significantly increase the operation efficiency and hence gain the benefit of the regenerative technology.

Risk adjustment and the fear of markets: the case of Belgium.

PubMed

Schokkaert, E; Van de Voorde, C

2000-02-01

In Belgium the management and administration of the compulsory and universal health insurance is left to a limited number of non-governmental non-profit sickness funds. Since 1995 these sickness funds are partially financed in a prospective way. The risk adjustment scheme is based on a regression model to explain medical expenditures for different social groups. Medical supply is taken out of the formula to construct risk-adjusted capitation payments. The risk-adjustment formula still leaves scope for risk selection. At the same time, the sickness funds were not given the instruments to exert a real influence on expenditures and the health insurance market has not been opened for new entrants. As a consequence, Belgium runs the danger of ending up in a situation with little incentives for efficiency and considerable profits from cream skimming.

The Blue Emu

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Descalzi, Doug; Gillett, John; Gordon, Carlton; Keener, ED; Novak, Ken; Puente, Laura

1993-01-01

The primary goal in designing the Blue Emu was to provide an airline with a cost efficient and profitable means of transporting passengers between the major cities in Aeroworld. The design attacks the market where a demand for inexpensive transportation exists and for this reason the Blue Emu is an attractive investment for any airline. In order to provide a profitable aircraft, special attention was paid to cost and economics. For example, in manufacturing, simplicity was stressed in structural design to reduce construction time and cost. Aerodynamic design employed a tapered wing which reduced the induced drag coefficient while also reducing the weight of the wing. Even the propulsion system was selected with cost effectiveness in mind, yet also to maintain the marketability of the aircraft. Thus, in every aspect of the design, consideration was given to economics and marketability of the final product.

Economic efficiency analysis of different strategies to control post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome and porcine circovirus type 2 subclinical infection in 3-weekly batch system farms

PubMed Central

Alarcon, Pablo; Rushton, Jonathan; Nathues, Heiko; Wieland, Barbara

2013-01-01

The study assessed the economic efficiency of different strategies for the control of post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and porcine circovirus type 2 subclinical infection (PCV2SI), which have a major economic impact on the pig farming industry worldwide. The control strategies investigated consisted on the combination of up to 5 different control measures. The control measures considered were: (1) PCV2 vaccination of piglets (vac); (2) ensuring age adjusted diet for growers (diets); (3) reduction of stocking density (stock); (4) improvement of biosecurity measures (bios); and (5) total depopulation and repopulation of the farm for the elimination of other major pathogens (DPRP). A model was developed to simulate 5 years production of a pig farm with a 3-weekly batch system and with 100 sows. A PMWS/PCV2SI disease and economic model, based on PMWS severity scores, was linked to the production model in order to assess disease losses. This PMWS severity scores depends on the combination post-weaning mortality, PMWS morbidity in younger pigs and proportion of PCV2 infected pigs observed on farms. The economic analysis investigated eleven different farm scenarios, depending on the number of risk factors present before the intervention. For each strategy, an investment appraisal assessed the extra costs and benefits of reducing a given PMWS severity score to the average score of a slightly affected farm. The net present value obtained for each strategy was then multiplied by the corresponding probability of success to obtain an expected value. A stochastic simulation was performed to account for uncertainty and variability. For moderately affected farms PCV2 vaccination alone was the most cost-efficient strategy, but for highly affected farms it was either PCV2 vaccination alone or in combination with biosecurity measures, with the marginal profitability between ‘vac’ and ‘vac + bios’ being small. Other strategies such as ‘diets’, ‘vac + diets’ and ‘bios + diets’ were frequently identified as the second or third best strategy. The mean expected values of the best strategy for a moderately and a highly affected farm were £14,739 and £57,648 after 5 years, respectively. This is the first study to compare economic efficiency of control strategies for PMWS and PCV2SI. The results demonstrate the economic value of PCV2 vaccination, and highlight that on highly affected farms biosecurity measures are required to achieve optimal profitability. The model developed has potential as a farm-level decision support tool for the control of this economically important syndrome. PMID:23375866

Comparative analysis of profitability of honey production using traditional and box hives.

PubMed

Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed A; Adgaba, Nuru; Herab, Ahmed H; Ansari, Mohammad J

2017-07-01

Information on the profitability and productivity of box hives is important to encourage beekeepers to adopt the technology. However, comparative analysis of profitability and productivity of box and traditional hives is not adequately available. The study was carried out on 182 beekeepers using cross sectional survey and employing a random sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), the Cobb-Douglas (CD) production function and partial budgeting. The CD production function revealed that supplementary bee feeds, labor and medication were statistically significant for both box and traditional hives. Generally, labor for bee management, supplementary feeding, and medication led to productivity differences of approximately 42.83%, 7.52%, and 5.34%, respectively, between box and traditional hives. The study indicated that productivity of box hives were 72% higher than traditional hives. The average net incomes of beekeepers using box and traditional hives were 33,699.7 SR/annum and 16,461.4 SR/annum respectively. The incremental net benefit of box hives over traditional hives was nearly double. Our study results clearly showed the importance of adoption of box hives for better productivity of the beekeeping subsector.

Persistent and transient cost efficiency—an application to the Swiss hydropower sector

DOE PAGES

Filippini, Massimo; Geissmann, Thomas; Greene, William H.

2017-11-27

Electricity prices on the European market have decreased significantly over the past few years, resulting in a deterioration of Swiss hydropower firms’ competitiveness and profitability. One option to improve the sector’s competitiveness is to increase cost efficiency. The goal of this study is to quantify the level of persistent and transient cost efficiency of individual firms by applying the generalized true random effects (GTRE) model introduced by Colombi et al. (Journal of Productivity Analysis 42(2): 123–136, 2014) and Filippini and Greene (Journal of Productivity Analysis 45(2): 187–196, 2016). Applying this newly developed GTRE model to a total cost function, themore » level of cost efficiency of 65 Swiss hydropower firms is analyzed for the period between 2000 and 2013. A true random effects specification is estimated as a benchmark for the transient level of cost efficiency. The results show the presence of both transient as well as persistent cost inefficiencies. The GTREM predicts the aggregate level of cost inefficiency to amount to 21.8% (8.0% transient, 13.8% persistent) on average between 2000 and 2013. These two components differ in interpretation and implication. From an individual firm’s perspective, the two types of cost inefficiencies might require a firm’s management to respond with different improvement strategies. The existing level of persistent inefficiency could prevent the hydropower firms from adjusting their production processes to new market environments. From a regulatory point of view, the results of this study could be used in the scope and determination of the amount of financial support given to struggling firms.« less

Persistent and transient cost efficiency—an application to the Swiss hydropower sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Filippini, Massimo; Geissmann, Thomas; Greene, William H.

Electricity prices on the European market have decreased significantly over the past few years, resulting in a deterioration of Swiss hydropower firms’ competitiveness and profitability. One option to improve the sector’s competitiveness is to increase cost efficiency. The goal of this study is to quantify the level of persistent and transient cost efficiency of individual firms by applying the generalized true random effects (GTRE) model introduced by Colombi et al. (Journal of Productivity Analysis 42(2): 123–136, 2014) and Filippini and Greene (Journal of Productivity Analysis 45(2): 187–196, 2016). Applying this newly developed GTRE model to a total cost function, themore » level of cost efficiency of 65 Swiss hydropower firms is analyzed for the period between 2000 and 2013. A true random effects specification is estimated as a benchmark for the transient level of cost efficiency. The results show the presence of both transient as well as persistent cost inefficiencies. The GTREM predicts the aggregate level of cost inefficiency to amount to 21.8% (8.0% transient, 13.8% persistent) on average between 2000 and 2013. These two components differ in interpretation and implication. From an individual firm’s perspective, the two types of cost inefficiencies might require a firm’s management to respond with different improvement strategies. The existing level of persistent inefficiency could prevent the hydropower firms from adjusting their production processes to new market environments. From a regulatory point of view, the results of this study could be used in the scope and determination of the amount of financial support given to struggling firms.« less

Factor investing based on Musharakah principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Shahril; Omar, Mohd; Lazam, Norazliani Md; Amin, Mohd Nazrul Mohd

2015-10-01

Shariah stock investing has become a widely discussed topic in financial industry as part of today's investment strategy. The strategy primarily applies market capitalization allocations. However, some researchers have argued that market capitalization weighting is inherently flawed and have advocated replacing market capitalization allocations with factor allocations. In this paper, we discuss the rationale for factor investing based on Musharakah principle. The essential elements or factors of Musharakah principle such as business sector, management capability, profitability growth and capital efficiency are embedded in the Shariah-compliant stock. We then transform these factors into indexation for better analysis and performance measurement. Investment universe for this research covers Malaysian stocks for the period of January 2009 to December 2013. We found out that these factor indexes have historically earned excess returns over market capitalization weighted indexes and experienced higher Sharpe Ratios.

A Comparison of Center/TRACON Automation System and Airline Time of Arrival Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heere, Karen R.; Zelenka, Richard E.

2000-01-01

Benefits from information sharing between an air traffic service provider and a major air carrier are evaluated. Aircraft arrival time schedules generated by the NASA/FAA Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS) were provided to the American Airlines System Operations Control Center in Fort Worth, Texas, during a field trial of a specialized CTAS display. A statistical analysis indicates that the CTAS schedules, based on aircraft trajectories predicted from real-time radar and weather data, are substantially more accurate than the traditional airline arrival time estimates, constructed from flight plans and en route crew updates. The improvement offered by CTAS is especially advantageous during periods of heavy traffic and substantial terminal area delay, allowing the airline to avoid large predictive errors with serious impact on the efficiency and profitability of flight operations.

Exponential Methods for the Time Integration of Schroedinger Equation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cano, B.; Gonzalez-Pachon, A.

2010-09-30

We consider exponential methods of second order in time in order to integrate the cubic nonlinear Schroedinger equation. We are interested in taking profit of the special structure of this equation. Therefore, we look at symmetry, symplecticity and approximation of invariants of the proposed methods. That will allow to integrate till long times with reasonable accuracy. Computational efficiency is also our aim. Therefore, we make numerical computations in order to compare the methods considered and so as to conclude that explicit Lawson schemes projected on the norm of the solution are an efficient tool to integrate this equation.

Competitive foods sales are associated with a negative effect on school finances.

PubMed

Peterson, Cora

2011-06-01

It is widely presumed that competitive foods-foods offered for sale in schools in addition to reimbursable federal meals programs-provide revenue that is essential to maintain school foodservices. However, evidence is lacking to demonstrate whether competitive foods sales truly improve foodservice financial viability. The aim of this research was to assess whether or not competitive foods sales have an overall positive financial effect on school foodservice finances. DESIGN AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES: This observational study used a multivariate time series analysis of annual foodservice financial data from repeated observations of 344 Minnesota public school districts between 2001 and 2008 (N=2,695). First, revenue from competitive foods was assessed in terms of whether or not such revenue displaced or complemented revenue from reimbursable meals. Second, profit from competitive foods was assessed in terms of whether or not such profit displaced or increased total school foodservice profit. Fixed effects models indicated small but significant negative relationships between competitive foods sales and reimbursable meals revenue, as well as overall foodservice profit. A 10% increase in competitive foods revenue was associated with a 0.1% decrease in reimbursable meals revenue (P<0.05). A 10% increase in competitive foods profit was associated with a 0.7% decrease in overall foodservice profit among schools with profitable competitive sales (P<0.10). Study findings suggest that competitive foods can have a negative effect on school foodservice finances. Better understanding of foodservice finances could influence current approaches to improve school nutrition. Improved recordkeeping may be necessary to ensure that public funds are not used to subsidize schools' competitive offerings. Copyright © 2011 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Essays on inference in economics, competition, and the rate of profit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharfenaker, Ellis S.

This dissertation is comprised of three papers that demonstrate the role of Bayesian methods of inference and Shannon's information theory in classical political economy. The first chapter explores the empirical distribution of profit rate data from North American firms from 1962-2012. This chapter address the fact that existing methods for sample selection from noisy profit rate data in the industrial organization field of economics tends to be conditional on a covariate's value that risks discarding information. Conditioning sample selection instead on the profit rate data's structure by means of a two component (signal and noise) Bayesian mixture model we find the the profit rate sample to be time stationary Laplace distributed, corroborating earlier estimates of cross section distributions. The second chapter compares alternative probabilistic approaches to discrete (quantal) choice analysis and examines the various ways in which they overlap. In particular, the work on individual choice behavior by Duncan Luce and the extension of this work to quantal response problems by game theoreticians is shown to be related both to the rational inattention work of Christopher Sims through Shannon's information theory as well as to the maximum entropy principle of inference proposed physicist Edwin T. Jaynes. In the third chapter I propose a model of ``classically" competitive firms facing informational entropy constraints in their decisions to potentially enter or exit markets based on profit rate differentials. The result is a three parameter logit quantal response distribution for firm entry and exit decisions. Bayesian methods are used for inference into the the distribution of entry and exit decisions conditional on profit rate deviations and firm level data from Compustat is used to test these predictions.

Short communication: Estimation of the financial benefit of using Jersey milk at different inclusion rates for Cheddar cheese production using partial budgeting.

PubMed

Bland, J H; Bailey, A P; Grandison, A S; Fagan, C C

2015-03-01

Partial budgeting was used to estimate the net benefit of blending Jersey milk in Holstein-Friesian milk for Cheddar cheese production. Jersey milk increases Cheddar cheese yield. However, the cost of Jersey milk is also higher; thus, determining the balance of profitability is necessary, including consideration of seasonal effects. Input variables were based on a pilot plant experiment run from 2012 to 2013 and industry milk and cheese prices during this period. When Jersey milk was used at an increasing rate with Holstein-Friesian milk (25, 50, 75, and 100% Jersey milk), it resulted in an increase of average net profit of 3.41, 6.44, 8.57, and 11.18 pence per kilogram of milk, respectively, and this additional profit was constant throughout the year. Sensitivity analysis showed that the most influential input on additional profit was cheese yield, whereas cheese price and milk price had a small effect. The minimum increase in yield, which was necessary for the use of Jersey milk to be profitable, was 2.63, 7.28, 9.95, and 12.37% at 25, 50, 75, and 100% Jersey milk, respectively. Including Jersey milk did not affect the quantity of whey butter and powder produced. Although further research is needed to ascertain the amount of additional profit that would be found on a commercial scale, the results indicate that using Jersey milk for Cheddar cheese making would lead to an improvement in profit for the cheese makers, especially at higher inclusion rates. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Initial Risk Analysis and Decision Making Framework

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engel, David W.

2012-02-01

Commercialization of new carbon capture simulation initiative (CCSI) technology will include two key elements of risk management, namely, technical risk (will process and plant performance be effective, safe, and reliable) and enterprise risk (can project losses and costs be controlled within the constraints of market demand to maintain profitability and investor confidence). Both of these elements of risk are incorporated into the risk analysis subtask of Task 7. Thus far, this subtask has developed a prototype demonstration tool that quantifies risk based on the expected profitability of expenditures when retrofitting carbon capture technology on a stylized 650 MW pulverized coalmore » electric power generator. The prototype is based on the selection of specific technical and financial factors believed to be important determinants of the expected profitability of carbon capture, subject to uncertainty. The uncertainty surrounding the technical performance and financial variables selected thus far is propagated in a model that calculates the expected profitability of investments in carbon capture and measures risk in terms of variability in expected net returns from these investments. Given the preliminary nature of the results of this prototype, additional work is required to expand the scope of the model to include additional risk factors, additional information on extant and proposed risk factors, the results of a qualitative risk factor elicitation process, and feedback from utilities and other interested parties involved in the carbon capture project. Additional information on proposed distributions of these risk factors will be integrated into a commercial implementation framework for the purpose of a comparative technology investment analysis.« less

The association of funding source on effect size in randomized controlled trials: 2013-2015 - a cross-sectional survey and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Falk Delgado, Alberto; Falk Delgado, Anna

2017-03-14

Trials financed by for-profit organizations have been associated with favorable outcomes of new treatments, although the effect size of funding source impact on outcome is unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect size for a favorable outcome in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), stratified by funding source, that have been published in general medical journals. Parallel-group RCTs published in The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA between 2013 and 2015 were identified. RCTs with binary primary endpoints were included. The primary outcome was the OR of patients' having a favorable outcome in the intervention group compared with the control group. The OR of a favorable outcome in each trial was calculated by the number of positive events that occurred in the intervention and control groups. A meta-analytic technique with random effects model was used to calculate summary OR. Data were stratified by funding source as for-profit, mixed, and nonprofit. Prespecified sensitivity, subgroup, and metaregression analyses were performed. Five hundred nine trials were included. The OR for a favorable outcome in for-profit-funded RCTs was 1.92 (95% CI 1.72-2.14), which was higher than mixed source-funded RCTs (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.25-1.43) and nonprofit-funded RCTs (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.26-1.39). The OR for a favorable outcome was higher for both clinical and surrogate endpoints in for-profit-funded trials than in RCTs with other funding sources. Excluding drug trials lowered the OR for a favorable outcome in for-profit-funded RCTs. The OR for a favorable surrogate outcome in drug trials was higher in for-profit-funded trials than in nonprofit-funded trials. For-profit-funded RCTs have a higher OR for a favorable outcome than nonprofit- and mixed source-funded RCTs. This difference is associated mainly with the use of surrogate endpoints in for-profit-financed drug trials.

Relationship between dairy cow genetic merit and profit on commercial spring calving dairy farms.

PubMed

Ramsbottom, G; Cromie, A R; Horan, B; Berry, D P

2012-07-01

Because not all animal factors influencing profitability can be included in total merit breeding indices for profitability, the association between animal total merit index and true profitability, taking cognisance of all factors associated with costs and revenues, is generally not known. One method to estimate such associations is at the herd level, associating herd average genetic merit with herd profitability. The objective of this study was to primarily relate herd average genetic merit for a range of traits, including the Irish total merit index, with indicators of performance, including profitability, using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Physical, genetic and financial performance data from 1131 Irish seasonal calving pasture-based dairy farms were available following edits; data on some herds were available for more than 1 year of the 3-year study period (2007 to 2009). Herd average economic breeding index (EBI) was associated with reduced herd average phenotypic milk yield but with greater milk composition, resulting in higher milk prices. Moderate positive correlations (0.26 to 0.61) existed between genetic merit for an individual trait and average herd performance for that trait (e.g. genetic merit for milk yield and average per cow milk yield). Following adjustment for year, stocking rate, herd size and quantity of purchased feed in the multiple regression analysis, average herd EBI was positively and linearly associated with net margin per cow and per litre as well as gross revenue output per cow and per litre. The change in net margin per cow per unit change in the total merit index was €1.94 (s.e. = 0.42), which was not different from the expectation of €2. This study, based on a large data set of commercial herds with accurate information on profitability and genetic merit, confirms that, after accounting for confounding factors, the change in herd profitability per unit change in herd genetic merit for the total merit index is within expectations.

Organizational characteristics as predictors of work disability: a prospective study among sick employees of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

PubMed

Schröer, C A P; Janssen, M; van Amelsvoort, L G P M; Bosma, H; Swaen, G M H; Nijhuis, F J N; van Eijk, J

2005-09-01

This article reports a prospective study that focused on the influence of organizational structure and organizational culture on the outcome of sickness absence, return to work or work disability. Former studies of determinants of work disability hardly have given attention to organizational characteristics and, if so, not following a appropriate prospective design. The study population consisted of 455 employees of 45 for-profit and not-for-profit companies participating in the Maastricht Cohort Study on fatigue at work who were on sick leave for at least 6 weeks. Both independent variables which were type of company, size, centralization of decision making and organizational culture, and covariates, which were sex, age, educational level, fatigue, and chronic illness, were all measured before employees reported sick. The dependent variable outcome of the sickness absence, mainly return to work or work disability, was measured 15 months after reporting sick. Multilevel logistic regression analysis, with organizational characteristics as level 2 independent variables and demographic and health characteristics as covariates, suggested that the type of company (for-profit/private or not-for-profit/public) is predictive of the outcome of sickness absence (crude OR = 2.21; CI: 1.16-4.20), but this may be partially due to a higher proportion of fatigued and chronically ill employees in not-for-profit companies (adjusted OR = 2.09; CI: 0.93-4.37). Findings about the role of some other organizational characteristics, like organizational culture, were inconclusive. Organizational characteristics should next to health characteristics be included in the models of studies which aim at predicting which sick employees are at risk for work disability. To prevent work disability not-for-profit companies might be stimulated to more active return-to-work policy by charging them with the costs of it.