SOLUTION OF THE SHORTEST ROUTE PROBLEM USING THE ASSIGNMENT TECHNIQUE

A solution to the shortest route problem of going from city i to city j with p necessary intermediate stops (0 p n - 2) is given using the assignment algorithm, with a simple modification of the initial matrix. A branch and bound algorithm is necessary in all but the simplest case (p = 0).     

A strategy to enhance accountability in health care delivery

The New York State Department of Health surprised many in the hospital industry and medical community when, in June 1987, it proposed as regulation that the governing body of each acute care hospital appoint a medical director who would be assigned responsibility for the direction of the organized medical staff. Such a proposal, without modification, has been incorporated in the New York State Hospital Code--Minimum Standards, effective January 1, 1989. While a strong case can be made for this position in hospitals, its value has long been recognized by a wide variety of organizations.     

双元能力视角下微创新实现过程及机制的单案例研究

聚焦于双元能力视角下微创新的实现过程和机制,结合探索性嵌入式单案例研究方法,以抖音短视频为案例研究对象,分析了在各种不确定性因素的驱动下,构建不同的双元能力以实现产品微创新的途径。研究发现:抖音短视频基于环境的不确定性,开发出不同的双元能力——技术、市场和价值双元能力;企业在产品创新的环节,通过不同双元能力的表现,实现不同的创新活动,最终实现产品的微创新改动。进而总结并提出了双元能力实现微创新的过程机制模型。     

On the NEH heuristic for minimizing the makespan in permutation flow shops

Over the last 20 years the NEH heuristic of Nawaz, Enscore, and Ham published in this journal has been commonly regarded as the best heuristic for minimizing the makespan in permutation flow shops. In recent years some authors claimed to develop new heuristics that are competitive or outperform NEH. Our study reveals that these claims are not justified. We also address the issue of a fair comparison of the NEH results with those obtained by metaheuristics. Finally we conduct a thorough analysis of NEH leading to its modification which secures the optimality in the two-machine case and improves the general performance.     

Managerial Reaction to the Term Behavior Modification

Diverse evidence suggests that the term behavior modification might have a negative connotation. Relative to the teaching of on-the-job behavior modification techniques, a generalized prejudice against the idea of behavior modification would represent a significant barrier to learning. To determine if practicing managers attach a negative connotation to the term behavior modification, a sample of 210 executive development participants evaluated a typical on-the-job behavior modification program. The program was alternatively labeled a behavior modification or human relations treatment and a high or low success: Analysis of variance indicated that the managers responded significantly more favorably to the high success condition and were not significantly affected by the behavior modification label. The term behavior modification does not appear to elicit a negative reaction from practicing managers. Instructors/trainers who introduce on-the-job behavior modification techniques to managers apparently do not have to be concerned with conceptual prejudice, assuming that they cite clearly successful applications from the outset.     

Public perceptions of hurricane modification

If hurricane modification were to become a feasible strategy for potentially reducing hurricane damages, it would likely generate public discourse about whether to support its implementation. To facilitate an informed and constructive discourse, policymakers need to understand how people perceive hurricane modification. Here, we examine Florida residents' perceptions of hurricane modification techniques that aim to alter path and wind speed. Following the mental models approach, we conducted a survey study about public perceptions of hurricane modification that was guided by formative interviews on the topic. We report a set of four primary findings. First, hurricane modification was perceived as a relatively ineffective strategy for damage reduction, compared to other strategies for damage reduction. Second, hurricane modification was expected to lead to changes in projected hurricane path, but not necessarily to the successful reduction of projected hurricane strength. Third, more anger was evoked when a hurricane was described as having changed from the initially forecasted path or strength after an attempted modification. Fourth, unlike what we expected, participants who more strongly agreed with statements that recognized the uncertainty inherent in forecasts reported more rather than less anger at scientists across hurricane modification scenarios. If the efficacy of intensity-reduction techniques can be increased, people may be willing to support hurricane modification. However, such an effort would need to be combined with open and honest communications to members of the general public.     

New Health Risks and Sociocultural Contexts: Bird Flu Impacts on Consumers and Poultry Businesses in Lao PDR

Avian flu has been identified as one of the most challenging new risks, global in impact due to the "highly interconnected and integrated world economy along with other unpredictable events such as the Asian financial crisis and global terrorism." We have chosen the case of Lao PDR to shed light on an area in which local people consume chicken as one of their staple foods. Our research analyzes consumer behavior, poultry business modification patterns in a high-risk country, and government reaction for business resilience. The geographic choice is motivated by the 2006 EIU report on Catastrophe Risk Management that indicated that Asian-Pacific companies are better prepared for such risks as bird flu than European business is, despite the many cases found in both regions.     

Nonparametric Test for Causality with Long‐range Dependence

This paper introduces a nonparametric Granger‐causality test for covariance stationary linear processes under, possibly, the presence of long‐range dependence. We show that the test is consistent and has power against contiguous alternatives converging to the parametric rate T^−1/2. Since the test is based on estimates of the parameters of the representation of a VAR model as a, possibly, two‐sided infinite distributed lag model, we first show that a modification of Hannan's (1963, 1967) estimator is root‐ T consistent and asymptotically normal for the coefficients of such a representation. When the data are long‐range dependent, this method of estimation becomes more attractive than least squares, since the latter can be neither root‐ T consistent nor asymptotically normal as is the case with short‐range dependent data.     

The use of performance measurement as a basis for project control of offshore modification oil and gas projects

The methods presented in this article are based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of close-out data drawn from a portfolio of 38 modification projects. The primary premise is that modification projects are intrinsically subject to quantity and complexity growth during the course of detailed engineering as a consequence of the indeterminate interface with the existing facility. The normative project control routines need to be supplemented by material take-offs-based weight monitoring as a basis for re-estimation and re-calibration of the project baselines as detailed engineering proceeds in order to mitigate this uncertainty as early as possible. Similarly, estimating needs to be based on norms drawn from performance measurement of modification work rather than extrapolations from greenfield projects, particularly the work performed on the platforms. This article presents a portfolio of project control methods based on the performance measurement principle covering the short term of single projects as well as the longer term multi-project perspective.     

项目团队成员怠工行为修正的理论模型

项目团队并不总能实现预期目标,项目团队中存在的某些问题属于怠工行为的表现,项目团队中怠工行为修正亟待研究。采用定性研究方法,按照行为修正分析模式,以行为修正理论、态度改变理论、态度与行为理论、认知平衡理论等为理论基础,经理论与文献研究提出:项目团队成员怠工行为与项目团队绩效的关系、工作态度在工作情境认知与怠工行为之间中介作用关系、团队文化认知在工作情境认知与工作态度之间调节作用关系,从而构建起项目团队成员怠工行为修正的理论模型。     

Implementing lean information management: the case study of an automotive company

Worldwide modern organisation is continuously crossed by a great number of information but frequently information is not accurate, the needed information is not generated or it cannot be easily identified and, more, the information cannot flow through the whole organisation. This paper proposes the application of lean thinking in the field of information management. In the areas of manufacturing and production, the lean thinking is well known but usually the importance of a holistic approach is neglected and the improvement involves only the production and logistic areas and there is not a specific focus on the lean information management. We applied lean thinking to information management in order to improve the performance of an automotive company. We analysed the as-is company condition, we identified the present muda and we introduced the necessary changes. Then, we verified the modification efficiency through the calculation of a performance index. The paper proposes an interesting and exhaustive case of lean information management application and it highlights the possible improvement of such approach. The results of this study are not sector specific: they are not only applicable by other automotive industries, but they can also be extended to many other sectors.     

An Alternative Exact Solution of the Two-Stage Clonal Growth Model of Cancer

The approximate solution of the two-stage clonal expansion model of cancer may substantially deviate from the exact solution, and may therefore lead to erroneous conclusions in particular applications. However, for time-varying parameters the exact solution (method of characteristics) is not easy to implement, hampering the accessibility of the model to nonmathematicians. Based on intuitive reasoning, Clewell et al. (1995) proposed an improved approximate solution that is easy to implement whatever time-varying behavior the parameters may have. Here we provide the mathematical foundation for the approximation suggested by Clewell et al. (1995) and show that, after a slight modification, it is in fact an exact solution for the case of time-constant parameters. We were not able to prove that it is an exact solution for time-varying parameters as well. However, several computer simulations showed that the numerical results do not differ from the exact solution as proposed by Moolgavkar and Luebeck (1990). The advantage of this alternative solution is that the hazard rate of the first malignant cell can be evaluated by numerically integrating a single differential equation.     

A heuristic to minimize total flow time in permutation flow shop

In this paper, we address an n-job, m-machine permutation flow shop scheduling problem for the objective of minimizing the total flow time. We propose a modification of the best-known method of Framinan and Leisten [An efficient constructive heuristic for flowtime minimization in permutation flow shops. Omega 2003;31:311–7] for this problem. We show, through computational experimentation, that this modification significantly improves its performance while not affecting its time-complexity.     

Going concern modifications and related disclosures in the Italian stock market: do regulatory improvements help investors in capturing financial distress?

Journal of Management and Governance - This paper investigates the investor reaction to audit reports containing a going concern modification (GCM) in the Italian market following new amendments...     

Gamma时变过程与Black-Scholes期权定价的定价偏差纠正

本文针对Black Scholes期权定价的定价偏差,介绍了一种对该模型的改进模型,它是通过将gamma过程作为时变过程嵌入BlackScholes期权定价模型中的布朗运动来实现的。     

Intervening Effects of Knowledge, Morality, Trust, and Benefits on Support for Animal and Plant Biotechnology Applications

Data from a regional Southwest telephone survey in the United States (N= 432) were used to examine the intervening effects of knowledge, morality, trust, and benefits on support for animal and plant biotechnology applications. Results showed that perceptions of agricultural biotechnologies varied by the two applications-animals and plants. Respondents reported higher opposition to the genetic modification of animals, which is consistent with prior research. Results also indicated that morality and perceived benefits directly affected support for both animal and plant applications, but trust and knowledge only had indirect effects. Morality and perceived benefits accounted for most of the variance explained among the intervening variables. The effects of trust were mediated through perceived benefits. The effects of knowledge on support were mediated primarily through trust. The influence of sociodemographic and consumer behavior variables varied by application. Results lend support to several theoretical notions. First, the significance of perceived benefits supports that there is an inverse relationship between benefits and risks. Second, moral objections may outweigh perceived benefits for specific applications, and the genetic modification of animals is deemed to be more morally unacceptable than the genetic modification of plants. These findings demonstrate the need to understand more thoroughly the moral and ethical issues surrounding novel technologies. Third, this research supports the claim that trust is not a powerful predictor of perceptions of technological products, which is contrary to most risk perception research.     

关系租金分配的实现方法及其优化

研究网络组织产生的关系租金如何分配给网络组织成员的问题。首先,构建网络组织运行的功能模型,系统化分析关系租金的生成过程,从而设计关系租金分配的总体方案;其次,针对关系租金生成的事前、事中和事后三个阶段,分析其影响因素,从而提出有针对性的关系租金分配方法,并设计以上分配方法的集成与修正算法;再次,基于网络组织的稳定性分析和共有利益和私有利益之间分配的平衡,提出了关系租金分配的优化方法;证明了以上分配方法的合理性,最后通过算例验证了分配方法的可行性和实用性。     

An Empirical Investigation of the Contribution of Strategic Sourcing to Manufacturing Flexibilities and Performance*

Empirical studies for achieving manufacturing flexibility goals have centered around the uses and advantages of advanced technology. Few studies have examined alternative ways of attaining flexibility objectives. Strategic sourcing finds mention in the literature as a potential route to manufacturing flexibility. However, little empirical evidence exists to validate this view. Literature also describes manufacturing flexibility as a multidimensional concept but fails to adequately examine the synergies among the different dimensions. This research investigates the influence of strategic sourcing and advanced manufacturing technologies on specific manufacturing flexibilities, and examines relationships among different flexibilities. The results are tied to manufacturing cost reduction. The findings suggest that strategic sourcing can assist in the achievement of modification flexibilities. Volume and modification flexibility are found to influence new product flexibility. Modification flexibility is found to influence manufacturing cost reduction. The results show that strategic sourcing can be used to target specific manufacturing flexibilities and that interflexibility synergies need to be considered while formulating flexibility-based manufacturing strategies.     

上海顾客满意度指数模型及其稳健性研究

采用结构方程组方法,建立了上海顾客满意度指数基础测量模型。并通过对一个简化模型的蒙特卡罗模拟分析,证明在应用偏最小二乘估计的情况下,这一模型对于结构变动,以及数据质量缺陷是稳健的。     

A note on corporate valuation using imprecise cost of capital

We compare the estimator for discount rates according to Elsner and Krumholz (EK) (J Bus Econ 83:985–1014, 2013) to the approach propagated in Breuer et al. (BFM) (Eur J Financ 20:568–594, 2014). While the EK estimator is derived analytically and implies a correcting factor by which the original arithmetic mean estimator is adjusted, the BFM approach is based on a simple ad hoc modification and recommends to truncate the time horizon for cash flow projection up to about N = 30 years. The BFM approach is reasonable, as the most relevant bias problems are implied by terminal value computations. Rather surprisingly, for our main simulation analysis based on real-world capital market data for 19 countries over the period 2008–2012, the EK estimator turns out inferior to the BFM approach. However, results depend on the kind of bias measure and on the issue of whether using total historical returns or only excess returns for evaluation purposes. In any case, our findings imply that a rather straightforward rule of thumb for valuation may be of value to practitioners: ‘stick to the simple arithmetic mean estimator without terminal value computation, but consider future cash flows up to a time horizon of about 30 years’.