Balance of care—a user's view of a new approach to joint strategic planning

Planning for care of the Elderly has to face the problems of an increasing elderly population; a wide range of alternative ways of caring for them (at widely differing costs); the fact that services are provided by several different organisations all facing difficult financial constraints; a range of professional opinion about the desirability or otherwise of alternative patterns of care and use of resources; a lack of data on how care is at present distributed; the lack of a structure for organising such data as are available; and the lack of an appropriate computer-based model for manipulating the large number of data elements necessary to describe and help to evaluate alternative plans for the future. The Balance of Care approach to the Joint Strategic Planning of Health and Social Services provision for the Elderly, is being used in pilot applications in two Areas in the UK. Its contribution to the solution of the problems outlined above is described by authors from the two Areas. The approach and the underlying model can be extended to strategic planning for other client groups requiring non-acute care.     

A concept of an integrated transport model

This paper is one of a series being produced on the application of Operational Research techniques in the integrated planning of public service resource provision and consumption. It describes a conceptual basis for planning transportation services within the context of a public service, the others are related to Health Services, Educational Services and community development services.Two sub-models, a linear sub-model and a dynamic sub-model are linked to form the integrated approach to the planning problem. The overall concept is to evaluate in terms of penalties and benefits the alternative plans of resource provisions.It is of interest to know that the principles of the Linear model described here has been applied to long range planning in the Health Service in the U.S.A. and U.K., and has been reported at the NATO conference, Portugal (1974). The Dynamic model has been used, in a more unstructured fashion than described here, by the Greater London Councils. The model in this paper is to form the basis of a more detailed evaluation of alternative transportation plans.     

Enabling high-dimensional range queries using <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>NN indexing techniques: approaches and empirical results

Many modern search applications are high-dimensional and depend on efficient orthogonal range queries. These applications span web-based and scientific needs as well as uses for data mining. Although k-nearest neighbor queries are becoming increasingly common due to mobile and geospatial applications, orthogonal range queries in high-dimensional data remain extremely important and relevant. For efficient querying, data is typically stored in an index optimized for either kNN or range queries. This can be problematic when data is optimized for kNN retrieval and a user needs a range query or vice versa. Here, we address the issue of using a kNN-based index for range queries, as well as outline the general computational geometry problem of adapting these systems to range queries. We refer to these methods as space-based decompositions and provide a straightforward heuristic for this problem. Using iDistance as our applied kNN indexing technique, we also develop an optimal (data-based) algorithm designed specifically for its indexing scheme. We compare this method to the suggested naïve approach using real world datasets. The data-based algorithm consistently performs better.     

Client-Quality Dimensions: Empirical Evidence from the Public Sector of the United Arab Emirates

The study attempts to identify the most essential components, which contribute to the clients satisfaction with the quality service of three federal institutions in the United Arab Emirates public sector. The study reveals that clean office, job knowledge, respect for client, and clarity of regulations were the most important dimensions determining the quality services in the surveyed institutions. Suggestions and recommendations are included in the study.     

Long range planning for information services

An integrated method for the long range planning of information services is presented. The problems associated with such planning are discussed along with requirements for such planning. The method consists of six stages beginning with understanding the current environment and ending with the criteria evaluations of projects. An intermediate level, strategic information services planning, is proposed to develop a project slate to be activated through an action plan. An approach to implementation is suggested. Two applications are discussed.     

A DISCRETE PRODUCTION SWITCHING RULE FOR AGGREGATE PLANNING

Aggregate planning (AP) is a necessary activity for manufacturing and services alike. A shift toward high-volume batch and continuous flow processes within American manufacturing has given rise to increasing numbers of crew-loaded facilities. A majority of AP approaches incorporate continuous decision variables and require frequent adjustments to both production and work-force settings. Despite the availability and diversity of these approaches, few significant applications have been reported. This paper presents the detailed development of a discrete AP switching rule that can be applied to a variety of cost environments. Inventory costs are estimated using an interval approach rather than traditional point estimates. The model allows incorporation of overtime options and is interactive in nature. Decision variables from the model can be disaggregated and linked directly to lower-level planning activities. Actual results of model implementation are reported. An overview of the model's incorporation into the larger context of hierarchical production planning is found in [21].     

Spatial directional robust Benefit of the Doubt approach in presence of undesirable output: An application to Italian waste sector

This paper introduces a new composite indicator method integrating the spatial dependence into the robust directional model in the case of undesirable outputs. The proposed approach is advantageous compared to the traditional and conditional robust Benefit-of-the-Doubt (BoD) models in that it allows to compare the performance of individual units with local cluster of peers. The methodology has been tested on a very detailed database of Italian municipalities for the year 2015 in the municipal solid waste collection and processing sector and confirms the existence of strong local constraints linked to the disposal facilities planned by higher level Authorities.     

Getting Professionals to Plan: Pressures, Obstacles and Tactical Responses

It has long been accepted that professional services gain their business on the basis of their own reputation or through client referral. It was almost an unspoken rule not to market their services, but in today's climate there is a need to break from this mould. In order to understand change in professional services, an in-depth survey was conducted covering 25 legal firms and 25 accountancy firms. This survey looked at three aspects: the pressure to conduct strategic marketing planning; the obstacles to such planning; and the tactical responses to these obstacles. The one-to-one interviewing method chosen brought forth genuine and sometimes surprisingly frank responses. The potential benefits of strategic marketing planning are examined, together with the difficulties of adopting such an initiative. The outcome of this research highlights a series of implications for theorists and practitioners, with suggestions of areas for further study.     

An approximation algorithm for <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-facility location problem with linear penalties using local search scheme

In this paper, we consider an extension of the classical facility location problem, namely k-facility location problem with linear penalties. In contrast to the classical facility location problem, this problem opens no more than k facilities and pays a penalty cost for any non-served client. We present a local search algorithm for this problem with a similar but more technical analysis due to the extra penalty cost, compared to that in Zhang (Theoretical Computer Science 384:126–135, 2007). We show that the approximation ratio of the local search algorithm is \(2 + 1/p + \sqrt{3+ 2/p+ 1/p^2} + \epsilon \), where \(p \in {\mathbb {Z}}_+\) is a parameter of the algorithm and \(\epsilon >0\) is a positive number.     

Corporate planning in local government: Some measurement problems

A corporate planning system makes measurement demands on an organisation which it may not have met before. This paper describes these in the context of corporate planning in local government, and discusses some typical examples, especially as far as needs for services and the effects of providing them are concerned. It also deals with the extent to which choices can be measured, and with the constraints that a real-time decision system puts on the planner.     

Corporate planning for Asia, Latin America and Africa

It is in the broad sense of “a systematic approach to general management” that strategic planning is here compared in large corporations and Government. For, just as strategic planning is today concerned

1.

1. the development and evaluation of optional strategies;     

Multicriteria decision support in local energy planning: An evaluation of alternative scenarios for the Sustainable Energy Action Plan

One of the major challenges for the implementation of local energy planning is the successful development of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) by the local authorities (especially within the framework of their participation to the Covenant of Mayors’ initiative). This aspect constitutes a decision making problem, since the local authorities have to identify the best fields of actions and opportunities for reaching their long-term CO₂ reduction target. However, the already available methods and tools do not offer an integrated framework for the SEAPs’ development and especially the selection of sustainable Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Rational Use of Energy (RUE) technologies. In this context, the aim of this paper is to present a participatory supportive framework for the implementation of local energy planning. At the first level, the proposed approach incorporates the development of alternative Scenarios of Actions (using knowledge-based process, participatory approach and aspiration level). At the second level, a direct and transparent multicriteria decision support is introduced, in order to evaluate the feasible Scenarios. It includes the application of a multicriteria ordinal regression approach and an extreme ranking analysis method for the estimation of the best and worst possible ranking position of each Scenario. The results from the pilot appraisal of the methodological approach to a “real” problem are presented and discussed. The adopted approach contributes to the selection of the most appropriate combination of RES/RUE actions, supporting in this way the local authorities to the development of their SEAP.     

服务企业的国际化战略

本文分析了打算进入国际市场的服务企业所面临的主要挑战,然后提出了服务企业国际化的五种相互并不完全排斥的战略。它们是：直接出口服务,即最适合于面向产业市场的维修和保养服务;系统出口,指由两家或多家提供互补性解决方案的企业开展的合作出口;直接进入模式,指服务企业在国外市场直接建立子公司;间接进入模式,适用于那些不愿意直接在国外设立拥有全部或部分所有权的子公司的服务企业,通常通过授权协议或特许经营方式由当地企业提供服务;电子营销,这种方式使企业不必局限于某一特定市场。     

Interactions between the supply of and demand for hospital services in London

This paper describes some of the work done by the Operational Research Service of the Department of Health and Social Security concerned with health care planning for London and the surrounding counties. The emphasis of the paper is on the development of a model of the interaction between the spatial distribution of in-patient facilities and levels of admission to hospital for residents of different localities. The background to the work is first explained and the need for such a model examined. The structure of the model is briefly outlined and the ways in which it can be used by health care planners are explored. The model provides a powerful tool for use in assessing the impact on local populations of various geographical resource configurations. At present this model is calibrated specifically for the South East of England; however, the approach could usefully be applied in many other areas of the country and elsewhere in the world.     

Motivating the client/employee system as a service production strategy

Productivity improvement in service organizations is of major concern to managers as one way of countering escalating costs. In service organizations in which the client/customer is directly involved in the production function, improved performance can be secured by viewing the client/customer as a "partial" employee. This proposition in turn leads to the suggestion that productivity gains can be realized for services by expanding conventional motivation concepts to include the client/customer.     

Strategic planning for hospitals--a health-needs approach.

This paper presents a strategic planning approach which provides methods for analysing hospitals in relation to their environment and for assessing their community dependency. Hospitals must not only focus on their clienteles but must also plan their future in relation to the needs of their constituency while taking into account the other elements of the health services network. The proposed approach also takes into account the need for all the actors concerned with the future of the hospital to become involved through an active-reactive-adaptive process.     

Planning and social change

During his ten years experience of corporate planning in industry the author became increasingly concerned about the relationship between planning and social change. This article, based on a talk given to the Social and Ecological Study Group of the Society for Long Range Planning, explores an approach to environmental appraisal which might make businesses and government agencies more responsive to the needs of a changing society and their products and services correspondingly more socially desirable. The author is currently leading a multidisciplinary team on a study of urban deprivation in Birmingham.     

Client acceptance decisions of Dutch auditing partners

A vignette study of 567 client acceptance decisions by 67 Dutch auditors showed that the prospect of acquiring additional assignments significantly increases the likelihood that auditing partners accept an audit assignment from a new client, thereby violating a rule of the auditing profession. Audit firm strategy was found to moderate the effect of the acquisition of additional assignments: partners working in audit firms emphasizing a professional orientation are less likely to accept such risky assignments, whereas a commercial orientation of audit firms was found to exacerbate the effect of acquiring additional services. Contrary to expectations, punishment severity for professional mistakes increases the likelihood of client acceptance.