Proportional odds model – a quantile approach

The paper discusses a quantile-based definition for the well-known proportional odds model. We present various reliability properties of the model using quantile functions. Different ageing properties are derived. A generalization for the class of distributions with bilinear hazard quantile function is established and the practical application of this model is illustrated with a real-life data set.     

Operationalising lean in healthcare: the impact of professionalism

Abstract

Lean is endorsed as policy in practice in the UK but the challenges and complexities affecting Lean in healthcare are still to be adequately assessed. Through a qualitative single case study of an NHS organisation implementing Lean, 43 interviews with multi-disciplinary team members involved in Lean were conducted. The progress of Lean is found to be inhibited as medical professionals have failed to engage or provide clinical leadership in supporting the trajectory of Lean. This resulted in limited outcomes, sustainability implications, and failed projects. Lean is challenged by complexity and this is evident in conflicts between professional identity, corresponding status and clinical/managerial relationships. Medical professionals as a group have received a limited focus in papers assessing the progress of Lean in Healthcare from an operational perspective. Going forward, strategies for mitigating the negative impact of this can be developed to support operational managers in the healthcare domain.     

Optimal inventory cycle counting

The heart of inventory transactions management involves obtaining an accurate count of on-hand inventories employing different procedures. Among such procedures cycle counting is said to provide better inventory record accuracy for financial control and production planning. However, these procedures use rather arbitrary basis for classifying items and for setting the count frequency within each strata. This paper develops a simple optimization model of inventory cycle counting based on traditional stratified sampling theory. Such a model allows the inventory manager to make statistically supported statements regarding inventory record accuracy so as to meet financial control requirements with a minimum of cycle counting effort. A numerical example is included to illustrate the model.     

Addressing issues of face validity in the application of a clinical guideline

In 1995, a statewide project to improve the practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the Medicare population was started in Louisiana. A retrospective baseline study found high concurrent utilization of lithium and benzodiazepines, medications considered detrimental to ECT by the second American Psychiatric Association Task Force on ECT. Resistance to a clinical guideline because of lack of face validity by clinicians was used as an opportunity to involve clinicians in using data to evaluate their clinical practices. Results of the first two quarters of the project demonstrated that the strategy was successful.     

Internationalization,Innovation and Institutions: The 3 I's Underpinning the Competitiveness of Emerging Market Firms

The past decade has seen an increase in the extent of research focused on and around emerging market firms (EMFs) and their rising levels of competitiveness in both their home markets and more importantly in the global market place. At the same time, the practitioner-oriented literature has been documenting a growing number of corporate success stories that originate in emerging market economies. We posit that the growing prominence of EMFs is a result of three interrelated phenomena: the fast-paced internationalization of EMFs into both developing and developed market economies; the rapidly increasing extent to which business enterprises in emerging economies are focusing on knowledge-intensive processes and innovation; and the continuous evolution of institutions in these markets, particularly in terms of economic liberalization.     

Alternative estimators for the population totals in multiple characteristic surveys

The problem of estimating the population totals of multiple characteristics using without replacement sampling design is addressed. The alternative estimators for the study characteristics which are unrelated or have the low correlations with the characteristic used in sample selection are suggested. The efficiency of the estimators under two super population models, approximating the situations in which both the characteristics are unrelated and also when they are related, is studed. A numerical investigation is also carried out to get insight into the performance of the estimators in real applications.     

Challenges and Opportunities in HIV/AIDS Counseling: A Case of Jharkhand

The study highlights the challenges and opportunities in HIV/AIDS counseling. The major challenges are recruiting the right individuals and their capacity building and retention. The finding shows that most of the counselors are not befitting in terms of qualification and experience besides motivation, remuneration, and other issues. The study suggests that to ensure the effective counseling to reverse the epidemic, it is important to focus on such issues through appropriate policy interventions.     

Ensemble Habitat Mapping of Invasive Plant Species

Ensemble species distribution models combine the strengths of several species environmental matching models, while minimizing the weakness of any one model. Ensemble models may be particularly useful in risk analysis of recently arrived, harmful invasive species because species may not yet have spread to all suitable habitats, leaving species‐environment relationships difficult to determine. We tested five individual models (logistic regression, boosted regression trees, random forest, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and maximum entropy model or Maxent) and ensemble modeling for selected nonnative plant species in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Wyoming; Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California, and areas of interior Alaska. The models are based on field data provided by the park staffs, combined with topographic, climatic, and vegetation predictors derived from satellite data. For the four invasive plant species tested, ensemble models were the only models that ranked in the top three models for both field validation and test data. Ensemble models may be more robust than individual species‐environment matching models for risk analysis.