Facility Attractiveness Research Articles

Optimizing pricing and location decisions for competitive service facilities charging uniform price

In this paper, we present the problem of optimizing the location and pricing for a set of new service facilities entering a competitive marketplace. We assume that the new facilities must charge the same (uniform) price and the objective is to optimize the overall profit for the new facilities. Demand for service is assumed to be concentrated at discrete demand points (customer markets); customers in each market patronize the facility providing the highest utility. Customer demand function is assumed to be elastic; the demand is affected by the price, facility attractiveness, and the travel cost for the highest-utility facility. We provide both structural and algorithmic results, as well as some managerial insights for this problem. We show that the optimal price can be selected from a certain finite set of values that can be computed in advance; this fact is used to develop an efficient mathematical programming formulation for our model.

My space or your space? Towards a measure of joint accessibility

Research on space–time accessibility is usually concerned with determining and assessing the opportunities for individual activity participation. However, a significant part of everyday activities is conducted jointly with others, implying that the feasibility of potential locations for activity engagement depends on the accumulation of conditions related to the spatiotemporal setting of each participant. In this paper, we put forward a method to gauge the accessibility of places to a particular group of people willing to engage in a joint activity. The method calculates locational benefits by taking into account network-based travel times, individual activity schedules, and the attractiveness and temporal availability of facilities. The applicability of the method extends towards situations with multiple facilities and participants, being available for multiple periods of time. As a possible output of our model, maps of joint accessibility are created which can be used to evaluate different rendezvous scenarios.

Application of the health and fitness service quality scale (HAFSQ) in determining the relationship among service quality, satisfaction and loyalty in the service industry

Service quality in health and recreational services represents a growing, yet currently understudied area in the service industry. Consequently, this study proposes an integrated model of health and fitness service quality and examines the relationship among service quality, satisfaction and loyalty. A thirty-nine item health and fitness service quality scale (HAFSQ) developed earlier by the authors was used to measure service quality along eight service quality variables namely, personnel, programming and medical, convenience and information dissemination, functionality and layout, ambience and accessibility, facility attraction, safety and support and membership. The study is based on data collected from 251 commercial health and fitness patrons. The results indicate that service quality positively influences satisfaction which in turn influences loyalty. However, no direct relationship between service quality and loyalty was established. Service quality, however, influences loyalty via satisfaction, that is, satisfaction serves as a mediating variable between service quality and loyalty. Managerial implications and directions for future research are highlighted. Keywords: service quality, satisfaction, loyalty, reliability, validity, fitness centres African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance Vol. 12(3) 2006: 238-251

Customer service quality at commercial health and fitness centres

Despite the interest in service quality, little research has been reported in South Africa on health and fitness service quality. The study adopted a conceptual framework for identifying factors that influence fitness service quality in commercial health and fitness centres in South Africa. A structured questionnaire containing 59 variables relating to health and fitness service quality was administered to 251 health and fitness centre patrons. A 39 item scale was finally developed using exploratory factor analysis to measure service quality along eight dimensions, namely, personnel, programming and medical, convenience and information dissemination, functionality and layout, ambience and accessibility, facility attraction, safety and support and membership. Reliability and validity of the scale was established. The human interaction dimensions (personnel) emerged as the most pertinent in health and fitness service quality evaluation. The results indicate differences in items perceived by patrons in measuring health and fitness service quality compared to those developed previously in sport and recreation studies. The implications for future research are outlined. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 28(2) 2006: 39-54

Constrained location of competitive facilities in the plane

This paper examines a competitive facility location problem occurring in the plane. A new gravity-based utility model is developed, in which the capacity of a facility serves as its measure of attractiveness. A new problem formulation is given, having elastic gravity-based demand, along with capacity, forbidden region, and budget constraints. Two solution algorithms are presented, one based on the big square small square method, and the second based on a penalty function formulation using fixed-point iteration. Computational testing is presented, comparing these two algorithms along with a general-purpose nonlinear solver. Scope and purpose In a competitive business environment where products are not distinguishable, facility location plays an important role in an organization's success. This paper examines a firm's problem of selecting the locations in the plane for a set of new facilities such that market capture is maximized across all of the firm's facilities (both new and pre-existing). Customers are assumed to divide their demand among all competing facilities according to a utility function that considers facility attractiveness (measured by facility capacity for satisfying demand) and customer-facility distance. The level of customer demand is assumed to be a function of the facility configuration. Three types of constraints are introduced, involving facility capacity, forbidden regions for new facility location, and a budget function. Two solution algorithms are devised, one based on branch-and-bound methods and the other based on penalty functions. Computational testing is presented, comparing these two algorithms along with a general-purpose nonlinear solver.

Validating the Gravity-Based Competitive Location Model Using Inferred Attractiveness

The attractiveness of retail facilities is an essential component of models analyzing competition among retail facilities. In this paper we introduce an innovative method for inferring retail facility attractiveness. Readily available data from secondary sources about customers' buying power and sales volumes obtained by competing retail facilities are used. The gravity-based competitive facility location model is used to predict sales. The attractiveness of the retail facilities are inferred from these data.

ネットワークの型と利用圏域 : 公共図書館の相互利用型ネットワークに関する研究(1)

The purpose of this study is to clarify the types of the mutual use network with different service area at public libraries.The results are as follows;There are some libraries with many network users at each network. The factors of their use are the distance from libraries,the location of library which is convenient for use and the attraction of books or facilities. The types and their service area of the mutual network are determined by those factors.As for the type of distance factor, network users come from 1.2km-1.5km and the ratio of registrant range from10% to 25% of the area. For the attractive factor, they come from the distance of 3km by car and the ratio of registrant is only 5%.As for the convenient factor,they come from as far as 5km by train and 9km by car and the ratio of registrant range higher by train than by car.

Physical characteristics of residential psychiatric and substance abuse programs: Organizational determinants and patient outcomes

Described the Physical and Architectural Characteristics Inventory (PACI), which assesses the physical characteristics of hospital- and community-based psychiatric and substance abuse residential treatment programs for adults. Developed using data from 94 representative programs, the PACI has 7 dimensions that assess community accessibility, physical features that add convenience, aid recreation, and provide support for patients, and space for patient and staff functions. In comparison to community-based programs (n = 63), hospital programs (n = 31) had more social-recreational and prosthetic aids, safety features, staff facilities, and space. The PACI dimensions were also related to other organizational features, such as facility ownership and program size and staffing level. Programs with more physical amenities had patients who were more involved in self-initiated and community activities and were more likely to successfully complete the program and be discharged to independent living situations and paid jobs. Programs with more social-recreational and prosthetic aids, space, and access to community resources also had better patient outcomes. In addition, PACI dimensions were related to observers' ratings of facility attractiveness. Potential applications of the PACI and the full inventory of which it is a part are discussed.

Aesthetic Design of Haneda Sky Arch

The Haneda Sky Arch, located in front of the new passenger terminal of Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), consists of a pair of steel-cable-stayed girder superstructures supported by a main arch pylon. In the construction of the new terminal, two design concepts were given priority, recognizability and architectural harmony. To help achieve such a goal, this unique arch bridge was designed to become the symbol for the newly enlarged airport. The three-dimensional arrangement of the cables lends an elegant grace to the Sky Arch when viewed from various vantage points, and its unique structural form makes it readily identifiable. The Sky Arch integrates numerous interesting features, including (a) slender main girder superstructures that suggest the lines of an airplane's wing, (b) interesting stainless steel details, (c) smooth cold-worked curves on arch rib corners, and (d) field-welded splices to minimize the use of mechanical fasteners. These features are in complete harmony with the architecture of the other facilities. Fulfilling both functional and decorative purposes, the remarkable design of the Haneda Sky Arch enhances the overall attractiveness of the new airport facilities.

Sensibilité du modèle de la p-médiane au comportement spatial de l'usager

Sensitivity of the p-median model to the customer's spatial behaviour. — The assumption underlying the p- median model, that the customer moves to the nearest facility available, is undoubtedly unrealistic when dealing with a service supplying free and attractive usage. The object of this paper is to examine the sensitivity of the allocation obtained using the p- median to the allocation determined using a spatial interaction model. The result shows that the attractiveness of facilities and friction of distance exert comparatively little influence on allocation. This influence is an implicit function of the location of facilities and of the spatial distribution of customers.

Attitude survey data reduction using Chaid: An example in shopping centre market research

For response modelling, chi‐square automatic interaction detection (CHAID), it is claimed, is “easy to use, produces intuitively appealing results, and is statistically valid”. A market research project concerned with a proposed re‐development of a 100,000 sq. ft area of the largest city centre shopping centre in Europe afforded an ideal opportunity for assessing the practical value of CHAID. A survey of samples of existing shopping centre users sought responses on attractiveness and usage of various leisure facilities. Once the popular facilities had been identified, some appropriate segmentation of respondents showing a high level of interest in a particular facility was required. Initially, this was achieved by standard cross‐tabulation analysis with age, gender, frequency of visit, etc. and testing for significance. Subsequently, the same data was analysed using CHAID. The paper reports on the similarities and differences between results from the two approaches and focuses on the intuitive appeal and ...

Optimal continuous location of a retail facility, facility attractiveness, and market share: An interactive model

In this paper a model for the location of a retail facility anywhere in the plane is presented. Existing location papers suggest that marketers can evaluate a set of potential sites for the location of a new facility. The site that maximizes the market share captured is selected. However, the best site for the new facility may not be included in the user provided set of potential sites. Finding the best location anywhere in the plane requires the analysis of the market share function which is addressed in this paper. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of both the best location and the market share captured is provided. Computational experiments illustrate the properties of this function and its sensitivity to the data parameters. The analysis shows that the market share captured by the facility (existing or new) is sensitive to both facility location and attractiveness.

Physical Environment and Jail Social Climate

Do positive alterations in the physical environment of correctional facilities result in improvements in the attitudes and feelings of correctional officers or prisoners? The demolition of a bastille-type county jail in Oregon and its replacement with an ultra-modern facility provided an opportunity to address this question. The Moos Correctional Institution Environment Scale (CIES) was administered to staff and prisoners in the old and new jail and also in two “control” jails where no physical alterations took place. The results showed no changes in inmate responses to the CIES in any of the jails, while some improvement in scores for correctional officers in the new jail were noted. The data seem to confirm the long-held suspicion that the physical attractiveness of institutional facilities has little to do with the attitudes of prisoners toward these places.

Toward More Realistic Allocation in Location—Allocation Models: An Interaction Approach

Location—allocation models jointly specify the optimal locations of service facilities and the allocation of patrons to them. Almost without exception, the allocation rule employed in these models has assumed that patrons wish to use the facility at the least travel cost away from them. Spatial interaction theory suggests that a person's travel behaviour is influenced by many other factors, among them differential facility attractiveness and uncertainty about travel costs, and that the least-cost allocation rule is unrealistic. This paper presents a location—allocation model employing an entropy-maximizing interaction model to allocate patrons to facilities. A heuristic solution procedure is proposed and found to be effective and reasonably efficient for small problems. Insofar as travel behaviour in the system is suboptimal, the location—allocation model produces suboptimal solutions. In the interests of providing realistic solutions to real-world problems, however, it is essential that planners accommodate the behaviour of those they plan for, be it normative or not.

SOME BASIC RESEARCH INTO HISTORICAL RESULTS UNDER PENSION PLANS WITH BENEFITS BASED ON COMMON STOCK PERFORMANCE

During World War II and the postwar period, when the boom in group pension plans began, insurance companies were, for a number of reasons, not very successful in meeting the requirements of the new market. During the war years, life insurance companies invested the bulk of their cash flow, and in time a large part of their assets, in U.S. government bonds. In the early 1950's, when pensions became an important element in labor negotiations, the investment portfolios of insurance companies reflected the low yielding securities acquired during the preceding decade. Interest rates on new investments began to rise. Although insurance companies made new investments at these higher rates, their portfolio yields continued to lag considerably behind prevailing market rates. An employer deciding on a trusteed pension plan could obtain the benefits of rising interest rates on new investments. However, if he decided to use insurance company facilities, his funds would be credited with the company's average portfolio rate. The more interest rates rose during the 1950's, the less the attraction of insurance company facilities for new pension contributions. A second disadvantage of insured plans was the Federal income tax, equivalent to about 25 basis points, on pension reserve investment income. Investment income on funds held for a qualified plan by a trust were tax free. Perhaps the most important reason discouraging the use of insurance com-