Capacity Management System Research Articles

Pathways to DRG-based hospital payment systems in Japan, Korea, and Thailand

Countries in Asia are working towards achieving universal health coverage while ensuring improved quality of care. One element is controlling hospital costs through payment reforms. In this paper we review experiences in using Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) based hospital payments in three Asian countries and ask if there is an "Asian way to DRGs". We focus first on technical issues and follow with a discussion of implementation challenges and policy questions. We reviewed the literature and worked as an expert team to investigate existing documentation from Japan, Republic of Korea, and Thailand. We reviewed the design of case-based payment systems, their experience with implementation, evidence about impact on service delivery, and lessons drawn for the Asian region. We found that countries must first establish adequate infrastructure, human resource capacity and information management systems. Capping of volumes and prices is sometimes essential along with a high degree of hospital autonomy. Rather than introduce a complete classification system in one stroke, these countries have phased in DRGs, in some cases with hospitals volunteering to participate as a first step (Korea), and in others using a blend of different units for hospital payment, including length of stay, and fee-for-service (Japan). Case-based payment systems are not a panacea. Their value is dependent on their design and implementation and the capacity of the health system.

FINANCIAL CAPACITY OF INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE

The purpose of the article is to determine the economic content of the category of capacity, the study of the influence of the main factors affecting the operation of the industrial enterprises potential, as well as the rationale for the selection of best management practices. For every Ukrainian industrial enterprise is an urgent problem of the formation of optimal resources to ensure the stable operation of the enterprise, stability and solvency. The question remains effective capacity management system, taking into account the current realities of the Ukrainian economy. The study highlighted the direction of the management process of the industrial enterprises. The components and elements of the of the control system and its functional units. Methodology. Data for the study were taken from scientific publications and legislation. The methods of general scientific knowledge, as well as integrated assessment models, is to develop and study the dynamics of the integral index, built on a clearly identified mechanism of mathematical relationships. Results. On the basis of a generalized approach to the definition of financial potential category author suggested his own definition of this category, offered economic components of capacity. Practical implication. The result of this study is on the direction of cash flow optimization in the enterprise at the expense of control flows. Formation of current funding matrix with the release of surplus area, and a balanced current funding deficit. Value/originality. On the basis of the study proved that the implementation of this approach facilitates the development of highquality management decisions on the development of a management plan for the flows in an industrial plant, consequently, will increase its competitiveness.

A pollutant load hierarchical allocation method integrated in an environmental capacity management system for Zhushan Bay, Taihu Lake

An environmental capacity management (ECM) system was developed to help practically implement a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for a key bay in a highly eutrophic lake in China. The ECM system consists of a simulation platform for pollutant load calculation and a pollutant load hierarchical allocation (PLHA) system. The simulation platform was developed by linking the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) and Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP). In the PLHA, pollutant loads were allocated top-down in several levels based on characteristics of the pollutant sources. Different allocation methods could be used for the different levels with the advantages of each method combined over the entire allocation. Zhushan Bay of Taihu Lake, one of the most eutrophic lakes in China, was selected as a case study. The allowable loads of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia, and chemical oxygen demand were found to be 2122.2, 94.9, 1230.4, and 5260.0t·yr−1, respectively. The PLHA for the case study consists of 5 levels. At level 0, loads are allocated to those from the lakeshore direct drainage, atmospheric deposition, internal release, and tributary inflows. At level 1 the loads allocated to tributary inflows are allocated to the 3 tributaries. At level 2, the loads allocated to one inflow tributary are allocated to upstream areas and local sources along the tributary. At level 3, the loads allocated to local sources are allocated to the point and non-point sources from different towns. At level 4, the loads allocated to non-point sources in each town are allocated to different villages. Compared with traditional forms of pollutant load allocation methods, PLHA can combine the advantages of different methods which put different priority weights on equity and efficiency, and the PLHA is easy to understand for stakeholders and more flexible to adjust when applied in practical cases.

Spectral density estimation of European airlines load factors for Europe-Middle East and Europe-Far East flights

PurposeIn the airline industry the term load factor is defined as the percentage of seats filled by revenue passengers. The load factor is a metric that measures the airline’s capacity and demand management. This paper aimed to identify serial and periodic autocorrelation on the load factors of the Europe-Mid East and Europe-Far East airline flights. Identifying the autocorrelation structure is helpful to develop the best fitted forecasting model of the load factors.MethodsThe paper applies spectral density estimation to investigate the structure of serial and periodic autocorrelation on the load factors. Then the paper applied multivariate trend model to develop a forecasting model of the load factors of the regional flights. The multivariate trend model is fitted using the Prais–Winsten recursive autoregression methodology.ResultsThe primary analysis of the study identified that the airlines have better a demand than capacity management system for both the Europe-Mid East and Europe-Far East flights. The spectral density estimates showed that the load factors have both periodic and serial correlations for both regional flights. Therefore, in order to control the periodic autocorrelation, we introduce transcendental time functions as predictors of the load factor in the multivariate trend model. Finally, we build realistic and robust forecasting model of the load factors of the Europe-Mid East and Europe-Far East flights.ConclusionsThe econometric estimation results confirm that the load factors of the Europe-Mid East and Europe-Far East flights are both seasonal and differ between flights. The analysis implies that the load factor is still far from stable and stabilizing policies by airlines has so far not been successful. The AEA may therefore continuously focus on the stabilization and the improvement of the load in the industry.

Capacity Management System of High Speed Railway in China

In order to improve the utility of infrastructure of high speed railway, it is very important to manage the capacity. This paper analyzed the characteristics of high speed railway capacity from a few points of view. Then, it proposed a method of capacity calculation and capacity consumption assessment respectively. Decision support system called CRH-CMS is developed. The use of field data proves that the model is effective and the system is practical to use.

A Method for Spatially Explicit Assessment of Potential Risks of Food Insecurity

This paper presented an approach of combining together the biophysical, social and economic factors for spatially explicit assessment of potential risks of food insecurity. Two indicators, i.e., per capita food availability and per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), were used here to cover the four dimensions of food security, with the former representing the status of food availability and stability and the latter reflecting the situation of food accessibility and affordability. These two indicators were then linked to an integrated modeling framework in a loose coupling method. This proposed approach was applied to assess potential future risks of food insecurity at a global scale over a period of approximately 20 years, starting with the year 2000. The results show that both changes in per capita food availability and changes in per capita GDP during 2000–2020 vary across regions worldwide. Some regions such as China, most eastern European countries and most southern American countries where there is an increase in per capita food availability or an increase in the capacity to import food between 2000 and 2020 might be able to improve their food security situation. On the contrary, certain regions such as southern Asian countries and most African countries will likely remain hotspots of food insecurity in the future. In these regions, both the per capita food availability and the capacity of being able to import food will decrease between 2000 and 2020, thus more efforts are needed to combat hunger in terms of future actions. Although most developed countries will also experience both a decrease in per capita per capita food availability and a decrease in per capita GDP, these countries are likely to be food-secure due to their higher income and purchasing power, as well as the substantial adaptive capacity and proactive food management systems.

Project and capacity management: An application to drug development

The pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry is confronted with a number of challenges as it tries to bring new products to patients in need. These challenges include rapidly increasing costs, long cycle times, and low probabilities of success. If these challenges are not effectively dealt with, the ability to deliver pharmaceutical innovation to patients will be severely jeopardized. Given the magnitude and complexity of the problem, no single solution is likely to completely solve the problem. Rather it will take a multi-factorial approach to address the issues confronting the development of new drugs. One set of potential solutions lies in the better management of drug development projects through the application of the project and capacity management disciplines. This paper will report on how the design, development, and validation of a capacity management system for a pharmaceutical product research and development function can help in part address these challenges. Despite the positive benefits of capacity management, it will take other changes of a more profound nature to significantly alter the cost and time it takes to bring a new drug to patients in need. However, a well-designed capacity management system can facilitate and evolve to accommodate more profound changes.

1000 islands: an integrated approach to resource management for virtualized data centers

Recent advances in hardware and software virtualization offer unprecedented management capabilities for the mapping of virtual resources to physical resources. It is highly desirable to further create a "service hosting abstraction" that allows application owners to focus on service level objectives (SLOs) for their applications. This calls for a resource management solution that achieves the SLOs for many applications in response to changing data center conditions and hides the complexity from both application owners and data center operators. In this paper, we describe an automated capacity and workload management system that integrates multiple resource controllers at three different scopes and time scales. Simulation and experimental results confirm that such an integrated solution ensures efficient and effective use of data center resources while reducing service level violations for high priority applications.

Exploring Social Carrying Capacity Based on Perceived Levels of Crowding: A Case Study of Hanauma Bay, Hawaii

This study explored the concept of social carrying capacity to identify an acceptable use level for a marine park reserve. Many studies have examined a social capacity of the outdoor recreation sites, whereas few studies have been conducted in the ocean recreation settings. The study attempts to identify a social carrying capacity of a marine park based on the users' evaluation of crowding. Based on the perceived level of crowding, the results suggest that the use level of Hanauma Bay (the Bay) is exceeding capacity. This article provides suggested use levels to implement a social carrying capacity management system.

Development, Implementation, and Validation of a Capacity Management System

Organizational capacity management remains a significant tactic in reducing drug development cycle times and cost. The implementation of a project management system from the German software company, SAP, and supporting business processes was a significant step forward in our journey toward an enhanced capacity management system. However, it became apparent that a supplemental tool was needed to schedule resources and provide more detail on resource type. To achieve an effective capacity management process, each of the functions must have a robust capacity model with supporting tools in place. This article describes how a functional capacity model was constructed and utilized for ongoing capacity management. In addition, it describes how that model has been validated with data from the project time entry system. Finally, this article outlines the roles and responsibilities of various groups involved in the capacity management system. When the linkages between the groups are leveraged along with the capacity model and supporting information technology tool, it results in a capacity management process that allows for optimal project resourcing.

Shifts in foci and priorities. Different relevance of requirements to changing goals yields conflicting prioritizations and is viewpoint‐dependent

AbstractStakeholders judge goal relevance and software–development project requirements differently, considering them from a business versus a personal viewpoint. Three empirical studies provided evidence that stakeholders' personal goals for a system are valued higher than business goals and that, moreover, changes in personal goals lead to significantly more prioritization activity than changes in business goals. In Study 1, police officers expressed their agreement to a list of requirements on a Capacity Management System from a business and a personal viewpoint. We found a ‘requirements‐analysis rift,’ indicating that stakeholders regard requirements as business‐related, agreeing with them even if these requirements do not match their personal goals. In Study 2, science students rank‐ordered the same list of requirements on an e‐learning environment from a university and a personal perspective. In Study 3, we conducted a similar study with a sample of financial consultants. The latter two studies revealed that, when personal goals changed, prioritization shifts were stronger than when business goals changed. In addition, we suggest a method using the Spearman rho statistic to calculate changes in requirements prioritization under different conditions of goal change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Capacity Markets and Market Stability

The good news is that market stability can be achieved through a combination of longer-term contracts, auctions for far enough in the future to permit new entry, a capacity management system, and a demand curve. The bad news is that if and when stable capacity markets are designed, the markets may seem to be relatively close to where we started – with integrated resource planning. Market ideologues will find this anathema.

A Proposed PABITRA Study Area on Lauru Island, Western Solomon Islands

The island of Lauru (Choiseul) in the western Solomon Islands is a high (up to 1,060 m) mixed volcanic and limestone uplifted island, located between 6.5° and 7.5° S latitude and 156.5° and 157.5° E longitude. The central part of the island is suggested for inclusion in the Pacific-Asia Biodiversity Transect (PABITRA) system. The proposed area consists of the north-central coast, Mount Barokasa (850 m), Mount Maetabe (1,060 m), and the primary watershed systems that drain these mountains and the central plateau between them. Some of the concerns and expectations of traditional land owners and the Solomon Islands government are considered. These play important roles in any research activity and will be central to the success or failure of the project. The Solomon Islands, Lauru, and the specific study area are briefly described with synopses of previous research and current, preliminary research activities. Preliminary species checklists are given for plants and vertebrates in the area. Initially we propose to establish two transects, each passing through two biomes suitable for comparisons with similar biomes in other PABITRA sites: the tropical montane cloud forest of Mount Maetabe (the highest point in the island), and the lowland rain forests, between 200 and 500 m in elevation to the southwest of Susuka at the base of Mount Barokasa. The two proposed transects will stretch through two different watersheds, one of which has had traditional agriculture practiced in the coastal strand area and the other of which has had traditional agriculture practiced in the lowland forest of midelevations. A research agenda is proposed that will help achieve key objectives of developing local research capacity and internal biodiversity management systems while conserving traditional knowledge.