Case Studies In USA Research Articles

Including operational costs in warehouse location problems: A case study in USA

There is vast research on particular aspects of warehouse design - layout, material handling, order picking, and operating policies - when, in fact, the decisions involved in the process are interrelated. In this paper, we develop an engineering economics framework for warehouse operations that decomposes the cost structure of the operation and lays out the relationships between them. Our framework decomposes operational costs into four exogenous characteristics (wages, leasing costs, cost of capital, and access to technology) that depend on the geographic location of the warehouse and two operational requirements (throughput and storage capacity). Using these six parameters, and publicly available information, practitioners can estimate the total operational cost of the warehouse for potential locations in facility location analysis, which have been traditionally limited to transportation costs. In our case study, we use our framework to establish a rank of preferable warehouse locations in terms of operational costs among logistics clusters in the United States of America.

Can Google Trends improve the marble demand model: A case study of USA's marble demand from Turkey

The United States is the second largest mineral importer from Turkey and marble is the most imported mineral commodity. Therefore, understanding the demand function of marble is an important subject for countries such as Turkey. Marble's end-use by individuals and households distinguishes it from other mineral commodities. Like other end-use products, trends and popularity are important factors in determining the demand for marble. The United States' preference for single-family homes, and the customization of these homes by households, increases the importance of the marble. Demand studies in the field of mineral commodities have thus far only focused on demand factors such as GDP per capita. However, they have overlooked the effect of the “trends”. To determine the effect of trends on marble demand, a base model was developed using parity, GDP per capita, and price. The base model was statistically significant and had a relatively high explanatory power (R2 = 0.85). A second model was developed to include the trends variable, obtained from Google Trends. The addition of trends improved the analysis indicators of the base model (R2 = 0.90). This study aims to put forth the effect of “trends” on the marble demand. The presented findings of this paper add to our previously limited understanding of trends and popularity on mineral commodities.

Is History Losing its Popularity as an Academic Discipline? A Case Study of USA and Nigeria

During the past few decades, there has been attacks directed towards the discipline of history especially from postmodernist scholars who continue to emphasize that history is simply a form of narrative with questionable objectivity. These writers construe history as human construct that signifies and facilitates our understanding of the past. Throughout the development in human societies, History was a fundamental pillar and was once conceived as a noble discipline reserved only for the Royal families and the Nobles surrounding them. However, the 21st century is recording one of the lowest points for the discipline which has increasingly come under threat from the transformations in the dynamics of the society fuelled by a deeply entrenched capitalist system that influences the choice of careers in modern day society. Consequently, History has been relegated to a selective subject as a complement to other disciplines that are perceived to have higher income capacities such as international studies and diplomacy. This paper therefore, attempts to examine the study of History as an academic discipline in the United States and Nigeria by identifying the causes for such diminishing popularity of History as an academic discipline.

해외사례를 바탕으로 프랜차이즈 가맹사업 자격 요건 강화 방안을 위한 제언 : 미국, 중국, 호주, 영국의 사례분석을 중심으로

해외사례를 바탕으로 프랜차이즈 가맹사업 자격 요건 강화 방안을 위한 제언 : 미국, 중국, 호주, 영국의 사례분석을 중심으로

Economy analysis of second-life battery in wind power systems considering battery degradation in dynamic processes: Real case scenarios

Energy storage system plays an important role in modern power systems for mitigating the variation and intermittency of renewable energy sources. The Lithium-ion battery is currently the most widely used solution for energy storage system. However, its high cost is considered as one of the major barriers hampering the integration of renewable energy and the adoption of electric vehicles. Reusing electric vehicle batteries seems a promising solution to the aforementioned problem. Based on a dynamic degradation model of Lithium-ion batteries, this paper first compares the profits that second-life and fresh batteries can bring to the wind farm. Model predictive control is adopted to solve an hourly optimal wind scheduling problem and maximize the profit of wind farm owner. The optimal size of battery is determined and then the comparison of second-life and fresh batteries is conducted taking the battery degradation, the profit of the wind farm owner, and various remaining capacities of battery into account. Two case studies in USA and Denmark are conducted and the analysis shows that given the current prices of wind energy and Lithium-ion batteries, reusing batteries is not worthwhile for the studied wind farms, but it may outperform fresh batteries in the future if the wind energy price decreases much faster than the battery price.

Performance of patch repairs on historic concrete structures: a preliminary assessment

Carrying out patch repairs to historic concrete buildings and structures needs to be done carefully if their cultural value and significance is to be maintained. This often means repairs using custom designed materials and mixes for compatibility with the original concrete, and with great care paid to good workmanship. But with most repairs, commercial mixes are used which are not compatible with the host concrete but are justified because they adhere well, cure quickly and require limited skills to implement. A research collaboration has been established to test the performance of both approaches. The Performance Evaluation of Patch Repairs on Historic Concrete Structures (PEPS) began in 2018 and is a collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute, Historic England and the Laboratoire de Recherche des Monuments Historiques. Its purpose is also to better understand key design and specification parameters and application methods. The research is based on assessing case studies in USA, England and France within a variety of climatic and environmental conditions, typologies and repair materials. This paper will present the methodology adopted to evaluate the repairs in the first phase. This will also include historical research on the specification and application of the repairs, preliminary field assessment and some testing.

Gharar in futures contracts from Islamic perspective: A case study of USA & Malaysia

This paper investigates whether the financial futures contracts are acceptable from Shariah perspective by examining one of the futures prohibition elements that make them unaccepted as Islamic instruments, which is Gharar (volatility of prices) in both developed countries (USA) and in emerging countries (Malaysia). This paper studied if the introduction of futures resulted in increasing the volatility of the market; and if there is a real difference between the stock index and futures’ volatility in both countries, as a sign of Gharar existence. Also, the study compared between the volatility of futures and Shariah indices to examine if their volatility differs or they are the same as Shariah indices were introduced to meet the increasing demand for Islamic investment and to fulfil Shariah rules and regulations. Four volatility measures were used (open to open prices, close to close prices, Parkinson extreme value estimator and Garman Klass Volatility (GKV)). The reported results in both countries indicated that the introduction of futures indices had a meaningful and significant impact on the volatility of stock markets to be higher for the selected period. Also, the daily volatility for both stock and futures markets is significantly different during the study period and the futures volatility was higher. In addition, the daily volatility for both Shariah and futures markets is not significantly different during the study period. Reported results support the opponents of futures, who stated that futures make the markets unstable and destabilize, by increasing risks in the markets through increase prices’ volatility. Thus, futures indices involve excessive risks (Gharar), which void the contracts, encourage speculation activities, and ending with other prohibited element gambling. Also, it supports that the Shariah indices are not different from Futures, only the name changed by an Islamic one.

Feasibility Approaches to Reduce the Unreliability of Gas, Nuclear, Coal, Solar and Wind Electricity Production

This paper examines the feasibility of three scenarios for reducing the unreliability inherent in traditional and clean energy creation. One scenario uses pumped hydro to store non-peak energy from solar or wind plants. Another scenario investigates the use of pumped hydro for storing non-peak energy from gas and coal fired plants. Another scenario explores the possibility of selling stored energy as well as meeting peak demand for all types of energy creation methods. The authors used the action research technique with a case study in USA. They applied parametric and simulation techniques to develop several models. The models include variables representing base loads at plants serving a utility, the buying and selling of electricity contracts at appropriate times, and the possibility of diverting a stream to feed the upper reservoir of a pumped storage plant.

Outcome determinants of health systems integration: case studies in USA, Germany and Poland

The abstract presents results of the InterQuality Project - International Research Project on Financing Quality in funded by the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) for Research and Technological Development of the European Union. Grant Agreement No: HEALTH-F3-2010-261369 Introduction: Indispensable factors to achieve of implementation of a new integrated healthcare delivery system should be defined in advance to avoid failure. Objectives: To list possibly all of the factors, that might be associated with success or failure of implementation of integrated care, and, secondly, to assess the influence of these factors on the outcome of implementation of integrated care in USA, Germany and Poland on the basis of five case studies. Methods: A systematic literature review accompanied by an additional hand-search of targeted sources for case studies was performed. Results: On the basis of literature review and five case studies of integrated care organizations: McAllen, Texas and Mayo Clinic for USA, GesundesKinzigtal for Germany and Community Healthcare Centres (ZOZ) and Pilot Programme for GP's in Zachodniopomorskie for Poland we identified following factors, that should be taken into consideration while predicting the possible outcome of implementation of a new integrated healthcare delivery system: computerized information systems, coordination of health services, meeting patient's needs, standardized care, performance management or integration of general practitioners (1).

How reliable are crop production data? Case studies in USA and Argentina

Reliability of crop production data has implications for yield gap analysis, production time trends, trading and policy decisions. In this paper, we compared databases of major grain crops estimated by a pair of independent organisations in Nebraska, USA (USDA-NASS, National Agricultural Statistics Service of USDA vs NRD, Natural Resources Districts of Nebraska) and a pair of independent organisations in Argentina (MA, Ministerio de Agricultura vs. BC, Bolsa de Cereales de Buenos Aires). The comparisons involved the yield of irrigated and rainfed maize and soybean reported by USDA-NASS and NRD, and the yield, acreage and production of maize, soybean and wheat reported by MA and BC. The comparison between NASS-USDA and NRD yield data included 127 paired observations for maize and 87 for soybean. For the pooled data involving irrigated and rainfed crops, the average difference in yield between the two sources was small ( MA) compensated negative differences (BC < MA). For both Nebraska and Argentina, relative differences between sources generally declined with larger regional cropping area and/or number of reporting fields. All four organisations providing cropping statistics involved experienced professionals using rigorous methods; hence comparisons did not seek to establish the “right” estimate. The conclusions from these comparisons are thus asymmetric: where the two sources show statistical agreement, we can have some confidence on the reliability of the data, but where the sources disagree, we cannot tell which one is more reliable; we can, however, highlight the mismatch and recommend caution in the use and interpretation of crop yield and production data, particularly at regional level.

University incubators as agents for technology transfer and economic growth: case studies in USA, Finland and Ukraine

This paper discusses the contributions of university incubators to: technology intelligence, transfer and commercialisation; regional economic development. We utilise the case method and describe the history and contributions of university-based incubators started by the authors in the USA (1982), Ukraine (1992) and Finland (1996). We also discuss the role of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Office of Technology Commercialisation for assisting the incubator companies to evaluate and commercialise new technologies. We conclude with the 'lessons learned' and guidelines that may be useful to national economists, university administrators, and regional agencies that are managing new business incubators as agents for economic growth.

IMS・インフェクションコントロールの思想と実際の適応例 ーCase study in USA and in Japanー

IMS・インフェクションコントロールの思想と実際の適応例 ーCase study in USA and in Japanー

University incubators as agents for technology transfer and economic growth: case studies in USA, Ukraine and Finland

It is estimated that there are 4500 incubators worldwide; growing at an annual rate of 30%, and that approximately 1500 are connected with universities. However, due to the lack of reliable statistics, there are valid questions concerning the contributions of university incubators to: technology transfer and commercialisation; and to regional economic development. To answer these two questions, we utilise the case method and describe the history and contributions of university-based incubators started by authors in the USA (1982), Ukraine (1992) and Finland (1996). We conclude with 'lessons learned' and guidelines that may be useful to national economists, government officials, university administrators and faculty, and to regional economic development agencies that are planning or managing new business incubators as agents for technology transfer and economic growth.

Travel behavior in neo-traditional neighborhood developments: A case study in USA

Although previous research has supported the view that neo-traditional or new urbanist designs result in more walking activity, several questions remain: Do residents of these neighborhoods substitute walking for driving trips, or do they make more trips overall? What is the role of self-selection of residents in these developments? This paper aims to address these questions by examining differences in travel behavior in a matched pair of neighborhoods (one conventional and one neo-traditional) in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, North Carolina. A detailed behavioral survey of 453 households and two-stage regression models suggest that single-family households in the neo-traditional development make a similar number of total trips, but significantly fewer automobile trips and fewer external trips, and they travel fewer miles, than households in the conventional neighborhood, even after controlling for demographic characteristics of the households and for resident self-selection. The findings suggest that households in the neo-traditional development substitute driving trips with walking trips.

Informational Externalities and Welfare-Reducing Speculation

Introducing more speculators into the market for a given commodity leads to improved risk sharing but can also change the informational content of prices. This inflicts an externality on those traders already in the market, whose ability to make inferences based on current prices will be aff ected. In some cases, the externality is negative: the entry of new s peculators lowers the informativeness of the price to existing trader s. The net result can be one of price destabilization and welfare red uction. This is true even when all agents are rational, risk-averse c ompetitors who make the best possible use of their available informat ion. Copyright 1987 by University of Chicago Press.

Third party cost containment and the physician-patient relationship: a case study.

Although third parties have tried in various ways to contain health care costs, only a few abbreviated attempts have included questioning modes of treatment of individual physicians. This paper presents an economic and medical analysis of the actions of a small third party firm, U.S. Administrators, Inc. of Los Angeles (USA), which has intervened in the physician-patient relationship to contain costs. Our case study of USA's interaction with a group of physicians over a year's period suggests that the uncertainty of medical care and the reluctance of physicians to be second-guessed can make cost containment costly to the third party firms. Further, lack of an adequate information base and the questionable reliability of third party review may affect the medical validity of individualized cost containment decisions. Some benefits may be gained, however, since health care payments can be certain cases and physicians' cost consciousness can be raised for future cases.