General Demand Research Articles

Welfare‐Increasing Monopolization*

The conditions for monopolization to be good for social welfare are examined. Social welfare can be higher when a monopoly sells to a monopoly, with double margins, than when a competitive industry sells to a downstream Cournot oligopoly with differing efficiency levels. This requires inverse demand to be sufficiently concave, and cannot hold when demand is convex. When there are no vertical issues conditions are found for elimination of an inefficient firm to raise welfare, building on Lahiri and Ono (1988). In general greater demand concavity increases the relative importance of the benefit of redistributing output to the efficient firm.

Preventive Resilience: The Role of Long-Term Care Organizations’ Collective Agency Capacity

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified pressure on healthcare organizations (HCOs), particularly long-term care organizations (LTCOs. An HCO’s resilience is closely linked to its proactive ability to address and manage both novel and persistent stressors. This proactive approach, termed ‘preventive resilience,’ involves preemptively averting stressors to safeguard the organization’s resilience mechanisms. Objectives The aim of this presentation is to examine the hypothesis asserting that preventive resilience is, to a significant extent, nurtured by the collective capacity of a Long-Term Care Organization (LTCO) to act and react as a cohesive social system. This collective agency capacity of an LTCO is posited to play a pivotal role in fortifying preventive resilience of HCOs. Methods We conducted a pooled cross-sectional study on long-term care organizations in Germany during the initial (April 2020) and subsequent waves of the pandemic (December 2020-January 2021). Our sample comprised 503 leaders during the first wave and 294 leaders during the second wave from various long-term care organizations. The study involved top managers of these facilities reporting their perceptions of the collective agency capacity of the LTCO, assessed using the AGIL short scale. Additionally, they were asked to gauge the facility’s exposure to both general non-pandemic demands and pandemic-specific demands. Results We discovered a notable inverse relationship between leaders’ perceptions of the collective agency capacity within their Long-Term Care Organizations (LTCO) and their assessments of general demands. However, no significant association was observed between the agency capacity and the magnitude of pandemic-specific demands. Conclusions The findings tentatively endorse the notion that cultivating the collective agency capacity of nursing facilities enhances their resilience to familiar general demands, particularly during periods of exceptional stress. Key messages • Cultivating the collective agency capacity of nursing facilities enhances their resilience to familiar general demands. • The collective capacity to act and react in a cohesive way is a general resistance resource of healthcare organizations.

LOCAL DIELECTRIC SPECTROSCOPY AND ITS APPLICATION TO POLYMERS

ABSTRACT The advent of nanodielectrics, nanocomposite materials based on a polymeric matrix, and materials with physical properties ruled by interfacial effects in general demands techniques to characterize functional properties on a local scale with high spatial resolution. Scanning probe microscopies (SPMs), in their electrical modes, have emerged as indispensable tools to access physical quantities such as dielectric constant, surface potential, and static charge, with nanometer-scale lateral resolution and with surface selectivity, being influenced mainly by the outermost layer of the specimen. In this tribute, the development of various SPM electrical modes is illustrated, focusing on the measurement of dielectric permittivity and its spectroscopic extension to access the local, frequency-dependent dielectric function (local dielectric spectroscopy [LDS]). The application to nanostructured polymers in the form of ultrathin films, nanometer-scale–separated blends, and self-assembled block copolymer structures is described. LDS appears to be a promising technique for characterizing the electric properties of polymers and their composites as well as other glass formers and nanostructured systems.

Perfluoroalkyl-modified covalent organic frameworks for continuous photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide synthesis and extraction in a biphasic fluid system

H2O2 photosynthesis represents an appealing approach for sustainable and decentralized H2O2 production. Unfortunately, current reactions are mostly carried out in laboratory-scale single-phase batch reactors, which have a limited H2O2 production rate (<100 μmol h−1) and cannot operate in an uninterrupted manner. Herein, we propose continuous H2O2 photosynthesis and extraction in a biphasic fluid system. A superhydrophobic covalent organic framework photocatalyst with perfluoroalkyl functionalization is rationally designed and prepared via the Schiff-base reaction. When applied in a home-built biphasic fluid photo-reactor, the superhydrophobicity of our photocatalyst allows its selective dispersion in the oil phase, while formed H2O2 is spontaneously extracted to the water phase. Through optimizing reaction parameters, we achieve continuous H2O2 photosynthesis and extraction with an unprecedented production rate of up to 968 μmol h−1 and tunable H2O2 concentrations from 2.2 to 38.1 mM. As-obtained H2O2 solution could satisfactorily meet the general demands of household disinfection and wastewater treatments.

Optimal Salesforce Compensation with General Demand and Operational Considerations

Problem definition: We investigate the optimal salesforce compensation scheme in the context of private information and unobservable actions, considering common operational factors encountered in practice, including inventory costs, contractible versus censored demand information, and controlled versus delegated ordering. Methodology/results: Based on an agency model with general demand and cost functions, we derive optimality conditions for implementable contracts that can achieve the second-best outcome in all scenarios. The contracts are in the forms of a menu with linear compensation for demand or sales, incorporating inventory costs. Moreover, the contracts feature adjustments in compensation corresponding to the ordering level if it is delegated. Managerial implications: Our study reveals that, under reasonably mild conditions, optimal salesforce contracts can still maintain relatively simple forms, even when confronted with common operational factors and generalized demand and cost functions. However, the contracts must be tailored to suit the operational settings. Intriguingly, neither the loss of demand information nor the delegation of inventory decisions would compromise system efficiency at optimum. Funding: H. Song is partially supported by the Key International Cooperation and Exchange Projects of the NSFC [Grant W2411062] and the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the NSFC [Grant 71821002]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0400 .

Sponsored senior computers never happened – a 20-year perspective on ICT deployment of healthcare at home!

PurposeThe article studies the utilization of ICT within healthcare at home in Sweden overlooking a perspective of 20 + years. Starting point are articles by the authors from 2002 and 2003. These outlined an already feasible ICT supported healthcare at home as a tool to address healthcare’s identified challenges—a growing elderly population and general demand for more healthcare in combination with issues on financing and lack of human resources. Despite early signals the care transition has been unexpectedly slow. Why?MethodsWith the articles as take-off the journey for ICT based healthcare at home up to today is discussed. In the articles five areas considered as critical for a successful transition were pinpointed and are now used to support the authors considerations, reasoning, and conclusions.ResultsResults indicate that technology has never been a limiting factor. Nor has selected medical issues or expected benefits normally been a limitation. Instead limitations and hindrances are found in other areas and activities.ConclusionsTechnology is not the main challenge when it comes to implementation, instead a focus on business models, deployment, and scaling issues is now advocated. Initiatives also must make more use of gained knowledge and experience. Not doing so delays utilization and deployment. The impact on healthcare effects and expected savings may be over-optimistic. A thorough analysis of all associated costs, consequences, investments, and benefits is recommended. Non-digital alternatives must continue to be offered to these who cannot go digital. In communication improved medical outcome and patient satisfaction must be emphasised.

Squeezing equivalence of quantum harmonic oscillators under different frequency modulations

The papers by Janszky and Adam [Phys. Rev. A 46, 6091 (1992)] and Chen et al [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 063 002 (2010)] are examples of works where one can find the following equivalences: quantum harmonic oscillators subjected to different time-dependent frequency modulations, during a certain time interval τ, exhibit exactly the same final null squeezing parameter (r f = 0). In the present paper, we discuss a more general case of squeezing equivalence, where the final squeezing parameter can be non-null (r f ≥ 0). We show that when the interest is in controlling the forms of the frequency modulations, but keeping free the choice of the values of r f and τ, this in general demands numerical calculations to find these values leading to squeezing equivalences (a particular case of this procedure recovers the equivalence found by Jansky and Adams). On the other hand, when the interest is not in previously controlling the form of these frequencies, but rather r f and τ (and also some constraints, such as minimization of energy), one can have analytical solutions for these frequencies leading to squeezing equivalences (particular cases of this procedure are usually applied in problems of shortcuts to adiabaticity, as done by Chen et al). In this way, this more general squeezing equivalence discussed here is connected to recent and important topics in the literature as, for instance, generation of squeezed states and the obtaining of shortcuts to adiabaticity.

Quantitative identification on spatial mismatch characteristics between supply and demand of carbon sequestration services

Exploring the mismatch between supply and demand (SD) for carbon sequestration services (CSS) is essential for achieving the "double carbon" goal. However, more studies are needed on the traits of the spatial mismatch between SD in mountainous cities. We used the CASA model and the IPCC emission factor approach to address this issue and quantify the SD of CSS in Chongqing. Second, we established a matching relationship model for the SD of CSS in Chongqing. Finally, we applied the Structural Equation Model with the Partial Dependence Plots model to reveal the influencing factors and internal mechanisms of spatial mismatch between the SD of CSS in Chongqing. The outcomes confirmed a decrease in fashion in the total supply of CSS in Chongqing and growth in fashion in general demand from 2000 to 2020. The SD mismatch was mainly concentrated inside the central city and other built-up areas. The SD mismatch area had increased by 390%, indicating a continuous upward trend. In exploring the factors influencing the mismatch between the SD of CSS in Chongqing, supply is mainly positively influenced by NDVI, and demand and supply-demand relationships are influenced by population density and LUCC. We proposed policy suggestions to alleviate the spatial mismatch and practical significance for achieving the "double carbon" goal and promoting sustainable development.

Quantity Conjectural Variations in Oligopoly Games under Different Demand and Cost Functions and Multilevel Leadership

This paper considers a noncooperative game of quantity competition among firms in an oligopoly market under general demand and cost functions. Each firm’s optimal response to the strategies of other firms is assessed by the magnitude and sign of its conjectural variation, expressing the firm’s expectation regarding the counterparty’s supply quantity change in response to the firm’s unit change in its supply quantity. A game of n firms with the sum of conjectural variations (SCV) regarding all counterparties as the generalized response characteristic is studied. The existence of a bifurcation of the players’ response is revealed; a bifurcation is a strategy profile of the game in which both positive and negative responses are possible with an infinite-magnitude SCV value. Methods are developed for calculating the SCV value under different types of inverse demand functions (linear and power) and cost functions (linear, power, and quadratic), and the impact of these characteristics of firms on the bifurcation state is comparatively analyzed.

Transfer learning for cross-modal demand prediction of bike-share and public transit

The urban transportation system is a combination of multiple transport modes, and the interdependencies across those modes exist. This means that the travel demand across different travel modes could be correlated as one mode may receive/create demand from/for another mode, not to mention natural correlations between different demand time series due to general demand flow patterns across the network. It is expected that cross-modal ripple effects will become more prevalent with Mobility as a Service. Therefore, by propagating demand data across modes, a better demand prediction could be obtained. To this end, this study explores various transfer learning strategies and machine learning models for cross-modal demand prediction. The trip data of bike-share, metro, and taxi are processed as the station-level passenger flows, and then the proposed prediction method is tested in the large-scale case studies of Nanjing and Chicago. The results suggest that prediction models with transfer learning perform better than unimodal prediction models. Fine-tuning without freezing strategy performs the best among all transfer learning strategies, and the split-brain strategy can handle the data missing problem. Furthermore, the 3-layer stacked Long Short-Term Memory model performs particularly well in cross-modal demand prediction. These results verify our deep transfer learning method’s forecasting improvement over existing benchmarks and demonstrate the good transferability for cross-modal demand prediction in multiple cities.

Non-cooperative corporate social responsibility, bargaining, and double marginalization in bilateral monopoly

ABSTRACT This study incorporates CSR concerns in a general demand model focusing on the double marginalization problem in single-product successive monopolies. It assumes that the manufacturer or retailer non-cooperatively engages in CSR activities and bargains over the linear input price. The findings demonstrate that the ratio of retail and wholesale pass-through depends not only on the demand curvature and its derivative but also on the firm’s CSR weights and relative bargaining power. In a bilateral monopoly, including CSR considerations by either the manufacturer or the retailer may alleviate the double marginalization problem when bargaining over the linear wholesale price.

A bed allocation model for pandemic situation considering general demand: A case study of Iran.

Pandemics place a new type of demand from patients affected by the pandemic, imposing significant strain on hospital departments, particularly the intensive care unit. A crucial challenge during pandemics is the imbalance in addressing the needs of both pandemic patients and general patients. Often, the community's focus shifts toward the pandemic patients, causing an imbalance that can result in severe issues. Simultaneously considering both demands, pandemic-related and general healthcare needs, has been largely overlooked. In this article, we propose a bi-objective mathematical model for locating temporary hospitals and allocating patients to existing and temporary hospitals, considering both demand types during pandemics. Hospital departments, such as emergency beds, serve both demand types, but due to infection risks, accommodating a pandemic patient and a general patient in the same department is not feasible. The first objective function is to minimize the bed shortages considering both types of demands, whereas the second objective is cost minimization, which includes the fixed and variable costs of temporary facilities, the penalty cost of changing the allocation of existing facilities (between general and pandemic demand), the cost of adding expandable beds to existing facilities, and the service cost for different services and beds. To show the applicability of the model, a real case study has been conducted on the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Qom, Iran. Comparing the model results with real data reveals that using the proposed model can increase demand coverage by 16%.

Characterization and Timing of Mineralization in the Garrison Gold District, Southern Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada

Abstract The decrease in gold discoveries is affecting the deployment of new technology and the general society demand, demonstrating the need for new gold exploration approaches. To date, gold exploration remains primarily focused in areas near well-known large gold districts. We demonstrate the potential for new discoveries and significant resource expansion in the Abitibi greenstone belt distal from the giant gold districts across the belt. Unlocking of additional resources in the Garrison district was accomplished by identification of zones of compentency contrast, which resulted in a variety of locally complex and unrecognized structural traps receptive to gold. Our approach is applicable to other little-explored areas in the Abitibi greenstone belt and other orogenic belts worldwide. The Garrison district, situated in the southern part of the Abitibi greenstone belt in the Superior province, lies along an ~3-km NE-trending segment of the gold-rich, Archean Porcupine-Destor deformation zone. The district contains several discoveries, which include the Buffonta deposit hosted in mafic volcanic rocks, the syenite-hosted 903 deposit, and the albitite dike-hosted Jonpol deposit. These deposits occur along high-strain zones developed in embayments and elongate, NE-trending domains of talc-chlorite-serpentine–altered ultramafic rocks, which localized strands and splays of the Porcupine-Destor deformation zone. In addition, the Garrcon deposit comprises northerly-trending gold-bearing quartz veins and lamprophyre dike swarms hosted in sedimentary host rocks that are bounded by high-strain zones. The intrusive rocks in all of these deposits were emplaced prior to gold deposition. They provided a competent substrate in areas of heterogeneous strain that localized gold mineralization. Initial alteration made the surrounding volcanic and sedimentary rocks also rheologically competent. This resulted in enhanced hydrofracturing and the formation of paragenetically late gold-bearing quartz veins. Widespread albite-pyrite-carbonate alteration in all of the gold deposits temporally overlapped with gold mineralization. New U-Pb zircon geochronology data reveal that ~2719 to 2712 Ma volcanism was followed by granitic magmatism and emplacement of a series of ~2683 to 2672 Ma dikes. One Re-Os analysis of a synmineralization molybdenite sample indicates that orogenic gold was deposited at 2671 ± 12 Ma. This is comparable to published ages of major orogenic gold deposits throughout the southern part of the Abitibi greenstone belt, indicating a broadly synchronous principal gold event across the belt.

Programme theories to describe how different general practitioner service models work in different contexts in or alongside emergency departments (GP-ED): realist evaluation

BackgroundAddressing increasing patient demand and improving ED patient flow is a key ambition for NHS England. Delivering general practitioner (GP) services in or alongside EDs (GP-ED) was advocated in 2017...

주택수요와 주택구매력 차이의 결정요인에 대한 연구

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to examine the main determinants of the gap between housing demand and house affordability. Design/methodology/approach - This study used the micro-level data of 60,043 households from Korea Housing-Finance Corporation by covering the period 2011 to 2022. Findings - First, the trend of general housing demand showed a higher figure in the future demand than in current demand. And such a tendency showed in all types of households, a relative young, low income, and single households. In the case of current housing demand, it has increased by 2022 from the beginning of 2013, while the future demand has rapidly increased from 2020. Second, although the house affordability showed a higher figure in current housing demand by 2019, its trend changed to be higher in future housing demand from 2020 by a rapid decreasing affordbility in current demand. In the case of young householders, the current house affordability was higher than that of future. The figure of low income householders was below 1 point in both periods, and house affordability of single householders showed a similar level in both periods. which showed over 1 point. Third, financial regulation on housing markets induced th widening of the gap between housing demand and house affordability, and such a trend is much atronger in the future(potential) gap of demand and affordability. More specifically, the strengthen financial regulation leaded to the widening of the gap in all types of households, a relative young, low income, and single households. Research implications or Originality - The effect of financial regulation is necessary to consider under the features of each households.

Technical Note—Production Management with General Demands and Lost Sales

Analyzing Production-Inventory Systems with General Demand: Cost Minimization and Risk Analytics Frequent production rate changes are prohibitive because of high setup costs or setup times in producing such items as sugar, glass, computer displays, and cell-free proteins. Thus, constant production rates are deployed for producing these items even when their demands are random. In “Production Management with General Demands and Lost Sales,” Han, Li, Sethi, Siu, and Yam obtain the optimal constant production rate for a production-inventory system with Lévy demand for long-run average and expected discounted cost objectives, explicitly in some cases and numerically in general with a Fourier-cosine scheme they develop. This scheme can help in computing risk analytics of the inventory system, such as stockout probability and expected shortfall. These measures are particularly significant for assessing supply resilience, especially for emergency products or services like medicines and healthcare equipment. This study’s analytical and numerical findings contribute to enhancing efficiency and decision making in production management.

The kids are not alright: Children as objects, audience, and agents in the 2022 Canadian convoy protests

AbstractChildren figure prominently in far‐right movements, ideologies, and conspiracy theories as innocent targets of nefarious and decadent forces, unwitting symbols of social and political decay, and potentially dangerous objects of moral panic. Far‐right movements thus map a wide‐ranging network of concerns about immigration, race, public health, education, and globalization onto children's bodies and spaces. Yet children and youth also actively participate in these movements or are otherwise socialized into them, inhabiting and making the everyday geographies of the far right in numerous ways. Children's presence at and participation in a series of protests and occupations in Canada in early 2022 demonstrates well their place in far‐right movements as symbols and agents, and connects the Canadian far right to broader spatial and temporal perspectives shared across the transnational landscape of such movements. These protests, dubbed the “Freedom Convoy” by participants and ostensibly aiming to end vaccine mandates in the Canadian trucking industry, quickly turned to more general antigovernment demands and became far‐right networking events. This paper examines more closely children's presence at and participation in the Canadian protests and how the movements behind them position children as object, audience, and agent in the spatiality of the far right's current transnational resurgence.

Demand analysis of general practice patients for teaching clinic based on Kano model.

General practice teaching clinics play a crucial role in the training of general practitioners, as they are more likely to enhance reception skills compared to traditional training methods. The quality of teaching clinics is largely determined by the level of patient acceptance. In recent years, the Kano model has become increasingly popular in the healthcare industry and has been used to enhance patient satisfaction. The objective of this study is to apply the Kano model to investigate the needs of patients in general practice teaching clinics and to rank the significance of each demand. This study will serve as a reference for enhancing the service quality of teaching clinics and advancing the field of general practice. A total of 101 patients of general practice at the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University in Jiangsu province were selected using a random convenience sampling method to participate in a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was designed by members of our team and was based on the Kano model. The study defined the service demand, assessed the impact of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction and created a matrix bubble diagram. The study findings revealed that out of the 14 items of the general practice teaching clinic service demands, 1 item was categorized as a must-be requirement, 4 items were categorized as one-dimensional requirements, 2 items were categorized as an attractive requirement, 2 items were categorized as an indifferent requirement, and 5 items were categorized as mixed attributes. The findings of the matrix analysis showed that 4 items were situated in the area of one-dimensional attributes quadrant, 3 items were situated in the area of attractive attributes quadrant, 5 items were situated in the area of indifferent attributes quadrant, and 2 items were situated in the area of must-be attributes quadrant. The patients of general practice have positive attitudes toward teaching clinics. The findings can offer valuable insights for enhancing the quality of service and patient experience in general practice teaching clinics as well as for advancing the field of general practice.

Does work meaningfulness hold the key? Exploring the power of meaningful work in attenuating burnout

Purpose The paper aims to focus on underpinning the moderating role of work meaningfulness in alleviating the impact of general job demands on burnout directly and via work–family conflict by drawing on the conservation of resources theory. Design/methodology/approach Survey methodology was used for this study, using standardized instruments to assess general job demands, meaningfulness, work–family conflict and burnout. The survey was administered to school teachers (n = 800), and the data set was analyzed through SmartPLS 4.0. Findings This study ascertained that work meaningfulness moderated the relationship between general job demands and burnout. This study also found that general job demands under conditions of low work meaningfulness positively affected burnout through work–family conflict, thereby validating the moderated mediation model. Originality/value While several studies have established the relationship between general job demands, work–family conflict and burnout, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examined the moderating role of work meaningfulness in the relationship, where work meaningfulness has emerged as a suitable moderator in lowering the impact of job demands on burnout via a work–family conflict. This study contributes to the extant literature on work meaningfulness and adds utility to practice.

재난 대응 직무 요구와 COVID-19 대응 인력의 번아웃

This study examined the impact of job demands of responding to the COVID-19 on psychological burnout among disaster responders. Online survey data from 1163 participants from 17 public health centers across South Korea. Multiple regression and threshold regression analyses were conducted with subscales of the MBI-GS as dependent variables. Explanatory variables were categorized into the unique factor of responding to a novel infectious disease disaster and another factor of increased general job demands related to disaster response. The results showed that the unique and general job demands differentially affected on the disaster responders’ emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and sense of professional efficacy. Furthermore, the relationships of the variables with burnout differed at the threshold of three to four imposed tasks. Agency managers and policymakers should continue to recruit and train specialized personnel on an ongoing basis, reorganize job assignments, and consider avoiding overburdening a single responder during disaster response.