Minimum Quality Level Research Articles

11.1 An Umbrella Review: Eating, Sleeping, and Moving Recommendations in Pediatric Depression Guidelines

Current treatments for pediatric depression demonstrate mild to moderate effectiveness. This has spurred a growing body of literature on lifestyle recommendations pertaining to nutrition, sleep, and exercise for treating pediatric depression. Pediatric depression clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) were reviewed for quality and to catalog recommendations pertaining to nutrition, sleep, and exercise made by higher-quality CPGs. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL, and grey-literature CPG databases. Eligible CPGs with a minimum or high-quality level using the AGREE-II (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation) instrument were included if they were: 1) pediatric; 2) clinical practice guidelines, or practice parameter or consensus or expert committee recommendations; 3) for depression; 4) the latest version; and 5) lifestyle recommendations for nutrition, sleep, or exercise. Key information extracted included author(s), language, year of publication, country, the institutional body issuing the CPG, target disorder, age group, lifestyle recommendation, and methods used to determine CPG lifestyle recommendations. Ten pediatric CPGs for depression with a minimum or high quality level contained recommendations on nutrition, sleep, or exercise. Lifestyle recommendations were predominately qualitative with quantitative details only outlined in 2 CPGs for exercise. Most recommendations were brief general statements, with 50% lacking supporting evidence from the literature. Interest in lifestyle interventions as ingredients for treatment in child and youth depression is growing. However, current CPG lifestyle recommendations for nutrition, sleep, or exercise are based more on expert opinion than on clinical trials.

Financial inclusion, bank ownership, and economy performance: Evidence from developing countries

This study analyzes financial inclusion and bank ownership structure's macro impact, using data from 44 developing countries over 2004-2017. Although foreign bank participation enhances the banking sector's efficiency, the benefits decline with circumscribed and exclusory intermediation, resulting in reduced per capita GDP and output growth. Use of and access to financial services and products, including ATMs availability and depositor accounts, positively impact economic performance. To positively impact the economy, financial inclusion and bank ownership require a minimum level of institutional quality.

Pricing and Ordering Strategies for Fresh Food Based on Quality Grading

Fresh food quality grading is the basis of fresh food marketization. On the one hand, it can effectively improve the market efficiency of fresh food and improve the earnings of retailers. On the other hand, it can alleviate the incompleteness of market information and help consumers better identify the quality characteristics of fresh food. To address the issue of quality grading for fresh food, this study constructs a retailer profit model for selling fresh food with two quality grades. Considering the quality level distribution of fresh food and based on the quality selection model, the retailer’s optimal grading, pricing, and ordering of fresh food are studied. Through numerical simulation and sensitivity analysis, some conclusions with managerial implications are drawn. We find that the retailer has the optimal quality grading strategy for fresh food, which is influenced by the minimum quality level and the unit cost of fresh food. Raising the quality standard at the lowest level or reducing the unit cost can help the retailer increase the profits.

Performance specifications for measurement uncertainty of common biochemical measurands according to Milan models.

Definition and fullfillment of analytical performance specifications (APS) for measurement uncertainty (MU) allow to make laboratory determinations clinically usable. The 2014 Milan Strategic Conference have proposed models to objectively derive APS based on: (a)the effect of analytical performance on clinical outcome; (b)biological variation components; and (3) the state of the art of the measurement, defined as the highest level of analytical performance technically achievable. Using these models appropriately, we present here a proposal for defining APS for standard MU for some common biochemical measurands. We allocated a group of 13 measurands selected among the most commonly laboratory requested tests to each of the three Milan models on the basis of their biological and clinical characteristics. Both minimum and desirable levels of quality of APS for standard MU of clinical samples were defined by using information obtained from available studies. Blood total hemoglobin, plasma glucose, blood glycated hemoglobin, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were allocated to the model 1 and the corresponding desirable APS were 2.80, 2.00, 3.00, and 10.0%, respectively. Plasma potassium, sodium, chloride, total calcium, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, urea, and total bilirubin were allocated to the model 2 and the corresponding desirable APS were 1.96, 0.27, 0.49, 0.91, 4.65, 2.20, 7.05, and 10.5%, respectively. For C-reactive protein, allocated to the model 3, a desirable MU of 3.76% was defined. APS for MU of clinical samples derived in this study are essential to objectively evaluate the reliability of results provided by medical laboratories.

Наукові підходи до визначення вразливості та виокремлення вразливих груп населення

The article, based on the analysis of scientific sources and legal documents, summarizes the common modern scientific approaches to the definition of «vulnerability» and the identification of vulnerable groups. It is established that, depending on the field of scientific research, scientists have different approaches to defining the concept of vulnerability and the mechanisms of falling of individuals or groups of people into the category of vulnerable. Thus, for lawyers, vulnerability means the possibility of violating the rights of a certain category of people, for economists – getting into a situation where a person is limited in access to economic resources, which does not allow him to meet the «minimum level of quality of life». From the point of view of sociologists, vulnerability is inherent in individuals or groups that have certain socio-demographic characteristics or social status. For social workers, a sign of vulnerability is the presence of a difficult life situation. However, despite the diversity of scientific approaches to determining vulnerability, prevention of this phenomenon largely depends on the strategy and tactics of state regulation, on determining the priorities and directions of social policy adequate to the situation in our country, aimed at ensuring social protection and social security. Reforms, which are a necessary condition for stabilizing the development of society, should be aimed at increasing the level of social support, based on the needs (taking into account the income of recipients) and targeting (depending on social risks) in providing this support.

Assessment of Bypass of the Nearest Primary Health Care Facility Among Women in Ghana

Recent reports have highlighted that expanding access to health care is ineffective at meeting the goal of universal health coverage if the care offered does not meet a minimum level of quality. Health care facilities nearest to patient's homes that are perceived to offer inadequate or inappropriate care are frequently bypassed in favor of more distant private or tertiary-level hospital facilities that are perceived to offer higher-quality care. To estimate the frequency with which women in Ghana bypass the nearest primary health care facility and describe patient experiences, costs, and other factors associated with this choice. This nationally representative survey study was conducted in 2017 and included 4203 households to identify women in Ghana aged 15 to 49 years (ie, reproductive age) who sought primary care within the last 6 months. Women who sought care within the past 6 months were included in the study. Data were analyzed from 2018 to 2019. Bypass was defined as a woman's report that she sought care at a health facility other than the nearest facility. Sociodemographic characteristics, reasons why women sought care, reasons why women bypassed their nearest facility, ratings for responsiveness of care, patient experience, and out-of-pocket costs. All numbers and percentages were survey-weighted to account for survey design. A total of 4289 women met initial eligibility criteria, and 4207 women (98.1%) completed the interview. A total of 1993 women reported having sough health care in the past 6 months, and after excluding those who were ineligible and survey weighting, the total sample included 1946 women. Among these, 629 women (32.3%) reported bypassing their nearest facilities for primary care. Women who bypassed their nearest facilities, compared with women who did not, were more likely to visit a private facility (152 women [24.5%] vs 202 women [15.6%]) and borrow money to pay for their care (151 women [24.0%] vs 234 women [17.8%]). After adjusting for covariates, women who bypassed reported paying a mean of 107.2 (95% CI, 79.1-135.4) Ghanaian Cedis (US $18.50 [95% CI, $13.65-$23.36]) for their care, compared with a mean of 58.6 (95% CI, 28.1-89.2) Ghanaian Cedis (US $10.11 [95% CI, $4.85-15.35]) for women who did not bypass (P = .006). Women who bypassed cited clinician competence (136 women [34.3%]) and availability of supplies (93 women [23.4%]) as the most important factors in choosing a health facility. The findings of this survey study suggest that bypassing the nearest health care facility was common among women in Ghana and that available services at lower levels of primary care are not meeting the needs of a large proportion of women. Among the benefits women perceived from bypassing were clinician competence and availability of supplies. These data provide insights to policy makers regarding potential gaps in service delivery and may help to guide primary health care improvement efforts.

Sigma metrics - A guide to quality control strategy in clinical Biochemistry laboratory

Clinical laboratories are backbone of health care system & the responsibility lies in the laboratory to produce reliable, reproducible & timely interpreted test results. Presently Westgard quality control(QC) rules are the basis for quality control validation of laboratories. A new quality assessment system known as Six sigma is considered as world class quality & is a uniquely defined scale with which one can assess the performance of a laboratory. An analytical procedure should achieve a good sigma levels for high reliability for the results. Many laboratories are not aware about the usefulness of six sigma. Hence this study was aimed to assess and to plan the quality control strategy. In this study, the internal quality control data of urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium & chloride analysed for a period of 6 months & used to calculate bias, coefficient of variation (CV)%, mean & standard deviation(SD) for each levels(L1,L2). Sigma value calculated shown Highest for Urea & Potassium (Level1 & Level 2) COBAS 6000 an integrated modular analyser. Sigma of 3 is the minimum acceptable level of quality. The frequency of internal QC should be increased and corrective action should be taken for those parameters with sigma <3. Sigma metrics of each parameter helped us to identify the right QC strategy for that analyte using Westgard sigma rule. Hence six sigma is a more efficient way to control quality & is a self-assessment tool for quality improvement.

Redesign of reverse logistics network with managerial decisions on the minimum quality level and remanufacturing policy

In reverse logistic networks, end-of-use products are collected and transported to the factory for remanufacturing. The economic and environmental values of a reverse network depend significantly on the quality of the end-of-use products and the remanufacturing policies. Therefore, it is desirable to consider the minimum quality level of the remanufacturing and the remanufacturing policy during the initial design stage. A redesign of the reverse logistics network is addressed based on decisions made regarding the location of the collection facility, the allocation, the minimum quality level and the remanufacturing policies. Based on the known continuous distribution for the quality of an end-of-use product, a bi-objective mathematical model was developed. A mathematical model was then transformed into mixed integer programmes using quadratic terms in the constraints through the development of a discretisation method. To obtain Pareto solutions of a bi-objective model, a quality constraint method was developed by relaxing the non-linearity and complexity of the original epsilon constraint method. The proposed mathematical model and algorithm were able to redesign reverse logistics network throughout the entire processes of collection, transportation and remanufacturing. The validity of the model and accessibility for a large size problem demonstrated through numerical experiments are described herein.

Congestion Minimization of LTE Networks: A Deep Learning Approach

Reducing the number of users serviced by congested cellular towers given an offered load and a minimum level of acceptable user quality is a major challenge in the operation of LTE networks. In this paper, we utilize a supervised Deep Learning (DL) technique to predict the LTE and LTE-A loading of connected users and then dynamically predict the congestion threshold of each cellular tower under offered load. We then use the predicted congestion thresholds together with quality constraints to fine-tune cellular network operating parameters leading to minimizing overall network congestion. We propose two sets of optimization algorithms to solve our formulated congestion optimization problem. Those are, namely, a variant of Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm to which we refer as Block Coordinated Descent Simulated Annealing (BCDSA) and Genetic Algorithm (GA). We first compare the performance of integrated DL-BCDSA and DL-GA algorithms and then show that our integrated DL-BCDSA can outperform existing state-of-the-art commercial self organizing tool already deployed in actual cellular networks.

A closed-loop supply chain model with rework, waste disposal, and carbon emissions

This paper develops a closed-loop supply chain model consisting of a single manufacturer, single retailer, and single collector under various coordination scenarios. New products produced from the manufacturing and remanufacturing processes will be sold to the market at the same price. Used products collected by the collector are sorted so that products categorized as recoverable will be sold to the manufacturer. There are two recovery processes considered in this paper, namely remanufacturing and refurbishing. Used products below the minimum acceptable quality level of the manufacturer will be categorized as waste and will be disposed of. We assume that the manufacturing process is imperfect as it produces reworkable defective products. A carbon cap-and-trade policy and investment in green technologies are applied in order to restrict the carbon emissions generated by the production stage of the system. The demand at the market place depends on the green technology level, the quality of the product, and the selling price. The proposed model is constructed under five different scenarios – centralized, decentralized, and three Stackelberg games led, respectively, by the manufacturer, retailer, and collector. A numerical example is provided to illustrate and compare the proposed model under each scenario and investigate the sensitivity of some of the model parameters on the optimal solutions. The results show that the centralized scenario performs better in maximizing the total profit compared to the decentralized one. However, the retailer-led Stackelberg model tends to give more equitable profit to all players when the selling price is set at the lower level as this will attract more demand.

Indoor Air Quality Assessment: Comparison of Ventilation Scenarios for Retrofitting Classrooms in a Hot Climate

Current energy efficiency policies in buildings foster the promotion of energy retrofitting of the existing stock. In southern Spain, the most extensive public sector is that of educational buildings, which is especially subject to significant internal loads due to high occupancy. A large fraction of the energy retrofit strategies conducted to date have focused on energy aspects and indoor thermal comfort, repeatedly disregarding indoor air quality criteria. This research assesses indoor air quality in a school located in the Mediterranean area, with the objective of promoting different ventilation scenarios, based on occupancy patterns and carbon dioxide levels monitored on site. Results show that manual ventilation cannot guarantee minimum indoor quality levels following current standards. A constant ventilation based on CO2 levels allows 15% more thermal comfort hours a year to be reached, compared to CO2-based optimized demand-controlled ventilation. Nevertheless, the latter ensures 35% annual energy savings, compared to a constant CO2-based ventilation, and 37% more annual energy savings over that of a constant ventilation rate of outdoor air per person.

Designing Publicly Funded Healthcare Markets

Governments around the world provide public funding for healthcare to address the failures that arise when healthcare markets are left to their own devices. However, public funding alone, does not incentivise high quality efficient healthcare. Most OECD countries have therefore moved away from command-and-control systems, separated their role as buyer from the role of providing services, and sought to incentivise providers, using regulation to ensure a minimum acceptable level of quality, while using choice and competition to incentivise providers to become more efficient and to invest savings in improving the quality of care. However, variations in indicators of clinical quality and patient centred care (the provision of care that focuses on the needs of the patient) suggest these incentives are often too weak. Moreover, the role of choice and competition can become marginalised, particularly when budgets are tight and patient-centred care comes to be perceived as an expensive luxury. This paper therefore argues that there is a need for competition agencies to become more active and effective advocates for the use of choice and competition in publicly funded healthcare markets. It suggests that the need for strong regulation will not shrink or disappear, as it might do in a utility, and so advocacy should not focus simply on deregulating, but instead on designing smarter regulations that create markets that incentivise competition on aspects of the service that patients and payers care about most. Drawing on the literature and different examples of pro-competitive reforms that have been undertaken in different countries, it identifies 10 key policy decisions that make a difference when introducing or reforming competitive forces in healthcare markets.

Technology Focus: Drilling and Completion Fluids (November 2019)

Technology Focus To drill or not to drill? To damage or not to damage? These are compelling questions. Recent research has put extensive focus on the magic of graphene in drilling fluids. Graphene, because of its thermal, electrical, chemical, and mechanical properties, improves mudcake stability and minimizes fluid loss that eventually reduces formation damage. The term “graphene” was introduced in 1986, and, in 2004, the extraction of graphene was presented, which later made it commercially available. In 2010, the Scotch-tape method was announced to peel off the tiny graphite flakes into a monolayer, 2D graphene layers with the fewest possible defects. The rest, as they say, is history. The significant attention on graphene as a drilling-fluid additive has increased because of its Newtonian fluid behavior, low fluid loss, and formation of firm and stronger mudcake. The addition of graphene or graphene oxide can improve the control of fluid loss, the stability of shale, and lubrication. The addition of graphene nanoparticles to drilling fluid has presented a significant surge in the proportion of dispersion, a reduction in torque, and an increase in drilling bits deprived of the destructive effects of the rheological properties of drilling mud. Because of its stability and small particle size, use of graphene nanoparticles is considered one of the better alternatives for fluid-loss control in drilling fluid. Literature also reports the advancement of aggregation and poor dissolution in well fluids with the addition of graphene. Graphene oxide may retain permeation and acts as a modified fluid-loss-control•additive. Furthermore, graphene enhances the rheological properties of drilling fluids at both low and elevated temperatures and pressures. Another drilling-related factor that seems to be overlooked is shale stability. The interaction of water with clay materials is common, which leads to swelling, thus slowing the circulation of drilling fluid. It has been reported that graphene is able to improve shale stability. It serves as an excellent medium for improvement of shale inhibition. Graphene is expensive. This is one of the main challenges for its application. Efforts are under way to generate sources of graphene from industrial waste. Such waste includes diesel vehicles, batteries, and many other carbonaceous waste•materials. Additionally, determining the quality or grade of the extracted graphene from these wastes is crucial. Many applications can be suitable for graphene-based material, from graphite oxide to graphene oxide to graphene oxide reduced until a higher quality of graphene is reached. It is applicable for various applications, including for composite material, biomedical material, waste treatment, electronics, medicine, energy, and membrane technology. The minimum level of graphene quality required for drilling fluids may be unknown. Many researchers seem to use a higher graphene quality than is needed. Considering the high cost of graphene, studies on the lowest possible graphene quality that provide acceptable rheological drilling-fluid properties are highly recommended. I hope you enjoy and benefit from the selected and highlighted papers. Other interesting papers can be found in the list of recommended additional reading and in the OnePetro online library. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. IPTC 19406 Development of a Novel Antitemperature, Antiwear, and Ecofriendly Lubricant SDL-1 for Water-Based Drilling Fluid by Yunfeng Liu, China University of Petroleum, et al. SPE 193618 An Innovative Rheology Modifier That Provides Dual Function, Achieves Nondamaging Clay-Free System for Reservoir Drilling and Flat Rheology for•Deepwater Drilling by Vivek Gupta, Gumpro Drilling Fluids, et al. SPE/IADC 194102 Dump, Condition, Dilute: Using High-Voltage Technology To•Extract Solids From Drilling Fluid by•Kody Chandler, BOS Solutions, et al.

Applying measures of modelling quality to a national time series: a benchmark for transport demand models

ABSTRACTIn current urban planning practice, macroscopic transport demand and assignment models are essential for the evaluation of mid- and long-term land use developments and infrastructure investments. The credibility of their projections strongly depends on their ability to reproduce present day traffic volumes. Obviously, a simplified model of reality will display some shortcomings, and the effect of these is asserted by quality measures that quantify the divergence from observed traffic volumes. There is, however, only rough guidance regarding acceptable ranges of these measures. Most of the literature on this subject approach these ranges from below, by discussing measures attained by operational models and using these as a benchmark, or by using the adverse effects of modelling errors to derive a minimum quality level. On the contrary, this study suggests upper limits for quality measures by analysing year-on-year variations in traffic volumes that result from changing land use and infrastructure.

\u201cWe come as friends\u201d: approaches to social accountability by health committees in Northern Malawi

BackgroundIn Malawi, as in many low-and middle-income countries, health facility committees (HFCs) are involved in the governance of health services. Little is known about the approaches they use and the challenges they face. This study explores how HFCs monitor the quality of health services and how they demand accountability of health workers for their performance.MethodsDocumentary analysis and key informant interviews (7) were complemented by interviews with purposefully selected HFC members (22) and health workers (40) regarding their experiences with HFCs. Data analysis was guided by a coding scheme informed by social accountability concepts complemented by inductive analysis to identify participants’ perceptions and meanings of processes of social accountability facilitated by HFCs.ResultsThe results suggest that HFCs address poor health worker performance (such as absenteeism, poor treatments and informal payments), and report severe misconduct to health authorities. The informal and constructive approach that most HFCs use is shaped by formal definitions and common expectations of the role of HFCs in service delivery as well as resource constraints. The primary function of social accountability through HFCs appears to be co-production: the management of social relations around the health facility and the promotion of a minimum level of access and quality of services.ConclusionsPolicymakers and HFC support programs should take into account the broad task description of HFCs and integrate social accountability approaches in existing quality of care programs. The study also underscores the need to clarify accountability arrangements and linkages with upward accountability approaches in the system.

An SINR-Aware Joint Mode Selection, Scheduling, and Resource Allocation Scheme for D2D Communications

In this paper, a new mode selection (MS) scheme for device-to-device (D2D) enabled cellular networks is proposed. The MS is carried out using a predefined signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) threshold and it aims to guarantee a minimum level of quality of service. With the new scheme, interfering effects are taken into consideration, while realistic assumptions for the acquisition of the channel information are made. Assuming a single-user case, an analytical framework is developed, which is based on the Markov-chain theory, and is used to study the system's performance. The various performance results obtained reveal that with the proposed MS, the probability of mode switching can be reduced (as compared to other systems), and thus, an increase on the overhead and signal processing is avoided. Moreover, a new approach is applied in a multi-user communication scenario, where a joint MS, resource allocation (RA), and scheduling optimization problem is formulated. The solution to this problem is based on a greedy heuristic algorithm that properly assigns the available resources among cellular users and D2D pairs. The joint MS, RA, and scheduling algorithm considers limited SINR awareness and it provides significant performance improvement in terms of sum-rate.

A SPATIAL EVALUATION OF THE DESIGN OF MIDDLE-INCOME HOUSING UNITS IN THE CITY OF ADEN: A CASE STUDY OF THE ENMAA RESIDENTIAL PROJECT.

Housing is an economic, social and cultural right that should be readily available in all inhabited areas, and this right has been enshrined as an international human right. Affordable housing should be safe and comfortable, meet all of the needs and wants of current and future residents, be able to be owned at the lowest cost, be of the best possible quality and be able to be lived in at the lowest possible cost. Housing units that meet a set minimum standard for living and are owned or rented by persons below a certain income level are considered to be affordable housing. Therefore, a unit meeting the requirements for affordable housing is the primary criterion for determining whether the housing is affordable or not. In some cases, housing costs may be affordable, but middle-income families are still unable to obtain the kind of housing that meets the minimum levels of quality that they require.The purpose of this research paper was to study components of the housing units of middle-income real estate projects and analyse them to help in achieving the principles of cost reduction. The results can help interested proponents design residential units by considering a variety of elements, such as architectural spaces, sustainability, the number of occupants per unit and other aspects of housing. This study recommends increasing housing densities that reduce costs, developing flexible and straightforward architectural designs, lowering construction costs, increasing funding for housing and creating additional housing legislation.

Can All the Sardinian Varieties Support the PDO “Sardegna” Virgin Olive Oil?

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) labels are important tools to promote high quality virgin olive oils (VOO). To better valorize and differentiate among others these labeled products it is necessary to have a deep knowledge of characteristics and features of the monovarietal VOOs that are used. In Sardinia, only one PDO, named “Sardegna,” is registered. Drupes from several local varieties are mixed up before pressing. Four are the principal autochthonous Sardinian varieties: Bosana, Tonda di Cagliari, Tonda di Villacidro, Semidana, and respective synonyms. This study examines the chemical and nutritional characteristics of monovarietal VOOs of some of the varieties that comprise the label with the aim to establish the identity and natural variability of the registered product. Results are compared with those from some minor Sardinian and Italian cultivars, all grown under the same agronomic and environmental conditions. Data for the fatty acid and sterol composition together with those for some specific nutrient and non nutrient antioxidants are used to investigate whether the mixing up of many different varieties is favorable in the production of this particular product. PDO varieties achieve broadly minimum quality levels requested by the label regulation and express some specific characteristics in accordance to genetic similarities.Practical Applications: Knowledge of chemical composition of VOOs from minor local varieties is of great interest for the promotion of products typical of a specific territory and to improve quality and competitiveness of protected denominations labels. The characterization of VOO admitted to a PDO can help producers to optimize blends obtaining specific nutritional and sensorial features. Moreover, findings are important to highlight some distinctive features among genetic groups that might be useful for further supporting the integrity of the registered product in the near future.PDO “Sardegna” is the only quality label for EVOO registered in Sardinia (Italy). It must be characterized at least for the 80% by the four principal autochthonous Sardinian varieties: Bosana, Semidana, Tonda di Cagliari, Tonda di Villacidro, and their other names. VOO composition of 14 of the Sardinian varieties that can be used in the production of the registered product, with the aim to establish its identity and natural variability of this label are analyzed.

An integrated acquisition policy for supplier selection and lot sizing considering total quantity discounts and a quality constraint

We consider a two-stage supply chain where a buyer purchases a product from multiple capacitated suppliers to satisfy a constant demand rate over a finite planning horizon. Suppliers have different perfect rates and offer total quantity discounts. The buyer selects suppliers and allocates orders to them that satisfy a minimum average quality level. A mathematical model is proposed with the objective on minimizing the total cost per time unit. The model is solved by dualizing the quality constraint. The relaxed model is solved by an efficient dynamic programming algorithm. The subgradient method is used to solve the dual problem.

An Empirical Study on the Direction of Restructuring the Postal Service in Korea using Choice Experiment

The postal services provides under the USO (universal service obligation), which allows people to access a basic package of services at reasonable uniform prices and a minimum level of quality. However, since the demand of the services has declined, the needs of the restructing of the services has emerged. In this regards, this study involved conducting a survey about public attitudes, and estimated the public’s willingness to pay to maintain the current level of USO of Korea’s postal service. According to survey results, Korean people are willing to pay KRW 477.55 (USD 0.43) to maintain the current level of postal service. More specifically, the mean marginal WTP (willingness to pay) for increasing the number of post offices and delivery frequency are estimated at KRW 8.65 and KRW 31.88 respectively. However, increasing the number of post offices did not substantially influence public preference. Additionally, according to the results with the covariate, living in a city in Korea influenced the public’s utility of the postal service.