Alliance Model Research Articles

Associations Between Supervisory Alliance, Medical Resident Distress, Burnout, and Self-Esteem.

Supervision is considered a collaboration between a supervisor and supervisee and includes perceptiveness, responsiveness of the supervisor, a state of rapport, and specific learning tasks that allow the individual to work towards a goal. The alliance in supervision has been identified as a key ingredient of effective supervision, regardless of the type of treatment, population, or supervision model being used. While it is known that the medical training environment hosts high rates of burnout, little research has examined the role of supervisory alliance in regard to burnout, distress, and self-esteem. This study aimed to apply previous models of supervisory alliance to medical education, and explore associations between educational alliance and trainee self-esteem, burnout, and distress. Participants included 108 medical trainees (response rate = 81%). Medical trainees were recruited from a rural Pennsylvanian teaching hospital and asked to complete a voluntary and anonymous electronic survey. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the association between supervisory alliance and burnout and distress, while controlling for average hours worked and slept. Results suggested that supervisory alliance was associated with burnout, distress, and self-esteem among medical trainees. Given the high rates of depression and burnout among medical providers, it may be helpful to understand the factors that may impact medical trainee's distress and esteem. Future longitudinal research might examine the role of the supervisory alliance over time, and whether strong mentorship and guidance may serve to protect trainees from burnout throughout training and into their career.

Research on cooperative operation optimization method of internet data center alliance considering diversified flexibility

With the rapid development of large-scale internet data center in China, the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality has put forward higher requirements for low-carbon economic operation of internet data center. Considering complementary advantages among internet data centers, this paper proposes a cooperative operation optimization method of internet data center alliance based on diversified flexibility. Firstly, a cooperative operation structure of alliance considering electricity and carbon trading between members was built, as well as the diversified flexibility model considering carbon capture and power to gas device. Then, a cooperative optimization operation model of alliance was constructed based on Nash bargaining theory, and the allocation of cooperation benefit among members can be realized based on electrical carbon contribution rate. In order to improve solution convergence, the alternating direction multiplier method is improved by penalty factor updating and correction factor modeling method. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the demonstration project of “East Data and West Computing” in Qingyang, Gansu, China, and the trial run results are consistent with the theory analysis. On the one hand, the diversified flexibility and the electricity and carbon trading between members can effectively reduce the total cost and carbon emissions of alliance. On the other hand, the cooperation benefits distribution strategy based on the electrical carbon contribution rate can effectively enhance enthusiasm of members to participate in alliance. The improved alternating direction multiplier method can achieve distributed optimization of alliance, protect the privacy of each member, and has good convergence and scalability.

Cooperative operation for multiple virtual power plants considering energy-carbon trading: A Nash bargaining model

With the development of the energy and carbon markets, it has become a trend for multiple virtual power plants (MVPP) that aggregate distributed resources from different regions to participate in market trading through cooperative operation. In order to study the energy-carbon interactions between VPPs and the supply-demand interactions for MVPP and users, this paper introduces a load aggregator (LA) and establishes a cooperative alliance consisting of MVPP and LA. Firstly, a carbon emission allowance allocation and transaction mechanism for MVPP is proposed based on the modified Shapley value method, which considers the impact of energy interactions within the alliance on the carbon emissions. Then, a cooperation model for the MVPP-LA alliance is established based on Nash bargaining theory, and it is decomposed into two subproblems of the maximal alliance benefits and the optimal benefit distribution. In terms of benefit distribution, this paper modifies the bargaining mechanism based on the contribution of each VPP to the alliance benefit. A dynamic penalty factor-based alternating direction method of multipliers (DP-ADMM) is used to solve the two subproblems in a distributed manner. Finally, the validity of the proposed trading mechanism, allocation method and solution algorithm are verified through several cases.

“Close to the Problem” or “Close to Your Problem”? The Contribution of Bond to the Structure of Early and Advanced Therapeutic Alliance

The study analyzed the contribution of bond in the structure of the therapeutic alliance. Results were reported for two stages of the psychotherapeutic process: early and advanced. The study included 415 psychotherapist–patient dyads in the process of individual psychotherapy. Alliance estimation was based on Bordin’s model of alliance. The hypothesis was tested through structural equation modeling analysis. In both the early and advanced phases of psychotherapy, patient–therapist bond made a large contribution to the structure of the alliance, similar to that of the remaining two components: goals and tasks. The results indicate that bond is a crucial and permanent element in the structure of the relationship in the psychotherapeutic dyad, regardless of the stage of the process. In the advanced phase, the distance in weight between bond and the remaining two dimensions of alliance is minimal. The contribution of bond to the alliance structure as high as the contributions of goals and tasks signals not only the importance of understanding the patient’s problem but also the importance of mutual trust and respect.

Advancing inclusive research (AIR) in Africa: Strengthening healthcare systems to enhance access on the continent through the Africa AIR site alliance model.

e13778 Background: While Africa makes up 17% of the total world population, it has 24% of the global disease burden. Furthermore, although Africa is rich in genomic diversity, Africans make up <4% of the patients in global pharma studies and 1% of the global genomic database. In 2020 there were only 63 African patients in Roche global clinical trials. The Africa AIR Site Alliance model was undertaken to address the growing importance of interventional clinical trials with advanced diagnostics and therapies in Africa, as well as the lack of representation of the African population in global datasets, which contribute to continued health disparities, poor outcomes and existing inequities. Methods: In countries with a legal research framework, no clinical trial holds and who have conducted at least 1 Roche clinical trial during the last 5 years potential Centers of Excellence for the Africa AIR Site Alliance were identified. For patients, sites had invoiceable services to ensure they were supported and could potentially include education about clinical trial participation, reasonable travel and accommodation, or covering the cost of missed work or childcare. Sites participated in training on how to conduct clinical trials, including opportunities to share best practices across sites. Results: Four pilot countries were selected and had Centers of Excellence identified to work as partners with Roche for global clinical trials: Morocco (Marrakech University Hospital Center), Nigeria (University College Hospital Ibadan), Kenya (University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases) and South Africa (Limpopo Cancer Research Institute). After entering the Africa AIR Site Alliance, sites reported consistent application of standard operating procedures and manuals, trained and empowered staff, increased organization and appropriate patient support, plus knowledge and experience with industry trials. Sites are successfully participating in an increased number of global clinical trials in various therapeutic areas with 23 patients enrolled at the Africa AIR Site Alliance sites in oncology and ophthalmology studies. Conclusions: The Africa AIR Site Alliance model is a groundbreaking initiative that has the potential to revolutionize clinical research in Africa with a positive long-term impact on the African healthcare ecosystem and clinical care delivery. Limited diversity and representation in genomic, safety and efficacy data have hampered scientific and medical progress on the continent. The Africa AIR Site Alliance provides critical support, knowledge and skills for conducting clinical trials and assists in removing barriers for underrepresented patients to participate in these trials. Future work will focus on expanding to additional countries in Africa and creating a robust network of Centers of Excellence for innovative research.

The working alliance inventory – short version: psychometric properties of the patient and therapist form in youth mental health and addiction care

The therapeutic alliance is considered to play an important role in youth treatment. The commonly used versions of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) are based on Bordin’s three-dimensional alliance model. However, previous psychometric studies of the WAI did not find this three-dimensional structure in youth psychotherapy. These earlier findings may indicate different perceptions of the alliance by adolescent versus adult patients, but may also be due to methodological shortcomings. The current study aims to address previous study limitations by evaluating the factor structure of the short version of the WAI (WAI-S) in youth treatment in multilevel analysis to address the hierarchical structure of the alliance data. We examined the psychometric properties of the patient (n = 203) and therapist (n = 62) versions of the WAI-S in youth mental health and addiction care and tested four multilevel models of alliance at start of treatment and 2-month follow-up. Our results suggests a two-factor model for youth and a three-dimensional model for their therapist at both time points. Since this is the first study that finds a best fit for a two-dimensional construct of alliance in youth, more research is needed to clarify whether the differences in alliance dimensions are due to measurement differences between the WAI-S for youth and therapists or whether youth and their therapists truly differ in their perceptions of the concept of alliance.

Agribusiness as a device for territorial control: the case of oil palm plantations in María La Baja, Colombia

Over the past four decades, the scale and number of oil palm plantations in Colombia have risen and these plantations have become a pillar of the country’s agricultural sector. This article examines the territorial control function of plantations, especially in areas where the expansion of palm cultivation has been a simultaneously novel and accelerated phenomenon. The Colombian government has encouraged the growth of this crop through three often overlapping models: dispossession, productive alliances, and the establishment of Zones of Rural, Economic and Social Development Interest (ZIDRES). This paper is based on fieldwork data from María La Baja in the Department of Bolivar, and focuses on the consequences of the productive alliance model as a novel form of territorial disciplining and control.

Analysis on the impact of dynamic innovation investment strategy of green supply chain enabled by blockchain.

The emergence of the green supply chain represents a natural evolution from the traditional model. However, this transition has created trust concerns in operational processes. Fortunately, blockchain technology offers a promising solution to address this issue and help businesses overcome related obstacles. As artificial intelligence and blockchain continue to advance, enterprises are increasingly exploring opportunities for green innovation investments, although the optimal timing for successful product innovation can be difficult to predict. The effects of successful innovation on eco-friendly supply chains are analyzed through various factors such as optimal investment strategy, level of blockchain technology, and overall system profit. Differential game theory is used to determine the most effective approach across three alliance modes: horizontal cooperative, non-cooperative, and vertical cooperative. Additionally, the impact of innovation uncertainty on member strategies and alliance selection is thoroughly examined. According to the results, predicting the likelihood of innovation realization can influence decision makers to prioritize current profits. Both horizontal and vertical cooperative alliance models can lead to Pareto improvements in total system profit, both before and after innovation success. However, the vertical cooperative alliance model proves to be more effective, especially at higher realization rates. Green suppliers stand to benefit from the vertical cooperative alliance model, as it can enhance their innovative investment strategy, while platform cooperation does not significantly affect their strategy. Platforms, on the other hand, can benefit from the vertical cooperative alliance model, as it can promote their innovative investment strategy and level of blockchain technology.

Towards a Culturally Sensitive Model of Therapeutic Alliance: Exploring the Role of Filipino Values and Shared Realities

This article aims to develop a model of the therapeutic alliance for psychotherapy guided by the concepts of Loob, Pakikibahagi ng Loob, and the framework offered by the Shared Reality Model. The conceptualization is anchored on data from a qualitative survey with 15 Filipino client-therapist dyads living in the Philippines. In the proposed model, client-therapist dynamics are viewed under two levels of analyses: (a) intrapersonal level (inner world or katangiang panloob) – that includes clients’ and therapists’ personality, values, and beliefs; (b) interpersonal level (relational world or ugnayang panloob) – that encapsulates the client-therapist relationship known as the therapeutic alliance. The model hypothesizes that a shared reality (pakikibahagi) in the form of shared inner world (pakikibahagi ng katangiang panloob) and shared relational world (pakikibahagi ng ugnayang panloob) contribute to psychological well-being. Implications for clinical practice, Sikolohiyang Pilipino theorizing, and directions for further research are explored in this paper.

Balancing between dynamics and stability for innovation alliance synergy based on evolutionary game model

PurposeResearch on strategic alliances is concerned with two issues: continuation and reconfiguration. Building on prior research that examines the two issues separately, the paper studies them simultaneously. This paper aims to investigate how strategic alliances may exert the synergetic effect between dynamics and stability as well as to discuss the dynamic evolution process and influence factors of strategic alliances.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes the construction of a two-party evolutionary game model of alliance and partners. The model is used to analyze the evolution process of synergetic mechanism to determine when to terminate and when to continue with a partnership. Further, numerical simulation is used to quantify the results and to gain insight into the effects of various factors on the dynamic evolution of the synergetic mechanism.FindingsThis paper reveals several synergetic states of dynamics and stability in the alliances. The results show that synergy states are positively affected by the collaborative innovation benefits, alliance management capability, the intensity of intellectual property protection, liquidated damages and reputation losses, and negatively affected by the absorptive capacity of partners.Practical implicationsThe study helps the alliance to achieve long-term development as well as to balance the paradoxical relationship. The results suggest that managers of strategic alliances should focus on building strong and long-term relationships in order to achieve high performance innovations. Managers should also pay close attention to their partners’ behaviors in previous alliances.Originality/valueThis paper provides new insights into the paradoxical relationship in alliance by revealing the evolution of synergetic mechanism between dynamics and stability. The results remind alliances to understand the relationship between dynamics and stability and to notice the influence factors of synergistic effects when they are making decisions.

The Coproduction of Health Framework: Seeking Instructive Management Models and Theories.

At the beginning of the 21st century, multiple and diverse social entities, including the public (consumers), private and nonprofit healthcare institutions, government (public health) and other industry sectors, began to recognize the limitations of the current fragmented healthcare system paradigm. Primary stakeholders, including employers, insurance companies, and healthcare professional organizations, also voiced dissatisfaction with unacceptable health outcomes and rising costs. Grand challenges and wicked problems threatened the viability of the health sector. American health systems responded with innovations and advances in healthcare delivery frameworks that encouraged shifts from intra- and inter-sector arrangements to multi-sector, lasting relationships that emphasized patient centrality along with long-term commitments to sustainability and accountability. This pathway, leading to a population health approach, also generated the need for transformative business models. The coproduction of health framework, with its emphasis on cross-sector alignments, nontraditional partner relationships, sustainable missions, and accountability capable of yielding return on investments, has emerged as a unique strategy for facing disruptive threats and challenges from nonhealth sector corporations. This chapter presents a coproduction of health framework, goals and criteria, examples of boundary spanning network alliance models, and operational (integrator, convener, aggregator) strategies. A comparison of important organizational science theories, including institutional theory, network/network analysis theory, and resource dependency theory, provides suggestions for future research directions necessary to validate the utility of the coproduction of health framework as a precursor for paradigm change.

Coordination schemes for resource reallocation and patient transfer in hospital alliance models

AbstractIn many countries, healthcare systems encounter the issue of imbalance between supply and demand in a hierarchical structure. The comprehensive hospitals, which possess more high‐quality resources, are often overwhelmed, while their counterparts, community hospitals, are often idle. To address this imbalance issue, certain payment schemes are generally considered effective in motivating comprehensive hospitals to divert patients downstream via resource transfer. In addition to two particular payment schemes, namely, patient payment (PP) and fee‐for‐capacity (FFC), this study also considers two hospital alliance models, the government‐led (GL‐type) and the hospital‐forged (HF‐type) alliance, for effectively overcoming the imbalance issue. Compared to the HF‐type alliance, in which each community hospital determines the price paid to the comprehensive hospital for transferring resources, the GL‐type alliance requires the payment price to be set by the regulator. Methodologically, this study devises a three‐stage sequential game to characterize the dynamics among the various entities, such as the regulator, the comprehensive hospital, the community hospitals, and the patients. Equilibrium results, in terms of the capacity sinking rate and patient transfer rate, are derived, and scheme and alliance performances are evaluated using various measurements, such as patient utility, and hospital and social welfare. We find that a direct payment scheme (FFC) under a centralized alliance model (GL‐type alliance) is more effective for both making decisions (about the patient transfer rate, capacity sinking rate, and payment price) and the performances (of each hospital's welfare, patient welfare, the waiting time per patient, and social welfare). Furthermore, our study examines the impacts of the alliance scale and finds that social welfare is first decreasing and then increasing with alliance scale. Therefore, it is suggested to establish either a one‐to‐one hospital alliance (consisting of a comprehensive and a community hospital) or a large‐scale (e.g., a comprehensive and 10 community hospitals) hospital alliance.

Quasi alliance explanation for the fluctuating ROK-Japan relationship: analysing friction in 2019 and cohesion in 2023

ABSTRACT The ROK-Japan relationship, characterized as a quasi alliance, has oscillated between moments of friction and cohesion. This study endeavours to pinpoint the explanatory variables responsible for these fluctuations and to articulate a coherent causal mechanism. Drawing upon alliance theories and the quasi alliance model, two hypotheses centred on external factors – common threats and common allies – are posite. In 2019, divergent threat perceptions between the ROK and Japan, coupled with doubts about the US's reliability, strained their quasi alliance. Yet, as the prospects for North Korea's denuclearization grew murky, both the ROK and Japan began to share heightened threat perceptions. Concurrently, the US's commitment and credibility were reestablished, bolstering the cohesion of the quasi-alliance. This study strengthens the quasi-alliance model both theoretically and empirically. Furthermore, the study's findings suggest the necessity for more direct and binding bilateral ties between the ROK and Japan to ensure greater stability in future relations.

Designing a Model of Strategic Alliances and Their Impact on Company Performance in Startups with a Social Mission in the Light Automotive Industry

Objective: The objective of this study was to design a model of strategic alliances and examine their impact on the performance of startups with a social mission in the light automotive industry. Methodology: This research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a sample of 15 senior managers from Iran’s automotive industry. Data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire, and cluster sampling was applied to select the participants. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and SPSS software were used to analyze the data. The impact coefficients and significance coefficients of the hypotheses' paths were examined to assess the relationships among the variables. Findings: The results showed that strategic alliances have a direct and positive effect on company performance (impact coefficient: 0.673). Moreover, the stage of company development moderates the relationship between strategic alliances and performance (impact coefficient: 0.404). Companies engaged in social innovation demonstrated better performance (impact coefficient: 0.487). Additionally, larger companies were found to perform better than smaller ones (impact coefficient: 0.488). Conclusion: The study concluded that strategic alliances significantly improve the performance of startups with a social mission. Companies at more advanced stages of development and larger companies benefit more from these alliances. Social innovation was also identified as a critical factor in enhancing company performance. Thus, strategic alliances are recommended as a key tool for achieving both economic and social objectives in the light automotive industry.

Strategic Interactions in Franchising Systems When Anticipating Innovation: How to Develop Operational Strategies and Cooperative Alliance Models?

Strategic Interactions in Franchising Systems When Anticipating Innovation: How to Develop Operational Strategies and Cooperative Alliance Models?

Alliance or Independence? Optimal Operation of Commuter Buses by Suburban Employers Based on Cooperative Game Theory

To reduce commuting expenses incurred by suburban employers and their urban employees, this paper proposes the operation of commuter buses by an employer alliance and builds a bi-level programming model to optimize their operation. The upper model determines the composition of the alliance with the objective of minimizing total commuting expenses. The lower model optimizes the commuter bus routes so as to minimize the total commuting expenses of the alliance through a consideration of differences in the value of employees’ time. We fairly allocate total operating costs among alliance members based on cooperative game theory, which reinforces the optimized alliance’s stability. This paper then takes Meishan District in Ningbo as a numerical case study. The analysis shows the following: (1) under the alliance model, the total commuting expenses of three allied employers will be reduced by 8.09% per day; (2) the total commuting time of employees can be reduced by 3.75% per day; moreover, (3) the spatial distribution of the bus stops has a significant impact on employers’ willingness to participate in an alliance as opposed to operating an independent commuter bus service. Specifically, the farther dispersed the bus stops and the fewer the employees at each stop, the greater the likelihood that the employer will participate in an alliance.

The lean journey of the finnish real estate.

Nothing teaches us more than our experiences. That was the main reason why the Finnish construction industry has not only studied Lean and IPD but also launched several pilot projects by public owners to learn, adapt Lean principles in practice, and develop an IPD model suitable for the Finnish construction industry. 
 The IPD model demands teamwork and adapting Lean and IPD industrywide is also teamwork. In Finland, several owners and service providers have been working together since 2010 sharing their learnings in workshops, seminars, and conferences. 
 Over 100 IPD projects have also been a platform for several academic papers. The Finnish Universities have published tens of master’s and doctoral theses during the past 10 years on Lean construction, IPD, and alliance models. 
 The Finnish construction industry has gained major benefits and made important progress on its Lean journey. Lean philosophy and tools have delivered tangible cost savings in projects and services and improved cost estimates, schedule adherence, quality, integration, and collaboration in construction projects. 
 Finland has succeeded in creating smooth and practical discussion and development forums that have shaped the whole industry. The key drivers contributing to this progress are collaboration and integration, confidence-building between the partners as well a deeper understanding and application of the Lean principles in construction. As a result, Lean and integrated project execution are already reflected in the strategies adopted by many companies and client organizations.

Collaborative Construction Contracts

In recent years, construction projects across Canada have encountered significant challenges, including a global pandemic, disruptions in the supply chain, environmental disasters, geopolitical conflicts, war, protests, volatile financial conditions, and the everincreasing time and costs associated with dispute resolution. These challenges have contributed to a scarcity in competitive and reliable pricing under traditional project risk profiles in some regions and sectors. Canadian construction industry stakeholders are increasingly interested in collaborative contracting models like early contractor involvement, progressive design build, integrated project delivery, and alliance models. These models aim to achieve on budget and on schedule project completion, while minimizing disputes and incentivizing cooperative behaviours. Major projects in Ontario and British Columbia are proceeding under collaborative contracting models. Meanwhile, the energy sector in Canada appears to be one of the few industries slow to adopt collaborative contracting models. It is common to see traditional fixed price or costplus design-build or engineering, procurement, and construction contracts on large industrial projects, particularly in Alberta. But the energy sector is not immune to the market factors shifting the tides in various other construction sectors in Canada. If energy projects wish to attract bids from an experienced and varied pool of potential participants and take advantage of some innovative contracting strategies, change may be warranted. This article assesses the features and suitability of these collaborative contracts for the construction of energy-related projects in contrast to more traditional delivery models. The authors provide commentary on their risks and benefits and identify relevant opportunities for the energy sector in Canada to embrace collaborative construction contracting models.

The Lausanne Trilogue Play: bringing together developmental and systemic perspectives in clinical settings

AbstractDevelopmentalists have demonstrated that the quality of relationships established by infants with their proximal social environment is crucial for lifecourse development. However, studies of parent–infant relationships have mostly centred on the mother–child dyad. Stemming from family systems theory that considers interactions within the whole family as critical for an individual's personal development, a group of family therapists and researchers in Lausanne (Switzerland) tried to bridge the gap between systemic and developmental thinking by stressing the need to establish the mother–father–infant triad as a collective unit of study. In response, they created the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP), a method to systematically assess the quality of mother–father–infant interactions. The LTP is an observational situation during which parents are asked to play with their infant in four parts: (i) one parent plays with the infant, while the other parent is ‘simply present’; (ii) the parents switch roles; (iii) all three play together; (iv) the parents discuss in front of the infant. The theoretical model underpinning the LTP is the family alliance model, which postulates that the quality of the coordination demonstrated by the triad to achieve this task can be assessed mainly through careful observation of non‐verbal behaviours as indicators of the achievement of four interactive functions (i.e., participation, organisation, focalisation, affect sharing); fulfilment of these functions determines the quality of relational functioning within the system. This article introduces the clinical, theoretical, and empirical foundations of using the LTP method with the family alliance model; its use in clinical and research contexts; and the most recent advances in the field of research on mother–father–infant interactions based on the LTP situation.

Energy trading model for multi-microgrid energy storage alliance based on Nash negotiation

With the continuous development of the electricity market and the gradual expansion of the number and scale of participation in market transactions, the traditional energy trading model has limited the formation of a competitive pattern of multi-agents. In this paper, a new multi-microgrid energy storage alliance energy trading model based on Nash negotiation is proposed. This model takes energy storage, multi-microgrid, and superior power grid enterprises as the main participants and establishes an energy market trading model with “buy–sell” cooperation and competition coexisting within the alliance based on Nash negotiation theory. Through the interaction of electricity between different entities, energy conversion and complementary utilization are increased, achieving reasonable allocation of resources, enhancing the overall flexibility of the alliance, and promoting the local consumption of a high proportion of new energy. The simulation results of the example show that the energy trading model based on Nash negotiation can fully leverage the initiative of demand-side participation in scheduling and improve the utilization rate of energy storage systems while ensuring the payment benefits of all participating entities, which can provide technical support for energy complementarity among multiple entities and provide new technological paths for the sustainable development of energy sharing mechanisms.