Multi-year Contracts Research Articles

Blurring Boundaries: An Analysis of the Digital Platforms-Military Nexus

ABSTRACT This work analyses the mutual dependence linking digital platforms, i.e., ‘Big Tech’, and the US military apparatus. Three main elements at the roots of such dependence are detected: an ‘originary linkage’ binding the development of digital platforms with governments’ military R&D efforts; the critical nature of infrastructures and technologies controlled by platforms; and their role as their government’s ‘eyes and ears’ (both at home and abroad). Focusing on the US, we first document the growing relevance of these corporations as US Department of Defense contractors. Second, we explore a selection of multi-year contracts entrusting platforms to develop and manage critical technologies and infrastructures for military purposes. Finally, we document the direct involvement of major US-based platforms in war scenarios.

Hybrid Approach to the Cost Estimation of External-Fleet Full Truckload Contracts

Freight forwarding and transportation are the backbone of the modern economy. There are thousands of transportation companies on the market whose sole purpose is to deliver ordered goods from pickup to delivery. Transportation can be carried out by two types of fleets. A company can have its own trucks, or it can use third-party companies. This transportation can be carried out in a variety of formulas, with full truckload being the most common for long routes. The shipper must be aware of the potential cost of such a service during the process of selecting a particular transport. The presented solution addresses this exact issue. There are many approaches, ranging from detailed cost calculators to machine learning solutions. The present study uses a dedicated hybrid algorithm that combines different techniques, spanning clustering algorithms, regression and kNN (k Nearest Neighbors) estimators. The resulting solution was tested on real shipping data covering multi-year contract data from several shipping companies operating in the European market. The obtained results proved so successful that they were implemented in a commercial solution used by freight forwarding companies on a daily basis.

Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf

Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf

Power Despite Precarity: Strategies for the Contingent Faculty Movement in Higher Education

Power Despite Precarity: Strategies for the Contingent Faculty Movement in Higher Education

Hydrological Drought-Indexed Insurance for Irrigated Agriculture in a Highly Regulated System

Water scarcity is an increasingly recurring problem for irrigated agriculture in Mediterranean regions. It is, therefore, necessary to establish technical and financial measures to enable irrigators to deal with this problem. This study presents a new index-based drought insurance scheme in an irrigation district in the Jucar river basin in Spain, a highly regulated water system. Three insurance scheme options were evaluated and, the values of the fair risk premiums, the maximum compensation, and the deductible franchise were established. These insurance schemes were designed in agreement with the preexisting drought system operating rules to reduce moral hazard and adverse selection. Risk-reducing and effective evaluation methods were used to determine the insurance coverage’s viability for irrigators: standard deviation gross margin, minimum gross margin, and RMSL. The proposed insurances were also evaluated using synthetic hydrological time series generated with a stochastic ARMA model through a basin-wide water resource simulation model developed in the DSS Shell AQUATOOL. Financial indicators, such as the basis risk and claim ratio were applied to analyze the economic feasibility for insurance companies. The results show that a suitable and efficient option is an early-bird contract combined with a trigger of emergency or alert state in a multi-year contract. This type of specialized insurance helps to fill the existing gap in traditional insurance schemes for irrigated crops and offered additional coverage to farmers under drought and water scarcity conditions.

Vera Lynn Sings: Domesticity, Glamour, and National Belonging on 1950s British Television

Abstract In the late 1950s, musical variety shows on television played a critical role in the careers of numerous singers, particularly women working in mainstream pop. Some even hosted their own shows, becoming “television personalities,” a new type of performer skilled at conveying televisual authenticity and intimacy. We can better understand the significance of these often overlooked singers by recentering the role of television in their careers. This article takes as its case study the British singer Vera Lynn and Vera Lynn Sings, the lavishly produced, prime-time musical variety show that she hosted from 1956 to 1959 and that was the centerpiece of her exclusive, multi-year contract with the British Broadcasting Corporation. By examining her star persona on the show, the article offers a corrective to accounts of Lynn’s long life as a public figure, which tend to emphasize her fame as a singer in World War II while skimming over her accomplished career in the decades that followed. Drawing upon production documents and scripts at the BBC Written Archives Centre, together with press sources, this article argues that Vera Lynn Sings helped shape popular notions of British national identity in the late 1950s. Through its musical, performative, and visual strategies, the show offered a vision of national belonging that placed aspirational, white, feminine domesticity at the center. Anchored by Lynn’s sincere persona and sentimental songs, the show’s intimate address and musical repertoire welcomed a “family” audience across lines of gender, class, and age, while simultaneously reinforcing racist and colonial definitions of national belonging.

It’s a Party in the MLB: An Analysis of Shirking Between Games in Major League Baseball

This paper uses game-level Major League Baseball data to identify whether players with greater job security shirk in their preparation between games. Past work has identified evidence of moral hazard arising in multiyear Major League Baseball player contracts, but little work has been done in identifying when shirking takes place. Using a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, this study finds evidence of an inverse relationship between the number of years remaining on player contracts and performance when the player is playing on short rest, when opportunity to rest is scarce, but not on long rest. Using a triple-difference specification, evidence is found that this inverse relationship between years remaining on a player’s contract when playing on short rest occurs for games played in “party cities.” This evidence would suggest that between game preparation is one avenue through which players on multiyear contracts shirk.

SID: Powering the Display Industry for 60 Years

SID: Powering the Display Industry for 60 Years

Demand for Multi-Year Catastrophe Insurance Contracts: Experimental Evidence for Mitigating the Insurance Gap

Demand for Multi-Year Catastrophe Insurance Contracts: Experimental Evidence for Mitigating the Insurance Gap

Transfer of Research through Academic Publishing and the Use of OA Resources: A Survey

The cycle of scholarly communication is perpetuated by those who create, evaluate, disseminate, and consume research. This paper distinguishes that the stakeholders most directly involved in this process are researchers, academic publishers, and university libraries. Whereas researchers and libraries often submit and disseminate work for free, academic publishing companies monetize their product. In this instance, the product is research, and the clientele is university libraries, who are coerced into multiyear contracts with publishers, often costing in the upwards of millions, to tens of millions of dollars. With university library budgets squeezed thin, it could be advisable to seek alternative accessible sources, beyond that of the costly subscription journal. This exploratory study surveyed 110 academic professionals to investigate how these users engage with scholarly communication and use open access (OA) resources. The study found that though outcomes of commercialized academic publishing have disrupted the transfer of research, users are hesitant to rely solely upon OA sources, despite the perception that they are of equal value to traditional commercial sources. The author concludes that in order for research to be transferred fairly between all actors of scholarly communication, that both researchers and university libraries must strive to make OA resources commonplace.

Demand for Multi-Year Catastrophe Insurance Contracts: Experimental Evidence for Mitigating the Insurance Gap

Demand for Multi-Year Catastrophe Insurance Contracts: Experimental Evidence for Mitigating the Insurance Gap

Causes of Multi Years Contract Project Delay

Delay in construction projects is considered one of the most common problems, causing a multitude of negative effects on the project and its participating parties. Delays can cause losses to the economy, cost overruns, disputes, arbitration, abandonment, and poor quality of finished project. This paper aims to identify the main causes of delay in multi years infrastructure projects in Indonesia. Based on secondary data from documents for Proposals and Completion of Extension of Multi-Year Contract Approval in the FY 2018 and 2019 which are processed at the Ministry of Finance, 19 factors that caused the delay were identified. The importance indexes measured and ranked the level of importance of the delay factors. The main five causes of time delays included land acquisition problem, design change, failed tender, inadequate site investigation, and shortage of construction materials. Majority of the cause is attributed to Ministry/Institution as project owner. The results can help project owners, contractors, and consultants in understanding the reasons for the delay, so that each party, especially the Ministry/Agency as the project owner, can eliminate or minimize these causes.

E&P Notes (December 2020)

E&P Notes (December 2020)

Analysis of not Using the Multi-Year Contract Method in Directorate General of Islamic Education

The application of multi-year budgeting is the implementation of the medium-term expenditure framework approach. Furthermore, the multi-year budgeting is carried out through the procurement of goods and services called the Multi-Year Contract. Multi-year budgeting provides certainty for the continued funding of activities/projects. Although, an activity/project that naturally lasts more than one fiscal year but not all planners use multi-year budgeting. This study reveals the background behind the policy of not using the multi-year budgeting method by spending unit in the Directorate General of Islamic Education, Ministry of Religion. The method used in this study uses quantitative research using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) model. The results of the study indicate that the existence of laws and regulations regarding multi-year budgeting is the most important element as the main reason as the choice of multi-year budgeting compared with internal factors. The most important element of legislation is related to the absence or unclear rules. Meanwhile, the most important element of internal factors is the certainty of funding activities/projects.

LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS OF A PBC PILOT PROJECT FOR ROAD IN INDONESIA

Implementation of Performance-based Contracts (PBC) for road maintenance in Indonesia still requires various studies, especially related to potential long-term cost efficiencies that can be achieved by the road agencies by shifting the application of traditional contracts to PBC. This study assesses the effectiveness of PBC compared to traditional contract implementation based on a case study on one of the PBC pilot projects in Indonesia. The effectiveness of the PBC reviews in terms of project life cycle cost efficiency was calculated. LCC calculations were conducted by considering the influence of the length of contracted road, the initial conditions of contracted road, and the duration of PBC project. The LCC calculation shows that the implementation of PBC generally has the potential to generate LCC efficiency compared to the traditional contract. This study also proved that the implementation of PBC can guarantee the performance of road services during multi-year contracts and also provide other benefits for the road agency and road users.
 ABSTRAK: Pelaksanaan Kontrak Berasaskan Prestasi (PBC) bagi penyelenggaraan jalan di Indonesia masih memerlukan pelbagai kajian, terutama berkaitan potensi keberkesanan perbelanjaan jangka panjang yang dapat dicapai oleh pihak agensi jalan dengan mengalihkan penerapan kontrak tradisional ke PBC. Kajian ini menilai keberkesanan PBC berbanding dengan pelaksanaan kontrak tradisional berdasarkan kajian kes pada salah satu projek perintis PBC di Indonesia. Keberkesanan ulasan PBC ini adalah dari segi kecekapan kos kitaran hayat projek. Pengiraan LCC dilakukan dengan mempertimbangkan pengaruh panjang jalan yang dikontrak, keadaan awal jalan terkontrak, dan jangka waktu projek PBC. Pengiraan LCC menunjukkan bahawa pelaksanaan PBC secara amnya berpotensi untuk menghasilkan kecekapan LCC berbanding dengan kontrak tradisional. Kajian ini juga membuktikan bahawa pelaksanaan PBC dapat menjamin prestasi perkhidmatan jalan selama kontrak multi-tahun dan juga memberi manfaat lain untuk agensi jalan dan pengguna jalan raya.

Micro and Small Businesses’ Satisfaction With the UK Energy Market: Policy Implications

While householders’ ability to navigate the domestic retail energy market has generated considerable debate, little attention has been given to micro and small businesses’ (MSBs) purchasing of energy. This paper provides the first academic assessment of MSBs’ satisfaction with the UK’s retail energy market. Using survey data from the UK energy regulator we find that while intermediaries are central to MSBs switching energy supplier, the quantity of marketing contact received from them is a key source of dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction with marketing contact has direct policy relevance as the Competition and Market Authority’s 2016 Energy Market Investigation recommended that a database of ‘disengaged’ MSBs be established to enable marketing communications from rival suppliers to prompt MSBs to switch. We also query whether the need for more MSB engagement is obvious, given the prevalence of multi-year energy contracts among MSBs, suggesting that the ‘optimal’ switching level of MSBs likely differs from that of householders. Our evidence suggests that there could be benefits from increased regulatory oversight of intermediaries’ behaviour. Furthermore we note that existing data fail to address an issue of importance for regulatory decision making: the overlap between households and MSBs and the potential choice for MSBs between domestic and non-domestic contracts. Overall, the paper exemplifies the types of insights that can be obtained by regulators providing wider access to the surveys they commission. We recommend that UK regulatory agencies share anonymised raw survey data by default to enhance the transparency, and potentially quality, of their decision making.

The effect of land tenure governance on technical efficiency: evidence from three provinces in eastern China

ABSTRACTThis study aims to identify the mechanisms through which land tenure governance affects the technical efficiency of grain production in an integrated framework and to examine the impacts of the public governance, village self-governance, and relational governance of land tenure on the technical efficiency of contracted land and rented-in land. Farm-level survey data collected from Liaoning, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu provinces covering the years of 2014 and 2015 is used for the empirical analysis. The findings indicate that (i) public governance associated with land certification significantly increases the technical efficiency of grain production; (ii) village self-governance and administrative land reallocations can serve as substitutes for the land rental market in optimizing the distribution of land resources and improving technical efficiency; and (iii) compared to multi-year transfer contracts, both annual and open-ended transfer contracts have negative impacts on technical efficiency.

Pheasant responses to U.S. cropland conversion programs: A review and recommendations

ABSTRACTWe describe ring‐necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) habitat needs, historical U.S. cropland conversion programs (CCPs), research documenting pheasant responses to these programs, and make policy recommendations for programs to more efficiently elicit such responses. Cropland conversion program principles supported in the pheasant literature include establishment of an initial seeding, a multiyear contract structure, prohibition of mowing during the nesting season, promotion of forbs in seedings, provision of large‐block enrollments options, and inclusion of midcontract management. These principles are compatible with the habitat needs of many other grassland bird species. We therefore recommend the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and any future CCPs retain these foundational aspects. Initial plantings of higher diversity seed mixes have become prioritized over time, but we note whatever increase in average habitat quality these standards achieved, it was not enough to prevent widespread pheasant declines following more severe statutory limitations on CRP acreage enrollments beginning in 2008, coupled with long‐term declines in other habitat types (e.g., hay, pasture, small grains). When faced with a trade‐off, we thus recommend emphasis of enrolled area over quality, provided enrolled herbaceous tracts provide adequate structure (≥3 dm of 100% visual obstruction) and canopy cover components (>5% forbs and >5% bare ground). Efficiencies may also be gained by altering initial seeding rates, offsetting program costs using grazing income, allowing more discretion in the use of midcontract management, and prioritizing enrollments in focus areas. Individual states, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and bird conservation joint ventures should work cooperatively to share data and perform return‐on‐investment–oriented research at multiple spatial scales concerning the effects of CCPs on pheasants. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Doğal Afet Sigortalarında Karar Alma Sorunları: Kamusal Müdahaleler

In this study, decisions about natural disaster insurance is examined through the behavioral literature and public interventions are suggested. Natural disasters are low probability but high consequence events. In natural disaster insurance, the risk and uncertainty are higher than in other markets, leading to more frequent decision-making problems. Intuitive thinking, systematic bias, learning mistakes, social norms and social comparisons, public aids and political interests cause non-rational decisions to be made. Non-rational behavior of insurance consumers, suppliers and public sector, which operates as a regulatory institution causes inadequate insurance coverage. Inadequate insurance coverage leads to loss of individual and social welfare and increases the government's implicit fiscal liabilities. Asymmetric paternalist political instruments, such as mandatory insurance, framing, multi-year insurance contracts can reduce decision-making problems. Regulations on insurance contracts and public-private partnerships can resolve market failures.

New Approaches to Shirking in Major League Baseball

The impact of contract length on player performance has received attention in the sports economics literature. Players are said to shirk following the signing of a guaranteed contract if performance falls below some level of expected performance. While much of the literature uses OLS to identify shirking behavior by players under multi-year contracts, this study employs OLS, fixed effects regression, and two-stage least squares regression to analyze player performance from 2009 to 2017. Using fixed effects specifications, evidence of shirking is found with Wins Above Replacement and On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage - Plus as outcome variables. Using an improved measure of marginal revenue product, evidence of shirking is found using OLS specifications, where shirking is measured as the difference between expected and realized marginal revenue product. Two-stage least squares is then employed to address potential endogeneity in the marginal revenue product specifications. Using 2SLS, economically larger shirking effects are found. The negative impact of contract length on performance persists controlling for additional potential omitted variables.