Set Of Quantitative Indicators Research Articles

Inclusive, sustainable economic transformation: an analysis of trends and trade-offs

This article presents a typology to capture varying degrees of inclusive, sustainable economic transformation in low- and middle-income countries. We perform a cluster analysis of these pillars – poverty and inequality, environmental sustainability, and economic transformation – proxied by a set of quantitative indicators with data pooled between 2000 and 2018. This is supported by descriptive analysis of correlations in change over time between indicators as well as an exploration of the contextual risk and governance profiles underpinning these changes. From this analysis, we identify five clusters of countries with a range of outcomes across the three pillars. Countries consistently performing well across the three dimensions are not readily evident, though some countries are able to achieve moderate outcomes. Policy implications point to the need to get the basics right around pro-poor infrastructure development and making certain sectors greener in an effort to advance tripartite gains.

A Method of Assessing the Effectiveness of the Use of Available Resources When Implementing Production Processes

This paper deals with an assessment of the effectiveness of resource management in production processes. A comprehensive and standardized approach to the issue of effectiveness contributes to the maximization of the potential of production resources. In this paper, the concept of effectiveness was used in the sense of the praxeological approach, and its components were distinguished by availability, performance and quality, which were assessed through the prism of losses occurring in production processes. The main purpose of this work was to develop a method for assessing the effectiveness of the use of available resources when implementing production processes. The method is based on a set of quantitative indicators and takes into account the categorization of production losses. Losses in availability, performance and quality in terms of areas of production, logistics, and maintenance, as well as organization and management, were identified. It was developed in response to the research gap identified in the literature review, which showed that there is a lack of a quantitative method for assessing the effectiveness of production processes. The method also takes into account the categorization of production losses, and at the same time allows the contribution of the main areas (production and production-related) with regard to the generation of these losses. The method is primarily intended to identify the causes of problems occurring in any production process, to determine their importance in a measurable way, and to monitor the course of processes after introducing changes of a different nature. The method was verified on a real example in a branch of an automotive industry company located in Lower Silesia.

AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE COMPETITIVENESS OF DATES AND THEIR ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL MARKETING IN IRAQ FOR THE PERIOD 2005-2019

The development of exports in an open economic environment is the best solution in accelerating the pace of economic growth. The research evaluates the competitiveness of Iraqi dates exports based on a set of quantitative indicators and shows the role of Trade activities represented by international marketing that ensures the flow of goods and services from production until they reach the consumer. The research found a competitive advantage for Iraq in its exports of dates, as the Revealed Comparative Advantage - RCA showed a remarkable rise during the years of study and reached 26.98 in 2008, as for the Concentration Index (H), which represents the concentration of exports in a product or a limited number of products. More than 0.5 came in all the years of the study and it reached 0.91 in 2010. That means, the concentration of Iraqi agricultural exports with a large percentage in dates exports, which means placing agricultural exports and the agricultural trade balance in a difficult position if crop production is exposed to shocks that affect the quality and quantity of production, such as epidemic pests, bad weather or price disturbances in global markets. The research recommended using the comparative advantage that distinguishes Iraq in the production of dates and working to increase the market share by finding new marketing channels.

Assessment criteria for ecological and geological zoning of territories

Aim . Development of new approaches to ecological and geological zoning of territories based on an integrated assessment of the state of abiotic and biotic components of the environment. Material and Methods . The methodology of teratological analysis of leaf blades is presented, which makes it possible to determine the morphological deformation of vegetational elements associated with external negative influences. Results . The degree of comfort of the environment, as determined by a set of quantitative indicators, is emphasised. The process of generalization of the entire body of information is embodied through the creation of a map of ecological‐geological zoning by combining and "scanning" individual thematic maps using overlays. The legend, as the basis for the logical classification of the map of ecological and geological zoning, fixes its object, subject and defines the semantics. Conclusion . Practical recommendations for the construction of maps of ecological‐geological zoning within the framework of the proposed methodology are presented through the example of large enterprises engaged in petroleum product logistics.

ELECTION OF CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN THE DESIGN OF TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS FOR BIOGAS PRODUCTION

One of the most promising renewable energy sources is the production of biogas from waste and its further use. The stability of technological systems for biogas production is described by a set of quantitative indicators that depend on the structure, operation algorithm and stability indicators of individual elements. When developing technological control systems for biogas plants, it is necessary to solve a whole range of tasks related to the processing of initial information for the analysis and synthesis of optimal system options. The aim of the study is to develop a methodology for determining the stability of the automatic control system for biogas production processes as an integral part of the technological system, which makes it possible to formalize quantitative and qualitative characteristics and create an algorithmic and software base for calculations. Since the technological control systems of biogas plants are nonlinear control objects, then to study their operation, linearization is provided within the basic mode, while the mode specified by the optimizer is within the linearization error. Design problems are solved in the presence of analytical dependences of the stability characteristics of the system on the stability characteristics of objects. Considering that the interacting elements of the systems are individual types of equipment and various types of raw materials and energy carriers involved in technological processes, a large number of information materials should be used when operating equipment of biogas plants. When designing a technological system for biogas production for a specific object, it is necessary to create its conditionally complete dynamic model, and using the model, calculate matrices for various operating modes and determine the boundaries of the spectra of eigenvalues and consider options for matching the regulator with the object. Considering approximately the same costs, the preferred option should be considered the option that provides the greatest margin of stability.

Sustainability improvement in complex systems composed of products and services

PurposeA wide number of research efforts have been carried out over the last decades to assess and improve system sustainability. Different methods and tools are increasingly implemented in product systems; nevertheless its application to services and other systems, in which products and services are combined, is rather limited. In this work, an approach to improve the sustainability of systems composed of products and services (P + S systems) is proposed and implemented in two case studies.MethodsThe sustainability improvement of P + S systems is addressed integrating different methods and approaches. The flows between system approach is used to identify links between all systems involved. The life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) method is applied to simultaneously evaluate environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainability with a life cycle perspective. In addition, sustainable design principles are taken into account to propose effective improvement strategies. The systematic development of four phases is required to carry out the integration of these approaches: (i) identification of links between involved systems; (ii) sustainability assessment of the P + S system; (iii) application of sustainability strategies; and (iv) sustainability results comparison.Results and discussionTwo different P + S systems are analysed. First, sustainability improvements in the service provided by a clothing boutique are proposed, taking into account that the store where the service is developed and the clothes acquired by the service provider are product systems involved in the service operation. Next, the sustainability of an itinerary exhibition is investigated. Products required for the exhibition space layout as well as the service used to transport all materials between different locations are taken into account. In each case, sustainability indicators obtained in both initial and alternative systems are compared, and variations detected due to strategies applied are analysed.ConclusionsSustainability of P + S systems is evaluated using a set of quantitative indicators, the relative incidence of each system is determined and more sustainable alternatives are projected. Thus, this research supposes an advance towards the sustainable design of complex systems composed of products and services, since effects due to the interconnection between systems are studied and criteria to carry out sustainability-oriented decision making are provided.

ОЦІНКА РІВНЯ ФУНКЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ СКЛАДОВОЇ КОНКУРЕНТНОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ СУБ’ЄКТІВ АГРОБІЗНЕСУ ДЛЯ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ АГРАРНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

Introduction. To ensure success in fierce competition, where integration and globalization processes complicate and increase the degree of tension, the company must have the appropriate properties to produce and sell competitive products. A systematic understanding of these multiple properties is embodied in the economic concept of “competitive potential”, effective management of which allows to ensure a high level of performance of the entity. Assessing the level of competitive potential allows not only to create a basis for the selection and implementation of effective competitive strategies in many markets, but also to predict the direction of strategic development of the enterprise. The purpose of the article is to determine the level of the functional component of the competitive potential of agribusiness entities of different sizes and to develop recommendations for improving its local components. Results. In order to determine the level of the functional component of competitive potential, its local components were determined, which include personnel, innovation, marketing, production, organizational and managerial and financial. For each of the selected local potentials, a set of quantitative indicators was proposed, which allows to establish their level and the general level of the functional component. As a result of frequency analysis, a generally low level of the functional component was found. To obtain more homogeneous aggregates, the total number of enterprises was divided into 3 groups depending on the size criterion defined at the legislative level. In the group of medium-sized enterprises there are only enterprises with a high and very high level. A significant share of small enterprises is characterized by medium and low levels, and among micro-enterprises is dominated by extremely low levels. The results show an increase in competitive potential depending on the scale of economic activity, which allows us to consider clustering and vertical integration strategies as the most promising for agribusiness entities in order to improve their level of competitive potential. Keywords: assessment, potential, competitive potential, local potentials, functional component of competitive potential, agribusiness entities.

New Holistic Conceptual Framework for the Assessment of the Performance of Photocatalytic Pavement.

Despite serious health and environmental burdens associated with air pollution by NOx, the emission ceilings have been systematically exceeded in big European cities for several years. Photocatalytic technology can be an efficient solution for the removal of chemical air pollutants. Because diesel engine exhaust is the main source of NOx emissions, the application of a photocatalyst onto road pavement appears to be an effective NOx abatement method due to the large surface area, proximity to the emission source, and relatively good solar irradiance. Several laboratory-scale studies provided evidence demonstrating that most harmful contaminants can be readily mineralized. Furthermore, several projects were aiming to scale up this technology to pilot and real scales. Although the photocatalytic performances of selected materials in real urban environments were determined in some of these studies, the data are not conclusive for evaluating the overall performance because other material characteristics relevant to their functionality were not assessed. The lack of conformity criteria suitable for the evaluation of the overall performance of photocatalytic pavement under real operational conditions has generated skepticism and mistrust among public authorities and relevant stakeholders, which constrains the widespread implementation of this promising technology. In this context, the project LIFE–Photoscaling was focused on developing a new holistic conceptual framework to assess the photocatalytic pavement performance using the decision tool “Photoscaling Decision Maker” based on a set of quantitative indicators. For this purpose, a large volume of data obtained for 10 types of photocatalytic pavement materials was systemized on both the laboratory and pilot plant scales and three main indicators were defined: (1) photocatalytic performance effectiveness, (2) intrinsic performance, and (3) undesired secondary effects. Each top-level indicator includes several low-level subindicators associated with specific material characteristics. Finally, the ranges of the main indicators and subindicators and methods for their assessment were determined. These methods include standard, adopted, and original characterization techniques, which were selected based on the criteria such as simplicity, cost- and time-effectiveness, and relevance regarding the operational conditions.

Brand Governance of Universities Looking from the Level of Academic Review

Brand governance of university is considered as a whole of solutions and resources to locate the university brand through quality accreditation, university ranking, and evaluation of stakeholders... A quality university brand must have high academic ratings and reputation. In the general trend, the universities can choose a set of quantitative indicators in the QS-starred rankings for internal evaluation to build strategies for developing internationalization of universities, improving teaching quality, training, and research, forming a university governance mechanism according to the goals, identifying opportunities to be compared with schools ranked at the top in the QS rankings. The results of the QS star-ranked university rankings are expected to be (i) a stimulus for universities to set development goals and improve the quality of comprehensive education in the context of integrated education; (ii) brings many advantages for universities to assert prestige/reputation in the international arena.

15 years of anti-corruption in Romania: augmentation, aberration and acceleration

ABSTRACT Romania’s criminal prosecution of corruption is a controversial topic. While advocates praise the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) for its increasing results, critics voice concerns over the abusive and excessive manner how the fight against corruption is conducted. Is Romania’s anti-corruption battle an impressive success or rather a worrisome excess? The article aims to resolve this controversy by assessing anti-corruption activity conceptually and empirically. First, an evaluation scheme of anti-corruption activity – the anti-corruption evaluation chain – is developed, which distinguishes between three stages: 1. Input (capacity), 2. Process (fairness, reasonableness) and 3. Output (results). Second, each dimension is measured empirically by relying on a new set of quantitative indicators and qualitative empirical evidence (e.g. analysis of ECHR judgments, interviews with magistrates). The findings indicate that Romania’s fight against corruption has resulted in the augmentation of capacity (e.g. human and financial resources), the acceleration of results (e.g. increasing number of indicted, prosecuted and convicted persons) and aberration from the principles of fair trial and reasonableness, i.e. proportionality. Overall, Romania’s criminal prosecution of corruption has derailed into an over-zealous struggle for a ‘noble cause’ which itself has violated individual rights, the principles of fairness and proportionality, procedural integrity and the rule of law.

A Multi-Criteria Decision Framework Considering Different Levels of Decision-Maker Involvement to Reconfigure Manufacturing Systems

Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMSs) rely on a set of technologies to quickly adapt the manufacturing system capacity and/or functionality to meet unexpected disturbances, such as fluctuation/uncertainty of demand and/or unavailability/unreliability of resources. At the operational stage, such disturbances raise new production requirements and risks, which call upon Decision-Makers (DMs) to analyze the opportunity to move from a running configuration to another more competitive one. Such a decision is generally based on an evaluation of a multitude of criteria, and several multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches have been suggested to help DMs with the reconfiguration process. Most existing MCDM approaches require some assignment of weights to the criteria, which is not a trivial task. Unfortunately, existing studies on MCDM for an RMS have not provided guidelines to weigh the evaluation criteria. This article fills in this gap by offering a framework to set up such weights. We provide a comprehensive set of quantitative indicators to evaluate the reconfiguration decisions during the operation of the RMS. We suggest three weighting methods that are convenient to different levels of DM expertise and desired degree of involvement in the reconfiguration process. These weighting methods are based on (1) intuitive weighting, (2) revised Simos procedural weighting combined with the Technique for Order of Preferences by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and (3) DM independent weighting using ELECTRE IV. The implementation of the suggested framework and a comparison of the suggested methods carried out on an industrial case study are described herein.

Opinión pública e innovación: una exploración de las percepciones y actitudes de la sociedad española ante la innovación

Este artículo realiza una exploración de las actitudes hacia la innovación a través de indicadores cuantitativos que permiten apreciar cuál es el estado de la opinión pública en un sistema de innovación. El principal objetivo es analizar la percepción pública de la innovación utilizando el caso español como lugar estratégico de observación. Para ello se han utilizado datos procedentes de una encuesta representativa de la población española diseñada con este propósito (n=2500). Las percepciones han sido observadas a través de los significados asociados a la innovación por parte de los ciudadanos, el apoyo al gasto público en innovación y la importancia atribuida a la innovación en diferentes sectores de actividad. Los análisis realizados dan lugar a una tipología de grupos de población que representan diferentes posicionamientos ante innovaciones con componente tecnológico y social. La exploración de las características socioeconómicas muestra cómo la edad, el nivel de estudios y la condición socioeconómica respecto al trabajo moldean la percepción de la innovación.

СУТНІСТЬ ТА ФАКТОРИ РОЗВИТКУ ТРУДОВОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ В УКРАЇНІ

The paper deals with the definition of workforce potential. Workforce potential is a complex category, which is influenced by the environment of its formation.Given the complexity of the phenomenon, the category of workforce potential has been studied predominantly from the economic and legal perspectives. In the paper, the category "workforce potential" is studied from the standpoint of three main areas, namely, as a category characterized by a set of qualitative indicators; a category characterized by a set of quantitative indicators; complex socio-economic category Research emphasized that the concept of " workforce potential" is often associated with the category of " labour resources". It is determined that the category "workforce potential" is wider than " labour resources", because it includes not only the population of economically active population of the country, but also its qualitative characteristics, which determine the ability to effectively provide their right to work. The category " labour resources" defines only the situation in the state in the current period of time, while "workforce potential" includes " labour resources of the future", rather allows to predict the amount of labour resources of the country over a certain period of time, taking into account the demographic and economic situation, the state of compliance labour rights, educational development, etc. The paper suggests that the key factors that affect the development of workforce potential of Ukraine include: social and economic protection of workers, including unemployment rate, remuneration level, work-related injuries, shadow employment; education and training at higher and vocational levels, the match between the graduates’ knowledge and skills and the employer’s requirements and expectations; demographics, including birth and mortality rates, and life expectancy; level of external migration for employment and educational purpose; public health and health care.

ECG Arrhythmias Detection Using Auxiliary Classifier Generative Adversarial Network and Residual Network

This paper aims at proposing an abnormality detection framework for electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, which owns unbalance distribution among different classes and gaining high accuracy in rhythm/morphology abnormalities classification. The proposed framework is composed of two models: data augmentation model and classification model. In this framework, data augmentation model is designed to recast a class-balanced training dataset by generating artificial data of minor class. The outputs of augmentation model are transferred into classification model. The classification model is designed to identify abnormalities accurately after training using both the experimental and generated datasets. Data augmentation model is supported by auxiliary classifier generative adversarial network (ACGAN). We construct Generator and Discriminator of the ACGAN by stacking multiple 1-dimensional convolutional layers with small kernel size. Dropout function and batch normalization are added to prevent gradients vanish and speed up convergence. In order to evaluate the performance of augmentation model, a set of quantitative indicators are introduced to verify the quality of generated ECG signals. We establish classification model based on stacked residual network parallel connected with long short-term memory (LSTM) network. The experimental study is conducted for single heartbeat detection and consecutive heartbeat detection. The results based on standard benchmark, MIT-BIH, and competition database provided by 2018 China physiological signal challenge (CPSC) have verified the proposed framework can achieve high performance in robustness and accuracy for class-imbalanced dataset.

15 Years of Anti-Corruption in Romania: Augmentation, Aberration and Acceleration

Romania’s criminal prosecution of corruption is a controversial topic. While advocates praise the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) for its increasing results, critics voice concerns over the abusive and excessive manner how the fight against corruption is conducted. Is Romania’s anti-corruption battle an impressive success or rather a worrisome excess? The article aims to resolve this controversy by assessing anti-corruption activity conceptually and empirically. Firstly, an evaluation scheme of anti-corruption activity -- the anti-corruption evaluation chain -- is developed, which distinguishes between three stages: 1. Input (Capacity), 2. Process (Fairness, Reasonableness) and 3. Output (Results). Secondly, each dimension is measured empirically by relying on a new set of quantitative indicators and qualitative empirical evidence (e.g. analysis of judicial verdicts by the European Court of Human Rights, interviews with magistrates). The findings indicate that Romania’s fight against corruption has resulted in the augmentation of capacity (e.g. number of human and financial resources), the acceleration of results (e.g. increasing number of indicted, prosecuted and convicted persons) and aberration from the fair trial (e.g. deficient evidence gathering, violations of fundamental rights) and from the principle of reasonableness (e.g. excessive reliance on interceptions in penal cases, excessive use of pre-trial detention etc.). Overall, Romania’s criminal prosecution of corruption has derailed into an over-zealous struggle for a “noble cause” which itself has violated individual rights, the principles of fair trial and reasonableness, procedural integrity and the rule of law.

The digital ingredients of donation-based crowdfunding. A data-driven study of Leetchi projects and social campaigns

ABSTRACTCrowdfunding platforms have seen increasing success over the last few years. While crowdfunding by counterparts has been extensively studied, only a very few works have focused on donation-based crowdfunding. The authors analyze Leetchi money-pots and study the impact of project presentations and Twitter campaigns on the success of fundraising. They propose a data-driven approach to determine the social strategies applied by the projects’ owners and their relevance to the success of the crowdfunding process. The authors extracted and computed a set of quantitative indicators using data mining and graph analysis techniques, including the project page and Tweets content, Twitter promoters and message diffusion process. The authors evaluate the predictive power of 70 features on levels of success using a dataset of 1,415 projects with 50,119 project-related tweets. The paper provides recommendations concerning key indicators to be followed and potential strategies to apply when attempting to raise funds on donation platforms.

Financial Inclusiveness in Islamic Banking in Pakistan: A Comparison of Ideas and Practices

This study attempts to document the progress in Islamic banking industry of Pakistan towards fostering an egalitarian and equitable financial intermediation. It evaluates the progress of Islamic banking in enhancing socio-economic mobility, financial inclusiveness and fostering equitable distribution of income. This study uses a set of quantitative indicators to objectively assess the performance of Islamic banks towards fostering a participative, inclusive, cost-effective and real sector oriented financial intermediation. The results highlight that currently, the performance of Islamic banks on these fronts leaves much to be desired. This study highlights that high average cost of financing and limited focus on agriculture and small and medium enterprises requires improvement to achieve the goal of circulation of wealth and equitable distribution of income. It also identifies that various categories of poor people who need finance for their health, education and small business working capital needs cannot be served by Islamic banks by using the available product structures. This study gives a geographical presence of Islamic banks which shows that they are mainly based in big urban cities. It argues that most of the Islamic banking debt-based products are close, but relatively expensive substitutes. The study will help the industry to review its performance in contributing towards financial inclusiveness, social mobility, need fulfillment and equitable income distribution.

Role of Islamic banking in financial inclusiveness in Pakistan: promise, performance and prospects

This paper reviews the progress in Islamic banking industry of Pakistan in contributing towards an egalitarian and equitable financial system. A set of quantitative indicators are used to examine the performance of Islamic banks towards fostering an inclusive financial system. The results highlight that so far, the performance of Islamic banks on these indicators shows a gap between promise and performance. This study highlights that high average cost of financing and concentration on the corporate sector and upper-class individuals is inconsistent with the goal of circulation of wealth and equitable distribution of income. The paper also identifies that people might need finance for health, education and setting up small businesses, but they cannot be served by Islamic banks with the available product structures. The paper gives a geographical footprint of Islamic banks which shows that they are primarily operating in big urban cities. Finally, it is argued that most of the Islamic banking debt-based products are close, but relatively expensive, substitutes for conventional banking in terms of financial costs.

Innovative development of countries: methodology

This article analyzes the efficiency of innovative activity across countries and industries. Innovation determines the vector of development of the subject. They form a complex of practical inquiries, define scarce aspects in the functioning of organizations. However, the generation of new ideas is based on a detailed, clear system of actions: the study and analysis of the situation on the market, the demands of society, the formation of an algorithm for creating innovative solutions, schemes for their implementation in the practice of organizations. In the article, the authors proposed a methodology for assessing the level of innovative development of the country. The methodology is based on the use of quantitative indicators in three areas: the effectiveness of the use of labor resources; efficiency of the use of financial resources; efficiency of the use of invested funds. The authors offers his interpretation of the concept «model of innovation development». Tools for the quantitative assessment of level of innovative development of countries and formation of the vector of economic development based on indicators grouped under the following three components were developed: labor, productivity and cost. This study also investigates the structure of domestic expenditure on innovation in the main sectors of investment (by country). Based on the testing of the developed tools, recommendations for the innovative development of the country are offered. A set of quantitative indicators will allow performing a qualitative analysis of the dynamics of the country's development in the innovation vector of functioning, identifying weaknesses (existing shortcomings) in activities. This will allow to form a set of effective recommendations on the activation of innovative activities in the country with the aim of raising the level of competition.

Evaluation and quantification of genotoxicity of urban waters by using Vicia faba bioassays

ABSTRACTThe ecotoxic effect of pollutants in the water environment has become a hot topic of research. Because of the genotoxicity describing the composite deleterious action of the toxicants in water, the Vicia faba root-tip cell micronucleus (MN) test was applied for genotoxicity assessment of organic and inorganic substances in four rivers, two lakes and effluent flows from two wastewater treatment plants in Xi’an, China. Results showed that the lowest MN frequency was between 2.0‰ and 3.0‰. However, the highest MN frequency of the water samples was as high as 30.0–34.0‰. The results well reflected that the seriously polluted river with high chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon showed high genotoxicity, and also indicated the genotoxic impact of urban discharge on the surface waters and the ability of urban water bodies to absorb the impact. In addition, there were significant correlations between the genotoxicity expressed by MN rate and Cr6+ (5–80 mg/L) and phenol concentrations (2–40 mg/L). The genotoxicity of the urban water could be quantified as equivalent Cr6+ or phenol concentrations and which might be used as a set of quantitative indicators of the water genotoxicity.