Strategic Options Research Articles

Intérêt de l'exploration de l'immunité cellulaire dans l'infection à cytomégalovirus par les tests IGRAs dans la prise en charge des patients transplantés d'organes solides

AbstractCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection represents the most frequent infectious complication in solid organ transplantation for which the risk is mainly stratified according to the anti-CMV serological status of the recipient (R) and the donor (D) before transplantation. There are two strategic options for antiviral treatment, universal prophylaxis or preemptive therapy. As T-cell response mediated by CD8 and CD4 lymphocytes is the major mechanism of the anti-CMV immune response, multiple IGRAs tests (IFN-γ Release Assays) have been developed: the Elisa test, QuantiFERON®-CMV and the ELIspot tests: T-Spot® CMV and T-Track® CMV These assays are based on the measurement of IFN-γ secretion by specific memory T cells after their stimulation by CMV peptides. This review presents the usefulness of IGRAs tests, in addition to the anti-CMV serological status data, for a better stratification of patients at risk before transplantation. It also discusses the benefit of monitoring of viral replication control by T effectors in order to optimize antiviral therapeutic management during post-transplant monitoring in addition to virological data.

Strategic analysis of the drought resilience of water supply systems

Severe droughts can result in shortages of water supplies, with widespread social and economic consequences. Here we use a coupled simulation model to assess the reliability of public water supplies in England, in the context of changing scenarios of water demand, water regulation and climate change. The coupled simulation model combines climate simulations, a national-scale hydrological model and a national-scale water resource systems model to demonstrate how extreme meteorological droughts translate into hydrological droughts and water shortages for water users. We use this model to explore the effectiveness of strategic water resource options that are being planned in England to secure water supplies to most of England's population up to a drought return period of 1 in 500 years. We conclude that it is possible to achieve a 1-in-500-years standard in locations where strategic resource options are used, while also reducing water abstraction to restore the aquatic environment. However, the target will be easier to achieve if effective steps are also taken to reduce water demand.This article is part of the Royal Society Science+ meeting issue ‘Drought risk in the Anthropocene’.

Integration between photovoltaic systems and cultural heritage: A socio-technical comparison of international policies, design criteria, applications, and innovation developments

The European legislative framework asks for massive application of renewable energy source (particularly of photovoltaic systems) in the built environment to face the recent energy crisis, reducing energy demand, environmental emissions, and costs. These policies could generate serious preservations problems for architecturally sensitive areas, such as historical towns, historic buildings, and protected landscapes. Inside them, photovoltaic technologies have several benefits for the built environment related to aesthetic appeal, reliability, modularity, scalability, versatility, low maintenance costs, and peak shaving. The major challenge for their application is the presumed negative impact on heritage value. Thus, the diffusion of these systems in the territory is hindered by a social diffidence on their acceptability due to legislative, cultural, technical, and economic barriers. To support the definition of appropriate policies, and realistic targets, the study presents a complete discussion on policy-related design criteria for integrating photovoltaic systems on cultural heritage. This socio-technical analysis can increase a cleaner and integrated energy production, favoring the energy transition and the mitigation of climate changes, respecting heritage and natural values, and considering current energy needs, and innovative developments of photovoltaic systems. The comparison of relevant research projects, scientific studies, awards, and guidelines describes the state of the art of this topic, also identifying 42 international guidelines on energy efficiency, renewable sources, and solar integration on cultural heritage. International recommendations are categorized to find recurring, and applied design criteria for architectural heritage sites, protected landscapes, historic and traditional buildings, and building extensions. Then, updated criteria, pros, and cons for a possible integration are defined through specific focus groups with the Heritage Authorities. These activities are based on international criteria of architectural conservation. The synopsis of these results shows non-negotiable criteria for heritage-compatible solar applications. Finally, the study presents some policy-relevant implications connected with these design criteria, to define realistic energy targets and scenarios, to prepare strategic policy options (e.g., guidelines, rules, policies, and financial incentives) based on updated criteria, correct targets, and recent innovations, to implement existing energy policies in a correct way, to correctly assess restoration design projects, and to evaluate socio-economic trends of innovative photovoltaics' markets.

Empowering digital creative ecosystem using problem structuring method and a service science perspective: A case study in Cimahi and Bandung, Indonesia

The digital creative economy in Indonesia has the potential to grow rapidly due to its large and skilled population. Although a goal was set in 2016 to make Indonesia the largest digital economy in ASEAN by 2020, the complexity of stakeholder interactions has become a major obstacle. Fostering a healthy business ecosystem and collaboration among stakeholders has been difficult to achieve due to a lack of funding, talent, and trust. This paper developed “should-be” and “as-is” models of feasible action plans to enhance value co-creation interactions among stakeholders. We investigated how stakeholders perceive their roles and interactions to construct an “as-is” model using a soft operational research method, namely strategic options development and analysis (SODA). Next, we developed a “should-be” model from a service science perspective. By comparing the two models, we derived action plans and recommendations to guide stakeholders in creating digital creative ecosystems (DCEs) in Indonesia. The action plans have been implemented by the government to improve the current strategies and validate our approach.

The Italian Roma, Sinti and Travellers Health Project for equity in access to care

Abstract Issue In 2015, Italy approved the National Action Plan for Health for and with Roma, Sinti and Travellers (RSC); however, it is still not fully applied at a local level. The INMP (funded by the National Operational Programme for Social Inclusion), implemented the “Health Project - Promotion of strategies and tools for equity in access to health care for RSC”, aimed to support the implementation of the Plan by Local Health Authorities (ASL). Description The project lasted from March 2019 to December 2021. INMP worked with 7 ASL to design interventions and develop tools to address RSC health needs. The SODA (Strategic Options Development and Analysis) method as a participatory process aimed at identifying strategies and models for the execution of the Plan among relevant stakeholders was used. Moreover, RSC communities’ engagement strategies and a community-based Proximity Public Health (PPS) approach were adopted in designing and developing health promotion interventions. Results INMP performed 38 interviews with ASL health operators highlighting barriers and strategies in the local implementation of the Plan. Tools orienting to social and health services and health education materials for hard-to-reach groups were produced. A training course for 14 RSC facilitators and 5 training courses attended by over 200 NHS operators have been organized. ASL were supported in developing health promotion initiatives, based on the engagement of both local RSC communities and third sector entities. Lessons The project has enabled the ASL to develop local protocols for the implementation of the Action Plan. In line with this capacity-building activity, the project trained both health operators and RSC facilitators fostering the dissemination of the PPS culture in designing and providing care for hard-to-reach groups. Given the positive results obtained, INMP is still collaborating with both ASL and the Third Sector on additional activities related to the Project in 2022. Key messages

The “Semiconductor Crisis” as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Impacts on the Automotive Industry and Its Supply Chains

In the first half of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic led to a drastic slump in the automotive industry, which was replaced by a surprisingly rapid growth in demand in the fall of 2020, and consequently led to the current shortages in microelectronic products. The prospect of an equally rapid economic recovery in the automotive industry is still threatened by supply bottlenecks for raw materials and key components, foremost for semiconductors. The so-called ‘semiconductor crises’ show exemplarily the overlapping of short-term supply chain disruptions with long-term structural features of the semiconductor industry. The combination of both is preventing that the supply situation in the automotive industry will improve quickly. First in this paper, the reasons for and respective effects of the crisis on the automotive industry are investigated by a quantitative market analysis. Second, specific strategic measures and options of automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and suppliers in Germany to cope with the situation and increase resilience in future supply chains are described by the means of qualitative expert interviews. By that, the paper helps in understanding the actual situation in the automotive industry, on the one hand, and contributes to the field of strategic supply chain and risk management with a focus on practical implications on the other hand. The results aim to support political stakeholders as well as small and medium sized enterprises to prepare themselves for future developments in the automotive market and changes in manufacturer–supplier relationships due to the transformation to new powertrain technologies and digitization.

The Impact of Strategic Project Management on Performance of Taiwan’s Textile Industry

With competition increasing technology companies have become more aggressive in their pursuit of customers and funding many are relying more on external relationships to achieve their strategic objectives. Executives must be creative, strategic, pragmatic, and aggressive in forming project managements. They must also remain cautious and pay attention to detail when framing and executing against the partnership objectives. Nearly two-thirds of all project managements experience severe problems and most problems are found within companies with less project management experience. If you overlook basic management principles during the initial courtship, the project management will suffer. Successful partnerships often create a formal project management process that incorporates some form of project management integration, management, negotiation, and assessment. Self-assessment and partner assessment is critical, and needs to be built into the overall process. These have lately presented themselves in a variety of failures that range from financial failure, epidemics, and other natural calamities; violent actions among staffs and from terrorist factions as well. The private sector is confronting change as varied organizations experienced transitions, as a result of strong competition and compelling technological advances that arise during periods of socio-economic and political progress. Firms do not manage these factors by themselves but will respond to changes if they are required to strategically devise schemes. To be resilient, firms will need to use intensively strategic planning in turbulent and changing situations in order to survive and thrive. It is the responsibility of managers and leaders in firms to consider all these types as possibilities for crises and have strategic and tactical plans, as a result crises could be rapidly resolved or prevented from happening. Strategic planning is critical to make sure that the textile sector is prepared to meet future difficulties. Modern strategy-oriented planning comprises a lengthy system for realizing a vision or managing future environmental conditions. The processes are neither fully prescriptive nor fully clear. Given this assumption, we typically characterize strategy-oriented planning processes in terms of structured activities that continually cover objectives and mission, survey the competitive environment, analyses strategic options, and coordinate implementing activities throughout an entire organization. Keywords: Strategic project management, Performance, Textile Sector, Taiwan

Dynamic Research on Three-Player Evolutionary Game in Waste Product Recycling Supply Chain System

Recycling channel construction plays an important role in the development of closed-loop supply chains. In particular, the emergence of online recycling channels has made up for the shortcomings of traditional recycling channels with poor information and limited markets. This paper constructs an evolutionary game model to investigate the cooperation between manufacturers and e-commerce platforms with government intervention or not. The result shows that whether an enterprise actively participates in the cooperative recycling depends on the actual cost of establishing the cooperative recycling system. Additionally, the government support and supervision will affect the actual cost of cooperation. When the actual cost of establishing a collaborative recovery system is very large, under the influence of government interventions, there will be two kinds of evolutionary results for enterprises, either with cooperation or not at the same time. On the contrary, when the actual cost is small or medium, both manufacturers and the platforms will choose to cooperate. Thus, government participation in a cooperative recovery system is the best strategic option.

Cost-Utility Analysis of Pegaspargase for the Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Greece.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an acute, rapidly progressing and life-threatening form of cancer involving immature lymphocytes called lymphoblasts. ALL is the most common subtype of leukemia in children and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to assess the cost-utility of pegaspargase versus L-asparaginase, both followed by Erwinase in the therapy sequence, as a treatment option for pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients with ALL in Greece. A published cost-utility model comprising a decision tree and a state-transition Markov model was adapted from a public payer perspective to compare a pegaspargase treatment sequence with an L-asparaginase sequence. Efficacy and safety data, as well as utility values, were extracted from the published literature. Direct costs pertaining to drug acquisition, administration, and management of hypersensitivity were considered in the analysis (€2020). Model-extrapolated outcomes included quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER). All future outcomes were discounted at 3.5% per annum. Sensitivity analyses were used to explore the impact of changing input data. The analysis showed that the pegaspargase sequence was estimated to produce 0.05 additional QALYs (18.12 vs. 18.07) and lower cost of -€1698 compared with L-asparaginase, indicating that the pegaspargase sequence was a dominant treatment strategy (improved outcomes with reduced costs) compared with L-asparaginase. Deterministic sensitivity analysis confirmed the cost-effective profile of pegaspargase. At the defined willingness-to-pay threshold of €54,000/QALY gained, probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that pegaspargase had a 100% probability of being cost effective relative to the L-asparaginase sequence. The pegaspargase sequence was found to be less costly and more effective (in terms of QALYs) in relation to the L-asparaginase sequence, representing a dominant strategic option for Greek public payers in ALL.

Pak-China-Russo Relations and the Platform of SCO: Changing Foreign Policy and Strategic Options for Pakistan

Pak-China-Russo Relations and the Platform of SCO: Changing Foreign Policy and Strategic Options for Pakistan

Playing 7 vs. 6 with an empty goal: Is it really an option for coaches? A comparative analysis between Portugal and the other teams during the Men's European Handball Championship 2020.

The dynamic of changes in the rules in team games materialize from research and debate between experts and coaches before being implemented by the International Federations. In Handball, the last changes occurred in 2016, and one of them was to substitute the goalkeeper with an additional field player allowing teams to play “empty goal” while using the additional field player.This study aimed to analyze and characterize the use of the 7 vs. 6 strategical-tactical option for the attack in the 2020 Men’s European Championship. We also analyzed whether the game time and partial score influenced the use of 7 vs. 6 and its efficiency. Observational methodology and a mixed ad hoc instrument combining field format and category systems validated by experts were used. Data were taken from 28 matches involving teams in the first 12 positions in the 2020 Men’s European Championship. The total number of offensive sequences in an organized attack method in 7 vs. 6 with an empty goal (n = 123) were analyzed. Sequential analysis techniques with lags, prospective and retrospective, and polar coordinate analysis were used. The results showed that (a) these solutions had poor efficiency, except for the Portuguese National Team; (b) teams using the 7 vs. 6 tactic option had no negative consequences or increased risk with the opponent response; (c) partial score influenced the decision to use 7 vs. 6 strategic option, and (d) game time was associated with 7 vs. 6 play options and detected patterns.

Escaping Policy Traps: Strategic Options for Overcoming Entrenchment.

Policy entrenchment per se is a neutral concept; both good and bad policies may become entrenched. A policy trap, however, is entrenchment's pathological form: a self-reinforcing array of policies that simultaneously creates (1) well-established, often widely recognized failures in society, and (2) high barriers to change. A familiar type of policy trap arises when the benefits of a policy are concentrated while the costs, albeit greater, are widely diffused, opaque to many who bear them, or seemingly remote. But policy traps are not necessarily permanent; they may persist only as long as reformers are unable to identify their vulnerabilities and seize moments of political opportunity. Reconstituting a domain of policy ultimately requires formulating an alternative. Without presuming to be exhaustive, this article outlines four general strategies for overcoming policy entrenchment: Schumpeterian innovation, globally oriented innovation, institutional conversion, and social creativity (the nonmarket analog to Schumpeterian change). Focusing on three areas, the article examines how policy traps have arisen and might be overcome in fossil fuels, the internet economy, and the US health care system.

Spare parts management through Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA): a case study

Spare parts management through Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA): a case study

Strategy Analysis of the Implementation of the MBKM Curriculum at the University

In 2021 until now, the government issued the Merdeka Learning Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) curriculum which requires universities to implement, but it takes the right strategy, the purpose of this research is to find the strategic position of the Faculty of Economics at a private university in Riau to implement the MBKM curriculum, identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and Develop alternative strategic options for the implementation of the MBKM Curriculum. The research method uses qualitative. The object of this research is the Faculty of Economics which has 2 study programs, namely Accounting and Management. Data sources are primary and secondary data. Data collection techniques using observation techniques, interviews and questionnaires. The number of samples in this study were 8 people using a sampling technique, namely saturated/census samples where the respondents were those who occupied strategic positions in decision making, expert judgment and stakeholders from faculties and universities. Data analysis used EFAS Matrix, IFAS Matrix, IE Matrix, SWOT-8K Matrix and TWOS Matrix. The results of the study indicate that the external and internal environmental conditions of the economics faculty show conditions that fall into the moderate/good category, which means the Faculty of Economics is able to implement this MBKM program. Meanwhile, the results of the IE Matrix value show that the position / quadrant of the Faculty of Economics is in the V Bold and maintain position (maintain and maintain) Market penetration and product development, while the analysis using the SWOT-8K matrix shows the quadrant position is in Diversification IV.

Using Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) to understand the simulation accessibility problem

Simulation modelling is applied to a wide range of problems, including defence and healthcare. However, there is a concern within the simulation community that there is a limited use and implementation of simulation studies in practice. This suggests that despite its benefits, simulation may not be reaching its potential in making a real-world impact. The main reason for this could be that simulation tools are not widely accessible in industry. In this paper, we investigate the issues that affect simulation modelling accessibility through a workshop with simulation practitioners. We use Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA), a problem-structuring approach that allows for the stakeholder views to be expressed and linked in a systematic way. The causal map derived represents the emerging concepts and their effects, with the view to identifying their impact on the accessibility problem. We present our analysis of the issues and options identified. Based on our findings, we discuss the implications and recommendations for the future uptake of simulation.

A game theory approach to the logic of illegitimate behavior induced during land conflict litigation in urban and peri-urban areas of Pakistan

We aim to explain the logic of extended land conflict litigation procedures as a strategic interaction utilizing Game Theory. We integrated the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC, 1908), functional in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Pakistan, with Alternative Dispute Resolution System (ADRS) as strategic options for the incumbents into two interactive game-theoretic models with alternative scenarios. First, litigation for land possession, having land title; Second, litigation for land title, having land possession. The standard litigation procedure is reasoned, and the analytical framework is established from pertaining laws and incumbents' behavior. The games achieve Nash equilibrium only if the litigation cost increases the utility of land at any level forcing incumbents to converge to ADRS. Alternatively, the legal procedure follows the prisoner's dilemma and extends for decades, inducing illicit behavior ascertaining the incumbents to gain possession or title by involving land grabbers and officials. Thus, corresponding game-theoretic models of land grabbing and corruption are established. High litigation costs, lack of transparency, the informality of land, and lack of cadastral information keep illegal behaviors unchecked. Finally, the paper suggests policies to improve the land administration and legal system to manage land conflicts to make cities safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Australia’s Energy Security and Statecraft in an Era of Strategic Competition

Previously published studies on Australia’s energy security did not examine the country’s domestic energy security situation in tandem with its international energy statecraft. This paper fills this research gap. In order to provide a robust analysis of a country’s strategic options in the energy sector, it is paramount to balance domestic and international dimensions, along with internal and external factors. The paper utilizes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) method to review Australia’s strategic options by balancing the inward-looking, domestic risk minimization dimension (energy security), with the outward-looking, international power projection dimension (energy statecraft). The paper also applies the 4A framework (availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptance) to assess Australia’s energy security performance. On the one hand, the results demonstrate that Australia has many strengths and opportunities as a reliable and stable energy supplier, endowed with traditional and renewable energy resources, and critical minerals. On the other hand, numerous internal weaknesses and external threats may affect Australia’s strategic options in the future. The most pressing issue is the historical lack of strategic government intervention in the energy market, which has, paradoxically, resulted in domestic energy accessibility and affordability crisis. The market-based approach is also the main reason why Australia has not transformed its energy resources into capabilities to be used as instruments of statecraft. The paper uses the SWOT analysis and the 4A assessment as the basis for discussion on how Australia can transform its energy sector weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities, to benefit the national interest.

Selecting Partners in Strategic Alliances: An Application of the SBM DEA Model in the Vietnamese Logistics Industry

Background: Strategic alliance is a popular strategic option for business entities to strengthen the competitive advantages of all partners in a partnership. The global logistics industry has witnessed the formulation of several successful strategic alliances. However, the Vietnamese logistics industry seems to grow slowly and lacks long-term inter-firm partnerships. In such a context, it is critical to have a more effective approach to selecting partners in strategic alliances to increase long-term relationships and firm performance. Method: Thus, this study proposes using the SBM-I-C DEA model to examine and suggest partners for Vietnamese logistics firms to form strategic alliances. Results: Our findings show that integrating technology in managing strategic alliances will foster companies in the alliance to formulate a better strategy with up-to-date information on policies. Conclusion: Using the SBM-I-C DEA model, companies can minimize operating costs and optimize delivery time. Thus, companies can better satisfy customers. From the research findings, some implications are proposed for Vietnamese logistics companies.

OYO: Growth, Descend, Resilience, Resurgence

The year 2021 had drawn to a close. OYO, the India-based hotel start-up that had witnessed a pandemic-induced descent in business, appeared to have ticked the right boxes and was on a resurgence path. Founded in 2013, OYO grew rapidly in its initial years and had operations in 800 cities in 80 countries in 2019, just prior to the onset of COVID-19. It was the ‘fastest growing’ hotel chain in the world. Burgeoning losses at the time compelled OYO to make a strategic shift from aggressive growth to an accretive growth strategy. In the mid of its course correction endeavour, OYO’s business plunged in wake of COVID-19. OYO exhibited resilience and strived for resurgence even though it remained in the red. What were the resource-based and position-based sources of competitive advantage that propelled OYO’s meteoric rise initially and enabled it to remain resolute in the COVID-19 crisis? Can OYO be termed as successful in light of the Balanced Scorecard framework? What strategic options are available to OYO to maintain its growth trajectory in the post-pandemic phase?

A multivariate Chain-Bernoulli-based prediction model for cyanobacteria algal blooms at multiple stations in South Korea

Predicting the occurrence of algal blooms is of great importance in managing water quality. Moreover, the demand for predictive models, which are essential tools for understanding the drivers of algal blooms, is increasing with global warming. However, modeling cyanobacteria dynamics is a challenging task. We developed a multivariate Chain-Bernoulli-based prediction model to effectively forecast the monthly sequences of algal blooms considering hydro-environmental predictors (water temperature, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and water velocity) at a network of stations. The proposed model effectively predicts the risk of harmful algal blooms, according to performance measures based on categorical metrics of a contingency table. More specifically, the model performance assessed by the LOO cross-validation and the skill score for the POD and CSI during the calibration period was over 0.8; FAR and MR were less than 0.15. We also explore the relationship between hydro-environmental predictors and algal blooms (based on cyanobacteria cell count) to understand the dynamics of algal blooms and the relative contribution of each potential predictor. A support vector machine is applied to delineate a plane separating the presence and absence of algal bloom occurrences determined by stochastic simulations using different combinations of predictors. The multivariate Chain-Bernoulli-based prediction model proposed here offers effective, scenario-based, and strategic options and remedies (e.g., controlling the governing environmental predictors) to relieve or reduce increases in cyanobacteria concentration and enable the development of water quality management and planning in river systems.