Strategic Supplies Research Articles

Social equity in federal contracting during emergencies: A portfolio management perspective

AbstractWhile the U.S. federal government strives to advance social equity in government contracting through various policies to support small disadvantaged business enterprises (SDBEs), entry barriers persist. Drawing on federal government spending data from the initial response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, this study estimates logistic and multinomial logistic regressions using portfolio management theory to understand what factors can favor SDBE participation in government contracts during the immediate response to emergencies and whether these factors differ when governments award strategic versus non‐strategic contracts. The results show that governments do not necessarily have to reduce competition to favor SDBE participation in government contracts, as some of these suppliers can participate and win competitive procedures. Although non‐SDBE suppliers were still more likely to be awarded contracts during the initial emergency response, SDBE suppliers were more likely to win procedures for strategic and important supplies.

Trade-off analysis of water conservation and water consumption of typical ecosystems at different climatic scales in the Dongjiang River basin, China

Water conservation is one of the most crucial ecosystem service functions and key to evaluating watershed protection and development. Water consumption is an important part of the water cycle and maintains ecosystem stability. The trade-off relationship between water conservation and water consumption in ecosystems at different climatic scales is a significant scientific issue in hydrological studies. The Dongjiang River basin has a very important strategic position and supplies water to the eastern part of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong. This study conducted a trade–off analysis of the water conservation and water consumption of typical ecosystems in the Dongjiang River basin at different climatic scales using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The results revealed that first, the amount of water conserved in the Dongjiang River basin was far less than that consumed over the past 50 years. Regarding typical meteorological years, water consumption followed the order of wet year > normal year > dry year. Second, the average amounts of annual, wet season, and dry season water consumption were 22.611, 17.943, and 4.668 Bm³, respectively, whereas the average amounts of water conservation were 1.198, 1.609, and −0.411 Bm³, respectively. The water conservation and water consumption of different ecosystems fluctuated significantly between the dry and wet seasons, with stronger fluctuation in the dry season. Third, in terms of ecosystem types, water conservation followed the order of arbor forest > paddy field > other forest > grassland > dry cropland, and water consumption followed the order of arbor forest > other forest > paddy field > grassland > dry cropland. Lastly, the meteorological factor driving changes in water conservation was precipitation, and the factors influencing changes in water consumption were temperature and precipitation. This study can provide theoretical reference for ecosystem protection and sustainable management of water resources, and the results and conclusions have great significance to developments in hydrological research.

Using clinical cascades to measure health facilities’ obstetric emergency readiness: testing the cascade model using cross-sectional facility data in East Africa

ObjectivesGlobally, hundreds of women die daily from preventable pregnancy-related causes, with the greatest burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Five key emergencies—bleeding, infections, high blood pressure, delivery complications and unsafe abortions—account for...

Countries Manufacturing Pharmaceuticals for the US Market: A 10-Year Analysis of Public Data

Concerns about strategic supplies and quality have increased the scrutiny of the countries where US pharmaceuticals are made. To examine the locations of manufacturers of brand name, biological, and generic drugs over 10 years. This longitudinal descriptive study used publicly available data from US government Web sites, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Drug Establishments list, FDA National Drug Code Directory, FDA Orange Book, FDA Purple Book, and the National Institutes of Health DailyMed Drug Labels. These data were collected from 2011 to 2020. Brand name drug manufacturing in the United States and Europe decreased from 89% in 2011 to 79% in 2020. Biological manufacturing in the United States decreased, while that in Western European countries increased; 100% of biological manufacturing was done in the United States or Europe in 2011 and decreased to 93% by 2020. Generic manufacturing in India increased from 21% to 51%, while US manufacturing decreased from 52% to 35% from 2011 to 2020. These analyses were limited to publicly available data, and the results could be affected by the accuracy and completeness of the data. Brand name drugs and biologicals are primarily made in the United States and Europe. Generic drugs are increasingly made in India, but the United States remains a major supplier. If the country of origin for pharmaceuticals is important, these findings support supply chain concerns for generic drugs. We recommend that product containers and official labeling prominently include the manufacturer and location for active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms.

Dynamic pricing efficiency with strategic retailers and consumers: An analytical analysis of short-term market interactions

Demand response programmes reduce peak-load consumption and could increase off-peak demand as a load-shifting effect often exists. In this research we use a three-stage game to assess the effectiveness of dynamic pricing regarding load-shifting and its economic consequences. We consider a retailer's strategic supplies on forward or real time markets, when demand is uncertain and with consumer disutility incurred from load-shedding or load-shifting. Our main results show that a retailer could internalize part of demand uncertainty by using both markets. A retailer raises the quantities committed to the forward market if energy prices or balancing costs are high. If the consumer suffers disutility, then the retailer contracts larger volumes on the forward market for peak periods and less off peak, due to a lower load-shifting effect and lower off-peak energy prices.

Leveraging Endogenous Research and Innovation for Sustainable Livestock Production, National Food Security and Poverty Alleviation In Nigeria

In this treatise, a quick look is taken at the spectrum (range) of research from pure basic, strategic basic, applied, experimental development or research and development (R&D) to endogenous research and innovation (ER&I). It also defines development, innovation, food security, poverty; and discusses some contemporary theories of innovation within the context of organizational/national development. This was followed by an overview of global and Nigerian livestock, Food Security and Poverty situations; and the characterization of the Nigerian agriculture. It emphasizes the strong link between poverty and low agricultural productivity and chronicles the impact of some generated technologies by the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) on food production. The trends and patterns of Industry-Government-University research relationships in Nigeria are examined and some illustrations given to show in concrete terms, with examples of the “Asian Tigers” and the BRICS nations, how socio-economic development and human development indices (HDI)have become Research and Innovation-driven.Among the identified constraints to the attainment of food and nutrition security and the curtailment of deepening poverty despite Nigeria's huge agricultural resource endowments include: high cost of agricultural inputs; incessant power outages; chronic under-funding of agricultural research by government and the society, including industries; poor market outlets; huge post-harvest losses due, largely, to the decay of research infrastructure needed for value-addition; low value accorded University-Industry R&I partnerships; lack of political will to make existing National Agricultural policies achieve set targets; information dearth and/or low diffusion of the available significant local agricultural R&I outcomes. Others were poor food distribution networks and very limited ACCESS to food and means of food production – land, water, animals, seeds, fertilizers, extension education, technology etcConsequent on the structural issues involved in food security: ie, the scientific challenge of enhanced productivity; the logistical and political questions of distribution; and socio-economic issues of access, robust mitigation paradigms are proposed. First, is to give full and true autonomy to Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria to effectively harness the synergies of the Universities, NARS, Research Institutes and Industries with regard to competencies, endowments (both material & intellectual) to pursue National Food Security programme without undue interference from a supervisory ministry. Also proposed, for poverty mitigation, is a Value Chain model which entails the active promotion of local content policy by government which strategically links ER& I with MSMEs for the manufacture of strategic basic agricultural equipment, foods, animal feeds, drugs/vaccines, goods and supplies with incentives such as tax holiday, low interest rates etc, provided such firms by government; substantial improvement in the power and transportation sectors, among others.

What can we learn about reshoring after Covid-19?

While the World is still dealing with the health and safety issues raised by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is already quite apparent – and acknowledged – that this event will have a substantial impact over the national and global economies, as well as on the structure, the organization and the management of operations and supply chains, as highlighted in the June 2020 editorial (Samson 2020). In particular, a certain consensus is found among authoritative experts, analysts, and Institutions (e.g., Javorcik 2020; The Economist Intelligence Unit 2020; UNCTAD 2020; World Economic Forum 2020), that the pandemic will undermine the “Global value chain” model – a production network paradigm which has deeply characterized the World economy over the past 30 years, and one of the most visible “trademarks” of Globalization. This likely reshaping of the supply chains will be driven by both managerial (i.e., firm-level) and political (i.e., Sub-National, National, or Supranational-level) factors. At the firm level, many companies experienced dramatic exposure to supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns (Strange 2020) due to their reliance on offshore supplies. While the increased hazards of global operations had been highlighted in supply chain risk management literature (Manuj and Mentzer 2008), the 2020 pandemic has represented an unprecedented demonstration of how disruptive their effects could be. It is now difficult to believe that managers could simply restart to focus solely on efficiency and growth, without paying the necessary regard to risk-related practices (The Economist Intelligence Unit 2020), especially when considering that the pandemic happened as a shock in an already turbulent context of trade battles, raising protectionist policies (Javorcik 2020), and increasing pressures for more sustainable business models. Further, the pandemic unveiled in many countries their lack of self-sufficiency for needed products – like those required to hinder the spread of the contagion, such as masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), or to ensure medical assistance to the people affected by the virus, such as ventilators) – as well as their dependency on China for several others (Gurvich and Hussain 2020). The latter include strategic supplies like pharmaceutical items but also components of key industrial supply chains (e.g., automotive, chemicals) whose stoppage can dramatically hurt the GDP of an advanced economy. As a consequence, the call for more self-reliance will – and in some cases has already started to (e.g., in the case of Japanese Government that started to incentivize relocation initiatives) – raise in the political debate, urging measures to better protect, reinforce, or even reinstate the macro-regional or national production of these goods. In particular, this editorial focuses on the “reshoring” phenomenon, defined as the decision to relocate a manufacturing activity either back to the home country (back-reshoring) or to a nearby country that belongs to the same macro-region (near-shoring).

Groundwater–glacier meltwater interaction in proglacial aquifers

Abstract. Groundwater plays a significant role in glacial hydrology and can buffer changes to the timing and magnitude of flows in meltwater rivers. However, proglacial aquifer characteristics or groundwater dynamics in glacial catchments are rarely studied directly. We provide direct evidence of proglacial groundwater storage, and quantify multi-year groundwater–meltwater dynamics, through detailed aquifer characterisation and intensive high-resolution monitoring of the proglacial system of a rapidly retreating glacier, Virkisjökull, in south-eastern Iceland. Proglacial unconsolidated glaciofluvial sediments comprise a highly permeable aquifer (25–40 m d−1) in which groundwater flow in the shallowest 20–40 m of the aquifer is equivalent to 4.5 % (2.6 %–5.8 %) of mean river flow, and 9.7 % (5.8 %–12.3 %) of winter flow. Estimated annual groundwater flow through the entire aquifer thickness is 10 % (4 %–22 %) the magnitude of annual river flow. Groundwater in the aquifer is actively recharged by glacier meltwater and local precipitation, both rainfall and snowmelt, and strongly influenced by individual precipitation events. Local precipitation represents the highest proportion of recharge across the aquifer. However, significant glacial meltwater influence on groundwater within the aquifer occurs in a 50–500 m river zone within which there are complex groundwater–river exchanges. Stable isotopes, groundwater dynamics and temperature data demonstrate active recharge from river losses, especially in the summer melt season, with more than 25 % and often >50 % of groundwater in the near-river aquifer zone sourced from glacier meltwater. Proglacial aquifers such as these are common globally, and future changes in glacier coverage and precipitation are likely to increase the significance of groundwater storage within them. The scale of proglacial groundwater flow and storage has important implications for measuring meltwater flux, for predicting future river flows, and for providing strategic water supplies in de-glaciating catchments.

Lend-Lease and the Northern Convoys in the Allied Strategy During the Second World War

ABSTRACTThe aim of this article is to explain the logiс of the main operations of the Second World War in terms of the Allied strategy that was created and constantly updated in the light of the changing situation at the various fronts at the regular Allied summits. Such a ‘grand strategy’ is also the key to understand most of the problems of the history of warfare, such as the ‘problem of the second front’, the refusal to use chemical weapons, or the adoption of the Lend-Lease Act, as well as changes in the concepts of its implementation during the war, starting from the ‘concept of proxy war’ to the ‘concept of pool’ and ‘globalization’. The understanding of the Allied strategy, as well as the Lend-Lease concept, allows for an analysis of the role of the Northern Convoys in the Second World War, not only as the route for strategic supplies a but also as an important actor of one of the main naval theaters of the Second World War.

Enhancing competitive response to market challenges with a strategic intelligence maturity model

Tracking meaningful insights about companies’ exposures to high risk of failure in competitive markets, intelligence studies in business should listen to practitioners’ signals and act in providing decision making support to systematic scanning for valuable information. In order to gain robustness in confronting unexpected events in real markets, companies should adopt an unstructured learning perspective with maturity assessment tools, while purposely pooling strategic intelligence (SI) skills. By bridging organizational maturity modeling with a future orientation stream of literature and intelligence studies in business, this conceptual research aims to highlight a genuine Strategic Intelligence Capability Maturity Model (SI CMM), capable of purposely addressing the challenge of aligning detective and anticipatory organizational capabilities. The conceptual model highlights the degree of preparedness of four SI profiles behaviors (intelligence provider, vigilant learner, opportunity captor and opportunity defender – previously developed by the authors) against seven levels of maturity. The SI CMM framework outlines both conditioned scanning capabilities (the first five SI readiness levels) and enablers to anticipate future market trends (the last two SI readiness levels). The novel approach of the strategic intelligence readiness framework supplies companies with a valuable organizational learning tool to close the skills gap through an opportunity provider profile. The main features lie in coordination and sharing SI common knowledge to enhance preparedness in forward-looking competitive pressures. The conceptual framework invites academia and the community of intelligence experts in business to evaluate the relevance of the new conceptualization, clarity of constructs and complementary nature of correlation and causation with the proposed SI CMM model

“Exploring petroleum inside source kitchen”: Connotation and prospects of source rock oil and gas

Abstract Based on the transitional background of the global energy structure, exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas, and investigation of key basins, the unconventional oil and gas resources are divided into three types: source rock oil and gas, tight oil and gas, and retention and accumulated oil and gas. Source rock oil and gas resources are the global strategic supplies of oil and gas, the key resource components in the second 150-year life cycle of the future petroleum industry, and the primary targets for “exploring petroleum inside source kitchen”. The geological connotation of source rock oil and gas was proposed, and the models of source rock oil and gas generation, expulsion and accumulation were built, and five source rock oil and gas generation sections were identified, which may determine the actual resource potential under available technical conditions. The formation mechanism of the “sweet sections” was investigated, that is, shale oil is mainly accumulated in the shale section that is close to the oil generation section and has higher porosity and permeability, while the “sweet sections” of coal-bed methane (CBM) and shale gas have self-contained source and reservoir and they are absorbed in coal seams or retained in the organic-rich black shale section, so evaluation and selection of good “sweet areas (sections)” is the key to “exploring petroleum inside source kitchen”. Source rock oil and gas resources have a great potential and will experience a substantial growth for over ten world-class large “coexistence basins” of conventional-unconventional oil and gas in the future following North America, and also will be the primary contributor to oil stable development and the growth point of natural gas production in China, with expected contribution of 15% and 30% to oil and gas, respectively, in 2030. Challenges in source rock oil and gas development should be paid more attention to, theoretical innovation is strongly recommended, and a development pilot zone can be established to strengthen technology and promote national support. The source rock oil and gas geology is the latest progress of the “source control theory” at the stage of unconventional oil and gas. It will provide a new theoretical basis for the new journey of the upstream business in the post-industry age.

Soil variables as auxiliary information in spatial prediction of shallow water table levels for estimating recovered water volume

ABSTRACT Spatial data became increasingly utilized in many scientific fields due to the accessibility of monitoring data from different sources. In the case of hydrological mapping, measurements of external environmental conditions, such as soil, climate, vegetation, are often available in addition to the measurements of water characteristics. An integrated modelling approach capable to incorporate multiple input data sets that may have heterogeneous geometries and other error characteristics can be achieved using geostatistical techniques. In this study, different physical hydric properties of soils extensively sampled and topography were used as auxiliary information for making optimal, point-level inferences of water table depths in forest areas. We used data from 48 wells in the Bauru Aquifer System in the Santa Bárbara Ecological Station (EEcSB), in the municipality of Aguas de Santa Bárbara in São Paulo State, Brazil. Using the resistance of soil to penetration and topography as auxiliary variables helped reduce prediction errors. With the generated maps, it was possible to estimate the volumes of water recovered from the water table in two periods during the monitoring period. These values showed that 30% of the recovered volume would be sufficient for a three-month supply of water for a population of 30,000 inhabitants. Therefore, this raises the possibility of using areas such as the EEcSB as strategic supplies in artificial recharging management.

Portrait of an Administrator with Strategic Plan and Office Supplies

The poem “Portrait of an Administrator with Strategic Plan and Office Supplies” by poet Jehanne Dubrow.

A Sunken Submarine Full of Mercury: Safe, Controlled Construction of a Counter Fill for Seabed Slope Stabilization at about 155 to 177 Meters

On December 5, 1944, with World War II still raging and peace in Europe still six months away, the German submarine U-864 set out on her maiden voyage on a secret mission to deliver strategic war supplies to Japan. In her hull, the submarine carried Messerschmitt jet engine parts for use in Japanese aircraft and V-2 missile guidance systems, as well as 67 metric tonnes of the strategic — and highly toxic — element mercury, which was widely used in weapons production at that time. However, on February 9, 1945, the British warship HMS Venturer detected the German submarine off the coast of Bergen, Norway, and fired off all four of its torpedoes. Hearing the incoming weapons, U-864 took evasive manoeuvres and avoided the first three torpedoes, but unknowingly steered into the path of the fourth. The torpedo struck the submarine, splitting her in half and sending her to the depths of the ocean floor approximately two nautical miles offshore, near the island of Fedje in Western Norway. All 73 of the submarine's crew perished.

Analysis of Strategic Leadership Simulation Models in Non-profit Organizations

Leadership of a company may be the only management concept that receives more attention than a company's strategy lately. But there's little unanimity on what strategic leadership [1] is and how it should best be encountered. Organizational leadership [2] has been defined as an interpersonal process for influencing individuals and groups to achieve organizational goals.That's where the strategic leadership comes in. In the ideal case, strategic leadership supplies a widely shared sense of long-term direction and a fascinating project that drives the company through all the important and difficult situations of constant change to achieve the desired aims. But when we see examples of organizational “excellence” - such as Apple, IBM, Xerox, and Zenith - to have overcome the difficulties of restructuring and rightsizing, we’re reminded how difficult it is to preserve strategic leadership.Strategic Leadership is even more difficult to implement in a non-profit entity [3] where there is no gain and all are based on volunteerism. In such non-profit organizations, we will try to apply Dynamic Simulation Model [4], in order to see the crucial role that strategic leadership plays. Multiple studies have been approached with the use of computational methods, as an effective way to illustrate their dynamic in the field of business strategy [5–19].

Selecting critical suppliers for supplier development to improve supply management

In a supply chain, the upper echelons plays a key role in tuning the chain performance. In the procurement cycle of the supply chain, the manufacturer outsources more parts and services to focus on their own core competencies. A situation may arise in which some suppliers may under perform in providing critical strategic supplies. This paper analyzes supplier performance using multi-criteria decision procedure along with Pareto analysis in identifying sub-optimal suppliers to be included in the supplier development to optimize the supply chain performance.

Unemployment equilibrium and economic policy in mixed markets

This paper features a simple static Cournot–Nash model of an exchange economy with two productive sectors at flexible prices and wages. The traders in the atomless sector are price-takers, while the atoms behave strategically. We focus on the consequences of strategic interactions on the market outcome. Firstly, strategic interactions create underemployment on the labor market. Secondly, when the number of atoms increases without limit, the CWE coincides with the competitive equilibrium. Thirdly, we compare the welfare reached by traders at both equilibria. Fourthly, we consider the implementation of a tax levied on strategic supplies. Finally, we compare the approach retained with the monopolistic competition framework.

Nonprofit organizations shaping the market of supplies

The role of not-for-profit organizations (NPOs) and their relationships with various partners within humanitarian aid networks have hitherto been researched only to a limited extent. Formation of interdependencies between actors in humanitarian networks and the implications on societal outcomes require more research. In the nonprofit-for profit domain the former organizations are usually seen as the weaker actors. The relative power of for-profit actors has given them more control on the market with implications such as higher prices and supply shortages. However, different initiatives from the nonprofit sector in recent years show how NPOs are reshaping these relations. The aim of this paper is to explore the dominance dynamics and the degree of influence NPOs have on their supply market in their aspiration for better availability, quality, pricing, and innovation of strategic essential supplies within the humanitarian aid sector. Conclusions are drawn by explaining changes in the market through the NPO initiatives, by iterating the findings from practice to the constructs of Resource Dependency Theory.

Custos diretos do programa de prevenção e controle da dengue no Município de São Paulo em 2005

To estimate the direct costs associated with the control of Aedes aegypti and prevention of dengue fever in the City of São Paulo Dengue Control Program, Brazil, in 2005. The following items were considered: human resources, uniforms, field materials, individual protection equipment, spraying equipment, strategic supplies (insecticides and larvicides), and vehicles. The costs associated with laboratory tests for entomological surveillance and dengue fever diagnosis were also calculated, as well as costs relating to information and printed materials for educational campaigns. The total direct costs of the City of São Paulo Dengue Fever Program in 2005 were R$ 21,774,282.82 (US$ 12,486,941.34 considering the dollar/real exchange rate in December 2009). Of this amount, 59.4% were directed to human resources, 38.3% to epidemic control measures, and 2.2% to capital expenditure. The cost per capita was R$ 1.99 in 2005. The control of dengue fever is essential given the growth of epidemics. Knowledge about the costs of strategies and priority items employed in dengue fever control and prevention programs can guide decision-making regarding the application of budget resources in both the City of São Paulo and Brazil as a whole.

Fundo Estratégico da Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde: mecanismo facilitador para melhorar o acesso aos medicamentos

To describe the medicine procurement activities of the PAHO Strategic Fund. This is a retrospective study covering the period from 2004 to 2007, based on a bibliographic and document survey of Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) archives in the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Brazil. The volume of resources and the types of drugs procured by the fund were determined for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006 and for the period of January to September 2007. The survey revealed a well-structured fund handling increasing resources, from US$ 3,475,043.00 in 2004 to US$ 19,646,634.00 in 2007 (January to September). The participation of antiretroviral drugs in this expenditure has grown from less than 8% of the total in 2004 to 57.89% in 2007. Still, in 2007, 66.63% of the financial resources managed by the Strategic Fund were allocated to the purchase of antiretroviral drugs for nine countries (Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, Haiti, Belize, Nicaragua, and Bolivia) out of a total of 17 participating countries. Brazil was the country using the most resources through the Strategic Fund, accounting for 63% of the expenditure for the purchase of strategic supplies between January and September 2007. The proposal to unify the purchase of medications for all participating countries to improve pricing and purchasing management will result in large-scale savings. The Strategic Fund can contribute to increasing access to medicines and improving the management of the public health care system in Latin America.