Traditional Cost Research Articles

Optimal Design of Regenerative Cooling Structure Based on Backpropagation Neural Network

Aiming at the problems of relying on traditional experience and high cost of schemes selection in the current research on regenerative cooling design, this paper establishes an optimal design model based on the backpropagation (BP) neural network method. In this paper, the cooling structure is parameterized to realize the segmented description. A BP neural network is constructed through the chamber performance simulation data sets to get the mathematical description between structural size parameters and optimization objectives. Taking the specified thrust chamber lifetime, safety margin of chamber wall, and upper limit of maximum wall temperature and pressure loss as constraints, the Globalsearch algorithm is applied to obtain the optimal design results of the regenerative cooling structural size parameters. The results show that the trained BP neural network model is able to predict the regenerative cooling performance parameters with the calculation accuracy similar to numerical simulation. The study of the space shuttle main engine–main combustion chamber indicates that under the same thrust chamber operating parameters and coolant inlet parameters, the optimized regenerative cooling channel reduces both the maximum wall temperature and the coolant pressure loss, and improves the overall cooling performance.

The Complex Dynamics of Sharing Platform Competition Game

With the rapid development of Internet technologies and online sharing platforms, sharing economy has become a major trend in economy. The entry of sharing economy leads to profound impacts on incumbent industry. We build a dynamic sharing platform competition model with which agents are bounded rational, and consumer side is heterogeneous. Then, we present the fixed points and the stability conditions of the bifurcation of the dynamic model. We simulate the adjustment speed of sharing platform, sharing platform price, and costs of traditional firm effects on system stability, and we present stable area, bifurcation diagram, the largest Lyapunov exponent, and strange attractor of different parameters, and we give a feedback control method at last. Our main results are as follows: (1) when adjustment speed of sharing platform increases, the system becomes bifurcation, and finally, the system goes into a chaotic state; when the system is stable, price of traditional firm and fee decision of sharing platform are constant. (2) When price of sharing platform increases, sharing platform is more stable while traditional firm is more vulnerable. Suppose the system is in the stable state; when sharing platform price increases, traditional firm price increases, while sharing platform fees decreases. (3) When traditional firm cost is small, the system would be more stable. When the system is stable, with traditional firm cost increasing, traditional firm price increases quicker than sharing platform consumer fee, while sharing platform seller fee decreases. (4) Feedback control can alleviate the chaotic state of system. With feedback control parameter increases, the system becomes more stable.

A novel cost-management system for container terminals using a time-driven Activity-Based Costing approach

Cost-management systems play a significant role in the operations management of container terminal companies; however, in complex loading and discharging operations, traditional Activity-Based Costing (ABC) systems are costly and difficult to be built and maintained. A modified Time-Driven ABC method, considering all the procedures required to obtain the final product and estimating resource usage accordingly, has emerged in response to this challenge. This study provides terminal operators with an effective cost analysis tool using a time-driven ABC method to identify bottleneck in handling process and calculate the handling cost of cost objects. Also, this research uses a container vessel and ten shipping lines calling at Shanghai East Container Terminal as case studies, and presents a full cost analysis of the activities and their respective costs. This investigation provides insights into the causes of excessive logistics costs and highlights the benefits of applying Time-Driven ABC method in the container terminal industry, along with shortcomings and potential future research.

It takes two to tango: combining asset specificity and uncertainty to explain the diversity of plural forms

In this paper, we rely on an extended version of the traditional transaction cost economics (TCE) framework to explain the variety of plural forms in the governance of food supply chains. Relying on the interplay of two transactional attributes – asset specificity and uncertainty – we explore not only the existence of plural forms, but their empirical diversity. This aspect has been largely under-explored and very little has been done empirically so far in this respect, despite its empirical significance. From an organizational point of view, this diversity requires an explanation as they carry different governance properties. We propose that while both are important drivers for the prevalence of plural forms, each of them plays a different role in their composition. Whereas uncertainty determines the type of plural form, asset specificity determines the level of coordination within the plural form and sheds light in the relative weights of each organizational arrangement composing it. An embedded case study of the Korin firm in Brazil, a leading firm in the organic food market, illustrates.

Regional Differences in Hospital Costs of Acute Ischemic Stroke in China: Analysis of Data From the Chinese Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatment Outcome Registry.

Background and Purpose: Studies on the regional differences in hospital costs of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are scarce in China. We aimed to explore the regional differences in hospital costs and identify the determinants of hospital costs in each region.Methods: Data were collected from the Chinese Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatment Outcome Registry (CASTOR), a multicenter prospective study on patients diagnosed with AIS and hospitalized from 2015 to 2017. Univariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken to identify the determinants of hospital costs of AIS.Results: A total of 8,547 patients were included in the study, of whom 3,700 were from the eastern area, 2,534 were from the northeastern area, 1,819 were from the central area, and 494 were from the western area. The median hospital costs presented a significant difference among each region, which were 2175.9, 2175.1, 2477.7, and 2282.4 dollars in each area, respectively. Each region showed a similar hospital cost proportion size order of cost components, which was Western medicine costs, other costs, diagnostic costs, and traditional medicine costs, in descending order. Male sex, diabetes mellitus, severe stroke symptoms, longer length of stay, admission to the intensive care unit, in-hospital complications of hemorrhage, and thrombectomy were independently associated with hospital costs in most regions.Conclusion: Hospital costs in different regions showed a similar proportion size order of components in China. Each region had different determinants of hospital costs, which reflected its current medical conditions and provided potential determinants for increasing medical efficiency according to each region's situation.

Sludge dewatering through H2O2 lysis and ultrasonication and recycle for energy by torrefaction to achieve zero waste: An environmental and economical friendly technology

This study investigated activated sludge (AS) dewatering and reuse for solid biofuel by novelty combining and a low H2O2 dose and pulse ultrasonication followed by torrefaction to achieve zero-waste with the supernatant also recycled for nutrient supply to the AS unit. Mass and volume reduction rates are employed to evaluate the AS dewatering efficiency, and the biochar characteristics were systematically evaluated using higher heating value (HHV), mass and energy yield, proximate and ultimate analyses, and combustibility. The energy return on investment (EROI), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and cost-effectiveness of the proposed technology were also systematically evaluated. Results showed that the mass and volume reduction rates of AS using an H2O2 concentration of 0.8 % with ultrasonication at 70 W for 20 s was higher than 50 % and promoted the release of protein and carbohydrate content in the supernatant. Torrefaction of residual AS produced biochar with HHV of 17.8–18.4 MJ/kg. The biochar with 57.4 % less GHG emissions than burning bituminous coal, high EROI (4.7–7.3), but a low fuel ratio. Thus, we propose co-firing 10–20 % biochar with coal to enhance the FRs to that of bituminous coal while simultaneously mitigating GHG emissions. The production cost of biochar was 56.3 % lower than the traditional AS disposal cost. Therefore, the proposed technology is environmentally and economically friendly and can solve sludge disposal problems, produce biochar with reasonable cost for renewable energy, mitigate global warming, and recover supernatant as a nutrient feedstock. It is worth developing practical applications in this field.

Human resources accounting and accountability: medical aspects, regulation and economics of burn out in non-financial reporting

Abstract The economics of burnout is estimated at around $300 bn globally, reaching a point where the World Health Organisation could declare a pandemic in the foreseeable future. There are obviously financial losses due to burnout, however, there are also financial gains for the pharma industry and therapists. In this article we shall put some data in balance, but also look at deeper regulatory implications, for companies, hospitals and people. Along with exploring causes and financial impacts, we shall look at how non-financial reporting can provide more timely guidance and alarm signals, better social responsibility disclosure practices where medical reports are more material, not just a set of issues. The time is right to revisit the Human Resource Accounting (HRA) practice from both its traditional cost approach perspective and also from present challenges to understand how value is put at risk.

The role of the time-based product life cycle cost technique in managing costs in economic units

The purpose of this study is to direct interest in using the sound methodology in cost management and to choose a more effective approach to managing costs from a series of alternatives in order to obtain more accurate data on the cost of the product. Competition in the market, Clarifying the role of the time-based product life cycle costing technique in providing integrated information on resources and their costs and for each stage of the product life cycle, which would contribute to managing costs throughout the product life cycle. To achieve this goal, the time-based product life cycle costing technique was applied on data obtained from the laboratory records, the research sample, as well as the field experience. The research reached several conclusions, the most important of which is that the failure of traditional cost systems to meet the requirements and objectives of management as they are no longer able to provide accurate data that help the administration in making decisions as a result of changes and developments in the business environment, most notably the intense competition, which resulted in the emergence of modern techniques in the field of management Cost that is able to keep pace with these changes and developments. The most important of which is the time-based product life-cycle cost technique.

Optimal replenishment strategy for a single-manufacturer multi-retailer cold chain considering multi-stage quality degradation

This paper develops a model for a cold chain operated among a single product manufacturer and multiple retailers to minimize the total cost of the chain. A distinguishing feature of the cold chain is that the quality of the product degrades with time. The storage temperature and time influence the degradation rate. In this context, quality can be measured using multiple distinct indices. A global stability index is used to quantify the overall quality. The non-Arrhenius model is exclusively applied to measure the quality degradation during the transportation and at retailers' storage as the product moves in the cold chain. Optimal replenishment times for the manufacturer and retailers are decision variables and the cold chain's total cost includes the cooling cost, carbon emission cost, and loss of value in addition to the traditional supply chain costs. It is found that for a given manufacturer's replenishment time, the total cost is convex on each retailer's replenishment time. Hence, an algorithm is developed based on this property to find the optimal replenishment times for the manufacturer and retailers. This paper also investigates how specific cold chain parameters influence optimal decisions and the total cost. The analyses show that the resulting costs will be significantly higher if quality degradation is ignored in a cold chain.

Deep learning based cost estimation of circuit boards: a case study in the automotive industry

Early cost estimation is a decisive value driver in the product development process in manufacturing industries. Machine learning offers new intelligent methods to support traditional cost calculation processes. While traditional research on intelligent cost estimation focuses on machine learning regression or classification models, we propose a new approach based on interlocking deep learning methods. In this paper we investigate the applicability of deep learning techniques, focusing on image recognition and deep learning regression as well as autoencoding to estimate product costs of circuit boards to be purchased. We create and evaluate deep learning models using real-world data from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Our findings suggest that deep learning models can streamline cost calculation and estimation processes while deep learning object recognition-based cost estimation outperforms autoencoding techniques. This research is designed to be transferable to other cost estimation projects.

Linking users as private partners of utility tunnel public–private partnership projects

Linking users as private partners of utility tunnel public–private partnership (PPP) projects means treating users as internal core stakeholders in the designing, building, and operating phases, which is beneficial for precisely determining user needs, enhancing operational efficiency, and reducing user opposition. However, tunnel PPP projects are quasi-commercial projects, and users are not motivated to become linked. A reasonable incentive mechanism must thus be set up based on a systematic analysis of usersꞌ behaviors and incentive measures. Users of tunnel PPP projects were categorized as high- and low-cost users according to the difference in their traditional direct-buried costs. An evolutionary game model was established incrementally to investigate the incentive factors and their priority affecting the willingness and degree of users to be linked in tunnel PPP projects. The theoretical model was verified with a real Chinese tunnel PPP project, which suggested that the optimized scheme under the incentive mechanism is more efficient than the original solution. The research results indicate that the main factors influencing usersꞌ willingness and degree of being linked are the government subsidy rate, price discount rate, probability of enjoying a price discount, capital proportion, capital appreciation rate, and synergistic operational rate.

Strategic reliable supply chain network design: determining tradeoffs between cost and risk

The design of a supply chain network (SCN) should address two conflicting objectives, i.e. inexpensive yet reliable operation. This paper presents models to choose supply facilities and determine distribution options while considering the expected risk of not serving customers attributed to supply shortages. The goal is to design a reliable network with a lower cost under traditional cost objectives. We formulate a stochastic mixed-integer biobjective programming model considering the protection of facilities and solve this problem with a progressive hedging algorithm (PHA). We examine the tradeoff curve between the cost and risk through a case study involving Shanghai in China. The results indicate that substantial improvements in reliability can be reached with a limited increase in the total cost.

Multirobot Task Allocation in e-Commerce Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems

Robotic Mobile Fulfillment System (RMFS) is a new type of parts-to-picker order picking system and has become the development trend of e-commerce logistics distribution centers. There are usually a large number of tasks need to be allocated to many robots and the picking time for e-commerce orders is usually very tight, which puts forward higher requirements for the efficiency of multirobot task allocation (MRTA) in e-commerce RMFS. Current researches on MRTA in RMFS seldom consider task correlation and the balance among picking stations. In this paper, a task time cost model considering task correlation is built according to the characteristics of the picking process. Then, a multirobot task allocation model minimizing the overall picking time is established considering both the picking time balance of picking stations and the load balance of robots. Finally, a four-stage balanced heuristic auction algorithm is designed to solve the task allocation model and the tasks with execution sequence for each robot are obtained. By comparing with the traditional task time cost model and the algorithm without considering the balance among picking stations, it is found that the proposed model and algorithm can significantly shorten the overall picking time.

كلية الإدارة والاقتصاد/ جامعة كربلاء/ العراق

The research aims to clarify the concept of achievement accounting, the requirements for its application and its mechanism of action, and to assess the extent of its activation of cost systems by providing information to improve cost systems and evaluate performance and to identify the reality of the existing cost system in the company (General Dairy Products). The research concluded that the traditional cost systems do not show the real result of the activity, while the achievement accounting shows the reality of the losses incurred by the company during the period. (Abu Ghraib Factory) by applying and using various modern manufacturing systems in production, as well as keeping pace with the rapid technological developments witnessed by the modern manufacturing environment to face the intense competition that characterizes the markets by providing products that meet the needs of customers quickly, at the lowest cost and with high quality.

Stochastic single allocation hub location problems with balanced utilization of hub capacities

This paper presents a stochastic formulation for capacitated single allocation hub location problems with uncertain demands, in which the balanced utilization of hub capacities is considered in the strategic decision making process. The demands are assumed to be independent random variables with known normal probability distributions. A stochastic programming model with joint chance constraints is established and then transformed into a second-order mixed-integer cone programming model. Furthermore, the proposed model is approximated by using piecewise tangent approximation and piecewise linear approximation techniques. For the approximated models, alternative reformulations are developed, and valid inequalities are employed to add to alternative reformulations. Extensive numerical experiments with CAB and AP data sets are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed methods, and analyze the configuration of hub-and-spoke networks and the utilization of hub capacities. Experimental results show that the optimal solution of proposed models can be obtained by using the two approximation techniques with a small number of tangent and linear segments. The developed alternative reformulations and valid inequalities can significantly improve computational efficiency. The entire unbalanced utilization degree of hub capacities can be greatly reduced with a small rise in the traditional operating cost.

Contemporary Cost Management Techniques:the Appropriate Alternative to the Traditional Cost Accounting Systems Applied in the Iraqi Industrial Units – An Applied Case

Contemporary Cost Management Techniques:the Appropriate Alternative to the Traditional Cost Accounting Systems Applied in the Iraqi Industrial Units – An Applied Case

Transmission and storage expansion planning under imperfect market competition: Social planner versus merchant investor

The growing penetration of renewable technologies and the increasing need for energy storage technologies constitute a new challenge for electricity market design. In this context, decentralized generation companies decide their investments by maximizing their own profit, while centralized TSOs decide network expansion by aiming to maximize the overall social welfare. This already challenging environment is further complicated by the intermittency of renewable production and the short- and long-term dynamics of storage technologies, which may enable generation companies to exercise new forms of market power. However, traditional (and widely utilized) cost minimization planning models do not account for these types of strategic interactions, nor for the introduction of new transmission merchant investors needed to achieve the full integration of isolated renewables in the system. In this paper, we study the policy implications of planning the system, either by a merchant investor or by a traditional cost-minimization planner, instead of a social planner through a proactive framework that accounts for distinctive degrees of competition. Therefore, we present a bi-level proactive transmission framework, in which a centralized TSO takes network investment decisions by anticipating the reaction of decentralized generation companies, as well as a merchant investor that maximizes congestion rents. Finally, we carry out a comprehensive analysis of a 3-node greenfield case, and we extract more general insights from a brownfield IEEE 24-node case. We found that, compared to a social planner, both the traditional cost-minimization planner and the merchant investor would lead to a relatively small diminishing of social welfare. Nonetheless, the resulting generation mix of the system can drastically change.

The costs and cost accounting model (simplified) in State Forests National Forest Holding

Purpose: The article aims to: (1) revise the costs and cost accounting model in State Forests National Forest Holding (PGL LP), (2) investigate the possibility of applying resource-process consumption accounting in the activities of the State Forests. Methodology/research approach: A critical analysis of the literature, desk research, analysis of phenomena, synthesis of results, and a case study. Results: A systematic, traditional cost accounting model is used at State Forests, which is mainly used for reporting purposes. It is possible to use the resource-process model of cost accounting from the perspective of its usefulness in disclosing information about the im-plementation of social and environmental goals in the activities of State Forests. Research limitations/implications: The proposed cost accounting model was constructed with State Forests in mind as a specific unit operating in the field of social responsibility. Originality/value: The article proposes solutions for modeling an accounting system, including resource-process cost accounting.

Design of Project Cost Risk Management System Based on Improved Fuzzy Rule Weight Algorithm

Aiming at the low accuracy of index weight calculation and risk type identification in traditional cost risk management systems, this paper proposes a project cost risk management system based on an improved fuzzy rule weight algorithm. We analyzed the types of project cost risks, adopted a three-tier technical architecture to design the system frame structure and functional organization structure of the cost risk management system, and adopted the B/S architecture for network structure deployment. In the software part, an improved fuzzy rule weight algorithm is used to calculate the weight of project cost risk indicators, thereby improving the effectiveness of risk management. Experimental results show that the designed system works well, can accurately calculate the weights of risk indicators, and can effectively identify multiple risk types.

Application of BIM Technology in Construction Cost Management of Building Engineering

Construction cost management is one of the three goals in project management. The level of its management is directly related to the profitability of the company. In recent years, construction companies have put forward more accurate and refined requirements for cost management. The more traditional cost management methods are it is difficult to deal with complex and changeable situations. Therefore, this article studies the application of BIM technology in construction cost management of construction projects is of great significance to the construction of Chinese enterprises. This article associates the cost plan with the schedule plan. The core is the component or the set of components. After completing the information association, the cost model is established. Finally, the earned value method is used to complete the control based on the good data support of the BIM-based 5D cost model. Time, space, and element dimensions fully control cost dynamics. With the help of BIM, this article can make up for the difficulty of data acquisition and easy to be affected by human factors in the earned value management method, and improve the earned value management process. This paper studies the latest BIM technology in the construction field, and explores the application method of BIM in cost management. Improve the information level of engineering project management, enhance the dynamic management of project costs, and improve the resource utilization rate of the construction industry. This paper uses BIM calculation software to convert the traditional CAD drawings into three-dimensional models, import them into BIM5D software, and manage them in detail during the construction phase. Its innovation is to use the three-dimensional building model to integrate various data information such as cost, schedule, information, and realize the sharing of data and various information. Research has shown that cost management has been simulated by BIM technology to achieve timely and accurate information support. In this process, the integrated control effect of schedule and cost can be fully utilized.