Value Assessment Method Research Articles

Methods for value assessment of water and sewer pipelines

The value of existing assets has become a factor of special interest to the asset owners as outsourcing of maintenance duties has increased. The value of water and sewer systems should be assessed in order to follow up the development of the network’s long-term condition during a maintenance partnership contract and to determine the optimal renovation timing and method. Many factors affect the condition of the network, which makes the determination of the service life difficult. The use of existing value assessment methods is also essential in order to assess the systems economically. However, the value should be addressed holistically instead of determining only the economic value of the system. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive discussion on the value assessment of the water and sewer systems. A method for assessing the development of value during maintenance or renovation contract is presented.

Changes of Value of Ecosystem Services and its Driving Forces in the Lower Reaches of the Tarim River

In this paper, we used TM image data in the lower reaches of the Tarim River as well as ecosystem service value assessment methods, and assessed the change of regional land use/ cover and analyzed its ecosystem service value, and discussed the driving forces of the change factors. The results show that : the study area is mainly grassland and desert grasslands accounted for more than 43% , the desert about 32% , less than 6% of the forest area , waters and wetlands area , less than 1% of the total area, which mean that the area is mainly the oasis agriculture , desertification serious water shortages. Since 2000, the , the ecological restoration project significantly effective under the emergency water conveyance on the lower reaches of the Tarim River, woodland restoration and water area increased , the desert area has decreased. GDP continued to increase from 2000 to 2005, the value of ecosystem services greatly reduce. In a shorter time scale, agricultural development and human activity are the dominant factors of the transfer of the value of ecosystem structure adjustment and service functions in the study area.

Environmental Multifunctionality of Paddy Fields in Taiwan- A Conjunction Evaluation Method of Contingent Valuation Method and Analytic Network Procedures

This study uses the benefit and value assessment method, in conjunction with a Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and Analytic Network Procedures (ANP), through the use of questionnaires, to assess the preference structure and relative weight scales that are assigned to the multifunctionality function and production output benefits that are derived from paddy fields. The monetary benefits associated with the multifunctionality of paddy fields are as below:1) Benefits from production are NT$20.97 (NT$1 about US$0.03385) (US$0.71), from 1kg of rice, 2) Benefits to food safety and reliance are NT$36.38 (US$1.23), from 1kg of rice, 3) Benefits to cultural heritage and community development are NT$13.51 (US$0.46), from 1kg of rice, 4) Benefits to recreation and landscape are NT$12.34(US$0.42), from 1kg of rice, and 5) Benefits to environmental conservation are NT$25.4(US$0.86), from 1kg of rice. The ratio of nonmarket/rice production is 4.18. The monetary benefits constitute the gross domestic product (GDP), for rice production. These benefits from all five categories constitute the green gross domestic product (Green GDP), for rice production. This study calculated the Green GDP, for rice production, which included the market price of rice production and the non-market value of the multifunctionality of paddy fields, which generated NT$158 billion (US$5.3483 billion), in 2008. The ratio of rice production output to real production output, as defined by this study, obtained a result close to 1(0.97), showing that the benefit assessment for market goods and non-market goods, in conjunction with ANP and CVM, is a reliable assessment method, which should be promoted in the future.

Assessment model on environmental economics for construction projects in Korea

This study aims to propose an assessment model for environmental economics that will provide useful information for decision-making on the implementation of pro-environmental and economical construction projects. To meet this objective, this study suggests a procedure for estimating the environmental cost of construction projects. The model combines environmental load assessment and environmental value assessment. The environmental cost of pollutants generated from a construction project was estimated utilizing Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), a value assessment method borrowed from economic science. A case analysis was subsequently conducted to verify the applicability of the proposed model to actual construction projects. The devised model is expected to provide a useful methodology that will scientifically support the planning and management of sustainable construction not only in terms of the environmental aspect but also of the economical aspect.

Method and system for Multi-Attribute Market Value Assessment in analysis of construction and retrofit projects

Multi-Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) methods prioritize the alternatives of comparative projects quite accurately. Problems arise when there is a need to determine the utility degrees and market values of the project alternatives. This becomes especially important for establishing the market value of real estate property in tender offers. However, the available MADM methods cannot accomplish this. Thus the authors of this article developed the MAMVA method, which permits determining the utility degrees and market values of project alternatives, and also developed a system on the basis of this developed method. This article presents the proposed Multi-Attribute Market Value Assessment (MAMVA) Method and the Decision Support System for Construction and Retrofit Projects (DSS-CRP). It also presents a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method and system. The application of the MAMVA Method and DSS-CRP System for prioritizing and for determining the utility degrees and market values of construction and retrofit projects under consideration for financing by the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Financial Mechanism Grant made it possible to decrease the amount of requested support. This article also presents the analysis and comprehensive assessment of the noted construction and retrofit projects. These were performed in consideration of the entire life cycle of a project and of needs satisfaction relevant to all the groups interested in a project. The developed MAMVA Method and DSS-CRP System permit assessing the appropriateness of projects under analysis in conceptual and qualitative forms. This method and system automatically submit the values of the project alternatives.

Assessment of ecosystem services of Lugu Lake watershed

Better understanding and evaluation of ecosystem services are important for applying the correct model of regional development planning. Using the physical assessment method (PAM) and the value assessment method (VAM), the ecosystem services in Lugu Lake watershed, including product supply, soil conservation, water conservation, CO2 absorption, O2 release, nutrient cycle, flood storage and ecotourism, were evaluated and analysed. The results show that the total economic value of these ecosystem services was 500.68 × 106 Yuan/a (at comparable prices in 2004); ecotourism was the major component of ecosystem services, accounting for 41.6%; the values of O2 release, flood storage, CO2 absorption and water conservation accounted for 28.1, 13.7, 7.7, and 5.5%, respectively; the value of product supply accounted for only 2.4% and, therefore, was not a major part of watershed ecosystem services. Sustainable development of ecotourism and long-term preservation of the functions of O2 release and flood storage need to be assured for realising ecosystem services of Lugu Lake watershed.

Environmental value assessment in a multidisciplinary EIA setting

Value assessment is a central element in an EIA for the understanding of the impacts of specified projects. The value assessment contains subjective elements and this may cause errors and difficulties in numeric value assessment methods. There is a need for transparent common criteria to promote discussion and understanding. A common criteria base already exists, but lack of communication between different management systems and different disciplines, all with different traditions in value assessment, makes the situation complex. In this article we have looked into the basic understanding of value linked to the investigation themes of natural environment, cultural heritage and society. The investigation themes linked to social science is difficult to incorporate into a common system, basically because they have less focus on land use and contain different value types. Much of the relevant literature about value assessment is linked to the assessment of sites of special interest as candidates for legal protection or conservation. In an EIA a much broader range of areas is introduced, including the “every day landscape” with a lower and more general level of value. Together with a focus on mitigation and adjustments of plans, this results in a need for a more detailed value assessment scale than is normally in use today. We have suggested a new scale to ease communication between different disciplines and management systems. How we understand value is not constant over time, nor is the level of knowledge. This makes it necessary to sustain an ongoing debate on value assessment. The need for a dynamic value assessment system increases with the increasing use of database modelling, digital analysis of map data (GIS) etc. Lack of a ongoing value debate will rapidly lead to misleading and biased results.

Flood mitigation benefit of wetland soil — A case study in Momoge National Nature Reserve in China

Wetlands have many important functions. To a wide range of wildlife species, they offer critically important habitats. They also act to mitigate flooding, regulate micro and macro climate changes, degrade pollutants and control erosion etc. Wetland benefits are these functions, which provide direct, indirect, and non-use values to humans. In this study, field soil data are used to calculate the flood mitigation benefits of wetland soils within the Momoge National Nature Reserve, Jilin Province, the People's Republic of China. Calculations are based upon environmental economic assessment methods and GIS techniques. The estimated flood mitigation capacity of wetland soils within the Momoge Reserve was 7.15 × 10 4 m 3/hm 2/yr. This translated into an economic benefit of 5700 $/hm 2/yr due to flood mitigation. Spatial differences in the flood mitigation ability of soils were observed across the Momoge wetlands. Benefits associated with flood mitigation were highest within the middle reaches of the Momoge wetlands and least in the East. This quantitative analysis of flood mitigation benefit, with its investigation of wetland soils, will be a useful reference both for the assessment of wetland values in the local region and also for the greater understanding wetland function and value assessment methods.

A method of value assessment for social technologies [Guest Editor's Introduction

Presents the guest editorial for this issue of the publication.

Forest ecosystem services of Changbai Mountain in China

The forest ecosystem of the Changbai Mountain is the most typical upland temperate forest ecosystem in eastern Asia. It is also of the most primitive vegetation type that came into being through the natural succession of soil and vegetation following volcanic eruption. The forest ecosystem has great importance for maintaining the structures and functions of the watershed ecosystems of the Songhua River, the Yalu River and the Tumen River. We combined physical assessment method (PAM) with the value assessment method (VAM) to evaluate the forest ecosystem services of the northern slope of the, including eco-tourism, forest by-products, timber, soil and water conservation, air purification, and the recycling of nutritive elements. We also assessed the integrated forest ecosystem service and analyzed its dynamics. The service value provided by the Changbai Mountain forest ecosystem amounts up to RMB 3.38 x 10(12) yuan, of which, water conservation is 66%, water conservation and air purification together make up 80%, while the timber value is only 7%. Therefore, developing the ecosystem services besides timber is the best way to exert the integrated value of the forest ecosystem services of Changbai Mountain.

The Repeatability of Three Methods for Measuring Prospective Patients' Values in the Context of Treatment Choice for End-Stage Renal Disease

In the context of the choice of treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), three approaches to value assessment were examined for their repeatability over time within subjects. If formal decision analyses are to be used to advise patients about treatment choice, then repeatable value assessment methods, an essential component of such analyses, are needed. The methods assessed were standard gamble (SG), time trade-off (TTO), and visual analogue (VA). Sixty-six nephrology clinic patients were interviewed on two occasions, 10 days apart, by one of two interviewers. An information session was conducted 1 week before the first interview. Subjects were taught about the treatments using an information package developed expressly for the study and a video produced by a pharmaceutical company for use in this decision context. Patients differed widely in the values provided for the various treatments of ESRD, with responses that ranged across the entire scale (0 to 100). The repeatability of the three methods was poor, with the coefficients of repeatability (95% range of differences from one occasion to the next) observed as ±27.4 for SG, ±38.4 for TTO, and ±36.5 for VA. When subsets defined by characteristics that may have improved the repeatability were analyzed, the magnitude of the error did not vary substantially. The poor repeatability of these methods raises questions about their use for decision analyses applied to the individual context.

Value Structure Analysis and Process‐Derived Performance Metrics for Shipbuilding

ABSTRACT The highly competitive international merchant ship market compels shipbuilders to deliver competitive value to their customers. U.S. naval ship construction, however, takes place within a different type of business climate. In this environment, economic competition is constrained and value can only be assured by directly measuring it. In this paper, the problems associated with various existing value assessment methods applied to naval shipbuilding are discussed. It is found that a bottom‐up, process‐based approach is the key to naval shipbuilding value assessment.The first step in building a process‐derived industrial performance measurement system is to identify the appropriate discrete processes and build them into a value chain model. It was found that the standard value chain breakdown method could not adequately account for all of the relevant shipbuilding strategy variables, therefore a new multi‐dimensional value chain breakdown was developed. Concurrent with the collection of value chain data, performance metrics for each process are being formulated. Analysis of individual process performance in the context of corporate strategies as documented in the value chain will enable a roll‐up of performance and value from bottom to top, i.e. from individual processes through to the total shipbuilding outcome.

Echelons in Incomplete Relations

An efficient method of value assessment of a set of exchangeable alternatives A = {a1,a2, ⋯ ,an} is presented. It particularly applies to situations where certain preferences may be easily evaluated or are already known, while other binary comparisons may not at once be available. Further applications are to ranking partial tournaments and the emergence and the characterisation of organisational hierarchy. By sequentially performing transitively efficient assessments of uncompared pairs, an initial weakly acyclical preference structure in A is transformed into an ordering of A in echelons. We call these nicely surveyable preference structures echelon orders. Theoretical properties of echelon orders are investigated, including a characterisation and a numerical representation.

Validity problems comparing values across cultures and possible solutions.

The authors argue that commonly used ranking and rating methods of value surveys may have low validity in cross-cultura l value comparisons because participants' reports about values can be affected by factors such as cultural differences in the meaning of particular value terms as well as the possibility that some value judgments are based on social comparison or deprivation rather than on any direct reading of personal preferences. Four different value survey methods—ranking, rating, attitude scale, and behavioral scenario methods—were compared. It was found that ranking and rating methods of assessing differences between Chinese and Americans had low convergence with each other and with the criterion of cultural experts' independent judgments. Attitude questions had slight and nonsignificant convergence with the expert judgment criterion. A scenario method of value assessment, however, yielded reasonable criterion validity.

In Search of a Total Value Assessment Framework: SAFR Symposium Overview and Synthesis

The Social Assessment of Fisheries Resources (SAFR) Symposium explored potentials for more fully using the problem-solving abilities of social sciences in fishery management. The SAFR papers examine the theory, methods, and applications of economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, and philosophy in relation to the kinds of evaluations faced by fishery managers, particularly in North Americaˈs Great Lakes region. In this symposium overview, we consider whether a “total value framework” could be developed to assess all pros and cons of changes in fishery resources. We reject the notion of a perfect, uniform, quantitative total value assessment method, recognizing that existing assessment practices underrepresent some value elements and overrepresent others. Total value concepts must consider both basic human values (“held” values) and monetary or equivalent values, such as those in benefit–cost analysis (“assigned” values). Out total value framework illustrates the difficulty of reconciling these disparate types of human values in ways that lend practical guidance for evaluating fishery management choices. We survey the SAFR papers within this total value framework, considering the potential contributions and shortcomings of each discipline in evaluating human value changes.

Subjective Expected Utility and Referral Decisions in Obesity

SummaryReferral decisions of physicians dealing with long-term ambulatory problems are complex phenomena that are not clearly understood. This study was designed to assess the possible rationale behind such decisions in the management of obesity. It examined how well a subjective expected utility (SEU) model accounted for decisions of 45 primary care physicians regarding referral of obese female patients to an endocrinologist. Two patient goals, weight reduction and patient satisfaction, and a two-year time horizon were incorporated in the model.Data were collected using 24 written cases representing 12 patients approximately 100% overweight and 12 about 50% overweight, and a semi-structured interview in which subjective probabilities and importance weights were obtained. Values were calculated by transforming physicians’ ratings of risk of morbidity in the 24 cases into a utility scale.The SEU did not account for the primary care physicians’ referral behavior. Correlations between number of patient cases referred and SEU were analyzed and were not statistically significant, although there was substantial variation across physicians in number of cases referred. Mean subjective probabilities of weight loss and patient satisfaction were essentially identical for referral and non-referral.The formulation of the model, the design of the cases, and the method of value assessment are discussed as potential threats to the validity of the model as an account of referral decisions. Problems of constructing an adequate model are considered.