Vendor Type Research Articles

Science Funding and Short-Term Economic Activity

Expenditures from grant funds support many different types of workers and vendors across the nation.

Influence of the supply network on the availability of healthy foods in small food stores of urban, low‐income settings (384.4)

Disparities in healthy food access commonly exist in urban low‐income neighborhoods, where small food stores predominate. What is not commonly understood is the supply network of these small food stores, and how this influences the food they stock. We conducted a network analysis to assess the influence of the supply network of corner stores on food procurement patterns and stocking of essential foods (fresh produce) versus non‐essential foods (snacks and beverages). We surveyed a sample of corner stores (n=24) in low‐income neighborhoods of Baltimore City, their suppliers (wholesalers, warehouse clubs, supermarkets, superstores) and their delivery vendors that provide shipments from manufacturers. Preliminary findings showed that, on average, each corner store is connected to more delivery vendors (6) than suppliers (3), resulting in a greater supply of non‐essential foods. Furthermore, non‐essential food procurement was more likely in corner stores with greater numbers and types of delivery vendors. With few alternatives, corner stores also show more reliance on a limited number of wholesalers in procuring essential foods. Our study highlights the significance in analyzing the supply network structure to identify potential points of intervention. To improve the availability of essential foods in small food stores, efforts are needed to increase diversity and density in a corner store’s supply network.

Fruit and Vegetable Availability and Selection: Federal Food Package Revisions, 2009

With nearly 49,000 authorized retailers nationwide, a policy change that added fruits and vegetables (FV) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages in 2009 had the potential to expand neighborhood FV availability. This study examined changes in availability and selection of commonly consumed and culturally specific FV at authorized retailers (WIC vendors) before and after implementation of the revised WIC food packages. Quasi-experimental, one-group design with two pre-policy observations and one post-policy observation. Trained observers assessed a list of fresh, frozen, and canned FV at each vendor in seven northern Illinois counties. Eight indices of FV availability and selection were derived. Multiple regression estimated relationships. Data were collected in 2008-2010 and analyzed in 2011. Overall, availability and selection of commonly consumed fresh FV and availability of African-American culturally specific fresh FV improved after implementation of the new policy. Modest improvements in the overall availability of canned low-sodium vegetables and frozen FV were observed. Changes differed by vendor type (large vendor, small vendor, and pharmacy). Changes in availability or selection did not differ by neighborhood characteristics (population density, median household income, racial/ethnic composition). Expansion of WIC foods was associated with small positive externalities on the food environment. Larger subsidies to create more demand and more-substantial stocking requirements for retailers may yield significantly larger improvements and thus warrant further investigation. Approaches targeting rural, low-income, and racial/ethnic minority neighborhoods also may be needed.

Understanding the Differences Between Vendor Types in Local Governance

It is commonly posited that for-profit, nonprofit, and other government vendors have fundamental differences, which make one or the other the superior choice depending on the circumstances of service delivery. Past research, focusing on service and market characteristics, finds support for this proposition. In this article, we investigate not only the typical theoretical expectations regarding vendor traits, service characteristics, and market conditions associated with the sectors, but also the presumed trustworthiness and management practices that are argued to differentiate them in an effort to better understand the roles played by each in local government contracting. Our findings indicate that as expected, nonprofits are most commonly employed when dealing with hard to define, “soft” services with weak markets. However, contrary to expectations, nonprofits are not generally considered more trustworthy than for-profits and are not managed more “loosely” (i.e., more ambiguous contracts, more discretion exercised in sanctioning) than their for-profit peers. Rather, public vendors seem to be the most trusted and are managed less rigidly than contractors from the other sectors.

Incumbents and Challengers: Conflicting Institutional Logics in SaaS ERP Business Models

With a shift in the architecture for the design and delivery of information systems (IS), new business models are emerging. Professional analysts predict that by the end of 2012, a majority of all enterprise-wide information systems will be delivered by a business model dominated by services rather than by on-site installations. This paper reports on a research project conducted between 2009 and 2011 that involved case studies of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems delivered according to a Software as a Service (SaaS) logic. Using a business model ontology, 10 case studies in the Swedish ERP market were conducted and analyzed. After constructing generic business models that explain two types of vendors in the market—the Incumbents (the traditional ERP vendors) and the Challengers (the new SaaS ERP vendors)—a discussion follows, based on institutional logic, which examines how these two groups of vendors adapt the dominant institutional logic. As the results show, both vendor groups hybridize their business models using the other’s institutional logic. At the same time, the vendors differentiate themselves as they try to establish the dominance of their own logic.

How Provider Selection and Management Contribute to Successful Innovation Outsourcing: An Empirical Study at Siemens

It is becoming increasingly common to involve external technology providers in developing new technologies and new products. Two important phases involved in working with technology vendors are vendor selection and vendor management. Because for both steps theory development of key decision guidelines is still immature, we use detailed case studies of 31 innovation outsourcing projects at Siemens to develop grounded theory on provider selection criteria and on project management success drivers. A selection criterion often associated with successful outsourcing is the provider's “track record” or previous experience. Our cases suggest that there is no standard “track record” for success but that a “match” between the client firm's outsourcing motivation and the provider's strengths appears to be a necessary condition for a successful outsourcing collaboration. As to the second phase—managing the vendor—we identify a number of operational project success drivers. There seems to be no universal checklist, but the most important drivers seem to be contingent on the type of vendor chosen and on the maturity of the technology. We compare five provider types—universities, competitors, customers, start‐up companies, and component suppliers—and find that some success drivers are common to all providers, while others are relevant only for certain types of provider. Moreover, drivers in the case of a mature technology are more focused on successful transfer to manufacturing than on development itself. Our findings offer guidelines for innovation managers on how to select innovation providers and how to manage them during the project.

An Analysis Of Business Process Outsourcing Strategies Of Public And Private Sector Banks In India

This paper is a study of the recent trends of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) strategies and practices among banking institutions in India. The study attempts to analyze BPOs used by private and public banks using four dimensional descriptive conceptual dimensions of outsourcing: 1) shoring model (vendor location/service creation), 2) sourcing model (vendor type), 3) engagement model (number of vendors engaged), and 4) duration of the engagement (contract period). The comparison of results reveals similar trends of outsourcing for public and private banks. However, public banks are more regulated, and thus are restricted from outsourcing of certain processes to avoid excessive risks of privacy of data and information related to customers. From a financial strategic point of view, in the long run, the underlying profit margins of a public bank might have adverse effects.

Measuring Electronic Monitoring Tools: The Influence of Vendor Type and Vendor Data

The rise in the use of electronic monitoring tools for management of individuals in both pretrial and post-release correctional stages of the criminal justice system necessitates increased collaboration of criminal justice personnel with private sector companies that provide monitoring services. Given this shift, it is necessary to explore whether agency employees perceive that different vendors are providing levels or quality of services. This study indicates that parole officers perceive very few real differences in the monitoring services, equipment used, and ease of installation and deactivation of such equipment across two different vendors. The primary difference identified was in the costs of such services.

Non-Hospital Owned Medical Equipment Poses Challenge

Non-Hospital Owned Medical Equipment Poses Challenge

How Provider Selection and Management Contribute to Successful Innovation Outsourcing: An Empirical Study at Siemens

It is becoming increasingly common to involve external technology providers in developing new technologies and new products. Two important phases involved in working with technology vendors are vendor selection and vendor management. Since for both steps theory development of key decision guidelines is still immature, we use detailed case studies of 31 innovation outsourcing projects at Siemens to develop grounded theory on provider selection criteria and on project management success drivers. A selection criterion often associated with successful outsourcing is the provider’s “track record” or previous experience. Our cases suggest that there is no standard “track record” for success but that a “match” between the client firm’s outsourcing motivation and the provider’s strengths appears to be a necessary condition for a successful outsourcing collaboration. As to the second phase – managing the vendor – we identify a number of operational project success drivers. There seems to be no universal checklist, but the most important drivers seem to be contingent on the type of vendor chosen and on the maturity of the technology. We compare five provider types – universities, competitors, customers, start-up companies and component suppliers – and find that some success drivers are common to all providers, while others are relevant only for certain types of provider. Moreover, drivers in the case of a mature technology are more focused on successful transfer to manufacturing than on development itself. Our findings offer guidelines for innovation managers on how to select innovation providers and how to manage them during the project.

Socio-economic profile and food safety knowledge and practice of street food vendors in the city of Guwahati, Assam, India

Street food is an integral part of society in all countries – underdeveloped, developing or developed. As such the standard of hygiene maintained is a very vital matter. Every region has its sets of factors affecting the hygiene maintain. In the present study a survey was carried out in Guwahati city to determine the existing socio-economic status and food safety knowledge of street food vendors. Data on socio-economic and business profile of 80 vendors were collected using three standardized proformas. A study was also conducted on the existing knowledge of vendors on food safety and hygiene practices and methods of procurement of raw materials. The knowledge and procurement practices of the vendors were assessed for association with some relevant socio-economic factors. From the study it was observed that majority of street food vendors were mobile food vendors (54%) with the remaining being owners of small restaurants and food handlers. Majority of the food vendors were local to Guwahati city (93%). The average daily income of the mobile food vendors were between Rs. 200 to Rs. 600. It also was noted that only 30%–37% vendors were aware of hygienic practices of food handling and a mere 8%–11% of food vendors had knowledge on biological sources of food contamination. It was concluded that there is a high degree of association between procurement practices with the type of vendors, ownership status and average income. But no outstanding association exists with any socio-economic factor with the knowledge of the vendors on food hygiene. The street food scenario in the city was found to be quite dismal and requires stringent steps to improve matters.

The trouble with authenticity: separating ideology from practice at the farmers’ market

Farmers’ markets have enjoyed a resurgence in the past two decades in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. This increase in popularity is attributed to a host of environmental, social, and economic factors, often related to the alleged benefits of local food, alternative farming, and producer–consumer interactions. Steeped in tradition, there are also widely held assumptions related to the type of food and food vendors that belong at a farmers’ market in addition to the type of experience that should take place. There remains a need to explore and analyze these fundamental aspects of the farmers’ market and to consider how they influence their formation and function. This paper argues that discourses of authenticity are central to the identity of the farmers’ market, and that they are constructed differently “from above” by those seeking to regulate farmers’ markets in particular jurisdictions and “from below” by managers, producers, and consumers at individual markets. A literature-based discussion is complemented and grounded by consideration of institutional statements regarding authenticity and of key results from a survey of managers, food vendors, and customers at 15 farmers’ markets in Ontario, Canada. It is demonstrated that while the general discourse about authenticity at the farmers’ market is built around strict, almost ideological assumptions about the presence of “local food” and those who produce it, community-level responses reflect considerable diversity in the interpretation and composition of the farmers’ market. It is suggested that a binary view of authenticity, where some farmers’ markets are cast as “real” and others presumably not, is highly problematic as it tends to ignore a large and important middle ground with multiple identities.

Counting the Costs of Acquisitions: Using Cost-Benefit Analysis in a Seminary and University Library

This essay considers how cost-benefit analysis may be used in a small to mid-sized library to identify cost-savings in the acquisitions of monographs. The essay highlights parallel studies conducted at Luther Seminary Library and Bethel University Library which compared prices, discounts, and time costs across a range of vendor types to identify whether searching for the best price per item is cost-effective, and how much this strategy could save yearly in acquisitions. Both libraries found that substantial potential savings were identified through this study.

Traditional antimalarial phytotherapy remedies in herbal markets in southern Ghana

Ethnopharmacological relevance Although traditional antimalarial plant remedies in herbal markets are a very important component of the health care system in Ghana this has not been previously studied to allow for the formulation of effective strategy for malaria control in Ghana. Aim of study The main objective of the present study was to collect and analyse data on the antimalarial plant remedies in herbal markets in southern Ghana. Materials and methods Herborists were interviewed using a validated questionnaire and species of plants were identified using a combination of field photo guides, local names and voucher specimens. Results A total of 71 herborists (95.8% female) were interviewed. There were potential correlations between different parameters and variables such as ethnic groups, type of vendor and age-groups. The study revealed 29 species of plants belonging to 22 families being sold for the treatment of malaria. The detailed use of these plants is documented. The most frequently mentioned species of plants were Morinda lucida Benth., Indigofera sp. and Nauclea latifolia Sm. The majority (82.8%) of the plant materials were sold in the dried state and 6.9% were sold in fresh state. About 76.2% of the herbal remedies were sold throughout the year while 23.8% were scarce in the dry season. The cost of treatment of malaria using the herbal remedies ranged from 1 to 2 United States Dollars (USD). Conclusion Standardization of names and authentication of plant materials using organoleptic, phytochemical and DNA barcoding techniques as well as further research on efficacy, safety and dosage prescriptions for both fresh and dried plant materials being sold for the treatment of malaria in southern Ghana are needed.

Sustainability of Business Service Outsourcing: The Case of Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO)

This paper discusses the theory and evidence behind the logic of business process outsourcing, with a specific focus on human resource outsourcing (HRO). Market analysts project rapid growth in the global market for HRO, from around $30 billion in 2005 to just over $40 billion in 2008. The paper interprets HRO as a case of the unbundling of corporate functions, used as part of fundamental corporate restructuring by global multinational companies. Demand for HRO is satisfied by a mixed type of vendors who believe that their survival depends on growth in the scope of expertise and economies of scale, leading to consolidation through M&A. As HRO deals grow in the scope of processes and shift their weight from transactional to transformational work, contracts are likely to become more complex and longer. Consequently, more relational contracts will have to be used to govern outsourcing relationships. Moreover, professional jurisdiction is being redefined through outsourcing, particularly for the HR profession but also for consultants and lawyers involved in third-party advisory networks. We argue that the sustainability of growth in HRO depends substantially on whether relational contracts and a newly reconstituted HR profession emerge in due course.

Assortment and Price Analysis of Fashion Products according to the Types of Cyber Shopping Mall

Nowadays much amounts and various kinds of fashion products are sold through cyber shopping malls. Vendor type and intermediate type cyber shopping mall among many types of cyber shopping malls were selected to analyze assortment and price of fashion products. fashion products 'Best 100' from two cyber shopping malls were listed and classified. The results were as followed: First, the portion of fashion products at vendor type cyber shopping mall was higher than that of intermediate type. Second, fashion products items such as coat, Jacket, one-piece dress, sweater, t-shirt, pants, skirt, and underwear were sold at cyber shopping malls. Underwear and t-shirt were the best selling items at intermediate type shopping mall, and more expensive and fashionable coat, Jacket, and one-piece dress were the best selling items at vendor type shopping mall. Third, the price range of fashion items at vendor type shopping mall was higher than that of intermediate type shopping mall from 1,000 won to 99,000 won.

Examining Local Government Service Delivery Arrangements Over Time

While scholars of local service delivery arrangements are fully aware the process is dynamic, research has tended to take the form of cross-sectional studies that are inherently static in nature. In this article, the authors model the determinants of production mode accounting for past delivery decisions. They find, not surprisingly, that there are strong inertial effects; previous delivery mode is a strong predictor of the current service delivery arrangement. More interestingly, the impact of the transaction cost nature of services on production choice is conditioned on past decisions, such as the extent of contracting and the type of vendors used. There is also evidence that contract management capacity and the competitiveness of the contracting environment are influential.

Exploring the Vendor’s Process Model in Information Technology Outsourcing

Recently, the role of outsourcing vendors in outsourcing projects has been attracting increasing attention. This would imply that the studies on outsourcing truly require an understanding of both parties, i.e., the vendor and the customer, to realize the expected benefits. Although such benefits are mainly determined by how the outsourcing process is defined and managed, limited research has been done on the outsourcing process from the vendor’s perspective. The objective of this study is to provide guidance to organizations that plan to outsource or have already outsourced their IT functions in order for them to reap greater outsourcing benefits by understanding the vendor’s outsourcing process model. It also aims to assist vendors by exploring what key steps and concerns throughout the outsourcing process exist. To do so, this study develops a vendor’s outsourcing process model containing the type of vendor and structure of the vendor organization which comes strictly from the viewpoint of vendors. This is based on the author’s working experience and in-depth interviews with outsourcing practitioners in 15 IT companies. Such a model can provide valuable insights into the interconnection of vendor’s and customer’s outsourcing processes. Moreover, it can help customers and vendors expand their understanding of the outsourcing process from beginning to end.

Training Data Compression Algorithms and Reliability in Large Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract With the availability of low-cost sensor nodes there have been many standards developed to integrate and network these nodes to form a reliable network allowing many different types of hardware vendors to coexist. Most of these solutions however have aimed at industry-specific interoperability but not the size of the sensor network and the large amount of data which is collected in course of its lifetime. In this paper we use well studied data compression algorithms which optimize on bringing down the data redundancy which is related to correlated sensor readings and using a probability model to efficiently compress data at the cluster heads. As in the case of sensor networks the data reliability goes down as the network resource depletes and these types of networks lacks any central synchronization making it even more a global problem to compare different reading at the central coordinator. The complexity of calibrating each sensor and using an adaptable measured threshold to correct the reading from sensors is a severe drain in terms of network resources and energy consumption. In this paper we separate the task of comparative global analysis to a central coordinator and use a reference PM ax which is a normalized probability of individual source which reflects the current lifetime reliability of the sensors calculated at the cluster heads which then is compared with the current global reliability index based on all the PMax of cluster heads. As this implementation does not need any synchronization at the local nodes it uses compress once and stamp locally without any threshold such as application specific calibration values (30±C ) and the summarization can be application independent making it more a sensor network reliability index and using it independent of the actual measured values.

Changing Modes of Service Delivery: How Past Choices Structure Future Choices

Public managers and their political overseers can choose from several approaches as they decide how to structure the delivery of goods and services to citizens. The three most common service-delivery modes are: internal service delivery, in which the government produces the entire service; contracts with other governments, private firms, or nonprofit organizations; and joint service-delivery arrangements. Traditionally, governments' decision to ‘make or buy’ has been framed statically: public managers and their political overseers select one delivery mode over alternatives and then remain committed to that delivery approach. Of course, in practice, service-delivery choices can be more fluid: internal service delivery can later change to contracts, and contracts can later be internalized. Changing service-delivery modes is a potentially costly undertaking. Governments that elect to switch typically make changes to existing production systems and management systems. Varying costs associated with the alteration of existing production and management systems make switching from some modes of service delivery easier than others, depending in part on how the service was initially delivered. In general, the costs of changing from direct service delivery to contract service delivery are likely to be high: managers have to dedicate significant time and effort to dismantling existing production and management systems and building new ones. On the other hand, the service-delivery decisions of contracting governments are likely to be more dynamic because they have typically already incurred the costs of changing at a previous date. Sometimes governments internalize services when they have been using joint or contracted service delivery, whereas at other times they remain in the market by switching vendor type. In this paper we examine how governments' previous service-delivery choices structure their future choices. We analyze panel data from the 1992 and 1997 International City/County Manager Association's Alternative Service Delivery surveys along with data from the US Census and other sources. Our results suggest that service-delivery choices exhibit strong inertia, although when change occurs the previous service-delivery mode influences the likelihood of changing to other service-delivery modes in important ways. In general, governments which have already internalized the upfront costs of changing modes of service delivery are more likely to approach service-delivery choices more dynamically in future decision making.