Marketing Performance and Business Risk in Acutecare Health Trusts - A New Comparative Approach

The introduction of an internal market to the NHS in April 1991 has created a vastly different structure for the delivery of healthcare throughout the UK. This paper investigates the relationship between the changing income structure of acute care Trusts and their use of marketing as a tool to manage an increasingly complex operating environment. Primary data from a postal questionnaire to Trust Chief Executives (or their representatives) has been used to classify the 51 responding Trusts according to their performance within an acute care market that accounts for some £3.57 billion of the annual NHS spend.This is the first time that this type of marketing risk analysis as been attempted within the UK Health Service.

An innovativepositional matrix has been developed, categorising all the acute healthcare Trusts into four categories according to theirMarketing Index (MI) and Perceived Future Income Instability (INS) scores. The study suggests that about 24 per cent of all the Trusts are excessively exposed to future business risk as evident by their rather high income instability scores and low useof marketing tools and therefore more attention to marketing has to be given by these Trusts. Closer analysis of the results ofthe data indicates that those Trusts with a high marketing index (i.e. those more likely to be able to handle income instability),place market analysis, marketing strategy, demand forecasting and personal contact with purchasers, as top priorities. ThoseTrusts with low marketing indexes give priority to pricing analysis and personal contact with purchasers only.     

面向融通仓系统的物流企业选择优化研究

融通仓系统建立过程中的一个关键环节就是物流企业的选择,它直接关系到该系统能否稳定持续地运行。针对融通仓系统物流企业选择过程所面临的信息不完全性、复杂性、未确知性,本文引入修正熵权的未确知测度方法建立决策模型,该模型将专家确定的权重与熵权结合起来,得到综合考虑主客观因素的指标权重向量,从而提高权重确定的准确性和评价结果的可信度。最后通过案例分析论述了具体的应用过程,表明该模型的合理性和有效性,为融通仓系统物流企业的优化选择提供一套切实可行的方法。     

Marketing strategies for hotels

The aims of this article are to investigate the application of hotel marketing strategies by independent vs group (chain) hotels and to investigate comparatively the performance — along a number of criteria — of these two types of hotel organisation.The study presents in detail the main stages in developing a hotel marketing strategy and a taxonomy of the 9 major strategies available for hotels, discussing their features, characteristics and when appropriate for application.Any meaningful analysis of hotel marketing should be based on the marketing strategies employed by the individual establishment and group/chain organisation. No doubt effective selling of hotels' products and services depends to a large extent on the marketing strategies selected. As the market for hotels' services is dynamic and accompanied by rapid changes in the environment due to uncertain economic conditions, increased competition, advancement in technology, and inflation, increased attention will be given by hotels in the future to the selection of an appropriate marketing strategy.     

Hotspots and trends of technology education in the International Journal of Technology and Design Education: 2000–2018

Using visualized bibliographic data and a range of quantitative research methods, the analysis of the International Journal of Technology and Design Education (IJTDE), which is included in the core collection of Social Science Citation Index, reached a number of conclusions. Firstly, IJTDE is an important platform for the exchange of research results in the field of technology education, and has a significant influence. Secondly, De Vries, Williams, Ankiewicz and a number of others are influential and prolific authors in the IJTDE. Authors from the USA, England, New Zealand, Taiwan and Australia make most contributions to the IJTDE, Delft University of Technology, University of Auckland and the University of Waikato are the more prolific institutions in the IJTDE. Thirdly, technology education, education, design, science, creativity, technology, design education, knowledge, student, technological literacy and problem solving are the most frequency keywords in the IJTDE. Creativity, design education, problem solving, curriculum development, design and critical thinking, practice, engineering education, and STEM education are research trends in the IJTDE between 2000 and 2018. Fourthly, the discipline knowledge base mainly focuses on teaching and design methods in the technological environment, and the definitions of technology-related concepts. The results enable a deeper understanding and consideration of the content and influence of IJTDE, and the research hotspots in the field of technology education.

     

Optimizing the number of industrial salespersons

The objective of this article is to examine the major alternative methods currently used for optimizing the industrial sales force size and to assess their applicability in industrial firms. The article examines in detail the main difficulties facing an industrial firm trying to optimize its sales force, discussing some of the factors that affect industrial selling strategy and policy. The five alternative major techniques for optimizing the number of industrial salespersons, are then discussed in detail, presenting the basis of each approach/method, its advantages and disadvantages for an industrial firm, and when the method is applicable in an industrial marketing situation.     

河南省校企合作知识集成耦合机制的实证研究

以校企合作为背景,首先构建了技术机制、信任机制、学习机制、激励机制、利益分配机制和知识产权机制6种耦合机制与知识集成绩效间关系的概念模型。然后利用路径分析法,将原概念模型分解为4个复回归模型,并对模型逐一进行修正,得到校企合作知识集成耦合机制的路径图。最后分别对6种耦合机制的直接效果值和间接效果值进行分析。得出如下结论:校企合作的技术机制、知识产权机制、信任机制、学习机制、激励机制和利益分配机制与知识集成绩效之间存在显著的正相关关系;校企合作的信任机制通过学习机制的中介作用影响知识集成绩效;校企合作的激励机制通过利益分配机制的中介作用影响知识集成绩效。     

The Marketing of Tourism

The objectives of this article are to present the applications of marketing management in the tourism industry. The article discusses the various factors affecting the tourism market and its major sectors: (i) travel agencies and tour operators; (ii) hotel and catering; and (iii) transport. Any meaningful analysis of tourism marketing, should be based on: (a) market segmentation; (b) tourism marketing mix; and (c) marketing strategies. As the market for tourism services and products is dynamic and accompanied by rapid changes in the environment due to increased competition, technological changes and inflation, increased attention should be giver7 to the ernployme17t of appropriate marketing management methods as this industry, as indicated in the present article.     

基于雨课堂的混合式教学设计与实践——以《金融工程学》课程为例

传统的课堂教学已经不能满足当代大学生学习的需求,线上与线下相结合的混合式教学能够更好地激发大学生学习的自主性,自主学习是可持续的,是高效的。雨课堂依托微信,凭借其方便使用的特点被广泛使用。研究以《金融工程学》课程为例,讨论基于雨课堂的混合式教学设计及其实践。