Violations of Service Fairness and Legal Ramifications: The Case of the Managed Care Industry

Adapted from Chan's (2000) model depicting success of litigation, this paper argues that with the application of various legislation, health maintenance organizations' (HMOs') violations of service fairness to each group: enrollees, physicians, and hospitals give rise to each group's lawsuits against the HMOs. Various authors (Bowen et al., 1999; Seiders and Berry, 1998) indicate that justice concepts such as distributive, procedural, and interactional justice can be applied to the area of service fairness. The violation of these underlying justice principles with HMOs' service unfairness to enrollees, physicians, and hospitals is examined. A general synopsis of the ethical issues in the managed care industry is provided. The various lawsuits launched by each group: enrollees, physicians, and hospitals together with the key statutes used are discussed. This paper also highlights the provisions and ramifications of the 11 April 2000 landmark agreement that Aetna made with Texas Attorney General John Cornyn to settle the 1998 lawsuit brought against the company. Lastly, the current ethical issues in the managed care industry are further discussed. The value of this paper can be adapted to the study of organizations' service fairness violations in other industries or in the educational, governmental, and not-for-profit sectors both nationally and internationally.     

Road infrastructure and economic development in the periphery: the case of A55 improvements in North Wales

This paper examines the impact of a major road improvement programme on the economic development of North Wales. The paper identifies the economic impacts of the road on a selection of firms and organisations in North Wales, and provides a modelling framework to examine the static and dynamic effects of road improvements. Road improvements across North Wales are found to be a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for economic development in this peripheral area.     

LABOUR SUPPLY ESTIMATION AND PUBLIC POLICY

Abstract. Economists devote considerable energies towards refining their econometric techniques to overcome difficulties connected with conducting empirical research. Despite advances in technique. it is not clear whether further refinement in this direction is worthwhile for policy purposes. It may be that no further amount of statistical adjustment of inadequate data will increase understanding, and that better data is simply necessary to add to our knowledge. But rarely is sufficient credit paid to new forms of data. In short, econometric technique is emphasized to the neglect of data innovation, as if new data were merely lying about waiting for an ingenious suggestion for use. This paper surveys advances of the last twenty five years in estimating labour supply for policy purposes with a view towards appreciating the relative contribution of both improvements in econometric technique as well as developments of new data.
After briefly detailing the key parameters which economists have sought to estimate, we describe the early 'first generation' research (circa 1970), which is plagued by problems of unobservable variables, measurement errors, truncation and selectivity bias, and non linear budget constraints. 'Second generation' research constitute attempts to resolve one or more of these difficulties, and the respective contribution of econometric technique and new data is acknowledged and assessed, including the contribution of data generated by large scale social experiments in which participants are randomly assigned to different guaranteed income plans and their labour supply behaviour measured.     

对改革供电企业变电检修现行管理模式的探讨

提出了重组专业化的变电检修总公司的战略思路,对电网企业与总公司之间发展新型关系进行了探讨,指出以战略思维构筑战略联盟,保持合作联盟,实现共赢与发展.分析虽是对检修体制改革,同时也是对安全生产管理体制的变革,有利于供电企业的安全生产管理.     

绿色通道规划研究进展评述

有关绿色通道的理论及应用是近年来国内外景观设计学等领域研究的热点。从生态保护、历史文化保护、视觉美学评价、综合型绿道规划思想与方法、使用格局与体验、实施和管理及与相关政策的关系、各国绿道建设与发展情况七方面回顾与评述了绿色通道研究的进展,介绍了这一思想在我国的应用与发展,并对其研究与应用前景进行了展望。     

运用BOT模式加快我国基础设施建设

基础设施是经济发展的必要前提,而我国基础设施已成为制约经济高速增长的"瓶颈",我国应积极运用BOT投资方式,吸引更多的外资和国内民间资本投资基础设施项目,同时应加强项目的风险管理,全面促进我国基础设施的建设。     

城市环境基础设施投资现状的反思

本文利用近年我国城市环境基础设施投资的相关统计资料,分别从效益性、稳定性、充足性角度分析了我国环境基础设施投资的现状.提出组建法人化的投资主体,以城市环境基础设施项目的经营属性来研究制定和调整价格政策,重新定位财政在城市环境基础设施投融资中的作用等,以期改善城市环境基础设施投资现状.     

数字证书撤销方法的研究现状

证书撤销一直是公钥基础设施(PKI)研究和应用中的一个难点问题.文章对目前应用和研究中的证书撤销机制进行了介绍,详细描述了各种机制的实现原理,并对其优缺点进行了剖析,最后对证书撤销机制的研究作了展望.     

PFI模式与基础设施供给

传统观念认为 ,基础设施服务的供给是政府一个很重要的职能。但是近年来 ,随着实践和理论的发展 ,这种观念开始发生变化。人们开始探索新的基础设施服务供给模式并取得了良好的效果 ,PFI模式主是其中最具代表性的一种。对目前基础设施服务供给的现行模式进行了分析 ,并阐述了英国用以解决基础设施服务供应所采用FPI模式。提出了借鉴英国PFI模式发展我国基础设施产业的政策建议。     

绿色维修技术在汽车处理中的应用价值

随着我国经济的快速发展,人们的生活质量得到改善,汽车保有量逐年递增。汽车修理工作的重要性日益突显,甚至成为影响社会发展的主要因素。在汽车修理工作中,一是要合理选择汽车维修技术;二是要重视汽车的危害因素,如环境污染。所以工作人员应该合理应用绿色维修技术,减少污染问题的出现。论文主要阐述在汽车处理中绿色维修技术的应用价值,仅供参考。