Gradual location set covering with service quality

Location set covering models were first described in the early 1970s. In their simplest form, they minimize the number of facilities necessary to completely cover a set of customers in some given space, where covering means providing service within a predetermined distance. This paper considers extensions of the basic model that soften the covered/not covered dichotomy and replace it with gradual covering. The models discussed in this work include the quality of service as a criterion. The models are formulated and compared with each other with respect to their size and features. A small series of computational tests concludes the paper.     

The maximal covering location problem with accessibility indicators and mobile units

We study the Maximal Covering Location Problem with Accessibility Indicators and Mobile Units that maximizes the facilities coverage, the accessibility of the zones to the open facilities, and the spatial disaggregation. The main characteristic of our problem is that mobile units can be deployed from open facilities to extend the coverage, accessibility, and opportunities for the inhabitants of the different demand zones. We formulate the Maximal Covering Location Problem with Accessibility Indicators and Mobile Units as a mixed-integer linear programming model. To solve larger instances, we propose a matheuristic (combination of exact and heuristic methods) composed of an Estimation of Distribution Algorithm and a parameterized Maximal Covering Location Problem with Accessibility Indicators and Mobile Units integer model. To test our methodology, we consider the Maximal Covering Location Problem with Accessibility Indicators and Mobile Units model to cover the low-income zones with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 patients. Using official databases, we made a set of instances where we considered the poverty index, number of population, locations of hospitals, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 patients. The experimental results show the efficiency of our methodologies. Compared to the case without mobile units, we drastically improve the coverage and accessibility for the inhabitants of the demand zones.     

The influence of natural hazards on urban housing location

The effects of natural hazards on urban housing location are investigated, using as an example seismic damage. The seismic damage function is allowed to arbitrarily vary in two-dimensional (r, θ) space rather than the usual one-dimensional models of Mills, Muth, Alonso, etc. Damage is assumed to only affect capital inputs (i.e., the structure), not land. Under the influence of expected damage, the population and CBD (treated as a point) are seen to shift toward lower expected damage. It is found that the relative importance of damage increases as the capital productivity parameter (b) of the Cobb-Douglas production function increases.     

产品市场竞争、融资约束与组织冗余结构

从产品市场和金融市场的视角,分析产品市场竞争对组织冗余结构的影响,并在此基础上研究融资约束的情境效应,最后讨论冗余结构偏离对企业绩效的影响。研究结果发现：产品市场竞争越激烈,企业持有的非沉淀性冗余资源比例越少;企业面临的融资约束程度越严重,表现为企业规模越小、企业负债率越低时,产品市场竞争对组织冗余结构的负向影响越强;最后,当企业实际冗余结构偏离标准冗余结构时,将会对企业绩效产生不利影响。研究结论为理论界和企业界进一步加深对组织冗余结构的理解和管理提供了新的理论诠释和实践指导。     

预算结余索取权安排、棘轮效应和预算松驰关系研究

预算结余和棘轮效应涉及的均是本期对下期的影响。本文研究这两种制度安排对预算编制松驰和预算执行松驰的影响。采用实验方法收集数据,统计分析发现：（1）在各种预算索取权安排下,预算责任人都有制造预算编制松驰的激励;当棘轮效应不存在时,各种制度安排下的预算编制松驰程度无显著差异;当棘轮效应存在时,不同预算结余制度安排下,预算编制松驰程度不同,留用利益比例与预算编制松驰负相关;（2）当棘轮效应不存在时,如果预算结余留用比例足够高,预算责任人可能没有制造预算执行松驰的激励;当棘轮效应存在时,在各种预算索取权安排下,预算责任人都有制造预算编制松驰的激励;无论棘轮效应是否存在,在不同的预算结余索取权安排下,预算执行松驰程度不同,留用比例与预算执行松驰负相关。（3）棘轮效应对预算编制松驰有抑制作用,对预算执行松驰有促进作用。     

Modal choice,location demand,and income

W. Alonso's monocentric city model (″Location and Land Use,″ Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass. (1964)) is extended to explain the simultaneous choice of residential location, housing quantity, and work trip mode. Mode is conceived of as a continuous choice variable, each mode being characterized by a speed and a fare. Mode is shown not to be independent of location, so that location “prices” should be included in the mode demand equations used in urban transportation planning. Comparative statics of the model with respect to income are presented. The earlier finding that the effect of income increase on location is indeterminate is confirmed.     

The impact of technological diversity and organizational slack on innovation

This article examines the effects of technological diversity and organizational slack on innovation performance. Negative binomial regression is used to test the hypotheses in a panel data of 2745 cases. The results indicate that there is an inverse U-shaped relationship between technological diversity and innovation performance. Moreover, the moderating role of organizational slack is recognized and absorbed slack positively moderates while unabsorbed slack negatively moderates the effect of technological diversity on innovation performance. Managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.     

The relationship between discretionary slack and growth in small firms

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal - Discretionary slack, along with entrepreneurial orientation (EO), are vital to the growth and long-term survival of small firms. This...     

Mixed oligopoly, foreign firms, and location choice

We investigate a mixed market in which a state-owned, welfare-maximizing public firm competes against n domestic private firms and m foreign private firms which are all profit-maximizing. A circular city model with quantity-setting competition is employed. We find that the equilibrium location pattern depends on m. All private firms agglomerate in the unique equilibrium if m is zero or one. Two foreign firms induce differentiation between domestic and foreign private firms. More than two foreign firms yield differentiation among the foreign firms. Regardless of n and m, agglomeration of all domestic private firms appears in equilibrium. We provide several conditions in which eliminating the public firm from the market enhances social welfare. We extend the basic model and investigate three issues concerning multiple public firms, inefficiency of the public firm, and entries by private firms. We obtain some additional implications of welfare and equilibrium locations.     

Transport improvements,commuting costs,and residential location

This paper develops a theoretical framework for evaluating one of the long-run or secondary effects of a transport improvement. The familiar model of residential location is manipulated to derive an estimating equation relating changes in travel costs to changes in the household's preferred location. When estimated for a particular transport situation the major finding is the importance of the price effect. Although direct cost savings are important, especially in the short-run, in the long-run and especially for innovations with substantially increased speed or reduced operating costs the price effect may completely dwarf the income effect.     

The effect of operational slack,diversification, and vertical relatedness on the stock market reaction to supply chain disruptions

This paper empirically examines whether operational slack, business diversification, geographic diversification, and vertical relatedness influence the stock market reaction to supply chain disruptions. The results are based on a sample of 307 supply chain disruptions announced by publicly traded firms during 1987–1998. Our analysis shows that firms with more slack in their supply chain experience less negative stock market reaction. The extent of business diversification has no significant effect on the stock market reaction. Firms that are more geographically diversified experience a more negative stock market reaction. We find that firms with a high degree of vertical relatedness experience a less negative stock market reaction. These results have important implications on how firms design and operate their supply chains to mitigate the negative effect of supply chain disruptions.     

Slack and strain in efficient budgeting and resource allocation by organizations

Outlines conditions under which the interest of a whole organization is best served by its central management allocating more funds or resources to a sub-unit or sub-centre than is optimal (on average) under certainty, or budgeting fewer funds or resoruces than this. Slack is efficient in the former case and organizational strain in the latter one, a possibility neglected by Leibenstein in his theory of organizational slack and X-efficiency. The solution to the problem is simplified, in comparison to Hart's and Theil's approach, by using random net benefit functions. Optimal budget bias is shown to depend on rates of change of marginal net benefit.     

Ambidextrous culture,contextual ambidexterity and new product innovations: The role of organizational slack and environmental factors

Contextual ambidexterity, defined as the simultaneous pursuit of alignment and adaptability at business unit, is linked to several organizational outcomes including improved performance and innovation outcomes. Extant research posits ambidextrous organizational culture as an important enabler to contextual ambidexterity but suffers from a lack of a well‐meaning scale for the same. In addition, there is very little understanding as to how tasking and facilitating environment can be on firms' endeavour for contextual ambidexterity and the outcomes thereof. Therefore, the current piece of research has twin objectives using two separate studies. First, to develop a scale for ambidextrous organizational culture construct and second, to analyse the role played by the external forces (munificence and dynamism) and internal slack resources on the relationships between ambidextrous organizational culture and contextual ambidexterity and between contextual ambidexterity and new product innovation outcomes through an empirical investigation in India. Using structural equation modelling on data from 414 respondents, we found environmental munificence to strengthen the relationships between ambidextrous organizational culture and contextual ambidexterity and between contextual ambidexterity and new product innovation outcomes. On the other hand, environmental dynamism had a dampening impact on these relationships. Our findings also suggest that for low slack organizations, dynamic and unmunificent environments magnified the negative impact on an organisation's ambidexterity efforts and new product innovation outcomes.     

A note on the aggregation of slack and shortage in centrally planned economies

This note attempts to identify the key methodological problems that remain unsolved in the controversy about the aggregation of slack and shortage in disequilibrium econometric models of centrally planned economies (CPEs). The procedure of smoothing by aggregation implemented by Burkett (1988) is critically reviewed and found wanting, despite possible attribution to Kornai (1980) for justification. We argue that the procedure neglects the problems of resource immobility and hoarding that have prevailed in CPEs. Even from a neo-Keynesian perspective, it is at odds with a rigorous microeconomics of rationing that takes into full account the substitution and income effects of spillovers. One important issue is that saving may actually be reduced because of a tightening of the ration. These considerations throw serious doubt on the validity of the smooth trade-off between slack and shortage that forms the basis for econometric estimation and lead to concern that the Walrasian configuration cannot be identified from the estimation results.I wish to thank Michael Artis, Paul Madden, Bernard Walters and two anonymous referees for useful comments, suggestions and criticisms. The issues reviewed in this note are admittedly controversial and I am solely responsible for all interpretations, opinions and errors.     

央企财务松懈与超额员工责任研究

中央企业员工薪酬水平过高是中央企业在财务松懈状态下过度承载员工责任的一种表现.拉克尔系数是反映企业员工薪酬水平是否合理的一个重要财务指标,它能够体现劳资关系是否协调.在对财务松懈和企业社会责任进行分析的基础上,从自由现金流量与负债率两个角度对中央企业上市公司财务松懈问题进行研究后发现,财务松懈的中央企业上市公司平均拉克尔系数为48.3656％,远高于39.395％这一临界值,这说明中央企业上市公司在承担员工责任方面过于“积极”.     

A Comparison of Slack Resources in High and Low Performing British Companies

Theory predicts that slack resources provide the means for achieving flexibility in developing strategy options. The outcome of generating and investing slack resources to achieve flexibility should be improved company performance. There is also a prediction that low performing companies are likely to have lower levels of slack than high performing companies, and therefore are likely to have less potential for achieving flexibility to impact on performance. However, as the literature features several inadequacies a comparative study of high and low performing British companies was carried out to address these inadequacies. While multiple measures of slack were found to be predictors of company performance in high performing companies, they seemingly have negligible impact on performance in low performing companies. Also, only certain types of slack resources are seemingly more prominent in high performers than in low performers. The results provide a development and refinement of the previous limited knowledge about slack resources.