Application of a resource allocation system in a technology-based public organization

A resource allocation system developed for a government laboratory has been subjected to a full-scale experiment within that organization. The experimental system includes: (1) a multiplicative benefit estimation procedure, (2) a constrained optimization resource allocation model hosting piecewise linear benefit functions and interactive capabilities for sensitivity analysis, and (3)a network tracking procedure for predicting progress on major laboratory objectives. It is applied to R & D activities representing 3/4 of the laboratory's total program. The methodological philosophy, structure, and experimental design are presented together with attitudinal data and informational insights gleaned from the experiment. The flexibility of the system for adapting to alternative management models and benefit functional forms is demonstrated.     

Vergleich von Allokationsmethoden zur Kapazitätsvergabe bei grenzüberschreitenden Netzengpässen

Several market initiatives within Europe aim at implementing flow-based methods for capacity allocation. Compared to the common transaction-based methods, these new methods are supposed to lead to an improved utilisation of cross-border capacities. In order to quantify the implications, a model for the coupled consideration of the power plant dispatch and the resulting load flows in the transmission system was developed. By means of detailed data of the Central Western European region the model was used to highlight the advantages of a flow-based allocation. Due to the more accurate mapping of the actual flows within the algorithm, the trade volume can be increased significantly leading to an enhanced convergence of the single market prices. However, the involved market players do not benefit in the same way from the trading possibilities in the presented case. The algorithm does not send direct economic signals regarding the profitability of different locations of power plants because of the required simplifications in the practical implementation. But the system-wide impact of the input in a certain location can be evaluated and therefore also be controlled where appropriate.     

Resource management in software as a service using the knapsack problem model

This paper proposes a resource allocation model for “Software as a Service” systems that maximizes the service provider's revenues and the resource utilization under a heavy load. Employing the elasticity of virtualized infrastructures, the proposed model dictates that system resources must be fully exploited by incoming jobs, even if they do not satisfy their requirements completely. This yields a higher Service Level Agreement violation probability, which is mitigated by the assignment of more resources when these become available. The problem is deduced to the Fractional Knapsack problem and the heuristic solution is implemented in the frame of a SOA environment.     

农村基础设施投资贡献度模型构建研究

农村基础设施投资贡献度研究,是合理确定农村基础设施投资顺序的依据,是优化资源配置的基础,是加快新农村建设步伐的必要条件。基于运用永续盘存法(PIM)测算的1990~2007年间农村道路、自来水设施和电力设施资本存量,运用Eviews 5.0统计分析软件,从影响农民收入、农民支出和农村经济三个维度出发,构建生产函数模型,科学测算各项基础设施的投资贡献度;在此基础上,提出相应政策建议。     

铝合金材料ε—N 曲线研究

本文分别采用 Manson—Coffin 公式和 Fu's 公式,对8条铝合金材料ε—N 曲线试验数据进行了分析、处理,并对两种公式所处理试验数据的绝对误差和相对误差作了比较。结果表明,Fu's 公式比著名的 Manson—Coffin 公式能更好地描述铝合金材料ε—N 曲线。而且 Fu's 公式还简化了ε—N 曲线的测试工作。     

Stocking decisions for repairable spare parts pooling in a multi-hub system

This paper presents an analytical model for determining spare parts stocking levels in a single-item, multi-hub, multi-company, repairable inventory system in which complete pooling of stock is permitted among the hubs and companies. The objective is to minimize the total system cost which consists of inventory holding cost, downtime cost and transshipment cost. We develop an approximation method to compute the logistical system performance measures needed for calculating the cost function. To find the optimal stocking levels, a two-stage solution is proposed. In the first stage, the demands at all hubs are aggregated and treated as if occurring at a single location. The optimal number of total spare parts is determined by minimizing the sum of inventory holding cost and downtime cost. In the second stage, a heuristic procedure is developed to find the optimal allocation of the total spare parts to minimize the total transshipment cost.     

An R & D planning and control servosystem: A case study*

This paper describes a planning and control system (PACS) to aid R & D decision-making which has been developed and used at the Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. The planning model portion of the integrated system is a two-dimensional dynamic programming resource allocation algorithm which performs project selection, budgeting and scheduling. Behavioral parameters that can be used to simulate certain organizational factors are included in the planning model. The control model portion of the integrated system develops cost-effectiveness measures of variances between actual and planned performances for ongoing projects over time, which provide early warnings of pending project failures and guide control action. Applications of the system at Monsanto indicate that it significantly aids the development of satisfactory organizational decisions and also provides a laboratory for pretesting decisions.     

基于变邻域搜索算法的物流配送系统集成优化研究

本文针对物流配送系统集成优化问题,考虑取货和送货两种业务的配送情形下仓库和车辆的容量上限约束,构建包括仓库的开放成本、配送成本以及容量溢出成本的非线性混合整数优化模型,设计变邻域搜索启发式算法对模型进行求解。算法通过泰森多边形确定位置上的初始订单分配,再通过扫描半径及消费者数据结构标识实现邻域搜索,改进算法对解决方案进行迭代更新,完成优化求解。最后通过对辽宁宅急送取／送一体化物流配送案例进行数值分析,验证算法可行性和有效性。     

RESPRO-an interactive procedure for planning newproduct chemical research

The model has been developed specifically for the great uncertainties obtaining in new-product chemical researchparticularly in the pharmaceutical industry-but it is hoped that it will prove flexible enough to be used in other circumstances. The program is in Fortran and could be run on most computer systems.
Procedures for selecting projects and reviewing their progress are becoming increasingly important aspects of R & D management. Modelling a procedure mathematically can prove advantageous, especially if such a model is capable of computational analysis, for then the policy alternatives can easily be explored and compared. This paper describes one such computer based procedure. In quantifying the value of any effort allocation, the program automatically takes account of the fact that estimates of the likelihood that a project will result in a new discovery change as work continues on the project. It also computes a marginal profitability index for each project. Comparison of these indices suggests ways in which effort might profitably be re-allocated among projects.     

Pull and push: individual farming in Hungary

This paper is motivated by the fact that (part-time) individual farming is commonly observed among rural households in a number of transition economies but it is not clear prima facie if such resource allocation is optimal. A conceptual model of household labor allocation between individual farming and off-farm wage employment is developed. The model explicitly accounts for the role of household endowments in labor allocation as the analysis is conditioned on the status of factor markets. The hypotheses are empirically tested using 1998 data from a country-representative survey of rural households in Hungary, an advanced transition country, which only recently became EU member state. Results provide evidence that capital market imperfections still remain. Implications for the policies related to agricultural sector restructuring, employment and rural development are discussed.     

基于单井效益评价的油田效益配产方法研究

油田优化配产是指油田企业对下属采油单位的产量、成本等进行配置,从而实现指标分解和效益最大。本文提出以单井效益评价数据为基础,在油田内部打破采油单位界限,以采油井为单元,对油田所辖的全部单井采用统一平台进行优化排序,分别以效益最大、成本最低、盈亏平衡为目标,建立配产优化模型,计算出油田公司的效益产量,再按照效益最大、成本最低的效益油井所属采油单位进行分配,从而实现油田公司的效益配产。实际应用表明,以单井效益评价为基础的油田效益配产理论和方法切实可行,为油田配产提供了新的思路,可以实现从能力配产到效益配产的转变,使油田达到最佳生产规模。     

Measuring food insecurity: Can an indicator based on localized coping behaviors be used to compare across contexts?

The Coping Strategies Index (CSI) was developed as a context-specific indicator of food insecurity that counts up and weights coping behaviors at the household level. It has proven useful to operational humanitarian agencies and researchers in measuring localized food insecurity, but to date has not been useful to compare the relative severity of different crises and has therefore has not been particularly useful for geographic targeting or resource allocation. This paper analyzes data from 14 surveys in crisis-affected or chronically vulnerable countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that incorporated the context-specific CSI. The paper identifies a sub-set of individual coping behaviors common to all surveys, whose severity is regarded as broadly similar by households across these studies. Data from these studies were re-analyzed using a reduced index constructed from only these behaviors. Correlations of this new index with other known food security indicators are similar to those of the complete, context-specific CSI. This suggests the possibility that an indicator based on these common behaviors could be used to compare the types of food security crises analyzed here across different contexts – particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa – to improve geographic targeting and resource allocation, according to the severity of crises. This new, more comparative indicator can be generated with no loss to the context-specific nature of the original CSI, which has proven useful for assessment and monitoring purposes.     

提高城区电网短期负荷预测准确率的方法

负荷预测是电力系统中的一个重要环节,是电力系统安全、经济、稳定运行的重要保障。针对我国大型城市中心城区负荷易受天气等突变因素影响而出现负荷曲线突变,导致短期负荷预测准确率降低的问题,以及城区负荷具有较明显的时间周期性特点,提出了通过考虑逐时、划分特定区域气象信息建立负荷预测模型,利用数据挖掘技术寻找相似日的方法,为提高短期负荷预测准确率提供一种思路。     

Allocating broadcast spectrum Models and proposals

The authors describe a model of the current US allocation system. By contrast they then outline a proposed model for spectrum allocation on the basis of the value which people place on various portions and uses of the spectrum. In light of these models, the authors examine aspects of proposals by Congress to change the decision making process for spectrum allocation. Finally, the implications and possible consequences of these proposals are examined.     

Solving the Winner Determination Problem in a Divisible-Object Auction

In an auction of a divisible object, bidders' demand functions are often assumed to be nonincreasing, meaning that bidders are willing to pay less or the same price for every additional unit. Under this assumption, the optimal allocation that maximizes the auctioneer's revenue can be found using a greedy-based procedure. This article argues that situations may arise where a bidder may need to express her preferences through a nondecreasing demand function; when such a bidder is present in the auction, the greedy-based procedure does not guarantee the optimal allocation. Thus, this article proposes a mixed integer program that finds the optimal allocation in a divisible-object auction at which bidders submit their bids as arbitrary stepwise demand functions. The practical aspect of the mathematical program is presented by means of a simple yet illustrative example in a treasury bond auction setting. The results of the auctioneer's revenue are reported as a function of the number of bidders with nonincreasing and nondecreasing demand functions.     

Integer-ratio policies for distribution/inventory systems

We study a multistage distribution/inventory system with a central warehouse and N retailers. Customer demand arrives at each retailer at a constant rate. The retailers replenish their inventories from the warehouse, which in turn orders from an outside supplier. It is assumed that shortages are not allowed and lead times are negligible. The goal is to determine policies which minimize the overall cost in the system, that is, the sum of the costs at each facility consisting of a fixed charge per order and a holding unit cost. We propose a heuristic procedure to compute near-optimal policies. Computational results on several randomly generated problems are reported.     

Estimating and comparing learning curves in three Asian economies

This paper consists of two parts. In the first, a method is suggested to isolate the effects of scale economies on learning phenomena by integrating the conventionally specified learning curve with the production function in neoclassical economics. The problem of establishing the variable for measuring experience is dealt with in the estimation procedure. Using this method we estimated the learning curves of 20 industries in the manufacturing sector in Singapore using data taken from 1961 to 1991. More modern industries like electronics, precision instruments and pharmaceutics have steeper learning curves than older industries. Among traditional industries, the food and beverage industry has a greater learning potential than others. In the second part of the paper, the learning curves for 11 common industries in South Korea, Japan and Singapore were estimated and compared. The Japanese industries are found to have steeper learning curves compared to those in Singapore and South Korea.The authors are from the Department of Business Policy, Faculty of Business Administration, National University of Singapore. The authors would like to thank Ms Tan Mui Lee for her assistance in preparing the time series data used for this study.     

水力模型在城市污水管网系统改造中的应用

利用InfoWorks ICM软件建立污水系统水力模型,对污水管网运行状况进行仿真模拟,在模型计算值与实测数据对比满足校核精度要求的前提下,利用水力模型对改造方案进行验证,保证方案的可行性和合理性。以广州市大坦沙污水系统-石井污水系统调水工程为研究对象,应用水力模型对改造方案实施前后的主干管运行超载状况、污水溢流状况和污水厂运行负荷进行评估分析,为该区域污水系统改造方案的可行性分析提供理论依据。     

Competition Policy under Laissez-Faireism: Market Power and its Treatment in Hong Kong

The paper describes the current competition policy framework in Hong Kong: how it came into existence, what business practices are prohibited, and how the enforcement system works. Recent cases in the telecommunications industry are used to illustrate the sectoral approach, a unique feature of Hong Kong's competition policy. We argue that a sectoral approach faces two fundamental drawbacks. First, due to having different ``rules of the game' for different sectors, the allocation of resources may be distorted in the long run. Second, since the relevant regulatory agencies perform dual roles both as competition policy enforcer and as traditional regulator of natural monopolies, the impartiality of their competition decisions may not be credibly conveyed to the public. We also address other specific problems associated with the sectoral approach, such as the exclusion of structural issues, narrow coverage of sectors, and the lack of public enforcement. We conclude that an overall competition law can better promote competition and economic efficiency in Hong Kong.     

The Engineering Economist

ABSTRACT There are many different notations used to describe industrial property mortality; some are mathematical formulas, while others use a graphical format. The Weibull distribution is a mathematical formulation and is commonly used in life testing and quality control. Because of the kinship of life testing and industrial property mortality, the Weibull distribution was selected as a possible distribution to describe mortality characteristics. Tests were performed to determine how well the distribution fulfilled this function. The results indicate that the Weibull distribution describes industrial property mortality patterns as well as the Iowa-type curves. On this basis, the distribution shows promise for use in life analysis.