Measuring cost savings in the operating room: a matter of FOCUS (follow-through, obsolescence, control, utilization, standardization)

In summary, changes came slowly at first in the OR. The biggest inventory reduction came about a year after the effort had begun. It would seem that tackling obsolescence, standardizing products, etc. would give an initial "big chunk" savings, with small amounts coming later as inventories are lowered. What we expected did not occur, due to the inherent nature of practices and what was customarily being used. For example, previously, some equipment purchases were paid for by purchasing product, which resulted in long-term commitments and high supply costs. The OR at times seemed more like a process of managing change, not just supplies. FOCUS is a daily process. How many times can you afford to overlook this process? How often are the mistakes of the past repeated? In review, we suggest this simple outline: Follow-through (review each case from start to finish), Obsolescence (schedule inventories every six months), Control (achieve inventory management by adjusting PAR levels to needs), Utilization (utilize product/equipment with your control), and Standardization (standardize products and measure results).     

Vying for time. Work and family

Time--there is never enough of it. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything at work and at home. Today's employees, forced to choose between work obligations and family responsibilities, often feel frazzled and guilty. Some employers recognize these conflicts and are finding ways to lighten the work/family load. They are offering a sophisticated combination of dependent-care options, flexible work hours and family-related benefits tailored to meet the needs of the employees within their specific industries. HRMagazine looks at leaders in six major industries--manufacturing, health, communications/technology, financial management, government and retail. No one can give employees that 25-hour day that everyone feels they need to juggle all their work and family obligations. But these industry leaders have provided a nurturing environment where employees can successfully balance those obligations.     

2001年国际承包商经营动向

在疲软的市场中,更重要的是利润而不是数量     

艾滋病与经济

本文系为世界卫生组织宏观经济和卫生委员会第一工作组撰写,文章原名为Aids & Economics,原载于http://www.iaen.org/files.cgi/7055_bloom_economics.pdf(2001年11月)。翻译此文,是基于世界范围内的艾滋病流行,给各国经济和社会发展都造成了严重影响。中国在经济实现快速增长的同时,也面临着所获成果有被艾滋病吞噬的危险。本文作者利用20世纪80年代及90年代初的调查数据,从宏观及微观的角度就HIV/AIDS对柬埔寨、越南及非洲一些国家的经济所造成的影响进行了回顾,分析了二者之间错综复杂的关系;同时以泰国为例探讨了预防艾滋病病毒感染所可能带来的经济收益,呼吁各国增加对艾滋病防治工作的投入。译者切望通过本文能够引起更多人对艾滋病防治问题的关注,增加对公共卫生领域的财政和人力投入。     

金融自由化的利弊

金融压抑的兴起与民粹主义、国家主义和国家于上主义相联的。在金融压无抑的情况下，许多国家的经济状况进一步恶化。于是，随着金融业管制的放松，更为广泛的国内经济自由化和对外开放得以实现。但利率自由化经常伴随着危机的爆发或者引发危机。然而，对于任何一个希望完全分建设者经济增长利益的国家来说，建立一个实质性的金融自由化体系是惟一可行的出路。     

美国大型制造商2003年第三方物流服务使用情况调查

当大型制造商提出供应链战略时，第三方物流服务的使用是他们所要考虑的一个重要选择。第三方物流提供者给这些公司提供了范围广泛的服务，不仅在国内市场，国际市场也是如此。管理者考虑使用这些服务面临着一个复杂的决策，这些涉及到一系列重要的控制与成本、服务改进之间的权衡，必须在迅速变化的第三方物流产业中进行评估。     

经济增长的变化本质

在过去的一个世纪中,富裕国家的经济本质已经发生了巨大的变化。因此,文章提出“技术生理演变(technophysio evolution)”概念,即快速技术变化和人类生理进步的协同作用。这主要表现在以下三个方面：(1)消费结构和工作体闲时间分配的改变;(2)经济和家庭产出分配方面受高水平经济成就的影响;(3)全球市场迅速急剧转向耐用消费品和高科技服务。     

利润——外商来华投资的根本目的

最近几个月以来,有很多文章在探讨按照国际惯例经营中国的合资企业问题,我愿谈一谈我对这一重要论题的看法。如果中国要继续获得甚至增加外国投资,也许更重要的是外国技术,中国必须满足几个条件。按照国际惯例经营的一个最重要因素就是要允许合理地回收投资(ROI),也就是说既然以硬通货投入,那么利润必须以硬通货获取,投资者还能够把利润带走。这一点在中国很难作到。正是因为这个最重要的原因,外国的商