Constructing conceptual models for knowledge capture and delivery systems

Appropriate conceptualization of the nature of entities and relationships in a problem domain is a key prerequisite to the successful design of computerized decision aids for business, especially those developed for more than one idiosyncratic user. The need for a reliable conceptual model is particularly acute in the design of decision support systems that must function in problem‐solving situations with no existing theoretical framework or where theory and practice differ considerably.

This paper presents an interative procedure for developing a reliable conceptual model by testing the “fit”; of successive revisions of the model against a collection of “think‐aloud”; verbal problem‐solving protocols of people with experience in the domain. The model is revised each time until it is verifiably and consistently accurate. Such a procedure, it is argued, is more objective and reliable than intuition or traditional knowledge engineering and requires considerably less experimental data collection and analysis than more elaborate empirical model development procedures.

The feasibility of this procedure is illustrated by using it to construct a conceptual model for a computer‐based system that seeks to capture knowledge used during project planning and deliver it for use during project control.     

ENGAGING THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO IMPROVE HEALTH IN AFRICA

In much of sub‐Saharan Africa, governments have demonstrably failed to deliver health services to the poor. In some places, governments and donor agencies have contracted with private companies and non‐profits to deliver health services, with considerable success. Ideologically driven Western NGOs oppose further moves towards private provision – seemingly preferring the poor to suffer substandard and erratic government provision than to obtain their healthcare through non‐state means.     

A Critical Appraisal of the Current Use of Transaction Cost Explanations for Government Make-Or-Buy Choices: Towards a Contingent Theory and Forms of Tests

Abstract

This article aims at contributing to the extant literature on government make-or-buy choices building on transaction cost economics (TCE) by explicitly theorizing about transaction alignment and its relation to performance. It is argued that current theoretical and empirical models of government make-or-buy choices are not able to make predictions that corroborate theory. They are dependent upon the assumption of perfect competition that is ill-suited for the public sector setting. Instead, contingent models that take performance differences into account constitute a more valid model of TCE in this setting. In this article, theoretical models and empirical approaches for such a research agenda are developed.     

我国快递行业安全体系建设研究探讨

近年来,物流安全问题引发的社会关注度越来越高。物流安全是一个庞大的系统工程,它涉及物流系统的方方面面,还与社会环境密切相关,其中作为物流行业重要组成部分的快递行业安全更令人堪忧,如何建立快递安全体系以适应行业发展是我国快递行业亟待解决的问题。     

医疗服务递送机制中主体利益关系及扭曲矫正——基于政府职能的视角

医疗服务递送机制中涉及到医疗服务机构、医生、药企和患者四方利益主体。当前我国这些利益主体之间种种不合理的利益"合作"与"冲突",均与医疗服务递送机制中政府职能的缺位和错位存在着直接关系。在进一步深化医改的过程中,我国政府应当正确地履行好理应承担的公共职能,即加强对卫生资源的合理规划与配置;加大对公立医院的财政投入并优化对其补偿机制;加强对医疗服务机构与药品行业的监管;加强医药信息披露机制建设;鼓励医药卫生服务市场公平竞争,并放弃不适当的医药价格管制。     

上海市闵行区浦江镇“流动人口孕产妇平产分娩点”六年评估

通过对上海市闵行区浦江镇流动人口孕产妇平产分娩点的建立、运行和效果的评估,探讨政府在解决流动人口卫生保健问题中的作用。特约分娩点的建立是-项成功的政策措施,向农民工提供低收费和优质的基本产科服务深受农民工欢迎。目前每月在浦江镇特约分娩点分娩的产妇稳定在600-800例左右,服务质量优良。这是在我国城市化进程改善进城农民保健中-项成功的政策措施,卫生局起主导作用。     

Political risk assessment on air logistics hub developments in Taiwan

Political risk assessment has long been practiced by multinational corporations, but has been rarely used for air performance reviews. This study is a political risk assessment of the development of an air logistics hub in Taiwan, and thus examines the factors leading to physical property losses of air carriers based at the hub. It utilizes a checklist and a brainstorming session to identify risk factors, a 5×5 risk matrix to undertake a qualitative risk survey, and an analytical hierarchy process to assess the risk. The study concludes that micro- and macro-factors are approximately of equal importance to the development of an air hub in Taiwan. Issues relating to inland vehicle parking, air logistics infrastructure developments and the cross-strait relationship appear to be particularly crucial.     

An integrated multi-depot hub-location vehicle routing model for network planning of parcel service

The paper describes why optimal design of depot and hub transportation networks for parcel service providers makes it necessary to develop a generalized hub location and vehicle routing model (VRM). Analogous problems occur for postal, parcel and piece goods service providers. A generalized hub location and VRM is developed which encompasses the determination of the number, locations of hubs and depots and their assigned service areas as well as the routes between the demand points and consolidation points (depots, hubs). Because this task leads to a very complex transport design problem, a heuristic solution concept has to be developed. The applicability to a case study is demonstrated; the case of completely new system configuration for Austria is considered. Management must simultaneously decide the number, location, service areas and routes from demand points to depots and vice versa (the pickup and delivery structure) as well as the number and locations of hubs and the routes of depot–hub and hub–hub transports (the hub location or line haul structure), The developed management support decision model leads for real cases to a tremendous number of some million binary variables as well as continuous variables and million of constraints.