试论旅行社服务模式创新

近年来，旅游产品质量投诉问题作为业界热点而持续升温，困扰着旅行社业。究其原因，从表象来看，旅行社业竞争加剧导致的产品同质化竞争，引起了价格战，使旅游产品质量下降。深层次的原因在于随着中国步入信息化社会及消费者的日益成熟，传统的旅行社业服务模式已无法满足以顾客为导向的营销理念的需要。因此，要全方位变革旅行社业服务模式，将信息技术导入旅游产品的开发设计、建立适应市场经济特征的垂直分层的营销体系，以战略眼光创建客户关系管理系统。     

The influence of crop insurance agents on coverage choices: The role of agent competition

We examine how competition among crop insurance agents affects coverage choice in the federal crop insurance program. Agents may influence producers’ insurance decisions to maximize their total compensation. We develop a theoretical model of producer–agent interaction to examine how loss potential, agent compensation mechanisms, and market competition affect the coverage level selected. Using crop insurance unit-level datasets from five states, we find evidence that agent market concentration and agents’ market share matter in the insurance coverage decisions of producers but that the economic significance of the influence is relatively small. Agent influence over coverage level, premium, and liability choice is generally positive but inconsistent across states, which may be attributable to differences in loss risk and agent compensation mechanisms.     

Time-varying risk attitude and the foreign exchange market behavior

This paper presents a heterogeneous agents model of the foreign exchange market in which agents’ risk attitudes vary over time due to psychological factors emphasized in prospect theory. We find that psychological component and risk-profit elasticity play significant roles in exchange rate expectations formation and investment behavior. Although all agents show more risk-averse after the crisis, the extent to which their risk attitude responds to the crisis varies due to heterogeneous forecasting rules as well as the changes of trading environment and central bank intervention. Moreover, time-varying risk attitudes can help explain the forward premium puzzle. These findings have implications for the exchange rate expectation formation theories and foreign exchange market stability policies.     

Time spent on erythropoietin stimulating agents administration in hemodialysis centers in Panama: a time and motion study

Objectives: There is a lack of data in Panama on the potential differences in total healthcare professional (HCP) time between routine administrations of short-acting erythropoietin simulating agents (ESAs) (i.e. epoetin alfa) and continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) (i.e. methoxy polyethylene glycol–epoetin beta). This study aimed to quantify the HCP time associated with a single administration of epoetin alfa and CERA for the treatment of anemic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis.

Methods: This was a multi-center, cross-sectional study, using a time-and-motion methodology. Costs related to HCP time and consumables usage associated with administration of epoetin alfa and CERA were estimated.

Results: Based on 60 administrations of either CERA or epoetin alfa, the estimated savings in mean total active HCP time were 2.34 (95% confidence interval?=?1.87–2.81) min (–30%) per administration. When extrapolating to a full year’s treatment with intravenous ESA, it would require a total of 20.3 (95% CI?=?19.90–20.71) h of HCP time for epoetin alfa vs 1.1 (95% CI?=?1.01–1.19) h for CERA per patient per year. Estimated savings in active HCP time per patient per year were 19.20 (95% CI?=?19.20–19.21) h (–95%). This, in turn, translates into staff cost efficiency that favors Mircera with an estimated annual saving of $78.24 (95% CI?=?78.24–78.28) (–95%) per patient.

Conclusions: Data from a real-world setting showed that the adoption of CERA could potentially lead to a reduction in active HCP time.

• Highlights

• Few comparative data have explored the costs and potential savings of using long-acting erythropoietin–stimulating agents (ESA) instead of short-acting ESAs to treat anemia in CKD patients on hemodialysis.

• This time-and-motion study shows that use of CERA reduces total healthcare professional time and could represent a save for an institution in a real-world setting in Panama.

     

香港王敬羲小说的异质性——读《女房客》

王敬羲的小说不同于香港文坛五、六十年代的难民小说和通俗小说，它通过对平常生活中普通人，尤其是小职员、小市民的心理描写．传达普通人对城市生活的体验和感悟．为香港纯文学的发展吹来一股新风。     

Collaborative computing for decision support in cardiovascular consulting

Vascular medicine is a newly developing discipline heavily based on geographically distributed consulting, and there is thus a strong need for computerized decision support in doctor‐to‐doctor collaboration for the management of vascular patients. The latest achievements in collaborative and multimedia computing for group decision support are incorporated into cardiovascular consulting. Feasibility analysis of the two basic components is addressed: (a) the communication system of collaborative computing as identified subject to the specifics of data flow and networking in geographically distributed cardiovascular consulting; and (b) the structure and representations for intelligent software agents that enable transfer of individual expert cardiovascular knowledge, support group brainstorming, and maintain the ongoing learning of group experience and analysis of patients cases.     

书信体小说的独特叙事魅力

书信体小说因其独具一格的叙事特征,在世界文学史上曾有过一段相当辉煌繁盛的时期,其叙事特色主要体现在仿真性、对话性、情节弱化等方面。     

The role of change agents and imitation in the diffusion of an idea: charge and discharge accounting

Medieval charge and discharge accounting was the most prevalent accounting system of its time. The first medieval charge and discharge system can be identified in the English Exchequer about 1110. This paper argues that the ideas behind the Exchequer were gradually diffused both internationally and nationally. This paper charts the export of charge and discharge systems to other European Exchequers, to monasteries and bishoprics, to lay estates, to manorial accounting, to guilds, boroughs, universities and parishes. From a single high status source at the start of the 12th century, charge and discharge accounting came to be imitated through mimetic and normative institutional isomorphism by a wide range of lower status medieval institutions by the late 15th century. In the first phase of diffusion, certain key individuals of wealth and power are identified as change agents. In the second phase, individuals, and accounting and estate management texts played an important role in the diffusion. The role of geographical proximity and accidents of history is also explored.     

The role of estate agents in the development process: A wider perspective

Summary

The general applicability of the conclusions of McNamara's study of estate agents in the development process (McNamara, 1984), which showed a surprisingly large involvement of such agents with building companies, is questioned by a study involving all types of development in four Conservation Areas in the West Midlands. This paper shows the very restricted activity of estate agents, which may be more typical of the development process in general.