Maritime tourism and terrorism: customer perceptions of the potential terrorist threat to cruise shipping

Maritime terrorism is a neglected area of research in tourism, particularly the use of scenario planning to understand potential threats to the cruise industry. Since the events of 9/11, terrorism, and the threat of terrorism, has become a major concern within the tourism industry. This article analyses tourist perception of perceived terrorist threats given that many ships are American owned. Using the scenario analysis presented by Greenberg, Chalk, Willis, Khilko, and Ortiz, this study suggests that an attack on a cruise ship is a distinct possibility. Indeed, 44% of respondents questioned perceived the possibility of a terrorist attack on a cruise ship to be likely despite the fact that safety and security is seen by the industry as a ‘hallmark’ of cruising. Differences in attitude among potential passengers revealed a high level of confidence in the cruise ship companies. This finding is particularly marked among more experienced cruise ship passengers. However, this did not necessarily preclude the possibility of security measures being improved. All passengers appeared generally resigned to the fact that risk is associated with travel in the twenty-first century and welcomed any efforts by cruise shipping companies to improve safety and security.     

STRATEGIC INVENTORY OPTIMIZATION

A company's inventory metrics are often viewed as critical indicators of its supply chain performance although inventory costs are only a fraction of total supply chain costs comprised of supplier, manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing costs, as well as inventory costs. Moreover, inventories across the supply chain are dependent on acquisition and distribution decisions. We discuss how simulation and optimization models can be combined to integrate analysis of inventory and supply chain network design decisions in performing a total cost analysis. An application of the models to plans for distributing retail products to an expanding network of stores is reviewed.     

Strategic Asset Allocation for China＇s Foreign Reserves： A Copula Approach

In this paper, we study strategic asset allocation for China＇s foreign reserves using a risk- based approach. Four aspects of the risk management are investigated： an investment universe, dependence structure, allocation strategies under risk minimization and trade-off between risks and returns. A regime-switching copula model is developed to investigate the dynamic dependence between assets. One regime emphasizes a short-term safe asset and the other regime emphasizes a long-term safe asset. The optimal allocation is derived following two strategies： risk minimization and trade-off between risks and returns in utility maximization with disappointment avoidance, lf the central bank focuses solely on risk minimization, the asymmetries in the asset return dependence encourage the flight to safety. However, if higher risks are allowed in exchange for higher returns, even the exchange is very conservative, and the asymmetries would discourage the flight to safety. Therefore, we suggest that China should mitigate its flight to safety after 2008 and increase holdings of short-term bank deposits, long-term treasury bonds and euro bonds.     

Assessing risks – challenges posed by the European general product safety directive

The concept of risk appears in a prominent way in the recently revised European Directive on General Product Safety (GPSD). Risk assessment is therefore an important tool for the success of the Directive; the question is how risk assessment should be carried out in a systematic manner in order to meet the aims of the Directive. In this paper, the references in the GPSD concerning the concept of risk are reviewed and compared with reported problems in European risk assessment. Existing guidelines for risk assessment are examined in order to determine what factors determine the consistency of the outcome. This leads to recommendations for a process that could be followed in order to make risk assessment successful in the context of the GPSD. On the basis of existing guidelines for risk assessment, criteria are formulated with which methods of risk assessment should comply. A stepwise process is proposed in order to develop a common method of risk assessment that can be applied in Europe to support the GPSD. The requirements for risk management in the new GPSD are rather and lack specification, both for producers and for enforcement authorities. The Directive further refers to the need to develop non-binding guidelines in due course. Sources of different outcomes of the risk assessment process are outlined in this paper as well as possibilities to achieve a more consistent basis for decisions, more uniformity and transparency. These are essential conditions if one wishes to avoid both undue trade barriers and unsafe products on the market. A leading role for the European Commission seems necessary to make sure that the intentions of the GPSD are accomplished.     

On the epidemiology of injury in developing countries: A one-year emergency room-based surveillance experience from León,Nicaragua

Background Regularly available data has been shown to be inadequate for developing, implementing, and evaluating injury prevention and control programs in Nicaragua. A specific prevention-oriented local injury surveillance system has therefore been set up in the city of León. Objectives The aim of this paper is to describe the epidemiology of fatal and non-fatal injuries over a one-year period in a well-defined local population in Nicaragua, as emerging from the perspective of emergency room and inpatient treatments over a one-year period. Methods A hospital-based injury surveillance system was established to collect data for different levels of severity. All treated unintentional and intentional injuries were registered, including information on the external causes according to the ICD-9. Results Of all emergency room visits, 15.9% (9,970) were injuries. For every death due to injuries, there were 31 hospital admissions and 253 emergency room visits. Home and street/roads were the main arenas for the accidents. The estimated underreporting rate was about 6%, and in 20.3% of the cases, no E-code was assigned. The overall incidence and mortality rates were 56.2 per 1,000 and 20 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. However, comparison with a parallel household survey showed that the reporting rate of the surveillance system is only about 9%. The overall ratio of male to female injury rates was 2.1 to 1. The main causes of non-fatal injuries were falls, whereas the main cause of death was traffic accidents. Conclusions Hospital discharge and emergency room data systems are effective and feasible means for collecting the data needed to prevent injuries. However, in a country like Nicaragua with limited access to hospital health services, it is necessary to supplement such a system with additional sources of information in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of injury occurrence.     

Death from drowning: defining a new challenge for child survival in Bangladesh

The study focuses on children less than 5 years old and explores the epidemiological profile and correlates of drowning as a challenge to child survival in Bangladesh. Two data sources from Bangladesh, a cohort of 8,070 children followed for 2 years in a rural area and a nation-wide survey conducted in 1996–97 have been used. In addition, a systematic review of the literature has been conducted spanning the past two decades for analysis of drowning in children. Seventy drowning deaths were reported in the cohort and 726 deaths were reported in the national survey. Verbal autopsy and semi-structured interviews were conducted on all deaths. Drowning accounted for 43% of deaths in the cohort and 20% of deaths in 1–4-year-old children in the national survey. Most drowning deaths were in 12–23 month old children from falling into ditches and ponds. Communities provided valuable insights on possible interventions to reduce deaths due to drowning. Drowning is a newly recognized challenge for Bangladesh. Considerable research and programmatic work is required to understand the nature of the problem and develop appropriate interventions. This paper calls on aid agencies to create opportunities for drowning research and action in their work plans for the country.     

论矿井素质评价及其在安全生产中的作用

矿井素质反映了企业创造良好的经济效益、为职工谋求福利、为社会事业贡献、创建和谐社会和优美环境、持续健康发展的综合能力。提高矿井素质是促进安全生产的根本,是保障资源合理利用、保障员工利益的重要途径。矿井素质指数由其各构成要素的水平决定,可以通过数学方法定量评价。通过评价可以掌握企业发展状况,以便及时发现问题、寻找差距,推动矿井素质提高。     

汽车用制动器衬片质量安全影响因子识别、分析和评价

文章从汽车制动器衬片的质量安全影响因子的识别和提取人手，通过调研事故案例，运用FMEA和FTA分析方法，对衬片可能产生的故障模式、故障原因、伤害类型、严酷度、发生概率等进行风险评估，找出纠正、预防和控制措施。并通过衬片产品质量检验数据，对市场上流通的衬片配件质量进行综合评价。     

如何进行企业信息安全目标管理设定

现代化企业对信息的依赖性逐渐增强,企业信息已经成为企业一种非常重要的资产,因此信息的安全性也越来越凸显独特的重要性。如何形成全面的信息安全管理体系,建立完善的企业信息安全机制,是企业管理者们一直探索的课题。如果从管理层一开始就设定了明晰的企业信息安全目标,那么只需要从制度上、机构上加强管理,使企业信息达到安全级别是完全有可能的。     

论如何提高煤矿企业管理水平

文章通过分析现阶段煤矿企业中存在的一些问题,针对煤矿企业的特点,提出了提高煤矿企业管理水平的具体措施。