WorldWideScience

Sample records for dismiss home market

  1. The U.S. home infusion market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monk-Tutor, M R

    1998-10-01

    Medicare legislation stimulated the development of home care services but also resulted in fragmentation of service components. In the 1980s, prospective pricing and diagnosis-related groups, and resulting pressures to reduce inpatient length of stay, prompted additional growth of the industry. Even so, in 1995 home care represented only 3% of total national expenditures on health care. The annual growth rate of the home infusion industry dropped from 64% in 1982-86 to 24% in 1986-93. While revenue per patient for home infusion is expected to decrease under managed care, an increasing number of patients will support continued market growth. The home infusion market is highly competitive, with only a few large national providers and many small local providers. In 1996, 29% of acute care hospitals provided or were developing a home care program. Community pharmacists' options in the home infusion area include independent services, partnerships, joint ventures, contracts with hospitals, and franchises. The home infusion market is being integrated into alternative sites, such as ambulatory infusion centers (AICs), as providers attempt to diversify to maintain managed care contracts. AICs provide infusion therapy and nursing to noninstitutionalized, nonhome-bound patients. Untapped sources for future growth of the infusion market include long-term-care facilities. More consistent studies of the home care market are needed. Despite slowed growth in recent years, home care has a strong market in the United States.

  2. Medicare home health utilization as a function of nursing home market factors.

    OpenAIRE

    Swan, J H; Benjamin, A E

    1990-01-01

    Rapid increases in the size and costs of the home health market, unknown impacts of Medicare's DRG hospital reimbursement on the posthospital market, and general lack of knowledge about factors that explain interstate variation in home health utilization all suggest the importance of developing and testing models of Medicare home health use. This article proposes and tests a model of state home health utilization as a function of the nursing home market. This model proposes that home health u...

  3. Marketing in home health care. A practical approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freitag, E M

    1988-06-01

    Home health marketing brings special problems and opportunities. One cannot rely on physical factors such as the physical plant and food service of a hospital or on the durability of a consumer product to judge home health. Opportunities exist within home health to identify activities that carry marketing value. Applying marketing principles to activities such as intake, customer service and public relations allows the home health agency to build referrals by meeting the wants and needs of the market. The home health organization needs to consider different wants and needs of those involved in the home health transaction: the decision maker, the purchaser, and the user. The success of the marketing function in meeting the organization's objectives will be aided by the placement of marketing at the senior management level.

  4. Teacher Dismissal and Due Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leichner, Edward C.; Blackstone, Sidney

    1977-01-01

    This article addresses due process requirements in the nonrenewal and dismissal of tenured and nontenured teachers. The Georgia Fair Dismissal Law is used as a basis for discussing the grounds for teacher dismissal. Dismissal grounds discussed are 1) incompetency; 2) insubordination; 3) willful neglect of duties; 4) immorality; 5) inciting,…

  5. Competition and quality in home health care markets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Kyoungrae; Polsky, Daniel

    2014-03-01

    Market-based solutions are often proposed to improve health care quality; yet evidence on the role of competition in quality in non-hospital settings is sparse. We examine the relationship between competition and quality in home health care. This market is different from other markets in that service delivery takes place in patients' homes, which implies low costs of market entry and exit for agencies. We use 6 years of panel data for Medicare beneficiaries during the early 2000s. We identify the competition effect from within-market variation in competition over time. We analyze three quality measures: functional improvements, the number of home health visits, and discharges without hospitalization. We find that the relationship between competition and home health quality is nonlinear and its pattern differs by quality measure. Competition has positive effects on functional improvements and the number of visits in most ranges, but in the most competitive markets, functional outcomes and the number of visits slightly drop. Competition has a negative effect on discharges without hospitalization that is strongest in the most competitive markets. This finding is different from prior research on hospital markets and suggests that market-specific environments should be considered in developing polices to promote competition. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Marketing energy conservation options to Northwest manufactured home buyers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hendrickson, P.L.; Mohler, B.L.; Taylor, Z.T.; Lee, A.D.; Onisko, S.A.

    1985-06-01

    This study relies on extensive, existing survey data and new analyses to develop information that would help design a marketing plan to achieve energy conservation in new manufactured homes. Existing surveys present comprehensive information about regional manufactured home occupants and their homes that are relevant to a potential conservation marketing plan. An independent analysis of the cost-effectiveness of various efficiency improvements provides background information for designing a marketing plan. This analysis focuses on the economic impacts of alternative energy conservation options as perceived by the home owner. Identifying impediments to conservation investments is also very important in designing a marketing plan. A recent report suggests that financial constraints and the need for better information and knowledge about conservation pose the major conservation investment barriers. Since loan interest rates for new manufactured homes typically exceed site-built rates by a considerable amount and the buyers tend to have lower incomes, the economics of manufactured home conservation investments are likely to significantly influence their viability. Conservation information and its presentation directly influences the manufactured home buyer's decision. A marketing plan should address these impediments and their implications very clearly. Dealers express a belief that consumer satisfaction is the major advantage to selling energy efficient manufactured homes. This suggests that targeting dealers in a marketing plan and providing them direct information on consumers' indicated attitudes may be important. 74 refs.

  7. Marketing and promoting solar water heaters to home builders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keller, C.; Ghent, P.

    1999-12-06

    This is the final report of a four-task project to develop a marketing plan designed for businesses interested in marketing solar water heaters in the new home industry. This report outlines suggested marketing communication materials and other promotional tools focused on selling products to the new home builder. Information relevant to promoting products to the new home buyer is also included.

  8. Marketing Suggestions for Home Original Chicken, Hefei China

    OpenAIRE

    Cheng, Ran

    2014-01-01

    The research “Marketing Suggestions for Home Original Chicken, Hefei China” was commissioned by Home Original Chicken Co. Ltd, which is the biggest Chinese fast-food restaurant chain in Anhui Province. The theory needed in the research was marketing mix strategies. Marketing mix consists of product, price, place and promotion. The marketing strategies contain product decisions (including individual products decisions, product line decisions, product mix decisions), price decisions (contai...

  9. Business Solutions Case Study: Marketing Zero Energy Homes: LifeStyle Homes, Melbourne, Florida

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2015-06-01

    Building America research has shown that high-performance homes can potentially give builders an edge in the marketplace and can boost sales. But it doesn't happen automatically. It requires a tailored, easy to understand marketing campaign and sometimes a little flair. This case study highlights LifeStyle Homes’ successful marketing approach for their SunSmart home package, which has helped to boost sales for the company. SunSmart marketing includes a modified logo, weekly blog, social media, traditional advertising, website, and sales staff training. Marketing focuses on quality, durability, healthy indoor air, and energy efficiency with an emphasis on the surety of third-party verification and the scientific approach to developing the SunSmart package. With the introduction of SunSmart, LifeStyle began an early recovery, nearly doubling sales in 2010; SunSmart sales now exceed 300 homes, including more than 20 zero energy homes. Completed homes in 2014 far outpaced the national (19%) and southern census region (27%) recovery rates for the same period. As technology improves and evolves, this builder will continue to collaborate with Building America.

  10. Current marketing practices in the nursing home sector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calhoun, Judith G; Banaszak-Holl, Jane; Hearld, Larry R

    2006-01-01

    Marketing is widely recognized as an essential business function across all industries, including healthcare. While many long-term care facilities adopted basic healthcare marketing practices and hired marketing staff by the early 1990s, a paucity of research on nursing home marketing exists in the literature. This study examines the extent to which nursing homes have developed more formulated marketing and related communication and promotional strategies as market competition has increased in this sector during the past two decades. In addition, we explored managers' perceptions of their control over marketing decision making, the impact of competition on the use of marketing practices, and areas for enhanced competitive positioning. Administrators from 230 nursing homes in 18 Southeastern Michigan counties were surveyed regarding (1) the adoption level of approximately 40 literature-based, best-practice marketing strategies; (2) the types of staff involved with the marketing function; and (3) their perception of their level of control over marketing functions and of local competition. Results from 101 (44 percent) survey participants revealed that although respondents viewed their markets as highly competitive, their marketing practices remained focused on traditional and relatively constrained practices. In relation to the importance of customer relationship management, the majority of the administrators reported intensive efforts being focused on residents and their families, referrers, and staff, with minimal efforts being extended to insurers and other types of payers. A significant positive relation was found between the intensity of marketing initiatives and the size of the facility (number of beds), whereas significant negative correlations were revealed in relation to occupancy and the perceived level of control over the function.

  11. 39 CFR 955.31 - Dismissal without prejudice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Dismissal without prejudice. 955.31 Section 955.31... OF CONTRACT APPEALS § 955.31 Dismissal without prejudice. In certain cases, appeals docketed before... discretion, dismiss such appeals from its docket without prejudice to their restoration when the cause of...

  12. Business Solutions Case Study: Marketing Zero Energy Homes: Tommy Williams Homes, Gainesville, Florida

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2015-06-01

    Building America research has shown that high-performance homes can potentially give builders an edge in the marketplace and can boost sales, but it doesn't happen automatically. It requires a tailored, easy-to-understand marketing campaign, and sometimes a little flair. This case study highlights the successful marketing approach of Tommy Williams Homes, which devotes resources to advertising, targeted social media outlets and blogs, realtor education seminars, and groundbreaking and open house celebrations. As a result, in one community, 2013 property sales records show that TWH outsells the only other builder in the development at a higher price, with fewer days on the market.

  13. Facility and market factors affecting transitions from nursing home to community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arling, Greg; Abrahamson, Kathleen A; Cooke, Valerie; Kane, Robert L; Lewis, Teresa

    2011-09-01

    Research into nursing home transitions has given limited attention to the facility or community contexts. To identify facility and market factors affecting transitions of nursing home residents back to the community. Multilevel models were used to estimate effects of facility and market factors on facility-level community discharge rates after controlling for resident demographic, health, and functional conditions. Facility discharge rates were adjusted using Empirical Bayes estimation. Annual cohort of first-time admissions (N=24,648) to 378 Minnesota nursing facilities in 75 nursing home markets from July 2005 to June 2006. Community discharge within 90 days of admission; facility occupancy, payer mix, ownership, case-mix acuity, size, admissions from hospitals, nurse staffing level, and proportion of admissions preferring or having support to return to the community; and nursing market population size, average occupancy, market concentration, and availability of home and community-based services. Rates of community discharge (Empirical Bayes residual) were highest in facilities with more residents preferring community discharge, more Medicare days, higher nurse staffing levels, and higher occupancy. In addition, facilities had higher community discharge rates if they were located in markets with a greater ratio of home and community-based services recipients to nursing home residents and with larger populations. State Medicaid programs should undertake system-level interventions that encourage nursing facilities to reduce unused bed capacity, balance the mix of payers, invest in nurse staffing, and take other steps to promote community discharges. In addition, states should increase home and community-based services, particularly in markets with low community discharge rates.

  14. POST DISMISSAL EARNING AND REDUCTION OF MONETARY COMPENSATION FOR UNFAIR DISMISSAL IN MALAYSIA

    OpenAIRE

    Ali Mohamed, Ashgar Ali; Shair Mohamed, Mohd Akram; Sardar Baig, Farheen Baig

    2017-01-01

    Atcommon law, a wrongfully dismissed workman is bound to make reasonable exertionand show diligence in endeavouring to procure alternative employment. Failureto accept suitable alternative employment or take reasonable steps to procurethe same would result in a deduction from the total amount recoverable forunfair dismissal calculated on a sum representing the amount the workman mighthave earned during the period. If the workman is unable to secure a comparablejob, or where a comparable job d...

  15. Dismissal: Important criteria in managerial decision-making

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabricio Stocker

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge about dismissal decision-making, particularly concerning the criteria used by managers in choosing who will be dismissed and why, is scarce. Considering the implications of such decisions for organizations and society, in this paper, we identify the seven most frequently used criteria in dismissal decisions and examine their importance for managers. We collected data through a survey among 385 managers and used the rational ranking and the multicriteria Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP to analyze them. The results show that commitment, performance records, and trust have the greatest impact on the dismissal decision, whereas interpersonal relationship, growth potential, and professional experience are considered secondary criteria. These results contribute to extending our knowledge about dismissal decisions and showing the most relevant criteria in these choices and the relevance assigned to each of the criteria so that greater transparency can be achieved.

  16. Leaving home and entering the housing market.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Clark, W.A.V.; Mulder, C.H.

    2000-01-01

    We use a multinomial choice model of owning a home, owning a trailer, or renting to examine the housing-market entry of young adults in the USA after they have left the parental home. We also model the choice between renting independently and sharing with roommates. We show that the likelihood of

  17. Legal aspects associated with dismissal from clinical laboratory education programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Legrys, V A; Beck, S J; Laudicina, R J

    1995-01-01

    To review academic dismissals, students' rights in dismissal cases, and several key cases involving academic and disciplinary dismissals. Recent academic literature and legal precedents. Not applicable. Not applicable. Students involved in dismissals are protected under the principles of constitutional law and/or contract law, depending on whether the institution is public or private. The basis for dismissal from educational programs is either academic or disciplinary in nature. In academic dismissals, a student has failed to meet either the cognitive or the noncognitive academic standards of the program. In disciplinary dismissals, a student has violated the institutional rules governing conduct. Policies that affect progress in the program and the dismissal process should be published and distributed to students, as well as reviewed for consistency with institutional policies. The amount of documentation needed in the defense of a dismissal decision has not been specified, but, in general, more is better. Procedures are suggested as a guide to dismissals in clinical laboratory programs.

  18. Predicting Days on Market: The Influence of Environmental and Home Attributes

    OpenAIRE

    Robert P. Culp

    2008-01-01

    This paper estimates the difference in the number of days a home will remain on the market based upon its environmental attributes. Using on-site inspections of 3088 home sites, the results, using two-stage least squares, show that time on market is reduced and price increased by a variety of green features such as trees, landscaping, open spaces and parks, while time on market is increased and/or price decreased by man-made obstructions such as power lines, roads near the home, train tracks,...

  19. 20 CFR 410.698 - Dismissal by Appeals Council.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., Administrative Review, Finality of Decisions, and Representation of Parties § 410.698 Dismissal by Appeals... discontinuance and dismissal. (b) Death of party. Proceedings before the Appeals Council may be dismissed upon death of a party against whom charges have been preferred. (c) Request for review not timely filed. A...

  20. Operating environment and USA nursing homes' participation in the subacute care market: a longitudinal analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weech-Maldonado, Robert; Qaseem, Amir; Mkanta, William

    2009-02-01

    We examined the impact of environmental factors on USA nursing homes' participation in the subacute care market. Findings suggest that the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 did not have a significant impact in the participation of nursing homes in the subacute care market from 1998 to 2000. However, there was a declining trend in the participation of nursing homes in the subacute care market after the implementation of Medicare prospective payment system (PPS). Furthermore, nursing homes with a higher proportion of Medicare residents were more likely to exit the subacute care market after PPS. Results also suggest that nursing homes have responded strategically to the environmental demand for subacute care services. Nursing homes located in markets with higher Medicare managed care penetration were more likely to offer subacute care services. Environmental munificence was also an important predictor of nursing home innovation into subacute care. Nursing homes in states with higher Medicaid reimbursement and those in less competitive markets were more likely to participate in the subacute care market.

  1. Marketing energy conservation options to Northwest manufactured home buyers. Revision 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hendrickson, P.L.; Mohler, B.L.; Taylor, Z.T.; Lee, A.D.; Onisko, S.A.

    1985-10-01

    Manufactured, or HUD-Code, homes comprise a growing share of the housing stock in the Northwest, as well as nationally. Their relatively low cost has made them especially attractive to lower income families, first-time home-buyers, and retired persons. The characteristics of manufactured home (MH) buyers, the unique energy consumption characteristics of the homes, and their increasing market share make this market an especially critical one for energy consumption and conservation planning in the Northwest. This study relies on extensive, existing survey data and new analyses to develop information that can potentially assist the design of a marketing plan to achieve energy conservation in new manufactured homes. This study has the objective of assisting BPA in the development of a regional approach in which numerous organizations and parties would participate to achieve conservation in new manufactured homes. A previous survey and information collected for this study from regional dealers and manufacturers provide an indication of the energy conservation options being sold to manufactured home buyers in the PNW. Manufacturers in the Northwest appear to sell homes that usually exceed the HUD thermal requirements. Manufacturers typically offer efficiency improvements in packages that include fixed improvements in insulation levels, glazing, and infiltration control. Wholesale costs of these packages range from about $100 to $1500. Typical packages include significant upgrades in floor insulation values with modest upgrades in ceilings and walls. This study identifies trends and impacts that a marketing plan should consider to adequately address the financial concerns of manufactured home buyers.

  2. Drunk Driving Conviction Not Sufficient to Dismiss Tenured Teacher.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flygare, Thomas J.

    1983-01-01

    Recounts the case of "Turk v. Franklin Special School District" in Tennessee, in which the board's dismissal of a teacher was reversed by the Tennessee Supreme Court because the board failed to follow its own dismissal procedures and because the particular drunk driving conviction did not warrant dismissal. (RW)

  3. Self-Selection for Readmission after Academic Dismissal: An Experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phipps, Ronald A.

    A new readmission policy at Salisbury State College for students who were academically dismissed is described, and data are presented on dismissals and readmissions from Fall 1974 through Fall 1976. Academically-dismissed students may be readmitted in time to enroll for the next semester provided they apply for readmission through the Office of…

  4. 41 CFR 302-14.100 - How should we administer our home marketing incentive payment program?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... reduce your overall relocation costs. You must not make a home marketing incentive payment that exceeds... our home marketing incentive payment program? 302-14.100 Section 302-14.100 Public Contracts and... 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Agency Responsibilities § 302-14.100 How should we administer...

  5. Comparative analysis of Fiber-to-the-Home market liberalization in the EU

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Williams, Idongesit

    2017-01-01

    The penetration of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) in the EU is low. This is because deploying FTTH is capital intensive. The liberalization of the FTTH market in three EU countries is studied in this paper. The aim is to identify the challenges that affect the growth of FTTH in the EU. This is a qualit......The penetration of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) in the EU is low. This is because deploying FTTH is capital intensive. The liberalization of the FTTH market in three EU countries is studied in this paper. The aim is to identify the challenges that affect the growth of FTTH in the EU......, this paper concludes that competition at the wholesale market aspect of the FTTH market should be given more priority than competition at the retail section of the Fiber-to-the-Home market. This prioritization in regulating competition will enable greater market penetration of Fiber...

  6. Dismissive reviews in education policy research: A list

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard P. Phelps

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Included in these web pages are the statements—the dismissive reviews—of some prominent education policy researchers. Most of their statements are inaccurate; it is possible that all of them are. Certainly, all of them are misleading. Each linked file includes the dismissive statements, the names of the lead authors (in bold when known and co-authors, title, source, date, and, page numbers for the statement and hyperlink to the source, when available, all listed in reverse chronological order. “Dismissive review” is the general term. In the “type” column of the files, a finer distinction is made among simply “dismissive”—meaning a claim that there is no or little previous research, “denigrating”—meaning a claim that previous research exists but is so inferior it is not worth even citing, and “firstness”—a claim to be the first in the history of the world to ever conduct such a study. For the most part, I have included statements made by “serial dismissers”, researchers who dismiss repeatedly on a variety of topics. This is done to help counter the argument that they might be innocent, actually did make an effort to look for previous research, and simply could not find it. In most cases they dismiss a research literature that is hundreds or thousands of studies deep. And, when they do that repeatedly across a variety of topics, the odds that their dismissive behavior could be innocent fade to minuscule. - See more at: http://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Resources/DismissiveList.htm#sthash.TXzlmZhZ.dpuf

  7. Breastfeeding status and marketing practices of baby food manufactured in nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathur, G P; Pandey, P K; Mathur, S; Mishra, V K; Singh, K; Bhatt, O P; Loomba, R K; Luthra, C; Taneja, S; Kapoor, R

    1993-11-01

    In January 1993 in Kanpur, India, a survey of 7 private nursing homes revealed that infant formula was given to most newborns (52.4%). The most common brands included Lactogen-I, Milk Care, Raptakos, Dexolac Special Care, and Lactodex. Staff at 5 nursing homes gave prelacteal feeds (water, glucose water, and infant formula) to newborns when they were separated from their mothers. Staff at only 2 nursing homes gave the newborn to the mother immediately after delivery. The longest period between delivery and giving the newborn to the mother was 24 hours. All but one of the nursing homes did not know about the government policy and the recent bill that bars free or low-cost infant formula supplies to hospitals. The administration of the nursing homes did not inform the procurement department, in writing, of the government policy. 4 nursing homes bought low-cost supplies of infant formula from the companies. The companies sold the infant formula to the nursing homes at a price 48.3% to 86.7% lower than the market price. Medical stores inside or outside the nursing homes sold the infant formula to parents at the other 3 homes. The nursing homes used, on average, 2-50 kg/month. Nestle (Lactogen-I) and Dalmia Industries (Milk Care) had a monopoly in infant formula in 4 and 3 nursing homes, respectively. Infant formula was in stock in 5 nursing homes. None of the nursing homes gave mothers free or low-cost infant formula at discharge. Lower than market price and increased number of calls to the hospitals and physicians by company personnel were marketing techniques used by the manufacturers to maintain market share. These results show that, despite government policy and the bill, hospitals continue to use infant formula. The government should use the mass media to increase awareness about its policy on infant foods and the concept of the Baby Friendly Hospital.

  8. Promotions, dismissals, and employee selection: Theory and evidence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frederiksen, Anders; Takáts, Elód

    2011-01-01

    Firms offer highly complex contracts to their employees. These contracts contain a mix of incentives, such as fixed wages, bonus payments, promotion options, and dismissals or threats of dismissal. In this article, we show that firms having a production process that is sensitive to employee quality...... may find it optimal to combine cost-efficient incentives such as bonuses and promotions with dismissals. Based on this result, we derive a hierarchy of incentives. Furthermore, we demonstrate the close link between the optimal contract and the employee sorting and selection and use this to analyse...

  9. Technical Barriers, Gaps, and Opportunities Related to Home Energy Upgrade Market Delivery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bianchi, M. V. A.

    2011-11-01

    This report outlines the technical barriers, gaps, and opportunities that arise in executing home energy upgrade market delivery approaches, as identified through research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program. The objective of this report is to outline the technical1 barriers, gaps, and opportunities that arise in executing home energy upgrade market delivery approaches, as identified through research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program. This information will be used to provide guidance for new research necessary to enable the success of the approaches. Investigation for this report was conducted via publications related to home energy upgrade market delivery approaches, and a series of interviews with subject matter experts (contractors, consultants, program managers, manufacturers, trade organization representatives, and real estate agents). These experts specified technical barriers and gaps, and offered suggestions for how the technical community might address them. The potential benefits of home energy upgrades are many and varied: reduced energy use and costs; improved comfort, durability, and safety; increased property value; and job creation. Nevertheless, home energy upgrades do not comprise a large part of the overall home improvement market. Residential energy efficiency is the most complex climate intervention option to deliver because the market failures are many and transaction costs are high (Climate Change Capital 2009). The key reasons that energy efficiency investment is not being delivered are: (1) The opportunity is highly fragmented; and (2) The energy efficiency assets are nonstatus, low-visibility investments that are not properly valued. There are significant barriers to mobilizing the investment in home energy upgrades, including the 'hassle factor' (the time and effort required to identify and secure improvement works), access to financing, and the

  10. Dismissals: A Case for Business Ethics!

    OpenAIRE

    Susanne Hahn

    2009-01-01

    A scenario of dismissal is used to illustrate a business ethical reflection that is guided by the method of reflective equilibrium. Several rules of dismissal are considered with respect to an already proved practice and to the goals of the corporation. The deliberation shows how the demand for coherence between norms and practice and for the achievement of certain purposes works. The limits and chances of business ethical reflection are indicated on the basis of the discussed example. By pro...

  11. Actions against Asse II dismissed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1980-01-01

    In the legal dispute over the storage of radioactive waste in the former Asse II salt mine near Wolfenbuettel, the Higher Administrative Court for Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in a decision dated January 17, 1980, dismissed as inadmissible the appeals brought by plaintiffs from the Federal Republic of Germany, Denmark and Austria against the decision by the Braunschweig Administrative Court, in which that action had been dismissed. Also more recent applications were declared to be inadmissible on the grounds that the Lower Saxony State Ministry of Social Affairs was not the proper defendant. No appeal was permitted. The written decision by the Court has not yet been published. (HSCH) [de

  12. 20 CFR 410.667 - Dismissal by Appeals Council.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., Administrative Review, Finality of Decisions, and Representation of Parties § 410.667 Dismissal by Appeals... party or parties who filed the request for review to withdraw such request. (b) Death of party... Council, may be dismissed upon the death of a party only if the record affirmatively shows that there is...

  13. Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S

    2008-01-01

    To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers.

  14. 41 CFR 302-14.4 - Must my agency pay me a home marketing incentive?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Must my agency pay me a home marketing incentive? 302-14.4 Section 302-14.4 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 14-HOME MARKETING...

  15. The association of Nursing Home Compare quality measures with market competition and occupancy rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castle, Nicholas G; Liu, Darren; Engberg, John

    2008-01-01

    Since 2002, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have reported quality measures on the Nursing Home Compare Web site. It has been assumed that nursing homes are able to make improvements on these measures. In this study researchers examined nursing homes to see whether they have improved their quality scores, after accounting for regression to the mean. Researchers also examined whether gains varied according to market competition or market occupancy rates. They identified some regression to the mean for the quality measure scores over time; nevertheless, they also determined that some nursing homes had indeed made small improvements in their quality measure scores. As would be predicted based on the market-driven mechanism underlying quality improvements using report cards, the greatest improvements occurred in the most competitive markets and in those with the Lowest average occupancy rates. As policies to promote more competition in Long-term care proceed, further reducing occupancy rates, further, albeit small, quality gains will likely be made in the future.

  16. Use of atypical antipsychotics in nursing homes and pharmaceutical marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pimentel, Camilla B; Donovan, Jennifer L; Field, Terry S; Gurwitz, Jerry H; Harrold, Leslie R; Kanaan, Abir O; Lemay, Celeste A; Mazor, Kathleen M; Tjia, Jennifer; Briesacher, Becky A

    2015-02-01

    To describe the current extent and type of pharmaceutical marketing in nursing homes (NHs) in one state and to provide preliminary evidence for the potential influence of pharmaceutical marketing on the use of atypical antipsychotics in NHs. Nested mixed-methods, cross-sectional study of NHs in a cluster randomized trial. Forty-one NHs in Connecticut. NH administrators, directors of nursing, and medical directors (n = 93, response rate 75.6%). Quantitative data, including prescription drug dispensing data (September 2009-August 2010) linked with Nursing Home Compare data (April 2011), were used to determine facility-level prevalence of atypical antipsychotic use, facility-level characteristics, NH staffing, and NH quality. Qualitative data, including semistructured interviews and surveys of NH leaders conducted in the first quarter of 2011, were used to determine encounters with pharmaceutical marketing. Leadership at 46.3% of NHs (n = 19) reported pharmaceutical marketing encounters, consisting of educational training, written and Internet-based materials, and sponsored training. No association was detected between level of atypical antipsychotic prescribing and reports of any pharmaceutical marketing by at least one NH leader. NH leaders frequently encounter pharmaceutical marketing through a variety of ways, although the impact on atypical antipsychotic prescribing is unclear. © 2015, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2015, The American Geriatrics Society.

  17. Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S

    2008-01-01

    Objective To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. Design A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Setting Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. Main outcome measures A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. Results 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. Conclusions The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers. PMID:18263912

  18. 41 CFR 302-14.2 - What is the purpose of a home marketing incentive payment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the purpose of a home marketing incentive payment? 302-14.2 Section 302-14.2 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 14-HOME MARKETING...

  19. Changes in the Medicare home health care market: the impact of reimbursement policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sunha; Davitt, Joan K

    2009-03-01

    The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 introduced 2 new reimbursement structures, the Interim Payment System (IPS, 1997-2000) and the Prospective Payment System (PPS, begun October 2000) for Medicare home health agencies (HHAs) under the fee-for-service program. This article describes and compares the impact of these changes on the Medicare home health market from a period before the BBA through the IPS and PPS in relation to agency characteristics. A secondary analysis of 1996, 1999, and 2002 Provider of Services data was conducted on all Medicare-certified HHAs. Frequencies and rates of change were calculated by agency characteristics to describe changes in the number of active agencies through those years. Logistic regression models were used to compare factors associated with market exits under different payment systems. The results indicate dramatic but disproportional changes in response to the IPS and the PPS among Medicare home health care agencies. Agency closures were greater and market entries fewer during the IPS, but more branch offices/subunits were closed during the PPS. Proprietary and freestanding agencies experienced greater volatility throughout, with the greatest number of closures seen in Region VI (Dallas). These results demonstrate the direct impact of policy changes on the home health care market and highlight the need to evaluate policy changes to understand both intended and unintended impacts on health markets. Future research should analyze the effect of these policy changes on other healthcare providers and systems and their impact on health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.

  20. The financialization of home and the mortgage market crisis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aalbers, M.B.

    2008-01-01

    Financialization can be characterized as capital switching from the primary, secondary or tertiary circuit to the quaternary circuit of capital. Housing is a central aspect of financialization. The financialization of mortgage markets demands that not just homes but also homeowners become viewed as

  1. A Public Choice Approach to the Unequal Treatment of Securities Market Participants and Home Borrowers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Macey

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This article contrasts the protections provided to participants in U.S. securities markets with the protections provided to participants in the U.S. mortgage markets. Participants in securities markets purchase and sell equity and debt securities. Participants in the mortgage markets borrow money to buy homes, using those homes as collateral for the mortgage loans they receive. Even after Dodd-Frank, participants in securities markets are afforded significantly higher levels of protection than participants in mortgage markets. The doctrine of suitability is a prime example of this inequity. Exploring possible explanations for this odd asymmetry of treatment, I conclude that interest group politics is to blame for the anomaly.

  2. Nursing home performance under case-mix reimbursement: responding to heavy-care incentives and market changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, M A; Freeman, J W; Kirby, E C

    1998-10-01

    To examine the effect of case mix-adjusted reimbursement policy and market factors on nursing home performance. Data from Medicaid certification inspection surveys, Medicaid cost reports, and the Kentucky State Center for Health Statistics for the years 1989 and 1991, to examine changes in nursing home performance stemming from the adoption of case mix-adjusted reimbursement in 1990. In addition to cross-sectional regressions, a first-difference approach to fixed-effects regression analyses was employed to control for facility differences that were essentially fixed during the survey years and to estimate the effects of time-varying predictors on changes in facility expenditures, efficiency, and profitability. Facilities that increased the proportion of Medicaid residents and eliminated excess capacity experienced higher profitability gains during the beginning phase of case-mix reimbursement. Having a heavy-care resident population was positively related to expenditures prior to reimbursement reform, and it was negatively related to expenditures after the case-mix reimbursement policy was introduced. While facility-level changes in case mix had no reliable influence on costs or profits, nursing homes showing an increased prevalence of poor-quality nursing practices exhibited increases in efficiency and profitability. At the market level, reductions in excess or empty nursing home beds were accompanied by a significant growth in home health services. Moreover, nursing homes located in markets with expanding home health services exhibited higher increases in costs per case-mix unit. Characteristics of the reimbursement system appear to reward a cost minimization orientation with potentially detrimental effects on quality of care. These effects, exacerbated by a supply-constrained market, may be mitigated by policies that encourage the expansion of home health service availability.

  3. 41 CFR 302-14.103 - What factors should we consider in determining the amount of a home marketing incentive payment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... intended to reduce your relocation costs. The amount of each home marketing incentive payment you make... consider in determining the amount of a home marketing incentive payment? 302-14.103 Section 302-14.103... TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Agency Responsibilities § 302-14.103 What factors...

  4. 41 CFR 302-14.7 - Are there tax consequences when I receive a home marketing incentive payment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Payment of Incentive to the Employee § 302-14.7 Are there tax..., on the home marketing incentive payment. You will not, however, receive a withholding tax allowance... taxes on the incentive payment. ...

  5. Home birth after hospital birth: women's choices and reflections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernhard, Casey; Zielinski, Ruth; Ackerson, Kelly; English, Jessica

    2014-01-01

    The number of US women choosing home birth is increasing. Little is known about women who choose home birth after having experienced hospital birth; therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore reasons why these women choose home birth and their perceptions regarding their birth experiences. Qualitative description was the research design, whereby focus groups were conducted with women who had hospital births and subsequently chose home birth. Five focus groups were conducted (N = 20), recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was undertaken allowing themes to emerge. Five themes emerged from the women's narratives: 1) choices and empowerment: with home birth, women felt they were given real choices rather than perceived choices, giving them feelings of empowerment; 2) interventions and interruptions: women believed things were done that were not helpful to the birth process, and there were interruptions associated with their hospital births; 3) disrespect and dismissal: participants believed that during hospital birth, providers were more focused on the laboring woman's uterus, with some experiencing dismissal from their hospital provider when choosing to birth at home; 4) birth space: giving birth in their own home, surrounded by people they chose, created a peaceful and calm environment; and 5) connection: women felt connected to their providers, families, newborns, and bodies during their home birth. For most participants, dissatisfaction with hospital birth influenced their subsequent decision to choose home birth. Despite experiencing challenges associated with this decision, women expressed satisfaction with their home birth. © 2014 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

  6. The internationalisation of the Spanish food industry: the home market effect and European market integration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serrano, R.; García-Casarejos, N.; Gil-Pareja, S.; Llorca-Vivero, R.; Pinilla, V.

    2015-07-01

    The objective of this study was to analyse, from a long-term perspective, the factors determining the process of the internationalisation of the Spanish agrifood industry. The paper concentrates on the empirical verification of the existence of a home market effect in the food and drink industries in Spain and on the effects on trade flows of integration into the European Union. With this aim in mind, we took into account the latest contributions to the estimation of the gravity equation for a sample of export flows from 13 agrifood subsectors between 1970 and 2012, with a destination of 175 markets. From the results of the study the existence of the “home market effect” stands out as the determining factor of the increasing process of internationalisation in the majority of the subsectors of the food industry. On this point, the presence of this effect is remarkable in the most dynamic industries, where the process of restructuring caused by the development of the internal market was more intense. Furthermore, the influence of the process of European integration has been shown by the literature to be a very important factor. Our results qualify in part the results of previous studies, since the positive effect appeared later than expected. The positive effects did not appear until the completion of the process of transition by the dismantling of the barriers established in the treaty of accession to the European Union. (Author)

  7. Why home hemodialysis? A systematic "marketing" analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piccoli, Giorgina Barbara; Ferraresi, Martina; Consiglio, Valentina; Scognamiglio, Stefania; Deagostini, Maria Chiara; Randone, Olga; Vigotti, Federica Neve; Calderale, Pasquale Mario

    2012-01-01

    Home hemodialysis (HHD) has met with alternating fortunes. The present revival of interest is due to lower costs and more frequent/efficient treatments. HHD is underdeveloped, and a marketing approach may help in defining development strategies. The aim of this study was to systematically review the recent literature (2000-2010) according to a marketing approach, defining the potential of HHD according to the classical marketing items: market size, growth rate, profitability, trends, keys for success, needs for structures and distribution channels. A Medline search was conducted for 2000-2010. The analysis took into account the recent trends in publication as a measure of interest, size and trends, while survival and costs were analyzed as keys for success. The issues of structures and distribution channels were arbitrarily considered as equivalent to the overall hemodialysis market. Interest in HHD is growing, as shown by the increasing number of published papers (9 in 2000, 52 in 2010); yet, clinical studies accounted for less than half of the papers. In the 138 clinical studies, quality of life (33 papers) and metabolism (16 papers) were the most studied topics. Survival and cost analyses were highly heterogeneous (the broad inclusion of nocturnal or quotidian dialysis has to be mentioned). Overall, survival was equal to, or better than, that for other modalities, including transplantation and peritoneal dialysis; costs compared favorably with hospital dialysis and were equivalent to those of peritoneal dialysis. The small "market" of HHD is increasing, with potential for further growth, the keys for success being equivalence or superiority of survival at equivalent or lower costs.

  8. 20 CFR 416.1595 - When the Appeals Council will dismiss a request for review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Representation of Parties § 416.1595 When the... dismissal. (b) Death of party. The Appeals Council may dismiss a request for review in the event of the death of the representative. (c) Request for review not timely filed. The Appeals Council will dismiss a...

  9. 41 CFR 302-14.101 - What policies must we establish to govern our home marketing incentive payment program?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... establish to govern our home marketing incentive payment program? 302-14.101 Section 302-14.101 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Agency Responsibilities § 302-14.101 What policies...

  10. Deficits, Declines, and Dismissals: Faculty Tenure and Fiscal Exigency. Current Issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stroup, Stinson W.; And Others

    Tenured faculty can be dismissed for reasons of financial exigency. If the employment contract provides a specific definition of fiscal exigency and the processes to be used in effecting retrenchment, then those terms govern in lieu of constitutional due process. In the absence of such guidance, courts are willing to allow dismissal for reasons of…

  11. 41 CFR 302-14.102 - What factors should we consider in determining whether to establish a home marketing incentive...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... consider in determining whether to establish a home marketing incentive payment program? 302-14.102 Section 302-14.102 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Agency Responsibilities...

  12. 20 CFR 410.650 - Dismissal for cause.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., Finality of Decisions, and Representation of Parties § 410.650 Dismissal for cause. The presiding officer... provided in § 410.669. (d) Death of party. Where the party who filed the hearing request dies and there is...

  13. Technical Barriers, Gaps,and Opportunities Related to Home Energy Upgrade Market Delivery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bianchi, Marcus V.A. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2011-11-01

    This report outlines the technical barriers, gaps, and opportunities that arise in executing home energy upgrade market delivery approaches, as identified through research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program.

  14. The right to work: transition from free dismissal to guaranteed constitutional right

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfredo Villavicencio Ríos

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available After presenting the evolution of labor stability law in Peru, public and private scopes of the right to work are described allowing the Constitutional Court redefine dismissal regime (working stability of exit, in general, and specifying temporary recruitment regime (working stability of entry. Redefinition of dismissal legal framework is analyzed from constitutional and judicial case law stressing solved and pending issues.

  15. Marketization in Long-Term Care: A Cross-Country Comparison of Large For-Profit Nursing Home Chains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington, Charlene; Jacobsen, Frode F; Panos, Justin; Pollock, Allyson; Sutaria, Shailen; Szebehely, Marta

    2017-01-01

    This article presents cross-country comparisons of trends in for-profit nursing home chains in Canada, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. Using public and private industry reports, the study describes ownership, corporate strategies, costs, and quality of the 5 largest for-profit chains in each country. The findings show that large for-profit nursing home chains are increasingly owned by private equity investors, have had many ownership changes over time, and have complex organizational structures. Large for-profit nursing home chains increasingly dominate the market and their strategies include the separation of property from operations, diversification, the expansion to many locations, and the use of tax havens. Generally, the chains have large revenues with high profit margins with some documented quality problems. The lack of adequate public information about the ownership, costs, and quality of services provided by nursing home chains is problematic in all the countries. The marketization of nursing home care poses new challenges to governments in collecting and reporting information to control costs as well as to ensure quality and public accountability. PMID:28634428

  16. The history and global market of oral home-care products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana Jobim Jardim

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available This literature review reports the history and the current market of oral home-care products. It provides information extending from the products used by our ancestors to those currently available, as well as on the changes in the supply and consumption of these products. Although the scientific knowledge about oral diseases has improved greatly in recent years, our ancestors had already been concerned with cleaning their teeth. A variety of rudimentary products and devices were used since before recorded history, like chewing sticks, tree twigs, bird feathers, animal bones, tooth powder and home-made mouth rinses. Today, due to technological improvements of the cosmetic industry and market competition, home-use oral care products available in the marketplace offer a great variety of options. An increase in the consumption of oral care products has been observed in the last decades. Estimates show that Latin America observed a 12% increase in hygiene and beauty products sales between 2002 and 2003, whereas the observed global rate was approximately 2%. A significant increase in the per capita consumption of toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthrinse and dental floss has been estimated from 1992 to 2002, respectively at rates of 38.3%, 138.3%, 618.8% and 177.2%. Pertaining to this increased supply and consumption of oral care products, some related questions remain unanswered, like the occurrence of changes in disease behavior due to the use of new compounds, their actual efficacy and correct indications, and the extent of the benefits to oral health derived from consuming more products.

  17. What Constitutes Fair Compensation for Unfair Dismissal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    Professor, School of Business Leadership,. University of South ... towards its employees, especially in the light of the constitutionally protected right to dignity. The protection of fundamental freedoms such as gender equality, the right to dignity and the .... dismissal is provided for in terms of section 186(1)(e) of the LRA. 17.

  18. Dismissal Disputes and the Incentives to Bargain: Estimates of the Contract Zone

    OpenAIRE

    Benoit P. Freyens

    2011-01-01

    In many countries the arbitration of dismissal disputes by public tribunals and state agencies is regarded as slow and expensive. Some common law countries, including the United States and Australia, are privatizing dispute resolution on the premise that this is more efficient than using statutory channels, and it is thus perceived as a better method of settling disputes. Previous advances in statutory law regarding the arbitration of dismissal disputes have been either rescinded or circumven...

  19. 28 CFR 345.42 - Inmate worker dismissal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... worker dismissal. The SOI may remove an inmate from Industries work status in cooperation with the unit team. (a) The SOI may remove an inmate from FPI work status according to the conditions outlined in the pay and benefits section of this policy and in cooperation with the unit team. (b) An inmate may be...

  20. The making and remaking of dismissed industrial sites

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Curulli, G.I.

    2014-01-01

    The Making and Remaking of Dismissed Industrial Sites examines the transformation of former industrial areas and the implications of the design of reuse with aesthetics, context, history and memory, public space and reclamation of contaminated soils. Through a critical investigation of these

  1. Photovoltaic module quality in the Kenyan solar home systems market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duke, R.D.; Jacobson, A.; Kammen, D.M.

    2002-01-01

    As one of the largest unsubsidized markets for solar home systems (SHSs) in the world, Kenya represents a promising model for rural electrification based on private purchases of clean decentralized photovoltaic technologies. Small amorphous-silicon modules dominate the market and most brands provide high quality and affordable service. Product quality varies widely, however, and the public has limited capacity to distinguish among competing brands. This imposes direct hardships on households with the misfortune to purchase low-quality equipment, and it constrains sales as some customers refrain from purchasing solar equipment due to the associated performance uncertainty. This article analyzes market failure associated with photovoltaic module quality in the Kenyan SHS market and develops strategies to address the problem - emphasizing that similar quality problems may exist for other SHS components and in other markets. The principal conclusion is that domestic product testing with public disclosure represents an inexpensive low-risk strategy, but it may prove inadequate. Mandatory product quality standards based on international testing regimes (e.g. IEC standards), augmented with a basic domestic testing option, would provide stronger assurance, but the risks associated with this intervention suggest caution. An emerging multilateral SHS market support effort (PVMTI) should ensure quality for the credit-based sales it promotes in Kenya; however, the long-term impact of this approach is not yet clear and it is unlikely to address quality problems associated with the unsubsidized sales-based markets for SHSs. Finally, fee-for-service models would decisively address quality problems, but launching this model in the Kenyan market would likely require large subsidies. (author)

  2. Parental Emotion Coaching and Dismissing in Family Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lunkenheimer, Erika S.; Shields, Ann M.; Cortina, Kai S.

    2007-01-01

    We observed the positive emotion socialization practice of parental emotion coaching (EC) and the negative socialization practice of emotion dismissing (ED) during a family interaction task and examined their effects on children's emotion regulation and behavior problems in middle childhood. Participants were 87 sociodemographically diverse…

  3. An Empirical Analysis of Indirect Network Effects in the Home Video Game Market

    OpenAIRE

    James E. Prieger; Wei-Min Hu

    2006-01-01

    We explore the indirect network effect in the market for home video games. We examine the video game console makers’ strategic choice between increasing demand by lowering console price and by encouraging the growth of software variety. We also explore the existence of an applications barrier to entry in the console market, and find that there is little evidence for such a barrier. Finally, we assess the applicability of the model to out-of-sample situations, to look at whether our model and ...

  4. Quasi-markets targets and the evaluation of nursing-home funding in the Valencian Region

    OpenAIRE

    Fuenmayor Fernández, Amadeo; Granell Pérez, Rafael; Tortosa Chuliá, María Ángeles

    2016-01-01

    Spanish long term care is in danger, therefore we propose a change in the nursing home funding system. We use as an example the extremely complex nursing home financing system of Valencian Region. In this region, there are many funding mechanisms: two types of public subsidies, two different accessibility plans, a voucher scheme and a cash benefit approach related to residential service. We evaluate these methods through the quasi-market theory. We find that these approaches have negative imp...

  5. Wrongful dismissal--an expensive mistake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, G

    1982-09-01

    A contract of employment is based on implied terms (a nurse can be expected to work shifts while the same does not apply to a secretary in the purchasing department), on conduct (unacceptable tardiness or laxity can become an accepted term of the contract if it is not corrected by the employer), and on agreements either express (a signed contract) or implied (the acceptance of personnel manual terms during a probationary period). An employee's service can not be terminated without reasonable notice except for cause. To determine if summary dismissal (cause) is warranted, apply the test described in Stilwell v. Audio Pictures Ltd.

  6. Fade In: Exploring The Effects of Technological Change on Consumers and Firm Revenues in Home Entertainment Markets for Film

    OpenAIRE

    Axarlian, Gabriel Pablo

    2015-01-01

    AbstractFADE IN:EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE ON CONSUMERS AND FIRM REVENUES IN HOME ENTERTAINMENT MARKETS FOR FILM Gabriel Axarlian This dissertation is composed of three related works, two of which are similar in data and time span with the third being more independent in this respect. The three works focus on the nature of the film industry’s adaptation to changing technologies in home entertainment markets. My analysis studies the effectiveness of new strategies as well ...

  7. Writing Assessment's "Debilitating Inheritance": Behaviorism's Dismissal of Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Maja Joiwind

    2013-01-01

    In this project, I examine the legacy of behaviorism's dismissal of experience on contemporary writing assessment theory and practice within the field of composition studies. I use an archival study of John B. Watson's letters to Robert Mearns Yerkes to establish behaviorism's systematic denial of experience and its related constructs: mind,…

  8. Dismissing Children's Perceptions of Their Emotional Experience and Parental Care: Preliminary Evidence of Positive Bias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borelli, Jessica L.; David, Daryn H.; Crowley, Michael J.; Snavely, Jonathan E.; Mayes, Linda C.

    2013-01-01

    The tendency to perceive caregivers in highly positive terms and to perceive the self as strong and problem-free are two facets of the positive bias characteristic of a dismissing attachment classification in adulthood. However, this link has not yet been examined in children. We evaluated the association between dismissing attachment and positive…

  9. Dismissing Attachment Characteristics Dynamically Modulate Brain Networks Subserving Social Aversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krause, Anna Linda; Borchardt, Viola; Li, Meng; van Tol, Marie-José; Demenescu, Liliana Ramona; Strauss, Bernhard; Kirchmann, Helmut; Buchheim, Anna; Metzger, Coraline D; Nolte, Tobias; Walter, Martin

    2016-01-01

    Attachment patterns influence actions, thoughts and feeling through a person's "inner working model". Speech charged with attachment-dependent content was proposed to modulate the activation of cognitive-emotional schemata in listeners. We performed a 7 Tesla rest-task-rest functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-experiment, presenting auditory narratives prototypical of dismissing attachment representations to investigate their effect on 23 healthy males. We then examined effects of participants' attachment style and childhood trauma on brain state changes using seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analyses, and finally tested whether subjective differences in responsivity to narratives could be predicted by baseline network states. In comparison to a baseline state, we observed increased FC in a previously described "social aversion network" including dorsal anterior cingulated cortex (dACC) and left anterior middle temporal gyrus (aMTG) specifically after exposure to insecure-dismissing attachment narratives. Increased dACC-seeded FC within the social aversion network was positively related to the participants' avoidant attachment style and presence of a history of childhood trauma. Anxious attachment style on the other hand was positively correlated with FC between the dACC and a region outside of the "social aversion network", namely the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which suggests decreased network segregation as a function of anxious attachment. Finally, the extent of subjective experience of friendliness towards the dismissing narrative was predicted by low baseline FC-values between hippocampus and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Taken together, our study demonstrates an activation of networks related to social aversion in terms of increased connectivity after listening to insecure-dismissing attachment narratives. A causal interrelation of brain state changes and subsequent changes in social reactivity was further supported by our observation of

  10. Dismissing attachment characteristics dynamically modulate brain networks subserving social aversion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Linda eKrause

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Attachment patterns influence actions, thoughts and feeling through a person’s ‘Inner Working Model’. Speech charged with attachment-dependent content was proposed to modulate the activation of cognitive-emotional schemata in listeners. We performed a 7 Tesla rest-task-rest fMRI-experiment, presenting auditory narratives prototypical of dismissing attachment representations to investigate their effect on 23 healthy males. We then examined effects of participants’ attachment style and childhood trauma on brain state changes using seed-based functional connectivity (FC analyses, and finally tested whether subjective differences in responsivity to narratives could be predicted by baseline network states. In comparison to a baseline state, we observed increased FC in a previously described ‘social aversion network’ including dorsal anterior cingulated cortex (dACC and left anterior middle temporal gyrus (aMTG specifically after exposure to insecure-dismissing attachment narratives. Increased dACC-seeded FC within the social aversion network was positively related to the participants’ avoidant attachment style and presence of a history of childhood trauma. Anxious attachment style on the other hand was positively correlated with FC between the dACC and a region outside of the ‘social aversion network’, namely the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which suggests decreased network segregation as a function of anxious attachment. Finally, the extent of subjective experience of friendliness towards the dismissing narrative was predicted by low baseline FC-values between hippocampus and inferior parietal lobule. Taken together, our study demonstrates an activation of networks related to social aversion in terms of increased connectivity after listening to insecure-dismissing attachment narratives. A causal interrelation of brain state changes and subsequent changes in social reactivity was further supported by our observation of direct

  11. "Drenched in the Past:" the Evolution of Market-Oriented Reforms in New Orleans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jabbar, Huriya

    2015-01-01

    As the city with the largest charter-school market share in the United States, New Orleans, Louisiana exemplifies market-oriented models in education. For a city that is so "drenched in the past," the reform movement in New Orleans typically neglects historical context, often dismissing the education system pre-Katrina as simply corrupt…

  12. Piecewise linear regression techniques to analyze the timing of head coach dismissals in Dutch soccer clubs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schryver, T. de; Eisinga, R.

    2010-01-01

    The key question in research on dismissals of head coaches in sports clubs is not whether they should happen but when they will happen. This paper applies piecewise linear regression to advance our understanding of the timing of head coach dismissals. Essentially, the regression sacrifices degrees

  13. 48 CFR 6302.35 - Dismissal without prejudice (Rule 35).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... prejudice (Rule 35). 6302.35 Section 6302.35 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION BOARD OF CONTRACT APPEALS RULES OF PROCEDURE 6302.35 Dismissal without prejudice (Rule 35). When... prejudice to its restoration to the Board's docket when the cause of suspension has been eliminated. Unless...

  14. Quality issues in the market based dissemination of solar home systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lindner, Klara [MicroEnergy International, Berlin (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    In general, Photovoltaic systems are built to last and require little maintenance. However, field studies have revealed a high number of system failures, which are linked to a lack of quality assurance. This paper depicts problems that occur with solar home systems (SHS) disseminated on a market-based approach. The research methodology is based on three pillars: A literature review covers documented projects around the world dealing with solar home system dissemination. Expert practitioners drawn together in a workshop have shared valuable experiences, while a trip to rural Tanzania has been carried out to collect personal insights from the field. To facilitate continuous sharing of challenges between different stakeholders, common quality issues are grouped into four categories according to their cause: component quality, system integration, business model and framework conditions. While the solar component and the user are often initially blamed for system failure, it shows that difficulties arise at various levels of the SHS life cycle - this paper highlights focus problems within each stage. As a root, three underlying challenges are suggested: maladjusted systems, inadequate installations and a disorganized after-sales service. A possible instrument to assure better quality in this context is the enforcement of standards also in market-based SHS sales. Microfinance institutions are assumed as an important partner, because only clients with a functioning system are willing to repay the linked loan. As most of these institutions lack technical knowledge, they can only become an agent for their clients' wish for customer protection, if an independent facility certifies the system's functionality. The given recommendation is that a sustainable approach for solar home system dissemination should not attempt to increase the affordability by developing cheaper products but by fostering income-generating activities, which facilitate paying for good quality

  15. The dismissal of an employee because of absence from work after recent labor reforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josep Moreno Gené

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available By analyzing contract termination because of absence from work for both objective reasons (article 52 d ET and disciplinary dismissal (article 52.4 a ET, this article aims to discuss the two defining aspects of the effect of the labour reforms of 2012 on the termination of work contracts: namely, that the dismissal of a worker is much simpler and much more economical. To this end, we first analyse the reformulationof the cause of termination because of absence from work covered by article 52 d ET, which has made it easier for employers to terminate contracts by this means. Then we study the effects of the declaration of unfair dismissal because of absence from work covered in both article 54.2 a ET and article 52 d ET. In both cases, the amount of compensation has been considerably reduced and procedural salaries have virtually been done away with.

  16. On the economic analysis of problems in energy efficiency: Market barriers, market failures, and policy implications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanstad, A.H.; Koomey, J.G.; Levine, M.D.

    1993-01-01

    In his recent paper in The Energy Journal, Ronald Sutherland argues that several so-called ''market barriers'' to energy efficiency frequently cited in the literature are not market failures in the conventional sense and are thus irrelevant for energy policy. We argue that Sutherland has inadequately analyzed the idea of market barrier and misrepresented the policy implications of microeconomics. We find that economic theory, correctly interpreted, does not provide for the categorical dismissal of market barriers. We explore important methodological issues underlying the debate over market barriers, and discuss the importance of reconciling the findings of non-economic social sciences with the economic analysis of energy demand and consumer decision-making. We also scrutinize Sutherland's attempt to apply finance theory to rationalize high implicit discount rates observed in energy-related choices, and find this use of finance theory to be inappropriate

  17. On the economic analysis of problems in energy efficiency: Market barriers, market failures, and policy implications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanstad, A.H.; Koomey, J.G.; Levine, M.D.

    1993-01-01

    In his recent paper in The Energy Journal, Ronald Sutherland argues that several so-called ``market barriers`` to energy efficiency frequently cited in the literature are not market failures in the conventional sense and are thus irrelevant for energy policy. We argue that Sutherland has inadequately analyzed the idea of market barrier and misrepresented the policy implications of microeconomics. We find that economic theory, correctly interpreted, does not provide for the categorical dismissal of market barriers. We explore important methodological issues underlying the debate over market barriers, and discuss the importance of reconciling the findings of non-economic social sciences with the economic analysis of energy demand and consumer decision-making. We also scrutinize Sutherland`s attempt to apply finance theory to rationalize high implicit discount rates observed in energy-related choices, and find this use of finance theory to be inappropriate.

  18. Distribution of Responsibility for Social Security and Labour Market Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Per Kongshøj

    It is shown that legislation of unemployment insurance and active labour market policy is set by the national government. Legislation with respect to employment protection, however, is largely left to the social partners, i.e. the dismissal of salaried workers is regulated by a special piece...

  19. Selling photovoltaics at the top of the world. Marketing strategy for Solar Home Systems in Nepal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thieke, O.; Parodi, O.; Schweizer, P. [Fraunhofer Inst. for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Freiburg (Germany)

    1996-12-31

    In this paper a marketing strategy for Solar home systems (SHS) in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal is presented. Four scenarios for distribution and service were developed and analysed using a break even analysis. The outcome of the study is that the most promising way for a successful market entry is provided by a not too dense sales network in the region itself, a three year warranty and a annual maintenance service. (orig.)

  20. Security and labour market flexibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Refslund, Bjarke; Rasmussen, Stine; Sørensen, Ole H.

    2017-01-01

    In the face of the economic and financial crisis, several European countries have implemented a number of structural reforms to increase employment and the flexibility of the labour market, in particular by reducing employment protection in an effort to deregulate labour markets. Reform proponents...... employment. Conversely, reform opponents claim that this view builds on a misguided view of labour market dynamics. They do not believe that such reforms will lead to job growth, asserting that such reforms are as likely to reduce as to increase employment and that they will lead to growing inequality...... and labour market segmentation. In Denmark, employee protection in terms of notice periods and dismissal compensation, which is mainly regulated by collective agreement, is among the lowest in the EU. Unemployment was, before the crisis, among the lowest in the EU but the crisis also negatively affected...

  1. Japanese manufacturers' cost-performance marketing strategy for the delivery of solar photovoltaic homes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noguchi, M.

    2005-02-01

    Japanese manufacturers have been gaining a global reputation for their design approaches to industrialized housing, which is often equipped with PV systems. Homes are produced on a cost performance marketing strategy. In 2004, 13.7 per cent of the 1,160,083 houses built in Japan were pre-fabricated. The pre-fabricated housing industry has been given considerable government support. In response to growing demands for sustainable housing, the government has implemented promotional programs aiming to support the installations of photovoltaic systems. Details of various programs were presented, including: value-added production; housing sustainability; PV rooftop systems; and a mass custom design approach. It was concluded that the cost performance marketing strategy has a significant impact on production and design approaches. However, quality-oriented production may also result in successful commercialization of innovative housing. The Japanese marketing approach allows consumers to understand the added value of packaged innovations rather than the cost. It was suggested that this marketing strategy should be examined further, when considering approaches to innovative housing in other countries. 38 refs., 3 figs

  2. Federal Administrative Court dismisses action of a nuclear power opponent against Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1980-01-01

    With its decision of April 30, 1980 - BVerwG 7 C 88.79-, the Federal Administrative Court has dismissed an appeal against the decision of the Bavarian Administrative Court, in which the plaintiff's action had been dismissed. The cost of the appeal suit will be paid by the plaintiff. The value in litigation was set at DM 20,000 for the appeal proceedings. The grounds for the decision are given in full wording. (orig./HP) [de

  3. European Globalisation Adjustment Fund-Assistance in the Labour Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramona Mariana CALINICA

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The intensification of globalization and through intense manifestation of the effects on recent economic and financial crisis, employment market has been affected, and at European Union level was considered increasingly necessary granting support for counter of the negative effects of the two phenomena on this market. European Globalisation Adjustment Fund is designed for a rapid reintegration of fired workers and increase of the employment potential of the workforce, after mass dismissals linked to the two phenomena mentioned above.

  4. On the economic analysis of problems in energy efficiency: Market barriers, market failures, and policy implications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanstad, A.H.; Koomey, J.G.; Levine, M.D.

    1993-01-01

    In his recent paper in The Energy Journal, Ronald Sutherland argues that several so-called market barriers'' to energy efficiency frequently cited in the literature are not market failures in the conventional sense and are thus irrelevant for energy policy. We argue that Sutherland has inadequately analyzed the idea of market barrier and misrepresented the policy implications of microeconomics. We find that economic theory, correctly interpreted, does not provide for the categorical dismissal of market barriers. We explore important methodological issues underlying the debate over market barriers, and discuss the importance of reconciling the findings of non-economic social sciences with the economic analysis of energy demand and consumer decision-making. We also scrutinize Sutherland's attempt to apply finance theory to rationalize high implicit discount rates observed in energy-related choices, and find this use of finance theory to be inappropriate.

  5. Formal Dismissal Procedures Under Illinois Teacher Tenure Laws. Revised Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Newell N.; And Others

    This handbook, an updated and revised version of the 1975 original, contains the new statutory requirements, state board of education rules, and court decisions pertaining to teacher dismissal in Illinois. This handbook is designed to acquaint Illinois school administrators and school board members with the legal procedures necessary in dismissal…

  6. The Decision of Dismissal, Suspension, or Discontinuation of Employment of Public/Private School Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jui-Che Wu

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available There have been controversies over the legal attribute of the decision of dismissal, suspension, or discontinuation of employment of public and private school teachers. The Supreme Administrative Court passed a resolution in July, 2009. In this resolution, the legal relationship between public schools and their teachers was regarded as administrative contracts while the legal attribute of the decision of dismissal, suspension, or discontinuation of employment was categorized into administrative dispositions. Besides, the administrative disposition will not take effect until it obtains approval from the competent educational authorities, and teachers can seek administrative appeal as remedy first, which makes remedy procedure complicated. Therefore, this study first attempts to categorize the legal relationship between the public and private schools and their teachers. Then, the legal attribute of the decision of dismissal, suspension, or discontinuation of employment and the remedy procedure are discussed. It is concluded in this study that the legal relationships between public/private schools and their teachers fall into the categories of administrative/civic contract respectively. Any decision of dismissal, suspension, or discontinuation of employment should be based on this categorization, and the remedy procedure can thus be reduced. Besides teacher’s appeal and re-appeal system being in accordance with Teacher’s Act, the appeal of declaratory judgment on contractual relationship to either the Administrative Court or the Civic Court can also be filed. As a result, the remedy procedure can be simplified to an extent to follow the basic principles stated in the resolution.

  7. The impact of competition on quality and prices in the English care homes market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forder, Julien; Allan, Stephen

    2014-03-01

    This study assesses the impact of competition on quality and price in the English care/nursing homes market. Considering the key institutional features, we use a theoretical model to assess the conditions under which further competition could increase or reduce quality. A dataset comprising the population of 10,000 care homes was used. We constructed distance/travel-time weighted competition measures. Instrumental variable estimations, used to account for the endogeneity of competition, showed quality and price were reduced by greater competition. Further analyses suggested that the negative quality effect worked through the effect on price - higher competition reduces revenue which pushes down quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. The effect of school dismissal on rates of influenza-like illness in New York City schools during the spring 2009 novel H1N1 outbreak.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egger, Joseph R; Konty, Kevin J; Wilson, Elisha; Karpati, Adam; Matte, Thomas; Weiss, Don; Barbot, Oxiris

    2012-03-01

    The effects of individual school dismissal on influenza transmission have not been well studied. During the spring 2009 novel H1N1 outbreak, New York City implemented an individual school dismissal policy intended to limit influenza transmission at schools with high rates of influenza-like illness (ILI). Active disease surveillance data collected by the New York City Health Department on rates of ILI in schools were used to evaluate the impact. Sixty-four schools that met the Health Department's criteria for considering dismissal were included in the analysis. Twenty-four schools that met criteria subsequently dismissed all classes for approximately 1 school week. A regression model was fit to these data, estimating the effect of school dismissal on rates of in-school ILI following reconvening, adjusting for potential confounders. The model estimated that, on average, school dismissal reduced the rate of ILI by 7.1% over the entire average outbreak period. However, a large proportion of in-school ILI occurred before dismissal criteria were met. A separate model estimated that school absenteeism rates were not significantly affected by dismissal. Results suggest that individual school dismissal could be considered in situations where schools have a disproportionate number of high-risk students or may be unable to implement recommended preventive or infection control measures. Future work should focus on developing more sensitive indicators of early outbreak detection in schools and evaluating the impact of school dismissal on community transmission. © 2012, American School Health Association.

  9. Older adult perceptions of smart home technologies: implications for research, policy & market innovations in healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coughlin, J; D'Ambrosio, L A; Reimer, B; Pratt, M R

    2007-01-01

    Advances in information communications technology and related computational power are providing a wide array of systems and related services that form the basis of smart home technologies to support the health, safety and independence of older adults. While these technologies offer significant benefits to older people and their families, they are also transforming older adults into lead adopters of a new 24/7 lifestyle of being monitored, managed, and, at times, motivated, to maintain their health and wellness. To better understand older adult perceptions of smart home technologies and to inform future research a workshop and focus group was conducted with 30 leaders in aging advocacy and aging services from 10 northeastern states. Participants expressed support of technological advance along with a variety of concerns that included usability, reliability, trust, privacy, stigma, accessibility and affordability. Participants also observed that there is a virtual absence of a comprehensive market and policy environment to support either the consumer or the diffusion of these technologies. Implications for research, policy and market innovation are discussed.

  10. Japanese manufacturers' cost-performance marketing strategy for the delivery of solar photovoltaic homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noguchi, M.

    2005-02-01

    Japanese manufacturers have been gaining a global reputation for their design approaches to industrialized housing, which is often equipped with PV systems. Homes are produced on a cost performance marketing strategy. In 2004, 13.7 per cent of the 1,160,083 houses built in Japan were pre-fabricated. The pre-fabricated housing industry has been given considerable government support. In response to growing demands for sustainable housing, the government has implemented promotional programs aiming to support the installations of photovoltaic systems. Details of various programs were presented, including: value-added production; housing sustainability; PV rooftop systems; and a mass custom design approach. It was concluded that the cost performance marketing strategy has a significant impact on production and design approaches. However, quality-oriented production may also result in successful commercialization of innovative housing. The Japanese marketing approach allows consumers to understand the added value of packaged innovations rather than the cost. It was suggested that this marketing strategy should be examined further, when considering approaches to innovative housing in other countries. 38 refs., 3 figs.

  11. issn 1727-3781 analysing the onus issue in dismissals emanating

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Admin

    Section 187 (1)(c), it is automatically unfair to dismiss an employee in order to compel the employee to accept a ..... of section 187(1)(c), [in order to discharge the onus in terms of section 192(1)]. In this regard it must be .... the matter for advisory arbitration reflected the employer's intention to avoid the bargaining process to ...

  12. 13 CFR 134.709 - When will a Judge dismiss an appeal?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false When will a Judge dismiss an appeal? 134.709 Section 134.709 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION RULES OF PROCEDURE GOVERNING CASES BEFORE THE OFFICE OF HEARINGS AND APPEALS Rules of Practice for Appeals From Women...

  13. Review of Legal Guidelines Pertaining to Unjust Dismissals and Whistleblowing in the Public and Private Sectors. A Position Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spurger, Steven O.

    As a result of the large number of employees who feel a sense of duty to report waste and corruption within their firms, 500,000 people each year are unjustly dismissed. This document reviews several positions taken by various courts and illustrates some common ground for employees who have been unjustly dismissed due to their whistleblowing.…

  14. Marketing environment dynamics and implications for pricing strategies: the case of home health care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponsford, B J; Barlow, D

    1999-01-01

    This research reviews the factors affecting the pricing or rate schedules of home health care agencies. A large number of factors affect costs and thus rate structures. The major factors include reimbursement structures with accompanying discount structures, administrative burdens, and risks. Channel issues include bargaining power, competition, and size. Staffing issues affect pricing and product through the provider level, productivity, and quality outcomes. Physician and patient issues include quality concerns and choices. These factors are discussed in light of overall marketing strategy and the interaction of pricing with other marketing controllables such as product, place/distribution, and promotion. Economic and accounting principles are also reviewed with consideration to understanding direct and indirect costs in order to enable negotiators to effectively price health care services.

  15. Benefits and risks of smart home technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, Charlie; Hargreaves, Tom; Hauxwell-Baldwin, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Smart homes are a priority area of strategic energy planning and national policy. The market adoption of smart home technologies (SHTs) relies on prospective users perceiving clear benefits with acceptable levels of risk. This paper characterises the perceived benefits and risks of SHTs from multiple perspectives. A representative national survey of UK homeowners (n=1025) finds prospective users have positive perceptions of the multiple functionality of SHTs including energy management. Ceding autonomy and independence in the home for increased technological control are the main perceived risks. An additional survey of actual SHT users (n=42) participating in a smart home field trial identifies the key role of early adopters in lowering perceived SHT risks for the mass market. Content analysis of SHT marketing material (n=62) finds the SHT industry are insufficiently emphasising measures to build consumer confidence on data security and privacy. Policymakers can play an important role in mitigating perceived risks, and supporting the energy-management potential of a smart-home future. Policy measures to support SHT market development include design and operating standards, guidelines on data and privacy, quality control, and in situ research programmes. Policy experiences with domestic energy efficiency technologies and with national smart meter roll-outs offer useful precedents. - Highlights: • Representative national survey of prospective smart home users. • Comparative analysis of three datasets to analyse perceived benefits and risks of smart home technologies. • Distinctive characteristics identified of early adopters who seed market growth. • Comparison of user perceptions with industry marketing. • Detailed policy recommendations to support energy benefits of smart home technologies.

  16. Paying your marketers--properly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, Elizabeth Zink

    2003-09-01

    Home health agencies have more freedom to market their services since the implementation of the prospective payment system. In order to do that, a number of agencies have turned to marketing professionals for help. A common method of compensating marketers in the business world, however, is through payment for referrals--something expressly forbidden by federal statute. Home health agencies need to know what they can and can't do to pay marketers and must train their marketers on the federal anti-kickback regulations to assure their compliance.

  17. Home Automation : Smart home technology and template house design

    OpenAIRE

    Zheng, Zeya

    2013-01-01

    In this thesis, home automation’s general knowledge, technology information and each component will be introduced to the reader in the first half of the whole thesis. In the second half, thesis includes the Home Automation template design and market competitiveness analysis. The author assumes that the reader is going to spend lots of money to have a smart home. In this situation, the author introduces the home automation to the reader at each component. So the reader in this thesis actu...

  18. HOME Rent Limits

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Housing and Urban Development — In accordance with 24 CFR Part 92.252, HUD provides maximum HOME rent limits. The maximum HOME rents are the lesser of: The fair market rent for existing housing for...

  19. Dismissive and deceptive car dealerships create barriers to electric vehicle adoption at the point of sale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarazua de Rubens, Gerardo; Noel, Lance; Sovacool, Benjamin K.

    2018-06-01

    As most consumers do not have pre-existing knowledge of electric vehicles (EVs), and current market conditions favour petrol and diesel vehicles, car dealership experiences may strongly influence EV purchasing decisions. Here, we show that car dealerships pose a significant barrier at the point of sale due to a perceived lack of business case viability in relation to petrol and diesel vehicles. In 126 shopping experiences at 82 car dealerships across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, we find that dealers were dismissive of EVs, misinformed shoppers on vehicle specifications, omitted EVs from the sales conversation and strongly oriented customers towards petrol and diesel vehicle options. Dealers' technological orientation, willingness to sell and displayed knowledge of EVs were the main contributors to likely purchase intentions. These findings combined with expert interviews suggest that government and industry signalling affect sales strategies and purchasing trends. Policy and business strategies that address barriers at the point of sale are needed to accelerate EV adoption.

  20. New Market Paradigm for Zero-Energy Homes: The Comparative San Diego Case Study; Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Appendixes)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farhar, B. C.; Coburn, T. C.

    2006-12-01

    This study suggests a conceptually fresh alternative paradigm for the building and marketing of zero-energy homes (ZEHs) based on experience which will help builders create sustainable communities for our well-being and that of future generations.

  1. Pervasive Home Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bull, P.; Limb, R.; Payne, R.

    An increasing number of computers and other equipment, such as games consoles and multimedia appliances for the home, have networking capability. The rapid growth of broadband in the home is also fuelling the demand for people to network their homes. In the near future we will see a number of market sectors trying to 'own' the home by providing gateways either from the traditional ISP or from games and other service providers. The consumer is bombarded with attractive advertising to acquire the latest technological advances, but is left with a plethora of different appliances, which have a bewildering range of requirements and features in terms of networking, user interface, and higher-level communications protocols. In many cases, these are proprietary, preventing interworking. Such technical and usability anarchy confuses the consumer and could ultimately suppress market adoption.

  2. Labor market participation among young adults: an event history analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, R J; Herring, C

    1989-09-01

    This study models culture of poverty explanations, earlier experiences that tend to restrict opportunities, demographic effects representing differential rates of participation by social groups, and health and marijuana use variables indicating the influence of individual life- style differences as predictors of the rate of labor market entry, promotion, and dismissal among subjects from early adolescence to young adulthood. The data are drawn from the 1st and 4th waves of a 4-wave panel of half the 1971 Houston, Texas, Independent School District 7th grade born in 1958. The findings indicate that those who believe most in the efficacy of alternatives to conventional social and economic institutions and those who expect to benefit least are most likely to have higher rates of participation. This higher rate of participation is significantly greater for earlier years and contradicts predictions of a culture of poverty theory. 1 opportunity-structure variable, poor grades, significantly increases the rate of entry into the labor market primarily because it represents the inability of individuals to pursue advanced education prior to labor market entry. Education reduces overall rates of labor market entry for a young adult cohort by delaying labor market entry. The strong relationship between drug use and unemployment may be due to motivation, impaired ability, probability of failure, or increased time to use drugs. The findings also indicate that females are more capable overall of performing their jobs and getting along with co-workers but are less likely to be promoted. Finally, those who have been sanctioned or disadvantaged within the institutions that define and enforce the norms of the economic opportunity structure are significantly more likely to enter the labor market earlier and continue to have higher rates of negative experiences, such as dismissal, within those institutions.

  3. The power to dismiss and the right to be heard under the common ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The power to dismiss and the right to be heard under the common law of Ghana: a need for satutory intervention. ... Journal of Business Research ... Based on the examination of selected Supreme Court cases, the paper demonstrates that, ...

  4. Reducing Energy Use in Existing Homes by 30%: Learning From Home Performance with ENERGY STAR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liaukus, C. [Building America Research Alliance (BARA), Kent, WA (United States)

    2014-12-01

    The improvement of existing homes in the United States can have a much greater impact on overall residential energy use than the construction of highly efficient new homes. There are over 130 million existing housing units in the U.S., while annually new construction represents less than two percent of the total supply (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). Therefore, the existing housing stock presents a clear opportunity and responsibility for Building America (BA) to guide the remodeling and retrofit market toward higher performance existing homes. There are active programs designed to improve the energy performance of existing homes. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) is a market-rate program among them. BARA's research in this project verified that the New Jersey HPwES program is achieving savings in existing homes that meet or exceed BA's goal of 30%. Among the 17 HPwES projects with utility data included in this report, 15 have actual energy savings ranging from 24% to 46%. Further, two of the homes achieved that level of energy savings without the costly replacement of heating and cooling equipment, which indicates that less costly envelope packages could be offered to consumers unable to invest in more costly mechanical packages, potentially creating broader market impact.

  5. Marketing and Customer Relationship Management for ONYOU Home Textiles Franchise Store in Hefei, China

    OpenAIRE

    Gu, Wanqing

    2014-01-01

    ONYOU bamboo fiber home textile franchise store is a small business located in Hefei City, Anhui Province, China. It has been running more than three years since ONYOU franchise store was set up on March 2010. It has gone through the good times and also tough times, there are still chal-lenges and threaths existing that this store needs to confront. In this thesis report, the marketing and customer relationship management suggestions has been designed for ONYOU franchise store and so...

  6. The effect of an early dismissal on player work-rate in a professional soccer match.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carling, Christopher; Bloomfield, Jonathan

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an early dismissal (after 5-min play) on work-rate in a professional soccer match. A computerised player tracking system was used to assess the work-rates of seven players who completed the match on a team with 10 players. A minute-by-minute analysis of the remaining 91min following the dismissal was performed for the total distance covered, the distance covered in five categories of movement intensity and the recovery time between high-intensity efforts for each player. The data were calculated for each half and for three equal intervals within each half and profiled against normative data for the same players obtained from the analysis of 15 games in the same season. Following the dismissal, the players covered a greater total distance than normal (pplayers may not always utilise their full physical potential as this match illustrated an increase in overall work-rate when reduced to 10 players. However, as a team with 10 players is likely to incur higher levels of fatigue, tactical alterations may be necessary and/or players may adopt a pacing strategy to endure the remainder of the match. Copyright (c) 2008 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. 20 CFR 404.1795 - When the Appeals Council will dismiss a request for review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- ) Representation of Parties § 404.1795 When the.... (b) Death of party. The Appeals Council may dismiss a request for review in the event of the death of...

  8. Understanding attitudes toward information and communication technology in home-care: Information and communication technology as a market good within Norwegian welfare services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Øyen, Karianne Røssummoen; Sunde, Olivia Sissil; Solheim, Marit; Moricz, Sara; Ytrehus, Siri

    2018-09-01

    The aim of this study was to better understand nurses' and other staff members' attitudes toward the usefulness of information and communication technology in home-care settings. Research has found that beliefs about the expected benefits of information and communication technology impact the use of technology. Furthermore, inexperience with using information and communication technology may cause negative attitudes. This article is based on a questionnaire to 155 nurses and other staff members in home-care in Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. The results revealed minimal use of information and communication technology at work; however, participants had positive attitudes regarding the potential benefits of information and communication technology use in home-care. Individuals' extensive use of and familiarity with different solutions in private lives could be an important context for explaining employees' attitudes. Given that information and communication technology is both a welfare service and a market good, this may explain individuals' positive attitudes toward information and communication technology despite their lack of experience with it at work. Experiences with information and communication technology as a market good and the way new technologies can affect work routines will affect the implementation of information and communication technology in home-care.

  9. COMPETITION AND QUALITY IN HOME HEALTH CARE MARKETS†

    Science.gov (United States)

    JUNG, KYOUNGRAE; POLSKY, DANIEL

    2013-01-01

    SUMMARY Market-based solutions are often proposed to improve health care quality; yet evidence on the role of competition in quality in non-hospital settings is sparse. We examine the relationship between competition and quality in home health care. This market is different from other markets in that service delivery takes place in patients’ homes, which implies low costs of market entry and exit for agencies. We use 6 years of panel data for Medicare beneficiaries during the early 2000s. We identify the competition effect from within-market variation in competition over time. We analyze three quality measures: functional improvements, the number of home health visits, and discharges without hospitalization. We find that the relationship between competition and home health quality is nonlinear and its pattern differs by quality measure. Competition has positive effects on functional improvements and the number of visits in most ranges, but in the most competitive markets, functional outcomes and the number of visits slightly drop. Competition has a negative effect on discharges without hospitalization that is strongest in the most competitive markets. This finding is different from prior research on hospital markets and suggests that market-specific environments should be considered in developing polices to promote competition. PMID:23670849

  10. Industrious but Redundant: Gender and Labor Market Mobility in Brazil in the 1990s

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadya Araújo Guimarães

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available This article focuses on the inter-sectorial mobility of industrial workers in Brazil based on longitudinal data from the Brazilian Ministry of Labor on the number of hired and dismissed workers during the 1990s. Comparing two industries in two regional labor markets, the author argues that gender differences are important for understanding patterns of mobility in formal labor markets independent of the degree of their formality, the different patterns of women’s work permeability, and the nature of their restructuring process.

  11. Alternative Strategies for Pricing Home Work Time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zick, Cathleen D.; Bryant, W. Keith

    1983-01-01

    Discusses techniques for measuring the value of home work time. Estimates obtained using the reservation wage technique are contrasted with market alternative estimates derived with the same data set. Findings suggest that the market alternative cost method understates the true value of a woman's home time to the household. (JOW)

  12. Connecting to the Art Market from Home: An Exploration of First Nations Artists in Alert Bay, British Columbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neufeld, Margaret R. M.

    2009-01-01

    Historically, Northwest Coast First Nations artists have been active participants in local and external economic markets. In Alert Bay, British Columbia, home of the 'Namgis People of the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation, artists have sold their work in urban centers since the 1950s. Now they are more rigorously involved in selling their work to local shops…

  13. Academic dismissal policy for medical students : effect on study progress and help-seeking behaviour

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stegers-Jager, Karen M.; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke; Splinter, Ted A. W.; Themmen, Axel P. N.

    2011-01-01

    CONTEXT Medical students often fail to finish medical school within the designated time. An academic dismissal (AD) policy aims to enforce satisfactory progress and to enable early identification and timely support or referral of struggling students. In this study, we assessed whether the

  14. The Japanese Labor Market in a Comparative Perspective with the United States. A Transaction-Cost Interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashimoto, Masanori

    A comparison is made of some of the notable features of the Japanese and U.S. labor markets. In Japan, as compared to the United States, for example, levels of employment tenure are higher, employer-employee attachment stronger, earnings-tenure profiles more steeply sloped, layoffs and dismissals much less frequent, and joint consultation and…

  15. Does information matter? Competition, quality, and the impact of nursing home report cards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grabowski, David C; Town, Robert J

    2011-12-01

    We evaluate the effects of the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), which introduced quality measures to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Compare website, on facility performance and consumer demand for services. The nursing home Minimum Data Set facility reports from 1999 to 2005 merged with facility-level data from the On-Line Survey, Certification, and Reporting System. We rely on the staggered rollout of the report cards across pilot and nonpilot states to examine the effect of report cards on market share and quality of care. We also exploit differences in nursing home market competition at baseline to identify the impacts of the new information on nursing home quality. The introduction of the NHQI was generally unrelated to facility quality and consumer demand. However, nursing homes facing greater competition improved their quality more than facilities in less competitive markets. The lack of competition in many nursing home markets may help to explain why the NHQI report card effort had a minimal effect on nursing home quality. With the introduction of market-based reforms such as report cards, this result suggests policy makers must also consider market structure in efforts to improve nursing home performance. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  16. Product Life Cycle of the Manufactured Home Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gavin Wherry

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Residential construction consumes an estimated 26 percent of the total U.S. wood harvest and thus plays an important role in the forest products value chain. While being a relatively small part of the U.S. residential construction market, the factory-built residential housing industry, originating from manufactured homes (e.g. mobile homes, is embracing emerging industry segments such as modular or panelized homes. Since indications exist that factory-built home production is slated to gain a more prominent role in the U.S. construction markets at the cost of traditional stick-built production, the factory-built home industry sub-segment is of considerable importance to the forest products industry. This research looks at manufactured home producers as a benchmark for analyzing the current economic state of the industry and discusses competitive strategies. The analysis concludes, through macroeconomic modeling, that manufactured homes are in the declining stage of their product life cycle due to changes to the U.S. residential construction sector and the factory-built home industry and by advancements of rival industry-segments. As market share continues to decline, firms operating in this industry-segment seek to either hedge their losses through product diversification strategies or remain focused on strategically repositioning the manufactured home segment.

  17. Appeal on constitutional grounds against Muelheim-Kaerlich nuclear power plant dismissed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1980-01-01

    On December 20, 1979 the Federal Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal against a decision by the Rheinland-Pfalz Higher Administrative Court, as of May 3rd, 1977, which at the time rescinded a decision to stop the construction of the Muehlheim-Kaerlich nuclear power plant. The essential reasons and principles underlying the decision to the Federal Constitutional Court (1 BvR 385/77) are given in fall. The dissentient opinion of two judges is also presented. (orig./HP) [de

  18. When is it permissible to dismiss a family who refuses vaccines? Legal, ethical and public health perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halperin, Beth; Melnychuk, Ryan; Downie, Jocelyn; Macdonald, Noni

    2007-12-01

    Although immunization is one of the most important health interventions of the 20th century, cases of infectious disease continue to occur. There are parents who refuse immunization for their children, creating a dilemma for the primary care physician who must consider the best interest of the individual child as well as that of the community. Some physicians, when faced with parents who refuse immunization on behalf of their children, choose to dismiss these families from their practice. Given the existing shortage of primary care physicians across Canada, this decision to dismiss families based on vaccine refusal has far-reaching implications. The present article explores this issue in the Canadian context from a legal, ethical and public health perspective.

  19. The action concerning Wyhl was dismissed by another decision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1982-01-01

    The action to set aside the first partial construction permit for the nucelar power plant South in Wyhl of the local authority of Weisweil has been dismissed by the tenth senate of the administrative court of Baden-Wuerttemberg in the court of appeal by the decision of March 30th, 1982 - X 582/77 - served on August 16th, 1982. The grounds of the later served decision correspond with those of the decision first served with regard to the content in the most important points. An appeal against the non-admission of the appeal was not lodged, thus the decision entered into force. (orig./HP) [de

  20. Marketized State Ownership and Foreign Expansion of Emerging Market Multinationals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Ming Hua; Cui, Lin; Lu, Jiangyong

    2017-01-01

    direct investment. We argue that firms with marketized state ownership may derive institutional competitive advantages from their dual responsiveness to shifting global market conditions and home government expectations which has a positive impact on their foreign investment decisions. However...

  1. The labour market intentions and behaviour of stay-at-home mothers in Western and Eastern Europe

    OpenAIRE

    Gauthier, A.H.; Emery, T.; Bartova, A.

    2016-01-01

    textabstractDespite recent increases in female labour force participation across Europe, a non-negligible proportion of women continue to remain out of the labour force for short or longer periods of time. Among the six countries included in this paper, stay-at-home mothers represent on average 33% of all mothers with children under the age of 12. Using two waves of data from the Generations and Gender Survey, we examine cross-national differences in the labour market intentions and behaviour...

  2. THE ROLE OF THE ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION IN THE COLLECTIVE DISMISSAL PROCEDURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiza Mihai

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Given that any collective dismissal process must begin from a decision of the competent corporate body, the paper analyzes the reasons leading to the issuance of such a decision of reorganization, which is the justification for technical and economic viability of that decision and what It must include to be thorough and legal in the context of a possible legal claim before the courts. We studied the role of the efficient and complex analysis of the company in terms of organizational and / or economic reasons but also the impact that the change in the company's structure will have by reducing the positions for which the activity will be considered redundant through the same analysis. Research aimed the position and the implications such an economic analysis will have on the entire collective dismissal procedures, procedures that are very precisely controlled by state institutions empowered by the phases imposed by law but also in agreement with the employer`s social partner. In a state that encourages commercial freedom and the exclusive organizational privilege of the employer, may the court censor the effects of this procedure analyzing itself the opportunity of reducing positions targeted by the reorganization caused by economic reasons, or may issue c onsiderations strictly in terms of reality and the seriousness of the causes that led to the adoption of such a decision of the employer?

  3. Valuing Residential Energy Efficiency in Two Alaska Real Estate Markets: A Hedonic Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pride, Dominique J.

    Alaska households have high home energy consumption and expenditures. Improving the energy efficiency of the housing stock can reduce home energy consumption, thereby reducing home energy expenditures and CO2 emissions. Improving the energy efficiency of a home may also increase its transaction price if the energy efficiency improvements are capitalized into the value of the home. The relationship between energy efficiency and transaction prices in the Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska residential real estate markets is examined. Using a hedonic pricing framework and difference-in-differences analysis, the impact of the Alaska Home Energy Rebate program on the transaction prices of single-family homes in the Fairbanks and Anchorage housing markets from 2008 through 2015 is examined. The results indicate that compared to homes that did not complete the program, homes that completed the program sell for a statistically significant price premium between 15.1% and 15.5% in the Fairbanks market and between 5% and 11% in the Anchorage market. A hedonic pricing framework is used to relate energy efficiency ratings and transaction prices of homes in the Fairbanks and Anchorage residential real estate markets from 2008 through 2015. The results indicate that homes with above-average energy efficiency ratings sell for a statistically significant price premium between 6.9% and 17.5% in the Fairbanks market and between 1.8% and 6.0% in the Anchorage market.

  4. The Effectiveness of Academic Dismissal Policies in Dutch University Education: An Empirical Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Ivo J. M.

    2015-01-01

    This paper uses national data on 450 Dutch bachelor programs to measure the effect of the introduction of academic dismissal policies on study progress and first-year drop-out. Our results show that these policies increase first-year drop-out on average by 6-7%. They also have the effect of improving the study progress of first-year survivors by…

  5. Big Data, Smart Homes and Ambient Assisted Living

    OpenAIRE

    Vimarlund, V.; Wass, S.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives: To discuss how current research in the area of smart homes and ambient assisted living will be influenced by the use of big data. Methods: A scoping review of literature published in scientific journals and conference proceedings was performed, focusing on smart homes, ambient assisted living and big data over the years 2011-2014. Results: The health and social care market has lagged behind other markets when it comes to the introduction of innovative IT solutions and the market f...

  6. Optimal taxation with home production

    OpenAIRE

    Olovsson, Conny

    2014-01-01

    Optimal taxes for Europe and the U.S. are derived in a realistically calibrated model in which agents buy consumption goods and services and use home capital and labor to produce household services. The optimal tax rate on services is substantially lower than the tax rate on goods. Specifically, the planner cannot tax home production directly and instead lowers the tax rate on market services to increase the relative price of home production. The optimal tax rate on the return to home capital...

  7. How PV system ownership can impact the market value of residential homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klise, Geoffrey Taylor [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Johnson, Jamie L. [Energy Sense Finance, LLC, Punta Gorda, FL (United States)

    2014-01-01

    There are multiple ways for a homeowner to obtain the electricity generating and savings benefits offered by a photovoltaic (PV) system. These include purchasing a PV system through various financing mechanisms, or by leasing the PV system from a third party with multiple options that may include purchase, lease renewal or PV system removal. The different ownership options available to homeowners presents a challenge to appraisal and real estate professionals during a home sale or refinance in terms of how to develop a value that is reflective of the PV systems operational characteristics, local market conditions, and lender and underwriter requirements. This paper presents these many PV system ownership options with a discussion of what considerations an appraiser must make when developing the contributory value of a PV system to a residential property.

  8. Appeal in nuclear power proceedings dismissed on the grounds of expiration of the period for lodging an appeal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1981-01-01

    In its decision of November 18, 1980 - No. 22 B 80 a 796 - the Administrative Court of Bavaria dismissed the appeal lodged against the dismissal of the Administrative Court of Regensburg handed down on March 19, 1980. The complainants had filed a declaratory action concerning the nullity of the licence granted for the Niederaischbach reactor, and for the Isar reactor at Ohu. Their actions were dismissed with costs on the grounds of lacking interest in the declaration - the complainants live a few hundred kilometers away from the sites of the nuclear power plants. The decision of the Administrative Court of Bavaria is based on the fact that the period for lodging appeals had expired. (Exept for the changed decision on costs) the decision of the Administrative Court of Regensburg has become final. The value in litigation of a declaratory action of nullity filed by a private person who denounces the violation of his basic right to life and to inviolability of his person is generally to be assessed at DM 10.000. In case of several complaints filed by different complainants, the subject value of the individual complaints are to be added according to Sect. 5 of the Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO). (orig./HSCH) [de

  9. Key sectors of the home automation industry, topical report, January 1993

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, K.L.

    1993-01-01

    This is one of a series of topical reports dealing with the strategic, technical, and market development of home automation. Particular emphasis is placed upon identifying those aspects of home automation that will impact the gas industry and gas products. Communication standards, market drivers, key organizations, technical implementation, product opportunities, and market growth projections will all be addressed in this or subsequent reports. These reports will also discuss how the gas industry and gas-fired equipment can use home automation technology to benefit the consumer

  10. Market Aspects of an Interior Design Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gold, Judy E.

    A project was conducted to evaluate a proposed interior design program in order to determine the marketability (job availability in the field of interior design and home furnishings merchandising) and the feasibility (educational requirements for entrance into the interior design and home furnishings merchandising job market) of the program. To…

  11. Sensor-Based Optimization Model for Air Quality Improvement in Home IoT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jonghyuk; Hwangbo, Hyunwoo

    2018-03-23

    We introduce current home Internet of Things (IoT) technology and present research on its various forms and applications in real life. In addition, we describe IoT marketing strategies as well as specific modeling techniques for improving air quality, a key home IoT service. To this end, we summarize the latest research on sensor-based home IoT, studies on indoor air quality, and technical studies on random data generation. In addition, we develop an air quality improvement model that can be readily applied to the market by acquiring initial analytical data and building infrastructures using spectrum/density analysis and the natural cubic spline method. Accordingly, we generate related data based on user behavioral values. We integrate the logic into the existing home IoT system to enable users to easily access the system through the Web or mobile applications. We expect that the present introduction of a practical marketing application method will contribute to enhancing the expansion of the home IoT market.

  12. Implementation of South African national credit act and its impact on home loans market: The case of First National Bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bathmanathan Vasie Naicker

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Since it has been observed that credit granting is a serious problem across the entire credit market, South Africa introduced National Credit Act 34 of 2005 in order to regulate the credit industry and protect credit consumers from becoming over-indebted. The study highlights and examines the implementation of the Act in relation to the South African home loans market, focussing on First National Bank home loans portfolio. The study documents that the current state of consumer indebtedness shows that both credit institutions and consumers were responsible for over extending retail credit. The study noticed that credit industry has significantly managed to regulate the retail credit through the implementation of the Act. Furthermore, the study finds that a new stakeholder such as a debt counsellor has been introduced into the retail credit value chain for debt counselling for over-indebted clients. However, the study recommends that internal forums within banks as well as industry-wide forums should be used in order to ensure that the implementation of a regulation that impacts the entire credit industry is implemented with all stakeholders to limit any possible misinterpretation of key sections of a new regulation.

  13. The marketing plan and outcome indicators for recruiting and retaining parents in the HomeStyles randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol; Delaney, Colleen; Martin-Biggers, Jennifer; Koenings, Mallory; Quick, Virginia

    2017-11-15

    Despite the critical importance of successful recruitment and retention to study integrity, reporting of recruitment and retention strategies along with factors associated with successful recruitment and retention of participants in health-related interventions remain rare, especially for health and obesity prevention programs. Thus, the purpose of this article is to retrospectively examine the recruitment and retention marketing plan used in the online HomeStyles randomized controlled trial (RCT) and discuss outcomes associated with completion of the intervention. The HomeStyles RCT is an online intervention developed to motivate parents of young children to gain the skills and self-confidence needed to shape home environments and lifestyles to be protective against childhood obesity. Using the seven Ps of services marketing (i.e., people, place, product, physical evidence, price, promotion, and process), a comprehensive and systematic plan for recruitment and retention was implemented and outcomes assessed. A total of 489 parents with a young child aged 2 to attractiveness, interestingness, and usefulness. Despite all the retention efforts, the average monthly recruitment accrual rate of ~ 33 eligible enrolled participants at baseline (i.e., 489 participants/15-month recruitment period), declined to ~ 18, 11, 9, and 8 remaining recruited participants/month at midpoint, post, follow-up, and long-term follow-up surveys, respectively. In general, survey completers were significantly more likely to be female and perceived their child's health status to be better, and they were significantly less likely to be restrictive of their child's food intake. The findings of the present study highlight the need for far-reaching, concentrated, and varied recruitment strategies; sufficient time in the research plan for recruitment and retention activities; and creative, tireless, flexible, persistent project staff for health-related interventions.

  14. Needs and preference assessment for an in-home nutrition education program using social marketing theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Sarah L; Taylor, Martha L; Strickland, Amy Williams

    2004-01-01

    Nutrition education programs for elder caregivers (CG) and their elder care recipients (CR) are important in preventing malnutrition. Using Social Marketing Theory, this study assessed the needs and preferences for nutrition education in elder CGs and their CRs in Guilford County, NC. Thirty-two pairs of community-residing elder CGs/CRs and three focus groups (FGs) participated. Health and diet questionnaires were administered to all CGs/CRs during in-home interviews. CGs/CRs and FGs evaluated nutrition education materials. Questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS v9. Ethnograph v5.0 was used to code the interviews regarding the education materials. The CGs were middle age (58.9 years), overweight (BMI = 28.8) Caucasian women. The CRs were old (79.4 years), overweight (BMI = 26.0) Caucasian women. Identified malnutrition risk factors of CGs and CRs included inadequate fluid and dietary intake, polypharmacy, and chronic disease. Identified nutrition needs and education preferences of CGs/CRs were similar. Perceived nutrition education preferences of the FGs did not reflect the interests of the CGs/CRs. This information is being used to revise the education materials and develop an in-home nutrition education program for CGs and CRs in Guilford County, NC.

  15. Response bias in international marketing research

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jong, M.G.

    2006-01-01

    The saturation of domestic markets in the industrialized parts of the world, combined with increased competition in home markets from foreign competitors forces many companies to look for opportunities beyond their national boundaries. Surveys are a crucial source of data in international marketing

  16. Sensor-Based Optimization Model for Air Quality Improvement in Home IoT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonghyuk Kim

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available We introduce current home Internet of Things (IoT technology and present research on its various forms and applications in real life. In addition, we describe IoT marketing strategies as well as specific modeling techniques for improving air quality, a key home IoT service. To this end, we summarize the latest research on sensor-based home IoT, studies on indoor air quality, and technical studies on random data generation. In addition, we develop an air quality improvement model that can be readily applied to the market by acquiring initial analytical data and building infrastructures using spectrum/density analysis and the natural cubic spline method. Accordingly, we generate related data based on user behavioral values. We integrate the logic into the existing home IoT system to enable users to easily access the system through the Web or mobile applications. We expect that the present introduction of a practical marketing application method will contribute to enhancing the expansion of the home IoT market.

  17. Australia's Bond Home Bias

    OpenAIRE

    Anil V. Mishra; Umaru B. Conteh

    2014-01-01

    This paper constructs the float adjusted measure of home bias and explores the determinants of bond home bias by employing the International Monetary Fund's high quality dataset (2001 to 2009) on cross-border bond investment. The paper finds that Australian investors' prefer investing in countries with higher economic development and more developed bond markets. Exchange rate volatility appears to be an impediment for cross-border bond investment. Investors prefer investing in countries with ...

  18. Home ownership, job duration, and wages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munch, Jakob Roland; Rosholm, Michael; Svarer, Michael

    2008-01-01

    We investigate the impact of home ownership on individual job mobility and wages in Denmark. We find that home ownership has a negative impact on job-to-job mobility both in terms of transition into new local jobs and new jobs outside the local labor market. In addition, there is a clear negative...

  19. Home Ownership, Job Duration, and Wages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munch, Jakob Roland; Rosholm, Michael; Svarer, Michael

    We investigate the impact of home ownership on individual job mobility and wages in Denmark. We find that home ownership has a negative impact on job-to-job mobility both in terms of transition into new local jobs and new jobs outside the local labour market. In addition, there is a clear negative...

  20. The enhancement of dismissed military barracks, a method for brownfield recovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Pellegrini

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The enhancement of dismissed military barracks is a big problem in Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The changed geo-politic conditions caused the abandonment of the numerous structures and the transfer of their property from State to Region and then to local municipalities. The regional government has not defined guidelines for their re-use and the work for the Patussi barracks, done to produce a re-use program, became a case study to explore possible strategies of intervention and the right method to adopt in order to give technical support to local governments. The paper describes the analysis, the scenarios, the proposal produced for the case-study.

  1. Emerging Market Multinational Companies and Internationalization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Estrin, Saul; Nielsen, Bo B.; Nielsen, Sabina

    2017-01-01

    We develop a multilevel theoretical framework for investigating the role of home country urbanization for emerging market multinational companies' (EMNCs) international expansion. We propose that more urbanized home environments directly increase EMNC's proclivity to internationalize and moderate...

  2. Low-e Storm Windows: Market Assessment and Pathways to Market Transformation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cort, Katherine A.

    2013-06-08

    Field studies sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have shown that the use of low-e storm windows can lead to significant heating and cooling energy savings in residential homes. This study examines the market for low-e storm windows based on market data, case studies, and recent experience with weatherization deployment programs. It uses information from interviews conducted with DOE researchers and industry partners involved in case studies and early deployment efforts related to low-e storm windows. In addition, this study examines potential barriers to market acceptance, assesses the market and energy savings potential, and identifies opportunities to transform the market for low-e storm windows and overcome market adoption barriers.

  3. Local Medicaid home- and community-based services spending and nursing home admissions of younger adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Kali S; Keohane, Laura; Mor, Vincent

    2014-11-01

    We used fixed-effect models to examine the relationship between local spending on home- and community-based services (HCBSs) for cash-assisted Medicaid-only disabled (CAMOD) adults and younger adult admissions to nursing homes in the United States during 2001 through 2008, with control for facility and market characteristics and secular trends. We found that increased CAMOD Medicaid HCBS spending at the local level is associated with decreased admissions of younger adults to nursing homes. Our findings suggest that states' efforts to expand HCBS for this population should continue.

  4. Building Homes, Building Careers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohn, Meredith

    1987-01-01

    The Construction Trades Foundation, a nonprofit corporation of business, industry, and school leaders, provides high school students in Montgomery County, Maryland, with unique hands-on experiences in construction, home design, marketing, public relations, and other fields. (SK)

  5. NURSING PROCESS, ACCORDING TO THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF WANDA HORTA, APPLIED TO A FAMILY MET BY THE REGIONAL CORE OF HOME CARE, DISTRITO FEDERAL.

    OpenAIRE

    Prince Vangeris Silva Fernandes de Lima; Ana Karoliny Couto Nascimento; Hellen Cristina Seganfredo; Isabella Cristina Ribeiro; Anne Caroline Coelho Leal Árias Amorim; Elioenai Dornelles Alves

    2014-01-01

    The case report describes the nursing care, systematized according to the conceptual model of Wanda Horta, who was dismissed to a family accompanied by a core team of Regional home care, an administrative region of the Federal District through prioritization, based on the scale of Cascavel, a member of this for such a public service. The context part according to reports from the Discipline community health nursing in ' 02 and ' Stage, mandatory mode sold to students from the undergraduat...

  6. Trapped or Spurred by the Home Region?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Keld; Masciarelli, Francesca; Prencipe, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    for goods and technology, thereby enhancing firms’ involvement in those foreign markets. When potential social capital reaches a certain threshold, it may work to trap firms into operating only within their home regions, thus reducing involvement in foreign markets. We conjecture that firms’ research...

  7. An Overview of the HomePlug AV2 Technology

    OpenAIRE

    Yonge, Larry; Abad, Jose; Afkhamie, Kaywan; Guerrieri, Lorenzo; Katar, Srinivas; Lioe, Hidayat; Pagani, Pascal; Riva, Raffaele; Schneider, Daniel M.; Schwager, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    HomePlug AV2 is the solution identified by the HomePlug Alliance to achieve the improved data rate performance required by the new generation of multimedia applications without the need to install extra wires. Developed by industry-leading participants in the HomePlug AV Technical Working Group, the HomePlug AV2 technology provides Gigabit-class connection speeds over the existing AC wires within home. It is designed to meet the market demands for the full set of future in-home networking co...

  8. A Business Case for Home Performance Contracting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baechler, Michael C.; Antonopoulos, Chrissi A.; Sevigny, Maureen; Gilbride, Theresa L.; Hefty, Marye G.

    2012-10-01

    This report was prepared by PNNL for the DOE Building America program. The report provides information for businesses considering entering the home performance contracting industry. Metrics discussed include industry trends and drivers, specific points of entry, business models, startup costs, and marketing strategies. The report includes detailed analysis of eight businesses around the country that have successfully entered the home performance contracting industry. Data is provided on their financial structures, program participation, marketing efforts, and staff training. This report will be distributed via the DOE Building America website, www.buildingamerica.gov. Individual case studies will also be cleared separately.

  9. Energy Value Housing Award Guide: How to Build and Profit with Energy Efficiency in New Home Construction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikora, J. L.

    2001-06-01

    As concern over the environment grows, builders have the potential to fulfill a market niche by building homes that use fewer resources and have lower environmental impact than conventional construction. Builders can increase their marketability and customer satisfaction and, at the same time, reduce the environmental impact of their homes. However, it takes dedication to build environmentally sound homes along with a solid marketing approach to ensure that customers recognize the added value of energy and resource efficiency. This guide is intended for builders seeking suggestions on how to improve energy and resource efficiency in their new homes. It is a compilation of ideas and concepts for designing, building, and marketing energy- and resource-efficient homes based on the experience of recipients of the national Energy Value Housing Award (EVHA).

  10. Internationalisation at Home: Exploiting the Potential of the Non-nationals' and Expatriates' Community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreja Jaklič

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The paper explores the first-time internationalisation strategy and discusses whether firms could actually begin internationalisation at home without crossing the border by approaching the international expatriates’ community in the home city/market. Research Design & Methods: The concept of internationalisation at home is studied through the case study method. An example of a public company from the creative industry in the capital city from the Central and Eastern European region is studied. Findings: The expatriates’ community, so far often neglected market segment, has a rising potential in several European cites. The results highlight a positive impact on performance after approaching the expatriates’ community. Organisational learning effects result in improved and stabilised sales and strengthened firm-specific advantages. Implications & Recommendations: Internationalisation at home is disruptive innovation, especially appropriate for enterprises under high resource constraints. It is fast, cost efficient and has positive externalities. The international expatriates’ community in the home city/market offers fast organisational learning and a testing area for enterprises. Contribution & Value Added: Internationalisation at home adds to the existing understanding of internationalisation. The findings that firms could begin the organisational learning process of internationalisation before or even without the first foreign entry and proposals for the integrating expatriates’ community into the marketing strategy may influence future internationalisation paths.

  11. Marketing Strategy Analysis for Small and Medium Scale Business Enterprise (SMEs) for Home Industry Furniture in Leilem, the Regency of Minahasa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pangemanan, S. A.; Walukow, I. M.

    2018-01-01

    Leilem is a small village located in Minahasa Regency. This village is well known for furniture products made of Timber. Eventhough the village has been producing various furniture products with high quality since many decades ago, it has not been able to compete with other new entries such furniture from Java, Synthetic Ratan, Plywood and plastic based furniture. The monotonous design and the finishing works done on the furniture have been some of the major issues in the decline of home furniture. The research explores problems and challenges faced by the furniture home Industry. It will also aim at identifying the internal and external factors that prevent the home industry to compete and survive. In the end the research will develop the strategic positioning of the home industry in the midst of competition. The research methodology employs descriptive analysis in which data are collected through observation, interview, and questionnaire. This methodology is combined with IFE (Internal Factor Evaluation) and EFE (External Factor Evaluation) Matrix, SPACE Matrix and SWOT Analysis and QSPM (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix). The sample is 66 business people, of 823 craftsmen who are working in this business. The result shows this home industry is very competitive in terms of consistency, but in terms of promotion, product quality, price, product diversification, design training of furniture, management and economic scale, it is lagging behind. The home industry should be able to develop marketing networking, improve design and product quality, promotion and cost control, product diversification and these can only be done by intensive training in managing business and investment.

  12. New Home Buyer Solar Water Heater Trade-Off Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Symmetrics Marketing Corporation

    1999-01-01

    This report details the results of a research conducted in 1998 and 1999 and outlines a marketing deployment plan designed for businesses interested in marketing solar water heaters in the new home industry

  13. A Study of the Mediating Role of Product Management on Relationship between Market orientation and firm Performance (Case Study: Home appliances manufacturing companies in Esfahan Province)

    OpenAIRE

    Hassan Ghorbani; Azade Yaghootkar

    2013-01-01

    The present paper, titled ‘A Study of the Effect of market orientation on SME firm performance the mediating role of product management’ Seek to answer the question Which aspects of product management how affect the firm performance Thus the product management literature, as well as market orieantation and performance in home appliances factories in Isfahan Province are examined. This research, in terms of its purpose, is an applied one; and in terms of implementation method, is a survey with...

  14. Successful Regional Pellets Market Development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oehlinger, Christine

    2006-01-01

    In Upper Austria, renewable energy sources (RES) provide over 30 % of the primary energy consumption (of which 14 % is biomass). That high market penetration was achieved by a clear energy strategy including an energy action plan. The O.Oe. Energiesparverband, the energy agency of Upper Austria, is responsible for the implementation of the measures included in the action plan. Establishing a new market in a short term period is possible and the Upper Austrian example of biomass market development gives a clear signal that a positive change can be brought about: oil-heating installations in new homes decreased from 36 % in 1999 to less than 1 % in the year 2005; and the share of renewable energy heating installations in new-built homes increased in the same time period from 32 % to 70 %. The ambitious goal of doubling the share of modern biomass heating systems until 2010 was defined for future market development

  15. Consequences of players' dismissal in professional soccer: a crisis-related analysis of group-size effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Eli, Michael; Tenenbaum, Gershon; Geister, Sabine

    2006-10-01

    This study documents the effect of players' dismissals on team performance in professional soccer. Our aim was to determine whether the punishment meted out for unacceptable player behaviour results in reduced team performance. The official web site of the German Soccer Association was used for coding data from games played in the first Bundesliga between the 1963 - 64 and 2003 - 04 (n = 41) seasons. A sample of 743 games where at least one red card was issued was used to test hypotheses derived from crisis theory (Bar-Eli & Tenenbaum, 1989a). Players' dismissals weaken a sanctioned team in terms of the goals and final score following the punishment. The chances of a sanctioned team scoring or winning were substantially reduced following the sanction. Most cards were issued in the later stages of matches. The statistics pertaining to outcome results as a function of game standing, game location, and time phases - all strongly support the view that teams can be considered conceptually similar to individuals regarding the link between stress and performance. To further develop the concept of team and individual psychological performance crisis in competition, it is recommended that reversal theory (Apter, 1982) and self-monitoring and distraction theories (Baumeister, 1984) be included in the design of future investigations pertaining to choking under pressure.

  16. Bayou Vista: A Market-Driven Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izzo, G. Martin; Teal, Elisabeth J.

    2012-01-01

    The case touches on several areas of marketing: ethics, sales issues, conflicts of interest, marketing forecasts, and issues of pricing. Joe Brice, the visionary and real estate broker for a 36-lot subdivision of moderately priced single-family homes targeting the $190,000 to $260,000 range, seems to have identified an unmet housing market,…

  17. Advances in Home Photo Printing

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qian Lin; Brian Atkins; Huitao Luo

    2004-01-01

    With digital camera adoptions going main stream, consumers capture a record number of photos.Currently, the majority of the digital photos are printed at home. One of the key enablers of this transformation is the advancement of home photo printing technologies. In the past few years, inkjet printing technologies have continued to deliver smaller drop size, larger number of inks, and longer-lasting prints. In the mean time, advanced image processing automatically enhances captured digital photos while being printed. The combination of the above two forces has closed the gap between the home photo prints and AgX prints. It will give an overview of the home photo printing market and technology trends, and discuss major advancements in automatic image processing.

  18. Commentary on patents: Don`t dismiss Rifkin`s damning of gene patents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoyle, R.

    1995-07-01

    Biotech may have less to fear from Rifkin than from its own inclination to dismiss the fact that the evolution of ethics and patent laws applying to patenting genes has been haphazard. Perhaps it is time for the biotechnology industry to get behind the establishment of an effective forum for opening much-needed dialogue. Perhaps a Senate proposal to establish a bioethics commission, which reportedly has bogged down in partisan politics, is just such a venue for the government and private sector to begin to hash out the ethical and legal dilemmas that are indisputably at the heart of the biotechnology industry, and its future success.

  19. Employment Insecurity at Labour Market Entry and Its Impact on Parental Home Leaving and Family Formation : A Comparative Study among Recent Graduates in Eight European Countries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wolbers, Maarten H.J.

    2007-01-01

    This article explores whether employment insecurity (i.e. unemployment and fl exible employment) at labour market entry has a negative impact on parental home leaving and family formation. To answer this question, data from a large-scale European graduate survey carried out in 1998 were analysed.

  20. The relationship between advertising, price, and nursing home quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kash, Bita A; Miller, Thomas R

    2009-01-01

    Theoretically, nursing homes should engage in advertising for the following two reasons: (a) to improve awareness of the services offered in a particular market and (b) to signal high-quality services. In this study, we build upon results from prior studies of nursing home advertising activity, market competition, and quality. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between advertising expenses, price, and quality. We focused on answering the question: Do nursing homes use advertising and price to signal superior quality? The Texas Nursing Facilities Medicaid Cost Report, the Texas Quality Reporting System, and the Area Resource File were merged for the year 2003. We used three alternative measures of quality to improve the robustness of this exploratory analysis. Quality measures were examined using Bonferroni correlation coefficient analysis. Associations between advertising expenses and quality were evaluated using three regression models predicting quality. We also examined the association of the price of a private bed per day with quality. Advertising expenses were not associated with better nursing home quality as measured by three quality scales. The average price customers pay for one private bed per day was associated with better quality only in one of the three quality regression models. The price of nursing home care might be a better indicator of quality and necessary to increase as quality of care is improved in the nursing homes sector. Because more advertising expenditures are not necessarily associated with better quality, consumers could be mislead by advertisements and choose poor quality nursing homes. Nursing home administrators should focus on customer relationship management tools instead of expensive advertising. Relationship management tools are proven marketing techniques for the health services sector, usually less expensive than advertising, and help with staff retention and quality outcomes.

  1. Market introduction of renewable energy technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    On 11 and 12 November 1997 the VDI Society for Energy Technology (VDI-GET) held a congress in Neuss on the ''Market introduction of renewable energy technologies'' The focal topics of the congress were as follows: market analyses for renewable energy technologies, the development of markets at home and abroad, and the framework conditions governing market introduction. Specifically it dealt with the market effects of national and international introduction measures, promotion programmes and their efficiency, the legal framework conditions governing market introduction, advanced and supplementary training, market-oriented research (e.g., for cost reduction), and improved marketing [de

  2. Financial mechanism for PV solar home systems market development. An Indian case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Painuly, J.P.

    2005-01-01

    Rural electrification through grid extension has not made electricity available to the rural households in India, where still approximately seventy percent of them have no access to electricity. These households continue to rely on less efficient and polluting energy sources, typically biomass for cooking and heating and kerosene for lighting. Even though some of them are connected to grid, problems of capacity shortages and inconsistent quality plague the power supply, especially in rural and semi urban areas in most parts of India. Despite high initial costs, Solar Home Systems (SHS) emerge as an attractive option in the context of costly or unreliable alternatives and escalating grid power tariffs. Barrier to the growth of SHS market include a lack of access to financing, awareness, and risk perception associated with the technology, new to the customers of SHS and financing community. To address these barriers, consultations with stakeholders were held, that included manufacturers, financing institutions, and others. An intervention was designed based on the discussions and a credit facility created in partnership with two banks having wide reach to the potential customers in Karnataka State of India. The facility provides loan to the customers and a small subsidy to buy down high cost of the credit, which is designed to reduce over the three-year operation of the facility, with a target to reach market rates of interest at the end of the project. Technical support, awareness raising strategies and training were included as a part of the overall strategy. The credit facility was launched between April and June 2003 by the two partner banks. Early indications on sales have been very encouraging and the facility has already surpassed the target of 5000 SHS sales in two years within a year. Feedback mechanisms such as customer surveys, new initiatives to reach the poor households, and ongoing consultations with stakeholders etc. are also part of the market

  3. Renewable energy markets in developing countries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martinot, E.; Chaurey, A.; Lew, D.

    2002-01-01

    Renewable energy is shifting from the fringe to the mainstream of sustainable development. Past donor efforts achieved modest results but often were not sustained or replicated, which leads now to greater market orientation. Markets for rural household lighting with solar home systems, biogas...

  4. Federal Court of Administration dismissed appeals in nuclear power plant proceedings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1980-01-01

    On July 18, 1980 the Federal Court of Administration handed down several decisions made in proceedings on nuclear power stations. It dismissed the appeal field by the complaining party. 1. In the proceedings concerning the Kruemmel reactor being about to be completed, the World Association for the Protecteion of Life was again denied the right to file a complaint. 2. In the proceedings concerning the nuclear power station under construction at Muelheim-Kaerlich, the objections raised were regarded as being insufficient for repealing the licence. 3. In the proceedings concerning the nuclear power staion at Wyhl which has not been built yet, the objections raised were declared not to be sufficiently substantiated in time. The written opinions of all proceedings are not yet available. (HSCH) [de

  5. Big Data, Smart Homes and Ambient Assisted Living

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wass, S.

    2014-01-01

    Summary Objectives To discuss how current research in the area of smart homes and ambient assisted living will be influenced by the use of big data. Methods A scoping review of literature published in scientific journals and conference proceedings was performed, focusing on smart homes, ambient assisted living and big data over the years 2011-2014. Results The health and social care market has lagged behind other markets when it comes to the introduction of innovative IT solutions and the market faces a number of challenges as the use of big data will increase. First, there is a need for a sustainable and trustful information chain where the needed information can be transferred from all producers to all consumers in a structured way. Second, there is a need for big data strategies and policies to manage the new situation where information is handled and transferred independently of the place of the expertise. Finally, there is a possibility to develop new and innovative business models for a market that supports cloud computing, social media, crowdsourcing etc. Conclusions The interdisciplinary area of big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living is no longer only of interest for IT developers, it is also of interest for decision makers as customers make more informed choices among today’s services. In the future it will be of importance to make information usable for managers and improve decision making, tailor smart home services based on big data, develop new business models, increase competition and identify policies to ensure privacy, security and liability. PMID:25123734

  6. Big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vimarlund, V; Wass, S

    2014-08-15

    To discuss how current research in the area of smart homes and ambient assisted living will be influenced by the use of big data. A scoping review of literature published in scientific journals and conference proceedings was performed, focusing on smart homes, ambient assisted living and big data over the years 2011-2014. The health and social care market has lagged behind other markets when it comes to the introduction of innovative IT solutions and the market faces a number of challenges as the use of big data will increase. First, there is a need for a sustainable and trustful information chain where the needed information can be transferred from all producers to all consumers in a structured way. Second, there is a need for big data strategies and policies to manage the new situation where information is handled and transferred independently of the place of the expertise. Finally, there is a possibility to develop new and innovative business models for a market that supports cloud computing, social media, crowdsourcing etc. The interdisciplinary area of big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living is no longer only of interest for IT developers, it is also of interest for decision makers as customers make more informed choices among today's services. In the future it will be of importance to make information usable for managers and improve decision making, tailor smart home services based on big data, develop new business models, increase competition and identify policies to ensure privacy, security and liability.

  7. The market value of energy efficiency: What have we learned? What do we still need to learn?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, D.; Nevin, R.; Farhar, B.C.

    1998-01-01

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) at the National Energy Renewable Laboratory (NREL) are investigating the market value of energy efficiency in residential homes. The demonstrated market value for energy efficiency is crucial to the success of EPA's ENERGY STAR Homes Program, providing market information to builders who are deciding whether to construct ENERGY STAR Homes, to lenders who may want to understand the performance of mortgages for energy-efficient homes, and to home owners seeking returns on additional investments in energy-efficient homes. The paper discusses the current dilemma facing the ENERGY STAR Homes Program and the need to demonstrate the value of energy efficiency. The paper presents a brief literature review of past studies on the market value of energy efficiency, as well as a recent analysis on the American Housing Survey. this study suggests that property values increase by $20 to $24 for every $1 reduction in annual fuel bill. Finally, the paper concludes with a summary of a joint research project between EPA and NREL on the market value of ENERGY STAR Homes, and the potential implications of this research

  8. Home loan profitability optimisation in the financial industry / by Sias Heyns

    OpenAIRE

    Heyns, Sias

    2007-01-01

    Product profitability needs to remain a competitive advantage to a bank's home loan product. Ever changing customer needs and even more demanding customers today enforce reasons to investigate the profitability of home loans. Other aspects to consider includes transfer pricing, ROA, cost to deliver product to market areas (marketing and distribution cost) and break-even period. Banks are facing immense challenges to achieve sustainable profitability. Historically low interest rates are compre...

  9. Building America Energy Renovations. A Business Case for Home Performance Contracting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baechler, Michael C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Antonopoulos, C. A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Sevigny, M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gilbride, T. L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hefty, M. G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2012-10-01

    This research report gives an overview of the needs and opportunities that exist in the U.S. home performance contracting industry. The report discusses industry trends, market drivers, different business models, and points of entry for existing and new businesses hoping to enter the home performance contracting industry. Case studies of eight companies who successfully entered the industry are provided, including business metrics, start-up costs, and marketing approaches.

  10. Working women: the domestic labour market in Ireland, 1890-1914

    OpenAIRE

    Bourke, Joanna

    1991-01-01

    Historians and economists generally (and prudently) choose narrowly to define "labor" as\\ud paid employment, ignoring the largest sector of work: unpaid\\ud work within the home. It is no longer sufficient to regard women\\ud who work in the home as "surplus" or "unproductive" workers.\\ud Rather, the movement of women out of the paid employment\\ud market and into the unpaid domestic market is linked to the\\ud increased value of labor within the home. Although certain shifts\\ud in the economy pu...

  11. The Effect of an Academic Dismissal Policy on Dropout, Graduation Rates and Student Satisfaction. Evidence from the Netherlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sneyers, Eline; De Witte, Kristof

    2017-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of the introduction of an academic dismissal (AD) policy (i.e. an intervention, which can lead to compulsory student withdrawal) on student dropout, student graduation rates and satisfaction with the study program. Using a difference-in-differences type of estimator, we compare programs that introduced an AD policy…

  12. Diffusion into new markets: evolving customer segments in the solar photovoltaics market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigrin, Ben; Pless, Jacquelyn; Drury, Easan

    2015-08-01

    The US residential solar market is growing quickly, and as solar adoption diffuses into new populations, later adopters may differ significantly from earlier ones. Using a unique household-level survey dataset including 1234 adopters and 790 non-adopters from San Diego County, California, we explore differences in attitudinal and socio-economic factors for three groups: (i) adopters and non-adopters; (ii) early and more recent adopters; (iii) consumers adopting via buying or leasing. Our results suggest that adopters overall have higher incomes, are more educated, live in larger homes, and expect to stay in their homes for longer than their non-adopting peers. They also differ in their expectations of electricity retail rate changes and the impact solar could have on their home resale value. When examining differences between early and more recent adopters, we find that recent adopters are more representative of general homeowners and more politically moderate. They are also increasingly installing solar to protect against future electricity price increases and to lower electricity costs as opposed to adopting strictly for environmental reasons. Furthermore, more recent adopters differ significantly from earlier adopters in the situations that prompted them to adopt. The findings demonstrate how solar markets are evolving, reflecting changes in the underlying drivers of consumer adoption as well as innovative solar marketing strategies.

  13. THE ROLE OF HUMAN DIGNITY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF FAIR COMPENSATION FOR UNFAIR DISMISSALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stella Vettori

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available South African labour law is concerned with the attainment of fairness for both the employer and the employee. In weighing up the interests of the respective parties it is of paramount importance to ensure that a delicate balance is achieved so as to give credence to commercial reality as well as an individual's right to dignity. In other words the attainment of fairness in the employment relationship must give cognisance not only to surrounding socio-economic reality but also to human rights. The environment within which the world of work operates has at its core a free enterprise economy. Ultimately, an employer should generally not be penalised to the extent that it is crippled and unable to continue operating. It is argued in this article that in ascertaining what constitutes appropriate compensation for an unfair dismissal, the underlying reality that labour law operates in a free enterprise system must be and is given cognisance to by the legislation and the courts. At the same time in ascertaining what constitutes fair compensation for unfair dismissal due regard must be had not only to the labour rights contained in the Constitution but also to other rights protected in terms of the Constitution, most importantly, the rights to dignity and equality. The fact that the basis of the employment relationship is commercial and an employer is entitled and even encouraged to make profits is reflected in our law by the fact that there are caps on the amount of compensation for unfair dismissal in the interests of business efficiency and certainty. However, an analysis of relevant case law demonstrates that this can never be at the expense of a person's dignity. Hence the notion that the employment relationship is relational. This is reflected by the interpretation given to the legislation by the courts. Where there has been discrimination or an impairment of the employee's dignity, there are no such limits as to the amount of compensation a court

  14. Service Provisioning Framework for Digital Smart Home Services

    OpenAIRE

    Kazanavicius , Egidijus; Imbrasas , Darius; Razukas , Mantas

    2011-01-01

    Part 3: Digital Goods and Products; International audience; “Development and Management Framework of Smart Home Services (SNAPAS)” is an innovative system, which seeks to fill the market niche of Smart Home services and fully complies with the priorities of scientific development approved by the European Parliament and Council. Framework is characterized by an open component-based pluggable architecture, which provides new forms of interactive services in home environments, including the thir...

  15. Marketing your equine practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnus, Robert P

    2009-12-01

    The take-home message in marketing your equine practice is simple: understand your position in the target market and the buying behavior of your current and prospective customers. Time well spent on analysis and evaluation of options can maximize customer value in the services and products you offer. This allows you to capture profit and to attain your personal and professional goals as an equine practitioner.

  16. Action for declaration of annulment of reactor construction permit dismissed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1982-01-01

    The Higher Administrative Court of Rheinland Pfalz has confirmed two decisions by the Koblenz Administrative Court dismissing an actions to declare the annulment of the partial construction permit issued for the Muelheim-Kaerlich reactor. Appeal was not admitted. The plaintiffs, who are under age and were represented by their father, are permanently resident in Schleswig-Holstein, at about 470 km from the site and have a further residence in Mainz, about 60 km away from the site. They plead to have a legitimate interest in the declaration of nullity on the grounds of the uncertainty created in legal matters by the delivery of the permit and its being unconstitutional as well as for ideological and religious reasons. The ruling deals also with the importance of the distance from the site of a nuclear reactor, which is considered to be such as to exclude the 'necessary spatial relation'. (orig./HP) [de

  17. How to start a home-based mobile app developer business

    CERN Document Server

    Brooks, Chad

    2014-01-01

    With the app market exploding, app designers will need a solid how-to guide to help them start their home-based business. This book will guide the reader through all the steps from design to marketing.

  18. An Overview of the HomePlug AV2 Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larry Yonge

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available HomePlug AV2 is the solution identified by the HomePlug Alliance to achieve the improved data rate performance required by the new generation of multimedia applications without the need to install extra wires. Developed by industry-leading participants in the HomePlug AV Technical Working Group, the HomePlug AV2 technology provides Gigabit-class connection speeds over the existing AC wires within home. It is designed to meet the market demands for the full set of future in-home networking connectivity. Moreover, HomePlug AV2 guarantees backward interoperability with other HomePlug systems. In this paper, the HomePlug AV2 system architecture is introduced and the technical details of the key features at both the PHY and MAC layers are described. The HomePlug AV2 performance is assessed, through simulations reproducing real home scenarios.

  19. 12 CFR 932.5 - Market risk capital requirement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... estimates the market value of the Bank's assets and liabilities, off-balance sheet items, and derivative... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Market risk capital requirement. 932.5 Section... CAPITAL STANDARDS FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS § 932.5 Market risk capital requirement. (a...

  20. Market potential and market hindrances for thermal solar energy; Marktpotentiale und Markthindernisse fuer die thermische Solarenergie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerheuser, F. W.

    2002-10-15

    This comprehensive report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the market potential and market hindrances for thermal solar energy systems. The author notes that solar systems for heating domestic hot water have a considerable market potential, especially for single-family homes. Such installations are discussed in detail, whereby not only technicalities but also market image and the latent potential for such systems are discussed. The results of surveys made are presented and discussed. The lower potential for installations on apartment blocks is also mentioned.

  1. Pengaruh strategi bauran pemasaran terhadap harga pada home industri jenang “Mirah” Ponorogo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prasetiyani Ika Saputri

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Of this study was to determine the marketing mix strategy in Home Industry Jenang "MIRAH" in Ponorogo, to determine the pricing of products in Home Industry Jenang "MIRAH" in Ponorogo. Marketing Mix Strategy is one factor in the price. The samples in this study using sampling techniques saturated as many as 39 people. Sampling using techniques sampling. Results of simple linear regression Y = 43,477 + 0,558 X, meaning that if the price increase of 1%, then marketing mix strategy will increase by 0,558 if other factors held constant. It is obtained from tcount on marketing mix strategy variable (X is 9,440 with 0,000 signifkansi level. Because 9,440 >1,68488 and 0.000 ttable ie, greater than t table of a significance level of 0.000 t less than 0.05 then the research hypothesis reject Ho and accept Ha. While the results of R2 of 0.670, indicating that 67% strategy marketing mix variables influenced the price, while the remaining 33% is influenced by other factors not examined. Conclusion there is the effect of strategy marketing mix on price satisfaction in Home Industry Jenang "MIRAH" in Ponorogo.

  2. Laffer Curves and Home Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kotamäki Mauri

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In the earlier related literature, consumption tax rate Laffer curve is found to be strictly increasing (see Trabandt and Uhlig (2011. In this paper, a general equilibrium macro model is augmented by introducing a substitute for private consumption in the form of home production. The introduction of home production brings about an additional margin of adjustment – an increase in consumption tax rate not only decreases labor supply and reduces the consumption tax base but also allows a substitution of market goods with home-produced goods. The main objective of this paper is to show that, after the introduction of home production, the consumption tax Laffer curve exhibits an inverse U-shape. Also the income tax Laffer curves are significantly altered. The result shown in this paper casts doubt on some of the earlier results in the literature.

  3. A game theory simulator for assessing the performances of competitive electricity markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bompard, Ettore; Carpaneto, Enrico; Ciwei, Gao; Napoli, Roberto; Benini, Michele; Gallanti, Massimo; Migliavacca, Gianluigi

    2008-01-01

    In the last years, electricity markets were created all over the world following different basis concepts. Market structure, market rules, demand levels, market concentration and energy sources to produce electricity have a strong influence on market performances. Modifications on these aspects may significantly affect market outcomes. Sensitivity analyses need proper simulation tools. In this paper a medium run electricity market simulator (MREMS) based on game theory is presented. This simulator incorporates two different games, one for the unit commitment of thermal units and one for strategic bidding and hourly market clearing. Either a Forchheimer (one leader) or Bertrand (all player are leaders) or even intermediate model with a whatever number of leaders can be selected, in dependence on the strategic behavior of the producers, allowing for the simulation of markets with different levels of concentration. The simulator was applied to analyse producers' behavior during the first operative year of the Italian power exchange. A comparison between simulation and true market results was carried out in order to test the simulator and validate its simplifying hypotheses. MREMS, yet capable to be used stand-alone, was conceived as the heart of a long-term market simulator (LREMS) allowing to simulate the long-run evolution of the generation park (investments in new plants, refurbishment and dismission of older ones). LREMS is a hierarchic simulator: a long-term ''outer'' game takes yearly investment decisions based on mid-term price projections provided by MREMS. Although this paper is mainly devoted to describe MREMS, one specific section will provide an overview of the ''outer'' game implemented by LREMS. (author)

  4. Financing PV solar home systems; A market intervention model from a case study in India

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Painuly, J.P. [UNEP Risoe Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development, Risoe National Laboratory (Denmark); Usher, E. [Energy and Ozon Action Unit - Division of Technology, Industry and Economics - United Nations Environment Programme, Paris (France)

    2004-07-01

    Renewable Energy is expected to contribute significantly in future to World Energy Supply. It holds tremendous potential for countries like India where approximately seventy percent of the rural households are still without access to electricity. These households continue to rely on less efficient and polluting energy sources, typically biomass for cooking and heating and kerosene for lighting. Even when connected to grid, problems of capacity shortages and inconsistent quality plague the power supply, especially in rural and semi urban areas in most parts of India. Despite high initial costs, Solar Home Systems (SHS) emerge as an attractive option in the context of costly or unreliable alternatives and escalating grid power tariffs. Barrier to the growth of SHS market include a lack of access to financing, awareness, and risk perception associated with the technology, new to the customers of SHS and financing community. Consultations with stakeholders were held and an intervention was designed to address these barriers through creation of a credit facility in partnership with two banks having wide reach to the potential customers. The facility provides loan to the customers and a small subsidy to buy down high cost of the credit, which is designed to reduce over the three-year operation of the facility, with a target to reach market rates of interest at the end of the project. Technical support, awareness raising strategies and training were included as a part of the overall strategy. The credit facility was launched between April and June 2003 by the two banks. Early indications on sales have been very encouraging and the facility is expected to surpass the target of 5000 SHS sales in two years well in advance. Feedback mechanisms such as customer surveys, new initiatives to reach the poor households, and ongoing consultations with stakeholders etc. are also part of the market development strategy. (orig.)

  5. Wireless Android Based Home Automation System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Tanveer Riaz

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This manuscript presents a prototype and design implementation of an advance home automation system that uses Wi-Fi technology as a network infrastructure connecting its parts. The proposed system consists of two main components; the first part is the server, which presents system core that manages and controls user’s home. Users and system administrator can locally (Local Area Network or remotely (internet manage and control the system. Second part is the hardware interface module, which provides appropriate interface to sensors and actuator of home automation system. Unlike most of the available home automation system in the market, the proposed system is scalable that one server can manage many hardware interface modules as long as it exists within network coverage. System supports a wide range of home automation devices like appliances, power management components, and security components. The proposed system is better in terms of the flexibility and scalability than the commercially available home automation systems

  6. Commercial dissemination approaches for solar home systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Terrado, E.

    1997-12-01

    The author discusses the issue of providing solar home systems to primarily rural areas from the perspective of how to commercialize the process. He considers two different approaches, one an open market approach and the other an exclusive market approach. He describes examples of the exclusive market approach which are in process in Argentina and Brazil. Coming from a banking background, the business aspects are discussed in detail. He points out the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches toward developing such systems.

  7. Labour supply in the home care industry: A case study in a Dutch region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breedveld, Elly J; Meijboom, Bert R; de Roo, Aad A

    2006-04-01

    Health organizations have started to become more market-driven. Therefore, it is important for health organizations to analyse the competitive dynamics of their industrial structure. However, relevant theories and models have mainly been developed for organizations acting in the profit sector. In this paper, we adapt Porter's 'five forces model' to the home care industry. In particular, we modify the (determinants of the) bargaining power of labour suppliers. We then apply the modified Porter-model to the home care industry in the Netherlands for the period of 1987-1997 with special attention for labour supply. The new instrument clarifies the complexity of the supply chains and value systems of the home care industry. As can be illustrated by developments in the home care industry in the province of North Brabant during the 1990s, competition between home care providers has influenced labour market relations, but so do other factors as well. Between 1987 and 1997, the bargaining power of labour suppliers was relatively limited. After 1997, however, the demand for home care personnel has increased strongly. In spite of the present economic recession, scarcity on this labour market seems to prevail in the longer term due to a growing demand for home care services.

  8. Explaining Home Bias in Trade: The Role of Time Costs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Inkoo Lee

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available We study how time costs, combined with elasticity of substitution across home and foreign goods, can explain the home bias puzzle in a framework of flexible prices. Using a simple two-country model, we show that introducing time costs to an otherwise standard competitive model improves its ability to rationalize home bias in trade. Our analysis suggests that home bias and corresponding incomplete risk-sharing naturally arise in the presence of time costs, even under the assumption of complete financial markets and low elasticity of substitution between home and foreign goods.

  9. Higher prices, higher quality? Evidence from German nursing homes

    OpenAIRE

    Herr, Annika; Hottenrott, Hanna

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: This study investigates the relationship between prices and quality of 7,400 German nursing homes controlling for income, nursing home density, demographics, labour market characteristics, and infrastructure at the regional level. Method: We use a cross section of public quality reports for all German nursing homes, which had been evaluated between 2010 and 2013 by external institutions. Our analysis is based on multivariate regressions in a two stage least squares framework, wher...

  10. Racial Bias in the Manager-Employee Relationship: An Analysis of Quits, Dismissals, and Promotions at a Large Retail Firm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giuliano, Laura; Levine, David I.; Leonard, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    Using data from a large U.S. retail firm, we examine how racial matches between managers and their employees affect rates of employee quits, dismissals, and promotions. We exploit changes in management at hundreds of stores to estimate hazard models with store fixed effects that control for all unobserved differences across store locations. We…

  11. Benefits and risks of smart home technologies

    OpenAIRE

    Wilson, Charlie; Hargreaves, Tom; Hauxwell-Baldwin, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Smart homes are a priority area of strategic energy planning and national policy. The market adoption of smart home technologies (SHTs) relies on prospective users perceiving clear benefits with acceptable levels of risk. This paper characterises the perceived benefits and risks of SHTs from multiple perspectives. A representative national survey of UK homeowners (n=1025) finds prospective users have positive perceptions of the multiple functionality of SHTs including energy management. Cedin...

  12. Marketing Dental Services | Tuominen | Tanzania Dental Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tanzania Dental Journal. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 9, No 1 (2000) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. Marketing Dental Services. R Tuominen. Abstract. No Abstract.

  13. Variation in psychotropic drug use in nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castle, N G

    1998-01-01

    Numerous studies of health service use reveal considerable variation in the degree of services provided. In this article the variation in psychotropic drug use in nursing homes is examined. First, a descriptive analysis of nursing homes with and without high levels of psychotropic drug use is provided. Second, an analysis of the determinants of high levels of psychotropic drug use in nursing homes is provided. Factors such as ownership, staffing levels, having special care units, case-mix intensity, competitiveness of the nursing home market, and the state Medicaid reimbursement rate structure are examined. The results of these analyses are discussed in terms of their policy issues.

  14. Building a design community for sustainable homes through configuration and open innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thuesen, Christian Langhoff; Jespersen, Kristina Risom

    2009-01-01

    . Furthermore will an idea space collect and rate ideas from the users. Through a combination of technical and user driven innovation the design community will act as a learning tool for the users and producers and thereby facilitate the development of a market for sustainable homes.......This paper presents a development project which aims to create a market place for sustainable homes – around a design community where the uses and producers collectively can develop new energy efficient solutions and thereby reduce the emmisson of CO2. The core functionality of the design community...... is a configurator where the users based on the produceres templates can design their own home at a selected address visualizing and estimating the energy consumption, total cost, CO2 emission etc. All the designs will be collected and rated in a design space creating transparency over the market and technologies...

  15. Marketing Strategy: Luonnotar Organic Home Line

    OpenAIRE

    Soukhotski, Dmitri

    2010-01-01

    It is mainly due to innovation which creates new possibilities that progress and development becomes achievable. Organic textiles are one such remarkable concept worthy of being classified as a novelty trend not only from the marketing perspective but also from the perspective of novelty in the sustainable natural resources management. It can be theorized that the added value of health benefits from utilization of the organic concept in the economy is something that should be highly desirable...

  16. Strategic analysis of a factory built home opportunity in Western Canada

    OpenAIRE

    Henderson, Stephen Gary

    2006-01-01

    A strategic analysis was completed to determine the feasibility of initiating a factory-built home manufacturing facility in Western Canada. We completed an industry analysis, internal analysis, an opportunity analysis and provide a recommendation on how to proceed. The results indicate a factory built facility is economically feasible if a market of 60 houses per year can be established. The competitive advantages of factory built homes over on-site homes indicate a better quality home can b...

  17. Marketing margins and agricultural technology in Mozambique

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arndt, Channing; Jensen, Henning Tarp; Robinson, Sherman

    2000-01-01

    of improved agricultural technology and lower marketing margins yield welfare gains across the economy. In addition, a combined scenario reveals significant synergy effects, as gains exceed the sum of gains from the individual scenarios. Relative welfare improvements are higher for poor rural households......Improvements in agricultural productivity and reductions in marketing costs in Mozambique are analysed using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The model incorporates detailed marketing margins and separates household demand for marketed and home-produced goods. Individual simulations...

  18. Predictors of Intent to Leave the Job Among Home Health Workers: Analysis of the National Home Health Aide Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Robyn; Wilhelm, Jess; Bishop, Christine E; Bryant, Natasha S; Hermer, Linda; Squillace, Marie R

    2017-10-01

    To identify agency policies and workplace characteristics that are associated with intent to leave the job among home health workers employed by certified agencies. Data are from the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey/National Home Health Aide Survey, a nationally representative, linked data set of home health and hospice agencies and their workers. Logistic regression with survey weights was conducted to identify agency and workplace factors associated with intent to leave the job, controlling for worker, agency, and labor market characteristics. Job satisfaction, consistent patient assignment, and provision of health insurance were associated with lower intent to leave the job. By contrast, being assigned insufficient work hours and on-the-job injuries were associated with greater intent to leave the job after controlling for fixed worker, agency, and labor market characteristics. African American workers and workers with a higher household income also expressed greater intent to leave the job. This is the first analysis to use a weighted, nationally representative sample of home health workers linked with agency-level data. The findings suggest that intention to leave the job may be reduced through policies that prevent injuries, improve consistency of client assignment, improve experiences among African American workers, and offer sufficient hours to workers who want them. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. 75 FR 68784 - Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-09

    ... carefully crafted to stimulate the growth of a vibrant, private sector- led market for residential energy... collaboration to help overcome barriers to these recommended healthy homes actions. Additional resources... assistance and other home energy retrofit program guidance and training materials, and collaboration to help...

  20. Trade and value developments in the Danish second-home sector

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjalager, Anne-Mette; Staunstrup, Jan K.; Ibsen, Rikke

    2011-01-01

    The 220,000 second homes in Denmark are very important tourism and leisure resources. This study documents the development in property values and the trade in second homes during the period 1994-2008 and links property values to socio-economic characteristics, events in the lives of the owners...... resources, but also in the combined housing economy and investment of Danish families. Indirectly, the developments in the trade and value of second homes have implications for future tourism policies. The continuous availability of privately owned second homes on the rental market is of immense importance...

  1. Strategi Pemasaran Melalui Media Sosial “Instagram” Dalam Meningkatkan Jumlah Konsumen (Studi Kasus Pada Home Industry “96 Bakery”)

    OpenAIRE

    Pasaribu, Agustina Megawati

    2015-01-01

    Home Industry is one of the trade activities on a small scale that is owned by an individual or group, in which the production of products that will be generated based on the home of the business owner. Along with the times and technology increasingly sophisticated, home business industry utilizing technology facilities by using social media in an effort to market their business products. 96Bakery a home industry that utilizes social media in marketing instagram flagship products such as brow...

  2. Precarious Situations of Care Workers in Home-Based Elder Care in Slovenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hrženjak, Majda

    2018-02-01

    Based on policy analysis and individual interviews, the author analyzes the care workers' precarious situations in home-based elder care in Slovenia, a post-socialist, European Union country characterized by a rapidly aging population and delays in adapting a long-term care system to this new social risk. Employment and quasi-employment positions which coexist in home-based care can be sorted along two continuums: between public and market service; between formal and informal work. The author argues that working conditions in home-based care differ according to the position of the care worker on these two continuums, that is, being employed in public services, being self-employed, working in informal care markets, holding a status of family assistant, or being an informal family caregiver. Although the working conditions in public services are deteriorating, the analysis shows that precarity is more severe in market and informal care, while formalization and socialization of care bring about less precarious conditions.

  3. Selling Into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adomatis, Sandra [Adomatis Appraisal Services, Punta Gorda, FL (United States); Jackson, Thomas [Texas A & M Univ. and Real Property Analytics Inc., College Station, TX (United States); Graff-Zivin, Joshua [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Thayer, Mark [San Diego State Univ., CA (United States); Klise, Geoffrey [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wiser, Ryan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Hoen, Ben [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Capturing the value that solar photovoltaic (PV) systems may add to home sales transactions is increasingly important. Our study enhances the PV-home-valuation literature by more than doubling the number of PV home sales analyzed (22,822 homes in total, 3,951 of which are PV) and examining transactions in eight states that span the years 2002–2013. We find that home buyers are consistently willing to pay PV home premiums across various states, housing and PV markets, and home types; average premiums across the full sample equate to approximately $4/W or $15,000 for an average-sized 3.6-kW PV system. Only a small and non-statistically significant difference exists between PV premiums for new and existing homes, though some evidence exists of new home PV system discounting. A PV green cachet might exist, i.e., home buyers might pay a certain amount for any size of PV system and some increment more depending on system size. The market appears to depreciate the value of PV systems in their first 10 years at a rate exceeding the rate of PV efficiency losses and the rate of straightline depreciation over the asset’s useful life. Net cost estimates—which account for government and utility PV incentives—may be the best proxy for market premiums, but income-based estimates may perform equally well if they accurately account for the complicated retail rate structures that exist in some states. Although this study focuses only on host-owned PV systems, future analysis should focus on homes with third-party-owned PV systems.

  4. Creating a marketing channels strategy for European market entry: a case study for eloSpaces Oy

    OpenAIRE

    Babanina, Daria

    2016-01-01

    This thesis is produced as a case study for eloSpaces, Finnish-Chinese startup company based in Espoo, Finland. eloSpaces develops a unique capsule for people to do the focus work and enjoy privacy. The home market for eloSpaces is China and their current aim is to enter also European market in the nearest future. Therefore, the main objective for thesis was to identify the shortest and most efficient market entry strategy for the full product launch in Europe with highest impact on profits. ...

  5. Byggmeister Test Home: Analysis and Initial Results of Cold Climate Wood-Framed Home Retrofit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gates, C.

    2013-01-01

    BSC seeks to further the energy efficiency market for New England area retrofit projects by supporting projects that are based on solid building science fundamentals and verified implementation. With the high exposure of energy efficiency and retrofit terminology being used in the general media at this time, it is important to have evidence that measures being proposed will in fact benefit the homeowner through a combination of energy savings, improved durability, and occupant comfort. There are several basic areas of research to which the technical report for these test homes can be expected to contribute. These include the combination of measures that is feasible, affordable and acceptable to homeowners as well as expectations versus results. Two Byggmeister multi-family test homes in Massachusetts are examined with the goal of providing case studies that could be applied to other similar New England homes.

  6. The Liberalisation of the Electricity Market in Italy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dessenibus, A.; Viskovic, A.; Carollo, T.

    2001-01-01

    The electricity sector is under reform in all EU countries on both of the aspects of market organisation and Utilities' restructuring, the latter being a consequence of the former. Until very recently, most governments have considered the whole power sector to be a natural monopoly and therefore it should be closely regulated. Market liberalisation shifts decision-making from the State to the market and, for the first time in the history of electricity Utility, gives consumer a choice. The new framework is featured by the introduction of competition in electricity generation and end-users' supply, non-discriminatory access to the electricity network and a redefinition of the regulatory function of governments. This study briefly resumes the market reforms and the new market organisation in Italy. Italy has implemented the EU directive on internal electricity market since 1999. So far, the process of market liberalisation has not come to an end yet. Currently ENEL, the former vertically integrated monopolist, is dismissing 25 percent of its power generation capacity, by selling in the market three power generation companies (GENCOs). An independent Transmission System Operator is fully operative since July 1999 and a transparent and non-discriminatory access to the network is guaranteed to all of the electricity power generation companies. The Market Pool Operator is defining the code of the Market Pool that will be applied to the price settlement into the Pool. The opening of the market on the demand side is growing year by year, according to the enlargement of the consumers who are allowed to sign freely contracts of supply with distributors (eligible consumers). Three months after the selling of the third Genco, the eligibility threshold will be lowered at 0.1 GWh. At that time, the open market is expected to represent 70 percent of the overall electricity consumption in Italy. Available evidence on liberalisation process in United Kingdom and in Scandinavian

  7. Labor Market and Home Production: Are Men and Women Equal?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Regina Madalozzo

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Female labor market participation is one of the central investigation topics in feminist economics’ studies. Even after an increase in the labor market participation and the decrease in the wage gap between men and women, the latter still face great difficulties on being remunerated and promoted when compared to men. Neoclassical economic models cannot explain completely these differences without making use of strong hypothesis about individual preferences and family goals. This study has as the main objective to analyze difference on the housework participation as an influencer to different conditions in the labor market for men and women. Our results show that women still have a double work shift. Among our main conclusions, we can say that women benefit more from personal income increase than with labor market participation, because their bargain power within family increases and they can decrease their housework hours.

  8. Marketing and social work--synergy in long-term care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loomis, L M; Bufano, J T

    1985-08-01

    The concept of marketing is new to the long-term care industry. Limited financial resources dictate that administrators investigate ways to supplement marketing staff. St. John's Home in Rochester, New York, has focused attention on the way in which social work can enhance the effectiveness of the marketing program. Presented here is the role of social work in the marketing mix: product, place, price, promotion, and public relations.

  9. Development of Danish wind power market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, Niels I.

    2004-01-01

    The modern phase of Danish wind power started after the oil crisis in 1973. Based on long traditions of Danish wind power dating back to the beginning of the century a new commercial phase was initiated by small industrial entrepreneurs with support by the Danish government, the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences and green organizations. During the eighties technological development resulted in increased cost efficiency, while the investment subsidies from the state were gradually phased out. Conflicts between utilities and wind power producers over tariffs and the costs of grid connections, then slowed down the penetration of wind power on the Danish market. In addition, many local municipalities were setting up administrative barriers for wind turbines. These barriers were removed by government intervention in the early nineties when favourable feed-in tariffs were introduced together with easy access to the grid, simple procedures for construction allowances and priority to green electricity. As a result wind power was booming in the Danish home market and Danish turbines achieved a global market share of around 50%. After a change of government in December 2001, however the Danish home market for wind power has more or less collapsed. (Author)

  10. Advertising expenditures in the nursing home sector: evaluating the need for and purpose of advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kash, Bita A; Boyer, Gregory J

    2008-01-01

    Marketing and advertising activities in the nursing home sector have increased in recent years, following the example of hospitals and health systems. The reasons for this trend may be related to the growth in competition but are not clearly identified yet. Theoretically, advertising becomes necessary to gain an advantage over the competition. The purpose of this study was to identify the reasons for the variation in advertising expenditures among nursing homes in Texas. For this study, we merged 2003 data from the Texas Medicaid Nursing Facility Cost Report, the Texas Nursing Home Quality Reporting System, and the Area Resource File for Texas. Using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, we then examined the correlations between advertising expenses and the level of market concentration. We evaluated the association between advertising expenditures and market competition using two logistic and four linear regression models. Total advertising expenses in Texas nursing homes ranged from $0 to $165,000 per year. Higher advertising expenditures were associated with larger facilities, higher occupancy, and high Medicare census. Market competition, however, was not a significant predictor of such expenses. Advertising seems to be more resource-driven than market-driven. Therefore, some advertising expenditures may be unnecessary, may lack impact, and may even be wasteful. Reducing unnecessary advertising costs could free up resources, which may be allocated to necessary resident care activities.

  11. Made in Montana: Entrepreneurial Home Economics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goetting, Marsha A.; Muggli, Gayle Y.

    1988-01-01

    Reports results from a survey of 13 Montana home economists who each started a small business. Information is included on types of businesses the women had started, income, personal characteristics, reasons for starting a business, its impact on family concerns, marketing, obstacles to success, and resources. (CH)

  12. How "Animal Spirits" Wrecked the Housing Market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akerlof, George A.; Shiller, Robert J.

    2009-01-01

    Real-estate markets are almost as volatile as stock markets. Prices of agricultural land, of commercial real estate, and of homes and condominiums have gone through a series of huge bubbles, as if people never learned from the previous ones. Such events--in particular the recent housing bubble--are driven by what John Maynard Keynes called animal…

  13. Studies of the Prefabricated Housing Construction Market in Poland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radziszewska-Zielina, Elżbieta; Gleń, Monika

    2014-11-01

    The directions of development of the construction market are not only related to the need to own one's own home but also to increasing functional and economic requirements and conditions of sustainable development. The perception and understanding of prefabrication in housing construction are undoubtedly starting to change. Sustainable construction criteria may constitute a significant turning point and support for the development of new prefabricated housing construction technologies. Entrepreneurs are slowly perceiving an opportunity for the development of prefabrication in the construction market. The implementation and popularisation of ready-made homes will undoubtedly constitute a favourable change in the Polish construction market; however, this will require a modification of habits. This article presents an historical analysis of the development of the prefabricated housing construction market as well as an attempt to answer questions concerning the future of prefabrication in housing construction in Poland based on the conducted studies.

  14. Federal Administrative Court dismisses appeal of the city of Schweinfurt in the matter of Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1980-01-01

    With its decision of April 30, 1980, - BVerwG 7 C 91.79 - the Federal Administrative Court has dismissed the appeal of the city of Schweinfurt against the interim decision of the Bavarian Administrative Court of April 9, 1979. The cost will have to be paid by the plaintiff. The value of the appeal suit is set at DM 100.000. The main grounds for the decision are given in full wording. (orig./HP) [de

  15. Universal standard for the smart energy home

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatler, M.

    2009-01-01

    Smart metering systems are now being installed in countries throughout the world. This article discussed technologies designed to connect in-home electrical devices such as thermostats, energy displays, and computers to the electricity grid. The smart-grid connected devices will form part of the home area network (HAN) designed to provide consumers with real time control of their energy use. Many governments are now mandating the use of HAN interfaces, and members of the energy industry are developing global standards for HANs. Within 5 years, it is estimated that over 126 million smart meters will be installed in households worldwide. Using HANs, consumers will be able to shift their usage away from peak energy usage times that are more expensive. Studies have demonstrated that the use of dynamic pricing options can result in a 50 per cent load reduction during critical peak periods. A universal standard and certification process is currently underway to prevent HAN market fragmentation and to ensure plug-and-play interoperability among HAN devices. It was concluded that the smart energy home will present large market opportunities for software developers, investors, and manufacturers. 1 fig

  16. 24 CFR 982.623 - Manufactured home space rental: Housing assistance payment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... amortization cost may include debt service to amortize cost (other than furniture costs) included in the... amortize the cost of furniture, unless the PHA determines that furniture was not included in the purchase...) There is a separate fair market rent for a manufactured home space. The FMR for a manufactured home...

  17. Smart Home Dashboard. The intelligent energy management; Smart Home Dashboard. Das intelligente Energiemanagement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stopczynski, Martin; Ghiglieri, Marco [Technische Univ. Darmstadt (Germany). Fachgebiet Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik

    2012-07-01

    Due to an increasingly smarter environment, however smart home components are used in households. A variety of household appliances can be monitored and controlled by smart plugs. An advantage of this development is the individual investigation of devices in terms of individual power consumption. However, the usability of the end user side also increases proportional to the number of existing devices. A possible access of external market participants is not currently implemented without major security problems. The authors of the contribution under consideration report on the Smart Home Dashboard, which provides a comprehensive power management. The smart home dashboard is intuitively operable and meets current safety standards. The aim of this paper is: (1) Adjustment of the handling of the recorded data to the current privacy policy; (2) Enforcement of the privacy of the end user by means of the implementation of smart grid protection objectives; (3) Providing a secure access for remote participants.

  18. Spying on the Smart Home: Privacy Attacks and Defenses on Encrypted IoT Traffic

    OpenAIRE

    Apthorpe, Noah; Reisman, Dillon; Sundaresan, Srikanth; Narayanan, Arvind; Feamster, Nick

    2017-01-01

    The growing market for smart home IoT devices promises new conveniences for consumers while presenting new challenges for preserving privacy within the home. Many smart home devices have always-on sensors that capture users' offline activities in their living spaces and transmit information about these activities on the Internet. In this paper, we demonstrate that an ISP or other network observer can infer privacy sensitive in-home activities by analyzing Internet traffic from smart homes con...

  19. Marketing Green Fertilizers: Insights into Consumer Preferences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johannes Dahlin

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In an effort to support the long-term viability of the bioenergy industry through an end market for digestate, we investigated purchasing preferences for fertilizer product features in the home gardening market. We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE, presenting 504 respondents with a total of 6048 product attribute choices in a simulated context that replicated the tradeoff decisions made in the real marketplace. We analyzed the choice data using a hierarchical Bayes estimate to generate part-worth utilities for fertilizer product attributes. We then conducted a latent class analysis to identify market segments that could be expected to respond to differentiated product design strategies. We were able to quantify both purchasing preferences for fertilizer product attributes as well as the importance of each attribute to the perceived utility of a product. We were further able to identify five distinct market segments that make clear the potential for differentiated strategies in the home gardening market. We found both negative and positive price sensitivities, with sociodemographically distinct subgroups that favored low-, mid-, and high-priced products. We also found purchasing preferences for brand status, product labeling and nutrient values. Our results provide insights that should help product managers in the biogas industry develop marketing strategies to integrate digestate into a sustainable energy production system.

  20. On the emergence of pervasive home automation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Torbensen, Rune Sonnich

    2012-01-01

    bridges and expandable via USB modules so that new data-communication technologies can be connected to cover the whole residence. An ’IHAP ready’ flexible communication software framework that supports wireless end-device development is proposed. The idea is to bootstrap this new market with open source...... end-devices via the Open Device Service Description Language, which employs abstract service types to describe transformations to the simple end-device application protocols used in home automation. A security system called Trusted Domain grants access for remote control of home automation devices...... by smartphones, M2M applications, and service providers. These Internet nodes and home gateways become the trusted members of a home network capable of spanning several network segments. To include new members, both locally and remotely, a new user-friendly method for establishing trust between remote devices...

  1. "We want to offer you peace of mind": Marketing of transnational commercial surrogacy services to intended parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gezinski, Lindsay B; Karandikar, Sharvari; Levitt, Alexis; Ghaffarian, Roxanne

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this research study was to conduct a content analysis of commercial surrogacy websites to explore how surrogacy is marketed to intended parents. The researchers developed a template to code website data, and a total of 345 website pages were reviewed. Websites depicted surrogacy as a solution to a problem, privileged genetic parenthood, ignored the potential for exploitation, dismissed surrogates' capacity to bond with the fetuses they carry, emphasized that surrogacy arrangements are mutually beneficial, ignored structural inequalities, and depicted surrogates as conforming to strict gender roles. These framings introduce vulnerabilities to both intended parents and surrogate mothers.

  2. Beyond home ownership: housing, welfare and society

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ronald, R.; Elsinga, M.

    2012-01-01

    In context of ongoing transformations in housing markets and socioeconomic conditions, this book focuses on past, current and future roles of home ownership in social policies and welfare practices. It considers owner-occupied housing in terms of diverse meanings and manifestations, but in

  3. Influence patterns and determinant attributes in nursing home choice situations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarboe, G R; McDaniel, C D

    1985-01-01

    Factor analysis revealed that nursing home characteristics fall roughly into two categories: those relating to the care directly provided by the facility and those which are generally unrelated to the quality of care. Not all influences (doctors, discharge planners, retirement home administrators and responsible parties) respond alike to these characteristics. Therefore, a marketing mix directed uniformly to all segments may be suboptimal.

  4. The @Home project

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Coxon, Ian Robert

    2014-01-01

    of being overshadowed by what is increasingly seen as new (and substantial) pharmacological and health equipment business market opportunities in what is now viewed as a health 'industry'. The Centre for Innovation at Mayo Clinic (CFI) in Rochester USA, has conducted many projects which border on and have...... investigated various aspects of care provision and patient experience within a patient's home environment. Considerable work by other researchers inside and outside the health field has also contributed insights and platforms for moving healthcare in this direction. In most areas of the western world......, the healthcare sector is struggling to cope with the scale of strain that shifting demographics, rising costs and increasing chronic/complex care is placing on the health system. The shift towards home based care and personal health self-management is seen as offering some possibilities to alleviate...

  5. Essays on Competition and Innovations in the Automobile Markets

    OpenAIRE

    Leheyda, Nina

    2007-01-01

    The central focus of my dissertation has been on the investigation of developments towards more competitive and innovative firm behaviour in the global automobile markets. The automobile companies meet each other in many product and geographical markets worldwide. A large proportion of their production is outside of their "home" country. In my work I focus on international most important car markets, namely US, European and German as the most important single European car market and a very in...

  6. Creating demand for foreign brands in a 'home run' market: tobacco company tactics in South Korea following market liberalisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sungkyu; Lee, Kelley; Holden, Chris

    2014-05-01

    To analyse the tactics transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) used to increase market share in South Korea after market liberalisation in 1988, and the subsequent impact of TTCs' activities on the domestic industry and ultimately public health. Internal tobacco industry documents were searched iteratively and analysed by keyword related to strategies for increasing market share in Korea since liberalisation. Following market liberalisation, TTCs faced entrenched cultural and institutional barriers in Korea which hindered increased sales of cigarette imports. TTCs identified population groups more favourably inclined towards imported brands, developed new distribution channels and used promotional activities targeting these groups. The growth in market share by TTCs suggests that these activities were successful at challenging the Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation (KTGC) monopoly. In response, KTGC shifted to a proactive marketing approach and adopted strategies similar to TTCs. This, in turn, made the Korean market highly competitive. Findings show that, after market liberalisation, there was an upward trend in cigarette consumption and smoking prevalence among the targeted population groups, notably youth and young women. Governments engaging in trade negotiations that may lead to the opening of domestic tobacco markets need a fuller understanding of previous industry activities for expanding into emerging markets as well as how the domestic industry can change accordingly. To protect public health, the adoption of comprehensive tobacco control measures, guided by WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, are needed as part of such negotiations.

  7. Free-Market School Reform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington-Lueker, Donna

    1997-01-01

    In Uxbridge, Massachusetts, a small working-class mill town, free-market reform rhetoric has become reality. The tiny district has adopted controversial changes, such as giving vouchers to parents of Title I students, reimbursing home-schooling parents, lengthening the school day and year, adopting flexible scheduling, allowing credit for Internet…

  8. Determinants of rural household marketed surplus for cereal crops ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... and supply of cereal crops to the market (market surplus). The study utilized cross sectional data obtained through multistage random sampling method. Ordinary least square method was used for the analysis. Finding revealed that the quantity of food crops reserved for home consumption by households increased their ...

  9. Is your company ready for one-to-one marketing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peppers, D; Rogers, M; Dorf, B

    1999-01-01

    One-to-one marketing, also known as relationship marketing, promises to increase the value of your customer base by establishing a learning relationship with each customer. The customer tells you of some need, and you customize your product or service to meet it. Every interaction and modification improves your ability to fit your product to the particular customer. Eventually, even if a competitor offers the same type of service, your customer won't be able to enjoy the same level of convenience without taking the time to teach your competitor the lessons your company has already learned. Although the theory behind one-to-one marketing is simple, implementation is complex. Too many companies have jumped on the one-to-one band-wagon without proper preparation--mistakenly understanding it as an excuse to badger customers with excessive telemarketing and direct mail campaigns. The authors offer practical advice for implementing a one-to-one marketing program correctly. They describe four key steps: identifying your customers, differentiating among them, interacting with them, and customizing your product or service to meet each customer's needs. And they provide activities and exercises, to be administered to employees and customers, that will help you identify your company's readiness to launch a one-to-one initiative. Although some managers dismiss the possibility of one-to-one marketing as an unattainable goal, even a modest program can produce substantial benefits. This tool kit will help you determine what type of program your company can implement now, what you need to do to position your company for a large-scale initiative, and how to set priorities.

  10. home advantage in the commonwealth games

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The occurrence of home advantage in sport is generally well doc- umented and has been shown to exist in a ... there are 53 Commonwealth nations, there are at present 71. Commonwealth Games Associations ... market share values for each host nation were analysed relative to the distance travelled by them (in terms of ...

  11. U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home Implementation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rothgeb, Stacey K [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Schirber, T. [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States). NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership; Mosiman, G. [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States). NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership; VonThoma, E. [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States). NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership

    2017-07-25

    The intention of this project is to assist home builders in the upper Midwest in achieving DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program certification, and to document the process and outcomes involved in meeting this rigorous standard. NorthernSTAR, in conjunction with our program partner Building Knowledge, Inc., provided technical support to the builders during the design and construction process. At the time of this publication, four qualifying homes have been completed and an additional three are currently under construction to be completed later this year. Three additional homes were excluded from certification due to the HVAC contractor not completing their required credentialing until after completion of the homes, though the energy performance would have otherwise qualified the homes for program certification. Both Amaris Homes and Cobblestone Homes note that participation in the ZERH program provides them with competitive advantage in the market place at reasonable construction costs that also result in extremely satisfied clients who are willing to recommend the builders to friends and family.

  12. The Home Market Effect in Agriculture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Luminita Sarbovan

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The most debated economic paradox refers to the positive and negative effects of most of the economic activities; these antagonist sides become in business production factors because they are holding costs. The aggregated effects of human activity surpass the firm or corporate borders, becoming prices paid by consumers, or in the situation of larger social costs, burdens for the tax payers. Some polluting effects of production, consumption and services, such as global heating, the carbon-dioxide emissions, wars, epidemics, malnutrition, obesity, became lately global critical problems for all nations and international organisms. The question remains weather governors will better administrate current crisis focusing on domestic, continental or global markets mechanisms, taking in consideration their particularities.

  13. Internet: The Marketing Challenge of the Twentieth Century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbig, Paul; Hale, Brian

    1997-01-01

    Previously thought to be above commercial activity, the Internet is proving to be an outstanding marketing tool. This article examines linkage via World Wide Web, electronic mail, and news groups; argues that a home page is vital for the success of any business today; and tries to assess the impact of the Internet on the discipline of marketing.…

  14. Integrated marketing communication plan : Case company: Dr. Johanna Budwig

    OpenAIRE

    Pham, Van

    2013-01-01

    The study’s research topic is integrated marketing communication and this is a product-oriented thesis. This study is made to create an efficient integrated marketing communication plan for the case company Dr. Johanna Budwig. The main product line in focus is flaxseed oil, which is very healthy and also good in preventing different diseases including cancer. The company home market, Germany, is the target market of the study. The objective set by the company is to increase sales by 10000, wh...

  15. On The Economics of Energy Labels in the Housing Market

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brounen, D. [Erasmus University, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Kok, N. [Maastricht University, Maastricht (Netherlands)

    2010-08-15

    The residential housing market can play an important role in the reduction of global carbon emissions. This paper reports the first evidence on the market adoption and economic implications of energy performance certificates implemented by the European Union. The results show that adoption rates are low and declining over time, coinciding with negative sentiment regarding the label in the popular media. Labels are clustered among smaller, post-war homes in neighborhoods with more difficult selling conditions. We also document that the adoption rates of energy labels have a positive relation to the number of 'green' voters during the 2006 national elections. Within the sample of labeled homes, the energy label creates transparency in the energy performance of dwellings. Our analysis shows that consumers capitalize this information into the price of their prospective homes.

  16. An Agent-based Application to Enable Deregulated Energy Markets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Capodieci, Nicola; Cabri, Giacomo; Pagani, Giuliano Andrea; Aiello, Marco

    2012-01-01

    Private houses are more and more enabled with devices that can produce renewable energy, and the not so remote chance of selling the surplus energy makes them new players in the energy market. This market is likely to become deregulated since each energy home-producer can negotiate the energy price

  17. Proprietary and voluntary home care agency evolution: the emergence of a new entity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balinsky, W; Shames, J N

    1985-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to document that the delivery of home care services and the corresponding ways in which they are marketed are evolving in both proprietary and voluntary providers. This evolution is producing the emergency of a new entity. In order to examine the present state, it is necessary to review the general history of the development of both voluntary (not-for-profit) and proprietary home health services. Then, an analysis of present conditions will show that these two forms of ownership are changing in ways that are making them more alike than different. This situation is leading to more intense competition for an expanding and diverse mix of home services. Program content and corresponding marketing techniques have crossed the industry's traditional lines blending into a wide array of services being offered by both voluntary and proprietary organizations. Despite their many shared goals and objectives, home care agencies still differ in their underlying philosophy which is based at least in part on their past.

  18. Analyses on Marketing Strategies of Penglai’s Tourism

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    徐宜华

    2013-01-01

    Although tourism marketing has made great progress in recent years, researches on it are far from enough. Current re⁃searches on tourism marketing at home and abroad lack pertinence and mostly provide theoretical basis for tourism development within a wide range. The researches on tourism marketing of Penglai are few and far between. Based on previous studies and the status quo of tourism marketing strategy, the below statements tries to find out existing problems of Penglai’s tourism, put for⁃ward countermeasures and propose feasible marketing patterns suitable for its tourism development. It subsequently concludes that it can make contribution to the sustainable development of Penglai's tourism and provide other county-level tourism cities with reference for marketing tourism marketing strategies.

  19. Damage reduces shelf-life of sweetpotato during marketing | Mtunda ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Damage reduces shelf-life of sweetpotato during marketing. ... K. Mtunda, D. Chilosa, E. Rwiza, M. Kilima, H. Kiozya, R. Munisi, R. Kapinga, D. Rees. Abstract. Although sweetpotato is primarily grown for home consumption, marketing is becoming increasingly important, and in this case, short shelf-life of the roots is a major ...

  20. Farmers' Market Use Patterns Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients With High Access to Farmers' Markets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freedman, Darcy A; Flocke, Susan; Shon, En-Jung; Matlack, Kristen; Trapl, Erika; Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam; Osborne, Amanda; Borawski, Elaine

    2017-05-01

    Evaluate farmers' market (FM) use patterns among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. Cross-sectional survey administered June to August, 2015. Cleveland and East Cleveland, OH. A total of 304 SNAP recipients with children. Participants lived within 1 mile of 1 of 17 FMs. Most were African American (82.6%) and female (88.1%), and had received SNAP for ≥5 years (65.8%). Patterns of FM shopping, awareness of FM near home and of healthy food incentive program, use of SNAP to buy fruits and vegetables and to buy other foods at FMs, receipt of healthy food incentive program. Two-stage cluster analysis to identify segments with similar FM use patterns. Bivariate statistics including chi-square and ANOVA to evaluate main outcomes, with significance at P ≤ .05. A total of 42% reported FM use in the past year. Current FM shoppers (n = 129) were segmented into 4 clusters: single market, public market, multiple market, and high frequency. Clusters differed significantly in awareness of FM near home and the incentive program, use of SNAP to buy fruit and vegetables at FMs, and receipt of incentive. Findings highlight distinct types of FM use and had implications for tailoring outreach to maximize first time and repeat use of FMs among SNAP recipients. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Advancing Replicable Solutions for High-Performance Homes in the Southeast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roberts, S. G. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States). Southface Energy Inst.; Sweet, M. L. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States). Southface Energy Inst.; Francisco, A. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States). Southface Energy Inst.

    2016-03-01

    The work presented in this report advances the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy Building America program by improving the energy performance of affordable and market-rate housing. Southface Energy Institute (Southface), part of the U.S. Department of Energy Building America research team Partnership for Home Innovation, worked with owners and builders with various market constraints and ultimate goals for three projects in three climate zones (CZs): Savannah Gardens in Savannah, Georgia (CZ 2); JMC Patrick Square in Clemson, South Carolina (CZ 3); and LaFayette in LaFayette, Georgia (CZ 4). This report documents the design process, computational energy modeling, construction, envelope performance metrics, long-term monitoring results, and successes and failures of the design and execution of these high-performance homes.

  2. Working from Home and the Willingness to Accept a Longer Commute

    OpenAIRE

    de Vos, Duco; Meijers, Evert J.; van Ham, Maarten

    2017-01-01

    It is generally found that workers are more inclined to accept a job that is located farther away from home if they have the ability to work from home one day a week or more (telecommuting). Such findings inform us about the effectiveness of telecommuting policies that try to alleviate congestion and transport related emissions, but they also stress that the geography of labour markets is changing due to information technology. We argue that estimates of the effect of working from home on com...

  3. A marketing and promotion strategy for wool | van Wyk | South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African Journal of Animal Science. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 10, No 2 (1980) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. A marketing and promotion strategy for wool.

  4. A Review of Systems and Technologies for Smart Homes and Smart Grids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Lobaccaro

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In the actual era of smart homes and smart grids, advanced technological systems that allow the automation of domestic tasks are developing rapidly. There are numerous technologies and applications that can be installed in smart homes today. They enable communication between home appliances and users, and enhance home appliances’ automation, monitoring and remote control capabilities. This review article, by introducing the concept of the smart home and the advent of the smart grid, investigates technologies for smart homes. The technical descriptions of the systems are presented and point out advantages and disadvantages of each technology and product today available on the market. Barriers, challenges, benefits and future trends regarding the technologies and the role of users have also been discussed.

  5. Acquisitions by EMNCs in Developed Markets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rabbiosi, Larissa; Elia, Stefano; Bertoni, Fabio

    2012-01-01

    Building on an organisational learning perspective, we argue that emerging market firms’ international experience and home-country characteristics are core sources of learning. Furthermore, we argue that these factors constitute important determinants of emerging market firms’ acquisition behaviour...... in developed countries (south-north acquisitions). We test our hypotheses on a sample of 808 south-north acquisitions. The acquisitions were undertaken in Europe, Japan and North America (Canada and the US) between 1999 and 2008 by firms from the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China....... As suggested by the internationalisation process model, our results show that emerging market firms undertake acquisitions in developed countries in an incremental fashion. Acquisition experience in developed markets increases the likelihood of exploitative expansion, while acquisition experience in developing...

  6. Encouraging the Domestic Small Turbine Market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsyth, T.

    2001-01-01

    The state incentives for home-based renewables in the domestic market continue to grow and change creating opportunities for the small wind turbine market. Tracking the opportunities to get small wind turbines included in incentive policies and developing a proactive industry approach is important because market changes can occur anytime. There are near-term opportunities to work with states in developing their strategies for disbursing system benefit charges, adding tags to existing policies for other small renewables to include small wind, and developing state-wide net metering programs. Other opportunities to improve the domestic market exist but will be quite challenging to implement. Other opportunities include federal tax credits, state wind access laws, equipment verification for specific states, and leasing programs for small wind turbines

  7. Smart grid business case for private homes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villefrance, Rasmus; Brandt, Jonas; Eriksen, Poul Svante

    2013-01-01

    We describe and consider how the potential of energy savings may drive the penetration of smart grid technology into private homes. We assess the sociological processes which lead to energy savings when the residents have access to smart grid technology. We propose a way to establish a cash flow...... from consumers via electrical distribution companies to smart grid technology providers on the Danish market. Finally, we assess the impact of such a business development on the society, as well as relating the penetration of smart grid technology in private homes to the societal goal of 100% renewable...

  8. Prescription drugs in nursing homes: managing costs and quality in a complex environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendelson, Dan; Ramchand, Rajeev; Abramson, Richard; Tumlinson, Anne

    2002-11-12

    This brief provides a description of prescription drug use in nursing homes and a summary of current policy issues in this area. The brief first profiles the nursing home pharmaceutical market, outlining the major trends in demographics and drug utilization, the supply chain by which drugs go from manufacturers to pharmacies to nursing home residents, and the alternative arrangements by which prescription drugs in nursing homes are financed. The brief then provides a synopsis of current policy issues, focusing in turn on cost containment and quality improvement initiatives.

  9. Implementing a Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Springer, David [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); German, Alea [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2015-08-17

    Building cost-effective, high-performance homes that provide superior comfort, health, and durability is the goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program. Building America research and other innovative programs throughout the country have addressed many of the technical challenges of building to the ZERH standard. The cost-effectiveness of measure packages that result in 30% source energy savings compared to a code-compliant home have been demonstrated. However, additional challenges remain, particularly with respect to convincing production builders of the strong business case for ZERH. The Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) team believes that the keys to successfully engaging builders and developers in the California market are to help them leverage development agreement requirements, code compliance requirements, incentives, and competitive market advantages of ZERH certification, and navigate through this process. A primary objective of this project was to gain a highly visible foothold for residential buildings that are built to the DOE ZERH specification that can be used to encourage participation by other California builders. This report briefly describes two single-family homes that were ZERH certified and focuses on the experience of working with developer Mutual Housing on a 62-unit multifamily community at the Spring Lake subdivision in Woodland, California. The Spring Lake project is expected to be the first ZERH-certified multifamily project in the country. This report discusses the challenges encountered, lessons learned, and how obstacles were overcome.

  10. World corporate loan markets for raising new capital - does distance still matter: Are financial assets priced locally or globally?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vojinovič Borut

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Though the paper focuses on pricing, as the background I provide some evidence about loan flows across markets in the form of borrowers’ and lenders’ propensity to issue outside their natural home market. The data show that borrowers stay home when they can and that they tend to issue in Europe when they must issue abroad. That is, borrowers domiciled in one of the major markets (Europe, U.S., and Asia almost always issue in that market, whereas borrowers in more remote locations usually issue in the European market. For example, borrowers from Latin America are overwhelmingly issuing in Europe rather than in the U.S. market.

  11. The homes of tomorrow: service composition and advanced user interfaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudio Di Ciccio

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Home automation represents a growing market in the industrialized world. Today’s systems are mainly based on ad hoc and proprietary solutions, with little to no interoperability and smart integration. However, in a not so distant future, our homes will be equipped with many sensors, actuators and devices, which will collectively expose services, able to smartly interact and integrate, in order to offer complex services providing even richer functionalities. In this paper we present the approach and results of SM4ALL- Smart hoMes for All, a project investigating automatic service composition and advanced user interfaces applied to domotics.

  12. Business Metrics for High-Performance Homes: A Colorado Springs Case Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beach, R. [IBACOS, Inc, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Jones, A. [IBACOS, Inc, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

    2016-04-26

    This report explores the correlation between energy efficiency and the business success of home builders by examining a data set of builders and homes in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, market between 2006 and 2014. During this time, the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 occurred, and new-home sales plummeted both nationally and in Colorado Springs. What is evident from an analysis of builders and homes in Colorado Springs is that builders who had Home Energy Rating System (HERS) ratings performed on some or all of their homes during the Recession remained in business during this challenging economic period. Many builders who did not have HERS ratings performed on their homes at that time went out of business or left the area. From the analysis presented in this report, it is evident that a correlation exists between energy efficiency and the business success of home builders, although the reasons for this correlation remain largely anecdotal and not yet clearly understood.

  13. Brookfield Homes Passive House Performance Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herk, A. [IBACOS, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Poerschke, A. [IBACOS, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Beach, R. [IBACOS, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

    2016-02-04

    In 2012-2013, IBACOS worked with a builder, Brookfield Homes in Denver, Colorado, to design and construct a Passive House certified model home. IBACOS used several modeling programs and calculation methods to complete the final design package along with Brookfield's architect KGA Studio. This design package included upgrades to the thermal enclosure, basement insulation, windows, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Short-term performance testing in the Passive House was done during construction and after construction. Testing with a blower door indicated that whole-building air leakage to the outside was 324 CFM and 0.60 ACH50. The other two test homes had little short-term testing done post-construction by the local energy rater. IBACOS then monitored the energy consumption and whole-house comfort conditions of that occupied Passive House after one year of operation and compared the monitoring results to those for two other occupied test houses in the same area with similar square footage but slightly different floor plans. IBACOS also assisted the builder, Brookfield Homes, in researching design scenarios for Zero Energy Ready Home and ENERGY STAR acceptance levels. IBACOS also assisted Brookfield in conceptualizing product for Denver's Brighton Heights area. Brookfield was considering building to Zero Energy Ready Home standards in that location. IBACOS provided strategies that Brookfield may draw from in the event the builder chooses to pursue a Zero Energy Ready Home plan for that market.

  14. Markets in New England

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simpson, J.D.

    1998-01-01

    Bay State Gas Company is a large American natural gas local distribution company which provides unbundled services and unbundled gas transportation service to about 306,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. They operate as Northern Utilities Inc. in Maine and New Hampshire. Bay State Gas Company recently announced a strategic merger with NIPSCO Industries. The merger will allow the company to take advantage of opportunities that stem from their location in a high growth potential region, and the growth potential associated with retail unbundling. New England is a small natural gas market with an annual consumption of about 600 BCF, but the market is greatly under saturated. Only 31 per cent of New England homes heat with natural gas compared to 54 per cent of the U.S. as a whole. Three important changes in the New England energy market have been identified that will help the natural gas industry grow in the region: (1) unbundling of retail natural gas markets, (2) deregulation of electric markets, and (3) development of a new pipeline infrastructure. 7 figs

  15. Changes in Consumer Demand Following Public Reporting of Summary Quality Ratings: An Evaluation in Nursing Homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werner, Rachel M; Konetzka, R Tamara; Polsky, Daniel

    2016-06-01

    Limited consumer use of health care report cards may be due to the large amount of information presented in report cards, which can be difficult to understand. These limitations may be overcome with summary measures. Our objective was to evaluate consumer response to summary measures in the setting of nursing homes. 2005-2010 nursing home Minimum Data Set and Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) datasets. In December 2008, Medicare converted its nursing home report card to summary or star ratings. We test whether there was a change in consumer demand for nursing homes related to the nursing home's star rating after the information was released. The star rating system was associated with a significant change in consumer demand for low- and high-scoring facilities. After the star-based rating system was released, 1-star facilities typically lost 8 percent of their market share and 5-star facilities gained over 6 percent of their market share. The nursing home star rating system significantly affected consumer demand for high- and low-rated nursing homes. These results support the use of summary measures in report cards. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  16. Marketing and organizational aspects of HRM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gutić Dragutin

    2007-01-01

    or distribution managers, have no control authority, and do not bring any strategic or operative decisions about men in marketing. As opposed to this, the model of decentralized operative functions of men management in a marketing organization is a major breakthrough. Marketing manager keeps here only some of the functions joint to all the segments of a marketing organization: acceptance and dismissal of employees, selection, motivation and rewarding men. Managers of lower rank within their segments directly manage: initiation into business, mentorship, improvement, training and evaluation of achieved results. Consequently, these managers take all those functions that are directly related to human resources development in marketing. The author also offers a model of complete decentralization of all the human resources management functions in marketing. Marketing manager keeps only basic functions, joint to all the segments of marketing organization: development, planning and analyses of human resources. The remaining functions are being taken over by the managers of lower rank in a marketing organization. Each of these models has its insufficiencies and restrictions, about which the reader in this paper is being warned and his/her attention brought to. This work is the author's original contribution and an attempt for aspect of human resources management to be correctly understood, defined, located, and seen in its structuring and functioning.

  17. The CEE housing markets before, during and after the transition: an overview of property prices and home ownership rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena IONASCU

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to investigate relevant economic aspects, which characterized housing markets from Central and Eastern European (CEE countries, to identify the factors which determine the house prices and to find the economic implications of property investments, under an international micro and macroeconomic environment. Methodological, the article uses the deduction and comparative analysis of collected statistical data, and strategic reforms in post-communist countries are qualitatively explored through content analysis. In the case of CEE region, fundamentals determinants, such as real income, real interest rate, demographic factors, play an extremely important role in explaining house price distortions. The principles of communist ideology added a special note in the evolution of prices, so the home ownership rate, the housing quality, the financial housing system, European integration represent a number of traditional factors with significant impact.

  18. The stoma appliances market in five European countries: a comparative analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornago, Dante; Garattini, Livio

    2002-01-01

    This comparative exercise analysed the domestic market for stoma appliances in five European countries--Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. National legislation, prescription procedures, delivery modalities and the market were investigated in each country. The analysis involved reviewing national and international literature on stoma appliances and interviewing a selected expert panel of market operators in each country comprising at least one health authority representative, one distributor of medical devices and one manufacturer. No specific relationship was found between the health care system framework and the stoma market, except for a greater inclination towards home care in national health services. All five countries reimburse stoma bags, but the distribution of these appliances varies widely, ranging from Denmark, where home delivery is mandatory, to Italy, where any channel can be used. The comparative analysis underlined two important features of the stoma bag market: the discretion of enterostomists in directing patients towards a specific brand of bags, and the patients' high brand loyalty. Despite that, the analysis did not identify any single country that could be considered a benchmark for stoma bag regulation. Each country deals with stoma appliances in different ways, making this a very fragmented market.

  19. Seeking markets and resources

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kragelund, Peter; Hampwaye, Godfrey

    2012-01-01

    Processes of globalisation are currently changing the global activity of multinational companies (MNCs). ‘Emerging’ MNCs are competing with ‘conventional’ MNCs when investing in new markets. This article sets out to analyse the motives and strategies of Chinese and Indian MNCs investing in Zambia...... emphasis must be placed on the home and host contexts and how institutional features impact investment decisions....

  20. Preparation and production of a home builders' guide. Building and selling energy-efficient homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keast, D. N.; Mahoney, J. M.; McMahon, N. M.; Troy, M. H.; Wood, E. W.

    1977-06-01

    Procedures used in the preparation of a manual on the construction of energy-saving one- and two-family houses are described. Prior to writing the manual, builders were interviewed and a bibliographic search was conducted to obtain information on the design, construction and marketing of energy conserving homes. The packaging and distribution of the manual was planned. When written FEA will publish the manual. (ERA citation 04:044977)

  1. A Therapist’s Review of Process: Rupture and repair cycles in relational transactional analysis psychotherapy for a client with a dismissive attachment style: ‘Martha’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Baba Neal

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This article is a therapist review of the process that occurred during a systematic case study of psychotherapy with ‘Martha’, a female client who presented with depression, anxiety, alexithymia and dismissive/avoidant attachment style.  Assessment, diagnosis of the client and treatment direction is described, followed by a detailed account of the therapeutic process through 12 sessions and 2 post-therapy interviews. Analysis team results are summarised, indicating support for the therapist’s identification of issues during the process of the therapy. Particular attention is paid by the analysis team two points of rupture and repair, with pragmatic evaluation confirming that the relational struggles between therapist and client seemed pivotal in generating positive change. Citation - APA format: Baba Neal, S. (2017. A Therapist’s Review of Process: Rupture and repair cycles in relational transactional analysis psychotherapy for a client with a dismissive attachment style: ‘Martha’. International Journal of Transactional Analysis Research & Practice, 8(2, 24-34.

  2. A multidimensional approach to case mix for home health services

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manton, Kenneth G.; Hausner, Tony

    1987-01-01

    Developing a case-mix methodology for home health services is more difficult than developing one for hospitalization and acute health services, because the determinants of need for home health care are more complex and because of the difficulty in defining episodes of care. To evaluate home health service case mix, a multivariate grouping methodology was applied to records from the 1982 National Long-Term Care Survey linked to Medicare records on home health reimbursements. Using this method, six distinct health and functional status dimensions were identified. These dimensions, combined with factors describing informal care resources and local market conditions, were used to explain significant proportions of the variance (r2 = .45) of individual differences in Medicare home health reimbursements and numbers of visits. Though the data were not collected for that purpose, the high level of prediction strongly suggests the feasibility of developing case-mix strategies for home health services. PMID:10312187

  3. Home drinking in the UK: trends and causes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foster, John H; Ferguson, Colin S

    2012-01-01

    To explore the trend in the UK to consume alcohol at home rather than at licensed premises. A Medline search entering the terms 'home drinking', 'alcohol' and 'adult' covering the period 2000-2011 yielded 48 articles, of which 6 met the criteria to be included in the review. Grey literature including survey and market research data were reviewed. In the UK, since 1970 there has been trend for beer to be consumed at home more often than in licensed premises and that the overall trend towards greater home drinking has increased since 2000. The main reasons given are convenience, cost, safety, autonomy and stress relief. There has also been an increase in the practice known as 'pre-loading' (drinking before going out). Adults who drink mainly at home report that they are aware that they run a risk of higher overall alcohol consumption but tend to play down the possibility that increased consumption may lead to longer-term harm. Home drinking trends may have long-term public health consequences. Greater understanding of the drivers of this trend will help policy-makers to respond to these societal changes.

  4. Contextual marketing--the real business of the Internet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenny, D; Marshall, J F

    2000-01-01

    The painful truth is that the Internet has been a letdown for most companies--largely because the dominant model for Internet commerce, the destination Web site, doesn't suit the needs of those companies or their customers. Most consumer product companies don't provide enough value or dynamic information to induce customers to make the repeat visits--and disclose the detailed information--that make such sites profitable. In this article, David Kenny and John F. Marshall suggest that companies discard the notion that a Web site equals an Internet strategy. Instead of trying to create destinations that people will come to, companies need to use the power and reach of the Internet to deliver tailored messages and information to customers. Companies have to become what the authors call "contextual marketers." Delivering the most relevant information possible to consumers in the most timely manner possible will become feasible, the authors say, as access moves beyond the PC to shopping malls, retail stores, airports, bus stations, and even cars. The authors describe how the ubiquitous Internet will hasten the demise of the destination Web site--and open up scads of opportunities to reach customers through marketing "mobilemediaries," such as smart cards, e-wallets, and bar code scanners. The companies that master the complexity of the ubiquitous Internet will gain significant advantages: they'll gain greater intimacy with customers and target market segments more efficiently. The ones that don't will be dismissed as nuisances, the authors conclude. They suggest ways to become welcome additions--not unwelcome intrusions--to customers' lives.

  5. The Promise and the Pathway: Marketing Higher Education to Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, David S.; Wanstreet, Constance E.; Saunders, Charles T., Jr.; Lutz, Michelle L.

    2009-01-01

    This study analyzed the content of college and university Web site home pages to determine the frequency of marketing messages that might persuade adult learners to enroll at the institution. The findings suggest that colleges and universities in this study do not have adult-oriented marketing messages and are giving scant attention to the…

  6. Opportunities and Barriers related to Supply Chain Collaboration for Delivering Integrated Single-Family Home Renovations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mlecnik, E.; Kondratenko, I.; Haavik, T.

    2013-01-01

    Single-family home renovations often show deficiencies in project management. There might be a market addressing house owners who would prefer integrated renovation services and clear responsibilities. Companies that would respond to these client’s needs would have a clear market potential,

  7. Marketing Green Fertilizers: Insights into Consumer Preferences

    OpenAIRE

    Johannes Dahlin; Verena Halbherr; Peter Kurz; Michael Nelles; Carsten Herbes

    2016-01-01

    In an effort to support the long-term viability of the bioenergy industry through an end market for digestate, we investigated purchasing preferences for fertilizer product features in the home gardening market. We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE), presenting 504 respondents with a total of 6048 product attribute choices in a simulated context that replicated the tradeoff decisions made in the real marketplace. We analyzed the choice data using a hierarchical Bayes estimate to gen...

  8. Smartphone home monitoring of ECG

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szu, Harold; Hsu, Charles; Moon, Gyu; Landa, Joseph; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Hata, Yutaka

    2012-06-01

    A system of ambulatory, halter, electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring system has already been commercially available for recording and transmitting heartbeats data by the Internet. However, it enjoys the confidence with a reservation and thus a limited market penetration, our system was targeting at aging global villagers having an increasingly biomedical wellness (BMW) homecare needs, not hospital related BMI (biomedical illness). It was designed within SWaP-C (Size, Weight, and Power, Cost) using 3 innovative modules: (i) Smart Electrode (lowpower mixed signal embedded with modern compressive sensing and nanotechnology to improve the electrodes' contact impedance); (ii) Learnable Database (in terms of adaptive wavelets transform QRST feature extraction, Sequential Query Relational database allowing home care monitoring retrievable Aided Target Recognition); (iii) Smartphone (touch screen interface, powerful computation capability, caretaker reporting with GPI, ID, and patient panic button for programmable emergence procedure). It can provide a supplementary home screening system for the post or the pre-diagnosis care at home with a build-in database searchable with the time, the place, and the degree of urgency happened, using in-situ screening.

  9. Telecommuters: the stay-at-home work force of the future

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eder, P.F.

    1983-06-01

    The spread of teleworkers who commute via telecommunications from their home offices will depend, despite the energy-saving and tax advantages of self-employment, on how fast the social climate accepts teleworking, whether software can be made friendlier, and whether legal issues of database networks are resolved. The societal changes associated with home offices can be either a positive reemphasis on the home or a negative electronic sweatshop and a way to export office work to low-wage areas. The author, who sees a gradual adoption of teleworking while these technological, societal, and marketing barriers are dealt with, develops a scenario for an information society of the future. (DCK)

  10. 4. heat pump forum. Politics, market, finances, marketing and sales. Proceedings 2006; 4. Forum Waermepumpe. Politik, Markt, Finanzierung, Marketing und Vertrieb. Tagungsband 2006

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2006-07-01

    The fourth heat pump forum is characterised by the latest state-of-the art. For the first time you will receive as forum documents not only the proceedings but also an updated agenda, supplemented by the latest business field information and an overview of distinctive achievements of the company Solarpraxis AG. Highly qualified representatives will be present at the plenary discussion on both forum days for the first time, too. This year the heat pump forum again consists of talks, impulse presentations, discussions and workshops dealing in many different ways and based on a proven concept with the topics politics, market, finances, marketing and sales. In terms of contents the forum covers all topics, which are of importance for a further growth of the heat pump field: political frame conditions as basis for a stable home market, heat pumps in old buildings, marketing strategies as well as quality assurance and practice. (orig.)

  11. Dismissal of the stoppage of the Brunsbuettel power plant in spite of procedural faults

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1981-01-01

    With the decree of the 17th December 1980 - 7 OVG B 114/77 - the OVG Lueneburg has repudiated the complaint of a plaintiff resident about 110 km Northeast of the Brunsbuettel power plant against the decrees of the Schleswig-Holstein administrative court and thereby confirmed the dismissal of a stoppage. The written statement of arguments now in hand comprises 65 pages from which paragraphs of basic importance are reprinted. The decree defines the right for action on the basis of the radiation burden and the distant residence of the plaintiff and judges the requirements of the proceedings in case of the project being thoroughly attered. However, it maintains the avoided alteration licenses which have been issued without public administrative proceedings (procedural faults) because no other decision could have been made in this case. (orig./HP) [de

  12. Sustainable systems rating program: Marketing ``Green`` Building in Austin, Texas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-12-01

    Four major resource issues for home construction were identified: water, energy, materials, and waste. A systems flow model was then developed that tracked the resource issues through interactive matrices in the areas of sourcing, processing, using, and disposing or recycling. This model served as the basis for a rating system used in an educational and marketing tool called the Eco-Home Guide.

  13. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND FIRM VALUE IN EMERGING MARKETS AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF ADR ISSUING EMERGING MARKET FIRMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aysun Ficici

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study explores the value implications of good corporate governance for a sample of 54 ADR issuing emerging market firms (EMFs from 9 countries primarily located in the regions of Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the and employs recently constructed company composite corporate governance metric along with some alternative corporate governance measures associated with the origin of the issuing firm. Although the ADR literature primarily focuses on the impact of subscription to US disclosure requirements we contend that company and country specific corporate governance standards play a significant role in the risk reduction and ensuing value capture.  The fundamental inquiry in this study has the following foci: The primary focus is on the impact of corporate governance structures on firm performance as to whether adherence to standards creates market value for ADR issuing EMFs.  Do good corporate governance practices affect the value of EMFs? The secondary focus is concerned with whether the impact of corruption level and legal system in a firm’s home country affect the corporate structures of EMFs thus affecting the market value of firms.  In this study, we utilize Tobin’s q as the measure of firm performance/market value.  Our findings suggest that there is a significant correlation between corporate governance structures of ADR issuing EMFs and their market values and/or performances.  The results also indicate that the level of corruption and legal structures in home countries of EMFs strongly impact the corporate governance structures of these firms and sequentially affect their market values. Therefore, this research further contributes to the scholarly findings and suppositions that corporate structures of firms do create consequences on firm value.

  14. Competition, information, and quality: Evidence from nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xin

    2016-09-01

    Economic theory suggests that competition and information can both be important for product quality, and yet evidence on how they may interact to affect quality is sparse. This paper estimates the impact of competition between nursing homes on their quality, and how this impact varies when consumers have better access to information. The effect of competition is identified using exogenous variation in the geographical proximity of nursing homes to their potential consumers. The change in information transparency is captured by the launch of the Five-Star Quality Rating System in 2009, which improved access to the quality information of nursing homes. We find that while the effect of competition on nursing home quality is generally rather limited, this effect becomes significantly stronger with increased information transparency. The results suggest that regulations on public quality reporting and on market structure are policy complements, and should be considered jointly to best improve quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The diffusion of microgeneration technologies - assessing the influence of perceived product characteristics on home owners' willingness to pay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Claudy, Marius C.; Michelsen, Claus; O'Driscoll, Aidan

    2011-01-01

    This study presents empirical insight into willingness to pay (WTP) for microgeneration technologies and the relative influence of subjective consumer perceptions. First, we apply a double-bounded contingent valuation method to elicit Irish home owners' WTP for micro wind turbines, wood pellet boilers, solar panels and solar water heaters. Utilizing findings from the adoption of innovation literature, in a second step we assess the influence of antecedents on WTP for each of the four technologies, including (1) home owners' perception of product characteristics, (2) normative influences and (3) sociodemographic characteristics. Our results show that WTP varies significantly among the four technologies. More importantly, however, home owners hold different beliefs about the respective technologies, which significantly influence their WTP. The results provide valuable information for marketers and policy makers aiming to promote microgeneration technologies more effectively in consumer markets. - Research highlights: → This study presents empirical insight into Irish home owners' willingness to pay (WTP) for microgeneration technologies and the relative influence of subjective consumer perceptions. → The findings presented in this study clearly show that a major reason for the slow uptake is home owners' WTP, which is significantly below market prices. WTP for solar water heaters, which matches current sales figures in Ireland, is the only exception. → In this context, public policy in the form of financial incentives such as grant aid or tax incentives can be very costly and might not provide a viable support mechanism for policy makers who aim to promote the diffusion of microgeneration. → However, the results also suggest that home owners' WTP is not solely based on rational financial reasoning but is also influenced by people's subjective perception of the technologies' characteristics. → The findings can be used by marketers and policy makers to design

  16. Young women's preferences for market work: responses to marital events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spitze, G D; Waite, L J

    1981-01-01

    A causal model of changes in women's longrun tastes for paid employment was developed. It is based on the premise that women have a certain preference for market versus home work at the beginning of a year and that during the year some women experience a marital event, which may be a 1st marriage, a 1st birth, or the breakup of an existing marriage. This marital event may then cause some of the women experiencing it to revise their relative tastes for employment and work in the home. It is argued that changes in the level of such resources as time and money and changes in feelings of personal fulfillment that occur as a result of marriage, 1st birth, or divorce are responsible for alterations in market work preferences. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women were used to examine how women's relative preference for market work and home work are affected by the transitions of 1st marriage, marital dissolution, and 1st birth. This survey includes yearly data on over 5000 young women over a recent 5 year period. Personal interviews were conducted with a national probability sample of the noninstitutionalized female population age 14-24 in 1968, with yearly reinterviews through 1973. The impact of a 1st marriage during a year on preference for market work at the end of that year was consistently negative from ages 14 through 23. The likelihood that a young woman prefers market to home work at age 35 decreases from 10-20 percentage points upon 1st marriage. Women who first marry beyond age 24 experience no change in preferences for labor force participation. The positive impact of marital dissolution on a young woman's preference for labor force participation was substantial--between 18 and 29 percentage points--and tended to be higher the later it occurred. The experience of marital dissolution causes women to need to prepare for work. The results suggest that it also increases their desire to work. A 1st birth had no immediate impact but was followed

  17. Baumax's Expansion into the Emerging Markets of Central and Eastern Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nell, Phillip C.; Ruckensteiner-Geyer, Nicoleta; Kvapil, Kerstin

    2017-01-01

    ) in the early 1990s, growth and profitability in the home market and in a number of host-markets became increasingly disappointing. The owners (and managers) saw further international expansion as the key to bring back growth and profitability. Romania was identified as one of the target markets. The case...... explains bauMax’ business and strategy and presents data on the Romanian market situation. The discussion focuses not only on the Romanian decision but also on the more general logic behind bauMax’ internationalisation...

  18. Crisis and Work: An Analysis of Emergency Labour Market Policies in Portugal, Spain and Greece

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margarida Martins Barroso

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we analyse the main reforms introduced in the Portuguese, Spanish and Greek labour-markets since the beginning of the crisis. Based in a documental and statistical analysis, the study takes in consideration the similar institutional, historical and geographic characteristics of these countries, but also their particularities. Results show that the emergency policies tend to resemble and to concentrate on dismissals, contracts, working time, salaries, collective bargaining and working conditions in the public sector. Nonetheless, the pre-crisis structural variations between these countries, together with the different effects that the crisis had in each one of them, help to understand possible differences in terms of results, giving a new contribution to the questioning of the internal homogeneity of the Mediterranean model.

  19. Living Smart Homes: A Pilot Australian Sustainability Education Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Evonne; Buys, Laurie; Bell, Lorraine

    2009-01-01

    This article documents the rationale and experience of a pilot Australian sustainability education programme, "Living Smart Homes" (LSH) based on a community-based social marketing model. Inspired by the Australian "Land for Wildlife" scheme, LSH is designed to engage homeowners with sustainable practices through face-to-face…

  20. Byggmeister Test Home. Analysis and Initial Results of Cold Climate Wood-Framed Home Retrofit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gates, C. [Building Science Corporation (BSC), Somerville, MA (United States)

    2013-01-01

    BSC seeks to further the energy efficiency market for New England area retrofit projects by supporting projects that are based on solid building science fundamentals that will benefit the homeowner through a combination of energy savings, improved durability, and occupant comfort. This report describes a deep retrofit project of a two-family wood-framed home in Belmont, Massachusetts, and examines the retrofit measures for the enclosure amd mechanical systems and reviews the decision-making process that took place during planning.

  1. Passive solar ranch house for the mass market

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Albanes, M.N.

    1981-01-01

    To promote the building of passive solar housing in the Denver metropolitan area, a solar ranch style house was designed for a builder, Unique Homes, as part of a group of thirteen passive solar houses built for the mass market under SERI's Denver Metro Home Builders Program. The project, process of design, thermal performance analysis, cost and consumer/media response are reviewed. The final design was a direct gain, attached greenhouse system that used brick as interior mass.

  2. Determinants of Labour Force Participation for Selected Groups With Weak Labour Market Attachment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Le Maire, Daniel; Scheuer, Christian

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we evaluate the eects of economic incentives on the labour market participation for selected groups with weak labour market attachment. We argue that the people most likely to be affected by economic incentives are recipients of socialassistance and home-working housewives. Partner ...

  3. The diffusion of microgeneration technologies - assessing the influence of perceived product characteristics on home owners' willingness to pay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claudy, Marius C., E-mail: marius.claudy@dit.i [Faculty of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Michelsen, Claus [Department of Urban Economics, Halle Institute for Economic Research, D-06017 Halle (Saale) (Germany); O' Driscoll, Aidan [Faculty of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, Dublin 2 (Ireland)

    2011-03-15

    This study presents empirical insight into willingness to pay (WTP) for microgeneration technologies and the relative influence of subjective consumer perceptions. First, we apply a double-bounded contingent valuation method to elicit Irish home owners' WTP for micro wind turbines, wood pellet boilers, solar panels and solar water heaters. Utilizing findings from the adoption of innovation literature, in a second step we assess the influence of antecedents on WTP for each of the four technologies, including (1) home owners' perception of product characteristics, (2) normative influences and (3) sociodemographic characteristics. Our results show that WTP varies significantly among the four technologies. More importantly, however, home owners hold different beliefs about the respective technologies, which significantly influence their WTP. The results provide valuable information for marketers and policy makers aiming to promote microgeneration technologies more effectively in consumer markets. - Research highlights: {yields} This study presents empirical insight into Irish home owners' willingness to pay (WTP) for microgeneration technologies and the relative influence of subjective consumer perceptions. {yields} The findings presented in this study clearly show that a major reason for the slow uptake is home owners' WTP, which is significantly below market prices. WTP for solar water heaters, which matches current sales figures in Ireland, is the only exception. {yields} In this context, public policy in the form of financial incentives such as grant aid or tax incentives can be very costly and might not provide a viable support mechanism for policy makers who aim to promote the diffusion of microgeneration. {yields} However, the results also suggest that home owners' WTP is not solely based on rational financial reasoning but is also influenced by people's subjective perception of the technologies' characteristics. {yields} The

  4. Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program High-Performance Test Homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hewes, Tom; Peeks, Brady

    2015-09-15

    ?This project represents the third phase of a multi-year effort to develop and bring to market a High Performance Manufactured Home (HPMH). The scope of this project involved building four HPMH prototypes, resulting in what is expected to be a 30% savings relative to the Building America Benchmark. (The actual % savings varies depending on choice of heating equipment and climate zone). The HPMH home is intended to make significant progress toward performing as zero-net-energy ready. Previous phases of this project created a HPMH specification and prototyped individual measures from the package to obtain engineering approvals and develop preliminary factory construction processes. This report describes the project team's work during 2014 to build prototype homes to the HPMH specifications and to monitor the homes for energy performance and durability during 2014. Monitoring is expected to continue into 2016.

  5. Home care in Europe: a systematic literature review

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Health and social services provided at home are becoming increasingly important. Hence, there is a need for information on home care in Europe. The objective of this literature review was to respond to this need by systematically describing what has been reported on home care in Europe in the scientific literature over the past decade. Methods A systematic literature search was performed for papers on home care published in English, using the following data bases: Cinahl, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and Social Care Online. Studies were only included if they complied with the definition of home care, were published between January 1998 and October 2009, and dealt with at least one of the 31 specified countries. Clinical interventions, instrument developments, local projects and reviews were excluded. The data extracted included: the characteristics of the study and aspects of home care 'policy & regulation', 'financing', 'organisation & service delivery', and 'clients & informal carers'. Results Seventy-four out of 5,133 potentially relevant studies met the inclusion criteria, providing information on 18 countries. Many focused on the characteristics of home care recipients and on the organisation of home care. Geographical inequalities, market forces, quality and integration of services were also among the issues frequently discussed. Conclusions Home care systems appeared to differ both between and within countries. The papers included, however, provided only a limited picture of home care. Many studies only focused on one aspect of the home care system and international comparative studies were rare. Furthermore, little information emerged on home care financing and on home care in general in Eastern Europe. This review clearly shows the need for more scientific publications on home care, especially studies comparing countries. A comprehensive and more complete insight into the

  6. Market trends in the projection display industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dash, Sweta

    2000-04-01

    The projection display industry represents a multibillion- dollar market that includes four distinct technologies. High-volume consumer products and high-value business products drive the market, with different technologies being used in different application markets. The consumer market is dominated by rear CRT technology, especially in the projection television segment. But rear LCD (liquid crystal display) and rear reflective (DLP, or Digital Light ProcessingTM) televisions are slowly emerging as future competitors to rear CRT projectors. Front CRT projectors are still popular in the high-end home theater market. Front LCD technology and front DLP technology dominate the business market. Traditional light valve technology was the only solution for applications requiring high light outputs, but new three-chip DLP projectors meet the higher light output requirements at a lower price. In the last few years the strongest growth has been in the business market for multimedia presentation applications. This growth was due to the continued increase in display pixel formats, the continued reduction in projector weight, and the improved price/performance ratio. The projection display market will grow at a significant rate during the next five years, driven by the growth in ultraportable (market to digital and HDTV products.

  7. The price of energy efficiency in the Spanish housing market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayala, Amaia de; Galarraga, Ibon; Spadaro, Joseph V.

    2016-01-01

    The housing sector is a substantial consumer of energy, and therefore a focus for energy savings efforts. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), introduced in 2002 and revised in 2010, is a key instrument to increase the energy performance of buildings across the European Union. Following the implementation of the EPBD into Spanish law, all properties offered for sale or rented out in Spain are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Given that the implementation of the EPC scheme for new, existing and advertised properties is still very low in Spain, unlike other European housing markets, the Spanish one lacks market data on energy efficiency (EE) labels and their impact on housing price. To overcome this gap, we determine the EE ratings of a sample of 1507 homes across Spain on the basis of information collected previously through household surveys. This allowed us to answer the question of whether or not, and to what extent, Spanish housing markets capitalise the value of EE. We apply the hedonic-price technique and observe that more energy efficient dwellings have a price-premium between 5.4% and 9.8% compared to those with the same characteristics but lower EE level. - Highlights: •The Spanish housing market lacks data on energy efficiency (EE) labels. •We determine the EE ratings of a sample of 1507 homes across Spain. •Homes labelled A, B and C account for less than 10% of the housing stock. •Energy efficient dwellings have a price-premium between 5.4% and 9.8%, ceteris paribus.

  8. Is the corporate loan market globally integrated? a pricing puzzle

    OpenAIRE

    Mark S. Carey; Gregory P. Nini

    2004-01-01

    We offer evidence that interest rate spreads on syndicated loans to corporate borrowers are economically significantly smaller in Europe than in the U.S., other things equal. Differences in borrower, loan and lender characteristics associated with equilibrium mechanisms suggested in the literature do not appear to explain the phenomenon. Borrowers overwhelmingly issue in their natural home market and bank portfolios display significant home "bias." This may explain why pricing discrepancies a...

  9. Content provision and multi-homing

    OpenAIRE

    Pires, Armando J. Garcia

    2015-01-01

    We analyze the effects of multi-homing consumers on content provision by media firms. We develop a model where media firms compete on content provision and advertising revenues, and consumers enjoy network effects from consuming content that other consumers also consume. Media firms have to choose if they are single-content or multi-content, and in the latter case how much content to offer. Competition for advertising revenues gives a two-sided market nature to our model, since advertisers pr...

  10. 76 FR 58854 - 2011 Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets: Request for Public Comments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-22

    ... February 2011. The 2010 Notorious Markets List identified 34 markets, including both physical and virtual... home page. Stanford K. McCoy, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and...

  11. Depictions of nursing home residents in US newspapers: successful ageing versus frailty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozanova, Julia; Miller, Edward Alan; Wetle, Terrie

    2016-01-01

    The media shape both what people consider significant and how people think about key issues. This paper explored the cultural beliefs and stereotypes that underlie media portrayals of nursing homes. The analysis of texts of 157 articles about nursing homes published from 1999 to 2008 on the front pages of four major-market American newspapers ( The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post ) was conducted using a qualitative approach inspired by comparative narrative and critical discourse analysis. Results suggest two major themes, each with several narrative components: (a) managing disposable lives (bodies outliving bank accounts; making frailty affordable; and the economics of triage); and (b) retaining purchasing power as successful ageing (consumption as a sign of market participation, spending money as an indicator of autonomy; and financial planning as preparation for future decline). Thus, the results indicate that nursing home residency in-and-of-itself is not a marker of unsuccessful ageing. This, instead, depends, in part, on the extent of choice available as a result of the level of financial solvency. This study shines light on the betwixt and between zone that distinguishes the Third and Fourth Ages; that is, independence versus dependence in old age. If individuals in a nursing home retain control over the management of their lives through the maintenance of financial independence, even if physically frail, association of nursing home residence with the Fourth Age may be ameliorated.

  12. Labeling and advertising of home insulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1978-07-01

    This staff report, prepared by the F.T.C.'s Bureau of Consumer Protection for Commission review, includes recommendations as to the final form of a trade regulation rule relating to the labeling and advertising of home insulation. Because of marketing abuses which accompanied the rising demand for home insulation, there has been broad support for a rule requiring information disclosures to help purchasers of home insulation to make an informed decision. The Commission, to provide such rule as quickly as possible, undertook its rulemaking proceeding under its new expedited rulemaking procedure. The rule was proposed on November 18, 1977, and, following a two-month period for written comments, four weeks of hearings were held in Washington, D.C. in February 1978. The record, contributed to by a variety of interests, shows that consumers do not know how to shop for home insulation. The staff-recommended rule, among other things, would require that insulation be tested and R-values (a measure of insulation's ability to retain heat) disclosed on labels and in advertising. To facilitate comparison shopping, the industry would also be required to furnish consumers with fact sheets describing, on a product-to-product basis, factors that can reduce the R-value of insulation.

  13. Collaborative business model development for home energy renovations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mlecnik, E.; Straub, A.; Haavik, T

    2018-01-01

    In the EU, housing retrofit rates have to increase to about 2.5–3% of the housing stock per year to achieve policy goals. The development of new business models and collaboration of SMEs in a fragmented market is expected to result in an increase in home renovations. This study presents a way to

  14. Marketing program for R2000 in Ontario

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Killins, B.L.

    1990-01-01

    In the Ontario new housing market, Ontario Hydro's goal is to reduce the demand for electricity, increase the utility's visibility in this market, and increase customer satisfaction. Analyses have demonstrated that it costs less to construct new houses according to R-2000 insulation standards than to install new power production and transmission facilities. Research has also shown that R-2000 houses have better air quality and energy efficiency than ordinary houses. Nevertheless, most home builders have little enthusiasm for R-2000 houses; the strictness of airtightness standards, the slowness of certification, excessive paperwork, and a lack of promised marketing support are cited as the reasons for this. Ontario Hydro and builders' associations have signed a cooperative agreement for certifying new houses with the object of self-financing the program. The program intends to see construction of 1,000 R-2000 houses in 1990. To carry out this objective, some elements have been added to Ontario Hydro's marketing program in order to make potential customers aware of the advantages of the R-2000 house. Field staff will receive rigorous training in order to prepare them for helping the diverse types of builders. A mail campaign, focusing on areas not served by natural gas where significant numbers of new houses are being built, intends to bring home builders and buyers together. In February 1990, Ontario Hydro signed agreements with four major housing manufacturers to construct a significant proportion of the R-2000 housing stock

  15. Endogenous Price Bubbles in a Multi-Agent System of the Housing Market

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kouwenberg, R.; Zwinkels, R.C.J.

    2015-01-01

    Economic history shows a large number of boom-bust cycles, with the U.S. real estate market as one of the latest examples. Classical economic models have not been able to provide a full explanation for this type of market dynamics. Therefore, we analyze home prices in the U.S. using an alternative

  16. Deteminants of market orientation among cassava producers in Abia ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Deteminants of market orientation among cassava producers in Abia state, Nigeria. ... Journal Home > Vol 48, No 1 (2017) > ... as farm inputs like hiring of farm machinery, provision of fertilizers and chemicals to farmers at a subsidized rate.

  17. TED-Time and life saving External Defibrillator for home-use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiss, Teddy A; Rosenheck, Shimon; Gorni, Shraga; Katz, Ioni; Mendelbaum, Mendel; Gilon, Dan

    2014-06-01

    Sudden Cardiac Death--SCD --is a major unmet health problem that needs urgent and prompt solution. AICDs are very expensive, risky and indicated for a small group of patients, at the highest risk. AEDs--Automatic External Defibrillators--are designed for public places and although safe, cannot enter the home-market due to their cost and need for constant, high-cost maintenance. We developed TED, a low-cost AED that derives its energy off the mains, designed for home-use, to save SCD victims' lives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Supporting Photovoltaics in Market-Rate Residential NewConstruction: A Summary of Programmatic Experience to Date and LessonsLearned

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barbose, Galen; Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark

    2006-02-10

    As a market segment for solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption, new homes have a number of attractive attributes. Homebuyers can easily roll the cost of the PV system into their tax-deductible home mortgage and, with rebates and other financial incentives, potentially achieve an immediate net-positive cash flow from the investment. New homes are amenable to building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), which are less susceptible to aesthetic concerns than traditional, rack-mounted systems. The performance of PV systems can be optimized on new homes by taking roof orientation and shading into account when designing the home. Perhaps most importantly, subdivisions with PV systems installed on a large number of homes offer potential cost savings from volume purchases of modules and inverters and from scale economies in system design and installation. Finally, the ability of builders to install PV as a standard feature on multiple homes in new subdivisions offers an opportunity to circumvent the high transaction costs and information-related market barriers typically confronted when each individual homeowner must make a decision about installing PV. Builders may benefit in several ways from incorporating PV into new homes. Builders may gain greater market differentiation, enhanced media exposure, and less community or political opposition to development projects. Additionally, if homebuyers place a high value on PV, builders may be able to earn additional profits, just as they would on granite countertops or other high-value home features. Although the impact of PV on the original sale price of new homes has not yet been rigorously examined, some limited empirical evidence does suggest that PV and energy efficient features may have a positive effect on resale value. Along with its unique advantages, residential new construction also faces unique barriers to PV adoption. Most fundamentally, perhaps, is the general aversion to technology risk within the building industry

  19. A Community-Based Marketing Campaign at Farmers Markets to Encourage Fruit and Vegetable Purchases in Rural Counties With High Rates of Obesity, Kentucky, 2015-2016.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeWitt, Emily; McGladrey, Margaret; Liu, Emily; Peritore, Nicole; Webber, Kelly; Butterworth, Brooke; Vail, Ann; Gustafson, Alison

    2017-08-31

    Availability of farmers markets may increase fruit and vegetable consumption among rural residents of the United States. We conducted a community-based marketing campaign, Plate it Up Kentucky Proud (PIUKP), in 6 rural communities over 2 years to determine the association between exposure to the campaign and fruit and vegetable purchases, adjusted for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipient status. Logistic regression was used to examine the odds of the PIUKP campaign influencing purchases. Awareness of the PIUKP marketing campaign was significantly associated with a willingness to prepare fruits and vegetables at home. Using marketing strategies at farmers markets may be an effective way to improve fruit and vegetable purchases in rural communities.

  20. Competing with giants. Survival strategies for local companies in emerging markets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dawar, N; Frost, T

    1999-01-01

    The arrival of a multinational corporation often looks like a death sentence to local companies in an emerging market. After all, how can they compete in the face of the vast financial and technological resources, the seasoned management, and the powerful brands of, say, a Compaq or a Johnson & Johnson? But local companies often have more options than they might think, say the authors. Those options vary, depending on the strength of globalization pressures in an industry and the nature of a company's competitive assets. In the worst case, when globalization pressures are strong and a company has no competitive assets that it can transfer to other countries, it needs to retreat to a locally oriented link within the value chain. But if globalization pressures are weak, the company may be able to defend its market share by leveraging the advantages it enjoys in its home market. Many companies in emerging markets have assets that can work well in other countries. Those that operate in industries where the pressures to globalize are weak may be able to extend their success to a limited number of other markets that are similar to their home base. And those operating in global markets may be able to contend head-on with multinational rivals. By better understanding the relationship between their company's assets and the industry they operate in, executives from emerging markets can gain a clearer picture of the options they really have when multinationals come to stay.

  1. 75 FR 78730 - Federal Housing Administration (FHA): Notice of FHA PowerSaver Home Energy Retrofit Loan Pilot...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-16

    ... Administration (FHA): Notice of FHA PowerSaver Home Energy Retrofit Loan Pilot Program: Extension of Period... proposal to conduct an FHA Home Energy Retrofit Loan Pilot Program (Retrofit Pilot Program or Pilot Program... Efficient Mortgage Innovation pilot program targeted to the single family housing market, and the Retrofit...

  2. Architecture of a fully integrated communication infrastructure for the smart home; Architektur einer vollintegrierten Kommunikationsinfrastruktur fuer das Smart Home

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schaefer, Falk-Moritz; Kays, Ruediger [TU Dortmund (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Kommunikationstechnik

    2012-07-01

    For some time, applications in the areas of home automation, ambient assisted living and e-health are discussed. These require reliable and energy-efficient communication solutions in the home environment. In addition, new concepts that go hand in hand with the concept of the smart grids need an access to devices within the home environment. In the realization of smart homes the diversity of market participants involved, the parallel existing business models, the application requirements and the available communication systems make special demands on the underlying network infrastructure. Different solutions should be able to communicate with each other and compatible. In addition, the user expects a simple operation and configuration as well as a long-term support of the products. In the best case, the user is confronted with a single, integrated network infrastructure. Instead of separate systems for reading out of smart meters for monitoring the solar system, for health monitoring and the settings of multimedia devices, the telephone system, or computer network, a fully integrated smart home communications infrastructure should come into operation. This smart home infrastructure should be free of unnecessary duplication of structures; all equipment should be taken into account with a communication interface. The authors of the contribution under consideration report on a possible architecture of such a network infrastructure. Different grades are identified. A protocol stack for different technologies and the linking of different network hierarchies are described.

  3. Tax credits, labour participation and home production in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mastrogiacomo, M.; Bosch, N.

    2011-01-01

    We set up a dynamic reduced form model of labour market participation for women who balance career and motherhood. The model accounts for the occurrence of future child birth and early retirement, and includes home production; however, it does not require the estimation of a structural model.

  4. How creative is the crowd in describing smart home scenarios?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abbas, T.; Khan, J.V.; Tetteroo, D.; Markopoulos, P.

    2018-01-01

    Internet of Things (IoT) is recently attracting vendors like Google, Homey, and Samsung that have already brought to the market a plethora of devices and services supporting smart home automation. However, recent studies have shown that end-users having little knowledge of the features and

  5. Review of Solar PV Market Development in East Africa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Ulrich Elmer; Pedersen, Mathilde Brix; Nygaard, Ivan

    to understanding these effects by reviewing the development of markets for solar PV in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, focusing on how the differences in market development have been explained in the literature. The paper finds that, although Tanzania and Uganda are rapidly catching up, Kenya is still leading......While the diffusion of solar home systems in Kenya has been market-based for some years, the diffusion of PV in most other Sub-Saharan African countries has been driven by government and donor-supported projects aimed at serving specific needs for electricity while at the same time creating...

  6. Price discovery in dual-class shares across multiple markets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fernandes, Marcelo; Scherrer, Cristina

    2018-01-01

    data to study price discovery in dual-class Brazilian stocks and their ADRs. We find that the foreign market is at least as informative as the home market and that shocks in the dual-class premium entail a permanent effect in normal times, but transitory in periods of financial distress......This paper proposes a new measure of price discovery that uses the spectral decomposition. The methodology is especially important in the context of large price systems, such as interest rate parities with spot and futures contracts or dual-class shares in multiple markets. We employ high frequency...

  7. Effect of prospective reimbursement on nursing home costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coburn, A F; Fortinsky, R; McGuire, C; McDonald, T P

    1993-04-01

    This study evaluates the effect of Maine's Medicaid nursing home prospective payment system on nursing home costs and access to care for public patients. The implementation of a facility-specific prospective payment system for nursing homes provided the opportunity for longitudinal study of the effect of that system. Data sources included audited Medicaid nursing home cost reports, quality-of-care data from state facility survey and licensure files, and facility case-mix information from random, stratified samples of homes and residents. Data were obtained for six years (1979-1985) covering the three-year period before and after implementation of the prospective payment system. This study used a pre-post, longitudinal analytical design in which interrupted, time-series regression models were estimated to test the effects of prospective payment and other factors, e.g., facility characteristics, nursing home market factors, facility case mix, and quality of care, on nursing home costs. Prospective payment contributed to an estimated $3.03 decrease in total variable costs in the third year from what would have been expected under the previous retrospective cost-based payment system. Responsiveness to payment system efficiency incentives declined over the study period, however, indicating a growing problem in achieving further cost reductions. Some evidence suggested that cost reductions might have reduced access for public patients. Study findings are consistent with the results of other studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of prospective payment systems in restraining nursing home costs. Potential policy trade-offs among cost containment, access, and quality assurance deserve further consideration, particularly by researchers and policymakers designing the new generation of case mix-based and other nursing home payment systems.

  8. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nonpharmaceutical interventions following school dismissals during the 2009 Influenza A H1N1 pandemic in Michigan, United States.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianrong Shi

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Many schools throughout the United States reported an increase in dismissals due to the 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic (pH1N1. During the fall months of 2009, more than 567 school dismissals were reported from the state of Michigan. In December 2009, the Michigan Department of Community Health, in collaboration with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted a survey to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs of households with school-aged children and classroom teachers regarding the recommended use of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs to slow the spread of influenza. METHODS: A random sample of eight elementary schools (kindergarten through 5th grade was selected from each of the eight public health preparedness regions in the state. Within each selected school, a single classroom was randomly identified from each grade (K-5, and household caregivers of the classroom students and their respective teachers were asked to participate in the survey. RESULTS: In total, 26% (2,188/8,280 of household caregivers and 45% (163/360 of teachers from 48 schools (of the 64 sampled responded to the survey. Of the 48 participating schools, 27% (13 experienced a school dismissal during the 2009 fall term. Eighty-seven percent (1,806/2,082 of caregivers and 80% (122/152 of teachers thought that the 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic was severe, and >90% of both groups indicated that they told their children/students to use NPIs, such as washing hands more often and covering coughs with tissues, to prevent infection with influenza. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge and instruction on the use of NPIs appeared to be high among household caregivers and teachers responding to the survey. Nevertheless, public health officials should continue to explain the public health rationale for NPIs to reduce pandemic influenza. Ensuring this information is communicated to household caregivers and teachers through trusted sources is

  9. Review of survey data on the importance of energy efficiency to new home buyers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hendrickson, P.L.

    1984-10-01

    The surveys reviewed for this report support the notion that the Council's model conservation standards will be received reasonably well and can be successfully marketed. A number of subtopics are addressed including the home purchase process and the role of energy efficiency considerations in the process, the importance of energy efficiency considerations in the decision to purchase a new home, the relative importance of energy efficiency in comparison to other home selection attributes, homeowner preferences for particular energy efficiency features, and measures of the willingness to pay for energy efficiency improvements.

  10. Sustainable systems rating program: Marketing Green'' Building in Austin, Texas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-12-01

    Four major resource issues for home construction were identified: water, energy, materials, and waste. A systems flow model was then developed that tracked the resource issues through interactive matrices in the areas of sourcing, processing, using, and disposing or recycling. This model served as the basis for a rating system used in an educational and marketing tool called the Eco-Home Guide.

  11. MEMS device for mass market gas and chemical sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinkade, Brian R.; Daly, James T.; Johnson, Edward A.

    2000-08-01

    Gas and chemical sensors are used in many applications. Industrial health and safety monitors allow companies to meet OSHA requirements by detecting harmful levels of toxic or combustible gases. Vehicle emissions are tested during annual inspections. Blood alcohol breathalizers are used by law enforcement. Refrigerant leak detection ensures that the Earth's ozone layer is not being compromised. Industrial combustion emissions are also monitored to minimize pollution. Heating and ventilation systems watch for high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) to trigger an increase in fresh air exchange. Carbon monoxide detectors are used in homes to prevent poisoning from poor combustion ventilation. Anesthesia gases are monitored during a patients operation. The current economic reality is that two groups of gas sensor technologies are competing in two distinct existing market segments - affordable (less reliable) chemical reaction sensors for consumer markets and reliable (expensive) infrared (IR) spectroscopic sensors for industrial, laboratory, and medical instrumentation markets. Presently high volume mass-market applications are limited to CO detectros and on-board automotive emissions sensors. Due to reliability problems with electrochemical sensor-based CO detectors there is a hesitancy to apply these sensors in other high volume applications. Applications such as: natural gas leak detection, non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, home indoor air quality, personal/portable air quality monitors, home fire/burnt cooking detector, and home food spoilage detectors need a sensor that is a small, efficient, accurate, sensitive, reliable, and inexpensive. Connecting an array of these next generation gas sensors to wireless networks that are starting to proliferate today creates many other applications. Asthmatics could preview the air quality of their destinations as they venture out into the day. HVAC systems could determine if fresh air intake was actually better than the air

  12. A cost-constrained model of strategic service quality emphasis in nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, M A; Provan, K G

    1996-02-01

    This study employed structural equation modeling to test the relationship between three aspects of the environmental context of nursing homes; Medicaid dependence, ownership status, and market demand, and two basic strategic orientations: low cost and differentiation based on service quality emphasis. Hypotheses were proposed and tested against data collected from a sample of nursing homes operating in a single state. Because of the overwhelming importance of cost control in the nursing home industry, a cost constrained strategy perspective was supported. Specifically, while the three contextual variables had no direct effect on service quality emphasis, the entire model was supported when cost control orientation was introduced as a mediating variable.

  13. Bond and Equity Home Bias and Foreign Bias: an International Study

    OpenAIRE

    VanPée, Rosanne; De Moor, Lieven

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we explore tentatively and formally the differences between bond and equity home bias and foreign bias based on one large scale dataset including developed and emerging markets for the period 2001 to 2010. We set the stage by tentatively and formally linking the diversion of bond and equity home bias in OECD countries to the increasing public debt issues under the form of government bonds i.e. the supply-driven argument. Unlike Fidora et al. (2007) we do not find that exchange r...

  14. From Energy Audits to Home Performance: 30 Years of Articles in Home Energy Magazine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meier, Alan

    2014-08-11

    Home Energy Magazine has been publishing articles about residential energy efficiency for 30 years. Its goal has been to disseminate technically reliable and neutral information to the practitioners, that is, professionals in the business of home energy efficiency. The articles, editorials, letters, and advertisements are a kind of window on the evolution of energy conservation technologies, policies, and organizations. Initially, the focus was on audits and simple retrofits, such as weatherstripping and insulation. Instrumentation was sparse sometimes limited to a ruler to measure depth of attic insulation and a blower door was exotic. CFLs were heavy, awkward bulbs which might, or might not, fit in a fixture. Saving air conditioning energy was not a priority. Solar energy was only for the most adventurous. Thirty years on, the technologies and business have moved beyond just insulating attics to the larger challenge of delivering home performance and achieving zero net energy. This shift reflects the success in reducing space heating energy and the need to create a profitable industry by providing more services. The leading edge of the residential energy services market is becoming much more sophisticated, offering both efficiency and solar systems. The challenge is to continue providing relevant and reliable information in a transformed industry and a revolutionized media landscape.

  15. Gas marketing: Does size equal survival?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katz, M.G.

    1996-01-01

    The thought is enough to make many homeowners cringe: competing natural gas marketers calling them at home in the evening, pushing their brands and services much like AT and T, MCI and Sprint hawk long-distance telephone service today. Another thought is enough to make many gas marketers cringe: a half-dozen or fewer giant mega-marketers selling virtually all the natural gas in the US, and they and their company are not among them. Yet both thoughts are likely to become realities, say many in the natural gas industry. If so, each would represent an intriguing turn of events for the newest segment of the industry, one that barely existed 10 or 15 years ago. The paper discusses the recent history of the gas marketing sector, the changes taking place in the industry, and the biggest problem--the lack of a uniform electronic standard or bulletin board system for dispatching, nominating, and monitoring gas purchase as they move across the country

  16. Production and marketing challenges of vegetable farming: a case ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Production and marketing challenges of vegetable farming: a case study of Kumasi metropolis of Ashanti region, Ghana. ... Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 9, No 1 (2016) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  17. Fiber to the home: next generation network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chengxin; Guo, Baoping

    2006-07-01

    Next generation networks capable of carrying converged telephone, television (TV), very high-speed internet, and very high-speed bi-directional data services (like video-on-demand (VOD), Game etc.) strategy for Fiber To The Home (FTTH) is presented. The potential market is analyzed. The barriers and some proper strategy are also discussed. Several technical problems like various powering methods, optical fiber cables, and different network architecture are discussed too.

  18. MEDIA MARKET OVERVIEW IN CEE COUNTRIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina BURLACIOIU

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Every year, in every market and in any country, advertisers spend increasing budgets on advertising to influence consumer behavior. Finding the ideal marketing channel mix is a continuous challenge for every brand on every local market. This paper is aiming to analyze overall media investment in CEE region trying to find patterns of media mix based on economic context and local market status that supports media investment (internet and Facebook statistics, TV audiences. In the paper are used multidimensional methods like: principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering techniques. Thirteen Central and Eastern European countries are clustered based on 2017 data from Media Factbook. Two main patterns are described in the paper based on these data. The first one is characterized by high Internet usage, high Print and Digital advertising share. In terms of inverstment level, these countries have negative evolution of Net Market Spend per Capita in 2016 versus 2008 but high media market sizes. The second one is characterized by high out of home advertising share. In terms of inverstment level, these countries are splited in two subpatterns: one with negative and one with positive evolution of Net Market Spend per Capita in 2016 versus 2008.

  19. International expansion, market maintenance strategy used by French Winemaking Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oana BĂRBULESCU

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Starting from the theoretical concepts that define the maintenance strategies for the international market, this paper presents the results of a quantitative research survey conducted among Romanian consumers of wine. What is aimed at is to know their attitudes and opinions referring to wine imports in order to identify a strategy for the entrance on the Romanian market of the French wine producer Louis Latour, which is imposed by the need to maintain sales in the context of demand shrinking on the home market. The conclusion of the quantitative research conducted on a sample of 402 people from all country regions reveals the opportunity of entering the Romanian market by using indirect export as a way of entering the market.

  20. From nurse to marketing entrepreneur.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aydlotte, J H

    1998-03-01

    An important lesson in career advancement is to be prepared for and take advantage of sudden opportunities that come your way. This risk-taking nurse went into nurse recruitment, which then opened avenues into health care marketing. She pioneered one of the largest health care advertising companies in the country and describes how she has used her new-found skills, at work and at home, to face life's biggest challenges.

  1. Person-Centered Care Practices in Long-Term Care in the Deep South: Consideration of Structural, Market, and Administrator Characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, M Lindsey; Snow, A Lynn; Parmelee, Patricia A; Davis, Jullet A

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify structural, market, and administrator factors of nursing homes that are related to the implementation of person-centered care. Administrators of Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the Deep South were invited to complete a standardized survey about their facility and their perceptions and attitudes regarding person-centered care practices (PCCPs). Nursing home structural and market factors were obtained from public websites, and these data were matched with administrator data. Consistent with the resource-based theory of competitive advantage, nursing homes with greater resources and more competition were more likely to implement PCCPs. Implementation of person-centered care was also higher in nursing homes with administrators who perceived culture change implementation to be feasible in their facilities. Given that there is a link between resource availability and adoption of person-centered care, future research should investigate the cost of such innovations.

  2. Walking the Line: Navigating Market and Gift Economies of Care in a Consumer-Directed Home-Based Care Program for Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Jacqueline M; Kietzman, Kathryn G; Wallace, Steven P

    2015-12-01

    Paid caregivers of low-income older adults navigate their role at what Hochschild calls the "market frontier": the fuzzy line between the "world of the market," in which services are exchanged for monetary compensation, and the "world of the gift," in which caregiving is uncompensated and motivated by emotional attachment. We examine how political and economic forces, including the reduction of long-term services and supports, shape the practice of "walking the line" among caregivers of older adults. We used data from a longitudinal qualitative study with related and nonrelated caregivers (n = 33) paid through California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program and consumers of IHSS care (n = 49). We analyzed the semistructured interviews (n = 330), completed between 2010 and 2014, using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Related and nonrelated caregivers are often expected to "gift" hours of care above and beyond what is compensated by formal services. Cuts in formal services and lapses in pay push caregivers to further "walk the line" between market and gift economies of care. Both related and nonrelated caregivers who choose to stay on and provide more care without pay often face adverse economic and health consequences. Some, including related caregivers, opt out of caregiving altogether. While some consumers expect that caregivers would be willing to "walk the line" in order to meet their needs, most expressed sympathy for them and tried to alter their schedules or go without care in order to limit the caregivers' burden. Given economic and health constraints, caregivers cannot always compensate for cuts in formal supports by providing uncompensated time and resources. Similarly, low-income older adults are not competitive in the caregiving marketplace and, given the inadequacy of compensated hours, often depend on unpaid care. Policies that restrict formal long-term services and supports thus leave the needs of both caregivers and consumers unmet

  3. University of Calgary students in 2011 solar home competition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2010-01-01

    This article described a solar home designed by University of Calgary students for the 2011 Solar Decathlon competition hosted by the United States Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The home features an Aboriginal design that will produces at least as much energy as it consumes. Designed as a collaborative project between First Nations, industry, and the University of Calgary, the entry will compete against teams from throughout the world. The entry will be judged in several categories, including architecture, engineering, affordability, and market appeal. In 2009, students from the university collaborated with other Canadian educational facilities to place sixth overall in the competition. 1 fig.

  4. Point-of-care diagnostics: market trends and growth drivers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajan, Aruna; Glorikian, Harry

    2009-01-01

    There is a significant demand for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) testing to move closer to the patient point-of-care diagnostics [POC]), whether in the hospital, physician's office, rapid clinic or the home, effectively cutting time to results and helping patients make better informed decisions about their health. To analyze the point-of-care market and its trends and growth drivers. In 2007, POC made up 30% of the IVD market and is expected to grow at 9% a year. Although the overall POC market is expected to grow steadily, infectious POC is now the most attractive segment. Availability of rapid random access molecular diagnostic system for critical care infectious diseases such as MRSA and sepsis in the near future is likely to be a significant driver of infectious POC post 2012. Owing to the extraordinary increase in the cost of care, healthcare delivery is moving to increasingly decentralized settings such as rapid clinics and the home, driven by point-of-care diagnostics that provide accurate and directional results. We are evolving from the analog testing world to the digital testing world, where diagnosis is exact and therapy can be administered and be predictably effective.

  5. Malpractice paid losses and financial performance of nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Mei; Haley, D Rob; Oetjen, Reid M; Carretta, Henry J

    2011-01-01

    Florida's nursing home industry has experienced significant financial pressure over the past decade. One of the primary reasons is the dramatic increase in litigation activity for nursing home providers claiming negligent care and abuse. Although anecdotal reports indicate a higher cost because of malpractice in nursing facilities, few studies have examined the extent of malpractice paid losses and their effect on the financial performance of nursing homes. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of malpractice paid losses on the financial performance of nursing homes. Medicare Cost Report data and Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting data for Florida skilled nursing facilities over the 6-year period from 2001 to 2006 were used to calculate the malpractice paid losses and the financial performance indicators as well as the nursing home organizational and market factors. Descriptive analysis and multivariate regression analysis were used to examine the effect of paid loss on financial performance. The paid loss for malpractice claims was strongly associated with financial performance. Nursing facilities with malpractice paid losses had consistently lower total margins over the study period. The threat of nursing home litigation may create an incentive for nursing homes to improve quality of care; however, large paid claims can also force nursing homes into a financial situation where the organization no longer has the resources to improve quality. Nursing home managers must assess their malpractice litigation risk and identify tactics to mitigate these risks to better provide a safe and secure environment for the older persons. In addition, this research offers support for local, state, and federal policymakers to revisit the issue of malpractice litigation and the nursing home industry through its insight on the relationship of nursing home margins and litigation.

  6. Building America Best Practices Series, Volume 6: High-Performance Home Technologies: Solar Thermal & Photovoltaic Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baechler, Michael C.; Gilbride, Theresa L.; Ruiz, Kathleen A.; Steward, Heidi E.; Love, Pat M.

    2007-06-04

    This guide is was written by PNNL for the US Department of Energy's Building America program to provide information for residential production builders interested in building near zero energy homes. The guide provides indepth descriptions of various roof-top photovoltaic power generating systems for homes. The guide also provides extensive information on various designs of solar thermal water heating systems for homes. The guide also provides construction company owners and managers with an understanding of how solar technologies can be added to their homes in a way that is cost effective, practical, and marketable. Twelve case studies provide examples of production builders across the United States who are building energy-efficient homes with photovoltaic or solar water heating systems.

  7. LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION ISSUES RELATED TO MIGRANTS ARRIVING TO HUNGARY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Miklos Komives

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The migration flows appearing in the recent years have gained central relevance in Hungary. Previously people were having no opinion about the current situation of issues related to migration but the increased media attention lead to the development of mixed attitudes among people. Some people feel sorry for the families who are coming from the war zones and lost their homes, others have fear of losing their position at work, or their families because of the acts they have heard from the media and they are hostile to the issue of integration whether it is about education or the labour market. According to the statistical data; in the third quarter of 2015, more than hundred thousand asylum-seekers arrived to Hungary, which dropped drastically in the fourth quarter caused by the significant transformation of the asylum process. This study is intended to serve two objectives: first describe the comprehensive picture of labour market attitudes towards migrants and secondly to identify factors that affect the employment of foreigners in Hungary using secondary data sources. Based on this analysis those questions can be formulated, which may constitute a basis for further labour market researches for the integration of migrants. From our point of view there are vital aspects of the migrants’ successful social integration; we have to integrate the migrants who are coming to our country and plan to stay for a longer time to the field of education and the labour market. The social integration of migrants in a country is closely linked to employment, to the integration into the labour market, and in many cases one of the obstacles in this regard is the prejudiced behaviour and negative attitudes towards migrants which manifests itself as the discrimination in the labour market. The results of the European Commission confirm that in Hungary the ethnicity as a variable appears to be the second on the list of the most serious discrimination factors

  8. Nicola Cafés capsules compatible with Nespresso machines : risky marketing decision

    OpenAIRE

    Dotti, João Baptista Geraldes Barba

    2015-01-01

    The demanding and traditional coffee market in Portugal is changing in some of its main components. Consumers, limited financially by the economic crisis, and taking advantage of the growth of coffee machines with capsules, drink more coffee at home, reducing consumption in establishments such as bars, restaurants and pastry shops. The Nutricafés S.A. is the third player of the coffee market in Portugal, and through its main brand, Nicola Cafés will have to choose between two marketing strate...

  9. Market size and attendance in English Premier League football

    OpenAIRE

    Buraimo, B; Simmons, R

    2006-01-01

    This paper models the impacts of market size and team competition for fan base on matchday attendance in the English Premier League over the period 1997-2004 using a large panel data set. We construct a comprehensive set of control variables and use tobit estimation to overcome the problems caused by sell-out crowds. We also account for unobserved influences on attendance by means of random effects attached to home teams. Our treatment of market size, with its use of Geographical Information ...

  10. Canada's nuclear industry - a leader in the global market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saint-Pierre, G.

    1994-01-01

    The successes of the Canadian nuclear industry at home and abroad are recounted and extolled in this address. It is argued that the industry must become more global in order to compete more effectively in the export market. This means not only setting up operating bases (rather than mere marketing offices) abroad, but also employing nationals of prospective overseas purchasing countries in the headquarters of Canadian companies. Partnership with one or more Asian country may be the key to success

  11. The international gas markets. Of major changes and challenges for Europe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westphal, Kirsten

    2014-01-01

    Already in the 2010 edition of its World Energy Outlook the World Energy Agency noted an unprecedented degree of uncertainty surrounding the international energy markets. The rate of change in these markets is indeed stupendous, posing formidable tasks to business companies as well as the political leadership. The European gas markets face new challenges in protecting their security of supply which stem from the combined effects of the shift of LNG trade flows into the Pacific region, decreasing rates of home production and the ongoing transformation process within the EU.

  12. Bank Risk-Taking Abroad : Does Home-Country Regulation and Supervision Matter

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ongena, S.; Popov, A.; Udell, G.F.

    2011-01-01

    This paper provides the first empirical evidence on how home-country regulation and supervision affects bank risk-tailing in host-country markets. We analyze lending by 136 banks to 8,253 firms in 1,513 different localities across 13 countries. We find strong evidence that laxer regulatory

  13. Bank Risk-Taking Abroad : Does Home-Country Regulation and Supervision Matter

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ongena, S.; Popov, A.; Udell, G.F.

    2011-01-01

    This paper provides the first empirical evidence on how home-country regulation and supervision affects bank risk-tailing in hostr-country markets. We analyze lending by 136 banks to 8,253 firms in 1,513 different localities across 13 countries. We find strong evidence that laxer regulatory

  14. Travel Market Switzerland 2007

    OpenAIRE

    Laesser, Christian; Bieger, Thomas

    2008-01-01

    Technical Report and Results - In 2007, for the seventeenth time since 1972, a survey on the travel behaviour of the Swiss population was conducted. The database resulting from this project (Travel Market Switzerland 2007) is still the most extensive on private trips by the Swiss resident population. Private trips are defined/ delimited as all journeys by private persons with at least one overnight stay outside their home and their normal life and work environment. They include all types of l...

  15. MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN THE INTERNET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Duhalm

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Currently, communication becomes more complex, faster and more dynamic every day. In this context, communication switches channels on traditional media to online applications. Thus, the electronic communication threatens, if not take the physical communication. We live in the era of information and the information they seek more ways than quick, cheap and accessible spread. Among the most common methods of electronic communication including website, electronic newsletter, blog and email custom. Online marketing has its roots in traditional marketing, but branch out and in a very obvious due to a unique features: interactivity. On the Internet, communication takes place in two directions and not just one, as in traditional marketing. At the same time, sellers and buyers can complete transactions from their homes or offices, at any time of day or night. Online marketing offers the advantage of presenting the interactive promotional materials that can meet the expectations of each type of buyer. Instead of creating a single message, as happens in the promotion of mass, marketing online allows the creation of "interactive brochure" that allow potential customers to choose the information that they want to see and when they want to see. Changing consumer behavior have had thoughts of marketing people who understand that the Internet is a very effective tool to attract, retain and loyalty the customer.

  16. Accelerating residential PV expansion: demand analysis for competitive electricity markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duke, Richard; Williams, Robert; Payne, Adam

    2005-01-01

    This article quantifies the potential market for grid-connected, residential photovoltaic (PV) electricity integrated into new homes built in the US. It complements an earlier supply-side analysis by the authors that demonstrates the potential to reduce PV module prices below $1.5/W p by scaling up existing thin-film technology in 100 MW p /yr manufacturing facilities. The present article demonstrates that, at that price, PV modules may be cost effective in 125,000 new home installations per year (0.5 GW p /yr). While this market is large enough to support multiple scaled up thin-film PV factories, inefficient energy pricing and demand-side market failures will inhibit prospective PV consumers without strong public policy support. Net metering rules, already implemented in many states to encourage PV market launch, represent a crude but reasonable surrogate for efficient electricity pricing mechanisms that may ultimately emerge to internalize the externality benefits of PV. These public benefits include reduced air pollution damages (estimated costs of damage to human health from fossil fuel power plants are presented in Appendix A), deferral of transmission and distribution capital expenditures, reduced exposure to fossil fuel price risks, and increased electricity system reliability for end users. Thus, net metering for PV ought to be implemented as broadly as possible and sustained until efficient pricing is in place. Complementary PV 'buydowns' (e.g., a renewable portfolio standard with a specific PV requirement) are needed to jumpstart regional PV markets

  17. AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION v PFIZER: EVERGREENING AND MARKET POWER AS A BLOCKBUSTER DRUG GOES OFF PATENT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faunce, Thomas

    2015-06-01

    In Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 113, the ACCC alleged that Pfizer's "Project LEAP" involved a scheme to lock pharmacists into substituting its generic version of the high sales volume anti-cholesterol drug, patent-expired atorvastatin (Lipitor), which took advantage of a substantial degree of market power for a purpose proscribed by s 46(1)(c) of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). The ACCC also claimed that Pfizer's actions constituted a course of exclusive dealing pursuant to s 47(1)(d) and (e) for the proscribed purpose of lessening competition. Flick J in the Federal Court of Australia, in a judgment heavy with quotations but sparse in reasoning, dismissed the ACCC's Amended Originating Application alleging abuse of market power and ordered the ACCC to pay Pfizer's costs. The ACCC has now appealed the decision. This column explores this case in the context of Pfizer's broader strategies to preserve its income globally from this high sales volume drug in the period following its patent expiration.

  18. Interdependence of NAFTA capital markets: A minimum variance portfolio approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    López-Herrera Francisco

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We estimate the long-run relationships among NAFTA capital market returns and then calculate the weights of a “time-varying minimum variance portfolio” that includes the Canadian, Mexican, and USA capital markets between March 2007 and March 2009, a period of intense turbulence in international markets. Our results suggest that the behavior of NAFTA market investors is not consistent with that of a theoretical “risk-averse” agent during periods of high uncertainty and may be either considered as irrational or attributed to a possible “home country bias”. This finding represents valuable information for portfolio managers and contributes to a better understanding of the nature of the markets in which they invest. It also has practical implications in the design of international portfolio investment policies.

  19. Higher prices, higher quality? Evidence from German nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herr, Annika; Hottenrott, Hanna

    2016-02-01

    This study investigates the relationship between prices and quality of 7400 German nursing homes. We use a cross section of public quality reports for all German nursing homes, which had been evaluated between 2010 and 2013 by external institutions. Our analysis is based on multivariate regressions in a two stage least squares framework, where we instrument prices to explain their effect on quality controlling for income, nursing home density, demographics, labour market characteristics, and infrastructure at the regional level. Descriptive analysis shows that prices and quality do not only vary across nursing homes, but also across counties and federal states and that quality and prices correlate positively. Second, the econometric analysis, which accounts for the endogenous relation between negotiated price and reported quality, shows that quality indeed positively depends on prices. In addition, more places in nursing homes per people in need are correlated with both lower prices and higher quality. Finally, unobserved factors at the federal state level capture some of the variation of reported quality across nursing homes. Our results suggest that higher prices increase quality. Furthermore, since reported quality and prices vary substantially across federal states, we conclude that the quality and prices of long-term care facilities may well be compared within federal states but not across. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. The market of human organs: a window into a poorly understood global business.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surman, O S; Saidi, R; Purtilo, R; Simmerling, M; Ko, D; Burke, T F

    2008-03-01

    The global demand for human organs has set the stage for an exploding and poorly understood global business in human organs. Whenever there is demand for a product, the opportunity for business arises. The form that a business takes is dependent on a complex network of inputs and outputs, each affecting the others. Historically, the details of any specific market are drastically underestimated. Nowhere is this truer than in the market of human organs. The drivers, which propel the "goods" of human organs, form a flourishing business. Critical analysis is essential to understanding of the supply and demand sides and to determine the role of government in regulating the industry. Governmental groups have dismissed formation of a regulated market for organ sales. The concept is nonetheless a topic of active discussion, motivated by the suffering of patients in need of organs and exploitation of the victims of human trafficking. Ethical principles have been invoked on each side of the ensuing debate. Theory in the absence of sufficient data is shaky ground for enactment of new policy. The Aristotelian concept of "practical wisdom" and the pragmatism of William James illuminate the importance of scientific investigation as guide to policy formation. How will stakeholders benefit or lose? What impact might be anticipated in regard to organized medicine's social contract? What can we learn about cross-cultural differences and their effect on the global landscape?

  1. A Mulit-State Model for Catalyzing the Home Energy Efficiency Market

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blackmon, Glenn

    2014-03-25

    The RePower Kitsap partnership sought to jump-start the market for energy efficiency upgrades in Kitsap County, an underserved market on Puget Sound in Washington State. The Washington State Department of Commerce partnered with Washington State University (WSU) Energy Program to supplement and extend existing utility incentives offered by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Cascade Natural Gas and to offer energy efficiency finance options through the Kitsap Credit Union and Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union (PSCCU). RePower Kitsap established a coordinated approach with a second Better Buildings Neighborhood Program project serving the two largest cities in the county – Bainbridge Island and Bremerton. These two projects shared both the “RePower” brand and implementation team (Conservation Services Group (CSG) and Earth Advantage).

  2. Hospitalization of nursing home residents: the effects of states' Medicaid payment and bed-hold policies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Intrator, Orna; Grabowski, David C; Zinn, Jacqueline; Schleinitz, Mark; Feng, Zhanlian; Miller, Susan; Mor, Vince

    2007-08-01

    Hospitalizations of nursing home residents are costly and expose residents to iatrogenic disease and social and psychological harm. Economic constraints imposed by payers of care, predominantly Medicaid policies, are hypothesized to impact hospitalizations. Federally mandated resident assessments were merged with Medicare claims and eligibility files to determine hospitalizations and death within 150 days of baseline assessment. Nursing home and market characteristics were obtained from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting, and the Area Resource File, respectively. States' average daily Medicaid nursing home payments and bed-hold policies were obtained independently. Prospective cohort study of 570,614 older (> or =65-year-old), non-MCO (Medicare Managed Care), long-stay (> or =90 days) residents in 8,997 urban, freestanding nursing homes assessed between April and June 2000, using multilevel models to test the impact of state policies on hospitalizations controlling for resident, nursing home, and market characteristics. Overall, 99,379 (17.4 percent) residents were hospitalized with rates varying from 8.4 percent in Utah to 24.9 percent in Louisiana. Higher Medicaid per diem was associated with lower odds of hospitalizations (5 percent lower for each $10 above average $103.5, confidence intervals [CI] 0.91-0.99). Hospitalization odds were higher by 36 percent in states with bed-hold policies (CI: 1.12-1.63). State Medicaid bed-hold policy and per-diem payment have important implications for nursing home hospitalizations, which are predominantly financed by Medicare. This study emphasizes the importance of properly aligning state Medicaid and federal Medicare policies in regards to the subsidy of acute, maintenance, and preventive care in the nursing home setting.

  3. Home safe home: Evaluation of a childhood home safety program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Tanya Charyk; Clark, Andrew; Gilliland, Jason; Miller, Michael R; Edwards, Jane; Haidar, Tania; Batey, Brandon; Vogt, Kelly N; Parry, Neil G; Fraser, Douglas D; Merritt, Neil

    2016-09-01

    The London Health Sciences Centre Home Safety Program (HSP) provides safety devices, education, a safety video, and home safety checklist to all first-time parents for the reduction of childhood home injuries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the HSP for the prevention of home injuries in children up to 2 years of age. A program evaluation was performed with follow-up survey, along with an interrupted time series analysis of emergency department (ED) visits for home injuries 5 years before (2007-2013) and 2 years after (2013-2015) implementation. Spatial analysis of ED visits was undertaken to assess differences in home injury rates by dissemination areas controlling differences in socioeconomic status (i.e., income, education, and lone-parent status) at the neighborhood level. A total of 3,458 first-time parents participated in the HSP (a 74% compliance rate). Of these, 20% (n = 696) of parents responded to our questionnaire, with 94% reporting the program to be useful (median, 6; interquartile range, 2 on a 7-point Likert scale) and 81% learning new strategies for preventing home injuries. The median age of the respondent's babies were 12 months (interquartile range, 1). The home safety check list was used by 87% of respondents to identify hazards in their home, with 95% taking action to minimize the risk. The time series analysis demonstrated a significant decline in ED visits for home injuries in toddlers younger than2 years of age after HSP implementation. The declines in ED visits for home injuries remained significant over and above each socioeconomic status covariate. Removing hazards, supervision, and installing safety devices are key facilitators in the reduction of home injuries. Parents found the HSP useful to identify hazards, learn new strategies, build confidence, and provide safety products. Initial finding suggests that the program is effective in reducing home injuries in children up to 2 years of age. Therapeutic/care management study

  4. THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF PROACTIVE MARKET ORIENTATION CAPABILITY IN ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION AND SERVICE INNOVATION

    OpenAIRE

    CANTALEANO, KAREN RAPHAELE; RODRIGUES, GRAZIELA PERRETTO; MARTINS, TOMAS SPARANO

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this article is to verify the mediating effect of a proactive market orientation capability in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and service innovation in micro and small companies in the food-away from home sector. We analyzed the mediating effect of a marketing capability (proactive market capability) because, according to Morgan et al. (2009), a capability is an ability developed from a strategic orientation, and capabilities and or...

  5. MARKETIZATION OF GREEN FOOD RESOURCES IN FOREST REGION OF THE CHANGBAI MOUNTAINS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    XIAO Yan

    2004-01-01

    The Changbai Mountains is rich in the resources of green food. At present, the low marketization of green food resources in the forest region of the Changbai Mountains becomes the bottleneck to restrict the benign development of its green food industry. With huge market demands at home and abroad, it is the urgent problem how to improve marketization process of green food resources and transfer the resources superiority into the market superiority in the region. According to the investigation, this paper analyzed the status quo and the cause of formation of low-marketization with the method of combining comparative research and practice research. It pointed out that necessary condition of marketization of green food resources in the forest region, such as strategy, economic environment, marketization allocation of sci-tech resources, etc. should be established. Furthermore, the concrete strategies of marketization of green food resources in the region such as market location, strategies of objective markets, combined strategy of marketing, etc. were advanced.

  6. Home closure as a weapon in the Dutch war on drugs: Does judicial review function as a safety net?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruijn, L Michelle; Vols, Michel; Brouwer, Jan G

    2018-01-01

    A widespread sense of a failing criminal justice system and increased feelings of insecurity changed the response to crime into a culture of control, which is characterized by policies that punish and exclude. In the Netherlands, these influences can be witnessed in the war on drugs where local authorities use their administrative power to close homes involved in drug-related crime. Citizens can invoke judicial review over these administrative interferences by claiming that such closure results in an unfair balance between purposes, means and consequences. This paper assesses whether judicial review functions as a safety net against losing one's home due to drug-related crime. We used doctrinal legal research methods to examine the "law in the books" and empirical legal research methods to analyse the "law in action". We used a survey to investigate how often the drug-related closure power was used in 2015, and we statistically analysed all published case law of Dutch lower courts between 2007 and 2016. The scope of the closure power broadened over the years and our data show that local authorities fiercely make use of this instrument. In 41.4% of the cases, citizens are successful in fighting the closure. While scholarly literature indicates that judicial courts function as safeguards by questioning the proportionality of administrative action, raising a proportionality defence does not necessarily result in a more favourable outcome for citizens. In fact, raising a proportionality defence makes it more likely to result in dismissal of the appeal. The stretched scope of the drug-related closure power together with the relatively low success rate of citizens who fight the loss of their home and a seemingly meaningless proportionality check show no sign of a safety net against the loss of one's home at the suit of a local authority. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program High-Performance Test Homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hewes, Tom [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Corvallis, OR (United States); Peeks, Brady [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Corvallis, OR (United States)

    2015-09-01

    This project represents the third phase of a multi-year effort to develop and bring to market a High Performance Manufactured Home (HPMH), which is intended to make significant progress toward performing as zero-net-energy ready. The scope of this project involved building four HPMH prototypes, resulting in what is expected to be a 30% savings relative to the Building America Benchmark. (The actual percent savings varies depending on choice of heating equipment and climate zone). Previous phases of this project created a HPMH specification and prototyped individual measures from the package to obtain engineering approvals and develop preliminary factory construction processes. This report describes the project team's work during 2014 to build prototype homes to the HPMH specifications and to monitor the homes for energy performance and durability during 2014. Monitoring is expected to continue into 2016.

  8. Technology Transfer Strategies for Creating Growth Opportunities in Frontier Markets of Sub-Saharan Africa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ulrik B.

    In the past decade, Africa has developed from being an extremely impoverished continent with discouraging prospects to a more promising destination and home to some of the fastest growing Frontier Market economies. Approximately 75% of Africans rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, making...... to create growth opportunities in Frontier Markets of Sub-Saharan Africa....

  9. Improving International Marketing Programs to Reflect Global Complexity and Risk: Curriculum Drivers and Constraints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vos, Lynn

    2013-01-01

    This article looks at the curriculum redesign of a master's-level program in international marketing from a UK perspective. In order to ensure that the program would be more fit-for-purpose for future managers working under conditions of complexity, uncertainty, and within regimes often very different from the home market, the team began the…

  10. Low-E Storm Windows Gain Acceptance as a Home Weatherization Measure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gilbride, Theresa L.; Cort, Katherine A.

    2016-05-16

    This article for Home Energy Magazine describes work by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop low-emissivity storm windows as an energy efficiency-retrofit option for existing homes. The article describes the low-emissivity invisible silver metal coatings on the glass, which reflect heat back into the home in winter or back outside in summer and the benefits of low-e storm windows including insulation, air sealing, noise blocking, protection of antique windows, etc. The article also describes Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's efforts on behalf of DOE to overcome market barriers to adoption of the technology, including performance validation studies in the PNNL Lab Homes, cost effectiveness analysis, production of reports, brochures, how-to guides on low-e storm window installation for the Building America Solution Center, and a video posted on YouTube. PNNL's efforts were reviewed by the Pacific Northwest Regional Technical Forum (RTF), which serves as the advisory board to the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning Council and Bonneville Power Administration. In late July 2015, the RTF approved the low-e storm window measure’s savings and specifications, a critical step in integrating low-e storm windows into energy-efficiency planning and utility weatherization and incentive programs. PNNL estimates that more than 90 million homes in the United States with single-pane or low-performing double-pane windows would benefit from the technology. Low-e storm windows are suitable not only for private residences but also for small commercial buildings, historic properties, and facilities that house residents, such as nursing homes, dormitories, and in-patient facilities. To further assist in the market transformation of low-e storm windows and other high-efficiency window attachments, DOE helped found the window Attachment Energy Rating Council (AERC) in 2015. AERC is an independent, public interest, non-profit organization whose mission is to rate

  11. Solar heating and cooling of mobile homes, Phase II. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacobsen, A.A.

    1976-12-01

    The specific objectives of the Phase II program were: (1) through system testing, confirm the feasibility of a solar heated and cooled mobile home; (2) update system performance analysis and provide solar heating and cooling computer model verification; (3) evaluate the performance of both an absorption and a Rankine air conditioning system; (4) perform a consumer demand analysis through field survey to ascertain the acceptance of solar energy into the mobile home market; and (5) while at field locations to conduct the consumer demand analysis, gather test data from various U.S. climatic zones. Results are presented and discussed. (WHK)

  12. The Pacific Northwest residential consumer: Perceptions and preferences of home heating fuels, major appliances, and appliance fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harkreader, S.A.; Hattrup, M.P.

    1988-09-01

    In 1983 the Bonneville Power Administration contracted with the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to conduct an analysis of the marketing environment for Bonneville's conservation activities. Since this baseline residential study, PNL has conducted two follow up market research projects: Phase 2 in 1985, and Phase 3, in 1988. In this report the respondents' perceptions, preferences, and fuel switching possibilities of fuels for home heating and major appliances are examined. To aid in effective target marketing, the report identifies market segments according to consumers' demographics, life-cycle, attitudes, and opinions.

  13. Bringing eCare platforms to the market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vannieuwenborg, Frederic; Van der Auwermeulen, Thomas; Van Ooteghem, Jan; Jacobs, An; Verbugge, Sofie; Colle, Didier

    2017-09-01

    Due to changes in the demographic situation of most Western European countries, interest in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-supported care services is growing fast. eCare services that foster better care information exchange, social involvement, lifestyle monitoring services, etc., offered via ICT platforms, integrated in the homes of the elderly are believed to be cost-effective. Additionally, they could lead to an increased quality of life of both care receiver and (in)formal caregiver. Currently, adoption and integration of these eCare platforms (eCPs) is slowed down by several barriers such as unclear added value, a lack of regulations, or lack of sustainable financial models. In this work, the added value of eCPs is identified for the several involved key actors such as the care receiver, the (in)formal care providers, and the home care organizations. In a second step, several go-to-market strategies are formulated. Because the gap between the current way of providing home care and providing home care supported by a fully integrated eCP seems too big to bridge in one effort, a migration path is provided for stepwise integration and adoption of eCPs in the current way of home care provisioning.

  14. Natural gas market review 2007. Security in a globalising market to 2015

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2007-05-03

    Natural gas heats our homes, powers our factories, and increasingly generates electricity, safely and cleanly. Over recent decades, it has been an important element of secure, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy supply. But as production from IEA member countries declines, supplies will have to come from sources in more distant regions. What aspects of OECD gas markets need to be improved to deliver greater security and efficiency? What are the risks of increasing reliance on imports from Russia and the Middle East? Are strategic stocks of natural gas - similar to emergency oil stocks - a viable safety net to a supply disruption? Will there be enough investment in pipeline gas or will more need to be spent on LNG? What are the impacts of gas security on oil markets and power generation security? What do changes in the LNG industry mean for traditional contract terms? This publication, the second issue in a new IEA publications series, addresses key questions in this dynamic market. It offers a global appraisal of current trends in the light of the most recent historical data, including supply and demand projections to 2015.

  15. Rapid Development of Drilling Technology and Market of China

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Wang Guanqing; Ni Rongfu

    1994-01-01

    @@ China's developing drilling market Now, CNPC is the owner of more than 1 000 rigs of large and medium size, including imported electric-drive rigs with 6 000 to 9 000 m drilling capacity, imported mechanical drive rigs with 5 000 to 6 000 m drilling capacity, imported mobile rigs with 1 500 to 3 000 m drilling capacity and a lot of home-made mechanical rigs with 2 000,3 200, 4 500 and 6 000m drilling capacity, which can meet the requirement of the domestic and foreign drilling market.

  16. Optimal Life Cycle Portfolio Choice with Housing Market Cycles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fischer, Marcel; Stamos, Michael Z.

    2013-01-01

    income, and pre-existing housing wealth but also the state of the housing market significantly affect household decisions. Consistently with the data, the model predicts that in good states of housing market cycles (1) homeownership rates increase, (2) households buying homes invest a larger share......In recent decades U.S. households have experienced residential house prices moving persistently, that is, returns being positively serially correlated. We set up a realistically calibrated life cycle model with slow-moving time variation in expected housing returns, showing that not only age, labor...

  17. INFLUENCE OF MORTGAGE RATES PRICE FORMATION ON THE PRIMARY HOUSING MARKET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikolay I. Kornilov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article considers relationship of pricesin the primary market, depending on theregional origin and type of home, with thevalue of mortgage rates. Assesses thestrength of such a relationship and thepossible effects of changes in such rates.

  18. Central location test vs. home use test: Contrasting results depending on product type

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boutrolle, I.; Delarue, J.; Arranz, D.; Rogeaux, M.; Köster, E.P.

    2007-01-01

    Marketing professionals and sensory scientists have several hedonic testing methods at their disposal to assess product acceptability. The central location test (CLT) which usually takes place in a standardised location under controlled conditions is more frequently used than the home use test

  19. My Home - analysis of the easy and intelligent way to save energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilke, Goeran (The Danish Electricity Saving Trust (Denmark))

    2009-07-01

    The concept of the intelligent home is not new, but translating theory into reality presents many challenges. Launched in Denmark in October 2008, My Home is an interactive web portal offering consumers the opportunity to calculate their household energy consumption, receive advice on possible savings, and control and monitor their indoor environments by managing their energy consumption appropriately. This paper describes the software functionality of My Home and examines the energy saving benefits available to consumers who use this system to control and monitor electricity consumption in their homes. The paper further discusses the necessity of having a common infrastructure and standard for use by all producers and suppliers in order to ensure a mass market for compatible equipment and solutions. The analysis focuses on how My Home allows users to map energy consumption in their homes by using drag-and-drop icons to organise and equip a floorplan with their own electrical appliances. My Home features a calculator which automatically works out the annual electricity consumption and displays appropriate savings advice based on manually inputted readings or remote readings supplied by an electricity provider. Detailed statistical evaluation of metered values is also available. The extent to which the use of My Home has resulted in lower energy consumption in the homes of individual users is currently being determined by ongoing research. This involves examining users' motivations and needs, and testing for usability on the basis of ethnographic field work. The results showed that My Home facilitates easy configuration of home control and monitoring systems, which is normally very difficult to perform.

  20. A multi-site analysis of the association between black carbon concentrations and vehicular idling, traffic, background pollution, and meteorology during school dismissals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richmond-Bryant, J; Bukiewicz, L; Kalin, R; Galarraga, C; Mirer, F

    2011-05-01

    A study was performed to assess the relationship between black carbon (BC), passing traffic, and vehicular idling outside New York City (NYC) schools during student dismissal. Monitoring was performed at three school sites in East Harlem, the Bronx, and Brooklyn for 1month per year over a two-year period from November 2006-October 2008. Monitoring at each site was conducted before and after the Asthma Free School Zone (AFSZ) asthma reduction education program was administered. Real-time equipment with a one-minute averaging interval was used to obtain the BC data, while volume counts of idling and passing school busses, trucks, and automobiles were collected each minute by study staff. These data were matched to ambient PM(2.5) and meteorology data obtained from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. A generalized additive model (GAM) model was run to examine the relationship between BC concentration and each variable while accounting for site-to-site differences. F-tests were employed to assess the significance of each of the predictor variables. The model results suggested that variability in ambient PM(2.5) concentration contributed 24% of the variability in transformed BC concentration, while variability in the number of idling busses and trucks on the street during dismissal contributed 20% of the variability in transformed BC concentration. The results of this study suggest that a combination of urban scale and local traffic control approaches in combination with cessation of school bus idling will produce improved local BC concentration outside schools. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Second home tourism in the Algarve – The perception of public managers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raphael dos Santos D’Emery Gomes

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Proposal: In the last year’s second home tourism has obtained a relevant attention in Portugal, and especially in the Algarve region. It has been identified by the national tourism plan as one of the strategic products. In the Algarve second home market important for the tourism dynamics. Objective: This study focuses on the perception of government agents in the Algarve about second home tourism, in particular the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that this product creates for regional development. Methodological Design: The study uses a descriptive and exploratory approach with an online survey applied to all  municipalities in the Algarve. Results: The results are helpful to understand second home tourism trajectories by presenting useful information to future strategies. Originality: It was observed that economic factors directly influence strengths and threats, the weakness are more related to social and environmental aspects, and the opportunities are linked to all dimensions, economic, social and environmental.

  2. Market adoption barriers of multi-stakeholder technology: smart homes for the aging population

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ehrenhard, Michel Léon; Kijl, Björn; Nieuwenhuis, Lambertus Johannes Maria

    2014-01-01

    For more than a decade, the Smart Home has promised to offer a better quality of life by connecting in-house devices and monitoring their usage. Such platform-based configurational technology has demonstrated the potential to improve comfort, healthcare, safety and security, and energy conservation

  3. "A private little revolution": the home pregnancy test in American culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leavitt, Sarah

    2006-01-01

    The home pregnancy test went from novelty to norm in twenty-five years. This article explores its cultural impact in the context of the women's health movement. Though women had long made do without it, the "private little revolution," as the test was called in an early advertisement, enabled them to take control of their reproductive health care and moved the moment of discovery from the doctor's office (back) to the home. The article introduces the test, explores its acceptance by physicians and by women, looks at the marketing of the test by drug companies, and traces its use in movies, television, and novels.

  4. Ensuring Quality of Experience in the Connected Home: A New Battleground for Quality of Experience Differentiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philpott, Michael; Doran, Jonathan

    2016-03-01

    The connected home is a critical part of the network-but one that has seen little in the way of true investment in recent years. With customer loyalty and churn directly linked to quality of experience, this is a part of the network that no players in the supply chain can afford to ignore any longer. Beyond broadband experience, the addition of smart technology to the connected home also represents one of the biggest revenue growth areas in the consumer telecoms market for some time. From both a churn-reduction and a revenue-growth perspective, investment in the connected home network must accelerate. This article outlines the key trends identified by Ovum in the connected home space for 2016 and beyond.

  5. A comparative analysis of leaving home in the United States, the Netherlands and West Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available We investigate how leaving the parental home differs between three countries with different welfare-state and housing systems: the USA, the Netherlands and West Germany. Using longitudinal survey data, we examine the transitions of leaving home to live with and without a partner. We find that, much more than in the European countries, union formation has become separated from leaving home in the USA. We also find a different impact of level of education and employment status on leaving-home patterns in the European countries with their social-welfare state system than in the US system in which market forces prevail. The differences are not just related to welfare-state systems but also to the sizes of the countries and the geographical dispersion of jobs and educational opportunities.

  6. Performance Evaluations for IEEE 802.15.4-based IoT Smart Home Solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nga Dinh

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The Internet of Things (IoT is going to be a market-changing force for a variety of real-time applications such as e-healthcare, home automation, environmental monitoring, and industrial automation. Low power wireless communication protocols offering long lifetime and high reliability such as the IEEE 802.15.4 standard have been a key enabling technology for IoT deployments and are deployed for home automation recently. The issues of the IEEE 802.15.4 networks have moved from theory to real world deployments. The work presented herein intends to demonstrate the use of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard in recent IoT commercial products for smart home applications: the Smart Home Starter Kit. The contributions of the paper are twofold. First, the paper presents how the IEEE 802.15.4 standard is employed in Smart Home Starter Kit. In particular, network topology, network operations, and data transfer mode are investigated. Second, network performance metrics such as end-to-end (E2E delay and frame reception ratio (FRR are evaluated by experiments. In addition, the paper discusses several directions for future improvements of home automation commercial products.

  7. Proof of Concept of Home IoT Connected Vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Younsun; Oh, Hyunggoy; Kang, Sungho

    2017-01-01

    The way in which we interact with our cars is changing, driven by the increased use of mobile devices, cloud-based services, and advanced automotive technology. In particular, the requirements and market demand for the Internet of Things (IoT) device-connected vehicles will continuously increase. In addition, the advances in cloud computing and IoT have provided a promising opportunity for developing vehicular software and services in the automotive domain. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a home IoT connected vehicle with a voice-based virtual personal assistant comprised of a vehicle agent and a home agent. The proposed concept is evaluated by implementing a smartphone linked with home IoT devices that are connected to an infotainment system for the vehicle, a smartphone-based natural language interface input device, and cloud-based home IoT devices for the home. The home-to-vehicle connected service scenarios that aim to reduce the inconvenience due to simple and repetitive tasks by improving the urban mobility efficiency in IoT environments are substantiated by analyzing real vehicle testing and lifestyle research. Remarkable benefits are derived by making repetitive routine tasks one task that is executed by a command and by executing essential tasks automatically, without any request. However, it should be used with authorized permission, applied without any error at the right time, and applied under limited conditions to sense the habitants’ intention correctly and to gain the required trust regarding the remote execution of tasks. PMID:28587246

  8. Proof of Concept of Home IoT Connected Vehicles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Younsun; Oh, Hyunggoy; Kang, Sungho

    2017-06-05

    The way in which we interact with our cars is changing, driven by the increased use of mobile devices, cloud-based services, and advanced automotive technology. In particular, the requirements and market demand for the Internet of Things (IoT) device-connected vehicles will continuously increase. In addition, the advances in cloud computing and IoT have provided a promising opportunity for developing vehicular software and services in the automotive domain. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a home IoT connected vehicle with a voice-based virtual personal assistant comprised of a vehicle agent and a home agent. The proposed concept is evaluated by implementing a smartphone linked with home IoT devices that are connected to an infotainment system for the vehicle, a smartphone-based natural language interface input device, and cloud-based home IoT devices for the home. The home-to-vehicle connected service scenarios that aim to reduce the inconvenience due to simple and repetitive tasks by improving the urban mobility efficiency in IoT environments are substantiated by analyzing real vehicle testing and lifestyle research. Remarkable benefits are derived by making repetitive routine tasks one task that is executed by a command and by executing essential tasks automatically, without any request. However, it should be used with authorized permission, applied without any error at the right time, and applied under limited conditions to sense the habitants' intention correctly and to gain the required trust regarding the remote execution of tasks.

  9. Distributed Wind Market Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forsyth, T.; Baring-Gould, I.

    2007-11-01

    Distributed wind energy systems provide clean, renewable power for on-site use and help relieve pressure on the power grid while providing jobs and contributing to energy security for homes, farms, schools, factories, private and public facilities, distribution utilities, and remote locations. America pioneered small wind technology in the 1920s, and it is the only renewable energy industry segment that the United States still dominates in technology, manufacturing, and world market share. The series of analyses covered by this report were conducted to assess some of the most likely ways that advanced wind turbines could be utilized apart from large, central station power systems. Each chapter represents a final report on specific market segments written by leading experts in this field. As such, this document does not speak with one voice but rather a compendium of different perspectives, which are documented from a variety of people in the U.S. distributed wind field.

  10. Essential Facility Financing and Market Structure

    OpenAIRE

    Caillaud, Bernard; Tirole, Jean

    2004-01-01

    The Paper analyses the funding of an infrastructure project (high speed train line, platform, tunnel, harbor, regional airport, fibre-to-the-home network, etc.) in a situation in which an incumbent operator has private information about market profitability (demand, cost) and the infrastructure owner is subject to a budget constraint, either on a per project basis or over the entire infrastructure. An open access policy raises welfare, but may make the project non-viable since funding must be...

  11. MARKET WATCH

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2009-01-01

    Price hikes in cooking oil fuel worries over inflation and the dominance of foreign gurus over the country’s grain markets. With an explosion of box office successes, leading Chinese movie studios gear up for share floats to support expansion. Exports in November showed signs of bottoming out as the sector prepares for a more prosperous year in 2010. Despite its reputation as a nation of savers, China’s online consumption is burning hot as consumers enjoy the comfort of shopping from home. The aviation industry basks in the glow of the strong economic recovery as airlines transport a soaring number of passengers. Chinese companies press ahead with outbound mergers and acquisitions while overseas strategic investors remained relatively inactive in China.

  12. Examination of Market Segmentation among Medical Marijuana Dispensaries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooke, Alexis; Freisthler, Bridget; Mulholland, Elycia

    2018-01-05

    As medical marijuana legislation becomes more common, concerns arise about the overconcentration of dispensaries, raising questions about the number of medicinal marijuana dispensaries (MMD) needed to serve medicinal users. This paper applies niche-marketing theory-which suggests dispensaries market to specific types of people-to examine if MMDs might be targeting recreational users. Observed differences between dispensary populations and between dispensary clients and local residents may indicate that dispensaries are drawing in patients based on factors other than medical need. Data were collected via exit surveys with patients at four dispensaries in Long Beach, CA. A total of 132 patients were surveyed regarding demographic data, purchase information, medical condition, and nearest cross street for their home address. Census tract information was collected for every dispensary. Chi-squared tests show significant associations between dispensary visited and race (χ 2 = 31.219, p market segmentation.

  13. EVOLUTION OF THE ROMANIAN RESIDENTIAL MARKET AFTER OUTBREAK OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRISIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Şteliac Nela

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The residential market is one of the market sectors seriously affected by the current economic and financial crisis. This is mirrored both in the fall of real estate trading prices and in the decreased number of transactions and cutback of newly built constructions. This trend is applicable to the entire spectrum of the residential market (luxury properties and homes destined to average-income customers. Romania is no exception from this European and world-wide state of affairs. This paper aims to briefly outline the trends on the Romanian residential market in the aftermath of the current crisis.

  14. Market in Germany. Renewable energy and energy conservation in the German construction industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-02-01

    This market survey for Germany is on the subject of renewable energy and energy efficient constructing and housing improvement. In order to meet sectoral or thematic information needs of Dutch exporting industries and investing companies, the EVD facilitates the realisation of up-to-date market surveys on promising markets in selected countries. The requested study is very relevant for the Dutch exporting industry, as the German building and construction market is of increasing importance to the Dutch building, installation and equipment building sector. Moreover the German market is a European innovator on renewable energy (RE) and energy efficient (EE) homes or even so-called 'passive' houses. The developments in the German market can guide the Dutch industry in the development of their export strategies. The main target groups for the market surveys are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands. Interesting groups among these SMEs are those enterprises that start their business on a foreign market [nl

  15. Projection display industry market and technology trends

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellano, Joseph A.; Mentley, David E.

    1995-04-01

    The projection display industry is diverse, embracing a variety of technologies and applications. In recent years, there has been a high level of interest in projection displays, particularly those using LCD panels or light valves because of the difficulty in making large screen, direct view displays. Many developers feel that projection displays will be the wave of the future for large screen HDTV (high-definition television), penetrating the huge existing market for direct view CRT-based televisions. Projection displays can have the images projected onto a screen either from the rear or the front; the main characteristic is their ability to be viewed by more than one person. In addition to large screen home television receivers, there are numerous other uses for projection displays including conference room presentations, video conferences, closed circuit programming, computer-aided design, and military command/control. For any given application, the user can usually choose from several alternative technologies. These include CRT front or rear projectors, LCD front or rear projectors, LCD overhead projector plate monitors, various liquid or solid-state light valve projectors, or laser-addressed systems. The overall worldwide market for projection information displays of all types and for all applications, including home television, will top DOL4.6 billion in 1995 and DOL6.45 billion in 2001.

  16. Partner Market Opportunities and Relationship Stability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingmar Rapp

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Although partner market opportunities are generally considered to be important for relationship stability, they have never been measured accurately. In order to be able to test the anticipated effects of partner market opportunities, this study conceptualises them as individual opportunities for contact and interaction in concrete social contexts, like the neighbourhood, the workplace, leisure activities, etc. Using data from the German Marriage Market Survey, we first examine the impact of individual partner market opportunities on the risk of separation. Second, we examine to what extend the most frequently studied determinants of divorce and separation depend on partner market opportunities. Our results show that the number of opposite sex contacts increases the probability of separation. Sharing the same contacts with one’s partner decreases the risk of separation. Our results indicate further that reducing opposite sex contacts in the course of the relationship is partly responsible for the higher stability of longer-lasting relationships. Having a migration background is associated with fewer opposite sex contacts. This means that having a migration background would be more destabilising if these individuals did not have less opposite sex contacts than individuals without a migration background. In contrast, joint home ownership, church attendance, higher education and residing in western Germany would generally be more stabilising if these factors were not connected with more opposite sex contacts.

  17. Does Assisted Living Capacity Influence Case Mix at Nursing Homes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clement, Jan P; Khushalani, Jaya

    2015-01-01

    Assisted living facilities (ALFs) have grown over the past few decades. If they attract residents with lower care needs away from nursing homes (NHs), NHs may be left with higher case mix residents. We study the relationship between ALF bed market capacity and NH case mix in a state (Virginia) where ALF bed capacity stabilized after a period of growth. Similarly, NH capacity and use had been stable. While it is interesting to study markets in flux, for planning purposes, it is also important to examine what happens after periods of turbulence and adaptation. Our findings show some substitution of ALF for NH care, but the relationship is not linear with ALF market capacity. Communities need to consider the interplay of ALFs and NHs in planning for long-term care services and supports. Policies supporting ALFs may enable care needs to be met in a lower cost setting than the NH.

  18. Changes in the relationship between nursing home financial performance and quality of care under public reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jeongyoung; Werner, Rachel M

    2011-07-01

    The relationship between financial performance and quality of care in nursing homes is not well defined and prior work has been mixed. The recent focus on improving the quality of nursing homes through market-based incentives such as public reporting may have changed this relationship, as public reporting provides nursing homes with increased incentives to engage in quality-based competition. If quality improvement activities require substantial production costs, nursing home profitability may become a more important predictor of quality under public reporting. This study explores the relationship between financial performance and quality of care and test whether this relationship changes under public reporting. Using a 10-year (fiscal years 1997-2006) panel data set of 9444 skilled nursing facilities in the US, this study employs a facility fixed-effects with and without instrumental variables approach to test the effect of finances on quality improvement and correct for potential endogeneity. The results show that better financial performance, as reflected by the 1-year lagged total profit margin, is modestly associated with higher quality but only after public reporting is initiated. These findings have important policy implications as federal and state governments use market-based incentives to increase demand for high-quality care and induce providers to compete based on quality. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Trends and prospects for the productivity and sustainability of home garden systems in southern Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mellisse, Beyene Teklu

    2017-01-01

    Increasing population pressure and market developments are major drivers of change in land use and rural livelihoods. Home gardens are characterized by multipurpose trees and shrubs in intimate association with annual and perennial crops and livestock around the homestead which support the

  20. Integrating projects in markets: an entrepreneurial approach to making PV work for rural end-users

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stam, N.; Van der Vleuten-Balkema, F.

    2004-01-01

    Extensive market research proves that there is a large market potential for Solar Home Systems in rural area of developing countries. Hundred thousands of people are willing and able to pay for PV. Donors and support projects can play an effective role in supporting and accelerating market development, if they succeed in carefully translating the insights and experiences in market success stories into smart market support instruments. The smartness of the donor instruments is especially needed so they can find a connection to local entrepreneurs, often small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and support these local entrepreneurs without taking away their entrepreneurial creativity and effectiveness, without dictating what the entrepreneurs should do. (authors)

  1. Independents in European Gas Markets after liberalisation - downstream integration of upstream oil and gas companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eikeland, Per Ove

    2005-01-01

    A central objective of gas market liberalisation in Europe in the 1990s was to increase competition by opening end-use markets for independent suppliers. Upstream oil and gas companies in Europe reacted to this opportunity by announcing strategies to integrate forward in European gas markets. By late 2004, however, upstream companies still recorded generally weak downstream strategy implementation in Europe. The article concludes that this general implementation gap should be explained by political failure in EU member states to abolish gas market barriers to entry for independents. Variation between companies in degree of implementation should be explained by variation in conditions in the companies' home markets / wider business spheres and internal company factors. (Author)

  2. The future of the photovoltaic market (demand side/supply side)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zahedi, A.

    1998-01-01

    At present the main PV application market sectors are communications, leisure, boating, solar home systems, and water pumping. It is predicted that in the future, the largest photovoltaic market segments will be solar home photovoltaic systems, grid-connected small-scale photovoltaic systems, grid-connected medium-to-large scale photovoltaic systems, the communications sector and in the electrification of remote and isolated areas. The main factors favoring photovoltaic technology in remote and isolated areas result from: the high costs of conventional energy sources in remote locations; the loss of a scale-economy effect, which means specific costs of small photovoltaic systems are not much higher than those of larger photovoltaic systems; price of fuel, fuel transportation and spare part supplies. The major factors inhibiting the photovoltaic technology include high initial costs, lack of skilled man power, lack of good quality data and social acceptance. A roof top mounted photovoltaic system is one type of PV system which has attracted lots of interest among the people of north America and Europe. The generation of electricity by this system is attractive because: generation is on-site. This results in reduction of transmission costs and transmission losses; the cost of roofing tiles can be eliminated by using mounted PV systems instead; there is no need for additional land for power generation; visual impacts are limited. The objective of this paper is to review the development of the photovoltaic market in the recent 10 year period and discuss the future markets for this technology with respect to supply and demand

  3. Distance Diffusion of Home Bias for Crowdfunding Campaigns between Categories: Insights from Data Analytics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lihuan Guo

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available As the information communication and investment of crowdfunding campaigns are usually accomplished online, online crowdfunding theoretically breaks the limitation of space. However, investors’ behaviors still show significant home bias; furthermore, from a dynamic view, the changes in home bias during the funding duration reflect the investment preference. This paper studies the dynamics of home bias in crowdfunding investment as well as the distance diffusion of home bias in the crowdfunding market through data mining and econometric models. The distance between investors and founders gradually increases from 3605 km to 4229 km as the funding progresses, and home bias shows different diffusion patterns between categories. For most of the campaigns, the distance between backers and founders of the successful campaigns is always greater than that of the failed ones; thus, the distance diffusion impacts the pledge results. However, the study also finds that for some categories, home bias does not play a positive role in investment or that it even shows negative impacts, among which food and technology are two extreme categories. The study provides a theoretical basis from the perspective of user behavior to analyze online investment and to improve the promotion of crowdfunding campaigns.

  4. Mortgage market maturity and homeownership inequality among young households: a five-country perspective

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bičáková, Alena; Sierminska, E.

    -, č. 90 (2008), s. 1-58 ISSN 1864-6689 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : home ownership * credit constraints * mortgage market Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.diw-berlin.de/documents/publikationen/73/79474/diw_sp0090.pdf

  5. Mortgage market maturity and homeownership inequality among young households: a five-country perspective

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bičáková, Alena; Sierminska, E.

    -, č. 778 (2008), s. 1-51 ISSN 1619-4535 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : home ownership * credit constraints * mortgage market Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.diw-berlin.de/documents/publikationen/73/81771/dp778.pdf

  6. Zero carbon homes: Perceptions from the UK construction industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heffernan, Emma; Pan, Wei; Liang, Xi; Wilde, Pieter de

    2015-01-01

    The take-up of the many voluntary energy efficiency standards which exist in the UK and internationally has been limited. As a result, governments have recognised the need to introduce mandatory schemes through legislation, e.g. from 2016 all new build homes in the UK will be required to achieve zero carbon in regulated energy consumption. However, as 2016 approaches, very few zero carbon homes are being delivered. This paper explores the drivers and barriers for zero carbon homebuilding. The perceptions of the wider construction industry were gathered through a series of semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in commissioning, designing, constructing and regulating housing. The results show that, whilst drivers for zero carbon homebuilding exist, the barriers are currently perceived to be greater than the drivers. The barriers are categorised into five groups: economic, skills and knowledge, industry, legislative and cultural. Mechanisms for policy and industry support for the delivery of zero carbon homes are identified to address these barriers. The research findings highlight the need for a clear and robust policy framework for the forthcoming standard. The Government and industry must prioritise raising public awareness of the need for and benefits of zero carbon homes to help develop market demand. - Highlights: • The strongest drivers were perceived to be in the legislative and economic themes. • More barriers were identified than drivers or potential support mechanisms. • Economic and skills and knowledge barriers were perceived as the most significant. • Uncertainty in zero carbon homes policy is a barrier to zero carbon homebuilding. • Proposed support mechanisms include zero carbon champions and self-build homes

  7. Commercialisation and development of the solar energy market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Out, P.G.; Zegers, F.T.S.; Voskens, R.G.J.H.; Venema, T.W.; Ree, B.G.C. van der; Linthorst, G.G.H.

    2000-01-01

    In the nineties the 'project approach' has been developed in The Netherlands to overcome prevailing market barriers for the large scale market introduction of Solar Water heaters: poor economics, low acquaintance at consumer as well as at urban planning and architect level, a supposed low quality perception, complex subsidy handling and unfavorable building codes. Within this approach solar technology is offered to customers in different market segments in packages combining: the economy of scale, quality control, high quality solar energy systems and back-up heating systems, selective marketing and publicity focussed on the target group, financial, logistic, installation and after sales services. Since 1990 the annual solar collector sales in The Netherlands have increased from 5,000 m 2 to approx. 30,000 m 2 in 1999 due to a government program in which the project approach has been developed and repeatedly executed in new housing developments, renovation projects and in campaigns focussed at individual home-owners and more recently in the market segments were large scale solar systems can be applied. The project approach effectively triggers off long term market development. This takes place by the numerous follow-up projects and knowledge transfer to organizations participating in the various projects. Other important spin off for long term market development is the establishment of national solar installation/lease companies, the development of new financing and marketing methods and new kinds of promoters like banks and NGOs. (au)

  8. Indirect Solar Water Heating in Single-Family, Zero Energy Ready Homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aldrich, Robb [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings, Norwalk, CT (United States)

    2016-02-17

    Solar water heating systems are not new, but they have not become prevalent in most of the U.S. Most of the country is cold enough that indirect solar thermal systems are required for freeze protection, and average installed cost of these systems is $9,000 to $10,000 for typical systems on single-family homes. These costs can vary significantly in different markets and with different contractors, and federal and regional incentives can reduce these up-front costs by 50% or more. In western Massachusetts, an affordable housing developer built a community of 20 homes with a goal of approaching zero net energy consumption. In addition to excellent thermal envelopes and PV systems, the developer installed a solar domestic water heating system (SDHW) on each home. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), a research consortium funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Building America program, commissioned some of the systems, and CARB was able to monitor detailed performance of one system for 28 months.

  9. Bringing solar home systems to rural El Salvador: lessons for small NGOs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balint, Peter J.

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents the results of case studies examining two independent projects that worked to bring solar home systems (SHSs) to isolated communities in El Salvador. Both projects were implemented by small nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that did not have prior experience with SHSs. One project was market-based: families were given the opportunity to purchase the systems at going prices. The other was donor-based: residents were provided the equipment in return for their agreement to cooperate in local environmental protection efforts. Results of a comparative analysis support several conclusions. (1) For small NGOs, the promotion of markets is appealing because of the potential for financial sustainability; yet a reliance on markets may also heighten complexity and increase opportunities for failure. (2) In implementation of market-based projects, all stakeholders, including potential consumers, private-sector service providers, and the staff of NGOs acting as project managers, will face pressures to modify and adapt their attitudes and behaviors. (3) Alternative models for small-scale projects that integrate market-based and donor-based design features deserve consideration

  10. The European Parliament's Rejection of the Take-over Directive Proposal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Steen Knudsen, Jette

    2003-01-01

    national characteristics: labour marketlegislation (national schemes to protect employees against dismissals) and corporategovernance issues. Labour market legislation can explain the UK and German MEP votesbut not the Swedish and French MEPs votes. These votes can be explained byemphasising measures...... against take-overs such as a high level of market capitalisation andunequal voting rights....

  11. Growth And Expansion Of Women-Owned Home-Based Business

    OpenAIRE

    John Breen; Stan Karanasios

    2010-01-01

    Home-based business (HBB) growth and expansion has been approached from the perspective of the increase in numbers of HBBs and the economic multiplier effect. However, little is known concerning the actual growth and expansion of the individual HBBs in terms of increase in turnover and sales, number of employees, increase in products and services, return on investment and market share. This is particularly true when narrowed to a specific demographic group, such as women-owned HBBs. This pape...

  12. Nursing home 5-star rating system exacerbates disparities in quality, by payer source.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konetzka, R Tamara; Grabowski, David C; Perraillon, Marcelo Coca; Werner, Rachel M

    2015-05-01

    Market-based reforms in health care, such as public reporting of quality, may inadvertently exacerbate disparities. We examined how the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services' five-star rating system for nursing homes has affected residents who are dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid ("dual eligibles"), a particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged population. Specifically, we assessed the extent to which dual eligibles and non-dual eligibles avoided the lowest-rated nursing homes and chose the highest-rated homes once the five-star rating system began, in late 2008. We found that both populations resided in better-quality homes over time but that by 2010 the increased likelihood of choosing the highest-rated homes was substantially smaller for dual eligibles than for non-dual eligibles. Thus, the gap in quality, as measured by a nursing home's star rating, grew over time. Furthermore, we found that the benefit of the five-star system to dual eligibles was largely due to providers' improving their ratings, not to consumers' choosing different providers. We present evidence suggesting that supply constraints play a role in limiting dual eligibles' responses to quality ratings, since high-quality providers tend to be located close to relatively affluent areas. Increases in Medicaid payment rates for nursing home services may be the only long-term solution. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  13. Resorts, second home owners and distance: a case study in northern Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pekka Kauppila

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available One of the most important factors for the site selection of a second home is the space-time dimension. For example, the popularity of second home tourism in the hinterland of population centres is based on the short distance between second homes and the permanent residence of second home owners. In the case of peripheral resorts, however, the main reason for a large number of second homes is the attractiveness of the area associated with a high level of touristic elements. The study examines the municipalities of residence of the second home owners in four large resorts – Levi, Ruka, Saariselkä and Ylläs – in northern Finland. After analysing the geographical distribution of the owners with maps and diagrams the aim of the paper is to present a distance model for the resorts located in a northern periphery from the viewpoint of the regions of destination. Generally speaking, the model resembles a U-letter. In this respect, the resorts have three zones – day trip, weekend and vacation – and each of them has their own characteristics based on accessibility and regional structure, the number and structure of population (potential owners and land ownership. In the planning context, the proposed model can be utilised as a tool for the marketing of resorts as a second home environment as well as for analysing and comparing the overall attractiveness of resorts.

  14. Economics of residential gas furnaces and water heaters in United States new construction market

    OpenAIRE

    Lekov, Alex B.

    2009-01-01

    New single-family home construction represents a significant and important market for the introduction of energy-efficient gas-fired space heating and water-heating equipment. In the new construction market, the choice of furnace and water-heater type is primarily driven by first cost considerations and the availability of power vent and condensing water heaters. Few analysis have been performed to assess the economic impacts of the different combinations of space and water-heating equipment....

  15. Does Assisted Living Capacity Influence Case Mix at Nursing Homes?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan P. Clement PhD

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Assisted living facilities (ALFs have grown over the past few decades. If they attract residents with lower care needs away from nursing homes (NHs, NHs may be left with higher case mix residents. We study the relationship between ALF bed market capacity and NH case mix in a state (Virginia where ALF bed capacity stabilized after a period of growth. Similarly, NH capacity and use had been stable. While it is interesting to study markets in flux, for planning purposes, it is also important to examine what happens after periods of turbulence and adaptation. Our findings show some substitution of ALF for NH care, but the relationship is not linear with ALF market capacity. Communities need to consider the interplay of ALFs and NHs in planning for long-term care services and supports. Policies supporting ALFs may enable care needs to be met in a lower cost setting than the NH.

  16. Nursing home work practices and nursing assistants' job satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Christine E; Squillace, Marie R; Meagher, Jennifer; Anderson, Wayne L; Wiener, Joshua M

    2009-10-01

    To estimate the impact of nursing home work practices, specifically compensation and working conditions, on job satisfaction of nursing assistants employed in nursing homes. Data are from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey, responses by the nursing assistants' employers to the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey, and county-level data from the Area Resource File. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate effects of compensation and working conditions on nursing assistants' overall job satisfaction, controlling for personal characteristics and local labor market characteristics. Wages, benefits, and job demands, measured by the ratio of nursing assistant hours per resident day, were associated with job satisfaction. Consistent with previous studies, job satisfaction was greater when nursing assistants felt respected and valued by their employers and had good relationships with supervisors. Nursing assistants were more satisfied when they had enough time to complete their work, when their work was challenging, when they were not subject to mandatory overtime, and where food was not delivered to residents on trays. This is the first investigation of nursing assistant job satisfaction using a nationally representative sample of nursing assistants matched to information about their employing nursing homes. The findings corroborate results of previous studies in showing that compensation and working conditions that provide respect, good relationships with supervisors, and better staffing levels are important to nursing assistant job satisfaction.

  17. 75 FR 28063 - M & N Distributors; Dismissal of Proceeding

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-19

    ... expected sales range of the products and statistical probability that various sales levels were consistent... retail marketing and statistics'' ``to analyze national sales data for over-the-counter non- prescription... shown that ``Respondent sold listed chemical products in amounts sufficient to support an inference of...

  18. Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals Project: Multifamily Job Task Analyses Needs Assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dirr, N.; Hepinstall, D.; Douglas, M.; Buck, S.; Larney, C.

    2013-01-01

    This report describes the efforts carried out to determine whether there is a need to develop separate, multifamily-specific JTAs for the four proposed job categories. The multifamily SWS market committee considered these job designations to be the best candidates for developing JTAs and certification blueprints, as well as having the greatest potential for promoting job growth in the multifamily home performance industry.

  19. Smart transactive energy framework in grid-connected multiple home microgrids under independent and coalition operations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marzband, Mousa; Azarinejadian, Fatemeh; Savaghebi, Mehdi

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents a smart Transactive energy (TE) framework in which home microgrids (H-MGs) can collaborate with each other in a multiple H-MG system by forming coalitions for gaining competitiveness in the market. Profit allocation due to coalition between H-MGs is an important issue...

  20. Accelerating residential PV expansion: supply analysis for competitive electricity markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Payne, Adam; Williams, Robert H.; Duke, Richard

    2001-01-01

    Photovoltaic (PV) technology is now sufficiently advanced that market support mechanisms such as net metering plus a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) could induce rapid PV market growth in grid-connected applications. With such support mechanisms, markets would be sufficiently large that manufacturers could profitably build and operate 100 MW p /yr PV module factories, and electricity costs for residential rooftop PV systems would compare favorably with residential electricity prices in certain areas (e.g., California and the greater New York region in the US). This prospect is illustrated by economic and market analyses for one promising technology (amorphous silicon thin-film PV) from the perspectives of both module manufacturers and buyers of new homes with rooftop PV systems. With public policies that reflect the distributed and environmental benefits offered by PV-and that can sustain domestic PV market demand growth at three times the historical growth rate for a period of the order of two decades - PV could provide 3% of total US electricity supply by 2025. (Author)

  1. Trade Liberalization and Optimal Environmental Policies in Vertical Related Markets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan-Shu Lin

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper establishes a symmetric two-country model with vertically related markets. In the downstream market, there is one firm in each country selling a homogeneous good, whose production generates pollution, to its home and the foreign markets a la Brander (1981. In the intermediate good market, there is also one upstream firm in each country, supplying the intermediate good only to its own country’s downstream market. The upstream firms can choose either price or quantity to maximize their profits. With this setting, the paper examines the optimal environmental policy and how it is affected by the tariff on the final good. It is found that, under free trade, the optimal final-good output with imperfect intermediate-good market will have the same output level as that with perfect intermediate-good market after imposing the optimal emission tax. The optimal environmental tax is smaller and the optimal environmental policy is less likely to be a green strategy under trade liberalization if the market structure in the intermediate good market is imperfect than perfect competition. On the other hand, the optimal environmental tax is necessarily higher if the upstream firm chooses price than quantity. Moreover, the optimal environmental policy is less likely to be a green strategy under trade liberalization if the upstream firms choose quantity than price to maximize their profits.

  2. Renewable energy markets in developing countries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinot, Eric; Chaurey, Akanksha; Lew, Debra; Moreira, Jose Roberto; Wamukonya, Njeri

    2003-01-01

    Roughly 400 million households, or 40% of the population of developing countries, do not have access to electricity. Household and community demand for lighting, TV, radio, and wireless telephony in rural areas without electricity has driven markets for solar home systems, biogas-fueled lighting, small hydro mini-grids, wind or solar hybrid mini-grids, and small wind turbines. These technologies are not strictly comparable with each other, however; the level of service that households receive varies considerably by technology and by the specific equipment size used. Regardless of size, surveys and anecdotal evidence suggest that rural households value both electric lighting and television viewing. Growing numbers of individual equipment purchases, beyond government-driven programs, point to growing market demand. As energy consumption rises with increases in population and living standards, awareness is growing about the environmental costs of energy and the need to expand access to energy in new ways. As recognition grows of the contribution renewable energy can make to development, renewable energy is shifting from the fringe to the mainstream of sustainable development. Support for renewable energy has been building among those in government, multilateral organizations, industry, and non-governmental organizations. Commercial markets for renewable energy are expanding, shifting investment patterns away from traditional government and donor sources to greater reliance on private firms and banks. In this paper we take a market orientation, providing an aggregate review of past market experience, existing applications, and results of policies and programs. (BA)

  3. How home care is essential to ensuring successful orthodontic treatment outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levin, Roger

    2004-09-01

    Patients can significantly affect the outcome of their orthodontic treatment. A practice committed to developing the right systems, scripts, and educational materials will experience a more satisfied patient, increased efficiencies, and higher profits. Educating and motivating patients to maintain their oral health and providing recommendations or dispensing of home care tools such as a power toothbrush increases patient compliance, positively impacts treatment outcomes, enhances customer service, and generates a new revenue stream for the practice. In a tight economy and a highly competitive orthodontic market, a power toothbrush can positively impact your marketing and case close rate. Treatment and fees being relatively equal, patients will tend to accept treatment from a practice that can demonstrate concern for the patients' overall oral health and greater value-added components to the orthodontic case. Power toothbrushes as part of a comprehensive orthodontic treatment provide a great differentiating marketing strategy.

  4. Evaluation of the user-friendliness of 11 home mechanical ventilators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Bermejo, J; Laplanche, V; Husseini, F E; Duguet, A; Derenne, J-P; Similowski, T

    2006-06-01

    The home ventilator market has grown in size and complexity. The aim of this study was to determine if common home ventilators are user-friendly for trained intensive care unit (ICU) physicians. Eleven ventilator models were tested by 13 ICU physicians without practical experience in home mechanical ventilation. Six tests were defined (start-up, unlocking, mode and setting recognition, mode change, pressure setting and alarm). For each test, the physicians were timed and their performance compared with a reference time established by a technician. The physicians also had to rate their global assessment of each machine on a visual analogue scale. The start-up test was the only test for which there was no significant difference between the physicians and the technician, except for two ventilators. The physicians were slower than the technician to unlock the ventilator and change the ventilatory mode, with some complete failures during these tests and heterogeneous results between physicians and between ventilators. Mistakes occurred in close to 50% of cases during the ventilatory mode and settings recognition test. The mean time for the most rapid of the physicians for all the tests was 58+/-53 s, compared with 15+/-9 s for the technician. In conclusion, trained intensive care unit physicians perform poorly when confronted with home mechanical ventilators without specific prior training. Therefore, it is hypothesised that the user-friendliness of home ventilators for other categories of users might be questionable.

  5. The Marketing of Gathered Food as an Economic Strategy of Women in Northeast Thailand

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moreno-Black, G.; Price, L.L.

    1993-01-01

    Discusses the effects of the sale of gathered food items used for home consumption on women's time allocation patterns and household nutrition. Marketing opportunities; Gathering habits; Significance of the contribution to family income; Expenditures using money from gathered food; effects on

  6. MECHANISM OF INTRODUCTION SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE MARKETING IN SYSTEM MANAGEMENTS BY TRADE ENTERPRISE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria Gladkaya

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In the article the mechanism of introduction of the socially-responsible marketing is offered in control system. At his description an author the specific of activity of trade enterprises is taken into account; the best home and foreign works are investigational in the field of the social marketing; the requirement of relatively compatible approach is observed; possibility of further improvement is taken into account, estimations of quality of every stage of mechanism of introduction and on the whole through establishment of key indicators of quality.

  7. Online video marketing plan for a product launch : Case company: Altal Oy

    OpenAIRE

    Ngo, Quan

    2015-01-01

    This bachelor’s thesis aims to create a detailed guideline for using marketing videos in various online channels for Altal Oy. The commissioning company, Altal Oy is a Finn-ish start-up founded by three employees in 2014. It operates in the smart home tech-nology sector. The thesis topic is based on the current needs of the company to pro-mote for the launch of its brand new products in the Finnish market. A real project of making a promotion video is conducted and reported in parallel with t...

  8. Comparison of homecare costs of local wound care in surgical patients randomized between occlusive and gauze dressings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ubbink, Dirk Th; Vermeulen, Hester; van Hattem, Jarne

    2008-01-01

    AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To study the material and nursing costs and outcome of wound care at home comparing two dressing groups (occlusive vs. gauze-based) in surgical patients after hospital dismissal. BACKGROUND: The large variety in dressing materials and lack of convincing evidence make the choice

  9. Location, Location, Location: Characteristics and Services of Long-Stay Home Care Recipients in Retirement Homes Compared to Others in Private Homes and Long-Term Care Homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poss, Jeffrey W; Sinn, Chi-Ling Joanna; Grinchenko, Galina; Blums, Jane; Peirce, Tom; Hirdes, John

    2017-02-01

    We examine recipients of publicly funded ongoing care in a single Ontario jurisdiction who reside in three different settings: long-stay home care patients in private homes and apartments, other patients in retirement homes and residents of long-term care homes, using interRAI assessment instruments. Among home care patients, those in retirement homes have higher proportions of dementia and moderate cognitive impairment, less supportive informal care systems as well as more personal care and nursing services above those provided by the public home care system, more frequent but shorter home support visits and lower than expected public home care expenditures. These lower expenditures may be because of efficiency of care delivery or by retirement homes providing some services otherwise provided by the public home care system. Although persons in each setting are mostly older adults with high degrees of frailty and medical complexity, long-term care home residents show distinctly higher needs. We estimate that 40% of retirement home residents are long-stay home care patients, and they comprise about one in six of this Community Care Access Centre's long-stay patients. Copyright © 2017 Longwoods Publishing.

  10. Integrated and Optimized Energy-Efficient Construction Package for a Community of Production Homes in the Mixed-Humid Climate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mallay, D. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Wiehagen, J. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Del Bianco, M. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States)

    2014-10-01

    This research high performance home analyzes how a set of advanced technologies can be integrated into a durable and energy-efficient house in the mixed-humid climate while remaining affordable to homeowners. The technical solutions documented in this report are the cornerstone of the builder's entire business model based on delivering high-performance homes on a production basis as a standard product offering to all price segments of the residential market. Home Innovation Research Labs partnered with production builder Nexus EnergyHomes (CZ 4) and they plan to adopt the successful components of the energy solution package for all 55 homes in the community. The research objective was to optimize the builder's energy solution package based on energy performance and construction costs. All of the major construction features, including envelope upgrades, space conditioning system, hot water system, and solar electric system were analyzed.

  11. Endogenous Price Bubbles in a Multi-Agent System of the Housing Market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kouwenberg, Roy; Zwinkels, Remco C J

    2015-01-01

    Economic history shows a large number of boom-bust cycles, with the U.S. real estate market as one of the latest examples. Classical economic models have not been able to provide a full explanation for this type of market dynamics. Therefore, we analyze home prices in the U.S. using an alternative approach, a multi-agent complex system. Instead of the classical assumptions of agent rationality and market efficiency, agents in the model are heterogeneous, adaptive, and boundedly rational. We estimate the multi-agent system with historical house prices for the U.S. market. The model fits the data well and a deterministic version of the model can endogenously produce boom-and-bust cycles on the basis of the estimated coefficients. This implies that trading between agents themselves can create major price swings in absence of fundamental news.

  12. Endogenous Price Bubbles in a Multi-Agent System of the Housing Market.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roy Kouwenberg

    Full Text Available Economic history shows a large number of boom-bust cycles, with the U.S. real estate market as one of the latest examples. Classical economic models have not been able to provide a full explanation for this type of market dynamics. Therefore, we analyze home prices in the U.S. using an alternative approach, a multi-agent complex system. Instead of the classical assumptions of agent rationality and market efficiency, agents in the model are heterogeneous, adaptive, and boundedly rational. We estimate the multi-agent system with historical house prices for the U.S. market. The model fits the data well and a deterministic version of the model can endogenously produce boom-and-bust cycles on the basis of the estimated coefficients. This implies that trading between agents themselves can create major price swings in absence of fundamental news.

  13. Endogenous Price Bubbles in a Multi-Agent System of the Housing Market

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Economic history shows a large number of boom-bust cycles, with the U.S. real estate market as one of the latest examples. Classical economic models have not been able to provide a full explanation for this type of market dynamics. Therefore, we analyze home prices in the U.S. using an alternative approach, a multi-agent complex system. Instead of the classical assumptions of agent rationality and market efficiency, agents in the model are heterogeneous, adaptive, and boundedly rational. We estimate the multi-agent system with historical house prices for the U.S. market. The model fits the data well and a deterministic version of the model can endogenously produce boom-and-bust cycles on the basis of the estimated coefficients. This implies that trading between agents themselves can create major price swings in absence of fundamental news. PMID:26107740

  14. Homing oneself

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winther, Ida Wentzel

    2009-01-01

    What is home? A building, a physical and mental phenomenon, or a concept?  There are many homes and ways `to home oneself´. Many of us quite often dwell in other places than at home (as professional commuters between two places, as travellers staying in hotels, as children of divorced parents...

  15. Fruit and vegetable intake among participants in a District of Columbia farmers' market incentive programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellegrino, Sara; Bost, Anna; McGonigle, Meghan; Rosen, Lillie; Peterson-Kosecki, Amelia; Colon-Ramos, Uriyoan; Robien, Kim

    2018-02-01

    Limited research is available on whether participation in healthy food incentive programmes is associated with higher fruit and vegetable intake. The objective of the present study was to determine fruit and vegetable intake among participants in the Produce Plus Program, a farmers' market-based healthy food incentive programme in Washington, DC, and identify demographic and behavioural factors associated with higher fruit and vegetable intake. Using a cross-sectional survey, programme participants were interviewed at markets across DC between June and September 2015. Questions included the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) fruit and vegetable module. Fruit and vegetable intake among 2013 DC BRFSS participants reporting annual household incomes of ≤$US 35 000 was calculated for context. Washington, DC, USA. Participants (n 288) in the Produce Plus Program. On average, participants reported consuming both fruits (interquartile range: 1·0-3·0) and vegetables (interquartile range: 1·3-3·5) two times/d. Participants who reported eating home-cooked meals ≥3 times/week also reported higher median fruit (2·0 v. 0·8) and vegetable (2·3 v. 1·3) intake compared with those eating home-cooked meals less frequently. No statistically significant differences in reported median fruit or vegetable intake were observed over the course of the farmers' market (June v. August/September) season. Produce Plus Program participants reported higher median fruit and vegetable intake compared with DC BRFSS respondents with similar incomes, but still below recommended levels. More frequent home-cooked meals were associated with higher fruit and vegetable intake. Thus, efforts to increase home cooking may represent an opportunity to increase fruit and vegetable intake among healthy food incentive participants.

  16. BENTUK PEMBERDAYAAN DAN MANFAAT ‘TOURISM AND HOME ASSISTANT PROGRAM’ TERHADAP PARIWISATA DI KABUPATEN BULELENG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Gede Sukma Adisatria Sukadana

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to analyze the forms of empowerment carried at Tourism and Home Assistant Program, its model of empowerment, and its advantage on tourism activity in Buleleng Regency. The problems of the study were conducted with qualitative phenomenology approach. Data of the study were analyzed by utilizing qualitative descriptive method. Data collection techniques utilized observation, documentation studies, and in-depth interviews. The results of this study shows that the forms of community development activities in Tourism and Home Assistant Program were one year tourism training and providing incidental help. Analysis of empowerment model Tourism and Home Assistant Program consisted of creating relevant curriculum, management, marketing, supervision, implementation of clear education system, recruitment systems, cooperation with the users of the graduates, and provide sustained professional development. The interpretation of the data indicates that Tourism and Home Assistant Training Program has advantage on tourism activity of Buleleng Regency such as promotion of tourism activity through social care activities.

  17. "Homeless Networks: Testing Peer and Homed Networks Against Location Choice"

    OpenAIRE

    Shinichiro Iwata; Koji Karato

    2007-01-01

    This paper examines the location choices of homeless people in Osaka City, and finds them concentrated because of homeless networks. The paper also shows that different types of homeless networks operate in two different homeless groups: (1) peer networks that provide a social tie inside homeless communities are observed in groups that had not had work experience in the day labor market; (2) homed networks that provide a social tie outside homeless communities affect location choice in the ex...

  18. Key issues in human resource planning for home support workers in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keefe, Janice M; Knight, Lucy; Martin-Matthews, Anne; Légaré, Jacques

    2011-01-01

    This paper is a synthesis of research on recruitment and retention challenges for home support workers (HSWs) in Canada. Home support workers (HSWs) provide needed support with personal care and daily activities to older persons living in the community. Literature (peer reviewed, government, and non-government documents) published in the past decade was collected from systematic data base searches between January and September 2009, and yielded over 100 references relevant to home care human resources for older Canadians. Four key human resource issues affecting HSWs were identified: compensation, education and training, quality assurance, and working conditions. To increase the workforce and retain skilled employees, employers can tailor their marketing strategies to specific groups, make improvements in work environment, and learn about what workers value and what attracts them to home support work. Understanding these HR issues for HSWs will improve recruitment and retention strategies for this workforce by helping agencies to target their limited resources. Given the projected increase in demand for these workers, preparations need to begin now and consider long-term strategies involving multiple policy areas, such as health and social care, employment, education, and immigration.

  19. Family and home characteristics correlate with mold in homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reponen, Tiina; Levin, Linda; Zheng, Shu; Vesper, Stephen; Ryan, Patrick; Grinshpun, Sergey A; LeMasters, Grace

    2013-07-01

    Previously, we demonstrated that infants residing in homes with higher Environmental Relative Moldiness Index were at greater risk for developing asthma by age seven. The purpose of this analysis was to identify the family and home characteristics associated with higher moldiness index values in infants' homes at age one. Univariate linear regression of each characteristic determined that family factors associated with moldiness index were race and income. Home characteristics associated with the moldiness index values were: air conditioning, carpet, age of the home, season of home assessment, and house dust mite allergen. Parental history of asthma, use of dehumidifier, visible mold, dog and cat allergen levels were not associated with moldiness index. Results of multiple linear regression showed that older homes had 2.9 units higher moldiness index (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.4, 5.4), whereas homes with central air conditioning had 2.5 units lower moldiness index (95% CI=-4.7, -0.4). In addition, higher dust mite allergen levels and carpeting were positively and negatively associated with higher moldiness index, respectively. Because older homes and lack of air conditioning were also correlated with race and lower income, whereas carpeting was associated with newer homes, the multivariate analyses suggests that lower overall socioeconomic position is associated with higher moldiness index values. This may lead to increased asthma risk in homes inhabited by susceptible, vulnerable population subgroups. Further, age of the home was a surrogate of income, race and carpeting in our population; thus the use of these factors should carefully be evaluated in future studies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Returning to the Job Market: A Woman's Guide to Employment Planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    American Association of Retired Persons, Washington, DC.

    Intended for midlife and older women in the job market, this booklet is designed to help them in the process of looking for work outside the home. It helps them assess current skills and identify potential employment barriers; teaches them how to prepare effective written materials to support the job search and how to interview successfully; and…

  1. Offices for living in : An instrument for measuring the potential for transforming offices into homes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geraedts, Rob P.; van der Voordt, Theo

    2003-01-01

    A large number of office premises seem difficult to rent out because they no longer meet the demands of the market. A solution must be found for these premises and also for office buildings that have been empty for longer periods. Reallocation or transformation to other functions such as homes can

  2. Task 9. Deployment of photovoltaic technologies: co-operation with developing countries. Summary of models for the implementation of solar home systems in developing countries - Part 1: Summary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2003-03-15

    This first part of a two-part report for the International Energy Agency (IEA) made by Task 9 of the Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS) programme takes a look at the implementation of Solar Home systems in developing countries. The objective of Task 9 is to increase the successful deployment of PV systems in developing countries. This summary outlines various models for the implementation of small domestic photovoltaic (PV) systems (Solar Home Systems, SHS) in developing countries. Part 1 of this two-part document discusses three generic models. The second, separate part of the document provides a number of examples demonstrating the models described. This report focuses on the implementation of SHS. However, a considerable amount of the PV market in developing countries is stated as consisting of large systems providing electricity for social services, such as light for schools, mosques, churches, communal centres, refrigeration for health centres and drinking water for communities. It is noted that there are considerable differences between the 'social market' and the 'private market' for SHS. The 'social market' generally consists of large systems but fewer in number. The guide does not cover the detailed technical aspects of a Solar Home System or the issue of recycling old batteries.

  3. Assessing the market for long-term care services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rice, J A; Taylor, S

    1984-02-01

    Traditionally, long-term care services have been used by a diverse marketplace. The chronically ill, developmentally disabled, mentally ill and aging population has looked to long-term care support services as a means of physical and emotional support. Much of the time these services were housed together for the sake of efficiency. The enormous burden these services are creating on the economy, and the growing aging population, have forced the recognition that long-term care service delivery systems must change. Alternate programming for long-term care services that reach out into the community and into individual homes is becoming an attractive approach to meeting the growing demands of the marketplace. Home health, specialized housing and creative funding mechanisms such as HMOs, are examples of initiatives undertaken by healthcare organizations that view diversification as a vehicle for survival. Market research techniques that have been used in other industries are being adapted to the healthcare industry to ensure the proper mix of services that are demanded by older, more knowledgeable consumers. The programs of the future will be market driven, with the ability of the individual to pay for such services playing a significant role. The healthcare provider of today is in a position to serve the community in new ways. By becoming an integral link in the long-term care system and by developing new programs, the organization can serve as a catalyst for change. It is up to the governing bodies and managers of these facilities to become visionaries and to accept responsibility for assessing the market for long-term care services and to guide their organization into the future.

  4. 24 CFR 982.612 - Group home: State approval of group home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Group home: State approval of group... Types Group Home § 982.612 Group home: State approval of group home. A group home must be licensed..., Retardation, or Social Services) as a group home for elderly persons or persons with disabilities. ...

  5. ThinkHome Energy Efficiency in Future Smart Homes

    OpenAIRE

    Christian Reinisch; Mario J. Kofler; Félix Iglesias; Wolfgang Kastner

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Smart homes have been viewed with increasing interest by both home owners and the research community in the past few years. One reason for this development is that the use of modern automation technology in the home or building promises considerable savings of energy, therefore, simultaneously reducing the operational costs of the building over its whole lifecycle. However, the full potential of smart homes still lies fallow, due to the complexity and diversity of the systems, badly ...

  6. A Reliable TTP-Based Infrastructure with Low Sensor Resource Consumption for the Smart Home Multi-Platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jungho; Kim, Mansik; Park, Jong Hyuk

    2016-07-05

    With the ICT technology making great progress in the smart home environment, the ubiquitous environment is rapidly emerging all over the world, but problems are also increasing proportionally to the rapid growth of the smart home market such as multiplatform heterogeneity and new security threats. In addition, the smart home sensors have so low computing resources that they cannot process complicated computation tasks, which is required to create a proper security environment. A service provider also faces overhead in processing data from a rapidly increasing number of sensors. This paper aimed to propose a scheme to build infrastructure in which communication entities can securely authenticate and design security channel with physically unclonable PUFs and the TTP that smart home communication entities can rely on. In addition, we analyze and evaluate the proposed scheme for security and performance and prove that it can build secure channels with low resources. Finally, we expect that the proposed scheme can be helpful for secure communication with low resources in future smart home multiplatforms.

  7. A Reliable TTP-Based Infrastructure with Low Sensor Resource Consumption for the Smart Home Multi-Platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jungho Kang

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available With the ICT technology making great progress in the smart home environment, the ubiquitous environment is rapidly emerging all over the world, but problems are also increasing proportionally to the rapid growth of the smart home market such as multiplatform heterogeneity and new security threats. In addition, the smart home sensors have so low computing resources that they cannot process complicated computation tasks, which is required to create a proper security environment. A service provider also faces overhead in processing data from a rapidly increasing number of sensors. This paper aimed to propose a scheme to build infrastructure in which communication entities can securely authenticate and design security channel with physically unclonable PUFs and the TTP that smart home communication entities can rely on. In addition, we analyze and evaluate the proposed scheme for security and performance and prove that it can build secure channels with low resources. Finally, we expect that the proposed scheme can be helpful for secure communication with low resources in future smart home multiplatforms.

  8. Practices and Processes of Leading High Performance Home Builders in the Upper Midwest

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Von Thoma, Ed [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States). NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership; Ojzcyk, Cindy [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States). NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership

    2012-12-01

    The NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership team proposed this study to gain insight into the business, sales, and construction processes of successful high performance builders. The knowledge gained by understanding the high performance strategies used by individual builders, as well as the process each followed to move from traditional builder to high performance builder, will be beneficial in proposing more in-depth research to yield specific action items to assist the industry at large transform to high performance new home construction. This investigation identified the best practices of three successful high performance builders in the upper Midwest. In-depth field analysis of the performance levels of their homes, their business models, and their strategies for market acceptance were explored.

  9. Airtightness Results of Roof-Only Air Sealing Strategies on 1 ½-Story Homes in Cold Climates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ojczyk, C.; Murry, T.; Mosiman, G.

    2014-07-01

    In this second study on solutions to ice dams in 1-1/2 story homes, the NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership team analyzed five test homes located in both cold and very cold climates for air leakage reduction rates following modifications by independent contractors on owner-occupied homes. These homes were chosen for testing as they are common in Minnesota and very difficult to air seal and insulate effectively. Two projects followed a roof-only Exterior Thermal Moisture Management System (ETMMS) process. One project used an interior-only approach to roof air sealing and insulation. The remaining two projects used a deep energy retrofit approach for whole house (foundation wall, above grade wall, roof) air leakage and heat loss reduction. All were asked to provide information regarding project goals, process, and pre and post-blower door test results. Additional air leakage reduction data was provided by several NorthernSTAR industry partners for interior-applied, roof-only modifications on 1-1/2 story homes. The data represents homes in the general market as well as homes that were part of the state of Minnesota weatherization program. A goal was to compare exterior air sealing methods with interior approaches. This pool of data enabled the team to compare air tightness data from over 220 homes using similar air seal methods.

  10. Rapid EHR development and implementation using web and cloud-based architecture in a large home health and hospice organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Charlotte A; Teenier, Pamela

    2014-01-01

    Health care organizations have long been limited to a small number of major vendors in their selection of an electronic health record (EHR) system in the national and international marketplace. These major EHR vendors have in common base systems that are decades old, are built in antiquated programming languages, use outdated server architecture, and are based on inflexible data models [1,2]. The option to upgrade their technology to keep pace with the power of new web-based architecture, programming tools and cloud servers is not easily undertaken due to large client bases, development costs and risk [3]. This paper presents the decade-long efforts of a large national provider of home health and hospice care to select an EHR product, failing that to build their own and failing that initiative to go back into the market in 2012. The decade time delay had allowed new technologies and more nimble vendors to enter the market. Partnering with a new start-up company doing web and cloud based architecture for the home health and hospice market, made it possible to build, test and implement an operational and point of care system in 264 home health locations across 40 states and three time zones in the United States. This option of "starting over" with the new web and cloud technologies may be posing a next generation of new EHR vendors that retells the Blackberry replacement by iPhone story in healthcare.

  11. Linking mortgage finance incentives to a voluntary home energy rating system: Insight into consensus building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jenior, M.-M.

    1994-01-01

    A collaborative consensus process was created to implement a program linking voluntary home energy rating systems (HERS) to mortgage incentives. The participants involved many of the stakeholders or interest groups who have a role in implementing and who will be affected by energy efficiency mortgate incentive programs linked to HERS. The participants included representatives from the primary and secondary mortgage market; real estate, home building, and remodeling industries; utilities; state, local, consumer, and environmental organizations; and home energy rating providers. The participants defined the actions required to implement as well as the technical requirements of a program linking home energy ratings and mortgage finance. Building on the recommendations of the collaborative process, members of the collaborative continue to take initiatives to put a Home Energy Rating Systems Council into place, in planning pilot programs for developing and testing ways to link HERS and mortgage programs, and in making home buyers and owners aware of existing mortgage incentives. At the same time, mortgage providers are working to develop uniformity among mortgage incentive programs and with the US Department of Energy to develop procedures to verify the relative accuracy of HERS calculation tools and their application, and with the emerging HERS Council to develop the guidelines for voluntary HERS required under the Energy Policy Act of 1992

  12. Internationalization to what purposes?: Marketing to international students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gary Rhoades

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Amidst global discourse about universities’ internationalization, how do universities position themselves and their purposes in recruiting international students?  For professionals working to establish partnerships and increase cultural enrichment both on their home campuses and through international exchange, the purposes that are often foregrounded in professional associations speak to the public good, to the broad social benefits of such activities.  However, my research on the marketing that international offices at four universities in the UK and U.S. are doing to international students suggest that as in the marketing of U.S. universities to domestic students, it is the private benefits of higher education, to the students and to the individual institutions that are predominant (Hartley and Morphew, 2008; Saichaie and Morphew, 2014. 

  13. Nurse's Aid And Housekeeping Mobile Robot For Use In The Nursing Home Workplace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sines, John A.

    1987-01-01

    The large nursing home market has several natural characteristics which make it a good applications area for robotics. The environment is already robot accessible and the work functions require large quantities of low skilled services on a daily basis. In the near future, a commercial opportunity for the practical application of robots is emerging in the delivery of housekeeping services in the nursing home environment. The robot systems will assist in food tray delivery, material handling, and security, and will perform activities such as changing a resident's table side drinking water twice a day, and taking out the trash. The housekeeping work functions will generate cost savings of approximately 22,000 per year, at a cost of 6,000 per year. Technical system challenges center around the artificial intelligence required for the robot to map its own location within the facility, to find objects, and to avoid obstacles, and the development of an energy efficient mechanical lifting system. The long engineering and licensing cycles (7 to 12 years) required to bring this type of product to market make it difficult to raise capital for such a venture.

  14. WHITE MEN IN AFRICA: CELATI, THEROUX, KAPUSCINSKI

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    Africa of the typical white tourist is dismissed as “predictable, programmed”, while the .... The segmentation of space to which he is used, the separation between ... far removed from the marketing brochure and the consumer- friendly itinerary.

  15. Medium-Term Oil Market Report 2013: Market Trends and Projections to 2018

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-06-01

    The global oil market will undergo sweeping changes over the next five years. The 2013 Medium-Term Oil Market Report evaluates the impact of these changes on the global oil system by 2018 based on all that we know today – current expectations of economic growth, existing or announced policies and regulations, commercially proven technologies, field decline rates, investment programmes (upstream, midstream and downstream), etc. The five-year forecast period corresponds to the length of the typical investment cycle and as such is critical to policymakers and market participants. This Report shows, in detailed but concise terms, why the ongoing North American hydrocarbon revolution is a ''game changer''. The region’s expected contribution to supply growth, however impressive, is only part of the story: Crude quality, infrastructure requirements, current regulations, and the potential for replication elsewhere are bound to spark a chain reaction that will leave few links in the global oil supply chain unaffected. While North America is expected to lead medium-term supply growth, the East-of- Suez region is in the lead on the demand side. Non-OECD oil demand, led by Asia and the Middle East, looks set to overtake the OECD for the first time as early as 2Q13 and will widen its lead afterwards. Non-OECD economies are already home to over half global refining capacity. With that share only expected to grow by 2018, the non-OECD region will be firmly entrenched as the world’s largest crude importer. These and other changes are carefully laid out in this Report, which also examines recent and future changes in global oil storage, shifts in OPEC production capacity and crude and product trade, and the consequences of the ongoing refinery construction boom in emerging markets and developing economies. It is required reading for anyone engaged in policy or investment decision-making in the energy sphere, and those more broadly interested in the oil

  16. Are there differences in the quality of the diet of working and stay-at-home women?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela de Assumpção

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To verify whether there is an association between the quality of the diet and the inclusion of women in the labor market and whether the education level would modify this association. We have analyzed the differences according to education level and evaluated whether the insertion or not in the market modifies the association between the quality of the diet and education level. METHODS This is a cross-sectional population-based study that has used data from the Campinas Health Survey (2008 ISACamp. We have evaluated the diet of 464 women, aged 18 to 64 years, using the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index – Revised. We have estimated the means of the total score and index components using simple and multiple linear regression. RESULTS We have observed no difference in the quality of diet of working and stay-at-home women. The analysis stratified by education level showed a lower intake of fruits among stay-at-home women in the segment of lower education level, in relation to working women. Among all women, a lower education level was associated with lower overall quality of the diet, higher intake of sodium, and lower intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and saturated fat. On the other hand, the inclusion in the labor market changed the effect of the education level on the quality of the diet. In the stay-at-home stratum, a low education level was associated with poorer quality of the diet and lower consumption of fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, and whole grains. Among the working women, a low education level was associated with higher intake of sodium and lower intake of vegetables, whole grains, and milk and dairy products. CONCLUSIONS The results show inequities in the profile of food in relation to education level and inclusion in the labor market, which shows the relevance of public policies that increase the access to education and provide guidance on a healthy diet.

  17. Are there differences in the quality of the diet of working and stay-at-home women?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assumpção, Daniela de; Senicato, Caroline; Fisberg, Regina Mara; Canesqui, Ana Maria; Barros, Marilisa Berti de Azevedo

    2018-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To verify whether there is an association between the quality of the diet and the inclusion of women in the labor market and whether the education level would modify this association. We have analyzed the differences according to education level and evaluated whether the insertion or not in the market modifies the association between the quality of the diet and education level. METHODS This is a cross-sectional population-based study that has used data from the Campinas Health Survey (2008 ISACamp). We have evaluated the diet of 464 women, aged 18 to 64 years, using the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index - Revised. We have estimated the means of the total score and index components using simple and multiple linear regression. RESULTS We have observed no difference in the quality of diet of working and stay-at-home women. The analysis stratified by education level showed a lower intake of fruits among stay-at-home women in the segment of lower education level, in relation to working women. Among all women, a lower education level was associated with lower overall quality of the diet, higher intake of sodium, and lower intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and saturated fat. On the other hand, the inclusion in the labor market changed the effect of the education level on the quality of the diet. In the stay-at-home stratum, a low education level was associated with poorer quality of the diet and lower consumption of fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, and whole grains. Among the working women, a low education level was associated with higher intake of sodium and lower intake of vegetables, whole grains, and milk and dairy products. CONCLUSIONS The results show inequities in the profile of food in relation to education level and inclusion in the labor market, which shows the relevance of public policies that increase the access to education and provide guidance on a healthy diet.

  18. The marketing of health products, with special reference to do-it-yourself tests

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gevers, Sjef

    2003-01-01

    At a rapid pace, in vitro diagnostic medical devices are being developed to detect risk factors for disease; to a growing extent, these test kits are also directly marketed to the public for use at home. While at first sight serving a good cause, self testing may have considerable drawbacks relating

  19. Transitioning a home telehealth project into a sustainable, large-scale service: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wade, Victoria A; Taylor, Alan D; Kidd, Michael R; Carati, Colin

    2016-05-16

    This study was a component of the Flinders Telehealth in the Home project, which tested adding home telehealth to existing rehabilitation, palliative care and geriatric outreach services. Due to the known difficulty of transitioning telehealth projects services, a qualitative study was conducted to produce a preferred implementation approach for sustainable and large-scale operations, and a process model that offers practical advice for achieving this goal. Initially, semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior clinicians, health service managers and policy makers, and a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was undertaken to identify the range of options for ongoing operations, plus the factors affecting sustainability. Subsequently, the interviewees and other decision makers attended a deliberative forum in which participants were asked to select a preferred model for future implementation. Finally, all data from the study was synthesised by the researchers to produce a process model. 19 interviews with senior clinicians, managers, and service development staff were conducted, finding strong support for home telehealth but a wide diversity of views on governance, models of clinical care, technical infrastructure operations, and data management. The deliberative forum worked through these options and recommended a collaborative consortium approach for large-scale implementation. The process model proposes that the key factor for large-scale implementation is leadership support, which is enabled by 1) showing solutions to the problems of service demand, budgetary pressure and the relationship between hospital and primary care, 2) demonstrating how home telehealth aligns with health service policies, and 3) achieving clinician acceptance through providing evidence of benefit and developing new models of clinical care. Two key actions to enable change were marketing telehealth to patients, clinicians and policy-makers, and building a community of

  20. An Event-Triggered Online Energy Management Algorithm of Smart Home: Lyapunov Optimization Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Fan

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available As an important component of the smart grid on the user side, a home energy management system is the core of optimal operation for a smart home. In this paper, the energy scheduling problem for a household equipped with photovoltaic devices was investigated. An online energy management algorithm based on event triggering was proposed. The Lyapunov optimization method was adopted to schedule controllable load in the household. Without forecasting related variables, real-time decisions were made based only on the current information. Energy could be rapidly regulated under the fluctuation of distributed generation, electricity demand and market price. The event-triggering mechanism was adopted to trigger the execution of the online algorithm, so as to cut down the execution frequency and unnecessary calculation. A comprehensive result obtained from simulation shows that the proposed algorithm could effectively decrease the electricity bills of users. Moreover, the required computational resource is small, which contributes to the low-cost energy management of a smart home.

  1. Statistical Analysis and History of Low-Wage Work in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Westergård-Nielsen, Niels Chr.

    2008-01-01

    The Danish economy offers a dose of American labor market flexibility inside a European welfare state. The Danish government allows employers a relatively high level of freedom to dismiss workers, but also provides generous unemployment insurance. Widespread union coverage and an active system of...... labor market and the lessons it holds for both the United States and the rest of Europe....

  2. Nursing Homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Home › Aging & Health A to Z › Nursing Homes Font size A A A Print Share Glossary Basic ... Reason For Living in A Nursing Home Some type of disability with activities of daily living (ADLs) ...

  3. Download this PDF file

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AJNS WEBMASTERS

    One unanticipated result of this study was that public .... water over which prayers or incantations have been said; the woman may be required to ... parents keep a child with epilepsy home from school, rather than send her to ... Women who were learning trades like tailoring and hairdressing reported being dismissed from.

  4. Home Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... are part of home healthcare agencies. You may benefit from home care if you are dealing with ... it will trigger an emergency response or checkup phone call. Newer technologies ... or mobile testing technology (home diagnostics), including x-rays and ...

  5. Influence of Nurse Aide Absenteeism on Nursing Home Quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castle, Nicholas G; Ferguson-Rome, Jamie C

    2015-08-01

    In this analysis, the association of nurse aide absenteeism with quality is examined. Absenteeism is the failure of nurse aides to report for work when they are scheduled to work. Data used in this investigation came from survey responses from 3,941 nursing homes; Nursing Home Compare; the Online System for Survey, Certification and Administrative Reporting data; and the Area Resource File. Staffing characteristics, quality indicators, facility, and market information from these data sources were all measured in 2008. The specific quality indicators examined are physical restraint use, catheter use, pain management, and pressure sores using negative binomial regression. An average rate of 9.2% for nurse aide absenteeism was reported in the prior week. We find that high levels of absenteeism are associated with poor performance on all four quality indicators examined. The investigation presented, to our knowledge, is one of the first examining the implications of absenteeism in nursing homes. Absenteeism can be a costly staffing issue, one of the potential costs identified in this analysis is an impact on quality of care. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Social marketing and basic education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theisen, G

    1990-01-01

    Many educators attended the World Conference on Education for All in March 1990 in Thailand. To meet the goal of education for all, they need to attain enough resources to provide basic education to everyone who wants it. They also must guarantee that the education is efficient and effective. The toughest task is gaining the support of parents of those children needing primary education. Social marketing techniques may be able to generate the needed enthusiasm for education among parents. It must lead parents to toss aside the common belief that education is primarily a way to secure employment and a steady income. A national campaign to better parent participation and the quality of education should emphasize 6 areas. It should stress that eating a balanced breakfast and overall good nutrition increase a child's ability to concentrate and do well in school. The campaign must also emphasize attendance of both students and teachers thereby providing continuity and allowing students to build on past knowledge. Research indicates that homework strengthens achievement, therefore parents need to provide guidance and encouragement for their children while at home. Social marketing can further increase primary school attendance by promoting parent participation in school activities. It can also inform parents about the performance responsibilities of teachers and administrators so they can remind educators what they are expected to accomplish. In some countries, resources from the government are insufficient, so social marketing can encourage community incentive programs bound to satisfying specific educational standards. Educators and social marketers need to work together to empower parents to make education for all come true.

  7. Relations among work-home culture, the utilization of work-home arrangements, and work-home interference

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dikkers, J.S.E.; Geurts, S.A.E.; Dulk, L. den; Peper, A.B.; Kompier, M.A.J.

    2004-01-01

    In the present study, we examined the associations among work-home culture (WHC), the utilization of work-home arrangements (WHAs), and work-home interference (WHI) among 638 workers from a Dutch financial consultancy firm. We (a) developed a typology of WHC, (b) examined whether the utilization of

  8. Appraising into the Sun: Six-State Solar Home Paired-Sale Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

    2015-11-12

    Although residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installations have proliferated, PV systems on some U.S. homes still receive no value during an appraisal because comparable home sales are lacking. To value residential PV, some previous studies have employed paired-sales appraisal methods to analyze small PV home samples in depth, while others have used statistical methods to analyze large samples. Our first-of-its-kind study connects the two approaches. It uses appraisal methods to evaluate sales price premiums for owned PV systems on single-unit detached houses that were also evaluated in a large statistical study. Independent appraisers evaluated 43 recent home sales pairs in six states: California, Oregon, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. We compare these results with contributory-value estimates—based on income (using the PV Value® tool), gross cost, and net cost—as well as hedonic modeling results from the recent statistical study. The results provide strong, appraisal-based evidence of PV premiums in all states. More importantly, the results support the use of cost- and incomebased PV premium estimates when paired-sales analysis is impossible. PV premiums from the paired-sales analysis are most similar to net PV cost estimates. PV Value® income results generally track the appraised premiums, although conservatively. The appraised premiums are in agreement with the hedonic modeling results as well, which bolsters the suitability of both approaches for estimating PV home premiums. Therefore, these results will benefit valuation professionals and mortgage lenders who increasingly are encountering homes equipped with PV and need to understand the factors that can both contribute to and detract from market value.

  9. Migrants' Remittances end the Transformation of Local Spaces: The Case of Financial Markets in Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Ambrosius

    2014-06-01

    Remittances, the money sent by migrants to their families back home, are situated outside ‘traditional’ categories of space in several ways. Not only do these smallscale financial transactions span the transnational space beyond the nation-state; they also move largely outside the institutional spaces of the formal banking sector. Taking the case of financial markets in Mexico and building on recent empirical findings on the impact of migrants’ remittances on the financial sector of the receiving countries, this article explores how remittances may lead to a transformation of local spaces by reducing some of the market failures that prevail, especially in rural financial markets.

  10. Associations Between Home Death and the Use and Type of Care at Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McEwen, Rebecca; Asada, Yukiko; Burge, Frederick; Lawson, Beverley

    2018-01-01

    Despite wishes for and benefits of home deaths, a discrepancy between preferred and actual location of death persists. Provision of home care may be an effective policy response to support home deaths. Using the population-based mortality follow-back study conducted in Nova Scotia, we investigated the associations between home death and formal care at home and between home death and the type of formal care at home. We found (1) the use of formal care at home at the end of life was associated with home death and (2) the use of formal home support services at home was associated with home death among those whose symptoms were well managed.

  11. Turnover and vacancy rates for registered nurses: do local labor market factors matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rondeau, Kent V; Williams, Eric S; Wagar, Terry H

    2008-01-01

    Turnover of nursing staff is a significant issue affecting health care cost, quality, and access. In recent years, a worldwide shortage of skilled nurses has resulted in sharply higher vacancy rates for registered nurses in many health care organizations. Much research has focused on the individual, group, and organizational determinants of turnover. Labor market factors have also been suggested as important contributors to turnover and vacancy rates but have received limited attention by scholars. This study proposes and tests a conceptual model showing the relationships of organization-market fit and three local labor market factors with organizational turnover and vacancy rates. The model is tested using ordinary least squares regression with data collected from 713 Canadian hospitals and nursing homes. Results suggest that, although modest in their impact, labor market and the organization-market fit factors do make significant yet differential contributions to turnover and vacancy rates for registered nurses. Knowledge of labor market factors can substantially shape an effective campaign to recruit and retain nurses. This is particularly true for employers who are perceived to be "employers-of-choice."

  12. Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Military Commission Seal VWAP Login Home Go ABOUT US Organization Overview Organizational Chart Families VWAP Login CCTV Sites Travel Media MC News CCTV Sites Travel Today at OMC Home Today at OMC Daily

  13. Home hemodialysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agar, John W; Perkins, Anthony; Heaf, James G

    2015-01-01

    We describe the infrastructure that is necessary for hemodialysis in the home focusing on physical requirements, the organization of plumbing and water, and the key features that should guide the selection of machines that are suitable for home use.......We describe the infrastructure that is necessary for hemodialysis in the home focusing on physical requirements, the organization of plumbing and water, and the key features that should guide the selection of machines that are suitable for home use....

  14. HomePort

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Per Printz

    2009-01-01

    In the last couple of year's computer based home control systems are getting more and more common in modern homes. For instance these systems take care of light control, heat control and security systems.  The latest trend is to use wireless communication like Z-Wave and ZigBee to interconnect...... different components in these systems. One of the characteristics is that each system, like for instance heat and light, has their own specific way of using the communication system.   This paper describes a way to connect different home control systems through an intelligent gateway, called a Home......Port. The HomePort consists of a number of Subsystem communication drivers, a virtual communication layer, an interpreter and a PC- based compiler for a high level control language, called GIL (Gateway intelligence language). The focus in this paper will be on the upper two layers in the Home...

  15. DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Case Study: Thrive Home Builders, Lowry Plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

    2017-09-01

    Thrive Home Builders built this 4,119-ft2 home at the Lowry development in Denver, Colorado, to the high-performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home Program. Despite the dense positioning of the homes, mono-plane roof designs afforded plenty of space for the 8.68 kW of photovoltaic panels. With the PV, the home achieves a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 4 and the home owners should enjoy energy bills of about $-11 a year. Without the PV, the home would score a HERS 38 (far lower than the HERS 80 to 100 of typical new homes).

  16. Multidisciplinary nutritional support for undernutrition in nursing home and home-care

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beck, Anne Marie; Gøgsig Christensen, Annette; Stenbæk Hansen, Birthe

    2016-01-01

    Objective To assess the effect of multidisciplinary nutritional support for undernutrition in older adults in nursing home and home-care identified with the validated Eating Validation Scheme (EVS). Methods An 11 wk cluster randomized trial with a home-care (3 clusters) or nursing home (3 clusters.......3] versus 1.3 [0.5], P = 0.021) was observed. There was a almost significant difference in mortality (2% versus 13%, P = 0.079). Conclusions Multidisciplinary nutritional support in older adults in nursing home and home-care could have a positive effect on quality of life, muscle strength, and oral care....... means of EuroQol-5D-3L), physical performance (30-seconds chair stand), nutritional status (weight and hand-grip strength), oral care, fall incidents, hospital admissions, rehabilitation stay, moving to nursing homes (participants from home-care), and mortality. Results Respectively, 55 (46 from 2 home...

  17. The Medical Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Videos for Educators Search English Español The Medical Home KidsHealth / For Parents / The Medical Home What's in ... for your child. What Does the Term "Medical Home" Mean? A medical home isn't a place ...

  18. Home Rx: The Health Benefits of Home Performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, Jonathan [National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), Columbia, MD (United States); Jacobs, David [National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), Columbia, MD (United States); Reddy, Amanda [National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), Columbia, MD (United States); Tohn, Ellen [Tohn Environmental Strategies, Wayland, MA (United States); Cohen, Jonathan [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States); Jacobsohn, Ely [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Evidence in a new, groundbreaking U.S. Department of Energy report, Home Rx: The Health Benefits of Home Performance, shows that home performance upgrades can improve the quality of a home’s indoor environment by reducing the prevalence of harmful indoor air pollutants and contaminants. Until recently, no systematic review of this evidence had been conducted, limiting full understanding of the link between home performance and health. This new report summarizes current knowledge and identifies research gaps. The design characteristics and results of each of the 40 studies considered in the report are summarized in a searchable matrix.

  19. Internet Alcohol Marketing and Underage Alcohol Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClure, Auden C; Tanski, Susanne E; Li, Zhigang; Jackson, Kristina; Morgenstern, Matthis; Li, Zhongze; Sargent, James D

    2016-02-01

    Internet alcohol marketing is not well studied despite its prevalence and potential accessibility and attractiveness to youth. The objective was to examine longitudinal associations between self-reported engagement with Internet alcohol marketing and alcohol use transitions in youth. A US sample of 2012 youths aged 15 to 20 was surveyed in 2011. An Internet alcohol marketing receptivity score was developed, based on number of positive responses to seeing alcohol advertising on the Internet, visiting alcohol brand Web sites, being an online alcohol brand fan, and cued recall of alcohol brand home page images. We assessed the association between baseline marketing receptivity and both ever drinking and binge drinking (≥6 drinks per occasion) at 1-year follow-up with multiple logistic regression, controlling for baseline drinking status, Internet use, sociodemographics, personality characteristics, and peer or parent drinking. At baseline, ever-drinking and binge-drinking prevalence was 55% and 27%, respectively. Many (59%) reported seeing Internet alcohol advertising, but few reported going to an alcohol Web site (6%) or being an online fan (3%). Higher Internet use, sensation seeking, having family or peers who drank, and past alcohol use were associated with Internet alcohol marketing receptivity, and a score of 1 or 2 was independently associated with greater adjusted odds of initiating binge drinking (odds ratio 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.78 and odds ratio 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-4.37 respectively) but not with initiation of ever drinking. Although high levels of engagement with Internet alcohol marketing were uncommon, most underage youths reported seeing it, and we found a prospective association between receptivity to this type of alcohol marketing and future problem drinking, making additional research and ongoing surveillance important. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  20. Internet Alcohol Marketing and Underage Alcohol Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClure, Auden C.; Tanski, Susanne E.; Li, Zhigang; Jackson, Kristina; Morgenstern, Matthis; Li, Zhongze; Sargent, James D.

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Internet alcohol marketing is not well studied despite its prevalence and potential accessibility and attractiveness to youth. The objective was to examine longitudinal associations between self-reported engagement with Internet alcohol marketing and alcohol use transitions in youth. METHODS A US sample of 2012 youths aged 15 to 20 was surveyed in 2011. An Internet alcohol marketing receptivity score was developed, based on number of positive responses to seeing alcohol advertising on the Internet, visiting alcohol brand Web sites, being an online alcohol brand fan, and cued recall of alcohol brand home page images. We assessed the association between baseline marketing receptivity and both ever drinking and binge drinking (≥6 drinks per occasion) at 1-year follow-up with multiple logistic regression, controlling for baseline drinking status, Internet use, sociodemographics, personality characteristics, and peer or parent drinking. RESULTS At baseline, ever-drinking and binge-drinking prevalence was 55% and 27%, respectively. Many (59%) reported seeing Internet alcohol advertising, but few reported going to an alcohol Web site (6%) or being an online fan (3%). Higher Internet use, sensation seeking, having family or peers who drank, and past alcohol use were associated with Internet alcohol marketing receptivity, and a score of 1 or 2 was independently associated with greater adjusted odds of initiating binge drinking (odds ratio 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–2.78 and odds ratio 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–4.37 respectively) but not with initiation of ever drinking. CONCLUSIONS Although high levels of engagement with Internet alcohol marketing were uncommon, most underage youths reported seeing it, and we found a prospective association between receptivity to this type of alcohol marketing and future problem drinking, making additional research and ongoing surveillance important. PMID:26738886

  1. Market review - Market values summary/July market review/current market data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1995-01-01

    This article is the July 1995 uranium market review. Data for current uranium market is presented, and a summary of recent transactions is also given. During this reporting period, there was one concentrate deal, two transactions in the long-term natural uranium market and conversion market, and three spot market transactions in the enrichment market. Active uranium supply fell, as did demand, and prices in all sectors were relatively stable

  2. ThinkHome Energy Efficiency in Future Smart Homes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reinisch Christian

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Smart homes have been viewed with increasing interest by both home owners and the research community in the past few years. One reason for this development is that the use of modern automation technology in the home or building promises considerable savings of energy, therefore, simultaneously reducing the operational costs of the building over its whole lifecycle. However, the full potential of smart homes still lies fallow, due to the complexity and diversity of the systems, badly engineered and configured installations, as well as the frequent problem of suboptimal control strategies. Summarized, these problems converge to two undesirable conditions in the "not-so-smart" home: energy consumption is still higher than actually necessary and users are unable to yield full comfort in their automated homes. This work puts its focus on alleviating the current problems by proposing a comprehensive system concept, that shall ensure that smart homes can keep their promise in the future. The system operates on an extensive knowledge base that stores all information needed to fulfill the goals of energy efficiency and user comfort. Its intelligence is implemented as and within a multiagent system that also caters for the system's openness to the outside world. As a first evaluation, a profile-based control strategy for thermal comfort is developed and verified by means of simulation.

  3. The Evolution of Foreign Exchange Markets in the Context of Global Crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Trandafir

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The FX market is the world’s largest financial market. The global financial systeminvolves effective and efficient exchange of currencies. Corporations and investors participate in themarket for operational needs: to reduce risk by hedging currency exposures; to convert their returnsfrom international investments into domestic currencies and to make cross-border investments andraise finance outside home markets. Central banks participate in the market. This paper analyzesforeign exchange marketsactivity before and under the condition the global crisis. The method ofresearch is the comparative analysis used on the global and European level. The research is importantand actual because it reveals the changeswhich have defined a new paradigm forthe foreignexchange marketsand which contributed to the increasing of the global foreign exchange marketturnover during the global crisis. The main conclusion of the paper is that the innovativedevelopments in electronic trading technology and institutional trading arrangements are behind theevolution of the foreign exchange markets. The analysis is supported by statistical tables and uses therecent officialBank for International Settlements and European Central Bank statistic databases.

  4. Housing Archetype Analysis for Home Energy-Efficient Retrofit in the Great Lakes Region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, S. -K. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Mrozowski, T. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Harrell-Seyburn, A. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Ehrlich, N. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Hembroff, L. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Lieburn, B. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Mazor, M. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); McIntyre, A. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Mutton, C. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Parsons, G. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Syal, M. G. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States); Wilkinson, R. [Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) Team, Midland, MI (United States)

    2014-09-01

    This project report details activities and results of the "Market Characterization" project undertaken by the Cost Effective Energy Retrofit (CEER) team targeted toward the DOE goal of achieving 30%-50% reduction in existing building energy use. CEER consists of members from the Dow Chemical Company, Michigan State University, Ferris State University, and Habitat for Humanity Kent County. The purpose of this market characterization project was to identify housing archetypes which are dominant within the Great Lakes region and therefore offer significant potential for energy-efficient retrofit research and implementation due to the substantial number of homes possessing similar characteristics. Understanding the characteristics of housing groups referred to as "archetypes" by vintage, style, and construction characteristics can allow research teams to focus their retrofit research and develop prescriptive solutions for those structure types which are prevalent and offer high potential uptake within a region or market.

  5. Unimaginable homes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Kristian; Klausen, Maja

    2018-01-01

    The chapter draw from critical mediatization theory, critical intimacy theory, and cultural gerontology and asks: How do elderly people practice their mediatized homes? Which roles do media play in constituting and disturbing the flows of bodies into the home? Moreover: how do dominant...... in the making of the mediatized home space. We conclude by returning to the research questions and making explicit how researching flows of bodies that in many ways inhabit homes of the in-between contributes to both gerontological and geomediatization research agendas....

  6. Stroke and Nursing Home care: a national survey of nursing homes.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cowman, Seamus

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Although stroke is recognised as a major factor in admission to nursing home care, data is lacking on the extent and nature of the disabilities and dependency in nursing homes arising from stroke. A national study conducted in nursing homes can quantify the number of residents with stroke in nursing homes, their disability and levels of dependency. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey research design was used. A total of 572 public and private nursing homes were identified nationally and a stratified random selection of 60 nursing homes with 3,239 residents was made. In half of the nursing homes (n = 30) efforts were made to interview all residents with stroke Survey instruments were used to collect data from residents with stroke and nursing home managers on demography, patient disability, and treatment. RESULTS: Across all nursing homes (n = 60), 18% (n = 570) of the residents had previously had a stroke. In homes (n = 30), where interviews with residents with stroke (n = 257), only 7% (n = 18) residents were capable of answering for themselves and were interviewed. Data on the remaining 93% (n = 239) residents were provided by the nursing home manager. Nurse Managers reported that 73% of residents with stroke had a high level of dependency. One in two residents with stroke was prescribed antidepressants or sedative medication. Only 21% of stroke residents were prescribed anticoagulants, 42% antiplatelets, and 36% cholesterol lowering medications. Stroke rehabilitation guidelines were lacking and 68% reported that there was no formal review process in place. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides seminal findings on stroke and nursing home services in Ireland. We now know that one in six nursing home residents in a national survey are residents with a stroke, and have a wide range of disabilities. There is currently little or no structured care (beyond generic care) for stroke survivors who reside in nursing homes in Ireland.

  7. ORGANIC PRODUCTS, CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ON MARKET AND EUROPEAN ORGANIC PRODUCT MARKET SITUATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcela Chreneková

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The market of organic products around the world increased its volume in Central and Eastern Europe with organic food market has a number of shared features, which include the relatively low demand for organic food, low share of regular customers, the problems of producers marketing, the lack of enterprises which process organic products. Consumer behavior purchasing organic foods is influenced by several factors, among which is dominated consumer personality, income, finances and lifestyle, as well as psychological factors such as perception, motivation, learning, cognition and attitudes. Cultural and social factors in consumer behavior exhibit a lesser degree. Organic fruit and organic vegetables quality is generally higher for content of biologically active substances such as vitamins, polyphenols and flavonoids. The content of pesticide residues in organic food is significantly lower than conventional production. Regular monitoring of chemical and microbiological safety of organic products already in the primary production occurring in the raw state and after working in various sectors of food, an intensification of awareness raising and targeted increased support for organic agriculture. Multifunctional sector and increased support for family farms oriented for sectors with higher added value than the home sale, production processing on the farm and so on. By support of the sale of high quality domestic production by the state will be possible to persuade more people to personal health status and greater consumption of organic food  affects the health and prevent the occurrence of various diseases.doi:10.5219/96  

  8. New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program High-Performance Test Homes - Pacific Northwest

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2015-05-01

    This project represents the third phase of a multi-year effort to develop and bring to market a High Performance Manufactured Home (HPMH). In this project, the Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program worked with Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction and Bonneville Power Administration to help four factory homebuilders build prototype zero energy ready manufactured homes, resulting in what is expected to be a 30% savings relative to the Building America Benchmark. (The actual % savings varies depending on choice of heating equipment and climate zone). Previous phases of this project created a HPMH specification and prototyped individual measures from the package to obtain engineering approvals and develop preliminary factory construction processes. This case study describes the project team's work during 2014 to build prototype homes to the HPMH specifications and to monitor the homes for energy performance and durability. Monitoring is expected to continue into 2016.

  9. Predictors of Home Care Expenditures and Death at Home for Cancer Patients in an Integrated Comprehensive Palliative Home Care Pilot Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howell, Doris M.; Abernathy, Tom; Cockerill, Rhonda; Brazil, Kevin; Wagner, Frank; Librach, Larry

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Empirical understanding of predictors for home care service use and death at home is important for healthcare planning. Few studies have examined these predictors in the context of the publicly funded Canadian home care system. This study examined predictors for home care use and home death in the context of a “gold standard” comprehensive palliative home care program pilot in Ontario where patients had equal access to home care services. Methods: Secondary clinical and administrative data sources were linked using a unique identifier to examine multivariate factors (predisposing, enabling, need) on total home care expenditures and home death for a cohort of cancer patients enrolled in the HPCNet pilot. Results: Subjects with gastrointestinal symptoms (OR: 1.64; p=0.03) and those with higher income had increased odds of dying at home (OR: 1.14; phome care expenditures. Conclusions: Predictors of home death found in earlier studies appeared less important in this comprehensive palliative home care pilot. An income effect for home death observed in this study requires examination in future controlled studies. Relevance: Access to palliative home care that is adequately resourced and organized to address the multiple domains of issues that patients/families experience at the end of life has the potential to enable home death and shift care appropriately from limited acute care resources. PMID:22294993

  10. Advancing Replicable Solutions for High-Performance Homes in the Southeast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roberts, S. G. [Southface Energy Inst., Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Sweet, M. L. [Southface Energy Inst., Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Francisco, A. [Southface Energy Inst., Upper Marlboro, MD (United States)

    2016-03-01

    Southface Energy Institute (Southface) partnered with owners and/or builders with various market constraints and ultimate goals for three projects in different climate zones: Savannah, GA (CZ 2), Clemson, SC (CZ 3), and LaFayette, GA (CZ 4). This report documents the design process, computational energy modeling, construction, envelope performance metrics, long-term monitoring results, and successes and failures of the design and execution of these high performance homes. The three bedroom/two bathroom test home in Savannah Gardens on an elevated slab foundation has a semi-conditioned, encapsulated attic. A neighboring home built to EarthCraft specifications was also monitored as a control for exterior foam insulation and a heat pump water heater (HPWH). For the JMC Patrick Square, a single-story project in Clemson, the small-scale production builder wanted to increase their level of energy efficiency beyond their current green building practices, including bringing ducts into conditioned space. Through a combination of upgrade measures the team met this goal and achieved many Zero Energy Ready Home requirements. LaFayette Housing Authority undertook a development of 30 affordable rental housing units in 15 duplexes in LaFayette, GA. Because they would be long-term owners, their priorities were low utility bills for the residents and durable, maintainable buildings. The team employed BEopt to optimize buildling envelope and systems choices, including 2x6 advanced framed walls, insulated slab, and heat pump water heater in a utility closet which was ducted to/from an encapsulated attic.

  11. Heat Pump Water Heaters and American Homes: A Good Fit?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Franco, Victor; Lekov, Alex; Meyers, Steve; Letschert, Virginie

    2010-05-14

    Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are over twice as energy-efficient as conventional electric resistance water heaters, with the potential to save substantial amounts of electricity. Drawing on analysis conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy's recently-concluded rulemaking on amended standards for water heaters, this paper evaluates key issues that will determine how well, and to what extent, this technology will fit in American homes. The key issues include: 1) equipment cost of HPWHs; 2) cooling of the indoor environment by HPWHs; 3) size and air flow requirements of HPWHs; 4) performance of HPWH under different climate conditions and varying hot water use patterns; and 5) operating cost savings under different electricity prices and hot water use. The paper presents the results of a life-cycle cost analysis of the adoption of HPWHs in a representative sample of American homes, as well as national impact analysis for different market share scenarios. Assuming equipment costs that would result from high production volume, the results show that HPWHs can be cost effective in all regions for most single family homes, especially when the water heater is not installed in a conditioned space. HPWHs are not cost effective for most manufactured home and multi-family installations, due to lower average hot water use and the water heater in the majority of cases being installed in conditioned space, where cooling of the indoor environment and size and air flow requirements of HPWHs increase installation costs.

  12. New marketing, improved marketing, apocryphal marketing: is one marketing concept enough?

    OpenAIRE

    Woodall, T

    2007-01-01

    PURPOSE – This paper seeks to explore marketing's ambiguous relationship with truth and, in so doing, to question the efficacy and value of the marketing concept and the very nature of marketing itself. Is marketing something that marketers do, or is it something much broader than this? If the latter, are marketers themselves either willing, or able to operate beyond traditional boundaries and, if not, should they focus – honourably – on what they do best, and encourage/support others who mig...

  13. Attitudes and experiences with secondhand smoke and smoke-free policies among subsidised and market-rate multiunit housing residents living in six diverse communities in the USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gentzke, Andrea S; Hyland, Andrew; Kiviniemi, Marc; Travers, Mark J

    2018-03-01

    Given that higher smoking rates persist among lower socioeconomic populations, multiunit housing (MUH) environments may result in higher secondhand smoke (SHS) exposures among subsidised MUH residents. This cross-sectional assessment compares experiences with SHS and smoke-free policies among subsidised and market-rate MUH residents living in six US communities. MUH residents (n=1565) were surveyed regarding their smoke-free rules (home and building), SHS exposures and preferences towards smoke-free policies. Binary logistic regression identified predictors of each outcome, focusing on differences by subsidised housing status (subsidised vs market rate). Among residents enforcing smoke-free home rules (76%, overall), 50% reported SHS incursions into their unit. Only 23% reported living in a smoke-free building; 56% of those living in smoking-allowable buildings reported preferences towards smoke-free building policies. Among market-rate housing residents, smoke-free home (OR=4.18) and building (OR=2.26) rules were significantly higher when children were present. Smoke-free building rules reduced the odds of SHS incursions among market-rate housing residents (OR=0.50), but no association was observed among subsidised housing residents. Non-smoking subsidised housing residents exhibited stronger preferences for smoke-free policies compared with those in market-rate housing. Smoke-free home rules may not protect MUH residents from SHS exposures, particularly in subsidised MUH. Although strong preferences towards smoke-free policies were present overall, subsidised MUH residents may have fewer alternative smoke-free housing options available. Therefore, all publicly funded housing should be smoke free to protect these vulnerable populations. However, continued efforts to encourage privately owned MUH operators to adopt smoke-free policies are also necessary. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights

  14. Combining high-resolution gross domestic product data with home and personal care product market research data to generate a subnational emission inventory for Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodges, Juliet Elizabeth Natasha; Vamshi, Raghu; Holmes, Christopher; Rowson, Matthew; Miah, Taqmina; Price, Oliver Richard

    2014-04-01

    Environmental risk assessment of chemicals is reliant on good estimates of product usage information and robust exposure models. Over the past 20 to 30 years, much progress has been made with the development of exposure models that simulate the transport and distribution of chemicals in the environment. However, little progress has been made in our ability to estimate chemical emissions of home and personal care (HPC) products. In this project, we have developed an approach to estimate subnational emission inventory of chemical ingredients used in HPC products for 12 Asian countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam (Asia-12). To develop this inventory, we have coupled a 1 km grid of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) estimates with market research data of HPC product sales. We explore the necessity of accounting for a population's ability to purchase HPC products in determining their subnational distribution in regions where wealth is not uniform. The implications of using high resolution data on inter- and intracountry subnational emission estimates for a range of hypothetical and actual HPC product types were explored. It was demonstrated that for low value products (500 US$ per capita/annum required to purchase product) the implications on emissions being assigned to subnational regions can vary by several orders of magnitude. The implications of this on conducting national or regional level risk assessments may be significant. Further work is needed to explore the implications of this variability in HPC emissions to enable the HPC industry and/or governments to advance risk-based chemical management policies in emerging markets. © 2013 SETAC.

  15. Eldercare at Home: Choosing a Nursing Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... required, these services can be provided by a separate home health agency as directed by a doctor or ... complaints made by or on behalf of nursing home residents and work to resolve the problems. If they are unable ...

  16. Smart Home Hacking

    OpenAIRE

    Kodra, Suela

    2016-01-01

    Smart Home is an intelligent home equipped with devices and communications systems that enables the residents to connect and control their home appliances and systems. This technology has changed the way a consumer interacts with his home, enabling more control and convenience. Another advantage of this technology is the positive impact it has on savings on energy and other resources. However, despite the consumer's excitement about smart home, security and privacy have shown to be the strong...

  17. Stroke and Nursing Home care: a national survey of nursing homes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McGee Hannah

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although stroke is recognised as a major factor in admission to nursing home care, data is lacking on the extent and nature of the disabilities and dependency in nursing homes arising from stroke. A national study conducted in nursing homes can quantify the number of residents with stroke in nursing homes, their disability and levels of dependency. Methods A cross-sectional survey research design was used. A total of 572 public and private nursing homes were identified nationally and a stratified random selection of 60 nursing homes with 3,239 residents was made. In half of the nursing homes (n = 30 efforts were made to interview all residents with stroke Survey instruments were used to collect data from residents with stroke and nursing home managers on demography, patient disability, and treatment. Results Across all nursing homes (n = 60, 18% (n = 570 of the residents had previously had a stroke. In homes (n = 30, where interviews with residents with stroke (n = 257, only 7% (n = 18 residents were capable of answering for themselves and were interviewed. Data on the remaining 93% (n = 239 residents were provided by the nursing home manager. Nurse Managers reported that 73% of residents with stroke had a high level of dependency. One in two residents with stroke was prescribed antidepressants or sedative medication. Only 21% of stroke residents were prescribed anticoagulants, 42% antiplatelets, and 36% cholesterol lowering medications. Stroke rehabilitation guidelines were lacking and 68% reported that there was no formal review process in place. Conclusions This study provides seminal findings on stroke and nursing home services in Ireland. We now know that one in six nursing home residents in a national survey are residents with a stroke, and have a wide range of disabilities. There is currently little or no structured care (beyond generic care for stroke survivors who reside in nursing homes in Ireland.

  18. Home Camera-Based Fall Detection System for the Elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Miguel, Koldo; Brunete, Alberto; Hernando, Miguel; Gambao, Ernesto

    2017-12-09

    Falls are the leading cause of injury and death in elderly individuals. Unfortunately, fall detectors are typically based on wearable devices, and the elderly often forget to wear them. In addition, fall detectors based on artificial vision are not yet available on the market. In this paper, we present a new low-cost fall detector for smart homes based on artificial vision algorithms. Our detector combines several algorithms (background subtraction, Kalman filtering and optical flow) as input to a machine learning algorithm with high detection accuracy. Tests conducted on over 50 different fall videos have shown a detection ratio of greater than 96%.

  19. NOVEL APPLICATIONS FOR EMERGING MARKETS USING TELEVISION AS A UBIQUITOUS DEVICE

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pal, Arpan

    2013-01-01

    – personal computer (including laptop and tablet), television and mobile (including smart phone). For emerging market countries like India, personal computers are not yet affordable to masses and most of the people are not savvy or skilled enough to operate a personal computer. Mobile phones, though being...... connected to the internet-world in a low-cost manner, it has the potential of becoming the ―Ubiquitous Computing Screen‖ for the home. The emerging markets are characterized by some unique issues like low bandwidth / low Quality-of-Service (QoS) of the available wireless networks, extreme cost...... solutions for seamlessly blending Internet with broadcasting content. To this end, in this thesis a novel application development framework is proposed first on top of a low-cost over-the-top box that uses television as a ubiquitous device with a focus on emerging markets. Then an end-to-end solution...

  20. Critical slowing down associated with regime shifts in the US housing market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, James Peng Lung; Cheong, Siew Siew Ann

    2014-02-01

    Complex systems are described by a large number of variables with strong and nonlinear interactions. Such systems frequently undergo regime shifts. Combining insights from bifurcation theory in nonlinear dynamics and the theory of critical transitions in statistical physics, we know that critical slowing down and critical fluctuations occur close to such regime shifts. In this paper, we show how universal precursors expected from such critical transitions can be used to forecast regime shifts in the US housing market. In the housing permit, volume of homes sold and percentage of homes sold for gain data, we detected strong early warning signals associated with a sequence of coupled regime shifts, starting from a Subprime Mortgage Loans transition in 2003-2004 and ending with the Subprime Crisis in 2007-2008. Weaker signals of critical slowing down were also detected in the US housing market data during the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis and the 2000-2001 Technology Bubble Crisis. Backed by various macroeconomic data, we propose a scenario whereby hot money flowing back into the US during the Asian Financial Crisis fueled the Technology Bubble. When the Technology Bubble collapsed in 2000-2001, the hot money then flowed into the US housing market, triggering the Subprime Mortgage Loans transition in 2003-2004 and an ensuing sequence of transitions. We showed how this sequence of couple transitions unfolded in space and in time over the whole of US.

  1. Higher education and spatial (im)mobility: nontraditional students and living at home

    OpenAIRE

    Hazel Christie

    2007-01-01

    I investigate the mobility decisions of students going into higher education in the UK, and look particularly at the circumstances under which students in one higher education market chose to live at home and their experiences of attending a local university. As more young people from nontraditional backgrounds are encouraged to participate in higher education, and as the financial costs of attending are increasingly borne by students and their families, more students are choosing to stay at ...

  2. Electricity market design for the prosumer era

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parag, Yael; Sovacool, Benjamin K.

    2016-04-01

    Prosumers are agents that both consume and produce energy. With the growth in small and medium-sized agents using solar photovoltaic panels, smart meters, vehicle-to-grid electric automobiles, home batteries and other ‘smart’ devices, prosuming offers the potential for consumers and vehicle owners to re-evaluate their energy practices. As the number of prosumers increases, the electric utility sector of today is likely to undergo significant changes over the coming decades, offering possibilities for greening of the system, but also bringing many unknowns and risks that need to be identified and managed. To develop strategies for the future, policymakers and planners need knowledge of how prosumers could be integrated effectively and efficiently into competitive electricity markets. Here we identify and discuss three promising potential prosumer markets related to prosumer grid integration, peer-to-peer models and prosumer community groups. We also caution against optimism by laying out a series of caveats and complexities.

  3. The Sweet-Home speech and multimodal corpus for home automation interaction

    OpenAIRE

    Vacher , Michel; Lecouteux , Benjamin; Chahuara , Pedro; Portet , François; Meillon , Brigitte; Bonnefond , Nicolas

    2014-01-01

    International audience; Ambient Assisted Living aims at enhancing the quality of life of older and disabled people at home thanks to Smart Homes and Home Automation. However, many studies do not include tests in real settings, because data collection in this domain is very expensive and challenging and because of the few available data sets. The SWEET-H OME multimodal corpus is a dataset recorded in realistic conditions in D OMUS, a fully equipped Smart Home with microphones and home automati...

  4. The Determinants of Home Bias in Stock Portfolio: An Emerging and Developed Markets Study

    OpenAIRE

    Chniguir , Mounira; Kefi , Mohamed; Henchiri , Jamel ,

    2017-01-01

    International audience; The objective of this paper is to measure the degree of home bias (HB) within holdings portfolio and to identify their determining factors. By following literature and an international capital asset pricing model, we have chosen quite a number of susceptible factors that impact HB. This model is, hence, estimated for 20 countries, with cross-section econometrics, between 2008 and 2013. Our results show that all countries have recorded a high level of HB in their holdin...

  5. Airtightness Results of Roof-Only Air Sealing Strategies on 1-1/2 Story Homes in Cold Climates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ojczyk, C.; Murry, T.; Mosiman, G.

    2014-07-01

    In this second study on solutions to ice dams in 1-1/2 story homes, five test homes located in both cold and very cold climates were analyzed for air leakage reduction rates following modifications by independent contractors on owner-occupied homes. The reason for choosing this house type was they are very common in our area and very difficult to air seal and insulate effectively. Two projects followed a roof-only Exterior Thermal Moisture Management System (ETMMS) process. One project used an interior-only approach to roof air sealing and insulation. The remaining two projects used a deep energy retrofit approach for whole house (foundation wall, above grade wall, roof) air leakage and heat loss reduction. All were asked to provide information regarding project goals, process, and pre and post-blower door test results. Additional air leakage reduction data was provided by several NorthernSTAR Building America industry partners for interior-applied, roof-only modifications on 1-1/2 story homes. The data represents homes in the general market as well as homes that were part of the state of Minnesota weatherization program. A goal was to compare exterior air sealing methods with interior approaches. This pool of data enabled us to compare air tightness data from over 220 homes using similar air seal methods.

  6. Smoke-Free Homes and Home Exposure to Secondhand Smoke in Shanghai, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pinpin Zheng

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Few studies have examined home exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS in China. This study aimed to document: (1 the prevalence and correlates of exposure to SHS in homes (in adult non-smokers in Shanghai, and (2 enforcement of rules, harm reduction behaviors, and self-efficacy for maintaining smoke-free homes in Shanghai. A total of 500 participants were recruited using a multistage proportional random sampling design in an urban and suburban district to complete a survey. Among the total 355 nonsmokers, 127 (35.8% participants reported being exposed to SHS in the past 7 days. Participants living with smokers in the home, with no smoking restriction at home, and having children younger than 18 were more likely to be exposed to SHS at home. Higher self-efficacy in maintaining a smoke-free home was negatively associated with home SHS exposure. Having visitors who smoke was the greatest policy enforcement challenge. Ineffective measures such as opening windows were more commonly used in homes with partial bans. Educational initiatives to protect against SHS exposure in the home should promote smoke-free homes, address challenges to implementing such policies, and address misconceptions regarding the effectiveness of supposed harm reduction behaviors.

  7. DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Case Study: Sterling Brook Custom Homes — Village Park Eco Home, Double Park, TX

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2014-09-01

    This builder won a Custom Builder honor in the 2014 Housing Innovation Awards for this showcase home that serves as an energy-efficient model home for the custom home builder: 1,300 visitors toured the home, thousands more learned about the home’s advanced construction via the webpage, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

  8. HOME Grantee Areas

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Housing and Urban Development — The HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) is authorized under Title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. HOME provides formula grants to...

  9. AN INSIGHT INTO CHINESE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN HOME FURNISHINGS INDUSTRY : A QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH ON HOW “MIANZI” FACTOR INFLUENCE CHINESE CONSUMERS BEHAVIOR

    OpenAIRE

    JIA, MO; GAO, Yuan Xin

    2014-01-01

    With the continuous exploration of Chinese market’s potential, this promising and enormous market is becoming more and more crowded no matter in which industry. For example, in home furnishing industry, although the world leader - IKEA strived to implement its differentiation and cost leadership strategies that had brought tremendous success in the other markets worldwide, the company’s performance in this distinctive developing country had not progressed much, unlike other parts of the world...

  10. The labour market intentions and behaviour of stay-at-home mothers in Western and Eastern Europe.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.H. Gauthier (Anne Hélène); T.E. Emery (Tom); A. Bártová (Alžběta)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractDespite recent increases in female labour force participation across Europe, a non-negligible proportion of women continue to remain out of the labour force for short or longer periods of time. Among the six countries included in this paper, stay-at-home mothers represent on average

  11. Smart Cities - Smart Homes and Smart Home Technology

    OpenAIRE

    Faanes, Erlend Kydland

    2014-01-01

    This master’s thesis consists of two articles where the first article is theoretical and the second is the empirical study. Article I The purpose with this paper is to explore and illuminate how smart home and smart home technology can contribute to enhance health and Quality of Life in elderly citizens and allow them to live longer in their home. The paper provides a brief introduction to health promotion and highlights the thesis theoretical framework and foundation of Aaron Antonov...

  12. Nursing perception of patient transitions from hospitals to home with home health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Shannon Bright; Alexander, Judith W

    2012-01-01

    The study's purpose was to determine nurses' opinions of sending patients from the hospital to home with home health services. The study occurred in the Charleston, South Carolina, Tricounty area (Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties). Home health agencies and hospitals were invited to participate. The study used a survey design to gather information on nursing perceptions of current practices and needed changes to improve transition of patients. The population was nurses (licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs)) employed at inpatient hospitals or home health agencies in the area. Thirty-four RNs responded with no LPNs respondents. Agency administrators/chief nursing officers agreed for their agencies to participate and distributed the survey using a Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) Internet-based survey tool. Using the survey results and information from a literature review, the study developed a list of propositions, which participating administrators reviewed, for improving transitions to home. Both home health and hospital nurses reported a need to improve the process of sending patients from hospital to home with home health services. This study provides hospitals and home health agencies with propositions to facilitate the establishment of a process to communicate effectively patients care needs and streamline the discharging patients from the hospital to home health care; thus, improving patient transition. Case managers and discharge planners will need interagency collaboration along with evidence-based interventions to transition patients from the hospital to home with home health services with various populations. Direct patient care nurses in both hospital and home health settings should share the same accountability as case managers to ensure successful transitions.

  13. Representing in-home and out-of-home energy consumption behavior in Beijing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Biying; Zhang Junyi; Fujiwara, Akimasa

    2011-01-01

    It is expected that in-home and out-of-home energy consumption behavior in a household might be correlated with each other, probably due to the existence of household budget constraints. Ownership and usage of energy-saving technologies for in-home appliances (or vehicles) might lead to the increase in out-of-home (or in-home) energy consumption. It is therefore necessary to jointly represent in-home and out-of-home energy consumption in the same modeling framework. With this consideration, we first build a new type of energy consumption model based on the Multiple Discrete-Continuous Extreme Value (MDCEV) modeling framework. Next, we conducted a questionnaire survey in Beijing in 2009 and successfully collected the information about households' energy consumption, ownership/usage of in-home appliances and vehicles, and households' and their members' attributes from 1014 households. Throughout an empirical analysis, it is confirmed that the MDCEV model is effective to simultaneously describe the in-home and out-of-home energy consumption behavior. In addition, it is revealed that a set of household and personal attributes affect the ownership and usage of in-home appliances and vehicles. Furthermore, it is shown that the unobserved factors play a much more important role in explaining energy consumption behavior than the observed attributes of households and their members. - Highlights: → Representing in-home and out-of-home energy consumption behavior jointly. → MDCEV model is built to describe household energy consumption behavior. → Log-linear competitive relationships are found among expenditures of end-uses. → Model results provide some insights about the influence of varied observed factors. → Unobserved factors are more important in explaining energy consumption behavior.

  14. Home delivery of medication - the role of a patient information leaflet on maximising service uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, L; Ahmed, N; Mccall, H; Minton, J; Benn, P; Edwards, S; Waters, L

    2014-12-01

    There are currently over 30,000 HIV-positive individuals in London and over 25,000 on anti-retroviral therapy. In 2009/2010, this equated to £170m spent by London's NHS on anti-retroviral drugs. Ways employed to reduce this cost include standardising the drugs patients are on and delivering medication to patients at home. Home delivery (HD) medication is exempt from value-added tax. The savings made from 10 patients using the home delivery service would free up resources to provide anti-retroviral therapy to one further patient. Studies have shown that concerns surrounding potential breaches of confidentiality are a potential barrier to some people using the home delivery service. In order to challenge these concerns, a leaflet was devised highlighting the major benefits to both the patient and the NHS of home delivery and addressing concerns over confidentiality. The leaflet was handed out to patients at the Mortimer Market Centre who were currently on anti-retroviral medication but not on home delivery. They were asked to complete a survey on their views of the service before and after reading the leaflet, whether they had been previously aware of the service and whether their concerns had been addressed. Some 79% felt that the patient information leaflet addressed all of their concerns, and it helped 11% decide whether to consider using home delivery. However, as more patients were opposed to the service after reading the patient information leaflet than those considering it, more work needs to be done to explore patients' concerns and other factors influencing home delivery service uptake. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  15. Home Health Compare: Find a Home Health Agency

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page could not be loaded. The Medicare.gov Home page currently does not fully support browsers with " ... widget - Select to show Back to top Footer Home A federal government website managed and paid for ...

  16. Exercise at Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Home Health Insights Exercise & Weight Exercise at Home Exercise at Home Make an Appointment Ask a Question ... with the movement and contact your provider. Posture Exercises Better posture means better breathing and movement. Axial ...

  17. Market review - Market values summary/August market review/current market data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1995-01-01

    This article is the August 1995 uranium market review. During this reporting period, there were three transactions in the long-term concentrates sector, no transactions in the UF6 market, and limited activity in the spot conversion market and the enrichment services market. Active supply rose, as did active demand. Prices were stable to slightly increasing

  18. Home, Smart Home

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Ellen Kathrine; Olesen, Gitte Gylling Hammershøj; Mullins, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The article places focus on how smart technologies integrated in a one family- home and particular the window offer unique challenges and opportunities for designing buildings with the best possible environments for people and nature. Toward an interdisciplinary approach, we address the interaction...... between daylight defined in technical terms and daylight defined in aesthetic, architectural terms. Through field-tests of a Danish carbon-neutral home and an analysis of five key design parameters, we explore the contradictions and potentials in smart buildings, using the smart window as example of how...... to the energy design is central. The study illuminates an approach of the design of smart houses as living organisms by connecting technology with the needs of the occupants with the power and beauty of daylight....

  19. Bringing Work Home: Take-Home Pesticide Exposure Among Farm Families

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Curwin, B.D.

    2006-01-01

    In this thesis take-home pesticide exposure among farm families, with an emphasis on herbicides, was investigated. Take-home exposure occurs when a worker unwittingly brings home a substance on his or her clothing or shoes, thereby potentially exposing his or her family. The pesticides investigated

  20. Marketing strategies for Seren Innovations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1997-01-01

    Typical of the sorts of ventures local distribution companies are embarking on these days is Northern States Power Co.'s new unregulated subsidiary. Seven Innovations, set up to entice its customers with a rather lengthy menu of energy-related services. Seren's offerings range from home freeze-up protection, for a residential customer away for the winter, to energy load information for a large company. In charge of Seren's operations is Glynis Hinschberger, president and CEO. She's logged many years in the power industry and particularly in energy management services. But in the brave new world of unbundling, how does a company like Seren figure out just what services its customers want and need--in sufficient volume to make a healthy contribution to the company's bottom line? It's not as if the industry had decades of experience, and accumulated wisdom, to draw on in devising marketing strategies and plans for new unregulated businesses. So, to find out how a new company like Seren assesses its market's needs, and then translates those needs into viable services, American Gas went to Seren's Hinschberger for an inside look at how it's done