Increases in Sugary Drink Marketing During Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefit Issuance in New York.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Alyssa J; Musicus, Aviva; Gorski Findling, Mary T; Brissette, Ian F; Lowenfels, Ann A; Subramanian, S V; Roberto, Christina A

2018-05-15

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal food assistance program, providing $67 billion in benefits to 44 million Americans. Some states distribute SNAP benefits over one or a few days each month, which may create an incentive for retailers to heavily promote top-selling products, like sugar-sweetened beverages, when benefits are disbursed. A beverage environment scan assessing presence of displays, advertisements, and price promotions for sugar-sweetened, low-calorie, and unsweetened beverages was administered in a census of SNAP-authorized beverage retailers (n=630) in three cities in New York from November to September 2011. Multilevel regression models controlling for store type; county; and percentage SNAP enrollment, poverty, and non-Hispanic white population in the store's census tract were used to estimate the odds of in-store beverage marketing during the SNAP benefit issuance period compared to other days of the month. Data were analyzed in 2016. There were higher odds of in-store sugar-sweetened beverage marketing during SNAP benefit issuance days (first to ninth days of the month) compared with other days of the month, particularly for sugar-sweetened beverage advertisements (OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.01, 2.72) and displays (OR=1.88, 95% CI=1.16, 3.03). In census tracts with high SNAP enrollment (>28%), the odds of a retailer having sugar-sweetened beverage displays were 4.35 times higher (95% CI=1.93, 9.98) during issuance compared with non-issuance days. There were no differences in marketing for low-calorie or unsweetened beverages. Increases in sugar-sweetened beverage marketing during issuance may exacerbate disparities in diet quality of households participating in SNAP. Policy changes, like extending SNAP benefit issuance, may mitigate these effects. Copyright © 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating the option value of a non-firm electricity tariff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, J.; Horii, B.; Price, S.; Olson, A.; Woo, C.K.

2010-01-01

We estimate the option value of a non-firm electricity tariff commonly used by a local distribution company (LDC) in its electricity demand response program. This option value captures the benefit that a LDC enjoys from not serving an end-use load during high-price hours in a wholesale electricity market. It is conservative in that it does not include the cost savings in meeting the LDC's resource adequacy requirement or deferring transmission and distribution (T and D) investments necessary for delivering reliable service. Illustrated by a Northern California example, our two-pronged approach entails (a) a set of summer monthly market price regressions to forecast daily spot price distributions that incorporate uncertainty in natural gas price and weather; and (b) a simulation exercise to quantify the tariff's value under a specific design. The results indicate that a non-firm service tariff can have varying option value estimates that are highly sensitive to the tariff's design, and that an incentive payment based on the option value alone is likely insufficient to attract customer participation in a non-firm service program. (author)

Milk marketing under cooperative and non-cooperative marketing channels: Evidence from west Bengal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarker Debnarayan

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The present study is an attempt to empirically investigate the price spread, marketing costs, marketing margins, marketing efficiency, and profit efficiency among market middlemen under cooperative and non-cooperative marketing channels in the domestic trade market of liquid milk in West Bengal. One of the important findings of this study is that, although the inter-market (and intramarket price variation for liquid milk under the cooperative marketing agency in not far from uniformity, and all marketing agencies under cooperative channels receive much lower abnormal profit per unit of milk as compared with non-cooperative channels, the former fails to provide much economic benefit, either to the producer or to the consumer, because of the burden of much higher fixed cost per unit of liquid milk.

Worldwide Anti-Money Laundering: Regulation: Estimating the Costs and Benefits

OpenAIRE

D. Masciandaro; R. Barone

2008-01-01

The aim of this article is to offer a simple framework for estimating the benefits and costs of anti-ML regulation, based on a prudent estimation of the economic value of worldwide money laundering. Using the multiplier model of the relationship between criminal markets revenues and money laundering activities and data for 2004, the value of money laundering is equal to US$1.2 trillion (2.7% of the world GDP), while the maximum theoretical benefit in combating money laundering using financial...

The benefits of transmission expansions in the competitive electricity markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bresesti, Paola; Calisti, Roberto; Cazzol, Maria Vittoria; Gatti, Antonio; Vaiani, Andrea; Vailati, Riccardo; Provenzano, Dario

2009-01-01

The paper presents an innovative method for assessing simultaneously technical and economic benefits of transmission expansions. This method takes into account the new needs of the transmission planning process for competitive electricity markets, in which benefits of major transmission expansions include: (a) improved reliability, (b) increased availability of efficient supply and (c) increased competition among suppliers. The fundamental elements of the REliability and MARKet (REMARK) tool, which we implemented based on the aforementioned method, are: a yearly probabilistic simulation of power system operation; use of the non-sequential Monte Carlo method to pick the operational status of the network elements; full network representation; adoption of the simplified direct current model; quantitative assessment of the reliability benefits through the expected energy not supplied index; simulation of the strategic behaviour of suppliers based on a simplified model that correlates the price-cost mark-up to structural market variables (residual supply index and demand); a quantitative assessment of ''economic'' benefits through the calculation of the social welfare index. A test case application of the tool on the IEEE 24-bus reliability test system shows that the method can assess benefits of transmission expansions, in addition to the overall social perspective, for each market zone as well as separately for consumers, producers and transmission system operators. The results emphasize that the effect of transmission expansions in mitigating market power may be significant and that a simple and traditional cost-based approach may lead to a wrong evaluation of benefits given by transmission expansions. (author)

Cause Related Marketing: Consumers Perceptions and Benefits for Profit and Non-Profits Organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisca Farache

2008-07-01

Full Text Available This study is an attempt to understand consumers’ perceptions regarding Cause Related Marketing [CRM]. The research findings were based on a survey of 200 consumers in the Brighton area and published data. The research aim was focused on the consumers’ perception of the alliance between corporations and non-profit organisations. The research found that consumers have a better perception of firms that work with charities and good causes than those that do not. They believe that the partnership between corporations and charities has an impact on the good of society. However, they are aware that corporations themselves benefit from this partnership. Concerning good causes, consumers prefer to support those related to Children. The researchers noticed that an individual connection with a cause might have considerable influence on consumer attitudes and behaviour in relation to a specific cause.

Coal's sleeping market: non-utility generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMahan, R.L.; Knutson, K.S.

1992-01-01

The article briefly profiles the coal market for non-utility generation (NUG). Coal consumption by NUGs, currently estimated at around 6.1 million tons, is projected to reach nearly 13.6 million tons by 1995 and 21.2 million tons by 2000. If the projected growth is achieved the NUG market may become one of the strongest market segments for the coal industry into the next century. 3 figs., 2 tabs

A Methodology for Estimating Large-Customer Demand Response MarketPotential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldman, Charles; Hopper, Nicole; Bharvirkar, Ranjit; Neenan,Bernie; Cappers,Peter

2007-08-01

Demand response (DR) is increasingly recognized as an essential ingredient to well-functioning electricity markets. DR market potential studies can answer questions about the amount of DR available in a given area and from which market segments. Several recent DR market potential studies have been conducted, most adapting techniques used to estimate energy-efficiency (EE) potential. In this scoping study, we: reviewed and categorized seven recent DR market potential studies; recommended a methodology for estimating DR market potential for large, non-residential utility customers that uses price elasticities to account for behavior and prices; compiled participation rates and elasticity values from six DR options offered to large customers in recent years, and demonstrated our recommended methodology with large customer market potential scenarios at an illustrative Northeastern utility. We observe that EE and DR have several important differences that argue for an elasticity approach for large-customer DR options that rely on customer-initiated response to prices, rather than the engineering approaches typical of EE potential studies. Base-case estimates suggest that offering DR options to large, non-residential customers results in 1-3% reductions in their class peak demand in response to prices or incentive payments of $500/MWh. Participation rates (i.e., enrollment in voluntary DR programs or acceptance of default hourly pricing) have the greatest influence on DR impacts of all factors studied, yet are the least well understood. Elasticity refinements to reflect the impact of enabling technologies and response at high prices provide more accurate market potential estimates, particularly when arc elasticities (rather than substitution elasticities) are estimated.

Orange Juice Advertising by the Florida Department of Citrus: Estimates of 2006-07 Florida and Free-Rider Benefits

OpenAIRE

Brown, Mark G.

2007-01-01

The benefits of OJ advertising result from 1) increased gallon sales and 2) higher prices. Advertising was estimated to increase the delivered-in price by $.083 per single strength equivalent (SSE) gallon in 2006-07. The with-advertising and without-advertising delivered-in prices were estimated at $1.981 and $1.898 per SSE gallon, respectively. With FDOC advertising focusing on the U.S. market, benefits due to advertising were estimated for the U.S market only. However, it should be recogniz...

Large-scale wind power integration and wholesale electricity trading benefits: Estimation via an ex post approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil, Hugo A.; Gomez-Quiles, Catalina; Riquelme, Jesus

2012-01-01

The integration of large-scale wind power has brought about a series of challenges to the power industry, but at the same time a number of benefits are being realized. Among those, the ability of wind power to cause a decline in the electricity market prices has been recognized. In quantifying this effect, some models used in recent years are based on simulations of the market supply-side and the price clearing process. The accuracy of the estimates depend on the quality of the input data, the veracity of the adopted scenarios and the rigorousness of the solution technique. In this work, a series of econometric techniques based on actual ex post wind power and electricity price data are implemented for the estimation of the impact of region-wide wind power integration on the local electricity market clearing prices and the trading savings that stem from this effect. The model is applied to the case of Spain, where the estimated savings are compared against actual credit and bonus expenses to ratepayers. The implications and extent of these results for current and future renewable energy policy-making are discussed. - Highlights: ► Wholesale electricity market trading benefits by wind power are quantified. ► Actual wind power forecast-based bids and electricity price data from Spain are used. ► Different econometric tools are used and compared for improved estimation accuracy. ► Estimated benefits outweigh current credit overhead paid to wind farms in Spain. ► An economically efficient benefit surplus allocation framework is proposed.

Non-price competition in credit card markets through bundling and bank level benefits

OpenAIRE

Akin, Guzin Gulsun; Aysan, Ahmet Faruk; Kara, Gazi Ishak; Yildiran, Levent

2008-01-01

The attempts to explain the high and sticky credit card rates have given rise to a vast literature on credit card markets. This paper endeavors to explain the rates in the Turkish market using measures of non-price competition. In this market, issuers compete monopolistically by differentiating their credit card products. The fact that credit cards and all other banking services are perceived as a bundle by consumers allows banks to deploy also bank level characteristics to differentiate thei...

Consumer benefits and solutions in open electricity markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapetanovic, T.

2003-01-01

Liberalization of electricity markets aims at fostering competitiveness of economy, reducing costs and improving quality. These goals introduce new opportunities and require adequate solutions for the position of consumers. Transparent pricing and tariffs, freedom to choose a supplier, a possibility to decide on preferred primary source, e.g. renewables, are some of the benefits. Security, reliability and quality of supply are a challenge in the unbundled environment, to be solved accordingly as well as the non-discrimination, access and connection to the grid. The paper presents consumer-related experiences in liberalized electricity markets, based on the developments in Austria since the full market opening on October 1, 2001. The issues covered include grid access, consumer switching, price and tariff developments. The concept of incentive and quality-regulation is mentioned briefly, concluding with security of supply issues and impacts of the European Union legislation.(author)

Costs and benefits of Danish active labour market programmes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Svend; Munch, Jakob Roland; Skipper, Lars

2008-01-01

Since 1994, unemployed workers in the Danish labour market have participated in active labour market programmes on a large scale. This paper contributes with an assessment of costs and benefits of these programmes. Long-term treatment effects are estimated on a very detailed administrative dataset...... prospects in the long run. When the cost side is taken into account, private and public job training still come out with surplusses, while classroom training leads to a deficit....... by propensity score matching. For the years 1995 - 2005 it is found that private job training programmes have substantial positive employment and earnings effects, but also public job training ends up with positive earnings effects. Classroom training does not significantly improve employment or earnings...

Performance or marketing benefits? The case of LEED certification.

Science.gov (United States)

Matisoff, Daniel C; Noonan, Douglas S; Mazzolini, Anna M

2014-01-01

Green building adoption is driven by both performance-based benefits and marketing based benefits. Performance based benefits are those that improve performance or lower operating costs of the building or of building users. Marketing benefits stem from the consumer response to green certification. This study illustrates the relative importance of the marketing based benefits that accrue to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings due to green signaling mechanisms, specifically related to the certification itself are identified. Of course, all participants in the LEED certification scheme seek marketing benefits. But even among LEED participants, the interest in green signaling is pronounced. The green signaling mechanism that occurs at the certification thresholds shifts building patterns from just below to just above the threshold level, and motivates builders to cluster buildings just above each threshold. Results are consistent across subsamples, though nonprofit organizations appear to build greener buildings and engage in more green signaling than for-profit entities. Using nonparametric regression discontinuity, signaling across different building types is observed. Marketing benefits due to LEED certification drives organizations to build "greener" buildings by upgrading buildings at the thresholds to reach certification levels.

Health Benefits Mandates and Their Potential Impacts on Racial/Ethnic Group Disparities in Insurance Markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, Shana Alex; Ponce, Ninez; Ritley, Dominique; Guendelman, Sylvia; Kempster, Jennifer; Lewis, John; Melnikow, Joy

2017-08-01

Addressing racial/ethnic group disparities in health insurance benefits through legislative mandates requires attention to the different proportions of racial/ethnic groups among insurance markets. This necessary baseline data, however, has proven difficult to measure. We applied racial/ethnic data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey to the 2012 California Health Benefits Review Program Cost and Coverage Model to determine the racial/ethnic composition of ten health insurance market segments. We found disproportional representation of racial/ethnic groups by segment, thus affecting the health insurance impacts of benefit mandates. California's Medicaid program is disproportionately Latino (60 % in Medi-Cal, compared to 39 % for the entire population), and the individual insurance market is disproportionately non-Latino white. Gender differences also exist. Mandates could unintentionally increase insurance coverage racial/ethnic disparities. Policymakers should consider the distribution of existing racial/ethnic disparities as criteria for legislative action on benefit mandates across health insurance markets.

Estimating Phenomenological Parameters in Multi-Assets Markets

Science.gov (United States)

Raffaelli, Giacomo; Marsili, Matteo

Financial correlations exhibit a non-trivial dynamic behavior. This is reproduced by a simple phenomenological model of a multi-asset financial market, which takes into account the impact of portfolio investment on price dynamics. This captures the fact that correlations determine the optimal portfolio but are affected by investment based on it. Such a feedback on correlations gives rise to an instability when the volume of investment exceeds a critical value. Close to the critical point the model exhibits dynamical correlations very similar to those observed in real markets. We discuss how the model's parameter can be estimated in real market data with a maximum likelihood principle. This confirms the main conclusion that real markets operate close to a dynamically unstable point.

Financing unemployment benefits by goods market competition: fiscal policy and deregulation with market imperfections

OpenAIRE

Antonio Scial…; Riccardo Tilli

2007-01-01

We consider a model in which the labor market is characterized by search frictions and there is monopolistic competition in the goods market. We introduce proportional income taxation and unemployment benefits with Government balanced budget constraint. Then, we evaluate the effects of both more competition in the goods market and higher unemployment benefits on labor market equilibrium and equilibrium tax rate. We show that more competition has a positive effect on equilibrium unemployment a...

Marketing Education Through Benefit Segmentation. AIR Forum 1981 Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodnow, Wilma Elizabeth

The applicability of the "benefit segmentation" marketing technique to education was tested at the College of DuPage in 1979. Benefit segmentation identified target markets homogeneous in benefits expected from a program offering and may be useful in combatting declining enrollments. The 487 randomly selected students completed the 223…

A preliminary benefit-cost study of a Sandia wind farm.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ehlen, Mark Andrew; Griffin, Taylor; Loose, Verne W.

2011-03-01

In response to federal mandates and incentives for renewable energy, Sandia National Laboratories conducted a feasibility study of installing an on-site wind farm on Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base property. This report describes this preliminary analysis of the costs and benefits of installing and operating a 15-turbine, 30-MW-capacity wind farm that delivers an estimated 16 percent of 2010 onsite demand. The report first describes market and non-market economic costs and benefits associated with operating a wind farm, and then uses a standard life-cycle costing and benefit-cost framework to estimate the costs and benefits of a wind farm. Based on these 'best-estimates' of costs and benefits and on factor, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, the analysis results suggest that the benefits of a Sandia wind farm are greater than its costs. The analysis techniques used herein are applicable to the economic assessment of most if not all forms of renewable energy.

The Integration of Corporate Non-Market and Market Strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xie, Peihong; Li, Xin; Xie, Xuemei

2014-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to systematically examine the key notion of integration of non-market and market strategies in the increasingly popular study of corporate non-market strategies. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on a brief literature review of the non-market strategy (NMS...... explore how to seamlessly coordinate non-market and market strategies in order to gain maximal synergies. Originality/value: This paper is the first to examine the key notion of integration in a systematic manner. It is the first to propose a three-question solution to systematic understanding......) research that shows the existing literature does not offer a clear and systematic account of the key notion of integration. It suggests any systematic account of integration should address at least three interrelated questions, i.e. why, what and how to integrate non-market and market strategies? Findings...

State of the art in benefit-risk analysis: economics and marketing-finance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalogeras, N; Odekerken-Schröder, G; Pennings, J M E; Gunnlaugsdóttir, H; Holm, F; Leino, O; Luteijn, J M; Magnússon, S H; Pohjola, M V; Tijhuis, M J; Tuomisto, J T; Ueland, Ø; White, B C; Verhagen, H

2012-01-01

All market participants (e.g., investors, producers, consumers) accept a certain level of risk as necessary to achieve certain benefits. There are many types of risk including price, production, financial, institutional, and individual human risks. All these risks should be effectively managed in order to derive the utmost of benefits and avoid disruption and/or catastrophic economic consequences for the food industry. The identification, analysis, determination, and understanding of the benefit-risk trade-offs of market participants in the food markets may help policy makers, financial analysts and marketers to make well-informed and effective corporate investment strategies in order to deal with highly uncertain and risky situations. In this paper, we discuss the role that benefits and risks play in the formation of the decision-making process of market-participants, who are engaged in the upstream and downstream stages of the food supply chain. In addition, we review the most common approaches (expected utility model and psychometrics) for measuring benefit-risk trade-offs in the economics and marketing-finance literature, and different factors that may affect the economic behaviour in the light of benefit-risk analyses. Building on the findings of our review, we introduce a conceptual framework to study the benefit-risk behaviour of market participants. Specifically, we suggest the decoupling of benefits and risks into the separate components of utilitarian benefits, hedonic benefits, and risk attitude and risk perception, respectively. Predicting and explaining how market participants in the food industry form their overall attitude in light of benefit-risk trade-offs may be critical for policy-makers and managers who need to understand the drivers of the economic behaviour of market participants with respect to production, marketing and consumption of food products. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Best-Estimates in Bond Markets with Reinvestment Risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne MacKay

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The concept of best-estimate, prescribed by regulators to value insurance liabilities for accounting and solvency purposes, has recently been discussed extensively in the industry and related academic literature. To differentiate hedgeable and non-hedgeable risks in a general case, recent literature defines best-estimates using orthogonal projections of a claim on the space of replicable payoffs. In this paper, we apply this concept of best-estimate to long-maturity claims in a market with reinvestment risk, since in this case the total liability cannot easily be separated into hedgeable and non-hedgeable parts. We assume that a limited number of short-maturity bonds are traded, and derive the best-estimate price of bonds with longer maturities, thus obtaining a best-estimate yield curve. We therefore use the multifactor Vasiˇcek model and derive within this framework closed-form expressions for the best-estimate prices of long-term bonds.

The individual insurance market before reform: low premiums and low benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitmore, Heidi; Gabel, Jon R; Pickreign, Jeremy; McDevitt, Roland

2011-10-01

Based on analyses of individual market health plans sold through ehealthinsurance and enrollment information collected from individual market carriers, this article profiles the individual health insurance market in 2007, before health reform. The article examines premiums, plan enrollment, cost sharing, and covered benefits and compares individual and group markets. Premiums for the young are lower than in the group market but higher for older people. Cost sharing is substantial in the individual insurance market. Seventy-eight percent of people were enrolled in plans with deductibles for single coverage, which averaged $2,117. Annual out-of-pocket maximums averaged $5,271. Many plans do not cover important benefits. Twelve percent of individually insured persons had no coverage for office visits and only 43% have maternity benefits in their basic coverage. With the advent of health exchanges and new market rules in 2014, covered benefits may become richer, cost sharing will decline, but premiums for the young will rise.

The benefits of social influence in optimized cultural markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Abeliuk, Andrés; Berbeglia, Gerardo; Cebrian, Manuel; Van Hentenryck, Pascal

2015-01-01

Social influence has been shown to create significant unpredictability in cultural markets, providing one potential explanation why experts routinely fail at predicting commercial success of cultural products. As a result, social influence is often presented in a negative light. Here, we show the benefits of social influence for cultural markets. We present a policy that uses product quality, appeal, position bias and social influence to maximize expected profits in the market. Our computational experiments show that our profit-maximizing policy leverages social influence to produce significant performance benefits for the market, while our theoretical analysis proves that our policy outperforms in expectation any policy not displaying social signals. Our results contrast with earlier work which focused on showing the unpredictability and inequalities created by social influence. Not only do we show for the first time that, under our policy, dynamically showing consumers positive social signals increases the expected profit of the seller in cultural markets. We also show that, in reasonable settings, our profit-maximizing policy does not introduce significant unpredictability and identifies "blockbusters". Overall, these results shed new light on the nature of social influence and how it can be leveraged for the benefits of the market.

Benefit Estimation Model for Tourist Spaceflights

Science.gov (United States)

Goehlich, Robert A.

2003-01-01

It is believed that the only potential means for significant reduction of the recurrent launch cost, which results in a stimulation of human space colonization, is to make the launcher reusable, to increase its reliability, and to make it suitable for new markets such as mass space tourism. But such space projects, that have long range aspects are very difficult to finance, because even politicians would like to see a reasonable benefit during their term in office, because they want to be able to explain this investment to the taxpayer. This forces planners to use benefit models instead of intuitive judgement to convince sceptical decision-makers to support new investments in space. Benefit models provide insights into complex relationships and force a better definition of goals. A new approach is introduced in the paper that allows to estimate the benefits to be expected from a new space venture. The main objective why humans should explore space is determined in this study to ``improve the quality of life''. This main objective is broken down in sub objectives, which can be analysed with respect to different interest groups. Such interest groups are the operator of a space transportation system, the passenger, and the government. For example, the operator is strongly interested in profit, while the passenger is mainly interested in amusement, while the government is primarily interested in self-esteem and prestige. This leads to different individual satisfactory levels, which are usable for the optimisation process of reusable launch vehicles.

The benefits of social influence in optimized cultural markets.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrés Abeliuk

Full Text Available Social influence has been shown to create significant unpredictability in cultural markets, providing one potential explanation why experts routinely fail at predicting commercial success of cultural products. As a result, social influence is often presented in a negative light. Here, we show the benefits of social influence for cultural markets. We present a policy that uses product quality, appeal, position bias and social influence to maximize expected profits in the market. Our computational experiments show that our profit-maximizing policy leverages social influence to produce significant performance benefits for the market, while our theoretical analysis proves that our policy outperforms in expectation any policy not displaying social signals. Our results contrast with earlier work which focused on showing the unpredictability and inequalities created by social influence. Not only do we show for the first time that, under our policy, dynamically showing consumers positive social signals increases the expected profit of the seller in cultural markets. We also show that, in reasonable settings, our profit-maximizing policy does not introduce significant unpredictability and identifies "blockbusters". Overall, these results shed new light on the nature of social influence and how it can be leveraged for the benefits of the market.

Non-Production Benefits of Education: Crime, Health, and Good Citizenship. NBER Working Paper No. 16722

Science.gov (United States)

Lochner, Lance

2011-01-01

A growing body of work suggests that education offers a wide-range of benefits that extend beyond increases in labor market productivity. Improvements in education can lower crime, improve health, and increase voting and democratic participation. This chapter reviews recent developments on these "non-production" benefits of education with an…

Non-market pricing for an improved solid waste management ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Non-market pricing for an improved solid waste management system in Arba Minch ... in Arba Minch, a tourist hub and one of the rapidly growing towns in Ethiopia. ... The mean WTP estimated in this survey can serve as a guide for municipal ...

Farmers' Market Manager's Level of Communication and Influence on Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Adoption at Midwest Farmers' Markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasin, Afroza; Smith, Sylvia

2018-01-01

To understand market managers' level of communication and use of technology that might influence decision to adopt Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) at farmers' markets. Cross-sectional study using the Theory of Diffusion of Innovation. Electronic survey administered in midwest states of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Farmers' market managers in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Information on EBT adoption, market managers' communication, and technology use. Binary logistic regression analysis with EBT adoption as the dependent variable and frequency of technology use, partnership with organizations, farmers' market association (FMA) membership, Facebook page and Web site for the market, and primary source of information as independent variables. Chi-square tests and ANOVA were used to compare states and adopter categories. Logistic regression results showed that the odds of adopting EBT was 7.5 times higher for markets that had partnership with other organizations. Compared with non-adopters, a significantly greater number of early adopters had partnership, FMA membership, and a Facebook page and Web site for market, and reported to a board of directors. Markets that had partnership, FMA membership, a Facebook page and Web site, and mandatory reporting to a board of directors were important factors that influenced EBT adoption at midwest farmers' markets. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating the value of non-use benefits from small changes in the provision of ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutton, Adam; Edwards-Jones, Gareth; Macdonald, David W

2010-12-01

The unit of trade in ecosystem services is usually the use of a proportion of the parcels of land associated with a given service. Valuing small changes in the provision of an ecosystem service presents obstacles, particularly when the service provides non-use benefits, as is the case with conservation of most plants and animals. Quantifying non-use values requires stated-preference valuations. Stated-preference valuations can provide estimates of the public's willingness to pay for a broad conservation goal. Nevertheless, stated-preference valuations can be expensive and do not produce consistent measures for varying levels of provision of a service. Additionally, the unit of trade, land use, is not always linearly related to the level of ecosystem services the land might provide. To overcome these obstacles, we developed a method to estimate the value of a marginal change in the provision of a non-use ecosystem service--in this case conservation of plants or animals associated with a given land-cover type. Our method serves as a tool for calculating transferable valuations of small changes in the provision of ecosystem services relative to the existing provision. Valuation is achieved through stated-preference investigations, calculation of a unit value for a parcel of land, and the weighting of this parcel by its ability to provide the desired ecosystem service and its effect on the ability of the surrounding land parcels to provide the desired service. We used the water vole (Arvicola terrestris) as a case study to illustrate the method. The average present value of a meter of water vole habitat was estimated at UK £ 12, but the marginal value of a meter (based on our methods) could range between £ 0 and £ 40 or more. © 2010 Society for Conservation Biology.

Aquatic habitat measurement and valuation: imputing social benefits to instream flow levels

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Aaron J.; Johnson, Richard L.

1991-01-01

Instream flow conflicts have been analysed from the perspectives offered by policy oriented applied (physical) science, theories of conflict resolution and negotiation strategy, and psychological analyses of the behavior patterns of the bargaining parties. Economics also offers some useful insights in analysing conflict resolution within the context of these water allocation problems. We attempt to analyse the economics of the bargaining process in conjunction with a discussion of the water allocation process. In particular, we examine in detail the relation between certain habitat estimation techniques, and the socially optimal allocation of non-market resources. The results developed here describe the welfare implications implicit in the contemporary general equilibrium analysis of a competitive market economy. We also review certain currently available techniques for assigning dollar values to the social benefits of instream flow. The limitations of non-market valuation techniques with respect to estimating the benefits provided by instream flows and the aquatic habitat contingent on these flows should not deter resource managers from using economic analysis as a basic tool for settling instream flow conflicts.

Measuring the impact of market coupling on the Italian electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pellini, Elisabetta

2012-01-01

This paper evaluates the impact on the Italian electricity market of replacing the current explicit auction mechanism with market coupling. Maximising the use of the cross-border interconnection capacity, market coupling increases the level of market integration and facilitates the access to low-cost generation by consumers located in high-cost generation countries. Thus, it is expected that a high-priced area such as Italy could greatly benefit from the introduction of this mechanism. In this paper, the welfare benefits are estimated for 2012 under alternative market scenarios, employing the optimal dispatch model ELFO++. The results of the simulations suggest that the improvement in social surplus is likely to be significant, especially when market fundamentals are tight. - Highlights: ► We study the impact on the Italian electricity market of introducing market coupling. ► We estimate welfare benefits under two market scenarios for 2012. ► Scenarios are simulated using the optimal dispatch model ELFO++. ► Welfare gains range between 33 M€/year and 741 M€/year.

Cost-benefit analysis involving addictive goods: contingent valuation to estimate willingness-to-pay for smoking cessation.

Science.gov (United States)

Weimer, David L; Vining, Aidan R; Thomas, Randall K

2009-02-01

The valuation of changes in consumption of addictive goods resulting from policy interventions presents a challenge for cost-benefit analysts. Consumer surplus losses from reduced consumption of addictive goods that are measured relative to market demand schedules overestimate the social cost of cessation interventions. This article seeks to show that consumer surplus losses measured using a non-addicted demand schedule provide a better assessment of social cost. Specifically, (1) it develops an addiction model that permits an estimate of the smoker's compensating variation for the elimination of addiction; (2) it employs a contingent valuation survey of current smokers to estimate their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a treatment that would eliminate addiction; (3) it uses the estimate of WTP from the survey to calculate the fraction of consumer surplus that should be viewed as consumer value; and (4) it provides an estimate of this fraction. The exercise suggests that, as a tentative first and rough rule-of-thumb, only about 75% of the loss of the conventionally measured consumer surplus should be counted as social cost for policies that reduce the consumption of cigarettes. Additional research to estimate this important rule-of-thumb is desirable to address the various caveats relevant to this study. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Investment in Social Marketing Campaign to Reduce Stigma and Discrimination Associated with Mental Illness Yields Positive Economic Benefits to California.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashwood, J Scott; Briscombe, Brian; Collins, Rebecca L; Wong, Eunice C; Eberhart, Nicole K; Cerully, Jennifer; May, Libby; Roth, Beth; Burnam, M Audrey

2017-01-01

This article examines the potential impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's stigma and discrimination reduction social marketing campaign on the use of adult behavioral health services, and it estimates the benefit-cost ratios.

Understanding Emerging Market Sovereign Bond Yield Spread: Role of Default and Non-Default Determinants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adelia Surya Pratiwi

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This paper is motivated by the fact that emerging market assets size has been expanding and trying to use sovereign debt market as part of capital market as main research focus. It is highlighting the distinction between default and non-default determinants and examining their significance in explaining emerging market sovereign bond yield spread. Using Cross-Sectional Fixed-Effect Panel Estimator, we found that both default (as proxied by Credit Rating and Outlook Index and non-default (as proxied by 3-month Fed Funds Futures determinants has significant explanatory power to sovereign bond yield spread. Extensively, we also found the significance to add volatility of 3-month Fed Funds Futures and Fed Target Rate basis and volatility of advanced stock markets as variables to stand for non-default determinants in the model. The significance of the latter model is strengthened by higher forecasting as well as indicates the significant role of US market to emerging market sovereign bond market.

Dissemination of the Linked-benefit Strategy in Sustainable Marketing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wever, R.; Goemans, M.; Bork, S.

2009-01-01

Multinationals wanting to sell eco-friendly products are advised by the green-marketing literature to apply a socalled linked-benefit strategy [1, 2, p.121], which describes attributes of a product (or service) that are positive for the environment and links those to benefits for the consumer (e.g.

Maternity Leave Policies: Trade-Offs Between Labour Market Demands and Health Benefits for Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Strang, Lucy; Broeks, Miriam

2017-01-01

Over recent years many European Union countries have made changes to the design of the maternity leave provision. These policy developments reflect calls for greater gender equality in the workforce and more equal share of childcare responsibilities. However, while research shows that long period of leave can have negative effects on women's labour market attachment and career advancements, early return to work can be seen as a factor preventing exclusive breastfeeding, and therefore, potentially having negative health impacts for babies. Indeed, the World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age to provide babies with the nutrition for healthy growth and brain development, protection from life-threatening ailments, obesity and non-communicable diseases such as asthma and diabetes. Therefore, labour market demands on women may be at odds with the health benefits for children gained by longer periods of maternity leave. The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between leave provision and health benefits for children. We examine maternity and parental leave provision across European countries and its potential impact on the breastfeeding of very young babies (up to 6-months of age). We also consider economic factors of potential extension of maternity leave provision to 6 months, such as costs to businesses, effects on the female labour market attachment, and wider consequences (benefits and costs) for individuals, families, employers and the wider society.

Estimating market probabilities of future interest rate changes

OpenAIRE

Hlušek, Martin

2002-01-01

The goal of this paper is to estimate the market consensus forecast of future monetary policy development and to quantify the priced-in probability of interest rate changes for different future time horizons. The proposed model uses the current spot money market yield curve and available money market derivative instruments (forward rate agreements, FRAs) and estimates the market probability of interest rate changes up to a 12-month horizon.

Confirmatory versus explorative endpoint analysis: Decision-making on the basis of evidence available from market authorization and early benefit assessment for oncology drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Niehaus, Ines; Dintsios, Charalabos-Markos

2018-03-26

The early benefit assessment of pharmaceuticals in Germany and their preceding market authorization pursue different objectives. This is reflected by the inclusion of varying confirmatory endpoints within the evaluation of oncology drugs in early benefit assessment versus market authorization, with both relying on the same evidence. Data from assessments up to July 2015 are used to estimate the impact of explorative in comparison to confirmatory endpoints on market authorization and early benefit assessment by contrasting the benefit-risk ratio of EMA and the benefit-harm balance of the HTA jurisdiction. Agreement between market authorization and early benefit assessment is examined by Cohen's kappa (k). 21 of 41 assessments were considered in the analysis. Market authorization is more confirmatory than early benefit assessment because it includes a higher proportion of primary endpoints. The latter implies a primary endpoint to be relevant for the benefit-harm balance in only 67% of cases (0.078). Explorative mortality endpoints reached the highest agreement regarding the mutual consideration for the risk-benefit ratio and the benefit-harm balance (0.000). For explorative morbidity endpoints (-0.600), quality of life (-0.600) and side effects (-0.949) no agreement is ascertainable. To warrant a broader confirmatory basis for decisions supported by HTA, closer inter-institutional cooperation of approval authorities and HTA jurisdictions by means of reliable joint advice for manufacturers regarding endpoint definition would be favorable. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Mersey Barrage - indirect benefits: the economic and regional case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cockle, P.J.; McCormack, J.J.

1992-01-01

A major cost-benefit exercise, a regional and an exchequer impact assessment were performed. The cost-benefit net present values (NPV) (1991 prices) of market and non-market streams revealed: capital and operating cost (-Pound 799 million), electricity output (Pound 310 million), CO 2 savings (Pound 627 million), security of energy supply (Pound 18 million), amenity benefit/blight (-Pound 1 million), tourism (Pound 5 million), leisure (Pound 7 million), waders and wildfowl impact (-Pound 8 million) and a road crossing (Pound 132 million). The total mid-range estimate of Pound 370 million confirms the barrage would increase Britain's welfare. During construction the barrage would support up to 2,100 Merseyside jobs and 600 in operation. The cumulative gains to the exchequer are Pound 300 million. (author)

How to benefit from a common European electricity market design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ringler, Philipp; Keles, Dogan; Fichtner, Wolf

2017-01-01

The realization of an Internal Electricity Market in Europe is currently, on the one hand, progressing, in particular thanks to the wide-spread implementation of market coupling solutions for cross-border congestion management. On the other hand, diverging national market designs pose a threat to the continuation of this process. Given the challenges to electricity market design in a multi-regional context, we analyze how different design aspects, namely cross-border congestion management and capacity mechanisms, affect welfare and generation adequacy in Europe. In doing so, we rely on an agent-based simulation model for electricity wholesale markets which we apply within several numerical, computational case studies for the region of Central Western Europe (2012–2030). Our results confirm the benefits of market coupling in terms of welfare as well as generation adequacy. Furthermore, we find indications that coordinating market designs across regions supports these targets. Therefore, we recommend that European energy policy forms a stable, transparent regulatory framework with cross-border market coupling as an integral component. In this context, energy policy targets should be clearly defined and operationalized, which also needs to consider potential conflicts between them. Finally, electricity market designs need to be coordinated among states to benefit most from a common European market. - Highlights: • European electricity markets at crossroads given diverging market designs • Simulation of CWE Market Coupling using an agent-based model. • Welfare and adequacy gains from European market coupling and new interconnections. • Conflicts between energy policy targets to be considered in market design. • Coordination key to further strengthen integration of electricity markets in Europe.

Social network marketing strategy and SME strategy benefits

OpenAIRE

Nobre, Helena; Silva, Daniela

2014-01-01

The study explored what benefits to small or medium-sized firms (SMEs) could be derived from the development of a social media marketing strategy. Results indicated that Facebook can facilitate communications between SME companies and customers, and can also be an important tool in creating brand recognition and broadening awareness. The importance of developing a thoughtfully designed strategy was cited, as SMEs often lack sophisticated marketing or business plans. The positive study results...

Illegal markets: Estimates of global proceeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinković Darko M.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Illegal markets represent a phenomenon of considerable economic, political and social significance whose annual income exceeds the value of a thousand billion USD. Illegal market participants are beyond the reach of government institutions and rule of law while social connections and personal acquaintances play an important role of functional substitute. In the last decade there was a significant increase of illegal trafficking of narcotics, people, fire arms, counterfeit products and natural resources. Both selling and purchase of these as well as other kinds of products and services at illegal markets are generally characterized by high level of organization and presence of strong criminal groups and networks. Although these activities existed in the past their present scope and geographic distribution are without precedent. Measuring unlawful financial flows at illegal markets represents quite a complex task. Various estimates are the result of inexistence of uniform and generally accepted methodology. In addition to this, the special problem is also the consensus of market actors, because of which the phenomenon of illegal markets and distribution of products and services at these markets is rather hidden. The paper defines and analyzes the key features of illegal markets, the role of organized crime at illegal markets, as well as the estimates of the values of financial flows at the markets of counterfeit products, narcotics, and people as goods, or human organs and sexual services, weapons, tobacco products and dirty money.

Measuring the competitiveness benefits of a transmission investment policy: The case of the Alberta electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolak, Frank A.

2015-01-01

Transmission expansions can increase the extent of competition faced by wholesale electricity suppliers with the ability to exercise unilateral market power. This can cause them to submit offer curves closer to their marginal cost curves, which sets market-clearing prices closer to competitive benchmark price levels. These lower wholesale market-clearing prices are the competitiveness benefit consumers realize from the transmission expansion. This paper quantifies empirically the competitiveness benefits of a transmission expansion policy that causes strategic suppliers to expect no transmission congestion. Using hourly generation-unit level offer, output, market-clearing price and congestion data from the Alberta wholesale electricity market from January 1, 2009 to July 31, 2013, an upper and lower bound on the hourly consumer competitiveness benefits of this transmission policy is computed. Both of these competitiveness benefits measures are economically significant, which argues for including them in transmission planning processes for wholesale electricity markets to ensure that all transmission expansions with positive net benefits to electricity consumers are undertaken. -- Highlights: •Define competitiveness benefits to consumers from transmission expansions in wholesale market. •Compute upper and lower bounds on competitiveness benefits for Alberta market. •Compare no-perceived congestion prices to actual prices to measure competitiveness benefits. •Economically substantial competitiveness benefits found for sample period studied. •To ensure adequate transmission, planning processes should account for these benefits

Switching benefits and costs in the Irish health insurance market: an analysis of consumer surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Keegan, Conor; Teljeur, Conor; Turner, Brian; Thomas, Steve

2018-05-10

Relatively little analysis has taken place internationally on the consumer-reported benefits and costs to switching insurer in multi-payer health insurance markets. Ideally, consumers should be willing to switch out of consideration for price and quality and switching should be able to take place without incurring significant switching costs. Costs to switching come in many forms and understanding the nature of these costs is necessary if policy interventions to improve market competition are to be successful. This study utilises data from consumer surveys of the Irish health insurance market collected between 2009 and 2013 (N [Formula: see text] 1703) to examine consumer-reported benefits and costs to switching insurer. Probit regression models are specified to examine the relationship between consumer characteristics and reported switching costs, and switching behaviour, respectively. Overall evidence suggests that switchers in the Irish market mainly did so out of consideration for price. Transaction cost was the most common switching cost identified, reported by just under 1 in 7 non-switchers. Psychological switching costs may also be impacting behaviour. Moreover, high-risk individuals were more likely to experience switching costs and this was reflected in actual switching behaviour. A recent information campaign launched by the market regulator may prove beneficial in reducing perceived transaction costs in the market, however, a more focused campaign aimed at high-risk consumers may be necessary to reduce inequalities. Policy-makers should also consider the impact insurer behaviour may have on decision-making.

Public Preferences for Endangered Species Recovery: An Examination of Geospatial Scale and Non-Market Values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristy eWallmo

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Non-market valuation allows society to express their preferences for goods and services whose economic value is not reflected in traditional markets. One issue that arises in applying non-market values in policy settings is defining the extent of the economic jurisdiction – the area that includes all people who hold values – for a good or service. In this paper we estimate non-market values for recovering eight threatened and endangered marine species in the US for two geographically embedded samples: households on the west coast of the US and households throughout the nation. We statistically compare species values between the two samples to help determine the extent of and variation in the economic jurisdiction for endangered species recovery. Our findings offer support to the tenet that the summation of non-market values across the country is appropriate when evaluating alternative policies for endangered species recovery.

Increasing supplemental nutrition assistance program/electronic benefits transfer sales at farmers' markets with vendor-operated wireless point-of-sale terminals.

Science.gov (United States)

Buttenheim, Alison M; Havassy, Joshua; Fang, Michelle; Glyn, Jonathan; Karpyn, Allison E

2012-05-01

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly Food Stamp Program) participants can use their benefits at many farmers' markets. However, most markets have only one market-operated wireless point-of-sale (POS) card swipe terminal for electronic benefits transfer (EBT) transactions. It is not known whether providing each farmer/vendor with individual wireless POS terminals and subsidizing EBT fees will increase SNAP/EBT purchases at farmers' markets. To evaluate the effects of multiple vendor-operated wireless POS terminals (vs a single market-operated terminal) on use of SNAP benefits at an urban farmers' market. Time-series analyses of SNAP/EBT sales. The Clark Park farmers' market in West Philadelphia, PA, which accounts for one quarter of all SNAP/EBT sales at farmers' markets in Pennsylvania. Vendors were provided with individual wireless POS terminals for 9 months (June 2008-February 2009.) The pilot program covered all equipment and wireless service costs and transaction fees associated with SNAP/EBT, credit, and debit sales. Monthly SNAP/EBT sales at the Clark Park farmers' market. SNAP/EBT sales data were collected for 48 months (January 2007-December 2010). Time-series regression analysis was used to estimate the effect of the intervention period (June 2008-February 2009) on SNAP/EBT sales, controlling for seasonal effects and total SNAP benefits issued in Philadelphia. The intervention was associated with a 38% increase in monthly SNAP/EBT sales. Effects were greatest during the busy fall market seasons. SNAP/EBT sales did not remain significantly higher after the intervention period. Providing individual wireless POS terminals to farmers' market vendors leads to increased sales. However, market vendors indicated that subsidies for equipment costs and fees would be needed to break even. Currently, SNAP provides some support for these services for supermarket and other SNAP retailers with landline access, but not for farmers' markets. Copyright

Benefits of carbon markets to small and medium enterprises (SMEs ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Harvested wooden handicrafts products have the ability to lock carbon for long time and mitigate climate change. These products are currently eligible for availing benefits from voluntary carbon markets. The market size and opportunities for carbon credits are likely to increase substantially for these products during the ...

Competing for the non-US enrichment markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1980-01-01

The article discusses three basic steps: first, the historical perspectives; second, where the enrichment industry and the non-US markets for enrichment stand today (the present situation); and third, the likely future developments, which, for practical purposes, are dealt with in two parts: the non-US enrichment markets in the 1980s; and the non-US enrichment markets beyond the 1980s;

The market share of non-US uranium producers under different US embargo scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franks, W.A.

1988-01-01

The imposition of US restrictions on the use of foreign uranium has a potentially far reaching impact. This analysis examines various US import restriction scenarios and their impact on the market both inside and outside the USA. Specifically, the market share that the non-US producers would lose is estimated for a 50% embargo, a 62.5% embargo, and a 100% embargo, with and without the grandfathering of US utilities' foreign contracts. These results are then compared to what the market share would have been in a free market. The increase in the US market share is also briefly discussed. (author)

Methods for Estimation of Market Power in Electric Power Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Turcik, M.; Oleinikova, I.; Junghans, G.; Kolcun, M.

2012-01-01

The article is related to a topical issue of the newly-arisen market power phenomenon in the electric power industry. The authors point out to the importance of effective instruments and methods for credible estimation of the market power on liberalized electricity market as well as the forms and consequences of market power abuse. The fundamental principles and methods of the market power estimation are given along with the most common relevant indicators. Furthermore, in the work a proposal for determination of the relevant market place taking into account the specific features of power system and a theoretical example of estimating the residual supply index (RSI) in the electricity market are given.

Market diffusion, technological learning, and cost-benefit dynamics of condensing gas boilers in the Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, Martin; Dittmar, Lars; Junginger, Martin; Patel, Martin K.; Blok, Kornelis

2009-01-01

High costs often prevent the market diffusion of novel and efficient energy technologies. Monitoring cost and price decline for these technologies is thus important in order to establish effective energy policy. Here, we present experience curves and cost-benefit analyses for condensing gas boilers produced and sold in the Netherlands between 1981 and 2006. For the most dominant boiler type on the Dutch market, i.e., condensing gas combi boilers, we identify learning rates of 14±1% for the average price and 16±8% for the additional price relative to non-condensing devices. Economies of scale, competitive sourcing of boiler components, and improvements in boiler assembly are among the main drivers behind the observed price decline. The net present value of condensing gas combi boilers shows an overall increasing trend. Purchasing in 2006 a gas boiler of this type instead of a non-condensing device generates a net present value of 970 EUR (Euro) and realizes CO 2 (carbon dioxide) emission savings at negative costs of -120 EUR per tonne CO 2 . We attribute two-thirds of the improvements in the cost-benefit performance of condensing gas combi boilers to technological learning and one-third to a combination of external effects and governmental policies.

Switching benefits and costs in competitive health insurance markets: A conceptual framework and empirical evidence from the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Duijmelinck, Daniëlle M I D; Mosca, Ilaria; van de Ven, Wynand P M M

2015-05-01

Competitive health insurance markets will only enhance cost-containment, efficiency, quality, and consumer responsiveness if all consumers feel free to easily switch insurer. Consumers will switch insurer if their perceived switching benefits outweigh their perceived switching costs. We developed a conceptual framework with potential switching benefits and costs in competitive health insurance markets. Moreover, we used a questionnaire among Dutch consumers (1091 respondents) to empirically examine the relevance of the different switching benefits and costs in consumers' decision to (not) switch insurer. Price, insurers' service quality, insurers' contracted provider network, the benefits of supplementary insurance, and welcome gifts are potential switching benefits. Transaction costs, learning costs, 'benefit loss' costs, uncertainty costs, the costs of (not) switching provider, and sunk costs are potential switching costs. In 2013 most Dutch consumers switched insurer because of (1) price and (2) benefits of supplementary insurance. Nearly half of the non-switchers - and particularly unhealthy consumers - mentioned one of the switching costs as their main reason for not switching. Because unhealthy consumers feel not free to easily switch insurer, insurers have reduced incentives to invest in high-quality care for them. Therefore, policymakers should develop strategies to increase consumer choice. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Benefits and Risks of Virtual Bidding in Multi-Settlement Markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isemonger, Alan G.

2006-01-01

While it is possible that multi-settlement markets can exist without virtual trading, it is equally clear that virtual trading can provide many market benefits. The main one: In the absence of explicit virtual bidding (EVB), the price arbitrage trades that are benign in other commodity markets affect the reliability of the underlying electricity markets, resulting in a situation where EVB is most useful when it neutralizes the deleterious reliability effects of implicit virtual bidding and physical arbitrage. (author)

Non-competitive market behaviour in the international coking coal market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, P.; Thorpe, S.; Hogan, L.

1999-01-01

In this paper, a primal dual programming model of international coking coal trade is constructed to test for non-competitive market behaviour. World trade in 1996 is simulated under perfect competition and various non-competitive market structures. Statistical tests are used to compare simulated trade flows with actual data. Assuming Cournot-Nash behaviour, an all consumer oligopsony market structure is preferred to alternative models. Under an all consumer oligopsony world coking coal prices and trade are lower than under perfect competition. Under an oligopsonistic structure welfare gains from productivity increases in Australian coal mines might largely accrue to coal buyers

The external benefits of higher education

OpenAIRE

Hermannsson, Kristinn; Lisenkova, Katerina; Lecca, Patrizio; McGregor, Peter G.; Swales, J. Kim

2017-01-01

The private market benefits of education are widely studied at the micro level, although the magnitude of their macroeconomic impact is disputed. However, there are additional benefits of education, which are less well understood. In this paper the macroeconomic effects of external benefits of higher education are estimated using the “micro-to-macro” simulation approach. Two types of externalities are explored: technology spillovers and productivity spillovers in the labour market. These link...

Guide on Economic Instruments & Non-market Valuation Methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zandersen, Marianne; Bartczak, Anna; Czajkowski, Mikołaj

The aim of this guidance document is to provide forest practitioners, decision makers and forest owners insights into the various economic instruments available to enhance the non-market ecosystem provision of forests such as a high quality biodiversity; enhanced carbon sequestration; improved...... with ecosystem degradation and iii) by recognising the substantial economic and welfare benefits of better management of ecosystems in forests. Ecosystem services contribute to economic welfare in two ways: • by contributing to the generation of income and wellbeing; and • by preventing damages that inflict...... initiatives it is therefore essential to consider trade offs and synergies between the complex interplay between ecosystem goods and services within an ecosystem,...

Effects of the Tax Treatment of Fringe Benefits on Labor Market Segmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Frank A.; And Others

1989-01-01

Argues that the provision of the same fringe benefits for all workers promotes labor market segmentation by inducing workers to sort themselves across the economy according to their demand for fringe benefits. (JOW)

Modeling of GE Appliances: Cost Benefit Study of Smart Appliances in Wholesale Energy, Frequency Regulation, and Spinning Reserve Markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuller, Jason C.; Parker, Graham B.

2012-12-31

This report is the second in a series of three reports describing the potential of GE’s DR-enabled appliances to provide benefits to the utility grid. The first report described the modeling methodology used to represent the GE appliances in the GridLAB-D simulation environment and the estimated potential for peak demand reduction at various deployment levels. The third report will explore the technical capability of aggregated group actions to positively impact grid stability, including frequency and voltage regulation and spinning reserves, and the impacts on distribution feeder voltage regulation, including mitigation of fluctuations caused by high penetration of photovoltaic distributed generation. In this report, a series of analytical methods were presented to estimate the potential cost benefit of smart appliances while utilizing demand response. Previous work estimated the potential technical benefit (i.e., peak reduction) of smart appliances, while this report focuses on the monetary value of that participation. The effects on wholesale energy cost and possible additional revenue available by participating in frequency regulation and spinning reserve markets were explored.

Volatility persistence in crude oil markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charles, Amélie; Darné, Olivier

2014-01-01

Financial market participants and policy-makers can benefit from a better understanding of how shocks can affect volatility over time. This study assesses the impact of structural changes and outliers on volatility persistence of three crude oil markets – Brent, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – between January 2, 1985 and June 17, 2011. We identify outliers using a new semi-parametric test based on conditional heteroscedasticity models. These large shocks can be associated with particular event patterns, such as the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, the Operation Desert Storm, the Operation Desert Fox, and the Global Financial Crisis as well as OPEC announcements on production reduction or US announcements on crude inventories. We show that outliers can bias (i) the estimates of the parameters of the equation governing volatility dynamics; (ii) the regularity and non-negativity conditions of GARCH-type models (GARCH, IGARCH, FIGARCH and HYGARCH); and (iii) the detection of structural breaks in volatility, and thus the estimation of the persistence of the volatility. Therefore, taking into account the outliers on the volatility modelling process may improve the understanding of volatility in crude oil markets. - Highlights: • We study the impact of outliers on volatility persistence of crude oil markets. • We identify outliers and patches of outliers due to specific events. • We show that outliers can bias (i) the estimates of the parameters of GARCH models, (ii) the regularity and non-negativity conditions of GARCH-type models, (iii) the detection of structural breaks in volatility of crude oil markets

Estimating WACC for Regulated Industries on Developing Financial Markets and in Times of Market Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Stubelj

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the estimation of weighted average cost of capital (WACC for regulated industries in developing financial markets from the perspective of the current financial-economic crisis. In current financial market situation some evident changes have occurred: risk-free rates in solid and developed financial markets (e. g. USA, Germany have fallen, but due to increased market volatility, the risk premiums have increased. The latter is especially evident in transition economies where the amplitude of market volatility is extremely high. In such circumstances, there is a question of how to calculate WACC properly. WACC is an important measure in financial management decisions and in our case, business regulation. We argue in the paper that the most accurate method for calculating WACC is the estimation of the long-term WACC, which takes into consideration a long-term stable yield of capital and not the current market conditions. Following this, we propose some solutions that could be used for calculating WACC for regulated industries on the developing financial markets in times of market uncertainty. As an example, we present an estimation of the capital cost for a selected Slovenian company, which operates in the regulated industry of electric distribution.

THE METHODS FOR ESTIMATING REGIONAL PROFESSIONAL MOBILE RADIO MARKET POTENTIAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y.À. Korobeynikov

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The paper represents the author’s methods of estimating regional professional mobile radio market potential, that belongs to high-tech b2b markets. These methods take into consideration such market peculiarities as great range and complexity of products, technological constraints and infrastructure development for the technological systems operation. The paper gives an estimation of professional mobile radio potential in Perm region. This estimation is already used by one of the systems integrator for its strategy development.

3 CFR - Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

.... Promoting Compliance with Existing Law Requiring Federal Workplaces to be Free of Discrimination Based on... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents Memorandum of June 17, 2009 Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination...

Female Schooling, Non-Market Productivity, and Labor Market Participation in Nigeria

OpenAIRE

Aromolaran, Adebayo B.

2004-01-01

Economists have argued that increasing female schooling positively influences the labor supply of married women by inducing a faster rise in market productivity relative to non-market productivity. I use the Nigerian Labor Force Survey to investigate how own and husband's schooling affect women's labor market participation. I find that additional years of postsecondary education increases wage market participation probability by as much as 15.2%. A marginal increase in primary schooling has n...

The Willingness of Non-Industrial Private Forest Owners to Enter California's Carbon Offset Market.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Erin Clover; Gold, Gregg J; Di Tommaso, Joanna

2017-11-01

While non-industrial private forest landowners have a significant amount of forest landholdings in the US, they are underrepresented in the California cap-and-trade market forest offset program. Additional participation could benefit both the market and non-industrial private forest landowners. We developed a mail questionnaire which served as both a survey instrument and outreach tool about the market. Questions covered forest ownership objectives, landowners' future plans for forests, views of climate change, and attitudes and intentions regarding forest carbon offset project development. We sampled from five Northern California counties for a total of 143 usable surveys. Three different groups of landowners were identified based on their management objectives: amenity (including protecting nature and recreation); legacy (passing land to children and/or maintaining a farm or ranch); and income. Landowner objective groups differed on several key variables, particularly related to potential motivations for joining the market, while all landowners expressed concerns about protocol requirements. Regardless of ownership objectives, over half expressed that receiving revenue from their forests would be an important motivator to join, though most were unwilling to satisfy protocol requirements, even after learning of the potential benefits of program participation. Thus, participation appears to be limited by the costly and complex project development process, as well as a lack of landowner awareness. Extending these lessons, we assert that different landowners may approach payment for ecosystem services programs with different needs, awareness, and motivations, which provide important lessons for those who conduct landowner outreach and for PES program designers.

The Willingness of Non-Industrial Private Forest Owners to Enter California's Carbon Offset Market

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Erin Clover; Gold, Gregg J.; Di Tommaso, Joanna

2017-11-01

While non-industrial private forest landowners have a significant amount of forest landholdings in the US, they are underrepresented in the California cap-and-trade market forest offset program. Additional participation could benefit both the market and non-industrial private forest landowners. We developed a mail questionnaire which served as both a survey instrument and outreach tool about the market. Questions covered forest ownership objectives, landowners' future plans for forests, views of climate change, and attitudes and intentions regarding forest carbon offset project development. We sampled from five Northern California counties for a total of 143 usable surveys. Three different groups of landowners were identified based on their management objectives: amenity (including protecting nature and recreation); legacy (passing land to children and/or maintaining a farm or ranch); and income. Landowner objective groups differed on several key variables, particularly related to potential motivations for joining the market, while all landowners expressed concerns about protocol requirements. Regardless of ownership objectives, over half expressed that receiving revenue from their forests would be an important motivator to join, though most were unwilling to satisfy protocol requirements, even after learning of the potential benefits of program participation. Thus, participation appears to be limited by the costly and complex project development process, as well as a lack of landowner awareness. Extending these lessons, we assert that different landowners may approach payment for ecosystem services programs with different needs, awareness, and motivations, which provide important lessons for those who conduct landowner outreach and for PES program designers.

Research on electricity market operation mechanism and its benefit of demand side participation

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shuai; Yan, Xu; Qin, Li-juan; Lin, Xi-qiao; Zeng, Bo

2017-08-01

Demand response plays an important role in maintaining the economic stability of the system, and has the characteristics of high efficiency, low cost, fast response, good environmental benefits and so on. Demand side resource is an important part of electricity market. The research of demand side resources in our country is still in the initial stage, but the opening of the electricity sales side provides a broad prospect for the development of electricity market. This paper summarizes the main types of demand side resources in our country, analyzes the economic principle of demand response from the micro perspective, puts forward some suggestions on the operation mechanism of China’s demand side resources participating in the electricity market under the condition of electricity sales side opening, analyzes the current situation of pricing in the electricity wholesale market and sets up the pricing strategy of the centralized wholesale market with the demand side power supply participating in quotation, which makes the social and economic benefits reach the maximum.

Application of relationship marketing in non-profit organisations ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Application of relationship marketing in non-profit organisations involved in the provision of sport and recreational services. ... A variety of factors have over time contributed to a need for marketing in non-profit ... AJOL African Journals Online.

Measuring Non-Market Values for Hydropower Production and Water Storage on the Colorado River: A White Paper Investigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lowry, Thomas Stephen [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Earth Systems Analysis Dept.; Chermak, Janie M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Earth Systems Analysis Dept.; Brookshire, David S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Earth Systems Analysis Dept.; Shaneyfelt, Calvin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Earth Systems Analysis Dept.; Kobos, Peter H. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Earth Systems Analysis Dept.

2017-01-01

This study presents a conceptual framework for capturing the spatial and temporal aspects of non-market dimensions of value (DOV) and how they vary as the result of policy changes for hydropower generation and developed water uses. The foundation of this project is a literature review that reveals that focused, sector specific valuations are no longer adequate if the goal is to provide decision makers with a complete understanding of their decisions. Rather, estimates of non-market values for informing decisions regarding dam operations and/or other water management alternatives must consider the entire spectrum of market and non-market values, and the tradeoffs (both positive and negative) between those values over time and space, while considering shifting preferences in an uncertain environment. This document describes the history and reasoning for these conclusions and presents a conceptual framework for understanding non-market values as a function of changes to hydropower operations and water resources management.

76 FR 77815 - Ethical Electric Benefit Co.; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-14

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. ER12-543-000] Ethical Electric Benefit Co.; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for... Ethical Electric Benefit Co.'s application for market-based rate authority, with an accompanying rate...

The Existence and Use of Benefit Segments in the Irish Sea Ferry Market

OpenAIRE

Matear, Sheelagh Maureen

1991-01-01

In the last thirty years segmentation has been recognised as a fundamental concept in the understanding of a market. This research undertakes a benefit segmentation of the passenger and freight, sea and air transport markets between Great Britain and Ireland (both Northern Ireland and Eire). In so doing, two areas which have been under-researched are addressed; segmentation in a transport market and the Irish sea passenger and freight market. The dominant features of the ...

Identification and estimation of non-Gaussian structural vector autoregressions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lanne, Markku; Meitz, Mika; Saikkonen, Pentti

-Gaussian components is, without any additional restrictions, identified and leads to (essentially) unique impulse responses. We also introduce an identification scheme under which the maximum likelihood estimator of the non-Gaussian SVAR model is consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. As a consequence......, additional economic identifying restrictions can be tested. In an empirical application, we find a negative impact of a contractionary monetary policy shock on financial markets, and clearly reject the commonly employed recursive identifying restrictions....

Net Pay Estimator | Alaska Division of Retirement and Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

Benefits > Net Pay Estimator Online Counselor Scheduler Empower Retirement Account Info Online myRnB Accessibility Net Pay Estimator Click here for the Retiree Net Pay Estimator? The net pay estimator is a useful tool to estimate your net pay under different salaries, federal withholding tax exemptions, and

Perceived benefits and barriers of physical activity: A social marketing formative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn; Kubacki, Krzysztof; Gruneklee, Naomi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to gain formative research insights that can be used to design social marketing campaigns. One thousand four hundred fifty-nine people participated in an online survey. Factor analysis was undertaken to establish perceived benefits and barriers, and indexes were created for barriers, benefits, and healthy living knowledge. Four attitude groups were formed and analysis of variance was undertaken to explore group differences. Consumers with high perceived barriers report less physical activity than consumers with low perceived barriers to exercise. The current study provides evidence to suggest that exchange theory can offer important insights to inform social marketing intervention planning.

Market Potential Estimation of a Small and Medium Size Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, K. B.; Yang, M. H.; Lee, M. K.; Chung, W. S.; Kim, H. J.; Kim, S. S.; Lee, B. W.; Ryu, J. S.; Juhn, P. E.

2004-12-01

Technically, nuclear reactors which produce energy in the form of heat can supply energy products other than electricity, including district heat, process heat, potable water etc. Currently non-civil uses of nuclear energy are very limited civil applications except for a military nuclear powered ship and an energy usage in isolated areas. However, the future global environment and an energy resources scarcity could promote a significant usage of non-electrical applications on an industrial scale. Considering these situations, this report analyzed the following: (1) Worldwide non-electrical application of a small and medium sized nuclear reactor - survey the situation of the current technical applications, - survey the global market potential estimation for various applications (2) Technical cooperation potential in several countries - identify necessary conditions for nuclear cooperation, - select candidate countries: Morocco, UAE, Indonesia, Chile and Vietnam, - survey the energy and water situation, - survey the legal and international regime infrastructure

Integral Cost-Benefit Analysis of Maglev Rail Projects Under Market Imperfections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Paul Elhorst

2008-07-01

Full Text Available This article evaluates a new mode of high speed ground transportation, the magnetic levitation rail system (Maglev. The outcomes of this evaluation provide policy information on the interregional redistribution of employment and population and the national welfare improvement of two Dutch urban-conglomeration and two Dutch core-periphery projects. This article also compares the results of an integral cost- benefit analysis with those of a conventional cost-benefit analysis and concludes that the additional economic benefits due to market imperfections vary from –1% to +38% of the direct transport benefits, depending on the type of regions connected and the general condition of the economy.

Estimating correlation and covariance matrices by weighting of market similarity

OpenAIRE

Michael C. M\\"unnix; Rudi Sch\\"afer; Oliver Grothe

2010-01-01

We discuss a weighted estimation of correlation and covariance matrices from historical financial data. To this end, we introduce a weighting scheme that accounts for similarity of previous market conditions to the present one. The resulting estimators are less biased and show lower variance than either unweighted or exponentially weighted estimators. The weighting scheme is based on a similarity measure which compares the current correlation structure of the market to the structures at past ...

Valuing Non-market Benefits of Rehabilitation of Hydrologic Cycle Improvements in the Anyangcheon Watershed: Using Mixed Logit Models

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, J.; Kong, K.

2010-12-01

This research the findings from a discrete-choice experiment designed to estimate the economic benefits associated with the Anyangcheon watershed improvements in Rep. of Korea. The Anyangcheon watershed has suffered from streamflow depletion and poor stream quality, which often negatively affect instream and near-stream ecologic integrity, as well as water supply. Such distortions in the hydrologic cycle mainly result from rapid increase of impermeable area due to urbanization, decreases of baseflow runoff due to groundwater pumping, and reduced precipitation inputs driven by climate forcing. As well, combined sewer overflows and increase of non-point source pollution from urban regions decrease water quality. The appeal of choice experiments (CE) in economic analysis is that it is based on random utility theory (McFadden, 1974; Ben-Akiva and Lerman, 1985). In contrast to contingent valuation method (CVM), which asks people to choose between a base case and a specific alternative, CE asks people to choice between cases that are described by attributes. The attributes of this study were selected from hydrologic vulnerability components that represent flood damage possibility, instreamflow depletion, water quality deterioration, form of the watershed and tax. Their levels were divided into three grades include status quo. Two grades represented the ideal conditions. These scenarios were constructed from a 35 orthogonal main effect design. This design resulted in twenty-seven choice sets. The design had nine different choice scenarios presented to each respondent. The most popular choice models in use are the conditional logit (CNL). This model provides closed-form choice probability calculation. The shortcoming of CNL comes from irrelevant alternatives (IIA). In this paper, the mixed logit (ML) is applied to allow the coefficient’s variation for random taste heterogeneity in the population. The mixed logit model(with normal distributions for the attributes) fit the

Monetary benefits of preventing childhood lead poisoning with lead-safe window replacement

OpenAIRE

Nevin, Rick; Jacobs, David / E.; Berg, Michael; Cohen, Jonathan

2007-01-01

Previous estimates of childhood lead poisoning prevention benefits have quantified the present value of some health benefits, but not the costs of lead paint hazard control or the benefits associated with housing and energy markets. Because older housing with lead paint constitutes the main exposure source today in the U.S., we quantify health benefits, costs, market value benefits, energy savings, and net economic benefits of lead-safe window replacement (which includes paint stabilization ...

Non-comparative and comparative advertising in oligopolistic markets

OpenAIRE

Alipranti, Maria; Mitrokostas, Evangelos; Petrakis, Emmanuel

2016-01-01

We study firms' advertising strategies in an oligopolistic market in which both non-comparative and comparative advertising are present. We show that in equilibrium firms mix over the two types of advertising, with the intensity of comparative advertising exceeding that of non-comparative advertising; moreover, that the intensity of comparative increases relatively to non-comparative advertising as market competition intensifies. Interestingly, the use of comparative advertising may lead to h...

Accommodating non-market values in evaluation of wildfire management in the United States: Challenges and opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Tyron J. Venn; David E. Calkin

2011-01-01

Forests in the United States generate many non-market benefits for society that can be enhanced and diminished by wildfire and wildfire management. The Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy (1995, updated 2001), and subsequent Guidance to the Implementation of that policy provided in 2009, require fire management priorities be set on the basis of values to be...

Market Potential for Non-electric Applications of Nuclear Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konishi, T.; Kononov, S.; Kupitz, J.; McDonald, A.; Rogner, H.H.; Nisan, S.

2002-01-01

The paper presents results of a recent IAEA study to assess the market potential for non-electric applications of nuclear energy in the near (before 2020) and long term (2020-2050). The applications covered are district heating, desalination, industrial heat supply, ship propulsion, energy supply for spacecraft, and, to a lesser extent, 'innovative' applications such as hydrogen production, coal gasification, etc. While technical details are covered only briefly, emphasis is placed on economics and other factors that may promote or hinder the penetration of nuclear options in the markets for non-electric energy services. The study makes a distinction between the market size (demand for a given service) and the market potential for nuclear penetration (which may be smaller because of technical or non-technical constraints). Near-term nuclear prospects are assessed on the basis of on-going projects in the final stages of design or under construction. For the long term, use has been made of a qualitative scale ranging from 0 to 2 for five critical areas: market structure, demand pressure, technical basis, economic competitiveness, and public acceptance. The paper presents the resulting evaluation of long-term prospects for nuclear energy entering into non-electric markets. (authors)

Market Brief. Status of the Voluntary Renewable Energy Certificate Market (2011 Data)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heeter, Jenny [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Armstrong, Philip [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bird, Lori [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2012-09-01

This report documents the status and trends of U.S. 'voluntary' markets -- those in which consumers and institutions purchase renewable energy to match their electricity needs on a voluntary basis. Voluntary REC markets continue to exhibit growth and spur renewable energy development. Voluntary green power markets provide an additional revenue stream for renewable energy projects and raise consumer awareness of the benefits of renewable energy. Although a full estimate of the size of the voluntary market is not available for 2011, this review uses indicative metrics to capture 2011 voluntary market trends.

Market Brief: Status of the Voluntary Renewable Energy Certificate Market (2011 Data)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heeter, J.; Armstrong, P.; Bird, L.

2012-09-01

This report documents the status and trends of U.S. 'voluntary' markets -- those in which consumers and institutions purchase renewable energy to match their electricity needs on a voluntary basis. Voluntary REC markets continue to exhibit growth and spur renewable energy development. Voluntary green power markets provide an additional revenue stream for renewable energy projects and raise consumer awareness of the benefits of renewable energy. Although a full estimate of the size of the voluntary market is not available for 2011, this review uses indicative metrics to capture 2011 voluntary market trends.

Managing costs, managing benefits: employer decisions in local health care markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Christianson, Jon B; Trude, Sally

2003-02-01

To better understand employer health benefit decision making, how employer health benefits strategies evolve over time, and the impact of employer decisions on local health care systems. Data were collected as part of the Community Tracking Study (CTS), a longitudinal analysis of health system change in 12 randomly selected communities. This is an observational study with data collection over a six-year period. The study used semistructured interviews with local respondents, combined with monitoring of local media, to track changes in health care systems over time and their impact on community residents. Interviewing began in 1996 and was carried out at two-year intervals, with a total of approximately 2,200 interviews. The interviews provided a variety of perspectives on employer decision making concerning health benefits; these perspectives were triangulated to reach conclusions. The tight labor market during the study period was the dominant consideration in employer decision making regarding health benefits. Employers, in managing employee compensation, made independent decisions in pursuit of individual goals, but these decisions were shaped by similar labor market conditions. As a result, within and across our study sites, employer decisions in aggregate had an important impact on local health care systems, although employers' more highly visible public efforts to bring about health system change often met with disappointing results. General economic conditions in the 1990s had an important impact on the configuration of local health systems through their effect on employer decision making regarding health benefits offered to employees, and the responses of health plans and providers to those decisions.

MARKET RISK ESTIMATION IN (T+-TRANSACTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radik B. Begov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Market risk analysis and estimation are presentedin T+ transactionsas they are used within the Moscow Exchange. There is a need to do so as a result of the cut-off of a new REPO product with Central Counterpartner (CCP. Here repurchase agreement goes through the National Clearing Center (NCC, the last being a bank and a clearing structure within the Moscow Exchange group.NCC actsas an intermediary (so called “Central Counterpartner” between trading participants.REPOs with CCP raisecontractor claims and commitments to the CCP which takes the risk of default on commitments from unfair contract side. The REPO with CCP cut-off made ready a technological platform to implement T+2 trades at the Moscow Exchange. As a result of it there appeared the possibility to enter security purchase/sell contracts partially collateralized. All these transactions (the REPO with CCP, T+ made it a must determining security market risks. The paper is aimed at presenting VaR-like risk estimates. The methods used are from the computer fi nance. Unusual TS rate of return indicator is proposed and applied to find optimal portfolios under the Markowitz approach and their VaRs (losses forecasts given the real “big” share price data and various horizons. Portfolio extreme rate and loss forecasting is our goal. To this end the forecasts are computed for three horizons (2, 5 and 10 days and for three significance levels.There were developed R-, Excel- and Bloomberg-basedsoftware tools as needed. The whole range of proposed computing steps and the tables with charts may be considered as candidates to be included in the future market risk standards.Paper results permit capital market participants to choose the correct (as to the required risk level common stocks.

Counting the cost: estimating the economic benefit of pedophile treatment programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanahan, M; Donato, R

2001-04-01

The principal objective of this paper is to identify the economic costs and benefits of pedophile treatment programs incorporating both the tangible and intangible cost of sexual abuse to victims. Cost estimates of cognitive behavioral therapy programs in Australian prisons are compared against the tangible and intangible costs to victims of being sexually abused. Estimates are prepared that take into account a number of problematic issues. These include the range of possible recidivism rates for treatment programs; the uncertainty surrounding the number of child sexual molestation offences committed by recidivists; and the methodological problems associated with estimating the intangible costs of sexual abuse on victims. Despite the variation in parameter estimates that impact on the cost-benefit analysis of pedophile treatment programs, it is found that potential range of economic costs from child sexual abuse are substantial and the economic benefits to be derived from appropriate and effective treatment programs are high. Based on a reasonable set of parameter estimates, in-prison, cognitive therapy treatment programs for pedophiles are likely to be of net benefit to society. Despite this, a critical area of future research must include further methodological developments in estimating the quantitative impact of child sexual abuse in the community.

Unemployment Benefits and Parental Resources: What Helps the Young Unemployed with Labour Market Integration?

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, Marita

2008-01-01

This article deals with the question of how different resources affect the labour market integration of the young unemployed. Previous research has often focused on the effects of unemployment compensation benefits on labour market outcomes. However, for young unemployed people additional parental resources may be even more important. The article…

Estimating Price Elasticity using Market-Level Appliance Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujita, K. Sydny [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2015-08-04

This report provides and update to and expansion upon our 2008 LBNL report “An Analysis of the Price Elasticity of Demand for Appliances,” in which we estimated an average relative price elasticity of -0.34 for major household appliances (Dale and Fujita 2008). Consumer responsiveness to price change is a key component of energy efficiency policy analysis; these policies influence consumer purchases through price both explicitly and implicitly. However, few studies address appliance demand elasticity in the U.S. market and public data sources are generally insufficient for rigorous estimation. Therefore, analysts have relied on a small set of outdated papers focused on limited appliance types, assuming long-term elasticities estimated for other durables (e.g., vehicles) decades ago are applicable to current and future appliance purchasing behavior. We aim to partially rectify this problem in the context of appliance efficiency standards by revisiting our previous analysis, utilizing data released over the last ten years and identifying additional estimates of durable goods price elasticities in the literature. Reviewing the literature, we find the following ranges of market-level price elasticities: -0.14 to -0.42 for appliances; -0.30 to -1.28 for automobiles; -0.47 to -2.55 for other durable goods. Brand price elasticities are substantially higher for these product groups, with most estimates -2.0 or more elastic. Using market-level shipments, sales value, and efficiency level data for 1989-2009, we run various iterations of a log-log regression model, arriving at a recommended range of short run appliance price elasticity between -0.4 and -0.5, with a default value of -0.45.

Analysis of Benefits of an Energy Imbalance Market in the NWPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samaan, Nader A.; Bayless, Rich; Symonds, Mark; Nguyen, Tony B.; Jin, Chunlian; Wu, Di; Diao, Ruisheng; Makarov, Yuri V.; Kannberg, Landis D.; Guo, Tao; Dennison-Leonard , Sarah; Goodenough, Mike; Schellberg, Ron; Conger, Sid; Harris, Kevin; Rarity, Matt; Wallace, Steven; Austin, Jamie; Noteboom, Rod; Van Blaricom , Tim; McRunnel, Kim; Apperson, John; Empey, Marshall; Etingov, Pavel V.; Warady, Debra; Brush, Ray; Newkirk, Joshua; Williams, Peter; Landauer, Marv; Owen, Hugh; Morter, Wayne; Haraguchi, Keli; Portouw, Jim; Downey, kathryn; Sorey, Steve; Williams, Stan; Gossa, Teyent; Kalich, Clint; Damiano, Patrick; Macarthur, Clay; Martin, Tom; Hoerner, Joe; Knudsen, Steve; Johnson, Anders; Link, Rick; Holcomb, Dennis

2013-10-18

The Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) Market Assessment Committee (MC) Initiative, which was officially launched on March 19, 2012, set out to explore a range of alternatives that could help the Balancing Authorities and scheduling utilities in the NWPP area address growing operational and commercial challenges affecting the regional power system. The MC formed an Analytical Team with technical representatives from each of the member Balancing Areas in the NWPP and with staff of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This Analytical Team was instructed to conduct extensive studies of intra-hour operation of the NWPP system in the year 2020 and of the NWPP region with 14,671 MW of wind penetration. The effort utilized a sub-hourly production cost model (the PLEXOS® computer model) that inputs data from the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC)-wide Production Cost Model (PCM) to evaluate potential production cost savings. The Analytical Team was given two general options to evaluate: •Energy Imbalance Market (EIM): establishment of an automated, organized NWPP area market for economically supplying energy imbalance within the hour. •Enhanced Market-Operational Tools (EMT) that might augment or replace an EIM. The Analytical The Analytical Team built on the WECC-wide PCM data from prior work done in the WECC and carried forward the evolution of the original WECC Transmission Expansion Planning Policy Committee (TEPPC) 2020 PC0 data base. A large number of modifications and improvements were made to this case and the data were subjected to extensive review by the team members to improve the model representation of the Northwest (NW). MC meetings that were open to the public were held for interested parties to review and provide input to the study. Results for the test, base, and sensitivity case studies performed by the MC Initiative Analytical Team indicate that there are a wide range of benefits that could be obtained from the operation of an EIM in

Stakes and impact of non conventional gases on the market energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-04-01

This article presents the content of a market study which aimed at describing the boom of the market of non conventional gases in the USA (definition, reasons for quick development, competitiveness, growth perspectives), at understanding how and why theses gases are the new playground of oil and gas companies (actors in presence, positions held by independent operators, ambitions of major companies, question of the development of a European sector of non conventional gases), and at anticipating the changes of the energy production market (the emergence of this market in the USA is an acceleration and imbalance factor of the world market of natural gas, and non conventional gases may change the deal on energy markets)

76 FR 65694 - Non-Market Economy Antidumping Proceedings: Assessment of Antidumping Duties

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-24

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Non-Market Economy Antidumping... refining its practice to instruct CBP to liquidate such entries at the non-market economy (``NME'')-wide... Non-Market Economy Antidumping Proceedings: Assessment of Antidumping Duties, 76 FR 34046 (June 10...

Examination of Potential Benefits of an Energy Imbalance Market in the Western Interconnection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milligan, M.; Clark, K.; King, J.; Kirby, B.; Guo, T.; Liu, G.

2013-03-01

In the Western Interconnection, there is significant interest in improving approaches to wide-area coordinated operations of the bulk electric power system, in part because of the increasing penetration of variable generation. One proposed solution is an energy imbalance market. This study focused on that approach alone, with the goal of identifying the potential benefits of an energy imbalance market in the year 2020.

The Impact of Active Labor Market Programs and Benefit Entitlement Rules on the Duration of Unemployment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lalive, R.; van Ours, J.C.; Zweimüller, J.

2000-01-01

Swiss policy makers created a unique link between unemployment benefits and active labor market programs (ALMPs) by making benefit payments conditional on program attendance after 7 months of unemployment duration. We evaluate the effect of ALMPs and benefit entitlement on the duration of

Survey of State-Level Cost and Benefit Estimates of Renewable Portfolio Standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heeter, J.; Barbose, G.; Bird, L.; Weaver, S.; Flores-Espino, F.; Kuskova-Burns, K.; Wiser, R.

2014-05-01

Most renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have five or more years of implementation experience, enabling an assessment of their costs and benefits. Understanding RPS costs and benefits is essential for policymakers evaluating existing RPS policies, assessing the need for modifications, and considering new policies. This study provides an overview of methods used to estimate RPS compliance costs and benefits, based on available data and estimates issued by utilities and regulators. Over the 2010-2012 period, average incremental RPS compliance costs in the United States were equivalent to 0.8% of retail electricity rates, although substantial variation exists around this average, both from year-to-year and across states. The methods used by utilities and regulators to estimate incremental compliance costs vary considerably from state to state and a number of states are currently engaged in processes to refine and standardize their approaches to RPS cost calculation. The report finds that state assessments of RPS benefits have most commonly attempted to quantitatively assess avoided emissions and human health benefits, economic development impacts, and wholesale electricity price savings. Compared to the summary of RPS costs, the summary of RPS benefits is more limited, as relatively few states have undertaken detailed benefits estimates, and then only for a few types of potential policy impacts. In some cases, the same impacts may be captured in the assessment of incremental costs. For these reasons, and because methodologies and level of rigor vary widely, direct comparisons between the estimates of benefits and costs are challenging.

MediCaring: development and test marketing of a supportive care benefit for older people.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynn, J; O'Connor, M A; Dulac, J D; Roach, M J; Ross, C S; Wasson, J H

1999-09-01

To develop an alternative healthcare benefit (called MediCaring) and to assess the preferences of older Medicare beneficiaries concerning this benefit, which emphasizes more home-based and supportive health care and discourages use of hospitalization and aggressive treatment. To evaluate the beneficiaries' ability to understand and make a choice regarding health insurance benefits; to measure their likelihood to change from traditional Medicare to the new MediCaring benefit; and to determine the short-term stability of that choice. Focus groups of persons aged 65+ and family members shaped the potential MediCaring benefit. A panel of 50 national experts critiqued three iterations of the benefit. The final version was test marketed by discussing it with 382 older people (men > or = 75 years and women > or = 80 years) in their homes. Telephone surveys a few days later, and again 1 month after the home interview, assessed the potential beneficiaries' understanding and preferences concerning MediCaring and the stability of their responses. Focus groups were held in community settings in New Hampshire, Washington, DC, Cleveland, OH, and Columbia, SC. Test marketing occurred in New Hampshire, Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC, and Los Angeles, CA. Focus group participants were persons more than 65 years old (11 focus groups), healthcare providers (9 focus groups), and family decision-makers (3 focus groups). Participants in the in-home informing (test marketing group) were persons older than 75 years who were identified through contact with a variety of services. Demographics, health characteristics, understanding, and preferences. Focus group beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 74 generally wanted access to all possible medical treatment and saw MediCaring as a need of persons older than themselves. Those older than age 80 were mostly in favor of it. Test marketing participants understood the key points of the new benefit: 74% generally liked it, and 34% said they would

The benefits and uses of the natural gas futures market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hornsby, C.W. Jr.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits and uses of the natural gas futures market. The first section addresses the question of why there are futures in the first place, gives a brief history of energy futures complex, and discusses the basic characteristics of a futures market. The second half of the paper focuses specifically on the natural gas contract and presents specific ways that futures may be used by companies as part of a commodity risk management program. As discussed, the overall objective is a shifting of commodity exposure away from the corporation in an effort to enhance rates of return, as well as smooth out or normalize earnings

Quantitative market survey of non-woody plants sold at Kariakoo Market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Posthouwer, Chantal; Veldman, Sarina; Abihudi, Siri; Otieno, Joseph N; van Andel, Tinde R; de Boer, Hugo J

2018-04-30

In Tanzania, traditional medicine plays a significant role in health care and local economies based on the harvesting, trade and sale of medicinal plant products. The majority of this plant material is said to originate from wild sources, and both traditional healers and vendors are concerned about the increasing scarcity of certain species. A market survey of non-powdered, non-woody medicinal plants was conducted at Kariakoo Market in Dar es Salaam, the major hub for medicinal plant trade in Tanzania, to assess sustainability of traded herbal medicine. For this study, fresh and dried herbs, seeds and fruits were collected and interviews were conducted to obtain information on vernacular names, preparation methods, monthly sales, uses and prices. Bundles of herbal medicine offered for sale were weighed and counted to calculate the value and volumes of daily stock at the market. A total of 71 medicinal plant products belonging to 62 to 67 different species from at least 41 different plant families were identified. We identified 45 plant products to species level, 20 products to genus level and four to family level. Plant species most encountered at the market were Suregada zanzibariensis, Myrothamnus flabellifolia and Sclerocarya birrea. The major use categories reported by the vendors were ritual purposes, digestive disorders and women's health. Annual sales are estimated to be in excess of 30 t and close to 200,000 USD, and trade in herbal medicine at Kariakoo Market provides subsistence income to many local vendors. A large diversity of wild-harvested plant species is traded as medicinal products in Tanzania, including species listed on CITES Appendices. Identifying and monitoring temporal changes in availability per season and from year to year will reveal which species are most affected by this trade, and help relevant authorities in Tanzania to find alternative sources of income for dependent stakeholders and initiate targeted efforts to protect threatened

Benefits of dynamic mobility applications : preliminary estimates from the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

This white paper examines the available quantitative information on the potential mobility benefits of the connected vehicle Dynamic Mobility Applications (DMA). This work will be refined as more and better estimates of benefits from mobility applica...

Appendix C: Biomass Program inputs for FY 2008 benefits estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2009-01-18

Document summarizes the results of the benefits analysis of EERE’s programs, as described in the FY 2008 Budget Request. EERE estimates benefits for its overall portfolio and nine Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD3) programs.

Structural Estimation of Stock Market Participation Costs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khorunzhina, Natalia

2013-01-01

education programs can affect consumers' investment decisions. Using household data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, I estimate the magnitude of the participation cost, allowing for individual heterogeneity in it. The results show the average stock market participation cost is about 4–6% of labor...

Beyond Crowd Judgments: Data-driven Estimation of Market Value in Association Football

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, Oliver; Simons, Alexander; Weinmann, Markus

2017-01-01

concern. Market values can be understood as estimates of transfer fees—that is, prices that could be paid for a player on the football market—so they play an important role in transfer negotiations. These values have traditionally been estimated by football experts, but crowdsourcing has emerged......Association football is a popular sport, but it is also a big business. From a managerial perspective, the most important decisions that team managers make concern player transfers, so issues related to player valuation, especially the determination of transfer fees and market values, are of major......’ market values using multilevel regression analysis. The regression results suggest that data-driven estimates of market value can overcome several of the crowd's practical limitations while producing comparably accurate numbers. Our results have important implications for football managers and scouts...

Methods development for assessing air pollution control benefits. Volume V, executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brookshire, D.S.; Crocker, T.D.; d'Arge, R.C.; Ben-David, S.; Kneese, A.V.; Schulze, W.D.

1979-02-01

The studies summarized by this volume represent original efforts to construct both a conceptually consistent and empirically verifiable set of methods for assessing environmental quality improvement benefits. While the state-of-the-art does not at present make it possible to provide highly accurate estimates of the benefits of reduced human or plant exposure to air pollutants, these studies nevertheless provide a set of fundamental benchmarks on which further efforts might be built. There are: many benefits traditionally viewed as intangible and therefore non-measurable can, in fact, be measured and be made comparable to economic values as expressed in markets; aesthetic and morbidity effects may dominate the measure of benefits as opposed to previous emphases on mortality health effects; and the likely economic benefits of air quality improvements are perhaps as much as an order of magnitude greater than previous studies had hypothesized

Math skills and market and non-market outcomes: Evidence from an Amazonian society of forager-farmers.

Science.gov (United States)

Undurraga, Eduardo A; Behrman, Jere R; Grigorenko, Elena L; Schultz, Alan; Yiu, Julie; Godoy, Ricardo A

2013-12-01

Research in industrial nations suggests that formal math skills are associated with improvements in market and non-market outcomes. But do these associations also hold in a highly autarkic setting with a limited formal labor market? We examined this question using observational annual panel data (2008 and 2009) from 1,121 adults in a native Amazonian society of forager-farmers in Bolivia (Tsimane'). Formal math skills were associated with an increase in wealth in durable market goods and in total wealth between data collection rounds, and with improved indicators of own reported perceived stress and child health. These associations did not vary significantly by people's Spanish skills or proximity to town. We conclude that the positive association between math skills and market and non-market outcomes extends beyond industrial nations to even highly autarkic settings.

Market Structure and Distribution of Benefits from Agricultural Exports: the Case of the Philippine Mango Industry

OpenAIRE

Briones, Roehlano M.

2013-01-01

To illuminate the role of agro-export industry in inclusive growth, this case study on Philippine mango focuses on the role of market structure in the distribution of export benefits. It is based on review of industry trends and related studies, open-ended interviews of key informants, and structured interviews of respondents situated along the value chain. The distribution of trade benefits is hypothesized to depend on both vertical and horizontal market structure. The former implies that a ...

Updated Estimates of the Remaining Market Potential of the U.S. ESCO Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, Peter H. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.; Carvallo Bodelon, Juan Pablo [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.; Goldman, Charles A. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.; Murphy, Sean [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.; Stuart, Elizabeth [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.

2017-04-01

The energy service company (ESCO) industry has a well-established track record of delivering energy and economic savings in the public and institutional buildings sector, primarily through the use of performance-based contracts. The ESCO industry often provides (or helps arrange) private sector financing to complete public infrastructure projects with little or no up-front cost to taxpayers. In 2014, total U.S. ESCO industry revenue was estimated at $5.3 billion. ESCOs expect total industry revenue to grow to $7.6 billion in 2017—a 13% annual growth rate from 2015-2017. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) were asked by the U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) to update and expand our estimates of the remaining market potential of the U.S. ESCO industry. We define remaining market potential as the aggregate amount of project investment by ESCOs that is technically possible based on the types of projects that ESCOS have historically implemented in the institutional, commercial, and industrial sectors using ESCO estimates of current market penetration in those sectors. In this analysis, we report U.S. ESCO industry remaining market potential under two scenarios: (1) a base case and (2) a case “unfettered” by market, bureaucratic, and regulatory barriers. We find that there is significant remaining market potential for the U.S. ESCO industry under both the base and unfettered cases. For the base case, we estimate a remaining market potential of $92-$201 billion ($2016). We estimate a remaining market potential of $190-$333 billion for the unfettered case. It is important to note, however, that there is considerable uncertainty surrounding the estimates for both the base and unfettered cases.

ANALYSIS OF MARKET TIMING TOWARD LEVERAGE OF NON-FINANCIAL COMPANIES IN INDONESIA

OpenAIRE

Wulandari, Vera Pipin; Setiawan, Kusdhianto

2015-01-01

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to examine the effect of market timing on leverage on non-financial compa-nies in Indonesia. Market timing was tested on the hot and cold market conditions. Hot and cold markets are determined by the monthly market to book ratio. A hot (cold) market occurs when the average market to book ratio of a particular month is above (below) the value of the moving average of the monthly market to book ratio. This study also aimed to test whether non-financial companies in Indo...

Incorporating Non-energy Benefits into Energy Savings Performance Contracts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, Peter; Goldman, Charles; Gilligan, Donald; Singer, Terry

2012-06-01

This paper evaluates the issue of non-energy benefits within the context of the U.S. energy services company (ESCO) industry?a growing industry comprised of companies that provide energy savings and other benefits to customers through the use of performance-based contracting. Recent analysis has found that ESCO projects in the public/institutional sector, especially at K-12 schools, are using performance-based contracting, at the behest of the customers, to partially -- but not fully -- offset substantial accumulated deferred maintenance needs (e.g., asbestos removal, wiring) and measures that have very long paybacks (roof replacement). This trend is affecting the traditional economic measures policymakers use to evaluate success on a benefit to cost basis. Moreover, the value of non-energy benefits which can offset some or all of the cost of the non-energy measures -- including operations and maintenance (O&M) savings, avoided capital costs, and tradable pollution emissions allowances-- are not always incorporated into a formal cost-effectiveness analysis of ESCO projects. Nonenergy benefits are clearly important to customers, but state and federal laws that govern the acceptance of these types of benefits for ESCO projects vary widely (i.e., 0-100percent of allowable savings can come from one or more non-energy categories). Clear and consistent guidance on what types of savings are recognized in Energy Savings agreements under performance contracts is necessary, particularly where customers are searching for deep energy efficiency gains in the building sector.

Analysis of the Risks and Benefits of New Chemical Entities Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Subsequently Withdrawn From the US Market.

Science.gov (United States)

Patriarca, Peter A; Van Auken, R Michael; Kebschull, Scott A

2018-01-01

Benefit-risk evaluations of drugs have been conducted since the introduction of modern regulatory systems more than 50 years ago. Such judgments are typically made on the basis of qualitative or semiquantitative approaches, often without the aid of quantitative assessment methods, the latter having often been applied asymmetrically to place emphasis on benefit more so than harm. In an effort to preliminarily evaluate the utility of lives lost or saved, or quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) lost and gained as a means of quantitatively assessing the potential benefits and risks of a new chemical entity, we focused our attention on the unique scenario in which a drug was initially approved based on one set of data, but later withdrawn from the market based on a second set of data. In this analysis, a dimensionless risk to benefit ratio was calculated in each instance, based on the risk and benefit quantified in similar units. The results indicated that FDA decisions to approve the drug corresponded to risk to benefit ratios less than or equal to 0.136, and that decisions to withdraw the drug from the US market corresponded to risk to benefit ratios greater than or equal to 0.092. The probability of FDA approval was then estimated using logistic regression analysis. The results of this analysis indicated that there was a 50% probability of FDA approval if the risk to benefit ratio was 0.121, and that the probability approaches 100% for values much less than 0.121, and the probability approaches 0% for values much greater than 0.121. The large uncertainty in these estimates due to the small sample size and overlapping data may be addressed in the future by applying the methodology to other drugs.

Benefits of rebuilding global marine fisheries outweigh costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sumaila, Ussif Rashid; Cheung, William; Dyck, Andrew; Gueye, Kamal; Huang, Ling; Lam, Vicky; Pauly, Daniel; Srinivasan, Thara; Swartz, Wilf; Watson, Reginald; Zeller, Dirk

2012-01-01

Global marine fisheries are currently underperforming, largely due to overfishing. An analysis of global databases finds that resource rent net of subsidies from rebuilt world fisheries could increase from the current negative US$13 billion to positive US$54 billion per year, resulting in a net gain of US$600 to US$1,400 billion in present value over fifty years after rebuilding. To realize this gain, governments need to implement a rebuilding program at a cost of about US$203 (US$130-US$292) billion in present value. We estimate that it would take just 12 years after rebuilding begins for the benefits to surpass the cost. Even without accounting for the potential boost to recreational fisheries, and ignoring ancillary and non-market values that would likely increase, the potential benefits of rebuilding global fisheries far outweigh the costs.

Access to non-pecuniary benefits: does gender matter? Evidence from six low- and middle-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Neeru; Alfano, Marco

2011-10-19

Gender issues remain a neglected area in most approaches to health workforce policy, planning and research. There is an accumulating body of evidence on gender differences in health workers' employment patterns and pay, but inequalities in access to non-pecuniary benefits between men and women have received little attention. This study investigates empirically whether gender differences can be observed in health workers' access to non-pecuniary benefits across six low- and middle-income countries. The analysis draws on cross-nationally comparable data from health facility surveys conducted in Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Jamaica, Mozambique, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Probit regression models are used to investigate whether female and male physicians, nurses and midwives enjoy the same access to housing allowance, paid vacations, in-service training and other benefits, controlling for other individual and facility-level characteristics. While the analysis did not uncover any consistent pattern of gender imbalance in access to non-monetary benefits, some important differences were revealed. Notably, female nursing and midwifery personnel (the majority of the sample) are found significantly less likely than their male counterparts to have accessed in-service training, identified not only as an incentive to attract and retain workers but also essential for strengthening workforce quality. This study sought to mainstream gender considerations by exploring and documenting sex differences in selected employment indicators across health labour markets. Strengthening the global evidence base about the extent to which gender is independently associated with health workforce performance requires improved generation and dissemination of sex-disaggregated data and research with particular attention to gender dimensions.

76 FR 34046 - Non-Market Economy Antidumping Proceedings: Assessment of Antidumping Duties

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-10

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Non-Market Economy Antidumping...'') administrative reviews involving non-market economy countries (``NME''), the Department of Commerce (``the...-deposit rate for each company subject to the investigation or review. In market economy (``ME...

Non-agricultural Market Access: A South Asian Perspective

OpenAIRE

A. R. Kemal; Musleh-ud Din; Ejaz Ghani

2005-01-01

A key element of the Doha Round of trade negotiations is liberalisation of trade in industrial products, commonly known as non-agricultural market access (NAMA). These negotiations are important for developing countries as these will determine the market access opportunities through which they can improve their growth prospects. This paper examines the key issues of NAMA from the South Asian perspective, outlines a negotiating strategy for increased market access, and spells out some policy i...

A Benefit-Risk Analysis Approach to Capture Regulatory Decision-Making: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Raju, G K; Gurumurthi, K; Domike, R; Kazandjian, D; Blumenthal, G; Pazdur, R; Woodcock, J

2016-12-01

Drug regulators around the world make decisions about drug approvability based on qualitative benefit-risk analyses. There is much interest in quantifying regulatory approaches to benefit and risk. In this work the use of a quantitative benefit-risk analysis was applied to regulatory decision-making about new drugs to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Benefits and risks associated with 20 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decisions associated with a set of candidate treatments submitted between 2003 and 2015 were analyzed. For benefit analysis, the median overall survival (OS) was used where available. When not available, OS was estimated based on overall response rate (ORR) or progression-free survival (PFS). Risks were analyzed based on magnitude (or severity) of harm and likelihood of occurrence. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was explored to demonstrate analysis of systematic uncertainty. FDA approval decision outcomes considered were found to be consistent with the benefit-risk logic. © 2016 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Estimating the benefits of public health policies that reduce harmful consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashley, Elizabeth M; Nardinelli, Clark; Lavaty, Rosemarie A

2015-05-01

For products such as tobacco and junk food, where policy interventions are often designed to decrease consumption, affected consumers gain utility from improvements in lifetime health and longevity but also lose utility associated with the activity of consuming the product. In the case of anti-smoking policies, even though published estimates of gross health and longevity benefits are up to 900 times higher than the net consumer benefits suggested by a more direct willingness-to-pay estimation approach, there is little recognition in the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness literature that gross estimates will overstate intrapersonal welfare improvements when utility losses are not netted out. This paper presents a general framework for analyzing policies that are designed to reduce inefficiently high consumption and provides a rule of thumb for the relationship between net and gross consumer welfare effects: where there exists a plausible estimate of the tax that would allow consumers to fully internalize health costs, the ratio of the tax to the per-unit long-term cost can provide an upper bound on the ratio of net to gross benefits. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Non-market forest ecosystem services and decision support in Nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Filyushkina, Anna; Strange, Niels; Löf, Magnus

2016-01-01

The need to integrate non-market ecosystem services into decision-making is widely acknowledged. Despite the exponentially growing body of literature, trade-offs between services are still poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review of published literature in the Nordic countries (Denmark......, Norway, Sweden and Finland) on the integration of non-market forest ecosystem services into decision-making. The aim of the review was two-fold: (1) to provide an overview of coverage of biophysical and socio-economic assessments of non-market ecosystem services in relation to forest management; (2......) to determine the extent of the integration of biophysical and socio-economic models of these services into decision support models. Our findings reveal the need for wider coverage of non-market ecosystem services and evidence-based modelling of how forest management regimes affect ecosystem services...

A Survey of the Non-clinical Benefits of EBVM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Hauser

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study aims to add non-clinical benefits to the virtues for adopting Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM. The objective is to quantify the commercial benefits of EBVM through an online survey of veterinary professionals, giving clear indications of the key areas of non-clinical benefits of EBVM. Further, the study aims to outline barriers to the wider implementation of EBVM and find preferred ways of overcoming those barriers.Background: A PICO-based literature review (Hauser and Jackson, 2016 found that while there are some papers suggesting a link between the practice of EBVM and better non-clinical benefits such as client satisfaction, a single study, focusing on the non-clinical benefits of EBVM, had yet to be conducted. This study builds on the findings of an exploratory study (Jackson and Hauser, 2017 outlining key areas of non-clinical benefits of EBVM: increased client satisfaction and retention, improved reputation, confidence, as well as employee engagement.Evidentiary value: This online survey of veterinary professionals (n=407 provides evidence for practitioners, universities and other veterinary staff regarding the non-clinical benefits of EBVM, the barriers to a wider adoption of the practice and ways of overcoming those barriers.Methods: The online survey of veterinary professionals was conducted during September – October 2016 and contained 23 questions. Survey participation was voluntary and the data used for analysis were de-identified.Results: The survey responses of 407 veterinary professionals provide quantitative evidence of how EBVM is put into practice, how EBVM is perceived to impact client behaviour and employee engagement, what the barriers are to practising EBVM and how these could be overcome. Key findings are that veterinary professionals are more likely to practise EBVM if they have been taught how to do so at vet school. EBVM is a way to provide value to and build trust with clients. Survey

Valuation of Non-Market Ecosystem Services of Forests

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taye, Fitalew Agimass

Forests provide a multitude of ecosystem services to society. However, not all such services are being reflected in market prices and that leads to underestimation of their economic values and suboptimal management schemes. Therefore, non-market valuation is required to provide complementary...... information for better forest management that underpins the concept of total economic values. In this thesis, the non-market ecosystem services of forests are evaluated with a focus on showing the impact of forest management. The thesis consists of four papers that address three main research questions: 1......) Which forest structural characteristics and features affect recreational preferences? 2) Does childhood forest experience determine forest visiting habit in adulthood? And 3) How does environmental attitude influence individuals’ willingness to pay for forest management initiatives designed to enhance...

Estimating mortality risk reduction and economic benefits from controlling ozone air pollution

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Committee on Estimating Mortality Risk Reduction Benefits from Decreasing Tropospheric Ozone Exposure

2008-01-01

... in life expectancy, and to assess methods for estimating the monetary value of the reduced risk of premature death and increased life expectancy in the context of health-benefits analysis. Estimating Mortality Risk Reduction and Economic Benefits from Controlling Ozone Air Pollution details the committee's findings and posits several recommendations to address these issues.

Estimating the Economic Benefits of Regional Ocean Observing Systems

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kite-Powell, Hauke L; Colgan, Charles S; Wellman, Katharine F; Pelsoci, Thomas; Wieand, Kenneth; Pendleton, Linwood; Kaiser, Mark J; Pulsipher, Allan G; Luger, Michael

2005-01-01

We develop a methodology to estimate the potential economic benefits from new investments in regional coastal ocean observing systems in US waters, and apply this methodology to generate preliminary...

Aqueous nitrate waste treatment: Technology comparison, cost/benefit, and market analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to provide information necessary for the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate the practical utility of the Nitrate to Ammonia and Ceramic or Glass (NAC/NAG/NAX) process, which is under development in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The NAC/NACx/NAX process can convert aqueous radioactive nitrate-laden waste to a glass, ceramic, or grout solid waste form. The tasks include, but are not limited to, the following: Identify current commercial technologies to meet hazardous and radiological waste disposal requirements. The technologies may be thermal or non-thermal but must be all inclusive (i.e., must convert a radionuclide-containing nitrate waste with a pH around 12 to a stable form that can be disposed at permitted facilities); evaluate and compare DOE-sponsored vitrification, grouting, and minimum additive waste stabilization projects for life-cycle costs; compare the technologies above with respect to material costs, capital equipment costs, operating costs, and operating efficiencies. For the NAC/NAG/NAX process, assume aluminum reactant is government furnished and ammonia gas may be marketed; compare the identified technologies with respect to frequency of use within DOE for environmental management applications with appropriate rationale for use; Assess the potential size of the DOE market for the NAC/NAG/NAX process; assess and off-gas issues; and compare with international technologies, including life-cycle estimates.

Aqueous nitrate waste treatment: Technology comparison, cost/benefit, and market analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to provide information necessary for the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate the practical utility of the Nitrate to Ammonia and Ceramic or Glass (NAC/NAG/NAX) process, which is under development in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The NAC/NACx/NAX process can convert aqueous radioactive nitrate-laden waste to a glass, ceramic, or grout solid waste form. The tasks include, but are not limited to, the following: Identify current commercial technologies to meet hazardous and radiological waste disposal requirements. The technologies may be thermal or non-thermal but must be all inclusive (i.e., must convert a radionuclide-containing nitrate waste with a pH around 12 to a stable form that can be disposed at permitted facilities); evaluate and compare DOE-sponsored vitrification, grouting, and minimum additive waste stabilization projects for life-cycle costs; compare the technologies above with respect to material costs, capital equipment costs, operating costs, and operating efficiencies. For the NAC/NAG/NAX process, assume aluminum reactant is government furnished and ammonia gas may be marketed; compare the identified technologies with respect to frequency of use within DOE for environmental management applications with appropriate rationale for use; Assess the potential size of the DOE market for the NAC/NAG/NAX process; assess and off-gas issues; and compare with international technologies, including life-cycle estimates

76 FR 32880 - Encouraging New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-07

... Encouraging New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS... markets tax credit. Specifically, this document invites comments from the public on how the new markets tax credit program may be amended to encourage non-real estate investments. The regulations will...

Appendix E: Wind Technologies Program inputs for FY 2008 benefits estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2009-01-18

Document summarizes the results of the benefits analysis of EERE’s programs, as described in the FY 2008 Budget Request. EERE estimates benefits for its overall portfolio and nine Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD3) programs.

Appendix G: Building Technologies Program inputs for FY 2008 benefits estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2009-01-18

Document summarizes the results of the benefits analysis of EERE’s programs, as described in the FY 2008 Budget Request. EERE estimates benefits for its overall portfolio and nine Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD3) programs.

The four P's in social simulation, a perspective on how marketing could benefit from the use of social simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager, Wander

Marketers employ the four P's - product, price, placement and promotion - in trying to optimize the performance of their products on a market. Both researchers and practitioners in the field of marketing will benefit from increasing their understanding of how the four P's relate to market dynamics

Self-employment in an equilibrium model of the labor market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jake Bradley

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Self-employed workers account for between 8 and 30 % of participants in the labor markets of OECD countries (Blanchower, Self-employment: more may not be better, 2004. This paper develops and estimates a general equilibrium model of the labor market that accounts for this sizable proportion. The model incorporates self-employed workers, some of whom hire paid employees in the market. Employment rates and earnings distributions are determined endogenously and are estimated to match their empirical counterparts. The model is estimated using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS. The model is able to estimate nonpecuniary amenities associated with employment in different labor market states, accounting for both different employment dynamics within state and the misreporting of earnings by self-employed workers. Structural parameter estimates are then used to assess the impact of an increase in the generosity of unemployment benefits on the aggregate employment rate. Findings suggest that modeling the self-employed, some of whom hire paid employees implies that small increases in unemployment benefits leads to an expansion in aggregate employment. JEL Classification J21, J24, J28, J64

Access to non-pecuniary benefits: does gender matter? Evidence from six low- and middle-income countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfano Marco

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Gender issues remain a neglected area in most approaches to health workforce policy, planning and research. There is an accumulating body of evidence on gender differences in health workers' employment patterns and pay, but inequalities in access to non-pecuniary benefits between men and women have received little attention. This study investigates empirically whether gender differences can be observed in health workers' access to non-pecuniary benefits across six low- and middle-income countries. Methods The analysis draws on cross-nationally comparable data from health facility surveys conducted in Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Jamaica, Mozambique, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Probit regression models are used to investigate whether female and male physicians, nurses and midwives enjoy the same access to housing allowance, paid vacations, in-service training and other benefits, controlling for other individual and facility-level characteristics. Results While the analysis did not uncover any consistent pattern of gender imbalance in access to non-monetary benefits, some important differences were revealed. Notably, female nursing and midwifery personnel (the majority of the sample are found significantly less likely than their male counterparts to have accessed in-service training, identified not only as an incentive to attract and retain workers but also essential for strengthening workforce quality. Conclusion This study sought to mainstream gender considerations by exploring and documenting sex differences in selected employment indicators across health labour markets. Strengthening the global evidence base about the extent to which gender is independently associated with health workforce performance requires improved generation and dissemination of sex-disaggregated data and research with particular attention to gender dimensions.

Bayesian estimation of covariance matrices: Application to market risk management at EDF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jandrzejewski-Bouriga, M.

2012-01-01

In this thesis, we develop new methods of regularized covariance matrix estimation, under the Bayesian setting. The regularization methodology employed is first related to shrinkage. We investigate a new Bayesian modeling of covariance matrix, based on hierarchical inverse-Wishart distribution, and then derive different estimators under standard loss functions. Comparisons between shrunk and empirical estimators are performed in terms of frequentist performance under different losses. It allows us to highlight the critical importance of the definition of cost function and show the persistent effect of the shrinkage-type prior on inference. In a second time, we consider the problem of covariance matrix estimation in Gaussian graphical models. If the issue is well treated for the decomposable case, it is not the case if you also consider non-decomposable graphs. We then describe a Bayesian and operational methodology to carry out the estimation of covariance matrix of Gaussian graphical models, decomposable or not. This procedure is based on a new and objective method of graphical-model selection, combined with a constrained and regularized estimation of the covariance matrix of the model chosen. The procedures studied effectively manage missing data. These estimation techniques were applied to calculate the covariance matrices involved in the market risk management for portfolios of EDF (Electricity of France), in particular for problems of calculating Value-at-Risk or in Asset Liability Management. (author)

Estimating the commodity market price of risk for energy prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolos, Sergey P.; Ronn, Ehud I.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the ''market price of risk'' (MPR) for energy commodities, the ratio of expected return to standard deviation. The MPR sign determines whether energy forward prices are upward- or downward-biased predictors of expected spot prices. We estimate MPRs using spot and futures prices, while accounting for the Samuelson effect. We find long-term MPRs generally positive and short-term negative, consistent with positive energy betas and hedging, respectively. In spot electricity markets, MPRs in Day-Ahead Prices agree with short-dated futures. Our results relate risk premia to informed hedging decisions, and futures prices to forecast/expected prices. (author)

Non-contraceptive benefits of hormonal and intrauterine reversible contraceptive methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahamondes, Luis; Valeria Bahamondes, M; Shulman, Lee P

2015-01-01

Most contraceptive methods present benefits beyond contraception; however, despite a large body of evidence, many healthcare professionals (HCPs), users and potential users are unaware of those benefits. This review evaluates the evidence for non-contraceptive benefits of hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptive methods. We searched the medical publications in PubMed, POPLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE and LILACS for relevant articles, on non-contraceptive benefits of the use of hormonal and intrauterine reversible contraceptive methods, which were published in English between 1980 and July 2014. Articles were identified using the following search terms: 'contraceptive methods', 'benefits', 'cancer', 'anaemia', 'heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB)', 'endometrial hyperplasia', 'endometriosis' and 'leiomyoma'. We identified, through the literature search, evidence that some combined oral contraceptives have benefits in controlling HMB and anaemia, reducing the rate of endometrial, ovarian and colorectal cancer and ectopic pregnancy as well as alleviating symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Furthermore, the use of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system also controls HMB and anaemia and endometrial hyperplasia and cancer, reduces rates of endometrial polyps in users of tamoxifen and alleviates pain associated with endometriosis and adenomyosis. Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate controls crises of pain associated with sickle cell disease and endometriosis. Users of the etonogestrel-releasing contraceptive implant have the benefits of a reduction of pain associated with endometriosis, and users of the copper intrauterine device have reduced rates of endometrial and cervical cancer. Despite the high contraceptive effectiveness of many hormonal and intrauterine reversible contraceptive methods, many HCPs, users and potential users are concerned mainly about side effects and safety of both hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptive methods, and there is scarce information

SEGMENTING THE U.S.A. NON-TRAVEL MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wayne W. Smith

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Tourism marketers focus on understanding the many different segments that comprise their visitors. Understanding these segments’ motivations for travel is important in order to motivate repeat visitation and to attract like-minded consumers to visit. But how about those who do not travel? This surprisingly large percentage of the population is a lost opportunity for the industry. The research that follows, based upon a very significant USA-based sample of non-travelers, suggests that non-travelers can be effectively segmented and targeted. Understanding these segments will better allow vacation marketers to craft their product and their message, hopefully bringing more travelers to the mix.

Childhood lead exposure in France: benefit estimation and partial cost-benefit analysis of lead hazard control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zmirou-Navier Denis

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lead exposure remains a public health concern due to its serious adverse effects, such as cognitive and behavioral impairment: children younger than six years of age being the most vulnerable population. In Europe, the lead-related economic impacts have not been examined in detail. We estimate the annual costs in France due to childhood exposure and, through a cost benefit analysis (CBA, aim to assess the expected social and economic benefits of exposure abatement. Methods Monetary benefits were assessed in terms of avoided national costs. We used results from a 2008 survey on blood-lead (B-Pb concentrations in French children aged one to six years old. Given the absence of a threshold concentration being established, we performed a sensitivity analysis assuming different hypothetical threshold values for toxicity above 15 μg/L, 24 μg/L and 100 μg/L. Adverse health outcomes of lead exposure were translated into social burden and economic costs based on literature data from literature. Direct health benefits, social benefits and intangible avoided costs were included. Costs of pollutant exposure control were partially estimated in regard to homes lead-based paint decontamination, investments aiming at reducing industrial lead emissions and removal of all lead drinking water pipes. Results The following overall annual benefits for the three hypothetical thresholds values in 2008 are: €22.72 billion, €10.72 billion and €0.44 billion, respectively. Costs from abatement ranged from €0.9 billion to 2.95 billion/year. Finally, from a partial CBA of lead control in soils and dust the estimates of total net benefits were € 3.78 billion, € 1.88 billion and €0.25 billion respectively for the three hypothesized B-Pb effect values. Conclusions Prevention of childhood lead exposure has a high social benefit, due to reduction of B-Pb concentrations to levels below 15 μg/L or 24 μg/L, respectively. Reducing only exposures

7 CFR 984.48 - Marketing estimates and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...; (4) The Board's estimate of the trade demand for such marketing year for shelled and inshell walnuts, taking into consideration trade inventory, imports, prices, competing nut supplies, and other factors; (5... pursuant to § 984.56, when it determines that the quantity of reserve walnuts that may be exported should...

Response Surface Model (RSM)-based Benefit Per Ton Estimates

Science.gov (United States)

The tables below are updated versions of the tables appearing in The influence of location, source, and emission type in estimates of the human health benefits of reducing a ton of air pollution (Fann, Fulcher and Hubbell 2009).

Estimating the benefits of single value and probability forecasting for flood warning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. S. Verkade

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Flood risk can be reduced by means of flood forecasting, warning and response systems (FFWRS. These systems include a forecasting sub-system which is imperfect, meaning that inherent uncertainties in hydrological forecasts may result in false alarms and missed events. This forecasting uncertainty decreases the potential reduction of flood risk, but is seldom accounted for in estimates of the benefits of FFWRSs. In the present paper, a method to estimate the benefits of (imperfect FFWRSs in reducing flood risk is presented. The method is based on a hydro-economic model of expected annual damage (EAD due to flooding, combined with the concept of Relative Economic Value (REV. The estimated benefits include not only the reduction of flood losses due to a warning response, but also consider the costs of the warning response itself, as well as the costs associated with forecasting uncertainty. The method allows for estimation of the benefits of FFWRSs that use either deterministic or probabilistic forecasts. Through application to a case study, it is shown that FFWRSs using a probabilistic forecast have the potential to realise higher benefits at all lead-times. However, it is also shown that provision of warning at increasing lead-time does not necessarily lead to an increasing reduction of flood risk, but rather that an optimal lead-time at which warnings are provided can be established as a function of forecast uncertainty and the cost-loss ratio of the user receiving and responding to the warning.

Estimating spillover benefits of large R and D projects: Application of real options modelling approach to the case of thermonuclear fusion R and D programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednyagin, Denis; Gnansounou, Edgard

2012-01-01

This paper is focused on the analysis of spillover benefits of the ongoing R and D programme on thermonuclear fusion technology. The spillover effects are understood here as positive externalities of publicly funded R and D, demonstration and deployment (RDDD) activities that may be revealed at the companies' level in the form of newly created knowledge stock; development of innovative products/processes with broader market applications; strengthening of R and D, manufacturing and marketing capabilities; etc. An integrated compound real options model is proposed that allows to estimate the strategic net social present value of fusion RDDD programme taking into account the different types of spillover benefits along with the hidden real options value arising due to uncertainty and managerial flexibility. It was found that the value of spillover effects, modelled as “expansion option”, could represent a significant proportion of the overall socio-economic value of fusion RDDD programme (nearly 20%). This paper clearly demonstrates that, besides a high-level mission to assure sustainable energy supply, fusion RDDD programme may yield substantial net socio-economic benefits that may be at least two times higher compared to the expected RD and D costs, and hence the pursuit of even more ambitious programme is economically justified. - Highlights: ► Evaluate the strategic net social present value of fusion RDDD programme. ► Consider different types of spillover effects. ► Economic value of spillovers is estimated with a compound real options model. ► Spillover benefits could represent up to 20% of the value of fusion RDDD programme.

Annualized TASAR Benefit Estimate for Alaska Airlines Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Jeffrey

2015-01-01

The Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Request (TASAR) concept offers onboard automation for the purpose of advising the pilot of traffic compatible trajectory changes that would be beneficial to the flight. A fast-time simulation study was conducted to assess the benefits of TASAR to Alaska Airlines. The simulation compares historical trajectories without TASAR to trajectories developed with TASAR and evaluated by controllers against their objectives. It was estimated that between 8,000 and 12,000 gallons of fuel and 900 to 1,300 minutes could be saved annually per aircraft. These savings were applied fleet-wide to produce an estimated annual cost savings to Alaska Airlines in excess of $5 million due to fuel, maintenance, and depreciation cost savings. Switching to a more wind-optimal trajectory was found to be the use case that generated the highest benefits out of the three TASAR use cases analyzed. Alaska TASAR requests peaked at four to eight requests per hour in high-altitude Seattle center sectors south of Seattle-Tacoma airport.

Annualized TASAR Benefit Estimate for Virgin America Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Jeffrey

2015-01-01

The Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Request (TASAR) concept offers onboard automation for the purpose of advising the pilot of traffic compatible trajectory changes that would be beneficial to the flight. A fast-time simulation study was conducted to assess the benefits of TASAR to Virgin America. The simulation compares historical trajectories without TASAR to trajectories developed with TASAR and evaluated by controllers against their objectives. It was estimated that about 25,000 gallons of fuel and about 2,500 minutes could be saved annually per aircraft. These savings were applied fleet-wide to produce an estimated annual cost savings to Virgin America in excess of $5 million due to fuel, maintenance, and depreciation cost savings. Switching to a more wind-optimal trajectory was found to be the use case that generated the highest benefits out of the three TASAR use cases analyzed. Virgin America TASAR requests peaked at two to four requests per hour per sector in high-altitude Oakland and Salt Lake City center sectors east of San Francisco.

Big Numbers about Small Children: Estimating the Economic Benefits of Addressing Undernutrition.

Science.gov (United States)

Alderman, Harold; Behrman, Jere R; Puett, Chloe

2017-02-01

Different approaches have been used to estimate the economic benefits of reducing undernutrition and to estimate the costs of investing in such programs on a global scale. While many of these studies are ultimately based on evidence from well-designed efficacy trials, all require a number of assumptions to project the impact of such trials to larger populations and to translate the value of the expected improvement in nutritional status into economic terms. This paper provides a short critique of some approaches to estimating the benefits of investments in child nutrition and then presents an alternative set of estimates based on different core data. These new estimates reinforce the basic conclusions of the existing literature: the economic value from reducing undernutrition in undernourished populations is likely to be substantial.

Non-price competition in the regional high-rise construction market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganebnykh Elena

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the market of high-rise residential construction in the city of Kirov (Russia. A minimal significance of price factors has been revealed in the process of the market analysis. This suggests that a lower price does not guarantee an increase in consumer demand. Thus, factors of non-price competition are of great importance in the market in question. The expert survey has identified the factors of non-price competition which influence consumer perceptions. A perceptual map has been constructed on the basis of the identified factors by means of the factor analysis to determine the positioning of each high-rise building relative to the consumer requirements. None of the high-rise residential buildings in the market in question meets the consumers’ expectations of an “ideal facility”.

Non-price competition in the regional high-rise construction market

Science.gov (United States)

Ganebnykh, Elena; Burtseva, Tatyana; Gurova, Ekaterina; Polyakova, Irina

2018-03-01

The article analyzes the market of high-rise residential construction in the city of Kirov (Russia). A minimal significance of price factors has been revealed in the process of the market analysis. This suggests that a lower price does not guarantee an increase in consumer demand. Thus, factors of non-price competition are of great importance in the market in question. The expert survey has identified the factors of non-price competition which influence consumer perceptions. A perceptual map has been constructed on the basis of the identified factors by means of the factor analysis to determine the positioning of each high-rise building relative to the consumer requirements. None of the high-rise residential buildings in the market in question meets the consumers' expectations of an "ideal facility".

Algorithms for non-linear M-estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Kaj; Edlund, O; Ekblom, H

1997-01-01

In non-linear regression, the least squares method is most often used. Since this estimator is highly sensitive to outliers in the data, alternatives have became increasingly popular during the last decades. We present algorithms for non-linear M-estimation. A trust region approach is used, where...

PRAGMATICS OF USING A MODIFIED CAPM MODEL FOR ESTIMATING COST OF EQUITY ON EMERGING MARKETS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vitaliy Semenyuk

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of the work is to forming pragmatic recommendations for the development and implementation the modified CAPM model in the process of estimating the equity value on emerging markets. Original CAPM model allows estimating the cost of equity on the developed capital markets. At the same time it requires the information received on the market data basis. But, as show recent empirical research, the classical model does not always produce acceptable results of the equity estimation. In addition, CAPM model in its classical form can’t be used to estimate the cost of equity for countries with emerging markets. This is due with lower efficiency in emerging markets, with lower level of liquidity and capitalization, which makes the information obtained from these markets not entirely reliable. Therefore in practice are increasingly using different modification CAPM models, that allow consider for more specific factors which affect the cost of equity. These factors, which are not considered in the classical CAPM model, include the size of the corporation and country risk. The first factor is actual for developed and emerging markets and needed to account during the equity estimation and modification the CAPM model. Country risk is associated with differences and peculiarities of the economies different countries and in the first place should be taken into account when estimating the cost of equity in emerging capital markets, which are considered by investors as more risky for investment. This factor should also be taken into account in estimating the cost of equity. Methodology In the process of constructing a modified CAPM model, theoretical and methodological provisions were used, which are set out in the work R. Banz, G. Bekaert, M. Goedhart, R. Grabowski, R. Grinold, D. Vessels, A. Damodaran, M. Dempsey, J. Zhang, R. Ibbotson, P. Kaplan, T. Koller, K. Kroner, L. Kruschwitz, M. Long, A. Lofler, G. Mandl, M. Miller, F. Modilyani, K. Nunes, D

Estimating farmers’ productive and marketing inefficiency: an application to vegetable producers in Benin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Singbo, A.G.; Oude Lansink, A.G.J.M.; Emvalomatis, G.

2014-01-01

This paper estimates the technical and marketing inefficiency of a sample of urban vegetable producers in Benin. Marketing inefficiency is defined as the failure of farmers to achieve better marketing output and is reflected in lower output price indices. The study proposes a Russell-type measure of

Benefits of International Diversification: The Case of Asian Emerging Equity Markets

OpenAIRE

Apong, Matusin

2005-01-01

Abstract The main purpose of this study is to examine whether, from the Brunei Investment Agency's perspective, the benefits of international diversification gain exist in equity investment in emerging markets in Asia. The quantitative research that was used is based on Markowitz's Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). This method utilized data from December 1998 to July 2005 for sixteen indices of developed and emerging countries. The countries selected for the study were grouped into devel...

Marketing of Non-Timber Forest Products in Kajola Local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Marketing of Non-Timber Forest Products in Kajola Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. ... International Journal of Tropical Agriculture and Food Systems ... The results of the marketing margin reveal that charcoal commanded the highest margin of ₦2500, followed by bush meat (₦300), while wrapping had the ...

Framework for State-Level Renewable Energy Market Potential Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kreycik, C.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Doris, E.

2010-01-01

State-level policymakers are relying on estimates of the market potential for renewable energy resources as they set goals and develop policies to accelerate the development of these resources. Therefore, accuracy of such estimates should be understood and possibly improved to appropriately support these decisions. This document provides a framework and next steps for state officials who require estimates of renewable energy market potential. The report gives insight into how to conduct a market potential study, including what supporting data are needed and what types of assumptions need to be made. The report distinguishes between goal-oriented studies and other types of studies, and explains the benefits of each.

Marketing RECs in the US

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bird, L.; Holt, E.

2005-01-01

This short paper was derived from a major report funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy and Renewable Energy (EERE). It discusses the benefits to be derived in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs) awarded for generating electric power from renewable energy sources. Their flexibility and international acceptance makes RECs the currency of the renewable international power markets. The size and potential value of US REC markets is estimated and key issues and challenges that will influence or govern future market developments are identified

A methodology for estimating health benefits of electricity generation using renewable technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Partridge, Ian; Gamkhar, Shama

2012-02-01

At Copenhagen, the developed countries agreed to provide up to $100 bn per year to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation by developing countries. Projects aimed at cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will need to be evaluated against dual criteria: from the viewpoint of the developed countries they must cut emissions of GHGs at reasonable cost, while host countries will assess their contribution to development, or simply their overall economic benefits. Co-benefits of some types of project will also be of interest to host countries: for example some projects will contribute to reducing air pollution, thus improving the health of the local population. This paper uses a simple damage function methodology to quantify some of the health co-benefits of replacing coal-fired generation with wind or small hydro in China. We estimate the monetary value of these co-benefits and find that it is probably small compared to the added costs. We have not made a full cost-benefit analysis of renewable energy in China as some likely co-benefits are omitted from our calculations. Our results are subject to considerable uncertainty however, after careful consideration of their likely accuracy and comparisons with other studies, we believe that they provide a good first cut estimate of co-benefits and are sufficiently robust to stand as a guide for policy makers. In addition to these empirical results, a key contribution made by the paper is to demonstrate a simple and reasonably accurate methodology for health benefits estimation that applies the most recent academic research in the field to the solution of an increasingly important problem. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 32882 - New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-07

... New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury... proposed regulations modifying the new markets tax credit program to facilitate and encourage investments... claiming the new markets tax credit and businesses in low-income communities relying on the program. This...

The estimation of tax-benefit automatic stabilizers in Serbia: A combined micro-macro approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ranđelović Saša

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The large volatility of GDP due to the economic crisis, particularly in transition economies, has brought the issue of automatic stabilizers back into the focus of economic policy. The vast majority of empirical literature in this field relates to the estimation of the size of automatic stabilizers in developed countries, usually based on macroeconomic data. On the other hand empirical literature on this topic based on micro data, particularly for transition economies, is limited. This paper provides an evaluation of the size of automatic stabilizers in one transition economy (Serbia, by combining tax-benefit simulation modelling based on micro data and econometric methods based on macroeconomic data. The results show that, in the case of shock, around 17% of fall in market income would be absorbed by automatic stabilizers. Although the stabilizing effects of the tax-benefit system in Serbia are lower than in other European countries, the total size of automatic stabilizers is close to the average value in these countries, due to the higher elasticity of demand to income. The results also show that progressivity-enhancing income tax reform would only slightly increase automatic stabilizers, due to the large informal economy and the large share of agriculture in total households’ income.

Estimating Stocks Return with Decomposition of the Book-to-Market Ratio: Evidences from Bovespa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliano Ribeiro de Almeida

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The book-to-market (BM ratio differs across stocks because to differences in expected cashflows and expected returns. The central hypothesis is that the evolution of BM, in terms of past changes in price and book equity, contains information about future cashflows that can be used to improve estimates of expected returns. This article used a database of Economática to extract a sample of non-financial companies shares listed on BOVESPA and test this hypothesis. The estimated regressions were performed monthly during the period July 1996 to June 2008. Both for large and mid caps as for small caps, the results do not favor this hypothesis and show that only the most recent BM is important to predict the assets returns. Furthermore, stock issues and repurchases are also related to future cashflows and it is expected to improve estimates of expected returns. However, the results provide no evidence favoring that.

Switching benefits and costs in the Irish health insurance market: an analysis of consumer surveys

OpenAIRE

KEEGAN, CONOR; Teljeur, Conor; Turner, Brian; THomas, Steve

2018-01-01

PUBLISHED Relatively little analysis has taken place internationally on the consumer-reported benefits and costs to switching insurer in multi-payer health insurance markets. Ideally, consumers should be willing to switch out of consideration for price and quality and switching should be able to take place without incurring significant switching costs. Costs to switching come in many forms and understanding the nature of these costs is necessary if policy interventions to improve market co...

Market potential for non-electric applications of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The objective of this report is to assess the market potential for the non-electric applications of nuclear energy in the near (before 2020) and long (2020-2050) terms. The main non-electric applications are defined here as district heating, desalination (of sea, brackish and waste water), industrial heat supply, ship propulsion and the energy supply for spacecraft. This report is principally devoted to these applications, although a less detailed assessment of some innovative applications (e.g. hydrogen production and coal gasification) is also provided. While the technical details of these applications are covered briefly, emphasis is placed on the economic and other factors that may promote or hinder the penetration of the nuclear option into the market for non-electric energy services. The report is intentionally targeted towards expected demands. It is for this reason that its sections are structured by demand categories and not according to possible reactor types. At the same time, the orientation on the demand side can result in overlaps at the supply side, because the same nuclear reactor can often serve more than one type of demand. Such cases are noted as appropriate. Each section characterizes a specific non-electric application in terms of its market size, its prospects for nuclear technologies and the economic competitiveness of the technologies

Economic and utilitarian benefits of monetary versus non-monetary in-store sales promotions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reid, Mike; Thompson, Peter; Mavondo, Felix

2014-01-01

While prior research has examined the issue of sales promotion proneness, very little has examined proneness to non-monetary promotions, such as contests and premiums discovered in store. This study draws on a promotions benefits framework to examine the influence of shoppers’ desired benefits...... are that many monetary sales promotion-prone shoppers may be attracted by the benefits provided by non-monetary promotions. The increased use by managers of non-monetary promotions instead of monetary promotions may result in improved category value and brand equity benefits....

Estimating the greenhouse gas benefits of forestry projects: A Costa Rican Case Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Busch, Christopher; Sathaye, Jayant; Sanchez Azofeifa, G. Arturo

2000-09-01

If the Clean Development Mechanism proposed under the Kyoto Protocol is to serve as an effective means for combating global climate change, it will depend upon reliable estimates of greenhouse gas benefits. This paper sketches the theoretical basis for estimating the greenhouse gas benefits of forestry projects and suggests lessons learned based on a case study of Costa Rica's Protected Areas Project, which is a 500,000 hectare effort to reduce deforestation and enhance reforestation. The Protected Areas Project in many senses advances the state of the art for Clean Development Mechanism-type forestry projects, as does the third-party verification work of SGS International Certification Services on the project. Nonetheless, sensitivity analysis shows that carbon benefit estimates for the project vary widely based on the imputed deforestation rate in the baseline scenario, e.g. the deforestation rate expected if the project were not implemented. This, along with a newly available national dataset that confirms other research showing a slower rate of deforestation in Costa Rica, suggests that the use of the 1979--1992 forest cover data originally as the basis for estimating carbon savings should be reconsidered. When the newly available data is substituted, carbon savings amount to 8.9 Mt (million tones) of carbon, down from the original estimate of 15.7 Mt. The primary general conclusion is that project developers should give more attention to the forecasting land use and land cover change scenarios underlying estimates of greenhouse gas benefits.

An Exploratory Study Investigating the Non-Clinical Benefits of Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Jackson

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: As little prior research exists about the non-clinical benefits of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM, this exploratory study was conducted to identify non-clinical benefits of EBVM to veterinary practices, as well as highlighting the barriers to further implementation, and ways to overcome them.Background: A PICO-based literature review (Hauser and Jackson, 2016 was conducted to establish current knowledge about the non-clinical benefits of EBVM. It found that while there are some papers suggesting a link between the practice of EBVM and better non-clinical benefits such as client satisfaction and client retention, a single study, focusing on the non-clinical benefits of EBVM, had yet to be conducted.Evidentiary value: This exploratory study provides a solid basis for the further development of a confirmatory study of the themes identified in the interviews. The impact on practice from our findings is significant as it details the key areas where the use of EBVM can yield commercial benefits from the perspective of a group of EBVM experts via interview. It is entirely possible that international veterinary environments which mirror that of the UK will find this research beneficial.Methods: Due to the paucity of data about the non-clinical benefits of EBVM, an exploratory, qualitative approach was taken to this research in order to build a platform for further confirmatory, quantitative investigation (Zikmund, 2003. In February and March 2016 interviews with 16 RCVS Knowledge Group chairs[1] were conducted. The interview guide contained broad, open-ended questions to explore existing tacit knowledge about the non-commercial benefits of EBVM. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim and subsequently analysed using NVivo 11 software.Results: This qualitative enquiry showed that the key areas where the use of EBVM can yield non-clinical benefits are through increased client satisfaction and retention, improved

Brand market positions estimation and defining the strategic targets of its development

OpenAIRE

S.M. Makhnusha

2010-01-01

In this article the author generalizes the concept of brand characteristics which influenceits profitability and market positions. An approach to brand market positions estimation anddefining the strategic targets of its development is proposed.Keywords: brand, brand expansion, brand extension, brand value, brand power, brandrelevance, brand awareness.

77 FR 59544 - New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-28

... Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION... communities. The final regulations affect taxpayers claiming the new markets tax credit and businesses in low... 45D(a)(1), a taxpayer may claim a new markets tax credit on certain credit allowance dates described...

Rural Non-Farm Sector and Labor Market in Rural Vietnam: Trends and Determinants

OpenAIRE

Nguyen , Trung Hung

2016-01-01

This dissertation aims to investigate the Trends and Determinants of the Rural Non-Farm Sector and Labor Market in Rural Vietnam since the global economic crisis occurred in 2007 with the focus on the household's diversification; the involvement of rural individuals in Rural Non-Farm Employment; Rural Labor Market development; and assessment of a specific labor market policy.

Composition and Nutrient Information of Non-Alcoholic Beverages in the Spanish Market: An Update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Serrano Iglesias

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to draw an updated map of the nutrition facts in the different categories of non-alcoholic beverages in the Spanish market based on the information declared on the labels of these products; we expect this first step to justify the need for the coordination and harmonization of food composition tables in Spain so that there will be an updated database available to produce realistic scientific nutrient intake estimates in accordance with the actual market scenario. Materials and Methods: The nutrition facts declared on the labels of non-alcoholic beverages by manufacturers in Spain were compiled and studied. Results: The database included 211 beverages classified in 7 groups with energy/carbohydrate content per 100 mL ranging from 0–55 kcal/0–13 g for soft drinks; 2–60 kcal/0–14.5 g for energy drinks; 24–31 kcal/5.8–7.5 g for sports drinks; 1–32 kcal/0–7.3 g for drinks containing mineral salts in their composition; 14–69 kcal/2.6–17 g for fruit juice, nectar, and grape musts; 43–78 kcal/6.1–14.4 g for vegetable drinks; and 33–88 kcal/3.6–14 g for dairy drinks. Conclusion: The current non-alcoholic beverage market is a dynamic, growing, and highly innovative one, allowing consumers to choose according to their preferences, needs, or level of physical activity at any moment of the day.

Predictive Psychiatric Genetic Testing in Minors: An Exploration of the Non-Medical Benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Manzini, Arianna; Vears, Danya F

2018-03-01

Predictive genetic testing for susceptibility to psychiatric conditions is likely to become part of standard practice. Because the onset of most psychiatric diseases is in late adolescence or early adulthood, testing minors could lead to early identification that may prevent or delay the development of these disorders. However, due to their complex aetiology, psychiatric genetic testing does not provide the immediate medical benefits that current guidelines require for testing minors. While several authors have argued non-medical benefits may play a crucial role in favour of predictive testing for other conditions, little research has explored such a role in psychiatric disorders. This paper outlines the potential non-medical benefits and harms of psychiatric genetic testing in minors in order to consider whether the non-medical benefits could ever make such testing appropriate. Five non-medical themes arise in the literature: psychological impacts, autonomy/self-determination, implications of the biomedical approach, use of financial and intellectual resources, and discrimination. Non-medical benefits were prominent in all of them, suggesting that psychiatric genetic testing in minors may be appropriate in some circumstances. Further research needs to empirically assess these potential non-medical benefits, incorporate minors in the debate, and include normative reflection to evaluate the very purposes and motivations of psychiatric genetic testing in minors.

A marketing perspective on the impact of financial and non-financial measures on shareholder value

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlene Gerber

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The pressure for financial accountability contributed to widespread concern about the function of marketing within the company. Consequently, marketers have become preoccupied with measuring the performance of marketing activity. Diverse financial and non-financial methods have been developed to provide evidence of how marketing activity impacts on the bottom line. This article proposes an approach whereby financial and non-financial performance measures are combined to measure the contribution of marketing to sales. Secondary data from two retail brands within the same industry were analysed whereby actual accounting data were adjusted to examine the link between marketing expenditures, specifically with regard to the 4Ps (typical non-financial measures, and sales. The results of the time series regression showed that the nature of the relationship between marketing expenditures and sales is dependent largely on the product characteristics. The link between marketing and sales depicted serves as a starting point from which to build a more robust measurement tool incorporating financial and non-financial marketing performance measures that will serve to justify investment in the marketing of a brand.

Review of the WECC EDT phase 2 EIM benefits analysis and results report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veselka, T.D.; Poch, L.A.; Botterud, A. (Decision and Information Sciences)

2012-04-05

A region-wide Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) was recently proposed by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC). In order for the Western Area Power Administration (Western) to make more informed decisions regarding its involvement in the EIM, Western asked Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) to review the EIM benefits study (the October 2011 revision) performed by Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3). Key components of the E3 analysis made use of results from a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); therefore, we also reviewed the NREL work. This report examines E3 and NREL methods and models used in the EIM study. Estimating EIM benefits is very challenging because of the complex nature of the Western Interconnection (WI), the variability and uncertainty of renewable energy resources, and the complex decisions and potentially strategic bidding of market participants. Furthermore, methodologies used for some of the more challenging aspects of the EIM have not yet matured. This review is complimentary of several components of the EIM study. Analysts and modelers clearly took great care when conducting detailed simulations of the WI using well-established industry tools under stringent time and budget constraints. However, it is our opinion that the following aspects of the study and the interpretation of model results could be improved upon in future analyses. The hurdle rate methodology used to estimate current market inefficiencies does not directly model the underlying causes of sub-optimal dispatch and power flows. It assumes that differences between historical flows and modeled flows can be attributed solely to market inefficiencies. However, flow differences between model results and historical data can be attributed to numerous simplifying assumptions used in the model and in the input data. We suggest that alternative approaches be explored in order to better estimate the benefits of introducing market

Sauces, spices, and condiments: definitions, potential benefits, consumption patterns, and global markets.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Casal, Maria Nieves; Peña-Rosas, Juan Pablo; Malavé, Heber Gómez-

2016-09-01

Spices and condiments are an important part of human history and nutrition, and have played an important role in the development of most cultures around the world. According to the Codex Alimentarius, the category of salts, spices, soups, sauces, salads, and protein products includes substances added to foods to enhance aroma and taste. Spices have been reported to have health benefits as antioxidant, antibiotic, antiviral, anticoagulant, anticarcinogenic, and anti-inflammatory agents. Health claims about the benefits of condiments for disease prevention or health improvement need to be science based and extensively supported by evidence; data on their preventive or protective potential in humans are currently limited. The condiments market has been growing continuously over the last few years, with the quantity of products sold under the category of sauces, dressings, and condiments during the period 2008-2013 increasing from 31,749,000 to 35,795,000 metric tons. About 50 of the 86 spices produced in the world are grown in India. From 2008 to 2013, the United States was the largest importer of spices, followed by Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Russia. The main buyers of fish sauce are Vietnam and Thailand, with purchases of 333,000 and 284,000 metric tons in 2013, respectively. The sauces and condiments category is dynamic, with large differences in consumption in habits and practices among countries. This paper aims to establish definitions and discuss potential health benefits, consumption patterns, and global markets for sauces, spices, and condiments. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

International Sport Events: Improving Marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margarita Kerzaitė

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The report and the article will be a comprehensive analysis ofthe needs to improve the international sport events marketing.Highlighting the role of international sport events in contemporarysociety and the challenges in the context of globalization,comparing opinions of various authors about aspects of classificationand the benefits for host country. The article and the reportreveals the main existing problem encountered in organizinginternational sport events, estimated perspectives for solutionof this problem. Summarizes the international sport eventsopportunities, basically modernize marketing tools according tothe marketing mix correction based on systematic synthesis ofmarketing concepts and adaptation/standardization needs, themost important factors in the marketing mix for the excretion ofthe main marketing objectives. The article is based on the latestscientific literature analysis.

Lifecycle GHG emissions of palm biodiesel: Unintended market effects negate direct benefits of the Malaysian Economic Transformation Plan (ETP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul-Manan, Amir F.N.

2017-01-01

Biodiesel expansion can lead to unintended effects that offset the direct GHG benefits of biofuels. Two documented unintended effects are the indirect land use change (ILUC) and indirect energy use change (IEUC). ILUC has been included in many lifecycle GHG studies of biofuels, but IEUC has remained relatively elusive. This paper presents an updated assessment of the lifecycle GHG emissions of palm biodiesel from Malaysia and, for the first time, incorporating the two estimated indirect effects simultaneously. Future GHG emissions of palm biodiesel are projected by taking into account of Malaysia's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) that aims to reform the oil palm industry in order to achieve a high-income nation. Uncertainties associated with lifecycle GHG models were dealt with using Monte Carlo simulation in order to identify the breadth and likelihood of GHG reductions relative to petroleum-based fuels in the context of the European directives. This study has shown that the ETP, if successfully implemented, can significantly improve the direct GHG emissions of palm biodiesel, but the benefits are offset by the rise in global emissions due to ILUC and IEUC. Biofuel policies should also include IEUC, in addition to ILUC, to avoid GHG emissions leakages. - Highlights: • Estimate current and future lifecycle GHG emissions of Malaysian palm biodiesel. • Evaluate the GHG effects of Malaysia's Economic Transformation Plan (ETP). • Direct GHG benefits of biodiesel offset by indirect market effects. • Palm biodiesel unlikely to enable global GHG emissions reductions. • Global biofuel policy must account for indirect effects.

Food Marketing Technology and Contingency Market Valuation

OpenAIRE

Garth J. Holloway; Anthony C. Zwart

1993-01-01

Marketing activities are introduced into a rational expectations model of the food marketing system. The model is used to evaluate effects of alternative marketing technologies on the distribution of the benefits of contingency markets in agriculture. Benefits depend on two parameters: the cost share of farm inputs and the elasticity of substitution between farm and nonfarm inputs in food marketing. Over a broad spectrum of technologies, consumers are likely to be the net beneficiaries and fa...

Direct and indirect co-benefits from energy-efficient residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, W.; Baur, M.; Jakob, M.

2006-01-01

Co-benefits of energy efficiency investments such as increased comfort of living, reduced noise exposure, and improved indoor air quality are of considerable evidence. However in investment decisions these co-benefits are rarely taken into account. Using various economic estimation methods (discrete choice, hedonic regression, contingent valuation), this study identifies and quantifies in monetary terms the most important co-benefits of energy efficiency measures. The results show that regarding energy efficiency measures, comfort of living plays a major role and that inhabitants express a non-negligible willingness to pay for it. The willingness to pay is larger than the costs of the energy efficiency measures in most cases and for a large part of the population. To utilise this willingness to pay in the market place it is necessary to establish transparency regarding comfort-of-living aspects and to raise awareness about these aspects among all involved actors (inhabitants, investors, architects, planners, promoters, vendors) by adequate information and communication measures. In view of the high relevance and the noticed economic valuation of the qualitative co-benefits, energy efficiency measures have to be promoted with their related enhancements in terms of comfort of living. (author)

Enrichment overview: fierce competition in a buyers' market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, W.H.

1985-01-01

There is considerable market uncertainty about what the non-US suppliers of enrichment will do to compete in the light of recent Department of Energy action on technology, price and contracts. But virtually whatever happens, it will be the enrichment customer who will benefit. The ''buyers market'' of today will continue. (author)

Non-Parametric Estimation of Correlation Functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brincker, Rune; Rytter, Anders; Krenk, Steen

In this paper three methods of non-parametric correlation function estimation are reviewed and evaluated: the direct method, estimation by the Fast Fourier Transform and finally estimation by the Random Decrement technique. The basic ideas of the techniques are reviewed, sources of bias are point...

Regional Markets for Non-timber Forest Products in Eastern Brazilian Amazon

OpenAIRE

Vuola, Matleena

2013-01-01

While export of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has been promoted as a sustainable development strategy, the literature suggests that local and regional markets are also potentially important, not only for producers but also for traders and consumers (Shackleton et al. 2007). For producers, regional markets are thought to offer more accessible and more stable markets, while for traders, these markets offer employment, and for consumers, reasonably priced, diverse, fresh food. Consumptio...

Value at risk estimation with entropy-based wavelet analysis in exchange markets

Science.gov (United States)

He, Kaijian; Wang, Lijun; Zou, Yingchao; Lai, Kin Keung

2014-08-01

In recent years, exchange markets are increasingly integrated together. Fluctuations and risks across different exchange markets exhibit co-moving and complex dynamics. In this paper we propose the entropy-based multivariate wavelet based approaches to analyze the multiscale characteristic in the multidimensional domain and improve further the Value at Risk estimation reliability. Wavelet analysis has been introduced to construct the entropy-based Multiscale Portfolio Value at Risk estimation algorithm to account for the multiscale dynamic correlation. The entropy measure has been proposed as the more effective measure with the error minimization principle to select the best basis when determining the wavelet families and the decomposition level to use. The empirical studies conducted in this paper have provided positive evidence as to the superior performance of the proposed approach, using the closely related Chinese Renminbi and European Euro exchange market.

Kernel bandwidth estimation for non-parametric density estimation: a comparative study

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van der Walt, CM

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We investigate the performance of conventional bandwidth estimators for non-parametric kernel density estimation on a number of representative pattern-recognition tasks, to gain a better understanding of the behaviour of these estimators in high...

Using Empirical Data to Estimate Potential Functions in Commodity Markets: Some Initial Results

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, C.; Haven, E.

2017-12-01

This paper focuses on estimating real and quantum potentials from financial commodities. The log returns of six common commodities are considered. We find that some phenomena, such as the vertical potential walls and the time scale issue of the variation on returns, also exists in commodity markets. By comparing the quantum and classical potentials, we attempt to demonstrate that the information within these two types of potentials is different. We believe this empirical result is consistent with the theoretical assumption that quantum potentials (when embedded into social science contexts) may contain some social cognitive or market psychological information, while classical potentials mainly reflect `hard' market conditions. We also compare the two potential forces and explore their relationship by simply estimating the Pearson correlation between them. The Medium or weak interaction effect may indicate that the cognitive system among traders may be affected by those `hard' market conditions.

Equilibrium prices supported by dual price functions in markets with non-convexities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjoerndal, Mette; Joernsten, Kurt

2004-06-01

The issue of finding market clearing prices in markets with non-convexities has had a renewed interest due to the deregulation of the electricity sector. In the day-ahead electricity market, equilibrium prices are calculated based on bids from generators and consumers. In most of the existing markets, several generation technologies are present, some of which have considerable non-convexities, such as capacity limitations and large start up costs. In this paper we present equilibrium prices composed of a commodity price and an uplift charge. The prices are based on the generation of a separating valid inequality that supports the optimal resource allocation. In the case when the sub-problem generated as the integer variables are held fixed to their optimal values possess the integrality property, the generated prices are also supported by non-linear price-functions that are the basis for integer programming duality. (Author)

Estimating time-varying conditional correlations between stock and foreign exchange markets

Science.gov (United States)

Tastan, Hüseyin

2006-02-01

This study explores the dynamic interaction between stock market returns and changes in nominal exchange rates. Many financial variables are known to exhibit fat tails and autoregressive variance structure. It is well-known that unconditional covariance and correlation coefficients also vary significantly over time and multivariate generalized autoregressive model (MGARCH) is able to capture the time-varying variance-covariance matrix for stock market returns and changes in exchange rates. The model is applied to daily Euro-Dollar exchange rates and two stock market indexes from the US economy: Dow-Jones Industrial Average Index and S&P500 Index. The news impact surfaces are also drawn based on the model estimates to see the effects of idiosyncratic shocks in respective markets.

Design and analysis of post-marketing research.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiao-Hua Andrew; Yang, Wei

2013-07-01

A post-marketing study is an integral part of research that helps to ensure a favorable risk-benefit profile for approved drugs used in the market. Because most of post-marketing studies use observational designs, which are liable to confounding, estimation of the causal effect of a drug versus a comparative one is very challenging. This article focuses on methodological issues of importance in designing and analyzing studies to evaluate the safety of marketed drugs, especially marketed traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products. Advantages and limitations of the current designs and analytic methods for postmarketing studies are discussed, and recommendations are given for improving the validity of postmarketing studies in TCM products.

Appendix J: Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program (WIP) inputs for FY 2008 benefits estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2009-01-18

Document summarizes the results of the benefits analysis of EERE’s programs, as described in the FY 2008 Budget Request. EERE estimates benefits for its overall portfolio and nine Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD3) programs.

Market penetration scenarios for fuel cell vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas, C.E.; James, B.D.; Lomax, F.D. Jr. [Directed Technologies, Inc., Arlington, VA (United States)

1997-12-31

Fuel cell vehicles may create the first mass market for hydrogen as an energy carrier. Directed Technologies, Inc., working with the US Department of Energy hydrogen systems analysis team, has developed a time-dependent computer market penetration model. This model estimates the number of fuel cell vehicles that would be purchased over time as a function of their cost and the cost of hydrogen relative to the costs of competing vehicles and fuels. The model then calculates the return on investment for fuel cell vehicle manufacturers and hydrogen fuel suppliers. The model also projects the benefit/cost ratio for government--the ratio of societal benefits such as reduced oil consumption, reduced urban air pollution and reduced greenhouse gas emissions to the government cost for assisting the development of hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicle technologies. The purpose of this model is to assist industry and government in choosing the best investment strategies to achieve significant return on investment and to maximize benefit/cost ratios. The model can illustrate trends and highlight the sensitivity of market penetration to various parameters such as fuel cell efficiency, cost, weight, and hydrogen cost. It can also illustrate the potential benefits of successful R and D and early demonstration projects. Results will be shown comparing the market penetration and return on investment estimates for direct hydrogen fuel cell vehicles compared to fuel cell vehicles with onboard fuel processors including methanol steam reformers and gasoline partial oxidation systems. Other alternative fueled vehicles including natural gas hybrids, direct injection diesels and hydrogen-powered internal combustion hybrid vehicles will also be analyzed.

Catching the Brass Ring: Oil Market Diversification Potential for Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michal C. Moore

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the nature and structure of the Canadian oil export market in the context of world prices for heavy crude oil and the potential price differential available to Canadian producers gaining access to new overseas markets. Success in this arena will allow Canada to reap incredible economic benefits. For example, the near term benefits for increased access to Gulf Coast markets after mid-continent bottlenecks are removed, are significant, representing nearly 10$ US per barrel for Canadian producers. On the Pacific Coast, the world market is represented by growing capacity for heavy crude products in emerging Asian markets including Japan, Korea and China and existing heavy crude facilities in California and the west coast. Here, in the reference scenario for California and Asia the benefits are assumed to begin in 2020. The differential value range in California in 2020 is estimated at $7.20US per barrel and escalates to $8.77US by 2030. In Asia, the benefit range is estimated to grow from $11.15US per barrel in 2020 to $13.60US in 2030. Those higher prices for Canadian heavy oil would translate into significant increases in profits, jobs and government revenues. With better access and new pipeline capacity, oil producers will see more efficient access to international markets which can add up to $131 billion to Canada’s GDP between 2016 and 2030 in the reference scenario. This amounts to over $27 billion in federal, provincial and municipal tax receipts, along with an estimated 649,000 person-years of employment. Alberta will be the principal but not sole beneficiary from increased access to world market pricing. Most provinces and territories will realize fiscal and economic gains from the distribution and sale of products reflecting reduced costs and increased access to refineries for heavy oil. The key to this change is the elimination of current bottlenecks in transport and the expansion of a network of pipelines that can

Desiccant-Based Preconditioning Market Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fischer, J.

2001-01-11

A number of important conclusions can be drawn as a result of this broad, first-phase market evaluation. The more important conclusions include the following: (1) A very significant market opportunity will exist for specialized outdoor air-handling units (SOAHUs) as more construction and renovation projects are designed to incorporate the recommendations made by the ASHRAE 62-1989 standard. Based on this investigation, the total potential market is currently $725,000,000 annually (see Table 6, Sect. 3). Based on the market evaluations completed, it is estimated that approximately $398,000,000 (55%) of this total market could be served by DBC systems if they were made cost-effective through mass production. Approximately $306,000,000 (42%) of the total can be served by a non-regenerated, desiccant-based total recovery approach, based on the information provided by this investigation. Approximately $92,000,000 (13%) can be served by a regenerated desiccant-based cooling approach (see Table 7, Sect. 3). (2) A projection of the market selling price of various desiccant-based SOAHU systems was prepared using prices provided by Trane for central-station, air-handling modules currently manufactured. The wheel-component pricing was added to these components by SEMCO. This resulted in projected pricing for these systems that is significantly less than that currently offered by custom suppliers (see Table 4, Sect. 2). Estimated payback periods for all SOAHU approaches were quite short when compared with conventional over-cooling and reheat systems. Actual paybacks may vary significantly depending on site-specific considerations. (3) In comparing cost vs benefit of each SOAHU approach, it is critical that the total system design be evaluated. For example, the cost premium of a DBC system is very significant when compared to a conventional air handling system, yet the reduced chiller, boiler, cooling tower, and other expense often equals or exceeds this premium, resulting in a

Panel data estimates of the production function and product and labor market imperfections

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dobbelaere, S.; Mairesse, J.

2013-01-01

Consistent with two models of imperfect competition in the labor market-the efficient bargaining model and the monopsony model-we provide two extensions of a microeconomic version of Hall's framework for estimating price-cost margins. We show that both product and labor market imperfections generate

Labour Market Institutions and Unemployment: Does Finance Matter?

OpenAIRE

Christophe Rault; Anne-Gaël Vaubourg

2012-01-01

We explore whether finance influences the impact of labour market institutions on unemployment. Using a data set of 18 OECD countries over 1980–2004, we estimate a panel Vector AutoRegressive model. We check whether causalities from labour market variables to unemployment are affected by financial factors. In Belgium, Italy, Australia, Japan and Spain, accounting for financial indicators mitigates the benefits of labour market flexibility or makes it harmful to employment. In Austria, Canada,...

Reallocation of resources between generations and genders in the market and non-market economy. The case of Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Zannella, Marina

2015-01-01

In this article the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) method is used to develop a comprehensive account of resource reallocations between population members in Italy, encompassing the age and the gender perspective, the public and the familial institutional sectors as well as the market and non-market dimensions of the economy. The inclusion of the non-market economy, referring to household and care time, allows for an insight into the gender division of labour and the strength of intergenerational obligations in the Italian familistic welfare regime. Results highlight the existence of large flows of resources within the family both between genders and toward young generations, with men and women giving rise to considerable monetary and time transfers, respectively. PMID:26110106

Social Marketing: Vinea’s campaign “Bring life back to vineyard”

OpenAIRE

Horanská, Barbora

2017-01-01

Social marketing had been mainly connected with non-profit organisations. However, as the market develops the companies require higher level of sustainability and differentiation. Therefore, social marketing is now also applicable to other businesses. In order to prove the benefits of social marketing for company and society this thesis provides basic theories of classical marketing and their comparison with social marketing. These theories were applied to analyse a specific example of Vinea ...

Market diffusion, technological learning, and cost-benefit dynamics of condensing gas boilers in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weiss, M.; Dittmar, L.; Junginger, H.M.; Patel, M.K.; Blok, K.

2009-01-01

High costs often prevent the market diffusion of novel and efficient energy technologies. Monitoring cost and price decline for these technologies is thus important in order to establish effective energy policy. Here, we present experience curves and cost-benefit analyses for condensing gas boilers

Role of Non-Volatile Memories in Automotive and IoT Markets

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

Standard Manufacturing Supply Long Term Short to Medium Term Density Up to 16MB Up to 2MB IO Configuration Up to x128 Up to x32 Design for Test...Role of Non-Volatile Memories in Automotive and IoT Markets Vipin Tiwari Director, Business Development and Product Marketing SST – A Wholly Own...microcontrollers (MCU) and certainly one of the most challenging elements to master. This paper addresses the role of non-volatile memories for

An Application on Merton Model in the Non-efficient Market

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yanan; Xiao, Qingxian

Merton Model is one of the famous credit risk models. This model presumes that the only source of uncertainty in equity prices is the firm’s net asset value .But the above market condition holds only when the market is efficient which is often been ignored in modern research. Another, the original Merton Model is based on assumptions that in the event of default absolute priority holds, renegotiation is not permitted , liquidation of the firm is costless and in the Merton Model and most of its modified version the default boundary is assumed to be constant which don’t correspond with the reality. So these can influence the level of predictive power of the model. In this paper, we have made some extensions on some of these assumptions underlying the original model. The model is virtually a modification of Merton’s model. In a non-efficient market, we use the stock data to analysis this model. The result shows that the modified model can evaluate the credit risk well in the non-efficient market.

Structural changes in the German pharmaceutical market: price setting mechanisms based on the early benefit evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Henschke, Cornelia; Sundmacher, Leonie; Busse, Reinhard

2013-03-01

In the past, free price setting mechanisms in Germany led to high prices of patented pharmaceuticals and to increasing expenditures in the pharmaceutical sector. In order to control patented pharmaceutical prices and to curb increasing pharmaceutical spending, the Act for Restructuring the Pharmaceutical Market in Statutory Health Insurance (AMNOG) came into effect on 1st January 2011. In a structured dossier, pharmaceutical manufacturers have to demonstrate the additional therapeutic benefit of the newly approved pharmaceutical compared to its appropriate comparator. According to the level of additional benefit, pharmaceuticals will be subject to price negotiations between the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds and the pharmaceutical company concerned (or assigned to a reference price group in case of no additional benefit). Therefore, the health care reform is a first step to decision making based on "value for money". The process of price setting based on early benefit evaluation has an impact on the German as well as the European pharmaceutical markets. Therefore, these structural changes in Germany are of importance for pricing decisions in many European countries both from a political point of view and for strategic planning for pharmaceutical manufacturers, which may have an effect on insured patients' access to pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transferring diffractive optics from research to commercial applications: Part II - size estimations for selected markets

Science.gov (United States)

Brunner, Robert

2014-04-01

In a series of two contributions, decisive business-related aspects of the current process status to transfer research results on diffractive optical elements (DOEs) into commercial solutions are discussed. In part I, the focus was on the patent landscape. Here, in part II, market estimations concerning DOEs for selected applications are presented, comprising classical spectroscopic gratings, security features on banknotes, DOEs for high-end applications, e.g., for the semiconductor manufacturing market and diffractive intra-ocular lenses. The derived market sizes are referred to the optical elements, itself, rather than to the enabled instruments. The estimated market volumes are mainly addressed to scientifically and technologically oriented optical engineers to serve as a rough classification of the commercial dimensions of DOEs in the different market segments and do not claim to be exhaustive.

Redesigning the marketing mix for eco-friendly product consumption among non-purchasers in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chockalingam Senthil Nathan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The present study was created in order to customise the marketing mix for non-purchasers of eco-friendly products by studying their perspectives on the introduction of eco-friendly variants of the regular products that they are using in particular product categories (personal care and home care. Overall previous literature reviews in this area imply that there is a gap in the scientific literature on the marketing mix formulation for converting non-purchasers into purchasers of eco-friendly products to augment eco-friendly product sales and adopt green marketing. As literature reviews had clearly indicated that green purchasers have a very low percentage when compared to non-purchasers, the purpose is to create new opportunities for successful green marketing as the study tries to convert non-purchasers into purchasers. We used descriptive research design to study a sample of 885 respondents, who were surveyed in 2 cities in the Tamil Nadu state in India, to acquire an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour that would enable the consumption of eco-friendly products among non-purchasers. The results reveal the marketing mix requirement and the eco-friendly aspects needed by the non-purchasers in order to buy the eco-friendly variants. The research sheds light on the product, price and promotion components that will attract non-purchases of eco-friendly products to buy eco-friendly products, thus facilitating green marketing mix adaptation. The study will provide valuable input for further research in formulating the marketing mix necessary to enable consumption of eco-friendly products in different geographical locations and various product categories.

76 FR 39341 - Encouraging New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-06

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service 26 CFR Part 1 [REG-114206-11] RIN 1545-BK21 Encouraging New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments; Correction AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service... how the new markets tax credit program may be amended to encourage non-real estate investments. FOR...

Direct and indirect co-benefits from energy-efficient residential buildings - Appendix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, W.; Baur, M.; Jakob, M.

2006-01-01

Co-benefits of energy efficiency investments such as increased comfort of living, reduced noise exposure, and improved indoor air quality are of considerable evidence. However in investment decisions these co-benefits are rarely taken into account. Using various economic estimation methods (discrete choice, hedonic regression, contingent valuation), this study identifies and quantifies in monetary terms the most important co-benefits of energy efficiency measures. The results show that regarding energy efficiency measures, comfort of living plays a major role and that inhabitants express a non-negligible willingness to pay for it. The willingness to pay is larger than the costs of the energy efficiency measures in most cases and for a large part of the population. To utilise this willingness to pay in the market place it is necessary to establish transparency regarding comfort of living aspects and to raise awareness about these aspect among all involved actors (inhabitants, investors, architects, planners, promoters, vendors) by adequate information and communication measures. In view of the high relevance and the noticed economic valuation of the qualitative co-benefits energy efficiency measures have to be promoted with their related enhancements in terms of comfort of living. (author)

Using prediction markets to estimate the reproducibility of scientific research

Science.gov (United States)

Dreber, Anna; Pfeiffer, Thomas; Almenberg, Johan; Isaksson, Siri; Wilson, Brad; Chen, Yiling; Nosek, Brian A.; Johannesson, Magnus

2015-01-01

Concerns about a lack of reproducibility of statistically significant results have recently been raised in many fields, and it has been argued that this lack comes at substantial economic costs. We here report the results from prediction markets set up to quantify the reproducibility of 44 studies published in prominent psychology journals and replicated in the Reproducibility Project: Psychology. The prediction markets predict the outcomes of the replications well and outperform a survey of market participants’ individual forecasts. This shows that prediction markets are a promising tool for assessing the reproducibility of published scientific results. The prediction markets also allow us to estimate probabilities for the hypotheses being true at different testing stages, which provides valuable information regarding the temporal dynamics of scientific discovery. We find that the hypotheses being tested in psychology typically have low prior probabilities of being true (median, 9%) and that a “statistically significant” finding needs to be confirmed in a well-powered replication to have a high probability of being true. We argue that prediction markets could be used to obtain speedy information about reproducibility at low cost and could potentially even be used to determine which studies to replicate to optimally allocate limited resources into replications. PMID:26553988

Using prediction markets to estimate the reproducibility of scientific research.

Science.gov (United States)

Dreber, Anna; Pfeiffer, Thomas; Almenberg, Johan; Isaksson, Siri; Wilson, Brad; Chen, Yiling; Nosek, Brian A; Johannesson, Magnus

2015-12-15

Concerns about a lack of reproducibility of statistically significant results have recently been raised in many fields, and it has been argued that this lack comes at substantial economic costs. We here report the results from prediction markets set up to quantify the reproducibility of 44 studies published in prominent psychology journals and replicated in the Reproducibility Project: Psychology. The prediction markets predict the outcomes of the replications well and outperform a survey of market participants' individual forecasts. This shows that prediction markets are a promising tool for assessing the reproducibility of published scientific results. The prediction markets also allow us to estimate probabilities for the hypotheses being true at different testing stages, which provides valuable information regarding the temporal dynamics of scientific discovery. We find that the hypotheses being tested in psychology typically have low prior probabilities of being true (median, 9%) and that a "statistically significant" finding needs to be confirmed in a well-powered replication to have a high probability of being true. We argue that prediction markets could be used to obtain speedy information about reproducibility at low cost and could potentially even be used to determine which studies to replicate to optimally allocate limited resources into replications.

Benefits of EMU Participation : Estimates using the Synthetic Control Method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verstegen, Loes; van Groezen, Bas; Meijdam, Lex

2017-01-01

This paper investigates quantitatively the benefits from participation in the Economic and Monetary Union for individual Euro area countries. Using the synthetic control method, we estimate how real GDP per capita would have developed for the EMU member states, if those countries had not joined the

Role of Indian Commodity Derivatives Market in Hedging Price Risk: Estimation of Constant and Dynamic Hedge Ratio, and Hedging Effectiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brajesh Kumar

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This  paper  examines  hedging  effectiveness  of  four  agricultural  (soybean,  corn,  castor seed and guar seed and seven non-agricultural (gold, silver, aluminium, copper, zinc, crude oil  and,  natural  gas  futures  contracts  traded  in  India,  using  VECM  and  CCC-MGARCH model to estimate constant hedge ratio and dynamic hedge ratios, respectively. We ind that agricultural  futures  contracts  provide  higher  hedging  effectiveness  (30-70%  as  compared to  non-agricultural  futures  (20%.  In  the  more  recent  period,  the  hedging  effectiveness  of Indian futures markets has increased. When hedging effectiveness of non-agricultural Indian futures  contracts  with  the  world  spot  markets  (NYMEX  and  LME  is  analyzed,  hedging effectiveness  increases  dramatically  which  indicates  the  fact  that  Indian  futures  contracts are more effective for hedging exposures to global prices. Other reasons of lower hedging effectiveness  of  Indian  futures  contracts  may  be  low  awareness  of  futures  markets  among participants,  high  transaction  costs  in  the  futures  markets,  policy  restrictions,  inadequate contract design, or high transaction costs in the spot market. These are, of course, expected birth pays for a nascent futures markets in an emerging economy. ";} // -->activate javascript

Analysis of benefits

OpenAIRE

Kováříková, Kamila

2012-01-01

This master thesis deals with employee benefits in the current labour market, especially from the perspective of young employees. The first part is focused on the theory of motivation and employee benefits also with their tax impact on employee's income. Employee benefits in the current labour market, employee's satisfaction and employer's attitude to this issue are analyzed in the second part of this thesis.

Sociální reklama a sociální marketing

OpenAIRE

Grossová, Lenka

2010-01-01

Social marketing is the use of marketing principles to influence human behavior to improve health or benefit society. It is the systematic application of marketing to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. I'm describing three types of social marketing - social advertising, marketing in non-profit organzations, hybrid forms between social and commercial marketing. Leading topic in my rigorous paper was social advertising, because of lack of the literature about this theme in the...

Non-linear characteristics and long-range correlations in Asian stock markets

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, J.; Ma, K.; Cai, X.

2007-05-01

We test several non-linear characteristics of Asian stock markets, which indicates the failure of efficient market hypothesis and shows the essence of fractal of the financial markets. In addition, by using the method of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to investigate the long range correlation of the volatility in the stock markets, we find that the crossover phenomena exist in the results of DFA. Further, in the region of small volatility, the scaling behavior is more complicated; in the region of large volatility, the scaling exponent is close to 0.5, which suggests the market is more efficient. All these results may indicate the possibility of characteristic multifractal scaling behaviors of the financial markets.

21 CFR 312.84 - Risk-benefit analysis in review of marketing applications for drugs to treat life-threatening and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... making the final decision on approvability. As part of this evaluation, consistent with the statement of.... (b) In making decisions on whether to grant marketing approval for products that have been the... 21 Food and Drugs 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Risk-benefit analysis in review of marketing...

Socio-economic factors influencing marketing of non-timber forest ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Socio-economic factors influencing marketing of non-timber forest products in ... enhance skills for product transformation, build innovative storage facilities, and ... the process of domestication and integration in traditional land-use systems.

ESTIMATING RISK ON THE CAPITAL MARKET WITH VaR METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinisa Bogdan

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The two basic questions that every investor tries to answer before investment are questions about predicting return and risk. Risk and return are generally considered two positively correlated sizes, during the growth of risk it is expected increase of return to compensate the higher risk. The quantification of risk in the capital market represents the current topic since occurrence of securities. Together with estimated future returns it represents starting point of any investment. In this study it is described the history of the emergence of VaR methods, usefulness in assessing the risks of financial assets. Three main Value at Risk (VaR methodologies are decribed and explained in detail: historical method, parametric method and Monte Carlo method. After the theoretical review of VaR methods it is estimated risk of liquid stocks and portfolio from the Croatian capital market with historical and parametric VaR method, after which the results were compared and explained.

The system-wide impacts of the external benefits to higher education on the Scottish economy: An exploratory “micro-to-macro" approach

OpenAIRE

Kristinn Hermannsson; Katerina Lisenkova; Patrizio Lecca; Peter McGregor; Kim Swales

2012-01-01

The private market benefits of education, i.e. the wage premia of graduates, are widely studied at the micro level, although the magnitude of their macroeconomic impact is disputed. However, there are additional benefits of education, which are less well understood but could potentially drive significant macroeconomic impacts. Following the taxonomy of McMahon (2009) we identify four different types of benefits of education. These are: private market benefits (wage premia); private non market...

A critique of social marketing in the non-profit development sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.M. Fourie

2009-07-01

Full Text Available In its struggle to find funding, non-profit organisations world-wide are increasingly using social marketing strategies. This approach potentially influences non governmental organisations (NGOs and community based organisations (CBOs in their communication with their “clients”, i.e. those persons and com-munities in need of development. Marketing strategies con-sequently become instruments in achieving social development, with as main premise that behaviour could be changed by means of persuasive, top-down communication. Social marketing, with its roots in marketing, has a strong focus on persuasion and favours top-down communication rather than dialogical communication strategies suggested by the par-ticipatory development communication approach. It is also questionable whether social marketing can be equated with the principles of a Biblically informed approach to communication. With these questions in mind, this article discusses Biblical views on communication and the participatory development communication approach. A critique of the social marketing approach is then offered. It is argued here that there is no clear-cut answer as to whether social marketing could be described as participatory. What is clear is that there are many different views on social marketing, as is the case with participatory approaches. It would thus seem more correct to place social marketing on a participation continuum, rather than to define it as being participatory and thus per definition ethical or not. Finally, a number of suggestions are made which could bring it more in line with the participatory communication approach as well as Biblical principles on com-munication.

Valuing ecosystem services using benefit transfer: separating credible and incredible approaches: chapter 3

Science.gov (United States)

Loomis, John H.; Richardson, Leslie; Kroeger, Timm; Casey, Frank

2014-01-01

Ecosystem goods and services are now widely recognized as the benefits that humans derive from the natural environment around them including abiotic (e.g. atmosphere) and biotic components. The work by Costanza et al. (1997) to value the world’s ecosystem services brought the concept of ecosystem service valuation to the attention of the world press and environmental economists working in the area of non-market valuation. The article’s US$33 trillion estimate of these services, despite world GDP being only US$18 trillion, was definitely headline grabbing. This ambitious effort was undertaken with reliance on transferring existing values per unit from other (often site specific) valuation studies. Benefit transfer (see Boyle and Bergstrom, 1992; Rosenberger and Loomis, 2000, 2001) involves transfers of values per unit from an area that has been valued using primary valuation methods such as contingent valuation, travel cost or hedonic property methods (Champ et al., 2003) to areas for which values are needed. Benefit transfer often provides a reasonable approximation of the benefit of unstudied ecosystem services based on transfer of benefits estimates per unit (per visitor day, per acre) from existing studies. An appropriate benefit transfer should be performed on the same spatial scale of analysis (e.g. reservoir to reservoir, city to city) as the original study. However, the reasonableness of benefit transfer may be strained when applying locally derived per acre values from studies of several thousand acres of a resource such as wetlands to hundreds of millions of acres of wetlands.

HMO market penetration and costs of employer-sponsored health plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, L C; Cantor, J C; Long, S H; Marquis, M S

2000-01-01

Using two employer surveys, we evaluate the role of increased health maintenance organization (HMO) market share in containing costs of employer-sponsored coverage. Total costs for employer health plans are about 10 percent lower in markets in which HMOs' market share is above 45 percent than they are in markets with HMO enrollments of below 25 percent. This is the result of lower premiums for HMOs than for non-HMO plans, as well as the competitive effect of HMOs that leads to lower non-HMO premiums for employers that continue to offer these benefits. Slower growth in premiums in areas with high HMO enrollments suggests that expanded HMO market share may also lower the long-run growth in costs.

Marketing nutrition & health-related benefits of food & beverage products: enforcement, litigation & liability issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Roller, Sarah; Pippins, Raqiyyah

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, the liability risks associated with food and beverage product marketing have increased significantly, particularly with respect to nutrition and health-related product benefit claims. FDA and FTC enforcement priorities appear to have contributed to the increasing liability trends that are associated with these nutrition and health-related claims. This article examines key enforcement and litigation developments involving conventional food and beverage product marketing claims during the first 18 months of President Obama's administration: Part I considers FDA enforcement priorities and recent warning letters; Part II considers FTC enforcement priorities, warning letters, and consent orders; and Part III considers the relationship between FDA and FTC enforcement priorities and recent false advertising cases brought by private parties challenging nutrition and health-related marketing claims for food and beverage products. The article makes recommendations concerning ways in which food and beverage companies can help minimize liability risks associated with health-related marketing claims. In addition, the article suggests that federal policy reforms may be required to counter the perverse chilling effects current food liability trends appear to be having on health-related marketing claims for food and beverage products, and proposes a number of specific reforms that would help encourage the responsible use of well-substantiated marketing claims that can help foster healthy dietary practices. In view of the obesity prevention and other diet-related public health priorities of the Obama administration, the article suggests that this is an opportune time to address the apparent chilling effects increasing food liability risks are having on nutrition and health-related marketing claims for healthy food and beverage products, and potential adverse consequences for public health.

Worldwide satellite market demand forecast

Science.gov (United States)

Bowyer, J. M.; Frankfort, M.; Steinnagel, K. M.

1981-01-01

The forecast is for the years 1981 - 2000 with benchmark years at 1985, 1990 and 2000. Two typs of markets are considered for this study: Hardware (worldwide total) - satellites, earth stations and control facilities (includes replacements and spares); and non-hardware (addressable by U.S. industry) - planning, launch, turnkey systems and operations. These markets were examined for the INTELSAT System (international systems and domestic and regional systems using leased transponders) and domestic and regional systems. Forecasts were determined for six worldwide regions encompassing 185 countries using actual costs for existing equipment and engineering estimates of costs for advanced systems. Most likely (conservative growth rate estimates) and optimistic (mid range growth rate estimates) scenarios were employed for arriving at the forecasts which are presented in constant 1980 U.S. dollars. The worldwide satellite market demand forecast predicts that the market between 181 and 2000 will range from $35 to $50 billion. Approximately one-half of the world market, $16 to $20 billion, will be generated in the United States.

The economics of energy market transformation programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duke, R.; Kammen, D.M.

1999-01-01

This paper evaluates three energy-sector market transformation programs: the US Environmental Protection Agency's Green Lights program to promote on-grid efficient lighting; the World Bank Group's new Photovoltaic Market Transformation Initiative; and the federal grain ethanol subsidy. The authors develop a benefit-cost model that uses experience curves to estimate unit cost reductions as a function of cumulative production. Accounting for dynamic feedback between the demand response and price reductions from production experience raises the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of the first two programs substantially. The BCR of the ethanol program, however, is approximately zero, illustrating a technology for which subsidization was not justified. Their results support a broader role for market transformation programs to commercialize new environmentally attractive technologies, but the ethanol experience suggests moderately funding a broad portfolio composed of technologies that meet strict selection criteria

A marketing perspective on the impact of financial and non-financial measures on shareholder value

OpenAIRE

Terblanche, Nic S; Gerber, Charlene; Erasmus, Pierre; Schmidt, Delia

2013-01-01

The pressure for financial accountability contributed to widespread concern about the function of marketing within the company. Consequently, marketers have become preoccupied with measuring the performance of marketing activity. Diverse financial and non-financial methods have been developed to provide evidence of how marketing activity impacts on the bottom line. This article proposes an approach whereby financial and non-financial performance measures are combined to measure the contributi...

Analytical Methods for the Analysis of Managerial Risk in the Marketing

OpenAIRE

Svetlana BRADUTAN

2013-01-01

Within forecasts based on single estimations the risk due to uncertainty is not considered. Yet they continue to be widely used in practice in different areas of marketing such as the return on investments, discounted flow of benefits of a project, the average annual benefit of an investment a.s.o.

Profitable marketing: marketing for non marketing managers. Ceuta Healthcare

OpenAIRE

Kilburn, David

2005-01-01

This workshop was conducted with 20 Managers from Ceuta Healthcare to raise their awareness of the power of marketing and give them a set of marketing tools to improve the success rate of their business development activities

Labour Market Participation: The Impact of Social Benefits in the Czech Republic and Selected European Countries

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fialová, K.; Mysíková, Martina

2009-01-01

Roč. 18, č. 3 (2009), s. 235-250 ISSN 1210-0455 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA403/08/1369 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70280505 Keywords : inactivity trap * abour market participation * social benefits Subject RIV: AH - Economics

Do conditional benefits reduce equilibrium unemployment?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ploeg, F.

2006-01-01

Although unconditional unemployment benefits destroy jobs in competitive and noncompetitive labor markets, conditional benefits can spur job growth in noncompetitive labor markets. Unconditional benefits reduce the penalty of shirking and misconduct, while conditional benefits increase this penalty.

Non-timber forest products marketing systems and market players in southwest Virginia: crafts, medicinal and herbal, and specialty wood products

Science.gov (United States)

S.M. Greene; A.L. Hammett; S. Kant

2000-01-01

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are important in rural southwest Virginia as a source of household income. Marketing system of crafts, medicinal and herbal, and specialty wood products are studied using exploratory and qualitative research methods. Fifty market players at various levels in marketing chains are interviewed to get the information on elements of...

Energy Flexibility of The Commercial Greenhouse Growers, The Potential and Benefits of Participating in The Electricity Market

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Zheng; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2018-01-01

Commercial greenhouses can provide energy flexibility with artificial lighting usage and information and communications technology support. Therefore, commercial greenhouse growers can potentially play an important role in the electricity market as a flexibility service provider....... With the application of a climate control software- DynaLight NG, this paper takes Danish commercial growers and the Nordic electricity regulating market as an example, to investigate the market potential with two business models: 1) commercial greenhouse growers directly participate in the regulating market, 2......) to reduce balance responsible parties’ imbalance errors. Two calculations are formulated to evaluate the monetary benefits for the commercial greenhouse growers’ participation in the two business models. The results show that: 1) one big commercial greenhouse grower might get around 55,000 DKK...

Financial market implications of monetary policy coincidences: Evidence from the UK and Euro Area government-bond markets

OpenAIRE

Arestis, Philip; Phelps, P

2017-01-01

Relatively little is known about the financial market impact of international monetary surprises arising on the same trading day. This paper estimates a suite of multi-security factor models, which captures international monetary surprise effects on UK and Euro Area government-bond markets over the period 1999–2014. In doing so, we shed light on the relative importance of coinciding, non-coinciding monetary surprises and non-monetary surprises across the yield curve. We find some support for ...

Maximizing Benefits from Maintenance Pemetrexed with Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy in Oligoprogressive Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shao-Lun Lu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Maintenance pemetrexed offers survival benefit with well-tolerated toxicities for advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC. We present 3 consecutively enrolled patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC, receiving stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR for oligoprogressive disease during maintenance pemetrexed. All of them had sustained local control of thoracic oligoprogression after the SABR, while maintenance pemetrexed were kept for additionally long progression-free interval. SABR targeting oligoprogression with continued pemetrexed is an effective and safe approach to extend exposure of maintenance pemetrexed, thus maximizing the benefit from it.

Appendix F: FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program inputs for FY 2008 benefits estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2009-01-18

Document summarizes the results of the benefits analysis of EERE’s programs, as described in the FY 2008 Budget Request. EERE estimates benefits for its overall portfolio and nine Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD3) programs.

Market Microstructure Effects on Firm Default Risk Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flavia Barsotti

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Default probability is a fundamental variable determining the credit worthiness of a firm and equity volatility estimation plays a key role in its evaluation. Assuming a structural credit risk modeling approach, we study the impact of choosing different non parametric equity volatility estimators on default probability evaluation, when market microstructure noise is considered. A general stochastic volatility framework with jumps for the underlying asset dynamics is defined inside a Merton-like structural model. To estimate the volatility risk component of a firm we use high-frequency equity data: market microstructure noise is introduced as a direct effect of observing noisy high-frequency equity prices. A Monte Carlo simulation analysis is conducted to (i test the performance of alternative non-parametric equity volatility estimators in their capability of filtering out the microstructure noise and backing out the true unobservable asset volatility; (ii study the effects of different non-parametric estimation techniques on default probability evaluation. The impact of the non-parametric volatility estimators on risk evaluation is not negligible: a sensitivity analysis defined for alternative values of the leverage parameter and average jumps size reveals that the characteristics of the dataset are crucial to determine which is the proper estimator to consider from a credit risk perspective.

Service & non-profit marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanković Čedomir

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Services are dominantly untouchable products which cannot be physically owned. Services promotion is difficult for its untouchables. Personal sale is very powerful in service companies because customers must interact with employees. Price is very important for service's companies. It has psychological role, economic role and it creates attitude for goal achievement. Marketing goal for nonprofit organizations is to get an answer from target market Development of marketing strategies of nonprofit organizations consists of defining and analyzing target market and creating and maintaining marketing mix. In nonprofit organizations product is usually an idea or a service. Promotion in nonprofit organizations is very important. Personal sale, promotional sale, advertising and publicity are used for communicating an idea and informing people about services.

The effect of receiving supplementary UI benefits on unemployment duration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tomi, Kyyrä,; Pierpaolo, Parrotta,; Rosholm, Michael

2013-01-01

insurance benefit receipt. We find evidence of a negative in-treatment effect and a positive post-treatment effect, both of which vary across different groups of individuals. The resulting net effect on the expected unemployment duration is positive for some groups (e.g. married women) and negative......We consider the consequences of working part-time and receiving supplementary benefits for part-time unemployment in the Danish labor market. Following the timing-of-events approach we estimate causal effects of part-time work with supplementary benefits on the hazard rate out of unemployment...

Estimating public benefits of implementing the proposed revisions to Regulation 308

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haites, E.; Blyth, P.

1990-01-01

As part of the review process for proposed revisions to its Regulation 308, the Ministry of Environment commissioned a study to identify the expected air quality, health and environmental benefits to the public from the implementation of the proposals. Where possible, the benefits are quantified and valued in economic terms. The study covered 96 contaminants emitted by over 3,500 establishments in 48 industries across Ontario. Emission sources, emissions by source, dispersion modelling, ambient concentrations, and exposure-response functions are discussed. Effects of the proposals on cancer mortality, non-cancer mortality, other health benefits, materials damage, visibility damage, odour, phytotoxicity and an aggregate economic valuation are presented. Aggregate economic benefits range from $1,532-$886 million 1986 $CAN for the most and least stringent cases, respectively

Benefit and risk information in prescription drug advertising: review of empirical studies and marketing implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopp, S W; Bang, H K

2000-01-01

As pharmaceutical companies began to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers as well as to physicians, understanding the impact of benefit and risk information in drug advertising on physicians and consumers has become more critical. This paper reviews previous empirical studies that examined the content of benefit and risk information in drug advertising and its potential effects on physicians' subsequent prescribing behaviors. It also reviews studies that investigated how consumers process information on a drug's efficacy and side effects. Based on the findings of these studies, implications are discussed for effective marketing information development as well as for government regulation.

Non-analog Monte Carlo estimators for radiation momentum deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hykes, Joshua M.; Densmore, Jeffery D.

2009-01-01

The standard method for calculating radiation momentum deposition in Monte Carlo simulations is the analog estimator, which tallies the change in a particle's momentum at each interaction with the matter. Unfortunately, the analog estimator can suffer from large amounts of statistical error. In this paper, we present three new non-analog techniques for estimating momentum deposition. Specifically, we use absorption, collision, and track-length estimators to evaluate a simple integral expression for momentum deposition that does not contain terms that can cause large amounts of statistical error in the analog scheme. We compare our new non-analog estimators to the analog estimator with a set of test problems that encompass a wide range of material properties and both isotropic and anisotropic scattering. In nearly all cases, the new non-analog estimators outperform the analog estimator. The track-length estimator consistently yields the highest performance gains, improving upon the analog-estimator figure of merit by factors of up to two orders of magnitude.

Estimating fair-market value for hydrocarbon producing properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garb, F.A.

1996-01-01

The generally accepted appraisal methods used to evaluate hydrocarbon properties and prospects were described. Fair-market-value (FMV) estimates have been used in the petroleum industry in attempts to protect a purchaser against an unwise acquisition, or conversely, to establish a just price to compensate a seller. Four methods were identified for determining FMV for hydrocarbon producing properties. They are: (1) comparative sales, (2) rule of thumb, (3) income forecast, and (4) replacement cost. The differences between oil and gas FMV and real estate FMV were explained

Analysis of the Economic Potential for a Mercosur Rice Futures Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waldemar Antonio da Rocha de Souza

2015-08-01

Full Text Available World rice production reached 488.4 thousand tons, in 2012. Asian countries are the world’s largest rice producers, followed by Latinamerica, particularly Brazil, where rice is a basic food item. In spite of the clear economic benefits bestowed by commodity futures markets, neither Asia nor Mercosur have implemented a regional rice futures market. In sum, we propose to investigate the feasibility of a Brazilian rice futures contract to serve the Mercosur region by estimating Mercosur rice price dynamics and analyze basis risk and hedging effectiveness for rice market agents in the region, in a simulation framework using a hypothetical regional contract price. Sample data and period was non-probabilistic, for accessibility and convenience. Mercosur rice price dynamics expressed Argentina and Uruguay rice prices moving in synchrony. Brazil rice prices were on lower levels. Also, all three pairs of rice price series are cointegrated, with one cointegrating equation. Again, results can be largely attributed to the different price data used, in Brazil was rough rice, while in Uruguay and Argentina milled white rice with 5%. Despite that, there are preliminary evidences that a Mercosur rice futures market could be feasible.

The Process to Estimate Economical Benefits of Six Sigma Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Kosina

2013-07-01

Full Text Available This paper seeks to define the process for the continuous evaluation of the financial benefits during Six Sigma project life time. The financial criteria are critical success factors of a Six Sigma project. The process has been developed as part of the six sigma project monitoring in order to estimate proper allocation of the resources taking in account the expected project benefits as well as evaluationof real achievements. The evaluation of the finacial benefits based on the quality costs is not sufficient in the real life and has to be accomplished with key financial performance indicators of the business to visualize the results. The evaluation based on the savings seems to be too difficult especially for green belts. The early involvement of the finance department in the project definition as well as ongoing evaluation is key. The defined process has been applied to real business enviroment.

Liberalization of Russian gas exports: benefits and challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yakunina Alla

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Russian gas export liberalization has been discussed throughout the post-Soviet period. Recently, the number of Gazprom’s export monopoly advocates has been diminishing as a result of dramatic changes in both European and Russian gas markets, which are: increasing international trade in liquefied natural gas; the EU movement from long-term contracts to the commodity markets and hub pricing; substantially increased share of the non-Gazprom gas suppliers at the Russian domestic market. Although there is a potential risk of price decrease in the EU gas market in the case of the Gazprom export monopoly abolition, the benefits of the Russian gas export liberalization would be greater than losses. The gas resource base and the cost of pipeline gas production would allow Russia to improve its positions in the world market.

Projected Benefits of Federal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs. FY 2005 - FY 2050

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2004-05-01

This report describes a benefits analysis undertaken by EERE to better understand the extent to which the technologies and market improvements funded by its FY 2005 budget request will make energy more affordable, cleaner, and more reliable. It summarizes the results of the analysis, which focused on economic, environmental, and security benefits related to energy. The report identifies specific measures or indicators of estimated benefits for FY 2005.

Comparing emerging and mature markets during times of crises: A non-extensive statistical approach

Science.gov (United States)

Namaki, A.; Koohi Lai, Z.; Jafari, G. R.; Raei, R.; Tehrani, R.

2013-07-01

One of the important issues in finance and economics for both scholars and practitioners is to describe the behavior of markets, especially during times of crises. In this paper, we analyze the behavior of some mature and emerging markets with a Tsallis entropy framework that is a non-extensive statistical approach based on non-linear dynamics. During the past decade, this technique has been successfully applied to a considerable number of complex systems such as stock markets in order to describe the non-Gaussian behavior of these systems. In this approach, there is a parameter q, which is a measure of deviation from Gaussianity, that has proved to be a good index for detecting crises. We investigate the behavior of this parameter in different time scales for the market indices. It could be seen that the specified pattern for q differs for mature markets with regard to emerging markets. The findings show the robustness of the stated approach in order to follow the market conditions over time. It is obvious that, in times of crises, q is much greater than in other times. In addition, the response of emerging markets to global events is delayed compared to that of mature markets, and tends to a Gaussian profile on increasing the scale. This approach could be very useful in application to risk and portfolio management in order to detect crises by following the parameter q in different time scales.

Market and Style Timing: German Equity and Bond Funds

OpenAIRE

Hayley, S.; Nitzsche, D.; Cuthbertson, K.

2016-01-01

We apply parametric and non-parametric estimates to test market and style timing ability of individual German equity and bond mutual funds using a sample of over 500 equity and 350 bond funds, over the period 1990-2009. For equity funds, both approaches indicate no successful market timers in the 1990-1999 or 2000-2009 periods, but in 2000-2009 the non-parametric approach gives fewer unsuccessful market timers than the parametric approach. There is evidence of successful style timing using th...

Estimating the health and economic benefits associated with reducing air pollution in the Barcelona metropolitan area (Spain).

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Laura; Sunyer, Jordi; Künzli, Nino

2009-01-01

To estimate the health and economic benefits that would result from two scenarios of improved air quality in 57 municipalities of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. We used attributable fractions and life tables to quantify the benefits for selected health outcomes, based on published concentration-response functions and economic unit values. The mean weighted concentration of PM(10) for the study population was estimated through concentration surface maps developed by the local government. The annual mean health benefits of reducing the mean PM(10) exposure estimated for the population in the study area (50microg/m(3)) to the annual mean value recommended by the World Health Organization (20microg/m(3)) were estimated to be 3,500 fewer deaths (representing an average increase in life expectancy of 14 months), 1,800 fewer hospitalizations for cardio-respiratory diseases, 5,100 fewer cases of chronic bronchitis among adults, 31,100 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children, and 54,000 fewer asthma attacks among children and adults. The mean total monetary benefits were estimated to be 6,400 million euros per year. Reducing PM(10) to comply with the current European Union regulatory annual mean level (40microg/m(3)) would yield approximately one third of these benefits. This study shows that reducing air pollution in the metropolitan area of Barcelona would result in substantial health and economic benefits. The benefits are probably underestimated due to the assumptions made in this study. Assessment of the health impact of local air pollution is a useful tool in public health.

Estimating the treatment effect from non-randomized studies: The example of reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation in hematological diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Resche-Rigon Matthieu

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In some clinical situations, for which RCT are rare or impossible, the majority of the evidence comes from observational studies, but standard estimations could be biased because they ignore covariates that confound treatment decisions and outcomes. Methods Three observational studies were conducted to assess the benefit of Allo-SCT in hematological malignancies of multiple myeloma, follicular lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease. Two statistical analyses were performed: the propensity score (PS matching approach and the inverse probability weighting (IPW approach. Results Based on PS-matched samples, a survival benefit in MM patients treated by Allo-SCT, as compared to similar non-allo treated patients, was observed with an HR of death at 0.35 (95%CI: 0.14-0.88. Similar results were observed in HD, 0.23 (0.07-0.80 but not in FL, 1.28 (0.43-3.77. Estimated benefits of Allo-SCT for the original population using IPW were erased in HR for death at 0.72 (0.37-1.39 for MM patients, 0.60 (0.19-1.89 for HD patients, and 2.02 (0.88-4.66 for FL patients. Conclusion Differences in estimated benefits rely on whether the underlying population to which they apply is an ideal randomized experimental population (PS or the original population (IPW. These useful methods should be employed when assessing the effects of innovative treatment in non-randomized experiments.

Asset allocation and regime switching on Croatian financial market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tihana Škrinjarić

2016-12-01

Full Text Available It has been known for quite some time now that financial markets exhibit changes in regimes over time. A majority of the literature tends to support that financial markets undergo regimes of bull and bear markets. This characteristic should be modeled in a proper way as investors are always interested in beating the market: either by achieving better returns than others, or by minimizing their portfolio risks. There exist many mathematical and statistical models that are used as tools to achieve the mentioned goals. Introducing the regime switching methodology in existing models has proven to be facilitate achieving such goals. Therefore, the objective of this study is to utilize the regime switching methodology on the Croatian financial market to ascertain its usefulness for Croatian investors. Multivariate regime switching and non-switching models were estimated using daily data from the period 2 January 2007 to 31 December 2015. The assumption is that the investor is interested in stock and bond markets. The results from the MGARCH and regime switching MGARCH models are then compared in order to give answers as to whether the respective methodology applied to the Croatian market is useful and how it may benefit investors. Most of the results support the presumption of incorporating this particular methodology in financial modeling for the Croatia markets. This is the first research that applies the regime switching MGARCH methodology in Croatia (including the Balkan region, hence we expect that this will be a significant contribution to existing methodologies in literature.

Analyzing paired diagnostic studies by estimating the expected benefit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerke, Oke; Høilund-Carlsen, Poul Flemming; Vach, Werner

2015-01-01

is of an indirect nature as test results do influence downstream clinical decisions, but test performance (as characterized by sensitivity, specificity, and the predictive values of a procedure) is, at best, only a surrogate endpoint for patient outcome and does not necessarily translate into it. Not many...... randomized controlled trials have been conducted so far in diagnostic research, and, hence, we need alternative approaches to close the gap between test characteristics and patient outcomes. Several informal approaches have been suggested in order to close this gap, and decision modeling has been advocated...... as a means of obtaining formal approaches. Recently, the expected benefit has been proposed as a quantity that allows a simple formal approach, and we take up this suggestion in this paper. We regard the expected benefit as an estimation problem and consider two approaches to statistical inference. Moreover...

Oil markets to 2010: the impact of non-Opec oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enav, Peter

1998-09-01

This report provides an in-depth assessment of oil development scenarios in every non-Opec oil producing country from 1998 to 2010, in addition to evaluating the extent and direction of future oil trade for Opec and non-Opec countries alike. It re-assesses world oil consumption patterns in light of the Asian financial crisis, providing a concise yet comprehensive coverage of an often-neglected oil production group. The oil market development scenario is analysed in each country, with detailed consideration of the major players providing historical production, consumption, import and export data; current oil balance - production, imports and exports; an assessment of oil development policy; analysis of potential development obstacles considering regulatory, financial, political and environmental issues; oil production and consumption projections to 2010, by type; and import and export projections to 2010, by destination and source. More than 80 tables supplying essential statistics on the world's non-Opec markets accompany the report, with maps and schematic diagrams showing existing and potential infrastructure and fields. (Author)

STARTING DETERMINANTS OF STRATEGIC APPROACH TO MARKETING OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS: THEORETICAL ELABORATION

OpenAIRE

Pavičić, Jurica

2001-01-01

Non-profit organizations have remarkably important role in contemporary societies since they participate in solutions of numerous problems which enable or prevent functioning of society in an optimal way. In this, systematic application of marketing influences more efficient activity of non-profit organizations in practice, and by this indirectly contributes to better solution of social problems. If qualitative or systematic application of marketing is observed from the aspect of forming and ...

Estimating zonal electricity supply curves in transmission-constrained electricity markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahraei-Ardakani, Mostafa; Blumsack, Seth; Kleit, Andrew

2015-01-01

Many important electricity policy initiatives would directly affect the operation of electric power networks. This paper develops a method for estimating short-run zonal supply curves in transmission-constrained electricity markets that can be implemented quickly by policy analysts with training in statistical methods and with publicly available data. Our model enables analysis of distributional impacts of policies affecting operation of electric power grid. The method uses fuel prices and zonal electric loads to determine piecewise supply curves, identifying zonal electricity price and marginal fuel. We illustrate our methodology by estimating zonal impacts of Pennsylvania's Act 129, an energy efficiency and conservation policy. For most utilities in Pennsylvania, Act 129 would reduce the influence of natural gas on electricity price formation and increase the influence of coal. The total resulted savings would be around 267 million dollars, 82 percent of which would be enjoyed by the customers in Pennsylvania. We also analyze the impacts of imposing a $35/ton tax on carbon dioxide emissions. Our results show that the policy would increase the average prices in PJM by 47–89 percent under different fuel price scenarios in the short run, and would lead to short-run interfuel substitution between natural gas and coal. - Highlights: • We develop a method to estimate of zonal supply curves in electricity markets. • The model estimates zonal electricity prices and zonal fuel utilization. • The model implicitly captures the average impacts of transmission constraints. • Using the method, we project supply curves for the seventeen utility zones of PJM. • We use the estimated supply curves to study the impacts of Pennsylvania's Act 129 and a carbon tax of $35 per ton

Testing Black Market vs. Official PPP: A Pooled Mean Group Estimation Approach

OpenAIRE

Goswami, Gour Gobinda; Hossain, Mohammad Zariab

2013-01-01

Testing purchasing power parity (PPP) using black market exchange rate data has gained popularity in recent times. It is claimed that black market exchange rate data more often support the PPP than the official exchange rate data. In this study, to assess both the long run stability of exchange rate and the short run dynamics, we employ Pooled Mean Group (PMG) Estimation developed by Pesaran et al. (1999) on eight groups of countries based on different criteria. Using the famous Reinhart and ...

Is thymectomy in non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis of any benefit?

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Andres; Black, Edward; Dunning, Joel

2014-03-01

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was if thymectomy in non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis was of any benefit? Overall, 137 papers were found using the reported search, of which 16 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. The outcome variables were similar in all of the papers, including complete stable remission (CSR), pharmacological remission, age at presentation, gender, duration of symptoms, preoperative classification (Oosterhius, Osserman or myasthenia gravis Foundation of America (MGFA)), thymic pathology, preoperative medications (steroids, immunosuppressants), mortality and morbidity. We conclude that evidence-based reviews have shown that relative rates of thymectomy patients compared with non-thymectomy patients attaining outcome indicate that the former group of patients is more likely to achieve medication-free remission, become asymptomatic and clinically improve (54%, P benefit rate (BR), P benefits has not been established due to factors such as the confounding differences between myasthenia gravis patients receiving and not receiving thymectomy, the non-randomized nature of class II studies and the lack of Class I evidence to support its use. There is currently a randomized trial ongoing looking at thymectomy by sternotomy vs controls and the results are eagerly awaited.

On the economic benefit of utility based estimation of a volatility model

OpenAIRE

Adam Clements; Annastiina Silvennoinen

2009-01-01

Forecasts of asset return volatility are necessary for many financial applications, including portfolio allocation. Traditionally, the parameters of econometric models used to generate volatility forecasts are estimated in a statistical setting and subsequently used in an economic setting such as portfolio allocation. Differences in the criteria under which the model is estimated and applied may inhibit reduce the overall economic benefit of a model in the context of portfolio allocation. Thi...

76 FR 39343 - New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-06

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service 26 CFR Part 1 [REG-101826-11] RIN 1545-BK04 New Markets Tax Credit Non-Real Estate Investments; Correction AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS... Tuesday, June 7, 2011 (76 FR 32882) modifying the new markets tax credit program to facilitate and...

Alternative Approaches to Calculate Benefits of an Energy Imbalance Market With Wind and Solar Energy: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirby, B.; King, J.; Milligan, M.

2012-06-01

The anticipated increase in variable generation in the Western Interconnection over the next several years has raised concerns about how to maintain system balance, especially in smaller Balancing Authority Areas (BAAs). Given renewable portfolio standards in the West, it is possible that more than 50 gigawatts of wind capacity will be installed by 2020. Significant quantities of solar generation are likely to be added as well. The consequent increase in variability and uncertainty that must be managed by the conventional generation fleet and responsive loads has resulted in a proposal for an Energy Imbalance Market (EIM). This paper extends prior work to estimate the reserve requirements for regulation, spinning, and non-spinning reserves with and without the EIM. We also discuss alternative approaches to allocating reserve requirements and show that some apparently attractive allocation methods have undesired consequences.

Appendix B: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies Program inputs for FY 2008 benefits estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2009-01-18

Document summarizes the results of the benefits analysis of EERE’s programs, as described in the FY 2008 Budget Request. EERE estimates benefits for its overall portfolio and nine Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD3) programs.

The Estimated Health and Economic Benefits of Three Decades of Polio Elimination Efforts in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Nandi, Arindam; Barter, Devra M; Prinja, Shankar; John, T Jacob

2016-08-07

In March 2014, India, the country with historically the highest burden of polio, was declared polio free, with no reported cases since January 2011. We estimate the health and economic benefits of polio elimination in India with the oral polio vaccine (OPV) during 1982-2012. Based on a pre-vaccine incidence rate, we estimate the counterfactual burden of polio in the hypothetical absence of the national polio elimination program in India. We attribute differences in outcomes between the actual (adjusted for under-reporting) and hypothetical counterfactual scenarios in our model to the national polio program. We measure health benefits as averted polio incidence, deaths, and disability adjusted life years (DALYs). We consider two methods to measure economic benefits: the value of statistical life approach, and equating one DALY to the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. We estimate that the National Program against Polio averted 3.94 million (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.89-3.99 million) paralytic polio cases, 393,918 polio deaths (95% CI: 388,897- 398,939), and 1.48 billion DALYs (95% CI: 1.46-1.50 billion). We also estimate that the program contributed to a $1.71 trillion (INR 76.91 trillion) gain (95% CI: $1.69-$1.73 trillion [INR 75.93-77.89 trillion]) in economic productivity between 1982 and 2012 in our base case analysis. Using the GNI and DALY method, the economic gain from the program is estimated to be $1.11 trillion (INR 50.13 trillion) (95% CI: $1.10-$1.13 trillion [INR 49.50-50.76 trillion]) over the same period. India accrued large health and economic benefits from investing in polio elimination efforts. Other programs to control/eliminate more vaccine-preventable diseases are likely to contribute to large health and economic benefits in India.

Monetary benefits of preventing childhood lead poisoning with lead-safe window replacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Nevin, Rick; Jacobs, David E; Berg, Michael; Cohen, Jonathan

2008-03-01

Previous estimates of childhood lead poisoning prevention benefits have quantified the present value of some health benefits, but not the costs of lead paint hazard control or the benefits associated with housing and energy markets. Because older housing with lead paint constitutes the main exposure source today in the US, we quantify health benefits, costs, market value benefits, energy savings, and net economic benefits of lead-safe window replacement (which includes paint stabilization and other measures). The benefit per resident child from improved lifetime earnings alone is $21,195 in pre-1940 housing and $8685 in 1940-59 housing (in 2005 dollars). Annual energy savings are $130-486 per housing unit, with or without young resident children, with an associated increase in housing market value of $5900-14,300 per housing unit, depending on home size and number of windows replaced. Net benefits are $4490-5,629 for each housing unit built before 1940, and $491-1629 for each unit built from 1940-1959, depending on home size and number of windows replaced. Lead-safe window replacement in all pre-1960 US housing would yield net benefits of at least $67 billion, which does not include many other benefits. These other benefits, which are shown in this paper, include avoided Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, other medical costs of childhood lead exposure, avoided special education, and reduced crime and juvenile delinquency in later life. In addition, such a window replacement effort would reduce peak demand for electricity, carbon emissions from power plants, and associated long-term costs of climate change.

Call to claim your prize: Perceived benefits and risk drive intention to comply in a mass marketing scam.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Stacey; Liu, Pi-Ju; Hanoch, Yaniv; Xi, Patricia M; Klapatch, Lukas

2018-06-01

Mass marketing scams extract an enormous toll, yet the literature on scams is just emerging. In Experiment 1, 211 adults reviewed a solicitation and rated their intention of contacting an "activation number" for a prize. Scarcity and authority were manipulated. Many (48.82%) indicated some willingness to contact to "activate" the winnings. Intention of responding was inversely related to the perception of risk (b = -.441, p < .001) and positively associated with perception of benefits (b = .554, p < .001), but not with the experimental condition. In Experiment 2, 291 adults were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions (low, medium, or high activation fee), and were asked to report willingness to contact. Activation fees decreased intent to contact, but percentages remained high (25.70%), with higher perception of risk reducing contact rates (b = -.581, p < .001), and benefit perception increasing intent to contact (b = .381, p < .001). Our studies indicate that consumers are responding to perceived risks and benefits in their decision-making, regardless of persuasion elements used by scammers. In summary, our studies find that consumers with lower levels of education and high perception of benefits are at increased risk for mass marketing scams. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Summary of the evidence of breast cancer service screening outcomes in Europe and first estimate of the benefit and harm balance sheet.

Science.gov (United States)

Paci, Eugenio

2012-01-01

To construct a European 'balance sheet' of key outcomes of population-based mammographic breast cancer screening, to inform policy-makers, stakeholders and invited women. From the studies reviewed, the primary benefit of screening, breast cancer mortality reduction, was compared with the main harms, over-diagnosis and false-positive screening results (FPRs). Pooled estimates of breast cancer mortality reduction among invited women were 25% in incidence-based mortality studies and 31% in case-control studies (38% and 48% among women actually screened). Estimates of over-diagnosis ranged from 1% to 10% of the expected incidence in the absence of screening. The combined estimate of over-diagnosis for screened women, from European studies correctly adjusted for lead time and underlying trend, was 6.5%. For women undergoing 10 biennial screening tests, the estimated cumulative risk of a FPR followed by non-invasive assessment was 17%, and 3% having an invasive assessment. For every 1000 women screened biennially from age 50-51 until age 68-69 and followed up to age 79, an estimated seven to nine lives are saved, four cases are over-diagnosed, 170 women have at least one recall followed by non-invasive assessment with a negative result and 30 women have at least one recall followed by invasive procedures yielding a negative result. The chance of saving a woman's life by population-based mammographic screening of appropriate quality is greater than that of over-diagnosis. Service screening in Europe achieves a mortality benefit at least as great as the randomized controlled trials. These outcomes should be communicated to women offered service screening in Europe.

World oil market simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldwin, N.

1992-01-01

This paper presents a recursive simulation model of the world oil market - the World Oil Market Simulation Model (WOMS). The objective was to construct a computationally simple model which provides a transparent view of the workings of the oil market. In the event WOMS has a number of features which distinguish it from other published models: the effect of exchange rate movements is incorporated in the supply and demand functions; both demand and supply functions are dynamic; the non-OPEC supply functions account for the geological as well as the economic aspects of supply; oil prices can be determined either by OPEC setting prices (as normally included in this type of model) or by OPEC setting volumes and market forces determining the price; and consistency checks on consumers' and producers' behaviour are incorporated to confirm the plausibility of model projections. The paper commences with an outline of the model structure followed by an examination of the choice of the appropriate data. The main sections of the paper discuss the estimation of the demand and non-OPEC supply functions. Finally the modelling of OPEC's behaviour is addressed. Comparisons are made throughout with other published work. As the model was estimated using data covering 1960 to 1985, brief comments are also made comparing the events of 1986 with model determined values. (author)

Applying Marketing Concepts to Non-Profit/Educational Organizations: The Youth Professional’s Responsibilities in Program Marketing & Promotion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith G. Diem

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The degree of participation in community-based youth development programs is typically affected by both the recruitment and retention of participants. A review of literature over more than forty years revealed the value of marketing and promotion to the viability of a company, product, or organization and how it may contribute to company sales or an organization’s membership. This article is focused on the application of marketing concepts to a non-profit organization or educational program. Using a marketing approach to program development can result in improved program quality as well as increased enrollment. Utilizing marketing activities such as needs assessment will aide in ensuring the program remains current in meeting needs and interests of clientele, the community, and society. Promoting an accurate and relevant image is a key in making sure people realize the value of your program.

The regional costs and benefits of acid rain control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berkman, M.P.

1991-01-01

Congress recently enacted acid rain control legislation as part of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments following a decade-long debate among disparate regional interests. Although Congress succeeded in drafting a law acceptable to all regions, the regional costs and benefits of the legislation remain uncertain. The research presented here attempts to estimate the regional costs and benefits and the economic impacts of acid rain controls. These estimates are made using a modeling system composed of econometric, linear programming and input-output models. The econometric and linear programming components describe markets for electricity and coal. The outputs of these components including capital investment, electricity demand, and coal production are taken as exogenous inputs by a multiregional input-output model. The input-output model produces estimates of changes in final demand, gross output, and employment. The utility linear programming model also predicts sulfur dioxide emissions (an acid-rain precursor). According to model simulations, the costs of acid rain control exceed the benefits for many regions including several regions customarily thought to be the major beneficiaries of acid rain control such as New England

An estimation method of the direct benefit of a waterlogging control project applicable to the changing environment

Science.gov (United States)

Zengmei, L.; Guanghua, Q.; Zishen, C.

2015-05-01

The direct benefit of a waterlogging control project is reflected by the reduction or avoidance of waterlogging loss. Before and after the construction of a waterlogging control project, the disaster-inducing environment in the waterlogging-prone zone is generally different. In addition, the category, quantity and spatial distribution of the disaster-bearing bodies are also changed more or less. Therefore, under the changing environment, the direct benefit of a waterlogging control project should be the reduction of waterlogging losses compared to conditions with no control project. Moreover, the waterlogging losses with or without the project should be the mathematical expectations of the waterlogging losses when rainstorms of all frequencies meet various water levels in the drainage-accepting zone. So an estimation model of the direct benefit of waterlogging control is proposed. Firstly, on the basis of a Copula function, the joint distribution of the rainstorms and the water levels are established, so as to obtain their joint probability density function. Secondly, according to the two-dimensional joint probability density distribution, the dimensional domain of integration is determined, which is then divided into small domains so as to calculate the probability for each of the small domains and the difference between the average waterlogging loss with and without a waterlogging control project, called the regional benefit of waterlogging control project, under the condition that rainstorms in the waterlogging-prone zone meet the water level in the drainage-accepting zone. Finally, it calculates the weighted mean of the project benefit of all small domains, with probability as the weight, and gets the benefit of the waterlogging control project. Taking the estimation of benefit of a waterlogging control project in Yangshan County, Guangdong Province, as an example, the paper briefly explains the procedures in waterlogging control project benefit estimation. The

Estimators for local non-Gaussianities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Creminelli, P.; Senatore, L.; Zaldarriaga, M.

2006-05-01

We study the Likelihood function of data given f NL for the so-called local type of non-Gaussianity. In this case the curvature perturbation is a non-linear function, local in real space, of a Gaussian random field. We compute the Cramer-Rao bound for f NL and show that for small values of f NL the 3- point function estimator saturates the bound and is equivalent to calculating the full Likelihood of the data. However, for sufficiently large f NL , the naive 3-point function estimator has a much larger variance than previously thought. In the limit in which the departure from Gaussianity is detected with high confidence, error bars on f NL only decrease as 1/ln N pix rather than N pix -1/2 as the size of the data set increases. We identify the physical origin of this behavior and explain why it only affects the local type of non- Gaussianity, where the contribution of the first multipoles is always relevant. We find a simple improvement to the 3-point function estimator that makes the square root of its variance decrease as N pix -1/2 even for large f NL , asymptotically approaching the Cramer-Rao bound. We show that using the modified estimator is practically equivalent to computing the full Likelihood of f NL given the data. Thus other statistics of the data, such as the 4-point function and Minkowski functionals, contain no additional information on f NL . In particular, we explicitly show that the recent claims about the relevance of the 4-point function are not correct. By direct inspection of the Likelihood, we show that the data do not contain enough information for any statistic to be able to constrain higher order terms in the relation between the Gaussian field and the curvature perturbation, unless these are orders of magnitude larger than the size suggested by the current limits on f NL . (author)

Development of a commercial cigarette "market map" comparison methodology for evaluating new or non-conventional cigarettes.

Science.gov (United States)

Counts, M E; Hsu, F S; Tewes, F J

2006-12-01

A "market map" comparison methodology for cigarette smoke chemistry yields is presented. Federal Trade Commission machine-method smoke chemistry was determined for a range of filtered cigarettes from the US marketplace. These data were used to develop illustrative market maps for each smoke constituent as analytical tools for comparing new or non-conventional cigarettes to a sampling of the broader range of marketplace cigarettes. Each market map contained best-estimate "market-means," showing the relationship between commercial cigarette constituent and tar yields, and yield "market ranges" defined by prediction intervals. These market map means and ranges are the basis for comparing new cigarette smoke yields to those of conventional cigarettes. The potential utility of market maps for evaluating differences in smoke chemistry was demonstrated with 1R4F and 2R4F Kentucky reference cigarettes, an Accord cigarette, and an Advance cigarette. Conventional cigarette tobacco nicotine, nitrate, soluble ammonia, and tobacco specific nitrosamine levels are reported. Differences among conventional cigarette constituent yields at similar tar levels were explained in part by the chemical composition range of those cigarette tobaccos. The study also included a comparison of smoke constituent yields and in vitro smoke cytotoxicity and mutagenicity assay results for the 1R4F Kentucky reference cigarette and its replacement 2R4F. Significant smoke yield differences were noted for lead, NNK, and NNN. The majority of their smoke constituent yields were within the market range developed from the sampled conventional cigarettes. Within the sensitivity and specificity of the in vitro bioassays used, smoke toxic activity differences for the two reference cigarettes were not statistically significant. These results add to the limited information available for the 2R4F reference cigarette.

Antidumping, countervailing duties and non-market economy status of Vietnam in the WTO

OpenAIRE

Claudio Dordi

2008-01-01

The non-market economy status has a negative influence on the international trade relations of Vietnam. The article analyses the legal consequences for Vietnam of the NME status and identify the roadmap to obtain the "market economy status" from other WTO members

Carbon Policy and Technical Change: Market Structure, Increasing Returns, and Secondary Benefits. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peretto, P.; Smith, V. K.

2001-11-19

An economic evaluation of the impact of policies intended to control emissions of CO{sub 2} and other ''greenhouse gases'' (GHGS) depends on the net costs of these controls and their distribution throughout the production sectors of developed and developing economics. The answers derived from appraisals of these net costs, in turn, stem from what is assumed about the timing of the controls, the pace of technological change, and any short-term secondary benefits from their control. There have only been a few serious attempts to estimate the economic benefits from the policies associated with such long run outcomes. All of the approaches to date have made fairly strong assumptions or relied on contingent valuation estimates of hypothetical situations.

Relationship between Crude Palm Oil (CPO) Futures prices and Selected Southeast Asia Equity Market-Empirical Evidence

OpenAIRE

Siaw, Louis Kai Ying

2015-01-01

The relationship between commodities market and equities market has been known to have a negative correlation close to no correlation and generally have no volatility spillover exists between both of the markets. Therefore, there is diversification benefit as while one market is going down, another market is going up to offset the losing position in the down market. Besides that, non-volatility spillover exists between the market will also presents no spillover variance of one market to anoth...

Estimating the Costs and Benefits of EMU : The Impact of External Shocks on Labour Markets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belke, A.; Gros, D.

1997-01-01

Discussions of the economic costs and benefits of EMU usually take as their basis the optimum currency area (OCA) approach. This approach starts from the premise that when an external shock hits the economy, it is easier to adjust the exchange rate than domestic prices or wages. Most economists

Evaluation of non cyanide methods for hemoglobin estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinaya B Shah

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The hemoglobincyanide method (HiCN method for measuring hemoglobin is used extensively worldwide; its advantages are the ready availability of a stable and internationally accepted reference standard calibrator. However, its use may create a problem, as the waste disposal of large volumes of reagent containing cyanide constitutes a potential toxic hazard. Aims and Objective: As an alternative to drabkin`s method of Hb estimation, we attempted to estimate hemoglobin by other non-cyanide methods: alkaline hematin detergent (AHD-575 using Triton X-100 as lyser and alkaline- borax method using quarternary ammonium detergents as lyser. Materials and Methods: The hemoglobin (Hb results on 200 samples of varying Hb concentrations obtained by these two cyanide free methods were compared with a cyanmethemoglobin method on a colorimeter which is light emitting diode (LED based. Hemoglobin was also estimated in one hundred blood donors and 25 blood samples of infants and compared by these methods. Statistical analysis used was Pearson`s correlation coefficient. Results: The response of the non cyanide method is linear for serially diluted blood samples over the Hb concentration range from 3gm/dl -20 gm/dl. The non cyanide methods has a precision of + 0.25g/dl (coefficient of variation= (2.34% and is suitable for use with fixed wavelength or with colorimeters at wavelength- 530 nm and 580 nm. Correlation of these two methods was excellent (r=0.98. The evaluation has shown it to be as reliable and reproducible as HiCN for measuring hemoglobin at all concentrations. The reagents used in non cyanide methods are non-biohazardous and did not affect the reliability of data determination and also the cost was less than HiCN method. Conclusions: Thus, non cyanide methods of Hb estimation offer possibility of safe and quality Hb estimation and should prove useful for routine laboratory use. Non cyanide methods is easily incorporated in hemobloginometers

‘Yes-in-my-backyard’: Spatial differences in the valuation of forest services and local co-benefits for carbon markets in México

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Balderas Torres, Arturo; MacMillan, Douglas C.; Skutsch, Margaret; Lovett, Jonathan Cranidge

2014-01-01

Forests provide many and large benefits, including cost-efficient climate change mitigation. However international carbon markets have not stimulated the demand for forestry offsets. Domestic market-mechanisms are emerging in many countries and forests could be highly valued through these policies

Gas storage - Estimation of the economic value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-05-01

The main purpose of the project is to investigate the economic benefits of underground gas storage used for seasonal smoothing and a strategical security of supply. The benefits from the storage have to be decided based on the costs of alternative have to be ways of securing the energy supply, including evaluation of: demand-dependent prices on natural gas and other fuels (both domestic and foreign markets); interruptible supply; establishment of extra production and transportation capacity from the North Sea; establishment of new connecting systems to neighbouring countries (i.a. German, Poland, Latvia); establishment for import or production and LNG; contracting of storage capacity abroad (Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia). In order to control the estimated costs of storage of natural gas a comparison with market prices for storage capacity and spot prices of natural gas is carried out. The market prices were estimated through a statistical analysis of seasonal variations in gas prices on the American natural gas market. Due to permanent energy taxes, the energy prices only partially reflect the demand and the price elasticity hence is very small, resulting in a need for e.g. gas storage. One purpose of the project is to investigate this system error and to present alternative suggestions for the tax structure. Additionally, the consequences of differentiating production taxes will be addressed. (EG)

Gas storages - Estimation of the economic value

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-05-01

The main purpose of the project is to investigate the economic benefits of underground gas storage used for seasonal smoothing and a strategical security of supply. The benefits from the storage have to be decided based on the costs of alternative have to be ways of securing the energy supply, including evaluation of: demand-dependent prices on natural gas and other fuels (both domestic and foreign markets); interruptible supply; establishment of extra production and transportation capacity from the North Sea; establishment of new connecting systems to neighbouring countries (i.a. German, Poland, Latvia); establishment for import or production and LNG; contracting of storage capacity abroad (Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia). In order to control the estimated costs of storage of natural gas a comparison with market prices for storage capacity and spot prices of natural gas is carried out. The market prices were estimated through a statistical analysis of seasonal variations in gas prices on the American natural gas market. Due to permanent energy taxes, the energy prices only partially reflect the demand and the price elasticity hence is very small, resulting in a need for e.g. gas storage. One purpose of the project is to investigate this system error and to present alternative suggestions for the tax structure. Additionally, the consequences of differentiating production taxes will be addressed. (EG)

TURKISH TRADE POLICY AND THE EFFICIENCY OF TURKISH COTTON MARKETS

OpenAIRE

Schmitz, Troy G.

1999-01-01

Turkish cotton markets are affected by import duties, export taxes, and a range of domestic subsidies. The degree of economic inefficiency arising from these government policies is estimated through the use of two partial equilibrium models, one for the Aegean market and another for the non-Aegean market. The welfare implications of these policies are also explored.

Beta Risk and Regime Shift in Market Volatility

OpenAIRE

Don U.A. Galagedera; Roland G. Shami

2004-01-01

In this paper, we relate security returns in the thirty securities in the Dow Jones index to regime shifts in the market portfolio (S&P500) volatility. We model market volatility as a multiple-state Markov switching process of order one and estimate non-diversifiable security risk (beta) in the different market volatility regimes. We test the significance of the premium of the beta risk associated with the different market regimes and find evidence of a relationship between security return an...

Trading greenhouse gas emission benefits from biofuel use in US transportation: Challenges and opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumarappan, Subbu; Joshi, Satish

2011-01-01

Replacing petroleum fuels with biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel has been shown to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These GHG benefits can potentially be traded in the fledgling carbon markets, and methodologies for quantifying and trading are still being developed. We review the main challenges in developing such carbon trading frameworks and outline a proposed framework for the US, the main features of which include, lifecycle assessment of GHG benefits, a combination of project-specific and standard performance measures, and assigning GHG property rights to biofuel producers. At carbon prices of 10 $ t −1 , estimated monetary benefits from such trading can be 4.5 M$ hm −3 and 17 M$ hm −3 of corn ethanol and cellulosic ethanol respectively. -- Highlights: ▶ Develops a biofuel GHG trading protocol using life-cycle emissions. ▶ Discusses the differences in feedstock and impacts on GHG trading potential. ▶ Compares the developed protocol for biofuels with other existing protocols. ▶ Estimates the market potential, and challenges associated with trading GHG emissions.

Towards the Estimation of an Efficient Benchmark Portfolio: The Case of Croatian Emerging Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dolinar Denis

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The fact that cap-weighted indices provide an inefficient risk-return trade-off is well known today. Various research approaches evolved suggesting alternative to cap-weighting in an effort to come up with a more efficient market index benchmark. In this paper we aim to use such an approach and focus on the Croatian capital market. We apply statistical shrinkage method suggested by Ledoit and Wolf (2004 to estimate the covariance matrix and follow the work of Amenc et al. (2011 to obtain estimates of expected returns that rely on risk-return trade-off. Empirical findings for the proposed portfolio optimization include out-of-sample and robustness testing. This way we compare the performance of the capital-weighted benchmark to the alternative and ensure that consistency is achieved in different volatility environments. Research findings do not seem to support relevant research results for the developed markets but rather complement earlier research (Zoričić et al., 2014.

Economic impact analysis for global warming: Sensitivity analysis for cost and benefit estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ierland, E.C. van; Derksen, L.

1994-01-01

Proper policies for the prevention or mitigation of the effects of global warming require profound analysis of the costs and benefits of alternative policy strategies. Given the uncertainty about the scientific aspects of the process of global warming, in this paper a sensitivity analysis for the impact of various estimates of costs and benefits of greenhouse gas reduction strategies is carried out to analyze the potential social and economic impacts of climate change

Oncogenic targets, magnitude of benefit, and market pricing of antineoplastic drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Amir, Eitan; Seruga, Bostjan; Martinez-Lopez, Joaquin; Kwong, Ryan; Pandiella, Atanasio; Tannock, Ian F; Ocaña, Alberto

2011-06-20

The relationship between market pricing of new anticancer drugs and the magnitude of clinical benefit caused by them has not been reported. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated approved new agents for solid tumors by the U.S. Food and Drug administration since the year 2000 were assessed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were extracted for time-to-event end points described for each RCT. HRs were pooled for three groups: agents directed against a specific molecular target, for which the target population is selected by a biomarker (group A); less specific biologic targeted agents (group B); and chemotherapeutic agents (group C). Monthly market prices of these different drugs were compared. For overall survival (OS), the pooled HR was 0.69 (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.81) for group A (six drugs, six trials); it was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.83) for group B (seven drugs, 14 trials); and it was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.79 to 0.90) for group C (eight drugs, 12 trials). For progression-free survival (PFS), the pooled HR was 0.42 (95% CI, 0.36 to 0.49) for group A (six drugs, seven trials); it was 0.57 (95% CI, 0.51 to 0.64) for group B (seven drugs, 14 trials); and it was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.85) for group C (six drugs, 10 trials). Tests for heterogeneity between subgroups were highly significant for PFS (P targets are clinically the most beneficial, but their monthly market prices are not significantly different from those of other anticancer agents.

Comparative cost-benefit analysis of tele-homecare for community-dwelling elderly in Japan: Non-Government versus Government Supported Funding Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Akiyama, Miki; Abraham, Chon

2017-08-01

Tele-homecare is gaining prominence as a viable care alternative, as evidenced by the increase in financial support from international governments to fund initiatives in their respective countries. The primary reason for the funding is to support efforts to reduce lags and increase capacity in access to care as well as to promote preventive measures that can avert costly emergent issues from arising. These efforts are especially important to super-aged and aging societies such as in Japan, many European countries, and the United States (US). However, to date and to our knowledge, a direct comparison of non-government vs. government-supported funding models for tele-homecare is particularly lacking in Japan. The aim of this study is to compare these operational models (i.e., non-government vs. government-supported funding) from a cost-benefit perspective. This simulation study applies to a Japanese hypothetical cohort with implications for other super-aged and aging societies abroad. We performed a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) on two operational models for enabling tele-homecare for elderly community-dwelling cohorts based on a decision tree model, which we created with parameters from published literature. The two models examined are (a) Model 1-non-government-supported funding that includes monthly fixed charges paid by users for a portion of the operating costs, and (b) Model 2-government-supported funding that includes startup and installation costs only (i.e., no operating costs) and no monthly user charges. We performed base case cost-benefit analysis and probabilistic cost-benefit analysis with a Monte Carlo simulation. We calculated net benefit and benefit-to-cost ratios (BCRs) from the societal perspective with a five-year time horizon applying a 3% discount rate for both cost and benefit values. The cost of tele-homecare included (a) the startup system expense, averaged over a five-year depreciation period, and (b) operation expenses (i.e., labor and non

Card products market in the Republic of Croatia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Šučur

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Card business in the Republic of Croatia started to develop more than 30 years ago in the form of non-bank card products, issued by American Express and Diners Club global payment systems. These card products were defined as standard charge cards and had been the only card products present in the market until bank cards appeared about ten years ago. The situation changed completely when banks started to enter the market as active participants in the card business. In co-operation with bank global payment systems, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa International, banks have issued several millions of various cards in just a few years, while non-bank issuers have followed the same trend with new card products. This paper explores the current situation in the domestic market; it determines who the cardholders of particular products are, which products they are familiar with, whether they use them or not and for what reason. Cardholders’ opinions, attitudes and preferences towards existing products have been explored, as well as the benefits they would like to get. The results obtained imply that cardholders are familiar with all bank and non-bank card brands, but that they use mostly those which provide them with specific benefits. Therefore, instead of focusing on providing more similar products, issuers should concentrate on designing differentiated products that have been tailored to cardholders’ real needs.

Estimation of a simple agent-based model of financial markets: An application to Australian stock and foreign exchange data

Science.gov (United States)

Alfarano, Simone; Lux, Thomas; Wagner, Friedrich

2006-10-01

Following Alfarano et al. [Estimation of agent-based models: the case of an asymmetric herding model, Comput. Econ. 26 (2005) 19-49; Excess volatility and herding in an artificial financial market: analytical approach and estimation, in: W. Franz, H. Ramser, M. Stadler (Eds.), Funktionsfähigkeit und Stabilität von Finanzmärkten, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, 2005, pp. 241-254], we consider a simple agent-based model of a highly stylized financial market. The model takes Kirman's ant process [A. Kirman, Epidemics of opinion and speculative bubbles in financial markets, in: M.P. Taylor (Ed.), Money and Financial Markets, Blackwell, Cambridge, 1991, pp. 354-368; A. Kirman, Ants, rationality, and recruitment, Q. J. Econ. 108 (1993) 137-156] of mimetic contagion as its starting point, but allows for asymmetry in the attractiveness of both groups. Embedding the contagion process into a standard asset-pricing framework, and identifying the abstract groups of the herding model as chartists and fundamentalist traders, a market with periodic bubbles and bursts is obtained. Taking stock of the availability of a closed-form solution for the stationary distribution of returns for this model, we can estimate its parameters via maximum likelihood. Expanding our earlier work, this paper presents pertinent estimates for the Australian dollar/US dollar exchange rate and the Australian stock market index. As it turns out, our model indicates dominance of fundamentalist behavior in both the stock and foreign exchange market.

Estimating the size of the potential market for the Kyoto flexibility mechanisms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Z.X.

2000-01-01

The Kyoto Protocol incorporates three flexibility mechanisms to help Annex I countries to meet their Kyoto targets at a lower overall cost. This paper aims to estimate the size of the potential market for all three mechanisms over the first commitment period. Based on the national communications

Estimating the size of the potential market for the Kyoto flexibility mechanisms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Zhong Xiang

1999-01-01

The Kyoto Protocol incorporates emissions trading, joint implementation and the clean development mechanism to help Annex I countries to meet their Kyoto targets at a lower overall cost. This paper aims to estimate the size of the potential market for all three flexibility mechanisms under the Kyoto

Does Intellectual Property Restrict Output? An Analysis of Pharmaceutical Markets*

Science.gov (United States)

Lakdawalla, Darius; Philipson, Tomas

2013-01-01

Standard normative analysis of intellectual property focuses on the balance between incentives for research and the static welfare costs of reduced price-competition from monopoly. However, static welfare loss from patents is not universal. While patents restrict price competition, they may also provide static welfare benefits by improving incentives for marketing, which is a form of non-price competition. We show theoretically how stronger marketing incentives mitigate, and can even offset, the static costs of monopoly pricing. Empirical analysis in the pharmaceutical industry context suggests that, in the short-run, patent expirations reduce consumer welfare as a result of decreased marketing effort. In the long-run, patent expirations do benefit consumers, but by 30% less than would be implied by the reduction in price alone. The social value of monopoly marketing to consumers alone is roughly on par with its costs to firms. PMID:25221349

Inbound Marketing - the most important digital marketing strategy

OpenAIRE

PATRUTIU-BALTES Loredana

2017-01-01

Digital marketing has a major importance in the marketing strategy of any company regardless of sector, size or country of origin. Thus, more than ever, in order to remain competitive, companies are forced to exploit this form of marketing, which essentially can bring huge benefits at low costs. The main form of digital marketing is the inbound marketing, which represents an organic marketing form, based on the close relationship ...

Market power and technological bias in electricity generation markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twomey, Paul; Neuhoff, Karsten

2005-01-01

It is difficult or very costly to avoid all market power in electricity markets. A recurring response is that a limited amount of market power is accepted with the justification that it is necessary to produce revenues to cover some of the fixed costs. It is assumed that all market participants benefit equally from the increased prices. However, this assumption is not satisfied if different production technologies are used. We assess the case of a generation mix of conventional generation and intermittent generation with exogenously varying production levels. If all output is sold in the spot market, then intermittent generation benefits less from market power than conventional generation. If forward contracts or option contracts are signed, then market power might be reduced but the bias against returns to intermittent generators persists. Thus allowing some level of market power as a means of encouraging investment in new generation may result in a bias against intermittent technologies or increase the costs of strategic deployment to achieve renewable quotas. (Author)

A Modularized Efficient Framework for Non-Markov Time Series Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Schamberg, Gabriel; Ba, Demba; Coleman, Todd P.

2018-06-01

We present a compartmentalized approach to finding the maximum a-posteriori (MAP) estimate of a latent time series that obeys a dynamic stochastic model and is observed through noisy measurements. We specifically consider modern signal processing problems with non-Markov signal dynamics (e.g. group sparsity) and/or non-Gaussian measurement models (e.g. point process observation models used in neuroscience). Through the use of auxiliary variables in the MAP estimation problem, we show that a consensus formulation of the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) enables iteratively computing separate estimates based on the likelihood and prior and subsequently "averaging" them in an appropriate sense using a Kalman smoother. As such, this can be applied to a broad class of problem settings and only requires modular adjustments when interchanging various aspects of the statistical model. Under broad log-concavity assumptions, we show that the separate estimation problems are convex optimization problems and that the iterative algorithm converges to the MAP estimate. As such, this framework can capture non-Markov latent time series models and non-Gaussian measurement models. We provide example applications involving (i) group-sparsity priors, within the context of electrophysiologic specrotemporal estimation, and (ii) non-Gaussian measurement models, within the context of dynamic analyses of learning with neural spiking and behavioral observations.

The benefits of exercise for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Keating, Shelley E; George, Jacob; Johnson, Nathan A

2015-01-01

As exercise is now an established therapy for the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recent investigations have sought to identify the optimal dose (type, intensity and amount) of exercise for hepatic benefit. Here, the authors discuss the following: the role of aerobic exercise for the modulation of hepatic steatosis; the limited evidence for the role of resistance training in reducing liver fat; the lack of evidence from clinical trials on the role of exercise in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; and the benefits of exercise for patients with NAFLD, beyond steatosis. Based on current evidence, the authors provide recommendations for exercise prescription for patients with NAFLD.

Estimating attractiveness for abuse of a not-yet-marketed "abuse-deterrent" prescription opioid formulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Stephen F; Black, Ryan; Grimes Serrano, Jill M; Folensbee, Lesley; Chang, Alan; Katz, Nathaniel

2010-01-01

The present study builds on research to model abusers' perceptions of particular analgesics' attractiveness for abuse and extends these methods to derive an estimate of attractiveness for abuse of a not-yet-marketed abuse-deterrent formulation (ADF) of a prescription opioid (Remoxy), Pain Therapeutics, Inc., San Mateo, CA, and King Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bristol, TN). In a previous study, the Opioid Attractiveness Technology Scaling (OATS) method identified, from a drug abuser's point of view, the particular features of a prescription opioid relevant to its attractiveness for recreational use. A second online sample rated the extent to which these features applied to particular products they had actually used/abused. These data were used to model the abusers' overall preference for prescription opioids they had used/abused. In the present study, this method was applied to a not-yet-marketed ADF using substance abuse counselors as proxies for prescription opioid abusers. Thirty-eight counselors were given materials describing the new ADF along with four known products. Thirty-two counselors demonstrated sufficient agreement with abusers' ratings of the overall attractiveness of these drugs. The overall model yielded a significant pseudo R(2) of 0.15 (P marketing estimates of attractiveness for abuse of not-yet-marketed ADFs.

Does labor market history matter?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lesner, Rune Vammen

2014-01-01

This paper finds that labor market history plays an important role in the Danish labor market both by directly affecting the transitions between labor market states and indirectly through the wage. When comparing the relative importance of different types of state dependence, it is found that occ......This paper finds that labor market history plays an important role in the Danish labor market both by directly affecting the transitions between labor market states and indirectly through the wage. When comparing the relative importance of different types of state dependence, it is found...... that occurrence dependence from non-employment states seems to have the strongest effect on the employment rate, while employment history is the main driver of state dependence in the wage. Predictions based on the estimated model reveal potential negative long-term effects from external employment shocks...

H2@Scale Resource and Market Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruth, Mark

2017-07-12

This presentation overviews progress to date on the H2@Scale resource and market analysis work. The work finds, for example, that hydrogen demand of 60 MMT/yr is possible when transportation and industry are considered; resources are available to meet that demand; using renewable resources would reduce emissions and fossil use by over 15%; further impacts are possible when considering synergistic benefits; additional analysis is underway to improve understanding of potential markets and synergistic impacts; and further analysis will be necessary to estimate impacts due to spatial characteristics, feedback effects in the economy, and inertia characteristics.

State-level benefits of energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonn, Bruce; Peretz, Jean H.

2007-01-01

This paper describes benefits attributable to state-level energy efficiency programs. Nationwide, state-level energy efficiency programs have targeted all sectors of the economy and have employed a wide range of methods to promote energy efficiency. Standard residential and industrial programs typically identify between 20% and 30% energy savings in homes and plants, respectively. Over a 20-year period of time, an average state that aggressively pursues even a limited array of energy efficiency programs can potentially reduce total state energy use by as much as 20%. Well-designed energy efficiency programs can be expected to help overcome numerous barriers to the market penetration of energy efficient technologies and accelerate the market penetration of the technologies. Energy efficiency programs are cost-effective; typical benefit-cost ratios exceed 3:1 and are much higher when non-energy and macroeconomic benefits are included. Indeed, energy efficiency and associated programs and investments can create significant numbers of new jobs and enhance state tax revenues. Several states have incorporated energy efficiency into their economic development programs. It should also be noted that increasing amounts of venture capital are being invested in the energy sector in general and in specific technologies like solar power in particular. (author)

State-Level Benefits of Energy Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonn, Bruce Edward [ORNL

2007-02-01

This report describes benefits attributable to state-level energy efficiency programs. Nationwide, state-level energy efficiency programs have targeted all sectors of the economy and have employed a wide range of methods to promote energy efficiency. Standard residential and industrial programs typically identify between 20 to 30% energy savings in homes and plants, respectively. Over a 20 year period of time, an average state that aggressively pursues even a limited array of energy efficiency programs can potentially reduce total state energy use by as much as 20%. Benefit-cost ratios of effective energy efficiency programs typically exceed 3 to 1 and are much higher when non-energy and macroeconomic benefits are included. Indeed, energy efficiency and associated programs and investments can create significant numbers of new jobs and enhance state tax revenues. Several states have incorporated energy efficiency into their economic development programs. It should also be noted that increasing amounts of venture capital are being invested in the energy sector in general and in specific technologies like solar power in particular. Well-designed energy efficiency programs can be expected to help overcome numerous barriers to the market penetration of energy efficient technologies and accelerate the market penetration of the technologies.

Meta-analysis of non-renewable energy resource estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dale, Michael

2012-01-01

This paper offers a review of estimates of ultimately recoverable resources (URR) of non-renewable energy sources: coal, conventional and unconventional oil, conventional and unconventional gas, and uranium for nuclear fission. There is a large range in the estimates of many of the energy sources, even those that have been utilized for a long time and, as such, should be well understood. If it is assumed that the estimates for each resource are normally distributed, then the total value of ultimately recoverable fossil and fissile energy resources is 70,592 EJ. If, on the other hand, the best fitting distribution from each of the resource estimate populations is used, a the total value is 50,702 EJ, a factor of around 30% smaller. - Highlights: ► Brief introduction to categorization of resources. ► Collated over 380 estimates of ultimately recoverable global resources for all non-renewable energy sources. ► Extensive statistical analysis and distribution fitting conducted. ► Cross-energy source comparison of resource magnitudes.

How to estimate the health benefits of additional research and changing clinical practice

OpenAIRE

Claxton, Karl; Griffin, Susan; Koffijberg, Hendrik; McKenna, Claire

2015-01-01

A simple extension of standard metaanalysis can provide quantitative estimates of the potential health benefits of further research and of implementing the findings of existing research, which can help inform research prioritisation and efforts to change clinical practice

Cost and benefit estimates of partially-automated vehicle collision avoidance technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Corey D; Hendrickson, Chris T; Samaras, Constantine

2016-10-01

Many light-duty vehicle crashes occur due to human error and distracted driving. Partially-automated crash avoidance features offer the potential to reduce the frequency and severity of vehicle crashes that occur due to distracted driving and/or human error by assisting in maintaining control of the vehicle or issuing alerts if a potentially dangerous situation is detected. This paper evaluates the benefits and costs of fleet-wide deployment of blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning crash avoidance systems within the US light-duty vehicle fleet. The three crash avoidance technologies could collectively prevent or reduce the severity of as many as 1.3 million U.S. crashes a year including 133,000 injury crashes and 10,100 fatal crashes. For this paper we made two estimates of potential benefits in the United States: (1) the upper bound fleet-wide technology diffusion benefits by assuming all relevant crashes are avoided and (2) the lower bound fleet-wide benefits of the three technologies based on observed insurance data. The latter represents a lower bound as technology is improved over time and cost reduced with scale economies and technology improvement. All three technologies could collectively provide a lower bound annual benefit of about $18 billion if equipped on all light-duty vehicles. With 2015 pricing of safety options, the total annual costs to equip all light-duty vehicles with the three technologies would be about $13 billion, resulting in an annual net benefit of about $4 billion or a $20 per vehicle net benefit. By assuming all relevant crashes are avoided, the total upper bound annual net benefit from all three technologies combined is about $202 billion or an $861 per vehicle net benefit, at current technology costs. The technologies we are exploring in this paper represent an early form of vehicle automation and a positive net benefit suggests the fleet-wide adoption of these technologies would be beneficial

Monitoring the size and protagonists of the drug market: combining supply and demand data sources and estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Carla

2013-06-01

The size of the illicit drug market is an important indicator to assess the impact on society of an important part of the illegal economy and to evaluate drug policy and law enforcement interventions. The extent of illicit drug use and of the drug market can essentially only be estimated by indirect methods based on indirect measures and on data from various sources, as administrative data sets and surveys. The combined use of several methodologies and data sets allows to reduce biases and inaccuracies of estimates obtained on the basis of each of them separately. This approach has been applied to Italian data. The estimation methods applied are capture-recapture methods with latent heterogeneity and multiplier methods. Several data sets have been used, both administrative and survey data sets. First, the retail dealer prevalence has been estimated on the basis of administrative data, then the user prevalence by multiplier methods. Using information about behaviour of dealers and consumers from survey data, the average amount of a substance used or sold and the average unit cost have been estimated and allow estimating the size of the drug market. The estimates have been obtained using a supply-side approach and a demand-side approach and have been compared. These results are in turn used for estimating the interception rate for the different substances in term of the value of the substance seized with respect to the total value of the substance to be sold at retail prices.

Insurance-markets Equilibrium with Sequential Non-convex Straight-time and Over-time Labor Supply

OpenAIRE

Vasilev, Aleksandar

2016-01-01

This note describes the lottery- and insurance-market equilibrium in an economy with non-convex straight-time and overtime employment. In contrast to Hansen and Sargent (1988), the overtime-decision is a sequential one. This requires two separate insurance market to operate, one for straight-time work, and one for overtime. In addi- tion, given that the labor choice for regular and overtime hours is made in succession, the insurance market for overtime needs to open once the insurance market ...

On Chaotic Nature of the Emerging European Forex Markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anoop S Kumar

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This study attempts to analyze the presence deterministic chaos in the forex markets of select European countries namely Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Monthly NEER data ranging from jan-1994 to Dec-2013 is used for the purpose of analysis. A two step methodology is employed where in the first step, non-linear dependence structure in the underlying time series is verified using BDS test. The results show that all the markets under study exhibit non-linear dependence. In the next stage, it is enquired whether this non-linear behavior is due to the presence of chaotic dynamics in the markets. This is achieved by estimating Lyapunov exponents for the time series under analysis. An EGARCH (1, 1 filter is applied to see if the non-linearity could be explained by a GARCH process. From the Lyapunov exponent values, it is found that the GARCH process is unable to explain the forex markets behavior in a satisfying manner. It is concluded that the forex markets under study exhibit deterministic chaotic behavior.

How to estimate the health benefits of additional research and changing clinical practice

OpenAIRE

Claxton, Karl; Griffin, Susan; Koffijberg, Hendrik; McKenna, Claire

2015-01-01

A simple extension of standard meta-analysis can provide quantitative estimates of the potential health benefits of further research and of implementing the findings of existing research, which can help inform research prioritisation and efforts to change clinical practice

Market risk in commodity markets: a VaR approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giot, P.

2003-01-01

We put forward Value-at-Risk models relevant for commodity traders who have long and short trading positions in commodity markets. In a 5-year out-of-sample study on aluminium, copper, nickel, Brent crude oil and WTI crude oil daily cash prices and cocoa nearby futures contracts, we assess the performance of the RiskMetrics, skewed Student APARCH and skewed student ARCH models. While the skewed Student APARCH model performs best in all cases, the skewed Student ARCH model delivers good results and its estimation does not require non-linear optimization procedures. As such this new model could be relatively easily integrated in a spreadsheet-like environment and used by market practitioners. (author)

Market risk in commodity markets. A VaR approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giot, Pierre [Department of Business Administration and CEREFIM at University of Namur, Rempart de la Vierge, 8, 5000 Namur (Belgium); Laurent, Sebastien [Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE) at Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain (Belgium)

2003-09-01

We put forward Value-at-Risk models relevant for commodity traders who have long and short trading positions in commodity markets. In a 5-year out-of-sample study on aluminium, copper, nickel, Brent crude oil and WTI crude oil daily cash prices and cocoa nearby futures contracts, we assess the performance of the RiskMetrics, skewed Student APARCH and skewed student ARCH models. While the skewed Student APARCH model performs best in all cases, the skewed Student ARCH model delivers good results and its estimation does not require non-linear optimization procedures. As such this new model could be relatively easily integrated in a spreadsheet-like environment and used by market practitioners.

Market risk in commodity markets. A VaR approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giot, Pierre; Laurent, Sebastien

2003-01-01

We put forward Value-at-Risk models relevant for commodity traders who have long and short trading positions in commodity markets. In a 5-year out-of-sample study on aluminium, copper, nickel, Brent crude oil and WTI crude oil daily cash prices and cocoa nearby futures contracts, we assess the performance of the RiskMetrics, skewed Student APARCH and skewed student ARCH models. While the skewed Student APARCH model performs best in all cases, the skewed Student ARCH model delivers good results and its estimation does not require non-linear optimization procedures. As such this new model could be relatively easily integrated in a spreadsheet-like environment and used by market practitioners

Labour-market marginalisation after mental disorders among young natives and immigrants living in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Helgesson, Magnus; Tinghög, Petter; Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas; Saboonchi, Fredrik; Mittendorfer-Rutz, Ellenor

2017-06-23

The aim was to investigate the associations between mental disorders and three different measures of labour-market marginalisation, and differences between native Swedes and immigrants. The study comprised 1,753,544 individuals, aged 20-35 years, and resident in Sweden 2004. They were followed 2005-2011 with regard to disability pension, sickness absence (≥90 days) and unemployment (≥180 days). Immigrants were born in Western countries (Nordic countries, EU, Europe outside EU or North-America/Oceania), or in non-Western countries (Africa, Asia or South-America). Mental disorders were grouped into seven subgroups based on a record of in- or specialised outpatient health care 2001-2004. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by Cox regression models with both fixed and time-dependent covariates and competing risks. We also performed stratified analyses with regard to labour-market attachment. Individuals with mental disorders had a seven times higher risk of disability pension, a two times higher risk of sickness absence, and a 20% higher risk of unemployment than individuals without mental disorders. Individuals with personality disorders and schizophrenia/non-affective psychoses had highest risk estimates for having disability pension and long-term sickness absence, while the risk estimates of long-term unemployment were similar among all subgroups of mental disorders. Among persons with mental disorders, native Swedes had higher risk estimates for disability pension (HR:6.6; 95%CI:6.4-6.8) than Western immigrants (4.8; 4.4-5.2) and non-Western immigrants (4.8; 4.4-5.1), slightly higher risk estimates for sickness absence (2.1;2.1-2.2) than Western (1.9;1.8-2.1), and non-Western (1.9;1.7-2.0) immigrants but lower risk estimates for unemployment (1.4;1.3-1.4) than Western (1.8;1.7-1.9) and non-Western immigrants (2.0;1.9-2.1). There were similar risk estimates among sub-regions within both Western and non-Western countries

Marginal cost and congestion in the Italian electricity market: An indirect estimation approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigerna, Simona; Andrea Bollino, Carlo; Polinori, Paolo

2015-01-01

In this paper we construct an indirect measure of the supply marginal cost function for the main generators from the observed bid data in the Italian electricity market in the period 2004–2007. We compute the residual demand function for each generator, taking explicitly into account the issue of transmission line congestion. This procedure allows recovering correct zonal Lerner index and the implied measure of the marginal cost function. We find evidence of a stable U-shaped marginal cost function for three main Italian generators, but a flat function for ENEL, the former national monopolist. The policy relevance of our approach lies in the possibility to offer some empirical knowledge of the marginal cost function of each generator to the regulator to design appropriate policy measures geared to the promotion of competitive market conditions. We propose a new market surveillance mechanism, which is based on the principle of sanctioning excessive deviations from the estimated measure of the marginal cost function presented in this work. -- Highlights: •We construct an indirect measure of the supply marginal cost function. •We compute the residual demand function taking into account transmission line congestion. •We find a general evidence of a stable U-shaped marginal cost function for Italian generators. •We find flat marginal cost function for the former national monopolist. •We use excessive deviations from estimated marginal cost function as a new market surveillance mechanism

Portfolio Value at Risk Estimate for Crude Oil Markets: A Multivariate Wavelet Denoising Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kin Keung Lai

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In the increasingly globalized economy these days, the major crude oil markets worldwide are seeing higher level of integration, which results in higher level of dependency and transmission of risks among different markets. Thus the risk of the typical multi-asset crude oil portfolio is influenced by dynamic correlation among different assets, which has both normal and transient behaviors. This paper proposes a novel multivariate wavelet denoising based approach for estimating Portfolio Value at Risk (PVaR. The multivariate wavelet analysis is introduced to analyze the multi-scale behaviors of the correlation among different markets and the portfolio volatility behavior in the higher dimensional time scale domain. The heterogeneous data and noise behavior are addressed in the proposed multi-scale denoising based PVaR estimation algorithm, which also incorporatesthe mainstream time series to address other well known data features such as autocorrelation and volatility clustering. Empirical studies suggest that the proposed algorithm outperforms the benchmark ExponentialWeighted Moving Average (EWMA and DCC-GARCH model, in terms of conventional performance evaluation criteria for the model reliability.

Marketing and Globalization of the Brewing Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Erik Strøjer; Wu, Yanqing

2016-01-01

The globalization of the brewing industry after the turn of the century through a large wave of mergers and acquisitions has changed the structure of the world beer markets. The chapter tracks the development in industry concentrations from 2002 to 2012 and points to high transportation costs...... for beers and economies of scale at the firm level in advertising and sales efforts as the main factors behind the wave of cross-country mergers and acquisitions. Using firm-level data from the largest breweries, the estimations verify significant economies of scale at the firm level in marketing...... significant economies of scale benefits at the firm level to be shared between the merging partners as marketing and distribution costs are very high in this industry....

Analysis of H2 storage needs for early market non-motive fuel cell applications.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Terry Alan; Moreno, Marcina; Arienti, Marco; Pratt, Joseph William; Shaw, Leo; Klebanoff, Leonard E.

2012-03-01

Hydrogen fuel cells can potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the United States dependence on foreign oil, but issues with hydrogen storage are impeding their widespread use. To help overcome these challenges, this study analyzes opportunities for their near-term deployment in five categories of non-motive equipment: portable power, construction equipment, airport ground support equipment, telecom backup power, and man-portable power and personal electronics. To this end, researchers engaged end users, equipment manufacturers, and technical experts via workshops, interviews, and electronic means, and then compiled these data into meaningful and realistic requirements for hydrogen storage in specific target applications. In addition to developing these requirements, end-user benefits (e.g., low noise and emissions, high efficiency, potentially lower maintenance costs) and concerns (e.g., capital cost, hydrogen availability) of hydrogen fuel cells in these applications were identified. Market data show potential deployments vary with application from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of units.

Consumer acceptance, market test and market development of irradiated rice, dehydrated vegetables and spices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Peixin; Lin Yin

2001-01-01

Establishment of irradiation processing parameters, a quality assurance system, consumer acceptance, market test and market development of irradiated rice, dehydrated vegetables and spices were the activities carried out in this project by the Chinese Agricultural Irradiation Center. The results of the studies showed that the process dose for rice was 0.2-0.5 kGy when the non-uniformity was lower than 2.5, dose range for dehydrated vegetables was 5-7 kGy, dose for spices was 7-8 kGy. The system for quality assurance was established. The processing standards for several irradiated food items were set up. Market test showed that more than 70-80% of consumers accepted irradiated food. Industrial companies also accepted irradiated dehydrated vegetables and spices. The latter were successfully introduced to the markets and successful commercialization of irradiated garlic was followed. The economic benefit of operating the Chinese Agricultural Irradiation Center was analyzed and found attractive, especially for low dose irradiation of foods in sufficient supply. (author)

Consumer acceptance, market test and market development of irradiated rice, dehydrated vegetables and spices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peixin, Shi; Yin, Lin [Chinese Agricultural Irradiation Center, Institute for Application of Atomic Energy, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing (China)

2001-05-01

Establishment of irradiation processing parameters, a quality assurance system, consumer acceptance, market test and market development of irradiated rice, dehydrated vegetables and spices were the activities carried out in this project by the Chinese Agricultural Irradiation Center. The results of the studies showed that the process dose for rice was 0.2-0.5 kGy when the non-uniformity was lower than 2.5, dose range for dehydrated vegetables was 5-7 kGy, dose for spices was 7-8 kGy. The system for quality assurance was established. The processing standards for several irradiated food items were set up. Market test showed that more than 70-80% of consumers accepted irradiated food. Industrial companies also accepted irradiated dehydrated vegetables and spices. The latter were successfully introduced to the markets and successful commercialization of irradiated garlic was followed. The economic benefit of operating the Chinese Agricultural Irradiation Center was analyzed and found attractive, especially for low dose irradiation of foods in sufficient supply. (author)

Marketing foods to children: a comparison of nutrient content between children's and non-children's products.

Science.gov (United States)

Lythgoe, Amelia; Roberts, Caireen; Madden, Angela M; Rennie, Kirsten L

2013-12-01

The predominance of marketing of products high in fat, sugar and/or salt to children has been well documented and implicated in the incidence of obesity. The present study aimed to determine whether foods marketed to children in UK supermarkets are nutritionally similar to the non-children's equivalent, focusing on food categories that may be viewed as healthier options. Nutritional data were collected on yoghurts (n 147), cereal bars (n 145) and ready meals (n 144) from seven major UK supermarkets and categorised as children's or non-children's products based on the characteristics, promotional nature or information on the product packaging. Fat, sugar and salt content was compared per 100 g and per recommended portion size. UK. Per 100 g, children's yoghurts and cereal bars were higher in total sugars, fat and saturated fat than the non-children's; this was significant for all except sugar and total fat in cereal bars. Per portion these differences remained, except for sugars in yoghurts. Conversely children's ready meals were significantly lower in these nutrients per portion than non-children's, but not when expressed per 100 g. Children's yoghurts and ready meals had significantly lower sodium content than non-children's both per portion and per 100 g. Significant differences between the nutritional composition of children's and non-children's products were observed but varied depending on the unit reference. A significant number of products marketed towards children were higher in fat, sugar and salt than those marketed to the general population.

Avoided cost estimation and post-reform funding allocation for California's energy efficiency programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baskette, C.; Horii, B.; Price, S.; Kollman, E.

2006-01-01

This paper summarizes the first comprehensive estimation of California's electricity avoided costs since the state reformed its electricity market. It describes avoided cost estimates that vary by time and location, thus facilitating targeted design, funding, and marketing of demand-side management (DSM) and energy efficiency (EE) programs that could not have occurred under the previous methodology of system average cost estimation. The approach, data, and results reflect two important market structure changes: (a) wholesale spot and forward markets now supply electricity commodities to load serving entities; and (b) the evolution of an emissions market that internalizes and prices some of the externalities of electricity generation. The paper also introduces the multiplier effect of a price reduction due to DSM/EE implementation on electricity bills of all consumers. It affirms that area- and time-specific avoided cost estimates can improve the allocation of the state's public funding for DSM/EE programs, a finding that could benefit other parts of North America (e.g. Ontario and New York), which have undergone electricity deregulation. (author)

Win-Win transportation solutions price reforms with multiple benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Litman, T.

2001-01-01

Reform strategies in the transportation market, such as the Win-Win Transportation Solutions, can provide several economic, social and environmental benefits. The strategies are cost effective, technically feasible reforms based on market principles which help create a more equitable and efficient transportation system that supports sustainable economic development. The benefits they provide include reduced traffic congestion, road and parking facility savings, consumer savings, equity, safety and environmental protection. They also increase economic productivity. If fully implemented, they could reduce motor vehicle impacts by 15 to 30 per cent and could help achieve the Kyoto emission reduction targets. Examples of Win-Win strategies at the federal level include: (1) removal of subsidies to oil production and internalized costs, and (2) tax exempt employer provided transfer benefits. Examples of Win-Win strategies at the state/provincial level include: (1) distance-based vehicle insurance and registration fees, (2) least-coast transportation planning and funding, (3) revenue-neutral tax shifting, (4) road pricing, (5) reform motor carrier regulations for competition and efficiency, (6) local and regional transportation demand management programs, (7) more efficient land use, (8) more flexible zoning requirements, (9) parking cash out, (10) transportation management associations, (11) location-efficient housing and mortgages, (12) school and campus trip management, (13) car sharing, (14) non-motorized transport improvements, and (15) traffic calming. It was noted that any market reform that leads to more efficient use of existing transportation systems can provide better economic development benefits. 9 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig

Costs and benefits of direct-to-consumer advertising: the case of depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Block, Adam E

2007-01-01

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is legal in the US and New Zealand, but illegal in the rest of the world. Little or no research exists on the social welfare implications of DTCA. To quantify the total costs and benefits associated with both appropriate and inappropriate care due to DTCA, for the case of depression. A cost-benefit model was developed using parameter estimates from available survey, epidemiological and experimental data. The model estimates the total benefits and costs (year 2002 values) of new appropriate and inappropriate care stimulated by DTCA for depression. Uncertainty in model parameters is addressed with sensitivity analyses. This study provides evidence that 94% of new antidepressant use due to DTCA is from non-depressed individuals. However, the average health benefit to each new depressed user is 63-fold greater than the cost per treatment, creating a positive overall social welfare effect; a net benefit of >72 million US dollars. This analysis suggests that DTCA may lead to antidepressant treatment in 15-fold as many non-depressed people as depressed people. However, the costs of treating non-depressed people may be vastly outweighed by the much larger benefit accruing to treated depressed individuals. The cost-benefit ratio can be improved through better targeting of advertisements and higher quality treatment of depression.

Market value stimulates CO2 reduction in non-industrial sectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blacquiere, D.

2008-01-01

The emission of greenhouse gases by non-industrial sectors barely leads to additional costs. As a result there is no incentive to curb their emissions. In order to implement effective policy such an incentive is required though. Attaching a market value to the emission will provide such an incentive. [mk] [nl

Calibration of CIR processes to CVA data and applications to estimation of Market Price of Risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvolby, Thomas; Christensen, Bent Jesper; Høg, Esben

2018-01-01

We present a rigorous framework for CDS valuation and calibration to market quotes on single-name CDSs and methods of calculating the market price of risk (MPR) on such markets. We use the results of MPR for bond markets, and thus the MPR corresponds to the survival probabilities, which is a non......-tradable asset. Further, we present a set-up for numerical valuation of triparty CDS agreements, where two default risky parties trade a CDS with a third entity as reference credit....

Labor market institutions: Curse or blessing?

OpenAIRE

Ochsen, Carsten; Welsch, Heinz

2006-01-01

Previous literature has identified considerable non-pecuniary costs to macroeconomic fluctuation and uncertainty. The present paper investigates whether and to what extent labor market institutions can mitigate those costs. We study how life satisfaction of European citizens is affected by employment protection and the level and duration of unemployment benefit payments. We differentiate between direct effects (at given macroeconomic conditions) and total effects (including the feedback throu...

Analysis of the Economic Potential for a Mercosur Rice Futures Market

OpenAIRE

Waldemar Antonio da Rocha de Souza; João Gomes Martines-Filho; Claudio Zancan; Antonio Carlos Silva Costa; Andreza Galindo Alves de Queiróz

2015-01-01

World rice production reached 488.4 thousand tons, in 2012. Asian countries are the world’s largest rice producers, followed by Latinamerica, particularly Brazil, where rice is a basic food item. In spite of the clear economic benefits bestowed by commodity futures markets, neither Asia nor Mercosur have implemented a regional rice futures market. In sum, we propose to investigate the feasibility of a Brazilian rice futures contract to serve the Mercosur region by estimating Me...

Direct and indirect co-benefits from energy-efficient residential buildings; Direkte und indirekte Zusatznutzen bei energieeffizienten Wohnbauten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ott, W.; Baur, M. [econcept AG, Zuerich (Switzerland); Jakob, M. [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Centre for Energy Policy and Economics (CEPE), Zuerich (Switzerland)

2006-07-01

Co-benefits of energy efficiency investments such as increased comfort of living, reduced noise exposure, and improved indoor air quality are of considerable evidence. However in investment decisions these co-benefits are rarely taken into account. Using various economic estimation methods (discrete choice, hedonic regression, contingent valuation), this study identifies and quantifies in monetary terms the most important co-benefits of energy efficiency measures. The results show that regarding energy efficiency measures, comfort of living plays a major role and that inhabitants express a non-negligible willingness to pay for it. The willingness to pay is larger than the costs of the energy efficiency measures in most cases and for a large part of the population. To utilise this willingness to pay in the market place it is necessary to establish transparency regarding comfort-of-living aspects and to raise awareness about these aspects among all involved actors (inhabitants, investors, architects, planners, promoters, vendors) by adequate information and communication measures. In view of the high relevance and the noticed economic valuation of the qualitative co-benefits, energy efficiency measures have to be promoted with their related enhancements in terms of comfort of living. (author)

Willingness to pay for carbon offset certification and co-benefits among (high-)flying young adults in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacKerron, George J.; Mourato, Susana; Egerton, Catrin; Gaskell, Christopher; Parpia, Aimie

2009-01-01

Voluntary carbon offsets represent a growing share of the carbon market as a whole, and have the potential to contribute to meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets and reducing anthropogenic climate change. Certain offset project types may also deliver co-benefits including safeguarding or promoting biodiversity, supporting human development and poverty reduction, and enabling market and technology development in low-carbon sectors. These co-benefits might encourage consumers to participate in the voluntary offset market, depending on their effects both on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for offsets and on implementation costs. However, the offset market is not yet sufficiently developed to give a clear indication of consumer WTP for offsets with varying attributes. This exploratory stated preference study therefore uses a choice experiment to estimate WTP for certified and uncertified offsets, with or without these specific co-benefits, in an aviation context. It is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to do so. Our results suggest that uptake of voluntary offsets may be encouraged by investing in projects with co-benefits and by emphasising those co-benefits to consumers. They also suggest that certification regimes will add value to offsets, helping compensate for increased costs, provided that consumers are made fully aware of them. (author)

Valuing the Potential Benefits of Water Quality Improvements in Watersheds Affected by Non-Point Source Pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Alvarez

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Nonpoint source (NPS pollution has been identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA as “the nation’s largest water quality problem”. Urban development, septic systems, and agricultural operations have been identified as the major sources of diffuse pollution in surface and ground water bodies. In recent decades, urban and agricultural Best Management Practices (BMP have been developed in several states to address agricultural water quality and water use impacts, including the reduction of nutrient loads to help meet water quality standards. Compliance with BMPs is associated with some costs to local governments, homeowners, and agricultural operations, but the improvements in water quality associated with BMP adoption are expected to yield significant benefits to society in the form of improved recreational opportunities, navigation, flood control, and ecosystem health. The development of sound policies and decision making processes require balancing the costs of BMP adoption to the agricultural operations with the social benefits to be derived from the improved water quality. In this paper we develop a benefits transfer model to provide estimates of the economic benefits of properly implemented and effective Best Management Practices (BMP throughout the state of Florida. These benefit estimates can be used in a cost-benefit framework to determine the optimal level of BMP adoption throughout the state of Florida and provide a framework for other regions to estimate the potential benefits of BMP-mediated water quality improvements.

The effect of stock market pressure on the tradeoff between corporate and shareholders’ tax benefits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Chin Chen

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Taiwanese government offers firms that invest in qualified projects in emerging high-tech industries two mutually exclusive tax incentives—a corporate 5-year tax exemption or shareholder investment tax credits. This study examines whether corporate managers take shareholder tax benefits into account in their corporate tax planning. The results show that privately held firms are more likely than listed firms to choose shareholder investment tax credits and forego corporate tax benefits. Listed firms with relatively high earnings response coefficients tend to choose a corporate 5-year tax exemption, as it can enhance reported after-tax earnings. Further, in the 5-year period following their choice of a particular tax incentive, firms choosing a corporate 5-year tax exemption exhibit significantly lower earnings persistence than those choosing shareholder investment tax credits. Taken together, these results suggest that stock market pressure has a significant effect on firms’ choices between corporate and shareholder tax benefits, and that the choice of tax incentives has an effect on future earnings quality.

Cost Benefit and Alternatives Analysis of Distribution Systems with Energy Storage Systems: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harris, Tom; Nagarajan, Adarsh; Baggu, Murali; Bialek, Tom

2017-06-27

This paper explores monetized and non-monetized benefits from storage interconnected to distribution system through use cases illustrating potential applications for energy storage in California's electric utility system. This work supports SDG&E in its efforts to quantify, summarize, and compare the cost and benefit streams related to implementation and operation of energy storage on its distribution feeders. This effort develops the cost benefit and alternatives analysis platform, integrated with QSTS feeder simulation capability, and analyzed use cases to explore the cost-benefit of implementation and operation of energy storage for feeder support and market participation.

Reprint of ‘Yes-in-my-backyard’: Spatial differences in the valuation of forest services and local co-benefits for carbon markets in México

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Balderas Torres, Arturo; MacMillan, Douglas C.; Skutsch, Margaret; Lovett, Jonathan Cranidge

2015-01-01

Forests provide many and large benefits, including cost-efficient climate change mitigation. However international carbon markets have not stimulated the demand for forestry offsets. Domestic market-mechanisms are emerging in many countries and forests could be highly valued through these policies

Potential benefits of therapeutic splenectomy for patients with Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreiber, D.P.; Jacobs, C.; Rosenberg, S.A.; Cox, R.S.; Hoppe, R.T.

1985-01-01

Thirty-four patients with Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma underwent therapeutic splenectomies to improve hematologic tolerance for chemotherapy. The mean age was 40 years; there were 16 males and 18 females. Fourteen had Hodgkin's disease, 19 had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and 1 had malignant histocytosis. Nineteen had palpable splenomegaly, 19 had marrow involvement and 20 had splenic involvement by lymphoma. The following data were analyzed before and after splenectomy: mean white blood cell count (WBC) and platelet count on planned first day of cycle, delay ratio of chemotherapy delivery and percent maximal dose rate. Thirteen patients had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, splenomegaly and positive bone marrow and showed significant benefit in all of the aforementioned parameters. Of the patients with prior irradiation, only those who completed their radiation greater than six months prior to splenectomy showed benefit. Ten patients had Hodgkin's disease, negative bone marrow and no splenomegaly. This group showed significant improvement in mean platelet count but more limited benefit in delay ratio and percent maximal dose rate. Thus, selected patients with lymphoma who are experiencing delays in chemotherapy because of poor count tolerance may benefit from splenectomy

Bread or games? Social cost-benefit analysis of the World Cup in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Nooij, M.; van den Berg, M.; Koopmans, C.

2010-01-01

Ex post analyses of major sporting events show that the benefits for the organizing countries are often greatly over-estimated in advance. A major portion of the proceeds (e.g., tickets, broadcasting rights, marketing) goes to the organizing sports federation, while most of the costs are borne by

Green power marketing in retail competition: an early assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiser, R.; Porter, K.; Fang, J.

1999-01-01

With retail competition being introduced throughout the United States, green power marketing offers the promise of customer-driven markets for renewable energy. This paper summarizes early experience with green marketing under full retail competition. We conclude that (1) niche markets exist today among residential and non-residential consumers for green power; (2) green demand may ultimately offer an important strategic market for renewable technologies, but the market is currently rather small and the long-term prospects remain uncertain; (3) the success of green markets will depend critically on the regulatory rules established at the onset of restructuring; and (4) the biomass industry will be forced to better communicate the environmental benefits of its technology in order to play a strong role within the green market. This paper is based on a more detailed NREL Topical Issues Brief, which is available on the Internet. (author)

State of the art in the estimation of energy prices in the spot market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botero B, Sergio; Cano C, Jovan A

2007-01-01

Since the start energy markets deregulation in the world, several spot market (short term) price prediction methods have been developed? this article identifies and compares the main methods of prediction used in Colombia and other international markets. With this review it is possible to determine the state of the knowledge in the specific subject and then to look for the development of new forecasting techniques that can contribute to the solution of this problem. The prediction horizon is something that must be taken into account in the review of the several techniques, given that both the magnitude of the final model of estimation, and the time series treatment type, depend on this horizon.

Willingness to pay for non angler recreation at the lower Snake River reservoirs

Science.gov (United States)

McKean, J.R.; Johnson, D.; Taylor, R.G.; Johnson, Richard L.

2005-01-01

This study applied the travel cost method to estimate demand for non angler recreation at the impounded Snake River in eastern Washington. Net value per person per recreation trip is estimated for the full non angler sample and separately for camping, boating, water-skiing, and swimming/picnicking. Certain recreation activities would be reduced or eliminated and new activities would be added if the dams were breached to protect endangered salmon and steelhead. The effect of breaching on non angling benefits was found by subtracting our benefits estimate from the projected non angling benefits with breaching. Major issues in demand model specification and definition of the price variables are discussed. The estimation method selected was truncated negative binomial regression with adjustment for self selection bias.

Marketing 101.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Karla A.

1997-01-01

A marketing model for camps includes a mix of services, presentation, and communication elements that promote the virtues of camp, convince potential campers and their families of the benefits of camp, and successfully distinguish the camp from others. Includes resources related to marketing strategies, theme merchandise, and market trends…

Contestability of Container Liner Shipping Market in Alliance Era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enna Hirata

2017-03-01

Full Text Available A cross section panel model is applied to estimate the effect that the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI has on container freight rates for a sample of six major container liner shipping routes during 2009 to 2011. The estimated coefficient of HHI is non-positive and statistically insignificant, indicating that higher concentration level does not lead to high price and the container liner shipping market is contestable for the period under consideration. The suggestion that efficiency can be achieved without actual competition in a contestable market is highly significant for policy makers.

Market Failure In African Agricultural Marketing Systems: An Econometric Testing And Analysis Of Market Efficiency

OpenAIRE

Gbolahan S. Osho

2011-01-01

The last few years have seen substantial revivals of interest in the determinants of economic growth in Africa, especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper provides an econometric model that help to examine the impact of market share, interest rate and non-economic factors such as external shocks, structural adjustment policies on the GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa. Economic development data covering the period of 1970 to 2004 was used in estimation with ordinary least square (OLS). The resul...

Estimate of potential benefit for Europe of fitting Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems for pedestrian protection to passenger cars.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Mervyn; Nathanson, Andrew; Wisch, Marcus

2014-01-01

The objective of the current study was to estimate the benefit for Europe of fitting precrash braking systems to cars that detect pedestrians and autonomously brake the car to prevent or lower the speed of the impact with the pedestrian. The analysis was divided into 2 main parts: (1) Develop and apply methodology to estimate benefit for Great Britain and Germany; (2) scale Great Britain and German results to give an indicative estimate for Europe (EU27). The calculation methodology developed to estimate the benefit was based on 2 main steps: 1. Calculate the change in the impact speed distribution curve for pedestrian casualties hit by the fronts of cars assuming pedestrian autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system fitment. 2. From this, calculate the change in the number of fatally, seriously, and slightly injured casualties by using the relationship between risk of injury and the casualty impact speed distribution to sum the resulting risks for each individual casualty. The methodology was applied to Great Britain and German data for 3 types of pedestrian AEB systems representative of (1) currently available systems; (2) future systems with improved performance, which are expected to be available in the next 2-3 years; and (3) reference limit system, which has the best performance currently thought to be technically feasible. Nominal benefits estimated for Great Britain ranged from £119 million to £385 million annually and for Germany from €63 million to €216 million annually depending on the type of AEB system assumed fitted. Sensitivity calculations showed that the benefit estimated could vary from about half to twice the nominal estimate, depending on factors such as whether or not the system would function at night and the road friction assumed. Based on scaling of estimates made for Great Britain and Germany, the nominal benefit of implementing pedestrian AEB systems on all cars in Europe was estimated to range from about €1 billion per year for

The Creation and Non-Creation of Markets in Reproductive Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herrmann, Janne Rothmar

of gender equality this is a paradox. The buying and selling of sperm is supported and facilitated through the law but the buying and selling of eggs is not. But why is that and how is this paradox legitimized? Using Danish law and policy I want to demonstrate how markets in frozen reproductive cells...... that dictated that donated sperm should be frozen and not fresh. The use of donated sperm was also seen as a small and necessary part in providing a treatment that replaced a natural function. So, in the early days, sperm from different donors was mixed with sperm from the male of the couple being treated...... and the market in sperm was largely left to develop without much regulatory interest. It was something that pertained to the medical domain, and the legislator at that time had been very reluctant to regulate medical issues. In the case of the non-creation of a market in frozen eggs, it seems that in the debates...

Marketing Audit A Systematic and Comprehensive Marketing Examination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah Al Fahad

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract-The growing complexity of the current market environment needs a more systematic evaluation process that how organizational marketing performance deals with the dynamic market. This paper point out the benefit of marketing audit to deals with systematic evaluation of plans objectives strategies activities and organizational structure as well as marketing staff. Recent study has portrayed a broader conceptualization of effectiveness of using marketing audit. Through this paper we want to bring into focus the broad and different aspects of marketing audit that can help the organization its strength and weakness. The paper suggests that marketing audit should use as a mechanism to evaluate the entire marketing system.

Market Opportunities and Barriers for Smart Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Zheng; Badi, Adrian; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2016-01-01

Buildings consume up to 42% of the global electricity and the primary emitter of greenhouse gas on the planet. Building efficiency is the largest growing segment in the US, the estimated global revenue by the building efficiency sector is around 210 million dollars, and constantly increases since...... 2011. Much research already shows the players' passive and conservative attitudes to enter into the energy efficiency market. Especially there are obstacles for the construction companies to redesign their business model from the traditional building business to the smart building market. This paper...... conducts a qualitative approach with primary and secondary data to investigate the Barriers and opportunities of the construction companies into the smart building market. The result shows the willingness of the players to involve the building efficiency business with huge potential monetary benefits...

76 FR 11196 - Antidumping Methodologies in Proceedings Involving Non-Market Economies: Valuing the Factor of...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Antidumping Methodologies in Proceedings Involving Non-Market Economies: Valuing the Factor of Production: Labor; Correction to Request for Comment...-Market Economies: Valuing the Factor of Production: Labor; Request for Comment, 76 FR 9544 (February 18...

A Review of Recent RTO Benefit-Cost Studies: Toward MoreComprehensive Assessments of FERC Electricity RestructuringPolicies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eto, Joseph H.; Lesieutre, Bernard C.

2005-12-01

During the past three years, government and private organizations have issued more than a dozen studies of the benefits and costs of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs). Most of these studies have focused on benefits that can be readily estimated using traditional production-cost simulation techniques, which compare the cost of centralized dispatch under an RTO to dispatch in the absence of an RTO, and on costs associated with RTO start-up and operation. Taken as a whole, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions from these studies because they have not examined potentially much larger benefits (and costs) resulting from the impacts of RTOs on reliability management, generation and transmission investment and operation, and wholesale electricity market operation. This report: (1) Describes the history of benefit-cost analysis of FERC electricity restructuring policies; (2)Reviews current practice by analyzing 11 RTO benefit-cost studies that were published between 2002 and 2004 and makes recommendations to improve the documentation of data and methods and the presentation of findings in future studies that focus primarily on estimating short-run economic impacts; and (3) Reviews important impacts of FERC policies that have been overlooked or incompletely treated by recent RTO benefit-cost studies and the challenges to crafting more comprehensive assessments of these impacts based on actual performance, including impacts on reliability management, generation and transmission investment and operation, and wholesale electricity market operation.

Comparison of Australian and US Cost-Benefit Approaches to MEPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMahon, James E.

2004-03-12

Assessments are similar; no changes are recommended. (2) The Australian approach to determining the relationship of price to energy efficiency is based on current market, while the US approach uses prospective estimates. Both approaches may benefit from increased retrospective analysis of impacts of MEPS on appliance and equipment prices. Under some circumstances, Australia may wish to consider analyzing two separate components leading to price impacts: (a) changes in manufacturing costs and (b) markups used to convert from manufacturing costs to consumer price. (3) The Life-Cycle Cost methods are similar, but the USA has statistical surveys that permit a more detailed analysis. Australia uses average values, while the US uses full distributions. If data and resources permit, Australia may benefit from greater depth here as well. If implemented, the changes will provide more information about the benefits and costs of the program, in particular identifying who benefits and who bears net costs so that programs can be designed to offset unintended negative consequences, and may assist the government in convincing affected parties of the justification for some MEPS. However, without a detailed and statistically representative national survey, such an approach may not be practical for Australia at this time. (4) The National Benefits and Costs methods are similar prospective estimates of shipments, costs and energy savings, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Additional sensitivity studies could further illustrate the ranges in these estimates. Consideration of lower discount rates could lead to more stringent MEPS in some cases. (5) Both the Australian and US analyses of impacts on industry, competition, and trade ultimately depend upon sufficient consultation with industry experts. While the Australian analysis of financial impacts on manufacturers is less detailed than that of the US, the Australian treatment of impacts on market shares imported from different regions of the

Stock Market Liquidity and Investment Decisions of Non-Financial Quoted Companies in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafiu Oyesola Salawu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The study examined the impact of market liquidity on investment decision of 50 non-financial quoted companies in Nigeria between 2006 and 2012. The study employed secondary source of data collection. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as pool OLS and fixed effect model. The results showed that Size of the Firm (FS and Firms’ Age (FAGE were the only significant determinants of Return on Investment (ROI. The turnover ratio (TOR which is a proxy for market liquidity had positive but insignificant effect on ROI. Based on the above findings, the study concluded that for most of the companies operating in the non-financial sector of the Nigerian economy, the influence of market liquidity on investment decision is positive, but not significant. The study recommended that management should place more emphasis on the firm age and in particular firm size as they can be employed to predict the return on investment.

Innovation in a multiple-stage, multiple-product food marketing chain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baker, Alister Derek; Christensen, Tove

A model of a 3-stage food marketing chain is presented for the case of two products. Its extension of existing work is its capacity to examine non-competitive input and output markets in two marketing chains at once, and have them related by demand and cost interactions. The simulated impacts...... of market power in a single chain generally reproduce those delivered by previous authors. The impacts of market power in related chains are found to depend on linkages between chains in terms of interactions in consumer demand. Interactions between products in costs (economies of scope) generate...... an interesting result in that a possible market failure is identified that may be offset by the exercise of market power. The generation of farm-level innovation is seen to be largely unaffected by market power, but where market power is exercised the benefits are extracted from farmers and consumers...

Relationship marketing in the b2b market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gligorijević Mirjana

2009-01-01

Full Text Available As markets turned more and more competitive, companies had to change their marketing approach. From transactional marketing they are shifting to relationship marketing, trying to increase market share by focusing on their most important customers, implementing the concept of key account management. In this paper we tend to introduce the concept of key account management. In final section of this paper we will analyze effects of implementation of key account management, in terms of potential benefits and cautions. .

Benefits of Government Incentives for Reusable Launch Vehicle Development

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Eric J.; Hamaker, Joseph W.; Prince, Frank A.

1998-01-01

Many exciting new opportunities in space, both government missions and business ventures, could be realized by a reduction in launch prices. Reusable launch vehicle (RLV) designs have the potential to lower launch costs dramatically from those of today's expendable and partially-expendable vehicles. Unfortunately, governments must budget to support existing launch capability, and so lack the resources necessary to completely fund development of new reusable systems. In addition, the new commercial space markets are too immature and uncertain to motivate the launch industry to undertake a project of this magnitude and risk. Low-cost launch vehicles will not be developed without a mature market to service; however, launch prices must be reduced in order for a commercial launch market to mature. This paper estimates and discusses the various benefits that may be reaped from government incentives for a commercial reusable launch vehicle program.

Pricing Externalities to Balance Public Risks and Benefits of Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Farquhar, Sebastian; Cotton-Barratt, Owen; Snyder-Beattie, Andrew

How should scientific funders evaluate research with public health risks? Some risky work is valuable, but accepting too much risk may be ethically neglectful. Recent controversy over H5N1 influenza experiments has highlighted the difficulty of this problem. Advocates of the research claim the work is needed to understand pandemics, while opponents claim that accidents or misuse could release the very pandemic the work is meant to prevent. In an attempt to resolve the debate, the US government sponsored an independent evaluation that successfully produced a quantitative estimate of the risks involved, but only a qualitative estimate of the benefits. Given the difficulties of this "apples-to-oranges" risk-benefit analysis, what is the best way forward? Here we outline a general approach for balancing risks and benefits of research with public risks. Instead of directly comparing risks and benefits, our approach requires only an estimate of risk, which is then translated into a financial price. This estimate can be obtained either through a centrally commissioned risk assessment or by mandating liability insurance, which allows private markets to estimate the financial burden of risky research. The resulting price can then be included in the cost of the research, enabling funders to evaluate grants as usual-comparing the scientific merits of a project against its full cost to society. This approach has the advantage of aligning incentives by assigning costs to those responsible for risks. It also keeps scientific funding decisions in the hands of scientists, while involving the public on questions of values and risk experts on risk evaluation.

Methods for Estimating the Social Benefits of EPA Land Cleanup and Reuse Programs (2007)

Science.gov (United States)

The Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation’s National Center for Environmental Economics, and the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response’s Land Revitalization Office convened a workshop on risk assessment and benefit estimation methods in 2006.

Estimated risks and benefits from introducing Marisa cornuarietis into the Sudan.

Science.gov (United States)

Haridi, A A; Jobin, W R

1985-04-01

As it has been proposed that Marisa cornuarietis, the ampullarid snail from the tropical Americas be used in the Sudan as a biological control agent against schistosomiasis, an estimate was made of the potential ecological hazards which might result from its widespread distribution in the Nile River Valley, and also of the potential benefits. The only foreseeable hazard would result from colonization of rice fields by the ampullarid snail and subsequent crop damage. However calculations on population dynamics indicated that Marisa cornuarietis would not be able to establish significant populations in rice fields in the Nile Valley as the flooded periods are too short. Thus the expected benefits of schistosomiasis control far outweigh any expected risks, and the ampullarid should be used in expanded field trials in the Gezira Irrigated Area as a control method for schistosomiasis.

Exploratory Analysis of Marketing and Non-marketing E-cigarette Themes on Twitter.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Sifei; Kavuluru, Ramakanth

2016-11-01

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have been gaining popularity and have emerged as a controversial tobacco product since their introduction in 2007 in the U.S. The smoke-free aspect of e-cigs renders them less harmful than conventional cigarettes and is one of the main reasons for their use by people who plan to quit smoking. The US food and drug administration (FDA) has introduced new regulations early May 2016 that went into effect on August 8, 2016. Given this important context, in this paper, we report results of a project to identify current themes in e-cig tweets in terms of semantic interpretations of topics generated with topic modeling. Given marketing/advertising tweets constitute almost half of all e-cig tweets, we first build a classifier that identifies marketing and non-marketing tweets based on a hand-built dataset of 1000 tweets. After applying the classifier to a dataset of over a million tweets (collected during 4/2015 - 6/2016), we conduct a preliminary content analysis and run topic models on the two sets of tweets separately after identifying the appropriate numbers of topics using topic coherence. We interpret the results of the topic modeling process by relating topics generated to specific e-cig themes. We also report on themes identified from e-cig tweets generated at particular places (such as schools and churches) for geo-tagged tweets found in our dataset using the GeoNames API. To our knowledge, this is the first effort that employs topic modeling to identify e-cig themes in general and in the context of geo-tagged tweets tied to specific places of interest.

Benefits for whom? Energy efficiency within the efficient market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chello, Dario

2015-01-01

How should the lack of an efficient energy market affect the design of energy efficiency policies and their implementation? What the consequences of an inefficient energy market on end users’ behaviour? This article tries to give an answer to such questions, by considering the decision making of domestic users following a few fundamental concepts of behavioural economics. The mechanism of price formation in the market, with particular reference to the internal energy market in Europe, will be examined and we will show that price remains the inflexible attribute in making an energy choice. Then, some conclusions will be addressed to policy makers on how to overcome the barriers illustrated.

Hospital prices and market structure in the hospital and insurance industries.

Science.gov (United States)

Moriya, Asako S; Vogt, William B; Gaynor, Martin

2010-10-01

There has been substantial consolidation among health insurers and hospitals, recently, raising questions about the effects of this consolidation on the exercise of market power. We analyze the relationship between insurer and hospital market concentration and the prices of hospital services. We use a national US dataset containing transaction prices for health care services for over 11 million privately insured Americans. Using three years of panel data, we estimate how insurer and hospital market concentration are related to hospital prices, while controlling for unobserved market effects. We find that increases in insurance market concentration are significantly associated with decreases in hospital prices, whereas increases in hospital concentration are non-significantly associated with increases in prices. A hypothetical merger between two of five equally sized insurers is estimated to decrease hospital prices by 6.7%.

Market trends in the U.S. ESCO industry: Results from the NAESCO database project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldman, Charles A.; Osborn, Julie G.; Hopper, Nicole C.; Singer, Terry E.

2002-05-01

The U.S. Energy Services Company (ESCO) industry is often cited as the most successful model for the private sector delivery of energy-efficiency services. This study documents actual performance of the ESCO industry in order to provide policymakers and investors with objective information and customers with a resource for benchmarking proposed projects relative to industry performance. We have assembled a database of nearly 1500 case studies of energy-efficiency projects-the most comprehensive data set of the U.S. ESCO industry available. These projects include $2.55B of work completed by 51 ESCOs and span much of the history of this industry. We estimate that the ESCO industry completed $1.8-2.1B of projects in 2000. The industry has grown rapidly over the last decade with revenues increasing at a 24% annualized rate. We summarize and compare project characteristics and costs and analyze energy savings, including the relationship between predicted and actual savings. ESCOs typically invested about $2.30/ft{sup 2} per project in various energy efficiency improvements, although there is large variation in project costs within and across market segments. We find that lighting-only projects report median electricity savings of 47% of targeted equipment consumption; the median for lighting-&-non-lighting projects is 23% of the total electric bill baseline. We examine project economics, including project net benefits, benefit/cost ratio and simple payback time. Median simple payback time is seven years for institutional sector projects and three years in the private sector. We estimate direct economic benefits of $1.62 billion for the 1080 projects in our database with both cost and savings data. The median benefit/cost ratio is 2.1 for 309 private sector projects and 1.6 for 771 institutional sector projects. We discuss the role of policies and programs adopted by state/federal legislatures and agencies that have played an important role in stimulating ESCO activity

The mod industries? The industrial logic of non-market game production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nieborg, D.B.; van der Graaf, S.

2008-01-01

This article seeks to make the relationship between non-market game developers (modders) and the game developer company explicit through game technology. It investigates a particular type of modding, i.e. total conversion mod teams, whose organization can be said to conform to the high-risk,

Risk Premia in the Czech Money Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Pohl

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We estimate risk premia in the Czech money market and we pay special attention to the 2008-2009 crisis period. Our results imply a rising forward premium and we argue that the error correction model is the most appropriate method, but median may be used as a first guess estimator. We estimated the term premium between the policy rate and various money market interest rates. In this context, ARCH models proved to be useful in reflection of non-stationarity observed in the data. The financial crisis caused a structural break in our data sample, but the impact on the forward premium was only brief and forward premia normalized quickly. The widening of the term premium proved to be much more persistent, although it declined significantly since the peak of the crisis.

Macroeconomic Benefits of Low-Cost Reusable Launch Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Eric J.; Greenberg, Joel

1998-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated its Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Technology Program to provide information on the technical and commercial feasibility of single-stage to orbit (SSTO), fully-reusable launchers. Because RLVs would not depend on expendable hardware to achieve orbit, they could take better advantage of economies of scale than expendable launch vehicles (ELVs) that discard costly hardware on ascent. The X-33 experimental vehicle, a sub-orbital, 60%-scale prototype of Lockheed Martin's VentureStar SSTO RLV concept, is being built by Skunk Works for a 1999 first flight. If RLVs achieve prices to low-earth orbit of less than $1000 US per pound, they could hold promise for eliciting an elastic response from the launch services market. As opposed to the capture of existing market, this elastic market would represent new space-based industry businesses. These new opportunities would be created from the next tier of business concepts, such as space manufacturing and satellite servicing, that cannot earn a profit at today's launch prices but could when enabled by lower launch costs. New business creation contributes benefits to the US Government (USG) and the US economy through increases in tax revenues and employment. Assumptions about the costs and revenues of these new ventures, based on existing space-based and aeronautics sector businesses, can be used to estimate the macroeconomic benefits provided by new businesses. This paper examines these benefits and the flight prices and rates that may be required to enable these new space industries.

Economic rate of discount and estimating cost benefit of viral immunisation programmes.

Science.gov (United States)

West, R R

1999-01-01

Many individual and societal decisions over purchase (or investment) involve consideration of timing, in that either the price may be paid now and the benefit enjoyed some time in the future or the converse the benefit enjoyed now and the price paid later. Since most individuals generally prefer the present to the future, economic theory has conventionally discounted future costs or benefits to estimate 'net present values'. The rationale for this is principally based on future uncertainty. In recent years, economists have turned their attention to valuing health as an economic 'good'. Observations of individual behaviour would imply that individuals discount future health, as other potential benefits, mostly because there is some uncertainty about their futures. Although economic theory is strongly predicated on the 'sovereignty of the individual', it does not necessarily follow that society discounts the future as do individuals, since for society the future is not so uncertain. Society's endorsement of many public health and preventive medicine objectives, which seek health gains in the future (rather than the present), imply that society's rate of discount may be appreciably lower than that of individuals. In immunisation, arguably one of the most effective of preventive measures, there is the additional benefit to others attributable to herd immunity. This paper argues that the future health gains for society arising from immunisation should not be underestimated by application of inappropriate discounting.

The climate and air-quality benefits of wind and solar power in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Millstein, Dev; Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark; Barbose, Galen

2017-09-01

Wind and solar energy reduce combustion-based electricity generation and provide air-quality and greenhouse gas emission benefits. These benefits vary dramatically by region and over time. From 2007 to 2015, solar and wind power deployment increased rapidly while regulatory changes and fossil fuel price changes led to steep cuts in overall power-sector emissions. Here we evaluate how wind and solar climate and air-quality benefits evolved during this time period. We find cumulative wind and solar air-quality benefits of 2015 US$29.7-112.8 billion mostly from 3,000 to 12,700 avoided premature mortalities, and cumulative climate benefits of 2015 US$5.3-106.8 billion. The ranges span results across a suite of air-quality and health impact models and social cost of carbon estimates. We find that binding cap-and-trade pollutant markets may reduce these cumulative benefits by up to 16%. In 2015, based on central estimates, combined marginal benefits equal 7.3 ¢ kWh-1 (wind) and 4.0 ¢ kWh-1 (solar).

A mixed latent class Markov approach for estimating labour market mobility with multiple indicators and retrospective interrogation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bassi, Francesca; Croon, M.A.; Vidotto, D.

Measurement errors can induce bias in the estimation of transitions, leading to erroneous conclusions about labour market dynamics. Traditional literature on gross flows estimation is based on the assumption that measurement errors are uncorrelated over time. This assumption is not realistic in many

Optimising the extraction rate of a non-durable non-renewable resource in a monopolistic market: a mathematical programming approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Corominas, Albert; Fossas, Enric

2015-01-01

We assume a monopolistic market for a non-durable non-renewable resource such as crude oil, phosphates or fossil water. Stating the problem of obtaining optimal policies on extraction and pricing of the resource as a non-linear program allows general conclusions to be drawn under diverse assumptions about the demand curve, discount rates and length of the planning horizon. We compare the results with some common beliefs about the pace of exhaustion of this kind of resources.

Reserve selection with land market feedbacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Butsic, Van; Lewis, David J; Radeloff, Volker C

2013-01-15

How to best site reserves is a leading question for conservation biologists. Recently, reserve selection has emphasized efficient conservation: maximizing conservation goals given the reality of limited conservation budgets, and this work indicates that land market can potentially undermine the conservation benefits of reserves by increasing property values and development probabilities near reserves. Here we propose a reserve selection methodology which optimizes conservation given both a budget constraint and land market feedbacks by using a combination of econometric models along with stochastic dynamic programming. We show that amenity based feedbacks can be accounted for in optimal reserve selection by choosing property price and land development models which exogenously estimate the effects of reserve establishment. In our empirical example, we use previously estimated models of land development and property prices to select parcels to maximize coarse woody debris along 16 lakes in Vilas County, WI, USA. Using each lake as an independent experiment, we find that including land market feedbacks in the reserve selection algorithm has only small effects on conservation efficacy. Likewise, we find that in our setting heuristic (minloss and maxgain) algorithms perform nearly as well as the optimal selection strategy. We emphasize that land market feedbacks can be included in optimal reserve selection; the extent to which this improves reserve placement will likely vary across landscapes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A MARKETING STRATEGY ON PHOTOVOLTAIC MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coita Dorin Cristian

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic is an increasingly important energy technology. Deriving energy from the sun offers numerous environmental benefits. It is an extremely clean energy source, and few other power-generating technologies have as little environmental impact as photovoltaic. In this article we explored some dimensions of photovoltaic market and suggested a marketing strategy for solar panels manufacturers

Market conditions affecting energy efficiency investments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seabright, J.

1996-01-01

The global energy efficiency market is growing, due in part to energy sector and macroeconomic reforms and increased awareness of the environmental benefits of energy efficiency. Many countries have promoted open, competitive markets, thereby stimulating economic growth. They have reduced or removed subsidies on energy prices, and governments have initiated energy conservation programs that have spurred the wider adoption of energy efficiency technologies. The market outlook for energy efficiency is quite positive. The global market for end-use energy efficiency in the industrial, residential and commercial sectors is now estimated to total more than $34 billion per year. There is still enormous technical potential to implement energy conservation measures and to upgrade to the best available technologies for new investments. For many technologies, energy-efficient designs now represent less than 10--20% of new product sales. Thus, creating favorable market conditions should be a priority. There are a number of actions that can be taken to create favorable market conditions for investing in energy efficiency. Fostering a market-oriented energy sector will lead to energy prices that reflect the true cost of supply. Policy initiatives should address known market failures and should support energy efficiency initiatives. And market transformation for energy efficiency products and services can be facilitated by creating an institutional and legal structure that favors commercially-oriented entities

The Value of Transparency in Distributed Solar PV Markets | Solar Research

Science.gov (United States)

suggest that PV customers benefit from gaining access to more PV quotes. Context Prospective PV customers are relatively non-transparent; customers are largely unaware of market prices and may not obtain the lowest available price. PV customers that use quote aggregators-third-party companies that collect quotes

Solving for Efficiency or Decision Criteria: When the Non-unique Nature of Solutions Becomes a Benefit

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, S. A.; Ciarleglio, M.; Dulay, M.; Lowry, T. S.; Sharp, J. M.; Barnes, J. W.; Eaton, D. J.; Tidwell, V. C.

2006-12-01

Work in the literature for groundwater allocation emphasizes finding a truly optimal solution, often with the drawback of limiting the reported results to either maximizing net benefit in regional scale models or minimizing pumping costs for localized cases. From a policy perspective, limited insight can be gained from these studies because the results are restricted to a single, efficient solution and they neglect non-market values that may influence a management decision. Conversely, economically derived objective functions tend to exhibit a plateau upon nearing the optimal value. This plateau effect, or non-uniqueness, is actually a positive feature in the behavior of groundwater systems because it demonstrates that multiple management strategies, serving numerous community preferences, may be considered while still achieving similar quantitative results. An optimization problem takes the same set of initial conditions and looks for the most efficient solution while a decision problem looks at a situation and asks for a solution that meets certain user-defined criteria. In other words, the election of an alternative course of action using a decision support system will not always result in selection of the most `optimized' alternative. To broaden the analytical toolset available for science and policy interaction, we have developed a groundwater decision support system (GWDSS) that generates a suite of management alternatives by pairing a combinatorial search algorithm with a numerical groundwater model for consideration by decision makers and stakeholders. Subject to constraints as defined by community concerns, the tabu optimization engine systematically creates hypothetical management scenarios running hundreds, and even thousands, of simulations, and then saving the best performing realizations. Results of the search are then evaluated against stakeholder preference sets using ranking methods to aid in identifying a subset of alternatives for final

The effect of non-response on estimates of health care utilisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gundgaard, Jens; Ekholm, Orla; Hansen, Ebba Holme

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Non-response in health surveys may lead to bias in estimates of health care utilisation. The magnitude, direction and composition of the bias are usually not well known. When data from health surveys are merged with data from registers at the individual level, analyses can reveal non......-response bias. Our aim was to estimate the composition, direction and magnitude of non-response bias in the estimation of health care costs in two types of health interview surveys. METHODS: The surveys were (1) a national personal interview survey of 22 484 Danes (2) a telephone interview survey of 5000 Danes...... living in Funen County. Data were linked with register information on health care utilisation in hospitals and primary care. Health care utilisation was estimated for respondents and non-respondents, and the difference was explained by a decomposition method of bias components. RESULTS: The surveys...

78 FR 41129 - Market Test of Experimental Product - International Merchandise Return Service-Non-Published Rates

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-09

...--Non-Published Rates AGENCY: U.S. Postal Service\\TM\\. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Postal Service hereby gives notice of a market test for International Merchandise Return Service--Non-Published Rates in... Return Service (IMRS) Non-published Rate (NPR) experimental product on August 15, 2013. The Postal...

Measuring market performance in restructured electricity markets: An empirical analysis of the PJM energy market

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, Russell Jay

2002-09-01

Today the electric industry in the U.S. is transitioning to competitive markets for wholesale electricity. Independent system operators (ISOs) now manage broad regional markets for electrical energy in several areas of the U.S. A recent rulemaking by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) encourages the development of regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and restructured competitive wholesale electricity markets nationwide. To date, the transition to competitive wholesale markets has not been easy. The increased reliance on market forces coupled with unusually high electricity demand for some periods have created conditions amenable to market power abuse in many regions throughout the U.S. In the summer of 1999, hot and humid summer conditions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia pushed peak demand in the PJM Interconnection to record levels. These demand conditions coincided with the introduction of market-based pricing in the wholesale electricity market. Prices for electricity increased on average by 55 percent, and reached the $1,000/MWh range. This study examines the extent to which generator market power raised prices above competitive levels in the PJM Interconnection during the summer of 1999. It simulates hourly market-clearing prices assuming competitive market behavior and compares these prices with observed market prices in computing price markups over the April 1-August 31, 1999 period. The results of the simulation analysis are supported with an examination of actual generator bid data of incumbent generators. Price markups averaged 14.7 percent above expected marginal cost over the 5-month period for all non-transmission-constrained hours. The evidence presented suggests that the June and July monthly markups were strongly influenced by generator market power as price inelastic peak demand approached the electricity generation capacity constraint of the market. While this analysis of the

Marketing Sustainable Retail Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dragan Ilić

2013-06-01

Full Text Available One of the primary benefits of sustainable retail over the long run has to be the marketing gain from having something other competitors do not: lower operating costs, a more socially responsible public profile, ease of gaining planning approval for new projects, better access to certain investment pools, higher rents (in the case of developers, ease of recruiting and retaining key people. Each of these benefits needs marketing and public relations support; each benefits from a clear and consistent corporate message that promotes sustainable retail. To date, there are very few retailers or developers who have championed sustainability long enough, consistently enough and with enough actual demonstration of changes in standard operations to gain the benefits of green marketing, but the very paucity of examples serves to underscore the point: the green marketing space is wide open for large retailers and developers. What would be the marketing steps that a company could take to benefit from its “sustainability focus?” The key to any marketing program is to differentiate a company’s actions from those of competitors and to do it along lines that its various stakeholders care about. This practice of differentiation is often expressed as “finding a difference that makes a difference, to someone who makes difference to you.” For retail developers, the first differentiator should be to attract more and better tenants to all of their centers, tenants who value lower operating costs and the developer’s program of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.

Simulating water markets with transaction costs

Science.gov (United States)

Erfani, Tohid; Binions, Olga; Harou, Julien J.

2014-06-01

This paper presents an optimization model to simulate short-term pair-wise spot-market trading of surface water abstraction licenses (water rights). The approach uses a node-arc multicommodity formulation that tracks individual supplier-receiver transactions in a water resource network. This enables accounting for transaction costs between individual buyer-seller pairs and abstractor-specific rules and behaviors using constraints. Trades are driven by economic demand curves that represent each abstractor's time-varying water demand. The purpose of the proposed model is to assess potential hydrologic and economic outcomes of water markets and aid policy makers in designing water market regulations. The model is applied to the Great Ouse River basin in Eastern England. The model assesses the potential weekly water trades and abstractions that could occur in a normal and a dry year. Four sectors (public water supply, energy, agriculture, and industrial) are included in the 94 active licensed water diversions. Each license's unique environmental restrictions are represented and weekly economic water demand curves are estimated. Rules encoded as constraints represent current water management realities and plausible stakeholder-informed water market behaviors. Results show buyers favor sellers who can supply large volumes to minimize transactions. The energy plant cooling and agricultural licenses, often restricted from obtaining water at times when it generates benefits, benefit most from trades. Assumptions and model limitations are discussed. This article was corrected on 13 JUN 2014. See the end of the full text for details.

Non-invasive estimation of firmness in apple using VIS/NIR spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martinez Vega, Mabel Virginia; Wulfsohn, Dvora-Laio; Toldam-Andersen, Torben Bo

2012-01-01

Better and steady fruit quality evaluation at harvest is a major challenge for commercial growers of apples in Denmark. Those fruits not meeting the requirements for the fresh market traditionally go to the juice concentrate industry where low cost products are obtained. Special fruit qualities...... are needed to develop commodities that can obtain a premium added value on the market. Nowadays in the food industry, quality evaluation is commonly performed non-destructively by means of optical sensors such as spectrometers, hyperspectral and multispectral cameras, that allow rapid measurements of fruit...... as for eating apples. Invasive and non-invasive measurements of firmness, on the shaded and exposed side of the fruits were carried out for three Danish apple cultivars of known commercial usage. Resulting data determined wavelengths between 415 to 715 nm to be predictive for firmness. A PLS model for all three...

Cost-benefit analysis for a lead wheel weight phase-out in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, P M; Corneau, E; Nishimura, D; Teng, E; Ekoualla, D

2018-05-06

Lead wheel weights (LWWs) have been banned in Europe, and some US States, but they continue to dominate the market in Canada. Exposure to lead is associated with numerous health impacts and can result in multiple and irreversible health problems which include cognitive impairment when exposure occurs during early development. Such impacts incur high individual and social costs. The purpose of this study was to assess the costs and public health benefits of a Risk Management Strategy (RMS) that would result from a LWW phase-out in Canada and compare this to a Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario. The contribution of LWWs to lead concentrations in media including roadway soil/dust, ambient and indoor air, and indoor dust were estimated. The Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children (IEUBK) was used to develop estimates for the blood lead levels (BLLs) in children (μg/dL) associated with the BAU and the RMS. The BLLs estimated via the IEUBK model were then used to assess the IQ decrements associated with the BAU that would be avoided under the RMS. The subsequent overall societal benefits in terms of increased lifetime earning potential and reduced crime rate, were then estimated and compared to industry and government costs. LWWs form 72% of the Canadian wheel weight market and >1500 tonnes of lead as new LWWs attached to vehicles enters Canadian society annually. We estimate that 110-131 tonnes of lead in detached WWs are abraded on roadways in Canada each year. A LWW phase-out was predicted to result in a drop in pre-school BLLs of up to 0.4 μg/dL. The estimated net benefits associated with the RMS based on cognitive decrements avoided and hence increased lifetime earning potential (increased productivity) and reduced crime are expected to be: C$248 million (8% discount rate) to C$1.2 billion (3% discount rate) per year. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Market Power in Laboratory Emission Permit Markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godby, R.

2002-01-01

Many proposals suggesting the use of markets to control pollution assume markets will be competitive. When markets do not exhibit competitive characteristics, however, should they still be expected to result in efficiency improvement relative to traditional approaches? This paper employs experimental economic methods to examine the effect of market structure on the use of marketable emissions permits. Results indicate that in a market with one dominant firm and a number of fringe firms, strategic manipulation occurs repeatedly in the laboratory as predicted by market power models, undermining the allocative and dynamic efficiency benefits such markets offer. When firms compete in a downstream product market dominated by the same single firm, market efficiency can actually be reduced with the implementation of permit markets. Final market efficiencies reflect initial endowments and are influenced by competitive conditions elsewhere in the economy, indicating that policy-makers should carefully consider whether markets are appropriate in such circumstances

Sichtbarkeit von Bibliotheken durch Non-Profit-Marketing / High-profile for libraries through non-profit-marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buzinkay, Mark

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Tight budgets and an increasing competition in the information market force libraries to rethink their „awareness“ strategies. Therefore, Marketing iis an essential tool to address this topic. Tools from the Web 2.0 (blogs and others universe offer an efficient and effective way to approach such strategy.

Market trends in the U.S. ESCO industry: Results from the NAESCO database project; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, Charles A.; Osborn, Julie G.; Hopper, Nicole C.; Singer, Terry E.

2002-01-01

The U.S. Energy Services Company (ESCO) industry is often cited as the most successful model for the private sector delivery of energy-efficiency services. This study documents actual performance of the ESCO industry in order to provide policymakers and investors with objective information and customers with a resource for benchmarking proposed projects relative to industry performance. We have assembled a database of nearly 1500 case studies of energy-efficiency projects-the most comprehensive data set of the U.S. ESCO industry available. These projects include$2.55B of work completed by 51 ESCOs and span much of the history of this industry. We estimate that the ESCO industry completed$1.8-2.1B of projects in 2000. The industry has grown rapidly over the last decade with revenues increasing at a 24% annualized rate. We summarize and compare project characteristics and costs and analyze energy savings, including the relationship between predicted and actual savings. ESCOs typically invested about$2.30/ft(sup 2) per project in various energy efficiency improvements, although there is large variation in project costs within and across market segments. We find that lighting-only projects report median electricity savings of 47% of targeted equipment consumption; the median for lighting- and -non-lighting projects is 23% of the total electric bill baseline. We examine project economics, including project net benefits, benefit/cost ratio and simple payback time. Median simple payback time is seven years for institutional sector projects and three years in the private sector. We estimate direct economic benefits of$1.62 billion for the 1080 projects in our database with both cost and savings data. The median benefit/cost ratio is 2.1 for 309 private sector projects and 1.6 for 771 institutional sector projects. We discuss the role of policies and programs adopted by state/federal legislatures and agencies that have played an important role in stimulating ESCO activity

DOE/NASA SIMS Prototype Solar System, no. 4. Part 1: Market analysis. Part 2: Modular manufacturing cost estimate

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

The findings of the IIT Research Institute (IITRI) market study of the SIMS Prototype System 4, a hot water (DHW) system are documented. The feasibility of prepackaging currently available solar heating components into modular subsystems for site assembly is addressed. A documented design and installation procedure and a performance test report were prepared. The potential markets and applications for this particular system in the nonfederal market are profiled by assessing the needs and requirements of potential users and specifiers, by characterizing the nature of the market and the competitive environment, by identifying the barriers to commercial acceptance, and by estimating the size of the potential market.

Investor behavior heterogeneity in the French stock market

OpenAIRE

Rania Guirat

2011-01-01

We estimate in this paper a non probabilistic Markovien model of stock prices with an evolutionary selection of heterogeneous strategies. It is a model proposed by Brock and Hommes (1997, 1998) and improved later by Boswijk and al. (2007). Indeed, the latter propose one of the few estimations considering stock markets data, characterized by an evolutionary selection procedure of heterogeneous strategies. They estimate the model to annual US stock price data from 1871 to 2003. In this paper, w...

Building unbiased estimators from non-Gaussian likelihoods with application to shear estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madhavacheril, Mathew S.; Sehgal, Neelima; McDonald, Patrick; Slosar, Anže

2015-01-01

We develop a general framework for generating estimators of a given quantity which are unbiased to a given order in the difference between the true value of the underlying quantity and the fiducial position in theory space around which we expand the likelihood. We apply this formalism to rederive the optimal quadratic estimator and show how the replacement of the second derivative matrix with the Fisher matrix is a generic way of creating an unbiased estimator (assuming choice of the fiducial model is independent of data). Next we apply the approach to estimation of shear lensing, closely following the work of Bernstein and Armstrong (2014). Our first order estimator reduces to their estimator in the limit of zero shear, but it also naturally allows for the case of non-constant shear and the easy calculation of correlation functions or power spectra using standard methods. Both our first-order estimator and Bernstein and Armstrong's estimator exhibit a bias which is quadratic in true shear. Our third-order estimator is, at least in the realm of the toy problem of Bernstein and Armstrong, unbiased to 0.1% in relative shear errors Δg/g for shears up to |g|=0.2

From Non-market Support to Cost-Competitive Incentives. Wind Energy Commercialization in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wenqiang, Liu; Xiliang, Zhang; Shuhua, Gu; Gan, Lin

1999-07-01

This paper presents an overview of the development of wind energy in China. By examining the economics of windfarm development, it compares the economics of wind technology with other conventional energy technologies and analyzes the role of alternative policy instruments. Meanwhile, it identifies the major constraints of wind technology development and the defects of current non-market support from the government. It shows that the development of wind power will be directly subject to rational policy change, incentive mechanisms and institutional framework building. Particular importance is paid to market incentives to reach the objectives of commercialization and industrialization of wind power. The paper recommends some cost-competitive incentive measure and policies to drive the wind power market. It concludes that promising market incentives to speed up the development of wind energy include: (i) establish market competition mechanisms through standard power purchase agreement; (ii) adjust tax policies and government subsidies; (iii) stimulate investment incentive policies and regulations; and (iv) change governmental institutions and management modes. (author)

Market power in electricity markets: Beyond concentration measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borenstein, S.; Bushnell, J.; Knittel, C.R.

1999-01-01

The wave of electricity market restructuring both within the US and abroad has brought the issue of horizontal market power to the forefront of energy policy. Traditionally, estimation and prediction of market power has relied heavily on concentration measures. In this paper, the authors discuss the weaknesses of concentration measures as a viable measure of market power in the electricity industry, and they propose an alternative method based on market simulations that take advantage of existing plant level data. The authors discuss results from previous studies they have performed, and present new results that allow for the detection of threshold demand levels where market power is likely to be a problem. In addition, the authors analyze the impact of that recent divestitures in the California electricity market will have on estimated market power. They close with a discussion of the policy implications of the results

Local polynomial Whittle estimation covering non-stationary fractional processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Frank

to the non-stationary region. By approximating the short-run component of the spectrum by a polynomial, instead of a constant, in a shrinking neighborhood of zero we alleviate some of the bias that the classical local Whittle estimators is prone to. This bias reduction comes at a cost as the variance is in...... study illustrates the performance of the proposed estimator compared to the classical local Whittle estimator and the local polynomial Whittle estimator. The empirical justi.cation of the proposed estimator is shown through an analysis of credit spreads....

F actors Affecting Non Bank - Issued POS E - microp a ym en t Choice: A Study of Taiwan Market

OpenAIRE

Wee Kheng Tan; Shih Kuo Chen

2008-01-01

I n Taiwan , o rgani z ations with existing captive markets, that is, transport - related companies and convenience stores, have issue d their own non bank - issued POS e - micro payment programs and achieve d good success. Due to legal restriction imposed on non bank - issued programs, Taiwan’s market has evolve d further resulting in two major categories: non bank - iss...

The sexual and reproductive rights and benefit derived from sexual and reproductive health services of people with physical disabilities in South Africa: beliefs of non-disabled people.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Xanthe; Carew, Mark T; Braathen, Stine Hellum; Swartz, Leslie; Chiwaula, Mussa; Rohleder, Poul

2017-05-01

There is a body of theoretical work, and some empirical research, which suggests that non-disabled people assume people with physical disabilities are not suitable romantic partners, do not have sexual drives or desires, or are not sexually active. It has also been proposed that people with physical disabilities face barriers to sexual healthcare access which are structural as well as social. The present paper explores non-disabled South Africans' beliefs concerning the degree to which non-disabled respondents enjoy sexual and reproductive rights, and benefit from sexual and reproductive healthcare, compared to people without disability. Using a survey, we asked 1989 South Africans to estimate the degree to which people with physical disabilities and people without disability have sexual rights, and benefit from sexual and reproductive healthcare services, respectively. Respondents were more likely to support the idea that the population without disability were deserving of sexual rights compared to people with physical disabilities. Respondents were more likely to rate the degree to which people with physical disability benefit from sexual and reproductive healthcare as less than that for people without physical disabilities. These findings provide some of the first empirical support that non-disabled people perceive people with physical disabilities as having fewer sexual and reproductive rights, and deriving less benefit from sexual and reproductive health services, than the population without disability. To have diminished sexual rights, and benefit less from sexual and reproductive healthcare, we suggest, evinces a negation of the sexual and reproductive needs and capacity of people with physical disabilities.

The Threat Effect of Active Labor Market Programs: A Systematic Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Filges, Trine; Hansen, Anne Toft

2017-01-01

This paper is a systematic review of the threat effect of active labor market programs for unemployed individuals. The threat effect is the induced change in the hazard rate of leaving unemployment prior to program participation. Studies included in the review all estimated a threat effect...... a hazard rate of 1.27 for the pooled estimate. It has thus been concluded that active labor market programs constitute a significant threat effect......., with the participants in all cases being unemployed individuals in receipt of benefit of some kind during their tenure of unemployment. Seven of these studies have been included in a meta-analysis: The meta-analysis, which has been carried out using a random effects model to account for heterogeneity, indicated...

Optimal planning and operation of aggregated distributed energy resources with market participation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calvillo, C.F.; Sánchez-Miralles, A.; Villar, J.; Martín, F.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Price-maker optimization model for planning and operation of aggregated DER. • 3 Case studies are proposed, considering different electricity pricing scenarios. • Analysis of benefits and effect on electricity prices produced by DER aggregation. • Results showed considerable benefits even for relatively small aggregations. • Results suggest that the impact on prices should not be overlooked. - Abstract: This paper analyzes the optimal planning and operation of aggregated distributed energy resources (DER) with participation in the electricity market. Aggregators manage their portfolio of resources in order to obtain the maximum benefit from the grid, while participating in the day-ahead wholesale electricity market. The goal of this paper is to propose a model for aggregated DER systems planning, considering its participation in the electricity market and its impact on the market price. The results are the optimal planning and management of DER systems, and the appropriate energy transactions for the aggregator in the wholesale day-ahead market according to the size of its aggregated resources. A price-maker approach based on representing the market competitors with residual demand curves is followed, and the impact on the price is assessed to help in the decision of using price-maker or price-taker approaches depending on the size of the aggregated resources. A deterministic programming problem with two case studies (the average scenario and the most likely scenario from the stochastic ones), and a stochastic one with a case study to account for the market uncertainty are described. For both models, market scenarios have been built from historical data of the Spanish system. The results suggest that when the aggregated resources have enough size to follow a price-maker approach and the uncertainty of the markets is considered in the planning process, the DER systems can achieve up to 50% extra economic benefits, depending on the market

Philippines' experience in marketing irradiated foods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lustre, A. O.; Ang, L.; Dianco, A.

1985-01-01

The Food Terminal Inc. in Manila, in cooperation with the Philippine Atomic Energy Agency and with funding support from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna has been conducting storage and marketing studies on onions, garlic and mangoes. The objective is to gather loss reduction data and consumer reaction information that can serve as a basis for evaluating the risks and benefits involved in the establishment of a commercial food irradiator in the country. These studies show that irradiation reduces low-temperature storage losses in onions and garlic by 10-40% and post-storage marketing losses at ambient conditions by 16-50% in onions. Post-storage marketing trials not only indicate a significant reduction in losses during shipping and retail sale but a large increase in the marketability of irradiated commodities as measured by the rate of sale of the commodity and the price which it commands during the selling period. No adverse consumer reaction occurred during the sale of irradiated foods labelled as such except for a few comments indicating fear, ignorance and/or curiosity. The importance of irradiation as a substitute quarantine treatment for mangoes and for eliminating Salmonella in frozen foods for export is discussed in relation to the growing importance of these commodities to the Philippines' non-traditional export markets. Other applications of irradiation that could result in a perceptible improvement in the marketability of food commodities in the Philippines are discussed. Marketing studies are invaluable in evaluating the potential benefits of a new technology as food irradiation. In view of this, there is great interest in the completion of a pilot plant for food irradiation by the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission. The design and capacity of this plant are discussed

Navigating benefit transfer for salmon improvements in the Western US

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew August Weber

2015-10-01

Full Text Available A perennial problem in environmental resource management is targeting an efficient level of resource provision that maximizes societal well-being. Such management requires knowledge of both costs and benefits associated with varying management options. This paper illustrates the challenge of estimating the benefits of an improvement in a marine resource when secondary data must be used, and when total economic benefits include non-use values. An example of non-use values is existence value, which is not contingent on resource extraction nor recreational activities. State of the art techniques for adapting secondary data, or benefit transfer, are reviewed in the context of increasing anadromous salmon for an example Western US policy scenario. An extensive summary of applicable primary studies is provided, compiling observations from several studies surveying several thousand Western US households. The studies consistently indicate a high willingness to pay for increased salmon abundance. Analytical techniques for transferring data are described, with calculation examples using published tools, focusing on meta-regression and structural benefit transfer. While these advanced benefit transfer tools offer perspective on benefits beyond what can be learned by relying on a single study, they also represent a variety of challenges limiting their usefulness. While transparently navigating these issues, a monetized estimate of increased salmon for the policy case is provided, along with discussion on interpreting benefit transfer techniques and their results more generally. From this synthesis, several suggestions are also made for future primary salmon valuation studies.

Prostate cancer mortality in screen and clinically detected prostate cancer : Estimating the screening benefit

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Leeuwen, Pim J.; Connolly, David; Gavin, Anna; Roobol, Monique J.; Black, Amanda; Bangma, Chris H.; Schroder, Fritz H.

Background: To estimate the benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening on prostate cancer (Pca) metastasis and Pca-specific mortality, we compared two populations with a well-defined difference in intensity of screening. Methods: Between 1997 and 1999, a total of 11,970 men, aged 55-74

Uranium market enters slow summer period as enrichment market heats up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Prices slipped in the restricted and unrestricted uranium markets. Prices in the restricted market remained above the $10-benchmark, with uranium trading in the relatively narrow range of $10.05 to $10.20 per lb U3O8. Meanwhile, NUKEM detected a lowering and widening of the range in the unrestricted market; $7.10 to $7.45 per lb U3O8 was the order of the day there. The other notable feature of recent price movements has been the aggressive competition in the US spot conversion market. Many analysts have noted favorable prices for UF6 relative to components in recent market activity. Summer doldrums appear to be setting in. May and a correspondingly small number of offers are outstanding as of the end of the month. Last month NUKEM inaugurated a spot conversion price range and asked for readers' views. Those expressing an opinion were unanimous; NUKEM will publish both its longstanding estimate of new contract prices as well as the spot range. Some noted the somewhat wide range of last month's spot conversion prices. In explanation, we note that this figure encompasses activity over the full month and in the US as well as the non-US markets. Thus, it resembles the spot SWU range

Evaluating the acute effects of oral, non-combustible potential reduced exposure products marketed to smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cobb, C O; Weaver, M F; Eissenberg, T

2010-10-01

Non-combustible potential reduced exposure products (PREPs; eg, Star Scientific's Ariva; a variety of other smokeless tobacco products) are marketed to reduce the harm associated with smoking. This marketing occurs despite an absence of objective data concerning the toxicant exposure and effects of these PREPs. Methods used to examine combustible PREPs were adapted to assess the acute effects of non-combustible PREPs for smokers. 28 overnight abstinent cigarette smokers (17 men, 14 non-white) each completed seven, Latin-squared ordered, approximately 2.5 h laboratory sessions that differed by product administered: Ariva, Marlboro Snus (Philip Morris, USA), Camel Snus (RJ Reynolds, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA), Commit nicotine lozenge (GlaxoSmithKline; 2 mg), own brand cigarettes, Quest cigarettes (Vector Tobacco; delivers very low levels of nicotine) and sham smoking (ie, puffing on an unlit cigarette). In each session, the product was administered twice (separated by 60 min), and plasma nicotine levels, expired air CO and subjective effects were assessed regularly. Non-combustible products delivered less nicotine than own brand cigarettes, did not expose smokers to CO and failed to suppress tobacco abstinence symptoms as effectively as combustible products. While decreased toxicant exposure is a potential indicator of harm reduction potential, a failure to suppress abstinence symptoms suggests that currently marketed non-combustible PREPs may not be a viable harm reduction strategy for US smokers. This study demonstrates how clinical laboratory methods can be used to evaluate the short-term effects of non-combustible PREPs for smokers.

Inbound Marketing - the most important digital marketing strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PATRUTIU-BALTES Loredana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Digital marketing has a major importance in the marketing strategy of any company regardless of sector, size or country of origin. Thus, more than ever, in order to remain competitive, companies are forced to exploit this form of marketing, which essentially can bring huge benefits at low costs. The main form of digital marketing is the inbound marketing, which represents an organic marketing form, based on the close relationship between the company and its prospects or customers, who have expressed their interest in the company’s products voluntarily (based on subscription to newsletters, blog, social networks, etc. and who have been attracted and involved by a high quality of the content marketing.

ESTIMATING THE BENEFIT OF TRMM TROPICAL CYCLONE DATA IN SAVING LIVES

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Robert F.

2005-01-01

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint NASA/JAXA research mission launched in late 1997 to improve our knowledge of tropical rainfall processes and climatology (Kummerow et ai., 2000; Adler et ai., 2003). In addition to being a highly successful research mission, its data are available in real time and operational weather agencies in the U.S. and internationally are using TRMM data and images to monitor and forecast hazardous weather (tropical cyclones, floods, etc.). For example, in 2004 TRMM data were used 669 times for determining tropical cyclone location fixes (National Research Council, 2004). TRMM flies at a relatively low altitude, 400 km, and requires orbit adjustment maneuvers to maintain altitude against the small drag of the atmosphere. There is enough fuel used for these maneuvers remaining on TRMM for the satellite to continue flying until 2011-12. However, most of the remaining fuel may be used to perform a controlled re-entry of the satellite into the Pacific Ocean. The fuel threshold for this operation will be reached in the summer of 2005, although the maneuver would actually occur in late 2006 or 2007. The full science mission would end in 2005 under the controlled re-entry option. This re-entry option is related to the estimated probability of injury (1/5,000) that might occur during an uncontrolled re-entry of the satellite. If the estimated probability of injury exceeds 1/10,000 a satellite is a candidate for a possible controlled re-entry. In the TRMM case the NASA Safety Office examined the related issues and concluded that, although TRMM exceeded the formal threshold, the use of TRMM data in the monitoring and forecasting of hazardous weather gave a public safety benefit that compensated for TRMM slightly exceeding the orbital debris threshold (Martin, 2002). This conclusion was based in part on results of an independent panel during a workshop on benefits of TRMM data in concluded that the benefit of TRMM data in saving

Using Estimated On-Site Ambient Temperature Has Uncertain Benefit When Estimating Postmortem Interval

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurent Dourel

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The forensic entomologist uses weather station data as part of the calculation when estimating the postmortem interval (PMI. To reduce the potential inaccuracies of this method caused by the distance between the crime scene and the meteorological station, temperature correlation data from the site of the corpse may be used. This experiment simulated the impact of retrospective weather data correction using linear regression between seven stations and sites in three climatic exposure groups during three different seasons as part of the accumulated degree days calculation for three necrophagous species (Diptera: Calliphoridae. No consistent benefit in the use of correlation or the original data from the meteorological stations was observed. In nine cases out of 12, the data from the weather station network limited the risk of a deviation from reality. The forensic entomologist should be cautious when using this correlation model.

Estimating organic, local, and other price premiums in the Hawaii fluid milk market.

Science.gov (United States)

Loke, Matthew K; Xu, Xun; Leung, PingSun

2015-04-01

With retail scanner data, we applied hedonic price modeling to explore price premiums for organic, local, and other product attributes of fluid milk in Hawaii. Within the context of revealed preference, this analysis of organic and local attributes, under a single unified framework, is significant, as research in this area is deficient in the existing literature. This paper finds both organic and local attributes delivered price premiums over imported, conventional, whole fluid milk. However, the estimated price premium for organic milk (24.6%) is significantly lower than findings in the existing literature. Likewise, the price premium for the local attribute is estimated at 17.4%, again substantially lower compared with an earlier, stated preference study in Hawaii. Beyond that, we estimated a robust price premium of 19.7% for nutritional benefits claimed. The magnitude of this estimated coefficient reinforces the notion that nutrition information on food is deemed beneficial and valuable. Finally, package size measures the influence of product weight. With each larger package size, the estimate led to a corresponding larger price discount. This result is consistent with the practice of weight discounting that retailers usually offer with fresh packaged food. Additionally, we estimated a fairly high Armington elasticity of substitution, which suggests a relatively high degree of substitution between local and imported fluid milk when their relative price changes. Overall, this study establishes price premiums for organic, local, and nutrition benefits claimed for fluid milk in Hawaii. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Solution to marketing; Marketing solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Y.; Fukushima, T.; Kanezuka, A. [Fuji Electric Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

2000-05-10

Fuji Electric in cooperation with Citation Japan Co., Ltd. and Asahi Arthur Andersen Limited has developed the 'marketing analysis support system' which supports the integrated analysis of evaluation factors of various dimensions and efficient commodity development and demand estimation in the enterprise. With this system, more precise marketing analysis and estimation are made possible by analyzing a commodity into evaluation factors from psychological and physical points of view and further making various multivariate analyses. (author)

Strategic Behavior in Certifying Green Buildings: An Inquiry of the Non-building Performance Value.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang Hsieh, Lin-Han; Noonan, Douglas

2017-08-01

This study determines the magnitude of the market signaling effect arising from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for green buildings and explores the mechanisms behind the signaling effect. Previous studies have shown that signaling or marketability plays an important role in the pursuit for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and equivalent green-building certification. By analyzing all new construction projects receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from 2000 to 2012 in the US, this study estimates the relative importance of 'green' signaling. This broad perspective using project-level data enables an analysis of some drivers of signaling and the pursuit of marketing benefits. The roles of local competition and market conditions, as well as municipal regulations are examined, especially as they differ between types of building owners (e.g., for-profit firms, governments, nonprofits). The results indicate that the non-building performance value-value captured by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design signals above and beyond the specific building attributes that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifies-dominates the attainment of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scores around certification tier thresholds. Further, strong evidence of spatial clustering of this non-building performance value for some owner types indicates that for-profit owners may be more responsive to local competition than non-profit owners. Local legislative mandates predict greater signaling intensity by government-owned buildings, as expected, but for-profit-owned projects tend to signal less, even after controls for local conditions. The results highlight the importance of local conditions, including peer effects and regulations, in driving non-building performance values across a wide range of green buildings.

Derelict fishing line provides a useful proxy for estimating levels of non-compliance with no-take marine reserves.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David H Williamson

Full Text Available No-take marine reserves (NTMRs are increasingly being established to conserve or restore biodiversity and to enhance the sustainability of fisheries. Although effectively designed and protected NTMR networks can yield conservation and fishery benefits, reserve effects often fail to manifest in systems where there are high levels of non-compliance by fishers (poaching. Obtaining reliable estimates of NTMR non-compliance can be expensive and logistically challenging, particularly in areas with limited or non-existent resources for conducting surveillance and enforcement. Here we assess the utility of density estimates and re-accumulation rates of derelict (lost and abandoned fishing line as a proxy for fishing effort and NTMR non-compliance on fringing coral reefs in three island groups of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP, Australia. Densities of derelict fishing line were consistently lower on reefs within old (>20 year NTMRs than on non-NTMR reefs (significantly in the Palm and Whitsunday Islands, whereas line densities did not differ significantly between reefs in new NTMRs (5 years of protection and non-NTMR reefs. A manipulative experiment in which derelict fishing lines were removed from a subset of the monitoring sites demonstrated that lines re-accumulated on NTMR reefs at approximately one third (32.4% of the rate observed on non-NTMR reefs over a thirty-two month period. Although these inshore NTMRs have long been considered some of the best protected within the GBRMP, evidence presented here suggests that the level of non-compliance with NTMR regulations is higher than previously assumed.