<p>Abstract</p><p>Kongsberg Automotive (KA), a first- and second-tier supplier to some of the largest</p><p>automotive manufactures, has acknowledged the need to enhance their competitiveness</p><p>and to collaborate within the supply chain. In order to do this, KA must improve the</p><p>current business processes by establishing long term relationships with their suppliers.</p><p>Today, KA face a high level of inventory, which has resulted substantial amount of tied</p><p>up capital and inefficient processes. Therefore, this study will evaluate KA’s and three</p><p>chosen suppliers’ possibilities and the effects that a vendor managed inventory (VMI)</p><p>partnership will imply.</p><p>VMI is a concept within supply chain management, where the supplier is fully responsible</p><p>for managing the customer’s inventory level. To achieve this, the supplier is given</p><p>access to sensitive information of the customer’s inventory level and demand and can,</p><p>thereby, replenish the customer’s stock when needed. Although, some firms have embraced</p><p>the concept with success, others have retreated forcefully.</p><p>To fulfil the purpose of this study, we have done a broad literature review regarding</p><p>VMI and performance measurements, as well as, organisational structures and information</p><p>sharing in collaborative partnerships. Further, to better understand the implementation</p><p>and effects of VMI, a benchmarking study was made at Volvo Powertrain in</p><p>Skövde, an early VMI pioneer. In addition to the thorough study of KA’s processes,</p><p>field visits were made at the suppliers’ to visualize their material and information flow in</p><p>order to examine in what areas VMI would have an impact.</p><p>The conclusion of this study is that a VMI strategy, in supplement with a consignment</p><p>stock policy, is possible for KA. However, issues concerning responsibilities and ownership</p><p>have become apparent throughout the study that needs to be agreed upon. Further,</p><p>the study indicates that the benefits from a VMI implementation will be greater for KA,</p><p>than for the suppliers. Specifically, a reduction in inventory value can be attained by KA,</p><p>while the suppliers only can obtain minor improvements within the areas of inventory,</p><p>production, and order processing. On the other hand, the suppliers will face drawbacks,</p><p>mainly in their order processing, which will result in increased costs. However, we advice</p><p>KA to further discuss and test the VMI and consignment stock strategy in a pilot</p><p>project in order to find the right solution for the company and the suppliers.</p>

<p>Bakgrund: Den logistiska kedjan från producent till konsument blir alltmer komplex på grund av att ett ständigt ökande antal artiklar tillverkas utifrån kundens behov och önskemål. För att kunna tillgodose dessa behov och önskemål har företag historiskt sett haft stora lager. VMI tar problemet med att hantera och utveckla effektiva lager till en ny nivå. Att arbeta med VMI innebär stora fördelar för många olika företag när det gäller informationsspridning, partnerskap och lagerföring. Trots de omfattande fördelar som beskrivs i de flesta teorier om VMI finns det en del framförd kritik. I och med detta ligger det i vårt intresse att undersöka huruvida företag som arbetar med ett VMI-system upplever de teoretiska effekterna och om det finns effekter av VMI-samarbeten som teorin inte beskriver.</p><p>Problemformulering: Vilka effekter, angående de logistiska aktiviteterna, innebär ett VMI-samarbete i en dyad inom tillverkningsindustrin och hur stämmer de överens med de effekter teorin beskriver?</p><p>Metod: Genom att använda fallstudien som forskningsmetod, har vi undersökt vårt problem. Vidare har vi använt oss av ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt vid datainsamlingen. De undersökta företagen har valts ut genom ett icke-sannolikhetsurval och när vi har dragit våra slutsatser har vi utgått från en deduktiv ansats.</p><p>Teori: Vi har byggt vår teori på fyra huvudområden/logistiska aktiviteter, leveransservice, logistikkostnader, produktion och lagerhållning. Vidare har vi beskrivit hur områdena påverkas positivt såväl som negativt av VMI.</p><p>Empiri: Vår empiriska undersökning har genomförts i två dyader, inom tillverkningsindustrin, som använder eller har använt sig av VMI. Vi har undersökt hur företagen har upplevt/upplever samarbetet och vilka effekter de har erfarit/erfar inom de fyra logistiska aktiviteterna.</p><p>Resultat: Resultatet har vi grundat på en jämförelse mellan vår teoretiska och empiriska undersökning. Vi har här kommit fram till att de positiva effekterna, som teorin beskriver, i större utsträckning stämmer överens med vad företag inom tillverkningsindustrin upplever än de negativa effekterna. Hur väl effekterna överensstämmer skiljer sig åt mellan de olika logistiska aktiviteterna.</p>

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi, Ekonomihögskolan vid Växjö universitet,</p><p>EKL 361, VT 2007.</p><p>Författare: David Brandt, Tina Rubin och Joel Valberg.</p><p>Handledare: Roger Stokkedal</p><p>Examinator: Petra Andersson</p><p>Titel: Vendor Managed Inventory – vad får det för effekter? En jämförelsestudie</p><p>mellan teorins beskrivna effekter och upplevda effekter inom tillverkningsindustrin.</p><p>Bakgrund: Den logistiska kedjan från producent till konsument blir alltmer komplex</p><p>på grund av att ett ständigt ökande antal artiklar tillverkas utifrån kundens behov och</p><p>önskemål. För att kunna tillgodose dessa behov och önskemål har företag historiskt</p><p>sett haft stora lager. VMI tar problemet med att hantera och utveckla effektiva lager</p><p>till en ny nivå. Att arbeta med VMI innebär stora fördelar för många olika företag när</p><p>det gäller informationsspridning, partnerskap och lagerföring. Trots de omfattande</p><p>fördelar som beskrivs i de flesta teorier om VMI finns det en del framförd kritik. I och</p><p>med detta ligger det i vårt intresse att undersöka huruvida företag som arbetar med ett</p><p>VMI-system upplever de teoretiska effekterna och om det finns effekter av VMIsamarbeten</p><p>som teorin inte beskriver.</p><p>Problemformulering: Vilka effekter, angående de logistiska aktiviteterna, innebär ett</p><p>VMI-samarbete i en dyad inom tillverkningsindustrin och hur stämmer de överens</p><p>med de effekter teorin beskriver?</p><p>Metod: Genom att använda fallstudien som forskningsmetod, har vi undersökt vårt</p><p>problem. Vidare har vi använt oss av ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt vid</p><p>datainsamlingen. De undersökta företagen har valts ut genom ett ickesannolikhetsurval</p><p>och när vi har dragit våra slutsatser har vi utgått från en deduktiv</p><p>ansats.</p><p>Teori: Vi har byggt vår teori på fyra huvudområden/logistiska aktiviteter,</p><p>leveransservice, logistikkostnader, produktion och lagerhållning. Vidare har vi</p><p>beskrivit hur områdena påverkas positivt såväl som negativt av VMI.</p><p>Empiri: Vår empiriska undersökning har genomförts i två dyader, inom</p><p>tillverkningsindustrin, som använder eller har använt sig av VMI. Vi har undersökt hur</p><p>företagen har upplevt/upplever samarbetet och vilka effekter de har erfarit/erfar inom</p><p>de fyra logistiska aktiviteterna.</p><p>Resultat: Resultatet har vi grundat på en jämförelse mellan vår teoretiska och</p><p>empiriska undersökning. Vi har här kommit fram till att de positiva effekterna, som</p><p>teorin beskriver, i större utsträckning stämmer överens med vad företag inom</p><p>tillverkningsindustrin upplever än de negativa effekterna. Hur väl effekterna</p><p>överensstämmer skiljer sig åt mellan de olika logistiska aktiviteterna.</p>

Universiẗat der Bundeswehr München, Diss.--Neubiberg, 2006.

Research supports the clinical and societal benefits of antiretroviral treatment (ART) for people living with HIV or AIDS (PLWHA). However, factors associated with ART adherence and the relationship of ART adherence to total healthcare expenditures are not well understood. The research data included Florida Medicaid claims for five years (July 2006 through June 2011). All subjects (n=514) were HIV-positive, adult, non-pregnant, and ART naïve for at least 12 months prior to their 24 month measurement period. Each subject was categorized as adherent (>90%#37;) or non-adherent (<90%#37;) based upon medication possession ratios (MPR). Total expenditures were payments Medicaid made to providers and pharmacies. Objective 1 modeled the logit probability of a subject being non-adherent to ART (versus adherent). Certain factors were expected to have significant negative associations with non-adherence to ART, including females, older age group, AIDS diagnosis, adherence to antidepressants, severe mental illness, meeting the minimum recommended number of outpatient visits, ART regimen type, number of medications in the ART regimen, residing in a county with a high median income, and residing in a county with an urban population density. The variables expected to have significant positive associations included race/ethnicity, substance or alcohol abuse diagnosis, depression or anxiety diagnoses, disease progression from HIV to AIDS, discontinuous Medicaid coverage, Medicaid eligibility type, and co-morbidity count levels. The Objective 1 results showed that all non-white race/ethnicity categories had at least twice the odds of being classified as non-adherent. Also, increasing numbers of concurrent ART medications significantly predicted non-adherence; the odds ratio for three to five ART medications was 2.04 (95%#37; CI=1.04-4.01, p<.05), and six or more prescriptions category odds ratio was 4.58 (95%#37; CI=1.82-11.56, p<.01), as compared to a single medication. Finally, a chronic diseases diagnosis was protective against non-adherence (OR=.46, 95%#37; CI=.26-.84, p<.01), as was adherence to antidepressants (OR=.28, 95%#37; CI=.14-.54, p<.01). In Objective 2, it was expected that the ART adherence group, the explanatory variable, would have significantly less monthly mean total healthcare expenditures, the outcome variable. For each of the HIV-positive (n=232) and the AIDS-diagnosed (n=270) groups, a generalized linear model predicted the mean total expenditures for the ART non-adherence group (<90%#37; MPR) versus the ART adherence group, controlling for other factors. For the HIV-positive subjects, the predicted mean total healthcare expenditures for the ART non-adherent group was $1,291 (95%#37; CL $840-$2,004); the predicted mean for the adherent group was $1,926 (95%#37; CL $1,157-$3,231). The difference was statistically significant, but the hypothesis was not supported. The non-adherent group mean was less than the adherent group (-40%#37;, p<.001). However, for the AIDS-diagnosed subjects, there was no statistical difference between the non-adherent and adherent groups. The predicted mean for the non-adherent group was $2,279 (95%#37; CL $1,572-$3,322), and $2,005 (95%#37; CL $1,387-$2,913) for the adherent group. The findings of this research support the need for translating evidence on racial/ethnic disparities in ART adherence, along with behavioral, social, or cultural barriers and effective interventions, into policy and practice. Also, certain medication management strategies should be implemented to reduce the number of medications in ART regimen. Finally, the results of the present study underscores the necessity for appropriate financial incentives and purposeful risk-adjusted capitation payment structures that would support ART adherence among Medicaid-insured PLWHA.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers’ use of prescription brand-name drugs coupons and vouchers to subsidize patients’ cost-sharing obligations such as co-pays has increased. The co-pays are used by managed care organizations (MCOs) to give their plan members an appreciation of drug costs as well as to offer incentives to use available equivalent generic alternatives due to lower co-pays. With higher tiered co-pays for brand-name drugs being offset by coupons, little is known about MCO representatives’ perceptions about use of co-pay subsidy coupons for brand-name prescription drugs. The objective of this study was to assess health plan managers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) perceptions on the use of prescription drug co-pay subsidy coupons. An online survey instrument was used to collect data. A convenience sample of 834 MCO representatives was selected from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) membership directory. A total of 122 surveys were returned of which 105 were usable surveys, giving a response rate of 13.7%. A five-point, 11-item Likert scale ranging from 1 through 5, (1 = ‘Strong Disagree’ and 5 = ‘Strongly Agree’) was used to measure respondents’perceptions. Some items referred to coupons used to get co-pay discounts repeatedly over a year (i.e., long-term use coupons) while some items referred to coupons distributed for trial purposes (i.e., short-term use coupons). Of the 105 respondents, 42 (40%) “agreed,” while 58 (55.2%) “strongly agreed” that co-pay subsidy coupons encouraged non-preferred brand-name drugs over preferred brand-name drugs. A total of 78 respondents (74.3%) reported that brand-name drug coupons undermined tiered formulary structure. Sixty respondents (57.1%) “strongly agreed” that short-term use coupons increased plan sponsor’s costs and 72 respondents (68.6%) “agreed” that sponsor cost increased with long-term use coupons. A total of 42 (40%) reported to “strongly agree” that short-term use coupons should be eliminated whereas 49 (46.7%) respondents reported “strongly agreed” that long-term use coupons should be eliminated. In summary, MCO representatives believe that brand-name drug utilization is increasing due to prescription drug incentives such as coupons which undermines their formulary controls and in turn, increases health care costs. / text

With an abundant average precipitation rate, Vietnam could be considered water-reach country. Unfortunately, the non-uniform spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall, coupled with a demographic and industrial development polarized on the two major river deltas, it makes the water resources extremely vulnerable. As consequence, severe depletions of groundwater table are reported all over the country, often in the range of 1-2 m per year and more. The subsequent land subsidence is just one of the drawbacks, another being the increasing salinity of coastal aquifers as sea water level continues to rise. Under these conditions, the natural groundwater replenishment alone is not anymore able to provide for a safe water supply, different studies indicating that the groundwater exploitation in major urban agglomerations like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City already passed the sustainability level. The solution presented in this paper implies making use of engineered methods for enhancing the natural groundwater recharge rates by enabling better percolation rates of surface water into subsurface and thus optimizing the regional water cycle. The method known as ‘managed aquifer recharge’ (MAR) is introduced, together with general guidelines and tools for planning of MAR schemes, such as the newly web-based decision support system INOWAS_DSS. / Với tốc độ lượng mưa trung bình dồi dào, Việt Nam có thể được coi là quốc gia có nguồn nước trong tầm tay. Thật không may, sự phân bố không gian và thời gian không đồng đều của lượng mưa, cùng với sự phát triển dân số và công nghiệp phân cực trên hai vùng châu thổ sông lớn làm cho các nguồn nước rất dễ bị tổn thương. Vì vậy, sự suy giảm nước ngầm nghiêm trọng được báo cáo trên khắp đất nước, thường mỗi năm giảm 1-2 m và nhiều hơn nữa. Hiện tượng sụt lún đất xảy ra sau đó chỉ là một trong những hạn chế, mặt khác là độ mặn ngày càng tăng của các tầng chứa nước ven biển do mực nước biển tiếp tục tăng. Dưới những điều kiện này, việc bổ sung nước ngầm tự nhiên đơn thuần không còn có thể cung ứng cho một nguồn cấp nước sạch an toàn. Các nghiên cứu khác nhau cho thấy rằng việc khai thác nước ngầm tại các đô thị lớn như Hà Nội hay thành phố Hồ Chí Minh đã vượt qua mức độ bền vững. Giải pháp được trình bày trong bài báo này gợi ý việc sử dụng các phương pháp thiết kế để nâng cao tỷ lệ tái nạp nước ngầm tự nhiên bằng cách cho phép tỷ lệ thẩm thấu tốt hơn nước mặt vào dưới bề mặt và do đó tối ưu hóa chu trình nước trong khu vực. Phương pháp được gọi là 'tái nạp nước ngầm có quản lý (MAR) được giới thiệu, cùng với các hướng dẫn chung và các công cụ để lập kế hoạch đề án MAR, ví dụ như hệ thống mớihỗ trợ quyết định dựa trên kết nối mạng INOWAS_DSS.

Doing a bachelor’s or master’s degree is a journey that leads to success or attrition (dropout). Previous research show to the significance of considering learners’ perspectives and their need for information and different types of interaction. This can be done through online ICTSS (information and communication technology support systems). The overall aim of this dissertation was to create knowledge about how the use of ICTSS can facilitate different types of interaction and support learners in order to reduce thesis problems and attrition and to enhance the quality of the thesis outcomes. The aim was operationalized by two research questions scrutinizing the interaction problems in the thesis process and investigating how the use of ICTSS can facilitate different types of interaction to reduce such problems and attrition, and to enhance the learning opportunities and quality of the thesis outcomes. To answer the research questions, five main studies were performed by applying different research methods on a case study. The empirical studies were performed at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University, Sweden. The respondents were different learners (students) with active thesis projects at the bachelor or master level in different programs at DSV between 2012 and 2015. For the first two studies, conceptual and content analysis of the data collected from the case study was performed. For the three other studies, open-ended online questionnaires (survey) and interviews were conducted. On the basis of the findings, three main types of interaction issues were developed which related to the need for more learner-content, peer-to-peer, and learner-supervisor interaction in the thesis process. The hypothesis was that the interaction issues could be reduced by implementing a set of strategic suggestions through the use of an ICTSS including a set of functionalities and resources. The usefulness of these functionalities and resources was evaluated with regard to the learners’ perception and experiences. The findings were categorized to facilitate learner-content, peer-to-peer, and learner-supervisor interaction, as well as management of the contents, supervision, and communication of the supervisory team. From these categories, a conceptual framework was developed in this dissertation to illustrate how the use of the ICTSS supports the thesis process. In conclusion, providing access to a set of structured e-resources and supporting educational communication through different types of interaction with peers and the supervisory team, enables learners’ self-managed learning and facilitates similar learning opportunities for learners in thesis courses.

Medicaid provides coverage to approximately 60 million individuals and is the largest single payer of healthcare for children. Given this scope of the program and the concentration of low-income and minority recipients, improvements to the quality of care delivered to Medicaid members represents a significant opportunity to reduce health care disparities and improve the overall delivery and quality of healthcare within the U.S. The current study sought to evaluate the various approaches that state Medicaid agencies are taking to assess and improve the quality of care to their managed care enrollees and the degree to which they have implemented recommendations of various policy experts. A survey was distributed to the Medicaid Directors of all 50 states. A total of 23 states with risk based managed care programs responded, representing 62% of the states that have managed care programs. The results indicated that nearly all states are utilizing standard performance measures as one method to assess quality, with virtually all relying on HEDIS measures for this purpose. Additional strategies that are being used include public reporting of quality data and the use of pay-for-performance incentives; few states are currently focusing on health information technology. Recommendations are made for steps that the Medicaid program could take at both the state and federal level to further develop quality improvement programs.

The use of computers in the classroom could allow both educators and learners to achieve new capabilities. There are underlying factors, however, that are obstructing the adoption rate of computer use for instructional purposes in schools. The study focused on these problems with a view to determining which critical success factors promote a higher adoption rate of computer usage in education. This study derived its theoretical framework from various technology adoption and educational models Methodology: The nature of the study required a . Furthermore, it investigated ways in which computer technology could enhance learning. mixed methods approach to be employed, making use of both quantitative and qualitative data. Two questionnaires, one for the educators and one for the principals of the schools were hand-delivered to 60 secondary schools. Exploratory factor analysis and various internal consistency measures were used to assess and analyse the data.Conclusion: Educationists and policy-makers must include all principals and educators when technological innovations are introduced into schools. All these role-players need to be cognisant of the implications if innovations are not appropriately implemented. Including the use of computers in educator training programs is important so that pre-service educators can see the benefits of using the computer in their own teaching.