scholarly journals Survey Costs: Where are We and What is The Way Forward?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Olson ◽  
James Wagner ◽  
Raeda Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Error Sources ◽  
Survey Error ◽  
Evaluative Criteria ◽  
Survey Costs ◽  
Level Of Aggregation ◽  
Cost Metrics ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Survey costs are a major driver of survey design decisions and thought to be related to survey errors. Despite their importance, no common language exists for discussing survey costs, nor are there established criteria for identifying which cost metrics are useful for which purposes. Past efforts to study survey costs may have been hampered by the notion that more reporting is better reporting. This article starts by introducing a typology for survey cost metrics defined by the type of cost (estimated, observed in records, and actually incurred), currency versus non-currency measures, and level of aggregation (total, by components, per unit, relative). We also suggest a set of criteria – errors in costs, generalizability, and the degree to which a cost measure is informative about survey error sources – for evaluating the utility of cost metrics. We illustrate the evaluative criteria with the cost metrics. We argue that clearly articulating types of survey costs and resetting these baseline evaluative criteria for the utility of different types of costs will help us expand research in this critical area. We conclude with recommendations for future research in costs within and across organizations.

Attraction of prey

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Horner ◽  
Bartosz J. Płachno ◽  
Ulrike Bauer ◽  
Bruno Di Giusto
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Synergistic Action ◽  
Carnivorous Plants ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Prey Attraction

The ability to attract prey has long been considered a universal trait of carnivorous plants. We review studies from the past 25 years that have investigated the mechanisms by which carnivorous plants attract prey to their traps. Potential attractants include nectar, visual, olfactory, and acoustic cues. Each of these has been well documented to be effective in various species, but prey attraction is not ubiquitous among carnivorous plants. Directions for future research, especially in native habitats in the field, include: the qualitative and quantitative analysis of visual cues, volatiles, and nectar; temporal changes in attractants; synergistic action of combinations of attractants; the cost of attractants; and responses to putative attractants in electroantennograms and insect behavioral tests.

scholarly journals Monitoring the technological processes in the wood industry in order to make them more efficient through technical overhauling

2019 ◽  
Vol 290 ◽  
pp. 02007
Author(s):  
Radu Dan Paltan ◽  
Cristina Biriş ◽  
Loredana Anne-Marie Rădulescu
Keyword(s):  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Operating Mode ◽  
Solid Wood ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Operating Costs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wood Industry ◽  
Research Article ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
The Cost

Of many techniques that are used to optimize production and costs, the studies conducted within a profile company lead to our choice for testing the 6Sigma method (the most used method in the automotive industry) in view of the economic efficiency applied in the wood Industry company. This method measures how many flaws exist in a process and determines in a systematic way how to improve it by technical overhauling and eliminating or minimizing the process for efficiency. This research article aims to study the state of research on the optimization of the production process through technical overhauling for panels reconstituted from solid wood and ways to make production more efficient by cutting costs through technical overhauling. From preliminary research, we estimate that all the items founded and others that will result from further research will result in a significant decrease in production costs that are reflected in the cost of the finished product and consequently in increasing the yield of the company by maximizing its profit. At the same time it may be the basis of future research studies in the field. The easier it is to maximize profits, the lower the operating costs are and the higher recovery rate of investments are, that will result a change in the operating mode: “working smarter not harder”.

scholarly journals An explanatory study of the use of e-mail investor communication by South African listed companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roelof Baard ◽  
George Nel
Keyword(s):  
Listed Companies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Contact Method ◽  
Interactive Communication ◽  
Handling Performance ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Cost ◽  
E Mail

Background: Although research shows that almost all listed companies have corporate websites with dedicated investor relations (IR) sections that enable companies to ‘push’ information to investors, it was argued that such an asymmetrical approach to communication is insufficient for companies wishing to exercise good IR. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Internet to act as a mechanism to achieve more interactive communication between companies and investors.Objectives: The objectives of the study were to measure the responsiveness, timeliness and relevance of companies’ responses to e-mail requests, and to test for the determinants (size, market-to-book ratio, profitability, leverage and liquidity) thereof.Method: The mystery investor approach and a content analysis were used to study the e-mail handling performance of companies. The associations between company-specific characteristics were statistically tested.Results: It was found that the e-mail handling performance of companies in this study was poor compared with previous studies. Significant relationships between company size and responsiveness and relevance, and between market-to-book ratio and relevance were reported, as well as between the contact method used to request information and relevance and the use of social media and timeliness.Conclusion: Specific areas where companies could improve their investor communications were identified. The need for further research was discussed to explain some of the relationships found, as well as those not found, in contrast to what was expected. Future research is warranted to examine the relationship between the e-mail handling performance of companies and information asymmetry and the cost of equity of companies.

Stoicism and Verbal Aggression in Serial Arguments: The Roles of Perceived Power, Perceived Resolvability, and Frequency of Arguments

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199458
Author(s):  
Elle P. Johnson ◽  
Jennifer A. Samp
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Verbal Aggression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Repetitive Nature ◽  
Relational Partners ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Significant Moderator ◽  
Perceived Power

Impelled by a desire to control, suppress, and deny emotional response, stoic individuals may act out their pent-up emotions on relational partners by provoking conflict and/or engaging in partner-directed violent and aggressive behaviors. However, little is known regarding what factors can push stoics over the edge from remaining quiet or avoiding revealing frustrations to initiating aggressive behavior. This relationship between stoicism and aggression is important to consider in serial arguments, where the repetitive nature of a conflict may become increasingly difficult for stoics to manage internally. Here, we examined the influence of stoicism on verbal aggression in serial arguments between romantic partners. We additionally considered the effects of power, perceived resolvability, and argument frequency on the relationship between stoicism and verbal aggression. Using a survey design with a sample of 281 individuals involved in a romantic relationship, we observed that stoicism is positively associated with verbal aggression in serial arguments. While perceived power and resolvability did not moderate the relationship between stoicism and verbal aggression, argument frequency about a serial argument topic was a significant moderator. The results of this study imply that stoicism plays an important role in explaining aggressive tactics in conflict. A high argument frequency about a conflict topic may lead to a buildup of unexpressed emotions, particularly anger, in stoic individuals, resulting in an explosive release of violence and aggression toward a romantic partner. Unique results on the relationship between stoicism and power and directions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals The association between varying levels of palliative care involvement on costs during terminal hospitalizations in Canada from 2012 to 2015

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarina R. Isenberg ◽  
Christopher Meaney ◽  
Peter May ◽  
Peter Tanuseputro ◽  
Kieran Quinn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Estimating Equation ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Discharge Abstract Database ◽  
High Involvement ◽  
Hospitalization Costs ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Background Inpatient palliative care is associated with lower inpatient costs; however, this has yet to be studied using a more nuanced, multi-tiered measure of inpatient palliative care and a national population-representative dataset. Using a population-based cohort of Canadians who died in hospital, our objectives were to: describe patients’ receipt of palliative care and active interventions in their terminal hospitalization; and examine the relationship between inpatient palliative care and hospitalization costs. Methods Retrospective cohort study using data from the Discharge Abstract Database in Canada between fiscal years 2012 and 2015. The cohort were Canadian adults (age ≥ 18 years) who died in hospital between April 1st, 2012 and March 31st, 2015 (N = 250,640). The exposure was level of palliative care involvement defined as: medium-high, low, or no palliative care. The main measure was acute care costs calculated using resource intensity weights multiplied by the cost of standard hospital stay, represented in 2014 Canadian dollars (CAD). Descriptive statistics were represented as median (IQR), and n(%). We modelled cost as a function of palliative care using a gamma generalized estimating equation (GEE) model, accounting for clustering by hospital. Results There were 250,640 adults who died in hospital. Mean age was 76 (SD 14), 47% were female. The most common comorbidities were: metastatic cancer (21%), heart failure (21%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (16%). Of the decedents, 95,450 (38%) had no palliative care involvement, 98,849 (38%) received low involvement, and 60,341 (24%) received medium to high involvement. Controlling for age, sex, province and predicted hospital mortality risk at admission, the cost per day of a terminal hospitalization was: $1359 (95% CI 1323: 1397) (no involvement), $1175 (95% CI 1146: 1206) (low involvement), and $744 (95% CI 728: 760) (medium-high involvement). Conclusions Increased involvement of palliative care was associated with lower costs. Future research should explore whether this relationship holds for non-terminal hospitalizations, and whether palliative care in other settings impacts inpatient costs.

scholarly journals Evaluating Alternative Flight Plans in Thermal Drone Wildlife Surveys—Simulation Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102
Author(s):  
Julia Witczuk ◽  
Stanisław Pagacz
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Distance Sampling ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Density Estimates ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Survey Costs ◽  
Random Survey ◽  
Density Population

The rapidly developing technology of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) extends to the availability of aerial surveys for wildlife research and management. However, regulations limiting drone operations to visual line of sight (VLOS) seriously affect the design of surveys, as flight paths must be concentrated within small sampling blocks. Such a design is inferior to spatially unrestricted randomized designs available if operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) are allowed. We used computer simulations to assess whether the VLOS rule affects the accuracy and precision of wildlife density estimates derived from drone collected data. We tested two alternative flight plans (VLOS vs. BVLOS) in simulated surveys of low-, medium- and high-density populations of a hypothetical ungulate species with three levels of effort (one to three repetitions). The population density was estimated using the ratio estimate and distance sampling method. The observed differences in the accuracy and precision of estimates from the VLOS and BVLOS surveys were relatively small and negligible. Only in the case of the low-density population (2 ind./100 ha) surveyed once was the VLOS design inferior to BVLOS, delivering biased and less precise estimates. These results show that while the VLOS regulations complicate survey logistics and interfere with random survey design, the quality of derived estimates does not have to be compromised. We advise testing alternative survey variants with the aid of computer simulations to achieve reliable estimates while minimizing survey costs.

scholarly journals A Preliminary Analysis on Gender Aspects in Transport Systems and Mobility Services: Presentation of a Survey Design

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2676
Author(s):  
Miriam Pirra ◽  
Sofia Kalakou ◽  
Angela Carboni ◽  
Mariana Costa ◽  
Marco Diana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Gender Issues ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
User Mobility ◽  
European Level ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
Transport Analysis ◽  
Gender Aspects ◽  
Operational Aspects

As sustainability is becoming a common practice in planning transport systems and mobility services, the designation and management of gender issues are of paramount importance. TInnGO is a European Project that has developed a network of 10 national Hubs to build the capacity to generate and apply evidence on gender equality and transport issues at the European level. This paper presents the project activities by introducing a relevant framework and exploring user mobility experiences based on gender to identify diversified needs and requirements. This process relies on the combination of a review of current gender-oriented experiences and practices in mobility with focus group activities conducted in four different EU cities. The insights obtained from these activities supported the design of a survey to collect information on socioeconomic, personal, and operational aspects to serve a gender-oriented transport analysis for all the Hubs. These preliminary analyses identified the main issues related to the female mobility experience, namely safety, security, accessibility, and transport reliability. Future research on the data collected through the survey would help operators in successfully improving their mobility offer to women.

scholarly journals Cost Needed to Treat (CNT) and Number Needed to Treat (NNT) analysis of drugs for treatment of heart failure in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Mullavelil ◽  
V George ◽  
A Thannikkal ◽  
R Aravindakshan ◽  
D John ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Number Needed To Treat ◽  
Neprilysin Inhibitor ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Cost Effectiveness Threshold ◽  
Effectiveness Threshold

Abstract Background Only little attention has been paid to treatment strategies of chronic disease conditions that require long term treatment and repeated hospitalizations Purpose Our aim was to review cost-effectiveness of guideline directed medical therapy of heart failure in India and identify drugs that can be made available free of cost or at subsidized rates to the patient population. Methods Data extracted from ten landmark trials in heart failure was used to compute Number Needed to Treat (NNT) and Cost Needed to Treat (CNT) of drugs used in heart failure, to prevent cardiovascular mortality and heart failure re-hospitalization using HDS Plotter- Incremental Cost Effectiveness Calculator. Since various brands (i.e. trade names) with wide cost range are available in Indian market, the average retail price in Indian Rupees for year 2019 was considered and converted to US dollars and used for the analysis.NNT and CNT of each drug was computed and the cost-effectiveness was analyzed. WHO recommendation of three times per capita GDP was used as the cost effectiveness threshold. Results Medications that were labeled as class I for the treatment of heart failure, were included in our analysis. Ivabradine, Valsartan and Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi) did not meet the cost effectiveness criteria for preventing cardio-vascular mortality. For prevention of heart failure re-hospitalization, all drugs except ARNi, met the cost effectiveness threshold. Conclusion Any future research would need to consider compliance factor along with Willingness to Pay (WTP) to understand the real acceptance of these drugs on the ground in India. Log prices (in US$) of various HF drugs Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

scholarly journals Effect of a dual tire pressure on the design parameters of thick asphalt pavements using finite element freeware

DYNA ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (196) ◽  
pp. 194-203
Author(s):  
Myriam Rocío Pallares Muñoz ◽  
Julián Andrés Pulecio-Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Asphalt Pavement ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Asphalt Pavements ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Tire Pressure ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Cost Of Construction

<p>The effect of a dual tire pressure on the design parameters of thick asphalt pavements using finite element freeware EverStressFE©1.0 is evaluated. This is trying to represent more adjusted the footprint shape and intensity of stress generated by the tires of vehicles. To validate the elastic multilayer EverStress©5.0 software was used. The results of the deformations can be concluded that the asphalt pavement designs made with analytical methods may be slightly oversized and consequently increase the cost of construction of pavements. This study marks a route to analyze the sensitivity of various factors that may affect the design of asphalt pavements. Future research is expected to integrate dynamic conditions by introducing results of field tests to full scale.</p>

scholarly journals Community-Based Green Care Initiative

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
SOLAJA MAYOWA OLUDELE
Keyword(s):  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Ogun State ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Interview Guide

Community-based green care initiative is an intervention geared towards satisfying the environmental, social, psychological, medical and material care for stimulating healthy well-being of children, adolescence and adults. Evidence-based studies have established that there is continual degeneration of self-esteem among adolescence in developing countries including Nigeria due to problems associated with unsustainable parenting styles and teaching patterns. It is in the light of this, the study examines a community-based green care initiative as a catalyst for sustainable parenting styles, teaching patterns and child self-esteem in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted exploratory survey design and tested three hypotheses on the subject matter. A self-structured questionnaire and in-depth interview guide were used for data collection. Quantitative data were analysed through percentage distribution table and multiple regressions while qualitative data were analysed using direct quotes. Findings were discussed with reference to relevant empirical literatures and future research highlighted.

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