COVID-19 placed increased pressure and urgency for effective cost management,resulting in unprecedented financial strains for hospitals.The pandemic also became a catalyst for accelerating digital transformation to im...COVID-19 placed increased pressure and urgency for effective cost management,resulting in unprecedented financial strains for hospitals.The pandemic also became a catalyst for accelerating digital transformation to improve operations and services in the healthcare industry.Morningdale Hospital is a large and reputable general hospital with a long history in the U.K.You are an intern in the Finance Department of the Hospital.The CEO has asked you to complete a patient-level cost analysis of endoscopic procedures in the Gastrointestinal Department.In your final report,you plan to include a SWOT analysis and a cost analysis using Activity-Based Costing accounting method.展开更多
Implementing effective cost management approaches has recently gained momentum due to intense competition and increasing customer demands. Moreover, effective cost management approaches have contributed to firms' com...Implementing effective cost management approaches has recently gained momentum due to intense competition and increasing customer demands. Moreover, effective cost management approaches have contributed to firms' competitive advantage in relation to cost leadership strategy. Consequently, firms have implemented contemporary cost management systems, such as activity-based management, business process re-engineering, life-cycle costing, target costing, and theory of constraint (TOC), to enable them to become low-cost producers and compete effectively and sustain their performance. Furthermore, focusing on cost management to improve profitability has led to the integration of activity-based costing (ABC) and TOC. Therefore, the aim of this study is to review literature and discuss how integration of ABC and TOC can result in improved and sustained cost management. While these methods have different approaches in addressing cost management, treating them as complementary cost management approaches can result in improved cost management due to improved product costing, improved cost reporting, improved product-mix decisions, and improved cycle-time management. Improvement in cost management will then result in sustained cost management. Sustained cost management is further enhanced with the investment in information customer and shareholder value technology that supports cross-functional decision making to continue creating to remain competitive in the market.展开更多
In order to evaluate and estimate me cosEs oi prouuct~ plt, uu^u e vironment properly, an improved activity-based costing (ABC) model is presented. By utilizing the input-output analysis method, the complex consumpt...In order to evaluate and estimate me cosEs oi prouuct~ plt, uu^u e vironment properly, an improved activity-based costing (ABC) model is presented. By utilizing the input-output analysis method, the complex consumption relationships in a complex manufacturing environment are first expressed. The consumption characteristics (mainly presented by the activity rates) of all production activities are extracted by solving these relationships. Then with the con- sumption characteristics and operating parameters of these activities, the detailed cost consumption of a product in its manufacturing process is estimated. A case study is finally given based on the compressor products of a manufacturing company, and its effectiveness is shown. As the cost influ- ence of complex consumption relationships is fully considered, the limitation of traditional ABC method is overcome, and therefore a high accuracy in product cost estimation under the complex manufacturing environment can be achieved.展开更多
Based on the theory of activity-based costing and the idea of value chain,activity optimization and cost control are carried out on the whole construction process of agricultural water conservancy projects. Through th...Based on the theory of activity-based costing and the idea of value chain,activity optimization and cost control are carried out on the whole construction process of agricultural water conservancy projects. Through the use of literature review,case analysis and statistical analysis and other methods,with agricultural water conservancy projects as the research object,and comparing activity-based costing with the traditional model of cost accounting,the writer carries out the corresponding value chain analysis,and comes to the following conclusion: the statistical calculation and analysis of the entire construction process based on activity-based costing can accurately and effectively control the costs of water conservancy projects. Through the use of activity-based costing,the cost data of agricultural water conservancy projects is more detailed and accurate,and cost management personnel can also find non-value-added activities,optimize the enterprise's value chain and achieve cost control objectives through the analysis of the activity chain and value chain of agricultural water conservancy projects.展开更多
Road transport is a flexible mode of transport and its importance in era of globalization increases. Management of road transport companies is, in this turbulent environment, exposed to many technical, legislative, an...Road transport is a flexible mode of transport and its importance in era of globalization increases. Management of road transport companies is, in this turbulent environment, exposed to many technical, legislative, and economic problems. Especially, the growing economic pressure leads to an urgent requirement of the manager and control system improvement. Activity-based costing (ABC) method is a very powerful tool to improve products, services, processes, and market strategies. ABC allows company management to understand what causes costs and how to manage them. Company under this scheme may get a glimpse of how efficiently a company converts the source value. The main objective of our research was to assess the possibility of application of the ABC method in a transport undertaking. ABC method as a fundamentally different view on the cost in the transport business helps to find the reasons of cost and thereby influences their levels to make better use of resources.. New managerial accounting methods aim to show management what information is needed, how and where this information can be obtained, and how they can be useful for the management of the company's proper planning, decision-making, and control. Information provided by management accounting is often a key factor in the analysis of alternative ways of solving problems. This article focuses on the transport enterprise management and helps to decide on the use of this method in business practice.展开更多
An organization’s costing system is a system that helps the management with the strategy planning while the system plays an important role in providing accurate cost information about the products and customers.In ot...An organization’s costing system is a system that helps the management with the strategy planning while the system plays an important role in providing accurate cost information about the products and customers.In other words,the costing management system is important to provide timely and quality information to help managers in their decision-making process.Producing quality graduates is the main objective of any university and the cost of quality or the cost of poor quality is one that is often difficult to measure in higher education.This can be partly attributed to the fact that most accounting systems are not structured to capture important cost-of-quality information.In order to succeed,many organizations tend to shift from conventional or traditional costing system to Activity-based costing(ABC).ABC provides both higher education administrators and policymakers with better information on which to base decisions.The use of multiple cost pools and drivers under ABC leads to more detailed and accurate product costing than that provided by traditional cost systems.This paper attempts to investigate the possibilities and limitations of implementing ABC in universities.More specifically the study makes use of the case study method to illustrate the implementation of activity-based costing of library services in a private university in the Kingdom of Bahrain.The research methodology of the case study is a combination of both descriptive and quantitative analyses.The study identified six categories of cost pools which are related to the activities of the library as well as 17 relevant cost drivers.Accordingly,ABC should lead to a better understanding of what drives costs and,by extension,what changes are necessary to reduce costs.Unnecessary activities that do not add value to services can be identified and eliminated.Further ABC is feasible in an academic library and that much can be gained from the process of analyzing activities.However,more work needs to be done in terms of designing accounting and other information systems to capture cost and activity transaction data in a more routine and disaggregated form for ABC analysis.展开更多
In order to find out the applicability of the optimal pricing decision model based on conventional cost behavior model after activity based costing has given strong shock to the conventional cost behavior model and it...In order to find out the applicability of the optimal pricing decision model based on conventional cost behavior model after activity based costing has given strong shock to the conventional cost behavior model and its assumptions, detailed analyses have been made using the activity based cost behavior and cost volume profit analysis model, and it is concluded from these analyses that the theory behind the construction of optimal pricing decision model is still tenable under activity based costing, but the conventional optimal pricing decision model must be modified as appropriate to the activity based costing based cost behavior model and cost volume profit analysis model, and an optimal pricing decision model is really a product pricing decision model constructed by following the economic principle of maximizing profit.展开更多
Along with the product price competition growing intensely, it is apparently important for reasonably distributing and counting cost. But, in sharing indirect cost, traditional cost accounting unveils the limitations ...Along with the product price competition growing intensely, it is apparently important for reasonably distributing and counting cost. But, in sharing indirect cost, traditional cost accounting unveils the limitations increasingly, especially in authenticity of cost information. And the accounting theory circles and industry circles begin seeking one kind of new accurate cost calculation method, and the activity based cost (ABC) method emerges as the times require. In this paper, we will build its mathematical model by the basic principle of ABC, and will improve its mathematical model further. We will establish its comparison mathematical model and make the ABC method go a step further to its practical application.展开更多
This article analyzes the development of an activity-based costing (ABC) system in a private Italian healthcare firm. Findings shed light on the role of the cost accounting system in price assessment: It outlines n...This article analyzes the development of an activity-based costing (ABC) system in a private Italian healthcare firm. Findings shed light on the role of the cost accounting system in price assessment: It outlines new opportunities for the identification of the service mix offered as well as for price optimization. Because private companies provide services both within the public system--where the National Health System (NHS) provides fixed reimbursement fees--and within the private system--where prices are defined by each company. Accurate cost information is extremely important to support managers in the analysis of the service mix profitability offered in each system. For the business segment in which companies do not have flexibility in setting prices, cost information enables managers to identify services which may present profitability problems. For the business segment where price flexibility exists, cost information supports the identification of pricing errors so that charges can be better defined.展开更多
The time-driven activity-based costing has received extensive attention from scholars both at home and abroad in recent years,which has been applied to the calculation of manufacturing operations and the cost of produ...The time-driven activity-based costing has received extensive attention from scholars both at home and abroad in recent years,which has been applied to the calculation of manufacturing operations and the cost of products.However, this approach is rarely introduced into the service sector.As to the hospitality industry, the profitability of the customer usually plays a decisive role in the business process.Therefore, this article takes the hotel service industry as the research point and allocates the costs of resources of each departments to customers according to time drivers.The focus of this paper is to calculate the costs of customers ,and then analyze the profitability of customers in order to take the appropriate marketing strategies to improve the hotel service industry Drofitabilitv.展开更多
Activity based costing (ABC) is a method which can solve many limitations of the traditional cost systems in manufacturing management. In this paper, we investigate how to integrate ABC with workflow technology, and ...Activity based costing (ABC) is a method which can solve many limitations of the traditional cost systems in manufacturing management. In this paper, we investigate how to integrate ABC with workflow technology, and build a workflow meta model supporting ABC. Firstly, the concept and concept model of activity based costing (ABC) are introduced. Next, the meta model of P -PROCE (Process, Product, Resource, Organization, and Cost & Evaluation) is presented. Then the cost meta model is defined by adding ABC to P -PROCE model. Object constraint language (OCL) is used to express meta model and constraints. Finally, we show an enterprise modeling and simulation tool based on the workflow meta model. We can systematically construct an enterprise model and easily and efficiently conduct simulation. Moreover it enables us to analyze and evaluate business processes and its costs.展开更多
To analyse and optimize a enterprise process in a wide scope, an activity-based method of modeling resource capabilities is presented. It models resource capabilities by means of the same structure as an activity, tha...To analyse and optimize a enterprise process in a wide scope, an activity-based method of modeling resource capabilities is presented. It models resource capabilities by means of the same structure as an activity, that is, resource capabilities are defined by input objects, actions and output objects. A set of activity-based resource capability modeling hales and matching rules between an activity and a resource are introduced. This method can not only be used to describe capability of manufacturing tools, but also capability of persons and applications, etc. It unifies methods of modeling capability of all kinds of resources in an enterprise and supports the ootimization of the resource allocation of a orocess.展开更多
Traumatic injuries to spinal cord elicit diverse signaling pathways leading to unselective and complex pathological outcomes:death of multiple classes of neural cells,formation of cystic cavities and glial scars,disr...Traumatic injuries to spinal cord elicit diverse signaling pathways leading to unselective and complex pathological outcomes:death of multiple classes of neural cells,formation of cystic cavities and glial scars,disruption of axonal connections,and demyelination of spared axons,all of which can contribute more or less to debilitating functional impairments found in patients with spinal cord injury.展开更多
Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is always a major concern in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. This paper presents the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in the deve...Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is always a major concern in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. This paper presents the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in the development of a lifecycle cost-estimating tool. The IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) model as an interoperable building information model has been adopted as the central data repository to deliver the integrated information of building designs from CAD design systems into the lifecycle-costing database. In this paper, the conceptions and relevant factors, which could affect the LCC estimation, have been introduced. The problems of current LCC applications have been identified as the lack of LCC data and the complexity of LCC exercises. The software application of IFC models and relevant auxiliary are depicted as a solution of the problem identified. The lifecycle costing tool is a part of the nD Modeling tool and as such is based on its integrated interface prototype toolkit and is able to holistically present an IFC model into a 3D virtual reality view, a tree-view and a list of element properties. The functions and some technical points are also detailed in the paper. Through the research, it demonstrates the potential and possibility of implementing BIM methods and techniques, particularly IFCs to enhance the computer applications in the processes of building construction and facility management.展开更多
The study examines the extent of adoption of Activity Based Costing (ABC) among naanufacturing companies in Nigeria. The primary data were sourced through questionnaires administered to the Management Accountants of...The study examines the extent of adoption of Activity Based Costing (ABC) among naanufacturing companies in Nigeria. The primary data were sourced through questionnaires administered to the Management Accountants of 40 selected manufacturing companies in South Western part of Nigeria. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze the data. The study reveals that inability of the traditional cost systems to provide relevant cost was the most highly ranked reason in their decision to adopt ABC. Traditional methods of allocating overhead were therefore believed to be deficient in terms of improving global competitiveness. Also, 60% of the respondents have adopted ABC due to increased ranges of products, competition and increased overhead. Familiarity with and adoption of ABC was found to be across the manufacturing, more than half of the sample are familiar with it. The 40% of respondents who have not adopted ABC cited the cost and complexity involved with implementation as the main reason in non-adoption. However, cost of implementing ABC was enormous which hinder the small scale manufacturing from adopting it. This result may reflect the fact that larger firms are more likely to have the diverse mix of products or services that makes the use of ABC advantages. Consequently, the study recommends that the companies who have not adopted ABC because of its high cost of implementation should endeavor to consider its adoption because in the long run the benefits derive from it will outweigh its cost. It helps to identify inefficient products, departments and activities and helps to allocate more resources on profitable products. In conclusion, the senior management should also give their utmost support to the implementation and success of ABC.展开更多
Objective: It is the aim of this paper to estimate the provider’s cost of treating paediatric cases of Malaria in a rural African hospital. Furthermore, we intend to give some insights into the possibilities of impro...Objective: It is the aim of this paper to estimate the provider’s cost of treating paediatric cases of Malaria in a rural African hospital. Furthermore, we intend to give some insights into the possibilities of improving the efficiency of treating children with this disease in order to support policy makers in the resource allocation process. Methods: The cost analysis was done in the district hospital of Nouna, Burkina Faso. Based on a comprehensive cost-of-illness information system, the cost of treating paediatric Malaria in the district hospital in the year 2005 were estimated using a combination of top- down and activity-based costing. It divides the entire treatment process into a set of activities along the clinical pathway and allocates monetary values for the resource consumption to each activity. Results: The average actual provider’s cost were 6.74 US$ for a paediatric outpatient with Malaria, 61.08 US$ for a paediatric Malaria inpatient with anaemia and, respectively 74.29 US$ for a case of paediatric Malaria with neurological affection. 54% of the cost was due to laboratory work. This high unit cost was mainly due to a severe underutilisation of the hospital capacity. The current cost recovery rate per case was between 18% and 43%. It would be between 32% and 73% if the occupancy increased to 80%. Conclusion: The paper demonstrates that detailed costing is possible in a district hospital in rural Africa. The unit cost seems to be extra-ordinary high and the share of laboratory cost is tremendous. However, this is mainly due to a very strong underutilisation of the existing capacities. This fact calls for intensive efforts of the management of the institution to attract more patients by improving the quality of services and in particular the satisfaction of the patients.展开更多
Protein S-sulfenylation(protein sulfenic acid),as one of the most significant oxidative post-translational modifications(OxiPTMs),plays a vital role in regulating protein function.A variety of activity-based probes ha...Protein S-sulfenylation(protein sulfenic acid),as one of the most significant oxidative post-translational modifications(OxiPTMs),plays a vital role in regulating protein function.A variety of activity-based probes have been developed to profile sulfenic acid in living cells.However,due to the transient presence and low content of sulfenic acid in living cell,high doses of probes are needed to achieve efficient labeling.More importantly,current probes have no temporal control over sulfenic acid labeling.To overcome these limitations,two caged cysteine sulfenic acid probes DYn-2-ONB and DYn-2-Cou with either an o-nitrobenzyl or coumarin protecting group were developed in this study.Both probes can be efficiently uncaged via irradiation to produce the active C-nucleophile probe DYn-2.Labeling assay in living cells demonstrated DYn-2-ONB exhibited better labeling capacity compared with DYn-2,providing it as a powerful tool for improved monitoring of protein S-sulfenylation in living cells.展开更多
文摘COVID-19 placed increased pressure and urgency for effective cost management,resulting in unprecedented financial strains for hospitals.The pandemic also became a catalyst for accelerating digital transformation to improve operations and services in the healthcare industry.Morningdale Hospital is a large and reputable general hospital with a long history in the U.K.You are an intern in the Finance Department of the Hospital.The CEO has asked you to complete a patient-level cost analysis of endoscopic procedures in the Gastrointestinal Department.In your final report,you plan to include a SWOT analysis and a cost analysis using Activity-Based Costing accounting method.
文摘Implementing effective cost management approaches has recently gained momentum due to intense competition and increasing customer demands. Moreover, effective cost management approaches have contributed to firms' competitive advantage in relation to cost leadership strategy. Consequently, firms have implemented contemporary cost management systems, such as activity-based management, business process re-engineering, life-cycle costing, target costing, and theory of constraint (TOC), to enable them to become low-cost producers and compete effectively and sustain their performance. Furthermore, focusing on cost management to improve profitability has led to the integration of activity-based costing (ABC) and TOC. Therefore, the aim of this study is to review literature and discuss how integration of ABC and TOC can result in improved and sustained cost management. While these methods have different approaches in addressing cost management, treating them as complementary cost management approaches can result in improved cost management due to improved product costing, improved cost reporting, improved product-mix decisions, and improved cycle-time management. Improvement in cost management will then result in sustained cost management. Sustained cost management is further enhanced with the investment in information customer and shareholder value technology that supports cross-functional decision making to continue creating to remain competitive in the market.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61074136)the National Science and Technology Major Project of China(No.2009ZX04014)
文摘In order to evaluate and estimate me cosEs oi prouuct~ plt, uu^u e vironment properly, an improved activity-based costing (ABC) model is presented. By utilizing the input-output analysis method, the complex consumption relationships in a complex manufacturing environment are first expressed. The consumption characteristics (mainly presented by the activity rates) of all production activities are extracted by solving these relationships. Then with the con- sumption characteristics and operating parameters of these activities, the detailed cost consumption of a product in its manufacturing process is estimated. A case study is finally given based on the compressor products of a manufacturing company, and its effectiveness is shown. As the cost influ- ence of complex consumption relationships is fully considered, the limitation of traditional ABC method is overcome, and therefore a high accuracy in product cost estimation under the complex manufacturing environment can be achieved.
文摘Based on the theory of activity-based costing and the idea of value chain,activity optimization and cost control are carried out on the whole construction process of agricultural water conservancy projects. Through the use of literature review,case analysis and statistical analysis and other methods,with agricultural water conservancy projects as the research object,and comparing activity-based costing with the traditional model of cost accounting,the writer carries out the corresponding value chain analysis,and comes to the following conclusion: the statistical calculation and analysis of the entire construction process based on activity-based costing can accurately and effectively control the costs of water conservancy projects. Through the use of activity-based costing,the cost data of agricultural water conservancy projects is more detailed and accurate,and cost management personnel can also find non-value-added activities,optimize the enterprise's value chain and achieve cost control objectives through the analysis of the activity chain and value chain of agricultural water conservancy projects.
文摘Road transport is a flexible mode of transport and its importance in era of globalization increases. Management of road transport companies is, in this turbulent environment, exposed to many technical, legislative, and economic problems. Especially, the growing economic pressure leads to an urgent requirement of the manager and control system improvement. Activity-based costing (ABC) method is a very powerful tool to improve products, services, processes, and market strategies. ABC allows company management to understand what causes costs and how to manage them. Company under this scheme may get a glimpse of how efficiently a company converts the source value. The main objective of our research was to assess the possibility of application of the ABC method in a transport undertaking. ABC method as a fundamentally different view on the cost in the transport business helps to find the reasons of cost and thereby influences their levels to make better use of resources.. New managerial accounting methods aim to show management what information is needed, how and where this information can be obtained, and how they can be useful for the management of the company's proper planning, decision-making, and control. Information provided by management accounting is often a key factor in the analysis of alternative ways of solving problems. This article focuses on the transport enterprise management and helps to decide on the use of this method in business practice.
文摘An organization’s costing system is a system that helps the management with the strategy planning while the system plays an important role in providing accurate cost information about the products and customers.In other words,the costing management system is important to provide timely and quality information to help managers in their decision-making process.Producing quality graduates is the main objective of any university and the cost of quality or the cost of poor quality is one that is often difficult to measure in higher education.This can be partly attributed to the fact that most accounting systems are not structured to capture important cost-of-quality information.In order to succeed,many organizations tend to shift from conventional or traditional costing system to Activity-based costing(ABC).ABC provides both higher education administrators and policymakers with better information on which to base decisions.The use of multiple cost pools and drivers under ABC leads to more detailed and accurate product costing than that provided by traditional cost systems.This paper attempts to investigate the possibilities and limitations of implementing ABC in universities.More specifically the study makes use of the case study method to illustrate the implementation of activity-based costing of library services in a private university in the Kingdom of Bahrain.The research methodology of the case study is a combination of both descriptive and quantitative analyses.The study identified six categories of cost pools which are related to the activities of the library as well as 17 relevant cost drivers.Accordingly,ABC should lead to a better understanding of what drives costs and,by extension,what changes are necessary to reduce costs.Unnecessary activities that do not add value to services can be identified and eliminated.Further ABC is feasible in an academic library and that much can be gained from the process of analyzing activities.However,more work needs to be done in terms of designing accounting and other information systems to capture cost and activity transaction data in a more routine and disaggregated form for ABC analysis.
文摘In order to find out the applicability of the optimal pricing decision model based on conventional cost behavior model after activity based costing has given strong shock to the conventional cost behavior model and its assumptions, detailed analyses have been made using the activity based cost behavior and cost volume profit analysis model, and it is concluded from these analyses that the theory behind the construction of optimal pricing decision model is still tenable under activity based costing, but the conventional optimal pricing decision model must be modified as appropriate to the activity based costing based cost behavior model and cost volume profit analysis model, and an optimal pricing decision model is really a product pricing decision model constructed by following the economic principle of maximizing profit.
文摘Along with the product price competition growing intensely, it is apparently important for reasonably distributing and counting cost. But, in sharing indirect cost, traditional cost accounting unveils the limitations increasingly, especially in authenticity of cost information. And the accounting theory circles and industry circles begin seeking one kind of new accurate cost calculation method, and the activity based cost (ABC) method emerges as the times require. In this paper, we will build its mathematical model by the basic principle of ABC, and will improve its mathematical model further. We will establish its comparison mathematical model and make the ABC method go a step further to its practical application.
文摘This article analyzes the development of an activity-based costing (ABC) system in a private Italian healthcare firm. Findings shed light on the role of the cost accounting system in price assessment: It outlines new opportunities for the identification of the service mix offered as well as for price optimization. Because private companies provide services both within the public system--where the National Health System (NHS) provides fixed reimbursement fees--and within the private system--where prices are defined by each company. Accurate cost information is extremely important to support managers in the analysis of the service mix profitability offered in each system. For the business segment in which companies do not have flexibility in setting prices, cost information enables managers to identify services which may present profitability problems. For the business segment where price flexibility exists, cost information supports the identification of pricing errors so that charges can be better defined.
文摘The time-driven activity-based costing has received extensive attention from scholars both at home and abroad in recent years,which has been applied to the calculation of manufacturing operations and the cost of products.However, this approach is rarely introduced into the service sector.As to the hospitality industry, the profitability of the customer usually plays a decisive role in the business process.Therefore, this article takes the hotel service industry as the research point and allocates the costs of resources of each departments to customers according to time drivers.The focus of this paper is to calculate the costs of customers ,and then analyze the profitability of customers in order to take the appropriate marketing strategies to improve the hotel service industry Drofitabilitv.
文摘Activity based costing (ABC) is a method which can solve many limitations of the traditional cost systems in manufacturing management. In this paper, we investigate how to integrate ABC with workflow technology, and build a workflow meta model supporting ABC. Firstly, the concept and concept model of activity based costing (ABC) are introduced. Next, the meta model of P -PROCE (Process, Product, Resource, Organization, and Cost & Evaluation) is presented. Then the cost meta model is defined by adding ABC to P -PROCE model. Object constraint language (OCL) is used to express meta model and constraints. Finally, we show an enterprise modeling and simulation tool based on the workflow meta model. We can systematically construct an enterprise model and easily and efficiently conduct simulation. Moreover it enables us to analyze and evaluate business processes and its costs.
基金the Natural High-Technology Development Program for CIMS of China(Grant No.2003AA413210)
文摘To analyse and optimize a enterprise process in a wide scope, an activity-based method of modeling resource capabilities is presented. It models resource capabilities by means of the same structure as an activity, that is, resource capabilities are defined by input objects, actions and output objects. A set of activity-based resource capability modeling hales and matching rules between an activity and a resource are introduced. This method can not only be used to describe capability of manufacturing tools, but also capability of persons and applications, etc. It unifies methods of modeling capability of all kinds of resources in an enterprise and supports the ootimization of the resource allocation of a orocess.
基金supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government(NRF-2014R1A1A2056452 to D.H.H.and NRF-2014M3A9B6034224 to BGK)
文摘Traumatic injuries to spinal cord elicit diverse signaling pathways leading to unselective and complex pathological outcomes:death of multiple classes of neural cells,formation of cystic cavities and glial scars,disruption of axonal connections,and demyelination of spared axons,all of which can contribute more or less to debilitating functional impairments found in patients with spinal cord injury.
文摘Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is always a major concern in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. This paper presents the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in the development of a lifecycle cost-estimating tool. The IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) model as an interoperable building information model has been adopted as the central data repository to deliver the integrated information of building designs from CAD design systems into the lifecycle-costing database. In this paper, the conceptions and relevant factors, which could affect the LCC estimation, have been introduced. The problems of current LCC applications have been identified as the lack of LCC data and the complexity of LCC exercises. The software application of IFC models and relevant auxiliary are depicted as a solution of the problem identified. The lifecycle costing tool is a part of the nD Modeling tool and as such is based on its integrated interface prototype toolkit and is able to holistically present an IFC model into a 3D virtual reality view, a tree-view and a list of element properties. The functions and some technical points are also detailed in the paper. Through the research, it demonstrates the potential and possibility of implementing BIM methods and techniques, particularly IFCs to enhance the computer applications in the processes of building construction and facility management.
文摘The study examines the extent of adoption of Activity Based Costing (ABC) among naanufacturing companies in Nigeria. The primary data were sourced through questionnaires administered to the Management Accountants of 40 selected manufacturing companies in South Western part of Nigeria. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze the data. The study reveals that inability of the traditional cost systems to provide relevant cost was the most highly ranked reason in their decision to adopt ABC. Traditional methods of allocating overhead were therefore believed to be deficient in terms of improving global competitiveness. Also, 60% of the respondents have adopted ABC due to increased ranges of products, competition and increased overhead. Familiarity with and adoption of ABC was found to be across the manufacturing, more than half of the sample are familiar with it. The 40% of respondents who have not adopted ABC cited the cost and complexity involved with implementation as the main reason in non-adoption. However, cost of implementing ABC was enormous which hinder the small scale manufacturing from adopting it. This result may reflect the fact that larger firms are more likely to have the diverse mix of products or services that makes the use of ABC advantages. Consequently, the study recommends that the companies who have not adopted ABC because of its high cost of implementation should endeavor to consider its adoption because in the long run the benefits derive from it will outweigh its cost. It helps to identify inefficient products, departments and activities and helps to allocate more resources on profitable products. In conclusion, the senior management should also give their utmost support to the implementation and success of ABC.
文摘Objective: It is the aim of this paper to estimate the provider’s cost of treating paediatric cases of Malaria in a rural African hospital. Furthermore, we intend to give some insights into the possibilities of improving the efficiency of treating children with this disease in order to support policy makers in the resource allocation process. Methods: The cost analysis was done in the district hospital of Nouna, Burkina Faso. Based on a comprehensive cost-of-illness information system, the cost of treating paediatric Malaria in the district hospital in the year 2005 were estimated using a combination of top- down and activity-based costing. It divides the entire treatment process into a set of activities along the clinical pathway and allocates monetary values for the resource consumption to each activity. Results: The average actual provider’s cost were 6.74 US$ for a paediatric outpatient with Malaria, 61.08 US$ for a paediatric Malaria inpatient with anaemia and, respectively 74.29 US$ for a case of paediatric Malaria with neurological affection. 54% of the cost was due to laboratory work. This high unit cost was mainly due to a severe underutilisation of the hospital capacity. The current cost recovery rate per case was between 18% and 43%. It would be between 32% and 73% if the occupancy increased to 80%. Conclusion: The paper demonstrates that detailed costing is possible in a district hospital in rural Africa. The unit cost seems to be extra-ordinary high and the share of laboratory cost is tremendous. However, this is mainly due to a very strong underutilisation of the existing capacities. This fact calls for intensive efforts of the management of the institution to attract more patients by improving the quality of services and in particular the satisfaction of the patients.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31871365 and 22177029)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
文摘Protein S-sulfenylation(protein sulfenic acid),as one of the most significant oxidative post-translational modifications(OxiPTMs),plays a vital role in regulating protein function.A variety of activity-based probes have been developed to profile sulfenic acid in living cells.However,due to the transient presence and low content of sulfenic acid in living cell,high doses of probes are needed to achieve efficient labeling.More importantly,current probes have no temporal control over sulfenic acid labeling.To overcome these limitations,two caged cysteine sulfenic acid probes DYn-2-ONB and DYn-2-Cou with either an o-nitrobenzyl or coumarin protecting group were developed in this study.Both probes can be efficiently uncaged via irradiation to produce the active C-nucleophile probe DYn-2.Labeling assay in living cells demonstrated DYn-2-ONB exhibited better labeling capacity compared with DYn-2,providing it as a powerful tool for improved monitoring of protein S-sulfenylation in living cells.