Return on Investment after Implementation of a Centralized Automated Storage System in a Hospital Pharmacy

An ADS （automated dispensing system） was implemented in our hospital pharmacy in 2008 to optimize and secure the medication process. The main objective of this study was to compare the projected and the real ROI （return on investment）, after seven years of use. ROI was calculated annually （from 2008 to 2015）, by deducting the cost of investment （ADS buying and implementation, maintenance, repairs and ADS upgrade） from the cost saving （drugs stock reduction and decrease of pharmacy staff dedicated to global dispensing）. In 2015, total costs saving （＋$1,141,987） were divided between decreasing drug stock value and reduction of pharmacy staff. Total costs of investment （-$978,656） were acquisition, maintenance, repairs and an unplanned upgrade costs. Finally, the real ROI was ＋$163,331 after seven years of use. In 2008, projected ROI was ＋$410,786. The real payback period has been increased by approximately two years （six years of use, instead of four years as expected）. Despite their cost, ADSs are a worthwhile investment, leading to a ROI within a few years. These economic considerations should be put into perspective with optimization of drugs stock management, greater efficiency of the global dispensing process, securitization of medication process and redeployment of pharmacy staff.

Increasing our return on investment in science:Start with better behavior

In August of 2022,I gave the opening keynote address at the 5th North American Congress on Biomechanics,in Ottawa,Canada.The topic of my talk was about whether the research ecosystem was getting a reasonable return on its investment in biomedical research.I provided several examples as to why I posed this question.

Determination of the Financing Scale,Time Limit and Returns from the Investment in BOT Projects

The key aspect to the successful implementation of BOT concept is the raising of finance by project sponsor,so financial engineering techniques and capital structuring skills are required to find the proper mix of debt and equity.The capital structure and present a model to determine the equity level from the aspects of financing scale,construction time and return on investment are analyzed.The resulting model can help the sponsor to avoid the capital risk,and offer the government a criterion to evaluate management ability of the sponsor.To show the application and availability of this model,a case study is conducted.Thus,this paper is concern with the determination of financing scale,construction time,and return on investment which would assist the sponsor to ensure that the equity level for optimal capital structure is available prior to the implementation stage in BOT project operation.

LEAPS IN G.D.-H.K. COOPERATION FOLLOWING RETURN——Report on Guangdong High New Technology Projects Investment Symposium '97

Hongkong’s smooth return creates vast prospect and numerous opportunities for Guangdong-Hongkong economic cooperation. Over the past decade the cooperation has gone a long way, from non-governmental to governmental, from processing trade to high technology. Presently, it has become a highprofile activity which covers various areas.More than 20,000 representatives from 5,063 corporations participated the symposium. And 1,559 agreements, involving $ 13.159 billion, were signed. Of the investment, $8.7851 billion, or 66.8 per cent is from overseas investors. Of the agreements, 810 or 65 per cent, are high new

A PATH-DEPENDENT MODEL OF INVESTMENT AND EMPLOYMENT FLOW IN A LARGE ECONOMY IN A PROCESS OF INTEGRATION

This paper meant to analyze the spatial evolution of a large country in its process of integration with the world economy in general, and, to look into the possible effect of China′s accession into WTO on the future development of its spatial economy in particular. Through an approach of increasing returns, external economy, product differentiation and path-dependence, with foreign trade costs incurred by different regions within the large country discriminated, a model of investment and employment flow is developed as a simulation of a large country′s process of integration with the world economy. The modeling indicates that in the process of integration, as there exist differences in foreign trade costs among different regions within the large country, either the spatial economy of the country deviates from its symmetric structure in autarky and falls into a core-periphery relationship, or the effect of industrial agglomeration is reinforced, amplified and locked in, if the agglomeration had been started. The economic gap on either the aggregate or structural basis between different regions within the large country will increase rapidly as the integration proceeds.

Ratio K: a New Way of Metering and Evaluating the Risk and Return of Stock Investment

Although widely used, both the Markowitz model and VAR (Value at Risk) model have some limitations in evaluating the risk and return of stock investment. By the analysis of the conceptions of risk and return, together with the three hypotheses of technological analysis, a novelty model of metering and evaluating the risk and return of stock investment is established. The major indicator of this model , risk-return ratio K, combines the characteristic indicators of risk and return. Regardless of the form of the risk-return probability density functions, this indicator K can always reflect the risk-return performances of the invested stocks clearly and accurately. How to use the model to make optimum investment and how to make portfolio combined with clustering analysis is also explained.

A Method for the Solution of Educational Investment

In order to improve the performance of higher education in the United States, the Goodgrant Foundation intends to donate a total of $100,000,000 (US 100 million) to an appropriate group of schools per year, for five years, starting in July 2016. For this, our team puts forward upon an optimal investment strategy, which includes the schools to invest, the investment amount of each school, and the return due to investment, to solve this problem. Our main idea is as follows. First of all, we choose suitable investment school universities in the United States. Secondly, we use Analytic Hierarchy Process to get the rate of return on investment and venture capital. Thirdly, we establish a venture capital return model. Finally, solving the mathematical model ensures the investment amount of each school and the return due to investment. To implement this strategy, first of all, we obtain the candidate school based on students score card. Then, according to the factor analysis, we analyze the factors which mainly affect the choice of school. Secondly, we employ Analytic Hierarchy Process to get the rate of return on investment and capital risk. In the end, we establish a risk return model to get investment amount for each school, amount of risk and return. In order to ensure the minimum risk and the maximum return, we set up a multi objective programming model and solve it by using the constraint method. We get the result that includes the maximum net profit of the investment and risk loss rate. According to statistical analysis, we can get the overall return of net income within five years. Finally, we choose 320 candidate schools and get the investment amount of each school according to the principle of as many schools as possible. We have proved that the foundation will receive a return of more than 295.363 million in the next 5 years. After-verification, our strategy can be directly applied to the investment field and get good results.

能源投入回报值(EROI)评价方法及其在我国大庆油田的应用

我国未来的能源生产问题关系到整个社会的可持续发展,对此做出准确的判断十分重要。近些年,国外研究界兴起了一种从净能源角度来评价能源生产的新方法——EROI（能源投入回报值）,而我国却少有研究。本文首先介绍了EROI方法的计算公式、两维计算标准及其命名;详细推导了利用Divisia指数取得能源质量因子的过程,说明了能源转换系数的取得;进而,以大庆油田为例进行计算,结果显示2001~2012年大庆油田的EROI值一直处于下降趋势;最后利用正交试验分析法,分析了影响大庆油田的EROI值的相关因素及其影响程度。

改进ROI模型及其在工业企业生产率分析中的应用

本文在David M Miller提出的原始ROI模型基础上经过改进和发展,提出了一个改进ROI模型,考虑到综合要素生产率变化和价格等其他因索变化对企业盈利能力影响的定量关系。建立了多层次的生产率分解测算系统,并结合一个具体的国营工业企业进行了测算和分析。

一种基于SLA与ROI结合的IaaS动态计费模型

IaaS服务的商用化使得对计费模型的研究成为学术界和工业界关注的热点之一.合理公平的计费模型对服务提供商和服务消费者来说都至关重要,现有典型的IaaS服务计费策略多数只侧重服务提供商或服务消费者一方的利益,因此,提出一种基于服务等级协议(service level agreement,SLA)与投资回报率(return on investment,ROI)结合的计费模型来同时保证提供商和消费者双方利益.实验证明,该计费模型对用户和服务商来说都相对比较公平,在二者之间取得了平衡.

投资收益总额为poisson过程的风险模型

通过讨论投资收益总额为复合poisson过程的风险模型,得到了其Gerber-Shiu折现罚金函数满足的积分-微分方程,并且在索赔额和收益额的分布为指数分布的情况下得到了Gerber-Shiu折现罚金函数及其相关精算量满足的微分方程。

The Long-Run Performance of IPOs in Italy： A Comparison of Venture and Non-Venture-Backed Companies

The phenomena associated with the performance of newly listed companies has increased the interest of many researchers who have developed a vast literature on long-term underpricing and underperformance, which together with hot and cold issue markets, represent the three anomalies that have always accompanied with Initial Public Offerings （IPOs）. The objective of this work is to investigate the long-run performance of IPOs of venture and non-venture-backed companies. The analysis of a sample of 102 IPOs carried out in Italy in 1998-2005 revealed that both companies （venture-backed and non-venture-backed） showed negative values, thus, confirming the phenomenon of underperformance. During the 36 months following their listing, venture-backed companies seemed to register negative and statistically significant values both with the CARsVB methodology （-93.99%） and the Buy and Hold Abnormal Returns methodology （BHARsVB -88.37%）. Venture-backed companies, unlike non- venture-backed companies, seem to be able to restrain the losses, measured by both methods, in the first 12 months （CARsB - 12.38% -20.15% CARSNNVB; BHARsVB - 10.17%; BHARsNVB - 15.51%）. During the 36 months, however, the IPOs showed negative and statistically significant values regardless of whether they were venture or non-venture-backed. The test on the difference between the average abnormal returns of the two methodologies （CAARS and BHAARs） did not produce statistically significant results. The Wealth Relative was calculated and from the results it would appear that the portfolio of venture-backed IPOs does not register ＂brilliant＂ performances. The portfolio of 102 IPOs does not seem to beat the ＂market portfolio＂. In conclusion, therefore, the phenomenon of underperformance seems to be real in our country and is documented by strongly negative and statistically significant values obtained from the samples of IPOs analyzed.

Artificial Intelligence Integration with Energy Sources (Renewable and Non-renewable)

In the past decade or so,AI(artificial intelligence)technology has been growing with such a mesmerizing speed that today its presence in almost any industry that deals with any huge sheer volume of data is taking advantage of AI by integrating it into their day-to-day operation.Meanwhile,seven billion people worldwide shape the world’s energy system and directly impact the fundamental drivers of energy,both renewable and non-renewable sources,to meet the demand for electricity from them.These energy sources can be reached from nature such as solar,wind,etc.,and human-made such as NPPs(nuclear power plants)in the form of either fission as an old technology since the Manhattan project and in the near future as fusion in the form of magnetic or inertial confinements.Meanwhile,AI controlling nuclear reactors are about to happen.The basic idea is to apply AI with its two subset components as ML(machine learning),and DL(deep learning)techniques to go through the mountains of data that come from a reactor,spot patterns in it,and calling them to the unit’s human attention operators is not invadable either.Designers of such nuclear reactors will combine simulation and real-world data,comparing scenarios from each to develop“confidence[in]what they can predict and what is the range of uncertainty of their prediction”.Adding that,in the end,the operator will make the final decisions in order to keep these power plants safe while they are in operation and how to secure them against cyber-attack natural or human-made disasters.In this short communication article,we would like to see how we can prove some of these concepts;then a NPP manufacturer can pick it up and use it in their designs of a new generation of these reactors.

Dimensional Analysis and Similarity Method Driving Self-similar Solutions of the First and Second Kind Inducing Energy

Nearly all scientists,at conjunction with simplifying a differential equation,have probably used dimensional analysis.Dimensional analysis(also called the Factor-Label Method or the Unit Factor Method)is an approach to the problem that uses the fact that one can multiply any number or expression without changing its value.This is a useful technique.However,the reader should take care to understand that chemistry is not simply a mathematics problem.In every physical problem,the result must match the real world.In physics and science,dimensional analysis is a tool to find or check relations among physical quantities by using their dimensions.The dimension of a physical quantity is the combination of the fundamental physical dimensions(usually mass,length,time,electric charge,and temperature)which describe it;for example,speed has the dimension length/time,and may be measured in meters per second,miles per hour,or other units.Dimensional analysis is necessary because a physical law must be independent of the units used to measure the physical variables in order to be general for all cases.One of the most derivation elements from dimensional analysis is scaling and consequently arriving at similarity methods that branch out to two different groups namely self-similarity as the first one,and second kind that through them one can solve the most complex none-linear ODEs(Ordinary Differential Equations)and PDEs(Partial Differential Equations)as well.These equations can be solved either in Eulearian or Lagrangian coordinate systems with their associated BCs(Boundary Conditions)or ICs(Initial Conditions).Exemplary ODEs and PDEs in the form of none-linear can be seen in strong explosives or implosives scenario,where the results can easily be converted to induction of energy in a control forms for a peaceful purpose(i.e.,fission or fusion reactions).

由《唐山大地震》试析营销ROI

任何一次营销推广活动，广告主最关注的就是能否带来有效的成果。本文以《唐山大地震》的营销ROI为指引，认为：广告主做广告不应只看做是支出，而应当成是一项投资。投资有风险，但投资也意味着有可能获取丰厚的商业回报。因此，要学会从营销ROI的视角去审视广告活动。

China Expecting a Long-Term Slowdown of FDI Inflows

In recent years, the development of FDI in China has demonstrated two major characteristics:the pace is slowing down, even continuously showed negative growth; disguised foreign investments account for an excessively high proportion.

Economic Evaluation of Grain Amaranth Production in Kamuli District, Uganda

In Uganda, grain amaranth is relatively new and has generally not been considered as an important crop compared to other grain crops and legumes. This study was therefore conducted to determine factors affecting adoption of grain amaranth growing, factors affecting production, and economic returns on investment of its production. The study was carried out in Kamuli district where a total of 174 grain amaranth farmers and 90 non-grain amaranth farmers were randomly selected and interviewed. Using descriptive statistics, regression analysis （logit model and a Cobb-Douglas type production function） and profitability ratios, it was found that grain amaranth is produced on a small scale and yields are low. Farmer adoption of the crop was favoured by age, gender （female）, education of the farmer, and source of income. The output was positively affected by the amount of labour and manure used in production, while a negative relationship existed between output and male farmers. The crop was most viable under small acreages （0.02-0.04 ha） with positive returns to investment of 0.016. Its production should therefore be encouraged because of its income generation potential and since it requires small land.

Novel Farming Innovation for High Production of Black Pepper （Piper nigrum L.） Planting Materials

In accordance to National Commodity Policy （2011-2020）, Malaysian government targets at expending the pepper cultivated area from the current 16,331 ha to 20,110 ha by year 2020. Based on a planting density of 2,000 vines/ha, there will be an urgent need of 7.588 million cuttings for the next five years in order to achieve this target. However, shortages of planting materials, low productivity and occurrence of pests and diseases remain as the major challenge of pepper industry nowadays. Therefore, a novel farming innovation, namely W-configuration cultivation method has been developed to ensure high production of planting materials for large-scale pepper cultivation and at the same time to maximize land use in pepper farm. A field evaluation was conducted to compare the cutting production among W-configuration, V-configuration and traditional cultivation method. W-configuration recorded the highest mean number of pepper cuttings produced with 11.97 cuttings per vine in every pruning cycle, or equivalent to 71% of increment as compared to 7.00 cuttings per vine produced from the traditional planting method. Meanwhile, V-configuration produced 8.91 of mean cuttings, which are significantly lower than those produced by W-configuration method and yet comparable to traditional method. Based on return on investment （ROI） analysis, implementation of W-configuration cultivation method was able to achieve 35% of return per cycle of planting within two years for the first cycle and upsurged to approximately 355% for the subsequence cycle. Furthermore, this novel innovation also out-yielded traditional planting method by 75.27% for the first and second year of green berry production. The ROI analysis proved the feasibility of this newly developed cultivation method to create potential new income for pepper smallholders in Malaysia, who traditionally cultivate pepper for its peppercorn production. This study also enlightened the thorough planting procedures of W-configuration cultivation method mainly for pepper cutting production.

Italian Banking Sector and Value Creation

The finn value is the fundamental topic of corporate finance. The value creation is the aim of economic initiatives, strategies, corporate policies, and all business activities, including banking. It depends, among other things, on size, legal form, and business model. Therefore, this paper wants to demonstrate and explain the differences about the value created in the Italian banking sector, where there is much diversity regarding size, legal form, and business model. This paper estimated and compared the value of Italian listed companies from 2010 to 2012 and found the result： Banks create more value if they are big and operate in investment banking. Furthermore, it proved that legal form hasn＇t influenced performance and value of banks.

Expected Investment Premium in China Capital Market

Through a measurement of corporate investment plan,i.e.expected investment cash flow growth(EICFG),which combines historical equity issuance and factors that influence firm’s future investment,this paper studies the impact of investment expectation on firm’s cross-sectional return of stock in China capital market.I document the negative correlation between EICFG and future stock return in A-share market,and find out that stocks of firms with higher growth of investment cash flow performs significantly worse than those with lower growth of investment cash flow in one year.Our long-short EICFG portfolio generates a statistically and economically significant return which cannot be captured by leading factor models.I further disentangle the covariation between EICFG and expected stock return from rational and behavioral perspective.This paper also extends the research of investment premium to investment-based asset pricing model.