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Background and objectives Contribution margin per hour (CMH) has been proposed in healthcare systems to increase the profitability of operating suites. The aim of our study is to propose a simple and reproducible model to calculate CMH and to increase cost-effectiveness. Methods For the ten most commonly performed surgical procedures at our Institution, we prospectively collected their diagnosis-related group (DRG) reimbursement, variable costs and mean procedural time. We quantified the portion of total staffed operating room time to be reallocated with a minimal risk of overrun. Moreover, we calculated the total CMH with a random reallocation on a first come-first served basis. Finally, prioritizing procedures with higher CMH, we ran a simulation by calculating the total CMH. Results Over a two-months period, we identified 14.5 hours of unutilized operating room to reallocate. In the case of a random “first come–first serve” basis, the total earnings were 87,117 United States dollars (USD). Conversely, with a reallocation which prioritized procedures with a high CMH, it was possible to earn 140,444 USD (p Conclusion Surgical activity may be one of the most profitable activities for hospitals, but a cost-effective management requires a comprehension of its cost profile. Reallocation of unused operating room time according to CMH may represent a simple, reproducible and reliable tool for elective cases on a waiting list. In our experience, it helped improving the operating suite cost-effectiveness.

National audience; This paper studies an economy where demand spillovers make firms’ production decisions strategic complements. Firms choose their operating leverage trading off higher fixed costs for lower variable costs. Operating leverage governs firms’ exposures to an aggregate labor productivity shock. In equilibrium, firms exhibit excessive operating leverage as they do not internalize that an economy with higher aggregate operating leverage is more likely to fall into a recession following a negative productivity shock. Welfare losses coming from firms’ failure to coordinate production are amplified by suboptimal risk-taking, which magnifies the impact of productivity shocks onto aggregate output.

The purpose of the research is to study the benefits and potential problems of using Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) in the warehouse management and inventory supplychain management. Methodology. In the process of writing this article a few various types of the observation, timing, motional, inventory, and historical methods (describing present time limitations of the current inventory tracking system compare to the benefits and obstacles of the proposed new generation inventory management system) were used. To support our conclusion, we used data from the sampling research conducting on the premises of six distribution centers. Generalized results of this study helped us to create a comparison between deployment of the system with the use of just RFID tags, just barcodes, and a hybrid technology, were both types of the inventory markings were incorporated. Results. As it was predicted even before the research begins, the result of the study proved that use of the RFID technology significantly improved reliability of the inventory system by reducing number of out-ofstock (OOS) items, improved speed of the data collection and reduce amount and time of the manual work. It was also determined that RFID technology will help companies to better manage day-to-day inventory operations. The overall results suggested that use of the RFID technology will help companies to reduce fixed and variable costs associated with the daily operation of the inventory management system. However, it was also found that RFID system is not prone to the problems related to the breakage of the equipment and tags themselves. It is also worth to take into account a cost of RFID tags compares to the barcodes or two-dimensional barcodes. If a medium size company will decide to switch to the RFID technology completely, the cost of the switch might not overweight the saving the company will have. In this case a possible solution might be two-dimensional barcodes. Practical meaning. We hope that results of the study, our observations, and comments will help businesses to evaluate deployment of the RFID technology better, understand some unrecognized pro and cons of it and find possible ways to improve on the current systems by using advantages of multiple inventory solutions. Prospects for further research. Consideration should be given to a possible research of the security of the RFID technology, safety of the protocols it uses to collect and transmit data, and, finally, a possibility of the external intrusion and malicious data manipulations and the ways to prevent it.

Young and dynamic entrepreneurs are very much interested in starting up new ventures with new innovative ideas. These new ideas require funding. Every entrepreneur, be it a venture capitalist or a financier, is interested in knowing when a startup will start generating the profits or when there will be a break-even for assessing the viability of the project. Being dynamic in nature, they are interested in knowing when they will get back the funds (fixed cost) invested in the project as soon as possible, so that funds can be spared for another new innovative ideas. It is here the role of break-even analysis comes into existence. Break-even analysis is a management tool to study cost-volume-profit relationship. It is concerned with determining that level of activity where total revenue/sales is equal to total cost in narrower sense. However, its wider interpretation may refer to techniques which determines profit at any level of activity. BEP generates the information that is useful in decision making and profit planning. If sales are not equal to total cost, it cautions management to find cause and take appropriate actions to reduce fixed cost or variable cost. The objective of writing this paper is to develop the understanding how to calculate the different types of Break-even points in different business models and how they are useful in decision making, planning and control. Cases-based on real life situation have been used to explain different types of BEP. The paper will be useful to start-up business and their management in decision making.

Penelitian ini dilakukan guna mengetahui pola kemitraan usahatani tomat beef, struktur biaya, pendapatan usahatani tomat beef, dan kontribusi pendapatan usahatani tomat beef terhadap pendapatan rumah tangga petani tomat beef.Penelitian ini dilakukan di Serenity Farm yang terletak di Desa Cibodas, Kecamatan Lembang, Kabupaten Bandung Barat. Penentuan lokasi penelitian dilakukan secara sengaja (purposive). Metode penelitian yang digunakan yaitu metode sensus. Waktu pengumpulan data pendukung penelitian dilakukan pada Maret 2020. Jenis data yang dikumpulkan pada penelitian ini meliputi data primer dan data sekunder. Pola kemitraan dianalisis menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif. Struktur biaya di analisis dengan membagi masing-masing komponen biaya dengan biaya total untuk melihat persentase biaya terbesar. Pendapatan dihitung dengan mengurangkan penerimaan usahatani dengan biaya total. Kontribusi pendapatan usahatani tomat beef adalah persentase pendapatan usahatani tomat beef dengan pendapatan rumah tangga secara keseluruhan. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa pola kemitraan antara Serenity Farm dengan petani tomat beef menggunakan pola inti-plasma, dimana Serenity Farm bertindak sebagai inti dan petani tomat beef bertindak sebagai plasma.Struktur biaya pada usahatani tomat beef pada musim tanam I terdiri dari biaya tetap dengan persentase sebesar 9,21% dan biaya variabel dengan persentase sebesar 90,79%, sedangkan pada musim tanam II biaya tetap memiliki persentase 8,92% dan biaya variabel memiliki persentase 91,08%. Pendapatan usahatani tomat beef pada musim tanam I sebesar Rp.20.821.875 dan pada musim tanam II sebesar Rp.20.891.319,44. Dengan nilai R/C>1. Kontribusi pendapatan usahatani tomat beef terhadap pendapatan rumah tangga petani yaitu sebesar 59,46% (Rp.41.713.194,44/tahun). Kata kunci: pendapatan, pola kemitraan, struktur biaya, tomat beef.

Robot-assisted pancreatoduodenectomy (RPD) has shown some advantages over open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) but few studies have reported a cost analysis between the two techniques. We conducted a structured cost-analysis comparing pancreatoduodenectomy performed with the use of the da Vinci Xi, and the traditional open approach, and considering healthcare direct costs associated with the intervention and the short-term post-operative course. Twenty RPD and 194 OPD performed between January 2011 and December 2020 by the same operator at our high-volume multidisciplinary center for robot-assisted surgery and for pancreatic surgery, were retrospectively analyzed. Two comparable groups of 20 patients (Xi-RPD-group) and 40 patients (OPD-group) were obtained matching 1:2 the RPD-group with the OPD-group. Perioperative data and overall costs, including overall variable costs (OVCs) and fixed costs, were compared. No difference was reported in mean operative time: 428 min for Xi-RPD-group versus 404 min for OPD, p = 0.212. The median overall length of hospital stay was significantly lower in the Xi-RPD-group: 10 days versus 16 days, p = 0.001. In the Xi-RPD-group, consumable costs were significantly higher (€6149.2 versus €1267.4, p

Purpose of review Decentralized, inconsistent healthcare delivery results in variable outcomes and wastes nearly one trillion dollars annually in the United States (US). Congenital heart surgery (CHS) is not immune due to high, variable costs and inconsistent outcomes across hospitals. Many European countries and Canada have addressed these issues by regionalizing CHS. Centralizing resources lowers costs, reduces in-hospital mortality and improves long-term survival. Although the impact on travel distance for patients is limited, the effect on healthcare disparities requires study. This review summarizes current data and integrates these into paths to regionalization through health policy, research, and academic collaboration. Recent findings There are too many CHS programs in the US with unnecessarily high densities of centers in certain regions. This distribution lowers center and surgeon case volumes, creates redundancy, and increases variation in costs and outcomes. Simultaneously, adhering to suboptimal allocation impedes the understanding of optimal regionalization models to optimize congenital cardiac care delivery. Summary CHS regionalization models developed for the US increase surgeon and center volume, decrease healthcare spending, and improve patient outcomes without substantially increasing travel distance. Regionalization in countries with few or no existing CHS programs is yet to be explored, but may be associated with more efficient spending and procedural complexity expansion.

This study aimed to find out the general description, analyze the level of application, and determine the income of the kale agribusiness in Napan Village. This research was conducted at the Bikiu Farmer Group, Napan Village, North Bikomi District. Data collection was carried out in August 2020. Sampling was carried out using a purposive sampling method, which only took all group members. The data collected in the form of primary and secondary data were then tabulated using income analysis and R/C ratio to determine the feasibility of water spinach farming. The results of the study concluded that the stages of water spinach farming activities with an area of ​​15 hectares with each group member entitled to 5 acres, with a total fixed cost of Rp. 2,509,374.5 or the average fixed cost incurred is Rp. 167.291.7 -/ha. The total variable costs incurred are Rp. 400,000, with an average variable cost of Rp. 26,666.67,-/ha, the total income obtained by farmers in water spinach cultivation activities is Rp. 36,294,625, - with an average income of Rp.1,960.2 00, with total income is Rp. 36,294,625, with an average income of Rp. 2,419,642., -/ha for one planting season. The feasibility of water spinach vegetable farming (R/C Ratio) obtained by farmers is 13.47. Water spinach farming is profitable, so it is feasible to continue.

Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is a form of micro health insurance targeted at low-income groups that permits for grouping of assets to tackle the expenses of future, uncertain, health-related circumstances. According to the International Labour Organisation, more than 80% of India’s employed nonagricultural population is in the informal sector, implying that they are possibly excluded from receiving health insurance benefits. This is where CBHI comes into play, wherein groups of people belonging to a community define the demand and benefits and pool their resources to provide financial protection to all their members. This study aims to scrutinize the package prices sanctioned by these schemes and compare them with the cost incurred by the hospital. The expense pattern of three surgeries in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology was analysed under three insurance schemes: Arogya Bhagya Yojana, Arogya Karnataka, and Employees’ State Insurance Scheme. Methodology. A retrospective study was conducted in a 2,032-bedded tertiary care hospital in South India. Patients of abdominal hysterectomy, vaginal hysterectomy, and caesarean section surgeries covered by any of the insurance schemes mentioned above were a part of the inclusion criteria. The patient records were examined from the hospital’s Medical Records Department (MRD). The patients’ bills were assembled from the inpatient billing department to scrutinize all the expenses associated with each surgery. The variable costs include consumables, medicine, electricity and AC, diagnostics, blood bank materials, doctor’s fee, package differences, and others. In contrast, fixed costs include bed cost, equipment cost (purchase + annual maintenance cost), manpower cost-OT, manpower cost-nursing, and allocated indirect costs associated with the medical treatment. These were computed and compared with the package price of respective insurance schemes to determine if the schemes are profit-yielding schemes or loss-yielding schemes, using the data from the finance department. Results and Conclusion. It has been observed that the operating loss of the hospital for abdominal hysterectomy, vaginal hysterectomy, and caesarean section under CBHI schemes ranges between 7% and 36%. The highest loss was observed in Arogya Karnataka Scheme for caesarean section surgery (BPL patients). The amount received through these schemes is insufficient to cover the costs acquired by the hospital, let alone make a profit. However, under Arogya Bhagya and ESI Schemes, the hospital has made a profit in covering the variable costs for these surgeries. The study concludes that the hospital is running under loss due to the three Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) schemes.

La presente investigación se enfocó en analizar la estructura de costos y la rentabilidad en el proceso de producción de la apicultura. A través de técnicas de muestreo, se seleccionaron aleatoriamente 56 apicultores de un padrón de 230, mismos que se agruparon en tres estratos: productores de 20 a 50 colmenas (pequeños), 51 a 200 colmenas (medianos) y más de 200 colmenas (grandes). Se encontró que el costo económico de producción total se compone principalmente por el costo variable, con una participación promedio relativa de 55.4 % en los tres estratos. El gasto en alimentación es el concepto primordial, considerando que, para sostener la colmena, el 90.0 % de los apicultores alimentan con azúcar o fructosa cuando no hay floración. El costo fijo representa el 14.0 % respecto al total, la mayor erogación fue en el rubro de la depreciación en maquinaria y material de campo. Los costos de oportunidad representan el 30.6 % en promedio para los tres estratos. El rendimiento promedio por colmena fue de 25.4 kg/año. En conclusión, considerando el análisis económico, para el estrato I la actividad no es viable, ya que no considera el valor de todos los recursos en el proceso productivo (costos de oportunidad), así mismo en este estrato el ingreso principal proviene de otras actividades. En términos financieros, la actividad es viable en los tres estratos, lo que indica que se tiene la capacidad de cubrir costos fijos y costos variables. Al incluir los costos de oportunidad, los costos fijos y variables disminuyen.

Using Egypt firm-level customs data and the World Bank Doing Business data for the period 2005–2016, this paper investigates the impact of administrative barriers to trade on firms’ exports. A gravity model is used, and a Poisson-Pseudo Maximum Likelihood regression is estimated to account for the significantly large share of zero trade flows in our dataset. Our findings confirm that time to trade can be perceived as a fixed and a variable cost that affects both the extensive and the intensive margins. At the sectoral level, we find that while agriculture and manufacturing are affected by time delays, fuel is not. Perishable and seasonal products are found to be more sensitive to time to trade than other products. Finally, findings by firms’ size show that superstars are more adversely affected by administrative barriers to trade than small and medium exporting firms.

HIV treatment and prevention as well as other chronic disease care can require regular kidney function assessment based on a creatinine test. To assess the costs of creatinine testing in a public health care system, we conducted activity-based costing during a HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) demonstration project in the Hhohho region of Eswatini. Resource use was assessed by a laboratory technician and valued with government procurement prices, public sector salaries, and own cost estimates. Obtaining a blood sample in a clinic and performing a creatinine test in a high-throughput referral laboratory ( 660,000 blood tests, including 120,000 creatinine tests, in 2018) were estimated to have cost, on average, $1.98 in 2018. Per test, $1.95 were variable costs ($1.38 personnel, ¢39 consumables, and ¢18 other costs) and ¢2.6 were allocated semi-fixed costs (¢1.1 laboratory equipment, ¢0.85 other, ¢0.45 consumables, and ¢1.3 personnel costs). Simulating different utilization of the laboratory indicated that semi-fixed costs of the laboratory (e.g., equipment purchase or daily calibration of the chemistry analyzer) contributed less than variable costs (e.g., per-test personnel time and test reagents) to the average creatinine test cost when certain minimum test numbers can be maintained. Our findings suggest, first, lower creatinine testing costs than previously used in cost and cost-effectiveness analyses of HIV services and, second, that investment in laboratory equipment imposed a relatively small additional cost on each performed test in the high-throughput referral laboratory.El tratamiento y la prevención del VIH, así como el cuidado de otras enfermedades crónicas, pueden requerir una evaluación periódica de la función renal basada en una prueba de creatinina. Para evaluar los costes de las pruebas de creatinina en un sistema de atención sanitaria público, realizamos un cálculo de costes basado en actividades durante un proyecto de demostración de profilaxis preexposición al VIH (PrEP) en la región de Hhohho de Eswatini. El uso de los recursos fue evaluado por un técnico de laboratorio y valorado con los precios de adquisición del gobierno, los salarios del sector público y las estimaciones de costes propias. La obtención de una muestra de sangre en una clínica y la realización de una prueba de creatinina en un laboratorio de referencia de alto rendimiento ( 660.000 pruebas de sangre, incluidas 120.000 pruebas de creatinina, en 2018) se estimó que habían costado, en promedio, $1,98 en 2018. Por prueba, $1,95 eran costes variables ($1,38 de personal, ¢39 de consumibles y ¢18 de otros costes) y ¢2,6 eran costes semifijos asignados (¢1,1 de equipamiento de laboratorio, ¢0,85 de otros, ¢0,45 de consumibles y ¢1,3 de personal). La simulación de utilización diferente del laboratorio indicó que los costes semifijos del laboratorio (por ejemplo, la compra de equipos o la calibración diaria del analizador químico) contribuyeron menos que los costes variables (por ejemplo, el tiempo del personal por prueba y los reactivos de la prueba) al coste medio de la prueba de creatinina cuando se pueden mantener ciertos números mínimos de pruebas. Nuestros resultados sugieren, en primer lugar, que los costes de las pruebas de creatinina son inferiores a los utilizados anteriormente en los análisis de coste y costo-efectividad de los servicios de VIH y, en segundo lugar, que la inversión en equipos de laboratorio supuso un coste adicional relativamente pequeño en cada prueba realizada en el laboratorio de referencia de alto rendimiento.

PurposeThis paper designs an optimal closed-loop supply chain network with an integrated forward and reverse logistics to examine the possibility of remanufacturing end-of-life (EoL) ships.Design/methodology/approachExplanatory variables are used to estimate the number of EoL ships available in a closed-loop supply chain network. The estimated number of EoL ships is used as an input in the model and then it is solved by a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model of the closed-loop supply chain network to minimise the total logistic costs. A discounted payback period formula is developed to calculate the length of time to recoup an investment based on the investment's discounted cash flows. Existing ship wrecking industry clusters in the Western region of India are used as the case study to apply the proposed model.FindingsThe MILP model has optimised the total logistics costs of the closed-loop supply network and ascertained the optimal number and location of remanufacturing for building EoL ships. The capital and variable costs required for establishing and operating remanufacturing centres are computed. To remanufacture 30 ships a year, the discounted payback period of this project is estimated to be less than two years.Practical implicationsShip manufacturing businesses are yet to re-manufacture EoL ships, given high upfront capital expenditure and operational challenges. This study provides management insights into the costs and benefits of EoL ship remanufacturing; thus, informing the decision-makers to make strategic operational decisions.Originality/valueThe design of an optimal close loop supply chain network coupled with a Bayesian network approach and discounted payback period formula for the collection and remanufacturing of EoL ships provides a new integrated perspective to ship manufacturing.

This study aims to determine the income analysis of peuyeum sticky rice home industry in Tarikolot Village, Cibeureum District, Kuningan Regency, West Java Province. Observing the industrial development in an area such as Kuningan, there are still many developing industries such as the Peuyeum Ketan industry which is managed by small industries or household activity units that aim to cover their economic needs. Based on the research results, the total revenue in the Peuyeum home industry produces 60 to 200 buckets in one production process. The average total revenue at the peuyeum home industry was IDR 7,105,833 with an average production volume of 106 buckets, while the average profit at 30 peuyeum sticky rice home industries in Tarikolot Village was IDR 1,226,250 per one-time production. The total cost of production consists of fixed costs and variable costs with an average total cost of Rp 5,879,583. The peuyeum sticky rice industry is declared profitable or feasible to continue because the average value of R / C generated is 1.20> 1, meaning that the total income earned is greater than the total costs incurred.

The structure of the operational costs of gas fired units (GFU) in real power systems is much more complex than what standard unit-commitment (UC) models consider in the state-of-the-art formulations. On the one hand, when a generation company owning several GFUs procures its gas -either totally or partially- at the gas spot market, the final fuel price will depend on the total gas purchases. This fact couples the operation of all the GFUs as it is impossible to build individual cost functions for each generator. On the other hand, as any other gas consumer, the generation company has to pay the gas Third Party Access (TPA) tariffs. The generation company must contract in advance the monthly TPA capacity for each gas exit point and depending on such decision, the final variable cost of the GFUs will be different. This paper states the importance of modeling properly both issues and presents a novel mathematical formulation that can be embedded in a self-UC model. The presented example case highlights the benefits of the proposed formulation.

A new mixed-integer nonlinear programming model is presented for the time-dependent vehicle routing problem with time windows and intelligent travel times. The aim is to minimize fixed and variable costs, with the assumption that the travel time between any two nodes depends on traffic conditions and is considered to be a function of vehicle departure time. Depending on working hours, the route between any two nodes has a unique traffic parameter. We consider each working day to be divided into several equal and large intervals, termed as a time interval of traffic. Here, allowing for long distances between some of the nodes, travel time may take more than one time interval of traffic, resulting in resetting the time interval of traffic at the start of each large interval. This repetition of time interval of traffics has been used in modeling and calculating travel time. A tabu search optimization algorithm is devised for solving large problems. Also, after linearization, a number of random instances are generated and solved by the CPLEX solver of GAMS to assess the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm. Results indicate that the initial travel time is estimated appropriately and updated properly in accordance with to the repeating traffic conditions.

Knowing the costs of some activity is essential to a financial manager. Within costs it is important to group them into variable costs and fixed costs. The operation of an enterprise generates costs that with the help of the accounting records fail to group costs into the two large categories and a third category of costs arises, namely mixed costs. Mixed costs contain both fixed and variable costs and can only be separated by statistical methods. With the least-squares method, we can make this separation of mixed costs, respecting the conditions imposed by a statistical analysis. Very many use this method without analyzing the parametricity of the data, and the results obtained are of poor quality. In this article we have reviewed the literature on variable, mixed and fixed costs and the statistical model applied. In the research we applied the least-squares regression analysis to the water and sewage operator in Harghita County for the water activity for 2020 and 2019, comparing the results over the two years. The results were also verified with the help of the IBM SPSS analysis program. The conclusion we have reached is that the method of the least-squares is very well applicable for the separation of mixed costs if the data collected at the accounting level are parametric as happens at the regional water operator Harviz S. A., where at the accounting level fixed, mixed and variable production costs are analytically highlighted. The decisions made on the basis of these costs are relevant and enable the undertaking to make the right decisions knowing its break-even point and the fixed costs it can incur. Decisions are also relieved by the fact that fixed costs are highlighted in the two subcategories, namely: short-term fixed costs and long-term fixed costs. As a final conclusion, the decrease in production caused by the reduction in consumption in 2020 did not substantially change the variable costs separated from the mixed costs, so the method used provides support for correct decisions.

The issue of modern development in the oil industry has become extremely urgent. In 2020, for the first time in history, the exchange price of oil crossed the negative threshold, radically changing the understanding of economic processes in the industry. This paper examines the consequences of this stressful situation in the context of the financial stability of global oil companies in conjunction with ensuring the budgetary balance for resource-exporting countries. In the course of the study, the factors that influence the pricing in the oil market have been clarified. The authors have calculated break-even oil prices for the world’s largest oil companies Saudi Aramco (SAU), ExxonMobil (USA), British Petroleum (GBR), and Rosneft (RUS). An analysis of the fiscal break-even of oil prices has shown that Russia, compared to the Gulf countries, has a greater margin of budgetary stability, since the break-even price of oil is several times lower than in Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Based on the assessment of the operating leverage of the oil companies, a limit was set for the decline in profits as a result of the drop in oil production. The calculation of the target price for large global companies has shown that Rosneft has the highest price level due to high variable costs, and the target price for Saudi Aramco is approximately at the same level. ExxonMobil and BP’s target price levels are lower. The results obtained confirm the need to continue searching for solutions to optimize costs to lower the breakeven level of oil production.Keywords: oil, break-even price, prime cost, pricing factors, budget balance, oil market, price shocks.JEL Classifications: L21, G31, Q49DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.11260

Although developing countries typically deal with the challenge of mobilizing investments for adding new generation and transmission capacity to cope with high demand growth, there are often opportunities to enhance operation of existing generators and extract significant cost reduction as well as the ability to meet greater demand. This is particularly relevant for the Nigerian power system that has 13 GW of installed capacity but could meet only 5.2 GW of peak demand in 2018 at an average capacity utilization of 27% of its thermal (mostly gas) generation fleet. There are simple steps that can be adopted to restore merit-order based dispatch that can immediately yield an operational cost reduction. Increased plant availability, gas supply to power plants, and removal of uneconomic take-or-pay obligation are increasingly onerous tasks, but with commensurate significantly higher payoffs. We have used a dispatch analysis model to show that merit-order based dispatch within the current constraints can yield an annual benefit of $29 million or 4% of variable costs. With the removal of physical availability constraints around plants and gas supply, benefits increase by an order of magnitude to $309 million, or 19% of total annual costs. If it is possible to get rid of the uneconomic take-or-pay obligations, benefits would further increase to $579 million or over 30% of total annual costs. These are major findings especially if we consider these in the context of tremendous financial stress in the power sector. Although we do not estimate the cost of implementing these measures, there are very little hard investments needed in some of these cases such as establishing a strict merit-order based dispatch or enhancing operational practices to improve plant and gas availability. There are indeed difficult commercial and institutional issues when it comes to renegotiating take-or-pay contracts, albeit the massive benefits in excess of half a billion dollar per year should make it a worthwhile undertaking. Removal of operational and commercial constraints could also allow the Nigerian power system to meet increased demand to the benefit of unserved residents or businesses, and pave the way towards increased penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE) resources. We have shown that an addition of 500 MW solar capacity in the current system will earn reasonable return on investment between 4% and 9% and help to meet increased demand. However, an important precondition for adding large-scale solar is to raise the spinning reserve capability in the system through additional investments in flexible resources, namely, open cycle gas turbines (OCGT), pumped storage hydro or battery storage systems.

Purpose To use electronic health record (EHR) time logs to calculate the complete cost profiles of routine pars plana vitrectomy surgery. Design Economic analysis. Participants Patients undergoing elective vitrectomy procedures (Current Procedural Terminology codes 67040, 67041, and 67042) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in fiscal year 2019. Methods Process flow mapping for routine vitrectomy surgery was used to define the operative episode. De-identified time logs were sourced from an internal perioperative data warehouse to calculate procedure-level durations. The costs of materials and overhead were calculated from internal financial management software. Costs per minute for space, equipment, and personnel were based on internal figures. These inputs were used for a time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) analysis. Main Outcome Measures Complete cost profile of routine pars plana vitrectomy surgery. Results Cost analysis of routine vitrectomy surgery resulted in a total cost of $7169.79 per patient, which was $2053.85 more than the maximum Medicare reimbursement for the equivalent episode, $5115.93. Vitrectomy cases do not break even unless the case duration is fewer than 26.81 minutes, overhead is reduced by 53.78%, or reimbursement is increased by 40.15%. Reimbursement does not compensate for variable costs alone for cases lasting longer than 55.09 minutes. In the cohort used here, 68% of cases are completely unprofitable, with increasing losses directly proportional to the length of the case. Conclusions This analysis showed that true costs for routine vitrectomy procedures are significantly more than the maximum allowable Medicare reimbursement. Academic ophthalmology departments may benefit from more accurate costing approaches using existing EHR data. These approaches may be informative for policy discussion regarding appropriate reimbursement.

The article carries out a critical analysis of management information needs for information generation for operational and strategic management decisions. The problem of correct assessment of existing and future costs to substantiate the feasibility of the decisions is disclosed. The stages of formation of information on the value of variable and fixed costs associated with making managerial decisions are highlighted. The expediency of dividing fixed costs, depending on the duration of the period of validity of the decision, with which their occurrence is connected, has been substantiated. Recommendations for estimating costs in relation to specific products are given. Special attention is paid to the classification of costs into irreparable and avoidable costs, as well as to the division of the latter into risk categories based on the possible consequences of reducing or completely eliminating various costs. Time, the study analyzes the difficulties that arise in predicting future costs.

The aim of the study is to determine the strategies that can be used by Exstudio. The research method used descriptive using interview, observation, reference and documentation. Data analysis was carried out descriptively using canvas models and SWOT analysis. The results of the study showed Exstudio has a segmentation of the open market consumer segment, the consumer market (B2C) and government market. The proposition of value of Exstudio is to offer exclusive services to its clients following current trends. The channels of Exstudio's business are digital-based channels with the use of social media. Exstudio provides both pre-purchase and post-order photography and videography services. Income derived from documentation services and commission for printing orders. Exstudio resources consist of: (1) physical resources (office); (2) Human resources (core management and freelance employees); (3) Financial resources (personal capital and grant funds); and (4) Intellectual resources (brands, knowledge, partnerships, databases). Exstudio relies on its main activities namely, production, distribution, marketing and administration. Exstudio's main partners consist of event organizers and wedding organizers, printing vendors, suppliers of packaging material supplies. Exstudio is a value-driven type and consists of fixed costs and variable costs that are used for production, marketing, and administrationKeywords: Business Model Canvas, Exstudio, SWOT, Strategies, Preposition

The main objective of this research is to study the economics of various food products being prepared by the value addition of maize in various food vendors of Raipur city. The specific objectives of the study were to find out the method of preparing those food products, their market demand and to estimate the cost and returns of those value-added food products of maize. The primary data was collected through a pre-tested structured interview schedule. Simple average and percentage methods were used for analysing the data. The major findings of this study revealed that the total variable cost for the making of 161.46 gm sweet corn soup was to be Rs. 59.07. The benefit-cost ratio was observed to be 1:0.69 and the input-output ratio was 1:1.69. The total variable cost for the making of 160gm baby corn chili was to be Rs. 47.46. The benefit-cost ratio was observed to be 1:1.74 and the input-output ratio was 1:2.74.

The research objective was to determine the income of breeders obtained from the broiler chicken business during Covid-19 and determine the feasibility of raising broiler chickens during Covid-19. The location of this research is Jagerage, Kuripan, West Lombok. The material used in this research is Boiler Chicken Breeder. This research used the survey method by collecting data in the field through direct interviews with breeders using a list of questions in the questioner. The research variables observed were fixed costs, variable costs, and the net R / C ratio. The data analysis is used to calculate income and calculate business feasibility (Soekartawi, 1995). The results show that the broiler chicken business income with a population of 5000 heads of chickens is Rp. 85,225,500/period, the costs incurred are Rp. 99,856,850., - not feasible to do with the business feasibility value (R / C) of 0,85

A well-known break-even management model, successfully used in a single-item production environment, when applied to a wide range of products, or in conditionsof unstable environment is a huge challenge. The significant efforts that researchers devote to overcoming the problems of applying the break-even management model in various conditions have in recent years diverted their attention from the classical application of the model in single-product areas, which, in particular, includes the justification of the gas price on the Ukrainian gas market. In recent years, in the process of introducing market relations in the energy sector of the Ukrainian economy, in particular, in the field of gas supply, the problem of a systematic increase in gas prices has become aggravated. At the same time, despite repeated demands, the company has not been presented the gas price calculations, and there are no proposals or models regarding pricing in the gas market of Ukraine. Based on the analysis of the break-even management model, the article substantiates the possibility of its application to the conditions of the gas market functioning, taking into account the following features. 1. The volume of provision of gas supply services during certain periods of the year remains practically unchanged, or is most likely known in advance. 2. Given the constant volume of gas consumption in a certain calendar period, there is no need to subdivide the costs in the gas supply system into variable and conditionally constant. 3. Since variable costs are attributed together with fixed costs to total, the unit marginal income from the sale of 1 cubic meter of gas is the difference between the price of gas sales and the cost of gas production or production in Ukraine, or its purchase by import. Based on the adaptation of the model to the conditions of the gas market, the article proposes a methodology for justifying a break-even gas price, as well as profitable prices agreed with consumers that ensure profits in the gas supply sector and the funds necessary to pay subsidies to gas users in the field of public utilities. The introduction of an adapted break-even management model to justify the gas price in the Ukrainian gas market allows obtaining transparent adequate gas prices for each current period of the year, taking into account the initial conditions put forward by the market regulator. The general market price of gas should become a unified basis for determining the income of each participant in the gas market, while their usual expenses can be systematically clarified, as well as the procedure for calculating the mixed or average gas cost based on the cost of the product of its own production or imported.

In this paper, we propose a region-based pricing scheme, named as RegPrice, for provisioning safety-related decisions dynamically to the end-users. Typically, heterogeneous type of sensor nodes are present in the device layer of Safe-aaS. Considering the case of safety in road transportation, we compute the fixed and variable costs incurred in procurement, deployment, and maintenance for each of these different types of sensor nodes. We introduce the concept of tariff cost, which varies with the type of road in different regions and presence of similar homogeneous sensor nodes deployed in that region. Finally, we estimate the utility of a sensor node, which is a function of the sensing area, ratio of the fixed cost to total cost incurred, responsiveness factor, and rating given by an end-user for that sensor node. The SSPs provide rent to the sensor/vehicle owners for taking their sensor nodes on lease. In order to formulate the interactions among the SSPs and sensor owners, we apply first-price, sealed-bid auction-based game theoretic approach, where SSPs act as bidders. Exhaustive simulation results depict that the proposed pricing scheme, RegPrice, is capable of reducing the expenses of a SSP by 7.51% and 9.71% compared to the existing pricing schemes [1] and [2] .

The basis for calculating the cost price of any product, including laboratory tests, is based on an estimate of direct costs of the production. At present, there are no systematic ideas about the structure of such costs, and approaches to their analysis have not been defined, in the management practice of medical laboratories. The purpose of this work was developing and testing a method for analyzing the structure of direct costs and their allocation bases when calculating the cost of a laboratory test. We analyzed data on the volume of laboratory tests performed in the clinical diagnostic laboratory of the National Medical Research Center of Cardiology, prices for purchased reagents and consumables, depreciation and maintenance costs of equipment, staff salaries. As a result, we proposed a typical component structure of direct costs, established the allocation bases of fixed costs, and determined the ratio of some variable cost components to onе product unit cost. On the basis of these concepts, an algorithm for calculating the total direct laboratory (technological) cost per test has been developed, which makes it possible to simulate the cost structure under conditions of arbitrarily specified variables. During the testing of the algorithm, the values of direct costs and the technological cost per test were calculated for billable (ordered) laboratory tests. Comparison of the economic efficiency of various methods, as well as modeling of changes in the cost depending on the volume of testing and the turn-around time (TAT) has been performed. It can be concluded that the approach to creating the tables of the technological cost per test based on dividing direct costs into variable and fixed costs and structuring them by components and allocation bases is an effective tool for medical laboratory management.

PurposeTechnological advances regarding artificial intelligence (AI) are affecting the transport sector. Although fully autonomous delivery, or self-driving trucks, are not operating currently, various AI applications have become fixed components of cargo vehicles. Since many research approaches primarily concentrate on the technical aspects of assistance systems (ASs), the economic question of how to improve efficiency is seldom addressed. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to apply an efficiency analysis to measure the performance of truck drivers supplying retail stores.Design/methodology/approachFor this comparative study, 90 professional truck drivers in three groups are compared with (1) trucks without AS, (2) trucks with AS that cannot be turned off and (3) trucks with AS that can be turned off. First, we build a model investigating the impact of performance expectation, effort expectation, social influence and facilitating conditions on the behavioural intention to use AS. Second, we explore the impact of truck drivers' behavioural intention on actual technology use, misuse and disuse; operationalize these constructs; and merge them with our behavioural constructs to create one econometric model.FindingsThe human–AI system was found to be the most efficient. Additionally, behavioural intention to use ASs did not lead to actual usage in the AI-alone observation group, but did in the human–AI group. Several in-depth analyses showed that the AI-alone group used AS at a higher level than the human–AI group, but manipulations through, for example, kickdowns or manual break operations led to conscious overriding of the cruise control system and, consequently, to higher diesel consumption, higher variable costs and lower efficiency of transport logistical operations.Research limitations/implicationsEfficiency analysis with data envelopment analysis is, by design, limited by the applied input and output factors.Originality/valueThis study represents one of the first quantitative efficiency analyses of the impact of digitalization on transport performance (i.e. truck driver efficiency). Furthermore, we build an econometric model combining behavioural aspects with actual technology usage in a real application scenario.

Dust emission is one of the critical problems of the mining industry. Dust emission can cause respiratory diseases among workers and adjacent residents of the factory and environmental pollution in the region. This study aims to reduce dust emissions of an iron ore concentrate plant in Iran. Applying dust control methods can affect the production process. Therefore, in this study, the value engineering (VE) method has been used, which focuses on improving the processes without affecting the main functions. This method is implemented in three stages. In the pre-study stage of VE, the prerequisites of study, such as determining the management requirements, study scope, evaluation criteria, forming the VE team, and planning, were met. In the study stage, the required information was collected; the studied process functions were identified and ranked; 62 ideas were created based on the functions and then evaluated; the final scenarios for the selected device, hopper, were developed and ranked using the VIKOR method; and finally, confirmation of the results by the management was obtained. In the post-study stage, the results will be implemented. The approach of this study was based on maintaining the functions of the production process and production rate and finding the most effective solution to reduce dust and environmental hazards, the most efficient solution in terms of performance, and the most cost-effective solution in terms of fixed and variable costs. According to the results, dry and wet dust suppression systems are the best options among the scenarios to meet the objectives of this study.

The present study has been carried out in three agro-climatic regions of Punjab state, i.e. Sub mountainous, Central and South-Western regions for examining the economics of different green fodder crops and importance of green fodder in enhancing the dairy profitability. The study consisted of a total sample size of 120 farmers growing green fodder crops and keeping dairy animals. It was observed from the study that the profitability from important green fodder crops based crop cycle is a little bit higher (bajra + berseem ` Rs.1,213) than the traditional wheat-paddy crop rotation (`Rs.49,005). It was found that proportion of green fodder in the cost of milk production was lower (12.12 per cent) if green fodder is home-produced compared to the market prices of green fodder (23.13 per cent). In this way, the expenditure on green fodder can be curtailed by about 13-14 per cent, which will curtail the overall cost of production of milk and enhance the productivity and profitability from milk production. A direct link between green fodder quantity and milk yield has been observed. Therefore, farmers need to motivated for enhancing the green fodder production for properly feeding the animals and further, they should try to increase the herd size so that higher profits from dairy farming can be realized.

The present study has been carried out in South-Western and Central agro climatic regions of Punjab state for studying the cost-returns and marketing pattern of dairy and fish farming based integrated model. It was observed from the study that the net returns from crop farming was ` Rs.65,852 per farm per year, whereas the net returns on per acre basis were found to be ` Rs.32,328 per acre per year. Further, the net returns from dairy farming were found to be ` Rs. 4,928 per farm per year and ` Rs.8,822 per acre per year. From fish farming, net returns were observed to be ` Rs. 2, 47, 396 per farm per annum and ` Rs.84,725 per acre per year. Total profitability of the crop-dairy-fish farming integrated model was observed to be `Rs. 4,58,176 per farm per annum, and net returns per acre from this model were ` Rs. 53,030 per year. Hence, it may be inferred that dairy and fish farming are more profitable as compared to crops and when adopted in an integrated manner along with crops, can enhance the overall profitability of the farm by efficient utilisation of farm waste products and by-products. At the same time, there is need of creating awareness among the farmers regarding the importance of dairy and fish farming based integrated models, so that they can adopt these types of models for enhancing their income levels.

The objective of this study was to enhance the accessibility of athletes to cardiovascular pre-participation screening services and to improve their well-being in a region by means of assessing the feasibility and sustainability of a telemedicine project. The project was undertaken by a non-profit institution. A feasibility analysis was performed based upon the scenario of transferring a medical team to the athlete’s location. A sample of 506 athletes preceded the analysis to gather information about the process of pre-participation screening. The cost analysis included the capital, operational, maintenance and administrative costs, while monetized benefits included transportation and opportunity cost savings. The net present value and the ratio of benefits to costs were used to measure the performance of the investment project. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted with demand and variable cost to represent the main sources of uncertainty. The uncertainty assessment revealed that the probability of having positive or negative net assets is evenly distributed and that small changes in the variable cost lead to high changes in net assets. The analysis showed a benefit-cost ratio above unity and a positive net present value. Investing in a telemedicine intervention project of pre-participation screening to athletes is socially desirable. Financial sustainability can be improved by controlling-monitoring specific variable costs.

Background Few studies have reported a structured cost analysis of robotic distal pancreatectomy (RDP), and none have compared the relative costs between the robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) and the direct manual laparoscopy (DML) in this setting. The aim of the present study is to address this issue by comparing surgical outcomes and costs of RDP and laparoscopic distal pancreatectomies (LDP). Methods Eighty-eight RDP and 47 LDP performed between January 2008 and January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Three comparable groups of 35 patients each (Si-RDP-group, Xi-RDP group, LDP-group) were obtained matching 1:1 the RDP-groups with the LDP-group. Overall costs, including overall variable costs (OVC) and fixed costs were compared using generalized linear regression model adjusting for covariates. Results The conversion rate was significantly lower in the Si-RDP-group and Xi-RDP-group: 2.9% and 0%, respectively, versus 14.3% in the LDP-group (p = 0.045). Although not statistically significant, the mean operative time was lower in Xi-RDP-group: 226 min versus 262 min for Si-RDP-group and 247 min for LDP-group. The overall post-operative complications rate and the length of hospital stay (LOS) were not significantly different between the three groups. In LDP-group, the LOS of converted cases was significantly longer: 15.6 versus 9.8 days (p = 0.039). Overall costs of LDP-group were significantly lower than RDP-groups, (p p = 0.099), and between LDP-group and the RDP-groups when the spleen preservation was indicated (p = 0.115 and p = 0.261 for Si-RDP-group and Xi-RDP-group, respectively). Conclusions RAS is more expensive than DML for DP because of higher acquisition and maintenance costs. The flattening of these differences considering only the variable costs, in a high-volume multidisciplinary center for RAS, suggests a possible optimization of the costs in this setting. RAS might be particularly indicated for minimally invasive DP when the spleen preservation is scheduled.

Tuition fees for medical school are continuously and riotously increasing. This upsurge is amassing debts on the backs of students. In the class of 2018, 75% finished medical school with an outstanding balance of $196,520, on average—a $5826 increase from 2017. Tuition fees differ in terms of the ownership of the medical school (public vs. private) and according to the medical student residence status (in-state or out-of-state). It is critical that students arrange a long-term budget that shows them where they stand: in surplus or in deficit. Students may classify expenditures into two groups: “fixed” and “variable,” where they can manipulate the variable expenses to fit into their budget. To pay for their tuition, medical students have four possibilities: cash, scholarships and grants, service-obligation scholarships, and loans. Loans are the most common alternatives, and so there are Traditional Repayment Plans and Income-Driven Repayment Plans. This article serves to provide medical students with attainable alternatives for funding their education and for repaying their debts.

Despite the importance of the olive crop in North Sinai Governorate, this crop is characterized by its low production efficiency in light of the high age of some of its trees, and the presence of local varieties characterized by low productivity, and the main problem of research is limited to the decrease in the cultivated area of ​​the olive harvest from about 52.8 thousand feddans in 2013, To about 35.5 thousand feddans in 2017, a decrease of about 32.8%. The research aims in general to study the effect of feddan holding on the productive and economic efficiency of olive farms in North Sinai Governorate, where the research used the descriptive analysis method to present the topics included in the research, in addition to the quantitative analysis method using some standard models such as multiple regression in its double logarithmic form. In estimating production functions, and in cubic forms in estimating cost functions, The study also relied mainly on primary data through a stratified random sample of 70 farms It is estimated that the fruitful area of ​​the olive harvest increases annually by a statistically significant amount of about 2.6 thousand feddans, which represents about 9% of the annual average, and on the productive indicators of the research sample farms, the average number of trees per acre is about 56 trees, and the general average productivity of the tree is about 81 kg / year, and the general average productivity per feddan was about 4.6 tons / year. The general average age of olive trees in the research sample was about 28.3 years. The general average of the holder's share was about 3.9 feddans It is also evident that the relative importance of the rent item is high among the fixed costs items, as well as the rented labor item, and organic fertilizer is among the variable costs items. It is evident that the first holding category farms (less than 3 feddans) achieved the highest rates of lost income, while the third holding category farms The lowest rates of lost income, which confirms the need for intensification and rationalization of the elements of production within this category. Regarding the profit margins, the results indicated that the general average of the net yield from the olive harvest amounted to about 14.4 thousand pounds, which is equivalent to about 3.1 pounds per kilogram of the crop. The general average of the return over the variable costs of the olive harvest was about 19.1 thousand pounds, which is equivalent to about 4.2 Pounds per kilogram of crop. The general average of the added value was about 17.9 thousand pounds With regard to economic efficiency, the results indicated that every pound spent on fixed and variable production costs achieves an added value of about 1.36 pounds. It was found that the farms of the third holding category for the olive harvest were superior to their counterpart in the first and second categories in profit margins, as well as indicators of economic efficiency. This indicates the importance of expanding olive cultivation to take advantage of the capacity savings in the short and long term.

Many studies have justified rabbit production as a desirable and profitable venture. Most of these research investigations projected their results based on data collected through farm surveys that greatly relied on the memory recall capabilities of the respondents. These data apart from being prone to biasedness, may not he too insightful as to depict the true situation on ground. It is on this premise that this study was conceived to ascertain the cost and revenue structure as well as the profitability and efficiency of rabbit production, through actual production process using On-farm Research Approach the findings of the study were then compared with a similar one that made use of data collection through farm survey. Three does and one buck were used as start-off for the on-farm research using the prevalent small scale traditional backyard method of rabbit production. Two cycles of production were monitored and used to project file cycle which is the average for subsistent rabbit production in the tropics. The results re-emphasize rabbit production as a profit and efficient productive venture. Two hours of labour time was found to be necessary to produce 1 kg of rabbit meat. The rate of return to investment was found to be 152% (that is,₦1.52 return to every ₦l.00 invested). That for fixed cost was 1299% (that is ₦12.99 return to every ₦1.00 incurred on fixed asset) while the rate of return on variable cost was 274.5% that is ₦2.75 return to every ₦1.00 invested on variable inputs). These were quite higher when compared with a similar research investigation that depended on farm survey. The technical data derived from this indicate that technical data are more efficient and dependable in determining production outcomes on the filed relative to survey data. As a result of this, on-farm research was thus suggested as a way by which correct information on cost, returns and profitability of agricultural production could be obtained especially for baseline data collection. Keywords: On-farm research, economic, rabbit production.

This study examines effects of privately producing layers mash by including such non-conventional feedstuff as cassava, brewers dried grain, etc on the productivity, cost and profit of poultry (eggs) farms. Primary data was collected from three categories of farms -12 "conventional feedstuff users" (CFU), 24 "non-conventional feedstuff users" (NCFU) and 10 Animal Care concentrate users" (ACCU) found in a sample survey of 46 private feed using farms in Egbeda and Lagelu Local Government area of Ibadan. Estimates of their production, total variable cost and profit functions obtained by ordinary least squares as well as analyses of variance conducted on their production and cost statistics revealed that no sufficient evidence exists to suggest that productivity levels differ across the three categories of farms, but NCFU significantly lower average cost and more profits per trm of eggs produced than the CFU. No sufficient evidence, however, exists to suggest that ACCU had any significantly different cost or profit per tray of eggs produced from those of CFU.

A set of definitions and equations for measuring the impact of changes in quantity sold, price, variable costs, and mix between two time periods on the business’s profitability are provided. The recommended decomposition of the changes in profit is then compared with four other seemingly rational decompositions using hypothetical two-product firms. The comparisons demonstrate the importance of using a proper decomposition in constructing a measurement of the impacts of changes in quantity sold, price, variable costs, and mix on the profitability over other formulations and prior art. This normative decomposition of the profit bridge measuring the impact of changes in marketing activities is used as part of the intelligence mosaic in executive and investor decision-making.

While numerous studies examine the casual relationships of electricity rates on conservation and of conservation on variable costs, little work has been done on the missing links of conservation on fixed costs and on overall electricity rates. This paper presents a new model to scientifically quantify these two gaps and complete the economic picture of conservation. This knowledge can equip government policymakers and conservation program designers at utilities to create more efficient and effective programs. New mathematical models of the full systems-level rate impact of different forms of conservation are presented. Four common forms of conservation were analyzed for their impacts on total fixed and variable costs and rates: peak shaving (S1); off-peak reduction (S2); peak shifting (S3); and time independent conservation (S4). These were all measured against the base case without conservation (S5). A test system based on the electricity system in Ontario, Canada was created and analyzed over a 21-year period. The results show that different forms of conservation have different impacts on fixed and variable costs and rates, and the most useful metric for the economic impact of conservation is the change in utility rates, inclusive of fixed and variable components. For conservation programs to lower rates, they must decrease the peak demand, which will lower fixed costs by deferring capital investments, and increase utilization, which will lower rates by increasing consumption during off-peak times.

Poultry production plays a very important role in providing Nigerians with one of the cheapest sources of animal protein. In spite of this great nutritional contribution, some degree of discrepancies exist between its demand and supply vis a vis other economic expectations. This paper evaluates and compares the profitability of four layer production modules using input-output data from secondury sources (research reports and field experiences) and primary sources (2002/2003 input and output prices in Zaria). The modules covered by this paper are: started pullets (0-8 weeks), point of lay pullets (9-20 weeks), commercial egg production (21 - 72 weeks) and full cycle layer production (0)- 72 weeks). Fixed and variable costs were estimated for 500 birds and deducted from gross returns to give the net cash returns. The major investments in the started pullets and point of lay modules were the cost of pullets, accounting for about 61% and 50% of the total cost of production respectively. Feed constituted about 71% and 86% of the total cost of production in the commercial egg and full cycle layer production modules respectively. The analysis also indicate that sales of started and point of lay pullets accounted for over 90% of the gross income from started and point of lay modules while sales of eggs accounted for about 86% of the gross return from the other two modules. Net cash returns were positive for all the modules considered. The returns to Naira invested per year were 0.75, 0.09, 0.14 and 0.16, for started pullets, point of lay, egg production and full cycle layer modules respectively. It is cvident from these results that modules with shorter production cycle tends to generate higher returns to investment, as more batches are turnout per year depending on the length of productiun cycle.

Traditional fishing gear jubi or arrows are still widely used by fishing communities in Bulutui Village, West Likpang District. The existence of this fishing gear continues to survive amid advances in fishing technology and this fishing gear is passed down from generation to generation. This research on the Financial Analysis of fishing gear business has never been carried out even though the results of this analysis will greatly assist fishermen in managing and developing their fishing business professionally. The purpose of this study in general, namely to examine the cost structure of the fishing business using jubi in Bulutui Village, while specifically this study aims to examine the financial analysis of the fishing business using jubi in Bulutui Village. The method used in this research is a survey method. Data collection techniques by means of observation and filling out questionnaires. The sampling method is using the Simple Random method. In this study, 10 respondents were taken from a total population of 30 jubi fishermen in Bulutui Village. The results of the financial analysis that have been carried out are obtained from the Total Cost obtained from Fixed Costs less Variable Costs amounting to Rp.115.913.900, Operating Profit obtained from Total Revenue minus Variable Costs amounting to Rp. 132,798,950, the total profit obtained from the total revenue is less, the variable cost is Rp. 112,486,100, the sales BEP is Rp. 18,511,638 and unit BEP of 3,161 individuals. This analysis shows that fishing business with jubi fishing gear in Bulutui Village is feasible to be developed. Based on the results of this analysis, it answers the problems in this study why jubi fishermen are able to survive in the midst of advances in fishing technology today because they are still profitable and feasible to be developed.

In the 1980s, some seminal works such as markets for power: an analysis of Electric Utility Deregulation by Joskow and Schmalensee and Spot Pricing of Electricity by Schweppe et al. set the foundations for electric power system restructuring toward a fully liberalized, marginal price-based market environment in which generators and end users trade. Even then, it was clear that the task was not going to be easy, but an increasingly and always significant portion of the industry and academic community thought that it was at least possible. More than three decades after the first power markets were implemented, the entire "power sector community" continues to discuss the suitability of relying on short-term market prices as an efficient signal to drive investments, especially in the current context in which not only traditional generators but also end users can decide to invest in energy supply resources, and an increasing amount of new generation investments have zero or close to zero variable costs, which some people see as a threat to the short-term market paradigm.

The aim of the present study was to estimate the production cost of dates of cv. Majhoul (Phoenix dactylifera L.) as part of the Moroccan strategy to develop the date palm sector, and to compare it to that reported in the main exporting regions. Data were collected through surveys of farmers and farm owners carried out in the “Meski Boudnib” extension zone during 2018 and 2019, as well as from studies performed by some governmental organizations. The surveys were conducted on 30 modern and productive date palm farms, managed in monoculture and equipped with localized irrigation systems. All fixed and variable costs were calculated. It was found, through our calculations, that the subsidies from the Moroccan government reduce the average investment cost of a modern date palm farm by 56%. It was also shown that the production cost of one ton of date fruits of cv. Majhoul in the extension zone “Meski Boudnib” (Morocco) is estimated at about 6060 MAD (US$ 634.5), out of which 28% represents the labor cost and 23% represents mineral and organic fertilization costs. The findings of the present study revealed that the production cost of one ton of cv. Majhoul dates in “Meski Boudnib” is lower than those reported in the Coachella Valley (20,189 MAD/ton; US$ 2114) and the Jordan Valley (10,536 MAD/ton; US$ 1103).

In this paper, a hybrid variable cost function model predictive control strategy (HC-MPC) is developed for the mode transition process of a novel motor compound power-split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (DM-PHEV). Based on the layout of DM-PHEV, the mode transition process from electric driving mode to hybrid driving mode is divided into 5 stages. Considering the hybrid characteristics of mode transition process, the dynamic models under different stages are transmitted into an equivalent mixed-logical dynamical hybrid model. MPC based on hybrid model (H-MPC) is applied as the coordinated controller. Moreover, considering that fixed cost functions for the finite time horizon are not reasonable if stage transition happened during the prediction horizon, so variable cost functions changing with predictable stages is useful for improving the control effect of MPC. H-MPC considering variable cost functions (HC-MPC) is proposed as the coordinate controller in this paper. Simulation and hardware-in-the-loop test show that HC-MPC can efficiently improve the PHEV drivability.

It is necessary to study Economic For Systems Of Field Irrigation the production of onion in Reclaimed Soils in Fayoum Governorate, The study has adopted a descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis method A sample of 210 farmers from new reclaimed farms in Fayoum governorate has been tested, The questionnaire has been collected during the agricultural season 2019/2020The findings of the study have indicated the relative importance of the production costs’ items of the onion crop and that the total irrigation costs are at the forefront of the variable production costs’ items and are estimated at 3297,3 pounds per feddan, at a rate of 30,2% of the variable costs in the drip irrigation system, Having studied the effect of using different irrigation systems on the production costs as well as the total revenue per feddan of the onion crop, it has been found that with respect to the cost of human work when using drip irrigation, the product achieves an estimated savings of about 410 pounds per feddan, at a rate of about 12,7%, As for the cost of the machine work, it has been found that using drip irrigation achieves for the product an estimated savings of about 72 pounds per feddan, at a rate of about 8,5%, With regard to the total revenue, it has been found that using drip irrigation achieves for the product an increase in total revenue estimated at 9973 pounds per feddan, at a rate of about 37,8%, Finally, concerning the net return, it has been found that the use of drip irrigation achieves for the product an increase in the net yield estimated at about 9155,7 pounds per feddan, at a rate of about 61,1%, compared to the flood irrigation system, The production functions have been estimated in their linear and double logarithmic image, Then the image that conforms to the economic logic has been chosen, through which it has been found that the most important factors affecting the Ibrahim et al. FJARD VOL. 35, NO. 1. PP.190-198 (2021)

Zero tillage (ZT) implies the practice of planting a new crop in the soil left unprepared after the harvesting of the previous crop. The most dominant benefit of no-tillage is an improvement in soil biological fertility, making soils more resilient. Zero-tillage also reduces the cost of production and saves time for sowing of wheat by 10-15 days as compared to conventional tillage. District Sialkot was selected as the study areas of this study based on its diversity in agriculture and the probability of zero tillage practices in this area. Two groups of respondents were selected with almost similar socioeconomics characteristics practicing their farming operations under similar biophysical conditions. The first group comprises small farmers who were practicing conventional tillage technology and the second group include small farmers who were practicing zero tillage technology. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of zero tillage on small farmers’ wheat production and to assess the impact of zero tillage on small farmers’ income arising from the wheat crop. We collected primary data from 150 farmers through a structured questionnaire in district Sialkot of Punjab Province of Pakistan. The study identified that zero tillage wheat growing farmers used more quantity of seed than conventional wheat growing farmers in the study area. While a number of irrigations is also used more in conventional wheat as compared to Zero Tillage wheat. The results reflected that conventional farmers spend more on fertilizer, irrigation, chemical application than the zero tillage farmers. Variable cost is also higher for the conventional technique (Rs. 13698.02) than the zero tillage technique (Rs. 9723.9). Conventional wheat farmers have to spend more not only for irrigation but have to take extra care to look after in form of labor for their wheat crop, because of heavy investment made in conventional tillage wheat crop.

Deficiency in managerial capabilities, shortage of investible capital and high feed cost are major constraints limiting the growth and profitability of smallholder chicken production in Southwest Nigeria. Consequently, empowerment programmes was initiated to train and empower farmers in chicken egg production. Sustainability of the effort depends on the ability of the farmers to generate enough returns for reinvestment into the enterprise. This study evaluates the profitability of chicken egg production under the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI) project. Weekly data were collected during 2017 and 2018 production cycle on input quantity and cost, and quantity and prices of eggs produced. Analysis was by farm budget analysis. The results showed a decline in mortality rate in farms from 42.74% in 2017 to 7.76% in 2018. Similarly, average egg production per farm increased from 3,977 eggs in 2017 to 18,254 eggs in 2018. Average total income per farm also increased from N225,599.58 in 2017 to N638,758.25 in 2018, whereas gross margin increased from a net loss of N157,097.73 in 2017 to a net benefit of N281,025.93. Loss of revenue in 2017 was attributed to high mortality among laying birds. Cost of feed accounted for 59.34% of the average variable cost of producing table eggs. The study therefore recommended capacity building for farmers on farm-level formulation of costeffective feeding, as well as improving access of farmers to quality feed at subsidized cost, as an interim measure. Keywords: Chicken egg production, smallholder farmer, profitability, KAFACI project.

Goat meat has a number of nutritional benefits compared to other meats. It is preferred by those who know it value. Studies on marketing of goat meat (chevon) is important to provide vital information on its availability, profitability and the contsraints encoutered by the marketers for effective research, pricing, planning and policy fomulation. In the study, the marketing of chevon in selected markets in Ibadan, was examined. Well-structured questionnaires were purposively administered to 60 respondents from four markets (Bodija, Akinyele, Oritamerin, Aleshinloye) in different Local Government Areas within Ibadan, using multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and budgetary analysis. The results showed that 55% male respondents were chevon marketers in which 70% were married within the age range of 40-49 years. About 31.7% had no formal education while 30.0% had secondary education. In terms of religion, 46.7% were Muslims, 40.0% were Christians and 13.3% were traditional believers. The budgetary analysis revealed that the total revenue (TR) was < 3,970,030.00, total variable cost (TVC) was < 2,125,150.00 and total fixed cost (TFC) was

Besides having a high economic value, Pumpkin honey also has good nutritional content, technically honey pumpkin cultivation is no different from other plants, but in pumpkin, honey cultivation requires a higher investment, especially at variable costs, this study was conducted in Pandeglang district, in general, it is suitable for pumpkin honey cultivation. The objectives of this study include to: (1) Financial feasibility of pumpkin honey farming. (2) The rate of sensitivity (sensitivity) to the decline in selling prices, increase in production costs and decrease in the amount of production (3) The feasibility of the aspects of cultivation, social environment, economics and marketing of Pumpkin Honey. tabulation and computational methods to facilitate analysis. Data analysis uses quantitative analysis and qualitative descriptive analysis. Quantitative analysis analyzes financial feasibility (B/C Ratio, NPV, IRR and PBP) and sensitivity analysis using applicable interest rates, qualitative descriptive analysis is used to determine the feasibility of cultivation, social environmental, economic and marketing aspects. The results showed that (1) Honey Pumpkin Cultivation in Cipeucang and Cimanuk Subdistricts of Pandeglang Regency was feasible to be cultivated with Gross B/C Ratio, Net B/C Ratio, NPV.IRR and Payback Period (PBP) feasible. (2) The possibility of a decrease in production, a decrease in output prices, and an increase in production costs, according to investment criteria and in a proper condition, and have a good level of sensitivity. (3) The technical aspects of cultivation from climate and rainfall following the Pumpkin Honey plant, the social and environmental aspects are feasible, the marketing aspects are feasible and very promising.

Airport pricing is considered as one of the most relevant issues for policymakers. According transport policy, pricing schemes should be at least partially based on marginal costs. This article aims at comparing the most relevant aeronautical airport charges with their corresponding marginal costs for the Spanish airports in the period before the partial privatization process. To that end, we have built very detailed airport charge variables, and then, have estimated a flexible short-run variable cost function system using a panel of thirty-five airports over a 6-year period. The results show that the evolution of aeronautical airport charges does not follow the trend of marginal costs. Moreover, these charges are set above the short-run marginal costs with the exception of the smallest and insular airports. Finally, we find the existence of non-neutral technological change and excess of capacity for the Spanish airports.