• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 2015

This study compares the most widely used parametric and non-parametric techniques to measure cost and profit efficiency of banks, namely the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). We formulate the specification form of both stochastic cost and profit frontier models and constant return to scale Cost DEA and Profit DEA models and provide an empirical assessment of the cost and profit frontiers based on a panel dataset of National Commercial Banks (NCBs) and Private Banks (PBs) in Bangladesh over the 2001-2010 period. The cost inefficiency and profit efficiency are slightly higher for PBs than NCBs in case of both SFA and DEA. The coefficients of advance and off-balance sheet items are significant that positively influence the banks in stochastic cost frontier model while the advance, other earning assets, price of borrowed fund are significant and negative effects on the banks in stochastic profit frontier model. The average cost inefficiency and average profit efficiency are recorded with 16.3% and 91% respectively. The highest and lowest cost inefficiency are observed for Janata Bank and United Commercial Bank Limited whilst the highest and lowest profit efficiency are recorded for Eastern Bank Limited and Janata Bank respectively. The average technical and allocative efficiency are 68.8% and 35.9%, respectively in case of CRS cost-DEA model whereas they are 70.3% and 31.8% in case of CRS profit-DEA model. The average cost inefficiency is recorded 6.3% by SFA whereas it is 24.5% by DEA. The average profit efficiency is found 91% by SFA while it is 22.1% by DEA, and SFA method shows better bank efficiency than DEA.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.123-130
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• 2015

Purpose - Due to highly elevated levels of competition, many companies today have to face the problem of decreasing profits even when their actual sales volume is increasing. This is a common phenomenon that is seen occurring among companies that focus heavily on quantitative growth rather than qualitative growth. These two aspects of growth should be well balanced for a company to create a sustainable business model. For supply chain management (SCM) planners, the optimized, quantified flow of resources used to be of major interest for decades. However, this trend is rapidly changing so that managers can put the appropriate balance between sales volume and sales quality, which can be evaluated from the profit margin. Profit optimization is a methodology for companies to use to achieve solutions focused more on profitability than sales volume. In this study, we attempt to provide executional insight for companies considering implementation of the profit optimization system to enhance their business profitability. Research design, data, and methodology - In this study, we present a comprehensive explanation of the subject of profit optimization, including the fundamental concepts, the most common profit optimization logic algorithm -linear programming -the business functional scope of the profit optimization system, major key success factors for implementing the profit optimization system at a business organization, and weekly level detailed business processes to actively manage effective system performance in achieving the goals of the system. Additionally, for the purpose of providing more realistic and practical information, we carefully investigate a profit optimization system implementation case study project fulfilled for company S. The project duration was about eight months, with four full-time system development consultants deployed for the period. To guarantee the project's success, the organization adopted a proven system implementation methodology, supply chain management (SCM) six-sigma. SCM six-sigma was originally developed by a group of talented consultants within Samsung SDS through focused efforts and investment in synthesizing SCM and six-sigma to improve and innovate their SCM operations across the entire Samsung Organization. Results - Profit optimization can enable a company to create sales and production plans focused on more profitable products and customers, resulting in sustainable growth. In this study, we explain the concept of profit optimization and prerequisites for successful implementation of the system. Furthermore, the efficient way of system security administration, one of the hottest topics today, is also addressed. Conclusion - This case study can benefit numerous companies that are eagerly searching for ways to break-through current profitability levels. We cannot guarantee that the decision to deploy the profit optimization system will bring success, but we can guarantee that with the help of our study, companies trying to implement profit optimization systems can minimize various possible risks across various system implementation phases. The actual system implementation case of the profit optimization project at company S introduced here can provide valuable lessons for both business organizations and research communities.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

Purpose: This study measures the effect of Information Technology (IT) on both cost and profit efficiency of State-owned Commercial Banks (SOCBs) in Bangladesh. Research design, data and methodology: Yearly Non-IT and IT data are collected from the annual report of SOCBs of Bangladesh from 2008 to 2017. Variable Return to Scale (VRS) cost Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Profit DEA are employed to measure the efficiency of SOCBs and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) is used to investigate the impacts of ICT components on operating cost and profit efficiency for SOCBs. Results: The average cost efficiency (74.4%) was noticed higher than the average profit efficiency (20.6%) for SOCBs. SOCBs were more affordable and less profitable for both cost and profit efficiency. Rupali bank was the most cost efficient while Sonali bank was the most profit efficient. IT Investment and IT personnel expenses were positively significant for cost efficiency. IT income, IT personnel, IT personnel expenses, ATM expenses, and Credit card expenses were negatively significant for profit efficiency. Conclusion: The further studies can combine DEA with machine learning algorithms to study the impact of IT on banks' performances. The results could aid government to remove the hindrance of progress in Bangladesh.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.148-169
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• 2008

As the Korean Government began to perceive healthcare as one of foundational industries for national dynamics, there has been mounting advocacy for the introduction of for-profit hospitals with a view to bringing efficiency in healthcare services industries and improvement of their international competitiveness. The Government is now considering the issue from all angles in favor of permitting for-profit hospitals. However, There have been few precedent studies on this subject to provide helpful data for the discussion and in the health policy making. This study used private hospitals - for-profit and nonprofit - in Florida, USA as study subjects to accumulate basic data that may be utilized for those involved in debates and health policy making relating to the introduction of for-profit hospitals in Korea. Among all the private general hospitals in Florida, those surveyed by AHA(American Hospital Association) for four consecutive years from 2001 and 2004 and others reported about to MCR(Medicare Cost Report) included in the collected data for analysis. In total 139 private general hospitals consisting of 73 for-profit hospitals and 66 nonprofit hospitals were included in the collected analysis data. Results of analysis revealed no significant difference between for-profit hospitals and nonprofit hospitals in the usage aspects of healthcare services including the average length of stay and the ratio of Medicare vs Medicaid patients. However, financial performances indicated by such factors. as the pre-tax return on assets and the pre-tax operating margin showed to be significantly higher in for-profit hospitals compared with nonprofit hospitals. And the ratio of personnel expenses and the turn period of total assets showed to be significantly lower in for-profit hospitals. Based on the hypothesis that arguments about the introduction of for-profit hospitals have considerably different viewpoints depending on the size of hospital represented by the number of bed, these two hospital types were compared again using the number of beds as a controlled factor, but the results were similar. We, therefore, could conclude that the for-profit hospitals in Florida included in this study could, in their for-profit operation, improve their financial performance by pursuing cost reduction and effectively utilizing their assets without limiting the amount and the range of their services or avoiding less medically protected groups such as Medicare and Medicaid patients.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.87-97
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• 2004

One of the most fundamental problems in business is ranking items with respect to profit based on historical transactions. The difficulty is that the profit of one item comes from its influence on the sales of other items as well as its own sales, and that there is no well-developed algorithm for estimating overall profit of selected items. In this paper, we developed a product network based on association rule and an algorithm for profit estimation and item selection using the estimated profit ranking(EPR). As a result of computer simulation, the suggested algorithm outperforms the individual approach and the hub-authority profit ranking algorithm.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.118-142
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• 2003

This study is aimed at evaluating the financial structure of hospitals before and after the separation of prescription and drug dispensing policy started to be implemented in July 2000 and at making a suitable hospital managerial strategy through the verification of the factors which have effect on their profitability. This study investigated the hospitals which have passed the accredition review to be designated as a accredited training hospital each year for three years from 1999 to 2001. Those hospitals were selected from members of the Korea Hospital Association. 106 hospitals were targeted for analysis except for the hospitals whose financial statements and managerial performance were not reported faithfully. The financial indicators used in this study were stability indicators(liability to total assets, ratio of debt to fund balance, fixed ratio), liquidity indicators(current ratio, quick ratio), activity indicators(total assets turnover, fixed assets turnover), profitability indicators(net profit to total assets, net profit to net worth, operating margin), and operating expenses to patient revenues indicators(drug and supplies costs/payroll/overhead expenses). The result of this study are as follows: First, the analysis of the increase of loss-making hospitals before and after. The separation of prescription and drug dispensing policy shows that the number of loss-making hospitals increase after the separation(22.6% before the separation; 31.1% after the separation). However, there was no significant statistical difference. Second, the analysis of operating expenses to patient revenues indicators showed that the ratio of drug and supplies cost became lower in all hospitals but the ratio of payroll/overhead expenses became higher. Additionally, the factor which have the greatest effect on profitability was operating expenses to patient revenues indicators (drug and supplies costs/payroll/overhead expenses). Third, the analysis of managerial performance by four types of loss-loss, loss-profit, profit-loss and profit-profit compared the results before the separation with those after the separation revealed as follows : Reliance on liability to total assets became higher in the profit-loss type($56.2%{\rightarrow}66.4%$), lower in the loss-profit type($82.7%{\rightarrow}74.5%$). Total assets turnover became higher in the profit-profit type($1.3{\rightarrow}1.5$), but lower in the loss-profit type($0.8{\rightarrow}0.7$). Operating margin decreased to minus 5.9% from 4.3% in the profit-loss type, but increased to 7.2% from minus 7.8% in the loss-profit type. Forth, operating expenses to revenues indicators showed that the increase of payroll was the biggest in the profit-loss type($39.2%{\rightarrow}49.9%$) and that overhead cost decreased in the loss-profit type but that rather increased in other types.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.41-65
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• 1999

This study was attempted to identify the factors affecting profitability of general hospital in Kyung-In Region. Operating profit to gross revenues and net profit to gross revenues were used as a proxy indicator for profitability of hospitals. The unit of analysis was hospital, and the data were collected 5 years data from 20 hospitals. The major findings are as follows; (1) The average operating profit rate was 1.03% and the net profit rate was -5.00% in twenty hospitals in the Kyung-In Region for the last five years. In terms of maximum surplus, the operating profit rate was 14% and net profit rate was 3.40%. In terms of maximum loss revenue, the operating profit rate was -16.56% and the net profit rate was -22.83%. (2) Since the year 1993, which was the starting year of this study, the operating profits and the net profits consistently decreased. (3) Analyzing the difference in profits among various hospital groups, the tertiary hospital group and the 501-1000 beds group exhibited the highest in operating profit rate. Also, among the higher grade number of beds in hospital group, per 100 beds group, the 41-50 beds group exhibited the highest in operating profit rate. There is a statistically significant difference in those groups(p<0.05, p<0.01). (4) In the health care delivery system, the profit gain in the secondary hospital was 51.5% and in the tertiary hospital was 72.4%. Based on the number of beds in each hospital group, the highest profit gain was 75.0% in the over 1001 beds group, and 71.4% in the 501-1000 beds group. Also, among the higher grade number of beds in hospital group, per 100 beds group, the 41-50 beds group exhibited 88.6% surplus. (5) According to the surplus difference based on the analysis of health care utilization, a group with over 31 patients in bed turnover rate, a group with over 96% in bed occupancy rate and group with over 9% in emergency cases to outpatient visits exhibited the highest profit gains. In addition, a group with over 301 patients in daily outpatient visits per 100 beds and group with 11-12 days average length of stay exhibited the highest profit gains. These results are statistically significant(p<0.05, p<0.01). (6) According to a stepwise regression analysis, the variables measuring the bed turnover rate, number of licensed beds, and number of outpatient visits per specialist explain 34.1% of the variation in operating profits. In terms of net profits, the new outpatient visits, the bed turnover rates and the number of general bed variables explain 30.6%. These results are statistically significant(p<0.01).

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.1205-1210
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• 2007

Several mechanisms are introduced for the procurement of capacity adequacy. In the competitive electricity market, however, it is a GENCO that makes generation investment decision. A GENCO will invest a new generator when it can get more profit than cost. There requires a model to evaluate profit with respect to a new generation investment. In the view of long-term investment, evaluation of a profit of a generator in the electricity market is quite different from that of short-term operation. In this paper, a new profit-evaluation model is proposed for the long-term generation investment. It can treat the probabilistic characteristics of generators, ie, forced-outage-rates, which affect profit of generators.

• IE interfaces
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.25-32
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• 1989

We study the joint cost allocation based on the book profit producing power of the output through the A-S price mechanism. We show what part of the A-S book profit is allocated to the joint cost and what part is allocated to the variable total book profit of the short-run book profit function. Also we compare some other classical joint cost allocation methods with this A-S price method.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.167-175
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• 2008

An objective of companies' existence is to make profits and grow steadily. Judging what is reasonable or excessive profit for an industry or a company by a profit figure is practically impossible because it is a matter of value judgement not just fact judgement. But recently construction companies' profit level is under severe argument. The objective of this study is to investigate the level of construction companies' profit level and compare it with other industries in order to identify facts and characteristics in relation to construction companies's profit level.