Scheduling professionals in the retail pharmacy chain

To control operating costs, a zero-one integer programming model is developed to assist pharmacy staff scheduling decisions. Variable scheduling needs are met by the assignment of relief (mobile) pharmacists to help or temporarily replace full-time pharmacists. Assignments of relief pharmacists over a two-week planning horizon are determined with consideration given to variations in wage rates and travel costs together with the underlying corporate, contractual and operating constraints. The developed model has been applied with considerable success using data collected from a business district in the US located in northern Louisiana related to a national retail chain pharmacy. Forecasting the number of chain retail outlets in the near future has been also performed and the results obtained argue in favor of adopting the model by the entire chain.scheduling integer linear programming relief pharmacists

Modeling the effect of subsidized pricing policy on new product diffusion

This paper is concerned mainly with highlighting the potential applications of photovoltaics (PV) together with its perceived advantages and disadvantages in comparison to alternative conventional sources of energy for different applications in an OPEC country. A diffusion model is developed, calibrated and used to forecast PV demand for the residential sector. The model is used to rationalize government subsidized pricing decisions over time to accelerate PV market penetration.diffusion of innovation sensitivity analysis pricing policy photovoltaics

On modeling revitalization decisions for weak industrial products

This paper presents a quantitative approach for revitalizing weak industrial products. The approach starts with a diagnostic stage and terminates with a corrective action stage to restore the product's profitability. The steps of the approach have been implemented in revitalizing the product line of a local manufacturer of car batteries in Kuwait. Early results are encouraging and the approach should help an industrial company make sound decisions in this relatively unexplored aspect of industrial product line management.revitalization decisions product line management marketing research break-even analysis sensitivity analysis

Prelaunch sales forecasting of a new industrial product

This paper presents a quantitative approach that aims principally at forecasting sales of a new entrant, before the actual launching of its brand name, in a competitive market of a recently introduced industrial product. The research offers ways of operationalizing existing first purchase and repeat purchase models together with an entry market share model to actual limited historical data about the diffusion process in a case study. The approach should help a firm in taking a sound strategic decision as to whether or not to enter a new business in the field of industrial products.

Returns to product promotion when consumers are learning how to consume

Consumer skills, Learning by consuming, Consumer socialization, Product promotion, Returns to advertising, D11, M37, C63,