Computing the Stretch Factor and Maximum Detour of Paths, Trees, and Cycles in the Normed Space

The stretch factor and maximum detour of a graph G embedded in a metric space measure how well G approximates the minimum complete graph containing G and the metric space, respectively. In this paper we show that computing the stretch factor of a rectilinear path in L1 plane has a lower bound of Ω(n log n) in the algebraic computation tree model and describe a worst-case O(σn log2 n) time algorithm for computing the stretch factor or maximum detour of a path embedded in the plane with a weighted fixed orientation metric defined by σ ≥ 2 vectors and a worst-case O(n logd n) time algorithm to d ≥ 3 dimensions in L1-metric. We generalize the algorithms to compute the stretch factor or maximum detour of trees and cycles in O(σn logd+1 n) time. We also obtain an optimal O(n) time algorithm for computing the maximum detour of a monotone rectilinear path in L1 plane

A preliminary study of key factors affecting management and evaluation of IT outsourcing contracts in hospitals

© 2015 by IGI Global. All rights reserved. Many hospitals are experiencing pressure to improve their operational efficiency and patient safety due to escalating costs and increased competition. In order to achieve these and other business objectives, hospitals have to outsource some of their Information Technology (IT) functions to external outsourcing contractors. The scope and range of IT-related outsourcing services are also increasing, as evidenced by the promotion of Applications Service Providers (ASP), Business-to-Business (B2B) integration, cloud-drive business and IT services, desktop and helpdesk, IT infrastructure services, and software development outsourcing. However, little attention has been paid by many hospitals to the key factors that affect their IT outsourcing decision-making and negotiation processes. This is important given that the IT outsourcing can play a key role in organizational success. Moreover, contract decision-making and negotiation processes in hospitals are particularly under-studied, especially in the management and evaluation of the IT outsourcing contracts. Hence, the main objectives of this chapter are to: (1) examine and identify some key factors affecting the management and evaluation of IT outsourcing contracts in Taiwanese hospitals; and (2) propose a set of recommendations to overcome or minimize the key issues identified in this study. One contribution of the study is the recommendations provided to deal with issues that are critical in the management and evaluation of IT outsourcing contracts in hospitals