Donald F. Grunewald and Donald Grunewald
To provide a case study with instructor's note to help students learn about the problems of possible closure of a business or other alternatives for the specific store from the…
Abstract
Purpose
To provide a case study with instructor's note to help students learn about the problems of possible closure of a business or other alternatives for the specific store from the points of view of management of the company, employees, town leaders and possible buyers of the store.
Design/methodology/approach
A large regional supermarket chain in northeastern United States which has European ownership is considering what to do about a small obsolete store in a beachfront community. The supermarket chain could close the store, refurbish it, build a new store, or sell the present store to employees of the store or sell it to competitors. The store is the only supermarket in town. Closure would have adverse economic impacts on the community, which concerns the leadership of the town. Management of the chain needs to consider these options. If management decides to close or sell the store, local employees of the store need to consider whether they should attempt to purchase the store if they can raise the capital needed to buy and refurbish the store.
Findings
Students must come up with solutions to the problems posed in the case. The instructor's note provides some possible findings.
Practical implications
This case will help prepare students to study such issues as closing a business, sale or other disposition of a business and the role of the community in such decisions.
Originality/value
This paper consists of an original case study based upon an actual experience of one of the authors in a supermarket facing possible sale or closure.
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Keywords
Azrah Anparasan and Miguel Lejeune
The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel evidence-based Haddon matrix that identifies intervention options for organizations and governments responding to an epidemic in a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel evidence-based Haddon matrix that identifies intervention options for organizations and governments responding to an epidemic in a developing economy.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review of articles published within a year of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Two separate types of literature sources are used – academic and non-academic – to apprehend the value and role of interventions implemented and/or identified.
Findings
The Haddon matrix helps break down the challenges involved in the containment of an epidemic into smaller, manageable components. This research shows that the matrix enables visualization of past evidence, help dissect various informational sources, and increase collaboration across humanitarian organizations. It will also serve as a building block for academics to identify new research directions to respond to epidemic outbreaks.
Research limitations/implications
The analysis focuses on the cholera epidemic in Haiti. Future work will be directed to generalize the identified recommendations and insights to a broader context.
Originality/value
This paper presents an evidence-based Haddon matrix that infers recommendations and insights based on past evidence for each phase (pre-event, response, and post-event) and factor (agent, host, physical environment, and socio-cultural environment) of an epidemic and for various stakeholders (humanitarian organizations, governments, and academics). The matrix provides a structured framework to identify interventions and best practices to address challenges during an epidemic outbreak.
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The purpose of this paper is to present an annotated bibliography of the new poetry volumes from the Poets House 2009 Poetry Showcase.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an annotated bibliography of the new poetry volumes from the Poets House 2009 Poetry Showcase.
Design/methodology/approach
The titles were selected from the Poets House 2009 Poetry Showcase as titles that are both challenging and accessible.
Findings
This list provides the librarian and reader with a guide to collection development in poetry.
Originality/value
This is one of the few lists of its kind showcasing contemporary poetry.
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Maan Habib, Bashar Bashir, Abdullah Alsalman and Hussein Bachir
Slope stability analysis is essential for ensuring the safe design of road embankments. While various conventional methods, such as the finite element approach, are used to…
Abstract
Purpose
Slope stability analysis is essential for ensuring the safe design of road embankments. While various conventional methods, such as the finite element approach, are used to determine the safety factor of road embankments, there is ongoing interest in exploring the potential of machine learning techniques for this purpose.
Design/methodology/approach
Within the study context, the outcomes of the ensemble machine learning models will be compared and benchmarked against the conventional techniques used to predict this parameter.
Findings
Generally, the study results have shown that the proposed machine learning models provide rapid and accurate estimates of the safety factor of road embankments and are, therefore, promising alternatives to traditional methods.
Originality/value
Although machine learning algorithms hold promise for rapidly and accurately estimating the safety factor of road embankments, few studies have systematically compared their performance with traditional methods. To address this gap, this study introduces a novel approach using advanced ensemble machine learning techniques for efficient and precise estimation of the road embankment safety factor. Besides, the study comprehensively assesses the performance of these ensemble techniques, in contrast with established methods such as the finite element approach and empirical models, demonstrating their potential as robust and reliable alternatives in the realm of slope stability assessment.
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Jillian Alderman and Maretno Harjoto
This study aims to examine the relationship between the duration (in days) of states’ shelter-in-place orders; state demographic characteristics; and the rates of spread (cases)…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the relationship between the duration (in days) of states’ shelter-in-place orders; state demographic characteristics; and the rates of spread (cases), death (mortality), and recovery of COVID-19 in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
State-level data across 50 states and Washington D.C. from January 23, 2020, to June 11, 2020, and a multivariate regression analysis were used to empirically investigate the impacts of the duration of shelter-in-place orders and state demographic characteristics on the rates of cases, mortality and recovery per capita of COVID-19.
Findings
This study finds that a longer duration of a shelter-in-place order is associated with lower cases and deaths per capita from COVID-19. This study also finds that demographic characteristics, such as the percentage of people who are unsheltered homeless, family size, percentage of individuals with health insurance, income inequality, unemployment rate, gender and race, are related to cases, mortality and recovery rates of COVID-19.
Social implications
This study offers policy implications for state and locality (e.g., city, region and country) lockdown decisions and salient demographics to consider curbing the spread and mortality rate of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study results are important to consider as the world braces for the anticipated resurgence of COVID-19.
Originality/value
This study reveals that the duration of shelter-in-place orders and demographics in states are related to the rates of spread, mortality, and recovery of COVID-19.