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Strategic Pricing in the Infant Formula Supply Chain: A Theoretical Model of Wholesalers and Retailers
Get PDFBy the 1960s and 1970s, infant formula became widely accepted as the nutritional standard for supplementing infants' diets. One of the biggest issues surrounding infant formula was the high costs. In 1972, the federal government instituted a pilot program called the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), aimed at providing infant formula to low-income mothers. However, the cost of infant formula continued to rise throughout the 1980s and 1990s, making it increasingly difficult for the federal government to assist all WIC participants. To contain WIC expenditures, state agencies began experimenting with cost-containment strategies, such as the sole-source rebate system. Under this system, manufacturers would bid for the contract, and the one offering the lowest monthly net price was awarded the exclusive right to supply formula to all WIC participants within that state. The system proved so effective at controlling costs that in 1989 the federal government required all WIC state agencies to adopt this approach or an alternative cost-containment method that provided equal or greater cost savings.
This study theoretically models the infant formula industry, incorporating the market structure of upstream manufacturers, downstream retailers, and the purchasing power of the federal government through the WIC program. The theoretical model suggests that as the take-up rate and the quantity of WIC purchases increase, infant formula manufacturers will raise their prices. This occurs because WIC participants, who are the most price-sensitive consumers, do not pay for infant formula, which not only increases demand as more low-income households join the program but also reduces the price sensitivity of demand for formula. Consequently, manufacturers raise prices for higher-income, self-paying mothers, who are less price-sensitive. By doing so, formula manufacturers can effectively subsidize the lower-margin sales to WIC participants with higher-margin sales to self-paying customers, allowing them to participate in the WIC program while maintaining profitability
A Qualitative Case Study into Faculty Use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Higher Education for Students with Disabilities
No full textThis multiple-bounded collective case study used an online questionnaire, rating scale, and semi-structured interviews to examine faculty use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Participants were comprised of seventeen faculty members from two- and four-year public and private universities within the United States. Each participant reported using UDL in three or more online courses where they had control over course content and instruction. All data collection focused on three research questions, which explored faculty knowledge of UDL, what UDL strategies they used for online learning, and any barriers to implementation. Thematic analysis was used to extract the major themes from triangulated data. The first theme was to create inclusive college courses through UDL training. The second theme was for faculty to use UDL guidelines and checkpoints appropriate for their course(s). Lastly, there was a need for campus support to aid in UDL implementation. The results from this study also highlighted that extensive training was not needed for faculty to incorporate components of UDL into their course content
Design of a stealth, flying wing bomber aircraft using Vortex Panel methods
Get PDFThe flying wing aircraft configuration has been a significant object of study,
with interest dating as far back as the second decade of the aviation age. Over
one hundred-plus years of development, the flying wings have been shown to
be more aerodynamically efficient than traditional aircraft, resulting in superior
performance, lower fuel consumption and emissions.
However, some issues unique to that design, such as stability and control,
structural design and manufacturing, and passenger comfort have prevented the
concept from entering commercial service. As a result, all flying wings to enter
service are designed for highly specific military application.
The current work starts with a journey through the development of flying
wings, explaining in detail its advantages and disadvantages, and why the concept
has never seen mass production; it continues with the reverse development of the
B-21 Raider bomber, integrating Aircraft design, Computational Fluid Dynamics
and Aerodynamics; and concludes with a study on the stability and controllability
of the aircraft
Open Educational Resources in Technical and Professional Communication: Identifying, Overcoming, and Removing Barriers to Creation, Adoption, and Sustainability
No full textIn response to rising textbook costs in higher education, open educational resources (OER) have been long established a social justice and equity-oriented alternative to commercial publisher textbooks. In recent years, technical and professional communication (TPC) has become increasingly interested in the use of OER, particularly in the introductory service course. However, despite this increasing interest, the scholarship on OER in TPC is extremely limited and the range of its benefits to the field have been largely unexplored. TPC’s scholarly turn toward social justice opened doors to a vast array of scholarly research interests, but it has extended very minimally to our pedagogy and curriculum, and it has not made a connection with OER’s social justice roots. Therefore, this dissertation study presents an entry into a scholarly research agenda focused on feasibility and exploration of OER work in TPC.
Through three phases of data collection including an anonymous survey of TPC undergraduate program administrators, subsequent interviews with six volunteers from the surveys, and a content analysis of institutional policies and procedures for each of the six interviewees’ institutions, this dissertation study explored barriers to OER creation, adoption, and sustainability in technical and professional communication programs and identified strategies for overcoming, minimizing, and eliminating some of those barriers to make OER work more feasible in our programs. Findings for the study conclude with answers to three research questions. First, I identified barriers to OER in TPC programs including differing definitions and understandings of OER among program administrators, lack of financial and personnel support for OER work, lack of recognition for OER work (particularly in tenure and promotion), misunderstandings of copyright and intellectual property policies, and varying levels of strict textbook adoption policies. Second, I identified strategies for overcoming some of the barriers to OER work previously presented, including taking small steps toward OER adoption across multiple semesters, implementing faculty learning communities to foster collaboration and open minds to OER work, practicing faculty coaching to support advocacy to institutional leadership, and small-scale funding to vet OER materials for departmental use. Finally, strategies for minimizing and eliminating barriers to OER work in TPC program were identified, including developing guidelines for OER in tenure and promotion materials, pursuing grant funding to support OER work, developing shared resources to reduce workload placed on faculty, and starting coalitions for OER in TPC organizations
Qualitative case study: Exploring empathy in virtual learning design
No full textThis qualitative case study explores the integration of empathy in synchronous virtual learning design within corporate settings. The study examines the perceptions of virtual instructors on the role of empathy in creating effective synchronous learning experiences, focusing on the challenges they face in implementing empathetic principles during corporate learning sessions. Empathy, recognized as a critical component in educational psychology and workplace learning, is essential for fostering engagement, improving learning outcomes, and enhancing the overall learning environment. However, the transition to virtual learning has introduced new complexities, as instructors must navigate the absence of non-verbal cues and the physical distance that can hinder empathetic connections.
Through in-depth interviews and observations, this study seeks to uncover how instructors perceive empathy, the strategies they employ to integrate it into their synchronous virtual learning designs, and the obstacles they encounter in this process. The findings will provide insights into the practical implications of incorporating empathy in corporate professional settings, contributing to the broader understanding of how to create supportive and engaging learning environments in the digital age. Ultimately, this research aims to bridge the gap in existing literature by offering a nuanced perspective on the intersection of empathy, instructional design, and synchronous virtual learning in the workplace
Experiences of Foreign-Born Couple and Family Therapists in Building a Strong Alliance: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
No full textCouple and family therapists (CFT) are mental healthcare providers and understanding their experiences in building strong alliances with their clients would benefit the profession as the ethnic and racial demographics of clients and therapists both evolve. Specifically, previous research indicates that a weak therapeutic alliance predicts client dropout rates (Horvath, 2006), and that therapists’ competence and ability to connect with clients, instill trust and confidence, was predictive of a strong alliance (Ackerman & Hilsenroth, 2003). However, foreign-born therapists are perceived as less competent due to language barriers and internalized stereotypes against them (Ng & Smith, 2009; Peng, et al., 2022). The present Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al., 2021) examined the lived experiences of 12 foreign-born CFT whose first language is not English. Seven themes and 13 subthemes emerged from the data analysis of those 12 participants’ semi-structured interviews. The seven themes are as follow: (1) Strong Therapeutic Alliances, (2) Comparing Therapeutic Alliances in Individual vs. Relational Therapy, (3) Cultural Barriers, (4) Stereotypes and Assumptions, (5) Navigating Cultural Barriers, (6) Navigating Stereotypes and Assumptions, and (7) “Helping People to Expand Their Perception of Reality”. The findings support previous literature that described foreign-born CFT encounter linguistic and cultural barriers when living and practicing in the U.S. Participants employed various strategies to overcome those barriers, focusing on establishing personal connections with clients, maintaining a non-judgmental attitude, avoiding assumptions, and fostering self-confidence
Sonic Effects of Bow Force Vector Differentials on Bowed Stringed Instruments
No full textThis study aims to develop a more objective framework for assessing tonal attributes perceived in violin family instruments based on specific variations in the bow’s “roll” angle and bow force vector direction. In this study, two bowing techniques are juxtaposed in which musicians employ two specific methods of varying the bow force vector angle on instruments of the violin family. These two methods consist of 1) Technique A, in which the musician directs the bow force vector perpendicular to the string on 8 test pitches, and 2) Technique B, in which the musician directs the bow force vector at an increasingly acute roll angle in relation to the bridge on the same 8 pitches.
The comparison of the tonal attributes in the contrasting bowing techniques is achieved by 1) an objective correlation study in which FFT graph overlays and roll angle data are gathered and analyzed from an audio/video recording of four musicians using both Techniques A and B, recorded on a set of 8 test pitches along with a synchronized recording of the bow’s roll angles, and 2) a blind qualitative survey study in which participants use a tonal spectrum chart to assess their perception of the contrasting techniques on 8 test pitches played on the double bass.
The results for the objective correlation study overall exhibited a positive correlation between the use of Technique B and increase in decibel level in the FFT analysis of the test pitches recorded on each of the four instruments of the violin family. The qualitative survey study resulted in a positive correlation between use of Technique A and tonal descriptors such as “spread,” and “hollow,” whereas Technique B was positively correlated with descriptors such as “focused” and “projecting/strong.” While these findings are not entirely conclusive, the data suggests promising trends in the tonal properties attributed to the two bowing techniques. Due to the limitations in the ability to control numerous bowed instrument parameters, further research is necessary to support the conclusion that these bow force vector variation techniques directly yield the results obtained
SWCPC 438 Negatives #59 C. C. Slaughter (duplicate), undated.
No full textThe collection features portraits of sixty-one prominent cattle ranchers, both male and female, who were considered to be the “Cattle Kings of Texas.
SWCPC 438 Negatives #25 J. Riley Green, undated.
No full textThe collection features portraits of sixty-one prominent cattle ranchers, both male and female, who were considered to be the “Cattle Kings of Texas.
SWCPC 438 #51 James R. Bell, undated.
No full textThe collection features portraits of sixty-one prominent cattle ranchers, both male and female, who were considered to be the “Cattle Kings of Texas.