Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “COMMERCE”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

An analysis of UK waste minimization clubs: key requirements for future cost effective developments.

The UK waste strategy is based upon use of the best practicable environmental option (BPEO), by those making waste management decisions. BPEO is supported by the use of the waste hierarchy, with its range of preferable options for dealing with waste, and the proximity principle, where waste is treated/disposed of as close to its point of origin as possible. The national waste strategy emphasizes the key role of waste minimization and encourages industry, commerce and the public to move towards sustainable waste management practice for economic and environmental reasons. Waste minimization clubs have been used, since the early 1990s, to demonstrate to industry/commerce that reducing waste production can lead to significant financial savings. There have been around 75 such clubs in the UK and they receive support from a wide range of agencies, including the Environmental Technology Best Practice Program. The early Demonstration Clubs had significant savings to cost ratios, e.g. Aire and Calder at 8.4, but had very high costs, e.g. Aire and Calder at 400,000 pounds. It is acknowledged that the number of clubs will have to be approximately doubled in the next few years so as to have an adequate coverage of the UK. There are at present, marked regional variations in club development and cognizance needs to be taken, by facilitators, of the need for extensive coverage of the UK. Future clubs will probably have to operate in a financially constrained climate and they need to be designed to deliver significant savings and waste reduction at low cost. To aid future club design, final reports of all projects should report in a standard manner so that cost benefit analysis can be used to inform facilitators about the most effective club type. rights reserved.

Capital Financing↗
PubMed2003

The power of collaboration: using internet-based tools to facilitate networking and benchmarking within a consortium of academic health centers.

The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) represents a strategic alliance of 169 academic health centers and associated institutions engaged in knowledge sharing and idea-generation. The use of the Internet as a tool in the delivery of UHC's products and services has increased dramatically over the past year and will continue to increase during the foreseeable future. This paper examines the current state of UHC-member institution driven tools and services that utilize the Web as a fundamental component in their delivery. The evolution of knowledge management at UHC, its management information and reporting tools, and expansion of e-commerce provide real world examples of Internet use in health care delivery and management. Health care workers are using these Web-based tools to help manage rising costs and optimize patient outcomes. Policy, technical, and organizational issues must be resolved to facilitate rapid adoption of Internet applications.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2006

Risk assessment for invasive species produces net bioeconomic benefits.

International commerce in live organisms presents a policy challenge for trade globalization; sales of live organisms create wealth, but some nonindigenous species cause harm. To reduce damage, some countries have implemented species screening to limit the introduction of damaging species. Adoption of new risk assessment (RA) technologies has been slowed, however, by concerns that RA accuracy remains insufficient to produce positive net economic benefits. This concern arises because only a small proportion of all introduced species escape, spread, and cause harm (i.e., become invasive), so a RA will exclude many noninvasive species (which provide a net economic benefit) for every invasive species correctly identified. Here, we develop a simple cost:benefit bioeconomic framework to quantify the net benefits from applying species prescreening. Because invasive species are rarely eradicated, and their damages must therefore be borne for long periods, we have projected the value of RA over a suitable range of policy time horizons (10-500 years). We apply the model to the Australian plant quarantine program and show that this RA program produces positive net economic benefits over the range of reasonable assumptions. Because we use low estimates of the financial damage caused by invasive species and high estimates of the value of species in the ornamental trade, our results underestimate the net benefit of the Australian plant quarantine program. In addition, because plants have relatively low rates of invasion, applying screening protocols to animals would likely demonstrate even greater benefits.

Commerce↗
PubMed2005

Assessing contributory risk using economic input-output life-cycle analysis.

The contribution of consumer purchases of non-essential products to environmental pollution is characterized. Purchase decisions by consumers induce a complex sequence of economy-wide production interactions that influence the production and consumption of chemicals and subsequent exposure and possible public health risks. An economic input-output life-cycle analysis (EIO-LCA) was used to link resource consumption and production by manufacturers to corresponding environmental impacts. Using the US Department of Commerce's input-output tables together with the US Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory and AIRData databases, the economy-wide air discharges resulting from purchases of household appliances, motor homes, and games and toys were quantified. The economic and environmental impacts generated from a hypothetical 10,000 US dollar purchase for selected consumer items were estimated. The analysis shows how purchases of seemingly benign consumer products increase the output of air pollutants along the supply chain and contribute to the potential risks associated with environmental chemical exposures to both consumers and non-consumers alike.

Commerce↗
PubMed2000

Digital health care--the convergence of health care and the Internet.

The author believes that interactive media (the Internet and the World Wide Web) and associated applications used to access those media (portals, browsers, specialized Web-based applications) will result in a substantial, positive, and measurable impact on medical care faster than any previous information technology or communications tool. Acknowledging the dynamic environment, the author classifies "pure" digital health care companies into three business service areas: content, connectivity, and commerce. Companies offering these services are attempting to tap into a host of different markets within the health care industry including providers, payers, pharmaceutical and medical products companies, employers, distributors, and consumers. As the fastest growing medium in history, and given the unique nature of health care information and the tremendous demand for content among industry professionals and consumers, the Internet offers a more robust and targeted direct marketing opportunity than traditional media. From the medical consumer's standpoint (i.e., the patient) the author sees the Internet as performing five critical functions: (1) Disseminate information, (2) Aid informed decision making, (3) Promote health, (4) Provide a means for information exchange and support--the community concept, and (5) Increase self-care and manage demand for health services, lowering direct medical costs. The author firmly submits the Web will provide overall benefits to the health care economy as health information consumers manage their own health problems that might not directly benefit from an encounter with a health professional. Marrying the Internet to other interactive technologies, including voice recognition systems and telephone-based triage lines among others, holds the promise of reducing unnecessary medical services.

Commerce↗
PubMed2001

Regulating the market for human eggs.

This essay provides a rationale for a regulated market for human oocytes. Although the commodification of human oocytes raises important moral concerns, these concerns do not justify laws banning commerce in human eggs. Given the burgeoning ART industry and the growing oocyte market, the most prudent course of action is to develop regulations for the human oocyte market that are designed to protect and promote important social values, such as health, safety, liberty, and respect for human life. Other responses, such as banning the sale of eggs altogether or allowing donors to be compensated only for their services, would either create a black market or would lead to corruption and abuse. Society still needs to debate specific rules and policies that should govern the human egg market, but further discussion of that important task is best left to legislative bodies and other commentators.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Are medical societies developing a standard for gun injury prevention?

CONTEXT: Following heightened gun violence in the 1990s, many medical societies in the United States adopted policies on the topic. OBJECTIVE: Identify points of firearm violence policy agreement among large medical organizations. DESIGN: Fourteen national medical societies-clinical focus, demonstrated interest in gun injury prevention, >2000 members-were selected for policy review in 2002. Policies were categorized on areas covered and items within these. Consensus areas were addressed by >/=7/14 societies. Consensus items were included by >/=7/14 societies, shared items by 5-6. RESULTS: There were five consensus areas: access prevention, gun commerce, research, public education, and clinical counseling. There were four consensus items: restricting gun access by enforcing existing laws, restricting access to all guns at the point of sale, restricting access to handguns at the point of sale, and creating a national database on gun injury and death. Shared items promote violence prevention, clinical education on risks of guns in the home, treating guns as consumer products, restricting gun access to children, bans on automatic weapons, and promoting trigger locks. CONCLUSIONS: Large medical societies in the United States agree on key approaches for reducing gun injury mortality and morbidity. Future research will be needed to track the evolution of this emerging standard for physician action, which now includes the consensus areas and items. It promises to be, in effect, a medical standard of care for gun injury prevention. The United States experience may be useful to others working on gun injury prevention.

Child↗
PubMed2005

People and guns involved in denied and completed handgun sales.

OBJECTIVE: Denial of handgun purchases by prohibited people and knowledge of the structure of gun commerce have helped to deter and prevent firearm violence. The authors hypothesize that handguns involved in a denied purchase would more closely resemble those used in crime compared with handguns sold. DESIGN: Cross sectional. SETTING: Denied and completed handgun sales in California, 1998-2000. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Handgun and purchaser characteristics of denied and completed sales were compared. In particular, handgun characteristics most closely associated with crime guns (type, caliber, barrel length, price) were examined. RESULTS: Compared with handguns sold, handguns in denied sales were somewhat more likely to be semiautomatic pistols (74.6% v 69.4%), to have short barrels (25.9% v 22.2%), and be of medium caliber (48.9% v 37.3%). Ten percent of the handguns in denied sales and 3.4% of handguns sold were identified as inexpensive. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of denied handguns are similar to those seen among crime guns. Both groups of guns may reflect the desirability for criminal purposes of pistols, which have larger ammunition capacities than other handguns, and short barrels, which increase their ability to be concealed.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Innovations: Alcohol & drug abuse: Narcotics on the net: the availability of Web sites selling controlled substances.

The Internet is not only a vital medium for communication, entertainment, and commerce, but it is also an outlet for illicit drug sales. Although the U.S. Controlled Substances Act regulates access to certain drugs by requiring prescriptions, unique characteristics of the Internet create significant challenges for the enforcement of U.S. drug policies. In the late 1990s "no prescription Web sites" (NPWs) began to emerge, which allow persons to purchase drugs, such as opiates, without a prescription. Given the likely role of NPWs in increasing prescription drug abuse, health care professionals must develop and disseminate strategies for helping patients who are affected by these Web sites.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2004

Animal health organizations: roles to mitigate the impact of ecologic change on animal health in the tropics.

Production of livestock across North and South America is extensive. The opportunities for production, commerce, and thriving economies related to animal agriculture are balanced against the devastating threats of disease. Commitment by livestock and poultry producers in exporting countries to production methods, herd health management, and biosecurity in their operations must be coupled with an animal health and marketing infrastructure that allows the industries to thrive and offers assurances to trading partners that their livestock industries will not be jeopardized. National and international animal health organizations play a key role in providing this infrastructure to the industries that they serve. The incentive for the successful World agricultural production economies to provide direction and support for improving animal health and conveying principles for competitive and safe production to lesser developed nations is the assurance that the expanding economies of these nations offer an eager and hungry market for the products of the other industries of an export-dependent economy. The World Trade Organization (WTO) was established after the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO provides the permanent international multilateral institutional framework for implementing dispute resolution agreements and the agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. The SPS agreements allow for the protection of animal and plant health.

Animal Diseases↗
PubMed2004

Effects of organizational scheme and labeling on task performance in product-centered and user-centered retail Web sites.

As companies increase the quantity of information they provide through their Web sites, it is critical that content is structured with an appropriate architecture. However, resource constraints often limit the ability of companies to apply all Web design principles completely. This study quantifies the effects of two major information architecture principles in a controlled study that isolates the incremental effects of organizational scheme and labeling on user performance and satisfaction. Sixty participants with a wide range of Internet and on-line shopping experience were recruited to complete a series of shopping tasks on a prototype retail shopping Web site. User-centered labels provided a significant benefit in performance and satisfaction over labels obtained through company-centered methods. User-centered organization did not result in improved performance except when the label quality was poor. Significant interactions suggest specific guidelines for allocating resources in Web site design. Applications of this research include the design of Web sites for any commercial application, particularly E-commerce.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Alcohol consumption, beverage prices and measurement error.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol price data collected by the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association (ACCRA) have been widely used in studies of alcohol consumption and related behaviors. A number of problems with these data suggest that they contain substantial measurement error, which biases conventional statistical estimators toward a finding of little or no effect of prices on behavior. We test for measurement error, assess the magnitude of the bias and provide an alternative estimator that is likely to be superior. METHOD: The study utilizes data on per capita alcohol consumption across U.S. states and the years 1982-1997. State and federal alcohol taxes are used as instrumental variables for prices. RESULTS: Formal tests strongly confim the hypothesis of measurement error. Instrumental variable estimates of the price elasticity of demand range from -0.53 to -1.24. These estimates are substantially larger in absolute value than ordinary least squares estimates, which sometimes are not significantly different from zero or even positive. CONCLUSIONS: The ACCRA price data are substantially contaminated with measurement error, but using state and federal taxes as instrumental variables mitigates the problem.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Bioethical study of kidney transplantation in Brazil involving unrelated living donors: the inefficiency of law to prevent organ commercialism].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to know the opinion of five different social segments (public prosecutors, judges, general population, recipients of the awaiting list for kidney transplants and the crew involved in the organ transplantation process of a hospital in Brasília--Hospital de Base) about the present organ transplant legislation, with an emphasis on the donation of kidney by unrelated living donors, and the new determination given by Law #10.211, in March 23rd, 2001, specifically in its article 9, that enlarges the criteria for donation of organs between unrelated living people. METHODS: A questionnaire with six objective questions was used in order to know the opinion of five groups of people of the Federal District about the present organ transplant legislation in Brazil. RESULTS: For 80% of the people interviewed, when Brazilian legislation allows donation of organs between unrelated living people, it makes possible the existence of rewarded donation and 81% of them consider that the requirement for judicial authorization is not an effective instrument to prevent organ commercialism. CONCLUSIONS: The present research indicates that Brazilian legislation fails concerning the utilization of kidneys for transplantation from unrelated living donors, making possible the commerce of organs in the country. Considering that poor people are the most vulnerable ones in this context, the authors suggest changes in the legislation in force, aiming to protect them and, therefore, attain more justice.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Characteristics of current international trade of live salmonid eggs.

World trade in live salmonid embryos (eyed eggs) has grown in response to increased global salmon production, particularly in South America, and parallels international trade in farmed salmonid products. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and coho salmon (O. kisutch) are the most commercially important species. In 1992, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated world production of rainbow trout at 300,000 tonnes, while the production of Atlantic salmon was estimated at 250,000 tonnes and coho salmon at 50,000 tonnes. One can estimate that roughly 3 billion, 150 million and 30 million eggs, respectively, were required to produce this yield. Broodstock are cultivated world-wide, using a wide variety of water sources, including the marine environment, riverine water containing anadromous fish, and ground water free of migrating fish. As many as 70% of all coho eggs are derived from feral fish. Approximately 50% of all commercial salmonid eyed eggs are produced in Europe, and approximately 15% are produced in the state of Washington, United States of America. Conditions which are ideal for commercial salmonid grow-out are not necessarily ideal for the cultivation of salmonid broodstock; this is one reason why international egg trade is necessary. The trend of current salmonid health regulations is towards facilitating egg commerce on a regional level, in an attempt to control disease transmission. Regulations controlling egg importation often include pathogens which are not vertically transmitted. This serves only to increase egg prices, in compensation for the cost of laboratory tests. Genetic improvements have been the cornerstone of increasing commercial production of all agricultural commodities. Fish health regulations are sometimes instituted in an effort to protect the local industry, but in fact they act more often to restrict the flow of genetic material and may actually serve to reduce industry productivity and profitability.

Africa↗
PubMed1992

Epidemiology of insulin-using commercial motor vehicle drivers. Major variability of state licensing requirements in the U.S.

OBJECTIVE: Licensing agencies in many areas, including the U.S., prohibit insulin-using individuals from driving CMVs or large trucks. This study examined the debate over the risks of licensing insulin-using individuals to drive CMVs as an occupation, and the variations in regulations of different states. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: As part of an ongoing review of the regulations governing interstate commerce in the U.S., we surveyed all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to determine the regulations concerning intrastate driving. We received responses from 48 states and D.C., representing 95% of the U.S. population. RESULTS: Only 9 states reported preventing insulin users from acquiring a CMV license, whereas 39 states and D.C. permitted licensing within state boundaries. Of the states allowing insulin users to drive, 26 placed special requirements on CMV licensing. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that, despite a standardized U.S. federal law for driving across states, enormous variability exists in the policies for driving within states, ranging from no restrictions to a complete ban on CMV driving for insulin users.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMed2001

Industrial buyers' perception of effective selling'.

The most fundamental aspect of commerce is interaction between buyers and sellers. Accordingly, the psychological study of selling techniques can be considered as old as trade. This study investigated two categories of selling techniques composed of 17 objection-addressing and 13 sale-dosing strategies. Reported are survey responses from 242 industrial buyers, frequent targets of selling techniques, who were asked to identify which technique from each category they associated with salespersons' effective selling behavior.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of the Internet on cancer outcomes.

Each day, more than 12.5 million health-related computer searches are conducted on the World Wide Web. Based on a meta-analysis of 24 published surveys, the author estimates that in the developed world, about 39% of persons with cancer are using the Internet, and approximately 2.3 million persons living with cancer worldwide are online. In addition, 15% to 20% of persons with cancer use the Internet "indirectly" through family and friends. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature, the available evidence on how persons with cancer are using the Internet and the effect of Internet use on persons with cancer is summarized. The author distinguishes four areas of Internet use: communication (electronic mail), community (virtual support groups), content (health information on the World Wide Web), and e-commerce. A conceptual framework summarizing the factors involved in a possible link between Internet use and cancer outcomes is presented, and future areas for research are highlighted.

Commerce↗
PubMed1993

The role of the health care sector in the U.S. economy.

This Issue Brief discusses factors that contribute to the growth of health care expenditures and the reasons that many individuals, employers, and policymakers consider health expenditures too high. In addition, it describes various industries that make up the health care delivery system and their role in the U.S. economy as employers, producers, exporters, and suppliers of research and development. The report also discusses the economic implications of rising health care expenditures for individuals, employers, and the federal government and the potential impact of proposed health care reform on the health care sector and the U.S. economy as a whole. Health care delivery industries such as pharmaceuticals and medical equipment suppliers have higher than average research and development levels, in addition to a positive balance of trade. Moreover, while the total number of jobs in the private sector declined between 1990 and 1993, the number of jobs in the relatively high paid health services sector continued to grow. In aggregate, employer spending on health care represents only 6.6 percent of total labor costs. In comparison, wages and salaries represent 83 percent of total labor costs. Consequently, the growth rate of health care expenditures has a smaller impact on the growth rate of total compensation than does the growth rate in wages and salaries. Using job multipliers developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, it is estimated that the 18,600 health care services jobs in Rochester, Minnesota in 1993 created another 32,000 jobs in the area. Any contraction of the health care sector in cities that have a large concentration of employment in health services would result in reduced employment in restaurants, retail stores, janitorial services, and other local businesses. EBRI's simulations estimated that between 200,000 and 1.2 million workers could become unemployed as a direct result of a mandate that employers provide health benefits to their employees, assuming that wages and salaries did not adjust at all. Others find that approximately 50,000 individuals would lost their jobs, assuming that wages and other labor costs adjust downward to completely account for increased costs. As is apparent, the estimates of job loss (and of the total costs of the policy) are extremely sensitive to the assumptions used in the simulation.

Commerce↗