Improving efficiency of material flows in an automotive assembly plant:A case study

This paper investigates the in-plant logistics processes in automotive manufacturing and specifically, the material flows between the storage facility, the production lines, and the internal returns area. The aim is to improve the efficiency of the plant by looking at the current material flows of the case study company. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected through interviews and personal observations and was analysed. Using discrete event-based simulation, the current material flows were investigated. Our analysis showed that in plant's internal returns area efficiency gains are possible by reducing traffic congestion. A solution with minor changes in the layout was proposed and tested which showed an increase in the capacity of the system and a reduction in delays

Developing a ‘best practice’ supply chain performance and operational framework for dairy producers : a multiple case study analysis in Egypt

Supply chain management is based on the global concept, where different companies are connected worldwide. Moreover, supply chain performance management is a growing field of study, especially for perishable products. Egyptian dairy producers have suffered a significant drop in their production since 2011, due to the poor quality and quantity of raw milk, changes in governmental regulations, hazard risks, and volatility in consumer taste. This has threatened meeting the increasing market demand for dairy products. Extant literature highlighted the following gaps: limited research assessing the dairy producers' supply chain performance in a detailed view from an operational perspective, and lack of specific performance measures especially in Egypt as a developing country in this context. Therefore, this thesis introduces a best practice performance framework for dairy producers in Egypt to optimise and assess their performance, in terms of sustainable production of safe and secure dairy products to fulfil the Egyptian market demand. The research adopts three theories to explore and understand the research problem. The resource-based view theory is used to identify the operational capabilities and the critical control points within the production. Network theory is used to explore the risks in the wider dairy supply chain and identify solutions to overcome them. Last, the institutional theory is used to understand the pressures faced by dairy producers, all of which will help to develop a best practice performance framework by following the mimetic approach to contrast and compile the performance measures of the top six large Egyptian dairy producers. That is achieved by referring to the Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR) model key attributes as a guide. This research utilises a narrative literature review to consolidate the background knowledge on the dairy sector’s operations and supply chain risks. Then, classify the different operational and supply chain performance measures and models to provide future research directions based on the research gaps identified. A multiple case-study methodology is adopted in this study. It follows a qualitative research approach across two phases by using the NVivo12 software to conduct a thematic analysis. Firstly, two observations and seventeen exploratory semi structured interviews with key informants within six case studies were conducted to explore the operational capabilities, critical control points and performance measures and the risks affecting large Egyptian dairy producers. Secondly, two focus groups were held with a diversified sample of practitioners, government officials, and suppliers to validate the results of the first phase. The key findings of the research highlighted that those dairy producers performing on a satisfactory level qualify them to adopt the SCOR model to enhance their performance and imitate the dairy producers’ practices in developed countries. The following key areas were addressed: 1) identifying the current operational capabilities needed to produce milk products, defining and classifying new critical control points for the production of UHT milk and pasteurised milk which up until now remains vague and not well determined, 2) each producer has designed their performance measures which has left them exposed to vulnerabilities and limits their optimum utilisation of their capabilities and to be able to continually improve. Thus, standardisation of performance measures and sharing of best practice, with a detailed classification for applicability is key for Egyptian dairy producers. A major contribution of this research is the development of an operational and supply chain performance-based best practice framework, based on SCOR, to guide the dairy producers through optimising and enhancing their production of safe and secure dairy products. Further, the research has identified three new SCOR attributes: a) suppliers’ improvement and traceability, b) health and safety environment, and c) employees’ morale, also seven new critical control points and capabilities. Besides, utilising the qualitative approach to provide in-depth within and cross-case exploration of six large dairy producers’ current state. This research also recommends that the government should leverage the small farmers within a milk hub, with a tracking system, to close the gap of raw milk supply shortage to Egypt. That addresses the shortcomings in the extant literature, which will significantly contribute to enhancing the performance and sustainability of the Egyptian dairy industry as a whole, and consequently will benefit the Egyptian economy. That sets the base for future researchers to utilise the proposed best practice for a wider scope of dairy producers with similar characteristics

Developing a diagnostic heuristic for integrated sugarcane supply and processing systems.

Doctoral Degrees. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Innovation is a valuable asset that gives supply chains a competitive edge. Moreover, the adoption of innovative research recommendations in agricultural value chains and integrated sugarcane supply and processing systems (ISSPS) in particular has been relatively slow when compared with other industries such as electronics and automotive. The slow adoption is attributed to the complex, multidimensional nature of ISSPS and the perceived lack of a holistic approach when dealing with certain issues. Most of the interventions into ISSPS often view the system as characterised by tame problems hence, the widespread application of traditional operations research approaches. Integrated sugarcane supply and processing systems are, nonetheless, also characterised by wicked problems. Interventions into such contexts should therefore, embrace tame and/or wicked issues. Systemic approaches are important and have in the past identified several system-scale opportunities within ISSPS. Such interventions are multidisciplinary and employ a range of methodologies spanning across paradigms. The large number of methodologies available, however, makes choosing the right method or a combination thereof difficult. In this context, a novel overarching diagnostic heuristic for ISSPS was developed in this research. The heuristic will be used todiagnose relatively small, but pertinent ISSPS constraints and opportunities. The heuristic includes a causal model that determines and ranks linkages between the many domains that govern integrated agricultural supply and processing systems (IASPS) viz. biophysical, collaboration, culture, economics, environment, future strategy, information sharing, political forces, and structures. Furthermore, a diagnostic toolkit based on the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was developed. The toolkit comprises a diagnostic criteria and a suite of systemic tools. The toolkit, in addition, determines thesuitability of each tool to diagnose any of the IASPS domains. Overall, the diagnostic criteria include accessibility, interactiveness, transparency, iterativeness, feedback, cause-and-effect logic, and time delays. The tools considered for the toolkit were current reality trees, fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs), network analysis approaches, rich pictures (RP), stock and flow diagrams, cause and effect diagrams (CEDs), and causal loop diagrams (CLDs). Results from the causal model indicate that collaboration, structure and information sharing had a high direct leverage over the other domains as these were associated with a larger number of linkages. Collaboration and structure further provided dynamic leverage as these were also part of feedback loops. Political forces and the culture domain in contrast, provided lowleverage as these domains were only directly linked to collaboration. It was further revealed that each tool provides a different facet to complexity hence, the need for methodological pluralism. All the tools except RP could be applied, to a certain extent, across both appreciation and analysis criteria. Rich pictures do not have causal analysis capabilities viz. cause-and-effect logic, time delays and feedback. Stock and flow diagrams and CLDs conversely, met all criteria. All the diagnostic tools in the toolkit could be used across all the system domains except for FCMs. Fuzzy cognitive maps are explicitly subjective and their contribution lies outside the objective world. Caution should therefore be practiced when FCMs areapplied within the biophysical domain. The heuristic is only an aid to decision making. The decision to select a tool or a combination thereof remains with the user(s). Even though the heuristic was demonstrated at Mhlume sugarcane milling area, it is recommended that other areas be considered for future research. The heuristic itself should continuously be updated with criteria, tools and other domain dimensions

The United Nations and terrorism : a long term assessment of changes and continuities

Although terrorism continues to retain its localised nature in some respects, the threat has taken on an international character for some time now. Consequently, national efforts to curb terrorism are not sufficient in dealing with the threat, underscoring the importance of multilateral counterterrorism cooperation. The United Nations (UN) is perhaps the most visible and predominant international organisation for security issues and has thus built the prime case study for this research endeavour. The aim of this thesis has been to examine how the UN’s response to terrorism has changed since the 1970s. In doing so, the project has provided an empirical overview of 50 years of UN counterterrorism efforts and has analysed the empirical data to identify patterns, continuities, and disruptions in the UN’s response. The findings suggest that the United Nations has seen both change and continuity in its efforts to quell terrorist violence and it has been demonstrated that, while multilateral counterterrorism cooperation is possible at the UN, it is cumbersome and progress is best done away from the political limelight. The obstacles that have prevented swift action when the UN General Assembly first took up the issue in 1972 have remained remarkably consistent and are unlikely to be solved quickly. The step-by-step criminalisation of certain offences through treaty-making has however allowed the Assembly to make some progress. Following the Cold War, the Security Council has — although not spared from definitional short-comings — responded to terrorism in a more assertive (e.g. sanctions) and at times forceful manner. Finally, it has been highlighted that the politised nature of terrorism can greatly limit counterterrorism responses. Therefore, it has been suggested that future academic inquiry must explore the extent to which less politised organisations, those that are technical and regional in nature, might be better suited to address terrorism within their framework

Nursing Staff Optimizing Elder Care

Older adults, 65 years and older, make up more than 50% of the acute care patient population at a Southwest Michigan critical access hospital. This DNP capstone project was implemented for nursing staff members in a small rural hospital to assist with improving knowledge and perceptions of caring for older adults. Realized outcomes from this educational initiative were not meant to create new information but instead to focus on clinical issues and apply best practice for the purpose of determining evidence based solutions. The project’s design implemented to assess outcomes was a quantitative, descriptive, quasi-experimental, non-randomized approach. The plan included a pre and post intervention survey using the Geriatric Institutional Assessment Profile (GIAP) from the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) Program. Education was provided after the pre intervention survey was completed via classroom presentations, hand-outs, and informational emails. The GIAP survey was repeated post educational intervention. Thirty nursing staff members participated in the pre intervention survey and seventeen completed the post intervention survey. Independent samples t-test on measures related to knowledge and attitudes revealed compelling percent changes representing statistical significance between pre and post GIAP survey responses with a p value of ˂ .05 in all areas measured