7,244 research outputs found
Efficient Heuristics for Scheduling with Release and Delivery Times
Get PDFIn this chapter, we describe efficient heuristics for scheduling jobs with release and delivery times with the objective to minimize the maximum job completion time. These heuristics are essentially based on a commonly used scheduling theory in Jackson’s extended heuristic. We present basic structural properties of the solutions delivered by Jackson’s heuristic and then illustrate how one can exploit them to build efficient heuristics
Factors Influencing Small Medium Enterprise’s Behavior in Adopting E-fulfillment Services
Get PDFPurpose: Since the SMEs were the key players in these current digital businesses in Indonesia, the purpose of this study is to analyse the benefit in adopting the e-fulfillment services by considering the variable of technology acceptance model that was related with trust.
Design/Methodology/Approach: This research was used three exogenous variables, namely: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived security and risks-free. In addition, the research considered the adoption in new e-fulfillment services platform as endogenous variable with trust as intervening variable. The data collected from the SME’s who are located in the Jakarta and its surrounding areas and further analyzed statistically using Structural Equation Model approach.
Findings: The key finding of this research was trust played a significant role in influencing the customer adoption of the e-fulfillment platform. The research also showed that perceived ease of used was the main factor in creating customer trust. The maximum usage of e-fulfillment services allowed the SME’s to focus more the product development and marketing activities.
Research, Practical & Social Implications: SME’s would enjoy strong business competitive positioning if they were able in adopting the e-fulfillment services.
Originality/Value: Since the concept of e-fulfillment services were quite new in Indonesia, the study recommends the needs to increase the awareness and knowledge to SME’s by ensuring the benefit of this new platform. 
Staff scheduling for a courier distribution centre using evolutionary algorithm
Get PDFStaff scheduling is a combinatorics optimization problem and companies face this complex task on daily basis in constructing a schedule fitting all conditions. In a courier distribution center, staffs are assigned to work in processes of a continuous workflow. Staffs have varying work ability for each process. Instead of generating staff schedule instinctively, it is an advantage to optimize staff’s schedule by measuring the performance of each staff. An optimized schedule improves the operation’s efficiency and fully utilize staffs’ work ability, hence, minimizing the cost. This paper proposed evolutionary algorithm, namely genetic algorithm as the solution to courier center staff scheduling. Based on the result, the produced schedule can reduce up to 30% of the staff in schedule while not affecting operation workflow. The cut down on number of working staffs could amount to a substantial reduction of operation cost every month. The generated schedule is significantly customized and take less time to complete an operation. Although the proposed solution is specific to the use case of a courier distribution center, it is however, potentially a generalize model for the logistics industry, introducing a more effective staff scheduling system to cope with the industry’s ever-rising demands
Spartan Daily, March 23, 1987
Get PDFVolume 88, Issue 38https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/7564/thumbnail.jp
Hybrid harmony search algorithm for continuous optimization problems
Get PDFHarmony Search (HS) algorithm has been extensively adopted in the literature to address optimization problems in many different fields, such as industrial design, civil engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering problems. In order to ensure its search performance, HS requires extensive tuning of its four parameters control namely harmony memory size (HMS), harmony memory consideration rate (HMCR), pitch adjustment rate (PAR), and bandwidth (BW). However, tuning process is often cumbersome and is problem dependent. Furthermore, there is no one size fits all problems. Additionally, despite many useful works, HS and its variant still suffer from weak exploitation which can lead to poor convergence problem. Addressing these aforementioned issues, this thesis proposes to augment HS with adaptive tuning using Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). Meanwhile, to enhance its exploitation, this thesis also proposes to adopt a new variant of the opposition-based learning technique (OBL). Taken together, the proposed hybrid algorithm, called IHS-GWO, aims to address continuous optimization problems. The IHS-GWO is evaluated using two standard benchmarking sets and two real-world optimization problems. The first benchmarking set consists of 24 classical benchmark unimodal and multimodal functions whilst the second benchmark set contains 30 state-of-the-art benchmark functions from the Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC). The two real-world optimization problems involved the three-bar truss and spring design. Statistical analysis using Wilcoxon rank-sum and Friedman of IHS-GWO’s results with recent HS variants and other metaheuristic demonstrate superior performance
Values and value in design
Get PDFRelatively little is known about how concepts of human values and value interact during the construction design process. Whilst researchers of value management have expounded in this context upon the complexity of the design process, problem-solving and sense-making, little is said about the alignment and reconciliation of multiple-stakeholder values and value judgements. An abductive reasoning and a grounded theory approach was adopted that iterated between literature and empirical observation to obtain new insights. The initial phase created a values and value framework and Value in Design (VALiD) approach through seven unstructured interviews, a design workshop, four Schwartz Values Surveys (with 545 participants) and 55 semi-structured interviews. The values and value parts were then separately implemented, developed and validated through action research on five live education capital projects, involving over 250 participants. Subsequently, a middle-range theory of values and value is proposed through theoretical triangulation. This draws on seven related theories to provide greater explanatory pluralism, uncover hidden phenomena and enable convergence. The research findings are significant in focusing soft value management on underlying stakeholder values and subjective value judgements. A more nuanced and intertwined relationship between stakeholder values, attitudes, behaviours and qualities during the design process is offered that promotes compromise and sense-making
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