Quality Management in Logistics: A Comparison of Practices between Manufacturing and Retail Companies and Logistics Firms.

In February 2002, the Institute of Transport Studies (ITS), The University of Sydney, initiated a study to investigate world class logistics (WCL) practices in Australia. This research is part of the wider WCL study investigating the state of quality practices in logistics in Australian companies. The study examines the extent to which quality management practices are adopted, impediments to implementation of quality improvement processes, quality management tools (simple) employed, methods used to measure customer expectations, and the extent of satisfaction with quality programs. In addition, the study compares the extent of quality practices between manufacturing and retail organizations, and logistics firms. The results show that manufacturing/service organizations are ahead of logistics firms in the application of quality management practices in the logistics functions

Cultural heritage risk analysis models: An overview

The risk assessment is a critical step in achieving, defining and supporting the decision-making process. In this context, in the past two decades, an increase in the number of models for assessing/analysis of risks applied to collections and/or immobile cultural heritage was observed. The present work consists of the first review of the literature, from 1999 to 2016, on risk assessment applied to movable and immovable cultural heritage. A total of twenty-seven risk assessment models have been compiled that can be applied to different types of cultural heritage such as: immovable property (26%) and movable property (74%). It was possible to conclude that approximately 48% of the risk analysis models are quantitative, 19% are semi-quantitative and 33% of the models are qualitative. Two different tables were created in order to help the reader: one for movable and another to immovable cultural heritage. These tables compile information to characterize the models (name, type, applicability, examples, date and references). The advantages and disadvantages of using each model was discuss in a separated table.publishersversionpublishe

Crime scripting: A systematic review

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.More than two decades after the publication of Cornish’s seminal work about the script-theoretic approach to crime analysis, this article examines how the concept has been applied in our community. The study provides evidence confirming that the approach is increasingly popular; and takes stock of crime scripting practices through a systematic review of over one hundred scripts published between 1994 and 2018. The results offer the first comprehensive picture of this approach, and highlights new directions for those interested in using data from cyber-systems and the Internet of Things to develop effective situational crime prevention measures

Robotic Automation of University Admission Processes

Kasvav konkurents sunnib organisatsioone olema üha tõhusamad ja kvaliteetsetele teenustele orienteeritud. Kestev digitaliseerimine ja äriprotsesside automatiseerimine pakuvad lahendusi, mis aitavad ettevõtetel need eesmärgid saavutada. Tarkvararobootika (RPA) on üks kiiremini arenevaid tööriistu. See on kombinatsioon riistvara ja tarkvara tehnoloogiatest, mille eesmärgiks on ülesannete automatiseerimine. Jätkuvalt peetakse tarkvararobootikat uueks tehnoloogiaks, mistõttu on olemas küllaltki vähe empiirilisi uuringuid ja uurimistöid akadeemilistes andmebaasides.Seetõttu on antud töö uuriv. Antud tööst selgub, et tarkvararobootika tehnoloogiad suudavad pakkuda kohest väärtust läbi korduvate ülesannete automatiseerimise, mille hulgas on näiteks aruannete loomine, meilide automatiseerimine ja andmete automaatne liikumine. Robotid ja tarkvararobootika tehnoloogiad on muutunud üheks oluliseks konkurentsieeliseks erinevatele organisatsioonidele üle maailma, mis tegelevad sellistes valdkondades nagu masinõpe, andmete analüüsimine, protsessikaeve, tehisintellekt jne. Antud töö on heaks näiteks tarkvararobootika tehnoloogia edukast juurutamisest organisatsioonides ja aitab saada ülevaate erinevatest tarkvararobootika võimalustest.Increasing competitiveness forces organizations to be more efficient and service-oriented. Continuous digitization and automation of the business processes are among those solutions which can help companies to achieve those goals. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a new emerging and one of the fastest developing tools. It is a combination of hardware and software technologies, dedicated to automating manual tasks and do things very simple. Still, it is considered that RPA is new technology and there are very few empirical studies and research papers in academic and research databases. Therefore, this study is exploratory. The study discovered that Robotic Process Automation technologies can bring immediate value by automating repetitive tasks including, report creation, mail automation and data migration. Robots and Robotic Process Automation technologies cannot just benefit organizations, but also are becoming one of the key competitive advantages for the organization across the globe, which stands with machine learning, data analytics, process mining, artificial intelligence etc. This paper will be a good example of successful implementation of this technology and will help to get an overall idea about RPA opportunities

Systematic searches

Recent years have seen increasing opportunities for libraries to participate in the research process of our patrons. Our skills in conducting thorough searches and documenting the search process in a transparent way, are highly sought after among researchers looking to write a systematic review article. We give an overview of how this service can be provided in an academic library setting, emphasizing the need for close collaboration between library staff and researchers. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the tools we use, with the aim that others interested in systematic searches can get workable advice. With the increase in information available, researchers need help finding, sorting, screening and documenting the systematic search process. As research librarians we are uniquely positioned to participate in this process. Libraries looking to start offering this service needs to invest in their staff, affording them time to acquire the skill set as well as the time needed for the work involved in the systematic search projects

Identification of Best Practices to Aid Streamline the Transportation Project Development Process: A Study of the States Department of Transportation

In the United States, federal, state, and local governments are responsible for addressing their residents\u27 transportation infrastructure needs. Similar to most States Department of Transportation (State DOTs), the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is responsible for owning, operating, and maintaining a large transportation system for the state. The SCDOT has the 5th largest highway system in the United States, and like most states, the state of South Carolina’s (SC) transportation system needs have continued to expand. SCDOT is under growing pressure for efficient and effective transportation project delivery to address the need and continued expansion. The pressure is due to high demand, limited funding sources, stakeholders’ concerns, federal and state policies, and intense public involvement. Due to increasing demand and pressure to meet its key strategic goals, SCDOT is taking initiatives to deliver projects as efficiently and expeditiously as possible. One of the efforts undertaken by SCDOT is streamlining its preconstruction Project Development Process (PDP). The PDP is a core function of state DOTs and is strategically crucial for highway projects because it assures adequate selection and planning phases. This research study aims to streamline the SCDOT PDP to enhance, streamline, and improve project delivery by identifying PDP best practices that are applicable for a state DOT comparable to SCDOT’s organizational structure and transportation program from the literature review, delivery partners’ input, and the practices utilized by other state DOTs. An Explanatory Sequential Design is used to meet the research’s goal. Preliminary semi-structured interviews are conducted with SCDOT to identify the agency’s current PDP practices and suggestions for improvement. An administrative questionnaire is utilized to obtain input from state DOTs and SCDOT’s delivery partners to gain insight regarding PDP best practices. Structured interviews with comparable state DOTs are conducted to probe PDP concepts, gain an in-depth understanding of PDP best practices, and identify PDP best practices. The identified PDP Best Practices are assembled based on the data, analysis, and findings supported by five different data sources, National PDP Survey, Comparable State DOTs Interview, Secondary State DOTs Documentation, SCDOT SMEs Interview, and ACEC-SC Survey. The analysis of all data sources is used to assemble twelve (12) PDP Best Practices, which are numbered and categorized into five categories. Finally, this research study provides a ‘Model’ for the methodology used by other State DOTs to systematically assess their current practices and obtain input/suggestions for process improvement from the agency’s own SME’s and their external delivery partners that are providing professional services

A Methodology for the Digitalization of the Residential Building Renovation Process through OpenBIM-Based Workflows

The European building industry is facing a strong increase in renovation processes, which are still non-cost-effective, involve unproperly coordinated stakeholders, are disturbing for the occupants, and cause important inefficiencies in the overall renovation process. In this context, digitalization and Building Information Modelling (BIM), as an enabler, is the key solution that may drive renovation interventions to ensure a more successful and leaner process, aiding the whole value chain of actors to achieve its full potential. This research describes the OpenBIM methodology applied in order to transform the implicit knowledge from the stakeholders involved in the building renovation process, not structured enough for automation, into an OpenBIM digital process based on the BIM standards. The outcomes of this research are the OpenBIM ready workflows that represent the renovation process and information requirements according to the involvement of different stakeholders rooted in the analysis of barriers, requirements, and needs. Those workflows are the basis for the future development of specific products and tools for boosting digitalization and interoperability in the renovation process.This work has been developed within the project BIM4Ren. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon H2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 820773

Optimal seismic upgrade timing in seaports with increasing throughput demand via real options

A real options (RO) formulation is proposed for decision-making on the timing to upgrade the seismic performance of existing seaports with increasing throughput demand in earthquake prone areas. The pay-off of the seismic upgrade investment option is estimated based on projected net earnings, repair cost, and downtime for a damaging reference seismic event having a pre-specified annual probability of occurrence. These projections inform a discrete-time RO binomial tree, following the American option valuation framework, which propagates the probability of the reference seismic event assuming Poisson temporal distribution of earthquake occurrence. The net present value of the expected annual payoff of the considered investment is used as an index supporting risk-informed decision-making discounted by the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Numerical examples pertaining to decision makers with different capital cost, namely port authorities and terminal operators, operating in different economic environments typical of developed and developing countries are furnished to illustrate the applicability of the proposed RO formulation. It is found that high WACC and/or low throughput growth bring the optimal seismic upgrade timing forward, while earthquake consequences and upgrade cost have almost no influence on this timing