26,421 research outputs found
A decision-making approach for investigating the potential effects of near sourcing on supply chain
Purpose - Near sourcing is starting to be regarded as a valid alternative to global sourcing in order to leverage supply chain (SC) responsiveness and economic efficiency. The present work proposes a decision-making approach developed in collaboration with a leading Italian retailer that was willing to turn the global store furniture procurement process into near sourcing. Design/methodology/approach - Action research is employed. The limitations of the traditional SC organisation and purchasing process of the company are first identified. On such basis, an inventory management model is applied to run spreadsheet estimates where different purchasing and SC management strategies are adopted to determine the solution providing the lowest cost performance. Finally, a risk analysis of the selected best SC arrangement is conducted and results are discussed. Findings - Switching from East Asian suppliers to continental vendors enables a SC reengineering that increases flexibility and responsiveness to demand uncertainty which, together with decreased transportation costs, assures economic viability, thus proving the benefits of near sourcing. Research limitations/implications - The decision-making framework provides a methodological roadmap to address the comparison between near and global sourcing policies and to calculate the savings of the former against the latter. The approach could include additional organisational aspects and cost categories impacting on near sourcing and could be adapted to investigate different products, services, and business sectors. Originality/value - The work provides SC researchers and practitioners with a structured approach for understanding what drives companies to adopt near sourcing and for quantitatively assessing its advantage
Individual and Collective Resources and Health in Morocco
The interaction between available individual and collective resources in the determination of health is largely ignored in the literature on the relationship between poverty and health in developing countries. We analyse the role public resources play in the perception that rural women in Morocco have of their health. These resources are taken to contribute directly and indirectly to the improvement of individual health by, on the one hand, providing a health-promoting environment and, on the other, improving the individual?s ability to produce health. The empirical results of multilevel models confirm the expected associations between socioeconomic status, individual vulnerability factors and health. Furthermore, the random part of the model suggests that variation in state of health is also associated with the presence of collective resources. However, the higher the level of women?s individual wealth, the less the characteristics of the community in which they live seem to be associated with their health, and the less the potential vulnerability factors seem to constrain their ability to maintain or improve health. Our results suggest that collective investments derived from various areas of activity will be more favourable to improving health, insofar as they are adapted to the initial capacity of women to benefit from them.health, poverty, rural, women, Morocco
TRAVEL, CULTURAL TOURISM AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT. THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE TABULA PEUTINGERIANA
ROMIT PROJECT, www.romit.or
A Study of Readiness for Transportation Electrification and Automation Focusing on Safety and Future Adoption
Transportation electrification and automation are growing societal trends and considered promising pathways to enhance the safety, mobility, efficiency, and sustainability of the surface transportation system. At this early stage of transportation electrification and automation, one of the most critical issues is whether and to what extent people are willing to adopt electric vehicle (EV) and automated vehicle (AV) technologies in the future. Another critical issue, especially concerning transportation automation, is how to thoroughly ensure the safety of automated driving performance to resolve safety concerns about AVs, which is one of the key challenges to AV adoption. In this regard, the dissertation aims to provide new knowledge and deep insights regarding the readiness for transportation electrification and automation in terms of safety and future adoption by investigating how different types of travelers are willing to embrace EV and AV technologies and what safety-related challenges the automated driving systems are facing. First, the dissertation systematically analyzes how individuals become inclined to use AV-based travel options and adopt alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). For this, an “AV inclination index” is developed to quantify individual travelers’ inclination toward AV-based travel options encompassing owning an AV, using AV ride-hailing services, and using Shared AV (SAV) ride-hailing services. Importantly, the dissertation reveals a meaningful relationship between the “AV inclination index” and AFV adoption. Considering that the commercial sector has the potential to adopt a considerable amount of EVs in the future, the dissertation explores commercial light-duty fleet owners’ intention to adopt different types of EVs. Paying attention to early adopters’ experiences and perspectives, the dissertation investigates BEV owners’ satisfaction and willingness to repurchase a BEV in the future. Given that the safety of AVs is one of the critical factors associated with individual travelers’ willingness to use AVs in the future, the dissertation performs an exhaustive analysis of crashes involving AVs tested on public roads to provide a better understanding of AV safety performance. Based on the findings from each chapter, the dissertation provides the vehicle and transportation industries, engineers, planners, and policymakers with practical implications for a smooth transition to transportation electrification and automation
The logic of the violence in the civil war: the armed conflict in Colombia
This paper proposes a reading of the armed conflict from an evolutionary design that takes into account the Logic of Violence in the Civil War. Their aim is to assess the dynamics of conflict and changes from its author's scientific output. A context of conflicts that includes new expressions of violence and the relative failure of the paramilitary reintegration involves using new analytical models (argumentation, game theory and inconsistent information). The recent evolution of emerging gangs and their expansion into areas that were paramilitary camps requires monitoring not only of the government and the authorities, but those investigating the conflict in the present tense. The author provides heuristic research support from Schelling’s theory of strategy, Nozick’s agencies and the protection, and Gambetta’s recent contributions to the relationship between organized crime and drug cartels.Civil_war, Colombia, armed conflict, strategic_theory, Gambetta, Nozick, Schelling
Building Innovative Communities: Lessons from Japan's Science City Projects
Japan's Science City projects are examined in this paper to find the extent that they promote catalytic mechanisms within their communities. It is arguable that the concept of a Science City is little more than a theme for funneling public funds into infrastructural development in support of select high-technology industries. Is this the situation in Japan? Attention focuses on cumulative causation, resource sharing and the shifting mix of private sector initiative and public policy in the evolving cases of Tsukuba and Kansai Science Cities. Regional technopolis projects are also discussed. Can we expect any of these areas to fulfill the promise, detailed in the Kansai Science City Second Stage Plan Report, of being a "pilot model city" deploying "innovative and experimental community development"?technopolis; regional planning; development; cumulative causation; catalytic mechanisms
Dynamical Systems, Stability, and Chaos
In this expository and resources chapter we review selected aspects of the
mathematics of dynamical systems, stability, and chaos, within a historical
framework that draws together two threads of its early development: celestial
mechanics and control theory, and focussing on qualitative theory. From this
perspective we show how concepts of stability enable us to classify dynamical
equations and their solutions and connect the key issues of nonlinearity,
bifurcation, control, and uncertainty that are common to time-dependent
problems in natural and engineered systems. We discuss stability and
bifurcations in three simple model problems, and conclude with a survey of
recent extensions of stability theory to complex networks.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures. 26/04/2007: The book title was changed at the
last minute. No other changes have been made. Chapter 1 in: J.P. Denier and
J.S. Frederiksen (editors), Frontiers in Turbulence and Coherent Structures.
World Scientific Singapore 2007 (in press
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