Knowledge-Based Open Performance Measurement System (KBO-PMS) for a Garment Product Development Process in Big Data Environment

Globally, customers are getting increasingly demanding in terms of personalization of products and are asking for shorter product development periods with more predictable product performance, especially in fashion industry. Current market pressures drive firms to adapt new design process in product development (PD) processes. Nevertheless, choosing the effective PD process is a challenging, complex decision. There is a critical need to develop a performance measurements system (PMS) for choosing appropriate product development (PD) processes in garment design to support product mangers to effectively respond to market. This paper presents a knowledge-based open performance measurement system (KBO-PMS) in big data environment, in order to support complex industrial decision-making for new product development. Its dynamic and flexible structure enables the whole system to be more adapted to knowledge sharing of product managers and processing of various time-varying data. The proposed KBO-PMS is composed of an interactive structure, capable of both integrating new KPIs from the open resource and tracking the evolution of the KBO-PMS components with time. The proposed KBO-PMS has been validated by realizing the performance evaluation of product development (PD) in fashion industry. It can be regarded as an application of open-resource based dynamic group decision-making in fashion big data environment

Enhancing Customer Purchase Intentions through Service Brand Credibility

Purpose – The basic aim of present study was to test the construct of brand credibility and its impact on purchase intentions with moderation effect of brand image in service sector of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approach – for the sake of data collection, A questionnaire was used from the customers of fast food users from the city of Lahore Pakistan.  Regression and correlation analysis along with others were used for data analysis and hypothesis testing.  Findings – Based of the statistical evidences of present study it is found that brand credibility and purchase intentions are positively related whereas brand image moderates this relationship.Practical implications – This study will help survey marketers and mangers to understand the importance of brand credibility for enhancing customer purchase intentions, furthermore it will guide them to incorporate the brand image in crafting different marketing and branding strategies to increase brand royalty.Originality/value – According to researcher, this is a pioneer study to propose the impact of service-brand-credibility and its impact on customer purchase intentions with moderating effect of brand image in the context of Pakistan. Keywords: Brand credibility, Purchase intentions, Brand image, Brands, Pakistan. Paper type: Research pape

A framework for evaluating information transparency in supply chains

Private, public, profit, and non-profit organizations, and society as a whole currently face a significant reliable information necessity problem. Especially supply chains need trustworthy information to perform their activities successfully. This study aims to propose a framework and identify how reliability of information can be evaluated and measured through the concept of transparency. In this context, dimensions such as; comprehensiveness, regularity, timeliness, content, scope, and user-friendliness are the pillars of the proposed framework. Selected criteria have been used as inputs to develop the information transparency level. The Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (ANP) is used to obtain weights of these inputs, and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used for the determination of the efficiency ranking for transparency. Results demonstrated that Content, Scope and Comprehensiveness dimensions have 75% impact on the transparency of data. Remaining 25 percent is affected by Timeliness, Regularity and User-friendliness

A multi-attribute decision making procedure using fuzzy numbers and hybrid aggregators

The classical Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has two limitations. Firstly, it disregards the aspect of uncertainty that usually embedded in the data or information expressed by human. Secondly, it ignores the aspect of interdependencies among attributes during aggregation. The application of fuzzy numbers aids in confronting the former issue whereas, the usage of Choquet Integral operator helps in dealing with the later issue. However, the application of fuzzy numbers into multi-attribute decision making (MADM) demands some additional steps and inputs from decision maker(s). Similarly, identification of monotone measure weights prior to employing Choquet Integral requires huge number of computational steps and amount of inputs from decision makers, especially with the increasing number of attributes. Therefore, this research proposed a MADM procedure which able to reduce the number of computational steps and amount of information required from the decision makers when dealing with these two aspects simultaneously. To attain primary goal of this research, five phases were executed. First, the concept of fuzzy set theory and its application in AHP were investigated. Second, an analysis on the aggregation operators was conducted. Third, the investigation was narrowed on Choquet Integral and its associate monotone measure. Subsequently, the proposed procedure was developed with the convergence of five major components namely Factor Analysis, Fuzzy-Linguistic Estimator, Choquet Integral, Mikhailov‘s Fuzzy AHP, and Simple Weighted Average. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed procedure was verified by solving a real MADM problem where the image of three stores located in Sabak Bernam, Selangor, Malaysia was analysed from the homemakers‘ perspective. This research has a potential in motivating more decision makers to simultaneously include uncertainties in human‘s data and interdependencies among attributes when solving any MADM problems

Biopsychosocial Assessment and Ergonomics Intervention for Sustainable Living: A Case Study on Flats

This study proposes an ergonomics-based approach for those who are living in small housings (known as flats) in Indonesia. With regard to human capability and limitation, this research shows how the basic needs of human beings are captured and analyzed, followed by proposed designs of facilities and standard living in small housings. Ninety samples were involved during the study through in- depth interview and face-to-face questionnaire. The results show that there were some proposed of modification of critical facilities (such as multifunction ironing work station, bed furniture, and clothesline) and validated through usability testing. Overall, it is hoped that the proposed designs will support biopsychosocial needs and sustainability

An Evaluation Model for Competitiveness Index of Construction Companies

The construction sector continues to experience significant challenges brought by new techniques and technologies. There is a dire need for construction companies to address critical issues concerning changing environmental conditions, construction innovations, market globalization and many other aspects, thereby enhancing their competitiveness edge. The existing literature shows that competitiveness approaches do not address current challenges. Thus, the primary goal for this research is to develop an evaluation model that would consider all essential factors in determining the competitiveness index of construction companies and so aid in their growth and development. In this research three new pillars (3P) for competitiveness are introduced: (1) Non-Financial Internal Pillar; (2) Non-Financial External Pillar; and (3) Financial Pillar. This concept can help construction companies manage short-term and long-term strategic plans and goals. The 3P includes 6 categories and 26 factors incorporated and defined by the assessment model for measuring competitiveness. This research also rests upon a questionnaire that was sent globally to generate two sets of information which are the factors affiliated thresholds and the weights for the identified factors using the Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (FANP) which was required to reduce the uncertainty inherited from the judgment of the respondents and the factors affiliated thresholds. Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) technique was implemented using the weight of factors and their associated thresholds as an input. PROMETHEE was then used as a ranking technique to rank any given construction company by determining its competitiveness index. The proposed evaluation model was validated through five cases studies that reveal its potential of illustrating detailed analysis with respect to the competitiveness ability of construction companies. A graphical user interface was developed for providing a competitiveness index for any construction company and rank companies relative to one another. It is anticipated that the proposed evaluation model can be used in decision making process by all parties involved in construction projects. Contractors can use the evaluation model in making better decisions regarding the markup values. Employers can also use the same model in the evaluation process of contractors

Prioritization of sustainability indicators for promoting the circular economy: The case of developing countries

The concept of the circular economy has gained well-recognition across the world for the past decades. With the heightening risk of the impact of climate change, resource scarcity to meet the increasing world population, the need to transition to a more sustainable development model is urgent. The circular economy is often cited as one of the best solutions to support sustainable development. However, the diffusion of this concept in the industrial arena is still relatively slow, particularly in the developing country, which collectively exerts high potential to be the world’s largest economies and workforce. It is crucial to make sure that the development of these nations is sustainable and not bearing on the cost of future generation. Thus, this work aims to provide a comprehensive review of the circular economy concept in developing country context. Furthermore, a novel model is proposed by adopting Fuzzy Analytics Network Process (FANP) to quantify the priority weights of the sustainability indicators to provide guidelines for the industry stakeholders at different stages of industry cycle to transition toward the circular economy. The results revealed that improvement in economic performance and public acceptance are they key triggers to encourage stakeholders for sustainable development. The outcomes serve as a reference to enhance the overall decision-making process of industry stakeholders. Local authorities can adopt the recommendations to design policy and incentive that encourage the adoption of circular economy in real industry operation to spur up economic development, without neglecting environmental well-being and jeopardizing social benefits

Prioritization of sustainability indicators for promoting the circular economy: The case of developing countries

The concept of the circular economy has gained well-recognition across the world for the past decades. With the heightening risk of the impact of climate change, resource scarcity to meet the increasing world population, the need to transition to a more sustainable development model is urgent. The circular economy is often cited as one of the best solutions to support sustainable development. However, the diffusion of this concept in the industrial arena is still relatively slow, particularly in the developing country, which collectively exerts high potential to be the world’s largest economies and workforce. It is crucial to make sure that the development of these nations is sustainable and not bearing on the cost of future generation. Thus, this work aims to provide a comprehensive review of the circular economy concept in developing country context. Furthermore, a novel model is proposed by adopting Fuzzy Analytics Network Process (FANP) to quantify the priority weights of the sustainability indicators to provide guidelines for the industry stakeholders at different stages of industry cycle to transition toward the circular economy. The results revealed that improvement in economic performance and public acceptance are they key triggers to encourage stakeholders for sustainable development. The outcomes serve as a reference to enhance the overall decision-making process of industry stakeholders. Local authorities can adopt the recommendations to design policy and incentive that encourage the adoption of circular economy in real industry operation to spur up economic development, without neglecting environmental well-being and jeopardizing social benefits

Comprehensive Performance Measurement Methodology for Reverse Logistics Enterprise

Nowadays, due to increased competition caused by globalization and high rates of innovation supply chains continue to have shorter life-cycle products. More liberal return policies, increasing enforcement of take-back laws, heightened environmental regulations, increase in financial returns, good corporate image, increasing customer demands, have made enterprises face the challenges of strategically managing the returned and discarded products. Therefore, handling of product returns has led the reverse logistics activities to be effective and efficient. Efficiency of reverse logistics is achieved by reducing the waste, recapturing recovered value, reducing inventory investments, and optimizing the collection networks. Reverse logistics effectiveness allows enterprises an opportunity to improve competitiveness by building consumer confidence through handling of returned products, liberalized returns policies, operations of take-back networks, and green aspects of performance. But due to the intrinsic complexities of reverse logistics operations, such as uncertainty in quality, quantity, and timing of returns, makes the product returns process more complicated. The present literature on reverse logistics focuses on the factors that support the enterprises to manage and optimize their operations to remain competitive, but does not reflect upon the comprehensive performance measurement on how enterprises have to measure their reverse logistics activities. To contribute to the field, this research is carried out to study the performance measurement in reverse logistics enterprise to fill the gap in the literature. This dissertation presents a CRLEPMS - Comprehensive Reverse Logistics Enterprise Performance Measurement methodology to facilitate performance measurement and decision making for the enterprise involved in reverse logistics. It examines different performance measurement attributes and criteria for measuring reverse logistics performance. It investigates the inner and inter relationships among different criteria of attributes and also among clusters of attributes applying DEMATEL, FANP and AHP MCDM methods. Further, the enterprise computes the comprehensive overall performance index in order to benchmark its performance with best in class practices. The application of the CRLEPMS methodology provides the enterprises with a real world viewpoint of what and how performance attributes and measures impact the comprehensive overall performance index, so that they get feedback and continuously improve their product returns practices

“I am what I’m not”:A corpus-based study of negative self-identification in UK web forums

This thesis analyses a corpus of 936 instances of the structure “I + copula + NOT + indefinite noun phrase” and its variants, as used in UK web forums. Making assertions about one’s identity in the negative not only provides information about what one claims not to be, but also indexes various aspects of, and potentially modifies, the interpretation of the textual and non-textual context in which such assertions are used. The thesis develops a theoretical and methodological framework to qualitatively and quantitatively identify the multifunctional, context-dependent meaning potential of the structure in focus. The corpus was qualitatively analysed and tagged for conceptual categories of identifying NPs as well as for formal and functional features of the co-texts in which the structure appears. A conceptual profile of negative self-identifiers was developed, and the experiential meanings of the immediate context of the structure were examined, as were their relations of co-occurrence with particular conceptual categories of negative identifiers. By investigating whether users of English in particular co-texts negate self-identification with noun phrases from particular conceptual domains in patterned ways, the study identified certain conceptualisations that were implicitly acknowledged as relevant for people’s self-representation in these discourse contexts. Key findings include: (a) negative identification with expertise is a frequent linguistic choice in the context of presenting one’s knowledge; and (b) negative identification with preferences is a frequent linguistic choice in contexts describing one’s experience. These findings are discussed in light of the wider sociopolitical context, suggesting an ideological struggle around – and a possible reconceptualisation of – the notion of epistemic authority