Siting of HIV/AIDS diagnostic equipment in South Africa: a case study in locational analysis

This paper describes a practical application of locational analysis to the siting of HIV/AIDS diagnostic equipment in laboratories across South Africa. Classical location analytical techniques were extended to ensure that laboratories are sited as close as possible to major centres of demand from hospitals and clinics. A particular advantage of the modified set covering algorithm developed is that choices between laboratory sites are made in a transparent manner. In order to find appropriate numbers and ideal placement of CD4 laboratories, runs were undertaken for various scenarios based on maximum travel time from health facilities to laboratory sites. Results demonstrated to decision makers showed close comparisons with pilot review projects undertaken in four health districts of South Africa. The research has potential to impact health care delivery to HIV sufferers in the poorest rural regions of the country

Development of Cluster Integration in Agricultural Sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan

This article contains an overview of the cluster approach methods, the author analyzes the existing forms of cooperation between agricultural enterprises, distinctive features of territorially-industrial clusters from other forms of organization of production in the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan. We studied the experience of developed countries on the formation of the cluster system, government regulation, which allowed substantiating the necessity of formation and suggesting a mechanism of interaction between participants of geographical industrial cluster in agriculture. The main factors that justify the need for the development of cluster integration and formation of territorial and sectoral clusters in the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan are studied. Keywords: Intersectorial integration, agricultural sector, economic relations, development, economic growth, industrial clusters JEL Classifications: O21, Q13, Q1

Optimizing cost of sugarcane logging and transportation to milling using iterative fuzzy inference system

The problem in this research is optimizing logging distribution from three sugarcane plantation locations to three sugar mill locations. In the existing method, each sugar factory location is only supplied by one plantation location, which is located closest to the factory location. This article proposes the Iterative Fuzzy Inference System (IFIS) method to optimize the cost. IFIS used two FIS. The first FIS was carried out iteratively to find the best factory priority as a destination for delivery of logged sugarcane. The second FIS was conducted to find the best log quantity from each plantation to be sent to each mill. This research contributes to optimization. On the plantation side, the harvested products from one plantation are sent to all the mills that need them, and on the mill side, the mill only accepts sugar cane shipments as needed, so no sugar cane has to wait long in the mill

Change for sustainable agricultural business. Addressing business model transformation and sustainable value creation

Society is facing global challenges, such as poverty and climate change, that affect entire ecosystems and human communities. Many sustainability challenges arise from existing production and consumption patterns, and thus many believe that business transformation to sustainability is essential to solving global socio-ecological problems. Understanding how sustainable business models are configured, and why companies adopt them, can be a pathway to system transformation. However, because of the complexity of sustainability challenges, they resist simple solutions and require innovative approaches. This thesis explored the potential for transformation to sustainability from the viewpoint of business model transformation in agri-food businesses, to understand why and how transformation happens, and how it can be facilitated at systems level. The focus on businesses in the agri-food sector was chosen to improve understanding of sustainable value creation in the agricultural and food production sector by transformation of business models to include sustainability. Creation of sustainable value through transformation of agricultural business models for sustainability, which act as a unifying structure for policy implementation by integrating the strategic, procedural and operational activities of a business, was analysed. The results revealed managerial, organisational and inter-organisational processes related to this transformation, which were further conceptualised. Examination of the concept of value in the agri-food sector and the business models of agri-food companies revealed a multiplicity of value creation activities, a range of motives for sustainable business model transformation and interconnectivity between companies and their surrounding environment. Overall, the results showed that sustainability can be placed at the core of an organisation. A novel contribution to the conceptual domain was creation of a new framework for sustainable value creation in the agri-food sector. This framework emphasises the need for simultaneous and equal integration of economic, social and environmental principles of sustainable development in value creation logic. It builds on the open character of sustainable business models and recognises theimportance of inter-organisational interactions to navigate transformation to sustainability. In particular, the framework promotes a more contextualised perspective on business model research, paying particular attention to multi-stakeholder interactions, learning, leadership and individual beliefs of key decision-makers

Optimizing planning decisions in the fruit supply chain

La agro-indústria xilena ha experimentat un augment constant d'exportacions de fruita processada en la darrera dècada, arribant a un augment del 107% en volum total i 185% en valor. Aquest creixement significa que la cadena de subministrament de fruita fresca, ja sigui per a conserva, deshidratats, congelat i fresc de fruites o sucs, requereix suport per fer gestió cada vegada més eficient. Fins ara, alguns problemes relacionades directament amb la necessitat de millorar la competitivitat del sector no han estat encara tractats. En els últims anys els costos de producció han augmentat degut principalment a l'escassetat de mà d'obra i la mala qualitat de la fruita fresca. Això fa que millorar l'eficiència de cadena de subministrament i per tant la competitivitat agroindústria, requereixi de noves eines que serveixin de suport a la presa de decisions a la cadena de subministrament de fruita fresca. En aquest context, l'objectiu general d'aquesta recerca era desenvolupar un conjunt d'eines per donar suport a les decisions tàctiques de la cadena de subministrament de la fruita i millorar la gestió de compres, de les cambres frigorífiques i el transport. Tres importants contribucions es fan en aquest treball de recerca. La primera d'elles té a veure amb l'estat de l'art de les cadenes de subministrament, revisant els models d'optimització aplicats a les cadenes de subministrament de fruita fresca. La segona consisteix a proporcionar quatre eines per recolzar les decisions tàctiques de les cadenes de subministrament de fruita fresca, en concret, tres models matemàtics per a l'optimització de les decisions que donen suport a la selecció de productors i la compra de fruita fresca, el seu posterior emmagatzematge i transport i la proposta d'un model per a la gestió de cambres frigorífiques. Una tercera aportació és la proposta d'un sistema de suport a la presa de decisió (DSS), permeti la transparència del coneixement dels models anteriors al sector per al seu us pràctic. Destacar el valor addicional del treball a l'haver aplicat els models a casos reals. Així, tots el models proposats van ser validats amb l'ajut de l'agroindústria de la regió centre-sud de Xile que tenien problemes amb la seva cadena de subministrament.The Chilean agro-industry has experienced a steady increase of industrialized fruit exports over the last decade, reaching a total volume increase of 107% and 185% in value. This growth means that the fresh fruit supply chain, either for preserved, frozen, dehydrated, fresh fruit or juices, requires support in order to make management increasingly more efficient. So far, some problems directly related to the need to improve the sector´s competitiveness have not yet been addressed. In the last few years production costs have risen mainly due to labor shortage and poor quality of raw material (fresh fruit). That is why, improving the supply chain efficiency and thus the agro-industry competitiveness, particularly in the center-south region of the country, requires new tools that could support decisions making regarding the fresh fruit supply chain. Within this context, the general objective of this research was to develop a set of tools aiming to support tactical decisions that could enhance management of fresh fruit purchasing, cold storage, transport, and opening of cold chambers. Three important contributions are made in this research study. The first one has to do with the state-ofthe- art of supply chains management, by reviewing optimization models applied to fresh fruit supply chains. The second one consists in providing four tools to support tactical decisions regarding fresh fruit supply chains, specifically, three mathematical models for the optimization of decisions that support the selection of growers and the purchasing of fresh fruit, their subsequent storage and transportation, and the proposal of a mathematical model for cold storage management. The third contribution is the proposal of a Decision Support System (DSS), which aids in decisions about growers selection and purchasing of fresh fruit, as well as its subsequent storage and transportation. Finally, there is an important additional contribution that involves the application of the models to real cases. All models proposed were created and validated with the support of agro-industries from the centersouth region of the country having problems with their supply chain, which were addressed in this research study

Métodos de agrupamento com restrições de capacidade

Orientador: Ademir Alves RibeiroCoorientador: Lucas Garcia PedrosoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Exatas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Matemática. Defesa : Curitiba, 27/08/2021Inclui referências: p. 109-114Resumo: Neste texto, apresentamos uma revisão de conceitos acerca dos métodos de agrupamento, com maior foco nos baseados em centroides. Para além das abordagens clássicas, apresentamos variações que podem ser úteis em algumas aplicações práticas, como a definição a priori do número de pontos de cada grupo e métodos que lidam com essas restrições. Abordamos uma formulação mais geral para o problema de agrupamento com restrições, onde cada ponto tem um peso associado e a soma dos pesos dos pontos que compõem cada grupo é estabelecida previamente. Tratamos este pro­blema sob as perspectivas fuzzy e não fuzzy. Por fim, apresentamos testes numéricos que atestam a competitividade de nossos métodos ante os clássicos nos casos comparáveis.Abstract: In this work, we present a review of concepts about clustering methods, with focus on centroid-based methods. In addition to the classic approaches, we present the constraints that may be useful in some practical applications, such as the a priori definition of the number of points in each group, and methods that deal with these constraints. We approach a more general formulation to the constrained clustering problem, where each point has an associated weight, and the sum of the weights of the points that make up each group is established a priori. We approach this problem from a nonfuzzy and fuzzy perspective. Finally, we present numerical tests that show the competitiveness of our methods compared to the classics in comparable cases

A critical analysis of A2 Fast Track Lowveld sugar cane farms in Zimbabwe in global value chains: interrogating the lives of farmers and farm labourers

The sugar cane industry has for many years been a lucrative business with a booming global market. In Zimbabwe, the sugar cane industry is no exception, as it has been regarded as one of the most efficient in the region and even in the world. The sugar cane farms and mills in Zimbabwe are located in Triangle and Chiredzi, in the south-eastern part of the country and they are under the ownership of Tongaat Hullet and the Zimbabwean A2 farmers. The focus of this is on the A2 fast track farms in Hippo Valley, which are now owned by black farmers but as out-growers for Tongaat Hullet. The crucial question addressed in the thesis is whether the A2 sugar cane farmers and their workers, located at the production end of the sugar cane global value chain, are benefitting from their involvement in this value chain. A number of scholars argue that global value chains lead to economic and social upgrading at the production end of the chain, based on thoughts contained in modernisation and trickledown theory. There is an assumption, then, that integration into the global economy leads to economic upgrading which translates into social upgrading. In drawing upon critical global value theorists, bolstered by the Marxist perspective, considers the importance of a more critical view of global value chains in relation to the sugar cane industry in Zimbabwe, with the particular focus on A2 farms. Thus, the main objective of the thesis is to consider the lives and livelihoods of A2 sugar cane farmers and sugar cane workers through a case study, in the context of global value chains and arguments around economic and social upgrading. This is pursued through a case study of six A2 farms, which involved interviewing farmers, supervisors, and both permanent and temporary workers. The thesis concludes that there is no significant evidence of social upgrading amongst the labour force, and that the A2 farmers are in constant tension with Tongaat Hullet in seeking to engage in economic upgrading of their status as commercial farmers

Food industry supply chain planning with product quality indicators

Quantitative supply chain modelling has contributed substantially to a number of fields, such as the automotive industry, logistics and computer hardware. The inherent methods and optimisation techniques could also be explored in relation to the food industry in order to offer potential benefits. One of the major issues of the food industry is to overcome supply seasonality and on-shelf demand. On the shelf demand is the consumer’s in store demand which could also be seasonal. Objective of this work is to add flexibility to seasonal products (i.e. soup) in order to meet the on-shelf demand. In order to achieve this, a preparation process is introduced and integrated into the manufacturing system. This process increases the shelf-life of raw materials before starting the production process. This process, however, affects the quality of fresh raw materials and requires energy. Therefore, a supply chain model is developed, which is based on the link between the quality of the raw material and the processing conditions, which have an effect on the process’ energy consumption and on the overall product quality. It is challenging to quantify the quality by looking at the processing conditions (degrees of freedom) and by linking it with energy in order to control and optimise the quality and energy consumption for each product. The degrees of freedom are defined differently for each process and state. Therefore, the developed model could be applied to all states and processes in order to generate an optimum solution. Moreover, based on the developed model, we have determined key factors in the whole chain, which are most likely to affect the product quality and consequently overall demand. There are two main quality indicator classes to be optimised, which are both considered in the model: static and time dependent indicators. Also, this work considers three different preparation processes – the air-dry, freeze-dry and freezing process – in order to increase the shelf-life of fresh raw materials and to add flexibility to them. A model based on the interrelationship between the quality and the processing conditions has been developed. This new methodology simplifies and enables the model to find the optimum processing conditions in order to obtain optimum quality across all quality indicators, whilst ensuring minimum energy consumption. This model is later integrated into the supply chain system, where it generates optimum solutions, which are then fed into the supply chain model. The supply chain model optimises the quality in terms of customer satisfaction, energy consumption and wastage of the system linked to environmental issues, and cost, so that the final products are more economical. In this system, both the manufacturing and inventory systems are optimised. This model is later implemented with a real world industrial case study (provided by the industrial collaborator). Two case studies are considered (soya milk and soup) and interestingly enough only one of them (soup) corresponds with this model. The advantage of this model is that it compares the two systems and then establishes which system generates an optimum end product.Open Acces