Production Systems with Deteriorating Product Quality : System-Theoretic Approach

Manufacturing systems with perishable products are widely seen in practice (e.g., food, metal processing, etc.). In such systems, the quality of a part is highly dependent on its residence time within the system. However, the behavior and properties of these systems have not been studied systematically, and, therefore, is carried out in this dissertation. Specifically, it was assumed that the probability that each unfinished part is of good quality is a decreasing function of its residence time in the preceding buffer. Then, in the framework of serial production lines with machines having Bernoulli and geometric reliability models, closed-form formulas for performance evaluation in the two-machine line case were derived, and develop an aggregation-based procedure to approximate the performance measures in M\u3e2-machine lines. In addition, the monotonicity properties of these production lines using numerical experiments were studied. A case study in an automotive stamping plant is described to illustrate the theoretical results obtained. Also, Bernoulli serial lines with controlled parts released was analyzed for both deterministic and stochastic releases. Finally, bottleneck analysis in Bernoulli serial lines with deteriorating product quality were studied

Supply Chain

Traditionally supply chain management has meant factories, assembly lines, warehouses, transportation vehicles, and time sheets. Modern supply chain management is a highly complex, multidimensional problem set with virtually endless number of variables for optimization. An Internet enabled supply chain may have just-in-time delivery, precise inventory visibility, and up-to-the-minute distribution-tracking capabilities. Technology advances have enabled supply chains to become strategic weapons that can help avoid disasters, lower costs, and make money. From internal enterprise processes to external business transactions with suppliers, transporters, channels and end-users marks the wide range of challenges researchers have to handle. The aim of this book is at revealing and illustrating this diversity in terms of scientific and theoretical fundamentals, prevailing concepts as well as current practical applications

Strategic business management : from planning to performance

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/2682/thumbnail.jp

Alignment of supply chain management practices with policies and regulations in state owned entities in South Africa

The study examined the alignment of Supply Chain Management (SCM) practices with the policies and regulations in State-Owned Entities (SOEs) in South Africa. SCM plays a crucial role in the implementation of service delivery programmes and the achievement of socioeconomic imperatives in SOEs in South Africa. However, there is a substantial misalignment between SCM practices and the relevant policies and regulations, which negatively influences the performance of SOEs in South Africa. The research study was designed to employ a combination of exploratory and descriptive research, using quantitative approaches based on a survey of SCM managers in SOEs in South Africa. A structured questionnaire was administered to SCM managers who were selected using simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics using the software, SPSS version 21.0, was used for the statistical analysis and to provide the descriptive analysis results. In addition, Smart PLS 2.0 M3 was used for structural Equation Modelling to assess the alignment between the key variables. The results of the study revealed that, in general, there is an alignment between SCM practices and SCM policies and regulations. However, based on the analysis of the four constructs that were used in the study (SCM strategy, SCM policies and regulations, SCM practices, and SCM performance), the results revealed a misalignment between SCM strategy and SCM performance. The study further revealed a positive and weak relationship between Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD) and SCM performance in SOEs. The poor implementation of these two practices compromises the contribution of SCM to socioeconomic imperatives, and consequently SCM. The results of the five SCM policies and regulations that were examined indicated the poor implementation of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act (BBBEEA) across SOEs. The study suggests a conceptual framework for SCM in SOEs to enable them to enhance their performance. The study provides an understanding of how SCM could be applied efficiently in the SOEs environment and it provides new insights to the body of knowledge.Applied ManagementD. Admin. (Business Management

The Law and Economics of Antidiscrimination Law

This essay provides an overview of the central theoretical law and economics insights concerning antidiscrimination law across a variety of contexts including discrimination in labor markets, housing markets, consumer purchases, and policing. The different models of discrimination based on animus, statistical discrimination, and cartel exploitation are analyzed for both race and sex discrimination. I explore the theoretical arguments for prohibiting private discriminatory conduct and illustrates the tensions that exist between concerns for liberty and equality. I also discuss the critical point that one cannot automatically attribute observed disparities in various economic or social outcomes to discrimination, and illustrate the complexities in establishing the existence of discrimination. The major empirical findings showing the effectiveness of federal law in the first decade after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act are contrasted with the generally less optimistic findings from subsequent antidiscrimination interventions.

The influence of online review adoption on supply chain performance: a hybrid simulation study

Abstract The development of E-commerce leads to the popularity of online review adoption. Customers who purchase online can seek information about products in online reviews posted by others. Although online reviews have become a norm, research mainly focuses on their value from marketing perspectives, with fewer studies linking online reviews to supply chain management. As supply chain management is vitally important to E-commerce, this thesis aims to examine the influence of adopting online reviews on supply chain management. This thesis first conducted a systematic literature review and summarised the mechanisms explaining how adopting online reviews can influence supply chain performance. After that, the thesis followed a positivism research paradigm and conducted hybrid simulations (system dynamics and agent-based modelling) to compare if the influence of online reviews varies between different supply chain configurations. Specifically, the thesis first built a forward uncapacitated supply chain model as a base to investigate how online review adoption can influence supply chain performance. After that, this base model was extended to two further supply chain configurations. One studied the influence of adopting online reviews under the effect of supply chain capacity constraint which is an important factor for production and scheduling in supply chains. Also, the model was extended to consider closed-loop supply chains, given the significance of returns in E-commerce operations. In each scenario, the simulation experiments were conducted in RStudio and analysed by ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA). This thesis found that the mechanisms by which online reviews can influence supply chain performance are twofold. The adoption of online reviews can enhance the supply chain communication efficiency and effectiveness. Their adoption can also increase the sensing capabilities of the company. The former mechanism is called ‘connecting-tool mechanism’ while the latter is called ‘data-source mechanism’. This thesis then focused on the connecting-tool mechanism and compared its realisation between different supply chain configurations. In the base model, the adoption of online reviews mainly influenced supply chain demand and revenue, directly determining the supply chain performance. However, when capacity constraints and reverse product flows were considered into the model, the influence of online review adoption became complicated. The results indicated that not only supply chain revenue but also the lost sales and the cost of the reverse supply chain can be affected by online review adoption, and such compound influences from online reviews were contingent on the different contextual factors and led to nonlinear and diverse impacts on supply chain performance. The findings in this thesis contributed to the understanding on how online reviews can influence supply chain performance, enabling researchers to gain deeper insights into the causal relationships between online reviews and supply chain operations. In addition, a generic modelling framework called OR-SCM framework was proposed, providing guidance of mathematical models in this field. For practical implication, the thesis results raised the awareness of complexity in the consequences of online review adoption in supply chains for managers and informed them that, to make better decisions and improve supply chain performance, the adoption decisions of online reviews should be made based on different contextual factors related to supply chains

What factors facilitate or inhibit the successful implementation of Lean Manufacturing

Although many Norwegian companies have the Lean Culture with success but a large number has failed when attempting this goal. As companies try to implement and apply Lean in response to competitive pressures, they often become one-dimensional in their approach. As the main purpose, this document seeks to study and analyse the underlying reasons surrounding companies' failures in their Lean initiatives and how to implement them in a successful and sustainable way. This document is based on a thorough literature research concerning the success and failure of Lean implementations, enriched through an assortment of individual interviews with Lean experts, acting as a precursor for the development of a novel roadmap as a practical guide to open up a window of opportunity for managers, who want to become Lean in an effective and sustainable way. Lean implementation, Manufacturing systems, Failure reasons, Critical success factors, Strategic management of Lea