Improving Distributed Decision Making in Inventory Management: A Combined ABC-AHP Approach Supported by Teamwork

[EN] The need of organizations to ensure service levels that impact on customer satisfaction has required the design of collaborative processes among stakeholders involved in inventory decision making. The increase of quantity and variety of items, on the one hand, and demand and customer expectations, on the other hand, are transformed into a greater complexity in inventory management, requiring effective communication and agreements between the leaders of the logistics processes. Traditionally, decision making in inventory management was based on approaches conditioned only by cost or sales volume. These approaches must be overcome by others that consider multiple criteria, involving several areas of the companies and taking into account the opinions of the stakeholders involved in these decisions. Inventory management becomes part of a complex system that involves stakeholders from different areas of the company, where each agent has limited information and where the cooperation between such agents is key for the system's performance. In this paper, a distributed inventory control approach was used with the decisions allowing communication between the stakeholders and with a multicriteria group decision-making perspective. This work proposes a methodology that combines the analysis of the value chain and the AHP technique, in order to improve communication and the performance of the areas related to inventory management decision making. This methodology uses the areas of the value chain as a theoretical framework to identify the criteria necessary for the application of the AHP multicriteria group decision-making technique. These criteria were defined as indicators that measure the performance of the areas of the value chain related to inventory management and were used to classify ABC inventory of the products according to these selected criteria. Therefore, the methodology allows us to solve inventory management DDM based on multicriteria ABC classification and was validated in a Colombian company belonging to the graphic arts sector.Pérez Vergara, IG.; Arias Sánchez, JA.; Poveda Bautista, R.; Diego-Mas, JA. (2020). Improving Distributed Decision Making in Inventory Management: A Combined ABC-AHP Approach Supported by Teamwork. Complexity. 2020:1-13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6758108S1132020Poveda-Bautista, R., Baptista, D. C., & García-Melón, M. (2012). Setting competitiveness indicators using BSC and ANP. International Journal of Production Research, 50(17), 4738-4752. doi:10.1080/00207543.2012.657964Castro Zuluaga, C. A., Velez Gallego, M. C., & Catro Urrego, J. A. (2011). 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Multi-criteria ABC inventory classification with mixed quantitative and qualitative criteria. International Journal of Production Research, 52(3), 776-786. doi:10.1080/00207543.2013.838328Ishizaka, A., Pearman, C., & Nemery, P. (2012). AHPSort: an AHP-based method for sorting problems. International Journal of Production Research, 50(17), 4767-4784. doi:10.1080/00207543.2012.657966Yu, M.-C. (2011). Multi-criteria ABC analysis using artificial-intelligence-based classification techniques. Expert Systems with Applications, 38(4), 3416-3421. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2010.08.127Tsai, C.-Y., & Yeh, S.-W. (2008). A multiple objective particle swarm optimization approach for inventory classification. International Journal of Production Economics, 114(2), 656-666. doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2008.02.017Aydin Keskin, G., & Ozkan, C. (2013). Multiple Criteria ABC Analysis with FCM Clustering. Journal of Industrial Engineering, 2013, 1-7. doi:10.1155/2013/827274Lolli, F., Ishizaka, A., & Gamberini, R. (2014). New AHP-based approaches for multi-criteria inventory classification. International Journal of Production Economics, 156, 62-74. doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2014.05.015Raja, A. M. L., Ai, T. J., & Astanti, R. D. (2016). A Clustering Classification of Spare Parts for Improving Inventory Policies. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 114, 012075. doi:10.1088/1757-899x/114/1/012075Zowid, F. M., Babai, M. Z., Douissa, M. R., & Ducq, Y. (2019). Multi-criteria inventory ABC classification using Gaussian Mixture Model. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 52(13), 1925-1930. doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.484Babai, M. Z., Ladhari, T., & Lajili, I. (2014). On the inventory performance of multi-criteria classification methods: empirical investigation. International Journal of Production Research, 53(1), 279-290. doi:10.1080/00207543.2014.952791Schneeweiss, C. (2003). Distributed decision making––a unified approach. 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Machine learning for multi-criteria inventory classification applied to intermittent demand. Production Planning & Control, 30(1), 76-89. doi:10.1080/09537287.2018.1525506Kartal, H., Oztekin, A., Gunasekaran, A., & Cebi, F. (2016). An integrated decision analytic framework of machine learning with multi-criteria decision making for multi-attribute inventory classification. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 101, 599-613. doi:10.1016/j.cie.2016.06.004López-Soto, D., Angel-Bello, F., Yacout, S., & Alvarez, A. (2017). A multi-start algorithm to design a multi-class classifier for a multi-criteria ABC inventory classification problem. Expert Systems with Applications, 81, 12-21. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2017.02.048Dweiri, F., Kumar, S., Khan, S. A., & Jain, V. (2016). Designing an integrated AHP based decision support system for supplier selection in automotive industry. 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Solution Approaches for the Management of the Water Resources in Irrigation Water Systems with Fuzzy Costs

[EN] Currently, the management of water networks is key to increase their sustainability. This fact implies that water managers have to develop tools that ease the decision-making process in order to improve the efficiency of irrigation networks, as well as their exploitation costs. The present research proposes a mathematical programming model to optimize the selection of the water sources and the volume over time in water networks, minimizing the operation costs as a function of the water demand and the reservoir capacity. The model, which is based on fuzzy methods, improves the evaluation performed by water managers when they have to decide about the acquisition of the water resources under uncertain costs. Different fuzzy solution approaches have been applied and assessed in terms of model complexity and computational efficiency, showing the solution accomplished for each one. A comparison between different methods was applied in a real water network, reaching a 20% total cost reduction for the best solution.Sanchis, R.; Díaz-Madroñero Boluda, FM.; López Jiménez, PA.; Pérez-Sánchez, M. (2019). Solution Approaches for the Management of the Water Resources in Irrigation Water Systems with Fuzzy Costs. Water. 11(12):1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11122432S1221112Biswas, A. K. (2004). Integrated Water Resources Management: A Reassessment. Water International, 29(2), 248-256. doi:10.1080/02508060408691775Pahl-Wostl, C. (2006). Transitions towards adaptive management of water facing climate and global change. Water Resources Management, 21(1), 49-62. doi:10.1007/s11269-006-9040-4Wu, K., & Zhang, L. (2014). Progress in the Development of Environmental Risk Assessment as a Tool for the Decision-Making Process. Journal of Service Science and Management, 07(02), 131-143. doi:10.4236/jssm.2014.72011Hernández-Bedolla, J., Solera, A., Paredes-Arquiola, J., Pedro-Monzonís, M., Andreu, J., & Sánchez-Quispe, S. (2017). The Assessment of Sustainability Indexes and Climate Change Impacts on Integrated Water Resource Management. Water, 9(3), 213. doi:10.3390/w9030213Hunink, J., Simons, G., Suárez-Almiñana, S., Solera, A., Andreu, J., Giuliani, M., … Bastiaanssen, W. (2019). A Simplified Water Accounting Procedure to Assess Climate Change Impact on Water Resources for Agriculture across Different European River Basins. Water, 11(10), 1976. doi:10.3390/w11101976Pérez-Sánchez, M., Sánchez-Romero, F., Ramos, H., & López-Jiménez, P. (2016). Modeling Irrigation Networks for the Quantification of Potential Energy Recovering: A Case Study. Water, 8(6), 234. doi:10.3390/w8060234Corominas, J. (2010). Agua y energía en el riego, en la época de la sostenibilidad. Ingeniería del agua, 17(3). doi:10.4995/ia.2010.2977Romero, L., Pérez-Sánchez, M., & Amparo López-Jiménez, P. (2017). Improvement of sustainability indicators when traditional water management changes: a case study in Alicante (Spain). AIMS Environmental Science, 4(3), 502-522. doi:10.3934/environsci.2017.3.502Davies, E. G. R., & Simonovic, S. P. (2011). Global water resources modeling with an integrated model of the social–economic–environmental system. Advances in Water Resources, 34(6), 684-700. doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2011.02.010ALCAMO, J., DÖLL, P., HENRICHS, T., KASPAR, F., LEHNER, B., RÖSCH, T., & SIEBERT, S. (2003). Development and testing of the WaterGAP 2 global model of water use and availability. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 48(3), 317-337. doi:10.1623/hysj.48.3.317.45290Sanchis, R., & Poler, R. (2019). Enterprise Resilience Assessment—A Quantitative Approach. Sustainability, 11(16), 4327. doi:10.3390/su11164327Rahaman, M. M., & Varis, O. (2005). Integrated water resources management: evolution, prospects and future challenges. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 1(1), 15-21. doi:10.1080/15487733.2005.11907961Markantonis, V., Reynaud, A., Karabulut, A., El Hajj, R., Altinbilek, D., Awad, I. M., … Bidoglio, G. (2019). Can the Implementation of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Support Economic Growth in the Mediterranean Region? The Current Status and the Way Forward. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 7. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2019.00084Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)www.fao.orgDirective 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Councilhttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/60/ojNamany, S., Al-Ansari, T., & Govindan, R. (2019). Sustainable energy, water and food nexus systems: A focused review of decision-making tools for efficient resource management and governance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, 610-626. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.304Archibald, T. W., & Marshall, S. E. (2018). Review of Mathematical Programming Applications in Water Resource Management Under Uncertainty. Environmental Modeling & Assessment, 23(6), 753-777. doi:10.1007/s10666-018-9628-0Chen, S., Shao, D., Gu, W., Xu, B., Li, H., & Fang, L. (2017). An interval multistage water allocation model for crop different growth stages under inputs uncertainty. Agricultural Water Management, 186, 86-97. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2017.03.001Xie, Y. L., Xia, D. H., Huang, G. H., Li, W., & Xu, Y. (2015). A multistage stochastic robust optimization model with fuzzy probability distribution for water supply management under uncertainty. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 31(1), 125-143. doi:10.1007/s00477-015-1164-8Heumesser, C., Fuss, S., Szolgayová, J., Strauss, F., & Schmid, E. (2012). Investment in Irrigation Systems under Precipitation Uncertainty. Water Resources Management, 26(11), 3113-3137. doi:10.1007/s11269-012-0053-xPereira-Cardenal, S. J., Mo, B., Riegels, N. D., Arnbjerg-Nielsen, K., & Bauer-Gottwein, P. (2015). Optimization of Multipurpose Reservoir Systems Using Power Market Models. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 141(8), 04014100. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000500Kumari, S., & Mujumdar, P. P. (2017). Fuzzy Set–Based System Performance Evaluation of an Irrigation Reservoir System. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 143(5), 04017002. doi:10.1061/(asce)ir.1943-4774.0001155Jairaj, P. G., & Vedula, S. (2000). Water Resources Management, 14(6), 457-472. doi:10.1023/a:1011117918943Li, M., Guo, P., Singh, V. P., & Zhao, J. (2016). Irrigation Water Allocation Using an Inexact Two-Stage Quadratic Programming with Fuzzy Input under Climate Change. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 52(3), 667-684. doi:10.1111/1752-1688.12415Bozorg-Haddad, O., Malmir, M., Mohammad-Azari, S., & Loáiciga, H. A. (2016). Estimation of farmers’ willingness to pay for water in the agricultural sector. Agricultural Water Management, 177, 284-290. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2016.08.011Raju, K. S., & Duckstein, L. (2003). Multiobjective fuzzy linear programming for sustainable irrigation planning: an Indian case study. Soft Computing - A Fusion of Foundations, Methodologies and Applications, 7(6), 412-418. doi:10.1007/s00500-002-0230-6Regulwar, D. G., & Gurav, J. B. (2012). Sustainable Irrigation Planning with Imprecise Parameters under Fuzzy Environment. Water Resources Management, 26(13), 3871-3892. doi:10.1007/s11269-012-0109-yMula, J., Poler, R., & Garcia-Sabater, J. P. (2008). Capacity and material requirement planning modelling by comparing deterministic and fuzzy models. International Journal of Production Research, 46(20), 5589-5606. doi:10.1080/00207540701413912Díaz-Madroñero, M., Mula, J., Jiménez, M., & Peidro, D. (2016). A rolling horizon approach for material requirement planning under fuzzy lead times. 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Intelligent Integrated Management for Telecommunication Networks

As the size of communication networks keeps on growing, faster connections, cooperating technologies and the divergence of equipment and data communications, the management of the resulting networks gets additional important and time-critical. More advanced tools are needed to support this activity. In this article we describe the design and implementation of a management platform using Artificial Intelligent reasoning technique. For this goal we make use of an expert system. This study focuses on an intelligent framework and a language for formalizing knowledge management descriptions and combining them with existing OSI management model. We propose a new paradigm where the intelligent network management is integrated into the conceptual repository of management information called Managed Information Base (MIB). This paper outlines the development of an expert system prototype based in our propose GDMO+ standard and describes the most important facets, advantages and drawbacks that were found after prototyping our proposal

Research Agenda for Studying Open Source II: View Through the Lens of Referent Discipline Theories

In a companion paper [Niederman et al., 2006] we presented a multi-level research agenda for studying information systems using open source software. This paper examines open source in terms of MIS and referent discipline theories that are the base needed for rigorous study of the research agenda

New Product Development and Product Supply Within a Network Setting: The Case of the Chilled Ready-Meal Industry in the UK

This paper analyses inter-organizational networks that link together firms operating in the food processing and distribution industry in the UK. In doing so, the paper draws on insights recently developed by Mark Casson that treat inter-firm networks as an institutional response to the changing costs and opportunities of information management. Detailed analysis of product innovation and supply chain management issues within the industry, exemplified by the growth of chilled ready-meals, leads to the identification of two distinct but complementary inter-firm networks: a network of control and a network of innovation. In each case, the study finds that the critical information is derived from the retailers’ interface with consumers and thus that these information-based networks are effectively controlled by the leading supermarket chains. The study’s conclusions are considered in relation to the recent findings of the Competition Commission following its investigation into grocery retailing in the UK

Modelling Fresh Strawberry Supply "From-Farm-to-Fork" as a Complex Adaptive Network

 The purpose of this study is to model and thereby enable simulation of the complete business entity of fresh food supply. A case narrative of fresh strawberry supply provides basis for this modelling. Lamming et al. (2000) point to the importance of discerning industry-specific product features (or particularities) regarding managing supply networks when discussing elements in "an initial classification of a supply network" while Fisher (1997) and Christopher et al. (2006, 2009) point to the lack of adopting SCM models to variations in products and market types as an important source of SCM failure. In this study we have chosen to move along a research path towards developing an adapted approach to model end-to-end fresh food supply influenced by a combination of SCM, system dynamics and complex adaptive network thinking...

An Improved Stock Price Prediction using Hybrid Market Indicators

In this paper the effect of hybrid market indicators is examined for an improved stock price prediction. The hybrid market indicators consist of technical, fundamental and expert opinion variables as input to artificial neural networks model. The empirical results obtained with published stock data of Dell and Nokia obtained from New York Stock Exchange shows that the proposed model can be effective to improve accuracy of stock price prediction