75 research outputs found

    Energy Supplies in the Countries from the Visegrad Group

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    The purpose of this Special Issue was to collect and present research results and experiences on energy supply in the Visegrad Group countries. This research considers both macroeconomic and microeconomic aspects. It was important to determine how the V4 countries deal with energy management, how they have undergone or are undergoing energy transformation and in what direction they are heading. The articles concerned aspects of the energy balance in the V4 countries compared to the EU, including the production of renewable energy, as well as changes in its individual sectors (transport and food production). The energy efficiency of low-emission vehicles in public transport and goods deliveries are also discussed, as well as the energy efficiency of farms and energy storage facilities and the impact of the energy sector on the quality of the environment

    Mathematical Methods and Operation Research in Logistics, Project Planning, and Scheduling

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    In the last decade, the Industrial Revolution 4.0 brought flexible supply chains and flexible design projects to the forefront. Nevertheless, the recent pandemic, the accompanying economic problems, and the resulting supply problems have further increased the role of logistics and supply chains. Therefore, planning and scheduling procedures that can respond flexibly to changed circumstances have become more valuable both in logistics and projects. There are already several competing criteria of project and logistic process planning and scheduling that need to be reconciled. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that even more emphasis needs to be placed on taking potential risks into account. Flexibility and resilience are emphasized in all decision-making processes, including the scheduling of logistic processes, activities, and projects

    Blockchain for supply chain traceability and anticounterfeiting: the oracles’ enabling role

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    Blockchain and physical oracles in the Collectible Industry. Supply chain fairness and bargaining power in agriculture supply chain: the blockchain effect. Unlocking the Blockchain Potentials through Oracles: Empirical Evidences on Supply Chain Challenges and Performance

    Logistic Postponement as a Risk Management Tool: A Real Options Valuation (ROV) Approach to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Logistic Postponement Strategy in Mitigating the Demand Variability Risk in Global Supply Chains

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    Recent world events such as the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine have caused increases in supply chain disruptions along global supply chains. The resulting supply chain challenges necessitate an increased effort in improving supply chain risk management for companies around the world. One source of uncertainty that is increasingly difficult to deal with is demand variability. With both supply and demand becoming increasingly difficult to predict, companies need tools to manage demand variability. Our work evaluates a logistic postponement solution to demand variability where safety stock is shipped from an overseas supplier to a distribution center instead of being shipped directly to retailers. By taking advantage of risk pooling, the proposed strategy aims at reducing stockouts at retailers well also reducing the present value of total costs incurring along the supply chain. A real options valuation (ROV) approach is used in this thesis to present both a theoretical model and a computational model. The theoretical model aims to provide an approach for supply chain practitioners to compare the logistic postponement strategy to their current strategy using historical data. On the other hand, the computational model incorporates some simplifications in the theoretical model to avail it for simulation. Sensitivity analyses conducted aim to provide an analysis on the potential cost savings and stockout reductions a logistic postponement strategy can provide

    Successful Inventory Management Strategies in the Office Supply Businesses

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    Some small and medium-sized retail office supply stores (SMROSS) owners lack successful inventory management strategies. SMROSS business owners rely on successful inventory strategies to minimize costs, maintain the correct inventory level, and avoid stockouts. Grounded in the conceptual framework of contingency theory and inventory modeling, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies business owners use to manage inventory efficiently. The participants included eight business owners of seven SMROSS in Ontario, Canada, who operated their businesses for more than 5 years and successfully implemented inventory management strategies. Data were analyzed from semistructured interviews and information from participants’ websites following Yin’s five-step process. Four themes emerged: inventory management efficiency, nurturing supply chain partner relationships, using information technology in inventory, and responsiveness to customer demand. A key recommendation is that SMROSS business owners maintain a stock level where storage cost is lowest while maintaining inventory to satisfy demand. The implication for positive social change includes the potential for SMROSS business owners to remain competitive by maintaining customer loyalty by meeting customer demand. By remaining viable, business owners could potentially expand their businesses and create employment opportunities for individuals in the community

    Expanding the Horizons of Manufacturing: Towards Wide Integration, Smart Systems and Tools

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    This research topic aims at enterprise-wide modeling and optimization (EWMO) through the development and application of integrated modeling, simulation and optimization methodologies, and computer-aided tools for reliable and sustainable improvement opportunities within the entire manufacturing network (raw materials, production plants, distribution, retailers, and customers) and its components. This integrated approach incorporates information from the local primary control and supervisory modules into the scheduling/planning formulation. That makes it possible to dynamically react to incidents that occur in the network components at the appropriate decision-making level, requiring fewer resources, emitting less waste, and allowing for better responsiveness in changing market requirements and operational variations, reducing cost, waste, energy consumption and environmental impact, and increasing the benefits. More recently, the exploitation of new technology integration, such as through semantic models in formal knowledge models, allows for the capture and utilization of domain knowledge, human knowledge, and expert knowledge toward comprehensive intelligent management. Otherwise, the development of advanced technologies and tools, such as cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, the Industrial Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, etc., have captured the attention of manufacturing enterprises toward intelligent manufacturing systems

    Time Evolution of a Supply Chain Network: Kinetic Modeling

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    Resilient supply chains are often inherently dependent on the nature of their complex interconnected networks that are simultaneously multi-dimensional and multi-layered. This article presents a Supply Chain Network (SCN) model that can be used to regulate downstream relationships towards a sustainable SME using a 4-component cost function structure - Environmental (E), Demand (D), Economic (E), and Social (S). As a major generalization to the existing practice of using phenomenological interrelationships between the EDES cost kernels, we propose a complementary time varying model of a cost function, based on Lagrangian mechanics (incorporating SCN constraints through Lagrange multipliers), to analyze the time evolution of the SCN variables to interpret the competition between economic inertia and market potential. Multicriteria decision making, based on an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), ranks performance quality, identifying key business decision makers. The model is first solved numerically and then validated against real data pertaining to two Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from diverse domains, establishing the domain-independent nature of the model. The results quantify how increases in a production line without appropriate consideration of market volatility can lead to bankruptcy, and how high transportation cost together with increased production may lead to a break-even state. The model also predicts the time it takes a policy change to reinvigorate sales, thereby forecasting best practice operational procedure that ensures holistic sustainability on all four sustainability fronts

    Collected Papers (on Neutrosophic Theory and Applications), Volume VII

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    This seventh volume of Collected Papers includes 70 papers comprising 974 pages on (theoretic and applied) neutrosophics, written between 2013-2021 by the author alone or in collaboration with the following 122 co-authors from 22 countries: Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Abdel-Nasser Hussian, C. Alexander, Mumtaz Ali, Yaman Akbulut, Amir Abdullah, Amira S. Ashour, Assia Bakali, Kousik Bhattacharya, Kainat Bibi, R. N. Boyd, Ümit Budak, Lulu Cai, Cenap Özel, Chang Su Kim, Victor Christianto, Chunlai Du, Chunxin Bo, Rituparna Chutia, Cu Nguyen Giap, Dao The Son, Vinayak Devvrat, Arindam Dey, Partha Pratim Dey, Fahad Alsharari, Feng Yongfei, S. Ganesan, Shivam Ghildiyal, Bibhas C. Giri, Masooma Raza Hashmi, Ahmed Refaat Hawas, Hoang Viet Long, Le Hoang Son, Hongbo Wang, Hongnian Yu, Mihaiela Iliescu, Saeid Jafari, Temitope Gbolahan Jaiyeola, Naeem Jan, R. Jeevitha, Jun Ye, Anup Khan, Madad Khan, Salma Khan, Ilanthenral Kandasamy, W.B. Vasantha Kandasamy, Darjan Karabašević, Kifayat Ullah, Kishore Kumar P.K., Sujit Kumar De, Prasun Kumar Nayak, Malayalan Lathamaheswari, Luong Thi Hong Lan, Anam Luqman, Luu Quoc Dat, Tahir Mahmood, Hafsa M. Malik, Nivetha Martin, Mai Mohamed, Parimala Mani, Mingcong Deng, Mohammed A. Al Shumrani, Mohammad Hamidi, Mohamed Talea, Kalyan Mondal, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Gulistan, Farshid Mofidnakhaei, Muhammad Shoaib, Muhammad Riaz, Karthika Muthusamy, Nabeela Ishfaq, Deivanayagampillai Nagarajan, Sumera Naz, Nguyen Dinh Hoa, Nguyen Tho Thong, Nguyen Xuan Thao, Noor ul Amin, Dragan Pamučar, Gabrijela Popović, S. Krishna Prabha, Surapati Pramanik, Priya R, Qiaoyan Li, Yaser Saber, Said Broumi, Saima Anis, Saleem Abdullah, Ganeshsree Selvachandran, Abdulkadir Sengür, Seyed Ahmad Edalatpanah, Shahbaz Ali, Shahzaib Ashraf, Shouzhen Zeng, Shio Gai Quek, Shuangwu Zhu, Shumaiza, Sidra Sayed, Sohail Iqbal, Songtao Shao, Sundas Shahzadi, Dragiša Stanujkić, Željko Stević, Udhayakumar Ramalingam, Zunaira Rashid, Hossein Rashmanlou, Rajkumar Verma, Luige Vlădăreanu, Victor Vlădăreanu, Desmond Jun Yi Tey, Selçuk Topal, Naveed Yaqoob, Yanhui Guo, Yee Fei Gan, Yingcang Ma, Young Bae Jun, Yuping Lai, Hafiz Abdul Wahab, Wei Yang, Xiaohong Zhang, Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Lemnaouar Zedam

    Modelling the relationship between project payment systems, financial management strategies and construction organisation performance in South Africa

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    The failure of construction projects to be delivered successfully – the root of poor performance in the construction industry – is attributed by scholars to the improper payment (or no payment at all) of contractors, and subsequently, of sub-contractors and suppliers. Therefore, proficient payment systems, adequate cash flow and effective financial management strategies are required for the success of construction projects. However, there is limited or no objective research that explores the impact of financial management strategies and project payment systems on construction company performance in South Africa. Also, previous research efforts have focused on various modelling approaches and their success/failure; thus, a model is yet to be developed for South Africa that will assist the construction industry practitioners in South Africa to have a reliable payment system and financial management strategy. Such a model might improve project/organisational performance. This study investigated the project payment systems and financial management strategies used by large construction organisations in achieving better performance within the business and project environment. The study further examined whether financial management strategies mediate the relationship between project payment systems and construction organisation performance. The study made use of a sequential mixed-method research approach that involves the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data to achieve the research objectives. The sample size for the study consisted of 176 contractors listed in Grades 7 to 9 on the Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) Register of Contractors. Data on the financial performance of the construction companies was obtained by gathering historical information on past projects undertaken within a five-year period (2013-2017), the payment systems used, financial management strategies adopted by the companies, and project and organisation performance data. Quantitative data analysis was carried out using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics, such as percentiles and mean scores, were used to analyse the background information of the respondents and how the study population responded to the questionnaires, the typical payment systems used on construction projects and financial strategies, and the level of project and organisation performance. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed in modelling the extent to which project payment systems and financial management strategies in business and project environments influence, and are associated with, construction organisation performance. It emerged from the study that construction organisations that lack effective financial management strategies accept the use of the interim project payment system by clients on construction projects; and that financial management strategies adopted by construction companies indirectly affect their financial performance. The research also revealed that the interim payment system mediates the impact of the financial management strategies adopted, on the financial performance of construction organisations. Based on these findings, the study concluded that the failure of construction projects and organisations would be reduced through the adoption of effective financial management strategies by construction organisations and appropriate payment systems by the clients. The study highlighted channels of improving project payment systems in the construction industry, by recommending appropriate methods that suit the project environment. Also, the research proposed financial strategies and measures relating to payment and usage of the funds in the contract, so that payment and construction company performance problems in projects may be reduced. The research extends the theory on financial management strategies and its impact on financial organisational performance in the context of construction companies and the construction industry. The study contributes to the knowledge of payment systems and construction company performance, and the research and practical implications of the payment systems for the operations and performance of construction firms

    Sustainable Assessment in Supply Chain and Infrastructure Management

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    In the competitive business environment or public domain, the sustainability assessment in supply chain and infrastructure management are important for any organization. Organizations are currently striving to improve their sustainable strategies through preparedness, response, and recovery because of increasing competitiveness, community, and regulatory pressure. Thus, it is necessary to develop a meaningful and more focused understanding of sustainability in supply chain management and infrastructure management practices. In the context of a supply chain, sustainability implies that companies identify, assess, and manage impacts and risks in all the echelons of the supply chain, considering downstream and upstream activities. Similarly, the sustainable infrastructure management indicates the ability of infrastructure to meet the requirements of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to address their needs. The complexities regarding sustainable supply chain and infrastructure management have driven managers and professionals to seek different solutions. This Special Issue aims to provide readers with the most recent research results on the aforementioned subjects. In addition, it offers some solutions and also raises some questions for further research and development toward sustainable supply chain and infrastructure management
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