Multi-objective Decision Analysis for Workforce Planning: A Case Study

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) engages in complex decision making on a daily basis, in terms of mission support and workforce management. Decision analysis tools are employed to evaluate and support the best course of action. In particular, multi-objective decision making (MODA) is a robust decision technique that evaluates objectives and measures in terms of value to select from a set of alternatives. This paper examines workforce planning at a DoD Agency through the use of MODA and examines the ratio of government employees (GOV) and contractors (CON) for an engineering related work role. MODA is used to identify influences to the assignment of a GOV or CON to an open position and to determine the appropriate ratio of GOV and CON employees for the work role. Results will be used to provide critical decision support to effectively manage budget and resources while meeting work requirements and agency mission with the best possible skill set

The development of Guttman scales measuring attitudes toward athletic scholarships and attitudes toward women in sport

The purpose of this study was to develop two Guttman scales: one which measured attitudes toward athletic scholarships and a second which assessed attitudes toward women in sport. Subjects participating in the scale development numbered approximately 200; their ages ranged from 18 to 65. Those involved in the sequential administrations of the pilot tests were college students, high school students, and laypersons--shoppers at a nearby mall. Each pilot trial involved 20 to 30 subjects. Each subject responded to a given number of statements by circling her/his selected responses. In the early stages of development, there were five response categories, from most favorable to least favorable. As the study progressed subjects were required to be more decisive by narrowing choice of responses to two: agree or disagree. Analysis utilized the SPSS Guttman Scalogram program and called for the development of a new data deck for each pilot trial. The following criteria were invoked in evaluating the statements: (a) correlation with every other statement, (b) coefficient of reproducibility, (c) coefficient of scalability, and (d) pass/fail tally. General semantic meanings of the statements were also considered by the researcher

Structural, mechanistic and regulatory studies of serine palmitoyltransferase

SLs (sphingolipids) are composed of fatty acids and a polar head group derived from l-serine. SLs are essential components of all eukaryotic and many prokaryotic membranes but S1P (sphingosine 1-phosphate) is also a potent signalling molecule. Recent efforts have sought to inventory the large and chemically complex family of SLs (LIPID MAPS Consortium). Detailed understanding of SL metabolism may lead to therapeutic agents specifically directed at SL targets. We have studied the enzymes involved in SL biosynthesis; later stages are species-specific, but all core SLs are synthesized from the condensation of l-serine and a fatty acid thioester such as palmitoyl-CoA that is catalysed by SPT (serine palmitoyltransferase). SPT is a PLP (pyridoxal 5'-phosphate)-dependent enzyme that forms 3-KDS (3-ketodihydrosphingosine) through a decarboxylative Claisen-like condensation reaction. Eukaryotic SPTs are membrane-bound multi-subunit enzymes, whereas bacterial enzymes are cytoplasmic homodimers. We use bacterial SPTs (e. g. from Sphingomonas) to probe their structure and mechanism. Mutations in human SPT cause a neuropathy [HSAN1 (hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 1)], a rare SL metabolic disease. How these mutations perturb SPT activity is subtle and bacterial SPT mimics of HSAN1 mutants affect the enzyme activity and structure of the SPT dimer. We have also explored SPT inhibition using various inhibitors (e. g. cycloserine). A number of new subunits and regulatory proteins that have a direct impact on the activity of eukaryotic SPTs have recently been discovered. Knowledge gained from bacterial SPTs sheds some light on the more complex mammalian systems. In the present paper, we review historical aspects of the area and highlight recent key developments.</p

Reconceptualization of information technology flexibility for supply chain management: an empirical study

IT flexibility is an increasingly important factor in today's dynamic business environment. However, earlier research lacks 1) an integrated framework that corresponds to diverse processes for supply chain management and 2) an explanation of how IT flexibility affects firms’ performance in the supply chain context. To fill these gaps, our study theorised a research model by integrating disparate streams of IT flexibility research with three types of IT flexibility, namely, operational, transactional, and strategic, and tested both the direct and indirect effects of the three IT flexibility types on firm performance. Our theoretical model uses an extended resource-based view to highlight the role of IT flexibility in managing interdependent firm relationships in supply chains. Using a partial least squares approach to structured equation modelling analysis on 162 questionnaires from supply chain practitioners, we found two significant relationships: (1) transactional IT flexibility affects operational IT flexibility, and (2) operational IT flexibility affects strategic IT flexibility. Transactional IT flexibility also affects strategic IT flexibility, thus playing a pivotal role in the effectiveness of the other two flexibility types. In addition, it was identified that transactional and operational flexibilities affect firm performance indirectly, via process integration capability, while strategic flexibility directly affects firm performance. By classifying diverse IT flexibility attributes into three types, a comprehensive and explicit concept of IT flexibility in inter-organisational relationships is attained, which allows practitioners to target key resource investments to realise the full potential of IT in the supply chain

The rank reversal problem in multi-criteria decision making : a literature review

Despite the importance of multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques for constructing effective decision models, there are many criticisms due to the occurrence of a problem called rank reversal. Nevertheless, there is a lack of a systematic literature review on this important subject which involves different methods. This study reviews the pertinent literature on rank reversal, based on 130 related articles published from 1980 to 2015 in international journals, which were gathered and analyzed according to the following perspectives: multicriteria technique, year and journal in which the papers were published, co-authorship network, rank reversal types, and research goal. Thus our survey provides recommendations for future research, besides useful information and knowledge regarding rank reversal in the MCDM field