An Empirical Investigation into Wicked Operational Problems

This thesis begins by considering the nature of research in Operations Management, the methods that are employed and the types of problems it addresses. We contend that as the discipline matures and it extends its boundaries the research challenges become more complex and the reductionist techniques of Operations Research become less appropriate. To explore this issue we use the concept of wicked problems. Wicked problems were developed by Rittel and Webber during the 1970’s. They suggest the existence of a class of problems which could not be solved using the techniques of Operations Research. They describe Wicked Problems using ten properties or characteristics, which, after a thorough review of their descriptions, we have condensed to six themes. We consider the current state of the “Wicked Problem” literature and have identified the paucity relating to Operations Management. Thus we develop our research question: “what are the characteristics of wicked operational problems?” We investigate this question using a single extended case study of an operation experiencing significant unresolved performance issues. We analyse the case using the tenets of systems thinking, structure and behaviour, and extend the empirical literature on wicked problems to identify the characteristics of wicked operational problems. The research indicates that elements of wicked problems exist at an operational level. The significance of this finding is that reductionist techniques to problem solving e.g. lean and six sigma may not be applicable to the challenges facing operational managers when confronted with the characteristics of a wicked operational problem

Operationalising and managing variety

Working paperTo extend the conceptual model of a service system presented by Godsiff. (Godsiff, 2010). The model based on Ashby‟s Law of Requisite Variety (1964) suggests a number of possible sources of variety including, the value proposition, the customer and producer inputs and the customer and producer outcomes. Frei proposes two strategies for managing variability, accommodation often provided by employees managing the variations presented by the customers and variety reduction through the value proposition. (Frei, 2006). This paper explores both the types of variability and the strategies adopted to manage variability through the analysis of a case study based on a commercial laundry. Methodology/approach Empirical research in single case study over 12 month period; data was collected through interviews with the owner manager and operational director, and twelve months operational and customer data was provided for analysis

Bitcoin: Bubble or Blockchain?

Abstract. This paper sets out a brief, deliberately non-technical, overview of Bitcoin, a new, but becoming more mainstream, crypto currency, generated and managed by a distributed multi-agent system. Bitcoin was developed in late 2008 by "Satoshi Nakamoto". The nature of Bitcoin as a disruptive currency, payments system and asset, is juxtaposed against the potential for its transactional ledger, the blockchain, to usher in a revolutionary way of recording "digital truth". The main contribution of this paper is to progress the debate around Bitcoin beyond the technical and towards legal and ethical issues and the nature of money and memory itself

An integrated approach towards revenue management

"This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Journal of Revenue & Pricing Management, July 2008, pp. 185-95 is available online at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/rpm/index.html" Embargo until February 2010.This paper argues that advanced demand exhibit three characteristics — that of being probabilistic, stochastic and deterministic. Deterministic demand results in revenue management practices being cross-functional. The paper proposes a new revenue management system that integrates four decision sets of the firm: the value set, the segmentation set, the sensitivity set and the forecasting set. An integrated revenue management system also links the concept of capacity to the attributes promised by the firm to the customer. The paper then proposes that service firms that do not sell 'unitised' services such as seats or rooms have to define and capture its amorphous capacity and through capacity limitation, create advanced demand and practice strategic revenue management

Modelling and simulation of operation and maintenance strategy for offshore wind farms based on multiagent system

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Maintenance of offshore wind turbines is a complex and costly undertaking which acts as a barrier to the development of this source of energy. Factors such as the size of the turbines, the size of the wind farms, their distance from the coast and meteorological conditions make it difficult for the stakeholders to select the optimal maintenance strategy. With the objective of reducing costs and duration of such operations it is important that new maintenance techniques are investigated. In this paper we propose a hybrid model of maintenance that is based on multi-agent systems; this allows for the modelling of systems with dynamic interactions between multiple parts. A multi-criteria decision algorithm has been developed to allow analysis and selection of different maintenance strategies. A cost model that includes maintenance action cost, energy loss and installation of monitoring system cost has been presented. For the purposes of this research we have developed a simulator using NetLogo software and have provided experimental results. The results show that employing the proposed hybrid maintenance strategy could increase wind farm productivity and reduce maintenance cost.Acknowledgement is made to European Union for the support of this research through the European Program INTERREG IVA France-Channel-UK by funding project entitled MER Innovate

Boundary spanning in a digital world: the case of blockchain

Blockchain is a relatively new technology that is often described as “creating trust” or “removing intermediaries.” In this paper, we posit that blockchain is a new form of digitally enabled boundary spanning that allows co-ownership models for the companies in question. Where companies have traditionally employed humans to act as interfaces to the external world, new digital technologies enable a digitized approach to many corporate operations that require interaction toward the external market and environment within which firms must operate. Blockchain is a special subset of digital technologies in this regard, enabling companies to co-operate to control parts of the market and to internalize transaction costs that until now have been a market function: using blockchain companies effectively create a new transaction boundary that means boundary spanning activities can be deeply embedded in core business functions, rather than kept as peripheral actions. This digitally enabled boundary spanning is a key attribute of the emerging digital economy. Understanding its implications is of critical importance for economics, business, and social science literature

Improving User Experience and Communication of Digitally Enhanced Advanced Services (DEAS) Offers in Manufacturing Sector

Digitally enhanced advanced services (DEAS), offered currently by various industries, could be a challenging concept to comprehend for potential clients. This could result in limited interest in adopting (DEAS) or even understanding its true value with significant financial implications for the providers. Innovative ways to present and simplify complex information are provided by serious games and gamification, which simplify and engage users with intricate information in an enjoyable manner. Despite the use of serious games and gamification in other areas, only a few examples have been documented to convey servitization offers. This research explores the design and development of a serious game for the Howden Group, a real-world industry partner aiming to simplify and convey existing service agreement packages. The system was developed under the consultation of a focus group comprising five members of the industrial partner. The final system was evaluated by 30 participants from engineering and servitization disciplines who volunteered to test online the proposed system and discuss their user experience (UX) and future application requirements. The analysis of users’ feedback presented encouraging results, with 90% confirming that they understood the DEAS concept and offers. To conclude, the paper presents a tentative plan for future work which will address the issues highlighted by users’ feedback and enhance the positive aspects of similar applications

High background rates of positive tuberculosis-specific interferon-? release assays in a low prevalence region of UK: a surveillance study

Background: Background rates of latent tuberculosis infection in low prevalence regions of Britain are unknown. These would be valuable data for interpreting positive IGRA results, and guiding cost-benefit analyses. The management of a large outbreak of tuberculosis occurring in a rural district hospital provided an opportunity to determine the background rates and epidemiology of IGRA-positivity amongst unselected hospital patients in a low-prevalence region of U.K.Methods: As part of a public health surveillance project we identified 445 individuals exposed to the index cases for clinical assessment and testing by a TB-specific interferon-? release assay (IGRA): T-Spot.TB. Uniquely, an additional comparator group of 191 age-matched individuals without specific recent exposure, but with a similar age distribution and demographic, were recruited from the same wards where exposure had previously occurred, to undergo assessment by questionnaire and IGRA. Results: Rates of IGRA positivity were 8.7% (95%CI, 4.2-13, n=149) amongst unexposed patients, 9.5%(3.0-22, n=21) amongst unexposed staff, 22%(14–29, n=130) amongst exposed patients, 11%(6.1-16, n=142) amongst exposed staff. Amongst the individuals without history of recent exposure to the outbreak, IGRA-positivity was associated with prior TB treatment (OR11, P.04) and corticosteroid use (OR5.9, P.02). Background age-specific prevalences of IGRA-positivity amongst unexposed individuals were: age <40 0%(N/A), age 40–59 15%(12–29), age 60–79 7.0%(1.1-13), age?80 10%(5.9-19).Conclusions: Background rates of IGRA-positivity remain high amongst unselected white-Caucasian hospital inpatients in U.K. These data will aid interpretation of future outbreak studies. As rates peak in the 5th and 6th decade, given an ageing population and increasing iatrogenic immunosuppression, reactivation of LTBI may be a persistent hazard in this population for several decades to come