Managing technology development for safety-critical systems

This paper presents a model that determines the optimal budget allocation strategy for the development of new technologies for safety-critical systems over multiple decision periods. The case of the development of a hypersonic passenger airplane is used as an illustration. The model takes into account both the probability of technology development success as a function of the allocated budget, and the probability of operational performance of the final system. It assumes that the strategy is to consider (and possibly fund) several approaches to the development of each technology to maximize the probability of development success. The model thus decomposes the system's development process into multiple technology development modules (one for each technology needed), each involving a number of alternative projects. There is a tradeoff between development speed and operational reliability when the budget must be allocated among alternative technology projects with different probabilities of development success and operational reliability (e.g., an easily and quickly developed technology may have little robustness). The probabilities of development and operational failures are balanced by a risk analysis approach which allows the decision maker to optimize the budget allocation among different projects in the development program at the beginning of each budget period. The model indicates that by considering reliability in the R&D management process, the decision maker can make better decisions, optimizing the balance between development time, cost, and robustness of safety-critical systems.Technology development; system reliability; risk analysis; project management

Private label introduction: Does it benefit the supply chain?

Private labels, also called store brands or distributor brands, have changed the retail industry during the last three decades. Consumer data shows strong growth of private label market share, and in countries like Germany or Spain, the penetration of private labels is above 30% of total retail sales. This paper analyzes the channel dynamics in a category where a private label is introduced. We focus on the impact of private labels on retail and wholesale equilibrium prices, as well as on the profits of each firm of the supply chain. While private label introduction helps the retailer reduce manufacturer brand's prices, we find that it does not always improve the total profits of the supply chain. Generally, the supply chain benefits from this introduction only when cross-elasticities are small, i.e., competitive interactions are weak. With our model, we formulate the general conditions under which retailers should consider introducing private labels.Private label; non-cooperative game theory; supply chain efficiency;

Putting the core elements of Critical Chain Project Management into perspective: a general framework for buffer management

Since the publication of Goldratt’s Critical Chain, most of the books and articles devoted to Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) present it in contrast to an assumed wellknown but undefined “traditional” CPPM (Critical Path Project Management), spending more attention to describe how CCPM differs from traditional CPPM than in describing the methodology, techniques and assumptions behind CPPM. There is already good evidence that CCPM delivers results when applied to real situations. The paper dissects the Critical Chain Project Management CCPM philosophy, discusses its distinctive elements, grouping them around five main issues. The paper combines a theoretical presentation of the issues with empirical evidence from the results of a survey and the application of CCPM techniques to a large shipbuilding company

Évaluation de deux approches de médecine narrative, le théâtre du vécu et un atelier d’écriture, dans une prise en charge éducative intégrée de patients diabétiques de type 1

La détresse émotionnelle liée au diabète impacte la qualité de vie et l’équilibre métabolique ce qui rend indispensable l’exploration du vécu de la maladie. Nous avons comparé 2 approches de médecine narrative, un atelier d’écriture où le patient écrit « une lettre à son diabète » (LAMD) et le « théâtre du vécu » (TDV) où un récit est transformé en une saynète qui est interprétée par des comédiens professionnels, mise en scène par le patient à l’aide du directeur d’acteurs. Deux groupes de patients diabétiques de type 1 hospitalisés dans le cadre d’un séjour d’éducation thérapeutique ont été randomisés dans une session soit avec LAMD (n = 27) soit avec TDV (n = 28). Deux questionnaires portant sur la détresse émotionnelle liée au diabète (PAID) et sur ses représentations du diabète (IPQR) ont été réalisés en début de programme et 3 mois plus tard et les résultats comparés par un test de Wilcoxon apparié. Une analyse qualitative menée par une psychologue a été effectuée chez 11 patients 3 mois après l’intervention. Nous n’avons pas observé de différence significative sur l’évolution du score des questionnaires entre les 2 approches mais l’analyse qualitative suggère un effet positif des 2 processus narratifs, plus marqué pour le TDV