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

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.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

A systems model of a service organization

This paper develops a service systems model which is then used to discuss a number of important implications for service design. We begin by outlining the existing service design literature which is either too abstract or too low level for design. Thus, we develop the requirement for a service systems model which enables the consideration of a number of different âlevelsâ. The main contribution of this paper is the development of the service systems model from data collected in a single case study of a large international Telco. We conclude by considering three implications for service design of developing a systems model. Firstly, we challenge the level or unit of analysis of service systems design research. Secondly, we propose an alternative contingency variable based on the input type and finally we suggest the model may be used within service improvement to identify the appropriate approach to mathematical modeling

An Application of Distributed Simulation for Hybrid Modeling of Offshore Wind Farms

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author. Copyright is held by the owner/author(s).The complexity of systems and their multi-faceted relationships mean that the combined application of simulation methods, or hybrid simulation, will enable synergies across techniques and will provide greater insights to problem solving. In this paper we present a hybrid simulation case study in which two models have been developed; an Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) and a Discrete-Event Simulation (DES). The models simulate the operations of offshore wind turbines, with the ABS modelling turbine failure (through, among other things, simulating a degradation model of turbine components) and the DES modelling Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) strategies. The models have been implemented in NetLogo and Simul8 respectively. In this paper we review strategies for the interoperation of our hybrid ABS-DES model and discuss the advantages of using the IEEE 1516 HLA standard for distributed simulation for dynamic information exchange and synchronized model execution.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

Distributed Ledger Technology: Applications and Implications

Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) are rewriting conventional notions of business transacting, creating fresh opportunities for value creation and capture. Using qualitative interview data as a primary resource, the proposed five-point model synthesizes these possibilities, demonstrating how they may lead to “disruptive innovation.” A further conceptual model is subsequently provided with a view to assisting future problem solving in the area

Distributed Ledger Technology: Applications and Implications

Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) are rewriting conventional notions of business transacting, creating fresh opportunities for value creation and capture. Using qualitative interview data as a primary resource, the proposed five-point model synthesizes these possibilities, demonstrating how they may lead to “disruptive innovation.” A further conceptual model is subsequently provided with a view to assisting future problem solving in the area