Identifying the success factors of knowledge management tools in research projects (Case study: A corporate university)

This research investigates the factors affecting the success of KM tools in the research projects of a corporate university. The research method is descriptive and the statistical population of the study consisted of all professors and knowledge workers of a university. 147 of them were selected through a targeted sampling method. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire. To determine the validity of the questionnaire, content and formal validity were used and its reliability was calculated by using Cronbach's alpha with the value calculated of 0.83. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, t-test and Friedman test. In this study, the factors of culture, information technology, strategy and goal, organizational infrastructure, employee motivation, leadership and management support, human resources management, education, financial resources, measurement, processes and activities, structure and communications in the knowledge management cycle of research projects of the university studied were identified as the effective factors in the KM cycle

Metaheuristic Algorithm for Solving Biobjective Possibility Planning Model of Location-Allocation in Disaster Relief Logistics

Thousands of victims and millions of affected people are hurt by natural disasters every year. Therefore, it is essential to prepare proper response programs that consider early activities of disaster management. In this paper, a multiobjective model for distribution centers which are located and allocated periodically to the damaged areas in order to distribute relief commodities is offered. The main objectives of this model are minimizing the total costs and maximizing the least rate of the satisfaction in the sense of being fair while distributing the items. The model simultaneously determines the location of relief distribution centers and the allocation of affected areas to relief distribution centers. Furthermore, an efficient solution approach based on genetic algorithm has been developed in order to solve the proposed mathematical model. The results of genetic algorithm are compared with the results provided by simulated annealing algorithm and LINGO software. The computational results show that the proposed genetic algorithm provides relatively good solutions in a reasonable time

A New Optimization via Invasive Weeds Algorithm for Dynamic Facility Layout Problem

Abstract-The dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP) is the problem of finding positions of departments o

An augmented sweep clustering method for inventory-routing problem with simultaneous pickup and delivery considering lateral transshipment between repair centers

In this paper, an inventory-routing problem for a network of appliance repair service is discussed including several repair depots and customers. The customer in this network makes a demand to have his/her faulty appliance repaired. Then, the repairman is assigned to the demand based on the skill needed for repairing of appliance differing for each one. The assigned repairman picks up the faulty appliance from the customer place using the vehicle for transferring faulty appliances to repair depot. The vehicle for picking up and delivering the appliances has a maximum capacity. Additionally, the repair depot needs spare parts to repair the faulty appliances that is supplied either by the supplier or lateral transshipment from the other depots. The capacitated vehicle inventory-routing problem with simultaneous pickup and delivery is NP-hard which needs special optimization procedure. Regarding the skill of repairman, it becomes more complex. Many solution approaches have been provided so far which have their pros and cons to deal with. In this study, an augmented angle-based sweep method is developed to cluster nodes for solving the problem. Finally, the heuristic is used in the main body of genetic algorithm with special representation

Coordination of Pricing and Inventory Decisions in a Fresh-product Supply Chain Considering the Competition between New and Old Products

Retailers selling fresh products often encounter unsold inventory remains at the end of each period. The leftover product has a lower perceived quality than the new product. Therefore, retailers try to influence consumers’ preferences through price differentiation that leads to an internal competition based on product age and prices. This paper addresses the pricing and inventory control problem for fresh products to capture the influence of this competition on the supply chain members’ decisions and profits. A new coordination model based on a return policy with the revenue and cost-sharing contract is developed to improve the profits of independent supply chain members. The supply chain consists of one supplier and one retailer, where consumers are sensitive to the product’s retail price and freshness degree. Firstly, the retailer’s optimal decisions are derived in a decentralized decision-making structure. Then a centralized approach is used to optimize the supply chain decisions from the whole supply chain viewpoint. Eventually, a new coordination contract is designed to convince the members to participate in the coordination model. Numerical examples are carried out to compare the performance of different decision-making approaches. Our findings indicate that the proposed contract can coordinate the supply chain effectively. Furthermore, the coordinated decision-making model is more profitable and beneficial for the whole supply chain compared to the decentralized one. The results also demonstrate that when consumers are more sensitive to freshness, the simultaneous sale of multiple-aged products at different prices is more profitable

Short lifetime product supply chain coordination and social benefit considering cannibalization effect and market segmentation

Short lifetime product retailers often face the challenge of cannibalization between new and old products, which can negatively impact their profitability. They attempt to influence consumers’ choices through price differentiation, resulting in internal competition regarding products’ age and price. The pricing decisions affect market demand, sales volume, and as a result, the whole supply chain (SC) profit. This paper coordinates inventory and pricing decisions in a short lifetime product supply chain (SLPSC), considering the cannibalization effect. The investigated SLPSC includes a supplier and a retailer operating in a segmented market. Firstly, the optimal decisions of the SLPSC members are obtained under decentralized and centralized decision-making structures. Then, a new coordination contract named wholesale price and double compensation (WPDC) is designed to motivate the SC members to shift from the decentralized structure to the centralized one. The findings indicate that the coordinated model creates more economic profitability for the whole SLPSC than the decentralized one. Furthermore, the proposed WPDC contract is more beneficial for the SLPSC from a social viewpoint, as it increases consumer surplus. The results also demonstrate that when consumers are more sensitive to the product’s freshness, a price differentiation policy is more profitable than the same pricing

An integrated framework for outsourcing using balanced score card and ELECTRE III

During the past few decades, many organizations have attempted to increase their productivity through outsourcing parts of their responsibilities. Outsourcing helps firms reduce their low value added activities and focus on their high value added activities. It also helps organization save their time and energy which leads to more efficient units. The idea of outsourcing is more important for project based organizations where the nature of works is different from a particular project to another one. This paper presents an integrated balanced score card system with an adaptation of ELECTRE III method to select suitable resources for outsourcing. The proposed model of the paper is implemented for a case study of subway system in Iran and the results are discussed

A Multi-period Multi-objective Location- routing Model for Relief Chain Management under Uncertainty

Natural disasters, accidents, and crises, that cause widespread destruction and inflict heavy casualties, accentuate the importance of a careful planning to deal with the aftermath and mitigate their impacts responsively. Thus, the logistics of disaster relief is one of the main activities in disaster management. In this paper, the response phase of the disaster management cycle is considered and a multi-objective model for location and routing of vehicles is presented. Uncertainties in transfer time, demands of regional warehouses in the damaged areas and inventories at supply centers in different periods are taken into account. Three objectives are considered in this model. Two objectives consist of minimizing total time required to reach the damaged areas and maximizing satisfaction of the damaged areas. The third objective, which is of secondary importance, attempts to minimize total costs, including startup costs, transfer costs, and shortage costs. In order to convert the proposed multi-objective formulation to a single objective one, Global Criterion approach is applied. Afterwards, the obtained single objective model is solved using an efficient genetic algorithm and simulated annealing. Finally, a case study in Southern Khorasan is conducted and the applicability of the proposed model is examined