Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons^™

Sentinel Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2 Rates And Equity Impacts Using Labor And Delivery Patients In Phoenix, Arizona, Caitlyn J. Linehan, Trisalyn Nelson, Celeste V. Bailey, Esma Gel, Dean V. Coonrod, Cheryl K. Roth

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Proactive management of SARS-CoV-2 requires timely and complete population data to track the evolution of the virus and identify at risk populations. However, many cases are asymptomatic and are not easily discovered through traditional testing efforts. Sentinel surveillance can be used to estimate the prevalence of infections for geographical areas but requires identification of sentinels who are representative of the larger population. Our goal is to evaluate applicability of a population of labor and delivery patients for sentinel surveillance system for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We tested 5307 labor and delivery patients from two hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona, …

Lockheed Martin Strategic Audit, Trevor Deboer, Gunnar Lombard, Sam Nelson, Tj Taylor, Paul Wynegar

Honors Theses

Abstract

This case study explores Lockheed Martin, a global leader in defense contracting. Our team performed a strategic audit using the theories of strategic management. Our research was pulled from various sources, including Lockheed Martin’s website, SEC filings, related news articles, and relevant industry analysis. The goals of this case study revolved around collecting data and performing analysis to evaluate Lockheed Martin’s potential for competitive advantage in the airplane and parts manufacturing industry.

Some of the various analyses performed on Lockheed Martin include firm analysis, industry analysis, internal analysis, external analysis, competitive dynamics, business-level strategy, corporate-level strategy, and exploring their …

Lululemon Strategic Audit, Tessa Mozingo, Olivia Eno, Molly Mitchell, Connor Morrissey, James Eshleman

Honors Theses

This case study focuses on lululemon, a prominent athleisure apparel company. Our team conducted an audit of the company revolving around strategic business management principles. Our research used publicly available information that included the company’s website, SEC filings, news articles, lululemon’s annual reports, financial statements, IBIS industry reports, and online sources. The goal of this strategic audit is to develop an understanding of lululemon’s business activities and strategies, collect and analyze both internal and external data, and evaluate lululemon based on strategic management concepts.

In this strategic audit, we conduct internal, external, performance, and competitive analyses and an examination of …

Fedex Ground Strategic Audit, Samantha Gates

Honors Theses

FedEx Ground is an operating segment of the parcel carrier giant FedEx Inc. The company, known for shipping products via delivery truck, has remained one of the largest parcel carriers in the country, despite drastic changes in its environment. This report seeks to understand the changing operating environment of FedEx Ground, its competitive advantages, and the future challenges it may face. The analysis uses PESTEL and Porter's Five Forces analyses to evaluate the changing external environment and industry FedEx Ground operates in. Additionally, challenges and recommendations are offered to navigate the future of this company.

Covid‑19 Vaccine Distribution: Exploring Strategic Alternatives For The Greater Good, Arben Asllani, Silvana Trimi

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

The dire state of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis symbolized the urgency for efficient distribution and administration of vaccines to combat the virus as the most urgent public health service. This paper presents a prototype multi-criteria decision support model based on goal programming that can effectively support vaccination plans for the greater good of society. The optimization goals of the model include minimizing the number of fatalities and risk of spreading the disease, while complying with government health agency’s priority guidelines for vaccination. This study applied the model to a real-world dataset to demonstrate how it can be effectively applied as …

Data Analytics And Decision-Making Systems: Implications Of The Global Outbreaks, Desheng Wu, David L. Olson, James H. Lambert

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the goals and functions of technology-based systems around the world [16]. From a health perspective, the World Health Organization has reported that over six million have died of the disease. Government efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 have had drastic impact on global supply chains. The world’s health systems have been heavily taxed. Travel is difficult anywhere, and more difficult internationally. Economies are still in downturns [13], as many workers have been taken out of the economy for indefinite periods of time, and the structure of work has radically changed, with many working remotely …

Supply Chain In Library: A Bibliometric Analysis, Ria Arifianti, Abdurrahman Rahim Thaha, Taharuddin Taharuddin

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The research objective of this paper is to identify and map supply chain research in a library. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis using the Scopus electronic database. The article search is done by filtering search results in the system and manual exploration to get relevant articles. The collected articles are processed with the VOSviewer application to obtain research mapping results. A total of 81 articles were obtained from 1999 to 2021, with an increasing trend in the number of articles each year. The United States and China are the most productive countries in this field. Three cluster topics were …

Medication Bottle With Anti - Tampering Features, Bahar Aliakbarian, Muhammad Rabnawaz, Susan E. Selke, Krystal Cheng, Arun Ross, Austin Cozzo, Anurag Chowdhury, Ali Tamayol, Carina Russell, Prem Chahal

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

A medication bottle includes an outer container wall, an inner container wall and a fluid, such as an aversive liquid, located between the walls. In another aspect, the fluid is located within separate compartments or channels located between the walls where the walls contact or are secured to each other. A further aspect provides a removeable cap including multiple sensors, at least one of which is a biometric sensor.

A Systematic Literature Review : Information Technology Capital And Performance, Ilham M, Anis Eliyana, Tri Siwi Agustina

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review of research in the field of Information Technology Capital and Performance with data from all international research publications. The data obtained in this study amounted to 113 academic documents published from 1994 to 2020 globally. Research has discussed a lot about the causal relationship between information technology capital and company performance, the results of empirical studies vary to some extent with the exception of Information Technology business partnerships which are referred to as Information Technology business and strategic alignment. To that end, strategic alignment has emerged as one of the most …

Contracting Mechanisms For Stable Sourcing Networks, Jennifer K. Ryan, Lusheng Shao, Daewon Sun

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Problem definition: We study profit allocation for a sourcing network, in which a buyer sources froma set of differentiated suppliers with limited capacity under uncertain demand for the final product. Whereas the buyer takes the lead in forming the sourcing network and designing the contract mechanism, due to their substantial bargaining power, the suppliers take the lead in determining the terms of the contract. Academic/practical relevance: We identify contracting mechanisms that will ensure the stability of the sourcing network in the long term, where a stable sourcing network requires an effective profitallocation scheme that motivates all members to …

Inventory Sharing And Demand-Side Underweighting, Hui Zhao, Liang Xu, Enno Siemsen

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Problem definition: Transshipment/inventory sharing has been used in practice because of its risk-pooling potential. However, human decision makers play a critical role in making inventory decisions in an inventory sharing system, which may affect its benefits. We investigate whether the opportunity to transship inventory influences decision makers’ inventory decisions and whether, as a result, the intended risk-pooling benefits materialize.

Academic/practical relevance: Previous research in transshipment, which is focused on finding optimal stocking and sharing decisions, assumes rational decision making without any systematic bias. As one of the first to study inventory sharing from a behavioral perspective, …

Inducing Compliance With Post-Market Studies For Drugs Under Fda’S Accelerated Approval Pathway, Liang Xu, Hui Zhao, Nicholas C. Petruzzi

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Problem definition: In 1992, FDA instituted the accelerated approval pathway (AP) to allow promising drugs to enter the market based on limited evidence of efficacy, thereby permitting manufacturers to verify true clinical benefits through post-market studies. However, most postmarket studies have not been completed as promised. We address this non-compliance problem.

Academic/Practical Relevance: The prevalence of this non-compliance problem poses considerable public health risk, thus compromising the original purpose of a well-intentioned AP initiative. We provide an internally consistent and implementable solution to the problem through a comprehensive analysis of the myriad complicating factors and tradeoffs facing FDA.

Methodology: We …

Dynamic Pricing Of Wireless Internet Based On Usage And Stochastically Changing Capacity, Demet Batur, Jennifer K. Ryan, Zhongyuan Zhao, Mehmet C. Vuran

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

(1) Problem Definition: Inspired by new developments in dynamic spectrum access, we study the dynamic pricing of wireless Internet access when demand and capacity (bandwidth) are stochastic. (2) Academic / Practical Relevance: The demand for wireless Internet access has increased enormously. However, the spectrum available to wireless service providers is limited. The industry has thus altered conventional license- based spectrum access policies through unlicensed spectrum operations. The additional spectrum obtained through these operations has stochastic capacity. Thus, the pricing of this service by the service provider has novel challenges. The problem considered in this paper is therefore of high practical …

Assessing The Validity And Reliability Of Family Factors On Physical Activity: A Case Study In Turkey, Sharalyn Steenson, Hilal Ozcebe, Umut Arslan, Hande Konsuk Unlu, Ozgur M. Araz, Mahmut Yardim, Sarp Uner, Nazmi Bilir, Terry T.-K. Huang

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Childhood obesity rates have been rising rapidly in developing countries. A better understanding of the risk factors and social context is necessary to inform public health interventions and policies. This paper describes the validation of several measurement scales for use in Turkey, which relate to child and parent perceptions of physical activity (PA) and enablers and barriers of physical activity in the home environment.

Method: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of several measurement scales in Turkey using a population sample across three socio-economic strata in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Surveys were conducted …

Artificial Intelligence In Engineering Risk Analytics, Desheng Wu, David L. Olson, Alexandre Dolgui

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Risks exist in every aspect of our lives, and can mean different things to different people. While negative in general they always cause a great deal of potential damage and inconvenience for stakeholders. Recent engineering risks include the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster from the 2011 tsunami, a year that also saw earthquakes in New Zealand, tornados in the US, and floods in both Australia and Thailand. Earthquakes, tornados (not to mention hurricanes) and floods are repetitive natural phenomenon. But the October 2011 floods in Thailand were the worst in 50 years, impacting supply chains including those of Honda, Toyota, Lenovo, …

Can Contracts Replace Qualification In A Sourcing Process With Competitive Suppliers And Imperfect Information?, Yue Jin, Jennifer K. Ryan

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

This paper considers a manufacturer who outsources the production of a product to multiple competing suppliers, who differ in their cost structures and in their capabilities for producing high-quality products. The manufacturer must design the sourcing process to ensure that the selected supplier has sufficient quality capability, while encouraging competition among the suppliers. We develop and analyze a mathematical model of performance-based contracting, a sourcing method that is appropriate when the manufacturer has imperfect information regarding the suppliers’ costs and capabilities. We compare the performance of performance-based contracting with that of a two-stage sourcing process, an alternative sourcing method that …

Resource Planning In Engineering Services Firms, Vincent Hargaden, Jennifer K. Ryan

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

We develop a model to enable engineering professional services firms to improve the management of their competitive resources, i.e., skilled engineers, to be better able to respond to customer demand. The model was informed by semistructured interviews with senior executives from engineering, information technology (IT) services and technical consulting firms. As a result, we capture many of the complexities associated with the resource planning process in the professional engineering services sector. In the resulting model, the key attributes of supply, demand, and operations constraints are identified. Based on information obtained from the interviews, a number of test firms are created.We …

Two Stage Procurement Processes With Competitive Suppliers And Uncertain Supplier Quality, Yue Jin, Jennifer K. Ryan, Walter Yund

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

This paper considers a sourcing problem faced by a manufacturer who outsources the manufacturing of a product to one of several competing suppliers, whose cost and quality capabilities are unknown. We consider a two-stage sourcing process in which the first stage is the qualification stage, while the second stage is the supplier selection stage. In the first stage, the manufacturer exerts effort to learn about the quality level of each of the suppliers and then must determine the set of qualified suppliers, subject to some tolerance for error. In the second stage, the manufacturer runs a price-only procurement auction, in …

Coordinating A Supply Chain With A Manufacturer-Owned Online Channel: A Dual Channel Model Under Price Competition, Jennifer K. Ryan, Daewon Sun, Xuying Zhao

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

We consider a dual channel supply chain in which a manufacturer sells a single product to end-users through both a traditional retail channel and a manufacturer-owned direct online channel. We adopt a commonly used linear demand substitution model in which the mean demand in each channel is a function of the prices in each channel.We model each channel as a news vendor problem, with price and order quantity as decision variables. In addition, the manufacturer must choose the wholesale price to charge to the independent retailer. We analyze the optimal decisions for each channel and prove the existence of a …

Modeling Social Transmission Dynamics Of Unhealthy Behaviors For Evaluating Prevention And Treatment Interventions On Childhood Obesity, Leah M. Frerichs, Ozgur M. Araz, Terry T.-K. Huang

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Research evidence indicates that obesity has spread through social networks, but lever points for interventions based on overlapping networks are not well studied. The objective of our research was to construct and parameterize a system dynamics model of the social transmission of behaviors through adult and youth influence in order to explore hypotheses and identify plausible lever points for future childhood obesity intervention research. Our objectives were: (1) to assess the sensitivity of childhood overweight and obesity prevalence to peer and adult social transmission rates, and (2) to test the effect of combinations of prevention and treatment interventions on the …

Simulating School Closure Policies For Cost Effective Pandemic Decision Making, Ozgur M. Araz, Paul Damien, David A. Paltiel, Sean Burke, Bryce Van De Geijn, Alison Galvani, Lauren Ancel Meyers

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Around the globe, school closures were used sporadically to mitigate the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. However, such closures can detrimentally impact economic and social life.

Methods: Here, we couple a decision analytic approach with a mathematical model of influenza transmission to estimate the impact of school closures in terms of epidemiological and cost effectiveness. Our method assumes that the transmissibility and the severity of the disease are uncertain, and evaluates several closure and reopening strategies that cover a range of thresholds in school-aged prevalence (SAP) and closure durations.

Results: Assuming a willingness to pay per quality adjusted life-year (QALY) …

Grain Transportation Problems In Nebraska -- Causes And Cures. Proceedings Of The Nebraska Grain Transportation Seminar, Dale G. Anderson, Dean Linsenmeyer, Michael S. Turner

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

The Nebraska feed grain and soybean harvest of 1979 was one which will not soon be forgotten by those who participated in its production and marketing. Yields and production broke all previous records. Record export demands for the crop placed record service requirements on transportation and handling systems. Record movements of grain from farms to elevators and to inland and export terminals were reported. At the same time, complaints of inadequate capacity to store and transport the grain were perhaps also of all-time record proportions. Corn and milo accumulated in open piles on farms and at country collection points. Problems …