Business Commons^™

Robust Two-Stage Stochastic Linear Programs With Moment Constraints, Sarah Yini Gao, Lingchen Kong, Jie Sun

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We consider the two-stage stochastic linear programming model, in which the recourse function is a worst case expected value over a set of probabilistic distributions. These distributions share the same first- and second-order moments. By using duality of semi-infinite programming and assuming knowledge on extreme points of the dual polyhedron of the constraints, we show that a deterministic equivalence of the two-stage problem is a second-order cone optimization problem. Numerical examples are presented to show non-conservativeness and computational advantage of this approach.

Multi-Criteria Decision Modeling For Best Value Selections In Target Value Design Integrated Project Delivery, Brent Patrick Griffis

Master's Theses

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) combined with Target Value Design (TVD) is a better way to deliver value for the client than traditional guaranteed maximum price (GMP) methods. With traditional GMP delivery methods, the interests of the parties are often at odds. The goal of IPD is to align all party interests in order to achieve a win-win scenario. Due to the aligning nature of IPD and the fact that each party’s success is dependent on achieving the project objectives as a whole; a non-biased, transparent, decision-making process is necessary in order to deliver the project objectives within the constraints of …

Future Of Payment Platforms, Salim Benjamin Youssefzadeh

Master's Theses

With the vast increase in smartphones, there have been an increasing number of opportunities growing in the app industry. One in particular is the way we deal with money. There are huge overheads in the current payment systems around the world particularly in the United States, many of which include large transaction fees. Many new businesses have grown to solve these inefficiencies and create a new platform that provides a new user experience, security, and convenience among many other things. However, many of these platforms are still centralized, making them more susceptible to attacks. This thesis goes over the various …

The Santa Clara, 2014-05-22, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2014-05-15, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Determining Forage Intake Of Nursing Calves Grazing Native Sandhills Rangeland, Jennifer A. Walker

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Effective management of grazing lands is important for longevity and productivity. Accurate calculations of stocking rates per animal unit will aid in long term sustainability. Calculating stocking rates for cattle can prove challenging for cows and nursing calves. Limited research has been conducted to determine forage intake of the nursing calf pre-weaning. The objective of Trial 1 was to determine nursing calf forage intake over time until weaning. Trial 1 used 8 crossbred cow-calf pairs in experiment 1 and 12 pairs in experiment 2. Pairs were separated into two groups rotating between grazing upland range or housed in individual pens …

The Santa Clara, 2014-05-08, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2014-05-01, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Assortment Planning Of Automotive Products: Considerations For Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Technology Selection, Ali Taghavi, Ratna Babu Chinnam

Industrial and Systems Engineering Faculty Research Publications

A manufacturer’s assortment is the set of products that the company offers to its customers. Assortment planning considerably affects both the sales revenue and product offering costs for the company and it had experienced growing attention across different industries over recent decades. In this study, we propose a modeling framework that seeks to identify the optimal assortment for a manufacturer of configurable products (in particular, automobiles). Our model accounts for environmental considerations (Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements, tail-pipe emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions related to the production of the fuel used to power the vehicle) during assortment planning. We formulate …

Biobotic Solutions, Michael Joseph Iseman

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

BioBotic Solutions is a business plan that was created and used to compete in national business competitions. The business takes an in-depth look into the pathology industry, which has an impact on nearly 75% of all patient diagnosis, and proposes a change- to automate a process currently done manually, and introduce to proprietary products, a robotic arm and a new container. The solution addresses a $500M annual opportunity, and will reduce both errors and costs for mid/large size laboratories.

Detailed Inventory Record Inaccuracy Analysis, Hayrettin Kaan Okyay

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation performs a methodical analysis to understand the behavior of inventory record inaccuracy (IRI) when it is influenced by demand, supply and lead time uncertainty in both online and offline retail environment separately. Additionally, this study identifies the susceptibility of the inventory systems towards IRI due to conventional perfect data visibility assumptions. Two different alternatives for such methods are presented and analyzed; the IRI resistance and the error control methods. The discussed methods effectively countered various aspects of IRI; the IRI resistance method performs better on stock-out and lost sales, whereas error control method keeps lower inventory. Furthermore, this …

Design & Evaluation Of An Rfid Harvest Labor Tracking System, Sam Parnagian

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project was the design and evaluation of a harvest labor tracking system through the use of RFID technology. This test will be performed for Fowler Packing Company with one citrus harvest crew. This system will allow each employee to be paid on an individual basis while also developing payroll in real-time. This project will save Fowler Packing money on a yearly basis by paying each employee for the actual work they do and increase the number of bins harvested per day by incentivizing harvest practices.

Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing For Healthcare Provider Supply Chain Processes, Martha Isaura Gonzalez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In a time when healthcare costs continue to rise, nearly a third of hospital operating expenses are related to supplies, and the healthcare supply chain is complex, it is pertinent for healthcare providers to have a clear understanding of their healthcare supply chain process costs. Having a clear picture into how these costs are driven and where opportunities for cost reductions exist can support supply chain efficiencies. In this research, we develop a Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) supply chain cost management tool for healthcare providers. A TDABC management system can provide healthcare providers with valuable product and process supply chain …

Water Use On The Las Vegas Strip: Assessment And Suggestions For Conservation, Suzanne H. Trabia

Honors College Theses

Due to stresses on the water supply in southern Nevada, which include an average of three million tourists per month and an ongoing drought since the year 2000, water conservation is imperative in order to sustain the growing urban area of Las Vegas. The purpose of this study is to assess water use in fourteen casinos on and off the Las Vegas Strip (the main boulevard of the largest casinos in Las Vegas) in order to suggest approaches for water conservation, such as reducing, reusing, and modifying the current system. Since data on water consumption is not publicly available, five …

The Santa Clara, 2014-04-24, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2014-04-17, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

2014 - The Nineteenth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Nineteenth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 17, 2014. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

The Santa Clara, 2014-04-10, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2014-04-03, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 55 Number 3, Spring 2014, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

18 - RADIANT HOUSE by Steven Boyd Saum and Heidi Williams ’06. Building a house for the 2013 Solar Decathlon. That, and changing the world.

22 - AMÉRICAS CUISINE by Holly Beretto. Telling a delicious tale of food and family with chef David Cordúa ’04. 26 - Lessons from the field by Reinhard Cate ’07. Taut and tranquil moments in Afghanistan—an essay inwords and images.

30 - INSIDE UKRAINE’S REVOLUTION by Steven Boyd Saum. Along the road to crisis: hope, despair, and a Q&A with writer Andrey Kurkov.

34 - DECIDE WHO WE ARE by Steven Boyd Saum and John …

An Investigation Of Business Transformation Disruptors At The Military Strategic Command Level, Thomas Bock

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation contributes an empirical research on business transformation disruption in the military. Specifically, this exploratory research seeks a better understanding of disruption of business transformation and some of the factors that are likely to impact the transformation process at the military strategic command level. A lack of empirical studies existing in the literature, coupled with the continuous transformation challenges faced by military organizations, make it necessary to conduct this empirical study of business transformation disruption in the military.

This research was carried out utilizing a two-phase mixed-methods approach. The first phase included qualitative data gathering through a series of …

A Systems-Based Framework For The Assessment Of Performance Measurement System Implementations In R&D Organizations, Kenneth S. Baggett Jr.

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Performance measurement is utilized by organizations in all industries, including research and development (R&D). Measures are developed, data are collected, and the measurement results are used to drive the organization. The implicit hope is, of course, that the measures drive the organization to improve. However, literature identifies high failure rates directly related to performance measurement system (PMS) implementations. Establishing the fundamental operational characteristics associated with successful PMSs would provide a significant contribution towards the establishment of PMS assessment criteria. This research addresses this gap through the use of a grounded theory method employed to identify these operational characteristics, assesses the …

A Lean Logistics Assessment Tool For Smes In The Manufacturing Sector, Diana Lorena Sanchez Ramirez

Open Access Theses

This study developed an assessment tool to rate the maturity of the current and desired states of lean logistics operations in small and medium enterprises. The tool consists of 48 best practices classified into 8 critical factors: Inventory, Transportation, Administration, Information Systems, Warehouse, Forecasting, Packaging and Supplier Network. Each of the best practices and critical factors were identified throughout a thorough literature review and comparative analysis between authors to define commonalities among them. Using gap analysis; this tool results in a SWOT matrix providing a roadmap for lean implementation. The resulting model was evaluated by subject matter experts in different …

Guidelines For Construction Companies To Decide Between Outsourcing And Self-Performing For Prefabricated Components, Sebastian Soto Ortiz

Open Access Theses

Prefabrication and modularization has been used in the construction industry for decades. It has recently made a resurgence worldwide providing increased productivity, safety, quality and construction schedule. This research has focused on the situation where a construction company has decided to use prefabrication and faces two possibilities, they either will self-perform or they will outsource the construction of the prefabricated components. The decision making process used by a construction company to determine whether to outsource or self-perform prefabricated components is examined and analyzed.

Prefabrication is an industrial process in which certain components are manufactured in a specialized facility. These items …

An Analysis On Causes Of Late Final Payment And Release Of Retainage: Electrical Subcontractors’ View, Xuejing Zhang

Open Access Theses

Using the survey approach, this study identified the underlying causes of late payments and release of retainage for electrical subcontractors, attempting to answer the questions, "What were the minimum, maximum and average delay days of final payment and release of retainage?", "What were the rank of factors in terms of significance on delaying final payment and release of retainage?", and "What were the rank of factors in terms of frequency on delaying final payment and release of retainage?" A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to about 150 professionals in electrical subcontractors. 29 reports were collected. Based upon the analysis …

Simulation Modeling And Analysis Of Customs-Regulated Container Terminal Operations With Multimodal Transportation, Mariam A. Kotachi

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

World trade has been increasing dramatically in the past two decades and, as a result, container exchange has grown significantly. Consequently and to meet this increase, several container terminals are expanding and many new ones are being established. A port with one or more container terminals is considered a complex system in which many entities interact to accomplish seamless handling of containers inbound and outbound. The level of complexity is drastically heightened for container terminals containing multimodal transportation systems as they typically involve ships, rail, and trucks arriving to one or more terminals delivering containers of different sizes to several …

Systems Theory Based Framework For Competency Models, Joseph M. Bradley

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop and apply a systems theoretic framework for design, analysis and transformation of competency models using an inductive research design. This research examines the origins and development of competency models from a systems theoretic perspective. Competency models have been largely developed by a comparative method first proposed by McClelland, or the use of Delphi method survey techniques. The assumption that a population containing an exemplar and fully successful members would enable population of a holistic competency model has reported numerous failures. Similarly, reporting on the use of Delphi methods has focused on attempting …

Assessing The Impact Of Electronic Health Record Systems Implementation On Hospital Patient Perceptions Of Care, Katherine Sofia Palacio Salgar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The delivery of health care services has been impacted by advances in Knowledge Management Information Systems (KMIS) and Information Technology (IT). The literature reveals that Electronic Health Records Systems (EHRs) are a comprehensive KMIS. There is a wide recognition in the body of knowledge that demonstrates the potential of EHRs to transform all aspects of health care services and, in consequence, the performance of Health Care Delivery Organizations (HCDO). Authors of published research also agree that there is a need for more empirical contributions that demonstrate the impact of EHRs upon HCDO. It is argued that in most cases, studies …

Assessing Organizational Effectiveness Through The Competing Values Framework A Data Envelopment Approach, Raghavender Macherla

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study proposes a model to diagnose organizations using the mathematical principles of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to the variables generated using competing values framework (CVF) in order to evaluate overall organizational effectiveness. The notion of organizational effectiveness is abstract and difficult to measure due to its complexity and multi-functional nature. Over the years, measurement of organizational effectiveness has remained a challenge due to the lack of agreement on the factors that should be assessed to determine effectiveness. This research is aimed at shedding some light into this topic by using data envelopment analysis as a tool to measure relative …

Interface Evaluation For Open System Architectures, Joshua A. Burger

Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a deterministic interface evaluation framework (IEF) in support of the principles identified in the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). Interface evaluation in weapon system development requires a Decision Analysis (DA) method capable of handling a continuously growing alternative set and functioning with limited availability of senior decision makers. Value Focused Thinking (VFT) is selected as the best method for addressing the parameters of the framework. Inputs from the Medium Altitude Unmanned Aircraft System program office are used. An initial value threshold is established to guide open interface decisions, based on assessments of 15 historical decision scenarios. Open …