Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons^™

The Logistics Supplier Selection Of Sgm With Ahp Method, Jian Wang

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Contrastive Analysis On Logistics Costs Between China And Some Developed Countries, Xuanxuan Wu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Analysis Of The Bullwhip Effect In Chinese Medicine Supply Chain, Haiming Zhu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Acute Stress Induced By The Preslaughter Use Of Electric Prodders Causes Tougher Beef Meat, R. D. Warner, D. M. Ferguson, J. J. Cottrell, B. W. Knee

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Adrenergic activation and hormone release preslaughter is an inevitable outcome of the systems used to move cattle to slaughter. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of acute preslaughter stress in beef cattle on postmortem muscle metabolism and the meat quality, including consumer-assessed eating quality. Eighty-four cattle were used on three separate days, with ‘mobs’ of four cattle allocated to either a ‘control’ (no electric goads used preslaughter) or a ‘stress’ (six prods given with an electric goad over 5–10 min) treatment at 15 min preslaughter. Cattle undergoing the ‘stress’ treatment had higher plasma lactate at slaughter. …

Influence Of Free-Stall Base On Tarsal Joint Lesions And Hygiene In Dairy Cows, W. K. Fulwider, T. Grandin, D. J. Garrick, T. E. Engle, W. D. Lamm, N. L. Dalsted, B. E. Rollin

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective was to quantify the incidence of tarsal lesions and level of hygiene by stall bed type. Cows were scored on 100 dairies from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, and New York in the fall and winter. Thirty-eight dairies used rubber-filled mattresses (RFM), 27 had sand beds, 29 had waterbeds, and 6 used compost packs (CPk). Stocking density, stall dimensions, bedding amount, bedding frequency, and type of bedding were recorded. One pen of early-lactation multiparous cows on each dairy was scored based on injury of the tarsal joints at the lateral and medial surfaces and tuber calcis at the dorsal, …

Chaos And Convergence On Bucket Brigade Assembly Lines, John J. Bartholdi, Iii, Donald D. Eisenstein, Yun Fong Lim

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

One way to coordinate the efforts of workers along an assembly line that has fewer workers than work stations is to form a bucket brigade. Each worker in a bucket brigade simultaneously assembles a single item (an instance of the product) along the line. The worker carries the item from work station to work station until either he hands of his item to a downstream co-worker or he completes the work for his item. The worker then walks back to get another item, either from his co-worker upstream or from a buffer at the beginning of the line. The most …

Machine Scheduling Performance With Maintenance And Failure, Yunsong Guo, Andrew Lim, Brian Rodrigues, Shuang Yu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In manufacturing control, machine scheduling research has mostly dealt with problems either without maintenance or with deterministic maintenance when no failure can occur. This can be unrealistic in practical settings. In this work, an experimental model is developed to evaluate the effect of corrective and preventive maintenance schemes on scheduling performance in the presence of machine failure where the scheduling objective is to minimize schedule duration. We show that neither scheme is clearly superior, but that the applicability of each depends on several system parameters as well as the scheduling environment itself. Further, we show that parameter values can be …

Global Sourcing And Logistics, Martin Christopher, Fu Jia, Omera Khan, Carlos Mena, Erik Sandberg

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The sourcing of products from across the global marketplace is an increasing trend associated with economic development. This trend is the result of many independent decisions taken by firms around the world looking for new sources of competitive advantage. However, these decisions can also have unintended consequences, exposing the firms to hidden costs and risks, creating congestion at different points in the global transport infrastructure and increasing emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases.

This report presents the results of a project conducted in 2006-07, aimed at improving global sourcing practices, with a particular emphasis on the implications for the UK. …

Evaluation Of An Expanded Satellite Based Mobile Communications Tracking System, Maciek A. Novak, Alan L. Erera

Journal of Transportation Management

Since the terrorist events in the United States on September 11, 2001, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been testing and evaluating cargo tracking technologies to improve the safety, security, and efficiency of commercial motor vehicle operations. While satellite-based systems used for tracking vehicles and cargo provide sufficient geographic coverage in the majority of the United States, there remain several vital regions that are uncovered and difficult to monitor. One such region is Alaska, where officials arc particularly concerned with the hazardous materials shipments that are transported parallel to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. This article analyzes the risks and benefits …

Entry-Level Heavy Truck Drivers And Highway Safety: Is It Finally Time For Federally Mandated Training?, Harry L. Sink

Journal of Transportation Management

This article examines the need for mandated instruction and a uniform curriculum for entry-level commercial drivers. The study also addresses the discontinuity resulting from the establishment of a uniform licensing standard without requiring preparatory training. The research involves a review of Federal regulations pertaining to obligatory operator instruction in the air, water and rail mode. The investigation concludes that weak support and lobbying efforts by certain trucking interests have thwarted the adoption of mandatory instruction and/or a uniform curriculum. The study also highlights a pressing need for policy revision given the imminent retirement of many “baby boom” generation drivers.

A Decision Support Approach To Designing The Inland Logistics Network In China, Hokey Min, Hyun-Jeung Ko, Chin-Soo Lin

Journal of Transportation Management

With the unprecedented growth of international trade, a growing number of multinational firms have coped with logistical challenges of shipping products to and from unfamiliar territories in many countries. These logistical challenges include the cross-border transportation of products originated from inland port to another inland port isolated from major waterways. In particular, the lack of access to major waterways would not only constrain the intermodal transportation option, but also make door-to-door, containerized delivery services nearly impossible. Such a limited option would eventually lead to increased transportation costs and transit time, and thereby offset low-cost global sourcing advantages. To aid multinational …

U.S. Firm Outsourcing/Offshoring Practices And Plans: An Update, Robert L. Cook, Brian J. Gibson

Journal of Transportation Management

A study of U.S. firm outsourcing and offshoring practices and future plans regarding supply chain activities provides an update for supply chain managers. Specifically, the reported information provides supply chain managers of manufacturing/ merchandising firms with a competitive benchmark; facilitates third party logistics manager strategic planning efforts and provides an input to U.S. transportation planners who determine future transport and infrastructure requirements. The study reports the responses of 151 Chief Purchasing Officers from U.S. firms. Firms are benefiting from outsourcing logistics and production activities and over one-third of the firms plan to increase outsourcing spend. In addition, 60 percent of …

Transportation Management Systems: An Exploration Of Progress And Future Prospects., Stanley E. Griffis, Thomas J. Goldsby

Journal of Transportation Management

This research reports the experiences of both adopters and non-adopters of transportation management system (TMS) technology. TMS adopters represent a diverse array of companies, with a surprisingly high percentage of adopters using outsourced services for decision support activities. Motives for adoption tend to align with the firm’s strategic needs though functionality focuses on the shipper’s day-to-day operational needs. While expectations of system performance and return on investment vary greatly, TMS users illustrate a generally high level of satisfaction. Non-adopters view decision support for transportation activities as a low priority. The article explores future prospects for TMS development and adoption.

Internal Versus External For Small Weapons Systems, Joseph S. Elkins

Theses and Dissertations

The acquisition method used to gain access to new technologies can heavily influence whether our war fighters have the required tools to fight increasing and constantly shifting global threats (Kessler and others, 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate the process and results of internal laboratory development, testing and fielding of small weapons systems as compared to traditionally acquired systems which encourage customer pull and contractor development. This research provides insight into how Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel choose an acquisition method, retain personnel capability, and maximize product capability. This study consolidates the opinions of subject matter …

Sizing Mobility Readiness Spares Packages For Today's Warfighting Units, Christopher M. Beckley

Theses and Dissertations

As the Air Force transforms from a garrisoned force into a light expeditionary force, one area for restructuring is the manner in which mobility readiness spares packages (MRSPs) are managed and stocked. For a war tasking, thirty days supply is typically deployed in a MRSP as it is assumed that there will be no re-supply for thirty days. Studies of combat operations from the past decade suggest that thirty days without re-supply is an outdated assumption. The objective of this thesis is to economically build a robust MRSP that is flexible enough to provide adequate support for a variety of …

Carcass Composition And Meat Quality Of Three Different Iberian × Duroc Genotype Pigs, Rosario Ramírez, Ramon Cava

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Carcass composition and meat quality of Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Biceps femoris (BF) muscles from three different Iberian × Duroc genotype pigs were studied: GEN1: ♂ Iberian × ♀ Duroc1; GEN2: ♂ Duroc1 × ♀ Iberian; GEN3: ♂ Duroc2 × ♀ Iberian. Duroc1 (DU1) were selected for the manufacture of dry-cured meat products while Duroc2 (DU2) were pigs selected for meat production, with high percentages of meat cuts and low carcass fat. Genotype had a significant effect on the differences found while sex had not. GEN2 showed the highest weights at days 180 and 238 of weaning and the highest …

A Comparison Of Cross Training Policies In Different Job Shops, Kum Khiong Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This research compares a set of cross-training policies represented by different numbers of cross-trained workers, additional skills per cross-trained worker, and additional machines. The policies are evaluated in job shops, represented by different efficiency losses, labour utilization, variability in processing times, and worker absenteeism. Our results show that adding one machine in each department and cross-training one or two workers from each department with one additional skill is generally sufficient to realize most of the benefits of cross-training. Cross-training is thus beneficial in most job shops, unless the cost of the minimal training and spare machines is high. Our results …

Class Viiia Materiel: What Problems Were Encountered Transiting Oif Air Transshipment Nodes?, Jessica L. Buck

Theses and Dissertations

Medical cargo (Class VIIIA) is critical to the success of the United States military stationed across the globe; therefore, the military must successfully ship its Class VIIIA materiel to the Warfighter. The shipping and handling of the time and temperature sensitive Class VIIIA materiel is a complex process. Since the initial stages of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) the medical field has complained about Class VIIIA materiel arriving unserviceable to the final destination. Unserviceable materiel includes items that expired over time and items that expired from exposure to temperatures outside of their allowable range. This thesis focused on one possible area …

A Multi-Objective Decision-Making Model For Resources Allocation In Humanitarian Relief, Seungbae Park

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the critical resource allocation in the initial days of a disaster relief operation. One of the most important and essential components of relief operations is the allocation of scarce resources to accomplish the relief efforts. Every operation for disaster relief needs various critical resources whether they are personnel, equipment, supplies, or simply finances. Several research efforts for disaster relief have suggested methods to allocate scarce resources across a variety of competing objectives and programs in a disaster relief operation. Many of those efforts focused on optimizing a mathematical programming model subject to budget constraints. However, capturing the …

The Viability Of The Air Mobility Command Pure Pallet Program For Us Army Reparable Retrograde Shipments, William L. Jackson Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Last year, Congress approved $17.1 billion dollars, an increase of $4 billion dollars more than originally was requested by the Bush Administration, for US Army vehicles to be repaired or replaced (commonly referred to as reset) as a result of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A large portion of the repair workload falls upon the Army depots in Anniston and Red River in Texarkana, Texas and must rely on the DOD transportation system for air and surface movement of retrograde cargo deemed serviceable and unserviceable to fill requisitions and backorders for entry into the national supply inventory. Headquarters Air …

Commercial Firm Training Practices Versus Aerial Port Hazardous Cargo Frustration, Jill L. Maynard

Theses and Dissertations

The military is dependent on commercial vendors to augment their supply system, to include hazardous materials. Hazardous materials must be packaged and labeled differently than general cargo for shipment in the defense transportation system. Previous research has shown there is an increase in frustration levels at Aerial Ports of Embarkation. The reasons for frustration range from minor discrepancies to improperly completed shipping documents. This research investigates if commercial companies are a cause of the frustration problems. A case study methodology was used to investigate training practices of companies that had frustrated hazardous cargo at either Charleston or Dover Aerial Ports. …

Commander And User Perceptions Of The Army's Itv Architecture, Charles W. Ward

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate relationships between some of the current, most widely used ITV systems and how they measured up to fulfilling the needs and requirements of the Army. Specifically, this research sought to determine if there were any differences between the various ITV systems and their ability to provide commanders and users with data and information capable of helping them accomplish their mission.

Logistics Network Design With Supplier Consolidation Hubs And Multiple Shipment Options, Michelle L. F. Cheong, Rohit Bhatnagar, Stephen C. Graves

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

An important service provided by third-party logistics (3PL) firms is to manage the inbound logistics of raw materials and components from multiple suppliers to several manufacturing plants. A key challenge for these 3PL firms is to determine how to coordinate and consolidate the transportation flow, so as to get the best overall logistics performance. One tactic is to establish consolidation hubs that collect shipments from several suppliers, consolidate these shipments, and direct the consolidated shipments to the appropriate manufacturing plant. We consider the network design problem to implement this tactic, namely deciding the number, location and operation of consolidation hubs …

Connecting You With Real People At Real Time, Shu Z. Schiller

Management Information Systems Faculty Publications

As we all know, traditional customer services are mainly based on face-to-face in-store help, mailing catalogs, and telephone contacts such as call centers. The Internet has introduced new ways of delivering customer services on time and on target to address customers’ needs. Live Chat Online Customer Service uses live text chats, an innovative tool, and advanced features, such as shared co-browsing windows, to deliver real-time help and on-demand assistance to online customers. Although happening over the Internet, customers are interacting with real people synchronously.

Outsourcing Via Service Competition, Ehsan Elahi, Saif Benjaafar, Karen Donohue

Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series

We consider a single buyer who wishes to outsource a fixed demand for a manufactured good or service at a fixed price to a set of potential suppliers. We examine the value of competition as a mechanism for the buyer to elicit service quality from the suppliers. We compare two approaches the buyer could use to orchestrate this competition: (1) a Supplier-Allocation (SA) approach, which allocates a proportion of demand to each supplier with the proportion allocated to a supplier increasing in the quality of service the supplier promises to offer, and (2) a Supplier-Selection (SS) approach, which allocates all …

Virtual Transfer Pricing Mechanisms In Global Supply Chain, Kun Liao, Jie Jennifer Zhong

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Business

Increasingly global firms establish plants across their national borders while utilizing their home country suppliers in diverse locations. In view of complex risk factors including political uncertainty, tax rate differences, exchange risks and labor condition changes, the issues of optimizing profits through their global operations have received much attention from both academic researchers and executives. Yet, little attention has been paid in regard to virtual transfer pricing in the global supply chain. In this paper, a virtual transfer pricing model is proposed by using contract bundle within a global supply chain to lower the risks and maximize the profit potentials.

Enhancing Fertiliser Use Efficiency For Transplanted Vegetables, Dennis Phillips, Aileen Reid, Gavin D'Adhemar

Horticulture research reports

Horticulture Australia (HAL) Project No. VG04018.

Project VG 04018 ‘Enhancing fertiliser use efficiency for transplanted vegetables’ showed that spraying highly concentrated solutions containing nitrogen over newly transplanted vegetable seedlings for between 14 and 21 days after planting can increase marketable yields by as much as 300% compared to other methods of fertiliser application. Crops that this method has been successfully tested on in this study by the W.A. Department of Agriculture and Food include iceberg and Cos lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage (wombok), celery and cabbage.

The research was conducted on virgin sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain near …

Reinforce Customer Satisfaction Through Enterprise Resource Planning And Supply Chain Management Integration, Yu-Hsiang Chen

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to try and establish a blueprint for integrating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). ERP and SCM have become popular in many industries because they help companies improve their Information Systems (IS) which helps support their operational goals. New technology is being used in resource planning and e-commerce and a stable supply chain helps corporations integrate many basic applications. This helps facilitate smooth supplier-customer interactions while minimizing transaction costs. This project is trying to provide a way in which to implement ERP systems properly into SCM. It should result in improved …

Effect Of Stall Base Type On Herd Health, Costs, And Producer Satisfaction, W. K. Fulwider, T. Grandin, D. J. Garrick, T. E. Engle, W. D. Lamm, N. L. Dalsted, B. E. Rollin

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective of this field study was to compare effect of stall base on herd health, stall maintenance, bedding cost, and producer satisfaction. Ninety-one dairies visited during a 4-mo period starting October 14, 2005 included 33 rubber-filled mattress (RFM), 27 sand, and 31 waterbed (WB) dairies. In this study, percent culled was higher for RFM (P = 0.001) and sand (P = 0.06) than WB stall base dairies. Percent of cows in fourth lactation or greater was higher on WB than either RFM (P = 0.01) or sand (P = 0.02) dairies. There was no difference between base types for …

The Welfare Of Animals In The Meat, Egg, And Dairy Industries

Agribusiness Reports

Each year in the United States, approximately 11 billion animals are raised and killed for meat, eggs, and milk. These farm animals—sentient, complex, and capable of feeling pain and frustration, joy and excitement—are viewed by industrialized agriculture as commodities and suffer myriad assaults to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, typically denied the ability to engage in their species-specific behavioral needs. Despite the routine abuses they endure, no federal law protects animals from cruelty on the farm, and the majority of states exempt customary agricultural practices—no matter how abusive—from the scope of their animal cruelty statutes. The treatment of farm …