Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Constrained Multi-Group Project Allocation Using Mahalanobis Distance, Abdulaziz Saud Alkabaa

Doctoral Dissertations

Optimal allocation is one of the most active research areas in operation research using binary integer variables. The allocation of multi constrained projects among several options available along a given planning horizon is an especially significant problem in the general area of item classification. The main goal of this dissertation is to develop an analytical approach for selecting projects that would be most attractive from an economic point of view to be developed or allocated among several options, such as in-house engineers and private contractors (in transportation projects). A relevant limiting resource in addition to the availability of funds is …

Integrating The Cost Of Quality Into Multi-Products Multi-Components Supply Chain Network Design, Waleed Abdussalam Gueir

Doctoral Dissertations

More than ever before the success of a company heavily depends on its supply chain and how efficient the network. A supply chain needs to be configured in such a manner as to minimize cost while still maintaining a good quality level to satisfy the end user and to be efficient, designing for the network and the whole chain is important. Including the cost of quality into the process of designing the network can be rewording and revealing. In this research the concept of cost of quality as a performance measure was integrated into the supply chain network designing process …

Development Of Instrumentation And Control Systems For An Integral Large Scale Pressurized Water Reactor, Matthew Rowland Morrow Lish

Doctoral Dissertations

Small and large scale integral light water reactors are being developed to supply electrical power and to meet the needs of process heat, primarily for water desalination. This dissertation research focuses on the instrumentation and control of a large integral inherently safe light water reactor (designated as I²S-LWR) which is being designed as part of a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Research Project (IRP). This 969 MWe integral pressurized water reactor (PWR) incorporates as many passive safety features as possible while maintaining competitive costs with current light water reactors. In support of this work, the …

A Tool Kit For Building Hbcu Technology Transfer Supply Chain Networks Using An Advanced Planning System, Clovia Hamilton

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods study describes the development of a university technology transfer that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) can use to become more self-reliant financially. HBCUs lag behind their peer non-HBCUs because historically they have been under-served and were originally established largely as teaching and blue collar trade schools. Increased involvement in research oriented activities such as technology transfer will likely enable HBCUs to grow into new or stronger research institutions. The literature review revealed several problem areas with non-HBCUs university technology transfer include: (1) lack of quality standard benchmarks; (2) resource planning issues; (3) processing delays; and (4) …

Forecasting Employee Turnover In Large Organizations, Xiaojuan Zhu

Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers and human resource departments have focused on employee turnover for decades. This study developed a methodology forecasting employee turnover at organizational and departmental levels to shorten lead time for hiring employees. Various time series modeling techniques were used to identify optimal models for effective employee-turnover prediction based on a large U.S organization's 11-year monthly turnover data. A dynamic regression model with additive trend, seasonality, interventions, and a very important economic indicator efficiently predicted turnover. Another turnover model predicted both retirement and quitting, including early retirement incentives, demographics, and external economic indicators using the Cox proportional hazard model. A variety …

High Reliability Organizational Suggestions To Reduce The Risk Of Hospital-Associated Infections, Sandra Catrice Affare

Doctoral Dissertations

Over 1.7 million hospital-associated infections (HAIs), resulting in 99,000 deaths, occur each year in the United States. HAIs are defined as infections that occur within 48 hours of hospital admission without evidence of the infection being present or incubating at the time of admission. HAIs are a major concern to the medical community due to the potential loss of life and high costs. Healthcare providers should be accountable for reducing the rates of HAIs and society needs to hold them accountable for the safe implementation and outcomes of the services they provide.

A high-reliability organization (HRO) is commonly described as …

Empirical Analysis To Investigate The Influence Of Cultural Dimensions On Risk-Taking Behavior Among Hispanic And Non-Hispanic Construction Workers In United States, Kaveri Ajit Thakur

Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this research was to investigate the influence of cultural dimensions on risk-taking behavior among construction workers. Following a comprehensive literature review, a conceptual model was presented to evaluate `Intended Behavior in Risky Situations' in construction work environment. While the differences in risk-taking behaviors is generally acknowledged, the influence of culture is overlooked very easily. A total of 94 responses were collected from construction sites in the Knoxville Tennessee area by means of a questionnaire based on the conceptual model factors. The final sample consisted of 89 responses was evaluated using Partial lease Square - Structural Equation Modeling. …