应急期间服务运作系统能力的采购和恢复模型

分析了大型服务运作系统应急期间的能力应急管理模式,围绕系统内部能力恢复和外部能力采购,综合考虑社会惩罚成本,以应急期间的总成本最小为目标构建了相应的数学模型。通过数值仿真得到4个重要的管理学结论,对社会管理部门的应急政策制定以及运作系统本身在应急期间的科学决策均具有重要的指导意义。     

突发事件应急管理中的动态博弈分析

突发事件应急管理的一个重要特征和主要难点在于突发事件的管理者必须根据阶段性的处置结果和突发事件的发展趋势动态地调整管理活动：本文在动态博弈模型的框架下分析了突发事件应急管理中“危机事件”与“危机管理者”之间的动态博弈过程，并探讨了如何利用博弈模型生成预案。     

能力共享可降低服务运作系统的应急成本么？——基于两种能力支援的应急决策模型研究

与伙伴企业进行能力共享被很多管理者视为波动运营环境下增强系统的运作柔性和降低运营成本的有效措施之一,但一些大型的服务运作系统,如电力、通信等核心能力在突发事件后损毁的情况下,能力共享是否也可降低应急期间的运作成本？为验证该观点,本文对2006年中国电信海底光缆震断后的应急实践进行了抽象,并研究了能力共享伙伴向受损系统进行正常和快速两种能力支援情景下的多阶段应急决策问题,通过建模和数值分析后发现:能力共享对降低大型服务运作系统的应急成本极为有限、成本的降低极大程度上依赖于自身能力恢复的速度等4个有益应急管理的结论。     

突发事件后生产运作系统的能力应急管理模型研究

分析了因突发事件而能力受损生产运作系统在应急期间应急管理模式,围绕系统内部能力恢复和外部能力采购,综合考虑高额社会惩罚成本,以应急期间的运作总成本（也即总损失）最小为目标构建了多阶段的能力应急模型。通过随机动态规划算法对模型进行数值仿真后得到4个重要的管理学结论,对生产型运作系统应急预案的制定、能力协作伙伴的选择、能力恢复投资以及应急时间跨度的决策均具有重要的指导意义。     

管理者风险态度对系统能力受损后的应急采购决策影响研究

通信、电力和石化等大型运作系统核心能力受损后的应急期间内,管理者并非遵循风险规避的准则进行决策,为降低应急管理的成本,管理者是否应该采取激进或者保守的态度？为验证该观点,本文在文献[3]研究的基础上进行了拓展,在伙伴企业应急期间提供快速和正常两种能力支援的情境下,将管理者风险态度引入能力应急采购的决策问题。通过理论证明和数值仿真,本文得到了3个有益的应急管理结论:管理者的风险态度并不是越激进越好,"极端事件下采取双源供应"并非最优选择,应急期间管理者应首要考虑获得伙伴企业的能力恢复技术支援。     

基于应急物流的减灾系统LRP研究

减灾系统的定位-路径问题(Location-Routing Problem,LRP)的研究对提高应对突发事件能力和灾害应急管理水平有着重要的意义。本论文将见在系统的定位-路径问题划分为应急服务设施选址和应急资源运输路线安排两个子问题,针对两个子问题建立了以总成本(包括应急服务服务设施点建设成本,运输成本和灾害损失成本)最小为目标的LRP模型,并利用一个两阶段的启发式算法进行求解。最后选择以某一典型台风灾害为例,对基于应急物流的减灾系统的LRP模型进行算例分析,结果表明了模型的合理性和算法的可行性。     

基于社区的灾害应急能力评价指标体系建构

社区已成为灾害发生的前沿阵地,使得整个社会对社区灾害管理问题的关注程度日益增强,加强社区的应急能力建设已成为城市可持续发展的一项战略性任务.社区灾害应急能力的评价对提高社区应急能力有重大意义.本文从系统理论的角度出发,运用层次分析法对社区灾害应急能力的评价指标进行了分级,在充分分析我国应急体系建设成果以及社区实际状况的基础上,构造了社区应急能力评价的指标体系,该系统包括监测预警能力、应急准备能力、先期处置和协助处置能力和恢复能力等四个一级指标以及多个二级指标,并对社区应急准备能力进行了实证分析.     

基于知识库的应急领域脆弱性指标体系研究

应急事件的演化和应急领域的脆弱性指标变化有着密切关系。大型运作系统核心能力受损后的应急期间,管理者非常关心如何根据动态变化的受损情况把握关键指标因素进行恢复,从而降低应急管理成本。本文基于知识库对应急领域知识结构进行分析,并将层级时序记忆方法引入应急脆弱性指标知识挖掘体系,通过脆弱性态势感知解决了指标约简问题,最后给出了构建知识库的推理机设计和推理算法。本文得到有助于应急管理的结论：基于知识库的脆弱性指标体系可动态分析突发事件和应急管理中蕴涵的知识,有助于对应急事件演化机理准确把握,提高应对效率。     

我国应急管理人才培训体系的现状与发展研究

应急管理是有效减少国家财产损失,降低公共突发事件人身伤害的重要工作,是各级政府众多工作任务中比较重要的一个。随着国际、国内情况的不断变化,现阶段公共突发事件的应急管理呈现出不断复杂化的趋势。新的历史条件下,快速有效做好公共突发事件的应急管理已经成为克拉玛依区政府工作中一项系统且深具挑战性的工作。应急管理培训是提升应急管理人员水平和能力的重要工作和紧迫任务。本文以培养具有战略眼光和一定专业技能的应急管理人才为前提,对克拉玛依区应急管理人才培养培训系统提出建设性意见。     

突发事件应急管理机理、机制与体系探讨

本文引入了突发事件应急管理的机理、机制和体系的概念.指出突发事件应急管理应从对突发事件和救助主体的系统整体人手,以机理研究为基础,按照体系的功能构成,从机制上保障体系的有效运行和应对能力.介绍了突发事件的本质特点和应急管理机制的内涵,并详细介绍了突发事件应急管理体系的构建思路、体系框架模型和工作流程.     

Fostering Friendliness in a Fast Food Franchise

As a result of upper level management interest in improving customer service in a fast foods restaurant, a behavioral program was designed to measure and improve one aspect of service, the friendliness of front-line personnel (N = 11). Friendliness was defined behaviorally and measured using an interval recording system. A multiple-baseline design across areas within the restaurant was employed. During the program, desired behaviors were defined and rehearsed, cues were provided (e.g., after greeting customers), and the behaviors were followed by consequences that came from the manager (e.g., recognition), customers (c.g., smiling back), and the employees themselves (e.g., checkmarks). The interventions were successful in one area and partially successful in another. Suggestions are made for future research on the subject of customer service.     

Job stressors and coping characteristics in work-related disease: Issues of validity

There is now broad evidence that stressful work conditions and critical person characteristics contribute to the development of coronary dysfunction and disease via sustained autonomic nervous system activation. To improve the prediction of coronary risk and disease we combined information on psychosocial work stressors and work-related coping characteristics ('need for control') in several studies. The theoretical model termed 'effort-reward imbalance' assumes that high extrinsic (e.g. work pressure, cumulative workload) and intrinsic (e.g. 'need for control') effort spent at work in combination with low reward obtained (e.g. status control, esteem, monetary gratification) trigger sustained neuro-hormonal activation. In this paper the results of a 6 year prospective study conducted in 416 male blue-collar workers underline the validity of this model. The main findings indicate that components of effort-reward imbalance are strongly related to new coronary events and to elevated levels of established coronary risk factors (e.g. hypertension, atherogenic lipids) as well as to reduced cardiovascular responsiveness. It is concluded that the results clearly demonstrate the validity of effort-reward imbalance as an important predictor of coronary risk and disease, and indicate the need for structural and behavioural intervention in the workplace to prevent coronary heart dseases.     

Learning by exporting: A system-based review and research agenda

Over the past four decades, flourishing empirical research has attempted to establish the mechanisms and conditions underpinning improvements in exporters’ innovation and productivity via the learning-by-exporting (LBE) effect, and the domain has gained legitimacy and empirical credibility. However, the literature's findings are largely fragmented and require systematic review and analysis to draw definitive conclusions on the factors that influence the subsequent realization of learning from exporting. To fill this void, we critically examine the extant LBE research for the period 1984–2021. We systematically review 167 articles to develop a system-based taxonomy and conceptual model of LBE, which comprises five major components: system outputs (productivity and innovation), inputs (e.g., institutional factors and resources), firm-level capabilities (e.g., absorptive capacity and innovation persistence), managerial characteristics (e.g., entrepreneurship skills) and internationalization strategies. In doing so, we uncover paradoxical tensions within the system brought about by the conflicting roles of some components of the LBE system, such as firm-, industry- and country-level technological capabilities. Our review also reveals research gaps that open relevant opportunities for further research and conclusions that hold novel implications for managers and policymakers.     

Flexible reasoning using sensible agent-based systems: A case study in job flow scheduling

Planning and control systems for highly dynamic and uncertain manufacturing environments require adaptive flexibility and decision-making capabilities. Modern distributed manufacturing systems assess the utility of planning and executing solutions for both system goals (e.g. minimize manufacturing production time for all parts or minimize WIP) and local goals (e.g. expedite part A production schedule or maximize machine X utilization). Sensible Agents have the ability to alter their autonomy levels to choose among a set of decision models in order to handle the differences between local and system goals. In this paper, Sensible Agents are applied to a production planning and control problem in the context of job shop scheduling and decision model theory. Sensible Agents provide for trade-off reasoning mechanisms among system and local utilities that are flexible and responsive to an agent's abilities, situational context and position in the organizational structure of the system.     

RFID technology for increasing visibility in ETO supply chains: a case study

This paper presents the application of an innovative system for increasing visibility along an Engineer-To-Order supply chain. The system has been applied in a leading Italian company that manufactures vessels and tube heat exchangers. By means of this method, the company shares information about its shop floor activities with other actors in the supply chain, i.e. clients and suppliers. The system elements are as follows: Radio-frequency identification transponders (to identify either components, operators, tooling machines (e.g. welding machines) or production phases), a Wi-Fi network (to communicate data) and a web-based application that is accessible by the company’s clients. This paper shows the methodology that is used to define the system’s architecture and the technical solutions adopted. Benefits in terms of reduction in costs for monitoring and control have been observed. Moreover, customers perceived the increased visibility of the production process to be a valuable service.     

Tandem Configuration Automated Guided Vehicle Systems: A Comparative Study*

Automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems provide the flexibility and integration required for flexible manufacturing systems. Previous AGV system studies have attempted to reduce the controlling complexities commonly encountered in these systems. However, this has not been accomplished without additional resources (e.g., automated guided vehicles) and lower system flexibility. The primary objective of this study is to compare the performance of AGV system configurations that reduce controlling and modification complexities (i.e., tandem configurations) to traditional AGV system configuration. Three AGV system configurations were tested under 16 experimental conditions. Performance metrics considered were AGV utilization, mean flowtime, mean tardiness, and percent tardy. The results of this study extend the findings of the previous studies in demonstrating the viability of tandem configurations, in that the tandem configurations match the performance of traditional configuration across all performance metrics, without sacrificing ease of control and system flexibility. Finally, the cost tradeoffs inherent in selecting a particular configuration are discussed.     

Validating Expert Systems: A Demonstration Using Personal Choice Expert,A Flexible Employee Benefit System*

A method for validating expert systems, based on validation approaches from psychology and Turing's “imitation game,” is demonstrated using a flexible employee benefits expert system. Psychometric validation has three aspects: the extent to which the system and expert decisions agree (criterionrelated validity), the inputs and processes used by experts compared to the system (content validity), and differences between expert and novice decisions (construct validity). If these criteria are satisfied, then the system is indistinguishable from experts for its domain and satisfies the Turing Test. Personal Choice Expert (PCE) was designed to help employees of a Fortune 500 firm choose benefits in their flexible benefits system. Its recommendations do not significantly differ from those given by independent experts. Hence, if the system-independent expert agreement (criterion-related validity) were the only standard, PCE could be considered valid. However, construct analysis suggests that re-engineering may be required. High intra-expert agreement exists only for some benefit recommendations (e.g., dental care and long-term disability) and not for others (e.g., short-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance). Insights offered by these methods are illustrated and examined.     

Optimal Enhancement and Lifetime of Software Systems: A Control Theoretic Analysis

We develop an optimal control model to maximize the net value provided by a software system over its useful life. The model determines the initial number of features in the system, the level of dynamic enhancement effort, and the lifetime of the system. The various factors affecting these optimal choices are systems characteristics (e.g., complexity, age, quality), user learning, and process maturity. We also consider that there is a time lag between the addition of a feature and the realization of its benefit to users. The basic model is extended to consider the decision of replacing the existing system by a new one.     

Computational complexity of algorithms for MRP and JIT production planning problems in enterprise resource planning systems

An enterprise resource planning system (ERP) is the information backbone of many manufacturing companies. At the core of ERP is a conventional material requirements planning (MRP) production planning system or a variation of MRP when just-in-time (JIT) principles are used in manufacturing. MRP and JIT both organize production planning into a hierarchy of long-, medium- and short-range problems. In all there are eight different problems. Some are common to MRP and JIT, others are specialized for a particular system. This paper analyses the computational requirements of these problems. This is important for ERP because it plans for large numbers of products (e.g. 50 000 products at 3M Company and 44 000 products at States Industries in Oregon) at large numbers of locations (e.g. 82 locations in 21 countries for Visteon Automotive Systems of Michigan and 19 locations at Boeing). We show that adequate algorithms exist for some problems, but better algorithms are needed for other problems if ERP is to provide useful production plans.     

Strategic performance measurement in a healthcare organisation: A multiple criteria approach based on balanced scorecard

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) methodology focuses on major critical issues of modern business organisations: the effective measurement of corporate performance and the evaluation of the successful implementation of corporate strategy. Despite the increased adoption of the BSC methodology by numerous business organisations during the last decade, limited case studies concern non-profit organisations (e.g. public sector, educational institutions, healthcare organisations, etc.). The main aim of this study is to present the development of a performance measurement system for public health care organisations, in the context of BSC methodology. The proposed approach considers the distinguished characteristics of the aforementioned sector (e.g. lack of competition, social character of organisations, etc.). The proposed measurement system contains the most important financial performance indicators, as well as non-financial performance indicators that are able to examine the quality of the provided services, the satisfaction of internal and external customers, the self-improvement system of the organisation and the ability of the organisation to adapt and change. These indicators play the role of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), in the context of BSC methodology. The presented analysis is based on a MCDA approach, where the UTASTAR method is used in order to aggregate the marginal performance of KPIs. This approach is able to take into account the preferences of the management of the organisation regarding the achievement of the defined strategic objectives. The main results of the proposed approach refer to the evaluation of the overall scores for each one of the main dimensions of the BSC methodology (i.e. financial, customer, internal business process, and innovation-learning). These results are able to help the organisation to evaluate and revise its strategy, and generally to adopt modern management approaches in every day practise.