International security and the world economy

The recent increase in international tension associated with Iran and Afghanistan raises many questions about the longerterm health of the international economy. There is growing concern about potential conflicts affecting sources of key raw materials, serious problems in the international payments system and growing domestic priorities on defence production. Strategic political decisions rather than private business decisions are likely to affect the future course of the world economy. This is especially true because of the increasing political dependence of the industrial countries on developments abroad. The author examines the historical setting of inter-dependence, the current dilemmas created by it and the policy steps likely to dominate the next decade.     

Perceived Risks of Radioactive Waste Transport Through Oregon: Results of a Statewide Survey

Transportation of hazardous materials, and particularly radioactive wastes, on public highways has become an important risk management issue. The unfavorability of public attitudes regarding hazardous and nuclear wastes signals the potential for strong public opposition to programs for transporting these materials. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted to assess public reactions to a long-term nuclear waste transport program planned to follow a route through a portion of rural Oregon. The survey assessed a number of key risk perception issues, including perceived health and safety risks of nuclear waste transport, relative risks of transport vs. storage at an existing site, trust in state officials, and satisfaction with life in communities along the transport route. The survey identified a number of attitudes and concerns that need to be understood and considered by those in charge of designing and implementing the waste-transportation program.     

重大传染病疫情演化情境下应急物资配置决策建模分析:以新冠肺炎疫情为例

基于对新冠肺炎疫情时空分布的分析,从时段、关键事件、传播动力学、空间分布、感染规模、信息特征、医疗资源等7个维度构建了重大传染病疫情演化的5种情境,提出了各种情境下需要解决的5个关键应急物资配置决策问题。综合考虑应急物资配置的空间、信息、物资、供应、需求和网络等特性,分析了每一个决策问题进行建模优化的关键因素。基于这些关键因素构建了一个多周期贝叶斯序贯决策模型,给出了求解步骤和解析解,并结合武汉疫情进行了算例分析,验证了模型的有效性。在重大传染病疫情演化情境下,综合考虑这些关键因素,应用贝叶斯决策分析进行应急物资配置决策建模有利于建立更加符合实际的决策模型,减少决策损失。     

Key success factors when implementing a green-manufacturing system

This study proposes a three-layer assessment model to evaluate the performance of a green-manufacturing system (GMS) and identify the key success factors of its real-world implementation. The top layer of the model includes three dimensions – green design, green-manufacturing process and green packaging. The second and third layers include ten strategic subjects and 74 assessment factors, respectively. The weights in each layer are collected via a questionnaire and calculated using the analytical network process (ANP). Based on the ANP, the five key success factors for implementing the GMS in a company are proportion of non-toxic materials, compliance with eco-ordinances, proportion of biodegradable materials, environmental pollution per product and extent of process pollution. The practicality of the proposed model is demonstrated by evaluating three companies that produce similar products and share similar business models. The proposed model provides a valuable reference for real-world implementation of the GMS.     

Technology selection in the absence of standardised materials and processes: a survey in the UK composite materials supply chain

Composite materials is an industry where technology selection has major consequences as there is not a standard manufacturing process, nor are there standardised materials with defined or proscribed properties for companies to select as multiple solutions are technically viable. This research aims to identify key factors for manufacturing technology selection in the UK composite materials supply chain. Literature review and managers’ opinions were used to identify 18 factors affecting manufacturing technology selection. This was followed by a survey comprising the multi-tier supply chain of the composite materials industry. The results of the survey show ‘on time deliveries/service level to customers’, ‘improve quality’ and ‘reduce cycle time’ received the highest average ratings. In this study a correlation analysis was performed to identify the underlying dependencies between the factors investigated. The identification and use of underlying dependencies rather than highest average provided a more comprehensive picture of the factors that affect technology selection in the composite materials industry. For this study, experts in composite materials were asked to comment on the findings of the survey and their value to the industry. The results presented may assist companies in the composite materials industry with technology selection decision-making processes.     

MATERIALS PRICES AND PRODUCTIVITY

There is substantial within‐industry variation in the prices that plants pay for their material inputs. Using plant‐level data from the US Census Bureau, I explore the consequences and sources of this variation in materials prices. For a sample of industries with relatively homogeneous products, the standard deviation of plant‐level productivity would be 7% smaller if all plants faced the same materials prices. Moreover, plant‐level materials prices are persistent, spatially correlated, and positively associated with the probability of exit. The contribution of entry and exit to aggregate productivity growth is smaller for productivity measures that are purged of materials price variation. After documenting these patterns, I discuss three potential sources of materials price variation: geography, differences in suppliers' marginal costs, and within‐supplier markup differences. Together, these variables explain 15% of the variation of materials prices.     

考虑时效与公平性的震后应急物资动态配送优化研究

大规模地震后应急物资的高效保障是应急救援有效开展的必要前提。震后应急物资运输与配送包括从区域储备仓库和外围物资集散地运输到区域应急配送中心、由区域应急配送中心配送到各个受灾点两个阶段。应急物资保障具有持续时间长、需求紧迫性强和物资相对短缺等特点。本文以应急物资保障时效性与分配公平性为目标,建立了考虑多种运输方式、多时段动态的应急物资配送中心选址与运输配送路径优化的多目标规划模型,并基于此模型设计了一种带精英策略的非支配排序的遗传算法,以九寨沟地区地震灾难情景对模型进行实证研究,验证了模型和算法的有效性,以期为震后应急物资保障提供理论指导与决策支持。     

Multinational corporations and industrial relations research: A road less travelled

While there is a large body of academic debate surrounding human resource management issues in multinational corporations (MNCs), industrial relations (IR) issues often fail to receive the same degree of attention. This paper attempts to move the debate forward by critically reviewing some of the key debates surrounding IR in an international context. First, some key themes surrounding the comparison of industrial relations across borders and IR in multinational companies are delineated and defined. Then, the reasons why an international IR (IIR) perspective has been under‐represented in the literature to date are considered. The paper then explores the contribution which an IIR perspective can bring to the study of management practices in MNCs. This is discussed in terms of IIR's potential contribution as an alternative analytical approach and also differences in its substantive coverage. The impact of IR systems on MNC location and relocation decisions, key issues for employees, trade unions and managers of MNCs, is then discussed as an example of the former. The potential for, and evidence of, international collective bargaining as a potential counter‐balance to the power the MNC in the global environment is then considered as an example of a differing area of substantive coverage of IIR. Finally, some avenues for potential study are outlined.     

Research on dispatch of drugs and consumables in SPD warehouse of large scale hospital under uncertain environment: take respiratory consumables as an example

This paper studies the supply chain management of medical supply-processing-distribution (SPD) and models the logistics scheduling of drugs and consumables in SPD warehouse under uncertain environment. Firstly, the key management materials are determined, and then SPD distributors are set up for the key management materials to speed up the turnover of drugs and consumables, reduce the loss and unnecessary wastage, and reduce and control the operating costs of hospital departments. This paper establishes an optimization model for achieving the highest total efficiency of drug or consumables distribution and receipt on the premise of sending the least SPD distributors to release the nurses who plan to apply for, count and keep the materials in the second-level warehouse, and return the nursestime to patients. Through the example of SPD distribution of infusion devices consumed by respiratory consumables in a large scale A hospital, the feasibility of using this model to calculate the optimal allocation method of SPD material distributors and the establishment of SPD material distributors in each department is verified. Finally, this paper compares the effects before and after practice and verifies the correctness and effectiveness of the model.

     

Risk Characterization for Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a broad term that encompasses materials, structures, or processes that utilize engineered nanomaterials, which can be defined as materials intentionally designed to have one or more dimensions between 1 and 100 nm. Historically, risk characterization has been viewed as the final phase of a risk assessment process that integrates hazard identification, dose‐response assessment, and exposure assessment. The novelty and diversity of materials, structures, and tools that are covered by above‐defined “nanotechnology” raise substantial methodological issues and pose significant challenges for each of these phases of risk assessment. These issues and challenges culminate in the risk characterization phase of the risk assessment process, and this article discusses several of these key issues and approaches to developing risk characterization results and their implications for risk management decision making that are specific to nanotechnology.     

物料价格随时间波动及完工期随机的MTO订购决策

对于订单式中小生产企业,物料供应是否及时以及生产进度是否按计划进行是影响订单交货期的关键因素。实际中,某些产品的物料价格随时间连续波动并具有规律性,而生产过程中由于插单多、工人流动性大、设备故障、质量返工等,生产完工期有一定的随机性。对于物料订购决策,传统方法主要考虑订单的投产日期以及物料采购成本最小化,而未考虑订单完工期的随机性特点。基于企业内部供应链集成及总成本最小化的系统思想,综合考虑物料价格的变化趋势以及随机生产完工期的统计规律,分别建立单一物料或多种物料订购情形下总生产成本(包括订购成本、制造成本、延迟完工或提早完工成本等)与订购日期的关系模型,并对其最优解进行讨论、分析与求解。当物料种类单一时,采用极值法对模型极小值点的存在性进行讨论;当物料种类较多时,构建了有约束条件的多决策变量非线性优化模型,并采用最优化理论中的拉格朗日乘子法(即PHR算法)进行求解。通过实例分析,得出的结论是物料最佳订购时间点与物料初始价格、价格波动周期、波动幅度、单位延迟或提早完工成本等因素相关。上述采购与生产集成的思想、模型构建的思路以及求解方法等可供有关人员参考。     

Management applications of the inverse gaussian distribution

The inverse gaussian distribution is a relatively unknown statistical distribution which appears to have considerable potential for application in the management sciences. The paper presents a summary of the distribution's key statistical properties and surveys applications of the distribution found in the literature. The paper also discusses a number of areas of potential application which are as yet unexplored.     

In search for the ideal coopetition partner: an experimental study

Coopetition (collaboration between competitors) has the potential to provide major benefits or losses to participating firms. Entering a partnership with a competitor is a strategic decision with potential long-term consequences rendering the choice of partner of key importance. Existing research has investigated partner’s strategic attributes, but not how the inter-organizational factors between coopetiting firms affect partner selection and on which layers those effects occur. We use a vignette study for reducing this gap, representing the first experimental study on the field of coopetition research. The results from our study from 874 evaluations of potential coopetition partnerships by key informants from Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland offer insights into how the possible partner’s role, resource alignment and the planned activity affect partner selection. The findings suggest that the partner’s role in the markets—i.e. whether it is a direct or an indirect competitor—is critical in partner selection. The planned activity and resource configuration is also found to influence the evaluation of possible coopetition partners. Overall, the results of this first experimental study in coopetition research provide important implications to both theory and practice.     

基于补偿合约的供应链定价与能力设计的协调问题研究

研究和分析了在需求不确定并且受价格影响的情况下,供应链中制造商与供应商的产品定价与能力设计的协调问题。制造商从供应商处采购用于产品生产的关键零部件,供应链面临的潜在需求服从随机分布,有效需求则受产品定价的影响。当供应商的生产能力出现约束时,制造商可以从外部其他渠道获取关键零部件,但是需要付出一个更高的采购价格。制造商确定产品的销售价格,供应商确定生产能力。分析比较了在集成供应链与独立决策的供应链中的定价与能力计划策略,提出了一种能够有效协调制造商和供应商的决策行为的补偿合约。最后,进行了数值分析,证明补偿合约的有效性。     

Reviewing Industry Life‐cycle Theory: Avenues for Future Research

This paper explicates the key mechanisms and research themes of industry life‐cycle theory and assesses the extent to which empirical evidence supports such an approach. It is based on a review of 216 industry life‐cycle studies. The review of the theory is organized around industry emergence and transition to industry maturity. The key research themes concern changes in industry structure, changes in the nature of innovation, and the determinants of survival. Three potential special cases, i.e. services, complex products and systems, and cultural industries, are identified, and five research questions for future enquiry are presented.     

A pro-active and collaborative approach to reverse logistics—a case study

Reverse logistics is considered to be the key for re-manufacturing and sustainable development. It has gained increasing attention in the last decade and has been a new frontier of strategic management. One of the driving forces for firms to adopt the reverse logistics practice is cost saving from reverse logistics activities. Another motivation to put reverse logistics forward is probably due to environmental impacts on non-returnable materials. Reverse logistics, however, may require cooperation of more than one company and hence it is generally poorly managed due to self-interest of different companies. Therefore, a pro-active and collaborative approach to reverse logistics is demanded. This paper reports a case study of using returnable packaging materials between a manufacturer and an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier. A cross-company team was established to pursue the goal of the reverse logistics project. Tangible and intangible benefits of reverse logistics from this case study are presented in this paper.     

基于正式结构与非正式网络的企业内部知识共享优化方法

从社会网络视角提出一种基于正式结构与非正式网络的企业内部知识共享优化方法;从解构企业内部社会网络的角度出发,对承载企业内部知识共享的正式结构、非正式网络及其4个子结构(被忽视的正式结构、被利用的正式结构、被利用的非正式网络和潜在的非正式网络)进行分析;依据网络特征识别关键的知识代理人和任务导向的知识共享缺口,在此基础上对企业内部知识共享进行优化。     

Interpersonal Amplification of Risk? Citizen Discussions and Their Impact on Perceptions of Risks and Benefits of a Biological Research Facility

Much risk communication research has demonstrated how mass media can influence individual risk perceptions, but lacks a comprehensive conceptual understanding of another key channel of communication: interpersonal discussion. Using the social amplification of risk as a theoretical framework, we consider the potential for discussions to function as amplification stations. We explore this possibility using data from a public opinion survey of residents living in potential locations for a new biological research facility in the United States. Controlling for a variety of key information variables, our results show that two dimensions of discussion—frequency and valence—have impacts on residents’ perceptions of the facility's benefits and its risks. We also explore the possibility that an individual's overall attitude moderates the effect of discussion on their perceptions of risks and benefits. Our results demonstrate the potential for discussions to operate as amplifiers or attenuators of perceptions of both risks and benefits.     

多受灾点应急物资动态多阶段分配模型研究

针对传统的单阶段物资分配模型可能导致应急物资分配的局部冗余或短缺、高成本、系统无法达到全局最优等现实情况,通过在指数效用函数中引入灾民物资需求的比例短缺测度公平,以物资短缺的延迟损失最小化与物资分配的总成本最小化为目标构建考虑多集散点、多配送中心和多受灾点的三级配送网络的应急物资动态多阶段分配模型,设计了目标转化与线性近似相结合的模型求解方法,并通过算例对所提出模型的有效性和可行性进行了验证。结果表明：所提出的多阶段模型能够兼顾物资分配的效率与公平,最大程度地降低物资短缺的延迟损失以及物资分配的总成本;运用灾民物资需求的比例短缺量化公平,避免了由于各受灾点的需求量差异而对公平分配产生的影响,可以使各受灾点即使在应急救援初期物资有限、中期物资持续供不应求等情况下,仍然能够在每阶段获得一定比率的所需物资,进而避免较大的物资短缺损失,确保多受灾点之间多阶段应急物资分配的公平性,更符合灾害救援实际,可为现实大规模灾害应急救援物资多阶段分配提供决策支持。     

Strategic planning for resources

In the field or purchasing and supply, 1973 was a year to be remembered. A world-wide boom in industrialised countries produced record prices in markets for food, raw materials and manufactured goods. Rates of inflation in the U.S.A., Western Europe and Japan began to approach South American levels. The value of the dollar, the pound and other major currencies fluctuated dramatically, and the stock market experienced falls comparable to those which occurred during the slump in the thirties. Finally, 1973 was the year of the oil embargo, when oil prices were almost doubled and oil supplies to the West were cut by 15–20%, resulting in the rationing of oil and other commodities in Western Europe.By any standards, this was a momentous year. It is conceivable that supply markets will never be quite the same again. The traditional form of multi-national business, integrated from supply to consumer markets, is fast disappearing as the companies formed in developing countries to secure the supply of oil, food and raw materials are being taken over by the host governments. Indeed it may be that after the traumatic experiences of this year, negotiations for food and key raw materials will be increasingly carried out by governments rather than by private companies.To cope with shortages and higher prices in food, fuels and essential raw materials, government bodies and public and private enterprises will have to develop new capabilities. Western governments have responded quickly by setting up Ministers and Ministries for Energy and by establishing huge budgets for research into the exploration and exploitation of alternative fuels. The large oil companies have declared that they are in the “energy business” and have bought interests in nuclear power and coal.But what does the energy and resource crisis mean for the average firm? It seems that in the 1970s we are experiencing a level of competition for supplies similar to the competition for consumer markets which first produced “Marketing” in the late fifties and early sixties.