Priorization of Customer Needs for Paperboard Trays

The objectives of the study were to introduce current issues of chilled and frozen food packaging, priorize certain customer needs and review brand owners��� opinions and ways of actions. Packaging industry and packaged food markets were reviewed. Interviews of food industry brand owners are used as data sources. Analytic hierarchy process was used to prioritize the customer needs. Food packaging, special features of ready meals, chilled and frozen food packaging, packaging industry and packaged food markets in Europe are approached using literature and market reviews and forecasts. In empirical part the customer needs of paperboard trays are prioritized. The most important features for brand owners are related in product safety and environmental issues. Paperboard trays have benefits compared to its competing packaging solutions. Paperboard is recyclable, from renewable source and it has good printability. Emerging issues of packaging technology are biodegradable package, elderly friendly features such as easiness of opening and re-closing possibility, brand protection and tamper evident solutions.

Asiakasarvoa korostavan liikkeenjohdon konsulttiyrityksen kasvumahdollisuudet

T��m��n diplomity��n tavoitteena on selvitt���� asiakasarvoa luovat kasvumahdollisuudet er����lle suomalaiselle liikkeenjohdon konsulttiyritykselle. Yrityksen kasvun tulee tapahtua pitk��ll�� aikav��lill�� kannattavasti ja tukea sen toimintaa sek�� liiketoiminnallisia tavoitteita. Ty��n teoreettiset aihealueet k��sittelev��t liikkeenjohdon konsultoinnin toimialaa, arvon luomista ja menestymisen edellytyksi��, asiakaspohjaa ja yhteisty��mahdollisuuksia sek�� kasvun johtamista. Ty��n empiirisess�� osassa n��it�� aihealueita tutkittiin yrityksest�� saatavien havaintojen, asiakaskyselyn sek�� osakashaastattelujen avulla. Asiakasarvoa luovien kasvuvaihtoehtojen m����ritt��misess�� k��ytettiin apuna analyyttist�� hierarkiaprosessia. Tutkimuksen keskeisimm��t havainnot olivat, ett�� konsultointipalveluiden asiakasarvoa eniten luovat tekij��t t��rkeysj��rjestyksess�� ovat lopputuloksen laatu, ihmisten sitouttaminen kehitykseen, toimialaosaaminen, asenne, uudet n��k��kulmat ja osaaminen sek�� hinta. Kohdeyritykselle tutkittiin viitt�� kasvuvaihtoehtoa ja niiden asiakasarvon tuottamiskyky��. Suositeltavat kasvuvaihtoehdot kohdeyritykselle t��rkeysj��rjestyksess�� ovat asiakaspohjan s��ilytt��minen, uusien asiakkaiden hankkiminen sek�� verkostojen ja allianssien hy��dynt��minen.

Modulointia ohjaavien tekij��iden valinta asiakkaiden, tuotekehityksen ja valmistuksen vaatimusten perusteella

Modular drivers cover the entire product life cycle and when the most important modular drivers are known, it is possible to focus on the most essential areas in modularization. Modular drivers are helpful while planning modularization, selecting modules to manufacture and evaluating the success of the modularization. When the modules are formed based on the modular drivers it is also possible to develop production processes according to the requirements of a certain module. The objective of the Master���s Thesis was to organize the modular drivers based on the weightings in order to make the modularization process easier. The phases to find the most important module drivers were formed based on the existing literature and background material from the company. During the Master���s Thesis project the weights of the modular drivers were determined according to the requirements of customers, product development and manufacturing. The requirements were established by a questionnaire and the weights for the requirements were selected in an interview using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The modular drivers were compared pairwise by the view point of the requirements of certain group. When the results of the three groups were integrated, the weights of the modular drivers were found and it was possible to select the most important drivers.

Carrier selection and management : A case study on Neste Oil Retail

Service provider selection has been said to be a critical factor in the formation of supply chains. Through successful selection companies can attain competitive advantage, cost savings and more flexible operations. Service provider management is the next crucial step in outsourcing process after the selection has been made. Without proper management companies cannot be sure about the level of service they have bought and they may suffer from service provider's opportunistic behavior. In worst case scenario the buyer company may end up in locked-in situation in which it is totally dependent of the service provider. This thesis studies how the case company conducts its carrier selection process along with the criteria related to it. A model for the final selection is also provided. In addition, case company's carrier management procedures are reflected against recommendations from previous researches. The research was conducted as a qualitative case study on the principal company, Neste Oil Retail. A literature review was made on outsourcing, service provider selection and service provider management. On the basis of the literature review, this thesis ended up recommending Analytic hierarchy process as the preferred model for the carrier selection. Furthermore, Agency theory was seen to be a functional framework for carrier management in this study. Empirical part of this thesis was conducted in the case company by interviewing the key persons in the selection process, making observations and going through documentations related to the subject. According to the results from the study, both carrier selection process as well as carrier management were closely in line with suggestions from literature review. Analytic hierarchy process results revealed that the case company considers service quality as the most important criteria with financial situation and price of service following behind with almost identical weights with each other. Equipment and personnel was seen as the least important selection criterion. Regarding carrier management, the study resulted in the conclusion that the company should consider engaging more in carrier development and working towards beneficial and effective relationships. Otherwise, no major changes were recommended for the case company processes.

Detecting Deceit ��� Guessing or Assessing? Study on the Applicability of Veracity Assessment Methods in Human Intelligence

Intelligence from a human source, that is falsely thought to be true, is potentially more harmful than a total lack of it. The veracity assessment of the gathered intelligence is one of the most important phases of the intelligence process. Lie detection and veracity assessment methods have been studied widely but a comprehensive analysis of these methods��� applicability is lacking. There are some problems related to the efficacy of lie detection and veracity assessment. According to a conventional belief an almighty lie detection method, that is almost 100% accurate and suitable for any social encounter, exists. However, scientific studies have shown that this is not the case, and popular approaches are often over simplified. The main research question of this study was: What is the applicability of veracity assessment methods, which are reliable and are based on scientific proof, in terms of the following criteria? o Accuracy, i.e. probability of detecting deception successfully o Ease of Use, i.e. easiness to apply the method correctly o Time Required to apply the method reliably o No Need for Special Equipment o Unobtrusiveness of the method In order to get an answer to the main research question, the following supporting research questions were answered first: What kinds of interviewing and interrogation techniques exist and how could they be used in the intelligence interview context, what kinds of lie detection and veracity assessment methods exist that are reliable and are based on scientific proof and what kind of uncertainty and other limitations are included in these methods? Two major databases, Google Scholar and Science Direct, were used to search and collect existing topic related studies and other papers. After the search phase, the understanding of the existing lie detection and veracity assessment methods was established through a meta-analysis. Multi Criteria Analysis utilizing Analytic Hierarchy Process was conducted to compare scientifically valid lie detection and veracity assessment methods in terms of the assessment criteria. In addition, a field study was arranged to get a firsthand experience of the applicability of different lie detection and veracity assessment methods. The Studied Features of Discourse and the Studied Features of Nonverbal Communication gained the highest ranking in overall applicability. They were assessed to be the easiest and fastest to apply, and to have required temporal and contextual sensitivity. The Plausibility and Inner Logic of the Statement, the Method for Assessing the Credibility of Evidence and the Criteria Based Content Analysis were also found to be useful, but with some limitations. The Discourse Analysis and the Polygraph were assessed to be the least applicable. Results from the field study support these findings. However, it was also discovered that the most applicable methods are not entirely troublefree either. In addition, this study highlighted that three channels of information, Content, Discourse and Nonverbal Communication, can be subjected to veracity assessment methods that are scientifically defensible. There is at least one reliable and applicable veracity assessment method for each of the three channels. All of the methods require disciplined application and a scientific working approach. There are no quick gains if high accuracy and reliability is desired. Since most of the current lie detection studies are concentrated around a scenario, where roughly half of the assessed people are totally truthful and the other half are liars who present a well prepared cover story, it is proposed that in future studies lie detection and veracity assessment methods are tested against partially truthful human sources. This kind of test setup would highlight new challenges and opportunities for the use of existing and widely studied lie detection methods, as well as for the modern ones that are still under development.

An��lisis de los componentes de la candena de suministro y su relaci��n con el desempe��o organizacional en el sector prendas de vestir

Esta propuesta de investigaci��n pretende aportar al proyecto de investigaci��n ���La administraci��n de la cadena de suministro y su relaci��n con el desempe��o superior de la organizaci��n��� a la elaboraci��n de la primera etapa que consiste en la revisi��n de literatura para la elaboraci��n y revisi��n del marco te��rico de dicha investigaci��n. Este proyecto se centra en el programa de estrategia y empresa en donde se realizar�� una investigaci��n descriptiva acerca de la administraci��n de la cadena de suministros, con el fin de estudiar la adopci��n y viabilidad de diferentes estrategias en el interior de las organizaciones, que puedan impactar en su desempe��o y por lo tanto, en la competitividad y perdurabilidad de las empresas del sector de prendas de vestir en Colombia.

Sustainability assessment indicators and methodology for intelligent buildings

The sustainable intelligent building is a building that has the best combination of environmental, social, economic and technical values. And its sustainability assessment is related with system engineering methods and multi-criteria decision-making. Therefore firstly, the wireless monitoring system of sustainable parameters for intelligent buildings is achieved; secondly, the indicators and key issues based on the ���whole life circle��� for sustainability of intelligent buildings are researched; thirdly, the sustainable assessment model identified on the structure entropy and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process is proposed.

Aplica����o do m��todo de an��lise hier��rquica na tomada de decis��o para ado����o de computa����o em nuvem: um estudo de caso na federa����o das ind��strias do RN

The progresses of the Internet and telecommunications have been changing the concepts of Information Technology IT, especially with regard to outsourcing services, where organizations seek cost-cutting and a better focus on the business. Along with the development of that outsourcing, a new model named Cloud Computing (CC) evolved. It proposes to migrate to the Internet both data processing and information storing. Among the key points of Cloud Computing are included cost-cutting, benefits, risks and the IT paradigms changes. Nonetheless, the adoption of that model brings forth some difficulties to decision-making, by IT managers, mainly with regard to which solutions may go to the cloud, and which service providers are more appropriate to the Organization s reality. The research has as its overall aim to apply the AHP Method (Analytic Hierarchic Process) to decision-making in Cloud Computing. There to, the utilized methodology was the exploratory kind and a study of case applied to a nationwide organization (Federation of Industries of RN). The data collection was performed through two structured questionnaires answered electronically by IT technicians, and the company s Board of Directors. The analysis of the data was carried out in a qualitative and comparative way, and we utilized the software to AHP method called Web-Hipre. The results we obtained found the importance of applying the AHP method in decision-making towards the adoption of Cloud Computing, mainly because on the occasion the research was carried out the studied company already showed interest and necessity in adopting CC, considering the internal problems with infrastructure and availability of information that the company faces nowadays. The organization sought to adopt CC, however, it had doubt regarding the cloud model and which service provider would better meet their real necessities. The application of the AHP, then, worked as a guiding tool to the choice of the best alternative, which points out the Hybrid Cloud as the ideal choice to start off in Cloud Computing. Considering the following aspects: the layer of Infrastructure as a Service IaaS (Processing and Storage) must stay partly on the Public Cloud and partly in the Private Cloud; the layer of Platform as a Service PaaS (Software Developing and Testing) had preference for the Private Cloud, and the layer of Software as a Service - SaaS (Emails/Applications) divided into emails to the Public Cloud and applications to the Private Cloud. The research also identified the important factors to hiring a Cloud Computing provider

Avalia����o da produ����o de sedimento na bacia hidrogr��fica do rio Potengi atrav��s do modelo SWAT

Anthropic disturbances in watersheds, such as inappropriate building development, disorderly land occupation and unplanned land use, may strengthen the sediment yield and the inflow into the estuary, leading to siltation, changes in the reach channel conformation, and ecosystem/water quality problems. Faced with such context, this study aims to assess the applicability of SWAT model to estimate, even in a preliminary way, the sediment yield distribution along the Potengi River watershed, as well as its contribution to the estuary. Furthermore, an assessment of its erosion susceptibility was used for comparison. The susceptibility map was developed by overlaying rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, the slope of the terrain and land cover. In order to overlap these maps, a multi-criteria analysis through AHP method was applied. The SWAT was run using a five year period (1997-2001), considering three different scenarios based on different sorts of human interference: a) agriculture; b) pasture; and c) no interference (background). Results were analyzed in terms of surface runoff, sediment yield and their propagation along each river section, so that it was possible to find that the regions in the extreme west of the watershed and in the downstream portions returned higher values of sediment yield, reaching respectively 2.8 e 5.1 ton/ha.year, whereas central areas, which were less susceptible, returned the lowest values, never more than 0.7 ton/ha.ano. It was also noticed that in the west sub-watersheds, where one can observe the headwaters, sediment yield was naturally forced by high declivity and weak soils. In another hand, results suggest that the eastern part would not contribute to the sediment inflow into the estuary in a significant way, and the larger part of the sediment yield in that place is due to anthropic activities. For the central region, the analysis of sediment propagation indicates deposition predominance in opposition to transport. Thus, it s not expected that isolated rain storms occurring in the upstream river portions would significantly provide the estuary with sediment. Because the model calibration process hasn t been done yet, it becomes essential to emphasize that values presented here as results should not be applied for pratical aims. Even so, this work warns about the risks of a growth in the alteration of natural land cover, mainly in areas closer to the headwaters and in the downstream Potengi River

Restaura����o florestal visando �� conserva����o de recursos h��dricos por meio da combina����o linear ponderada

This study evaluated using of Multicriteria Evaluation in a GIS, specifically by Weighted Linear Combination Method for generation of map of priority areas for forest restoration in the initial part of River Pardo Basin, SP, in order to water resources conservation. Aiming to define criteria and restrictions it was used Participatory Techniques, and the following factors had been selected: proximity of the hydrographic network, proximity of forest cover, slope and erodibility of soil. To calculate the weight to each factor it was used the decision-making process, known as Analytic Hierarchy Analysis, this method consists of a paired comparison of factors to determine the relative importance of each. According to Weighted Linear Combination, the very high priority areas have a more limited spatial distribution, with an apparent concentration around the water bodies, outlining a buffer to the river system. The proximity factor of the hydrographic network, and enables the connection forestry, contributed, along with the factor of proximity to forest cover, so there would be the definition of most of the areas with the highest priority in the basin, which concentrate the largest areas of forest and native riparian areas along the hydrographic.

Gest��o do estoque excedente com proposta de redu����o atrav��s de m��ltiplas alternativas utilizando multiplos criterios

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

Sele����o de fornecedores e gest��o log��stica nas importa����es da China: uma abordagem de processos e custos para pequenas e m��dias empresas

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

Determina����o de ��reas priorit��rias para o restabelecimento da cobertura florestal, apoiada no uso de geotecnologias

Funda����o de Amparo �� Pesquisa do Estado de S��o Paulo (FAPESP)

Melhorias dos processos no setor de expedi����o em uma transportadora de cargas fracionadas

The transport market has forced organizations reduce the cost of services and processes, resulting from the highly competitive and, for such waste at all levels and processes are a focus of study for its elimination. This study refers to carrier fractional loads, located in the municipality of Itapecerica da Serra Layout and headquartered in S��o Paulo, which requires a rapid development throughout its structure, because its expansion was not accompanied by an evolution of effective processes. The need to increase efficiency in delivery with a reduced cost of transport forced the company to hire a logistics consulting to help identify potential bottlenecks in processes, suggest improvements with greater impact and implementation at the end of a critical analysis of results. This work focuses on the Layout of the warehouse shipping area of this organization and we used the method of action research to the consultant and involved could reach this conclusion collaboratively, as well as interviews with those involved in the process and also visual observation. Tools such as Key Performance Indicator, Mapping Workflow, Analytic Hierarchy Process, Applied Statistics and Standard Operating Procedure were used to assist in the identification, analysis and implementation of the proposed improvements