Improving the Utilization of Front-Line Service Delivery System Personnel

There are two types of work typically performed in services which differ in the degree of control management has over when the work must be done. Serving customers, an activity that can occur only when customers are in the system is, by its nature, uncontrollable work. In contrast, the execution of controllable work does not require the presence of customers, and is work over which management has some degree of temporal control. This paper presents two integer programming models for optimally scheduling controllable work simultaneously with shifts. One model explicitly defines variables for the times at which controllable work may be started, while the other uses implicit modeling to reduce the number of variables. In an initial experiment of 864 test problems, the latter model yielded optimal solutions in approximately 81 percent of the time required by the former model. To evaluate the impact on customer service of having front-line employees perform controllable work, a second experiment was conducted simulating 5,832 service delivery systems. The results show that controllable work offers a useful means of improving labor utilization. Perhaps more important, it was found that having front-line employees perform controllable work did not degrade the desired level of customer service.

Involving individuals in the manufacturing strategy formation : Strategic consensus among workers and managers

Decisions made and actions taken by individuals in the operations function impact the formation of a company’s manufacturing strategy (MS). Therefore, it is important that the MS is understood and agreed on by all employees, that is, strategic consensus among the individuals in the operations function is essential. This research contributes to the current body of knowledge by including a workers’ perspective on MS formation. It is the workers on the shop floor who bring the MS to life in the actual operations through their daily decisions and actions. The MS falls short if the priorities outlined do not materialise in practice as intended. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the individuals in the operations function perceive the MS in order to understand how these individuals are involved in the MS formation. The research is based on five studies, differing by evidence, as follows: one theoretical, three qualitative in the setting of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and one quantitative at a large company. Based on the findings presented in the six appended papers, the results show that empirically and conceptually, workers have been overlooked or given a passive role in the MS formation. Empirically, it is seen that workers and managers do not have a shared understanding of the underlying reasons for strategic priorities; hence, the level of strategic consensus is low. Furthermore, the level of strategic consensus varies among the different MS dimensions depending on their organisational level. Moreover, the empirical findings reveal that internal contextual factors influence the individuals’ perceptions of the MS and the possibilities for strategic consensus. Regarding the external context, the results show that major customers’ strategies influence the subcontractor SMEs’ MS formation. The usage of means of communication in the operations function has also shown to be of importance for how the MS is perceived. Conceptually, the findings indicate that the MS literature tends to treat individuals in the operations function in a deterministic manner; individuals on the shop floor are regarded as manufacturing resources. To ensure a successful MS formation process, where the patterns of the decisions made by the individuals in the operations function forms the MS, the view on human nature within the MS requires a more voluntaristic approach. This research suggests to view the MS formation as an iterative “patterning process” which builds on a reciprocal relationship between workers and managers. The introduction of the patterning process contributes to the research on MS formation by explaining the perception range within the hierarchical levels, by re-defining the hierarchical levels included in the MS formation and by detailing the activities in the MS formation.

Coordination in humanitarian logistics through clusters

Purpose – In the field of humanitarianism, cluster thinking has been suggested as a solution to the lack of coordinated disaster response. Clusters for diverse functions, including sheltering, logistics and water and sanitation, can be viewed as an effort to achieve functional coordination. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a greater understanding of the potential of cluster concepts using supply chain coordination and inter‐cluster coordination. The focus is on the conceptual level rather than on specific means of coordination. Design/methodology/approach – The cluster concept in humanitarian relief, along with some key empirical issues, is based on a case study. The concept is then compared to the literature on clusters and coordination in order to develop a theoretical framework with propositions on the tradeoffs between different types of coordination. Findings – The results provide important reflections on one of the major trends in contemporary development of humanitarian logistics. This paper shows that there is a tradeoff between different types of coordination, with horizontal coordination inside cluster drawing attention away from important issues of the supply chain as well as the need to coordinate among the clusters. Research limitations/implications – There is a need for more in‐depth case studies of experiences with clusters in various operations. Various perspectives should be taken into account, including the field, responding agencies, beneficiaries, donors, military and commercial service providers, both during and between disasters. Practical implications – The paper presents the tradeoffs between different types of coordination, in which basic aims such as standardisation through functional coordination, must be balanced with cross‐functional and vertical coordination in order to more successfully serve the users' composite needs. Originality/value – The focus on possible trade‐offs between different types of coordination is an important complement to the literature, which often assumes simultaneous high degrees of horizontal and vertical coordination.

Ensihoitopalvelun kysynnän ja kapasiteetin hallinta ennakoitavissa palvelutarpeen muutoksissa

Ensihoidossa kysynnän ja kapasiteetin hallinta on toiminnan kriittinen tekijä. Potilaiden hoidontarve asettaa ensihoitopalvelulle varsin tiukat ajalliset ja laadulliset suorituskykyvaatimukset, joista poikkeaminen vaikuttaa suoraan hoidon tuloksiin. Tässä työssä tarkasteltiin ensihoitopalvelun kysynnän ja kapasiteetin hallintaa ennakoitavissa palvelutarpeen muutoksissa. Työn tavoitteena oli kehittää kohdeorganisaation ensihoitopalveluun toimintamalli, jonka avulla se voi nykyistä paremmin tunnistaa normaalista poikkeavat palvelutarpeen muutokset, arvioida niiden vaikutukset ja tarpeet sekä suunnitella ja toteuttaa toiminnan turvallisesti ja tehokkaasti. Työ tehtiin laadullisena toimintatutkimuksena. Empirian osalta työssä perehdyttiin ensihoidon palvelutuotannon vaatimuksiin sekä kohdeorganisaation toimintaan, tarpeisiin ja menetelmiin. Teoriassa tukeuduttiin pääasiassa palvelun kysynnän ja kapasiteetin hallinnan teoriaan. Toimintamallin kehittämisessä hyödynnettiin kohdeorganisaation kokemusta ja asiantuntemusta ratkaisumallien arvioinnissa. Työn tuloksena määriteltiin toimintamalli, jonka avulla kohdeorganisaatio voi systemaattisesti tunnistaa ja analysoida normaalivaihtelusta poikkeavia palvelutarpeen muutoksia, määritellä kysynnän ja kapasiteetin, suunnitella ja toteuttaa toiminnan sekä arvioida ja kehittää menettelyä systemaattisesti.

Essays on Supply Chain Finance

I study how a larger party within a supply chain could use its superior knowledge about its partner, who is considered to be financially constrained, to help its partner gain access to cheap finance. In particular, I consider two scenarios: (i) Retailer intermediation in supplier finance and (ii) The Effectiveness of Supplier Buy Back Finance. In the fist chapter, I study how a large buyer could help small suppliers obtain financing for their operations. Especially in developing economies, traditional financing methods can be very costly or unavailable to such suppliers. In order to reduce channel costs, in recent years large buyers started to implement their own financing methods that intermediate between suppliers and financing institutions. In this paper, I analyze the role and efficiency of buyer intermediation in supplier financing. Building a game-theoretical model, I show that buyer intermediated financing can significantly improve supply chain performance. Using data from a large Chinese online retailer and through structural regression estimation based on the theoretical analysis, I demonstrate that buyer intermediation induces lower interest rates and wholesale prices, increases order quantities, and boosts supplier borrowing. The analysis also shows that the retailer systematically overestimates the consumer demand. Based on counterfactual analysis, I predict that the implementation of buyer intermediated financing for the online retailer in 2013 improved channel profits by 18.3%, yielding more than $68M projected savings. In the second chapter, I study a novel buy-back financing scheme employed by large manufacturers in some emerging markets. A large manufacturer can secure financing for its budget-constrained downstream partners by assuming a part of the risk for their inventory by committing to buy back some unsold units. Buy back commitment could help a small downstream party secure a bank loan and further induce a higher order quantity through better allocation of risk in the supply chain. However, such a commitment may undermine the supply chain performance as it imposes extra costs on the supplier incurred by the return of large or costly-to-handle items. I first theoretically analyze the buy-back financing contract employed by a leading Chinese automative manufacturer and some variants of this contracting scheme. In order to measure the effectiveness of buy-back financing contracts, I utilize contract and sales data from the company and structurally estimate the theoretical model. Through counterfactual analysis, I study the efficiency of various buy-back financing schemes and compare them to traditional financing methods. I find that buy-back contract agreements can improve channel efficiency significantly compared to simple contracts with no buy-back, whether the downstream retailer can secure financing on its own or not.

Relações no terreno entre a GNR e os diversos agentes do sistema de Proteção Civil

O Sistema Nacional de Proteção Civil tem vindo a registar alterações significativas nos últimos dez anos, desde a reestruturação que sofreu em 2006. No mesmo ano, deu-se a criação do Grupo de Intervenção de Proteção e Socorro, aumentando as competências e atribuições da Guarda Nacional Republicana. Com a maturação deste suprassistema, vários sistemas foram implementados para responder às necessidades, designadamente o Sistema Integrado de Operações de Proteção e Socorro, materializado pelo Dispositivo Integrado de Operações de Proteção e Socorro, bem como o aperfeiçoamento do Sistema de Gestão de Operações. Neste sistema, a Guarda insere-se num conjunto de agentes e entidades que concorrem para o mesmo fim, a proteção e socorro. Desta forma, esta investigação tem como objetivos analisar e avaliar o relacionamento entre a Guarda e os diversos agentes de proteção civil no espetro da proteção e socorro, salientando as potencialidades e as vulnerabilidades existentes no Sistema Nacional de Proteção Civil, bem como expor a relevância e a imprescindibilidade da Guarda. A presente investigação regeu-se por uma metodologia de caráter qualitativa, através da realização de inquéritos por entrevista a representantes de agentes e entidades de proteção civil e a elementos da estrutura operacional da Autoridade Nacional de Proteção Civil. Os resultados permitem concluir que, os sistemas implementados facilitam a coordenação e articulação, potenciando a existência de um bom relacionamento entre a Guarda e os agentes de proteção civil, e aumentando, desta forma, a sua eficiência. No entanto, verificam-se falhas a nível institucional, pois, o Sistema Integrado de Operações de Proteção e Socorro abrange entidades de vários Ministérios e entidades não estatais. Estas últimas constituem-se como agentes de proteção civil e assumem uma responsabilização diminuta quando existe atribuição de comando. Constatam-se também falhas no que diz respeito a normas, protocolos e procedimentos, nas relações interpessoais, falta de formação e desconhecimento das missões respeitantes a cada agente interveniente no sistema.

Perfil logístico de Volkswagen desde la producción

Este análisis muestra detalladamente la línea de producción de la planta de Volkswagen, ubicada en México en el estado de Puebla. Se describe la capacidad operativa utilizada para satisfacer la demanda de la planta de producción de automóviles más grande de Latinoamérica, siendo clave para mantenerse en el mercado con estándares de calidad altos y contribuir al desarrollo de la economía del país. Asimismo, a nivel regional, esta planta se abastece de proveedores estratégicos ubicados en una zona cercana, ayudando a disminuir costos de transporte de piezas y tiempos de respuesta. Inicialmente se realiza una breve descripción del entorno económico de la empresa a nivel regional y del sector a nivel global para hacer énfasis en lo competitivo que es el mercado de la producción de automóviles. Posteriormente se describe la finalidad que tiene esta misión empresarial soportada por la Universidad del Rosario, donde se afianzan conocimientos importantes sobre un mercado de talla mundial. El siguiente aspecto es un diagnóstico de la empresa, donde se dan a conocer las marcas que hacen parte del grupo Volkswagen y la situación financiera que refleja la marca desde el 2012, revelando los ingresos obtenidos durante el período 2012-2014, gastos operacionales y factores que no se destacan positivamente como un flujo de caja negativo para el 2014. Posteriormente se plasman los conceptos teóricos necesarios para que el lector comprenda las variables inmersas en una planta de producción, destacando la teoría de colas y el diseño del layout de la empresa. Finalmente, se da una descripción detallada del proceso de producción en esta planta, donde se muestra la línea de producción, el ensamble y la importancia de un sistema operativo interno que depende principalmente de una alta inversión de tecnología e ingeniería que permite obtener un mayor beneficio en cada etapa del proceso.

La disrupción: el punto de partida de la resiliencia o del fracaso empresarial (reflexiones desde la ingeniería)

La perdurabilidad empresarial ha sido un tema recurrente en la literatura sobre dirección de empresas. A pesar de los avances, la liquidación de las empresas aumenta permanentemente. Buscando alternativas de mejora se estudia el caso de dos empresas cuadragenarias dedicadas a prestar servicios de consultoría en ingeniería eléctrica y civil que, en condiciones de crisis, implementaron acciones que les permitieron, no sólo mantenerse en el mercado sino también fortalecer su estructura financiera. Los resultados demostraron que un enfoque equilibrado caracterizado por la toma oportuna de decisiones y la definición e implementación de estrategias de negocio efectivas constituyen herramientas óptimas para asegurar un mayor grado de resiliencia empresarial.

Optimización del proceso de empaque de BANAFRUTS S.A.S. desde el punto de vista de la Teoría de Restricciones

Como resultado de la Misión Empresarial Caribe realizada por la Escuela de Administración de la Universidad del Rosario en abril de 2016, se realizó el presente documento donde se plantea una propuesta de mejora para el proceso de empaque de BanaFruts S.A.S. mediante el uso de teorías administrativas enfocadas a la gestión de calidad del producto como: Teoría de Restricciones, Kaizen y Cero defectos. La propuesta consiste en tener un proceso de control de calidad mucho menos repetitivo y más eficiente a lo largo del empaque del producto, donde solo los operarios de desmane se deberán encargar de definir cuáles bananos cumplen o no con las especificaciones de DOLE en esa etapa y además se aseguren de cumplir con nuevos límites de saturación de los frutos en las piscinas. Éstos se encontrarán en donde se alcanza el 90% de la capacidad de cada tanque. Para el de desmane estará a una altura de 0.54m; y para el de saneo estará a una altura de 0.49m. Así se actuará der manera preventiva y no reactiva como sucede actualmente, garantizando que los bananos no se lastimen y se reduzca el exceso de revisión a lo largo del proceso. Este cambio de gestión de calidad permitirá en primera instancia que los trabajadores en etapas diferentes a las de desmane se enfoquen en una sola tarea y no tengan que volver a verificar los aspectos de calidad del producto, seguido de un aumento de productividad en el procesamiento de los bananos por parte de éstos. Adicionalmente, se hace énfasis en la importancia de la mejora continua del proceso en general para asegurar un incremento gradual en la productividad. Para esto se propone un nuevo modelo de gestión de los recursos humanos donde los operarios serán más proactivos, tendrán una mayor participación en la identificación y solución de problemas y se encargarán de llevar a cabo sus labores de manera más eficiente. En este sentido, las acciones a tomar serán: seleccionar, organizar, limpiar y estandarizar. Finalmente, hay que estandarizar el proceso, es decir que debe existir una revisión continua para no permitir que los errores se repitan. Todas estas acciones estarán a cargo de un equipo líder llamado “Equipo BanaFruts”. Éste tendrá la responsabilidad de acompañar a los trabajadores en la realización de las actividades mencionadas y medir sus resultados.

Restricting the flexibility in DEA models

DEA models have been applied as the benchmarking tool in operations management to empirically account operational and productive efficiency. The wide flexibility in assigning the weights in DEA approach can result on indicators of efficiency who do not take account the relative importance of some inputs. In order to overcome this limitation, in this research we apply the DEA model under restricted weight specification. This model is applied to Spanish hotel companies in order to measure operational efficiency. The restricted weight specification enables us to decrease the influence of assigning unrealistic weights in some units and improve the efficiency estimation and to increase the discriminating potential of the conventional DEA model.

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2011

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2011

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2012

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2012

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2013

Audit report on the Honey Creek Resort Operations Account maintained by Central Group Management, LLC for the year ended June 30, 2013