Multi-Agent Simulation and Management Practices

Intelligent agents offer a new and exciting way of understanding the world of work. Agent-Based Simulation (ABS), one way of using intelligent agents, carries great potential for progressing our understanding of management practices and how they link to retail performance. We have developed simulation models based on research by a multi-disciplinary team of economists, work psychologists and computer scientists. We will discuss our experiences of implementing these concepts working with a well-known retail department store. There is no doubt that management practices are linked to the performance of an organisation (Reynolds et al., 2005; Wall & Wood, 2005). Best practices have been developed, but when it comes down to the actual application of these guidelines considerable ambiguity remains regarding their effectiveness within particular contexts (Siebers et al., forthcoming a). Most Operational Research (OR) methods can only be used as analysis tools once management practices have been implemented. Often they are not very useful for giving answers to speculative ‘what-if’ questions, particularly when one is interested in the development of the system over time rather than just the state of the system at a certain point in time. Simulation can be used to analyse the operation of dynamic and stochastic systems. ABS is particularly useful when complex interactions between system entities exist, such as autonomous decision making or negotiation. In an ABS model the researcher explicitly describes the decision process of simulated actors at the micro level. Structures emerge at the macro level as a result of the actions of the agents and their interactions with other agents and the environment. We will show how ABS experiments can deal with testing and optimising management practices such as training, empowerment or teamwork. Hence, questions such as “will staff setting their own break times improve performance?” can be investigated.

Understanding the Impact of Management Practices and Other Factors on Productivity in the UK Retail Sector

Insights into how management practices and other factors impact upon company productivity in the UK retail sector. Creating a sound base of applied knowledge and understanding to inform other components of our project.

Retail Food Establishments : Certified Food Protection Manager

This fact sheet cites SC Regulation 61-25 and lists accredited training programs for the Food Protection Manager Certification Program

Retail Food Establishments: Sushi Rice Guidelines

This regulation explains that retail food establishments that prepare sushi rice must take additional measures to ensure the safety of those that consume it. In addition to the standard temperature requirements, sushi rice safety may also be controlled by time or pH standards. The Department of Health and Environmental Control requires one of the following methods be implemented for safe sushi rice production: Maintaining Temperature Control, Use Time as a Public Health Control, Product Assessment (PA) & pH Monitoring, Submit a HACCP Plan to the Department for Review.

Retail clerks international advocate.

Title from cover.

Retail Marketing. Una visión en España. Módulo 1

Este módulo presenta una introducción a la situación macroeconómica del sector del retail español con el fin de situarnos en el tema que vamos a estudiar. Así se analizará la situación financiera del país, haciendo referencia al PIB, tasas de paro, tasas de ahorro y de consumo de los hogares, y nivel de importaciones y exportaciones. También se comentará cuál es el estado de ánimo de los españoles ante la situación actual, tanto de empresas como de consumidores; y las expectativas de recuperación de los mismos.

Modelling and analysing human behaviour in a department store using discrete event and agent based simulation

Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a very popular simulation technique in Operational Research. Recently, there has been the emergence of another technique, namely Agent Based Simulation (ABS). Although there is a lot of literature relating to DES and ABS, we have found less that focuses on exploring the capabilities of both in tackling human behaviour issues. In order to understand the gap between these two simulation techniques, therefore, our aim is to understand the distinctions between DES and ABS models with the real world phenomenon in modelling and simulating human behaviour. In achieving the aim, we have carried out a case study at a department store. Both DES and ABS models will be compared using the same problem domain which is concerning on management policy in a fitting room. The behaviour of staffs while working and customers’ satisfaction will be modelled for both models behaviour understanding.

Agent based simulation as a novel decision support tool for retail managers

Intelligent agents offer a new and exciting way of understanding the world of work. We apply agent-based simulation to investigate a set of problems in a retail context. Specifically, we are working to understand the relationship between human resource management practices and retail productivity. Our multi-disciplinary research team draws upon expertise from work psychologists and computer scientists. Our research so far has led us to conduct case study work with a top ten UK retailer. Based on our case study experience and data we are developing a simulator that can be used to investigate the impact of management practices (e.g. training, empowerment, teamwork) on customer satisfaction and retail productivity.

Strengthen Unilever-Jerónimo Martins’ position in the traditional supermarkets

Field lab: Entrepreneurial and innovative ventures

Comparing simulation output accuracy of discrete event and agent based models: a quantitative approach

In our research we investigate the output accuracy of discrete event simulation models and agent based simulation models when studying human centric complex systems. In this paper we focus on human reactive behaviour as it is possible in both modelling approaches to implement human reactive behaviour in the model by using standard methods. As a case study we have chosen the retail sector, and here in particular the operations of the fitting room in the women wear department of a large UK department store. In our case study we looked at ways of determining the efficiency of implementing new management policies for the fitting room operation through modelling the reactive behaviour of staff and customers of the department. First, we have carried out a validation experiment in which we compared the results from our models to the performance of the real system. This experiment also allowed us to establish differences in output accuracy between the two modelling methods. In a second step a multi-scenario experiment was carried out to study the behaviour of the models when they are used for the purpose of operational improvement. Overall we have found that for our case study example both, discrete event simulation and agent based simulation have the same potential to support the investigation into the efficiency of implementing new management policies.

Investigating output accuracy for a discrete event simulation model and an agent based simulation model

In this paper, we investigate output accuracy for a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model and Agent Based Simulation (ABS) model. The purpose of this investigation is to find out which of these simulation techniques is the best one for modelling human reactive behaviour in the retail sector. In order to study the output accuracy in both models, we have carried out a validation experiment in which we compared the results from our simulation models to the performance of a real system. Our experiment was carried out using a large UK department store as a case study. We had to determine an efficient implementation of management policy in the store’s fitting room using DES and ABS. Overall, we have found that both simulation models were a good representation of the real system when modelling human reactive behaviour.

Modelling and simulating retail management practices: a first approach

Multi-agent systems offer a new and exciting way of understanding the world of work. We apply agent-based modeling and simulation to investigate a set of problems in a retail context. Specifically, we are working to understand the relationship between people management practices on the shop-floor and retail performance. Despite the fact we are working within a relatively novel and complex domain, it is clear that using an agent-based approach offers great potential for improving organizational capabilities in the future. Our multi-disciplinary research team has worked closely with one of the UK’s top ten retailers to collect data and build an understanding of shop-floor operations and the key actors in a department (customers, staff, and managers). Based on this case study we have built and tested our first version of a retail branch agent-based simulation model where we have focused on how we can simulate the effects of people management practices on customer satisfaction and sales. In our experiments we have looked at employee development and cashier empowerment as two examples of shop floor management practices. In this paper we describe the underlying conceptual ideas and the features of our simulation model. We present a selection of experiments we have conducted in order to validate our simulation model and to show its potential for answering “what-if” questions in a retail context. We also introduce a novel performance measure which we have created to quantify customers’ satisfaction with service, based on their individual shopping experiences.

Framework for music as store atmospherics to induce buying : a study of Delhi mall customers

Music is a hidden stimulus for retailers. Not much has been researched on Indian luxury stores. This paper attempts to study the composition of music on perception of buyers at luxury stores. A research on customer’s buying intention was done to study their perception of music in the luxury store formats. This study uses exploratory factor analysis to find the significant different factors which constitute music to be played so as to induce buying in a luxury store. The composition of music depends upon music attractiveness, age of the customer and a desire to listen to the music.

Retail centers for community : addressing both pedestrian and car traffic

The purpose of this thesis was to redesign a commercial center in Miami, Florida in a manner that incorporates the needs of pedestrians as well as the automobile. In my research, I studied projects that had been successful at integrating cars in retail design. I applied the strategies learned from this research to the design of a center that creates a positive interaction of pedestrian and car traffic, addressing the needs of the surrounding community. I designed a master plan that includes a mix of residential, retail, commercial and parking space. The parking is designed so that the retail center is not dominated by surface parking. Rather, the automobile is introduced into the different layers of the proposed buildings. The design focused on connecting pedestrian plazas and parking areas beneath them through the introduction of light and greenery. The findings show how a shopping center might transform the area around it by including spaces for residential, civic, cultural and social functions, as well as for the automotive infrastructure that make those functions possible.

Förändringar i informationshanteringen med användandet av molntjänster : Förändringsanalys hos ett företag inom retailbranschen

Den här studien, som har bedrivits i samarbete med konsultföretaget Pipe, har studerat informationshanteringsprocessen hos småföretag inom retailbranschen. Företaget som ägnar sig åt butiksplanering med hjälp av CAD-program har idag ingen koppling mellan CAD-programmet och den molndatabas som lagrar information. Syftet med arbetet är att beskriva hur ett åtgärdsförslag skulle kunna se ut för att företaget ska kunna förbättra sin informationshantering genom användandet utav en molndatabas. Vi har även beskrivit problemområdet kring kopplingar mellanmolndatabaser och designprogram. För att besvara studiens syfte har vi genomfört en fallstudie, och svaret på forskningsfrågorna, 1. Hur ser informationshanteringsprocessen ut idag? 2. Hur kan informationshanteringsprocessen förbättras? 2. Vilka arbetssteg skulle kunna tas bort om företaget inför en koppling mellanmolndatabasen och designprogrammet? 3. Är en molnbaserad lösning ett möjligt alternativ för att använda för småföretag i retailbranschen? 4. Hur ser det ut i andra branscher som använder sig av CAD-program? Har vi hittat genom att genomföra intervjuer. Intervjuerna har hjälpt oss att genomföra en förändringsanalys där vi genom handlingsgrafer och mål- och problemlistor har kommit fram till ett antal åtgärdsförslag som företaget bör genomföra för att förbättra sin informationshanteringsprocess. Utifrån förändringsanalysen har vi kunnat dra slutsatsen att informationshanteringsprocessen skulle kunna förbättras och snabbas upp genom att införa en koppling mellan designprogrammet och en molndatabas. Detta skulle innebära att material automatiskt laddas upp från designprogrammet tillmolndatabasen, som även kunden har tillgång till. På så sätt samlas all information på ett och samma ställe. Genom litteraturstudier har vi också kommit fram till att en molnbaserad lösning vore möjligt för företaget, då det är en billig och smidig lösning för företag som inte har så stora resurser.