Linking supplier delivery risk to outbound delivery service performance improvement

Customer satisfaction should be the main focus for all of the parts of the business. Usually supply chain behind the business is in a key role when this focus is pursued especially in repair service business. When focusing on the materials that are needed to make repairs to equipment under service contracts, the time aspect of quality is critical. Do late deliveries from supplier have an effect on the service performance of repairs when distribution center of a centralized purchasing unit is acting as a buffer between suppliers and repair service business? And if so, how should the improvement efforts be prioritized? These are the two main questions that this thesis focuses on. Correlation and linear regression was tested between service levels of supplier and distribution center. Percentage of on-time deliveries were compared to outbound delivery service level. It was found that there is statistically significant correlation between inbound and outbound operations success. The other main question of the thesis, improvement prioritization, was answered by creating material availability based supplier classification and additional to that, by developing the decision process for the analysis of most critical suppliers. This was built on a basis of previous supplier and material classification methods.

Role of service and data reuse in enterprises

Digitalization has been predicted to change the future as a growing range of non-routine tasks will be automated, offering new kinds of business models for enterprises. Serviceoriented architecture (SOA) provides a basis for designing and implementing welldefined problems as reusable services, allowing computers to execute them. Serviceoriented design has potential to act as a mediator between IT and human resources, but enterprises struggle with their SOA adoption and lack a linkage between the benefits and costs of services. This thesis studies the phenomenon of service reuse in enterprises, proposing an ontology to link different kinds of services with their role conceptually as a part of the business model. The proposed ontology has been created on the basis of qualitative research conducted in three large enterprises. Service reuse has two roles in enterprises: it enables automated data sharing among human and IT resources, and it may provide cost savings in service development and operations. From a technical viewpoint, the ability to define a business problem as a service is one of the key enablers for achieving service reuse. The research proposes two service identification methods, first to identify prospective services in the existing documentation of the enterprise and secondly to model the services from a functional viewpoint, supporting service identification sessions with business stakeholders.

Development of modular roll service concepts

The goal of this study was to find and develop new or improved service concepts for rolls in a paper machine and secondary targets were to find out what the KPIs and values of the concepts are. Two methodologies were utilized in researching this problem; firstly sales personnel were interviewed about customer values and KPIs and a questionnaire about service modules were sent out to four BSI (basic sales item) responsible persons. Throughout the research process differences in geographic regions were identified and several customer KPIs and values were discovered. The interviews showed that the main concern for customers is the cost of operations. The goal is to produce the same or in some cases more tons with smaller operating costs. The questionnaire standardized the data about service modules and made it possible to link these values, KPIs and concerns of customers to Valmet’s service offering. Eventually these service modules were used to create a service concepts that offer flexibility, cost savings, safety and peace of mind for the customers. With this new conceptual approach Valmet can more flexibly answer to customer quotations and modify the offering to better generate customer value and customer satisfaction. In addition a new BSI was defined and proposed for pilot projects.

Performance improvement in mediterranean operations using risk management analysis : Case study of Containerships Group Ltd

Emerging markets of Northern Africa and Turkey provide growth opportunities for logistics service companies in the middle of low growth environment of European Union. The purpose of this research is to explore and analyze the risk factors in container shipping industry and third party logistics (3PL) services. The research empirically examined the risk factors, which are related within the interaction between these two parties in emerging markets of Mediterranean area. The previous studies have provided a valuable insight into the operational risks faced by container shipping industries. However, most of these studies have focused on one or several operational risk factors from a single point of view, and no studies have inclusively examined the possible operational risks faced in the container shipping industry from dual perspective of 3PL provider and its customers. A questionnaire has been deployed to collect related data; and the impacts of the risks were then be assessed and ranked using the method of risk mapping. Respondents were located in Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Research presents the most important risk factors identified, and compares them between 3PL provider and its customers. The research also provide some risk mitigation strategies for the key risk factors, and tried to figure out a common risk picture, which guides the managers in both sides to have a better decisions and as a result, improve the performance of the container shipping operations. Challenge during project execution time was that customers identified vast amount of more risks than what was the case with logistics service operator.

The neo-liberal state and the crisis of public service broadcasting in the Anglo-American democracies /

The NeO'liberal State and the Crisis ofPublic Service Broadcasting in the Anglo-American Democracies The purpose ofthis analysis ofthe present condition ofpublic service broadcasting in the Anglo- American democracies was to investigate whether such media can still be regarded as the primarypublic spherefor a dialogue between each nation 's civil society and the State. The motivationfor this thesis was based on a presumption that such fora for public discussion on the central issues of each society have become viewed as less relevant bypoliticians andpolicy-makers and thepublics they were intended to serve in the Anglo-American democracies over thepast two decades. It is speculated that this is the case because ofa beliefthat the post-war consensus between the respective States andpublics that led to the construction of the Keynesian Welfare State and the notion ofpublic service broadcasting has been displaced by an individualistic, neo-liberal, laissez-faire ideology. In other words, broadcasting as a consumer-oriented, commercial commodity has superseded concerns pertaining to the importance ofthe public interest. The methodology employed in this thesis is a comparative analysisfrom a criticalpolitical economy perspective. It was considered appropriate to focus on the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the\ United States because they comprise the four largest Anglo-American nations with democratic political systems andprimarily market economies. Justificationfor this particular sample is reinforced by thefact that case study countries also share a common socio-political and economic tradition. The evidence assembledfor this thesis consisted almost exclusively ofexisting literature on the subjects ofpublic service broadcasting, global economic andpolitical integration, and the ascendance ofthe 'free-market ' ethos in Western democracies since the late mid- to late-1970s. In essence, this thesis could be considered as a reinterpretation ofthe existing literature relevant to these issues. Several important common features werefound among the political, economic and broadcasting systems of the four case study nations. It is proposed that the prevalence of the neo-liberal world view throughout the political and policy environments of the four countries has undermined the stability and credibility of each nation 's national public service broadcasting organization, although with varying intensity and effect,. Deregulation ofeach nation 's broadcasting system and the supremacy ofthe notion of 'consumer sovereignty' have marginalized the view of broadcasting on any basis other than strictly economic criteria in thefour case study countries. This thesis concludes that,for a reconstruction ofa trulyparticipatory anddemocraticpublicsphere to be realized in the present as well as thefuture, a reassessment ofthe conventional concept ofthe 'public sphere ' is necessary. Therefore, it is recommended that thefocus ofpolicy-makers in each Anglo-American democracy be redirectedfrom that which conceived ofan all-encompassing, large, state-ownedand operated public broadcasting service toward a view which considers alternativeforms ofpublic communication, such as local community and ethnic broadcasting operations, that are likely to be more responsive to the needs of the increasingly diverse and heterogeneous populations that comprise the modem Anglo-American democracies. The traditional conception of public broadcasters must change in accordance with its contemporary environment if the fundamental principles of the public sphere and public service broadcasting are to be realized.

Public service reform and the role of the Auditor General /

The objective of this thesis is to study the involvement of the Auditor General in the proposal, implementation and review of major public service reform initiatives during a period spanning nearly forty years, from the early 1960s to 2001 . This period began with the Glassco Commission and concludes at the end of the term in office of Auditor General Denis Desautels in 2001. It has been demonstrated throughout this work that the role of the OAG has varied, from proponent to critic, from instigator to reviewer. In the past forty years the OAG's mandate has changed to meet the requirements of critical analysis of government operations and this has been aptly demonstrated in the office's relationship to the issue of public service reform. It has been argued that many of the problems facing the public service are cultural in nature. Reform initiatives have taken on a number of various forms with each addressing a different set of priorities. However, there has been a great deal of consistency in the cultural values that these initiatives articulate. Throughout this thesis attention has been paid to values. Values define a culture and cultural change is required within the Canadian federal public service. How and when this cultural change will occur is but one question to be answered. During the period under consideration in this thesis the government undertook several significant public service reform initiatives. Those examined in this thesis include: The Royal Commission on Government Organization, The Special Committee on the Review of Personnel Management and the Merit Principle, The Royal Commission on Financial Management and Accountability, Increased Ministerial Authority and Accountability, Public Service 2000, Program Review and finally La Releve. The involvement, or interest, of the Auditor General's Office on the subject of public service reform is generally articulated through the means of its annual reports to Parliament although there have been supplementary undertakings on this issue. Such material relevant to this study include: Towards Better Governance: Public Service Reform in New Zealand (1984-94) and its Relevance to Canada and Reform in the Australian Public Service. Annual reports to Parliament include: "Values, Service and Performance," (1990), "Canada's Public Service Reform and Lessons Learned from Selected Jurisdictions," (1993), "Maintaining a Competent and Efficient Public Service," (1997), and "Expenditure and Work Force Reduction in Selected Departments,"

Scheduled service network design for integrated planning of rail freight transportation

Cette thèse étudie une approche intégrant la gestion de l’horaire et la conception de réseaux de services pour le transport ferroviaire de marchandises. Le transport par rail s’articule autour d’une structure à deux niveaux de consolidation où l’affectation des wagons aux blocs ainsi que des blocs aux services représentent des décisions qui complexifient grandement la gestion des opérations. Dans cette thèse, les deux processus de consolidation ainsi que l’horaire d’exploitation sont étudiés simultanément. La résolution de ce problème permet d’identifier un plan d’exploitation rentable comprenant les politiques de blocage, le routage et l’horaire des trains, de même que l’habillage ainsi que l’affectation du traffic. Afin de décrire les différentes activités ferroviaires au niveau tactique, nous étendons le réseau physique et construisons une structure de réseau espace-temps comprenant trois couches dans lequel la dimension liée au temps prend en considération les impacts temporels sur les opérations. De plus, les opérations relatives aux trains, blocs et wagons sont décrites par différentes couches. Sur la base de cette structure de réseau, nous modélisons ce problème de planification ferroviaire comme un problème de conception de réseaux de services. Le modèle proposé se formule comme un programme mathématique en variables mixtes. Ce dernie r s’avère très difficile à résoudre en raison de la grande taille des instances traitées et de sa complexité intrinsèque. Trois versions sont étudiées : le modèle simplifié (comprenant des services directs uniquement), le modèle complet (comprenant des services directs et multi-arrêts), ainsi qu’un modèle complet à très grande échelle. Plusieurs heuristiques sont développées afin d’obtenir de bonnes solutions en des temps de calcul raisonnables. Premièrement, un cas particulier avec services directs est analysé. En considérant une cara ctéristique spécifique du problème de conception de réseaux de services directs nous développons un nouvel algorithme de recherche avec tabous. Un voisinage par cycles est privilégié à cet effet. Celui-ci est basé sur la distribution du flot circulant sur les blocs selon les cycles issus du réseau résiduel. Un algorithme basé sur l’ajustement de pente est développé pour le modèle complet, et nous proposons une nouvelle méthode, appelée recherche ellipsoidale, permettant d’améliorer davantage la qualité de la solution. La recherche ellipsoidale combine les bonnes solutions admissibles générées par l’algorithme d’ajustement de pente, et regroupe les caractéristiques des bonnes solutions afin de créer un problème élite qui est résolu de facon exacte à l’aide d’un logiciel commercial. L’heuristique tire donc avantage de la vitesse de convergence de l’algorithme d’ajustement de pente et de la qualité de solution de la recherche ellipsoidale. Les tests numériques illustrent l’efficacité de l’heuristique proposée. En outre, l’algorithme représente une alternative intéressante afin de résoudre le problème simplifié. Enfin, nous étudions le modèle complet à très grande échelle. Une heuristique hybride est développée en intégrant les idées de l’algorithme précédemment décrit et la génération de colonnes. Nous proposons une nouvelle procédure d’ajustement de pente où, par rapport à l’ancienne, seule l’approximation des couts liés aux services est considérée. La nouvelle approche d’ajustement de pente sépare ainsi les décisions associées aux blocs et aux services afin de fournir une décomposition naturelle du problème. Les résultats numériques obtenus montrent que l’algorithme est en mesure d’identifier des solutions de qualité dans un contexte visant la résolution d’instances réelles.

Solution Methods for Service Network Design with Resource Management Consideration

La gestion des ressources, équipements, équipes de travail, et autres, devrait être prise en compte lors de la conception de tout plan réalisable pour le problème de conception de réseaux de services. Cependant, les travaux de recherche portant sur la gestion des ressources et la conception de réseaux de services restent limités. La présente thèse a pour objectif de combler cette lacune en faisant l’examen de problèmes de conception de réseaux de services prenant en compte la gestion des ressources. Pour ce faire, cette thèse se décline en trois études portant sur la conception de réseaux. La première étude considère le problème de capacitated multi-commodity fixed cost network design with design-balance constraints(DBCMND). La structure multi-produits avec capacité sur les arcs du DBCMND, de même que ses contraintes design-balance, font qu’il apparaît comme sous-problème dans de nombreux problèmes reliés à la conception de réseaux de services, d’où l’intérêt d’étudier le DBCMND dans le contexte de cette thèse. Nous proposons une nouvelle approche pour résoudre ce problème combinant la recherche tabou, la recomposition de chemin, et une procédure d’intensification de la recherche dans une région particulière de l’espace de solutions. Dans un premier temps la recherche tabou identifie de bonnes solutions réalisables. Ensuite la recomposition de chemin est utilisée pour augmenter le nombre de solutions réalisables. Les solutions trouvées par ces deux méta-heuristiques permettent d’identifier un sous-ensemble d’arcs qui ont de bonnes chances d’avoir un statut ouvert ou fermé dans une solution optimale. Le statut de ces arcs est alors fixé selon la valeur qui prédomine dans les solutions trouvées préalablement. Enfin, nous utilisons la puissance d’un solveur de programmation mixte en nombres entiers pour intensifier la recherche sur le problème restreint par le statut fixé ouvert/fermé de certains arcs. Les tests montrent que cette approche est capable de trouver de bonnes solutions aux problèmes de grandes tailles dans des temps raisonnables. Cette recherche est publiée dans la revue scientifique Journal of heuristics. La deuxième étude introduit la gestion des ressources au niveau de la conception de réseaux de services en prenant en compte explicitement le nombre fini de véhicules utilisés à chaque terminal pour le transport de produits. Une approche de solution faisant appel au slope-scaling, la génération de colonnes et des heuristiques basées sur une formulation en cycles est ainsi proposée. La génération de colonnes résout une relaxation linéaire du problème de conception de réseaux, générant des colonnes qui sont ensuite utilisées par le slope-scaling. Le slope-scaling résout une approximation linéaire du problème de conception de réseaux, d’où l’utilisation d’une heuristique pour convertir les solutions obtenues par le slope-scaling en solutions réalisables pour le problème original. L’algorithme se termine avec une procédure de perturbation qui améliore les solutions réalisables. Les tests montrent que l’algorithme proposé est capable de trouver de bonnes solutions au problème de conception de réseaux de services avec un nombre fixe des ressources à chaque terminal. Les résultats de cette recherche seront publiés dans la revue scientifique Transportation Science. La troisième étude élargie nos considérations sur la gestion des ressources en prenant en compte l’achat ou la location de nouvelles ressources de même que le repositionnement de ressources existantes. Nous faisons les hypothèses suivantes: une unité de ressource est nécessaire pour faire fonctionner un service, chaque ressource doit retourner à son terminal d’origine, il existe un nombre fixe de ressources à chaque terminal, et la longueur du circuit des ressources est limitée. Nous considérons les alternatives suivantes dans la gestion des ressources: 1) repositionnement de ressources entre les terminaux pour tenir compte des changements de la demande, 2) achat et/ou location de nouvelles ressources et leur distribution à différents terminaux, 3) externalisation de certains services. Nous présentons une formulation intégrée combinant les décisions reliées à la gestion des ressources avec les décisions reliées à la conception des réseaux de services. Nous présentons également une méthode de résolution matheuristique combinant le slope-scaling et la génération de colonnes. Nous discutons des performances de cette méthode de résolution, et nous faisons une analyse de l’impact de différentes décisions de gestion des ressources dans le contexte de la conception de réseaux de services. Cette étude sera présentée au XII International Symposium On Locational Decision, en conjonction avec XXI Meeting of EURO Working Group on Locational Analysis, Naples/Capri (Italy), 2014. En résumé, trois études différentes sont considérées dans la présente thèse. La première porte sur une nouvelle méthode de solution pour le "capacitated multi-commodity fixed cost network design with design-balance constraints". Nous y proposons une matheuristique comprenant la recherche tabou, la recomposition de chemin, et l’optimisation exacte. Dans la deuxième étude, nous présentons un nouveau modèle de conception de réseaux de services prenant en compte un nombre fini de ressources à chaque terminal. Nous y proposons une matheuristique avancée basée sur la formulation en cycles comprenant le slope-scaling, la génération de colonnes, des heuristiques et l’optimisation exacte. Enfin, nous étudions l’allocation des ressources dans la conception de réseaux de services en introduisant des formulations qui modèlent le repositionnement, l’acquisition et la location de ressources, et l’externalisation de certains services. À cet égard, un cadre de solution slope-scaling développé à partir d’une formulation en cycles est proposé. Ce dernier comporte la génération de colonnes et une heuristique. Les méthodes proposées dans ces trois études ont montré leur capacité à trouver de bonnes solutions.

Analysis of Some Queueing Models Related To N-Policy: Operations Research

This study is about the analysis of some queueing models related to N-policy.The optimal value the queue size has to attain in order to turn on a single server, assuming that the policy is to turn on a single server when the queue size reaches a certain number, N, and turn him off when the system is empty.The operating policy is the usual N-policy, but with random N and in model 2, a system similar to the one described here.This study analyses “ Tandem queue with two servers”.Here assume that the first server is a specialized one.In a queueing system,under N-policy ,the server will be on vacation until N units accumulate for the first time after becoming idle.A modified version of the N-policy for an M│M│1 queueing system is considered here.The novel feature of this model is that a busy service unit prevents the access of new customers to servers further down the line.It is deals with a queueing model consisting of two servers connected in series with a finite intermediate waiting room of capacity k.Here assume that server I is a specialized server.For this model ,the steady state probability vector and the stability condition are obtained using matrix – geometric method.

Web Service Composition Systems for the Web Service Challenge - A Detailed Review

This report gives a detailed discussion on the system, algorithms, and techniques that we have applied in order to solve the Web Service Challenges (WSC) of the years 2006 and 2007. These international contests are focused on semantic web service composition. In each challenge of the contests, a repository of web services is given. The input and output parameters of the services in the repository are annotated with semantic concepts. A query to a semantic composition engine contains a set of available input concepts and a set of wanted output concepts. In order to employ an offered service for a requested role, the concepts of the input parameters of the offered operations must be more general than requested (contravariance). In contrast, the concepts of the output parameters of the offered service must be more specific than requested (covariance). The engine should respond to a query by providing a valid composition as fast as possible. We discuss three different methods for web service composition: an uninformed search in form of an IDDFS algorithm, a greedy informed search based on heuristic functions, and a multi-objective genetic algorithm.

A design of e-procurement infrastructure model for public service sector

Procurement is one of major business operations in public service sector. The advance of information and communication technology (ICT) pushes this business operation to increase its efficiency and foster collaborations between the organization and its suppliers. This leads to a shift from the traditional procurement transactions to an e-procurement paradigm. Such change impacts on business process, information management and decision making. E-procurement involves various stakeholders who engage in activities based on different social and cultural practices. Therefore, a design of e-procurement system may involve complex situations analysis. This paper describes an approach of using the problem articulation method to support such analysis. This approach is applied to a case study from UAE.

Exporting construction professional services in a global service economy

Globalisation has prompted increasing numbers of construction profes-sional services (CPS) firms to internationalise and export their services. The driver has been twofold; firstly to increase turnover/profits and sec-ondly, to minimise the risk of a reliance on working in a single domestic market which has a fluctuating demand. Secondly, where firms have out-grown their domestic market, and in order to expand, they must export overseas. There has been little research into the way CPS firms operate overseas, yet construction represents approximately 10% of global GDP; this means that understanding CPS firms is important. This paper investigates how CPS firms internationalise and the drivers that impact their decisions and operations overseas. A survey was undertaken and interviews conducted that showed CPS firms are project driven, in-vesting heavily in the process of seeking work/bidding for projects, and are very focused on delivering projects with minimum risk. Increasing foreign ownership, changing procurement approaches and more consolidation of CPS firms in the global marketplace present a changing business land-scape. The research develops a framework of tangible and intangible factors, such as competencies, business organisation culture, leadership and reputation in order to better understand how CPS firms export their ser-vices. Whilst all CPS firms share the same framework of factors, the re-sulting synergies are different not only for each firm but also for each pro-ject. The knowledge-intensive and project-based nature of CPS firms presents a challenge in understanding the way they operate in the global service economy.

Rationality of service composition of Workflow Net in a service oriented architecture

Users’ requirements change drives an information system evolution. Consequently, such evolution affects those atomic services which provide functional operations from one state of their composition to another state of composition. A challenging issue associated with such evolution of the state of service composition is to ensure a resultant service composition remaining rational. This paper presents a method of Service Composition Atomic-Operation Set (SCAOS). SCAOS defines 2 classes of atomic operations and 13 kinds of basic service compositions to aid a state change process by using Workflow Net. The workflow net has algorithmic capabilities to compose the required services with rationality and maintain any changes to the services in a different composition also rational. This method can improve the adaptability to the ever changing business requirements of information systems in the dynamic environment.

On the efficiency of an alternative codification for multiobjective service restoration in electric distribution networks

This paper proposes an alternative codification to solve the service restoration in electric power distribution networks using a SPEA2 multiobjective evolutionary algorithm, assuming the minimization of both the load not supplied and the number of switching operations involved in the restoration plan. Constrains as the line, power source and voltage drop limits in order to avoid the activation of protective devices are all included in the proposed algorithm. Experimental results have shown the convenience on considering these new representations in the sense of feasibility maintenance and also in the sense of better approximation to the Pareto set. ©2009 IEEE.