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EVER since those far‐off days when life was represented on this planet by nothing except a few primitive protoplasts gliding in a quiet pool, the earth has been subject to changes. Some have been as transient and unimportant as a French fashion while others endured as vast orientations of man's way of living.

The analysis aims to explore how momentum return changes with alternative computational methods and the extent to which the portfolio structure is important in the momentum context.

The focus reflected in the prior research emphasises the method used by Jegadeesh and Titman and various extensions to test whether momentum returns exist. This study uses alternative methods of buying previous Winners and short‐selling previous Losers to determine if this significantly changes the returns.

The current study clarifies the impact of several contributory factors that impact upon estimated momentum returns. The large sample of cleaned data upon which this study is based provides a higher degree of confidence that the findings are sound and not just a statistical anomaly.

The research is important from a practitioner perspective as details of momentum return are presented for each country using different methods, providing information regarding the most profitable country in which to invest and whether the momentum return is sustainable under different formative approaches.

One of the important contributions of this study is a detailed empirical analysis, presenting results in a global context rather than on a single country basis.

The supply‐side or demand‐servicing functions of inventory are well‐known in the inventory, logistics, and retailing literature. However, this literature has yet to develop the demand‐stimulating function of inventory. This article introduces the concept of psychic stock, defined as retail display inventory for stimulating demand. Psychic stock is a minimum inventory level, which is modelled by a partitioning of psychic, cycle, and safety stock.

We all talk of logistical problems as if they were something which can be left to others ‐ you know, those less creative than ourselves; the slightly dull sorts with computer‐like brains who thrive on just this sort of basically mathematical problem. This may be an overstatement of the case, but how many senior executives regularly meet with the managers responsible for the movement of materials? And how often do the same executives physically visit the scenes of these activities? Often? Sometimes? Never? And how many equate the costs of logistics merely with warehouse rents plus road haulage or rail costs?

Presents a fourth generation language computer simulation model which was developed for a major US manufacturing company. Suggests that marketing and logistics managers can benefit from business planning models that simulate the financial impact of their decisions. To be effective, models must have the ability to evaluate the impact of changes in the marketing mix on product and customer profitability. Sound business decisions follow from knowledge of the behaviour of expenses, especially those associated with logistics and for assets employed.

For those who like certainty, now is not a good time to be in logistics management ‐ for those who relish challenges, there are plenty to be had. There are challenges not just to the old certainties, but the new certainties which replaced them. Companies have, in recent years, looked to Japan for inspiration, only to find the Japanese economy beginning to falter. Japanese management practices were endorsed by, and imported into, many Western organizations and, when these transplanted practices failed to work, cultural difficulties were cited. It then becomes something of a shock, for example, to see the keiretsu distribution system fall into disrepute, and lean production methods become modified or abandoned by those who developed them.

‘MOST people should by now accept the need to take account of people as well as machines in the design and organization of work. Yet this need is in fact overlooked under the pressure of more immediate problems.’ These words are used by the Secretary of State for Employment to introduce an important report prepared for the Department and just issued by HMSO.

This case study intends to add knowledge and understanding of supply chain management particularly with respect to international logistics.

The case study can be used in both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Students pursuing Master of Science in Logistics, Supply Chain Management and those doing bachelor degrees in the same areas can have a better insight and special interest of the case. Professional boards may also use the case to empirically make students understand this area.

The railway sub-sector in East Africa – Tanzania in particular – is an important transport mode but has a declining performance. The market share is estimated at only 4 percent of the freight market. Still knowledge about traffic, particularly for freight, is scant. The main dilemma is whether traffic of the central corridor is more intra- or inter-Tanzania. The case studies techniques appropriate for meaningful traffic forecasting and through a simple regression model it resolves the freight conflicts between Kenya rail and the Central Corridor. It provides students with applied traffic forecasting tools.

The case focuses on techniques of traffic forecasting, development of traffic scenarios and on issues related to intermodal transport especially between road, rail and ocean. At the end of using this Case students should be able to: explain the methods, techniques and models used in traffic forecasting; understand intermodal linkages in international Logistics; use different approaches to make logistics market assessment; and forecast traffic in all modes using different scenarios.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or e-mail support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

This paper aims to identify and reduce possible process failures occurred in warehouse.

This research used risk analysis method FMEA combined with fuzzy-analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Design FMEA will direct the failure mode or failure of components into levels and will use it to analyze the product before it used in manufacturing processes. Design FMEA has a major point on the failure mode that caused inefficiency in the design while fuzzy-AHP used to reduce subjectivity in the weighting process.

The results show that high inventory is the dominant factor that must be controlled by the company to prevent the risk of failure processes in the warehouse, followed by the number of stocks that do not match with existing records, and misplacement of machines and/or materials.

This research used risk analysis method FMEA combined with fuzzy-AHP to identify and reduce the possible process failures in warehousing.

A simple stochastic model for the borrowing of books from a library collection is proposed which explains some observed circulation frequency distributions. Use of the model requires the specification of just two parameters which may be calculated from the circulation statistics for a fixed period of time. These allow one then to make predictions regarding the patterns of likely future usage, and should assist therefore in determining the impact of any proposed relegation policy. The article is illustrated with data from the library of the University of Sussex, the Wishart Library of the University of Cambridge and from the published University of Pittsburgh study. In the latter case our conclusions differ from those of the original investigators.