Search results
1 – 10 of over 2000
– The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of information technology (IT) in the fight against forest fires in southern France.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of information technology (IT) in the fight against forest fires in southern France.
Design/methodology/approach
The focus is on specifying the infrastructure and equipment used during operational interventions, as well as the role and functioning of the mobile command posts, which represent the nerve centers. As part of the firefighters operational practices, the concepts of the “tactical situation” and the “mobile means board” are at the heart of operations management. The purpose of the tactical situations is to present a synthetic overview of the theatre of operations through graphic representation on a background map. The function of the mobile means board is to manage the life cycle of the different resources engaged in the operations. The author first shows how these concepts were developed within the framework of manual management only. This is followed by an IT solution using a geographical information system for each of these operational modes.
Findings
A profound recognition of operational practices was a prerequisite to enable the personnel to accept a progression towards the use of IT techniques.
Research limitations/implications
The implemented approach precisely reflects the French forest firefighting doctrine. Application to other countries would thus require some adaptation.
Originality/value
The software system provides an easy access to geographical information functionalities for firefighters managing forest fires. This is achieved in the framework of strict compliance with their recognized operational methods.
Details
Keywords
Raed AlHusain and Reza Khorramshahgol
The purpose of this paper is twofold. Initially, a multi-objective binary integer programming model is proposed for designing an appropriate supply chain that takes into…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold. Initially, a multi-objective binary integer programming model is proposed for designing an appropriate supply chain that takes into consideration both responsiveness and efficiency. Then, a responsiveness-cost efficient frontier is generated for the supply chain design that can help organizations find the right balance between responsiveness and efficiency, and hence achieve a strategic fit between organizational strategy and supply chain capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed SC design model used both cross-functional and logistical SC drivers to build a binary integer programming model. To this end, various alternative solutions that correspond to different SC design portfolios were generated and a responsiveness-cost efficient frontier was constructed.
Findings
Various alternative solutions that correspond to different SC designs were generated and a responsiveness-cost efficient frontier was constructed to help the decision makers to design SC portfolios to achieve a strategic fit between organizational strategy and SC capabilities.
Practical implications
The proposed methodology enables the decision makers to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative judgements in SC design. The methodology is easy to use and it can be readily implemented by a software.
Originality/value
The proposed methodology allows for subjective value judgements of the decision makers to be considered in SC design and the efficiency-responsiveness frontier generated by the methodology provides a trade-off to be used when choosing between speed and cost efficiency in SC design.
Details
Keywords
Guanxiong Wang, Xiaojian Hu and Ting Wang
By introducing the mass customization service mode into the cloud logistics environment, this paper studies the joint optimization of service provider selection and customer order…
Abstract
Purpose
By introducing the mass customization service mode into the cloud logistics environment, this paper studies the joint optimization of service provider selection and customer order decoupling point (CODP) positioning based on the mass customization service mode to provide customers with more diversified and personalized service content with lower total logistics service cost.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper addresses the general process of service composition optimization based on the mass customization mode in a cloud logistics service environment and constructs a joint decision model for service provider selection and CODP positioning. In the model, the two objective functions of minimum service cost and most satisfactory delivery time are considered, and the Pareto optimal solution of the model is obtained via the NSGA-II algorithm. Then, a numerical case is used to verify the superiority of the service composition scheme based on the mass customization mode over the general scheme and to verify the significant impact of the scale effect coefficient on the optimal CODP location.
Findings
(1) Under the cloud logistics mode, the implementation of the logistics service mode based on mass customization can not only reduce the total cost of logistics services by means of the scale effect of massive orders on the cloud platform but also make more efficient use of a large number of logistics service providers gathered on the cloud platform to provide customers with more customized and diversified service content. (2) The scale effect coefficient directly affects the total cost of logistics services and significantly affects the location of the CODP. Therefore, before implementing the mass customization logistics service mode, the most reasonable clustering of orders on the cloud logistics platform is very important for the follow-up service combination.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper includes two aspects. One is to introduce the mass customization mode in the cloud logistics service environment for the first time and summarize the operation process of implementing the mass customization mode in the cloud logistics environment. Second, in order to solve the joint decision optimization model of provider selection and CODP positioning, this paper designs a method for solving a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model using a multi-layer coding genetic algorithm.
Details
Keywords
Domenico Raucci, Dominique Lepore and Rossella Sabatiello
This paper aims to present an extension of price sensitive measurement (PSM) combined with activity-based costing (ABC) for supporting activity-based pricing approaches in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present an extension of price sensitive measurement (PSM) combined with activity-based costing (ABC) for supporting activity-based pricing approaches in the small and medium-sized restaurants.
Design/methodology/approach
The joint model of PSM and ABC is applied to the fixed menu pricing analysis of a typical medium-small Italian restaurant.
Findings
The outcomes confirm the potential of the activity-based pricing approach for supporting pricing decision-making in the small and medium-sized restaurants. However, the complexity of the model for these contexts suggests testing simplified versions of ABC, proposed for other sectors, to exploit integration with PSM. Further, the authors find evidence of the need to further investigate the role of informal conditions, characterizing small-medium enterprises, which may play for the successful implementation of the approach proposed.
Originality/value
There is no analysis using the suggested approach for supporting menu pricing in medium-small restaurants. This case study contributes to the literature on activity-based pricing for small and medium-sized restaurants, based on the ABC approaches.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to examine a congestion situation of a certain type of restaurant in a theme park (Tokyo Disney Resort) by a simulation based on Little’s law, which is a basic…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine a congestion situation of a certain type of restaurant in a theme park (Tokyo Disney Resort) by a simulation based on Little’s law, which is a basic principle in Queueing theory. In the restaurant, a guest (customer) lines up to order, pay and receive dishes. A problem is that even when a guest can easily find vacant tables, it takes a long time to receive dishes. Because guests can see there are vacant tables, there are many tweets of complaints. This situation is a factor to undermine customer satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes dedicated special menu lines only providing special set as one solution that can be realized at a low cost to reduce vacant tables. Here, if the number of special menu lines is fixed, the difference between a queue in regular lines and that in special menu lines will be big. To shorten the difference, the author proposes a technique to regulate by using feedback control (Proportional control or Fuzzy control).
Findings
The simulation result shows that the number of vacant tables decreases by about 16 per cent compared with the current situation.
Originality/value
This paper considers a specific restaurant, but the proposed method can be applied to the same type of restaurant in the theme park. If the restaurant in the theme park is crowded, the feedback control of the queue brings new possibilities.
研究目的
本论文旨在检验主题公园(日本迪士尼)内饭店的拥堵情境。本论文采用同步模拟的方式,以等候理论的基础原则—科特尔法则为基础,来进行检验。在一家饭店中,客人(顾客)排队点餐、付款、以及拿到食物。其中问题是,即使客人能够轻松找到空桌位,而等餐的时间非常长。因为客人看到有空桌位,所以客人会有很多抱怨。这种情境会严重影响顾客满意度。
研究设计/方法/途径
本论文提出一种特别菜单行数设计来用低成本的方式解决空桌位的问题。如果特别菜单行数是固定的,那么使用常规菜单和特别菜单所产生的排队现象会大有不同。本论文借助反馈控制(比例控制或模糊控制),提供一种调节方法以减少这种差别。
研究结果
模拟结果表明空桌位的数量同现有情境相比,减少了16%.
研究原创性/价值
本论文采用特定的饭店,但是提出的方法可以推广到同种类型的主题公园饭店。如果主题公园饭店人满为患,那么使用反馈控制来调价排队情况将带来新可能。
关键词
主题公园、饭店、等候理论、科特尔法则、模糊控制、比例控制
Details
Keywords
Personal bibliographic systems (PBS) manage the input, storage, retrieval and output of bibliographic references, allowing for a number of different document types to accommodate…
Abstract
Personal bibliographic systems (PBS) manage the input, storage, retrieval and output of bibliographic references, allowing for a number of different document types to accommodate for journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, reports, unpublished documents, etc. Unlike general purpose database management packages they are made to measure for bibliographic information, featuring amongst other things a variety of import profiles for records downloaded from the major commercial databases and automatic generation of dozens of different output styles, including those used by the most popular journals. This paper concentrates on low‐cost mainstream bibliographic software for personal use or smaller libraries. Full‐scale integrated library automation systems and online public access catalogue (OPAC) software, which specialise in finding a specific title within a vast amount of book‐type references, are not discussed. This paper does not review or compare individual products but focuses on the various characteristics which, when available, make a PBS attractive. Special attention is paid to structural flexibility, retrieval options, input, display and output formats, and interface‐ and management‐related issues. A product‐independent table of desirable features is included as an appendix.
Jørgen Dejgård Jensen, Anne Vibeke Thorsen, Camilla Trab Damsgaard and Anja Biltoft-Jensen
The purpose of this paper is to conduct economic evaluation of a school meal programme based on principles of a New Nordic Diet (NND) by assessing the costs of the NND lunch…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conduct economic evaluation of a school meal programme based on principles of a New Nordic Diet (NND) by assessing the costs of the NND lunch, compared with packed lunch from home, and investigating potential effects of adjusting the NND principles underlying the school meals on the costs and on the rate of food waste.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis combines recipes, dietary records and food waste data from a school meal intervention with collected price data within an economic optimization framework.
Findings
A New Nordic School meal programme consisting of a morning snack and a hot lunch based on fixed seasonal menu plans and with 75 per cent organic content is 37 per cent more expensive in terms of ingredient costs than corresponding packed school meals. This cost differential can be almost halved by introducing more flexible scheduling of week plans and reducing the level of organic ambition to 60 per cent. Reducing portion sizes could reduce the cost differential by an extra 5 per cent, which would also reduce food waste by about 15 per cent.
Originality/value
Higher costs and food waste in a restrictive ingredient sourcing school meal programme can be reduced by increased flexibility in meal scheduling, reduction in organic content and reduced average portion size.
Details
Keywords
Jorunn Lindholm, Yasaman Vadoudi and Håvard Hansen
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the negative impressions consumers hold toward institutional food can be remedied by subtle changes in menu descriptions. While an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the negative impressions consumers hold toward institutional food can be remedied by subtle changes in menu descriptions. While an expectancy-disconfirmation explanation would suggest this, a negativity bias explanation would suggest otherwise.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors test the research question using an experimental 2 × 2 full factorial design, with data collected from 100 university students.
Findings
The results show that when hospital menus are made somewhat fancier in their description, consumers evaluate the food as more attractive and menu variation to be greater. This implies that the judgments are more likely to be based on an expectancy-disconfirmation process that on being subject to negativity bias.
Research limitations/implications
The authors study perceived attractiveness and menu variation, but future research should include taste perceptions and consumption volume.
Practical implications
Institution managers could improve consumer perceptions of how attractive the food being served is, and the perceived variation in their menus, by subtly changing the course descriptions to become fancier. However, as such, a strategy based on an expectancy-disconfirmation process, institution managers should beware not to sweeten the pill too much, i.e., making promises they cannot keep may backfire if one makes the menus too fancy compared to what is delivered.
Originality/value
The authors extend current knowledge on menu label effects by addressing them for food suppliers, which are inherently associated with low food quality. The authors also show that when managers apply such strategies, the effect is due to a disconfirmation process rather than a negativity bias.
Details
Keywords
Michael Schuyler and Valerie Brass
Finally, a package that I can understand! That's how I felt on discovering the Flambeaux Help! Development Kit (created by Dan Rollins). This package fills a long‐felt need…
Abstract
Finally, a package that I can understand! That's how I felt on discovering the Flambeaux Help! Development Kit (created by Dan Rollins). This package fills a long‐felt need, allowing people with limited computer skill to create on‐line help screens and manuals for use with other software applications. Once a customized Help! manual has been installed, guide screens with instructions for students, co‐workers, and others are easily available by pressing Ait‐H on the keyboard.
Pearl M.C. Lin, Kang-Lin Peng, Wai Ching Wilson Au, Hanqin Qiu and Cheng Dan Deng
This study aims to investigate how different menu types trigger diners’ behavioral intentions in restaurants’ innovation diffusion from paper to digital menus.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how different menu types trigger diners’ behavioral intentions in restaurants’ innovation diffusion from paper to digital menus.
Design/methodology/approach
Four menu types, namely, paper menus with text only, paper menus with text and images, digital menus that show text and images or text and video with self-service technological functionality, are designed to empirically examine a mental process through which perceived information quality, perceived food quality and perceived service quality influence diners’ behavioral intentions.
Findings
Based on the online survey data from 502 diners, results show that the menu design influences customers’ perceptions. The video-based digital menu is the most effective to generate diners’ behavioral intentions, followed by a paper menu with text and images.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the innovation diffusion theory and stimulus-organism-responses theory to encourage the joint use of auditory and visual channels for digital menu design in restaurants.
Originality/value
The authors confirm the digital transformation in menu design in restaurants. Restaurant diners are also prepared and comfortable with digital menus, especially in the postpandemic world.
研究目的
本研究目的在于调查在餐厅从纸质菜单到数字菜单的创新扩散过程中, 不同菜单类型如何影响餐厅客人的行为意向。
研究设计/方法/途径
通过设计并使用四种菜单类型, 分别为只有文本的纸质菜单、具有文本和图片的纸质菜单、显示文本和图片或文本和视频的数字菜单以及具有自助技术功能的数字菜单, 本研究以实证方法考察了感知信息质量、感知食品质量和感知服务质量如何影响餐厅客人的行为意向的心理过程。
研究发现
根据对502名餐厅客人的在线调查数据显示, 菜单设计影响了客人的感知。基于视频的数字菜单是影响餐厅客人行为意向最有效的菜单类型, 其次是文本和图片的纸质菜单。
研究启示
本研究表明应鼓励在餐厅数字菜单设计中同时使用听觉和视觉元素。因此, 为研究促进了创新扩散理论和刺激-有机体-反应理论的发展。
研究价值
我们证实了数字菜单在餐厅菜单设计中的转型。餐厅客人, 尤其是在在后疫情时代, 已经准备好并愿意接受使用数字菜单。
Details