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1 – 10 of 226Xi Chen and Shuming Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the evaluation model of the enterprises' technological innovation system, based on the theory of complex adaptive system.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the evaluation model of the enterprises' technological innovation system, based on the theory of complex adaptive system.
Design/methodology/approach
Combined with the status quo and recent studies of Chinese enterprises' technological innovation, the paper discusses the complex‐system features of the technological innovation. The stimulus‐response model is used to establish the two‐level framework for enterprises' technological innovation system. By means of the adaptive fitness function, the economic and social utility of enterprises' technological innovation is measured from two dimensions. Finally, the fuzzy catastrophe model is introduced to evaluate the enterprises' technological innovation.
Findings
The enterprises' technological innovation system has attributions of the subject aggregation, the systematic openness, nonlinearity and diversity. Thus, the macro‐micro based technological innovation system from the perspective of complex adaptive system is proposed. The system utility is considered based on the system subjects and system structure, and the calculation framework of the adaptive fitness for the whole system is obtained by considering the emergent property describing the system scale effect and structure effect. In fact, the fuzzy theory can well reflect the influential situation that the interactions between different factors may cause the mutation of the higher level and the interactions between enterprises can lead to the shifts of the system.
Originality/value
The paper proposes the complex adaptive system for the enterprises' technological innovation based on the special macro environment in China. A new framework for the research of technological innovation is provided by analyzing the system inner model. Fuzzy catastrophe model can reduce the evaluation irrationality due to the subjective index weights.
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Hao Zhang, Bin Qiu and Keming Zhang
The purpose of this paper is to develop a quantitative risk assessment method for agricultural products cold chain logistics to assess the condition of the fresh…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a quantitative risk assessment method for agricultural products cold chain logistics to assess the condition of the fresh agricultural products cold chain process objectively and accurately.
Design/methodology/approach
A risk assessment index system of agricultural products cold chain logistics is designed on the basis of the risk identification for the process of agricultural products cold chain logistics. This paper first uses catastrophe progression method and a new maximum deviation method to build an improved catastrophe progression assessment model for agricultural products cold chain logistics. In order to verify the reliability and validity of the model, two representative enterprises are selected as the case in the study.
Findings
The results in the empirical research indicate strong support for the assessment model and coincide with the reality. The risk assessment index system can also reflect the key risk factors from agricultural products cold chain logistics scientifically. In addition, the improved catastrophe progression assessment method proposed in this paper can be scientific and reasonable to predict risk.
Research limitations/implications
This paper contributes to provide a new risk assessment model for agricultural products cold chain logistics. The new model overcomes the limitation of subjective empowerment and it increases the objectivity and scientificity in the process of cold chain logistics risk assessment. This paper also shows that practitioners involved in the field of products cold chain logistics can manage the potential risk by a set of scientific methods for assessing the risk before the accident.
Practical implications
The paper provides a practical guideline to practitioners, especially for cold chain logistics managers, relevant management departments, and cold chain logistics management consultants. It is proved that the new risk assessment method and the risk assessment index system of agricultural products cold chain logistics can help them assess the risk scientifically and reasonably.
Originality/value
Although the calculation is simple, the new model can overcome the limitation of subjective empowerment scientifically and reasonably, and thus has important practical value.
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The paper suggests a connexion between fuzziness and structural stability. This is illustrated by a classical decision model, viewed from the standpoint of the Catastrophe Theory.
The purpose of this paper is to state new formulation of the programme‐styled framework of pansystems research and related expansions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to state new formulation of the programme‐styled framework of pansystems research and related expansions.
Design/methodology/approach
Pansystems‐generalized extremum principle (0**: (dy/dx=0)**) is presented with recognitions to various logoi of philosophy, mathematics, technology, systems, cybernetics, informatics, relativity, biology, society, resource, communications and related topics: logic, history, humanities, aesthetics, journalism, IT, AI, TGBZ* <truth*goodness*beauty*Zen*>, etc. including recent rediscoveries of 50 or so pansystems logoi.
Findings
A keynote of the paper is to develop the deep logoi of the analytic mathematics, analytic mechanics, variational principles, Hilbert's sixth/23rd problems, pan‐axiomatization to encyclopedic principles and various applications. The 0**‐universal connections embody the transfield internet‐styled academic tendency of pansystems exploration.
Originality/value
The paper includes topics: history megawave, pansystems sublation‐modes, pan‐metaphysics, pansystems dialogs with logoi of 100 thinkers or so, and pansystems‐sublation for a series of logoi concerning the substructure of encyclopedic dialogs such as systems, derivative, extremum, quantification, variational principle, equation, symmetry, OR, optimization, approximation, yinyang, combination, normality‐abnormality, framework, modeling, simulation, relativity, recognition, practice, methodology, mathematics, operations and transformations, quotientization, product, clustering, Banach completeness theorem, Weierstrass approximation theorem, Jackson approximation theorem, Taylor theorem, approximation transformation theorems due to Walsh‐Sewell mathematical school, Hilbert problems, Cauchy theorem, theorems of equation stability, function theory, logic, paradox, axiomatization, cybernetics, dialectics, multistep decision, computer, synergy, vitality and the basic logoi for history, ethics, economics, society OR, aesthetics, journalism, institution, resource and traffics, AI, IT, etc.
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Nouara Ouazraoui and Rachid Nait-Said
The purpose of this paper is to validate a fuzzy risk graph model through a case study results carried out on a safety instrumented system (SIS).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to validate a fuzzy risk graph model through a case study results carried out on a safety instrumented system (SIS).
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed model is based on an inference fuzzy system and deals with uncertainty data used as inputs of the conventional risk graph method. The coherence and redundancy of the developed fuzzy rules base are first verified in the case study. A new fuzzy model is suggested for a multi-criteria characterization of the avoidance possibility parameter. The fuzzy safety integrity level (SIL) is determined for two potential accident scenarios.
Findings
The applicability of the proposed fuzzy model on SIS shows the importance and pertinence of the proposed fuzzy model as decision-making tools in preventing industrial hazards while taking into consideration uncertain aspects of the data used on the conventional risk graph method. The obtained results show that the use of continuous fuzzy scales solves the problem of interpreting results and provides a more flexible structure to combine risk graph parameters. Therefore, a decision is taken on the basis of precise integrity level values and protective actions in the real world are suggested.
Originality/value
Fuzzy logic-based safety integrity assessment allows assessment of the SIL in a more realistic way by using the notion of the linguistic variable for representing information that is qualitative and imprecise and, therefore, ensures better decision making on risk prevention.
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This paper aims to link up the concepts of system bifurcation and system catastrophe with temporal logic in order to show the applicability of dialectical reasoning to…
Abstract
This paper aims to link up the concepts of system bifurcation and system catastrophe with temporal logic in order to show the applicability of dialectical reasoning to metamorphic system transformations. A system catastrophe is an innovation resulting from reorganization resulting from a switch from positive to negative feedback or vice versa. The subsystems would then be oscillators and the truth of any descriptive statement is then distributive. Such oscillations would produce an uncertainty in the temporal trajectory of the system which would increase both towards the past and the future. This means that time is not a scalar dimension, but a quadratic paraboloid distribution of converging and diverging transition probabilities. A social system composed of such oscillators would be heterarchical rather than hierarchical.
The problem of expanding a meaningful entropic theory for fuzzy information cannot be thought of as being a mere (more or less formal) extension of Shannon theory. By…
Abstract
The problem of expanding a meaningful entropic theory for fuzzy information cannot be thought of as being a mere (more or less formal) extension of Shannon theory. By using the information theory of deterministic functions, the present author had already obtained some results in this way, and he herein continues this approach. After a short background on the different entropies of deterministic functions and on membership entropy of fuzzy sets, successively mixed entropy of fuzzy sets, joint membership functions of independent fuzzy sets, and conditional entropy of fuzzy sets with respect to other fuzzy sets are considered; the problem of defining transinformation between fuzzy sets, as a generalisation of the well known Shannon concept, is then examined. One of the conclusions of the article is that it is possible to build up a meaningful information theory of fuzzy sets by using the entropy of deterministic functions.
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Zahin Ansari, Syed Hameedur Rahman Zaini and Asif Akhtar
Economic security is one of the crucial dimensions of the welfare state. High-income individuals are able to purchase private insurance, but a large portion of the…
Abstract
Economic security is one of the crucial dimensions of the welfare state. High-income individuals are able to purchase private insurance, but a large portion of the individuals remains uninsured. The authors have tried to rationalize the problem of the study over the reason why people remain uninsured. Hence, the purpose of the study is to identify an insurance model that can cover the risk of the heterogeneous segments. The study is qualitative in nature and applies a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). Based on seven criteria, process is applied to arrive at an alternative model among basic models of insurance, namely, conventional private insurance, mutual, and social insurance. Since social insurance has emerged with the highest score of 41% in the study, it is implied that social insurance works best in a situation where the market is full of private information and moral hazard. The findings reaffirm that government intervention is required in an insurance market to provide coverage to both covariate and idiosyncratic risks. The findings are especially relevant in the context of emerging markets where a sizeable poor population goes uninsured. The study contributes to the literature by proposing alternative insurance to address the problem of insuring the voluntarily uninsured.
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Jinlin Huang, Zhangming Li and Guihe Tang
Catastrophe theory can directly deal with discontinuity without any connection with the special inner mechanism, which makes it suitable for system research, whose inner…
Abstract
Purpose
Catastrophe theory can directly deal with discontinuity without any connection with the special inner mechanism, which makes it suitable for system research, whose inner action is unknown but outer one can be observed. There are many inner factors, which affect the bearing capacity of pile, it is different to ascertain bearing capacity of pile. The purpose of this paper is to present a new calculation method of bearing capacity of pile by the catastrophe theory.
Design/methodology/approach
The cusp model of catastrophe theory and its expression are discussed in this paper. By means of mechanical model analysis, bearing capacity of pile is systematically studied coupling catastrophe steady mechanism with equilibrium conditions of single pile. The settlement of top pile is transformed into the normal form of cusp catastrophe. The relationship between the settlement of top pile and vertical bearing capability of pile is built.
Findings
Vertical bearing capacity of single pile was deduced by means of energy principle and catastrophe theory based on settlement of critical instability of pile.
Research limitations/implications
Accessibility and availability of the constitutive equation of concrete of pile and parameter are the main limitations which model will be applied.
Practical implications
A very useful reference for design processes engineers.
Originality/value
The estimated results of the example correspond to one of practical experience, which provides a basis for design of vertical bearing capacity of single pile.
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In the present literature on fuzzy sets and fuzzy information, there is much confusion between entropies of fuzzy sets and fuzzy sets of entropies. After a thorough…
Abstract
In the present literature on fuzzy sets and fuzzy information, there is much confusion between entropies of fuzzy sets and fuzzy sets of entropies. After a thorough critical review of this question, proposes a unified approach based on the theory of deterministic functions. One must carefully distinguish between index of fuzziness, uncertainty of fuzziness and uncertainty of randomness on the one hand; and uncertainty of fuzzy sets and uncertainty of possibility on the other hand. This new framework could provide new approaches to management of uncertainty originating from both probability and possibility distributions.
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