Search results

In the data-driven era, the quality of the data exchanged between suppliers and buyer can enhance the buyer’s ability to appropriately cope with the risks and uncertainties associated with raw material purchasing. This paper aims to address the issue of supplier selection and purchasing planning considering the quality of data by benefiting from suppliers’ synergistic effects.

An approach is proposed to measure data visibility’s total value using a multi-stage algorithm. A multi-objective mathematical optimization model is then developed to determine the optimal integrated purchasing plan in a multi-product setting under risk. The model contemplates three essential objective functions, i.e. maximizing total data quality and quantity level, minimizing purchasing risks and minimizing total costs.

With emerging competitive areas, in the presence of industry 4.0, internet of things and big data, high data quality can improve the process of supply chain decision-making. This paper supports the managers for the procurement planning of modern organizations under risk and thus provides an in-depth understanding for the enterprises having the readiness for industry 4.0 transformation.

Various data quality attributes are comprehensively subjected to deeper analysis. An applicable procedure is proposed to determine the total value of data quality and quantity required for supplier selection. Besides, a novel multi-objective optimization model is developed to determine the purchasing plan under risk.

This research work is an introduction to sustainable construction. A few significant indicators and many related subsets, which are crucial to green sustainable construction and also to green buildings, are mentioned in this study. An ecocity is one that utilizes all the critical elements of the environment. Urban sustainable construction is a vital criterion in this context. Sustainable construction paves the way for the building industry to progress towards achieving realistic standards of performance, particularly in view of economic, environmental, and social concerns. Sustainability is a popular expression that has given rise to various activities throughout the world once people began to grasp the implications of sustainable construction. Sustainability, which is an important factor in reducing the negative environmental effects of construction, includes improving the control and efficiency in the use of raw materials, land and power consumption. The lifetime of a building is based on some factors that are prognostic regarding the manufacture, remodelling, support, utilization, and administration of the building, and finally, the sources of utilization and waste formation, annihilation and devastation. All of these give rise to a range of ecological issues in the life of a building. Generally, a sustainable building and construction involves a reduction in the utilization of energy and also wastage from the beginning of the construction process and throughout the lifecycle of the building. Moreover, the environment is faced with mounting devastation due to the exploitation of natural resources for building construction and the replacement of agronomic regions by residential areas.

Some of the frequently asked questions about the what, why, when, how, where and who of statistical quality engineering are discussed. Questions answered include: “What would be an active approach to the objectives of statistical quality engineering?” “How is statistical quality engineering related to Six Sigma?” The concepts, techniques and illustrations, explained in a non‐mathematical language, are useful to both management and technical personnel interested in strategies and tools for cost‐effective quality improvement.

Control charts based on geometric distribution have shown to be useful when this is a better approximation of the underlying distribution than the Poisson distribution. The traditional c‐chart, if used, will cause too many false alarms. It is noted that for geometric distribution, the control limits are based on k times standard deviation which has been used previously, will cause a frequent false alarm, and cannot derive any reasonable lower control limits. Studies the use of probability limits to resolve these problems. Also discusses the use of geometric distribution for process control of high‐yield processes.

When objective decisions are to be made, statistical methods should be used based on any objective information in the form of data collected about a product or process. Statistical techniques such as control charts, process capability indices and design of experiments have been used in the manufacturing industry for many years. There are a number of practical and managerial issues related to the application of statistical techniques in studies aimed at improving process and product quality. This paper is a summary of the thoughts and discussions from a recent Internet conference on this issue. Statistical process control techniques and their role in process improvement are first discussed and some issues related to the interpretation and use of experimental design techniques are also summarised. The focus will be on continuous quality improvement using statistical techniques.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss areas where there could be gaps between traditional quality management concepts and the reality, and point out the modern‐day paradigm shifts as thoughts and ideals of the past gradually give way to realistic assessments and concrete tools of the present.

The past practice of “Quality by will power” or “Quality by change in mindset” is contrasted with the down‐to‐earth approach typified in the Six Sigma framework. It is explained that excellence cannot be achieved simply because there is a management desire to see it happen.

Some customers have been disillusioned by slogans and public‐relations pronouncements; in fact, even some quality managers seem not to be aware of the conceptual pitfalls they have set from themselves. Fundamentally, only realistic tools based on statistical thinking can bring about real and sustainable quality improvement.

It is maintained that quality improvement efforts, especially in the service sectors, would become a delusion if the age‐old concept of “bottom up” or behavioral transformation becomes the mainstay of quality management. The sense of inadequacy as reflected by the title of this paper could not be resolved unless a fresh look is taken at what is really effective, as detailed in the paper.

It used to be politically correct to insist that quality is everybody's responsibility, and that improvements must take place in every sphere – “company‐wide continuous improvement”, as if the realm of Quality is a democracy and improvements are meant to take place simultaneously everywhere. This paper highlights the background of the hierarchical nature of quality improvement personnel and the value of prioritization efforts.

The purpose of this paper is to address the gender digital divide through the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by reviewing existing knowledge within the field. This paper explores the characteristics and factors contributing to the gender digital divide. To bridge the gender digital divide, it is important to understand the factors behind gender differences in ICT access and use.

In this study, the systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach. In total, 24 articles were selected and analysed with using PRISMA steps.

Despite a significant increase in usage of the internet and other ICTs around the world, women, especially in developing countries, tend to be on the wrong side of the digital divide. The results indicate that while there are still gender differences in access to ICT in developing countries, second-level digital divide issues are more of a concern in developed countries. In the literature, several important factors have been identified as being associated with the gender digital divide. The results highlight the importance of implementable policies to bridge the gender digital divide, as well as how sociocultural factors play an important role in explaining the gender digital divide phenomenon.

By identifying the gender digital divide studies’ characteristics and factors contributing to the gender digital divide, the authors provide an overview of the existing research, allowing us to discuss future research needs within the field. The authors argue that more research is needed to understand how to better address the sociocultural factors affecting the gender digital divide, to understand why equal access seems not to result in equal use and, to understand the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gender digital divide.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education (2001), 15 percent of entering freshmen believe that there is a good chance they will change their college major and 8 percent are undecided. To gain insight into the criteria that students use to select a major, a model of the student decision making process was developed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This model predicted student’s first choice major with 88 percent accuracy for sophomores and seniors. An analysis of the criteria revealed judgement inconsistencies, particularly for accounting, finance, and decision science majors. Not surprisingly, sophomores were more inconsistent in their decision making than were seniors. It was also determined that students clustered the majors into two separate groups, viewing accounting, finance and decision science majors differently than marketing and management majors

The purpose of this paper is to develop a synthesised conceptual framework for global sourcing (GS) strategy and structure.

The authors adopt a systematic literature review method and analyse through content analysis techniques 52 peer-reviewed journal articles focussed on GS strategy and structure. Based on these analyses, a conceptual model is developed.

A synthesised construct of GS strategy, consisting of three dimensions, i.e., supply internationalisation, internal integration and external integration, is proposed. The GS structure construct is further broken down into structural design and control and coordination, consisting of three dimensions for each. Propositions for GS strategy, GS structure and, in particular, the relationships between them are developed for future empirical validation.

This is the first study which synthesises various dimensions of GS strategy and GS structure and advances/extends the theory of the strategy-structure nexus to a GS context. The conceptual model provides a comprehensive framework for future empirical work and opens avenues of research on this topic.

Visibility management is essential to sustainable supply chains (SSCs), allowing the ability to see the chain end-to-end, with opportunities to derive benefits, including competitive advantage. Central to visibility management is visibility assessment and identification of areas for improvement. This paper aims to propose a method of assessing visibility in SSCs and the generation of proposals for improvement.

A hierarchically structured assessment template is developed that comprises of dimensions, factors and attributes of visibility in SSCs. The template permits the use of linguistic variables. A fuzzy logic approach is adopted to calculate visibility levels and generate improvement areas based on linguistic data captured through the template. An industry-based case study is used to illustrate the process.

This study reveals that visibility can be measured straightforwardly using the method developed in this paper. It is found that automation and contextual factors can significantly impact visibility levels, so also is sustainability awareness and practices adopted.

This paper describes a visibility assessment model that incorporates linguistic variables, fuzzy logic and the use of an adaptable visibility assessment template. The assessment model can identify potential inhibitors of visibility for SSC under study.