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The aim of this paper was to study current practices in FM work order processing to support and improve decision-making. Processing and prioritizing work orders constitute a critical part of facilities and maintenance management practices given the large amount of work orders submitted daily. User-driven approaches (UDAs) are currently more prevalent for processing and prioritizing work orders but have challenges including inconsistency and subjectivity. Data-driven approaches can provide an advantage over user-driven ones in work-order processing; however, specific data requirements need to be identified to collect and process the functional data needed while achieving more consistent and accurate results.

This paper presents the findings of an online survey conducted with facility management (FM) experts who are directly or indirectly involved in processing work orders in building maintenance.

The findings reflect the current practices of 71 survey participants on data requirements, criteria selection, rankings, with current shortcomings and challenges in prioritizing work orders. In addition, differences between criteria and their ranking within participants’ experience, facility types and facility sizes are investigated. The findings of the study provide a snapshot of the current practices in FM work order processing, which aids in developing a comprehensive framework to support data-driven decision-making and address the challenges with UDAs.

Although previous studies have explored the use of selected criteria for processing and prioritizing work orders, this paper investigated a comprehensive list of criteria used by various facilities for processing work orders. Furthermore, previous studies are focused on the processing and prioritization stage, whereas this paper explored the data collected following the completion of the maintenance tasks and the benefits it can provide for processing future work orders. In addition, previous studies have focused on one specific stage of work order processing, whereas this paper investigated the common data between different stages of work order processing for enhanced FM.

The purpose of this paper is to derive the analytical expression of fractional order reducing generation operator (or inverse accumulating generating operation) and study its properties.

This disaggregation method includes three main steps. First, by utilizing Gamma function expanded for integer factorial, this paper expands one order reducing generation operator into integer order reducing generation operator and fractional order reducing generation operator, and gives the analytical expression of fractional order reducing generation operator. Then, studies the commutative law and exponential law of fractional order reducing generation operator. Lastly, gives several examples of fractional order reducing generation operator and verifies the commutative law and exponential law of fractional order reducing generation operator.

The authors pull the analytical expression of fractional order reducing generation operator and verify that fractional order reducing generation operator satisfies commutative law and exponential law.

Expanding the reducing generation operator would help develop grey prediction model with fractional order operators and widen the application fields of grey prediction models.

The analytical expression of fractional order reducing generation operator, properties of commutative law and exponential law for fractional order reducing generation operator are first studied.

Order picking in a warehouse consumes most of the stockroom labour because of the high frequency of transactions. This article presents an algorithm for order picking in narrow‐aisle warehouses and describes its implementation using a spreadsheet. The algorithm is illustrated by an example, and the algorithmic method is compared with the current method of order picking in the food industry. Randomly generated problems show savings of up to 85 per cent in distance travelled by the pick‐up vehicle. The manager of the warehouse, where the method has been implemented, confirmed that he has become more effective and efficient on order delivery by using it.

The standard economic order quantity model assumes that stocks are paid for when delivered. Supplier credit is widely available and can have considerable impact on holding costs and on the optimal order quantities. A simple extension to the standard economic order quantity model yields significant savings for items which have order cycles that are short relative to the period allowed for payment. The analysis also increases the attractiveness of joint replenishment models and highlights some difficulties of applying discrete demand models.

To reduce the computational scale for quasi-magnetostatic problems, model order reduction is a good option. Reduced-order modelling techniques based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT) have been used to solve many engineering problems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the computational principle, accuracy and efficiency of the POD-based and the CVT-based reduced-order method when dealing with quasi-magnetostatic problems.

The paper investigates computational features of the reduced-order method based on POD and CVT methods for quasi-magnetostatic problems. Firstly the construction method for the POD and the CVT reduced-order basis is introduced. Then, a reduced model is constructed using high-fidelity finite element solutions and a Galerkin projection. Finally, the transient quasi-magnetostatic problem of the TEAM 21^a model is studied with the proposed reduced-order method.

For the TEAM 21^a model, the numerical results show that both POD-based and CVT-based reduced-order approaches can greatly reduce the computational time compared with the full-order finite element method. And the results obtained from both reduced-order models are in good agreement with the results obtained from the full-order model, while the computational accuracy of the POD-based reduced-order model is a little higher than the CVT-based reduced-order model.

The CVT method is introduced to construct the reduced-order model for a quasi-magnetostatic problem. The computational accuracy and efficiency of the presented approaches are compared.

The Secretary of State after consultation with the Furniture and Timber Industry Training Board and with organisations and associations of organisations appearing to be representative respectively of substantial numbers of employers engaging in the activities hereinafter mentioned and of substantial numbers of persons employed in those activities and in exercise of powers conferred by section 9 of the Industrial Training Act 1964(a) and now vested in him (b), and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf hereby makes the following Order:—

Develops a generalized ordering policy for one‐unit systems in which a lead time depends on the failure time. When an ordered spare is delivered after the lead time it is put into the inventory if an original unit is still operating, and the original one is replaced/ exchanged by the stocked spare when the original one fails/passes a prespecified time, whichever occurs first. Applying the expected cost per unit time in the steady state as a criterion of optimality, the optimal ordering policy which minimizes it is obtained. Numerical examples show the dependence of the optimal ordering policies on the lead time change.

Standing orders are remnants of an early period of library acquisition, and while they can provide a useful service in limited cases most have outlived that usefulness and should be cancelled. In a period of restricted funding and increased digital reliance the need for standing orders has diminished; indeed often the standing orders received are no longer relevant to an institution's mission. However, identifying standing orders is complicated by the nature of their classification as a serial rather than a book or monograph. This paper aims to describe the various types of standing orders and how to identify them.

The paper distinguishes between the yearbook or annual standing order and the non‐sequential and often irregularly published books charged to the serial fund code. The latter type, in the author's experience, makes up the majority of standing orders, and this work argues that on the basis of collection development principles and budgetary realities the majority of standing orders should be cancelled.

The paper finds that it is necessary to create a stand‐alone database to ensure all standing orders are represented. The review of standing orders cuts materials expenditures, clarifies actual holdings, and eliminates unexpected delivery of materials.

Collection development principles require accountability for resource delivery. Standing orders falsely offer ease at the expense of this responsibility.

Very little is written on evaluating standing orders as a separate entity among library holdings. This paper addresses the dual nature of standing orders that allows them to maintain their shadowy existence on serials' accounts as neither book nor journal.

From the media it is easy to believe that the law does not provide a realistic remedy against fraudsters and that even if they are caught, the assets which they have whisked away will have disappeared into the ether. However, the recent success of lawyers representing the Salvation Army in recovering monies lost in international fraud demonstrates that the fraudsters do not always get the upper hand. Using an effective and at times innovative combination of ancillary orders to compel the disclosure of evidence and information and to freeze assets, Slaughter and May were able to retrieve for their client not only the $8.8m originally lost, but also $4.9m in interest and costs. This article looks at the legal background to the three principal types of order which were obtained — Norwich Pharmacal orders, Anton Piller orders and Mareva injunctions — and draws on the Salvation Army case to illustrate their use in practice.

The Secretary of State after consultation with the Construction Industry Training Board and with organisations and associations of organisations appearing to be representative respectively of substantial numbers of employers engaging in the activities hereinafter mentioned and of substantial numbers of persons employed in those activities and with the bodies established for the purpose of carrying on under national ownership industries in which the said activities are carried on to a substantial extent and in exercise of powers conferred by section 9 of the Industrial Training Act 1964(a) and now vested in him(b), and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf hereby makes the following Order:—