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The purpose of this paper is to develop a generic framework for hybrid (integrated deployment of system dynamics and discrete event simulation) simulation which can be applied in the healthcare domain.

As hybrid simulation in an organisational context is a new topic with limited available data on deployment of hybrid simulation in organisational context, an inductive approach has been applied. On the basis of knowledge induced from literature, a generic conceptual framework for hybrid simulation has been developed. The proposed framework is demonstrated using an explanatory case study comprising an accident and emergency (A&E) department.

The framework provided detailed guidance for the development of a hybrid model of an A&E case study. Findings of this case study suggest that the hybrid model was more efficient in capturing behavioural impact on operational performances.

The framework is limited to only SD and DES; as agent‐based is another simulation method which is emerging as a promising tool for analysing problems such as spread of infectious diseases in healthcare context, inclusion of this into the framework will enhance the utility of the framework.

This framework will aid in the development of hybrid models capable of comprehending both detail as well as dynamic complexity, which will contribute towards a deeper understanding of the problems, resulting in more effective decision making.

It is expected that this research will encourage those engaged in simulation (e.g. researchers, practitioners, decision makers) to realise the potential of cross‐fertilisation of the two simulation paradigms.

Currently, there is no conceptual framework which provides guidance for developing hybrid models. In order to address this gap, this paper contributes by proposing a conceptual framework for hybrid simulation for the healthcare domain.

Today, global supply chains must deal with large amounts of uncertainty. This paper seeks to provide a framework for understanding the different types of uncertainties that can impact supply chains and their attendant information systems.

Addresses the following questions. What are the different types of uncertainty at the general macro level? How are these macro level uncertainty types broken down into more specific types of uncertainty seen in supply chains? What impact do these uncertainties have on the supply chain and the supporting IS, and what are the current methods for dealing with them?

The term uncertainty is used as a generic reference for various and sundry different types of problems within the management of supply chains and their supporting information systems (IS). This can lead to confusion about what tools and techniques are available and which tools apply to which types of problems. The framework presented allows researchers and practitioners to more accurately converse about the exact problems encountered in the management of supply chains and the tools that are needed to address these problems.

The paper addresses uncertainty in supply chains and provides a starting‐point for further discussion and research on the management of uncertainty within them.

This paper hypothesized that ratees who share their multisource feedback with raters and ask for suggestions would improve more than other ratees. The participants were 5,335 ratees in a large, global corporation who received multisource feedback. Nine months after the initial survey, there was a follow‐up survey in which raters indicated whether the feedback recipient had shared the feedback and asked for suggestions. One year after the initial survey, there was a second multisource feedback survey. It was found that sharing feedback and asking for suggestions accounted for only a very small (albeit statistically significant) proportion of variance in improvement over time. This paper discusses factors that may affect the impact of sharing feedback and asking for suggestions following multisource feedback.

Critical knowledge and lessons learnt from the delivery of infrastructure projects have often remained untapped mainly due to the transient and fragmented nature of construction delivery. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of a project facilitator in attenuating disruptions in knowledge flows during the delivery of an infrastructure project.

An inductive case-study method is employed in examining the mediating role of the facilitator in an infrastructure project. Content analysis was undertaken by coding the data derived from eight focus group interactions, 23 semi-structured interviews and 24 documentary sources from workshops using NVivo 12 plus.

(1) The project facilitator provided a coherent context to re-invent the narratives (i.e. behaviours and events) by creating a forum for understanding critical problems and stimulating constructive dialogue and intervention. (2) The project facilitator leveraged on both explicit and tacit knowledge within the team, leading to improvement in the proactive management of emergent technical, operational and behavioural challenges, and (3) The project facilitator sustained a valuable intervention in attenuating disruptions in knowledge flows for problem-solving, relationship-management, best-practice strategies, coaching and leadership, as well as reflexive practice.

The novelty of this research is that a facilitator is used as the “knowledge-broker” in a multi-party infrastructure delivery team assembled using a traditional lump-sum contract framework. Facilitators have only previously been used in collaborative contract environments like alliancing and partnering.

The purpose of this paper is to find the best solver for parallelizing particle methods based on solving Pressure Poisson Equation (PPE) by taking Moving Particle Semi-Implicit (MPS) method as an example because the solution for PPE is usually the most time-consuming part difficult to parallelize.

To find the best solver, the authors compare six Krylov solvers, namely, Conjugate Gradient method (CG), Scaled Conjugate Gradient method (SCG), Bi-Conjugate Gradient Stabilized (BiCGStab) method, Conjugate Gradient Squared (CGS) method with Symmetric Lanczos Algorithm (SLA) method and Incomplete Cholesky Conjugate Gradient method (ICCG) in terms of convergence, time consumption, parallel efficiency and memory consumption for the semi-implicit particle method. The MPS method is parallelized by the hybrid Open Multi-Processing (OpenMP)/Message Passing Interface (MPI) model. The dam-break flow and channel flow simulations are used to evaluate the performance of different solvers.

It is found that CG converges stably, runs fastest in the serial way, uses the least memory and has highest OpenMP parallel efficiency, but its MPI parallel efficiency is lower than SLA because SLA requires less synchronization than CG.

With all these criteria considered and weighed, the recommended parallel solver for the MPS method is CG.

Since the late 1950s it has been recognised that the systems used internally within supply chains can lead to oscillations in demand and inventory as orders pass through the system. The uncertainty generated by these oscillations can result in late deliveries, order cancellations and an increased reliance on inventory to buffer these effects. Despite the best efforts of organisations to stabilise the dynamics generated, industry still experiences a high degree of uncertainty from this source. The “supply chain complexity triangle” describes the interaction of deterministic chaos, parallel interactions and demand amplification. It provides a framework for understanding the generation of uncertainty within supply chains. The implications for supply chain strategy and manufacturing logistics are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the changing nature of healthcare service encounters by studying the phenomenon of triadic engagement incorporating interactions between patients, local and virtual networks and healthcare professionals.

An 18-month longitudinal ethnographic study documents interactions in naturally occurring healthcare consultations. Professionals (n=13) and patients (n=24) within primary and secondary care units were recruited. Analysis of observations, field notes and interviews provides an integrated picture of triadic engagement.

Triadic engagement is conceptualised against a two-level framework. First, the structure of triadic consultations is identified in terms of the human voice, virtual voice and networked voice. These are related to: companions’ contributions to discussions and the virtual network impact. Second, evolving roles are mapped to three phases of transformation: enhancement; empowerment; emancipation. Triadic engagement varied across conditions.

These changing roles and structures evidence an increasing emphasis on the responsible consumer and patients/companions to utilise information/support in making health-related decisions. The nature and role of third voices requires clear delineation.

Structures of consultations should be rethought around the diversity of patient/companion behaviours and expectations as patients undertake self-service activities. Implications for policy and practice are: the parallel set of local/virtual informational and service activities; a network orientation to healthcare; tailoring of support resources/guides for professionals and third parties to inform support practices.

Contributions are made to understanding triadic engagement and forwarding the agenda on patient-centred care. Longitudinal illumination of consultations is offered through an exceptional level of access to observe consultations.

In every industry there are resources. Some are moving, others more fixed; some are technical, others social. People working with the resources, for example, as buyers or sellers, or users or producers, may not make much notice of them. A product sells. A facility functions. The business relationship in which we make our money has “always” been there. However, some times this picture of order is disturbed. A user having purchased a product for decades may “suddenly” say to the producer that s/he does not appreciate the product. And a producer having received an order of a product that s/he thought was well known, may find it impossible to sell it. Such disturbances may be ignored. Or they can be used as a platform for development. In this study we investigate the latter option, theoretically and through real world data. Concerning theory we draw on the industrial network approach. We see industrial actors as part of (industrial) networks. In their activities actors use and produce resources. Moreover, the actors interact − bilaterally and multilaterally. This leads to development of resources and networks. Through “thick” descriptions of two cases we illustrate and try to understand the interactive character of resource development and how actors do business on features of resources. The cases are about a certain type of resource, a product − goat milk. The main message to industrial actors is that they should pay attention to that products can be co-created. Successful co-creation of products, moreover, may require development also of business relationships and their connections (“networking”).

This paper considers the impact of the Internet on professional services, which are characterised by high levels of interpersonal interaction and where a significant component of the service product is information and expertise. For such services the Internet is primarily an accessible information resource, which has potential to fundamentally change the way in which consumers interact with service providers. The context for the research is healthcare, a professional service that has traditionally been characterised by an information asymmetry that has rested power in the hands of the professional. Based on interviews with healthcare professionals, Web site hosts and consumers, this paper considers the way in which consumers use the Internet to educate themselves about their condition and the consequent effect on the service encounter and the doctor/patient relationship. The findings indicate that patients are increasingly engaging in virtual, parallel service encounters that change the nature of the primary encounter and present challenges to professionals both in terms of relationships and their professional judgement.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate effective management strategies for 14 sources of supply chain uncertainty, with a particular emphasis on uncertainties or strategies that involve ethical issues.

Manufacturing strategy theory, underpinned by alignment and contingency theory, is used as the theoretical foundation. Multi-case study data are collected from 12 companies in the Indonesian food industry, including four focal manufacturers, four first-tier suppliers, and four first-tier customers (retailers).

Within the context of appropriately aligned management strategies to address 14 sources of uncertainty, three ethical issues are empirically identified: first, collusion amongst suppliers to ration supplies and increase prices; second, unethical influences on government policy; and third, “abuse” of power by large retailers at the expense of smaller competitors. Joint purchasing is argued to be a key strategy for combatting the first of these ethical issues.

The study is limited to the Indonesian food industry, and so further research is needed in other cultures/contexts.

Management strategies that aim to reduce an uncertainty at its source lead to better overall supply chain performance than strategies that merely cope with uncertainty, which only have an impact on firm-level performance.

The ethical issues identified have implications for fair negotiations between customers and suppliers.

This study is unique in its in-depth case study-based empirical investigation of the management of multiple supply chain uncertainties; and in its discussion of ethical issues in this context.