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Demand for express parcel delivery has been greatly increasing in South Korea due to the growth of B2C e-commerce activities. It is imperative that parcel carriers have good…
Abstract
Demand for express parcel delivery has been greatly increasing in South Korea due to the growth of B2C e-commerce activities. It is imperative that parcel carriers have good insights into the performance of their distribution networks with different levels of demand and plan ahead for the adaptations in order to be able to meet future changes in demand. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate the likelihood of parcels arriving on-time to their destinations (local service reliability) with a strong focus being placed on their spatial distribution. The resulting maps of local service reliability allow us to identify specific locales that would suffer the most from a capacity overflow in the networking system, thus pointing to areas that need immediate attention. Furthermore, this paper attempts to identify potential factors which could affect the spatial variation of local service reliability.
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This paper examines the relationship between transport connectivity and regional economic development in China. It develops measurements appropriate for transport connectivity…
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between transport connectivity and regional economic development in China. It develops measurements appropriate for transport connectivity based on a set of evaluation models. This model is used to analyze the logistic connectivity of China’s 31 provinces by focusing on 11 variables, including some new factors (Density of road network, Density of railway network, Number of Internet Users) not used in previous studies, over the 13-year period from 2002 to 2014. Using panel data regression analysis, the empirical results show a statistically significant and positive impact of transport connectivity (factors like Density of road network, Density of railway network and Number of Internet Users) on economic development in China. In particular, the Number of internet users is a key factor reflecting information connectivity in all the variables. Comparative analysis regarding economic development is conducted to benchmark between coastal provinces and interior provinces. Like most previous research, this study yields the same finding of higher impact of transport connectivity on economic development in eastern provinces than in western provinces. This study suggests that decentralized decision-making will be significantly more efficient for analyzing regional infrastructure development. It also shows that the influence of transport connectivity on economic development is dependent on a certain developmental stage. This suggests that an economic region should adopt different development strategies for transport connectivity during different stages of development.
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Yue Zhou, Xiaobei Shen and Yugang Yu
This study examines the relationship between demand forecasting error and retail inventory management in an uncertain supplier yield context. Replenishment is segmented into…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the relationship between demand forecasting error and retail inventory management in an uncertain supplier yield context. Replenishment is segmented into off-season and peak-season, with the former characterized by longer lead times and higher supply uncertainty. In contrast, the latter incurs higher acquisition costs but ensures certain supply, with the retailer's purchase volume aligning with the acquired volume. Retailers can replenish in both phases, receiving goods before the sales season. This paper focuses on the impact of the retailer's demand forecasting bias on their sales period profits for both phases.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a data-driven research approach by drawing inspiration from real data provided by a cooperating enterprise to address research problems. Mathematical modeling is employed to solve the problems, and the resulting optimal strategies are tested and validated in real-world scenarios. Furthermore, the applicability of the optimal strategies is enhanced by incorporating numerical simulations under other general distributions.
Findings
The study's findings reveal that a greater disparity between predicted and actual demand distributions can significantly reduce the profits that a retailer-supplier system can earn, with the optimal purchase volume also being affected. Moreover, the paper shows that the mean of the forecasting error has a more substantial impact on system revenue than the variance of the forecasting error. Specifically, the larger the absolute difference between the predicted and actual means, the lower the system revenue. As a result, managers should focus on improving the quality of demand forecasting, especially the accuracy of mean forecasting, when making replenishment decisions.
Practical implications
This study established a two-stage inventory optimization model that simultaneously considers random yield and demand forecast quality, and provides explicit expressions for optimal strategies under two specific demand distributions. Furthermore, the authors focused on how forecast error affects the optimal inventory strategy and obtained interesting properties of the optimal solution. In particular, the property that the optimal procurement quantity no longer changes with increasing forecast error under certain conditions is noteworthy, and has not been previously noted by scholars. Therefore, the study fills a gap in the literature.
Originality/value
This study established a two-stage inventory optimization model that simultaneously considers random yield and demand forecast quality, and provides explicit expressions for optimal strategies under two specific demand distributions. Furthermore, the authors focused on how forecast error affects the optimal inventory strategy and obtained interesting properties of the optimal solution. In particular, the property that the optimal procurement quantity no longer changes with increasing forecast error under certain conditions is noteworthy, and has not been previously noted by scholars. Therefore, the study fills a gap in the literature.
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Deirdre Anne Ryan and Pauline Boland
Diagnosis of substance use disorders and addictive behaviours are growing worldwide. It is timely to examine and collate literature on the nature of occupational therapy…
Abstract
Purpose
Diagnosis of substance use disorders and addictive behaviours are growing worldwide. It is timely to examine and collate literature on the nature of occupational therapy intervention in this field, to increase understanding of current practice and inform future directions. The purpose of this paper is to source and synthesise literature on occupational therapy interventions used in the treatment of people experiencing addiction.
Design/methodology/approach
Four databases were searched in August 2019. A total of 597 titles were screened, and 18 studies with varying methods met inclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis of the included literature was arranged into themes to summarise key findings.
Findings
Findings were grouped into three themes about occupational therapy provision to people experiencing addiction: single occupation focused intervention; skills training (including sub-themes on daily living skills and vocational skills); and establishing a community-based sober routine.
Research limitations/implications
Further research on this topic should focus on efficacy of treatments and build on current findings to develop more rigorous research with appropriate sample sizes to support evidence-based practice.
Originality/value
This study presents a synthesis of how occupational therapy interventions have been used to treat people experiencing addiction issues. Findings indicate occupational therapy appears to fit well within addiction treatment and assert that occupational therapy is most supportive when interventions go beyond the teaching of skills alone to prioritise occupational engagement and client centred practice.
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Manzoor Hassan Malik and Nirmala Velan
The purpose of this paper is to investigate both long-run and short-run dynamics among the software and services export, investment in information technology (IT) and GDP in India…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate both long-run and short-run dynamics among the software and services export, investment in information technology (IT) and GDP in India and to investigate the direction of the relationship among the given three macro-economic variables.
Design/methodology/approach
The time series data have been taken to investigate the long-run relationship exists among the variables. Annual data were collected from the NASSCOM Annual Reports, Planning Commission of India and Reserve Bank of India during the period 1980–2016. Cointegration and vector error correction model have been used for analyzing the causal relationship among investment in IT, software exports and GDP in India.
Findings
Cointegration results confirm that software and services export, investment in IT and GDP are cointegrated, implying that there exists the long-run equilibrium relationship among the given three macro-economic variables. Similarly, vector error correction mechanism Granger causality results hold that there is uni-directional long-run causality running from software and services export and investment in IT to GDP, implying that software and services export is an important determinant of economic growth in India.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of the paper are generalization of the results and proxy variable for IT investments.
Practical implications
The paper has implications for the expansion of market concentration, diversification of software and service exports, and investments in R&D for increasing competitiveness of the industry in the global market.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on originality in the analysis of the relationship among the given variables software exports, investment in the IT sector and GDP in India. All the work has been done in original by the authors and the work used have been acknowledged properly.
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University Ovuokeroye Edih, Fidelia Igemohia and Nyanayon Faghawari
The study examined the effect of optimal port operations on global maritime transportation among selected ports in Nigeria.
Abstract
Purpose
The study examined the effect of optimal port operations on global maritime transportation among selected ports in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
It considered research questions such as are the ports in Nigeria functional, are the ports functioning to optimal capacity and are there challenges affecting smooth operations in the Nigerian ports? The study tested the null hypothesis which states that there is no positive and significant relationship between a functional port system and maritime transportation in Nigeria. The nonparametric statistics, chi-square, were used to analyze data. Data were gathered through a questionnaire administered to three major ports in Nigeria, namely Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Port Harcourt Old port and Warri Port.
Findings
From the analysis, findings showed that there exists a positive and significant relationship between operations in the ports and maritime transportation in Nigeria. Practical implications: The study showed that the moribund state of some ports and terminals will result in loss of jobs and huge revenue, therefore, compounding the menace of unemployment with its associated vices.
Originality/value
The study concludes that the operations of a functional port affect the economic growth of maritime nations. Thus, it is recommended that government and the private sector should collaborate to raise adequate capital for port development and improve the super structures (infrastructures) for optimal port operations in the country among others.
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Muhammad Iftikhar Ul Husnain, Arjunan Subramanian and Azad Haider
The empirical literature on climate change and agriculture does not adequately address the issue of potential endogeneity between climatic variables and agriculture, which makes…
Abstract
Purpose
The empirical literature on climate change and agriculture does not adequately address the issue of potential endogeneity between climatic variables and agriculture, which makes their estimates unreliable. This paper aims to investigate the relationships between climate change and agriculture and test the potential reverse causality and endogeneity of climatic variables to agriculture.
Design/methodology/approach
This study introduces a geographical instrument, longitude and latitude, for temperature to assess the impact of climate change on agriculture by estimating regression using IV-two-stage least squares method over annual panel data for 60 countries for the period of 1999-2011. The identification and F-statistic tests are used to choose and exclude the instrument. The inclusion of some control variables is supposed to reduce the omitted variable bias.
Findings
The study finds a negative relationship between temperature and agriculture. Surprisingly, the magnitude of the coefficient on temperature is mild, at least 20 per cent, as compared to previous studies, which may be because of the use of the instrumental variable (IV), which is also supported by an alternative robust measure when estimated across different regions.
Practical implications
The study provides strong implications for policymakers to confront climate change, which is an impending danger to agriculture. In designing effective policies and strategies, policymakers should focus not only on crop production but also on other agricultural activities such as livestock production and fisheries, in addition to national and international socio-economic and geopolitical dynamics.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the growing literature in at least four aspects. First, empirical settings introduce an innovative geographical instrument, Second, it includes a wider set of control variables in the analysis. Third, it extends previous studies by involving agriculture value addition. Finally, the effects of temperature and precipitation on a single aggregate measure, agriculture value addition, are separately investigated.
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F.J. Farsana, V.R. Devi and K. Gopakumar
This paper introduces an audio encryption algorithm based on permutation of audio samples using discrete modified Henon map followed by substitution operation with keystream…
Abstract
This paper introduces an audio encryption algorithm based on permutation of audio samples using discrete modified Henon map followed by substitution operation with keystream generated from the modified Lorenz-Hyperchaotic system. In this work, the audio file is initially compressed by Fast Walsh Hadamard Transform (FWHT) for removing the residual intelligibility in the transform domain. The resulting file is then encrypted in two phases. In the first phase permutation operation is carried out using modified discrete Henon map to weaken the correlation between adjacent samples. In the second phase it utilizes modified-Lorenz hyperchaotic system for substitution operation to fill the silent periods within the speech conversation. Dynamic keystream generation mechanism is also introduced to enhance the correlation between plaintext and encrypted text. Various quality metrics analysis such as correlation, signal to noise ratio (SNR), differential attacks, spectral entropy, histogram analysis, keyspace and key sensitivity are carried out to evaluate the quality of the proposed algorithm. The simulation results and numerical analyses demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has excellent security performance and robust against various cryptographic attacks.
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