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1 – 10 of over 40000Mehmet Pinarbasi, Hacı Mehmet Alakas and Mustafa Yuzukirmizi
Main constraints for an assembly line balancing problem (ALBP) are cycle time/number of stations and task precedence relations. However, due to the technological and…
Abstract
Purpose
Main constraints for an assembly line balancing problem (ALBP) are cycle time/number of stations and task precedence relations. However, due to the technological and organizational limitations, several other restrictions can be encountered in real production systems. These restrictions are called as assignment restrictions and can be task assignment, station, resource and distance limitations. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effects of these restrictions on ALBP using constraint programming (CP) model.
Design/methodology/approach
A novel CP model is proposed and compared to mixed-integer programming (MIP) as a benchmark. The objective is to minimize the cycle time for a given number of stations. The authors also provide explicit anthology of the assignment restriction effects on line efficiency, the solution quality and the computation time.
Findings
The proposed approach is verified with the literature test instances and a real-life problem from a furniture manufacturing company. Computational experiments show that, despite the fact that additional assignment restrictions are problematic in mathematical solutions, CP is a versatile exact solution alternative in modelling and the solution quality.
Practical implications
Assembly line is a popular manufacturing system in the making of standardized high volume products. The problem of assembly line balancing is a crucial challenge in these settings and consists of assigning tasks to the stations by optimizing one or more objectives. Type-2 AR-ALBP is a specific case with the objective function of minimizing the cycle time for a given number of stations. It further assumes assignment restrictions that can be confronted due to the technological limitations or the strategic decisions of the company management. This is especially encountered in rebalancing lines.
Originality/value
Several solution approaches such as mathematical modelling, heuristic and meta-heuristic are proposed to solve the ALBP in the literature. In this study, a new approach has been presented using CP. Efficient models are developed for Type-2 ALBP with several assignment restrictions. Previous studies have not considered the problem to the presented extent. Furthermore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is the first study that solves ALBP with assignment restrictions using CP.
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Michael Browne and Mireia Gomez
The purpose of this paper is to investigate and quantify the impact of delivery restrictions on costs and environmental performance for a distribution operation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate and quantify the impact of delivery restrictions on costs and environmental performance for a distribution operation.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered from a company and several scenarios with varying delivery restrictions were investigated.
Findings
The results show significant reductions in cost and environmental impacts are achieved when restrictions are relaxed. However, the research also highlighted the importance of adopting a supply chain (SC) approach to the removal of restrictions and the need for public/private sector cooperation.
Research limitations/implications
The case study is based on one company only. However, the company performs many trips each day to many different customers.
Practical implications
The paper provides insight into the scope for change in the SC decision‐making processes in order to reduce environmental impacts (and identifies limitations).
Originality/value
The paper is a contribution to better understanding the importance of logistics decisions and not only transport when considering urban freight problems.
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Ani Gerbin and Mateja Drnovsek
Knowledge sharing in research communities has been considered indispensable to progress in science. The aim of this paper is to analyze the mechanisms restricting…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowledge sharing in research communities has been considered indispensable to progress in science. The aim of this paper is to analyze the mechanisms restricting knowledge sharing in science. It considers three categories of academia–industry knowledge transfer and a range of individual and contextual variables as possible predictors of knowledge-sharing restrictions.
Design/methodology/approach
A unique empirical data sample was collected based on a survey among 212 life science researchers affiliated with universities and other non-profit research institutions. A rich descriptive analysis was followed by binominal regression analysis, including relevant checks for the robustness of the results.
Findings
Researchers in academia who actively collaborate with industry are more likely to omit relevant content from publications in co-authorship with other academic researchers; delay their co-authored publications, exclude relevant content during public presentations; and deny requests for access to their unpublished and published knowledge.
Practical implications
This study informs policymakers that different types of knowledge-sharing restrictions are predicted by different individual and contextual factors, which suggests that policies concerning academia–industry knowledge and technology transfer should be tailored to contextual specificities.
Originality/value
This study contributes new predictors of knowledge-sharing restrictions to the literature on academia–industry interactions, including outcome expectations, trust and sharing climate. This study augments the knowledge management literature by separately considering the roles of various academic knowledge-transfer activities in instigating different types of knowledge-sharing restrictions in scientific research.
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Ralph Kattenbach, Evangelia Demerouti and Friedhelm Nachreiner
The aim of this study is to provide a useful conceptualization of flexible working times and to examine the relationships between flexible working times and employees'…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to provide a useful conceptualization of flexible working times and to examine the relationships between flexible working times and employees' well‐being and peer ratings of performance. It is supposed that an employee's “time‐autonomy” would be positively related to performance and well‐being. On the contrary, an unfavorable effect of “time restriction” on well‐being is expected.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire‐study was conducted among 167 German employees from 17 different organizations. Information about in‐role and extra‐role performance was also obtained via peer evaluations.
Findings
The data support a two‐factor structure of flexibility. The time restriction factor adds to the degree of exhaustion and the work‐nonwork conflict, while time autonomy diminishes these outcome variables. However, the flexibility dimensions are unrelated to performance.
Originality/value
The multidimensional conceptualization of flexibility allows for the detection of advantages and drawbacks regarding the effectiveness of flexible working time models.
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James Devlin, Christine Ennew, Sally McKechnie and Andrew Smith
This paper seeks to provide a detailed study of the impact of offers incorporating a time‐limit restriction on consumers in the context of price promotions. Time limited…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to provide a detailed study of the impact of offers incorporating a time‐limit restriction on consumers in the context of price promotions. Time limited offers are those where a pricing offer is only available for a specified, normally relatively short, period of time. Although price promotions have been the subject of much previous research, a detailed study of the effects of time limit restrictions on consumer behavior is warranted.
Design/methodology/approach
The study incorporates an experimental approach whereby the impact of time‐limited and non time‐limited offers on consumers' assessments of value and search and purchase intentions are isolated.
Findings
Findings show that the presence of a time limit does not impact directly on perceptions of value or search and purchase behavior. A marginally significant interaction effect between time limit and discount size is present, impacting in particular on search behavior.
Research limitations/implications
The research was carried out in the context of a consumer durable good (TV) and it is recommended that the study is replicated in other contexts, such as services and packaged goods, to ensure that the results reported here are generalisable.
Practical implications
The results suggest that policy makers should not assign significant time and resources to investigating influences of alleged false time limit promotion, as the findings would lead to the conclusion that such resources would be better used controlling other forms of misleading advertising and promotion. Marketing managers should note that time limited offers have no significant impact on consumer perceptions or purchase intentions.
Originality/value
The paper is of value to both the policy making community and practitioners and provides important and original insights into the minimal impact of time limit restrictions on consumers' evaluation of price promotion offers and subsequent behavioral intentions.
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Soo‐Jiuan Tan and Seow Hwang Chua
This paper investigates the impact of framing through the use of a vague scarcity restriction (“while stocks last”) on consumers' perception of promotional offers…
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of framing through the use of a vague scarcity restriction (“while stocks last”) on consumers' perception of promotional offers involving different claim formats (tensile price claim such as “save up to 60 percent” versus non‐tensile price claim such as “save 60 percent”) and different amount of price discounts. The findings show that framing the sales offer with such a vague scarcity restriction and using a tensile claims format improve the consumers' perceived informational value of the offer, only if exaggerated price discounts are involved. This study also confirms earlier studies' findings on the effects of exaggerated price discounts and tensile claims on consumers' perceived savings and information value of sales promotional offers. Managerial implications are discussed.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has affected most organisations' workplaces and productivity. Organisations have had to make provision for staff to operate remotely following the…
Abstract
Purpose
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected most organisations' workplaces and productivity. Organisations have had to make provision for staff to operate remotely following the implementation of lockdown regulations around the world, because the pandemic has led to restrictions on movement and the temporary closure of workplace premises. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights from remote workers' experiences in South Africa about immediate conversion from the normal workplace environment to working remotely from home. The structuration theory was adopted to understand the social structural challenges experienced by staff working from home.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a Web-based survey, administered when the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in movement restrictions, using the judgemental sampling technique.
Findings
The results are presented using both external and internal features that are linked to the social structures experienced by remote workers who participated in the survey. The key findings indicate that despite the positive aspects of remote working using advances in technology, there are also negative aspects and risks attached to remote working such as work overload and pressures to perform timeously. This can pose severe threats to workers' routines and lifestyle, and the lack of interaction can impinge on their health and general well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The online survey was carried out with first-time remote workers who were the target for the study. Some respondents may have had an affinity for remote working because of the novelty. The sample size may not be generalised, as the collected sample is moderately small, although the purpose of the paper was to report on a small sample size, given the rapidity of the study.
Practical implications
The paper seeks to highlight social structures that exist in South Africa, which accentuate the resource divide for remote workers. Also, the paper aims to encourage organisations (employers) to better understand challenges that workers encountered while working from their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions.
Originality/value
The relevance of this paper is in its contribution to the structuration theory and remote working literature, as well as to the study of these topics in the context of South Africa.
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The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) have issued significantly different accounting and financial…
Abstract
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) have issued significantly different accounting and financial reporting standards for contributions. These standards are particularly significant for reporting by private and public institutions of higher education. This paper summarizes many of these differences including timing of revenue recognition, classification of contributed resources, recording pledges, and recognition of “collections.” A framework is suggested for evaluating accounting and financial reporting standards for contributions. Finally, recommendations are made to both FASB and GASB for changes to make their standards more consistent.