Generalized software release and testing stop time policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 1087-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avinash Kumar Shrivastava ◽  
Nitin Sachdeva
Keyword(s):  
Market Competition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Release ◽  
Stop Time ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Software Firms ◽  
Generalized Framework ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Software Release ◽  
The Cost

Purpose Almost everything around us is the output of software-driven machines or working with software. Software firms are working hard to meet the user’s requirements. But developing a fault-free software is not possible. Also due to market competition, firms do not want to delay their software release. But early release software comes with the problem of user reporting more failures during operations due to more number of faults lying in it. To overcome the above situation, software firms these days are releasing software with an adequate amount of testing instead of delaying the release to develop reliable software and releasing software patches post release to make the software more reliable. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors have developed a generalized framework by assuming that testing continues beyond software release to determine the time to release and stop testing of software. As the testing team is always not skilled, hence, the rate of detection correction of faults during testing may change over time. Also, they may commit an error during software development, hence increasing the number of faults. Therefore, the authors have to consider these two factors as well in our proposed model. Further, the authors have done sensitivity analysis based on the cost-modeling parameters to check and analyze their impact on the software testing and release policy. Findings From the proposed model, the authors found that it is better to release early and continue testing in the post-release phase. By using this model, firms can get the benefits of early release, and at the same time, users get the benefit of post-release software reliability assurance. Originality/value The authors are proposing a generalized model for software scheduling.

A novel model for risk management of outsourced construction projects using decision-making methods: a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Mahmoudi ◽  
Mehdi Abbasi ◽  
Xiaopeng Deng ◽  
Muhammad Ikram ◽  
Salman Yeganeh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Cost ◽  
First Time

PurposeSelecting a suitable contract to outsource construction projects is an ongoing concern for project managers and organizational directors. This study aims to propose a comprehensive model to manage the risks of outsourced construction project contracts.Design/methodology/approachTo employ the proposed model, firstly, the types of contracts and risks in the organization should be identified, then, to prioritize the contracts, the identified risks are considered as criteria. After receiving the experts' opinions, the best–worst method (BWM) integrated with grey relation analysis (GRA) method was used to prioritize the contracts. BWM and GRA are multi-criteria decision-making methods with different approaches and applications. In the current study, BWM has been employed to calculate the weights of criteria because it has better performance than other methods such as the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). After calculating the weights of criteria, the GRA method has been utilized for ranking the alternatives.FindingsAccording to the results obtained from the case study, the cost plus award fee contract is the most suitable alternative for outsourcing construction projects. The proposed methodology can be practically applied through different types of the projects such as construction or “engineering, procurement and construction”.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a conceptual model has been proposed to select an appropriate contract for construction projects. Also, for the first time, the BWM integrated with GRA method has been used to prioritize project contracts based on the potential risks. The proposed model can contribute to project managers for selecting a suitable contract with the least risk in construction projects.

scholarly journals Forecasting residential natural gas consumption in Egypt

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-308
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ali Ismail ◽  
Eman Mahmoud Abd El-Metaal
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
Percentage Error ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cost Of Energy ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Gas Consumption ◽  
Natural Gas Consumption ◽  
The Cost

Purpose This paper aims to obtain accurate forecasts of the hourly residential natural gas consumption, in Egypt, taken into consideration the volatile multiple seasonal nature of the gas series. This matter helps in both minimizing the cost of energy and maintaining the reliability of the Egyptian power system as well. Design/methodology/approach Double seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model is used to obtain accurate forecasts of the hourly Egyptian gas consumption series. This model captures both daily and weekly seasonal patterns apparent in the series as well as the volatility of the series. Findings Using the mean absolute percentage error to check the forecasting accuracy of the model, it is proved that the produced outcomes are accurate. Therefore, the proposed model could be recommended for forecasting the Egyptian natural gas consumption. Originality/value The contribution of this research lies in the ingenuity of using time series models that accommodate both daily and weekly seasonal patterns, which have not been taken into consideration before, in addition to the series volatility to forecast hourly consumption of natural gas in Egypt.

The role of specific heritage among Hispanic-owned banks in America

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Russ Kashian ◽  
Rashiqa Kamal ◽  
Yuhan Xue
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Deposit Insurance ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Commercial Real Estate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nonperforming Loans ◽  
Bank Ownership ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Cost

PurposeSpecific types of Hispanic-owned banks (HOBs), including those related to Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican or Puerto Rican heritage, have not be analyzed to date. There are important differences between the relevant communities, including geographic location, language barriers, population size and the importance of remittances to foreign nations. The analysis here sheds light on these differences.Design/methodology/approachHOBs with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-designated minority-owned depository institution (MDI) designation are identified, along with bank ownership heritage. Financial data, a measure of market competition, and demographics of depositors from 2003 to 2017 are utilized in an exploratory analysis comparing banks by HOB type, with random effects regressions for the pre-collapse (2003–2006) and post-collapse (2009–2017) periods.FindingsAlthough each of the four types of HOBs serve Hispanic and poor communities, there are substantial differences. For example, Brazilian and Puerto Rican banks on the island held high levels of nonperforming loans (NPLs) post-collapse, with the Brazilian and Mexican banks expanding levels of risky commercial real estate (CRE) lending post-collapse, while the Cuban banks contracted CRE lending. Differences in terms of return on assets (ROAs), the cost of borrowed funds and the tier-1 risk-based capital ratio are also identified.Social implicationsHOBs, like Latinos in the USA, are culturally heterogeneous and likely operate in different ways depending upon the culture and economic circumstances of the communities where they operate.Originality/valueAlthough there is substantial research on MDIs, this is the first analysis which treats HOBs as culturally heterogeneous. Further research of this type is warranted.

Toward Islamic deposit insurance model

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usama Adnan Fendi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Deposit Insurance ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Islamic Financial Institutions ◽  
Rules And Principles ◽  
Insurance Model ◽  
The Cost

Purpose This paper aims to provide an essential framework for establishing Shariah-compliant deposit insurance scheme, by reviewing the Shariah provisions concerning the available approaches for deposit guarantee, types of deposits in Islamic financial institutions and the permissible party to incur the cost of this guarantee. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews the Fiqh rules and principles approved by the well-known Islamic Fiqh references, as well as the resolutions of International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) and Shariah standards issued by Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), and presents these resolutions and judgments in a modern applicable way. Findings This paper recommends that the Islamic scheme for deposit insurance should be established based on Takaful insurance principle, and this scheme must adopt fund segregation principle to comply with Shariah provisions for guarantee permissibility. Research limitations/implications The paper bridges the gap between theory and practice by highlighting how the proposed model can be initiated in practice, thus, it can influence public policy in countries with Islamic banking system. Originality/value This paper represents a significant contribution toward the establishment of a consensual Shariah-compliant Islamic deposit insurance model.

Detection of cost leaders using non-central principal component analysis and data envelopment analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 548-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhadip Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Data Envelopment Analysis ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cost Leadership ◽  
True Cost ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Decision Making Unit ◽  
The Cost

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to express the strategic positioning of a firm among its rivals based on an overall analysis. The proposed model uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to determine the indexes due to cost leadership and differentiation. The model can be useful to identify the true cost leaders and those who are stuck in the middle. This work suggests the way how the strategic position can be explored from the consumption of resources (unlike the prevalent models like Banker et al., 2014). Design/methodology/approach Depending on the previous surveys, two inputs (spending per student and percentage of non-poor income group) and two outputs (average scores attained by students in science group and in language group in six private schools, located within the outskirt of Durgapur) were analyzed. Findings The classification made on the basis of the result of the proposed model reveals that out of the six schools (A, B, C, D, E and F), A, E and F occupy a strong position in this context, whereas B can be an example of stuck in the middle scenario. It not only has to reduce cost by 30 percent but also improve the differentiation index by 140 percent. C and D are lagging behind as they do not have enough differentiating qualities. Research limitations/implications Only six schools were taken for the analysis. Second, the input and output vectors had to be non-negative. In case of a negative input (output) set, separate treatment must be applied to them before the application of non-central PCA. Any decision-making unit producing an output of 0 will prohibit the use of the non-central PCA. Practical implications The extant study provides the indices to measure cost leadership and differentiation strategies for the classification as per the generic strategies. A firm which is lagging behind can adjust its consumption to remain successful. Social implications According to Hillman and Jenkner (2002), the developing countries lack the willingness of a primary school to impart education to children. The current study is used to explore whether any private primary school has the same goal or not. They also pointed out the possible future consequences while stating that the cost of educating children from the poorer section might be outweighed by the cost of not educating them and adults lacking basic skills had greater difficulty in finding well-paying jobs to escape poverty. So it is important to understand the role of a private primary school to offer seats to underprivileged students for educating them. The intention of six private primary schools toward educating the population of the small area within Durgapur is analyzed in this study, The study revealed that few schools spend more to serve the students belonging to upper classes to remain successful, whereas few schools as a differentiator make conscious attempts for providing services to poorer sections in an economical manner like a cost leader. Originality/value The extant research aims to formulate the determining methods of identifying strategic groups (proposed by Hunt, 1983) to make a parity between business definition view and strategic type concepts. The model can assess the rivals within an industry to explore the true cost leaders and those who are stuck in the middle using DEA. There are not enough kinds of literature which could effectively measure them.

Self adaptive fruit fly algorithm for multiple workflow scheduling in cloud computing environment

Kybernetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambika Aggarwal ◽  
Priti Dimri ◽  
Amit Agarwal ◽  
Ashutosh Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Task Scheduling ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Flow Time ◽  
Workflow Scheduling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Conventional Methods ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Better Than

Purpose In general, cloud computing is a model of on-demand business computing that grants a convenient access to shared configurable resources on the internet. With the increment of workload and difficulty of tasks that are submitted by cloud consumers; “how to complete these tasks effectively and rapidly with limited cloud resources?” is becoming a challenging question. The major point of a task scheduling approach is to identify a trade-off among user needs and resource utilization. However, tasks that are submitted by varied users might have diverse needs of computing time, memory space, data traffic, response time, etc. This paper aims to proposes a new way of task scheduling. Design/methodology/approach To make the workflow completion in an efficient way and to reduce the cost and flow time, this paper proposes a new way of task scheduling. Here, a self-adaptive fruit fly optimization algorithm (SA-FFOA) is used for scheduling the workflow. The proposed multiple workflow scheduling model compares its efficiency over conventional methods in terms of analysis such as performance analysis, convergence analysis and statistical analysis. From the outcome of the analysis, the betterment of the proposed approach is proven with effective workflow scheduling. Findings The proposed algorithm is more superior regarding flow time with the minimum value, and the proposed model is enhanced over FFOA by 0.23%, differential evolution by 2.48%, artificial bee colony (ABC) by 2.85%, particle swarm optimization (PSO) by 2.46%, genetic algorithm (GA) by 2.33% and expected time to compute (ETC) by 2.56%. While analyzing the make span case, the proposed algorithm is 0.28%, 0.15%, 0.38%, 0.20%, 0.21% and 0.29% better than the conventional methods such as FFOA, DE, ABC, PSO, GA and ETC, respectively. Moreover, the proposed model has attained less cost, which is 2.14% better than FFOA, 2.32% better than DE, 3.53% better than ABC, 2.43% better than PSO, 2.07% better than GA and 2.90% better than ETC, respectively. Originality/value This paper presents a new way of task scheduling for making the workflow completion in an efficient way and for reducing the cost and flow time. This is the first paper uses SA-FFOA for scheduling the workflow.

The cost of equity estimation in emerging Europe: the case of Bulgarian REITs

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigokhos Krikorov Kanaryan ◽  
Peter Chuknyisky ◽  
Violeta Kasarova
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Country Risk ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Bankers ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Cost

Purpose – The International Valuations Standards Committee adopts the Capital Asset Pricing Model as a method for estimation of the cost of equity. It has several drawbacks and appraisers in emerging markets need more useful model for cost of equity estimation. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed model is a modification of the Salomon Smith Barney model for cost of capital determination. The econometric part of the model incorporates the non-synchronous effect, the thin trading effect, the time varying risk nature, and the systematic country risk. Findings – The model estimates the cost of equity of Bulgarian REITs more accurate than the one, who uses the traditional β estimation. Practical implications – The study provides appraisers, business consultants, and investment bankers with a consistent model for cost of equity estimation. The model incorporates most of the features of emerging markets REITs return series and avoids the weaknesses of the single-factor model for cost of equity estimation in emerging markets. Originality/value – The proposed model reflects the following characteristics: the degree of diversification of the particular investor (imperfectly diversified); country risk; and time-varying risk nature. The political risk is incorporated by more objective measure of the systematic country risk.

Application of PCA and DEA to recognize the true expertise of a firm: a case with primary schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 740-751
Author(s):  
Subhadip Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Basic Skills ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Cost

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify important dimensions which are essential to remain competitive. To generate scores which will be as effective as the original outputs to determine the radial efficiency scores etc. Design/methodology/approach – A non-central principal component analysis (PCA) were used to determine various dimensions for each output. The objective was set to identify those special schools which could minimize certain pre-prescribed scores. Findings – Few schools were trying to concentrate on the students from the rich society and spending less per student. There were other schools which targeted to minimize the social loss by providing education to the poorer section and were funding more for them. Research limitations/implications – Small group was considered. However, the number can be extended. Practical implications – The valuable findings of Hillman and Jenkner (2002), stated that – “Children are entitled to a free, quality basic education. Many children who do attend school receive an inadequate education because of poorly trained, underpaid teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of basic teaching tools such as textbooks, blackboards, and pens and paper […].” “In an ideal world, primary education would be universal and publicly financed, and all children would be able to attend school regardless of their parents’ ability or willingness to pay. The reason is simple: when any child fails to acquire the basic skills needed to function as a productive, responsible member of society, […] The cost of educating children is far outweighed by the cost of not educating them. Adults who lack basic skills have greater difficulty in finding well-paying jobs and escaping poverty […].” In order to understand which fact has been stressed more the proposed model is very useful. Social implications – It is capable of describing the current standpoint of a group of homogenous schools or firms. Quality and cost cutting principals can be isolated quite easily. Originality/value – Introduces concepts of non-central PCA. Provides alternative scores which are as important as the original output. Detects and analyze various important dimensions.

A typology of backsourcing: short-run total costs and internal capabilities for re-internalization

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Thakur-Wernz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Strategic Flexibility ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Capabilities ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Short Run

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine backsourcing, which refers to the full or partial re-internalization of a firm’s previously outsourced activity. Researchers have primarily focused on the drivers of backsourcing, but this paper builds on that prior research to develop a typology of backsourcing. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on transaction cost economics and the resource-based view (RBV), the paper posits that firms backsource because of two factors – changes in their short-run total costs and changes in their internal capabilities for re-internalization. By using the interactions between these two factors, the authors propose four types of backsourcing. Findings The paper presents a typology for backsourcing: profitability-backsourcing, operational-backsourcing, strategic-backsourcing and failure-backsourcing. Only one (failure-backsourcing) of these four types of backsourcing suggests failure, while the other three indicate strategic flexibility. The authors also present mini-cases to support the typology. Research limitations/implications The paper presents a conceptual model of backsourcing. This is a limitations of the study and further research is needed to empirically test the proposed model. Practical implications From a managerial perspective, this framework can be used as a decision-making tool for firms that are considering backsourcing. Given the complexity involved and the perceived stigma, decision-makers may find it difficult to backsource. Thus, a framework to avoid biases leading to decision-making errors, as well as to understand if backsourcing is a viable option, is needed. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to present a typology of backsourcing which can be used to understand when it is a failure of the outsourcing strategy and when it is a signal of strategic flexibility. This paper contributes to the growing stream of research on backsourcing by moving the literature beyond determinants and bringing attention to the outcomes of backsourcing. Additionally, the proposed framework can be used as a tool by decision-makers to examine whether backsourcing is favorable for their firm based on costs and capabilities for re-internalization.

Business management in the football industry from a supply chain management perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaleh Memari ◽  
Abbas Rezaei Pandari ◽  
Mohammad Ehsani ◽  
Shokufeh Mahmudi
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Flow Management ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Football Industry

PurposeTo understand the football industry in its entirety, a supply chain management (SCM) approach is necessary. This includes the study of suppliers, consumers and their collaborations. The purpose of this study was to present a business management model based on supply chain management.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through in-depth interviews with 12 academic and executive football experts. After three steps of open, axial and selective coding based on grounded theory with a paradigmatic approach, the data were analysed, and a football supply chain management (FSCM) was developed. The proposed model includes three managerial components: upstream suppliers, the manufacturing firm, and downstream customers.FindingsThe football industry sector has three parts: upstream suppliers, manufacturing firm/football clubs and downstream customers. We proposed seven parts for the managerial processes of football supply chain management: event/match management, club management, resource and infrastructure management, customer relationship management, supplier relationship management, cash flow management and knowledge and information flow management. This model can be used for configuration, coordination and redesign of business operations as well as the development of models for evaluation of the football supply chain's performance.Originality/valueThe proposed model of a football supply chain management, with the existing literature and theoretical review, created a synergistic outcome. This synergy is presented in the linkage of the players in this chain and interactions between them. This view can improve the management of industry productivity and improve the products quality.

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