An integrated strategy for fleet maintenance planning

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manish Rawat ◽  
Bhupesh Kumar Lad
Keyword(s):  
Failure Rate ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
General Assumption ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Imperfect Maintenance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrated Strategy

Purpose Conventionally, fleet maintenance decisions are made based on the level of repair (LOR) analysis. A general assumption made during LOR analysis is the consideration of the lifetime distribution with constant failure rate (CFR). However, industries do use preventive maintenance (PM) to extend the life of such components, which in turn may affect the LOR decisions such as repair/move/discard. The CFR assumption does not allow the consideration of effect of PM in LOR analysis. The purpose of this paper is to develop a more practical LOR analysis approach, considering the time-dependent failure rate (TDFR) of components and the effect of PM. Design/methodology/approach In the proposed methodology, first, a detailed life cycle model considering the effect of various parameters related to LOR and PM is developed. A simulation-based genetic algorithm approach is then used to obtain an integrated solution for LOR and PM schedule decisions. The model is also evaluated for the various cases of quality of maintenance measured in terms of degree of restoration. Findings The results, from the illustrative example for a multi-indenture and multi-echelon fleet maintenance network, show that the proposed integrated strategy leads to better LCC performance compare to the conventional approach. Additionally, it is identified that the degree of restoration also affects the PM schedule as well as LOR decisions of the fleet system. Therefore, consideration of TDFR is important to truly optimize the LOR decisions. The proposed approach can be applied to fleet of any equipment. Research limitations/implications The approach is illustrated using a hypothetical example of an industrial system. A more complex system structure in terms of number of machines, types of machines (identical vs non-identical), number of echelons, possible repair actions at various echelons, etc. may be present for a particular industrial case. However, the approach presented is generic and can be extended to any system. Moreover, the aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of the considering PM and quality of maintenance in LOR decision making. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work which considers the effect of PM and quality of maintenance on LOR analysis. Consideration of TDFR and imperfect maintenance while optimizing LOR decisions is a complex problem. Thus, the work is of high significance from the research point of view. Also, most of the real life fleet systems use PM to extend the life of the equipment. Thus, present paper is a more practical approach for LOR analysis of such systems.

scholarly journals The contribution of the Italian residents in neurology to the COVID-19 crisis: admirable generosity but neurological training remains their priority

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Tassorelli ◽  
Vincenzo Silani ◽  
Alessandro Padovani ◽  
Paolo Barone ◽  
Paolo Calabresi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Training ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Healthcare Management ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Italian Regions ◽  
Training And Research

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has severely impacted the Italian healthcare system, underscoring a dramatic shortage of specialized doctors in many disciplines. The situation affected the activity of the residents in neurology, who were also offered the possibility of being formally hired before their training completion. Aims (1) To showcase examples of clinical and research activity of residents in neurology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy and (2) to illustrate the point of view of Italian residents in neurology about the possibility of being hired before the completion of their residency program. Results Real-life reports from several areas in Lombardia—one of the Italian regions more affected by COVID-19—show that residents in neurology gave an outstanding demonstration of generosity, collaboration, reliability, and adaptation to the changing environment, while continuing their clinical training and research activities. A very small minority of the residents participated in the dedicated selections for being hired before completion of their training program. The large majority of them prioritized their training over the option of earlier employment. Conclusions Italian residents in neurology generously contributed to the healthcare management of the COVID-19 pandemic in many ways, while remaining determined to pursue their training. Neurology is a rapidly evolving clinical field due to continuous diagnostic and therapeutic progress. Stakeholders need to listen to the strong message conveyed by our residents in neurology and endeavor to provide them with the most adequate training, to ensure high quality of care and excellence in research in the future.

Technical services and user service improvement

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 505-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Huang ◽  
Katherine Wong
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Service Improvement ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Of Oklahoma ◽  
Online Catalog ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
The University ◽  
Technical Services

PurposeFrom the cataloging librarians' point of view, this paper aims to present how technical services, especially the cataloging department, can play important roles in the improvement of user services.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the practices of the University of Oklahoma Libraries.FindingsThe paper identifies several aspects in which technical services can enhance the quality of user services, especially in the cataloging department. A library's online catalog becomes the first point of access to the library's information resources. Its quality can be improved and enriched in many ways to raise users’ satisfaction. Aside from the improvement in technical aspects, efforts should also be made to promote collaboration between technical and public services so as to ensure efficient processing of materials and to meet the needs of library users.Originality/valueThe value of the paper is in showing that the quality of an online catalog and the cooperation between public and technical services are two of the key factors in achieving high quality of user services.

scholarly journals The development of trust over time in an emerging market context: the case of the Tunisian automotive sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1210-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibor Mandják ◽  
Samy Belaid ◽  
Peter Naudé
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Market ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Business Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Emerging Country ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate how context influences the quality of business relationships. This theoretical question is studied from the point of view of trust, one of the important components of business relationship quality. The authors study how trust is related to the dynamics and management of the business relationship in the context of an emerging market. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on qualitative interviews with 15 spare-parts resellers in the Tunisian automotive industry. The authors take a monadic view, interviewing resellers about their relationships with their wholesalers-importers. The decision to undertake the research in Tunisia is based on three factors. First, Tunisia is an emerging country and there is very little published research based in the Maghreb countries. Second, the Tunisian automotive parts market structure is relatively simple and, hence, easily understood, with most spare-parts being imported because of the low level of local production. Third, the actors in the study are all Tunisian companies, so research allows us to explore relationships between local companies in an emerging country. Findings The authors find that different kinds of trust play different roles over the dynamics of the relationship. Perceived trust is more important at the emergent stage of a relationship, and as the two parties learn from each other, experienced trust becomes more important in the established relationships. The initial perceived trust creates the possibility of building trust, and when mutual trust exists between the parties, it motivates them to maintain the relationship, but there is always the threat of the degradation of the quality of the relationship because of the violation or destruction of the trust. Research limitations/implications This paper shows that more care should be taken when using trust as the variable under scrutiny. Different aspects of trust manifest themselves at various stages of the relationship building cycle. Practical implications The results emphasize that when initiating a business relationship, managers first need to create perceived trust. Thereafter, once trust is built up, it is the trust that may “manage” or act to control the on-going relationship as long as the partners’ behavior or network changes do not violate the trust. Originality/value The results of this paper show that there is a mutual but not necessarily symmetrical or balanced influence of trust on the behavior of the partners involved. The influence of the different parties is dependent on the power architecture, the history of the relationship and the network position of the actors.

Chinese travelers’ preferences for hotel amenities

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1956-1976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deniz Kucukusta
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Wireless Internet ◽  
Importance Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leisure Travelers ◽  
Hotel Managers

Purpose This research aims to investigate how Chinese leisure travelers value hotel amenities when they book hotel rooms in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach The research method was based on a conjoint analysis approach. Conjoint models were developed to determine how people make decisions and what they really value in products or services. Findings Price had the highest average importance value, followed by airport/local area shuttles, wireless internet, breakfast and quality of coffee/tea. Price, airport/local area shuttles and wireless internet were rated as being relatively more important than breakfast and quality of coffee/tea. Research limitations/implications This research has some limitations in terms of the generalizability of its findings to all hotels and travelers. First, only four hotel amenities were considered. Second, the research focused on Chinese leisure travelers staying in hotels in Hong Kong. Finally, the sample only consisted of leisure travelers. Practical implications This research shows that providing complimentary breakfast and free access to quality coffee/tea when a hotel already provides a shuttle service and free wireless internet does not add much value to the overall hotel product from the customer’s point of view. Moreover, it provides insights into how hotel professionals can customize and select the amenities they provide to impress their customers. Originality/value This research has significant implications for hotel managers’ efforts to formulate and implement strategies or tactics in their daily operations or long-term plans through the selection of hotel amenities.

scholarly journals Pedagogical and learning theories and the improvement and development of lesson and learning studies

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Runesson
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Learning Study ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Concepts

Purpose – It has been suggested that, if pedagogical and learning theories are integrated into lesson and learning study, a systematic construction of pedagogical knowledge is possible (Elliott, 2012). In this Special Issue, it is reported how theory and theoretical concepts can add value to lesson and learning study. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Special Issue and explore the above concepts. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the Special Issue papers thematically and the main issues are discussed. Findings – Together the papers suggest that pedagogical theories and theorizing practice may contribute to the improvement of teachers’ practical knowledge and knowledge about teachers’ professional tasks and objects. Furthermore, some theories and theoretical concepts hitherto under-exploited in lesson and learning study are presented and discussed from the point of view how these might improve the quality of the studies. Originality/value – As a total, this collection of papers bring out issues about the role of pedagogical and learning theories and how these could inform lesson and learning study.

Do well-reputed companies carry out higher quality social reporting? An empirical approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Castilla-Polo ◽  
María Del Consuelo Ruiz-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Reporting ◽  
Voluntary Disclosures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weighted Index ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Relative Quality

PurposeThe purpose of this research objective was to analyse social reporting within MERCO Business companies both from the point of view of the quantity of information disclosed and the references about their quality. This approach constitutes a novelty with respect to previous literature on the subject.Design/methodology/approachThis paper assesses how social reporting is being carried out by the companies included in the MERCO Corporate Reputation Business Monitor, MERCO Business, during the period 2014–2016. The methodological design include the construction of a weighted index based on two unweighted indexes related to the quantity revealed and the quality detected. In addition, this study integrates intellectual capital and social responsibility approaches in order to deep into these voluntary disclosures.FindingsWhile social reporting is considerable from a quantitative point of view within MERCO Business companies, they do not reach very high levels of quality, which is good to counteract the final value of the quantity–quality index that the authors' propose.Research limitations/implicationsIn MERCO Business companies, quantity is not a proxy for quality within social reporting. In this sense, only considering both dimensions it will be possible to assess these disclosures in a more complete way.Practical implicationsThis study allows a more accurate and comparable view of social reporting than those studies that only focus on how much information is disclosed. Besides, it involves an important advance in the identification of the relative quality of social reporting, opening a new line of research that will be key to comparing this type of disclosures in a more homogeneous way. Likewise, the results can be applied in future studies in the intellectual capital field given the complementarity between both types of disclosures.Social implicationsLikewise, these results will be of interest for future actions aimed at regulating the improvement of the quality of social reporting in the hands of managers, investors and regulators.Originality/valueThe authors have tested the value of quality in social reporting using a weighted index amongst the most reputable companies in the Spanish scenario. These disclosures have been compared with and without the use of it in order to deduce its value to obtain valid conclusions about social reporting.

scholarly journals The PhD system under pressure: an examiner’s viewpoint

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Alexander ◽  
Ian R. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Doctoral Degrees ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Open Debate ◽  
Academic Qualifications ◽  
Examination Process ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the issues and challenges associated with examining PhD theses in the modern, rapidly changing academic world. The PhD degree has been described as the “pinnacle of academic qualifications”, but it is under threat in terms of the quality of supervision and the outcome of examinations. By bringing the issues into the open and discussing them, more can be done to safeguard the health of the modern doctorate.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews the mainstream academic literature on doctoral degrees from the point of view of the origin and development of the contemporary PhD. Then it offers some reflections on supervision, examination, standards of judgement, benchmarking of results and different routes to the doctorate. The pressures upon the modern university are related to issues encountered in examining doctoral theses.FindingsIn modern neo-liberal environments, the PhD degree is under pressure in terms of its quality and rigour. This paper offers a simple conceptual model of the challenges involved in ensuring the quality of PhD examinations and their outcomes. Priorities for the various stakeholders are suggested to ensure that PhD research continues to set the “gold standard” for excellence.Practical implicationsRecognising and confronting the problems with the modern PhD and how it is examined will help guarantee the quality of the degree. A more open debate on the pressures under which supervision and examinations are conducted will help establish rules or guidelines for conduct.Originality/valueThere are remarkably few evaluations of the PhD examination process, which in recent years has become increasingly problematic. The authors adopt a comprehensive approach to the issues and relate them to the societal context in which universities are developing.

Bayesian Analysis of the Brown–Proschan Model

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinh Tuan Nguyen ◽  
Yann Dijoux ◽  
Mitra Fouladirad
Keyword(s):  
Weibull Distribution ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Failure Rate ◽  
Bayesian Approach ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Posterior Distributions ◽  
Imperfect Maintenance ◽  
Maintenance Model ◽  
Informative Prior Distributions

AbstractThe paper presents a Bayesian approach of the Brown–Proschan imperfect maintenance model. The initial failure rate is assumed to follow a Weibull distribution. A discussion of the choice of informative and non-informative prior distributions is provided. The implementation of the posterior distributions requires the Metropolis-within-Gibbs algorithm. A study on the quality of the estimators of the model obtained from Bayesian and frequentist inference is proposed. An application to real data is finally developed.

Joints realized by sintering of pressureless Ag paste

Circuit World ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-8
Author(s):  
Alena Pietrikova ◽  
Tomas Girasek ◽  
Lubomir Livovsky ◽  
Juraj Durisin ◽  
Karel Saksl
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Ceramic Substrate ◽  
Constant Current ◽  
Sintering Process ◽  
Silver Paste ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Substrate Layer ◽  
C 30 ◽  
Current Loading

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to investigate an influence of a low temperature pressureless sintering process of silver paste on the quality of sintered joints. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed various curing conditions of the paste during its sintering process: 175°C/90 min, 200°C/60 min, 250°C/30 min, 250°C/60 min, 350°C/30 min and 350°C/60 min. They analyzed an influence of the surface plating applied on a ceramic substrate/layer (Cu, Ag, AgPt and Au thick film) on the joints quality. The authors analyzed microstructure and electrical resistance of the joints. They evaluated these properties from the point of view of thermal aging process and changing resistance, after a constant current loading of the sintered joints. Findings The nanoscale pressureless silver paste can be applied for replacing a pressure-assisted micro-sized silver paste. It was found that the quality of the metal plating applied on the ceramic substrate/layer has a significant impact on the quality of the sintered joints. Copper and AgPt plating have better impact on quality of sintered joints in compare with Ag plating. Originality/value This investigation of the quality of the pressureless sintered joints at the silver-silver interface reveals an evident cracking immediately after the silver paste curing. Rapid sintering process typical for silver-based films on the substrate is because of the inter-diffusion between the micro and nanoparticles of silver at interfacial interface.

Dissecting George Town’s human capital challenges in built heritage

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-393
Author(s):  
Suet Leng Khoo ◽  
Yoke Mui Lim
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Historic City ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify, dissect and unravel real-life contextual human capital issues related to George Town’s built heritage from the perspectives of key stakeholders in the heritage arena. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for an exploratory study using qualitative techniques like in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to gather insights and to listen to the voices from key stakeholders pertaining to issues related to human capital in built heritage. The data were supplemented and complemented by secondary resources such as technical reports, conservation guidelines, by-laws and case studies from other countries. Findings The paper provides empirical insights about real-life issues, barriers and challenges pertaining to human capital in George Town’s built heritage. The key findings from this study revealed that the quantity of professionals and builders is still insufficient and their quality of work has room for improvement. Research limitations/implications Due to the selected research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Thus, researchers are encouraged to further test the proposed propositions by enlarging the number of respondents or administering this similar study in another locality/historic city (i.e. Malacca ‒ George Town’s twin historic city). Practical implications The paper provides practical implications for the development of the right quantity and quality of human capital for George Town’s built heritage. The findings from this study are also useful for urban managers, policymakers and conservation practitioners. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to examine the real-life issues of human capital in built heritage for George Town.

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