scholarly journals The STARTEC Decision Support Tool for Better Tradeoffs between Food Safety, Quality, Nutrition, and Costs in Production of Advanced Ready-to-Eat Foods

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taran Skjerdal ◽  
Andras Gefferth ◽  
Miroslav Spajic ◽  
Edurne Gaston Estanga ◽  
Alessandra de Cecare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
End Users ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Process Step ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Starting Point

A prototype decision support IT-tool for the food industry was developed in the STARTEC project. Typical processes and decision steps were mapped using real life production scenarios of participating food companies manufacturing complex ready-to-eat foods. Companies looked for a more integrated approach when making food safety decisions that would align with existing HACCP systems. The tool was designed with shelf life assessments and data on safety, quality, and costs, using a pasta salad meal as a case product. The process flow chart was used as starting point, with simulation options at each process step. Key parameters like pH, water activity, costs of ingredients and salaries, and default models for calculations ofListeria monocytogenes, quality scores, and vitamin C, were placed in an interactive database. Customization of the models and settings was possible on the user-interface. The simulation module outputs were provided as detailed curves or categorized as “good”; “sufficient”; or “corrective action needed” based on threshold limit values set by the user. Possible corrective actions were suggested by the system. The tool was tested and approved by end-users based on selected ready-to-eat food products. Compared to other decision support tools, the STARTEC-tool is product-specific and multidisciplinary and includes interpretation and targeted recommendations for end-users.

scholarly journals Corrigendum to “The STARTEC Decision Support Tool for Better Tradeoffs between Food Safety, Quality, Nutrition, and Costs in Production of Advanced Ready-to-Eat Foods”

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Taran Skjerdal ◽  
Andras Gefferth ◽  
Miroslav Spajic ◽  
Edurne Gaston Estanga ◽  
Alessandra De Cesare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Support Tool

A Decision Support Tool (DST) for Inventory Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-47
Author(s):  
Okure Udo Obot ◽  
Uduak David George ◽  
Victoria Sunday Umana
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Inventory Management ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Unit Price ◽  
Public Power ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Eoq Model ◽  
Real Life Situation

Loss of customer goodwill is one of the greatest losses a business organization can incur. One reason for such a loss is stock outage. In an attempt to solve this problem, an overstock could result. Overstock comes with an increase in the holding and carrying cost. It is an attempt to solve these twin problems that an economic order quantity (EOQ) model was developed. Information on fifteen items comprised of 10 non-seasonal and 5 seasonal items was collected from a supermarket in Ikot Ekpene town, Nigeria. The information includes the quantity of daily sales, the unit price, the lead time and the number of times an item is ordered in a month. Based on this information, a simple moving average and y-trend method of forecasting were used to forecast the sales quantity for the following month for the non-seasonal and seasonal items. The forecast value was used to compute the EOQ for each of the items. Different scenarios were created to simulate the fuzzy logic EOQ after which the result of the conventional method, EOQ method, and fuzzy EOQ methods were obtained and compared. It was revealed that if the EOQ method is adopted, savings of 43% of holding and carrying cost would be made. From the scenarios of a fuzzy EOQ, a savings of 35.65% was recorded. It was however observed that in a real-life situation, the savings on a fuzzy EOQ is likely to be higher than that of an EOQ considering the incessant public power outages and the increase in transportation fares due to the high cost of fuel and the bad state of roads in Nigeria. To this end, a Decision Support Tool (DST) was developed to help the supermarket manage its inventory based on daily predictions. The DST incorporates a filter engine to take care of some emotional and cognitive incidences within the environment.

scholarly journals Development of Decision Support Tool for Evaluation of Urban Water System Metabolism Efficiency

10.29007/r6xs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Nikolic ◽  
Darko Joksimovic
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Sustainable Solutions

The revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront presents the largest urban redevelopment project currently underway in North America. With respect to planning the waterfront’s urban water systems (UWS), a number of studies considered a range of criteria in search for sustainable alternatives. However, a comprehensive assessment of the integrated source-drinking-wastewater-stormwater systems over their life cycles has not been developed. According to the main postulates of the integrated approach, hybrid water systems can offer potentially more sustainable solutions than traditional centralized systems. This paper discusses the development process of a decision support tool designed to facilitate evaluation of alternatives based on UWS metabolism concept while addressing some typical challenges of hydroinformatics. This decision-making support tool analyses and compares the sustainability performance of alternative decentralized solutions against a baseline conventional approach on a neighbourhood level. The tool uses a set of criteria, adopted by the large group of stakeholders involved in the development process, that are not typically considered in the decision-making process, such as energy savings, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate change resiliency, chemical use, and nutrient recovery.

scholarly journals A decomposition solution approach to the troops-to-tasks assignment in military peacekeeping operations

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-371
Author(s):  
Nadia Chaudry ◽  
Ingunn Vermedal ◽  
Kjetil Fagerholt ◽  
Maria Fleischer Fauske ◽  
Magnus Stålhane
Keyword(s):  
Computational Study ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Compact Model ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Solution Approach ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Commercial Solver

This paper considers the Peacekeeping Troops-to-Tasks Problem (PTTP). The PTTP deals with assigning battlegroup resources to a set of tasks associated with a given peacekeeping mission. The tasks may be spread across several locations, and have requirements regarding the time at which they can be handled, and the skills and skill levels needed to complete them. There is also a utility value related to each completed task that reflects its importance. The resources are bound by a hierarchy of command, limiting their movement in relation to one another. The aim is to decide which tasks to complete, when, and by whom. We present a mathematical compact model for the PTTP, which includes a number of complicating real-life factors. Due to the complexity of the compact model, it is difficult to solve large instances using a commercial solver. Therefore, we also propose a decomposition-based solution approach, with a decomposed model where possible travel routes for the resources are generated a priori. The computational study shows that the decomposed model has better performance than the compact model, and that it can be used as a good starting point for developing a useful decision support tool for military peacekeeping operations planning.

scholarly journals Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool: A decision support tool for health policy makers and implementers

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Milat ◽  
Karen Lee ◽  
Kathleen Conte ◽  
Anne Grunseit ◽  
Luke Wolfenden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
End Users ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Support Tool

Abstract Background Promising health interventions tested in pilot studies will only achieve population-wide impact if they are implemented at scale across communities and health systems. Scaling up effective health interventions is vital as not doing so denies the community the most effective services and programmes. However, there remains a paucity of practical tools to assess the suitability of health interventions for scale-up. The Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool (ISAT) was developed to support policy-makers and practitioners to make systematic assessments of the suitability of health interventions for scale-up. Methods The ISAT was developed over three stages; the first stage involved a literature review to identify similar tools and frameworks that could be used to guide scalability assessments, and expert input to develop draft ISAT content. In the second stage, the draft ISAT tool was tested with end users. The third stage involved revising and re-testing the ISAT with end users to further refine the language and structure of the final ISAT. Results A variety of information and sources of evidence should be used to complete the ISAT. The ISAT consists of three parts. Part A: ‘setting the scene’ requires consideration of the context in which the intervention is being considered for scale-up and consists of five domains, as follows: (1) the problem; (2) the intervention; (3) strategic/political context; (4) evidence of effectiveness; and (5) intervention costs and benefits. Part B asks users to assess the potential implementation and scale-up requirements within five domains, namely (1) fidelity and adaptation; (2) reach and acceptability; (3) delivery setting and workforce; (4) implementation infrastructure; and (5) sustainability. Part C generates a graphical representation of the strengths and weaknesses of the readiness of the proposed intervention for scale-up. Users are also prompted for a recommendation as to whether the intervention (1) is recommended for scale-up, (2) is promising but needs further information before scaling up, or (3) does not yet merit scale-up. Conclusion The ISAT fills an important gap in applied scalability assessment and can become a critical decision support tool for policy-makers and practitioners when selecting health interventions for scale-up. Although the ISAT is designed to be a health policy and practitioner tool, it can also be used by researchers in the design of research to fill important evidence gaps.

The interface between the MOKKA decision-support tool and EUGRIS: an integrated approach

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 717-725
Author(s):  
J. Fehér ◽  
P. Bardos ◽  
G. Fehér ◽  
Zs. Dargai
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Support Tool

Designing of an agility control system: a case of an Indian manufacturing organization

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 1591-1612
Author(s):  
Bharat Singh Patel ◽  
Cherian Samuel ◽  
Goutam Sutar
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Control System ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Decision Variable ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Decision Variables

Purpose Agility is the ability of an organization to adjust its supply chain tactics and operations to respond quickly against altering business environments such as fluctuating demand pattern, supply chain disruption and global competition. An agile organization must possess a promising capability of swiftly responding to dynamic conditions while being cost-effective without compromising the efficiency. Such high-performance adaptability necessitates the role of supply chain managers to maximize the agility of the supply chain through the efficient use of input resources. Therefore, the purpose of this study to reveal a new decision support tool that would allow the key decision-makers to maximize the agility of the supply chain while deploying the input resources more effectively. Design/methodology/approach In present study, an integrated approach of popular analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and goal programming (GP) has been adopted as a potential solution methodology. AHP has been implemented to allocate the local and global weights to decision variables, whereas GP incorporates the AHP weights into the desired model. Findings It was found that the proposed decision support tool restricts the value of the decision variables for maximizing the agility and optimizing the usage of input resources. The results obtained from the model validate the objective of achieving targeted agility level within the available resource limitations. Research limitations/implications The decision support tool developed in the proposed study offers a systematic and effectively simple approach to supply chain managers with a goal of identifying the degree of focus under each decision variable in the respective manufacturing organizations. Originality/value A novel decision support tool has been developed known as an agility control system), which helps the decision-maker to achieve the required agility in the supply chain by controlling the decision variables.

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