Selection of Production Mix in the Agricultural Machinery Industry Considering Sustainability in Decision Making

Competition among companies is growing globally, with the need to increase productivity and efficiency in the product sector. However, there is also a growing concern about global warming and the depletion of natural resources, as well as their effects on human health. In this context, all human activities that involve intense usage of resources must take into account sustainability as one of the decision criteria. This work presents the application of decision-making methods to define the best product mix in the agricultural machinery industry. With this objective, the current schedule of the production line was identified, along with the production flow, by performing an inventory analysis and an environmental impact study (endpoint). A total of seven alternatives for the production mix of grain trailers were defined, considering different materials and production processes. The selection of the best schedule according to the different criteria was performed through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the managerial implications for decision making. The results obtained through AHP identified a single alternative as being the best, which facilitates the decision making. The DEA method identified two alternatives as the most efficient, and in this case the manager can choose between a product mix that generates lesser environmental impact or greater profitability. Although applied to agricultural industry, the presented methodology can be easily adapted to other activities related to the built environment, such as construction industry.

Cricket mix optimization using heuristic framework after ensuring Markovian equilibrium

International Cricket Council, in consultation with its member boards, prepares the Future Tours and Programme (FTP) which is an eight year long itinerary covering world championships in three formats of cricket, bilateral series and other tournaments. However, the FTP (2015–2023) had been criticized for its asymmetric itinerary and the point system for World Test championship and the FTP (2023–2031) is being criticized for including eight championships in limited formats and enhanced workload for players. Cricket mix standardization like marketing and product mix can work in homogeneous markets. This study derives three homogeneous markets of four teams each using hierarchical cluster analysis. For each market, it finds out the Markovian equilibrium analyzing cricket mix transition over past years. While the same can be used to derive the number of games per format per country, the study proposes a heuristic approach for fine tuning the same taking care of major stakeholders’ (e.g. Administrators, Players and Spectators) aspirations. Despite scores of criticisms and articles on the issue, there is hardly any scholastic contribution on game scheduling in the extant literature. This study thus is a pioneering effort in helping the policy makers to create a balance between cricket formats within each homogeneous market.

The Effect of Retail Mix on Passengers’ Motivation to Shop at AirportTerminal Outlets

Retailing represents one of the commercial activities contributing to the non-aeronautical source of revenue to most airport operators. In this research, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 or better known as KLIA2 represents the focus of the study. KLIA2 is built to cater to low-cost carriers and the airport is built on the concept of ‘a mall in the airport'. There are two commercial areas designated for passengers to shop: gateway@KLIA2 and terminal outlets. These create more choices for passengers to shop and at the same time increase competition among the retailers. Focusing on the terminal outlets, this study aims to examine the influence of airport retail mix elements on passengers’ motivation to shop. The factors examined were the location of the outlets, promotion, personnel, atmosphere of the outlets, product mix and price. The study utilized survey method and questionnaire was designed to gather data from departing passengers for both domestic and international sectors. The self-administered questionnaires generated a total of 307 usable responses. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The result of multiple regression analysis showed that the key airport retail mix element which motivates passengers to shop is the location of the outlet, followed by promotion and product mix. Recommended strategies for airport retailing were highlighted

“Case Study: Application for optimizing the product mix problem of linear programming in the Apparel Industry”

The industry has made effective management decision-making techniques possible through surveys and the efficient use of sources and assets. Linear programming can be used for the optimization problem of product mix. We have to understand the concept behind the optimization problem of product mix is important to get success in the industry for meeting customer needs. The manufacturing profit depends on the proper distribution of product material and usage of available production time material and labor resources. The findings of the study show that the profit of the company and the demand for the product.

Marketing Strategies Used by U.S. Landscape Services Firms

The landscape service sector is an important part of the environmental horticulture industry. However, research addressing factors impacting its business and marketing practices are scarce. This manuscript uses data collected via online and mail industry surveys in 2014 and 2019 to investigate U.S. landscape service firms’ advertising and marketing practices and different factors that influence their business strategies by firm type and size. Product mix, advertising method, and the importance of different business factors were impacted by firm type. Landscape service only firms had the most diverse product offerings, while firms with wholesale production had the least diversity. Landscape service only firms primarily used in-person and telephone advertising, while firms with wholesale production used a broader swath of advertising medias to reach a more diversified clientele. Overall, weather and labor-related factors had the most impact on landscaping firms’ business practices. Larger firms perceived labor factors as more important than smaller firms.