Filtering Facepiece Respirator Supply Chain Management Framework in a Disaster Such as COVID-19

Due to the lack of vaccines and treatments, filtering facepiece respirators are a primary and effective tool to dampen the spread of COVID-19. To meet the huge and continuous demand for filtering facepiece respirators, this concept paper suggests a supply chain management framework based on the disaster management principle. This concept paper adopts an exploratory and qualitative literature review to provide managerial insights for the supply chain participants. Due to implementation delay and strategic interdependency, the supply chain management strategies need to be systematically integrated. A viable way to integrate strategies is based on the disaster management cycle: mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery phases. Our model integrates innovative and successful but overlooked supply chain management strategies. First, the production capacity should be flexible so that the production mode in emergency and normal situations can be different. Second, the concept paper and development facilities can utilize their capacities for actual production in emergencies. Third, the quality certification process should accommodate the flexible production capacities. Fourth, inventory stockpiling should be renewable. This concept paper contributes to policymakers, healthcare sector decision-makers, stakeholders throughout the FFR supply chain to cope with future crises caused by pandemics by providing a systematic approach to constructing an effective, flexible, and resilient supply chain.

Big Data: paradigm in construction in the face of the challenges and challenges of the financial sector in the 21st century

The world of finance is immersed in multiple controversies, laden with contradictions and uncertainties typical of a social ecosystem, generating dynamic changes that lead to significant transformations, where the thematic discussion of Big Data becomes crucial for real-time logical decision-making. In this field of knowledge is located this article, which reports as a general objective to explore the strengths, weaknesses and future trends of Big Data in the financial sector, using as a methodology for exploration a scientific approach with the bibliographic tools scopus and scielo, using as a search equation the Big Data, delimited to the financial sector. The findings showed the growing importance of gaining knowledge from the huge amount of financial data generated daily globally, developing predictive capacity towards creating scenarios inclined to find solutions and make timely decisions. Keywords: Big Data, financial sector, decision-making. References [1]D. Reinsel, J. Gantz y J. Rydning, «Data Age 2025: The Evolution of Data to Life-Critical,» IDC White Pape, 2017. [2]R. Barranco Fragoso, «Que es big data IBM Developer works,» 18 Junio 2012. [Online]. Available: https://developer.ibm.com/es/articles/que-es-big-data/. [3]IBM, «IBM What is big data? - Bringing big data to the enterprise,» 2014. [Online]. Available: http://www.ibm.com/big-data/us/en/. [4]IDC, «Resumen Ejecutivo -Big Data: Un mercado emergente.,» Junio 2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.diarioabierto.es/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Resumen-Ejecutivo-IDC-Big-Data.pdf. [5]Factor humano Formación, «Factor humano formación escuela internacional de postgrado.,» 2014. [Online]. Available: http//factorhumanoformación.com/big-data-ii/. [6]J. Luna, «Las tecnologías Big Data,» 23 Mayo 2018. [Online]. 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Orellana, «Omnicanalidad,» 06 Julio 2020. [Online]. Available: https://economipedia.com/definiciones/omnicanalidad.html. [19]G. Electrics, «Innovation Barometer,» 2018. [20]D. Chicoma y F. Casafranca, Interviewees, Entrevista a Daniel Chicoma y Fernando Casafranca, docentes del PADE Internacional en Gerencia de Tecnologías de la Información en ESAN. [Entrevista]. 2018. [21]L.R. La república, «La importancia del mercadeo en la actualidad,» 21 Junio 2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.larepublica.co/opinion/analistas/la-importancia-del-mercadeo-en-la-actualidad-2041232#:~:text=El%20mercadeo%20es%20cada%20d%C3%ADa,en%20los%20mercados%20(clientes). [22]UNED, «Acumulación de datos y Big data: Las preguntas correctas,» 10 Noviembre 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.masterbigdataonline.com/index.php/en-el-blog/150-el-big-data-y-las-preguntas-correctas. [23]J. García, Banca aburrida: el negocio bancario tras la crisis económica, Fundacion Funcas - economía y sociedad, 2015, pp. 101 - 150. [24]G. Cutipa, «Las 5 principales ventajas y desventajas de bases de datos relacionales y no relacionales: NoSQL vs SQL,» 20 Abril 2020. [Online]. Available: https://guidocutipa.blog.bo/principales-ventajas-desventajas-bases-de-datos-relacionales-no-relacionales-nosql-vs-sql/. [25]R. Martinez, «Jornadas Big Data ANALYTICS,»19 Septiembre 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.cfp.upv.es/formacion-permanente/curso/jornada-big-data-analytics_67010.html. [26]J. Rifkin, The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-Market Era, Putnam Publishing Group, 1995. [27]R. Conde del Pozo, «Los 5 desafíos a los que se enfrenta el Big Data,» 13 Agosto 2019. [Online]. Available: https://diarioti.com/los-5-desafios-a-los-que-se-enfrenta-el-big-data/110607.

It’s the Weather: Quantifying the Impact of Weather on Retail Sales

The weather is considered as an influential factor on consumer purchasing behaviours and plays a significant role in many aspects of retail sector decision making. As a result, better understanding of the magnitude and nature of the influence of variable UK weather conditions can be beneficial to many retailers and other stakeholders. This study addresses the dearth of research in this area by quantifying the relationship between different weather conditions and trading outcomes. By employing comprehensive daily sales data for a major high street retailer with over 2000 stores across England and adopting a random forest methodology, the study quantifies the influence of various weather conditions on daily retail sales. Results indicate that weather impact is greatest in the summer and spring months and that wind is consistently found to be the most influential weather condition. The top five most weather-dependent categories cover a range of different product types, with health foods emerging as the most susceptible to the weather. Also, sales from out-of-town stores show a far more complex relationship with the weather than those from traditional high street stores with the regions London and the South East experiencing the greatest levels of influence. Various implications of these findings for retail stakeholders are discussed and the scope for further research outlined.

Decision Making in The Culture and Creative Industries Environment: Lessons from The Cultural Village

<p align="justify">Cultural village is an area-based development concept that engages with the culture and creative industries as well as tactical urbanism. Typically, a cultural village is situated in geographical areas that have traditionally had strong cultural themes and have the potential for socio-economic growth in the surrounding region. Decision-making in this environment differs from pure-profit sector decision-making. This study set out to draw lessons from the cultural village, especially in Global South, where the culturally-led consensus approach is used to reshape group decision-making processes. This study uses a systematic review method as a way to search, screen, analyze and synthesize knowledge from the academic database. The Scopus academic database is used for the search process. This paper concludes that the inclusion of culture into decision-making offers three stages of fundamental lessons for the community, which are flexibility, openness, and innovation. These three forms the foundation for the five main elements of decision-making in the cultural village, which include inclusive, participatory, collaborative, agreement-seeking, and cooperative. These findings suggest that the culturally-led consensus approach is a potential tool for policymakers to work with the community, especially to organize more bottom-up decision-making processes in traditional environments.</p>

How successful is the Higher Institute of Energy, Kuwait, in reducing dependence on expatriates?

The role of technical and vocational education in enhancing indigenous capabilities is highly discussed by authors, observers, and academics. In fact, there is a common understanding that technical and vocational education is a dual educational system that allow students to transfer what they have been learned in classroom, laboratories and workshops into real work environment. The success of technical and vocational education would depend on the management mentality in the ability in forging and effective and fruitful linkage with industries and business. It is a management responsibility to identify and determine the level of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are mostly required by the recipients of technical and vocational graduates. Kuwait, as one of the gulf states, the shortage of indigenous skilled and semi-skilled manpower in noted in essential sectors of the economy (e.g., electricity and water and the oil sector). Decision makers have realized the significant role of technical and vocational institutions in providing essential sectors of the economy with the skilled and semi-skilled national manpower in order to reduce, to great extent, the dependence on expatriates. The Higher Institute of Energy, HIE, was forged by the Kuwaiti Government with the aim to equipped local manpower with the know-how and know-why that are applied in local industries. The research is focus on measuring the perception of a sample of heads of supervisors at the Ministry of Electricity and Water and at the oil sector towards the quality of HIE graduates. The research is based on extensive field work that encompasses a review of the related literature, interviews with a sample of heads of supervisors at the Ministry of Electricity and Water and at the oil sector to assess the quality of field training program and the standard of the HIE graduates. Finally, the research will argue that unless the HIE recognize and appreciate the value of building a strong linkage with local industries, its contribution in tackling the shortage of skilled and semi-skilled indigenous in essential sectors on the economy will be below the government expectations, thus continuing relaying on expatriates for years ahead.

The Role of Jordanian Agricultural Policies in Climate Change Responding Affecting Agricultural Production

A study was conducted in Jordan to evaluate the role of Jordanian agricultural policies on agricultural production under the effect of climate change. A scientific questionnaire was distributed to 100 samples of Jordanian citizens who had direct contact with the effect of agricultural policies and they can touch the effect of climate change and agricultural policies on the agricultural production, data selected from farmers, agricultural rural communities, agricultural sector decision makers, and agricultural researchers were selected randomly from different areas in Jordan. The results show that Jordanian are aware of the climate change effect on the agricultural sector and agricultural production, they believe that the most effective ways to face the negative effect of climate change on agricultural production by implementing agricultural regulations and policies which try to develop the Jordan agricultural sector under the effect of climate change. On other hand, results show a significant effect of agricultural policies to adapt and face the climatic changes in Jordan.

Urban educated group's perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic management in Bangladesh: a qualitative exploration

Background: Since the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak, Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has taken various measures to restrict virus transmission and inform the people of the situation. However, the success of such measures largely depends on a positive public perception of the government’s ability to act decisively and the transparency of its communication. We explored public perceptions of pandemic management efforts by the Bangladeshi health sector decision-makers in this study. Methods: As this qualitative research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, data was gathered through seven online mixed-gender focus group discussions involving 50 purposively selected clinicians and non-clinicians. Results: The study participants concurred that, from the outset, decision-makers failed to engage the right kind of experts, which resulted in poor pandemic management that included imposing lockdown in periphery areas without arranging patient transport to the center, declaring certain hospitals as COVID-19 dedicated without preparing the facilities or the staff, and engaging private hospitals in care without allowing them to test the patients for COVID-19 infection. Several participants also commented on ineffective actions on behalf of the GoB, such as imposing home quarantine instead of institutional, corruption, miscommunication, and inadequate private sector regulation. The perception of the people regarding service providers is that they lacked responsiveness in providing treatment, with some doctors misleading the public by sharing misinformation. Service providers, on the other hand, observed that decision-makers failed to provide them with proper training, personal protective equipment, and workplace security, which has resulted in a high number of deaths among medical staff. Conclusions: The Bangladeshi health sector decision-makers should learn from their mistakes to prevent further unnecessary loss of life and long-term economic downturn. They should adopt a science-based response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the short term while striving to develop a more resilient health system in the long run.

Pollutants in the South Atlantic Ocean: Sources, Knowledge Gaps and Perspectives for the Decade of Ocean Science

The current manuscript presents the main issues related to the “Clean Ocean” outcome that arose from the Regional South Atlantic (SA) Planning Workshop for the UN Decade of Ocean Science and five Brazilian Regional Planning Workshops. An interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral group constituted by the academia, non-governmental agencies, the private sector, decision-makers, the navy, and local communities discussed the main anthropogenic drivers compromising the current environmental status of the SA and its ecological services, and debated the main research gaps, priorities and needs for improving technical and structural capacities in order to roadmap the Brazilian actions for the Decade of Ocean Science. The aim of this review is to contribute to a social solution-driven understanding of the ocean ecosystems, to create conditions to promote sustainable development and to secure a clean, healthy ocean. We are proposing a list of actions to be implemented by the Decade of Ocean Science that will have the pivotal role to promote technical and scientific capacity development, increase research infrastructure and institutional frameworks, develop national public policies aimed at reducing the input of pollutants and management of impacts, and warranting food security and ecosystem health. The earlier the actions in controlling pollutants are implemented, along with the identification of key sources and prevention of crossing of thresholds will help to avert worst-case scenarios, reducing the socio-economic disparities of impacts across nations and social groups and supporting the sustainable development of a pollutant-free ocean.

Rule-based modelling for adaptive complex infrastructure planning

&lt;p&gt;Dealing with uncertainty in infrastructure planning is a challenge. Planning decisions need to be made in face of unknown future condition, and, in the meantime, it is essential that they are flexible enough to be adapted as new information unfolds. This indeed is important for multi-sector decision making where the complexity of the interconnected system and the uncertainty thereof hinders the modelling and analysis. Multistage stochastic optimisation provides a mechanism to incorporate these two attributes into planning decisions. However, its expensive computation as well as the appropriateness of its sequential decisions beyond the first few stages reduce its implementability. We introduce `Decision Rule' as a way to approximate the multistage problem, where the decisions at each stage are functions of the system complexity and the future uncertainty. We introduce a family of linear, polynomial, conditional if-then based rules and show how they approximate the multistage stochastic problem. We investigate their implications for urban water demand and supply network planning problem. Further we discuss some state-of-the-art and emerging tools for increasing the accuracy of the rules.&lt;/p&gt;