Search results for " operations"
showing 10 items of 1066 documents
Delphi method applied to horticultural cooperatives
2012
PurposeAgricultural cooperatives have been able to become a strong and consolidated organizational form, although the new challenges of globalization and trade liberalization require changes in the strategic approach. The requirements of the distribution companies, consumers and government about the concentration of demand, traceability, food safety and respect for the environment had led to a thorough reorganization of agricultural food systems. So it is necessary to undertake a strategic review of horticultural cooperatives in order to conduct a strategic assessment and hence identify the strategic actions to be followed in the coming years. This paper seeks to address these issues.Design…
A method for the territorial organization of socio-sanitary services
1983
The need for a profound change in the health service has recently led to the development of a national sanitary plan, which the Italian government has submitted to the political and social forces as a midterm strategy for the transformation of the health service.
Optimal selection of touristic packages based on user preferences during sports mega-events
2022
Sport mega-events, such as the Soccer World Cup or Olympic Games, attract many visitors from all over the world. Most of these visitors are also interested in, besides attending the sports events, visiting the host nation and the neighboring countries. In this paper, we focus on the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. As per the schedule of the tournament, a national team can play 7 matches at most. Therefore, a supporter will have six short breaks (of three to five days) between consecutive matches in addition to two longer ones, immediately before and after the tournament, during which they can plan some touris- tic trips. We study the problem faced by a touristic trip provider who wants …
Network embeddedness and new product development in the biopharmaceutical industry: The moderating role of open innovation flow
2015
This paper explores the role of centrality and structural holes positions on the likelihood to develop new products and the moderating role of the open innovation flow, a measure of the net knowledge flow crossing the firm’s boundaries, on the aforementioned relation. We argue that network positions provide the information content to the firm, whilst open innovation flow describes how the firm uses such content, thus the combination of these two concepts has a significant impact on new product development. We test the theoretical framework on a large sample of 544 public companies and data from 1758 agreements among 1890 bio-pharmaceutical firms through the period 2006–2010. Our results sho…
Safety study of an LNG regasification plant using an FMECA and HAZOP integrated methodology
2015
Abstract A safety analysis was performed to determine possible accidental events in the storage system used in the liquefied natural gas regasification plant using the integrated application of failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) and hazard and operability analysis (HAZOP) methodologies. The goal of the FMECA technique is the estimation of component failure modes and their major effects, whereas HAZOP is a structured and systematic technique that provides an identification of the hazards and the operability problems using logical sequences of cause-deviation-consequence of process parameters. The proposed FMECA and HAZOP integrated analysis (FHIA) has been designed as a …
Solving Stochastic Nonlinear Resource Allocation Problems Using a Hierarchy of Twofold Resource Allocation Automata
2010
In a multitude of real-world situations, resources must be allocated based on incomplete and noisy information. However, in many cases, incomplete and noisy information render traditional resource allocation techniques ineffective. The decentralized Learning Automata Knapsack Game (LAKG) was recently proposed for solving one such class of problems, namely the class of Stochastic Nonlinear Fractional Knapsack Problems. Empirically, the LAKG was shown to yield a superior performance when compared to methods which are based on traditional parameter estimation schemes. This paper presents a completely new online Learning Automata (LA) system, namely the Hierarchy of Twofold Resource Allocation …
An integrated identity verification system for mobile terminals
2005
PurposeTo report the work on the design of an integrated identity verification system architecture aimed at approaching high verification accuracy, continuous security, and user‐friendliness.Design/methodology/approachThe reported research corresponds to the building process in the design science research paradigm. The requirements to an identity verification system are defined and used in the selection of architecture components. Furthermore, various issues affecting the suitability of component distribution between a terminal and a remote server are considered.FindingsIn order to meet the stated requirements, in the proposed architecture static and dynamic identity verification is combine…
Integrating the Analysis of Mental Operations Into Multilevel Models to Validate an Assessment of Higher Education Students’ Competency in Business a…
2016
The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing indicate that validation of assessments should include analyses of participants’ response processes. However, such analyses typically are conducted only to supplement quantitative field studies with qualitative data, and seldom are such data connected to quantitative data on student or item performance. This paper presents an example of how data from an analysis of mental operations collected using a sociocognitive approach can be quantitatively integrated with other data on student and item performance to validate in part an assessment of higher education students’ competency in business and economics. Evidence of forward reasoning an…
Contributions of Response Processes Analysis to the Validation of an Assessment of Higher Education Students’ Competence in Business and Economics
2017
Higher education domains such as Business and Economics (B&E) generally lack evidence that standardized tests of competency actually assess those aspects of knowledge and reasoning that constitute important targets for learning and instruction. The construction of such a validity argument benefits from a framework to guide the collection of relevant evidence regarding the interpretive meaning of tests results, especially with respect to instruction and learning in B&E. Response processes analysis provides much needed evidence within such a validity argument. The present paper illustrates application of such a framework and the use of response processes analysis for assessment in the B&E hig…
Innovation and R&D spillover effects in Spanish regions: A spatial approach
2007
Abstract This paper analyses the spatial patterns of innovation, its regional interdependencies and evolution, as well as its role in determining local innovation in Spanish regions. Results indicate the suitability of a trade-based regional proximity when considering spatial spillovers in innovation. In this context, not only local capacity is relevant in determining domestic innovation, but also spatial innovation spillovers, which result mainly from efforts in both higher education and public administration. Moreover, a minimum level of regional development is required to improve the effectiveness of R&D policies. Therefore, it is necessary for R&D policies to act in combination with oth…