Search results for "Operation"
showing 10 items of 2969 documents
Improving data quality in construction engineering projects : an action design research approach
2014
Aurthor's version of an article in the journal: Journal of Management in Engineering. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000202 The topic of data and information quality (DQ/IQ) is a longstanding issue of interest in both academia and practice in the construction engineering field. Poor DQ/IQ has led to poor engineering drawings that, in turn, have led to delays and, eventually, cost overruns. In this paper, a study is reported that took an action design research (ADR) approach to develop and evaluate a DQ/IQ assessment tool, which is called the information quality system (IQS), in a large global engineering and construction company. The eval…
A network model for the short-term prediction of the evolution of cocaine consumption in Spain
2010
Cocaine consumption is a social problem with acute consequences and its dependency can be regarded as a health concern of social transmission. This fact leads us to develop the idea that its transmission dynamics can be studied using epidemiological mathematical models. Under this point of view, in this paper we propose a network model to study the short-term evolution of the cocaine consumer subpopulations. The model parameters are obtained from data source and from an analogue continuous model. Sensitivity of the model parameters is studied. The parameters are associated with prevention and treatment policies and the sensitivity study gives us information about which parameters have more …
Assessing eco-efficiency with directional distance functions
2012
Abstract Eco-efficiency is a matter of concern at present that is receiving increasing attention in political, academic and business circles. Broadly speaking, this concept refers to the ability to create more goods and services with less impact on the environment and less consumption of natural resources, thus involving both economic and also ecological issues. In this paper we propose the use of directional distance functions and Data Envelopment Analysis techniques to assess eco-efficiency. More specifically, we show how these functions can be used to compute a wide range of indicators representing different objectives regarding economic and ecological performance. This methodological ap…
Organizational Learning Capability and Job Satisfaction: an Empirical Assessment in the Ceramic Tile Industry
2009
Organizational learning capability has been considered an essential issue of an organization's effectiveness and potential to innovate and grow. Although its positive effects on organizations and employees are generally assumed, there is no empirical evidence of its positive association with employee attitudes such as job satisfaction. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between organizational learning capability and job satisfaction through the questionnaire responses of 157 employees from eight companies in the Spanish ceramic tile industry. Results suggest that organizational learning capability and job satisfaction are strongly linked.
Exploring working conditions as determinants of job satisfaction: an empirical test among Catalonia service workers
2011
Job satisfaction is particularly important in the service industries since it involves direct contact with customers and thus has a direct influence on company performance. This paper analyses the impact of 10 working conditions on job satisfaction by means of structural equation modeling in a representative stratified random sample of 1553 service sector employees in Catalonia, Spain. Significant effects in social aspects (recognition of a job well done and social support) were found, followed by psychological loads (emotional demands and job insecurity) and by task contents (development and meaning, and predictability). These variables explained 50% of the variance in job satisfaction.
Meeting the environmental challenge of port growth: A critical appraisal of the contingent valuation method and an application to Valencia Port, Spain
2012
In order to support effective policy-making, this research is aimed to emphasise the need of measuring the negative impact - or external costs - resulting from port growth. Considering the non-market nature of these external costs, a critical appraisal of the Contingent Valuation method is made paying special attention to the problem of hypothetical bias and the suitability of a willingness to accept (WTA) scenario for damage assessment. Finally, the results of a case study, conducted in Valencia (Spain), are presented with the intention of paving the way for future research in this specific context of port growth and negative externalities. In particular, results indicate that the average …
Preliminary CAD implementation of EU-DEMO primary heat transfer systems for HCPB breeding blanket option
2019
Abstract This paper focuses on the 3D CAD implementation of the pipework and the main equipment of the Primary Heat Transfer System of EU-DEMO fusion power plant. In particular, the systems related to the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket option are considered here. During the pulse operation, the breeding blanket modules will be the main thermal power source; Divertor and the Vacuum Vessel will contribute in the definition of the total reactor power. All the In-Vessel generated power is rejected to the Power Conversion System through a molten salt Intermediate Heat Transport System. The latter is equipped with an Energy Storage System to allow for continuous operation also during t…
An evolutionary method for complex-process optimization
2010
10 páginas, 7 figuras, 7 tablas
Black box scatter search for general classes of binary optimization problems
2010
The purpose of this paper is to apply the scatter search methodology to general classes of binary problems. We focus on optimization problems for which the solutions are represented as binary vectors and that may or may not include constraints. Binary problems arise in a variety of settings, including engineering design and statistical mechanics (e.g., the spin glass problem). A distinction is made between two sets of general constraint types that are handled directly by the solver and other constraints that are addressed via penalty functions. In both cases, however, the heuristic treats the objective function evaluation as a black box. We perform computational experiments with four well-k…
On the Extension of the DIRECT Algorithm to Multiple Objectives
2020
AbstractDeterministic global optimization algorithms like Piyavskii–Shubert, direct, ego and many more, have a recognized standing, for problems with many local optima. Although many single objective optimization algorithms have been extended to multiple objectives, completely deterministic algorithms for nonlinear problems with guarantees of convergence to global Pareto optimality are still missing. For instance, deterministic algorithms usually make use of some form of scalarization, which may lead to incomplete representations of the Pareto optimal set. Thus, all global Pareto optima may not be obtained, especially in nonconvex cases. On the other hand, algorithms attempting to produce r…