Analysis on supply chain risks in Indian apparel retail chains and proposal of risk prioritization model using Interpretive structural modeling

Indian apparel retail industry is on a complete transformation journey and trying to evolve as an organized industry. It is very common to find the disruption factors in every business and the ways to mitigate and manage them is of current research interest. The paper discusses the selective risks associated with the apparel retail supply chains in India by structural analysis of the controllable risks that are identified. The work also reveals the use of Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) to establish the interdependencies between these risks spread across various supply chain functions of retail industry. The relationships are established based on expert opinions using Delphi technique followed by ISM modeling technique and Fuzzy MICMAC analysis. It also classifies the risk factors based on their driving and dependence power. ISM is proved to be a useful tool to help understand the impact of risks at stages of retail supply chain. Globalization, labor issues and security and safety of resources turns out to be the strong drivers of other supply chain uncertainties. The domino effect of these risks leads to financial crises for the organization.The paper also proposes a new model for the Risk Priority Number (RPN) calculation using ISM and Fuzzy MICMAC methodology for the applications in retail and various other domain risk studies. The sample size of experts is small and to remove the biasness of opinion, the model can be further validated using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in the future. The outcome would help practicing managers to analyze and to take actions for managing the factors by improving the bottom line of the organization by proper utilization of resources.     

Safety concerns related to modular/prefabricated building construction

The US construction industry annually experiences a relatively high rate of fatalities and injuries; therefore, improving safety practices should be considered a top priority for this industry. Modular/prefabricated building construction is a construction strategy that involves manufacturing of the whole building or some of its components off-site. This research focuses on the safety performance of the modular/prefabricated building construction sector during both manufacturing and on-site processes. This safety evaluation can serve as the starting point for improving the safety performance of this sector. Research was conducted based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated accidents. The study found 125 accidents related to modular/prefabricated building construction. The details of each accident were closely examined to identify the types of injury and underlying causes. Out of 125 accidents, there were 48 fatalities (38.4%), 63 hospitalized injuries (50.4%), and 14 non-hospitalized injuries (11.2%). It was found that, the most common type of injury in modular/prefabricated construction was ‘fracture’, and the most common cause of accidents was ‘fall’. The most frequent cause of cause (underlying and root cause) was ‘unstable structure’. In this research, the accidents were also examined in terms of corresponding location, occupation, equipment as well as activities during which the accidents occurred. For improving safety records of the modular/prefabricated construction sector, this study recommends that future research be conducted on stabilizing structures during their lifting, storing, and permanent installation, securing fall protection systems during on-site assembly of components while working from heights, and developing training programmes and standards focused on modular/prefabricated construction.     

An analysis of highway work zone safety practices in Pakistan

Highway Work Zones (HWZs) present a major hazard for road users, construction workers and equipment, and significantly contribute to occurrence of road crashes worldwide. The present study focuses on analysing the current state of safety measures at HWZs in Pakistan. A more direct approach is adopted by comparing safety measures at randomly selected HWZs in Pakistan with well-established safety procedures in Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). HWZ safety measures such as traffic signs, markings, safety measures for pedestrians, workers and construction machinery, police enforcement, speed control measures, provision of advance warning area, buffer spaces, transition areas, and tapers for eight different HWZs were studied and compared with MUTCD standards. The results revealed that majority of the HWZs in Pakistan do not conform to any standard layout especially for safety and speed control measures. An enhanced need for special efforts towards improving safety at HWZs in Pakistan is highlighted.     

试论高层建筑灭火潜在危险及预防措施

随着我国经济迅猛发展，现代化城市建设步伐加快，高层建筑逐年增多，火灾形势日益严峻。文章以央视新址配楼火灾事故为例，分析当前高层建筑消防安全现状，并就如何做好高层建筑防火工作进行探讨。     

Improving candy industry competitiveness: Retailers’ perception regarding customer satisfaction

This study aims to classify service quality elements in candy industry in order to determine their instrumentality to customer satisfaction. To address this purpose, a Fuzzy Kano questionnaire was distributed to 512 major retailers of candy products of four predominant candy companies in Iran. Subsequently, we calculated satisfaction increment index (SII) and dissatisfaction decrement index (DDI) for each of the quality elements. Brand name and quality are considered as must-be elements, while availability of credit purchases is considered as indifferent element by the majority of retailers. Eight out of 24 studied elements are found to be considered as attractive elements by majority of customers. Regular visits element ranks first in terms of satisfaction increment index (SII). This paper provides helpful insight for marketers to prioritize improvement of different quality elements. Therefore, this paper helps organizations to perceive their customers needs more thoroughly and improve their customer satisfaction policy.     

乳品质量安全控制

乳品质量安全对乳品行业的发展至关重要。本文从影响乳品质量安全的因素、应对措施等方面进行了分析。     

Safety programmes in the Egyptian construction industry

This study is aimed at exploring the nature of the safety programmes applied by large-size contractors operating in Egypt. Results revealed that safety programmes applied by those contractors were less formal than the programmes applied by their American counterparts. Only three contractors out of the surveyed sample had accident records broken down by projects, provided workers with formal safety orientation, and trained safety personnel on first-aid. The study recommended that reforms to the scheme of the employers' contribution to social insurance are necessary. This is meant to serve as a strong incentive for safety management.     

Outsourcing and the US Labour Market

There is worldwide concern about the vulnerability of the current labour force to displacement by future imported services. In the USA, some have suggested that as much as one‐third of the workforce might be vulnerable to such outsourcing. However, the labour market impacts of this displacement are difficult to assess using purely analytical or statistical approaches. In this paper, simulation methods are used to understand how sensitive the US economy and labour market are to increases in services imports. Specifically, the scenario examined assumes that the share of imported services in total employment increases from 0.8 per cent to 7.25 per cent over a time horizon in which workers are unable to change occupations. In response, it is found that all industries increase their use of imported services and their use of the composite input that is comprised of imported services and tradable labour. With the exception of legal workers, all workers in tradable occupations experience declines in their real wages. Demand for non‐tradable occupations labour rises in the industries that expand the most, while demand falls in shrinking industries. The non‐tradable occupations that are used intensively in the shrinking industries experience declines in real wages, while the real wages rise for workers in non‐tradable occupations used intensively in the expanding industries.     

乳制品食品质量安全管理——以安全影响因素为例

近年来,乳制品食品质量安全问题屡禁不止,暴露出乳制品行业的质量安全管理存在着缺陷和漏洞,才让一些企业不法分子有机可乘,本文分析了影响乳制品质量安全的几个因素并针对其存在的问题提出了相应的对策措施,以期规范乳制品食品质量安全的管理,从而保障乳制品的质量。     

煤炭企业安全文化建设研究

煤炭企业的安全文化建设,是煤炭企业文化建设的重要内容,也是安全管理的重要组成部份。我国煤炭企业尚存在着安全管理手段落后,相关规章制度不完善等问题。应加大安全责任落实和追加力度,健全安全管理法制保障体制,强化素质教育与安全培训,引进先进管理机制,利用多种方式推动安全文化建设的不断进步。     

电子商务企业配送中心选址评价指标体系及模糊综合评价

电子商务环境下的物流配送中心选址涉及到多方面的因素,是一项复杂的系统工程。在建立选址模型时,很难将选址中的所有影响因素考虑周全,即使把这些因素考虑全面,也很难量化形成模型中的约束条件。所以,在进行电子商务环境下的物流配送中心选址时,应咨询和参考各相关专家的意见和建议,进行定性的选择。因此,提出模糊综合评价法来确定电子商务环境下配送中心选址方法。     

试论我国工伤赔偿法律制度之完善——以建筑行业农民工为考察对象

建筑行业的高风险性与低工伤参保率形成了鲜明对比。造成建筑行业农民工工伤保险率低的主要原因有劳动关系不规范、企业违法成本低、尚未形成有效的惩罚机制,从业人员受教育程度低、法律意识和权利观念淡漠等。现行工伤保险法律制度存在着诸多缺陷,如劳动关系举证困难、工伤索赔程序复杂、成本高、工伤保险待遇支付制度不合理等,使得农民工发生工伤事故后往往会遭遇维权困境。因此,应当在法律上针对农民工这一弱势群体做出特别规定,实行劳动关系举证责任倒置制度,为未参加工伤保险工伤职工简化索赔程序,实行工伤保险基金预支付制度,完善一至四级农民工工伤保险待遇一次性支付制度。     

Restaurant employees and food safety compliance: motivation comes from within

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of restaurant employee internal belief systems on their motivation to comply with food safety guidelines in restaurants. Food safety training programs and those offered by third-party vendors are commonplace in the industry, yet despite the expectations of employees to engage in safe food handling, not all are motivated to do so. To date, research has yet to be conducted on the impact of employees’ individual belief systems and their motivations to comply with safe food-handling practices expected by both their employer and local health agencies. This study posits that individuals either possess an internal values system committed to food safety compliance or they do not; and, that individually oriented beliefs and norms have a significant influence on organizational efforts to implement an effective food safety culture. Practical and academic implications are discussed in detail.     

How Does Driver Turnover Affect Motor Carrier Safety Performance and What Can Managers Do About It?

The trucking industry is the lifeblood of supply chains. Truck driver turnover and motor carrier safety are two salient issues affecting this industry. While turnover by itself presents a challenge due to the cost of replacing drivers, it takes on additional urgency because turnover may affect motor carrier safety. However, driver turnover research has focused predominantly on identifying factors affecting turnover, thus resulting in limited understanding of how turnover affects motor carrier performance, particularly with regard to safety. This reduces our ability to provide guidance to managers who have to address driver turnover. In this article, we extend prior research by drawing from several theoretical lenses to develop and test theory of the turnover–safety relationship. Furthermore, we investigate whether carrier managers can mitigate the effect of turnover on safety by embedding knowledge in carriers’ routines using activity control, a formal management control mechanism. We employ a longitudinal data set composed of primary and secondary data sources to test our hypotheses. We find the turnover–safety relationship is best characterized by a monotonic negative attenuated pattern and that high levels of activity control mitigate the negative effect of driver turnover on motor carrier safety in domains more under drivers’ control.     

劳动力资源比较优势与能源安全的关系研究——基于未来的视角,而非现实的利益

廉价的劳动力资源成为改革开放以来中国经济持续增长的要素禀赋之一,这是学界的共识。经验观察证实,劳动力资源比较优势利用的另一方面,则是在它促进中国制造业和工业化快速发展的同时而产生的有限能源的大量消耗问题,这已经危及中国的能源安全。要兼顾劳动力资源比较优势和能源安全,必须反思地大物博的传统思想,吸取有关国家能源储备和利用的经验,制定能源新战略;在引用外资项目和新建项目时,将现实利益和长远利益结合起来,提高技术门槛,实现产业结构优化和升级,并将劳动力资源转化为人才资本。     

浅谈如何在新形势下做好农民工的医保工作

农民工医保是一项全新的工作,它涉及面广,政策性、专业性强,工作环节多,业务管理繁杂。农民工医疗保障制度的建设是新农村建设的配套工程,它关系到新型农村合作医疗制度的完善,关系到新农村建设的进程,关系到城市的稳定和发展,关系到我国小康社会的进步,解决好农民工的医疗保险工作对于我国和谐社会的建设至关重要。笔者就农民工参保比例较低、用人单位参保行为的影响因素、劳务公司借劳务派遣避责及农民工医保管理工作存在的问题提出了些自己的看法。     

Pattern extraction for high-risk accidents in the construction industry: a data-mining approach

Accidents involving falls and falling objects (group I) are highly frequent accidents in the construction industry. While being hit by a vehicle, electric shock, collapse in the excavation and fire or explosion accidents (group II) are much less frequent, they make up a considerable proportion of severe accidents. In this study, multiple-correspondence analysis, decision tree, ensembles of decision tree and association rules methods are employed to analyse a database of construction accidents throughout Iran between 2007 and 2011. The findings indicate that in group I, there is a significant correspondence among these variables: time of accident, place of accident, body part affected, final consequence of accident and lost workdays. Moreover, the frequency of accidents in the night shift is less than others, and the frequency of injury to the head, back, spine and limbs are more. In group II, the variables time of accident and body part affected are mostly related and the frequency of accidents among married and older workers is more than single and young workers. There was a higher frequency in the evening, night shifts and weekends. The results of this study are totally in line with the previous research.     

思茅市推进普洱茶产业化的政府工程研究

本文认为,思茅市政府长期重视普洱茶产业发展,在政策上给予大力支持,主要体现在推进规模化种植、提升加工能力和整体推进产业化等各方面。文章提出,针对近年来思茅茶产业发展存在的问题,政府应遵循“整合、转型、开放、创新、挖掘”的发展思路,在政策促进方面要有重点地抓好普洱茶产业化十大工程,即政策环境工程、组织建设工程、品牌塑造工程、市场开拓工程、原产地认证与标准化工程、开放促发展工程、科技与人才保障工程、产业链建设工程、产业投融资工程、文化建设工程等。     

Food Safety

Summary

Food safety in the foodservice industry is an issue that is a priority at the federal level. In 1999 the National Food Safety System formed the Coordinating Committee to combat the problem. Since the formation of this group, outreach programs have extended globally to assist other countries with this issue. According to Susan Alpert, national leader on the Food Safety Initiative, many states are experiencing the same food safety challenges. Programs and standards have been established for each state; however, the problems of state implementation of a high quality food safety program is becoming a growing issue. This study investigated the importance of food safety training for food handlers and compares the current training and inspections for those who manage foodservice establishments. Data is presented from one high tourism state serving as an example of the violations to and the training given on food safety. The study presents the food safety training program required, inspection form used, and categories of violations most often experienced. Issues related to combating food safety are presented as well as suggestions for improving food safety training and inspection process.     

Managing occupational health and safety in the mining industry

The mining industry is a high health risk occupation. Companies should implement occupational health and safety management (OHSM) rules and regulations. These companies face a rapidly booming mining sector and need the help of OHSM to achieve business goals. Being aware of the influential factors on the OHSM is needed to reduce work-related fatalities and increase the company's efficiency. Few studies identifying the influential factors on the implementation of OHSM in the mining industry are available. This study provides a general overview of OHSM and investigates the relationship between five factors influencing the implementation of occupational health and safety management among currently operational mining companies. The results show that the correlation of the five domains varies. Using factor loading to examine the most influential factor to the least influential factors, the order is shown as follows: act and regulation, stakeholder pressure, investment, integrated OHSM and organizational culture. In addition, lack of adequate investment from the government was reported by the majority of the OHS specialists. This finding is noteworthy in that there was an OHS specialist agreement that their companies do not spend at least 1% of their production and service cost to implement OHSM requirements.