Airports’ role as logistics centers in humanitarian supply chains: A surge capacity management perspective

The purpose of this study is to investigate the key factors of airport logistics surge capacity and the relationships between these elements. The findings show that successful airport surge capacity management is closely related to prioritizing the flights and operational activities; considering the influx of local people to airports and local infrastructure capacity in the planning phase; developing suitable methods to encourage people to take part in surge operations; providing uninterrupted communication in and out of airport. In view of the above-stated findings this study suggests that airports can meet the surge demand through systematic capacity planning of the existing and additional human, supply, system and space elements by considering experienced or anticipated capacity shortages in disaster conditions.     

Perceived versus actual value of product substitution flexibility: An experimental investigation

Prior literature suggests that in the presence of operational uncertainties such as uncertain demand, firms should deploy operational flexibilities. However, these flexibilities are costly to develop and a correct valuation of these capabilities is necessary to ensure that they are only deployed when the expected benefits exceed the cost. Using a set of behavioral decision-making experiments for inventory of substitutable products, we investigate how decision-makers perform when estimating the value of operational flexibility of product substitution. We found that subjects consistently overestimated the monetary value of product substitution. Furthermore, the overestimation became more acute as demand correlation increased. This behavior is not explained by risk aversion or random errors. Instead, it appears to be driven by fundamental and systematic behavioral biases when estimating the conjunctive probability of substitution. We suggest and validate a decomposition-based approach to mitigate this overestimation.     

健身关节操对男生关节活动度影响的实验研究

本研究以延安大学体育学院09级体育学院男子大学生为受试对象,通过实验的方法,测定健身关节操锻炼的测试者柔韧素质指标及其他身体素质指标的变化,对健身关节操机理及健身效果进行分析论证,希望为全民健身运动提供科学依据。"健身关节操"在中医理论基础上,强调意观骨、气揉动、动位松,对关节进行意、气、动三方面调节,更好的放松关节,增强关节柔韧性,保护关节,并能产生"五能"效益,即养护效能,挖掘潜能,发挥本能,节约耗能,提高免疫功能。     

Machine and labor flexibility in manufacturing networks

Many industrial companies today operate under strict employment legislation and work agreements. Since flexible capacity has been widely recognized as an important hedge against uncertain demand, there exist strong efforts to introduce more flexible workforce models. In this paper, we investigate the benefits of such labor flexibility and its interplay with machine flexibility from a network capacity investment perspective.We consider a firm that has to invest simultaneously in labor and machine capacity under uncertain demand and a given network configuration while anticipating the deployment of labor flexibility after demand has been realized. Instruments of labor flexibility range from temporary employment to personnel transfers between plants. The underlying decision problem is formulated as a two-stage stochastic program with recourse.Based on numerical studies and the analysis of a stylized model, we demonstrate the impact of labor flexibility on the optimal levels of machine and labor capacity. We compare the benefits obtained by personnel transfers with those of temporary workers and find that temporary employment always decreases the number of permanent workers, while personnel transfers may even allow for a larger workforce. Our results further indicate that personnel transfers are more effective in larger manufacturing networks although these benefits are decreasing when most plants in the network are capable of producing more than one product (machine flexibility). Finally, we present evidence for the efficiency of a combined usage of personnel transfers and temporary workers.     

工程承包联营体柔性分析及案例研究

联营体工程承包模式在大型复杂工程项目中多有应用,将管理柔性理论引入到工程承包联营体研究中,根据联营体特点并结合项目管理理论,提出了联营体的柔性定义和柔性特征。在借鉴企业组织柔性量化分析方法基础上,建立了联营体的环境动荡性分析和柔性分析的框架和方法。对承包两个大型国际项目工程承包联营体进行了实证研究和对比分析,得出其环境动荡性和柔性度评价结果。为分析和改善工程联营体的运营和管理提供了新的视角和有效的分析工具。     

论会计准则弹性影响的优化

会计准则弹性影响的优化意味着在既定的会计准则弹性范围内,利益相关者的产权得以有效行使,责任得以充分履行,从而最大限度保证财务报告信息的真实与公允。实现会计准则弹性影响的优化需要从财务报告提供者、注册会计师、公司治理、政府监管、准则弹性解释权、社会监督以及弹性信息披露等方面完善运行机制。     

The Impact of Automation in Service Industries＂ An Empirical Study

Academic research into service industries has explored the characteristics of interpersonal interactions between employees and customers, but there are few studies addressing the issues of consumer interaction with technology and its influence on the objectives and results of the operations subsystem. This study examines the elements of the service encounter, and the changes automation originates in them and their relationships. The paper also examines changes in the elements and results of the operations subsystem, as a result of automation. We propose that the customer＇s relationship with employees and/or technology and automated systems for the service impact the objectives and results of the operations subsystem, all of which could have an effect on the company＇s competitive position. The empirical study is focused on four industries, namely, toll motorways, car parks, carwash and video/DVD rental companies, in an attempt to identify objectives that lead companies to implement automated processes affecting the customer＇s relationship with the company. The hypotheses generated are contrasted with a structural equation modelling. The results confirm that the customer＇s relationship with employees and automated systems for the service impacts the objectives and results of the operations subsystem. Also, the results show how automation can enable firms simultaneously to achieve acceptable levels of flexibility and productivity, two dimensions that have traditionally been considered opposites.     

Franchising: the dilemma between standardisation and flexibility

Both standardisation and flexibility are naturally linked to franchising and the balance between them has become an important research issue. Literature states that cost minimisation, brand image and innovation are the main reasons that push towards standardisation, while flexibility is claimed (for those that advocate for it) in order to achieve a higher adaptation to local markets and enhance franchisees’ entrepreneurial attitudes. This research will focus on the computer retail sector to find out how franchise networks in services settle this dilemma. Here, franchisors have decided to focus on economies of scale and strong common corporate image as key goals and thus allow franchisees to be flexible with any other variables that do not affect their main objectives, mainly by adding a complementary product and services portfolio. Results suggest that those resources and capabilities which sustain a competitive advantage are more susceptible to being standardised in franchising, opening an interesting research line through the Resource-Based View.     

基于灵活性的工程系统投资决策框架研究

不确定性是复杂工程系统的内在属性,复杂工程系统的成本高昂且投资不可逆,大型复杂的工程系统往往是技术、资金高度密集的建设项目,巨大的不确定性、高额的成本投入、以及投资的不可逆性都更加凸显了灵活性对于复杂工程系统的重要性。对工程系统灵活性的两个方面——管理灵活性和内在灵活性进行了深入分析,提出了工程系统灵活性的<系统,管理,时间>3维结构,建立了基于灵活性的工程系统投资决策框架,该框架共包括9个步骤,涵盖了工程系统的不确定性分析、灵活性识别与分析、投资方案权衡、最优投资策略分析等内容,具有系统性和完整性。     

Risk and Asian Exchange Rate Regimes

Abstract

A panel regression gives evidence that more flexibility in Asian exchange rates reduces risk associated with bank borrowing abroad, but deviations from mean exchange rates, and from the renminbi, increase risk. Since the exchange rate regime affects bank behavior and the incentives to hedge, the results broadly support the bank run over the moral hazard view of twin banking and currency crisis. The results suggest that flexibility in exchange rates is required for Asian EMEs, but the flexibility has to be limited, and it depends on more flexibility in the renminbi. This has implications for current global imbalances in reserves and feasible adjustment paths.