Search results

This study is based at a police force’s communications centre which undertakes a vital role in receiving and processing emergency and non-emergency telephone calls from the public and other agencies. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a method for addressing the conflict between the need to reduce cost and the requirement to meet national standards in terms of a timely response to customer calls.

In a two-stage methodology an activity-based costing (ABC) approach is used as a framework to show how costs are generated by the three “drivers” of cost which relate to the design efficiency of the process, the demand on the process and the cost of resources used to undertake the process. The study then provides an analysis from a resource driver perspective using discrete-event simulation to model workforce staffing scenarios.

Cost savings within the police communications centre are identified from an analysis of the three drivers of cost. Further analysis from a resource driver viewpoint using a simulation study of an alternative workforce schedule predicted an overall reduction in staffing cost of 9.4 per cent.

The study outlines an innovative method that identifies where cost can be reduced using ABC and then provides an assessment of strategies that aim to reduce cost whilst maintaining service levels in a police operation using simulation.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of a hybrid enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, combining an ERP system with enterprise social software (ESS). The study will provide a critical assessment of the implementation of this process technology.

Multiple case studies of organisations based in China were conducted to understand the use of ERP systems in different contexts. Following an evaluation of the context of each ERP implementation (within-case analysis) the research draws a cross-case conclusion that defines the nature of a hybrid ERP system and then synthesises the propositions related to the benefits and challenges of implementation.

The authors find that a hybrid ERP system is able to support efficiency in business process management and also provide a flexible response to changes in business requirements. It does this by allowing for the continued use of informal processes that cannot be incorporated into the ERP system.

This research indicates how ERP systems in conjunction with ESS can provide a flexible response to changing business requirements and increase collaboration within the organisation. Key lessons include the need to perform informal activities under the guidance of managers and provide clear boundaries for the implementation of informal activities.

This study has found that the use of case studies can provide a valuable insight into the use of a hybrid ERP system from the perspective of its use within the organisation as a work system that requires an assessment of the context within which organisational members perform their work.

Suggests that simulation of the workflow component of a computer supported co‐operative work (CSCW) system has the potential to reduce the costs of system implementation, while at the same time improving the quality of the delivered system. Demonstrates the value of being able to assess the frequency and volume of workflow transactions using a case study of CSCW software developed for estate agency co‐workers in which a model was produced based on a discrete‐event simulation approach with implementation on a spreadsheet platform.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a contribution to the area of behavioural operations management (OM) by identifying key challenges in the use of discrete-event simulation (DES) to model people’s behaviour in OM.

A systematic literature review method is undertaken in order to assess the nature and scale of all publications relevant to the topic of modelling people’s behaviour with DES in OM within the period 2005-2017.

The publications identified by the literature review reveal key challenges to be addressed when aiming to increase the use of DES to model people’s behaviour. The review also finds a variety of strategies in use to model people’s behaviour using DES in OM applications.

A systematic literature review method is undertaken in order to include all publications relevant to the topic of modelling people’s behaviour with DES in the OM domain but some articles may not have been captured.

The literature review provides a resource in terms of identifying exemplars of the variety of methods used to model people’s behaviour using DES in OM. The study indicates key challenges for increasing the use of DES in this area and builds on current DES development methodologies by presenting a methodology for modelling people’s behaviour in OM.

Presents a simulation study of the costing of police custody operations at a UK police force. The custody operation incorporates the arrest, booking‐in, interview, detention and court appearance activities. The Activity Based Costing (ABC) approach is used as a framework to show how costs are generated by the three “drivers” of cost, activity and resource. These relate to the design efficiency of the process, the timing and mix of demand on the process and the cost of resources used to undertake the process respectively. The use of discrete‐event simulation allows the incorporation of dynamic (time‐dependent) and stochastic (variability) elements in the cost analysis. This enables both the amount and timing of the use of capacity and the generation of cost to be established. The concept of committed and flexible resources directs management decisions to the redeployment of unused capacity or alternatively the identification of additional capacity requirements.

This paper describes a project aimed at assessing the experience of a virtual learning environment (VLE) among students studying courses in operations management. The project was supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) under its Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF). The main aim of the project was through the use of a questionnaire to establish the student experience of using a VLE through an examination of the learning and technical features which they encountered. The study also examines the approaches to learning adopted by the students, through the inclusion of a shortened version of the approaches and study skills inventory for students (ASSIST) which the students were asked to complete.

This paper presents a case study of the use of business‐process simulation within the context of a business‐process‐reengineering approach to change. The process‐based change methodology provides context to the simulation technique in that it connects the aims of a business‐process simulation (BPS) study to the strategic aims of the organisation and incorporates a consideration of human factors in order to achieve successful implementation of redesigned processes. Conversely, the ability of BPS to incorporate system variability, scenario analysis and a visual display to communicate process performance makes it a useful technique to provide a realistic assessment of the need for, and results of, change.

To investigate the role of simulation in the introduction of technology in a continuous operations process.

A case‐based research method was chosen with the aim to provide an exemplar of practice and test the proposition that the use of simulation can improve the implementation and running of conveyor systems in continuous process facilities.

The research determines the optimum rate of re‐introduction of inventory to a conveyor system generated during a breakdown event.

More case studies are required demonstrating the operational and strategic benefits that can be gained by using simulation to assess technology in organisations.

A practical outcome of the study was the implementation of a policy for the manual re‐introduction of inventory on a conveyor line after a breakdown event had occurred.

The paper presents a novel example of the use of simulation to estimate the re‐introduction rate of inventory after a breakdown event on a conveyor line. The paper highlights how by addressing this operational issue, ahead of implementation, the likelihood of the success of the strategic decision to acquire the technology can be improved.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the “last mile” delivery link between a hub and spoke distribution system and its customers. The proportion of retail, as opposed to non‐retail (trade) customers using this type of distribution system has been growing in the UK. The paper shows the applicability of simulation to demonstrate changes in overall delivery policy to these customers.

A case‐based research method was chosen with the aim to provide an exemplar of practice and test the proposition that simulation can be used as a tool to investigate changes in delivery policy.

The results indicate the potential improvement in delivery performance, specifically in meeting timed delivery performance, that could be made by having separate retail and non‐retail delivery runs from the spoke terminal to the customer.

The simulation study does not attempt to generate a vehicle routing schedule but demonstrates the effects of a change on delivery performance when comparing delivery policies.

Scheduling and spreadsheet software are widely used and provide useful assistance in the design of delivery runs and the allocation of staff to those delivery runs. This paper demonstrates to managers the usefulness of investigating the efficacy of current design rules and presents simulation as a suitable tool for this analysis.

A simulation model is used in a novel application to test a change in delivery policy in response to a changing delivery profile of increased retail deliveries.

Business process simulation (BPS) is used to evaluate the effect of the redesign of a police road traffic accident (RTA) reporting system. The new system aims to provide timely statistical analysis of traffic behaviour to government bodies and to enable more effective utilisation of traffic police personnel. The simulation method is demonstrated in the context of assisting process change enabled by the use of information systems in an organisation in which there had been a historically mixed pattern of success in this activity.