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Article
Publication date: 6 December 2018

Abdullah Konak, Sadan Kulturel-Konak and Gordon W. Cheung

Challenges of teamwork in online classes may adversely affect students’ future attitudes toward teamwork. Further, there is a concern about whether online programs foster…

4193

Abstract

Purpose

Challenges of teamwork in online classes may adversely affect students’ future attitudes toward teamwork. Further, there is a concern about whether online programs foster students’ teamwork skills. To answer these questions, the purpose of this paper is to compare online and face-to-face students’ attitudes toward teamwork, interest in learning teamwork skills and teamwork self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a conceptual model explaining how students’ background, engagement in learning teamwork, teamwork self-efficacy and interest in learning teamwork affect attitudes toward teamwork and rigorously tested the model for a meaningful comparison between online and face-to-face students. Attitudes toward teamwork, teamwork interest and teamwork self-efficacy of 582 online and face-to-face students who attend the same academic program were compared.

Findings

The results suggest that online students have less positive attitudes towards teamwork compared to face-to-face students although online students have a higher level of teamwork self-efficacy. Therefore, online students’ relative less positive attitudes toward teamwork cannot be explained by the lack of engagement, teamwork skills or interest.

Research limitations/implications

The homogeneity of the sample population is one of the limitations of the paper although it provides the opportunity for a comparative study of online and face-to-face students by controlling the majors.

Practical implications

Instructors should evaluate the appropriateness of team assignments while incorporating teamwork in online classes.

Originality/value

Concerns about online teamwork are discussed but have not been rigorously investigated in the literature. The authors conducted a comprehensive study involving 582 undergraduate students. The findings of this paper suggest that new approaches are needed to incorporate teamwork in online classes. The results also show that importance of building teamwork self-efficacy.

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 1979

A.R. Konak

Introduction Generally speaking the treatment of once‐through cooling system can be very costly simply because it requires large amounts of chemicals which are used only once…

26

Abstract

Introduction Generally speaking the treatment of once‐through cooling system can be very costly simply because it requires large amounts of chemicals which are used only once. Also, from the corrosion point of view there is not much incentive for treatment since the water does not concentrate in solids, unlike recirculating cooling water systems. There are cases, however, where the incentive exists for treatment of water against both corrosion and scale formation. If serious, the latter alone can justify the cost which arises from plant shutdowns. In this article we will discuss one such case in an industry with which the author was personally involved.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 26 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

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Article
Publication date: 11 August 2021

Irappa Basappa Hunagund, V. Madhusudanan Pillai and Kempaiah U.N.

The purpose of this paper is to review, evaluate and classify the academic research that has been published in facility layout problems (FLPs) and to analyse how researches and…

435

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review, evaluate and classify the academic research that has been published in facility layout problems (FLPs) and to analyse how researches and practices on FLPs are.

Design/methodology/approach

The review is based on 166 papers published from 1953 to 2021 in international peer-reviewed journals. The literature review on FLPs is presented under broader headings of discrete space and continuous space FLPs. The important formulations of FLPs under static and dynamic environments represented in the discrete and continuous space are presented. The articles reported in the literature on various representations of facilities for the continuous space Unequal Area Facility Layout Problems (UA-FLPs) are summarized. Discussed and commented on adaptive and robust approaches for dynamic environment FLPs. Highlighted the application of meta-heuristic solution methods for FLPs of a larger size.

Findings

It is found that most of the earlier research adopted the discrete space for the formulation of FLPs. This type of space representation for FLPs mostly assumes an equal area for all facilities. UA-FLPs represented in discrete space yield irregular shape facilities. It is also observed that the recent works consider the UA-FLPs in continuous space. The solution of continuous space UA-FLPs is more accurate and realistic. Some of the recent works on UA-FLPs consider the flexible bay structure (FBS) due to its advantages over the other representations. FBS helps the proper design of aisle structure in the detailed layout plan. Further, the recent articles reported in the literature consider the dynamic environment for both equal and unequal area FLPs to cope with the changing market environment. It is also found that FLPs are Non-deterministic Polynomial-complete problems, and hence, they set the challenges to researchers to develop efficient meta-heuristic methods to solve the bigger size FLPs in a reasonable time.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the extremely large number of papers on FLPs, a few papers may have inadvertently been missed. The facility layout design research domain is extremely vast which covers other areas such as cellular layouts, pick and drop points and aisle structure design. This research review on FLPs did not consider the papers published on cellular layouts, pick and drop points and aisle structure design. Despite the possibility of not being all-inclusive, the authors firmly believe that most of the papers published on FLPs are covered and the general picture presented on various approaches and parameters of FLPs in this paper are precise and trustworthy.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper reviews and classifies the literature on FLPs for the first time under the broader headings of discrete space and continuous space representations. Many important formulations of FLPs under static and dynamic environments represented in the discrete and continuous space are presented. This paper also provides the observations from the literature review and identifies the prospective future directions.

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2020

Irappa Basappa Hunagund, V. Madhusudanan Pillai and Ujjani Nagegowda Kempaiah

The purpose of this paper is to develop a mathematical model for the design of robust layout for unequal area-dynamic facility layout problem with flexible bay structure (UA-DFLP…

284

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a mathematical model for the design of robust layout for unequal area-dynamic facility layout problem with flexible bay structure (UA-DFLP with FBS) and test the suitability of generated robust layout in a dynamic environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts formulation of a mathematical model for generating a single layout for unequal area facility layout problems with flexible bay structure under dynamic environment. The formulated model for the robust layout formation is solved by developing a simulated annealing algorithm. The proposed robust approach model for UA-DFLP with FBS is validated by conducting numerical experiments on standard UA-DFLPs reported in the literature. The suitability of the generated robust layout in a dynamic environment is tested with total penalty cost criteria.

Findings

The proposed model has given a better solution for some UA-DFLPs with FBS in comparison with the adaptive approach’s solution reported in the literature. The total penalty cost is within the specified limit given in the literature, for most of the layouts generated for UA-DFLPs with FBS. In the proposed model, there is no rearrangement of facilities in various periods of planning horizon and thus no disruptions in operations.

Research limitations/implications

The present work has limitations that when the area and aspect ratio of the facilities are required to change from one period to another, then it is not possible to make application of the robust approach-based formulation to the dynamic environment facility layout problems.

Practical implications

Rearrangement of facilities in adaptive approach disrupts the operations whereas in the proposed approach no disruption of production. The FBS approach is more suitable for layout planning where proper aisle structure is required. The solution of the proposed approach helps to create a proper aisle structure in the detailed layout plan. Thus, easy interaction of the material handling equipment, men and materials is possible.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a mathematical formulation for the design of robust layout for UA-FLPs with FBS in a dynamic environment and an efficient simulated annealing algorithm as its solution procedure. The proposed robust approach generates a single layout for the entire planning horizon. This approach is more useful for facilities which are difficult/sensitive to relocate in various periods of the planning horizon.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management , vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

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Article
Publication date: 18 March 2021

Onur Özsoy and Hasan Şahin

The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the main factors that affect the house prices in Izmir, Turkey using the quantile regression and ordinary least square…

850

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the main factors that affect the house prices in Izmir, Turkey using the quantile regression and ordinary least square approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

Sample data about the housing market for Izmir collected from the web pages of various real estate agencies during June 2018. Following this, the quantile regression method is used to estimate all possible effects of variables on each interested quantile to determine the factors that affect house prices to guide the potential consumers, house developers, city planners and the policymakers in Izmir, Turkey.

Findings

Results show that the age of the house, central heating and parking have no significant effect on prices. The size of the house, the existence of an elevator, fire and security have a positive and significant effect on prices. The number of rooms has lower values for high-priced houses, while the floor, the number of balconies, air conditioning, proximity to schools have a higher value for high-priced houses. The number of toilets, the number of bathrooms and the distance to the hospital have a lower value on the high-priced housing. The value of the distance from the city center and the shopping center is almost uniform in all quantiles and lowers the value of the higher-priced houses. With the exception of the value of the houses in the 10th percentile in Balcova district, the value of the houses in Konak, Balcova and Narlidere is lower prices in Karsiyaka.

Originality/value

This is the first comprehensive research to determine the major factors that affect house prices in Izmir. The second contribution of this paper is that it includes all possible variables and accordingly derives adequate policy implications, which could be used both by the public housing authority and private housing constructing companies in designing and implementing effective housing policies.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

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Article
Publication date: 4 April 2022

Irappa Basappa Hunagund, Madhusudanan Pillai and Kempaiah U.N.

The purpose of this article is to develop a bi-directional relaxed flexible bay structure (BRFBS) in the layout for the unequal area facility layout problems (UA-FLPs) and test…

191

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to develop a bi-directional relaxed flexible bay structure (BRFBS) in the layout for the unequal area facility layout problems (UA-FLPs) and test the suitability of the proposed approach using literature data.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts a two-stage solution approach for UA-FLPs to form BRFBS in the layout. The solution to UA-FLPs is carried out in discrete space. The proposed heuristic method optimises the layout plan for minimising the material handling cost (MHC), and also, it indirectly optimises the space utilisation by reducing the empty space in the layout. The first stage of layout design assumes that all facilities are equal in size and uses quadratic assignment problem (QAP) model. QAP is solved with a simulated annealing heuristic method. In the second stage, a heuristic method is proposed to find the optimum width for each bay and the dimension for facilities. The proposed heuristic method is tested with numerical data available in the literature. Results are compared with the results obtained by layout planning software, and with the simulated annealing algorithm for flexible bay structure (SA-FBS) heuristic procedure for continuous space UA-FLPs.

Findings

The proposed two-stage solution approach gives the BRFBS for the UA-FLPs. BRFBS helps to create proper aisle structure in the layout plan. The layout configuration and solution of the proposed method is better than the layout planning software solution and SA-FBS solution. The application of the proposed heuristic method to case data gave lesser MHC, better space utilisation and better aisle formation than the existing layout.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed approach has the limitation that it can be applied only to UA-FLPs solved in discrete space. When the UA-FLPs are solved in continuous space, then it is not possible to make application of this approach to form bi-directional relaxed flexible bays in the layout plan.

Practical implications

Most of the modern industries are automated, and they use material handling equipment (MHE) like automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Design of layout plans that help to create proper aisle structure for AGV’s in the layout plan is a challenging to the researchers. The BRFBS configuration is more suitable in the flexible manufacturing system where AGVs are used for material transportation.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a novel two-stage heuristic method for solving the UA-FLPs in discrete space. The proposed approach generates a BRFBS in the layout plan. The BRFBS helps to create a proper aisle structure suitable for better material handling operations. Hence, this type of layout helps in easy interaction of the MHE (e.g. AGVs) with the boundaries of the facilities touching the aisle.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management , vol. 21 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

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Article
Publication date: 5 October 2012

Stephen Twum, Elaine Aspinwall and Jörg Fliege

Reliability is a major quality characteristic which has grown in importance as products/systems have become ever more sophisticated. Neglecting it could spell great losses in…

480

Abstract

Purpose

Reliability is a major quality characteristic which has grown in importance as products/systems have become ever more sophisticated. Neglecting it could spell great losses in terms of patronage, revenue, and even lives. The purpose of this paper is to present a multi‐criteria optimisation model and methodology for the Pareto optimal assignment of reliability to the components of a series‐parallel system in order to maximise its reliability.

Design/methodology/approach

The subsystems' reliabilities are maximised independently but simultaneously in order to maximise the overall system reliability, while a penalty function modelling cost of reliability improvement is minimised. The resultant continuous and nonlinear optimisation problem is scalarised by a convex combination of the criteria and the MATLAB Optimisation Toolbox is used to generate the solutions.

Findings

The results for an illustrative example problem extracted from the literature show that: higher reliabilities could be assigned to the components, in order to achieve or exceed target system reliability; cost increased sharply with slight improvements in the component reliabilities, and the model was stable under the weighting scheme used.

Originality/value

The novelty of this work is in: the multi‐criteria optimisation view taken of the design problem; the focus on the subsystems' reliabilities and cost as the criteria to be optimised; the use of the two aforementioned qualities for the purpose of Pareto assignment of component reliabilities in a system's design; and the use of the model and methodology in the context of series‐parallel systems.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 29 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

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Book part
Publication date: 28 February 2019

Naomi F. Campbell, Melissa S. Reeves, Marilyn Tourné and M. Francis Bridges

Process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) is a student-centered instructional strategy to actively engage students in the classroom in promoting content mastery, critical…

Abstract

Process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) is a student-centered instructional strategy to actively engage students in the classroom in promoting content mastery, critical thinking, and process skills. The students organize into groups of three to four, and each group member works collaboratively to construct their understanding as they proceed through the embedded learning cycle in the POGIL activity. Each group member has a specific role and actively engages in the learning process. The roles rotate periodically, and each student has the opportunity to develop essential process skills, such as leadership skills, oral and written communication skills, team-building skills, and information-processing skills. The student groups are self-managed, and the instructor serves as a facilitator of student learning. A POGIL activity typically contains a model that the students deconstruct using a series of guided, exploratory questions. The students develop concepts (concept invention) as the group members reach a valid, consensus conclusion. The students apply their concepts to new problems completing the learning cycle. The authors implemented POGIL instruction in several chemistry courses at Jackson State University and Tuskegee University. They share their initial findings, experiences, and insights gained using a new instructional strategy.

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Article
Publication date: 28 April 2020

Hong Zhang and Lu Yu

Prefabricated construction concerns off-site production, multi-mode transportation and on-site installation of the prefabricated components, which are interdependent and…

1242

Abstract

Purpose

Prefabricated construction concerns off-site production, multi-mode transportation and on-site installation of the prefabricated components, which are interdependent and dynamically interactive, so coordination among the multiple stages along the prefabricated component supply chain (PCSC) is indispensable. This study aims to solve the dynamic transportation planning problem for the PCSC by addressing the interdependency, dynamic interaction and coordination among the multiple stages and different objectives of the stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

The PCSC is analyzed and then the formulation for the dynamic transportation planning problem is developed based on the just-in-time (JIT) strategy. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to solve the dynamic optimization problem.

Findings

The proposed dynamic transportation planning method for the PCSC regarding component supplier selection, transportation planning for means, routes and schedule, site layout planning and transportation plan adjustment is able to facilitate coordination among the multiple stages by addressing their interdependencies and dynamic interactions, as well as different economic objectives of the stakeholders such as suppliers or the contractor.

Originality/value

The study helps to achieve the advantages of prefabricated construction by prompting coordination among multiple stages of the PCSC by realizing different benefits of the stakeholders. In addition, it provides the stakeholders with the competitive bidding prices and the evaluation data for the bids quote. Meanwhile, it contributes to the domain knowledge of the PCSC management with regard to the viewpoint of coordination and integration of multiple stages rather than only one stage as well as the dynamic optimization model based on the JIT strategy and the PSO algorithm.

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Article
Publication date: 2 May 2019

Nabil Nahas, Mohamed N. Darghouth, Abdul Qadar Kara and Mustapha Nourelfath

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an efficient algorithm based on a non-linear accepting threshold to solve the redundancy allocation problem (RAP) considering multiple…

101

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an efficient algorithm based on a non-linear accepting threshold to solve the redundancy allocation problem (RAP) considering multiple redundancy strategies. In addition to the components reliability, multiple redundancy strategies are simultaneously considered to vary the reliability of the system. The goal is to determine the optimal selection of elements, redundancy levels and redundancy strategy, which maximizes the system reliability under various system-level constraints.

Design/methodology/approach

The mixed RAP considering the use of active and standby components at the subsystem level belongs to the class of NP-hard problems involving selection of elements and redundancy levels, to maximize a specific system performance under a given set of physical and budget constraints. Generally, the authors recourse to meta-heuristic algorithms to solve this type of optimization problem in a reasonable computational time, especially for large-size problems. A non-linear threshold accepting algorithm (NTAA) is developed to solve the tackled optimization problem. Numerical results for test problems from previous research are reported and analyzed to assess the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

Findings

The comparison with the best solutions obtained in previous studies, namely: genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, memetic algorithm and the particle swarm optimization for 33 different instances of the problem, demonstrated the superiority of the proposed algorithm in finding for all considered instances, a high-quality solution in a minimum computational time.

Research limitations/implications

Considering multiple redundancy strategies helps to achieve higher reliability levels but increases the complexity of the obtained solution leading to infeasible systems in term of physical design. Technological constraints must be integrated into the model to provide a more comprehensive and realistic approach.

Practical implications

Designing high performant systems which meet customer requirements, under different economic and functional constraints is the main challenge faced by the manufacturers. The proposed algorithm aims to provide a superior solution of the reliability optimization problem by considering the possibility to adopt multiple redundancy strategies at the subsystem level in a minimum computational time.

Originality/value

A NTAA is expanded to the RAP considering multiple redundancy strategies at the subsystem level subject to weight and cost constraints. A procedure based on a penalized objective function is developed to encourage the algorithm to explore toward the feasible solutions area. By outperforming well-known solving technique, the NTAA provides a powerful tool to reliability designers of complex systems where different varieties of redundancies can be considered to achieve high-reliability systems.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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