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Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

Sharon Hovav and Avi Herbon

Annual influenza epidemics cause great losses in both human and financial terms. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for optimizing a large-scale influenza vaccination…

527

Abstract

Purpose

Annual influenza epidemics cause great losses in both human and financial terms. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for optimizing a large-scale influenza vaccination program (VP). The goal is to minimize the total cost of the vaccination supply chain while guaranteeing a sufficiently high level of population protection. From a practical point of view, the analysis returns the number of shipments and the quantity of vaccines in each periodic shipment that should be delivered from the manufacturers to the distribution center (DC), from the DC to the clinics, and from the clinics to each sub-group of customers during the vaccination season.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-integer programming optimization model is developed to describe the problem for a supply chain consisting of vaccine manufacturers, the healthcare organization (HCO) (comprising the DC and clinics), and the population being vaccinated (customers). The model suggests a VP that implemented by a nation-wide HCO.

Findings

The benefits of the proposed approach are shown to be particularly salient in cases of limited resources, as the model distributes demand backlogs in an efficient manner, prioritizing high-risk sub-groups of the population over lower-risk sub-groups. In particular, the authors show a reduction in direct medical burden of consumers, such as the need for doctors, hospitalization resources, and reduction of indirect, non-medical burden, such as loss of workdays.

Practical implications

Drawing from the extended enterprise paradigm, and, in particular, taking consumer benefits into account, the authors suggest an operational-strategic model that creates impressive added value in a highly constrained supply chain. The model constitutes a powerful decision tool for the deployment of large-scale seasonal products, and its implementation can yield multiple benefits for various consumer segments.

Originality/value

The model proposed herein constitutes a decision support tool comprising operational-tactical and tactical-strategic perspectives, which logistics managers can utilize to create an enterprise-oriented plan that takes into account medical and non-medical costs.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

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Article
Publication date: 8 June 2012

Avi Herbon, Shalom Moalem, Haim Shnaiderman and Joseph Templeman

The purpose of this paper is to develop a user‐oriented decision‐supporting applicable tool for selection of a single supplier out of a group of potential suppliers in a dynamic…

601

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a user‐oriented decision‐supporting applicable tool for selection of a single supplier out of a group of potential suppliers in a dynamic business environment over a finite planning horizon.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative and quantitative description of the impact of a change in one or several business environment parameters on current and future supplier choice; the methodology is accompanied by a visual representation of those impacts for the decision maker. The paper presents extended simulation experiments to test the proposed methodology.

Findings

A strategy of replacing suppliers over a definite planning horizon based on a forecast of the business environment is significantly (2‐9 per cent) more efficient than a strategy of relying on a single leading supplier throughout the planning horizon. This efficiency gain is greater the more the business environment is dynamic.

Practical implications

The proposed methodology is applicable to a broad range of service and manufacturing organizations that operate in dynamic business environments and rely on complex purchasing systems. Thanks to its simplicity, it can be applied to very large systems with a broad range of selection and/or environmental parameters.

Originality/value

Although the supplier selection process has been extensively studied, the literature still lacks appropriate reference to the effects of a dynamic business environment on this process.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 42 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 7 April 2015

Haozhe Chen

1667

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 45 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

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