Ali Azadeh, Mahdokht Kalantari, Ghazaleh Ahmadi and Hossein Eslami
Construction materials comprise a major part of the total construction cost. Given the importance of bitumen as a fundamental material in construction projects, it is imperative…
Abstract
Purpose
Construction materials comprise a major part of the total construction cost. Given the importance of bitumen as a fundamental material in construction projects, it is imperative to have an accurate forecast of its consumption in the planning and material sourcing phases on the project. This study aims to introduce a flexible genetic algorithm-fuzzy regression approach for forecasting the future bitumen consumption.
Design/methodology/approach
In the proposed approach, the parameter tuning process is performed on all parameters of genetic algorithm (GA), and the finest coefficients with minimum errors are identified. Moreover, the fuzzy regression (FR) model is used for estimation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used for selecting among GA, FR or conventional regression (CR). To show the applicability of the proposed approach, Iran’s bitumen consumption data in the period of 1991-2006 are used as a case study.
Findings
Production, import, export, road construction and price are considered as the input data used in the present study. It was concluded that, among all the forecasting methods used in this study, GA was the best method for estimating.
Practical implications
The proposed approach outperforms the conventional forecasting methods for the case of bitumen which is a fundamental economic ingredient in road construction projects. This approach is flexible, in terms of amount and uncertainty of the input data, and can be easily adapted for forecasting other materials and in different construction projects. It can have important implications for the managers and policy makers in the construction market where accurate estimation of the raw material demand is crucial.
Originality/value
This is the first in this field introducing a flexible GA-FR approach for improving bitumen consumption estimation in the construction literature. The proposed approach’s significance has two folds. Firstly, it is completely flexible. Secondly, it uses CRs as an alternative approach for estimation because of its dynamic structure.
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Soumendra Narain Bagchi and Rajeev Sharma
This study aims to examine the application of Wardley mapping on developing and implementing an information technology (IT) strategy in a small-scale business. This case study…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the application of Wardley mapping on developing and implementing an information technology (IT) strategy in a small-scale business. This case study illustrates the potency of multitier analysis using Wardley mapping technique to explore capability gaps and areas to focus on before undertaking IT projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a single case of enterprise resource planning implementation and subsequent abandonment in a small-scale manufacturing company.
Findings
This study demonstrates that multitier analysis using Wardley mapping enables a comprehensive examination of organizational capabilities, including a granular analysis of issues that must be managed for successful implementation of an IT project.
Research limitations/implications
While the findings of a single case study offer limited generalizability, this study sets out the approach that can be extended in more complex settings.
Practical implications
The approach to understanding the organizational capabilities required to execute IT projects, or any change management project, offers significant benefits to managers and leaders.
Originality/value
The authors make two distinct contributions: The Wardley mapping technique has emerged as a new tool for understanding business models, particularly in government projects notable in the UK. This study extends its application to the small-scale manufacturing sector. The second contribution is elaborating on multitier analysis, which allows a granular analysis of issues that can impair the IT project implementation, including an assessment of the organizational capabilities required to deliver a successful project.
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Nor Aida Abdul Rahman, Aidi Ahmi, Luai Jraisat and Arvind Upadhyay
This research aims to shed light on the trend of humanitarian supply chain (HSC) studies in the era of pre, during and post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to shed light on the trend of humanitarian supply chain (HSC) studies in the era of pre, during and post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreaks. This study provides comprehensive bibliometric mapping published in the 21 top vintage sources globally providing detailed metadata on HSC articles. The manuscript objectives are threefold: to explore the documents that are published in the field of humanitarian logistics and supply chain; second, to identify details of articles in humanitarian logistics and supply chain and thirdly, to explore research the critical area published in the HSC in pre, during and post era of pandemic COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopts bibliometric analysis of HSC studies using the Biblioshiny, a shiny app for the Bibliometrix R package. The tool employed in this study decodes the data extracted from the Scopus database to various visualized forms. The review of the HSC studies in this research covers all related publications from 2006 to early 2022. The record of the article was scanned and refined accordingly.
Findings
A multi perspectives of HSC studies were explored, discussed and identified. The bibliometric analysis findings offer significant information on the current and future trend publications in the area of humanitarian logistics and supply chain. Additionally, it also provides significant information on the highly cited documents in humanitarian logistics and supply chain studies, most productive contributors, keywords analysis findings, most productive countries and sources, network analysis data on co-occurrence network and themes mapping information in the field of humanitarian logistics supply chain before and after pandemic COVID-19.
Research limitations/implications
A multi-perspective of HSC studies was explored only within the online Scopus database. It excludes other articles published in other databases. Future research could explore related articles published in other recognized databases.
Practical implications
Practitioners can use multi perspectives findings from pre, during and post-pandemic COVID-19 issues discussed in this paper to get new insight and perception of the issue to facilitate their current and future operation and strategy.
Originality/value
To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first bibliometric study to analyze the trend of HSC studies using Biblioshiny focusing on pre, during and post COVID-19 pandemic. The review highlights annual publication trends, most productive authors, most cited papers, most productive countries, most productive institutions and most productive sources, which leads to a number of future research agendas for future studies.
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Ebrahim Ahmadi, Mohammad Mosaferi, Leila Nikniaz, Jafar Sadegh Tabrizi, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Gholamhoseyn Safari and Mina Bargar
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality of the frying oil used in restaurants, fast food establishments, and confectionary stores. The compliance of used frying…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality of the frying oil used in restaurants, fast food establishments, and confectionary stores. The compliance of used frying oils with the quality standards as determined by the peroxide value (PV) and the total polar materials (TPMs) is investigated by analyzing 375 samples of oil.
Design/methodology/approach
The PV was measured according to the national standard procedure number 4179, while the TPM was determined using a Testo 270 cooking oil tester. Frying oils with a PV>5 mEq/kg and a TPM>25 percent were considered to be non-edible. For a comparison of groups, the Mann-Whitney and Spearman correlation tests were used, and p<0.05 was considered significant.
Findings
The maximum TPM and PV recorded for frying oils in fast food restaurants were 97.5 percent and 77.9 mEq/kg, respectively. The results also revealed that 60 percent of samples were non-edible according to the TPM, while 58.9 percent of the oil samples were non-edible because of the PV. TPM and PV correlated well with each other (r=0.99, p<0.001) and with oil replacement intervals (r=0.90, p<0.001). The relationship between the TPM and PV was stronger in the polynomial model than the linear model. The following equation was obtained: peroxide (mEq/kg oil)=0.0043 TPM2 (%)+0.1587 TPM (%)–0.6152.
Originality/value
Considering the current limitations in official supervision by health authority, on-site self-monitoring of the TPM using the Testo 270 cooking oil tester by sellers as a solution seems a new approach. Food stores, restaurants, and confectionary stores should be equipped with TPM analyzers to determine the quality of the frying oil and the timely replacement of non-edible oils.
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Armin Mahmoodi and Leila Hashemi
This paper presents a novel multi-objective optimization model aimed at enhancing the success rate of resource planning (RP) implementation. The model optimization is developed…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a novel multi-objective optimization model aimed at enhancing the success rate of resource planning (RP) implementation. The model optimization is developed based on the organizational structure types, fit-gap contingency analysis reports, uncertainty optimization problems on implementation schedule time and relative time and budget constraints.
Design/methodology/approach
Two pivotal strategies are employed: RP tools redesign through customization and organizational redesign. The synergistic integration of these strategies is essential, recognizing that RP tools implementation success hinges not only on technical aspects but also on aligning the system with organizational structure, culture and practices. In the analysis phase, a committee of experts identifies the initial gaps, which are evaluated through three conflicting objective functions: cost, time and penalty and running by the e-constraint method. In case of uncertainty nature time of RP tools implementation, the Activity-on-Arrow (A-O-A) method has been utilized.
Findings
The e-constraint method is utilized to derive the Pareto-optimal front, representing solutions effectively addressing identified gaps. A compromised solution is then proposed using the LP-metric method to strike a balance between conflicting objectives, ultimately improving RP tool implementation by reducing misfits.
Originality/value
To demonstrate and validate the model, a controlled case study is initially presented, illustrating its effectiveness. Subsequently, a real industry case study is provided, further validating the model’s applicability and practical relevance. This comprehensive approach offers valuable insights to optimize RP tool implementation outcomes, a critical concern for organizations undergoing technological transitions.
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This study will examine the impact of cash dividends on the market value of banks listed in Middle East and North African (MENA) emerging countries during the period 2000–2015.
Abstract
Purpose
This study will examine the impact of cash dividends on the market value of banks listed in Middle East and North African (MENA) emerging countries during the period 2000–2015.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study adopts residual income approach based on Ohlson's (1995) valuation model. By testing different statistical techniques, fixed effect is applied on panel data for (144) banks listed on 11 MENA stock markets over the period 2000–2015. Furthermore, additional tests are applied to confirm the primary results.
Findings
The analysis reveals that current dividend payouts and dividend yield do not provide information relevant to the establishment of market values in MENA emerging markets; thus, they have no material impact on MENA banks' market values. This lack of current dividend payment effect is consistent with Miller and Modigliani (1961) dividend irrelevance assumption: there is no evidence of either an informational or real cash inflow effect of current dividend payments. The findings of this study can be attributed to the fact that MENA banks may be forced to place more emphasis on allocating money for investment instead of paying dividends given them they are subject to liquidity requirements for investment, expansion, general operations and compliance with regulations. Only after all these financial needs are covered can the remaining surplus be distributed as cash dividends. Therefore, cash dividends represent earnings residual rather than an active decision variable that impacts a firm's market value. This is consistent with the residual dividend hypothesis, which is the crux of Miller and Modigliani (1996) irrelevance theory of dividends.
Research limitations/implications
The current study is restricted to a sample of one type of financial firms, banks, because of the problem of missing data and limited information related to other financial firms for the same period. Therefore, further research could be additional types of financial firms such as insurance firms that play a vital role in MENA emerging economies.
Practical implications
The results of this study have some important implications for banks' dividend policymakers. Dividend policymakers in MENA emerging markets seem to follow residual dividend policy, in which they distribute dividends according to what is left over after all acceptable investment opportunities have been undertaken. This makes for inconsistent and unstable dividend policy trends, making it difficult for investors to predict future dividend decisions. Further, this practice may deliver information to shareholders about a lack of positive future investment opportunities, and this may negatively affect the share value of banks.
Originality/value
This study is the first of its kind – up to the author's knowledge – that examines a large cross-country sample of MENA banks (144) to cover a long time period in the recent past, and, more importantly, after the banking sector in the region has experienced major transformations during last two decades. In addition, most of the MENA region countries included in this study, namely, banks, operate in tax-free environments (there are neither taxes on dividends nor on capital gains). This feature adds complexity to the ongoing dividend debate.