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Article
Publication date: 14 November 2018

Evangelia Baou, Vasilis P. Koutras, Vasileios Zeimpekis and Ioannis Minis

The purpose of this paper is to formulate and solve a new emergency evacuation planning problem. This problem addresses the needs of both able and disabled persons who are…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to formulate and solve a new emergency evacuation planning problem. This problem addresses the needs of both able and disabled persons who are evacuated from multiple pick-up locations and transported using a heterogeneous fleet of vehicles.

Design/methodology/approach

The problem is formulated using a mixed integer linear programming model and solved using a heuristic algorithm. The authors analyze the selected heuristic with respect to key parameters and use it to address theoretical and practical case studies.

Findings

Evacuating people with disabilities has a significant impact on total evacuation time, due to increased loading/unloading times. Additionally, increasing the number of large capacity vehicles adapted to transport individuals with disabilities benefits total evacuation time.

Research limitations/implications

The mathematical model is of high complexity and it is not possible to obtain exact solutions in reasonable computational times. The efficiency of the heuristic has not been analyzed with respect to optimality.

Practical implications

Solving the problem by a heuristic provides a fast solution, a requirement in emergency evacuation cases, especially when the state of the theater of the emergency changes dynamically. The parametric analysis of the heuristic provides valuable insights in improving an emergency evacuation system.

Social implications

Efficient population evacuation studied in this work may save lives. This is especially critical for disabled evacuees, the evacuation of whom requires longer operational times.

Originality/value

The authors consider a population that comprises able and disabled individuals, the latter with varying degrees of disability. The authors also consider a heterogeneous fleet of vehicles, which perform multiple trips during the evacuation process.

Details

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6747

Keywords

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Case study
Publication date: 4 November 2019

Sadia Samar Ali, Supriya Deka, Zulfiqar Ahmad, Salma Ahmed, Mansingh Jaswal and Hemaid Alsulami

Padmanabhan A. 2017 “Civilian drones and India’s regulatory response”. Moushami P. Joshi and Jennifer E. Trock (2016) “India Moving Forward with Unmanned Aircraft Systems…

Abstract

Supplementary materials

Padmanabhan A. 2017 “Civilian drones and India’s regulatory response”. Moushami P. Joshi and Jennifer E. Trock (2016) “India Moving Forward with Unmanned Aircraft Systems Regulations for Civil and Commercial Use” www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=6d596577-7a4a-4ecc-916e-83c4d37cc90c. www.indrones.com/2017/04/27/drone-industry-india/.Zeimpekis, Vasileios; Ichoua, Soumia; and Minis, Ioannis (2013), Humanitarian and Relief Logistics. Research Issues, Case Studies and Future Trends;Operations Research/Computer Sciences Interfaces Series. Springer Publications, www.springer.com/in/book/9781461470069.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes are to illustrate the concept and features of cost-effective and responsive supply chain, to explain the concept of hub and spoke and milk run methods used for delivery, to identify financial, operational and technological risks, to elaborate the importance of social dimension (behavioral dimension) in any technological change in an organization and to understand the concept of management of change in organizations.

Case overview/synopsis

The case deals with a typical challenge of periodical delivery systems, in this case specifically of The Topical, an Indian periodical. The service manager of the company, Sara Jindal, recognized a problem with customer retention. She explored the causes and found that The Topical, a 20-year-old company, was losing its popularity due to the untimely delivery of the magazines. To solve the problem Jindal, tried to gain an understanding of the operational processes and realized that there was no issue in the warehouse regarding inventory control, management or order pickup. However, she found that the magazines were parceled through book post and that there was no tracking policy in the company for the deliveries. Therefore, it was not possible to know whether the magazines got delivered on time. The matter was taken seriously and as a solution, the possibility of integrating drones into the delivery system came up.

Complexity academic level

Undergraduate and Postgraduate students.

Subject code

CSS 9: Operations and Logistics

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Article
Publication date: 4 November 2014

George Ninikas, Theodore Athanasopoulos, Vasileios Zeimpekis and Ioannis Minis

The purpose of this paper is to present the design and evaluation of an integrated system that supports planners and dispatchers to deliver enhanced courier operations. In…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the design and evaluation of an integrated system that supports planners and dispatchers to deliver enhanced courier operations. In addition to regular deliveries and pickups, these operations include: first, mass deliveries to be served over a horizon of multiple days; and second, real-time dynamic requests (DRs) to be served within the same service period.

Design/methodology/approach

To address the aforementioned challenges, the authors developed an architecture that enhances a typical fleet management system by integrating purpose designed methods. Specifically, the authors plan mass deliveries taking into account typical routes of everyday operations. For planning DRs in real time, the authors propose an efficient insertion heuristic.

Findings

The results from testing the proposed optimization algorithms for planning mass deliveries and real-time DRs are encouraging, since the proposed algorithms outperform current practices. Testing in a practical courier environment, indicated that the enhanced planning system may improve significantly operational performance.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed optimization algorithm for the dynamic aspect of this problem comprises a heuristic approach that reaches suboptimal solutions of high quality. The development of fast optimal algorithms for solving these very interesting and practical problems is a promising area for further research.

Practical implications

The proposed integrated system addresses significant problems of hybrid courier operations in an integrated, balanced manner. The tests showed that the allocation of flexible orders within a three-day time horizon improved the cost per flexible order by 7.4 percent, while computerized routing improved the cost of initial (static) routing by 14 percent. Furthermore, the proposed method for managing DRs reduced the excess cost per served request by over 40 percent. Overall, the proposed integrated system improved the total routing costs by 16.5 percent on average compared to current practices.

Originality/value

Both the planning problems and the related solution heuristics address original aspects of practical courier operations. Furthermore, the system integration and the proposed systematic planning contribute to the originality of the work.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2006

Ioannis Minis, Marion Paraschi and Apostolos Tzimourtas

This paper aims to focus on the design of the organization, processes, and systems of Olympic logistics.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on the design of the organization, processes, and systems of Olympic logistics.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic methodology has been developed to design the strategy and tactics of logistics operations for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. This methodology considers Olympic‐specific characteristics, host country characteristics, as well as lessons learned from previous games. It comprises the generation, analysis and evaluation of strategic alternatives, the development of core business processes and the prediction of resource requirements. Furthermore, the proposed method provides guidelines to complement the experiential knowledge that has been used exclusively in the past to plan the logistics operations of the games and similar large‐scale events.

Findings

Successful design principles, such as model venue planning, standardization of materials, the establishment of the Logistics Command Center (LCC), as well as establishment of an independent administration function, can be applied regardless of the specific characteristics of the host country. However, there are principles such as outsourcing, warehousing, or just‐in‐time (JIT) deliveries, that are based on certain specific characteristics (constraints/advantages) of the host country, such as a mature 3PL market, the existence and availability of large warehouses, and the completion of the venues in sufficient time prior to the beginning of the games.

Practical implications

The proposed design process provides generic rules that may be applied to guide the set up of operations for future games. Furthermore, the paper offers some useful insights applicable to the logistics of large events.

Originality/value

It is the first time that a systematic view of Olympic logistics is dealt with, as opposed to experiential knowledge with local applicability that has been used in the past to plan similar operations.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 36 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 4 January 2013

Vassilis Gliatis, Ioannis Minis and Kiriaki Myrto Lavasa

Failures represent an important source of variability in service operations and a major performance challenge. As a consequence, the effective management of failures is a…

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Abstract

Purpose

Failures represent an important source of variability in service operations and a major performance challenge. As a consequence, the effective management of failures is a prerequisite to achieve lean services. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the operational perspective of failures; that is attempt to quantify the impact of critical failure parameters on key system performance measures, such as cycle time and work‐in‐process. The authors also analyze various operational concepts, or management practices, that service organizations use to address the effects of failures.

Design/methodology/approach

Discrete event simulation was used to model the behavior of a typical two‐stage service system (front‐office, back‐office), and design of experiments to estimate the impact of significant parameters that characterize service failures, on key system performance measures. In a final experiment, three of the most common practices used by management to address failures, and the impact of these practices on system performance under different conditions were analyzed. The findings are validated through a case study in the financial services.

Findings

The results of this study suggest that failures and rework degrade the performance of service systems. This adverse impact is reinforced, if specific inputs of the system deteriorate, such as the ability of the service organization to deliver appropriate quality, to detect failures early and to be capable enough to recover timely and efficiently from failures. In addition, the results show that typical management practices used to address the impact of failures have strengths and weaknesses depending on the characteristics of both the service system and the failures. If this is not taken into consideration, the above managerial practices may lead only to short‐term improvements, while the main causes of failures will remain unsolved.

Originality/value

Analyzing the impact of failures in a service environment is a challenging task. This paper complements the existing literature on service failures by focusing on the related effects on operations. With the use of simulation, the authors quantify the impact of failures on key aspects of operations of the service system and also provide useful insight into the parameters that determine the effectiveness of various management practices used in practice to address failures. Finally, the authors use a case study in financial services to validate the results.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 15 March 2022

Ioannis Stylios, Spyros Kokolakis, Olga Thanou and Sotirios Chatzis

For the success of future investments in the implementation of continuous authentication systems, we should explore the key factors that influence technology adoption. The authors…

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Abstract

Purpose

For the success of future investments in the implementation of continuous authentication systems, we should explore the key factors that influence technology adoption. The authors investigate the effect of various factors of behavioral intention through the new incorporation of a modified technology acceptance model (TAM) and diffusion of innovation theory (DOI). Also, the authors have created a new theoretical framework with constructs such as security and privacy risks (SPR), biometrics privacy concerns (BPC) and perceived risk of using the technology (PROU). In this paper, the authors conducted a structural equation modeling empirical research. This research is designed in such a way to respond to the trade-off between users’ concern for the protection of their biometrics privacy and their protection from risks.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors provide an extensive conceptual framework for both existing models (TAM and DOI) and the new constructs that the authors have added to the model. In addition, this research explores external factors, such as trust in technology (TT) and innovativeness (Innov). In addition, the authors have introduced significant constructs, to overcome the limitations of the TAM and to adapt it to the needs of the present research. The new theoretical framework the authors introduce in the present research concerns the constructs SPR, BPC and PROU.

Findings

The authors found that the main facilitators of behavioral intention to adopt the technology (BI) are TT, followed by compatibility (COMP), perceived usefulness (PU) and Innov. This research also shows that individuals are less interested in the ease of use of the technology and are willing to sacrifice it to achieve greater security. COMP and Innov also play a significant role. Individuals who believe that the usage of the behavioral biometrics continuous authentication (BBCA) technology would fit into their lifestyle and would like to experiment with new technologies have a positive intention to adopt the BBCA technology. The new constructs the authors have added are SPR, BPC and PROU. The authors’ results support the hypotheses that SPR is a facilitator to PU and PU acts as a facilitator to BI. Consequently, the hypothesis that individuals do not feel adequately protected by classical methods will consider the usefulness of the BBCA as a technology for their extra protection against risks is confirmed by the model. Also, with the constructs BPC and PROU, the authors examined if individuals’ concerns regarding their biometrics privacy act as inhibitors in the BI. The authors concluded that individuals consider that the benefits of using BBCA technology are much more important than the risks for their biometrics privacy since the hypothesis that the major inhibitor of BI is PROU is not supported by the model.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the first in the field that examines the factors that influence the individuals’ decision to adopt BBCA technology.

Details

Information & Computer Security, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4961

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 1 March 2016

Ioannis Glinavos

This chapter seeks to explain the effects of actions in investment treaty tribunals against states in the European Periphery. The chapter examines the case of Spain and the…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter seeks to explain the effects of actions in investment treaty tribunals against states in the European Periphery. The chapter examines the case of Spain and the multiple actions brought against it due to changes in support structures for the production of solar electricity. The aim of this analysis is to test whether investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) can further the cause of environmental sustainability.

Methodology/approach

In its opening part the chapter employs a ‘socio-legal’ methodology, showing the links between legal frameworks and the evolution of social and political norms. The chapter then adopts a ‘law and economics’ approach in presenting recent developments seeking to tease out the dynamic between legal changes, economic effects, policy reactions and dispute resolution.

Findings

While there is significant uncertainty over the strength of the legal arguments of claimants, it seems possible that they will be successful in claiming compensation from the Spanish government. Nonetheless, a win for the investors is unlikely to reverse the Spanish policy of ending support for renewables due to fiscal constraints. The conclusion is that such actions have a negative impact in terms of promoting the spread of renewables and they inhibit recovery in crisis hit nations.

Practical implications

The chapter offers context on the use of ISDS against the background of the European crisis. This analysis has wider connotations for policy design as it feeds directly into concerns about multilateral agreements under negotiation, such as TTIP.

Originality/value

This is the first comprehensive academic study of the changes in Spanish regulatory frameworks regarding clean energy incentives. It is also the first comprehensive presentation of the actions brought against Spain as a result of these changes.

Details

Lessons from the Great Recession: At the Crossroads of Sustainability and Recovery
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-743-1

Keywords

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Abstract

Details

Financial Derivatives: A Blessing or a Curse?
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-245-0

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Abstract

Details

Financial Derivatives: A Blessing or a Curse?
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-245-0

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Article
Publication date: 12 February 2019

Sunday Adewale Olaleye, Dandison Ukpabi, Heikki Karjaluoto and Ioannis Rizomyliotis

The purpose of this paper is to use the consumer-based discrepancy theory to examine consumers’ behavioral motivations for using mobile devices and the factors that influence the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use the consumer-based discrepancy theory to examine consumers’ behavioral motivations for using mobile devices and the factors that influence the rapid diffusion of Chinese mobile devices in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using focus group interviews with samples cutting across users, technicians and experts from Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s industrial capital. This study conducted a thematic analysis of the data with NVivo Pro 11 for deductive coding.

Findings

The authors found that weak regulatory environment opened the Nigerian mobile market to the influx of mobile devices from Chinese local manufacturers. Though largely absent in developed markets, Chinese mobile devices are household names in Africa, particularly Nigeria. Having studied the Nigerian market, Chinese mobile device manufacturers have incorporated features and specifications in their mobile devices that are adapted specifically to this market. Our findings also show that these “China phones and tablets” are significantly inferior to those manufactured by global brands. However, consumer complaints have led to significant improvements in their quality. Consequently, due to their successful diffusion, Nigeria is being used as a launching pad to other African countries.

Research limitations/implications

While the study could not look at the economic, environmental and health implications of the high death rate of the mobile devices, it however provides useful insights on the application of the consumer-based discrepancy theory: expectation vs performance, in the Nigerian mobile market context.

Originality/value

The study is the first to empirically examine the diffusion of Chinese mobile devices in one of the key emerging markets in Africa. The study provides blueprint for the local regulatory authorities on how to strengthen their regulatory oversight and also advances critical understanding on how Chinese mobile device manufacturers can improve their technologies and optimize market opportunity in Africa.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 14 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

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