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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2006

Kenneth C. Gilbert and Vuttichai Chatpattananan

This paper aims to present a method for production planning that reduces the bullwhip effect.

752

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a method for production planning that reduces the bullwhip effect.

Design/methodology/approach

The methods are derived using ARIMA models of the supply chain.

Findings

The resulting techniques produced an order policy that uses inventory or backlog to absorb the random variation in demand, but has immediate response to variation in the forecast level of demand.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of the research is that the optimality of the order policy is based on the assumption that the demand can be modeled using ARIMA models. When this is not the case the method can still be used as a heuristic approach to production smoothing.

Practical implications

This paper offers a practical and easy to implement approach to production planning.

Originality/value

The paper introduces a generalized order policy and derives optimal production smoothing parameters for that order policy.

Details

Journal of Modelling in Management, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5664

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 14 August 2014

Kenneth Kamwi Matengu, Gilbert Likando and Bennett Kangumu

One of the major challenges facing the higher education system in Namibia is to develop an equitable system where access to higher education goes alongside equity without…

Abstract

One of the major challenges facing the higher education system in Namibia is to develop an equitable system where access to higher education goes alongside equity without negatively affecting quality and one that is regionally and ethnically representative. The process of developing such a system cannot be described as a once off achievement. Namibia’s historical past combined with the country’s ethnic make-up as well as its socio-economic standing makes access with equity a complex problem. Several sources show that this challenge is not typical to Namibia alone. Although strides have been made in terms of opening up the higher education sector to marginalised communities and to previously disadvantaged people, the higher education system of Namibia is not yet accessible to all. This chapter presents the development of higher education in Namibia, its achievements and challenges. It argues that the way access and participation manifests itself in Namibia’s higher education is elitist, and that massiffication at graduate and postgraduate level is yet to occur. Finally, the chapter drawing on rich literature suggests policy options for Namibia.

Details

The Development of Higher Education in Africa: Prospects and Challenges
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-699-6

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Article
Publication date: 11 March 2014

Xiaofeng Zhao, Jianrong Hou and Kenneth Gilbert

Waiting lines and delays have become commonplace in service operations. As a result, customer waiting time guarantee is a widely used competition strategy in service industries…

2742

Abstract

Purpose

Waiting lines and delays have become commonplace in service operations. As a result, customer waiting time guarantee is a widely used competition strategy in service industries. To implement waiting time guarantee strategy, managers need to not only know the average of waiting time, but also the variance around average waiting time. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This research provides a mathematically exact expression for the coefficient of variation of waiting time for Markov queues. It then applies the concept of isomorphism to approximate the variance of customer waiting time in a general queue. Simulation experiments are conducted to verify the accurate approximations.

Findings

A significant feature of the approximation method is that it is mathematically tractable and can be implemented in a spreadsheet format. It provides a practical way to estimate the variance of customer waiting time in practice. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the queuing models in providing guidance on implementing appointment scheduling and waiting time guarantee strategy. Also, the spreadsheet can be used to conduct what-if analysis by inputting different parameters.

Originality/value

This paper develops a simple, easy-to-use spreadsheet model to estimate the standard deviation of waiting time. The approximation requires only the mean and standard deviation or the coefficient of variation of the inter-arrival and service time distributions, and the number of servers. A spreadsheet model is specifically designed to analyze the variance of waiting time.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 52 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 15 October 2019

Maxime Desmarais-Tremblay and Marianne Johnson

Alvin Hansen and John Williams’ Fiscal Policy Seminar at Harvard University is widely regarded as a key mechanism for the spread of Keynesianism in the United States. An original…

Abstract

Alvin Hansen and John Williams’ Fiscal Policy Seminar at Harvard University is widely regarded as a key mechanism for the spread of Keynesianism in the United States. An original and regular participant, Richard A. Musgrave was invited to prepare remarks for the fiftieth anniversary of the seminar in 1988. These were never published, though a copy was filed with Musgrave’s papers at Princeton University. Their reproduction here is important for several reasons. First, it is one of the last reminiscences of the original participants. Second, the remarks make an important contribution to our understanding of the Harvard School of macro-fiscal policy. Third, the remarks provide interesting insights into Musgrave’s views on national economic policymaking as well as the intersection between theory and practice. The reminiscence demonstrates the importance of the seminar in shifting Musgrave’s research focus and moving him to a more pragmatic approach to public finance.

Details

Including a Symposium on Robert Heilbroner at 100
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-869-7

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1965

There can be few indeed engaged in tasks of food purity control who do not feel apprehensive at some of the modern trends in food production and preparation, particularly at the…

61

Abstract

There can be few indeed engaged in tasks of food purity control who do not feel apprehensive at some of the modern trends in food production and preparation, particularly at the ever‐increasing range of chemicals in food, whether as additives or contaminants. Undoubtedly there are many who have strong feelings on the subject, but fears and feelings are not evidence and it is an elementary law in every branch of science—some licence may be traditionally permitted in the Arts—that you do not make a statement of fact without being able to furnish proof of it. It seems wrong, therefore, for anyone to make such statements, however well‐intentioned, as were reported to have been made at a recent rally in London organised by the Animal Machines Action Group of the Animal Defence Society. A speaker is reported to have said “that hormone dyes and pesticides used on battery hens and calves increased the incidence of cancer amongst the people who ate these products. The same thing also increased the incidence of coronary thrombosis. It is a fact, although it has been denied, that some battery chickens are born with hardening of the arteries. People who eat them and their eggs run a risk of the same disease.”

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 67 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1974

Millions of the British people have for some years now been struggling valiantly to live with hard times, watching them day by day grow worse but always hopefully that the cloud…

233

Abstract

Millions of the British people have for some years now been struggling valiantly to live with hard times, watching them day by day grow worse but always hopefully that the cloud had a silver lining; that one day, reason and a sense of direction would prevail. Tyranny in many forms is a feature of history; the greatest epics have been risings of ordinary people to overthrow it. The modern form of tyranny is that of Money; the cruel and sinister ways in which it can be obtained and employed and the ineffectiveness of any measures taken to control the evils which result. Money savings over the years and the proverbial bank book, once the sure safeguard of ordinary people, are whittled away in value, never to recover. Causes always seemed to be contained within the country's own economy and industrial practices, and to this extent should have been possible of control. The complex and elaborate systems constructed by the last Government were at least intended for the purpose, but each attempt to curb excessive demands for more money, more and more for doing less and less— the nucleus of inflation—produced extreme reactions, termed collectively “industrial strife”. Every demand met without compensatory returns in increased work, inevitably led to rises in prices, felt most keenly in the field of food and consumer goods. What else would be expected from such a situation?

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 76 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1972

Language may be a treasured heritage of small comunities, all that is left to bind them together. It is often a matter of national or regional pride, keeping alive a tongue dead…

147

Abstract

Language may be a treasured heritage of small comunities, all that is left to bind them together. It is often a matter of national or regional pride, keeping alive a tongue dead centuries past everywhere else; in an area of the Grisons forty thousand Swiss speak the Latin Romansch, the tongue spoken by the citizens of ancient Rome, and nowhere else in the world is it heard. There are so‐called official languages; in the councils of Europe, it has always been French, which is the official language of the European Economic Community; this means, of course, that all EEC Directives and in due course, judgments of its courts, will be first delivered in French.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 74 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Article
Publication date: 18 April 2008

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

2528

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

Where track records go, lean can rub shoulders with the best. From 1920s origins at Henry Ford through various guises such as the renowned Toyota Production System (TPS), lean principles have served as the bible for countless organizations attempting to enhance the design process, fine‐tune production or eliminate waste. Waste in this sense refers to identifying and removing unnecessary steps in organizational systems and processes that naturally evolve to become needlessly intricate. Without effective management of this waste, there is limited scope to improve the service provided to customers. Nevertheless, many leaders continue to hold narrow perceptions and simply equate waste elimination with cost‐cutting. Their organizations inevitably fail to exploit lean's full potential to make a significant difference. Trimming costs has its place, of course. But it also has its limitations.

Practical implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Details

Strategic Direction, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0258-0543

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 18 December 2017

Nick Axford

441

Abstract

Details

Journal of Children's Services, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-6660

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Book part
Publication date: 4 October 2013

Charl C. Wolhuter and Alexander W. Wiseman

Africa’s unique social contexts play a transformative role in the development of higher education throughout the continent. As a geographic giant endowed with substantial natural…

Abstract

Africa’s unique social contexts play a transformative role in the development of higher education throughout the continent. As a geographic giant endowed with substantial natural resources and a growing population, Africa is a dynamic – albeit diverse – world player, and amidst the political pacification and democratization of the continent, is also unfolding as an increasingly strong economic force in the world. These many factors contextualize the history and position of higher education in Africa as well. Despite rapid growth in recent years, higher education in Africa is less developed than anywhere else in the world. Major challenges include expanding participation in higher education, poor infrastructure, isolation from society and communities, internationalization and regional cooperation, and aligning the world of education with the world of work. The chapters in this volume are presented within this framework, with the intention that this volume will contribute to the scholarly discourse guiding the development of higher education in Africa.

Details

The Development of Higher Education in Africa: Prospects and Challenges
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-699-6

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