Kokin Lam and Wenxun Xing
Reviews some new trends in parallel machine scheduling (PMS). PMS, as an area of research, is governed by questions that arise in production planning, flexible manufacture…
Abstract
Reviews some new trends in parallel machine scheduling (PMS). PMS, as an area of research, is governed by questions that arise in production planning, flexible manufacture systems, computer control, etc. The main characteristic of these problems is to optimize an objective, with jobs to be finished on a series of machines with the same function. Gives a short review of new developments in PMS associated with the problems of just‐in‐time (JIT) production, pre‐emption with set‐up, and capacitated machine scheduling. Discusses non‐regular objectives oriented by the JIT concept; pre‐emption with set‐up; capacitated machine scheduling; and relationships between PMS and vehicle routeing problems.
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Xiande Zhao, R.S.M. Lau and Kokin Lam
Presents an approach to optimize the service configurations of a student canteen utilizing computer simulation and a total cost function that incorporates both the cost of…
Abstract
Presents an approach to optimize the service configurations of a student canteen utilizing computer simulation and a total cost function that incorporates both the cost of services and the cost of waiting. The cost of waiting is measured in terms of the impact of waiting on the customer satisfaction and the resulting changes in future repurchases. By collecting data of waiting time and customer satisfaction from a student canteen, first evaluates the impact of waiting time on customer satisfaction and future purchase frequency. Subsequently develops a simulation model to simulate the service processes and waiting line behavior at the student canteen. By varying the number of servers at the two different stages of services and calculating the total cost per customer served, the performance of the system was optimized considering both the service cost and the cost of waiting in term of its impact on future purchases. The approach presented can be used with modification in designing service configurations for a variety of service organizations.
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Describes the quality journey that began as quality control circles, moved to implement an international quality management system, and now continues its TQM programme called…
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Describes the quality journey that began as quality control circles, moved to implement an international quality management system, and now continues its TQM programme called “Quest for excellence”. Kowloon‐Canton Railway Corporation is the first railway company in Asia to have a part of its operations ISO 9001 certified. Examines some of the important lessons learned when several hundred non‐English‐speaking employees were required to be involved in the process of preparing for certification.
Kokin Lam and R.S.M. Lau
As the call center services are becoming an integrated part of most organizations, the efficiency of their operations is vital to the competitiveness of the organizations. This…
Abstract
As the call center services are becoming an integrated part of most organizations, the efficiency of their operations is vital to the competitiveness of the organizations. This paper describes a restructuring effort of a Hong Kong‐based company, which provides technical support services in office equipment, computer and system products. Faced with many process improvement opportunities, a simulation approach is used to explore the different options and to evaluate the results for restructuring the existing call centers. The analysis of the simulated results has confirmed that the greatest improvement opportunity is to merge the existing resources into a single call center. Assured by the simulation findings, management is able to evaluate different tangible and intangible benefits before implementing the restructuring plan.
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Kokin Lam and Xiande Zhao
Over the years, many teaching methods and techniques have been suggested and used in university teaching. However, the effectiveness of these teaching techniques and methods has…
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Over the years, many teaching methods and techniques have been suggested and used in university teaching. However, the effectiveness of these teaching techniques and methods has not been carefully evaluated. We propose and test a methodology for identifying different teaching techniques and for evaluating their effectiveness in achieving educational objectives from students’ perspective. This paper demonstrates how quality function deployment (QFD) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) are used in identifying teaching methods and techniques and in evaluating their effectiveness in achieving educational objectives.