Ebru Yazgan, Vildan Durmaz and Ayse Kucuk Yilmaz
This research has the potential to contribute to the understanding of the sustainable ground handling operations framework. Ramp operations as the main system of ground handling…
Abstract
Purpose
This research has the potential to contribute to the understanding of the sustainable ground handling operations framework. Ramp operations as the main system of ground handling include critical services for aircraft/airlines. The purpose of this study is to identify the risk factors in ramp operations for all related stakeholders’ awareness to enhance flight safety. Classifying risk factors, the four main performance fields under risk taxonomy is determined. Thus, managers may allocate resources effectively to handle related threats for corporate sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
New taxonomy with human performance value indicators, which sources from the environment is developed. New developed taxonomy is entitled as “environmental value approach,” which represents environmental value-based approach. The developed new risk factors taxonomy is divided into groups such as ramp personnel, organizational, sustainability-based risk factors: triple view and ergonomics obtained from an extensive literature review and experts’ opinions in the field of human performance.
Findings
The findings of this research show that managers need a risk management-oriented approach to manage the human factor affecting performance and sustainability. The newly developed taxonomy offers not only identifying the sources of unsafe operational risk factors but also using as a decision-support tool to manage risks for achieving their sustainability goals. When managerial decisions are made according to risk taxonomy and managing these risks, then corporate performance and individual performance may improve.
Originality/value
The new taxonomy presents the performance-based management of the human factor with a holistic and systematic risk management-based approach. There is no risk taxonomy study designed considering ramp operations and sustainability-based human factor performance.
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Qing Lu, Jie Wu, Mark Goh and Robert De Souza
The ramp-up in humanitarian logistics operations is a stage when the demand surges, often at the start of an emergency. In response, agility is a key strategy used by the…
Abstract
Purpose
The ramp-up in humanitarian logistics operations is a stage when the demand surges, often at the start of an emergency. In response, agility is a key strategy used by the humanitarian organizations (HOs). However, the HOs are constrained by their existing resources and have to respond in the ramp-up process under their resource dependency. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework on agility-building strategies used by HOs for the ramp-up.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies both the dynamic capabilities perspective and resource dependence theory to humanitarian relief operations, and develops four testable propositions to explore the agility-building strategies of the HOs for the ramp-up process. A multiple-case study is conducted on six international HOs operating in Indonesia to verify them, in addition to an extensive literature search.
Findings
The case study shows that the human resource management, pre-positioning, standardization and supplier management of the HOs are all related to their resources and environment in the ramp-up process. The authors highlight the practical differences between the few super large, resource rich and centralized HOs with the second-tier HOs.
Research limitations/implications
Given the small sample size and single country as the site of study, some findings may not be applicable to the other HOs or in other regions.
Practical implications
The propositions could be applicable to other HOs operating under similar environments, and potentially to the commercial enterprises operating in a highly volatile environment with severe resource scarcity.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into ramp-up operations and into how HOs build their agility and reduce their resource dependencies. Theoretically, the paper applies two established theories in the strategic management literature to a new field.
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Yang Siong Robson Ng and Hamad Rashid
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the aircraft pushback operations to predict and manage human errors, particularly those associated with the complex team work of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the aircraft pushback operations to predict and manage human errors, particularly those associated with the complex team work of carrying out the pushback operation. This should improve air ramp operations reliability.
Design/methodology/approach
The study applied the human reliability assessment “Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach” that involved a total of 60 semi-structured interviews with practicing experts. Past ramp accident reports were also reviewed to provide more in-depth insights to the problem.
Findings
Some of the key performance reliability-degrading errors identified relate to some frequent critical technical inabilities within the team of headset operator and tug driver, as well as the vulnerable intra-team communications. Several best practices were similarly identified.
Practical implications
Based on its findings, this study proposes a new technological concept that can help enhancing safety of aircraft pushback operations. This should enhance reliability of aircraft ground handling and improve aircraft availability. It also provided a generic methodological approach to improve safety-critical operations within high-risk industries.
Social implications
This study responses to the increasing trend in ramp accidents worldwide.
Originality/value
The research conducted to date in this area is still quite limited compared to that of flight and aircraft maintenance safety. The relevant existing studies focus more on ramp safety holistically, and do not go into the details of how safety and reliability of a ramp operation can be improved. The current paper aims at filling this gap.
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The platinum market outlook.
Details
DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB216912
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Abstract
Purpose
On-ramp merging areas are typical bottlenecks in the freeway network since merging on-ramp vehicles may cause intensive disturbances on the mainline traffic flow and lead to various negative impacts on traffic efficiency and safety. The connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), with their capabilities of real-time communication and precise motion control, hold a great potential to facilitate ramp merging operation through enhanced coordination strategies. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the existing ramp merging strategies leveraging CAVs, focusing on the latest trends and developments in the research field.
Design/methodology/approach
The review comprehensively covers 44 papers recently published in leading transportation journals. Based on the application context, control strategies are categorized into three categories: merging into sing-lane freeways with total CAVs, merging into sing-lane freeways with mixed traffic flows and merging into multilane freeways.
Findings
Relevant literature is reviewed regarding the required technologies, control decision level, applied methods and impacts on traffic performance. More importantly, the authors identify the existing research gaps and provide insightful discussions on the potential and promising directions for future research based on the review, which facilitates further advancement in this research topic.
Originality/value
Many strategies based on the communication and automation capabilities of CAVs have been developed over the past decades, devoted to facilitating the merging/lane-changing maneuvers at freeway on-ramps. Despite the significant progress made, an up-to-date review covering these latest developments is missing to the authors’ best knowledge. This paper conducts a thorough review of the cooperation/coordination strategies that facilitate freeway on-ramp merging using CAVs, focusing on the latest developments in this field. Based on the review, the authors identify the existing research gaps in CAV ramp merging and discuss the potential and promising future research directions to address the gaps.
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Dimitra Kalaitzi, Aristides Matopoulos and Ben Clegg
The purpose of this paper is to investigate dependencies that arise between companies during the ramp-up of production volume in the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate dependencies that arise between companies during the ramp-up of production volume in the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
An inter-company case study method has been used. Data were collected via tours of manufacturing plants, workshops and interviews from multiple tiers in a supply chain, namely, a niche EV manufacturer, as well as two of its tier-one suppliers and five of its tier-two suppliers.
Findings
As production volumes increased, a more relational approach was found to be necessary in inter-company relationships. The authors’ research showed that key suppliers, in addition to providing the parts, pursued a supply chain orchestrator’s role by offering direct support and guidance to the niche EV manufacturer in designing and executing its development plans.
Research limitations/implications
The resource dependence theory (RDT) is used to analyse and explain the changing dependencies throughout the planning and execution of production ramp-up.
Practical implications
This study will help supply chain managers to better manage resource dependencies during production ramp-up.
Originality/value
This study explores dependencies during the early stages of the production ramp-up process in the EV sector, which is in itself in the early stages of evolution. RDT is used for the first time in this context. This study has moved beyond a simple dyadic context, by providing empirical insights into the actions taken by an EV manufacturer and its suppliers, towards a multi-tier supply chain context, to better manage resource dependencies.
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A summary of the UK Flight Safety Committee's recent Ramp Safety Seminar by Captain Harry Hopkins establishes some important trends and conclusions from the intensely interesting…
Abstract
A summary of the UK Flight Safety Committee's recent Ramp Safety Seminar by Captain Harry Hopkins establishes some important trends and conclusions from the intensely interesting papers. The British Airways figures seem to show a 30 per cent increase in the last four years, but both British Airways and Aer Lingus remarked that if reporting improves then the statistics appear to get worse. This makes it difficult to assess exactly what is going on, but certainly the significance of ramp incidents and ramp safety is not decreasing. The amazing thing seems to be that the costs in total, which we now agree are pretty substantial, appear not to have been given a great deal of consideration. When you think that world‐wide, we are talking in terms of the whole cost of 15 Boeing 747–400s per year it puts it into context. If we lost even just the hulls of 15 747–400s people would be jumping up and down, so surely there is a very large issue here. I will not sum this cost up, but I think you can draw your own conclusions from this seminar. Whatever the individual airline's costs they are often remaining hidden and awareness is not high enough; so seemingly minor ramp incidents with accident and cost potential are being ignored — because of the lower status that ramp safety might assume, compared to flight safety.
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the extant literature of humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) which specifically use dynamic capabilities (DCs) view. By this…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the extant literature of humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) which specifically use dynamic capabilities (DCs) view. By this means, the objectives of this study are to identify and assess the DCs used in the HSCM context, the factors positively and negatively affecting the DCs and how the DCs affect humanitarian supply chain (HSC) operations. Furthermore, this research aims to give directions for future research in the field of HSCM.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts systematic literature review (SLR) approach proposed by Denyer and Tranfield (2009). Based on a SLR, this study synthesizes and compares the evidence, has a specific focus and research questions, has certain inclusion and exclusion criteria and provides evidence-based implications to the researchers and practitioners. This is a method which is replicable, transparent and auditable. The SLR methodology provides scholars and practitioners a basis for comprehending the current situation of relevant topic and taking correct steps in their future actions.
Findings
This SLR deduces that applying DCs view is still in its infancy in the HSCM literature. The result of this SLR reveals that supply chain agility (SCA), supply chain resilience (SCR), reconfiguration/transformation, integration, (short-term) collaboration, sustaining, sensing, seizing and knowledge access DCs have been used in the HSCM literature. In addition, it is determined that only one paper analyzed the influence of DCs on predisaster performance while rest of the papers focused on the postdisaster performance.
Originality/value
The result of the exhaustive literature search indicates that this is the first SLR that specifically analyzes the application of DCs view in the HSCM domain. This investigation determined the DCs used in HSCM and revealed the relations between the dependent and independent variables through the comprehensive model. In this way, this review provides a guidance to researchers in conduct their future investigations and practitioners to carry out supply chain (SC) operations by considering the factors affecting their operations.
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Zheng Xu, Yihai Fang, Nan Zheng and Hai L. Vu
With the aid of naturalistic simulations, this paper aims to investigate human behavior during manual and autonomous driving modes in complex scenarios.
Abstract
Purpose
With the aid of naturalistic simulations, this paper aims to investigate human behavior during manual and autonomous driving modes in complex scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
The simulation environment is established by integrating virtual reality interface with a micro-simulation model. In the simulation, the vehicle autonomy is developed by a framework that integrates artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms. Human-subject experiments are carried, and participants are asked to virtually sit in the developed autonomous vehicle (AV) that allows for both human driving and autopilot functions within a mixed traffic environment.
Findings
Not surprisingly, the inconsistency is identified between two driving modes, in which the AV’s driving maneuver causes the cognitive bias and makes participants feel unsafe. Even though only a shallow portion of the cases that the AV ended up with an accident during the testing stage, participants still frequently intervened during the AV operation. On a similar note, even though the statistical results reflect that the AV drives under perceived high-risk conditions, rarely an actual crash can happen. This suggests that the classic safety surrogate measurement, e.g. time-to-collision, may require adjustment for the mixed traffic flow.
Research limitations/implications
Understanding the behavior of AVs and the behavioral difference between AVs and human drivers are important, where the developed platform is only the first effort to identify the critical scenarios where the AVs might fail to react.
Practical implications
This paper attempts to fill the existing research gap in preparing close-to-reality tools for AV experience and further understanding human behavior during high-level autonomous driving.
Social implications
This work aims to systematically analyze the inconsistency in driving patterns between manual and autopilot modes in various driving scenarios (i.e. multiple scenes and various traffic conditions) to facilitate user acceptance of AV technology.
Originality/value
A close-to-reality tool for AV experience and AV-related behavioral study. A systematic analysis in relation to the inconsistency in driving patterns between manual and autonomous driving. A foundation for identifying the critical scenarios where the AVs might fail to react.