Search results

Presents a new approach to working set generation for personnel scheduling problems. In full‐time (FT) and mixed‐workforce (MW) experiments, generates the schedules in the working sets from the use of two‐phase heuristic labour scheduling solution procedures. The solution procedures were implemented on a 386 microcomputer and did not require the specification of the size of the working sets in advance. In the FT experiment, the general set‐covering formulations (GSCFs) associated with the produced working sets were solved with integer programming. The new working set procedure yielded optimal integer solutions for all 36 test problems in the FT experiment. Owing to the size and complexity of the problem data in the MW experiment, the GSCFs associated with the working sets were solved with linear programming, and heuristic rounding procedures were applied to obtain feasible integer solutions. The mean labour costs of these solutions averaged 0.69 per cent less than the mean cost of solutions obtained via the application of heuristic rounding procedures applied to the linear programme solutions for the GSCFs associated with the master sets. Compares solution costs for the new working set method with those associated with other working set generation/refinement procedures. Results indicate that the new method produces lower solution costs in less control processing unit time.

Using labour efficiently in service organisations is an important management objective since labour frequently accounts for more than 70 per cent of total operating costs. While most service organisations can use flexible scheduling rules to improve the utilisation of labour, selecting a good or “best” set of work schedules from a large set of alternatives has proved to be a formidable task. A new modelling procedure is described which allows optimal decisions to be made when the desired level of scheduling flexibility results in a very large population of possible schedules. Flexibility in shift scheduling is increased primarily through increasing the number of different shift lengths and allowing flexible placement of breaks. The power of the new modelling approach was used in an experiment described here to assess the relative impact of shift‐length and break‐placement flexibility on labour utilisation. The results indicated that, while either type of flexibility can improve labour utilisation, there was a rather strong synergistic impact from using both simultaneously.

Service operations managers often attempt to improve labour‐scheduling efficiency through the use of one or more types of scheduling flexibility. Part‐time labour, for example, is one type of scheduling flexibility which is used in many service operations. The use of part‐time workers increases productivity by providing a closer match between the forecast labour requirements and the amount of labour actually scheduled. Demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a microcomputer‐based approach to workforce‐scheduling problems which contain a substantial degree of scheduling flexibility. This approach has particular application to small service firms which may have, or can obtain, microcomputers to schedule their operating personnel. The actual scheduling procedure is designed to produce daily and weekly work schedules simultaneously (i.e. tour schedules) for workers assumed to be of homogeneous skill and ability, such as those employed in a fast‐food restaurant. The application of such an approach in the microcomputer environment would have a significant impact on the ability of small service establishments further to enhance labour utilization through the increased use of workforce‐scheduling flexibility. Clearly demonstrates that a microcomputer‐based workforce‐scheduling model which incorporates a substantial amount of scheduling flexibility, can and should be developed for use in today′s small service organizations.

In recent years, organisations around the world have been seriously affected by a range of economic, political and social upheavals that have gathered momentum in most parts of the globe. The viability of the conventional (pyramidal) organisational structures is being challenged in conjunction with major shifts in the roles of mid and top managers. In many countries, the pace of the above socio‐economic events and uncertainties is happening at an unprecedented pace. Some markets are showing signs of potential gigantic expansions while others (historically prosperous) are on the verge of complete collapse (Dent, 1991). In responding to the socio‐economic challenges of the nineties, organisations (across the board) have resorted to dismantling the conventional pyramidal structure and adopting so‐called “leaner” structures (see Zeffane, 1992). The most common struggle has been to maintain market share in an economic environment increasingly characterised by excess labour supply (Bamber, 1990; Green & Macdonald, 1991). As organisations shifted their strategies from “mass production” to “post‐fordism” (see, for example Kern and Schumann, 1987), there has been a significant tendency to emphasise flexibility of both capital and labour in order to cater for the niche markets which are claimed to be rapidly emerging, world‐wide. This has resulted in massive organisational restructuring world‐wide.

Studies have reported a strong correlation between expatriate failure and spouse adjustment in foreign assignments. Since Japanese firms have been relatively successful at minimizing executive failure rates, we examined the pre‐departure preparation and attitudes of Japanese spouses in the Silicon Valley area. Factor analysis and regression were used to test a number of hypotheses. Our study found that pre‐departure activities and attitudes had a significant effect on the post‐arrival adjustment of the spouses. We also found that Japanese spouses were able to take advantage of both personal and non‐personal sources at home and abroad for effective information gathering.

At the Annual General Meeting of ISHM‐France, held on 12 June 1991, the following were elected:

ISHM invites papers for the above Conference, to be held on 29–31 May 1991 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Papers should cover areas such as: design, manufacturing, packaging and interconnection, materials and processing, applications, reliability, components, new technologies, marketing and economics, optoelectronics. Summaries should be in English, length 200–300 words. The deadline for receipt of summaries is 30 September 1990. (For full details, see announcement on pp. 54–55.)