Chang Won Lee, N. K. Kwak and Walter A. Garrett
Proper performance measurement is an important issue in library operational management. A data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is applied to evaluate the relative operational…
Abstract
Proper performance measurement is an important issue in library operational management. A data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is applied to evaluate the relative operational efficiency of 25 U.S. private research-university library members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Operations of each library decision-making unit are considered as a production process using four resource input and four service output variables. The model results are analyzed and compared with the efficient group and a peer group by using a t-test. The model provides decision-makers with more accurate information to implement better library services with appropriate resource allocation.
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Vineeta Nigam, Tripta Thakur, V.K. Sethi and R.P. Singh
The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the Indian mobile telecommunication service providers for relative efficiencies. In this paper, a method for benchmarking performance of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the Indian mobile telecommunication service providers for relative efficiencies. In this paper, a method for benchmarking performance of mobile telecom utilities based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) is presented. The paper discusses some concepts between quality performance and benchmarking and the results include performance efficiency and sensitivity‐based classification of utilities. Also, peer‐to‐peer comparison of inefficient with efficient utilities is provided. Based on these results, inefficient utilities can develop strategic plans to improve performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use DEA to measure comparative efficiencies of mobile telecom companies and two different DEA models, CCR and BCC, were applied to evaluate the relative efficiency of mobile telecom operators in India. Sensitivity‐based classification of utilities is carried out by removing one or more inputs or outputs from the base model to construct a new DEA model. Comparisons of DEA efficiencies from the base model with the structurally perturbed models show the impact on efficiency. Data include annual and quarterly reports showing various quality parameters.
Findings
DEA is used to derive the benchmarks based on the comparison of the 126 utilities which include public sector undertaking (PSU) operators (MTNL and BSNL) and private operators of the Indian mobile telecommunication sector. The result includes performance efficiency and peer‐to‐peer comparison of inefficient utilities with efficient utilities. Based on these results, inefficient utilities can develop strategic plans to improve their performance. Sensitivity analysis, based on removal of one or more variables from the base model to determine changes in DEA efficiencies is done for selecting the strength of parameters of utilities for performance improvement.
Practical implications
Benchmarking of service utilities in the telecom sector is virtually non‐existent at the national level in India. This research identifies the different variables and then a model is prepared for benchmarking of the service providers in India. Based on the efficiency analysis, benchmarks can be set, and utility efficiency scores can be obtained based on the set benchmarks. These scores can help develop a strategic plan for mitigating the factors that contribute to the system inefficiencies.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the few published studies that benchmark the performance of mobile telecom services in India. This research promises to be amongst the first of the works carried out taking specific parameters of mobile telecom utilities of India.
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D. K. Malhotra, Rashmi Malhotra and Kathleen T. Campbell
As cable and satellite industry undergoes transformation in the 21st century with the onslaught of innovation-driven changes, it is important to know which company is doing better…
Abstract
As cable and satellite industry undergoes transformation in the 21st century with the onslaught of innovation-driven changes, it is important to know which company is doing better and which company is falling behind. This study compares the relative performance of eight cable companies using three factors: operating expense for every dollar of operating revenue, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, and return on assets. We also evaluate the performance of each firm against itself for the period 2010–2013 to see if they show improvement or deterioration in operating efficiency.
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Anuj Dixit, Srikanta Routroy and Sunil Kumar Dubey
A literature review revealed that government of various developing economies have put an effort on health-care supply chain through the executing critical factors (CFs) directly…
Abstract
Purpose
A literature review revealed that government of various developing economies have put an effort on health-care supply chain through the executing critical factors (CFs) directly. Although they have attained some significant benefits in this tactic, but it was not up to satisfactory level. One of the reasons can be attributed to the fact that government/policy makers are not quantifying the impact of CFs on health-care supply chain. This paper aims to propose a methodology to quantify and estimate the impact of CFs on government-supported health-care supply chain (GHSC).
Design/methodology/approach
The Graph Theoretic Approach is proposed for estimating the impact and utility of CFs on an Indian GHSC. This study is also extended to scenario analysis for comparing results with different performance situation.
Findings
The results obtained from this study show that performance of Indian GHSC is satisfactory, but performance gaps exist which need to be reduced. In this research work, 12 CFs are identified under two significant categories (SCs), i.e. enablers and barriers and the intensity of enablers and barriers have been calculated to show the impact or influence of CFs on GHSC. The value of intensity shows that the role or impact of enabler category (i.e. performance measurement, employee recognition and reward, technology adoption, training cell, inbuilt analytical tool for IT system) is higher on Indian GHSC in comparison to barriers category to enhance the performance of GHSC.
Research limitations/implications
The obtained numerical results are completely in specific to the Indian perspective only; hence, they cannot be generalized for other countries. Simultaneously, this study is related to government supported health-care system; hence, the selection of expert panel was crucial due to the unavailability of doctors and other stakeholders of government system.
Practical implications
The proposed approach is aimed at providing a procedure for evaluating the impact of CFs on HSC in general and GHSC in specific. This study is an attempt to assist government and top management of GHSC to assess the impact of CFs on GHSC and accordingly define its course of actions.
Originality/value
Although various issues related to the CFs have been broadly identified and analyzed, no dedicated study has been reported in the field for quantification of impacts of CFs. Furthermore, this proposed model has an ability to recognize the specific contribution of each CF and overall contribution.
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Tulsi Pawan Fowdur and Lavesh Babooram
The purpose of this paper is geared towards the capture and analysis of network traffic using an array ofmachine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques to classify…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is geared towards the capture and analysis of network traffic using an array ofmachine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques to classify network traffic into different classes and predict network traffic parameters.
Design/methodology/approach
The classifier models include k-nearest neighbour (KNN), multilayer perceptron (MLP) and support vector machine (SVM), while the regression models studied are multiple linear regression (MLR) as well as MLP. The analytics were performed on both a local server and a servlet hosted on the international business machines cloud. Moreover, the local server could aggregate data from multiple devices on the network and perform collaborative ML to predict network parameters. With optimised hyperparameters, analytical models were incorporated in the cloud hosted Java servlets that operate on a client–server basis where the back-end communicates with Cloudant databases.
Findings
Regarding classification, it was found that KNN performs significantly better than MLP and SVM with a comparative precision gain of approximately 7%, when classifying both Wi-Fi and long term evolution (LTE) traffic.
Originality/value
Collaborative regression models using traffic collected from two devices were experimented and resulted in an increased average accuracy of 0.50% for all variables, with a multivariate MLP model.
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Vincent Adocta Awuuh, Collins Afriyie Appiah and Faustina O. Mensah
This study aims to determine the impact of nutrition education intervention on nutritional status of undernourished children aged 6-24 months in the East Mamprusi district of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to determine the impact of nutrition education intervention on nutritional status of undernourished children aged 6-24 months in the East Mamprusi district of Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a pre-post interventional study. In all, 153 undernourished children of age 6-24 months and their mothers were recruited from five communities. Underweight, stunting, wasting, mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) and haemoglobin (Hb) levels were determined at baseline and after intervention. Nutrition education was given to the mothers for three months based on the nutrition problems identified at baseline assessment.
Findings
There were improvements in underweight, wasting, MUAC and Hb levels among the children after the nutrition education intervention. The level of improvement at post-intervention differed significantly for underweight (−2.4 ± 0.4, −2.2 ± 0.4; p = 0. 001), wasting (−2.2 ± 0.6, −1.9 ± 0.6; p = 0. 001), MUAC (12.3 ± 0.5, 12.9 ± 0.6; p = 0. 001) and Hb level (10.0 ± 1.4, 10.5 ± 1.4; p = 0. 001) of the children compared to pre-intervention (−1.4 ± 1.8, −1.3 ± 1.7; p = 0.314).
Practical implications
There was significant improvement in the nutritional status of the undernourished children after the nutrition education intervention. Community nutritionists and stakeholders involved in nutrition and health issues concerning infants and young children should consider nutrition education, as it could be an inexpensive and effective strategy in combating childhood undernutrition in resource-poor settings.
Originality/value
Findings of this study provide evidence, suggesting nutrition education as a potential strategy to curb the high rates of child undernutrition in resource-poor communities in Ghana. This study provides insight for larger studies on the effectiveness of nutrition education in curbing child malnutrition in deprived communities in Ghana.
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Anand Gurumurthy, Prasoon Mazumdar and Sowmiya Muthusubramanian
A literature review revealed that in recent times, many companies have attempted organization‐wide change management through the philosophy and principles of Lean Thinking (LT)…
Abstract
Purpose
A literature review revealed that in recent times, many companies have attempted organization‐wide change management through the philosophy and principles of Lean Thinking (LT). Although some organizations have transformed and reaped significant benefits in this endeavour, many organizations have failed in this attempt. One of the reasons can be attributed to the fact that not many organizations are attempting to “assess the organizational readiness” before implementing/adapting LT. This paper aims to address this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Hence in this paper, an attempt has made to address this problem by presenting a hypothetical case study of an Indian organization to comprehensively assess organizational readiness of the case organisation using a graph theoretic approach (GTA), which has the ability to integrate and model multiple inter‐related factors.
Findings
From the obtained results, it was found that the case organization is not fully ready to embrace LT. It needs to work on different factors under the categories of suppliers, customers, etc. in addition to employees, organisation and top management for smooth and successful adaptation.
Originality/value
According to the authors' knowledge, no paper exists either in the literature of organizational analysis or in the field of LT literature that demonstrates the application of GTA, specifically for assessing the readiness of an organization in adapting LT. Furthermore, various factors which need to be considered were identified apart from modelling them by incorporating the relationship/dependency that exists between these factors, which is unique.
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S. Thirunavukkarasu, B.P.C. Rao, G.K. Sharma, Viswa Chaithanya, C. Babu Rao, T. Jayakumar, Baldev Raj, Aravinda Pai, T.K. Mitra and Pandurang Jadhav
Development of non‐destructive methodology for detection of arc strike, spatter and fusion type of welding defects which may form on steam generator (SG) tubes that are in close…
Abstract
Purpose
Development of non‐destructive methodology for detection of arc strike, spatter and fusion type of welding defects which may form on steam generator (SG) tubes that are in close proximity to the circumferential shell welds. Such defects, especially fusion‐type defects, are detrimental to the structural integrity of the SG. This paper aims to focus on this problem.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a new methodology for non‐destructive detection of arc strike, spatter and fusion type of welding defects. This methodology uses remote field eddy current (RFEC) ultrasonic non‐destructive techniques and K‐means clustering.
Findings
Distinctly different RFEC signals have been observed for the three types of defects and this information has been effectively utilized for automated identification of weld fusion which produces two back‐wall echoes in ultrasonic A‐scan signals. The methodology can readily distinguish fusion‐type defect from arc strike and spatter type of defects.
Originality/value
The methodology is unique as there is no standard guideline for non‐destructive evaluation of peripheral tubes after shell welding to detect arc strike, spatter and fusion type of welding defects.
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Because of increasing competition and limited capital budgets, firms need to carefully assess every information technology (IT) opportunity to ensure that their resources are…
Abstract
Because of increasing competition and limited capital budgets, firms need to carefully assess every information technology (IT) opportunity to ensure that their resources are spent judiciously. Conventional wisdom holds that IT has enormous potential. However, organizations continue to question the benefits of IT in conjunction with new corporate initiatives such as business process re‐engineering, e‐commerce, and enterprise resource planning. Despite the potential benefits derived from IT investment, traditional capital budgeting models have failed to estimate true IT values due to their inability to measure complex interactions between IT and organizational performance. This paper presents a business process integrated IT evaluation methodology that integrates business strategy, business process design, and supporting IT investment. The evaluation methodology consists of four phases: strategic analysis; business process design; IT configuration; and performance evaluation. The empirical evidence and computational study strongly suggest that measuring cycle time impact on customers' repurchasing decisions is critical in evaluating the potential value of business‐process‐driven information technology investment.
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Siddharth Suhas Kulkarni, Craig Chapman, Hanifa Shah and David John Edwards
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis between a straight blade (SB) and a curved caudal-fin tidal turbine blade (CB) and to examine the aspects relating…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis between a straight blade (SB) and a curved caudal-fin tidal turbine blade (CB) and to examine the aspects relating to geometry, turbulence modelling, non-dimensional forces lift and power coefficients.
Design/methodology/approach
The comparison utilises results obtained from a default horizontal axis tidal turbine with turbine models available from the literature. A computational design method was then developed and implemented for “horizontal axis tidal turbine blade”. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results for the blade design are presented in terms of lift coefficient distribution at mid-height blades, power coefficients and blade surface pressure distributions. Moving the CB back towards the SB ensures that the total blade height stays constant for all geometries. A 3D mesh independency study of a “straight blade horizontal axis tidal turbine blade” modelled using CFD was carried out. The grid convergence study was produced by employing two turbulence models, the standard k-ε model and shear stress transport (SST) in ANSYS CFX. Three parameters were investigated: mesh resolution, turbulence model, and power coefficient in the initial CFD, analysis.
Findings
It was found that the mesh resolution and the turbulence model affect the power coefficient results. The power coefficients obtained from the standard k-ε model are 15 to 20 per cent lower than the accuracy of the SST model. Further analysis was performed on both the designed blades using ANSYS CFX and SST turbulence model. The variation in pressure distributions yields to the varying lift coefficient distribution across blade spans. The lift coefficient reached its peak between 0.75 and 0.8 of the blade span where the total lift accelerates with increasing pressure before drastically dropping down at 0.9 onwards due to the escalating rotational velocity of the blades.
Originality/value
The work presents a computational design methodological approach that is entirely original. While this numerical method has proven to be accurate and robust for many traditional tidal turbines, it has now been verified further for CB tidal turbines.