Develops a linear programming model for integrated production planning based on the practice of a major Canadian steel making company. Considers the entire planning activity in…
Abstract
Develops a linear programming model for integrated production planning based on the practice of a major Canadian steel making company. Considers the entire planning activity in the company as an integrated process involving a number of closely related sub‐functions, such as raw material purchasing, semi‐finished product purchasing and production, and capacity allocation, as well as finished product production and distribution. The mathematical programming model takes into account production costs, product throughput rates, customer demands, sales prices and facility capacities for optimal production planning. Presents a numerical example based on realistic system structure and practical planning data to illustrate the model. Computation results and analysis show that the integrated methodology is a feasible and practical approach for steel production planning.
Details
Keywords
Zhifeng Lin, Likun Xu, Xiangbo Li, Li Wang, Weimin Guo, Chuanjie Wu and Yi Yang
The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of a fastener composite coating system, sherardized (SD) coating/zinc-aluminum (ZA) coating whether it has good performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of a fastener composite coating system, sherardized (SD) coating/zinc-aluminum (ZA) coating whether it has good performance in marine environment.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, SD coating was fabricated on fastener surface by solid-diffusion method. ZA coating was fabricated by thermal sintering method. Corrosion behaviours of the composite coating were investigated with potentiodynamic polarization curves, open circuit potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods.
Findings
Neutral salt spray (NSS) and deep sea exposure tests revealed that the composite coating had excellent corrosion resistance. Polarization curve tests showed that corrosion current density of the sample with composite coating was significantly decreased, indicating an effective corrosion protection of the composite coating. OCP measurement of the sample in NaCl solution demonstrated that the composite coating had the best cathodic protection effect. The good corrosion resistance of the composite coating was obtained by the synergy of SD and ZA coating.
Practical implications
SD/ZA coating can be used in marine environment to prolong the life of carbon steel fastener.
Social implications
SD/ZA composite coating can reduce the risk and accident caused by failed fastener, avoid huge economic losses.
Originality/value
A new kind of composite coating was explored to protect the carbon steel fastener in marine environment. And the composite coating has the long-term anti-corrosion performance both in simulated and marine environment test.
Details
Keywords
Li Zhang, Haiyan Fang, Weimin Bao, Haifeng Sun, Lirong Shen, Jianyu Su and Liang Zhao
X-ray pulsar navigation (XPNAV) is an autonomous celestial navigation technology for deep space missions. The error in the pulse time of arrival used in pulsar navigation is large…
Abstract
Purpose
X-ray pulsar navigation (XPNAV) is an autonomous celestial navigation technology for deep space missions. The error in the pulse time of arrival used in pulsar navigation is large for various practical reasons and thus greatly reduces the navigation accuracy of spacecraft near the Earth and in deep space. This paper aims to propose a novel method based on ranging information that improves the performance of XPNAV.
Design/methodology/approach
This method replaces one pulsar observation with a satellite observation. The ranging information is the difference between the absolute distance of the satellite relative to the spacecraft and the estimated distance of the satellite relative to the spacecraft. The proposed method improves the accuracy of XPNAV by combining the ranging information with the observation data of two pulsars.
Findings
The simulation results show that the proposed method greatly improves the XPNAV accuracy by 70% compared with the conventional navigation method that combines the observations of three pulsars. This research also shows that a larger angle between the orbital plane of the satellite and that of the spacecraft provides higher navigation accuracy. In addition, a greater orbital altitude difference implies higher navigation accuracy. The position error and ranging error of the satellite have approximately linear relationships with the navigation accuracy.
Originality/value
The novelty of this study is that the satellite ranging information is integrated into the pulsar navigation by using mathematical geometry.
Details
Keywords
Shujun Zhou, Bingzhen Sun, Weimin Ma and Xiangtang Chen
The purpose of this paper is to present a new method and model for determining the optimal decision-making for the pricing strategy to the Fuji apple in Shaanxi of Chain which is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a new method and model for determining the optimal decision-making for the pricing strategy to the Fuji apple in Shaanxi of Chain which is representing fresh agricultural products under the e-commerce environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the rapid development of information technology as well as internet that actually motivate the e-commerce, Fuji apple is a distinctive product in China’s Shaanxi; its sales channels have extended to online sales under the wave of e-commerce. Internet trading platforms make it possible to trade online in real time between suppliers and customers who live in different geographical areas. In this paper, the authors study how to price online to maximize the total revenue. The challenge is to optimally price two different qualities of apple. Based on the consumer surplus theory, the authors use the method that builds the function of the relationship between the proportion of consumers purchasing different qualities of products and price.
Findings
This paper presents a generalized model to determine the optimal pricing that maximizes the total revenue of a fruit grower over a finite planning horizon. The authors divided discount into two intervals and discussed the optimal discounting and pricing at both intervals. Then they determined the optimal pricing strategy for Fuji apple in Shaanxi of Chain under the e-commerce environment.
Originality/value
This paper makes up for the lack of existing studies of pricing under the e-commerce environment. A new method and approach to the traditional pricing strategy is established and applied to a management decision-making problem with Chinese characteristics in reality.
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to investigate both the positive and negative effects of workplace loneliness on innovative behavior. By applying the unified theory on contingencies of self-worth, the study aimed to integrate these effects into a single framework, thereby confirming the presence of the double-edged sword effect of workplace loneliness on innovative behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted among enterprises across China, involving 246 employees. Hierarchical regression analysis was utilized to test the moderating hypotheses. Additionally, the mediating effects and the moderated mediation effects were further explored using the bootstrapping method.
Findings
The results indicated that workplace loneliness positively influenced innovative behavior through the desire to prove ability, with the promotion regulatory focus enhancing this relationship. Conversely, workplace loneliness negatively influenced innovative behavior through self-handicapping, with the prevention regulatory focus intensifying this relationship.
Practical implications
The findings revealed that workplace loneliness exerts a double-edged effect on innovative behavior. Lonely employees can enhance their sense of self-worth by engaging in domain switching, thereby alleviating feelings of loneliness.
Originality/value
The research confirmed a novel perspective: workplace loneliness can promote innovative behavior by influencing employees’ desire to prove ability. It also revealed the double-edged sword effect of workplace loneliness on innovative behavior. Based on these findings, employees experiencing loneliness can enhance their self-worth and alleviate feelings of loneliness through domain switching.
Details
Keywords
Weimin Li, Yanxia Wu, Xiaobo Wang and Weimin Liu
The purpose of this paper is to study the antirust, tribological performance and anti-wear (AW) mechanism of the of soybean lecithin (SL) as a kind of multifunctional lubricant…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the antirust, tribological performance and anti-wear (AW) mechanism of the of soybean lecithin (SL) as a kind of multifunctional lubricant additive.
Design/methodology/approach
As a kind of multifunctional lubricant additive, the antirust performance of SL was tested according to ASTM D 665, and meanwhile, its tribological performances were also evaluated by Optimol SRV-I oscillating reciprocating friction and wear tester and four ball tester. The worn steel surfaces were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
Findings
The results showed that the SL exhibited excellent antirust properties in different base stock, and could effectively improve the AW and extreme pressure (EP) performances. The results of SEM and XPS indicated that a protective film was formed between steel-steel friction pair during the tribological test.
Originality/value
This paper first investigated the antirust properties and the tribological mechanism of the SL as a kind of multifunctional lubricant additive, which can be very useful and will promote the application of SL in lubricant industry.
Details
Keywords
Liyao Huang, Cheng Li and Weimin Zheng
Given the importance of spatial effects in improving the accuracy of hotel demand forecasting, this study aims to introduce price and online rating, two critical factors…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the importance of spatial effects in improving the accuracy of hotel demand forecasting, this study aims to introduce price and online rating, two critical factors influencing hotel demand, as external variables into the model, and capture the spatial and temporal correlation of hotel demand within the region.
Design/methodology/approach
For high practical implications, the authors conduct the case study in Xiamen, China, where the hotel industry is prosperous. Based on the daily demand data of 118 hotels before and during the COVID-19 period (from January to June 2019 and from January to June 2021), the authors evaluate the prediction performance of the proposed innovative model, that is, a deep learning-based model, incorporating graph convolutional networks (GCN) and gated recurrent units.
Findings
The proposed model simultaneously predicts the daily demand of multiple hotels. It effectively captures the spatial-temporal characteristics of hotel demand. In addition, the features, price and online rating of competing hotels can further improve predictive performance. Meanwhile, the robustness of the model is verified by comparing the forecasting results for different periods (during and before the COVID-19 period).
Practical implications
From a long-term management perspective, long-term observation of market competitors’ rankings and price changes can facilitate timely adjustment of corresponding management measures, especially attention to extremely critical factors affecting forecast demand, such as price. While from a short-term operational perspective, short-term demand forecasting can greatly improve hotel operational efficiency, such as optimizing resource allocation and dynamically adjusting prices. The proposed model not only achieves short-term demand forecasting, but also greatly improves the forecasting accuracy by considering factors related to competitors in the same region.
Originality/value
The originalities of the study are as follows. First, this study represents a pioneering attempt to incorporate demand, price and online rating of other hotels into the forecasting model. Second, integrated deep learning models based on GCN and gated recurrent unit complement existing predictive models using historical data in a methodological sense.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to propose two portfolio selection models with hesitant value-at-risk (HVaR) – HVaR fuzzy portfolio selection model (HVaR-FPSM) and HVaR-score fuzzy portfolio…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose two portfolio selection models with hesitant value-at-risk (HVaR) – HVaR fuzzy portfolio selection model (HVaR-FPSM) and HVaR-score fuzzy portfolio selection model (HVaR-S-FPSM) – to help investors solve the problem that how bad a portfolio can be under probabilistic hesitant fuzzy environment.
Design/methodology/approach
It is strictly proved that the higher the probability threshold, the higher the HVaR in HVaR-S-FPSM. Numerical examples and a case study are used to illustrate the steps of building the proposed models and the importance of the HVaR and score constraint. In case study, the authors conduct a sensitivity analysis and compare the proposed models with decision-making models and hesitant fuzzy portfolio models.
Findings
The score constraint can make sure that the portfolio selected is profitable, but will not cause the HVaR to decrease dramatically. The investment proportions of stocks are mainly affected by their HVaRs, which is consistent with the fact that the stock having good performance is usually desirable in portfolio selection. The HVaR-S-FPSM can find portfolios with higher HVaR than each single stock and has little sacrifice of extreme returns.
Originality/value
This paper fulfills a need to construct portfolio selection models with HVaR under probabilistic hesitant fuzzy environment. As a downside risk, the HVaR is more consistent with investors’ intuitions about risks. Moreover, the score constraint makes sure that undesirable portfolios will not be selected.
Details
Keywords
Weimin Ma, Wenjing Lei and Bingzhen Sun
The purpose of this paper is to propose a three-way group decision-making approach to address the selection of green supplier, by extending decision-theoretic rough set (DTRS…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a three-way group decision-making approach to address the selection of green supplier, by extending decision-theoretic rough set (DTRS) into hesitant fuzzy linguistic (HFL) environment, considering the flexible evaluation expression format of HFL term set (HFLTS) and the idea of minimum expected risk in DTRS.
Design/methodology/approach
Specifically, the authors first present the calculation method of the conditional probability and discuss the loss functions of DTRS with HFL element (HFLE), along with some associated properties being investigated in detail. Further, three-way group decisions rules can be deduced, followed by the cost of every green supplier candidate. Thus, based on these discussions, a novel green supplier selection DTRS model that combines multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) and HFLTS is designed.
Findings
A numerical example of green supplier selection, the comparative analysis and associated discussions are conducted to illustrate the applicability and novelty of the presented model.
Practical implications
The selection of green supplier has played a critically strategic role in sustainable enterprise development due to continuous environmental concerns. This paper offers an insight for companies to select green supplier selection from the perspective of three-way group decisions.
Originality/value
This paper uses three-way decisions to address green supplier selection in the HFL context, which is considered as a MCGDM issue.