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31 December 2011, Volume 14 Issue 6 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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On the Capacity Outsourcing of Port Enterprises for Emergency Response Zhou Xin1，Sha Mei1, Zheng Shiyuan1, Ji Jianhua2 2011, 14 (6):  1-5.  Abstract ( 2082 )   Save  When emergency events occur in port operations, a single enterprise has no enough capacity to respond them. Thus, cooperation among the port enterprises through outsourcing can result in better response to emergency events. A mathematical model is developed for the optimization of cooperation of the port enterprises. Based on the model, the problem is solved for different situations to show how the additional capacity should be obtained by outsourcing. The results show that an enterprise affected by emergency events has different optimal capacity repairing capability and different share of cost and profit. Thus, to achieve the optimal cooperation, the cooperation enterprises should consider the share proportion of cost and benefit.   Related Articles | Metrics

A Game Approach to Cooperative Advertising in a Two-Stage Supply Chain Shi Kuiran1, He Ping1, Xiao Tiaojun2 2011, 14 (6):  6-9.  Abstract ( 2132 )   Save The cooperative advertising strategy is analyzed for a twoechelon supply channel composed of a single manufacturer and a single retailer. To do so, game models are developed for it. Based on the models, the advertising cost for both manufacturer and retailer is analyzed under the optimal cooperative strategies of noncooperative static game, Stackelberg leaderfollower game, and Nash cooperative game, respectively. Results show that the advertising level, ordering quantity, and system profit obtained by cooperation are better than those without cooperation. In additional, the nationalwide advertising level is negatively related to the manufacturers advertising cost, whereas it is positively related to retailers advertising level. A numerical example is used to show the results. Related Articles | Metrics

On the Nash and Stackelberg Game among Multiple Supply Chains Li Baixun1, Zhou Yongwu1, Zeng Wei2 2011, 14 (6):  10-15.  Abstract ( 2419 )   Save  In this paper, the competition issue among multiple supply chains is addressed. The supply chain considered is composed of one manufacturer and one retailer. Both Nash and Stackelberg game models are developed for the problem. It is shown that there is a unique equilibrium for both models. For the twosupplychain scenario, the system profit obtained under different pricing strategy is compared between these two game models. It is found that, for supply chain 1, the profit of retailer, manufacturer, and the whole supply chain obtained under the Nash game is greater than that obtained under the Stackelberg game. This implies that anyone of the retailer, manufacturer, and the whole supply chain is willing to give up the firstmover advantage as a leader. However, in contrast to supply chain 1, for supply chain 2, anyone of the retailer, manufacturer, and the whole supply chain want to act as the follower and exert the latemover advantage. Related Articles | Metrics

Commodity Family Structure and Configuration Management for DLM Mode Yi Huiyong1, Liu Wei2 2011, 14 (6):  16-21.  Abstract ( 2251 )   Save Now days, often the customers want to compare the functions, structures, and other attributes of the goods of different brands online. However, the online mass customization with manufacturerled mode cannot satisfy such a customer demand. With this in mind, mass customization with dealerled mode (DLM) is put forward in this paper. In order to present the expression ways and habits of customer demand, the concept of function and structure configuration elements are introduced. In this way, information dependence relationship between customer demand and product function and structure is built. Then, a model is built to describe the commodity group structure and customization configuration management in the distributors perspective. And the dependency between the configuration process and the distributors commodity family model is defined. A case problem is used to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Related Articles | Metrics

Incentive Analysis under Principal Agent Environment with Quantified Reliability Factor for the Production and Management Systems Tong Qian1,2, Shen Leping2 2011, 14 (6):  22-26.  Abstract ( 2218 )   Save The incentive mechanism is discussed for the principalagent environment. It is assumed that the reliability of the production and management systems in an enterprise is a general information system and the correlative reliability indexes are quantified. A mathematical model is developed to describe the incentive mechanism with the influence of uncertainty factor and information asymmetry taken into account. This model describes the relation between the effectiveness and the observation levels. Based on this model, by using Baysian theory under the asymmetrical information, analysis is carried out to show the effect of different observation level on agent"s effort, risky cost, incentive sharing rate and agency cost, etc. Results show that high level observation can promote the incentive and reduce the cost.     Related Articles | Metrics

Cell Formation for Labor-Intensive Manufacturing Systems with Operator Assignment Considered Liu Huizhen, Zhang Xiangwei, Zhang Bixi, Hu Shengqiang 2011, 14 (6):  27-30.  Abstract ( 2123 )   Save In the existing cell formation methods for cellular manufacturing systems, often it does not consider operator configuration and product sequencing. However, for laborintensive manufacturing systems, it is vitally important to determine the number of operators for each workstation in a cell. In this paper, cell formation problem is studied for laborintensive manufacturing systems with operator assignment and product sequencing being considered. After an integer programming model is formulated for the problem, a threephase heuristic solution method is proposed. In the first phase, the products are assigned into machines such that machine cells are formed based on the product similarity. In the second phase, operators are assigned to workstations by using the longest processing time priority rule. In the third phase, Palmer heuristic algorithm is used to sequence the product types. An example is used to illustrate the application of the proposed method. Related Articles | Metrics

Approach to Dynamic Delivery Date Promise for Iron & Steel Production Yang Li1,2,3, Zhang Wenxin1,2, Tu Xueping1, 2,4, Zhang Wenxue1,2,5 2011, 14 (6):  31-37.  Abstract ( 2304 )   Save To effectively response to the dynamic market, an ironsteel enterprise operates in the maketoorder (MTO) mode. Because of the dynamic features in such a mode, it is a challenge to make delivery date promise. In this paper, this problem is formulates as a dynamic constraint satisfaction problem. In this model, it takes the production capacity and the cost of earliness and tardiness into account. Due to the NPhardness of the problem, a heuristic is proposed to solve the problem by taking the advantage of constraint satisfaction consistency. An industrial case problem from a steel plant is presented to show the application of the proposed approach. Result shows that it can find a good solution and meanwhile it is computationally efficient. Related Articles | Metrics

Inventory Model for NonInstantaneous Deteriorating Items under Permissible Payment Delay Li Mingfang1， Wang Daoping2 2011, 14 (6):  38-43.  Abstract ( 2211 )   Save For the selling of deteriorating items, such as fresh vegetables and fruits in supermarkets, it is usually observed that if large quantities are displayed it can attract more customers and generate more sale. Based on this observation, the inventory control problem is studied under the condition that payment delay is permissible. A mathematic model is developed for the minimization of cost per year. This model describes the relation between inventory level and demand rate better than the existing models. With this model, the optimal replenishment cycle time and order quantity under various circumstances can be found. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the application of the proposed method. By sensitivity analysis, it shows how the variation of the fresh time, the deteriorating rate, and the credit period impact the optimal ordering policy. Related Articles | Metrics

Empirical Analysis of SafetySensitive Organizational Factors Liao Liping1，2, Zhang Guangyu1, Liu Huizhen1 2011, 14 (6):  44-48.  Abstract ( 2586 )   Save  Organizational failure is an important research direction in the management science. The failure of a single person has significant effect on the organizational failure. The safety issue in the complex manmachine system is discussed in this paper. By expert consulting and questionnaire survey in the enterprises, the organizational factors that impact the system safety are analyzed. A model is developed by using statistical methods of confirmatory factors analysis and highorder factor analysis. With this model, the relation between the factors and the safety influence degree to the system is presented. It shows that the managers are the vitally important factor for system safety. Also, staffs acceptance of the policy of the organization takes a very important role for system safety. Related Articles | Metrics

Technical Effectiveness Analysis of Provincial Engineering Centers in Guangdong Province Based on DEA Model Zhou Xia, Jing Baofeng 2011, 14 (6):  49-54.  Abstract ( 2048 )   Save To evaluate the R & D inputoutput performance of the provincial engineering centers, technical effectiveness analysis is carried out. In this study, provincial engineering centers locating at 21 cities in Guangdong province are evaluated with the data from 2008. The C2R and BC2 models of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) are applied. The results show that the overall level of the technical effectiveness is generally low, but it is relatively high for the centers that locate in the Pearl River Delta region. The low pure technique effectiveness is serious. Also, the low effectiveness in scale is a very prominent. Notice that pure technical effectiveness has significant effect on the technical effectiveness. The engineering centers locating at 16 cities have redundant resource input, which is a large number. However, the output of these centers is low, especially the number of patent certified is small. Based on the results, suggestion is given for the government R & D investment to increase the technical effectiveness. Related Articles | Metrics

The Determination of Weights in Supplier Selection by Using DEA/TOPSIS Model Zheng Bin, Liu Fengguo 2011, 14 (6):  55-59.  Abstract ( 2162 )   Save  It is important for a manufacture to select appropriate suppliers and the supplier selection problem is a multi-objective optimization problem. A method called technique for order preference by similarity to idea solution (TOPSIS) is often used to solve this problem. However, by using TOPSIS, it is difficult to find the weights to obtain a good solution. In this paper, a system of evaluation indices for supplier selection is put forward. Then, a model called DEA/TOPSIS that combines TOPSIS with DEA is presented. By determining the entropy weight of each index, a combined entropy-DEA weight method is proposed. In this way, subjectivity can be avoided to some extent. The proposed method is applied to a ultra-white glass manufacturing enterprise for supplier selection and a satisfied result is obtained. Related Articles | Metrics

Optimal Investment Decision-Making for Petroleum Enterprises Based on Risk Tolerance Xu Xuena, Liu Jinlan 2011, 14 (6):  60-64.  Abstract ( 2176 )   Save Based on expected utility theory, the concept of corporate risk tolerance is introduced into Markowitz portfolio management model for investment decision-making. Based on the model, multiple attribute analysis technique is used for the integrated decision making of financial, technical, environmental, geological, and other factors. The proposed method is applied to a company in the petroleum industry. With the data collected from that company, it demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method. By taking the corporate risk tolerance and the effect of each attribute into consideration, the proposed method establishes the linkage between decision analysis and portfolio management such that the overall petroleum investment decision-making process is improved, leading to a better corporate performance. Related Articles | Metrics

SEM-Based Optimization of Evaluation Index System for Brownfield Redevelopment Zhu Yuming, Liu Qingfen, Su Haitang, Guo Peng 2011, 14 (6):  65-69.  Abstract ( 2078 )   Save It is know that an objective and effective evaluation index system is critical for scientific performance evaluation. The evaluation index system for brownfield redevelopment is addressed in this paper. First, based on the existing studies, an evaluation index system with four views for brownfield redevelopment is preliminarily formed. Then, by factor analysis and optimization, the proposed evaluation index system with six views is obtained. The optimization effectiveness of the evaluation index system is verified by using of structural equation modeling (SEM) method as follows. The adaptability of the overall evaluation effectiveness is verified by using parametric test. The calculation of absolute fit measures, comparative fit measures, and parsimonious fit measures are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method by comparison for the given evaluation criteria. Related Articles | Metrics

Licensing Strategies of Competitive Technologies under Network Externalities Zhang Xiyue1,2, Wang Huaizu1 2011, 14 (6):  70-75.  Abstract ( 2242 )   Save In this paper, the effects of network externalities and technology competition on the innovators licensing strategies are studied. Mainly, there are two different strategies: independent licensing and colluding on the number of licenses. After models for both strategies are developed, analysis is conducted under the environment of network externalities. With the results of analysis, the optimal number of licenses and profits obtained by these two strategies are compared. It shows that innovators with competitive technologies tend to collude on the number of licenses in the licensing market. The tendency does not change even if the network externalities are considered. Compared with the independent licensing strategy, with colluded licensing strategy, it reduces the probability of innovators' licensing and the number of technology licenses. Related Articles | Metrics

JITD-Based Integrated Two-Echelon Distribution Network for Service Parts Ma Hanwu, Zhu Hui 2011, 14 (6):  76-80.  Abstract ( 2227 )   Save  A two-echelon supply chain for service parts composed of a manufacturer, a number of distributors, and multiple customers is considered. It is assumed that the locations of the manufacturer and customers are known. Then, the issue addressed in this paper is to determine the locations of the distribution centers and the transportation routing, and control the inventory, or it is the combined location routing and inventory problem (CLRIP). To solve this problem, a twolevel architecture is proposed. With this architecture, the problem is formulated as an integer programming. The model takes the benefits for both supplier and customers into account. Also, in the model, the justintime distribution (JITD) philosophy is adopted for the distribution network design. Thus, it can significantly improve the customer service level and reduce the total system cost as well. Because of the combinatorial nature of the problem, a heuristic algorithm is developed to solve the model. A numerical example is given to illustrate the application of the proposed method. Result shows that it works well. Related Articles | Metrics

Design of Quality Loss Function under the Smaller the Better Characteristic without Neglecting the Linear Term Zhang Yueyi1, Song Mingshun1, Han Zhijun2, Chen Xianglai3 2011, 14 (6):  81-83.  Abstract ( 2200 )   Save Presently, in the application of Taguchi method, the quality loss function contains the quadratic term only, but the linear and other high order terms are neglected. This is unadvisable for the smaller the better situations, and the linear term should be included in the quality loss function. In this paper, the design issue of the quality loss function for the smaller the better situations is studied by determining the loss coefficients of the linear and quadratic terms. Algorithm is proposed to calculate the loss coefficients.  Comparative analysis is carried out and results show that the loss function with the quadratic term only is just a special form of the quality loss function under the smaller the better characteristic. The results are verified by a practical case problem. Related Articles | Metrics

practice & application

Rescheduling Algorithm for Steelmaking and Continuous Casting Based on Constraint and Neighborhood Ding Shuai1,2, Li Tieke1,2, Wang Haifeng1,2, Zhang Wenxue1,3 2011, 14 (6):  84-89.  Abstract ( 1947 )   Save In the steelmaking and continuous casting processes, machine failures occur from time to time. Thus, rescheduling is necessary. In this paper, the rescheduling problem for such processes is addressed. By mapping machine failures to resource constraints, a dynamic constraint satisfaction model is developed for this problem to maximize the quantity of continuous casting and the similarity between the initial schedule and the adjust one. Based on this model and by analyzing the characteristics of the problem, a mixed algorithm that combines constraint satisfaction technology with neighborhood search is proposed. Simulation experiments show that the model and algorithm are effective.     Related Articles | Metrics

An Approach to the Design of Dynamic Kanban System for a Multi-Product Series-Parallel Production System Jin Qing, Ding Zhaoguo 2011, 14 (6):  90-93.  Abstract ( 2245 )   Save A multi-product series-parallel production system that is common in electro-mechanical product enterprises is considered. To increase the productivity and reduce the work in process (WIP), a dynamic kanban system is designed such that the products can be produced in an alternate way. The product mix is dynamically controlled by the dynamic Kanbans. Algorithm is presented to calculate the number of kanbans such that the number of products for different types can be dynamically changed according to “the demands”. Based on this approach, the “balance production of multi-products” can be realized and the number of WIP can be effectively controlled. Related Articles | Metrics

Equipment Planning for Mold Manufacturing Enterprise Based on Requirement Prediction Deng Xiaohua1, Chen Qingxin1, Mao Ning1, Yu Ailin1, Zheng Xuxu2 2011, 14 (6):  94-98.  Abstract ( 2222 )   Save For some mold manufacturing enterprises, directcarving is the key process and machines for such a process is expensive. Thus, it is very important to have an appropriate capacity for this process. To do so, with requirement prediction, the problem is formulated as an integer programming. This problem can be solved in an exact way in reasonable time duration by using Lingo package. With the proposed method, a capacity planning system is developed based on LINGO and SQL2005. Related Articles | Metrics

A Novel Method of Using Tray of Hull Construction in Shipbuilding Qian Wei1, Wang Li2, Chen Yijia3 2011, 14 (6):  99-103.  Abstract ( 2144 )   Save In shipbuilding, the increase of steel usage rate and reduction of material delivery are the critical ways to shorten the lead time, increase the productivity, and save the cost. For this purpose, for the first time, a novel concept of using tray for shipbuilding is proposed. Based on this concept, a new method for shipbuilding is developed. There are two types of trays: logical and physical ones. With the proposed concept and method, techniques are presented for hull production design, material purchasing management, inventory management, information management, and so on. The effectiveness of applying the proposed method is analyzed. Related Articles | Metrics

IDEF-Based Goal Management Method of Energy Saving in Oil Field Yang Jianhua1, Zhang Shuwen1，2 2011, 14 (6):  104-107.  Abstract ( 2090 )   Save The issue of energy saving in an oil field is discussed. An IDEF (ICAM Definition) model is developed for the system by analyzing the crude oil production process. With this model, key points of energy consumption are identified by statistically analyzing the energy consumption rate of the subprocesses. Then, measures are presented to reduce energy consumption. In this way, the energy saving goal can be realized by reducing the energy consumption of the key subprocesses. An industrial case study is given to show the application of the proposed method. Related Articles | Metrics

Performance Evaluation of Automobile Distribution Logistics Based on Quantitative Results Li Rong1，Yang Linling1，Wang Xiangyin2，Liu Jian1 2011, 14 (6):  108-112.  Abstract ( 2333 )   Save Aiming at increasing the performance level of automobile distribution logistics, a systematic and comprehensive quantitative performance evaluation system for automotive distribution logistics is developed in this paper. To evaluate the performance in the system, the index weights are determined by combining the balanced scorecard method (BSC) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). In the system, it presents goal realization indices such that the quantitative performance evaluation results can be compared with the planned one. In this way, it can promote the continuous improvement of the performance. The feasibility, operability, and practicability of the proposed method are verified through examples.   Related Articles | Metrics

Study on Incentive Mechanism for Green Coal Mining Based on Paste filling Zhou Huaqiang, Wang Junzhuo, Lu Mingyin, Chen Xuexiao 2011, 14 (6):  113-116.  Abstract ( 2129 )   Save  With the characteristics of improving the resource recovery ratio, promoting production safety, and protecting the environment, the coordinated paste filling takes an important part of the green coal mining system. However, while it can keep the original state of the environment unchanged, it results in new environmental management costs. Thus, the government should encourage the coal mining enterprises to adopt the coordinated paste filling technology by incentive policy. For this objective, a model is developed for it by treating the relation between the government and coal mining enterprises as principal and agent relation. With this model, the government incentive mechanism is analyzed under different constraints. This is useful for the coal industry to achieve the balance and sustainable development. Related Articles | Metrics

Investigation on the Nutrition and Healthiness of Chinese Fast Food Chen Na, Wang Mingqiang, Peiluen Patrick Rau, Chen Cuiling 2011, 14 (6):  117-120.  Abstract ( 1981 )   Save Since it lacks normal operation standard for Chinese fastfood, this work aims to investigate the status quo of Chinese fast food so as to establish a set of standardized measurement operating procedures. This is done by measuring the typical Chinese fast food including beef noodles so as to analyze nutrient content and some related parameter. The investigation is made by selecting the samples from the six nationwide Chinese fastfood chains in Beijing. The results show that there are significant differences in nutrition and healthiness among these chains. In general, the energy and starch content are lower than that required by the relative standard. However, the fat level of beef noodles is higher than the standard level. Especially, the salt level is as high as about three to four times of the standard level. Moreover, the temperature is not suitable for fastfood consumption. The proportion is too high for beef and staple foods, while it is too low for vegetables. Related Articles | Metrics

A Bibliometric Analysis of Kansei Research Based on Web of Science Database Gao Wei1，2, Qi Ershi1 2011, 14 (6):  121-125.  Abstract ( 1941 )   Save There is a research field called kansei research. It originates from Japan. However, in recent years, more and more scholars from various field and countries pay a significant attention to it. To reveal the significance and status of this research field, bibliometric analysis is conducted in this paper. To do so, totally 354 relevant articles published during 19982010 and indexed by Web of Science are collected. Then, by statistically analyzing the titles and authors, we present the stateoftheart in this field. By keyword analysis, the research topics are outlined. The result shows that this research field is a very popular and has great potential. It also shows that this field has the property of industry cross and disciplinary cross. Thus, it may be an interesting research field for the Chinese scholars. Related Articles | Metrics

Customer Churn Analysis in Personal Financial Services of Commercial Bank Based on Classification Mining Method Zhang Xumei, Shi Hanling 2011, 14 (6):  126-132.  Abstract ( 2327 )   Save In customer churn analysis of personal financial services in commercial bank, there are large number of customer samples, and the number of churn samples and that of nonchurn samples are imbalanced. Thus, it is a challenging problem to do the churn analysis. To solve this problem, an integrated method that combines boosting algorithm with costsensitive decision tree is presented. To show the effectiveness of the proposed method, it is applied to a case study. Comparison shows that the proposed method outperforms the other existing ones, such as support vector machine, artificial neural network, and logistic regression.   Related Articles | Metrics

Combined Prediction Method of Stock Price Based on Wavelet Multi-Scale Analysis Xiao Yanjun, Zhang Hua, Ren Ruoen 2011, 14 (6):  133-137.  Abstract ( 2212 )   Save  Stock price is affected by a large number of factors and is a typical nonstationary time series. In order to predict the stock price more accurately, a combined prediction method is proposed by combining the wavelet analysis, remanet GM (1, 1) model, and autoregressive (AR) model. By using the wavelet decomposing algorithm, the stock price is approximately decomposed into a number of signals of different scales. Then, these signals are reconstructed to form a number of low and high frequency time serials called the tendency part and random part of the stock price data. These serials are used for stock price prediction by using remanet GM (1, 1) and AR models, respectively, with respect to their different features. The predicted results of all serials are combined into the final prediction price. As shown in the experimental result obtained from an example, by the proposed method, the prediction accuracy is higher than that obtained by the traditional ones. Related Articles | Metrics

general review

Review of Collaboration Mechanisms in Humanitarian Logistics Fan Guangmin1, Feng Chun1，Zhang Yi2 2011, 14 (6):  138-144.  Abstract ( 2082 )   Save Because disaster occurs frequently, great attention is paid to disaster response and management. It is believed that the humanitarian logistics collaboration can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of disaster relief. Thus, the research on collaboration mechanisms in humanitarian logistics is a hot topic in the field of disaster management and logistics management. This paper reviews the relevant literature, elaborates the concept and characteristics of humanitarian logistics, analyzes the challenges and advantages of collaboration in humanitarian logistics, introduces some collaboration mechanisms. Because the research on this field is still in its infant stage, we point out the future research directions. Related Articles | Metrics