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Bahcivancilar, Ugur. "Validation Of Methods Time Measurement Data." Master's thesis, METU, 2012. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12614916/index.pdf.
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This thesis shows the results of an experiment in order to test the validity of Methods Time
Measurement (MTM) data. MTM, developed in 1948, is one of the most commonly used
Predetermined Motion Time Systems to calculate standard time for a task. However, there is
limited research on the validity of the MTM data in the literature. Today&rsquos technology provides new computerized tools to perform time studies. One of such tools is Real Time Method Study (RTMS). RTMS is a computerized method study tool being developed in METU Technopolis, which uses Image Processing and Machine Learning to conduct time studies automatically. RTMS uses MTM data as a benchmark data to compare observed performance results
therefore validity of MTM data is an important issue for it. In order to test the validity of MTM data an experiment conducted in the Ergonomics Laboratory of the METU Industrial Engineering Department. In this experiment 40 undergraduate students performed four different tasks. These tasks were recorded by a video camera and analyzed frame by frame to calculate normal times for basic motions of MTM. Results are compared with the original MTM data and it is shown that MTM times do not fit the observed data. This study in the end suggests updating MTM data or constructing a new standard time database by using a tool like RTMS.
2
Jirátková, Marie. "Time management v práci stavebního manažera." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta stavební, 2018. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-401472.
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The goal of the thesis is to find out if manager in the area of building uses the methods of time management for the planning of work and tasks. At the beginning of theoretical part is the basic definition of the „time management“, assessment of the goals and the priorities, explanation of the methods used by time management and how to manage effectively. This part of the thesis deals with the downside as well – procrastination. Shows this downside as inability to manage the time management. The methods of time management are described and history of this methods as well. The second – practical part of the thesis – contains proposed hypotheses what investigate how the time management is in reality used by building managers, how helps the electronics and if managers prefer the working time. The author tries this hypotheses to confirm or to refute using the survey and structured interviews in selected building companies. The results of the thesis are suitable recommendations for more effective planning of the time and avoidance the mistakes in this area.
3
Aleksic, Mario. "Incremental computation methods in valid and transaction time databases." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/8126.
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Rigaut, Tristan. "Time decomposition methods for optimal management of energy storage under stochasticity." Thesis, Paris Est, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019PESC2015/document.
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L'évolution du stockage d'énergie permet de développer des méthodes innovantes de gestion de l'énergie à une échelle locale. Les micro réseaux électriques sont une forme émergente de petits réseaux électriques munis de production locale, de stockage d'énergie et en particulier d'un système de gestion de l'énergie (EMS pour Energy Management System). De nombreuses études et recherches scientifiques ont été menées pour proposer diverses stratégies d'implémentation de ces EMS. Néanmoins il n'existe pas à ce jour d'articulation claire et formelle de ces méthodes permettant leur comparaison. L'une des principales difficultés pour les EMS, est la gestion des dynamiques des différents systèmes énergétiques. Les variations de courant vont à la vitesse de l'électron, la production d'énergie solaire photovoltaïque varie au gré des nuages et différentes technologies de stockages peuvent réagir plus ou moins vites à ces phénomènes imprévisibles. Nous étudions dans ce manuscrit, un formalisme mathématique et des algorithmes basés sur la théorie de l'optimisation stochastique multi-étapes et la Programmation Dynamique. Ce formalisme permet de modéliser et de résoudre des problèmes de décisions inter-temporelles en présence d'incertitudes, à l'aide de méthodes de décomposition temporelle que nous appliquons à des problèmes de gestion de l'énergie. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, "Contributions à la décomposition temporelle en optimisation stochastique multi-étapes", nous présentons le formalisme général que nous utilisons pour décomposer en temps les problèmes d'optimisation stochastique avec un grand nombre de pas de temps. Nous classifions ensuite différentes méthodes de contrôle optimal au sein de ce formalisme. Dans la seconde partie, "Optimisation stochastique de stockage d'énergie pour la gestion des micro réseaux", nous comparons différentes méthodes, introduites dans la première partie, sur des cas réels. Dans un premier temps, nous contrôlons une batterie ainsi que des ventilations dans une station de métro récupérant de l'énergie de freinage des trains, en comparant quatre algorithmes différents. Dans un second temps, nous montrons comment ces algorithmes pourraient être implémentés sur un système réel à l'aide d'une architecture de contrôle hiérarchique de micro réseaux électrique en courant continu. Le micro réseaux étudié connecte cette fois ci de l'énergie photovoltaïque à une batterie, une super-capacité et à une charge électrique. Enfin nous appliquons le formalisme de décomposition par blocs temporels présenté dans la première partie pour traiter un problème de gestion de charge de batterie mais aussi de son vieillissement long terme. Ce dernier chapitre introduit 2 algorithmes basés sur la décomposition par blocs temporels qui pourraient être utilisés pour le contrôle hiérarchique de micro réseaux ou les problèmes d'optimisation stochastique présentant un grand nombre de pas de temps. Dans la troisième et dernière partie, "Logiciels et expériences", nous présentons DynOpt.jl un paquet développé en langage Julia qui a permis de développer toutes les applications de cette thèse et bien d'autres. Nous étudions enfin l'utilisation de ce paquet dans un cas de pilotage réel de système énergétique : la gestion intelligente de la température dans une maison de l'équipement Sense CityThe development of energy storage paves the way to innovative methods to manage energy at a local scale. Micro grids are a novel kind of electrical grids with local production (renewable and waste energy), local demand, local storage and an Energy Management System (EMS). A wide literature already studies EMS implementations in micro grids but the produced methods are not exhaustively framed and compared. One of the main difficulty in micro grids energy management is to handle the different dynamics of electrical devices. Current variations are lighting fast, solar power changes quickly, different kind of storage react at different paces and batteries ageing is a slow process. We studya mathematical framework and algorithms, based on multistage stochastic optimization theory and Dynamic Programming, to model and solve energy management problems in micro grids with time decomposition methods. In the first part of this thesis, Contributions to time decomposition in multistage stochastic optimization, we present a general framework to decompose temporally large scale stochastic optimization problems into smaller subproblems. We then classify multiple existing resolution methods inside this framework. In the second part, Stochastic optimization of energy storage for management of micro grids, we compare different methods presented in the first part on realistic applications. First we control a battery and a ventilation in a subway station recovering subways braking energy with four different algorithms. Then we present how these results could be implemented on a real micro grid. We implement a fast online control method to stabilize the voltage in a simulated islanded DC micro grid connecting solar panels, an electrical load and two sorts of energy storage: a battery and a supercapacitor. Finally we apply our time decomposition framework to a problem of long term aging and energy management of a storage in a micro grid. This last chapter introduces a framework to model time decomposition of micro grids hierarchical control architectures, as well as two algorithms to solve temporally large scale stochastic optimization problems.In the third part, Softwares and experimentations, we present DynOpt.jl, a Julia language package developed to produce all the results of this thesis and more. Then we study an application of this software to the control of a real test bed: the energy aware temperature regulation of a real house in the equipment named "Sense City"
5
Filitti, Constantin Alexandru. "Portfolio selection in continuous time : analytical and numerical methods." Online version, 2004. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=012032625&line_number=0001&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.
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Jurthe, Rick. "Parasite Future : Creation of an audio record and critical reflection on the production process with remarks on applying time management methods on creative work processes in music production." Thesis, Kungl. Musikhögskolan, Institutionen för musik- och medieproduktion, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kmh:diva-4116.
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The overall aim of this master project was to create an audio record consisting of seven tracks that are both cohesive and very individual at the same time. The pieces are thought to showcase the diversity of my creative identity as a composer and music producer and will represent my individual way of composing and producing music freed from all external influences in the best way possible. This written part of the thesis is a documentation and critical reflection as well as investigation of the creation process: from sorting out the original material, writing, producing and arranging over to mixing and mastering. The observations I make are the essential part of investigating my own creative identity as a music producer and composer. In addition to the audio record and its critical reflection, this thesis will also state remarks on three time management methods I apply onto my creation process in order to observe their effects on my working routine.Det övergripande målet för detta examensarbete var att skapa en ljudinspelning bestående av sju låtar som är både sammanhängande och mycket individuella samtidigt. Låtarna ska presentera mångfalden av min kreativa identitet som kompositör och musikproducent och ska representera mitt individuella sätt att komponera och producera musik befriad från alla yttre influenser på bästa möjliga sätt. Denna masteruppsats är en dokumentation och kritisk reflektion samt en undersökning av skapandeprocessen: från att sortera ur originalmaterialet, skriva, producera och arrangera till mixning och mastering. Observationerna jag gör är den väsentliga delen av att undersöka min egen kreativa identitet som musikproducent och kompositör. Förutom ljudinspelningen och dess kritiska reflektion kommer denna masteruppsats också att ge kommentarer om tre metoder för time management som jag använder under min skapandeprocess för att observera effekterna på min arbetsrutin.
7
Chan, Eric Glenn. "Forecasting the S&P 500 index using time series analysis and simulation methods." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55206.
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Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-102).
The S&P 500 represents a diverse pool of securities in addition to Large Caps. A range of audiences are interested in the S&P 500 forecasts including investors, speculators, economists, government and researchers. The primary objective is to attempt to provide an accurate 3 month and 12 month forecast using the recent credit crisis data, specifically during the time range of 10/2008 - 09/2009. Several methods were used for prediction fit including: Linear Regression, Time Series Models: Autoregressive Integrated Moving Averages (ARIMA), Double Exponential Smoothing, Neural Networks, GARCH, and Bootstrapping Simulations. The criteria to evaluate forecasts were the following metrics for the evaluation range: Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Absolute Error (MAE), Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Schwartz Bayesian criterion (SBC). But most importantly, the primary forecasting measure includes MAE and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), which uses the forecasted value and the actual S&P 500 level as input parameters. S&P 500 empirical results indicate that the Hybrid Linear Regression outperformed all other models for 3 month forecasts with the explanatory variables: GDP, credit default rates, and VIX volatility conditioned on credit crisis data ranges, but performed poorly during speculation periods such as the Tech Bubble. The Average of Averages Bootstrapping Simulation had the most consistent historical forecasts forl2 month levels, and by using log returns from the Great Depression, Tech Bubble, and Oil Crisis the simulation indicates an expected value -2%, valid up to 12 months.
(cont.) ARIMA and Double Exponential smoothing models underperformed in comparison. ARIMA model does not adjust well in the "beginning" of a downward/upward pattern, and should be used when a clear trend is shown. However, the Double Exponential Smoothing is a good model if a steep incline/decline is expected. ARMAX + ARCH/EGARCH performed below average and is best used for volatility forecasts instead of mean returns. Lastly, Neural Network residual models indicate mixed results, but on average outperformed traditional time series models (ARIMA/Double Exponential Smoothing). Additional research includes forecasting the S&P 500 with other nontraditional time series methods such as VARFIMA (vector autoregressive fractionally integrated moving averages) and ARFIMA models. Other Neural Network techniques include Higher Order Neural Networks (HONN), Psi Sigma network (PSN), and a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) for additional forecasting comparisons.
by Eric Glenn Chan.
S.M.in Engineering and Management
8
Pelican, Ullice John. "Strategies of Successful Government IT Projects Based on Cost and Time." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5400.
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From 2001 through 2015, some information technology (IT) project managers failed to deliver U.S. Government IT projects on time and within budget. The failure of IT project managers to complete projects on time and within budget provoked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to classify IT projects as high risk. This multiple case study explored strategies government contracted IT project managers use to reduce cost overruns and improve on-time delivery. The participants in this study were government contracted IT project managers from organizations that provide IT project management in the Maryland area. Employing purposeful sampling of the explicit population, 5 selected participants from 5 firms provided data. The conceptual framework for this study was the actor-network theory. Data were collected and triangulated from 5 semistructured interviews and business documentation. Yin's 5-step data analysis process resulted in the emergence of multiple themes. The emergent themes included clearly defined requirements, monitor and control, and demonstrated leadership. As more government organizations realize the benefits of IT project success strategies, funding may become available for leaders to advance additional positive social change projects in various communities. IT project managers may implement the practical strategies found within this study to improve the outcome of their government contracted IT projects.
9
Churchill, Hugh (Hugh Edward). "Cycle-time analysis and improvement using lean methods within a retail distribution center." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/99018.
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Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2015. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2015. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 70-71).
Fulfillment cycle-time, or the time it takes to pick an item from inventory, pack it into a box, and load it on a truck for shipment, is one of the main inputs in determining how quickly an online retailer can promise customer order delivery. The faster the fulfillment cycle-time, the later an order can be received and still make the appropriate truck for guaranteed, on-time arrival (e.g. same-day, next day, 3-5 business days). Thus, the customer experience is improved, as they are allowed to place an order later and still receive their purchases quickly. To take advantage of this, the retailer must first be able to measure cycle-time appropriately within their facility. This thesis examines the outbound fulfillment process within an under-performing Amazon fulfillment center (Site A) with the purpose of fully characterizing and measuring fulfillment cycle-time. Comparisons are drawn with like Amazon facilities, and a lean operations approach is taken to identify and eliminate major forms of waste in an effort to shorten cycle-time. The baseline analysis within this thesis provides evidence that current-state cycle-time at Site A is in fact 15% faster than originally thought. However, process improvements were still needed to bring cycle-time in line with the network standard. The remainder of the work within this thesis focuses on these process improvements and develops the following recommendations: 1. Standardize the pick process with a move closer to single piece flow. 2. Reduce and control queue length prior to the pack process in order to reduce non-value-added wait time. 3. Reduce batch size for critical items that must move through the facility the fastest. 4. Rearrange process steps to allow completion in parallel rather than series. The method for evaluating cycle-time and the implementation of lean solutions introduced throughout this thesis are useful as a template for similar analyses throughout the Amazon FC network, as well as within other warehousing and online retailer operations.
by Hugh Churchill.
M.B.A.
S.M.
10
Friedlander, Michael Arthur. "A robust non-time series approach for valuation of weather derivativesand related products." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2011. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47147234.
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Shamp, Paul. "Scheduling Strategies for Construction Project Managers Toward On Time Delivery." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4022.
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Construction management projects involve complex, dynamic environments resulting in uncertainty and risk, compounded by demanding time constraints. Research indicated project managers have struggled to identify best practices for scheduling construction projects via critical path methodologies while searching for tools to increase timely job completions and budget profits. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that construction project managers used to manage scheduled construction project delivery on time. The constructivist philosophical worldview was used as the framework for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews from 7 project managers from 5 different construction companies selected via purposive sampling throughout Florida. All project managers had at least 15 years of experience and multiple construction projects with managing scheduled project deliveries. Three themes emerged through thematic analysis: project, time delay, and cost. A construction project can have many variables that project managers cannot control such as the issue of on-time scheduling. Project managers identified that a project could be within the budget or cost set for the project and still be on time and go over budget or be within budget and not meet schedule. No broad support was found for agile project management, and no confirmation could be made that principles of philosophical theories were critical for project success. Implications for a positive social change result in creating new jobs during and after construction, bringing new individuals to neighborhoods, schools, and area businesses.
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Jones, Taylor J. "Grapevine Viruses and Associated Vectors in Virginia: Survey, Vector Management, and Development of Efficient Grapevine Virus Testing Methods." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/81460.
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In order to aid the booming wine industry in the state of Virginia, U.S.A., we developed a series of studies to provide a deeper understanding of the viruses and vectors for management of virus diseases and development of better tools for grapevine virus diagnostics. A statewide survey for 14 different grapevine viruses between 2009 and 2014 was conducted: 721 samples were collected from 116 vineyards in the period. Among the 12 viruses identified, Grapevine leafroll associated virus-3 (GLRaV-3), Grapevine rupestris stem-pitting associated virus (GRSPaV), and Grapevine red blotch-associated virus (GRBaV) were most commonly present. A new real-time PCR method for the detection of the V2 gene of GRBaV was developed. The resulting method takes less time for more accurate diagnostics than conventional PCR. Evaluation of insecticide effectiveness on GLRaV-3 vectors (mealybugs) and the spread of GLRaV-3 were examined: Four trials conducted from 2012 to 2014 revealed that despite successful control of mealybugs, GLRaV-3 is spread at a very rapid rate. A new sampling technique for efficient nucleic acid storage and testing was developed: the nitrocellulose membrane-based method allows simpler extraction of nucleic acid and provides a storage medium that can hold viable RNA/DNA at room temperature for up to 18 months. An investigation of multiple virus-infected vines and the impact of these co-infections on grapevine fruit chemistry was conducted. GLRaV-3, GRBaV, GRSPaV, and co-infections of the 3 all negatively impacted Brix, pH, titratable acidity, and anthocyanin levels.Ph. D.
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Mitchell, Steven. "HEURISTIC PRIORITIZATION OF EMERGENCY EVACUATION STAGING TO REDUCE CLEARANCE TIME." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2006. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4433.
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A region's evacuation strategy encompasses a variety of areas and needs. Primary among these is the minimization of total evacuation time, represented in models as the clearance time estimate (CTE). A generic testbed simulation network model was developed. An input/output (I/O) analysis was performed to establish a theoretical baseline CTE. Results were compared with simulations; analysis showed that the I/O method underestimated simulated CTE as a function of network size, with a correction factor range of 1.09 to 1.19. A regression model was developed for the generic network. Predictors were total trips, and network size defined as a function of origin-destination distance. Total Trips ranged between 40,000 and 60,000. Holding size constant, R-squared values ranged from 97.1 to 99.3, indicating a high goodness of fit. Holding Total Trips constant, R-squared values ranged from 74.5 to 89.2. Finally, both Total Trips and size were used as predictors; the resulting regression model had an R-squared value of 97.3. This overall model is more useful, since real world situations are not fixed in nature. The overall regression model was compared to a case network. The generic network regression model provided a close CTE approximation; deltas ranged from -4.7% to 8.6%. It was concluded that a generic network can serve as a surrogate for a case network over these ranges. This study developed and evaluated heuristic strategies for evacuation using the generic network. Strategies were compared with a simultaneous departure loading scenario. Six different grouping strategies were evaluated. An initial evaluation was conducted using the generic network, and strategies that showed potential CTE reduction were implemented on the case study network. Analysis indicated that the HF-10 (half-far) grouping for 60k total trips showed potential reduction. A complete simulation was conducted on the case network for all HF scenarios; an ANOVA was run using Dunnett's comparison. Results indicated that the HF grouping with 20% and 30% departure shifts showed potential for CTE reduction. From this it was concluded that the generic network could be used as a testbed for strategies that would show success on a case network.Ph.D.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Civil and Environmental Engineering
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King, Delores Cauthorne. "Leadership Competency, Service Time, and Gender Orientation: A Comparative Study of CPA Leaders." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2051.
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Working in environments that could be described as task-oriented, certified public accountants (CPAs) are generally considered to be leaders. In 2015, within the United States, fewer than 30% of CPAs were women. Based on the theoretical framework of Eagly and Karau's role congruity theory and Bandura's social learning theory, this survey study sought to understand the relationship between self-rated leadership competency, service time, and gender orientation of female CPAs in leadership positions for 5 years or more, compared to men working in similar positions. A sample of 92 CPAs (46 women, 46 men) completed 2 online surveys, the LPI-Self Leadership Inventory and the Bem Sex Role Inventory, in addition to a demographics profile form. Data were analyzed with independent samples t tests, Pearson correlation coefficients, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression. Four hypotheses were tested to answer the research questions regarding the differences between male and female CPAs with respect to leadership competency, gender orientation (masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated), and a potential increase in masculinity over time to maintain a high level of leadership competency. Results showed no difference in leadership competency between male and female CPAs, but a significant finding showed masculinity orientation was a strong predictor of leadership competency. Positive social change may result if the findings are used by curriculum developers and organizations to promote male-oriented behaviors (e.g., decisiveness, assertiveness, and risk taking) together with traditionally feminine behaviors (e.g., helpfulness, interpersonal sensitivity, and gentleness) for young women who aspire to leadership positions.
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Winn, David. "An analysis of neural networks and time series techniques for demand forecasting." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004362.
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This research examines the plausibility of developing demand forecasting techniques which are consistently and accurately able to predict demand. Time Series Techniques and Artificial Neural Networks are both investigated. Deodorant sales in South Africa are specifically studied in this thesis. Marketing techniques which are used to influence consumer buyer behaviour are considered, and these factors are integrated into the forecasting models wherever possible. The results of this research suggest that Artificial Neural Networks can be developed which consistently outperform industry forecasting targets as well as Time Series forecasts, suggesting that producers could reduce costs by adopting this more effective method.
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Correia, Daniel Fortuna. "Management and Control of Water Supply Systems." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/13834.
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Mestrado em Engenharia MecânicaThe fast increase in the energy’s price has brought a growing concern about the highly expensive task of transporting water. By creating an hydraulic model of the Water Supply System’s (WSS) network and predicting its behaviour, it is possible to take advantage of the energy’s tariffs, reducing the total cost on pumping activities. This thesis was developed, in association with a technology transfer project called the E-Pumping. It focuses on finding a flexible supervision and control strategy, adaptable to any existent Water Supply System (WSS), as well as forecasting the water demand on a time period chosen by the end user, so that the pumping actions could be planned to an optimum schedule, that minimizes the total operational cost. The OPC protocol, associated to a MySQL database were used to develop a flexible tool of supervision and control, due to their adaptability to function with equipments from various manufacturers, being another integrated modular part of the E-Pumping project. Furthermore, in this thesis, through the study and performance tests of several statistical models based on time series, specifically applied to this problem, a forecasting tool adaptable to any station, and whose model parameters are automatically refreshed at runtime, was developed and added to the project as another module. Both the aforementioned modules were later integrated with an Graphical User Interface (GUI) and installed in a pilot application at the ADDP’s network. The implementation of this software on WSSs across the country will reduce the water supply companies’ running costs, improving their market competition and, ultimately, lowering the water price to the end costumer.
O rápido aumento dos preços da electricidade tem provocado um aumento na preocupação com a tarefa extremamente dispendiosa de transporte de água. Através da criação de modelos hidráulicos de redes de Sistemas de Fornecimento de Água, e da previsão do seu comportamento, é possível tirar vantagem das diferentes tarifas horárias de consumo de energia, reduzindo desta forma os custos totais do bombeamento de água. Esta tese foi desenvolvida em associação com o projecto de transferência de tecnologia denominado E-Pumping. Foca-se na procura de uma estratégia de supervisão e controlo flexível e adaptável a qualquer Sistema de Fornecimento de Água existente, bem como na previsão do consumo de água durante um período escolhido pelo utilizador final, o objectivo final é permitir o planeamento de um horário óptimo que minimize o custo do consumo de energia eléctrica. O Protocolo OPC, associado a uma Base de Dados MySQL, foi usado para o desenvolvimento da ferramenta de supervisão e controlo flexível, constituindo no seu conjunto um módulo do Projecto E-Pumping. A escolha baseou-se em ambas as tecnologias serem adaptáveis a equipamentos de diferentes fabricantes. Esta tese produziu ainda uma ferramenta de previsão do consumo de água, adaptável a qualquer estação, constituindo um segundo módulo do projecto. Esta ferramenta foi obtida através do estudo e testes de performance a variados modelos baseados em séries temporais, especificamente aplicadas a este problema. Os parâmetros do modelo de base desta ferramenta são automaticamente actualizados a cada execução do programa. Ambos os módulos referidos foram integrados com uma Interface Gráfica (GUI) e implementados numa aplicação piloto instalada na rede de abastecimento de água da empresa Águas do Douro e Paiva (ADDP). A implementação deste software em Sistemas de Abastecimento de Água por todo o país reduziria os seus custos de funcionamento, melhorando a sua capacidade de competição no mercado e, em última instância, diminuindo os preços da água para o consumidor final.
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Cromlish, Suzanne McLeod. "EMPOWERING THE 99%...ONE ESOP AT A TIME!A MIXED METHODS NATIONAL STUDY OF ACQUISITIONS BY EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANIES (ESOPs)." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1497011950499674.
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Mohamed, Mahmud H. Etbega. "Some Active Queue Management Methods for Controlling Packet Queueing Delay. Design and Performance Evaluation of Some New Versions of Active Queue Management Schemes for Controlling Packet Queueing Delay in a Buffer to Satisfy Quality of Service Requirements for Real-time Multimedia Applications." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4258.
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Traditionally the Internet is used for the following applications: FTP, e-mail and Web traffic. However in the recent years the Internet is increasingly supporting emerging applications such as IP telephony, video conferencing and online games. These new applications have different requirements in terms of throughput and delay than traditional applications. For example, interactive multimedia applications, unlike traditional applications, have more strict delay constraints and less strict loss constraints. Unfortunately, the current Internet offers only a best-effort service to all applications without any consideration to the applications specific requirements. In this thesis three existing Active Queue Management (AQM) mechanisms are modified by incorporating into these a control function to condition routers for better Quality of Service (QoS). Specifically, delay is considered as the key QoS metric as it is the most important metric for real-time multimedia applications. The first modified mechanism is Drop Tail (DT), which is a simple mechanism in comparison with most AQM schemes. A dynamic threshold has been added to DT in order to maintain packet queueing delay at a specified value. The modified mechanism is referred to as Adaptive Drop Tail (ADT). The second mechanism considered is Early Random Drop (ERD) and, iii in a similar way to ADT, a dynamic threshold has been used to keep the delay at a required value, the main difference being that packets are now dropped probabilistically before the queue reaches full capacity. This mechanism is referred to as Adaptive Early Random Drop (AERD). The final mechanism considered is motivated by the well known Random Early Detection AQM mechanism and is effectively a multi-threshold version of AERD in which packets are dropped with a linear function between the two thresholds and the second threshold is moveable in order to change the slope of the dropping function. This mechanism is called Multi Threshold Adaptive Early Random Drop (MTAERD) and is used in a similar way to the other mechanisms to maintain delay around a specified level. The main focus with all the mechanisms is on queueing delay, which is a significant component of end-to-end delay, and also on reducing the jitter (delay variation) A control algorithm is developed using an analytical model that specifies the delay as a function of the queue threshold position and this function has been used in a simulation to adjust the threshold to an effective value to maintain the delay around a specified value as the packet arrival rate changes over time. iv A two state Markov Modulated Poisson Process is used as the arrival process to each of the three systems to introduce burstiness and correlation of the packet inter-arrival times and to present sudden changes in the arrival process as might be encountered when TCP is used as the transport protocol and step changes the size of its congestion window. In the investigations it is assumed the traffic source is a mixture of TCP and UDP traffic and that the mechanisms conserved apply to the TCP based data. It is also assumed that this consists of the majority proportion of the total traffic so that the control mechanisms have a significant effect on controlling the overall delay. The three mechanisms are evaluated using a Java framework and results are presented showing the amount of improvement in QoS that can be achieved by the mechanisms over their non-adaptive counterparts. The mechanisms are also compared with each other and conclusions drawn.
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Lemke, Scott William. "Inventory Optimization in Manufacturing Organizations." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/754.
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Inventories totaling 1.7 trillion U.S. dollars represent an opportunity for U.S. manufacturers. This exploratory case study researched supply chain strategies used to manage inventory in manufacturing operations of a U.S. manufacturing company. A mature value chain contained within a single organization using the value chain framework was the basis for this study. Individual interviews conducted with 16 managers responsible for defining and implementing inventory control strategies, and 4 internal users provided primary information for the study. Other sources of information included a value chain map created through the observation of operations, various inventory measurements, and policies and guidelines related to managing inventory levels. An inductive content analysis employing zero-level coding of the interview transcripts identified 4 themes that describe inventory control strategies as economic order quantity, kanban, vendor managed inventory, and process integration. Physical observation of the value chain, review of supporting documents, and analysis of inventory data ensured the trustworthiness of interpreted themes. Findings identified no single inventory control strategy that fit all applications. Findings also revealed that the financial governing bodies' measurements were not the best tools for operational managers' improvement activities related to inventory control. Included are measures providing alternative means to gauge inventory efficiency. With the results of this study, managers may develop effective strategies to optimize inventory and improve material flow. Manufacturing managers improving material flow may promote sustainability of raw materials and business efficiencies through reduced waste, improved environmental conditions, and increased employment opportunities in associated communities.
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Abdel-Jaber, Hussein F. "Performance Modelling and Evaluation of Active Queue Management Techniques in Communication Networks. The development and performance evaluation of some new active queue management methods for internet congestion control based on fuzzy logic and random early detection using discrete-time queueing analysis and simulation." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4261.
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Since the field of computer networks has rapidly grown in the last two decades, congestion control of traffic loads within networks has become a high priority. Congestion occurs in network routers when the number of incoming packets exceeds the available network resources, such as buffer space and bandwidth allocation. This may result in a poor network performance with reference to average packet queueing delay, packet loss rate and throughput. To enhance the performance when the network becomes congested, several different active queue management (AQM) methods have been proposed and some of these are discussed in this thesis. Specifically, these AQM methods are surveyed in detail and their strengths and limitations are highlighted. A comparison is conducted between five known AQM methods, Random Early Detection (RED), Gentle Random Early Detection (GRED), Adaptive Random Early Detection (ARED), Dynamic Random Early Drop (DRED) and BLUE, based on several performance measures, including mean queue length, throughput, average queueing delay, overflow packet loss probability, packet dropping probability and the total of overflow loss and dropping probabilities for packets, with the aim of identifying which AQM method gives the most satisfactory results of the performance measures. This thesis presents a new AQM approach based on the RED algorithm that determines and controls the congested router buffers in an early stage. This approach is called Dynamic RED (REDD), which stabilises the average queue length between minimum and maximum threshold positions at a certain level called the target level to prevent building up the queues in the router buffers. A comparison is made between the proposed REDD, RED and ARED approaches regarding the above performance measures. Moreover, three methods based on RED and fuzzy logic are proposed to control the congested router buffers incipiently. These methods are named REDD1, REDD2, and REDD3 and their performances are also compared with RED using the above performance measures to identify which method achieves the most satisfactory results. Furthermore, a set of discrete-time queue analytical models are developed based on the following approaches: RED, GRED, DRED and BLUE, to detect the congestion at router buffers in an early stage. The proposed analytical models use the instantaneous queue length as a congestion measure to capture short term changes in the input and prevent packet loss due to overflow. The proposed analytical models are experimentally compared with their corresponding AQM simulations with reference to the above performance measures to identify which approach gives the most satisfactory results. The simulations for RED, GRED, ARED, DRED, BLUE, REDD, REDD1, REDD2 and REDD3 are run ten times, each time with a change of seed and the results of each run are used to obtain mean values, variance, standard deviation and 95% confidence intervals. The performance measures are calculated based on data collected only after the system has reached a steady state. After extensive experimentation, the results show that the proposed REDD, REDD1, REDD2 and REDD3 algorithms and some of the proposed analytical models such as DRED-Alpha, RED and GRED models offer somewhat better results of mean queue length and average queueing delay than these achieved by RED and its variants when the values of packet arrival probability are greater than the value of packet departure probability, i.e. in a congestion situation. This suggests that when traffic is largely of a non bursty nature, instantaneous queue length might be a better congestion measure to use rather than the average queue length as in the more traditional models.
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Aggor, Kenneth Kwame. "Relationship Between Budget and Project Success Factors in the Ghanaian Building Construction Sector." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4345.
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In developing countries, 60% of project management professionals appear to lack knowledge that timely completion, budget fidelity, and high quality are critical success factors for completion of construction initiatives. Based on the theories of iron triangle, accident causation, scientific management, and strategic management, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between project budget and the independent variables of time, quality, safety, environmental impact, and site disputes in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. One hundred and sixteen project managers, randomly selected from the population of construction professionals in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, completed the survey entitled the Six Key Performance Indicators developed by Ngacho and Das (2014). The results of the multiple linear regression analysis indicated a weak positive correlation exists between the independent variables (time, quality, safety, environmental impact, and site disputes) and project budget, F(1, 114) = 37.08, p < 0.001. Time recorded the highest beta (β = .50) followed by site dispute (β = .29), environment (β = .22), quality (β = .06), and safety (β = .04). Attention to key performance indicators associated with time, dispute, and environmental impact could improve project outcomes in the Ghanaian construction sector. The study findings could be useful to improve the quality of projects and may benefit the lives of professionals and community members in the area.
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Mashal, Huda. "Uncontrolled Workplace Breaks and Productivity." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3309.
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Behaviors that may waste time in the workplace, like surfing the Internet for personal purposes (cyberloafing) or smoking breaks, may be the root antecedent for poor productivity. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether there was a relationship between the independent variables: time spent cyberloafing and time in uncontrolled smoking breaks, and the dependent variable: employee productivity. Procedural justice theory was used to frame the study. The population consisted of 34 employees working in a multinational engineering company in Jordan who have official smoking policies, but not cyberloafing policies. Correlations and multiple regression were computed using a Cyberloafing Scale and time spent smoking (independent variables) and The Endicott Work Productivity Scale (dependent variable). The results of the correlations indicated no significant relationship between Internet surfing and employee productivity. Smoking breaks were not a significant source of wasted time during the workday (the subsample and frequency of engaging in smoking were low); therefore, smoking did not have an effect on productivity. The findings of this study support the theory that using the Internet at work does not affect employee productivity. These findings have implications for positive social change that are also supported by existing research. Employees who engage in personal Internet activities at work tend to meet private demands and obligations. This connectivity may help to facilitate work-life balance.
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Littlefield, Joanne. "Monitoring Rangelands in Arizona: Method Assesses Changes Over Time for Better Management." College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622130.
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Partlan, Eric W. (Eric William) 1973. "An alternative method of long lead-time tool purchases." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84319.
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Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-140).
by Eric W. Partlan.
S.M.
M.B.A.
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Tolentino, Peña Radhamés A. "Project management : a simulation-based optimization method for dynamic time-cost tradeoff decisions /." Online version of thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1850/8081.
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McGibbon, Fraser J. "Free flight to managed airspace transfer using an optimal time-based scheduling method." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.272861.
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Steilberg, Robert Christopher. "Construct validation of a managerial assessment center : a nomological network spanning time and method." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/31005.
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Alsaqqa, Obada. "Fuzzy Time-Delay Model in Fault-Tree Analysis for Critical Path Method." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429772426.
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Kuhlmann, Timm [Verfasser], and Alexander [Akademischer Betreuer] Sauer. "Methode zur Gestaltung der energetischen Wandlungsfähigkeit in Fabriken / Timm Kuhlmann ; Betreuer: Alexander Sauer." Stuttgart : Universitätsbibliothek der Universität Stuttgart, 2020. http://d-nb.info/121134441X/34.
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Loayza, Luis, Sebastián Olave, Maribel Perez, Jose Rojas, and Carlos Raymundo. "Management model based on the lean thinking method for medium-sized peruvian companies in the apparel sector." Springer Verlag, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10757/656368.
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El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.The waste and reprocess problem in Peruvian apparel companies is greater than expected. After reviewing a history of losses and reprocesses, an innovative technical solution based on a combination of Lean Manufacturing and Agile tools is presented herein. This innovative proposal is implemented in the areas of cutting, embossing, and sewing in an apparel company. Value Stream Mapping results before and after implementing the proposed model are compared. The major achievement of this model is the significant reduction in loss percentage after two weeks of implementation.
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Schra-Martin, Nicole. "Improving Machine Changeover/Setup Times by Increasing U.S. Manufacturers' Knowledge of 5S." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2883.
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The 5S process is one of the techniques born out of Japanese manufacturing. Ohno, the developer of 5S, found that when manufacturing waste is eliminated, costs are reduced and profits increase. This is the bases of 5S and this research. The cost of U.S. manufactured products is higher compared to the cost of products from other global manufacturers that use 5S. This study was conducted to determine if implementing 5S in U.S. manufacturing could change U.S. manufacturing cost and if using 5S could impact U.S. manufacturing. The research questions focused on the relationship between 5S and changeover/setup times on production machines. The method was quantitative utilizing a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design. Three manufacturing companies in Oregon made up the sample. A baseline 5S scorecard was completed recording changeover/ setup times on production machines at each of the companies. Interviews were conducted in a 30-minute training intervention on implementing 5S at each company location. Using a 5S scorecard, the waste in each company was assessed once every 2 weeks for 4 months. The number of 5S assessments varied based on the time each company location took to implement 5S. Once 5S was implemented fully, changeover/setup times for each machine were measured and analyzed using z or t statistics. Results showed a significant (p < .05) decrease to changeover/setup times at 2 companies, supporting the hypothesis that 5S could reduce cost in US manufacturing. Positive social change may be possible when showing how 5S can decrease changeover/setup times providing more production time and reducing overhead cost going into U.S. manufactured products, which in turn makes them more competitive in the global marketplace and potentially brings manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
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Dayi, Songul. "Schedule Delay Analysis In Construction Projects: A Case Study Using Time Impact Analysis Method." Master's thesis, METU, 2010. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12612823/index.pdf.
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Inadequate or weak preparatory work before starting construction of any structure may cause serious problems during the construction period. For example, projects without sufficient detailed drawings or construction schedules and a disorganized building site can create many problems in the management and completion of the construction works. Consequently, the cost of construction increases digressively, the construction duration of the project extends and the quality of construction is affected adversely.
This study dwells on the importance of construction schedules in achieving the aim of producing good quality construction work within the specified duration. Monitoring continuously the interactive relation concerning delays in construction schedules and contractor demands is a complicated process. Here the simplest and basic approach is that, both for owner and contractor, time is money and for this reason construction schedule delays should be analyzed and corrective measures should be taken in a timely manner. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the causes of construction schedule delays and the methods of schedule delay analyses. In this context completion construction works of a covered swimming pool building in Ankara was selected as a case study for analyzing project scheduling and the delays therein. The &ldquoTime Impact Analysis Method&rdquo
(TIA) was applied to the case study project using PRIMAVERA®
software in order to determine the construction schedule delays
to measure the impacts of these delays on the project completion duration
and to allocate responsibility amongst the project participants for preventing delay claims. After the application of the delay analysis it was observed that the delays in the critical activities extended the project duration by 57 days in total i.e. by 15.4 % of the estimated construction period. Fines should have been paid by the contractor because of 31-days non-excusable delays. Also, the contractor should have been given a time extension of 26-days due to 22-days excusable compensable delays and 4-days excusable non-compensable delays which were beyond the control of the contractor. These delays were caused due to organizational deficiencies of the owner, the bureaucracy of the provincial municipality, the lack of detail drawings during the municipality application, the lack of experience of the contractor, problems in material procurement, unforeseeable weather conditions and shortages of qualified employees of the subcontractors. It was observed that of these all except one correspond to the important causes of delays as reported in literature concerning public projects in Turkey.
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Cotoranu, Alexandru. "Supporting Interaction Designers through the Accomplishment Support Tool: IxD Companion." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-23765.
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This thesis paper addresses a problem of motivation that interaction designers experience when managing multiple design processes while keeping track of many design considerations. Once this issue is described at length, the paper focuses towards a possible solution in the form of a hybrid between creativity and productivity support tools: an accomplishment support tool. This tool is meant to support interaction designers in their experience with managing multiple processes.This paper does not suggest that interaction design is the only profession that suffers from the motivation issue that is described, nor does it deny that other professions could benefit from the use of such a tool. The paper merely attempts to narrow the issue down to one profession so that it may be addressed within the limits of the thesis project.The paper explores the need for such a tool by inspecting and analyzing current methods and digital applications used by interaction designers and mentions how this need is addressed with solutions based on relevant theories from diverse areas of interest. As defining qualities emerge from a combination of theoretical and practical research, case studies are described from a preparation perspective and then as experienced by workshop participants and interviewees.The case studies (which include workshops and prototype modules) are then reflected upon and discussed in terms of their impact on the overall goals of the thesis project. A final prototype in the form of a web application, IxD Companion, is then described through scenarios of use and assessed in the conclusion. Suggestion to future work on accomplishment support tools such as IxD Companion, as well as others, is provided at the end.
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Korček, František. "Návrh projektu zavedení elektronického obchodu s využitím metodiky projektového managementu." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta podnikatelská, 2014. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-224453.
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Master´s thesis focuses on the utilisation of project management methodology within the design of a project in a selected company. It specifies theoretical sources which are the key for the project plan proposal. It applies the theory to the project of introducing electronic commerce in the field of building material sale. The thesis containts the plan proposal and optimisation of the project in terms of time, costs and use of available resources, together with the analysis of a company environment.
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Galvez-Torres, Erika, Milagros Cruz-Alfaro, Carlos Cespedes-Blanco, Carlos Raymundo, Nestor Mamani-Macedo, and Francisco Dominguez. "B2B Marketing Method Adapted to Sales Improvement Through the Implementation of ABC Classification Tool and Inbound Marketing in SMEs." Springer, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10757/656372.
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El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.It has been found that the main causes of insufficient sales of different small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is the low conversion rate of quotes into sales, which entails poor business performance and low economic impact. Therefore, a marketing methodology called inbound marketing is planned, which is modified and adapted to the case study. In contrast, tools such as ABC classification, workflow, and inbound marketing have been used as a structure of the proposed methodology to solve the problem. The implementation of this methodology resulted in an increased efficiency of quote development and an enhanced performance ratio thereof. In conclusion, it is possible to measure the financial impact of the methodology implementation which has been beneficial for the company under study. Business performance in the last month of implementation improved by 10%.
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Degirmenci, Guvenc. "The Budget Constrained Discrete Time/cost Trade-off Problem In Project Networks." Master's thesis, METU, 2008. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12609737/index.pdf.
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The time/cost trade-off models in project management aim to compress the project completion time by accelerating the activity durations at an expense of additional resources.
The budget problem in discrete time/cost trade-off scheduling selects the time/cost mode -among the discrete set of specified modes- for each activity so as to minimize the project completion time without exceeding the available budget. There may be alternative modes that solve the budget problem optimally, however each solution may have a different total cost value.
In this study we aim to find the minimum cost solution among the optimal solutions of the budget problem. We analyze the structure of the problem together with its linear programming relaxation and derive some mechanisms for reducing the problem size. We solve the reduced problem by linear programming relaxation and branch and bound based approximation and optimization algorithms. We find that our branch and bound algorithm finds optimal solutions for medium-sized problem instances in reasonable times and the approximation algorithms produce high quality solutions. We also discuss the way our algorithms could be used to construct the time/cost trade-off curve.
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Straka, Tomáš. "Nástroj pro podporu kontroly a podávání zpráv o stavu projektu." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta informačních technologií, 2012. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-236496.
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This term project deals with knowledge areas of project management, specifically areas of time, cost and communication. This is a theoretical basis for the next implementation of tool for monitoring and reporting on project progress.
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Assonken, Tonfack Patrick Armand. "Modeling in Finance and Insurance With Levy-It'o Driven Dynamic Processes under Semi Markov-type Switching Regimes and Time Domains." Scholar Commons, 2017. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6675.
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Mathematical and statistical modeling have been at the forefront of many significant advances in many disciplines in both the academic and industry sectors. From behavioral sciences to hard core quantum mechanics in physics, mathematical modeling has made a compelling argument for its usefulness and its necessity in advancing the current state of knowledge in the 21rst century. In Finance and Insurance in particular, stochastic modeling has proven to be an effective approach in accomplishing a vast array of tasks: risk management, leveraging of investments, prediction, hedging, pricing, insurance, and so on. However, the magnitude of the damage incurred in recent market crisis of 1929 (the great depression), 1937 (recession triggered by lingering fears emanating from the great depression), 1990 (one year recession following a decade of steady expansion) and 2007 (the great recession triggered by the sub-prime mortgage crisis) has suggested that there are certain aspects of financial markets not accounted for in existing modeling. Explanations have abounded as to why the market underwent such deep crisis and how to account for regime change risk. One such explanation brought forth was the existence of regimes in the financial markets. The basic idea of market regimes underscored the principle that the market was intrinsically subjected to many different states and can switch from one state to another under unknown and uncertain internal and external perturbations. Implementation of such a theory has been done in the simplifying case of Markov regimes. The mathematical simplicity of the Markovian regime model allows for semi-closed or closed form solutions in most financial applications while it also allows for economically interpretable parameters. However, there is a hefty price to be paid for such practical conveniences as many assumptions made on the market behavior are quite unreasonable and restrictive. One assumes for instance that each market regime has a constant propensity of switching to any other state irrespective of the age of the current state. One also assumes that there are no intermediate states as regime changes occur in a discrete manner from one of the finite states to another. There is therefore no telling how meaningful or reliable interpretation of parameters in Markov regime models are. In this thesis, we introduced a sound theoretical and analytic framework for Levy driven linear stochastic models under a semi Markov market regime switching process and derived It\'o formula for a general linear semi Markov switching model generated by a class of Levy It'o processes (1). It'o formula results in two important byproducts, namely semi closed form formulas for the characteristic function of log prices and a linear combination of duration times (2). Unlike Markov markets, the introduction of semi Markov markets allows a time varying propensity of regime change through the conditional intensity matrix. This is more in line with the notion that the market's chances of recovery (respectively, of crisis) are affected by the recession's age (respectively, recovery's age). Such a change is consistent with the notion that for instance, the longer the market is mired into a recession, the more improbable a fast recovery as the the market is more likely to either worsens or undergo a slow recovery. Another interesting consequence of the time dependence of the conditional intensity matrix is the interpretation of semi Markov regimes as a pseudo-infinite market regimes models. Although semi Markov regime assume a finite number of states, we note that while in any give regime, the market does not stay the same but goes through an infinite number of changes through its propensity of switching to other regimes. Each of those separate intermediate states endows the market with a structure of pseudo-infinite regimes which is an answer to the long standing problem of modeling market regime with infinitely many regimes.
We developed a version of Girsanov theorem specific to semi Markov regime switching stochastic models, and this is a crucial contribution in relating the risk neutral parameters to the historical parameters (3). Given that Levy driven markets and regime switching markets are incomplete, there are more than one risk neutral measures that one can use for pricing derivative contracts. Although much work has been done about optimal choice of the pricing measure, two of them jump out of the current literature: the minimal martingale measure and the minimum entropy martingale measure. We first presented a general version of Girsanov theorem explicitly accounting for semi Markov regime. Then we presented Siu and Yang pricing kernel. In addition, we developed the conditional and unconditional minimum entropy martingale measure which minimized the dissimilarity between the historical and risk neutral probability measures through a version of Kulbach Leibler distance (4).
Estimation of a European option price in a semi Markov market has been attempted before in the restricted case of the Black Scholes model. The problems encountered then were twofold: First, the author employed a Markov chain Monte Carlo methods which relied much on the tractability of the likelihood function of the normal random sequences. This tractability is unavailable for most Levy processes, hence the necessity of alternative pricing methods is essential. Second, the accuracy of the parameter estimates required tens of thousands of simulations as it is often the case with Metropolis Hasting algorithms with considerable CPU time demand. Both above outlined issues are resolved by the development of a semi-closed form expression of the characteristic function of log asset prices, and it opened the door to a Fourier transform method which is derived on the heels of Carr and Madan algorithm and the Fourier time stepping algorithm (5).
A round of simulations and calibrations is performed to better capture the performance of the semi Markov model as opposed to Markov regime models. We establish through simulations that semi Markov parameters and the backward recurrence time have a substantial effect on option prices ( 6). Differences between Markov and Semi Markov market calibrations are quantified and the CPU times are reported. More importantly, interpretation of risk neutral semi Markov parameters offer more insight into the dynamic of market regimes than Markov market regime models ( 7). This has been systematically exhibited in this work as calibration results obtained from a set of European vanilla call options led to estimates of the shape and scale parameters of the Weibull distribution considered, offering a deeper view of the current market state as they determine the in-regime dynamic crucial to determining where the market is headed.
After introducing semi Markov models through linear Levy driven models, we consider semi Markov markets with nonlinear multidimensional coupled asset price processes (8). We establish that the tractability of linear semi Markov market models carries over to multidimensional nonlinear asset price models. Estimating equations and pricing formula are derived for historical parameters and risk neutral parameters respectively (9). The particular case of basket of commodities is explored and we provide calibration formula of the model parameters to observed historical commodity prices through the LLGMM method. We also study the case of Heston model in a semi Markov switching market where only one parameter is subjected to semi Markov regime changes. Heston model is one the most popular model in option pricing as it reproduces many more stylized facts than Black Scholes model while retaining tractability. However, in addition to having a faster deceasing smiles than observed, one of the most damning shortcomings of most diffusion models such as Heston model, is their inability to accurately reproduce short term options prices. An avenue for solving these issues consists in generalizing Heston to account for semi Markov market regimes. Such a solution is implemented and a semi analytic formula for options is obtained.
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Nascimento, Carlos Augusto Dornellas do. "Gerenciamento de prazos: uma revisão crítica das técnicas em uso em empreendimentos em regime EPC." Universidade de São Paulo, 2007. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/3/3135/tde-27072007-152858/.
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O segmento de Consultoria em Engenharia, ao lado das Universidades e Centros de Pesquisas, é um dos pilares do desenvolvimento científico-tecnológico do país e é considerado um dos responsáveis pela otimização de investimentos, redução dos prazos e dos custos de implantação de empreendimentos públicos e privados, industrial ou de infra-estrutura. Atualmente, esses empreendimentos vêm passando por modificações significativas, exigindo cada vez um melhor desempenho de seus contratados, tanto nos aspectos de qualidade, desempenho, prazo e custos, quanto nos aspectos associados aos riscos contratuais, pois tornaram -se freqüentes contratações nas modalidades EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) e \"turn-key\". Neste novo cenário, as organizações precisam ser mais competitivas para sobreviverem às condições impostas pelo mercado, e, neste novo contexto, o gerenciamento de prazos tem-se tornado um fator crítico de sucesso. Esta dissertação desenvolve uma extensa revisão das técnicas de gerenciamento de prazos, com ênfase na etapa de programação, e uma análise comparativa das principais técnicas utilizadas no gerenciamento de projetos. Para isto, tomou-se como referência o caso de um projeto real, contratado mediante a modalidade EPC, em desenvolvimento por uma Empresa de Consultoria em Engenharia. Foi realizada a comparação entre os Métodos do Caminho Crítico, Corrente Crítica, Análises Probabilísticas e de Monte Carlo, abordando a aplicabilidade dessas técnicas neste caso. Ao final é feita uma síntese dos principais resultados alcançados, bem como dos requisitos demandados na aplicação de cada uma destas técnicas.The segment of Consultancy in Engineering, as well as the Universities and the Research Centers are some of the pillars of the scientific -technological development in the country and they have been responsible for optimizing the investments, reducing the deadlines and the costs of project implementation in the public and private sectors, along with the industrial and infra-structure sectors. Nowadays, these projects have been going through major changes, which have demanded better performances from those who are contracted, in areas such as the quality control, performa nces, time and costs, as well as the contract risks, which more often than ever, have fallen into the EPC category (engineering, procurement, and construction) and the \'turn-key\' category. In this new scenario, companies need to be more competitive to live through the conditions imposed by the market, and, in this new context, time management has turned into a critical success factor. This dissertation develops an extensive review of the time management techniques focusing on scheduling and also a comparative analysis of the most important techniques used in Project Management. To do that, a real project was created as reference case in which the EPC category was defined and was developed by an Engineering Consultancy. A comparison among The Critical Path Method and The Critical Chain, Probability Analysis Method and The Monte Carlo Method was made, and it approached the applicability of these techniques in this case. At the end, there is a summary of the most important outcomes, as well as the necessary conditions to apply each of these techniques.
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Mihalec, Peter. "Návrh logistické koncepce vybraného výrobního úseku." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta podnikatelská, 2018. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-377451.
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This diploma´s thesis is focused on design of the logistics concept of selected production section in manufacturing firm with using logistics method Just In Time. In analytical part is analysed current situation of managing material flows for selected production sections, ways of supplying production units and amount of stock which is stored in production areas. In proposal part are suggested some changes in various spheres along with new design of the logistics concept and possible economical contributions in case of applying this logistics concept.
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Vondrák, Jiří. "Analýza a návrh opatření v souvislosti se zaváděním moderních metod řízení ve vybrané firmě." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2013. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-192755.
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This diploma thesis describes the implementation of modern managing methods in a selected company. The aim of the thesis concentrates on helping with its implementation. The lean production plays a dominant role among these methods. The main aim is therefore to create the first sample workplace using modern management methods. The thesis is divided into two main parts, the theoretical one and practical one. In the theoretical part the lean production has been decribed, its individual methods and the principle of the constant improvement. The practical part analyses the present state of production management in a selected company. It further contains the proposals of possible solutions under the terms of lean production methods and as well as the own implementation of individual proposals. It is primarily the use of visualization and the 5S methods. The formation of the first sample workplace is desribed in detail which uses the Kanban system. At the end of the thesis other proposals and recommendations for increasing of company's productivity have been introduced.
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Faísco, Maria Margarida da Silva. "Escalonamento de processos de recrutamento : um problema de otimização de tempo." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/20955.
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Mestrado em Métodos Quantitativos para a Decisão Económica e EmpresarialEste trabalho de projeto proporciona uma alternativa ao processo de recrutamento de recursos humanos incorrido por diversas empresas nos dias de hoje. Numa primeira abordagem, é analisado o processo de recrutamento de recursos humanos da empresa com recurso a uma metodologia de Critical Path Method (CPM). Com a análise realizada, chega-se à conclusão que o processo de recrutamento da mesma é muito moroso e que os gerentes das diversas áreas funcionais passam bastante tempo envolvidos no mesmo, o que pode ter impacto na eficiência das suas próprias áreas funcionais. Com o objetivo de diminuir o tempo despendido com o processo de recrutamento e o de transferir o máximo de responsabilidade, referente a este processo, das áreas funcionais da empresa para a área de Recursos Humanos (RH) foi desenvolvido um software com recurso a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Este software permite a atribuição de ponderações a cada candidato, o envio automático de correio eletrónico de rejeição a candidatos com ponderações menos desejáveis, a consulta de salários, a consulta de job descriptions, o envio de questionários, entre outras funcionalidades inerentes a um processo de recrutamento. Aplicando o método CPM ao novo processo de recrutamento, mediante determinados pressupostos e recorrendo ao software desenvolvido, pode concluir-se que o tempo despendido deverá diminuir para menos de metade e que a maior parte da responsabilidade com o mesmo seria alocada maioritariamente à área de RH, como pretendido.
This project provides an alternative to the human resources recruitment process incurred by several companies today. The first approach is to analyze the company, which wishes to remain anonymous, and in this way will be named Company, with a capital letter. The human resources recruitment process is then analyzed using the Critical Path Method (CPM). The analysis leads to the conclusion that the Company's recruitment process is more time consuming than necessary and that managers, from the various functional areas, spend a lot of time involved in the recruitment process, which may impact the efficiency of their own functional areas. In order to reduce the time spent on the recruitment process and to transfer the maximum responsibility from the company's functional areas to the Human Resources (HR) area, a software was developed using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). This software allows the assignment of scores to each candidate, the automatic sending of rejection e-mails to candidates with less desirable scores, the consultation of salaries, the consultation of job descriptions, the sending of questionnaires, among other features inherent to a recruitment process. Applying the CPM method to the new recruitment process, under certain assumptions and if carried out with the software developed, it can be concluded that the time spent could be reduced to less than half and that most of the responsibility for it would be allocated to the HR area.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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Conforto, Edivandro Carlos. "Gerenciamento ágil de projetos: proposta e avaliação de método para gestão de escopo e tempo." Universidade de São Paulo, 2009. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/18/18140/tde-28072009-090239/.
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A demanda crescente por produtos inovadores desafia as práticas e métodos consagrados de gerenciamento de projetos. Uma das respostas foi o surgimento da abordagem do gerenciamento ágil de projetos (GAP). Essa abordagem, inicialmente aplicada na área de software, está embasada em um conjunto de princípios que buscam simplificar o processo de gestão, tornando-o mais flexível e auto-gerido. Seu enfoque está no aprendizado contínuo por meio de iterações constantes e entregas em tempo reduzido, possibilitando assim, agregar valor em ambientes dinâmicos de negócio. No entanto, existe uma lacuna nessa teoria quanto à aplicação desses princípios no desenvolvimento de novos produtos, principalmente os que envolvem hardware. O tema do trabalho é investigar a aplicação prática desses princípios no desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Para tal, foi adotada a seguinte estratégia: desenvolver, implantar e avaliar um método para planejamento e controle de escopo e tempo utilizando como base um conjunto de princípios do gerenciamento ágil de projetos. O método desenvolvido foi intitulado IVPM2 (Iterative and Visual Project Management Method) e sua criação deu-se por meio do extensivo estudo da literatura sobre GAP combinado com uma pesquisa-ação pura realizada em duas empresas de base tecnológica da região de São Carlos, nomeadas Empresa A e Empresa B. O desenvolvimento e implantação do método ocorreu simultaneamente e contou com a participação dos profissionais dessas empresas, considerando dois cenários distintos. Na empresa A, o IVPM2 foi implantado em um único projeto piloto, de longa duração e com maior complexidade e grau de inovação. Na empresa B o método foi testado em um ambiente multiprojetos (7 projetos) com menor duração e complexidade. Para avaliação do IVPM2 foi utilizada estatística descritiva a partir da análise de dados qualitativos e quantitativos, coletados a partir da aplicação de questionários, entrevistas e análise de documentos. O objetivo foi responder ao problema central de pesquisa e as duas perguntas específicas que guiaram este estudo. O problema central dessa pesquisa foi descrito como: É possível aplicar os princípios do GAP para o planejamento e controle de projetos de produtos inovadores? E, consequentemente as questões específicas consideradas nesse estudo: Q1) O IVPM2 adere aos princípios da abordagem de gerenciamento ágil de projetos? Q2) O IVPM2 trouxe benefícios para a gestão de projetos das empresas? Os resultados apontaram evidências da presença de alguns princípios do GAP no IVPM2, classificando-o como um método ágil. Além disso, o IVPM2 foi capaz de proporcionar vários benefícios para a gestão de projetos de desenvolvimento de novos produtos em ambas as empresas estudadas. Contribuiu também, para a melhoria de outros aspectos da gestão de projetos não tratados diretamente nesse estudo. As evidências coletadas durante a pesquisa, portanto, indicaram diversos benefícios a partir da combinação de princípios do GAP com técnicas tradicionais de gestão de projetos e um software. São indícios de que é possível aplicar os princípios dessa teoria do GAP no planejamento e controle de projetos de desenvolvimento de produtos inovadores inseridos em ambientes dinâmicos de negócio. Por fim, o estudo aponta a necessidade de aprimorar as análises conduzidas e o próprio IVPM2 para aplicação e validação em outras empresas e ambientes de projeto.The high demand for innovative products has been treated as a challenge for the adoption of traditional project management (PM) practices and methods, specially those ones developed in turbulent and complex business environments. Recently, an alternative approach to deal with these challenges emerged. This approach, entitled Agile Project Management (APM), firstly applied in the software development area, is based on a set of principles which has the purpose to keep the management process as simple as possible, becoming more flexible and self-manageable. By focusing on continuous learning using constant iterations and rapid value deliverable driven, APM aims to improve the results for clients in face of turbulent business environment. However, there is lack on the literature regarding APM principles application in new product development (NPD) projects. The aim of this research is to investigate this issue and the practical application of those principles to NPD projects, developed under turbulent and innovative business environments. To achieve this goal the following strategy was adopted: develop, implement and evaluate a method for planning and controlling scope and time. It was based on a set of principles extracted from the APM literature. The method developed was entitled IVPM2 (Iterative and Visual Project Management Method) and its creation comprised an extensive literature review combined with a pure action-research methodology carried out in two small technology-based companies from the São Carlos technological pole. The companies were called Company A and Company B, and the IVPM2 development, implementation and evaluation activities occurred simultaneously in both companies, considering two distinct scenarios. In the company A the IVPM2 was implemented in a single long term project, with a high level of complexity and innovation. In the company B the IVPM2 was implemented in more than one project (a total of 7 projects) with less complexity and innovation aspects. In order to evaluate the IVPM2 adherence and contribution to project management a statistic descriptive approach was applied using qualitative and quantitative data. The data was collected by questionnaire, interviews and document analysis. The main purpose of this evaluation was to respond the central research problem and the specific research questions. The central research problem was described as: Is it possible to apply APM principles for planning and controlling innovative product projects? Consequently, the specific research questions considered after the method implementation were: RQ1) Did IVPM2 adhere to APM principles? RQ2) Did IVPM2 contribute to enhance project management process in the companies under study? The results showed many evidences of the presence of APM principles in the IVPM2 as stated in the literature. Moreover, the IVPM2 was capable to enhance many aspects of project management process of new product development in both companies studied. It also contributed to improve other aspects not directly addressed in the current research. Finally, the evidences collected during the research have indicated many benefits by combining principles from APM approach with traditional PM techniques and a PM software to support project management. This result is important to consider the applicability and viability of APM principles application to NPD projects in turbulent, innovative and complex business environments. Finally, this study has presented many indications of the need to explore this theme and improve the analysis and the IVPM2 components in order to implement them in different companies and project contexts.
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Rezaei, Nazanin. "Study on Strut and Node Behavior in Strut-and-Tie Modeling." FIU Digital Commons, 2018. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3749.
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The strut-and-tie method (STM) is a simple and conservative method for designing concrete structures, especially deep beams. This method expresses complicated stress patterns as a simple truss or kinematic model made up of compression elements (struts), tension elements (ties), and the joints between elements (nodes). STM is based on lowerbound plasticity theorem, so using it properly will lead to a conservative design. Although the concepts of STM have been around in concrete design since the late 19th century, STM was first introduced in AASHTO LRFD in 1994 and ACI 318-02 in 2002. ACI 318 defines two different types of struts (prismatic and bottle-shaped) based on whether compression stress can spread transversely along the length of the strut. Recent work has brought into question whether these two types of struts do exist and whether current design provisions conservatively estimate failure loads for all members. The performance of struts and nodes were investigated experimentally by testing six fullscale concrete deep beams. The specimens had two different shapes (rectangular and trusslike), two different shear span-to-depth ratio (1 and 1.6), and three different types of development (externally unbonded bars, internally bonded hooked bars, and internally bonded bars with welded external plates). All the specimens were supported vertically and vii tested under a three-point load setup. Based on the results, the truss-like specimen failed at higher loads than rectangular specimens with the same shear span-to-depth ratio. According to these results and recent debate in the literature, bottle-shaped struts are not weaker than prismatic struts because of their shape. They are weaker due to shear failure where struts cross a diagonal tension field. Therefore, the structures should be separately checked for shear strength when they are designed with STM. In this dissertation, the development of the design equation for shear strength of discontinuity regions was introduced, and the procedure is under consideration for adoption in ACI 318-19. This research was expanded numerically by studying the effect of development type and length, strut type, and strut angle on the behavior of concrete deep beams. The crack patterns and load-displacement curves, which were obtained from experimental tests, were used to validate numerical models. The strength of concrete deep beams was assessed by modeling thirty-five specimens in a nonlinear finite element software. According to the results, development length and development types influenced the presence of tensile stress in the support nodes. Additionally, the effect of the tensile stresses from reinforcement development and diagonal tension were not additive in rectangular specimens.
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Luomala, Anssi. "Tid- och resursplanering : En utvärdering av verktyg för projektplanering." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Institutionen Handels- och IT-högskolan, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-20229.
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Den projektbaserade arbetsformen blir allt mer vanligt förekommande inom alla nivåer i samhället. Projekt kräver planering, bland annat tid- och resursplanering. Tid är en av de viktigaste beståndsdelarna i projekt, och tidsaspekten är av avgörande betydelse om projektet kommer att lyckas i sin helhet. Resurser är en annan viktig beståndsdel som också har en avgörande betydelse om projekt kommer att nå målen. Samtidigt som projektet som arbetssätt tilltar, tenderar projekten att växa i storlek. Statistiken gör gällande att stora projekt ofta misslyckas ett problem som inte har minskat, trots mångåriga erfarenheter från projekt. Även om utbudet av metoder, tekniker och programverktyg är tämligen omfattande idag, kvarstår problemet med misslyckade projekt, trots mer erfarenhet och fler verktyg. Det råder ett generellt problem med att projekttiden minskar, i kombination av att komplexiteten ökar i alla former av projekt. Omständigheter som medfört större krav på projektplanering, särskilt tid- och resursplanering. Det kan antas att det finns ett behov av datoriserade projektplaneringsprogram, och antagandet att det är svårt att tid- och resursplanera utan stöd av olika metoder, tekniker och datorverktyg.Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur projektplanering i allmänhet och tid- och resursplanering i synnerhet bedrivs idag, och hur de olika metoderna, teknikerna och programverktygen kan förbättra, och underlätta projektplaneringen.
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Peixoto, Armando Silvestre Loureiro. "Delivery Time Slot Management Methods in Online Retail." Dissertação, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/10216/121392.
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During recent years, e-commerce and the convenience that it carries has allured consumers to opt for this service. Nonetheless, retailers are concerned about the narrow profitability margins that this activity yield, leading them to try to optimize their delivery processes.
For the comfort of the customer, e-grocers normally practices attended home delivery (AHD). This implies that the client has to be at home to receive their package, hence, the delivery hours are an important feature of the service provided. Time slot management is necessary to maintain a good balance between the client impression towards the service and delivery fulfillment.
To optimize the distribution cost, customers are presented with time slots to choose from when making a purchase, influencing the company's delivery schedule. Thanks to the existence of this choice, we can try to influence customers to choose a certain time slot, possibly resulting in a more optimized and cost-efficient delivery process. The selection of these slots can follow a dynamic slotting and/or dynamic pricing strategy.
This dissertation will focus on a dynamic slotting strategy, investigating the benefits that different assumptions could bring, for instance, that the customer can be flexible with the delivery day.
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Peixoto, Armando Silvestre Loureiro. "Delivery Time Slot Management Methods in Online Retail." Master's thesis, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/10216/121392.
Full textAbstract:
During recent years, e-commerce and the convenience that it carries has allured consumers to opt for this service. Nonetheless, retailers are concerned about the narrow profitability margins that this activity yield, leading them to try to optimize their delivery processes.
For the comfort of the customer, e-grocers normally practices attended home delivery (AHD). This implies that the client has to be at home to receive their package, hence, the delivery hours are an important feature of the service provided. Time slot management is necessary to maintain a good balance between the client impression towards the service and delivery fulfillment.
To optimize the distribution cost, customers are presented with time slots to choose from when making a purchase, influencing the company's delivery schedule. Thanks to the existence of this choice, we can try to influence customers to choose a certain time slot, possibly resulting in a more optimized and cost-efficient delivery process. The selection of these slots can follow a dynamic slotting and/or dynamic pricing strategy.
This dissertation will focus on a dynamic slotting strategy, investigating the benefits that different assumptions could bring, for instance, that the customer can be flexible with the delivery day.
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Muller, Grant Envar. "Discrete and continuous time methods of optimization in pension fund management." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3542.
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>Magister Scientiae - MScPensions are essentially the only source of income for many retired workers. It is thus critical that the pension fund manager chooses the right type of plan for his/her workers.Every pension scheme follows its own set of rules when calculating the benefits of the fund’s members at retirement. Whichever plan the manager chooses for the members,he/she will have to invest their contributions in the financial market. The manager is therefore faced with the daunting task of selecting the most appropriate investment strat-egy as to maximize the returns from the financial assets. Due to the volatile nature of stock markets, some pension companies have attached minimum guarantees to pension contracts. These guarantees come at a price, but ensure that the member does not suffer a loss due to poorly performing equities.In this thesis we study four types of mathematical problems in pension fund management,of which three are essentially optimization problems. Firstly, following Blake [5], we show in a discrete time setting how to decompose a pension benefit into a combination of Euro-pean options. We also model the pension plan preferences of workers, sponsors and fund managers. We make a number of contributions additional to the paper by Blake [5]. In particular, we contribute graphic illustrations of the expected values of the pension fund assets, liabilities and the actuarial surplus processes. In more detail than in the original source, we derive the variance of the assets of a defined benefit pension plan. Secondly,we dedicate Chapter 6 to the problem of minimizing the cost of a minimum guarantee included in defined contribution (DC) pension contracts. Here we work in discrete time and consider multi-period guarantees similar to those in Hipp [25]. This entire chapter is original work. Using a standard optimization method, we propose a strategy that cal- culates an optimal sequence of guarantees that minimizes the sum of the squares of the present value of the total price of the guarantee. Graphic illustrations are included to in-dicate the minimum value and corresponding optimal sequence of guarantees. Thirdly, we derive an optimal investment strategy for a defined contribution fund with three financial assets in the presence of a minimum guarantee. We work in a continuous time setting and in particular contribute simulations of the dynamics of the short interest rate process and the assets in the financial market of Deelstra et al. [19]. We also derive an optimal investment strategy of the surplus process introduced in Deelstra et al. [19]. The results regarding the surplus are then converted to consider the actual investment portfolio per- taining to the wealth of the fund. We note that the aforementioned paper does not use optimal control theory. In order to illustrate the method of stochastic optimal control, we study a fourth problem by including a discussion of the paper by Devolder et al. [21] in Chapter 3. We enhance the work in the latter paper by including some simulations. The specific portfolio management strategies are applicable to banking as well (and is being pursued independently).
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Cai, Qishu. "Shipment Consolidation in Discrete Time and Discrete Quantity: Matrix-Analytic Methods." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6170.
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Shipment consolidation is a logistics strategy whereby many small shipments are combined into a few larger loads. The economies of scale achieved by shipment consolidation help in reducing the transportation costs and improving the utilization of logistics resources.
The fundamental questions about shipment consolidation are i) to how large a size should the consolidated loads be allowed to accumulate? And ii) when is the best time to dispatch such loads? The answers to these questions lie in the set of decision rules known as shipment consolidation policies.
A number of studies have been done in an attempt to find the optimal consolidation policy. However, these studies are restricted to only a few types of consolidation policies and are constrained by the input parameters, mainly the order arrival process and the order weight distribution. Some results on the optimal policy parameters have been obtained, but they are limited to a couple of specific types of policies.
No comprehensive method has yet been developed which allows the evaluation of different types of consolidation policies in general, and permits a comparison of their performance levels. Our goal in this thesis is to develop such a method and use it to evaluate a variety of instances of shipment consolidation problem and policies.
In order to achieve that goal, we will venture to use matrix-analytic methods to model and solve the shipment consolidation problem. The main advantage of applying such methods is that they can help us create a more versatile and accurate model while keeping the difficulties of computational procedures in check.
More specifically, we employ a discrete batch Markovian arrival process (BMAP) to model the weight-arrival process, and for some special cases, we use phase-type (PH) distributions to represent order weights. Then we model a dispatch policy by a discrete monotonic function, and construct a discrete time Markov chain for the shipment consolidation process.
Borrowing an idea from matrix-analytic methods, we develop an efficient algorithm for computing the steady state distribution of the Markov chain and various performance measures such as i) the mean accumulated weight per load, ii) the average dispatch interval and iii) the average delay per order. Lastly, after specifying the cost structures, we will compute the expected long-run cost per unit time for both the private carriage and common carriage cases.
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Sudarsanam, Nandan. "Methods of estimating stress-strength interference reliability under a time dependent degradation analysis." 2005. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/etd/umi-okstate-1356.pdf.
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