Do chain pharmacies perform better than independent pharmacies? Evidence from a standardised patient study of the management of childhood diarrhoea and suspected tuberculosis in urban India

PubMed Central

Miller, Rosalind; Goodman, Catherine

2017-01-01

Introduction Pharmacies and drug stores are frequently patients’ first point of care in many low-income and middle-income countries, but their practice is often poor. Pharmacy retailing in India has traditionally been dominated by local, individually owned shops, but recent years have seen the growth of pharmacy chains. In theory, lower-powered profit incentives and self-regulation to preserve brand identity may lead to higher quality in chain stores. In practice, this has been little studied. Methods We randomly selected a stratified sample of chain and independent pharmacies in urban Bengaluru. Standardised patients (SPs) visited pharmacies and presented a scripted case of diarrhoea for a child and suspected tuberculosis (TB). SPs were debriefed immediately after the visit using a structured questionnaire. We measured the quality of history taking, therapeutic management and advice giving against national (Government of India) and international (WHO) guidelines. We used Pearson’s χ2 tests to examine associations between pharmacy type and case management. Findings Management of childhood diarrhoea and suspected TB was woefully substandard. History taking of the SP was limited; unnecessary and harmful medicines, including antibiotics, were commonly sold; and advice giving was near non-existent. The performance of chains and independent shops was strikingly similar for most areas of assessment. We observed no significant differences between the management of suspected TB in chains and independents. 43% of chains and 45% of independents managed the TB case correctly; 17% and 16% of chains and independents, respectively, sold antibiotics. We found that chains sold significantly fewer harmful antibiotics and antidiarrhoeals (35% vs 48%, p=0.029) and prescription-only medicines (37% vs 49%, p=0.048) for the patient with diarrhoea compared with independent shops. Not a single shop managed the patient with diarrhoea correctly according to guidelines. Conclusion Our results from Bengaluru suggest that it is unlikely that chains alone can solve persisting quality challenges. However, they may offer a potential vehicle through which to deliver interventions. Future intervention research should consider recruiting chains to see whether effectiveness of interventions differ among chains compared with independents. PMID:29018588

The Blood Stocks Management Scheme, a partnership venture between the National Blood Service of England and North Wales and participating hospitals for maximizing blood supply chain management.

PubMed

Chapman, J F; Cook, R

2002-10-01

The Blood Stocks Management Scheme (BSMS) has been established as a joint venture between the National Blood Service (NBS) in England and North Wales and participating hospitals to monitor the blood supply chain. Stock and wastage data are submitted to a web-based data-management system, facilitating continuous and complete red cell data collection and 'real time' data extraction. The data-management system enables peer review of performance in respect of stock holding levels and red cell wastage. The BSMS has developed an innovative web-based data-management system that enables data collection and benchmarking of practice, which should drive changes in stock management practice, therefore optimizing the use of donated blood.

What Happens When the Supply Chain Breaks? Implications for the Army Supply Chain Under Attack

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-05-22

Supply Chain Integration office with Secretariat level leadership to facilitate DoD Component implementation of supply chain management practices...rather than cyber attack. Tim Belcher, Chief Technology Officer for Riptech, a computer security firm said “It was always assumed that a small group of

Green supply chain management in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qinghua; Sarkis, Joseph

2004-02-01

Globalization results in both pressure and drivers for Chinese enterprise to improve their environmental performance. As a developing country, China has to balance economic and environmental performance. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is emerging to be an important approach for Chinese enterprises to improve performance, possibly on both these dimensions. Using empirical results from 89 respondents on GSCM practice in Chinese manufacturing enterprises, we examine the relationships between pressures, practice and performance. The results will look at multiple dimensions of GSCM practice and performance, as well as various pressures they face. Discussion of the results will include practical implications for organizations, not only in China, but internationally who face similar pressures and seek to implement similar programs.

Service-Learning in Supply Chain Management: Benefits, Challenges and Best Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoenherr, Tobias

2015-01-01

Service-learning (SL) is a pedagogical approach in which students are assigned a course-related project in a not-for-profit organization, and are tasked to apply course content to execute the project. While the benefits are multifarious, only recently have supply chain management (SCM) courses adapted this innovative teaching methodology. The…

Upgrading Supply Chain Management Systems to Improve Availability of Medicines in Tanzania: Evaluation of Performance and Cost Effects.

PubMed

Mwencha, Marasi; Rosen, James E; Spisak, Cary; Watson, Noel; Kisoka, Noela; Mberesero, Happiness

2017-09-27

To address challenges in public health supply chain performance, Tanzania invested in a national logistics management unit (LMU) and a national electronic logistics management information system (eLMIS). This evaluation examined the impact of those 2 key management upgrades approximately 1 year after they were introduced. We used a nonexperimental pre-post study design to compare the previous system with the upgraded management system. We collected baseline data from August to November 2013. We conducted round 1 of post-implementation data collection during April and May 2015, about 1 year after implementation of the upgrades. We evaluated key indicators of data use and reporting; supply chain management practices such as storage and supervision; supply chain performance including stock-out and expiry rates; and supply chain cost and savings. We analyzed the data using a range of techniques including statistical testing of baseline and round-1 results, and cost, cost-effectiveness, and return on investment analysis. The upgrades were associated with improvements in data use, accessibility, visibility, and transparency; planning, control, and monitoring; support for quantification; stock-out rates; stock-out duration; commodity expiry; and forecast error. The upgraded system was more costly, but it was also more efficient, particularly when adjusting for the performance improvements. The upgrades also generated substantial savings that defrayed some, but not all, of the investment costs. Upgrades to Tanzania's supply chain management systems created multiple and complex pathways to impact. One year after implementation, the LMU and eLMIS brought about performance improvements through better data use and through improvements in some, but not all, management practices. Furthermore, the upgrades-while not inexpensive-contributed to greater system efficiency and modest savings. © Mwencha et al.

Upgrading Supply Chain Management Systems to Improve Availability of Medicines in Tanzania: Evaluation of Performance and Cost Effects

PubMed Central

Mwencha, Marasi; Rosen, James E; Spisak, Cary; Watson, Noel; Kisoka, Noela; Mberesero, Happiness

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: To address challenges in public health supply chain performance, Tanzania invested in a national logistics management unit (LMU) and a national electronic logistics management information system (eLMIS). This evaluation examined the impact of those 2 key management upgrades approximately 1 year after they were introduced. Methods: We used a nonexperimental pre-post study design to compare the previous system with the upgraded management system. We collected baseline data from August to November 2013. We conducted round 1 of post-implementation data collection during April and May 2015, about 1 year after implementation of the upgrades. We evaluated key indicators of data use and reporting; supply chain management practices such as storage and supervision; supply chain performance including stock-out and expiry rates; and supply chain cost and savings. We analyzed the data using a range of techniques including statistical testing of baseline and round-1 results, and cost, cost-effectiveness, and return on investment analysis. Results: The upgrades were associated with improvements in data use, accessibility, visibility, and transparency; planning, control, and monitoring; support for quantification; stock-out rates; stock-out duration; commodity expiry; and forecast error. The upgraded system was more costly, but it was also more efficient, particularly when adjusting for the performance improvements. The upgrades also generated substantial savings that defrayed some, but not all, of the investment costs. Conclusion: Upgrades to Tanzania's supply chain management systems created multiple and complex pathways to impact. One year after implementation, the LMU and eLMIS brought about performance improvements through better data use and through improvements in some, but not all, management practices. Furthermore, the upgrades—while not inexpensive—contributed to greater system efficiency and modest savings. PMID:28877933

A COMPARISON OF GREEN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONG INDUSTRIES SECTORS IN CHINA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ying; Miyadera, Tetsuhiko; Fujita, Tsuyoshi

This paper aims to examine the differences of Green supply chain management (GSCM) implementation among chemical, automobile and machinery industries in China based on a questionnaire survey designed by Industrial Ecology at two industrial parks in Shenyang city. Exploratory factor analysis and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. The main result was that the GSCM practices of the three industries are still at a beginning stage. The level of GSCM practices of automobile industry (promoted by international market competition) was higher than those of chemical and machinery industry (promoted by domestic laws and policies).

Construction and Application of a Refined Hospital Management Chain.

PubMed

Lihua, Yi

2016-01-01

Large scale development was quite common in the later period of hospital industrialization in China. Today, Chinese hospital management faces such problems as service inefficiency, high human resources cost, and low rate of capital use. This study analyzes the refined management chain of Wuxi No.2 People's Hospital. This consists of six gears namely, "organizational structure, clinical practice, outpatient service, medical technology, and nursing care and logistics." The gears are based on "flat management system targets, chief of medical staff, centralized outpatient service, intensified medical examinations, vertical nursing management and socialized logistics." The core concepts of refined hospital management are optimizing flow process, reducing waste, improving efficiency, saving costs, and taking good care of patients as most important. Keywords: Hospital, Refined, Management chain

75 FR 67698 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-03

.... Title, Form, and OMB Number: Leading Edge Supply Chain Survey; OMB Number 0701-TBD. Type of Request: New... uncover the emerging trends in supply chain management (SCM) practices, processes and metrics that could...

The relationship among the resiliency practices in supply chain, financial performance, and competitive advantage in manufacturing firms in Indonesia and Sierra Leone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musa, I.; Nyoman Pujawan, I.

2018-04-01

Current supply chain management (SCM) has become a potentially treasured way of safeguarding competitive advantage and improving organizational performance since competition is no longer between organizations, but among supply chains. This research conceptualizes and develops four resiliency practices (Flexibility, Redundancy, Collaboration and Agility) and tests the relationships between organizations’ financial performance and competitive advantage in manufacturing firms. The study involves manufacturing firms in Indonesia and Sierra Leone. The study used stratified random sampling to pick a sample size of 95 manufacturing firms, which represented different industrial sectors. The respondents were mainly managers of different manufacturing companies. The relationships proposed in the conceptual framework were tested using correlation analysis. The results indicate that higher levels of resilience practices in manufacturing firms can lead to enhanced competitive advantage and improved financial performance.

The science of sustainable supply chains.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Dara

2014-06-06

Recent advances in the science and technology of global supply chain management offer near-real-time demand-response systems for decision-makers across production networks. Technology is helping propel "fast fashion" and "lean manufacturing," so that companies are better able to deliver products consumers want most. Yet companies know much less about the environmental and social impacts of their production networks. The failure to measure and manage these impacts can be explained in part by limitations in the science of sustainability measurement, as well as by weaknesses in systems to translate data into information that can be used by decision-makers inside corporations and government agencies. There also remain continued disincentives for firms to measure and pay the full costs of their supply chain impacts. I discuss the current state of monitoring, measuring, and analyzing information related to supply chain sustainability, as well as progress that has been made in translating this information into systems to advance more sustainable practices by corporations and consumers. Better data, decision-support tools, and incentives will be needed to move from simply managing supply chains for costs, compliance, and risk reduction to predicting and preventing unsustainable practices. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Using SCOR as a Supply Chain Management Framework for Government Agency Contract Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paxton, Joseph; Tucker, Brian

2010-01-01

This paper will present a model that uses the Supply-Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model as a foundation for a framework to illustrate the information needed throughout a product lifecycle to support a healthy supply chain management function and the subsequent contract requirements to enable it. It will also show where in the supply chain the information must be extracted. The ongoing case study used to exemplify the model is NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Ares I program for human spaceflight. Effective supply chain management and contract requirements are ongoing opportunities for continuous improvement within government agencies, specifically development of systems for human spaceflight operations. Multiple reports from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reinforce this importance. The SCOR model is a framework for describing a supply chain with process building blocks and business activities. It provides a set of metrics for measuring supply chain performance and best practices for continuously improving. This paper expands the application of the SCOR to also provide the framework for defining information needed from different levels of the supply chain and at different phases of the lifecycle. These needs can be incorporated into contracts to enable more effective supply chain management. Depending on the phase of the lifecycle, effective supply chain management will require involvement from different levels of the organization and different levels of the supply chain.

Environmental Management Competitive Pressure Effect on SME Environmental Innovation Activities: A Green Supply Chain Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, A. A.; Sidek, A. A.; Suffian, S. A.; Daud, M. R. C.

2018-01-01

The idea of assimilating green supply chain is to integrate and establish environmental management into the supply chain practices. The study aims to explore how environmental management competitive pressure influences a SME company in Malaysia to incorporate green supply chain integration, which is an efficient platform to develop environmental innovation. This study further advances green supply chain management research in Malaysia by using the method of quantitative analysis to analyze the model developed which data will be collected based on a sample of SMEs in Malaysia in manufacturing sector. The model developed in this study illustrates how environmental management competitive pressure from main competitors affects three fundamental dimensions of green supply chain integration. The research findings suggest that environmental management competitive pressure is a vital driving force for a SME company to incorporate internal and external collaboration in developing green product innovation. From the analysis conducted, the study strongly demonstrated that the best way for a company to counteract competitor’s environmental management success is to first implement strong internal green product development process then move to incorporate external environmental management innovation between their suppliers and customers. The findings also show that internal integration of green product innovation fully mediates the relationship of environmental management competitive pressure and the external integration of green product innovation.

Building an efficient supply chain.

PubMed

Scalise, Dagmara

2005-08-01

Realizing at last that supply chain management can produce efficiencies and save costs, hospitals are beginning to adopt practices from other industries, such as the concept of extended supply chains, to improve product flow. They're also investing in enterprise planning resource software, radio frequency identification and other technologies, using quality data to drive standardization and streamlining processes.

Fuzzy Entropy Method for Quantifying Supply Chain Networks Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jihui; Xu, Junqin

Supply chain is a special kind of complex network. Its complexity and uncertainty makes it very difficult to control and manage. Supply chains are faced with a rising complexity of products, structures, and processes. Because of the strong link between a supply chain’s complexity and its efficiency the supply chain complexity management becomes a major challenge of today’s business management. The aim of this paper is to quantify the complexity and organization level of an industrial network working towards the development of a ‘Supply Chain Network Analysis’ (SCNA). By measuring flows of goods and interaction costs between different sectors of activity within the supply chain borders, a network of flows is built and successively investigated by network analysis. The result of this study shows that our approach can provide an interesting conceptual perspective in which the modern supply network can be framed, and that network analysis can handle these issues in practice.

Implementation of a real option in a sustainable supply chain: an empirical study of alkaline battery recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cucchiella, Federica; D'Adamo, Idiano; Gastaldi, Massimo; Lenny Koh, S. C.

2014-06-01

Green supply chain management (GSCM) has emerged as a key approach for enterprises seeking to become environmentally sustainable. This paper aims to evaluate and describe the advantages of a GSCM approach by analysing practices and performance consequences in the battery recycling sector. It seeks to integrate works in supply chain management (SCM), environmental management, performance management and real option (RO) theory into one framework. In particular, life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied to evaluate the environmental impact of a battery recycling plant project, and life cycle costing (LCC) is applied to evaluate its economic impact. Firms, also understanding the relevance of GSCM, have often avoided applying the green principles because of the elevated costs that such management involved. Such costs could also seem superior to the potential advantages since standard performance measurement systems are internally and business focused; for these reasons, we consider all the possible value deriving also by uncertainty associated to a green project using the RO theory. This work is one of the few and pioneering efforts to investigate GSCM practices in the battery recycling sector.

Reinforcement learning in supply chains.

PubMed

Valluri, Annapurna; North, Michael J; Macal, Charles M

2009-10-01

Effective management of supply chains creates value and can strategically position companies. In practice, human beings have been found to be both surprisingly successful and disappointingly inept at managing supply chains. The related fields of cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence have postulated a variety of potential mechanisms to explain this behavior. One of the leading candidates is reinforcement learning. This paper applies agent-based modeling to investigate the comparative behavioral consequences of three simple reinforcement learning algorithms in a multi-stage supply chain. For the first time, our findings show that the specific algorithm that is employed can have dramatic effects on the results obtained. Reinforcement learning is found to be valuable in multi-stage supply chains with several learning agents, as independent agents can learn to coordinate their behavior. However, learning in multi-stage supply chains using these postulated approaches from cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence take extremely long time periods to achieve stability which raises questions about their ability to explain behavior in real supply chains. The fact that it takes thousands of periods for agents to learn in this simple multi-agent setting provides new evidence that real world decision makers are unlikely to be using strict reinforcement learning in practice.

A linear regression approach to evaluate the green supply chain management impact on industrial organizational performance.

PubMed

Mumtaz, Ubaidullah; Ali, Yousaf; Petrillo, Antonella

2018-05-15

The increase in the environmental pollution is one of the most important topic in today's world. In this context, the industrial activities can pose a significant threat to the environment. To manage problems associate to industrial activities several methods, techniques and approaches have been developed. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is considered one of the most important "environmental management approach". In developing countries such as Pakistan the implementation of GSCM practices is still in its initial stages. Lack of knowledge about its effects on economic performance is the reason because of industries fear to implement these practices. The aim of this research is to perceive the effects of GSCM practices on organizational performance in Pakistan. In this research the GSCM practices considered are: internal practices, external practices, investment recovery and eco-design. While, the performance parameters considered are: environmental pollution, operational cost and organizational flexibility. A set of hypothesis propose the effect of each GSCM practice on the performance parameters. Factor analysis and linear regression are used to analyze the survey data of Pakistani industries, in order to authenticate these hypotheses. The findings of this research indicate a decrease in environmental pollution and operational cost with the implementation of GSCM practices, whereas organizational flexibility has not improved for Pakistani industries. These results aim to help managers regarding their decision of implementing GSCM practices in the industrial sector of Pakistan. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancing Supply Chain Performance with Environmental Cost Information: Examples from Commonwealth Edison, Andersen Corporation, and Ashland Chemical

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This collection of case studies illustrates how supply chain management practices can be improved by determining the financial impact of business activities that have an impact on a company’s environmental performance.

Incentives to improve farm management: EMS, supply-chains and civil society.

PubMed

Gunningham, Neil

2007-02-01

This paper focuses on impediments to environmentally sound management practices and how these might be overcome, with an emphasis on the role of environmental management systems, supply chains and civil society. It argues that: Farmers are under increased pressure to cut costs and improve production but with little opportunity to increase prices. Commonly short-term economic interest has damaging environmental implications. Current government policy, in Australia and in many other jurisdictions, relies heavily on voluntary arrangements, education and information, as the main policy instruments through which to persuade farmers to adopt better environmental farm management - e.g. the recent push to encourage the use of voluntary environmental management systems. However, there is good evidence to suggest that these can only make a valuable contribution when combined with a range of other policy instruments, including positive and negative incentives, intervention by third parties and in some cases, an underpinning of regulation. Arguably, what is needed is a strategy that builds on the strengths of voluntary environmental management arrangements while compensating for their weaknesses by combining them with other, complementary policy instruments. If so, we must engage with a range of questions that have not so far figured substantially in the policy debate. Although the principal focus has been on the role of government in bringing about on-farm change in management practices, supply chain pressure (at least in respect of agricultural chemicals and practices which threaten food safety) and civil society action are also potentially powerful mechanisms for bringing about change. Government can and should play a role in harnessing such forces in the interests of improved environmental on-farm practices.

Understanding Supply Chain Management Practices for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoo, AC; Sulaiman, Z.; Choi, SL; Kohar, UHA

2017-06-01

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are a major source of dynamism, innovation and flexibility for emerging and developing countries, as well as for the economies of the most industrialised nations. However, the survival and growth of SMEs can be difficult in the current competitive business environment and global marketplace. It can be a real challenge to deliver the right product and service at the most opportune time and at the lowest possible cost to the right customer. The challenge stresses the importance of managing cross-boundary relationships between business partners. For gaining a competitive advantage, supply chain management (SCM) is an effective tool to SMEs. Therefore, this paper aims to review the tenet of SCM, its benefits and practices to SMEs.

Environmental improvement of product supply chains: proposed best practice techniques, quantitative indicators and benchmarks of excellence for retailers.

PubMed

Styles, David; Schoenberger, Harald; Galvez-Martos, Jose-Luis

2012-11-15

Retailers are strategically positioned to leverage environmental improvement over product supply chains through actions targeted at suppliers and consumers. Informed by scientific evidence on environmental hotspots and control points across 14 priority product groups, and a review of 25 major European retailers' actions, this paper proposes a framework to guide and assess retailer best practice in supply chain environmental improvement. Commonly used product standards and improvement measures are classified into "basic" or "good" levels of environmental protection. A hierarchy of eight Best Environmental Management Practices (BEMPs) is proposed to systematically identify and improve the most environmentally damaging supply chains across retail assortments. Widespread third party environmental certification is the most transparent and verifiable mechanism of improvement but may not be appropriate for some supply chains. The enforcement of retailer-defined environmental requirements, and supplier improvement programmes based on performance benchmarking and dissemination of better management practices, are alternative BEMPs that may be used in combination with third party certification. Facilitating consumer selection of frontrunner ecological products is a lower priority BEMP owing to the well documented limitations of this approach. From available data, the highest current or credible-target sales shares of products improved according to the highest priority BEMP and environmental protection level were used to derive "benchmarks of excellence" for each of the 14 product groups. The assessment framework is demonstrated through application to three retailers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Complexities of Implementing Cluster Supply Chain - Case Study of JCH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Xiao; Zhang, Jibiao; Wang, Yang

As a new type of management pattern, "cluster supply chain" (CSC) can help SMEs to face the global challenges through all kinds of collaboration. However, a major challenge in implementing CSC is the gap between theory and practice in the field. In an effort to provide a better understanding of this emerging phenomenon, this paper presents the implementation process of CSC in the context of JingCheng Mechanical & Electrical Holding co., ltd.(JCH) as a case study. The cast study of JCH suggests that the key problems in the practice of cluster supply chain: How do small firms use cluster supply chain? Only after we clarify the problem, the actual construction and operation of cluster supply chain does show successful results as it should be.

Evaluation of vaccine cold chain in urban health centers of municipal corporation of surat city, Western India.

PubMed

Naik, Ashish K; Rupani, Mihir P; Bansal, R K

2013-12-01

The success of immunization depends highly on the level of cold chain maintenance. The aim of the study was to assess the condition of cold chain equipment, practices adopted for cold chain maintenance and knowledge of the vaccinators. It was a cross-sectional study conducted in 20 UHCs of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC). Cold chain equipment were observed with regards to their condition, along with the practices adopted by vaccinators for cold chain maintenance. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used to interview the vaccinators regarding their knowledge and awareness regarding cold chain practices, management and handling. Data were entered and analyzed using Epi Info v 3.5.1. Simple proportions were calculated. Absence of separate stabilizer for deep freezers and ILRs (85%), ill-maintained temperature-record register, lack of criss-cross pattern of ice packs in deep freezer (65%), presence of things other than ice packs in deep freezer (10%) and things other than vaccines in ILR (10%) indicate poor cold chain maintenance. In addition to this, expired vaccines in ILR (5%), vaccines in the "unusable" stages of VVM (15%), lack of emergency contact number nearby in case of cold chain failure (85%), lack of inverter (85%), lack of generator (85%) and failure to note time of reconstitution on the vaccine vial at the time of vaccination (25%) indicate poor cold chain practices. Lack of knowledge of defrosting of ILR and deep freezer (45%), lack of knowledge about Shake test (40%), lack of knowledge of temperature range to be maintained in deep freezer (70%) and in ILR (15%) indicate poor knowledge of vaccinators. Cold chain maintenance and practices need improvement. Knowledge of vaccinators was overall unsatisfactory.

Another Link in the Chain: State Policies and Practices for Case Management and Environmental Investigation for Lead-Poisoned Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guthrie, Anne M.; McLaine, Pat

Policy and practice for screening children for lead poisoning have dominated the dialogue about the health care system's role in lead poisoning prevention, with little attention directed to how the health care system responds to a lead-poisoned child once identified. This report details a study of the case management and environmental…

"Another Link in the Chain" Update: State Policies and Practices for Case Management and Environmental Investigation for Lead-Poisoned Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaine, Pat; Gaitens, Joanna

This report details a national survey, conducted in 2000, to document changes since 1998 in policies and practices for case management and environmental investigation for lead poisoned children; the study also investigated the impact of the previous national survey in precipitating change. Participating in the survey were program directors or…

Modelling Lean and Green Supply Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Susana Carla Vieira Lino Medina

The success of an organization depends on the effective control of its supply chain. It is important to recognize new opportunities for organization and its supply chain. In the last few years the approach to lean, agile, resilient and green supply chain paradigms has been addressed in the scientific literature. Research in this field shows that the integration of these concepts revealed some contradictions among so many paradigms. This thesis is mainly focused on the lean and green approaches. Thirteen different management frameworks, embodied in awards, standards and tools were studied to understand if they could contribute for the modelling process of a lean and green approach. The study reveals a number of categories that are common in most management frameworks, providing adequate conditions for a lean and green supply chain transformation. A conceptual framework for the evaluation of a lean and green organization`s supply chain was proposed. The framework considers six key criteria, namely, leadership, people, strategic planning, stakeholders, processes and results. It was proposed an assessment method considering a criteria score for each criterion. The purpose is to understand how lean and green supply chain can be compatible, using principles, practices, techniques or tools (i.e. elements) that support both, a lean and a green approach, in all key criteria. A case study in the automotive upstream supply chain was performed to understand more deeply if the elements proposed for the conceptual framework could be implemented in a real-scenario. Based on the conceptual framework and the case study, a roadmap to achieve a lean-green transformation is presented. The proposed roadmap revealed its contribution to the understanding on how and when an organization`s supply chain should apply the lean and green elements. This study is relevant to practice, as it may assist managers in the adoption of a lean and green supply chain approach, giving insights for the implementation of a hybrid supply chain.

Impact of green supply chain management practices on firms' performance: an empirical study from the perspective of Pakistan.

PubMed

Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman; Qianli, Dong

2017-07-01

This article investigates the impact of five determinants of the green supply chain practices on organizational performance in the context of Pakistan manufacturing firms. A sample of 218 firms was collected from the manufacturing industry. The green supply chain practices were measured through five independent variables including green manufacturing, green purchasing, green information systems, cooperation with customers, and eco-design. By using exploratory factor and simultaneous regression analysis, the results indicate that except green purchasing, rests of the four independent variables have been found statistically significant to predict organizational performance. However, the eco-design of green practices followed by green information systems has revealed the greatest impact on organizational performance. Therefore, the managers of the manufacturing firms should not only implement eco-design in their supply chain but also concentrate on proper monitoring and implementation of green information systems to increase their firms' performance. A main contribution of this research from theoretical side is that it is possible to notice a negative effect of "green purchasing" towards organizational performance particularly in the scenario of Pakistan manufacturing industry. Another valuable result is that green purchasing is an important antecedent of firms economic performance in the US manufacturing firms (Green et al. 2012), although not significantly related to organizational performance in our study. In addition, we also discussed research limitations, areas for future research, and implications for practitioners.

Using Spreadsheet Modeling to Teach Exchange Curves (Optimal Policy Curves) in Inventory Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strakos, Joshua K.

2016-01-01

Inventory management is widely researched and the topic is taught in business programs across the spectrum of operations and supply chain management. However, the concepts are notoriously difficult for students to practice once they finish school and become managers responsible for inventory control. This article explains the structure and details…

Understanding transferable supply chain lessons and practices to a "high-tech" industry using guidelines from a primary sector industry: a case study in the food industry supply chain.

PubMed

Coronado Mondragon, Adrian E; Coronado Mondragon, Christian E; Coronado, Etienne S

2015-01-01

Flexibility and innovation at creating shapes, adapting processes, and modifying materials characterize composites materials, a "high-tech" industry. However, the absence of standard manufacturing processes and the selection of materials with defined properties hinder the configuration of the composites materials supply chain. An interesting alternative for a "high-tech" industry such as composite materials would be to review supply chain lessons and practices in "low-tech" industries such as food. The main motivation of this study is to identify lessons and practices that comprise innovations in the supply chain of a firm in a perceived "low-tech" industry that can be used to provide guidelines in the design of the supply chain of a "high-tech" industry, in this case composite materials. This work uses the case study/site visit with analogy methodology to collect data from a Spanish leading producer of fresh fruit juice which is sold in major European markets and makes use of a cold chain. The study highlights supply base management and visibility/traceability as two elements of the supply chain in a "low-tech" industry that can provide guidelines that can be used in the configuration of the supply chain of the composite materials industry.

Identifying the critical factors of green supply chain management: Environmental benefits in Pakistan.

PubMed

Mumtaz, Ubaidullah; Ali, Yousaf; Petrillo, Antonella; De Felice, Fabio

2018-05-30

Pakistan is a developing country characterized by a growing industrialization, which is the major cause of environmental pollution in the country. To control the significant increase in pollution a green incentive has started, aiming to moderate the adverse effects of environmental pollution. Thus, Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) plays an important role in influencing the total environment impact of any organizations. This study considers ten Pakistani industries that have implemented GSCM practices. The Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory technique (DEMATEL) is used to find influential factors in selecting GSCM criteria. The results show that organizational involvement is the most important dimension useful to implement GSCM practices. In addition, commitment from senior managers, ISO 14000 certification of suppliers and recycle of waste heat are considered significant factors. The paper also signifies the casual relationship among the dimensions and the factors in the form of diagraphs. The main management implication of the paper is to help decision makers to focus on the critical dimensions/factors in order to implement the GSCM practices more effectively in Pakistan. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inventory transparency for agricultural produce through IOT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasan, S. P.; Sorna Shanthi, D.; Anand, Aashish V.

2017-06-01

Re-structuring the practices of traditional inventory management is becoming more essential to optimize the supply chain transparency and accuracy of agricultural produce. A flexible and transparent inventory management system is becoming the need of any agricultural commodity. It was noticed that the major setback for the farmers who are the suppliers of the farm produce is due to poor supply chain integration. The recent advent technologies and IT explosion can bring up a greater impact in the process of storing, tracking, distributing and monitoring perishable agriculture produce of day to day life. The primary focus of this paper is to integrate IoT into inventory management and other inbound logistics management of agriculture produce. The unique features of agricultural produce like a prediction of supply, demand, the location of warehouses, distribution and tracking of inventory can be integrated through IoT. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for inventory management transparency involved in the supply chain of agriculture produce.

Benchmarking Operations to Promote Learning: An Internal Supply Chain Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benton, Helen; Binder, Mario; Egel-Hess, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

Despite the widespread discussion of organisational learning, there is little scholarly contribution on promoting learning through the practical application of management tools. This is especially true in a complex internal supply chain context of an organisation. This paper seeks to address this gap by exploring and analysing the capability of…

The Influence of U.S. Chain Restaurant Food Consumption and Obesity in China and South Korea: An Ecological Perspective of Food Consumption, Self-Efficacy in Weight Management, Willingness to Communicate About Weight/Diet, and Depression.

PubMed

Wright, Kevin B; Mazzone, Raphael; Oh, Hyun; Du, Joshua; Smithson, Anne-Bennett; Ryan, Diane; MacNeil, David; Tong, Xing; Stiller, Carol

2016-11-01

This study examined the impact of U.S. chain restaurant food consumption in China and South Korea from an ecological perspective. Specifically, it explored the relationships among several environmental and individual variables that have been found to affect obesity/weight management in previous research, including the prevalence/popularity of U.S. chain restaurants in these countries, frequency of U.S. chain restaurant food consumption, self-efficacy in weight management, willingness to communicate about weight/diet, self-perceptions of weight/obesity stigma, body mass index (BMI), and depression. The results indicated that willingness to communicate about weight/diet predicted increased self-efficacy in weight management. Higher BMI scores were found to predict increased weight/obesity stigma, and increased frequency of U.S. restaurant food consumption, weight/obesity stigma, and reduced self-efficacy in weight management were found to predict increased levels of depression. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed, along with limitations and directions for future research.

Outsourcing vaccine logistics to the private sector: The evidence and lessons learned from the Western Cape Province in South-Africa.

PubMed

Lydon, Patrick; Raubenheimer, Ticky; Arnot-Krüger, Michelle; Zaffran, Michel

2015-06-26

With few exceptions, immunization supply chains in developing countries continue to face chronic difficulties in providing uninterrupted availability of potent vaccines up to service delivery levels, and in the most efficient manner possible. As these countries struggle to keep pace with an ever growing number of vaccines, more and more Ministries of Health are considering options of engaging the private sector to manage vaccine storage, handling and distribution on their behalf. Despite this emerging trend, there is limited evidence on the benefits or challenges of this option to improve public supply chain performance for national immunization programmes. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study aims to shed light on the value proposition of outsourcing by documenting the specific experience of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The methodology for this review rested on conducting two key supply chain assessments which allowed juxtaposing the performance of the government managed segments of the vaccine supply chain against those managed by the private sector. In particular, measures of effective vaccine management best practice and temperature control in the cold chain were analysed. In addition, the costs of engaging the private sector were analysed to get a better understanding of the economics underpinning outsourcing vaccine logistics. The results from this analysis confirmed some of the theoretical benefits of outsourcing to the private sector. Yet, if the experience in the Western Cape can be deemed a successful one, there are several policy and practice implications that developing countries should be mindful of when considering engaging the private sector. While outsourcing can help improve the performance of the vaccine supply chain, it has the potential to do the reverse if done incorrectly. The findings and lessons learnt from the Western Cape experience can serve as a step towards understanding the role of the private sector in immunization supply chain and logistics systems for developing countries. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Strategic information technology alliances for effective health-care supply chain management.

PubMed

Shih, Stephen C; Rivers, Patrick A; Hsu, H Y Sonya

2009-08-01

To gain and sustain competitive advantage, health-care providers have to continuously review and renovate their operational and information technology (IT) strategies through collaborative and cooperative endeavour with their supply chain channel members. This paper explores new ways of enhancing a health-care organization's responsiveness to changes and increasing its competitiveness through implementing strategic information technology alliances among channel members in a health-care supply chain network. An overview of issues and problems (e.g. bullwhip effect, negative externalities and free-riding phenomenon in multichannel supply chains) presented in the health-care supply chains is first delineated. This paper further goes over the issues of health-care supply chain coordination and integration for strategic IT alliances, followed by the discussion of the spillover effect of IT investments. A number of viable IT practices (such as information sharing and Internet-enabled supply chain portal) for effective health-care supply chain collaboration and coordination are then examined in this research. Finally, the paper discusses how strategic IT alliances can help improve the effectiveness of health-care supply chain management.

When the Ties That Bind Break.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorohan, Erica Gordon

1994-01-01

Despite decades of management fads, U.S. businesses have practiced chain-of-command management. Only through changes in leadership can corporate America repair the damage to employee morale that stems as much from the way companies execute layoffs as from the layoffs themselves. (Author/JOW)

Managing Risk Aversion for Low-Carbon Supply Chains with Emission Abatement Outsourcing.

PubMed

Wang, Qinpeng; He, Longfei

2018-02-21

Reducing carbon emissions, including emission abatement outsourcing at the supply-chain level, is becoming a significant but challenging problem in practice. Confronting this challenge, we therefore break down the practice to focus on a low-carbon supply chain consisting of one supplier, one manufacturer and one third-party emission-reducing contractor. The contractor offers a carbon reduction service to the manufacturer. In view of the increasing proportion of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions and absence of carbon reduction policies in developing countries, we adopt the prospect of consumers' low-carbon preferences to capture the demand sensitivity on carbon emission. By exploiting the Mean-Variance (MV) model, we develop a supply chain game model considering risk aversion. Comparing the supply chain performances of the cases under risk neutrality and risk aversion, we investigate the impact of the risk aversion of the supplier and the manufacturer on the low-carbon supply chain performances, respectively. We show that the risk aversion of chain members will not influence the relationship underlain by the profit-sharing contract between the manufacturer and contractor, whereas they may extend the supplier's concerning range. Although the manufacturer's risk aversion has a positive impact on the wholesale price, interestingly, the supplier's impact on the wholesale price is negative. Furthermore, we propose a contract to coordinate the risk-averse low-carbon supply chain by tuning the aversion levels of the supplier and the manufacturer, respectively. Through numerical study, we draw on managerial insights for industrial practitioners to adopt a low carbon strategy potentially by managing the risk attitudes along the supply chain channel.

Managing Risk Aversion for Low-Carbon Supply Chains with Emission Abatement Outsourcing

PubMed Central

Wang, Qinpeng; He, Longfei

2018-01-01

Reducing carbon emissions, including emission abatement outsourcing at the supply-chain level, is becoming a significant but challenging problem in practice. Confronting this challenge, we therefore break down the practice to focus on a low-carbon supply chain consisting of one supplier, one manufacturer and one third-party emission-reducing contractor. The contractor offers a carbon reduction service to the manufacturer. In view of the increasing proportion of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions and absence of carbon reduction policies in developing countries, we adopt the prospect of consumers’ low-carbon preferences to capture the demand sensitivity on carbon emission. By exploiting the Mean-Variance (MV) model, we develop a supply chain game model considering risk aversion. Comparing the supply chain performances of the cases under risk neutrality and risk aversion, we investigate the impact of the risk aversion of the supplier and the manufacturer on the low-carbon supply chain performances, respectively. We show that the risk aversion of chain members will not influence the relationship underlain by the profit-sharing contract between the manufacturer and contractor, whereas they may extend the supplier’s concerning range. Although the manufacturer’s risk aversion has a positive impact on the wholesale price, interestingly, the supplier’s impact on the wholesale price is negative. Furthermore, we propose a contract to coordinate the risk-averse low-carbon supply chain by tuning the aversion levels of the supplier and the manufacturer, respectively. Through numerical study, we draw on managerial insights for industrial practitioners to adopt a low carbon strategy potentially by managing the risk attitudes along the supply chain channel. PMID:29466281

Understanding Transferable Supply Chain Lessons and Practices to a “High-Tech” Industry Using Guidelines from a Primary Sector Industry: A Case Study in the Food Industry Supply Chain

PubMed Central

Coronado Mondragon, Adrian E.; Coronado, Etienne S.

2015-01-01

Flexibility and innovation at creating shapes, adapting processes, and modifying materials characterize composites materials, a “high-tech” industry. However, the absence of standard manufacturing processes and the selection of materials with defined properties hinder the configuration of the composites materials supply chain. An interesting alternative for a “high-tech” industry such as composite materials would be to review supply chain lessons and practices in “low-tech” industries such as food. The main motivation of this study is to identify lessons and practices that comprise innovations in the supply chain of a firm in a perceived “low-tech” industry that can be used to provide guidelines in the design of the supply chain of a “high-tech” industry, in this case composite materials. This work uses the case study/site visit with analogy methodology to collect data from a Spanish leading producer of fresh fruit juice which is sold in major European markets and makes use of a cold chain. The study highlights supply base management and visibility/traceability as two elements of the supply chain in a “low-tech” industry that can provide guidelines that can be used in the configuration of the supply chain of the composite materials industry. PMID:25821848

40 CFR 63.10885 - What are my management practices for metallic scrap and mercury switches?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...-consumer automotive body scrap, post-consumer engine blocks, post-consumer oil filters, oily turnings, lead... suppliers throughout the scrap supply chain the need to promote the removal of mercury switches from end-of... the scrap supply chain the need to promote the removal or mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles...

40 CFR 63.10885 - What are my management practices for metallic scrap and mercury switches?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...-consumer automotive body scrap, post-consumer engine blocks, post-consumer oil filters, oily turnings, lead... suppliers throughout the scrap supply chain the need to promote the removal of mercury switches from end-of... the scrap supply chain the need to promote the removal or mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles...

40 CFR 63.10885 - What are my management practices for metallic scrap and mercury switches?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...-consumer automotive body scrap, post-consumer engine blocks, post-consumer oil filters, oily turnings, lead... suppliers throughout the scrap supply chain the need to promote the removal of mercury switches from end-of... the scrap supply chain the need to promote the removal or mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles...

Light Chain Cast Nephropathy: Practical Considerations in the Management of Myeloma Kidney-What We Know and What the Future May Hold.

PubMed

Manohar, Sandhya; Nasr, Samih H; Leung, Nelson

2018-05-03

To update and evaluate the current knowledge on pathogenesis and management of light chain cast nephropathy. Light chain cast nephropathy (LCCN) is the leading cause of acute renal failure in patients with multiple myeloma and is currently recognized as a myeloma defining event. The immunoglobulin free light chain plays an integral role in the pathogenesis of LCCN. The level of free light chain (FLC) in the blood and urine is directly associated with the risk of developing LCCN. Recovery of renal function is related to the speed and degree of the serum FLC reduction. Recently, two randomized trials using high cutoff dialyzer for the removal of serum FLC produced different results in terms of renal recovery. FLC plays a key role in the development and resolution of LCCN. Future therapies will aim to rapidly reduce its concentration or interrupt its interaction with Tamm-Horsfall protein.

Reclamation chain of waste concrete: A case study of Shanghai.

PubMed

Xiao, Jianzhuang; Ma, Zhiming; Ding, Tao

2016-02-01

A mass of construction and demolition (C&D) waste are generated in Shanghai every year, and it has become a serious environment problem. Reclaiming the waste concrete to produce recycled aggregate (RA) and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is an effective method to reduce the C&D waste. This paper develops a reclamation chain of waste concrete based on the researches and practices in Shanghai. C&D waste management, waste concrete disposition, RA production and RAC preparation are discussed respectively. In addition, technical suggestions are also given according to the findings in practical engineering, which aims to optimize the reclamation chain. The results show that the properties of RA and RAC can well meet the requirement of design and practical application through a series of technical measures. The reclamation chain of waste concrete is necessary and appropriate for Shanghai, which provides more opportunities for the wider application of RA and RAC, and it shows a favorable environmental benefit. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medicine shortages: a commentary on causes and mitigation strategies.

PubMed

Iyengar, Swathi; Hedman, Lisa; Forte, Gilles; Hill, Suzanne

2016-09-29

Shortages of medicines and vaccines have been reported in countries of all income levels in recent years. Shortages can result from one or multiple causes, including shortages of raw materials, manufacturing capacity problems, industry consolidation, marketing practices, and procurement and supply chain management. Existing approaches to mitigate shortages include advance notice systems managed through medicine regulatory authorities, special programmes that track medicines, and interventions to improve efficiency of the medicine supply chain. Redistribution of supplies at the national level can mitigate some shortages in the short term. International redistribution and exceptional regulatory approvals may be used in limited circumstances, with the understanding that such approaches are complex and may introduce cost and quality risks. If it is necessary to prioritise patients to receive a medicine that is in shortage, evidence-based practice should be used to ensure optimal allocation. Important steps in reducing medicine shortages and their impact include identifying medicines that are most at risk, developing reporting systems to share information on current and emerging shortages, and improving data from medicine supply chains.

Perspectives for geographically oriented management of fusarium mycotoxins in the cereal supply chain.

PubMed

van der Fels-Klerx, H J; Booij, C J H

2010-06-01

This article provides an overview of available systems for management of Fusarium mycotoxins in the cereal grain supply chain, with an emphasis on the use of predictive mathematical modeling. From the state of the art, it proposes future developments in modeling and management and their challenges. Mycotoxin contamination in cereal grain-based feed and food products is currently managed and controlled by good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices, hazard analysis critical control points, and by checking and more recently by notification systems and predictive mathematical models. Most of the predictive models for Fusarium mycotoxins in cereal grains focus on deoxynivalenol in wheat and aim to help growers make decisions about the application of fungicides during cultivation. Future developments in managing Fusarium mycotoxins should include the linkage between predictive mathematical models and geographical information systems, resulting into region-specific predictions for mycotoxin occurrence. The envisioned geographically oriented decision support system may incorporate various underlying models for specific users' demands and regions and various related databases to feed the particular models with (geographically oriented) input data. Depending on the user requirements, the system selects the best fitting model and available input information. Future research areas include organizing data management in the cereal grain supply chain, developing predictive models for other stakeholders (taking into account the period up to harvest), other Fusarium mycotoxins, and cereal grain types, and understanding the underlying effects of the regional component in the models.

Estimating the Benefits of the Air Force Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Initiative

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

sector, known as strategic sourcing.6 The Customer Relationship Management initiative ( CRM ) pro- vides a single customer point of contact for all... Customer Relationship Management initiative. commodity council A term used to describe a cross-functional sourc- ing group charged with formulating a...initiative has four major components, all based on commercial best practices (Gabreski, 2004): commodity councils customer relationship management

A Comparative Study between U.S. and Brazilian Acquisition Regulations and Practices

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

to describe continuous improvements efforts ( Render and Heizer , 2008). Caddick and Dale (1998) on their paper ‘The impact of quality management on...2002). Outsourcing in Edinburgh and the Lothians. European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Chain Management 8 (2) 83-95. Render , Barry; Heizer , Jay

A district survey of vaccine cold chain protection in general practitioners' surgeries.

PubMed

Finn, L; Crook, S

1999-01-01

Failure to ensure that vaccines are kept within a prescribed temperature range at all times can reduce their potency and cause primary vaccine failure. A postal survey of 103 general practices in a health district to assess vaccine handling and storage yielded 75 responses (73%). Poor practice was identified in receipt and storage of vaccines, temperature monitoring and control, management of vaccines during immunisation sessions, and disposal of partly used vaccines. The data suggest that the vaccine cold chain is not maintained with the degree of care necessary for safe practice. National guidelines need to be implemented conscientiously by all those involved with immunisation programmes if the effectiveness of vaccines is to be guaranteed.

Multi-criteria decision support framework for sustainable implementation of effective green supply chain management practices.

PubMed

Boutkhoum, Omar; Hanine, Mohamed; Boukhriss, Hicham; Agouti, Tarik; Tikniouine, Abdessadek

2016-01-01

At present, environmental issues become real critical barriers for many supply chain corporations concerning the sustainability of their businesses. In this context, several studies have been proposed from both academia and industry trying to develop new measurements related to green supply chain management (GSCM) practices to overcome these barriers, which will help create new environmental strategies, implementing those practices in their manufacturing processes. The objective of this study is to present the technical and analytical contribution that multi-criteria decision making analysis (MCDA) can bring to environmental decision making problems, and especially to GSCM field. For this reason, a multi-criteria decision-making methodology, combining fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS), is proposed to contribute to a better understanding of new sustainable strategies through the identification and evaluation of the most appropriate GSCM practices to be adopted by industrial organizations. The fuzzy AHP process is used to construct hierarchies of the influential criteria, and then identify the importance weights of the selected criteria, while the fuzzy TOPSIS process employs these weighted criteria as inputs to evaluate and measure the performance of each alternative. To illustrate the effectiveness and performance of our MCDA approach, we have applied it to a chemical industry corporation located in Safi, Morocco.

Serum-free light-chain analysis in diagnosis and management of multiple myeloma and related conditions.

PubMed

Milani, Paolo; Palladini, Giovanni; Merlini, Giampaolo

2016-01-01

The introduction of the serum-free light-chain (S-FLC) assay has been a breakthrough in the diagnosis and management of plasma cell dyscrasias, particularly monoclonal light-chain diseases. The first method, proposed in 2001, quantifies serum-free light-chains using polyclonal antibodies. More recently, assays based on monoclonal antibodies have entered into clinical practice. S-FLC measurement plays a central role in the screening for multiple myeloma and related conditions, in association with electrophoretic techniques. Analysis of S-FLC is essential in assessing the risk of progression of precursor diseases to overt plasma cell dyscrasias. It is also useful for risk stratification in solitary plasmacytoma and AL amyloidosis. The S-FLC measurement is part of the new diagnostic criteria for multiple myeloma, and provides a marker to follow changes in clonal substructure over time. Finally, the evaluation of S-FLC is fundamental for assessing the response to treatment in monoclonal light chain diseases.

THE ROLE OF FARMERS IN MANAGING WATER Dr Tony Colman Professor Tony Allan Farmers manage about 92% of the water consumed by society which needs to recognise that farming practices and the decisions made by those who operate food supply chains - including corporates and those making public policy - determine how water is stewarded.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colman, A. J.

2017-12-01

Title Food-water and society Dr. Tony Colman and Professor Tony Allan Abstract The purpose of the paper is to highlight some key relationships between water resources and society. First, water is an very important resource for society in that it provides an essential input to society's food supply chains. Secondly, it is an essential input to farmer livelihoods. About half of the families of the world still work in agriculture - albeit a declining proportion. Thirdly, farmers manage about 92% of the water consumed by society - including the blue water (surface and groundwater) for irrigation and the green water (effective rainfall) consumed on rainfed farms. They also account for about 66% of society's impacts on biodiversity and about 25% of emissions. Finally it will be argued that those who analyse allocation and management of water must recognise that farming practices and the decisions made by those who operate food supply chains - including corporates and those making public policy - must recognise that it is farmers and food consumers who determine how water is stewarded. It will be suggested that we need to understand that well informed consumers could be the regulators.

Integration of internet of things to reduce various losses of jatropha seed supply chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasan, S. P.; Anitha, J.; Vijayakumar, R.

2017-06-01

The evolution of bio fuel supply chain has revolutionized the organization by restructuring the practices of the traditional management. A flexible distribution system is becoming the need of our society. The main focus of this paper is to integrate IoT technologies into a cultivation, extraction and management of Jatropha seed. It was noticed that major set-back of farmers due to poor supply chain integration. The various losses like information about the Jatropha seed availability, the location of esterification plants and distribution details are identified through this IoT. This enables the farmers to reorganize the land resources, yield estimation and distribution functions. The wastage and the scarcity of energy can be tackled by using the smart phone technologies. This paper is proposes a conceptual frame work on various losses involved in the supply chain of Jatropha seed.

Marines in the Interagency: Are We in the Right Places?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

Fellows Program for fellowships at U.S. businesses were very logistics-best-practice focused (product distribution, supply chain management , shipping...for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and...manpower management system to better identify what interagency organization(s) has Marines assigned; 3) Formalize current billets with the Department of

Implementation of targeted medication adherence interventions within a community chain pharmacy practice: The Pennsylvania Project.

PubMed

Bacci, Jennifer L; McGrath, Stephanie Harriman; Pringle, Janice L; Maguire, Michelle A; McGivney, Melissa Somma

2014-01-01

To identify facilitators and barriers to implementing targeted medication adherence interventions in community chain pharmacies, and describe adaptations of the targeted intervention and organizational structure within each individual pharmacy practice. Qualitative study. Central and western Pennsylvania from February to April 2012. Rite Aid pharmacists staffed at the 118 Pennsylvania Project intervention sites. Qualitative analysis of pharmacists' perceptions of facilitators and barriers experienced, targeted intervention and organizational structure adaptations implemented, and training and preparation prior to implementation. A total of 15 key informant interviews were conducted from February to April 2012. Ten pharmacists from "early adopter" practices and five pharmacists from "traditionalist" practices were interviewed. Five themes emerged regarding the implementation of targeted interventions, including all pharmacists' need to understand the relationship of patient care programs to their corporation's vision; providing individualized, continual support and mentoring to pharmacists; anticipating barriers before implementation of patient care programs; encouraging active patient engagement; and establishing best practices regarding implementation of patient care services. This qualitative analysis revealed that there are a series of key steps that can be taken before the execution of targeted interventions that may promote successful implementation of medication therapy management in community chain pharmacies.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vandenhove, Hildegarde

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has raised questions about the accumulation of radionuclides in soils, the transfer in the food chain and the possibility of continued restricted future land use. This paper summarizes what is generally understood about the application of agricultural countermeasures as a land management option to reduce the radionuclides transfer in the food chain and to facilitate the return of potentially affected soils to agricultural practices in areas impacted by a nuclear accident. (authors)

Circular economy practices among Chinese manufacturers varying in environmental-oriented supply chain cooperation and the performance implications.

PubMed

Zhu, Qinghua; Geng, Yong; Lai, Kee-hung

2010-06-01

The rapidly growing industrial activities in emerging economies such as China have been causing resource depletion and pollution problems. This reality requires China to adopt an integrated management approach to resolve the conflict between industrial development and environmental protection, and the concept of circular economy (CE) serves this purpose. In this paper, we examine if different types of manufacturing enterprises on environmental-oriented supply chain cooperation (ESCC) exist. We also determine if the Chinese manufacturer types varying in ESCC differ in their implementation of the CE practices towards achieving the CE-targeted goals on improving both environmental and economic performance. Our cluster analytic results with multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) among the four identified types of Chinese manufacturers varying in environmental-oriented supply chain cooperation highlight the importance to intensify the cooperation with upstream and downstream supply chain partners for a CE initiative to succeed. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors that influence producer decisions to implement management strategies.

PubMed

Field, Thomas G

2014-12-01

Cow-calf enterprises in the USA are widely divergent in size, locale, resource availability, management skill, and market focus. Furthermore, variation exists in dependence on the cow-calf enterprise as a primary source of income, perception about the utility of a particular management practice or technology, and assessment of cost: benefit resulting from implementation impact decisions. Enterprises with larger cow inventories, greater dependence on income from the cattle enterprise, and that retain ownership further into the supply chain beyond the cow-calf operation are more likely to institute management protocols such as vaccination programs, defined calving seasons, and reproductive technologies. Successful cow-calf managers place the highest priority on herd nutrition, pasture and range management, herd health, financial management marketing, production management, and genetics. Management practices are more likely to be adopted when they align with a manager's perception of the utility, labor availability, favorable cost: benefit outcomes and profit motivation.

Effect of cattle management practices on raw milk quality on farms operating in a two-stage dairy chain.

PubMed

Sraïri, M T; Benhouda, H; Kuper, M; Le Gal, P Y

2009-02-01

In many developing countries, milk production varies greatly according to farm size, cattle breed, and milking practices. However, production systems often are dominated by smallholder farms. Therefore, relatively small volumes of milk are delivered daily from numerous farms to intermediate cooperatives which supply industrial units. This paper argues that in such two-stage dairy chains, milk quality could be improved by focusing on farming practices rather than on the testing of individual deliveries. Indeed, it is difficult to analyze their quality due to technical, economic, and logistic limitations. The objective of this study is to link on-farm practices with milk chemical quality parameters (fat and protein) and hygienic quality criteria (Aerobic Plate Count, APC and Coliforms). Cattle management practices were monitored monthly over one year on 23 farms located on an irrigation scheme in Morocco. 276 milk samples were analyzed. The monthly variability of milk quality parameters was then characterized. Results show that average cow milk chemical parameters vary within a normal range. They remain primarily linked to the genetic type of cows, the lactation stage, and the conversion of feed concentrates' net energy into milk. Overall milk hygienic quality was poor (APC and Coliforms counts were 100 fold international norms), due essentially to a lack of hygiene and inadequate milking conditions (hands, udder, and teat washing, type of bucket used, dirtiness of cows...). It is suggested that a close monitoring of herd management practices may allow the indirect control of milk quality parameters, thereby avoiding costly analyses of numerous smallholder milk deliveries.

Is environmental management an economically sustainable business?

PubMed

Gotschol, Antje; De Giovanni, Pietro; Esposito Vinzi, Vincenzo

2014-11-01

This paper investigates whether environmental management is an economically sustainable business. While firms invest in green production and green supply chain activities with the primary purpose of reducing their environmental impact, the reciprocal relationships with economic performance need to be clarified. Would firms and suppliers adjust their environmental strategies if the higher economic value that environmental management generates is reinvested in greening actions? We found out that environmental management positively influences economic performance as second order (long term) target, to be reached conditioned by higher environmental performance; in addition, firms can increase their performance if they reinvest the higher economic value gained through environmental management in green practices: While investing in environmental management programs is a short term strategy, economic rewards can be obtained only with some delays. Consequently, environmental management is an economically sustainable business only for patient firms. In the evaluation of these reciprocal relationships, we discovered that green supply chain initiatives are more effective and more economically sustainable than internal actions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of urban tree management and species selection on atmospheric carbon dioxide

Treesearch

David J. Nowak; Jack C. Stevens; Susan M. Sisinni; Christopher J. Luley

2002-01-01

Trees sequester and store carbon in their tissue at differing rates and amounts based on such factors as tree size at maturity, life span, and growth rate. Concurrently, tree care practices release carbon back to the atmosphere based on fossil-fuel emissions from maintenance equipment (e.g., chain saws, trucks, chippers). Management choices such as tree locations for...

Services Supply Chain in the Department of Defense: A Comparison of Acquisition Management Practices in the Army, Navy, and Air Force

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-23

characteristics also lead to differences in the marketing of services ( Lovelock , 1992; Hutt & Speh, 1998). Given these differences in the production and...Press. Lovelock , C. H. (1992). Are services really different? In C. H. Lovelock (Ed.), Managing services (2nd ed., pp. 1-8). Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Creating a performance appraisal template for pharmacy technicians using the method of equal-appearing intervals.

PubMed

Desselle, Shane P; Vaughan, Melissa; Faria, Thomas

2002-01-01

To design a highly quantitative template for the evaluation of community pharmacy technicians' job performance that enables managers to provide sufficient feedback and fairly allocate organizational rewards. Two rounds of interviews with two convenience samples of community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians were conducted. The interview in phase 1 was qualitative, and responses were used to design the second interview protocol. During the phase 2 interviews, a new group of respondents ranked technicians' job responsibilities, identified through the initial interviewees' responses, using scales the researchers had designed using an interval-level scaling technique called equal-appearing intervals. Chain and independent pharmacies. Phase 1-20 pharmacists and 20 technicians from chain and independent pharmacies; phase 2-20 pharmacists and 9 technicians from chain and independent pharmacies. Ratings of the importance of technician practice functions and corresponding responsibilities. Weights were calculated for each practice function. A weighted list of practice functions was developed, and this may serve as a performance evaluation template. Customer service-related activities were judged by pharmacists and technicians alike to be the most important technician functions. Many pharmacies either lack formal performance appraisal systems or fail to implement them properly. Technicians may desire more consistent feedback from pharmacists and value information that may lead to organizational rewards. Using a weighted, behaviorally anchored performance appraisal system may help pharmacists and pharmacy managers meet these demands.

Training and retaining community pharmacy leaders: Career pathways after completing a PGY1 community pharmacy residency affiliated with a large supermarket chain.

PubMed

Hohmeier, Kenneth C; Borja-Hart, Nancy; Cooper, Maureen; Kirby, James; Fisher, Cindy

To determine pharmacist career paths and resident perceptions after completion of a PGY1 community pharmacy residency with a national supermarket pharmacy chain. Cross-sectional nationwide survey. Overall, 65% (n = 24) of residents who responded accepted a position with Kroger immediately after graduation. When asked about the degree of value the residency had on obtaining the resident's ideal position, 29 (76%) reported that it was "very valuable" and the remaining 9 (24%) reported that it was "somewhat valuable." Positions that these pharmacists held immediately after residency completion were: clinical pharmacist (clinical coordinators, patient care specialists, or patient care managers; 54%), staff pharmacist (21%), split/mixed (mixed clinical and staffing components; 21%), and pharmacy manager (4%). Residency trained pharmacists were retained by the pharmacy chain where they practiced, and the majority of those pharmacists held split or full-time clinical pharmacist roles within the chain supermarket pharmacy. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) / Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) Review and Applicability for Chemical Security Enhancements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iveson, Steven W.

Global chemical security has been enhanced through the determined use and integration of both voluntary and legislated standards. Many popular standards contain components that specifically detail requirements for the security of materials, facilities and other vital assets. In this document we examine the roll of quality management standards and how they affect the security culture within the institutions that adopt these standards in order to conduct business within the international market place. Good manufacturing practices and good laboratory practices are two of a number of quality management systems that have been adopted as law in many nations. These standards aremore » designed to protect the quality of drugs, medicines, foods and analytical test results in order to provide the world-wide consumer with safe and affective products for consumption. These standards provide no established security protocols and yet manage to increase the security of chemicals, materials, facilities and the supply chain via the effective and complete control over the manufacturing, the global supply chains and testing processes. We discuss the means through which these systems enhance security and how nations can further improve these systems with additional regulations that deal specifically with security in the realm of these management systems. We conclude with a discussion of new technologies that may cause disruption within the industries covered by these standards and how these issues might be addressed in order to maintain or increase the level of security within the industries and nations that have adopted these standards.« less

Learning Management Systems: Practical Considerations for the Selection and Implementation of an E-learning Platform for the Navy

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-28

is interested in B2B and B2C e-commerce, enterprise resource planning, e-procurement, supply-chain management, data mining, and knowledge discovery... social networking tools, collaborative spaces, knowledge management, “connecting-enabling” protocols like RSS, and other tools. The intent of the ILE...delivered to them, what learning pedagogy is appropriate for them, the optimal level of social interaction for learning, and available resources

Community resiliency through recovery resource supply chain planning.

PubMed

Franklin, Charlotte; Todt, Kiersten

2014-01-01

Information in this paper is the result of recommendations and remedies developed at 'Local Supply Chain Capacity in a Crisis Summit Exercise' held in Arlington, VA on 30th-31st January,2013. At the event, which was funded through the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program, national private sector and not-for-profit essential resource provider experts in sectors such as transportation, communication systems, energy/power, financial resources, medical supplies and other vital supplies, together with emergency managers, discussed best practices, major challenges and exchanged remedy recommendations.

Comprehensive Study on Wastages of Supply Chain Information Sharing in Automotive Industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sendhil Kumar, R.; Pugazhendhi, S.; Muralidharan, C.; Murali, S.

2017-03-01

A supply chain is a very extensive concept, which encompasses many problems and features when it comes to controlling. Now a day’s lean concept is a very common method to several areas, such as service sectors and manufacturing. Applying the lean concept to supply chain management is a very popular study part, it has attracted many industrial practices and researchers with different applications. Information sharing and technology remain one of the key factors of integrating the supply chain members. Current scenario the competition is no longer between the competing companies, but it happens between the supply chains. So the efficiency of the supply chain is very important. And the effective sharing of information can enhance the supply chain efficiency through minimizing the inventories and Information sharing can increase supply chain efficiency by reducing inventories and stabilizing the production. This paper describes and discusses about the seven deadly wastes of supply chain information with the comparative principle of Toyota production system (TPS) principle approach. How the TPS can be applied to supply chain information sharing And lean tool of 5S concept possibility improve the information sharing.

Awareness and Perceptions of Food Safety Risks and Risk Management in Poultry Production and Slaughter: A Qualitative Study of Direct-Market Poultry Producers in Maryland.

PubMed

Baron, Patrick; Frattaroli, Shannon

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to document and understand the perceptions and opinions of small-scale poultry producers who market directly to consumers about microbial food safety risks in the poultry supply chain. Between January and November 2014, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of 16 owner-operators of Maryland direct-market commercial poultry farms. Three overarching thematic categories emerged from these interviews that describe: 1) characteristics of Maryland direct-market poultry production and processing; 2) microbial food safety risk awareness and risk management in small-scale poultry production, slaughter and processing; and 3) motivations for prioritizing food safety in the statewide direct-market poultry supply chain. Key informants provided valuable insights on many topics relevant to evaluating microbial food safety in the Maryland direct-market poultry supply chain, including: direct-market poultry production and processing practices and models, perspectives on issues related to food safety risk management, perspectives on direct-market agriculture economics and marketing strategies, and ideas for how to enhance food safety at the direct-market level of the Maryland poultry supply chain. The findings have policy implications and provide insights into food safety in small-scale commercial poultry production, processing, distribution and retail. In addition, the findings will inform future food safety research on the small-scale US poultry supply chain.

The Relevance of Academic Research in OSCM Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raffield, Wiliam D.; Vang, David O.; Lundsten, Lorman L.

2016-01-01

The authors examine the relevance of academic research for operations and supply chain management (OSCM) professionals. Members of a major metropolitan APICS chapter were surveyed. Consistent with prior research, findings indicate that OSCM practitioners prefer trade journal articles to academic research. Nonetheless, respondents indicate interest…

Supply chain management in the clinical laboratory.

PubMed

McHugh, Thomas M

2006-01-31

Between 15 and 45 percent of a clinical laboratory's operating budget is spent on supplies. Given the size of this expenditure, laboratory managers must pay close attention to the supply chain and develop effective strategies to manage their inventory. Areas that need analysis include the carrying cost of supplies, the cost to generate a purchase order, methods to efficiently count supplies on hand, processes to ensure that lot number items are used before their expiration, and detailed analysis of the inventory. At the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center, we investigated options to manage our inventory and implemented a computerized system. The system required modifications to existing practices, which initially seemed unwieldy. However, after a relatively short learning curve, the improvement to operations has been significant, with a reduction in wasted reagents, fewer staff hours used to count supplies, and the ability to provide prompt analysis of the inventory for audits and discussions with administration. Focusing on the supply chain has allowed us to reduce inventory expenses by approximately 8 percent, reduce waste, given us a more focused understanding of our operations, and provided us with the ability to analyze our inventory easily.

[Lean logistics management in healthcare: a case study].

PubMed

Aguilar-Escobar, V G; Garrido-Vega, P

2013-01-01

To study the applicability of the principles of Lean Production to manage the supply chain of a hospital. In particular, to determine which Lean practices and principles are applicable, the benefits obtained and the main barriers for its implementation. Managing the hospital supply chain is an important issue, both for its effect on the quality of care and its impact on costs. This study is based on a case study. 2005-10. Hospital Virgen Macarena in Seville. Process of implementing a comprehensive logistics management plan based on Lean principles and technological investments. The implementation of the comprehensive plan has reduced inventory, decreased lead times and improved service quality. Also, there have been other important improvements: enhanced employee satisfaction and increased staff productivity, both dedicated to health and the logistics. The experience analysed has shown the applicability and appropriateness of Lean principles and some of its techniques in managing the logistics of hospitals. It also identifies some of the main difficulties that may arise. Copyright © 2011 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Management characteristics of beef cattle production in the western United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of beef in the United States is being conducted to provide benchmarks and identify opportunities for improvement of the beef value chain. Region-specific data are being collected to accurately characterize cattle production practices. This study reports pr...

Management characteristics of beef cattle production in Hawaii

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A comprehensive life cycle assessment of the United States’ beef value chain requires the collection of region-specific data for accurate characterization of the country’s diverse production practices. Cattle production in Hawaii is very different from the rest of the country due to its unique ecosy...

Information Risk Management and Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dynes, Scott

Are the levels of information risk management efforts within and between firms correlated with the resilience of the firms to information disruptions? This paper examines the question by considering the results of field studies of information risk management practices at organizations and in supply chains. The organizations investigated differ greatly in the degree of coupling from a general and information risk management standpoint, as well as in the levels of internal awareness and activity regarding information risk management. The comparison of the levels of information risk management in the firms and their actual or inferred resilience indicates that a formal information risk management approach is not necessary for resilience in certain sectors.

Quantifying opportunities for hospital cost control: medical device purchasing and patient discharge planning.

PubMed

Robinson, James C; Brown, Timothy T

2014-09-01

To quantify the potential reduction in hospital costs from adoption of best local practices in supply chain management and discharge planning. We performed multivariate statistical analyses of the association between total variable cost per procedure and medical device price and length of stay, controlling for patient and hospital characteristics. Ten hospitals in 1 major metropolitan area supplied patient-level administrative data on 9778 patients undergoing joint replacement, spine fusion, or cardiac rhythm management (CRM) procedures in 2008 and 2010. The impact on each hospital of matching lowest local market device prices and lowest patient length of stay (LOS) was calculated using multivariate regression analysis controlling for patient demographics, diagnoses, comorbidities, and implications. Average variable costs ranged from $11,315 for joint replacement to $16,087 for CRM and $18,413 for spine fusion. Implantable medical devices accounted for a large share of each procedure's variable costs: 44% for joint replacement, 39% for spine fusion, and 59% for CRM. Device prices and patient length-of-stay exhibited wide variation across hospitals. Total potential hospital cost savings from achieving best local practices in device prices and patient length of stay are 14.5% for joint replacement, 18.8% for spine fusion;,and 29.1% for CRM. Hospitals have opportunities for cost reduction from adoption of best local practices in supply chain management and discharge planning.

Current management strategies for patellofemoral pain: an online survey of 99 practising UK physiotherapists.

PubMed

Smith, Benjamin E; Hendrick, Paul; Bateman, Marcus; Moffatt, Fiona; Rathleff, Michael Skovdal; Selfe, James; Smith, Toby O; Logan, Pip

2017-05-08

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is considered one of the commonest forms of knee pain. This study aimed to identify how physiotherapists in the United Kingdom (UK) currently manage patellofemoral pain (PFP), particularly in relation to exercise prescription, and response to pain. An anonymous survey was designed with reference to previous surveys and recent systematic reviews. Practising UK physiotherapists who treat patients with PFP were invited to take part via an invitation email sent through professional networks, the 'interactive Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (iCSP)' message board, and social media (Twitter). Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. A total of 99 surveys were completed. Responders reported a wide range of management strategies, including a broad selection of type and dose of exercise prescription. The five most common management strategies chosen were: closed chain strengthening exercises (98%); education and advice (96%); open chain strengthening exercises (76%); taping (70%) and stretches (65%). Physiotherapists with a special interest in treating PFP were statistically more likely to manage patients with orthotics (P = 0.02) and bracing (P = 0.01) compared to physiotherapists without a special interest. Approximately 55% would not prescribe an exercise if it was painful. Thirty-one percent of physiotherapists would advise patients not to continue with leisure and/or sporting activity if they experienced any pain. Current UK practice in the management strategies of PFP is variable. Further high quality research on which to inform physiotherapy practice is warranted for this troublesome musculoskeletal condition.

Growth of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupe under different temperature abuse scenarios

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Effective cold chain management is a critical component of food safety practice. In this study, we examined the impact of commonly encountered temperature abuse scenarios on the proliferation of Salmonela enterica and Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupe. During one week of storage, Salmon...

Construction and Application of a Refined Hospital Management Chain.

PubMed

Yi, Lihua; Hao, Aimin; Hu, Minmin; Huang, Pei; Yuan, Huikang; Xing, Ming

2015-05-01

Gaining large scale success was quite common in the later period of industrialization for hospitals in China. Today, Chinese hospital management face such problems as service inefficiency, high human resources cost, and low rate of capital use. This study analyzes the refined management chain of the Wuxi No. 2 People's Hospital. This consists of six gears namely "organizational structure, clinical practice, outpatient service, medical technology, and nursing care and logistics" used to achieve maximum scale and benefits. The gears are based on "flat management system targets, chief of medical staff, centralized outpatient service, intensified medical examinations, vertical nursing management and socialized logistics". The hospital took innovative measures. The "one doctor-one patient-one clinic" was well accepted; "one dispensary" shorten the waiting time by 20 min. The 168 rear service hot line "made patients' lives easier; and a red wrist ribbon" for seriously ill patient was implemented to prioritize medical treatment. The core concepts of refined hospital management are optimizing flow process, reducing waste, improving efficiency, saving costs, and taking good care of patients as most important.

Transforming cold chain performance and management in lower-income countries.

PubMed

Brison, Mike; LeTallec, Yann

2017-04-19

In many countries, one of the common factors limiting full and equitable access to effective immunization is the existence of gaps in cold chain and logistics (CCL) systems. This article focuses on the critical contribution that better management of CCL performance can make in addressing these barriers, as well as some essential practices needed to achieve and sustain these gains. These include (i) an emphasis on continuous improvement in CCL performance indicators, (ii) strong coordination and accountability across multiple stakeholders, and (iii) making the most of limited financial resources. This article is informed by the Clinton Health Access Initiative's (CHAI's) experience working with National Immunization Programs (NIPs) and immunization partners to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of CCL systems (including CCE deployment and maintenance, temperature monitoring and control, stock management and distribution) across ten Gavi-supported "focus" countries. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Awareness and Perceptions of Food Safety Risks and Risk Management in Poultry Production and Slaughter: A Qualitative Study of Direct-Market Poultry Producers in Maryland

PubMed Central

Baron, Patrick; Frattaroli, Shannon

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to document and understand the perceptions and opinions of small-scale poultry producers who market directly to consumers about microbial food safety risks in the poultry supply chain. Between January and November 2014, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of 16 owner-operators of Maryland direct-market commercial poultry farms. Three overarching thematic categories emerged from these interviews that describe: 1) characteristics of Maryland direct-market poultry production and processing; 2) microbial food safety risk awareness and risk management in small-scale poultry production, slaughter and processing; and 3) motivations for prioritizing food safety in the statewide direct-market poultry supply chain. Key informants provided valuable insights on many topics relevant to evaluating microbial food safety in the Maryland direct-market poultry supply chain, including: direct-market poultry production and processing practices and models, perspectives on issues related to food safety risk management, perspectives on direct-market agriculture economics and marketing strategies, and ideas for how to enhance food safety at the direct-market level of the Maryland poultry supply chain. The findings have policy implications and provide insights into food safety in small-scale commercial poultry production, processing, distribution and retail. In addition, the findings will inform future food safety research on the small-scale US poultry supply chain. PMID:27341034

Customer involvement in greening the supply chain: an interpretive structural modeling methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sanjay; Luthra, Sunil; Haleem, Abid

2013-04-01

The role of customers in green supply chain management needs to be identified and recognized as an important research area. This paper is an attempt to explore the involvement aspect of customers towards greening of the supply chain (SC). An empirical research approach has been used to collect primary data to rank different variables for effective customer involvement in green concept implementation in SC. An interpretive structural-based model has been presented, and variables have been classified using matrice d' impacts croises- multiplication appliqué a un classement analysis. Contextual relationships among variables have been established using experts' opinions. The research may help practicing managers to understand the interaction among variables affecting customer involvement. Further, this understanding may be helpful in framing the policies and strategies to green SC. Analyzing interaction among variables for effective customer involvement in greening SC to develop the structural model in the Indian perspective is an effort towards promoting environment consciousness.

Multidimensional competences of supply chain managers: an empirical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shou, Yongyi; Wang, Weijiao

2017-01-01

Supply chain manager competences have attracted increasing attention from both practitioners and scholars in recent years. This paper conducted an explorative study to understand the dimensionality of supply chain manager competences. Online job advertisements for supply chain managers were collected as secondary data, since these advertisements reflect employers' real job requirements. We adopted the multidimensional scaling (MDS) technique to process and analyse the data. Five dimensions of supply chain manager competences are identified: generic skills, functional skills, supply chain management (SCM) qualifications and leadership, SCM expertise, and industry-specific and senior management skills. Statistic tests indicate that supply chain manager competence saliences vary in different industries and regions.

D Partition-Based Clustering for Supply Chain Data Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suhaibah, A.; Uznir, U.; Anton, F.; Mioc, D.; Rahman, A. A.

2015-10-01

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the management of the products and goods flow from its origin point to point of consumption. During the process of SCM, information and dataset gathered for this application is massive and complex. This is due to its several processes such as procurement, product development and commercialization, physical distribution, outsourcing and partnerships. For a practical application, SCM datasets need to be managed and maintained to serve a better service to its three main categories; distributor, customer and supplier. To manage these datasets, a structure of data constellation is used to accommodate the data into the spatial database. However, the situation in geospatial database creates few problems, for example the performance of the database deteriorate especially during the query operation. We strongly believe that a more practical hierarchical tree structure is required for efficient process of SCM. Besides that, three-dimensional approach is required for the management of SCM datasets since it involve with the multi-level location such as shop lots and residential apartments. 3D R-Tree has been increasingly used for 3D geospatial database management due to its simplicity and extendibility. However, it suffers from serious overlaps between nodes. In this paper, we proposed a partition-based clustering for the construction of a hierarchical tree structure. Several datasets are tested using the proposed method and the percentage of the overlapping nodes and volume coverage are computed and compared with the original 3D R-Tree and other practical approaches. The experiments demonstrated in this paper substantiated that the hierarchical structure of the proposed partitionbased clustering is capable of preserving minimal overlap and coverage. The query performance was tested using 300,000 points of a SCM dataset and the results are presented in this paper. This paper also discusses the outlook of the structure for future reference.

Interactive effects of animal manure and cover crop use in improving agricultural soil quality in Kentucky

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

With greater awareness of the wide-ranging implications degraded soils have in the food chain, there is growing interest in developing technologies and management practices to improve soil quality. To date, such initiatives are at the forefront of soil science as climate change is expected to alter ...

An exploration of the utility of appraisals for the revalidation of pharmacy professionals in community pharmacy in Great Britain.

PubMed

Jee, Samuel D; Jacobs, Sally; Schafheutle, Ellen I; Elvey, Rebecca; Hassell, Karen; Noyce, Peter R

2013-01-01

With revalidation in pharmacy in the United Kingdom fast approaching, appropriate systems of revalidation in community pharmacy are required. With little known about the potential use of appraisals for evaluating fitness to practice in pharmacy professionals (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) in this sector, research was undertaken to explore their potential utility in a revalidation process. To examine existing structures and processes in community pharmacy appraisals in Great Britain (ie, England, Scotland, and Wales) and consider the views of pharmacy stakeholders on if, and how, appraisals could contribute to revalidation of pharmacy professionals. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with senior staff (eg, superintendents and professional development managers) from chain community pharmacies as well as pharmacy managers/owners from independent pharmacies. Senior staff from locum agencies and pharmacy technician stakeholders were also interviewed. Appraisals were in place for pharmacists in most chain pharmacies but not in independent pharmacies. Locum pharmacists were not appraised, either by the companies they worked for or by the locum agencies. Pharmacy managers/owners working in independent pharmacies were also not appraised. Pharmacy technicians were appraised in most chain pharmacies but only in some independent pharmacies. Where appraisals were in operation, they were carried out by line managers who may or may not be a pharmacist. Appraisals did not seem to cover areas relevant to fitness to practice but instead focused more on performance related to business targets. This was particularly true for those in more senior positions within the organization such as area managers and superintendent pharmacists. Existing systems of appraisal, on their own, do not seem to be suitable for revalidating a pharmacy professional. Considerable changes to the existing appraisal systems in community pharmacy and employer engagement may be necessary if they are to play a role in revalidation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Companies' contribution to sustainability through global supply chains.

PubMed

Thorlakson, Tannis; de Zegher, Joann F; Lambin, Eric F

2018-02-27

Global supply chains play a critical role in many of the most pressing environmental stresses and social struggles identified by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Responding to calls from the global community, companies are adopting a variety of voluntary practices to improve the environmental and/or social management of their suppliers' activities. We develop a global survey of 449 publicly listed companies in the food, textile, and wood-products sectors with annual reports in English to provide insight into how the private sector contributes to advancing the SDGs via such sustainable-sourcing practices. We find that while 52% of companies use at least one sustainable-sourcing practice, these practices are limited in scope; 71% relates to only one or a few input materials and 60.5% apply to only first-tier suppliers. We also find that sustainable-sourcing practices typically address a small subset of the sustainability challenges laid out by the SDGs, primarily focusing on labor rights and compliance with national laws. Consistent with existing hypotheses, companies that face consumer and civil society pressure are associated with a significantly higher probability of adopting sustainable-sourcing practices. Our findings highlight the opportunities and limitations of corporate sustainable-sourcing practices in addressing the myriad sustainability challenges facing our world today. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Companies’ contribution to sustainability through global supply chains

PubMed Central

Thorlakson, Tannis; de Zegher, Joann F.; Lambin, Eric F.

2018-01-01

Global supply chains play a critical role in many of the most pressing environmental stresses and social struggles identified by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Responding to calls from the global community, companies are adopting a variety of voluntary practices to improve the environmental and/or social management of their suppliers’ activities. We develop a global survey of 449 publicly listed companies in the food, textile, and wood-products sectors with annual reports in English to provide insight into how the private sector contributes to advancing the SDGs via such sustainable-sourcing practices. We find that while 52% of companies use at least one sustainable-sourcing practice, these practices are limited in scope; 71% relates to only one or a few input materials and 60.5% apply to only first-tier suppliers. We also find that sustainable-sourcing practices typically address a small subset of the sustainability challenges laid out by the SDGs, primarily focusing on labor rights and compliance with national laws. Consistent with existing hypotheses, companies that face consumer and civil society pressure are associated with a significantly higher probability of adopting sustainable-sourcing practices. Our findings highlight the opportunities and limitations of corporate sustainable-sourcing practices in addressing the myriad sustainability challenges facing our world today. PMID:29440420

Urban Livestock Keeping in the City of Nairobi: Diversity of Production Systems, Supply Chains, and Their Disease Management and Risks.

PubMed

Alarcon, Pablo; Fèvre, Eric M; Muinde, Patrick; Murungi, Maurice K; Kiambi, Stella; Akoko, James; Rushton, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Urban livestock keeping in developing cities have an important role in food security and livelihoods but can also pose a significant threat to the environment and health of urban dwellers. The aim of this study was to identify the different livestock systems in Nairobi, their supply chains, and their management and food safety risks. Seven focus group discussions with livestock production officers in charge of each major Nairobi sub-county were conducted. Data were collected on the type of systems existing for each livestock species and their supply chains, disease management, food safety risks, and general husbandry and gender factors. Supply chain flow diagrams and thematic analysis of the data was done. Results of the study show a large variability of livestock keeping in Nairobi. The majority were small scale with: <5 dairy cows, 1-6 dairy goats, <10 small ruminants, <20 pigs, 200-500 broilers, 300-500 layers, <10 indigenous chickens, or <20 rabbits. Beef keeping was mainly described as a "by the way" system or done by traders to fatten animals for 3 month. Supply chain analysis indicated that most dairy farmers sold milk directly to consumers due to "lack of trust" of these in traders. Broiler and pig farmers sold mainly to traders but are dependent on few large dominating companies for their replacement or distribution of products. Selling directly to retailers or consumers (including own consumption), with backyard slaughtering, were important chains for small-scale pig, sheep and goat, and indigenous chicken keepers. Important disease risk practices identified were associated with consumption of dead and sick animals, with underground network of brokers operating for ruminant products. Qualified trained health managers were used mainly by dairy farmers, and large commercial poultry and pig farmers, while use of unqualified health managers or no treatment were common in small-scale farming. Control of urban livestock keepers was reported difficult due to their "feeling of being outlaws," "lack of trust" in government, "inaccessibility" in informal settlements, "lack of government funding," or "understaffing." Findings are useful for designing policies to help to control urban livestock production and minimize its associated health and environment risks.

Fast, global, and entrepreneurial: supply chain management, Hong Kong style. An interview with Victor Fung. Interview by Joan Magretta.

PubMed

Fung, V

1998-01-01

Li & Fung, Hong Kong's largest export trading company, has been an innovator in supply chain management--a topic of increasing importance to many senior executives. In this interview, chairman Victor Fung explains both the philosophy behind supply chain management and the specific practices that Li & Fung has developed to reduce costs and lead times, allowing its customers to buy "closer to the market." Li & Fung has been a pioneer in "dispersed manufacturing." It performs the higher-value-added tasks such as design and quality control in Hong Kong, and outsources the lower-value-added tasks to the best possible locations around the world. The result is something new: a truly global product. To produce a garment, for example, the company might purchase yarn from Korea that will be woven and dyed in Taiwan, then shipped to Thailand for final assembly, where it will be matched with zippers from a Japanese company. For every order, the goal is to customize the value chain to meet the customer's specific needs. To be run effectively, Victor Fung maintains, trading companies have to be small and entrepreneurial. He describes the organizational approaches that keep the company that way despite its growing size and geographic scope: its organization around small, customer-focused units; its incentives and compensation structure; and its use of venture capital as a vehicle for business development. As Asia's economic crisis continues, chairman Fung sees a new model of companies emerging--companies that are, like Li & Fung, narrowly focused and professionally managed.

Promoting Change in Schools: Ground Level Practices That Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiles, Jon W.

This book rests on two major tenets. First, our way of looking at change in schools governs our ability to approach the process of changing. Second, most schools fail miserably at managing change, resulting in the pulling of many chains without much progress. The first of six chapters, "Understanding the Uniqueness of Schools," discusses the…

Farm gate environmental impacts of beef production in the Northern Plains and Midwest regions of the U.S.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cradle-to-farm gate environmental impacts of beef production in two cattle producing regions were assessed as part of an on-going national sustainability study of the U.S. beef value chain launched by the Beef Checkoff. Region-specific data on common ranch and feedlot management practices were chara...

Can We Defend the Defense Supply Chain Lessons Learned from Industry Leaders in Supply Chain Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-01

Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and...chain, including products, services, information , finances, demand, relationships, and risks. In a more complete definition, supply chain management ...CHAIN? LESSONS LEARNED FROM INDUSTRY LEADERS IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT by Ronald H. Menz March 2018 Thesis Co-Advisors: Rodrigo Nieto-Gomez

Study on Green Supply Chain Management Based on Circular Economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Jiang; Li-jun, Zhou

The article starts with circular economy and the connotation of green supply chain, then analyzes the difference between green supply chain and traditional supply chain and elaborates the content of green supply chain management. On that basis, the approach to implement green supply chain management in china shall be put forward.

Ground Beef Handling and Cooking Practices in Restaurants in Eight States†

PubMed Central

Bogard, April K.; Fuller, Candace C.; Radke, Vincent; Selman, Carol A.; Smith, Kirk E.

2017-01-01

Eating in table-service restaurants has been implicated as a risk factor for Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection. To explore this association and learn about the prevalence of risky ground beef preparation practices in restaurants, the Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) assessed ground beef handling policies and practices in restaurants in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. Eligible restaurants prepared and served hamburgers. EHS-Net specialists interviewed a restaurant employee with authority over the kitchen (defined as the manager) using a standard questionnaire about food safety policies, hamburger preparation policies, and use of irradiated ground beef. Interviews were followed by observations of ground beef preparation. Data from 385 restaurants were analyzed: 67% of the restaurants were independently owned and 33% were chain restaurants; 75% of the restaurants were sit down, 19% were quick service or fast food, and 6% were cafeteria or buffet restaurants. Eighty-one percent of restaurants reported determining doneness of hamburgers by one or more subjective measures, and 49% reported that they never measure the final cook temperatures of hamburgers. At least two risky ground beef handling practices were observed in 53% of restaurants. Only 1% of restaurants reported purchasing irradiated ground beef, and 29% were unfamiliar with irradiated ground beef. Differences in risky ground beef handling policies and practices were noted for type of restaurant ownership (independently owned versus chain) and type of food service style (sit down versus quick service or fast food). This study revealed the pervasiveness of risky ground beef handling policies and practices in restaurants and the need for educational campaigns targeting food workers and managers. These results highlight the importance of continued efforts to reduce the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. PMID:24290692

Ground beef handling and cooking practices in restaurants in eight States.

PubMed

Bogard, April K; Fuller, Candace C; Radke, Vincent; Selman, Carol A; Smith, Kirk E

2013-12-01

Eating in table-service restaurants has been implicated as a risk factor for Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection. To explore this association and learn about the prevalence of risky ground beef preparation practices in restaurants, the Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) assessed ground beef handling policies and practices in restaurants in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. Eligible restaurants prepared and served hamburgers. EHS-Net specialists interviewed a restaurant employee with authority over the kitchen (defined as the manager) using a standard questionnaire about food safety policies, hamburger preparation policies, and use of irradiated ground beef. Interviews were followed by observations of ground beef preparation. Data from 385 restaurants were analyzed: 67% of the restaurants were independently owned and 33% were chain restaurants; 75% of the restaurants were sit down, 19% were quick service or fast food, and 6% were cafeteria or buffet restaurants. Eighty-one percent of restaurants reported determining doneness of hamburgers by one or more subjective measures, and 49% reported that they never measure the final cook temperatures of hamburgers. At least two risky ground beef handling practices were observed in 53% of restaurants. Only 1% of restaurants reported purchasing irradiated ground beef, and 29% were unfamiliar with irradiated ground beef. Differences in risky ground beef handling policies and practices were noted for type of restaurant ownership (independently owned versus chain) and type of food service style (sit down versus quick service or fast food). This study revealed the pervasiveness of risky ground beef handling policies and practices in restaurants and the need for educational campaigns targeting food workers and managers. These results highlight the importance of continued efforts to reduce the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef.

Improving healthcare value through clinical community and supply chain collaboration.

PubMed

Ishii, Lisa; Demski, Renee; Ken Lee, K H; Mustafa, Zishan; Frank, Steve; Wolisnky, Jean Paul; Cohen, David; Khanna, Jay; Ammerman, Joshua; Khanuja, Harpal S; Unger, Anthony S; Gould, Lois; Wachter, Patricia Ann; Stearns, Lauren; Werthman, Ronald; Pronovost, Peter

2017-03-01

We hypothesized that integrating supply chain with clinical communities would allow for clinician-led supply cost reduction and improved value in an academic health system. Three clinical communities (spine, joint, blood management) and one clinical community-like physician led team of surgeon stakeholders partnered with the supply chain team on specific supply cost initiatives. The teams reviewed their specific utilization and cost data, and the physicians led consensus-building conversations over a series of team meetings to agree to standard supply utilization. The spine and joint clinical communities each agreed upon a vendor capping model that led to cost savings of $3 million dollars and $1.5 million dollars respectively. The blood management decreased blood product utilization and achieved $1.2 million dollars savings. $5.6 million dollars in savings was achieved by a clinical community-like group of surgeon stakeholders through standardization of sutures and endomechanicals. Physician led clinical teams empowered to lead change achieved substantial supply chain cost savings in an academic health system. The model of combining clinical communities with supply chain offers hope for an effective, practical, and scalable approach to improving value and engaging physicians in other academic health systems. This clinician led model could benefit both private and academic health systems engaging in value optimization efforts. N/A. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study of China green supply chain management policies and standard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoxin; Huang, Jin; Lin, Ling

2017-11-01

With the highlight of the environment issues, manufacturing industry needs to be environmentally managed with integrated methods in system aspect. Green supply chain management, integrating the environment aspect into each step of the implement of supply chain management, is the key measure to improve the efficiency of environmental management and to remit the pollution. It also helps to make best use and configuration of the resources and has been attracting much attention from our government, enterprises and academia in recent years. This paper introduced the definition and content of green supply chain management, concluded the research progress of green supply chain management by domestic scholars, stated the characteristic and achievement of the implement of green supply chain management in China as well as analyzed the current existing problems and suggestions in the future.

The Abundance of Salamanders in Forest Stands with Different Histories of Disturbance

Treesearch

F. Harvey Pough; Donald H. Rhodes; Andres Collazo

1987-01-01

Because of the importance of salamanders in forest food chains, the effects of forest management practices on populations of these animals warrant consideration. We compared the numbers and activity patterns of salamanders in areas of a deciduous forest in central New York State that had been cut selectively for firewood, or c1earcut, or planted with conifers. Numbers...

A Model of Risk Analysis in Analytical Methodology for Biopharmaceutical Quality Control.

PubMed

Andrade, Cleyton Lage; Herrera, Miguel Angel De La O; Lemes, Elezer Monte Blanco

2018-01-01

One key quality control parameter for biopharmaceutical products is the analysis of residual cellular DNA. To determine small amounts of DNA (around 100 pg) that may be in a biologically derived drug substance, an analytical method should be sensitive, robust, reliable, and accurate. In principle, three techniques have the ability to measure residual cellular DNA: radioactive dot-blot, a type of hybridization; threshold analysis; and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Quality risk management is a systematic process for evaluating, controlling, and reporting of risks that may affects method capabilities and supports a scientific and practical approach to decision making. This paper evaluates, by quality risk management, an alternative approach to assessing the performance risks associated with quality control methods used with biopharmaceuticals, using the tool hazard analysis and critical control points. This tool provides the possibility to find the steps in an analytical procedure with higher impact on method performance. By applying these principles to DNA analysis methods, we conclude that the radioactive dot-blot assay has the largest number of critical control points, followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and threshold analysis. From the analysis of hazards (i.e., points of method failure) and the associated method procedure critical control points, we conclude that the analytical methodology with the lowest risk for performance failure for residual cellular DNA testing is quantitative polymerase chain reaction. LAY ABSTRACT: In order to mitigate the risk of adverse events by residual cellular DNA that is not completely cleared from downstream production processes, regulatory agencies have required the industry to guarantee a very low level of DNA in biologically derived pharmaceutical products. The technique historically used was radioactive blot hybridization. However, the technique is a challenging method to implement in a quality control laboratory: It is laborious, time consuming, semi-quantitative, and requires a radioisotope. Along with dot-blot hybridization, two alternatives techniques were evaluated: threshold analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Quality risk management tools were applied to compare the techniques, taking into account the uncertainties, the possibility of circumstances or future events, and their effects upon method performance. By illustrating the application of these tools with DNA methods, we provide an example of how they can be used to support a scientific and practical approach to decision making and can assess and manage method performance risk using such tools. This paper discusses, considering the principles of quality risk management, an additional approach to the development and selection of analytical quality control methods using the risk analysis tool hazard analysis and critical control points. This tool provides the possibility to find the method procedural steps with higher impact on method reliability (called critical control points). Our model concluded that the radioactive dot-blot assay has the larger number of critical control points, followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and threshold analysis. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction is shown to be the better alternative analytical methodology in residual cellular DNA analysis. © PDA, Inc. 2018.

Portfolio management in early stage drug discovery - a traveler's guide through uncharted territory.

PubMed

Betz, Ulrich A K

2011-07-01

Portfolio management in drug development has become a best practice in the pharmaceutical industry. By contrast, early on in the value chain - the discovery phase - portfolio management is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, owing to the attrition of R&D projects from phase to phase and the cost of capital involved, these early phases of drug discovery play a significant part for the overall cost of bringing new, innovative drugs to the market. This paper describes various approaches to manage a portfolio of projects in early-stage drug discovery and provides crucial factors that determine the success of such an approach. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential contaminants in the food chain: identification, prevention and issue management.

PubMed

Scanlan, Francis P

2007-01-01

Contaminants are a vast subject area of food safety and quality. They are generally divided into chemical, microbiological and physical classes and are present in our food chain from raw materials to finished products. They are the subject of international and national legislation that has widened to cover more and more contaminant classes and food categories. In addition, consumers have become increasingly aware of and alarmed by their risks, whether rightly or not. What is the food industry doing to ensure the safety and quality of the products we feed our children? This is a valid question which this article attempts to address from an industrial viewpoint. Chemical food safety is considered a complex field where the risk perception of consumers is often the highest. The effects of chronic or acute exposure to chemical carcinogens may cause disease conditions long after exposure that can be permanently debilitating or even fatal. It is also a moving target, as knowledge about the toxicity and occurrence data of new chemical contaminants continues to be generated. Their identification, prevention and management are challenges to the food industry as a whole. A reminder of the known chemical hazards in the food chain will be presented with an emphasis on the use of early warning to identify potential new contaminants. Early warning is also a means of prevention, anticipating food safety concerns before they become issues to manage. Current best management practices including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points relating to the supply chain of baby foods and infant formulae will be developed. Finally, key lessons from a case study on recent contamination issues in baby food products will be presented.

Addressing Common Questions Encountered in the Diagnosis and Management of Cardiac Amyloidosis.

PubMed

Maurer, Mathew S; Elliott, Perry; Comenzo, Raymond; Semigran, Marc; Rapezzi, Claudio

2017-04-04

Advances in cardiac imaging have resulted in greater recognition of cardiac amyloidosis in everyday clinical practice, but the diagnosis continues to be made in patients with late-stage disease, suggesting that more needs to be done to improve awareness of its clinical manifestations and the potential of therapeutic intervention to improve prognosis. Light chain cardiac amyloidosis, in particular, if recognized early and treated with targeted plasma cell therapy, can be managed very effectively. For patients with transthyretin amyloidosis, there are numerous therapies that are currently in late-phase clinical trials. In this review, we address common questions encountered in clinical practice regarding etiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of cardiac amyloidosis, focusing on recent important developments in cardiac imaging and biochemical diagnosis. The aim is to show how a systematic approach to the evaluation of suspected cardiac amyloidosis can impact the prognosis of patients in the modern era. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Addressing Common Questions Encountered in the Diagnosis and Management of Cardiac Amyloidosis

PubMed Central

Maurer, Mathew S.; Elliott, Perry; Comenzo, Raymond; Semigran, Marc; Rapezzi, Claudio

2017-01-01

Advances in cardiac imaging have resulted in greater recognition of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) in everyday clinical practice, but the diagnosis continues to be made in patients with late stage disease, suggesting that more needs to be done to improve awareness of its clinical manifestations and the potential of therapeutic intervention to improve prognosis. Light chain CA (AL-CA) in particular, if recognized early and treated with targeted plasma cell therapy, can be managed very effectively. For patients with transthyretin amyloidosis, there are numerous therapies that are currently in late phase clinical trials. In this review we address common questions encountered in clinical practice regarding etiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of cardiac amyloidosis, focusing on recent important developments in cardiac imaging and biochemical diagnosis. The aim is to show how a systematic approach to the evaluation of suspected CA can impact the prognosis of patients in the modern era. PMID:28373528

Best practice vendor risk management in today's interconnected world.

PubMed

Beale, Ian

2017-01-01

This paper explains why vendor/third-party risk is so important to all organisations, as well as the principal risks that organisations must consider. It describes the responsibility of management to manage these risks with support from risk experts at the selection phase and through the ongoing relationship. Different sources of information about the management of the key risks and alternative ways of collecting the data are evaluated. The paper concludes by discussing how both customer and supplier organisations benefit from a balanced approach to risk management. The approach described in the paper applies to organisations of all types and sizes and can be applied to varied supply chains. The data and insights are based on research conducted by CEB.

Don't break the chain: importance of supply chain management in the operating room setting.

PubMed

Bilyk, Candis

2008-09-01

Management of supplies within the operating room (OR) has considerable implications for decreasing healthcare costs while maintaining high-quality patient care. This area of healthcare therefore requires more monitoring by end-users including OR management, physicians, and nursing staff. This article is based on understanding supply chain management in the OR setting. Information provided throughout the article can be applied to small or large health care centers. It defines supply chain management and contains a brief overview of supply chain processes. It reviews the benefits of following these processes. The article also includes recommendations for improving the supply chain in the OR.

An Analysis of United States Marine Corps Enlisted Entry-Level Training Using Supply Chain and Operations Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

An Analysis of United States Marine Corps Enlisted Entry-Level Training Using Supply Chain and Operations Management ______________________________________ By...Report 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: An Analysis of United States Marine Corps Enlisted Entry-Level Training Using Supply Chain and Operations Management 6...Level Training; United States Marine Corps; Operations Management ; Supply Chain Management; Process Analysis 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY

Identifying risk factors associated with acquiring measles in an outbreak among age-appropriately vaccinated school children: a cohort analysis.

PubMed

O'Connor, Bernadette; Doyle, Sarah

2018-04-10

A measles outbreak occurred in age-appropriately vaccinated children in a school in a town in the South East of Ireland in September-November 2013. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with catching measles during the outbreak. Ninety-five children (4-5 years) in three classes, in the first year of primary school, were included in the study. Immunisation records on the South East Child Health Information System for first Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine for the 95 children were reviewed. Data collected included age at MMR, date of administration of MMR, MMR brand and batch number, and the General Practice at which MMR was administered. The risk factors analysed included age at vaccination, time of vaccination, class and the GP practice where MMR was administered. Statistical analysis was performed using Epi info 7 and SPSS v24. Thirteen children in the cohort developed measles during the outbreak. All children in the cohort were age-appropriately vaccinated, with one dose of MMR vaccine. Analysis demonstrated statistically significant differences in the relative risk of developing measles according to the class a child was in, and the General Practice at which they were vaccinated. The reason for intense measles activity in one class was not established. Although a concurrent investigation into cold chain and vaccine stock management did not identify a cause for the high relative risk of measles in children vaccinated, recommendations were made for improving cold chain and vaccine stock management in General Practices.

Urban Livestock Keeping in the City of Nairobi: Diversity of Production Systems, Supply Chains, and Their Disease Management and Risks

PubMed Central

Alarcon, Pablo; Fèvre, Eric M.; Muinde, Patrick; Murungi, Maurice K.; Kiambi, Stella; Akoko, James; Rushton, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Urban livestock keeping in developing cities have an important role in food security and livelihoods but can also pose a significant threat to the environment and health of urban dwellers. The aim of this study was to identify the different livestock systems in Nairobi, their supply chains, and their management and food safety risks. Seven focus group discussions with livestock production officers in charge of each major Nairobi sub-county were conducted. Data were collected on the type of systems existing for each livestock species and their supply chains, disease management, food safety risks, and general husbandry and gender factors. Supply chain flow diagrams and thematic analysis of the data was done. Results of the study show a large variability of livestock keeping in Nairobi. The majority were small scale with: <5 dairy cows, 1–6 dairy goats, <10 small ruminants, <20 pigs, 200–500 broilers, 300–500 layers, <10 indigenous chickens, or <20 rabbits. Beef keeping was mainly described as a “by the way” system or done by traders to fatten animals for 3 month. Supply chain analysis indicated that most dairy farmers sold milk directly to consumers due to “lack of trust” of these in traders. Broiler and pig farmers sold mainly to traders but are dependent on few large dominating companies for their replacement or distribution of products. Selling directly to retailers or consumers (including own consumption), with backyard slaughtering, were important chains for small-scale pig, sheep and goat, and indigenous chicken keepers. Important disease risk practices identified were associated with consumption of dead and sick animals, with underground network of brokers operating for ruminant products. Qualified trained health managers were used mainly by dairy farmers, and large commercial poultry and pig farmers, while use of unqualified health managers or no treatment were common in small-scale farming. Control of urban livestock keepers was reported difficult due to their “feeling of being outlaws,” “lack of trust” in government, “inaccessibility” in informal settlements, “lack of government funding,” or “understaffing.” Findings are useful for designing policies to help to control urban livestock production and minimize its associated health and environment risks. PMID:29164137

Dollar$ & $en$e. Part VI: Knowledge management: the state of the art.

PubMed

Wilkinson, I

2001-01-01

In Part I of this series, I introduced the concept of memes (1). Memes are ideas or concepts--the information world equivalent of genes. The goal of this series of articles is to infect you with memes so you will assimilate, translate, and express them. No matter what our area of expertise or "-ology," we all are in the information business. Our goal is to be in the wisdom business. In the previous articles in this series, I showed that when we convert raw data into wisdom, we are moving along a value chain. Each step in the chain adds a different amount of value to the final product: timely, relevant, accurate, and precise knowledge that then can be applied to create the ultimate product in the value chain--wisdom. In part II of this series, I introduced a set of memes for measuring the cost of adding value (2). In part III of this series, I presented a new set of memes for measuring the added value of knowledge, i.e., intellectual capital (3). In part IV of this series, I discussed practical knowledge management tools for measuring the value of people, structural, and customer capital (4). In part V of this series, I applied intellectual capital and knowledge management concepts at the individual level, to help answer a fundamental question: what is my added value (5)? In the final part of this series, I will review the state of intellectual capital and knowledge management development to date and outline the direction of current knowledge management initiatives and research projects.

Requirements of supply chain management in differentiating European pork chains.

PubMed

Trienekens, Jacques; Wognum, Nel

2013-11-01

This paper summarizes results obtained by research into pork chain management in the EU Integrated Project Q-Porkchains. Changing demands for intrinsic and extrinsic quality attributes of pork products impact the way supply chain management should be organized from the farmer down to the consumer. The paper shows the importance of Quality Management Systems for integrating supply chains and enhancing consumer confidence. The paper also presents innovations in information system integration for aligning information exchange in the supply chain and logistics concepts based on innovative measurement technologies at the slaughterhouse stage. In the final section research challenges towards sustainable pork supply chains satisfying current consumer demands are presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Information flow in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

PubMed

Yousefi, Nazila; Alibabaei, Ahmad

2015-01-01

Managing the supply chain plays an important role in creating competitive advantages for companies. Adequate information flow in supply chain is one of the most important issues in SCM. Therefore, using certain Information Systems can have a significant role in managing and integrating data and information within the supply chain. Pharmaceutical supply chain is more complex than many other supply chains, in the sense that it can affect social and political perspectives. On the other hand, managing the pharmaceutical supply chain is difficult because of its complexity and also government regulations in this field. Although, Iran has progressed a lot in pharmaceutical manufacturing, still there are many unsolved issues in managing the information flow in the pharmaceutical supply chain. In this study, we reviewed the benefits of using different levels of an integrated information system in the supply chain and the possible challenges ahead.

Extending the "Knowledge Advantage": Creating Learning Chains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maqsood, Tayyab; Walker, Derek; Finegan, Andrew

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a synergy between the approaches of knowledge management in a learning organisation and supply chain management so that learning chains can be created in order to unleash innovation and creativity by managing knowledge in supply chains. Design/methodology/approach: Through extensive literature…

76 FR 41525 - Hewlett Packard Global Parts Supply Chain, Global Product Life Cycles Management Unit Including...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-14

... Parts Supply Chain, Global Product Life Cycles Management Unit Including Teleworkers Reporting to... workers of Hewlett Packard, Global Parts Supply Chain, Global Product Life Cycles Management Unit...). Since eligible workers of Hewlett Packard, Global Parts Supply Chain, Global Product Life Cycles...

Squaring the circle of healthcare supplies.

PubMed

Böhme, Tillmann; Williams, Sharon; Childerhouse, Paul; Deakins, Eric; Towill, Denis

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to use a systems lens to assess the comparative performance of healthcare supply chains and provide guidance for their improvement. A well-established and rigorous multi-method audit methodology, based on the uncertainty circle model, yields an objective assessment of value stream performance in eight Australasian public sector hospitals. Cause-effect analysis identifies the major barriers to achieving smooth, seamless flows. Potentially high-leverage remedial actions identified using systems thinking are examined with the aid of an exemplar case. The majority of the healthcare value streams studied are underperforming compared with those in the European automotive industry. Every public hospital appears to be caught in the grip of vicious circles of system uncertainty, in large part being caused by problems of their own making. The single exception is making good progress towards seamless functional integration, which has been achieved by elevating supply chain management to a core competence; having a clearly articulated supply chain vision; adopting a systems approach; and, managing supplies with accurate information. The small number of cases limits the generalisability of the findings at this time. Hospital supply chain managers endeavouring to achieve smooth and seamless supply flows should attempt to elevate the status of supplies management within their organisation to that of a core competence, and should use accurate information to manage their value streams holistically as a set of interwoven processes. A four-level prism model is proposed as a useful framework for thus improving healthcare supply delivery systems. Material flow concepts originally developed to provide objective assessments of value stream performance in commercial settings are adapted for use in a healthcare setting. The ability to identify exemplar organisations via a context-free uncertainty measure, and to use systems thinking to identify high-leverage solutions, supports the transfer of appropriate best practices even between organisations in dissimilar business and economic settings.

Corporate governance and the adoption of health information technology within integrated delivery systems.

PubMed

Baird, Aaron; Furukawa, Michael F; Rahman, Bushra; Schneller, Eugene S

2014-01-01

Although several previous studies have found "system affiliation" to be a significant and positive predictor of health information technology (IT) adoption, little is known about the association between corporate governance practices and adoption of IT within U.S. integrated delivery systems (IDSs). Rooted in agency theory and corporate governance research, this study examines the association between corporate governance practices (centralization of IT decision rights and strategic alignment between business and IT strategy) and IT adoption, standardization, and innovation within IDSs. Cross-sectional, retrospective analyses using data from the 2011 Health Information and Management Systems Society Analytics Database on adoption within IDSs (N = 485) is used to analyze the correlation between two corporate governance constructs (centralization of IT decision rights and strategic alignment) and three IT constructs (adoption, standardization, and innovation) for clinical and supply chain IT. Multivariate fractional logit, probit, and negative binomial regressions are applied. Multivariate regressions controlling for IDS and market characteristics find that measures of IT adoption, IT standardization, and innovative IT adoption are significantly associated with centralization of IT decision rights and strategic alignment. Specifically, centralization of IT decision rights is associated with 22% higher adoption of Bar Coding for Materials Management and 30%-35% fewer IT vendors for Clinical Data Repositories and Materials Management Information Systems. A combination of centralization and clinical IT strategic alignment is associated with 50% higher Computerized Physician Order Entry adoption, and centralization along with supply chain IT strategic alignment is significantly negatively correlated with Radio Frequency Identification adoption : Although IT adoption and standardization are likely to benefit from corporate governance practices within IDSs, innovation is likely to be delayed. In addition, corporate governance is not one-size-fits-all, and contingencies are important considerations.

Pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies: practice and research in the US.

PubMed

Christensen, Dale B; Farris, Karen B

2006-01-01

To describe the state of community pharmacy, including patient care services, in the US. Chain pharmacies, including traditional chains, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets, comprise more than 50% of community pharmacies in the US. Dispensing of drugs remains the primary focus, yet the incidence of patients being counseled on medications appears to be increasing. More than 25% of independent community pharmacy owners report providing some patient clinical care services, such as medication counseling and chronic disease management. Most insurance programs pay pharmacists only for dispensing services, yet there are a growing number of public and private initiatives that reimburse pharmacists for cognitive services. Clinical care opportunities exist in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit plan, as it requires medication therapy management services for specific enrollees. The private market approach to healthcare delivery in the US, including pharmacy services, precludes national and statewide strategies to change the basic business model. To date, most pharmacies remain focused on dispensing prescriptions. With lower dispensing fees and higher operating costs, community pharmacies are focused on increasing productivity and efficiency through technology and technicians. Pharmacists remain challenged to establish the value of their nondispensing-related pharmaceutical care services in the private sector. As the cost of suboptimal drug therapy becomes more evident, medication therapy management may become a required pharmacy benefit in private drug insurance plans. Pharmacy school curricula, as well as national and state pharmacy associations, continually work to train and promote community pharmacists for these roles. Practice research is driven primarily by interested academics and, to a lesser degree, by pharmacy associations. Efficient dispensing of prescriptions is the primary focus of community pharmacies in the US. Some well designed practice-based research has been conducted, but there is no national research agenda or infrastructure. Reimbursement for cognitive services remains an infrequent, but growing, activity.

Loran-C time management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justice, Charles; Mason, Norm; Taggart, Doug

1994-01-01

As of 1 Oct. 1993, the US Coast Guard (USCG) supports and operates fifteen Loran-C chains. With the introduction of the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and the termination of the Department of Defense (DOD) overseas need for Loran-C, the USCG will cease operating the three remaining overseas chains by 31 Dec. 1994. Following this date, the USCG Loran-C system will consist of twelve chains. Since 1971, management of time synchronization of the Loran-C system has been conducted under a Memorandum of Agreement between the US Naval Observatory (USNO) and the USCG. The requirement to maintain synchronization with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) was initially specified as +/- 25 microseconds. This tolerance was rapidly lowered to +/- 2.5 microseconds in 1974. To manage this synchronization requirement, the USCG incorporated administrative practices which kept the USNO appraised of all aspects of the master timing path. This included procedures for responding to timing path failures, timing adjustments, and time steps. Conducting these aspects of time synchronization depended on message traffic between the various master stations and the USNO. To determine clock adjustment the USCG relied upon the USNO's Series 4 and 100 updates so that the characteristics of the master clock could be plotted and controls appropriately applied. In 1987, Public Law 100-223, under the Airport and Airway Improvement Act Amendment, reduced the synchronization tolerance to approximately 100 nanoseconds for chains serving the National Airspace System (NAS). This action caused changes in the previous administrative procedures and techniques. The actions taken by the USCG to meet the requirements of this law are presented.

Investigation of the Practices, Legislation, Supply Chain, and Regulation of Opioids for Clinical Pain Management in Southern Africa: A Multi-sectoral, Cross-National, Mixed Methods Study.

PubMed

Namisango, Eve; Allsop, Matthew J; Powell, Richard A; Friedrichsdorf, Stefan J; Luyirika, Emmanuel B K; Kiyange, Fatia; Mukooza, Edward; Ntege, Chris; Garanganga, Eunice; Ginindza-Mdluli, Mavis Ntombifuthi; Mwangi-Powell, Faith; Mondlane, Lidia Justino; Harding, Richard

2018-03-01

Sub-Saharan Africa faces an increasing incidence and prevalence of life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. These conditions are associated with a significant burden of pain linked to high morbidity and disability that is poorly assessed and undertreated. Barriers to effective pain management partly relate to lack of access to opioid analgesia and challenges in their administration. To identify country-specific and broader regional barriers to access, as well as the administration of opioids, and generate recommendations for advancing pain management in Southern Africa. A parallel mixed methods design was used across three countries: Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. Three activities were undertaken: 1) a review of regulatory and policy documentation, 2) group interviews, and 3) a self-administered key informant survey. Barriers to accessing opioid analgesics for medical use include overly restrictive controlled medicines' laws; use of stigmatizing language in key documents; inaccurate actual opioid consumption estimation practices; knowledge gaps in the distribution, storage, and prescription of opioids; critical shortage of prescribers; and high out-of-pocket financial expenditures for patients against a backdrop of high levels of poverty. Policies and relevant laws should be updated to ensure that the legislative environment supports opioid access for pain management. Action plans for improving pain treatment for patients suffering from HIV or non-communicable diseases should address barriers at the different levels of the supply chain that involve policymakers, administrators, and service providers. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary Game Model Study of Construction Green Supply Chain Management under the Government Intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Yuanzhi; Deng, Xiaoyi

2017-11-01

The paper first has defined the concepts of green supply chain management and evolution game theory, and pointed out the characteristics of green supply chain management in construction. The main participants and key links of the construction green supply chain management are determined by constructing the organization framework. This paper established the evolutionary game model between construction enterprises and recycling enterprises for the green supply chain closed-loop structure. The waste recycling evolutionary stability equilibrium solution is obtained to explore the principle and effective scope of government policy intervention. This paper put forward the relevant countermeasures to the green supply chain management in construction recycling stage from the government point of view. The conclusion has reference value and guidance to the final product construction enterprises, recycling enterprises and the government during green supply chain.

RFID in the healthcare supply chain: usage and application.

PubMed

Kumar, Sameer; Swanson, Eric; Tran, Thuy

2009-01-01

The purposes of this study are to first, determine the most efficient and cost effective portions of the healthcare supply chain in which radio frequency identification devices (RFID) can be implemented. Second, provide specific examples of RFID implementation and show how these business applications will add to the effectiveness of the healthcare supply chain. And third, to describe the current state of RFID technology and to give practical information for managers in the healthcare sector to make sound decisions about the possible implementation of RFID technology within their organizations. Healthcare industry literature was reviewed and examples of specific instances of RFID implementation were examined using an integrated simulation model developed with Excel, @Risk and Visio software tools. Analysis showed that the cost of implementing current RFID technology is too expensive for broad and sweeping implementation within the healthcare sector at this time. However, several example applications have been identified in which this technology can be effectively leveraged in a cost-effective way. This study shows that RFID technology has come a long way in the recent past and has potential to improve healthcare sector productivity and efficiency. Implementation by large companies such as Wal-mart has helped to make the technology become much more economical in its per unit cost as well as its supporting equipment and training costs. The originality of this study lies in the idea that few practical and pragmatic approaches have been taken within the academic field of study for the implementation of RFID into the healthcare supply chain. Much of the research has focused on specific companies or portions of the supply chain and not the entire supply chain. Also, many of the papers have discussed the future of the supply chain that is heavily dependent on advances in RFID technology. A few viable applications of how RFID technology can be implemented in the healthcare supply chain are presented and how the current state of technology limits the broad use and implementation of this technology in the healthcare industry.

Control of the development and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of food animal origin in Japan: a new approach for risk management of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products in Japan.

PubMed

Asai, Tetsuo; Hiki, Mototaka; Ozawa, Manao; Koike, Ryoji; Eguchi, Kaoru; Kawanishi, Michiko; Kojima, Akemi; Endoh, Yuuko S; Hamamoto, Shuichi; Sakai, Masato; Sekiya, Tatsuro

2014-03-01

Antimicrobial agents are essential for controlling bacterial disease in food-producing animals and contribute to the stable production of safe animal products. The use of antimicrobial agents in these animals affects the emergence and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria isolated from animals and animal products. As disease-causing bacteria are often transferred from food-producing animals to humans, the food chain is considered a route of transmission for the resistant bacteria and/or resistance genes. The Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSC) has been assessing the risk posed to human health by the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria from livestock products via the food chain. In addition to the FSC's risk assessments, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has developed risk-management guidelines to determine feasible risk-management options for the use of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products during farming practices. This report includes information on risk assessment and novel approaches for risk management of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products for mitigating the risk of development and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria originating from food-producing animals in Japan.

Master's Degree in Management Information Systems with a Supply Chain Management Focus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramaswamy, Kizhanatham V.; Boyd, Joseph L.; Desai, Mayur

2007-01-01

A graduate curriculum in Management Information Systems with a Supply Chain Management focus is presented. The motivation for this endeavor stems from the fact that the global scope of modern business organizations and the competitive environment in which they operate, requires an information system leveraged supply chain management system (SCM)…

Information flow in the pharmaceutical supply chain

PubMed Central

Yousefi, Nazila; Alibabaei, Ahmad

2015-01-01

Managing the supply chain plays an important role in creating competitive advantages for companies. Adequate information flow in supply chain is one of the most important issues in SCM. Therefore, using certain Information Systems can have a significant role in managing and integrating data and information within the supply chain. Pharmaceutical supply chain is more complex than many other supply chains, in the sense that it can affect social and political perspectives. On the other hand, managing the pharmaceutical supply chain is difficult because of its complexity and also government regulations in this field. Although, Iran has progressed a lot in pharmaceutical manufacturing, still there are many unsolved issues in managing the information flow in the pharmaceutical supply chain. In this study, we reviewed the benefits of using different levels of an integrated information system in the supply chain and the possible challenges ahead. PMID:26664401

Stakeholders Integration in Higher Education: Supply Chain Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Turki, U. M.; Duffuaa, S.; Ayar, T.; Demirel, O.

2008-01-01

Supply chain management principles have emerged in the last decade as a strategic option to meet new challenges in global business environment. Viewing business environment as part of a chain, starting from raw material suppliers to end customers passing by producers, is at the heart of supply-chain management. Many management principles have…

Economic benefits from food recovery at the retail stage: an application to Italian food chains.

PubMed

Giuseppe, Aiello; Mario, Enea; Cinzia, Muriana

2014-07-01

The food supply chain is affected by losses of products near to their expiry date or damaged by improper transportation or production defects. Such products are usually poorly attractive for the consumer in the target market even if they maintain their nutritional properties. On the other hand undernourished people face every day the problem of fulfilling their nutritional needs usually relying on non-profit organizations. In this field the food recovery enabling economic benefits for donors is nowadays seen as a coherent way to manage food products unsalable in the target market for various causes and thus destined to be discarded and disposed to landfill thus representing only a cost. Despite its obvious affordability the food recovery is today not always practiced because the economic benefits that could be achieved are barely known. The paper aims at presenting a deterministic mathematical model for the optimization of the supply chain composed by retailers and potential recipients that practice the food recovery, taking into account the benefits recognized to donors and the management costs of the food recovery. The model determines the optimal time to withdraw the products from the shelves as well as the quantities to be donated to the non-profit organizations and those to be sent to the livestock market maximizing the retailer profit. The results show that the optimal conditions ensuring the affordability of the food recovery strategy including the tax reliefs and cost saving for the retailers outperforms the profit achievable in absence of such a system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality tracing in meat supply chains

PubMed Central

Mack, Miriam; Dittmer, Patrick; Veigt, Marius; Kus, Mehmet; Nehmiz, Ulfert; Kreyenschmidt, Judith

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was the development of a quality tracing model for vacuum-packed lamb that is applicable in different meat supply chains. Based on the development of relevant sensory parameters, the predictive model was developed by combining a linear primary model and the Arrhenius model as the secondary model. Then a process analysis was conducted to define general requirements for the implementation of the temperature-based model into a meat supply chain. The required hardware and software for continuous temperature monitoring were developed in order to use the model under practical conditions. Further on a decision support tool was elaborated in order to use the model as an effective tool in combination with the temperature monitoring equipment for the improvement of quality and storage management within the meat logistics network. Over the long term, this overall procedure will support the reduction of food waste and will improve the resources efficiency of food production. PMID:24797136

Quality tracing in meat supply chains.

PubMed

Mack, Miriam; Dittmer, Patrick; Veigt, Marius; Kus, Mehmet; Nehmiz, Ulfert; Kreyenschmidt, Judith

2014-06-13

The aim of this study was the development of a quality tracing model for vacuum-packed lamb that is applicable in different meat supply chains. Based on the development of relevant sensory parameters, the predictive model was developed by combining a linear primary model and the Arrhenius model as the secondary model. Then a process analysis was conducted to define general requirements for the implementation of the temperature-based model into a meat supply chain. The required hardware and software for continuous temperature monitoring were developed in order to use the model under practical conditions. Further on a decision support tool was elaborated in order to use the model as an effective tool in combination with the temperature monitoring equipment for the improvement of quality and storage management within the meat logistics network. Over the long term, this overall procedure will support the reduction of food waste and will improve the resources efficiency of food production.

Supply chain management: new paradigms for customers and suppliers.

PubMed

Garwood, D

1999-02-01

Companies are constantly looking for ways to increase their effectiveness and improve their bottom lines. One area of renewed interest is supply chain management. By managing their supply chains better, companies are able to become more flexible, offer defect-free products, eliminate unnecessary delays, and keep costs down. This article briefly describes the objectives of supply chain management and lists some of the tools that can be used to achieve them.

Open-Source ERP: Is It Ripe for Use in Teaching Supply Chain Management?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huynh, Minh Q.; Chu, Hung W.

2011-01-01

The field of supply chain management has changed greatly and rapidly. With the advent of enterprise systems, supply chains are now operating with up-to-the-minute information. The value of the information flow is marked by speed, accessibility, accuracy, and most of all relevancy. As it continually evolves, the supply chain management curriculum…

Professional changes induced by a redesigned immunization supply chain in the Comé Health Zone, Benin.

PubMed

Guillermet, Elise; Alfa, Daleb Abdoulaye; Gbodja, Romule; Jaillard, Philippe

2017-04-19

At the end of 2013, the Government of Benin and Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP) launched a demonstration project in Comé Health Zone (HZ) to optimize the vaccine supply chain. A key part of the demonstration project was the creation of an "informed push model" of vaccine distribution supported by a new logistician position at the health zone (district) level. At the conclusion of the demonstration project in 2015, the authors conducted an anthropological study consisting of semi-structured interviews with 62 participants to assess how the new model changed the professional identities, roles, responsibilities, and practices of personnel involved in vaccine management during and just after the demonstration project end in Comé HZ. The study found that health workers considered the logistician as a key player in enabling them to perform their public health mission, notably by improving knowledge and practices in vaccine management, providing supportive supervision, and improving the availability of vaccines and other supplies so that immunization sessions could occur more reliably and professionally within the communities they served. The demonstration project was widely accepted among study participants. The study was approved by the Cotonou Ethics Committee (CER-ISBA No. 56 dated 09/04/2015). Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Visualisation for System Learning in Supply Chains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindskog, Magnus; Abrahamsson, Mats; Aronsson, Hakan

2007-01-01

Contemporary supply chains are vastly complex, and decisions made by actors have system-wide consequences that these might not be able to foresee. There are gaps between "best practice"-founded theory and actual practice in supply chains. To remedy this, we argue, the supply chain actors need to enhance systems knowledge. There is a need to…

The application of supply chain management principles to emergency management logistics: An empirical study.

PubMed

Peterson, Matthew R; Young, Richard R; Gordon, Gary A

2016-01-01

Key elements of supply chain theory remain relevant to emergency management (EM) logistics activities. The Supply Chain Operations Reference model can also serve as a useful template for the planning, organizing, and execution of EM logistics. Through a series of case studies (developed through intensive survey of organizations and individuals responsible for EM), the authors identified the extent supply chain theory is being adopted and whether the theory was useful for emergency logistics managers. The authors found several drivers that influence the likelihood of an organization to implement elements of supply chain management: the frequency of events, organizational resources, population density, range of events, and severity of the disaster or emergency.

Risk management abilities in multimodal maritime supply chains: Visibility and control perspectives.

PubMed

Vilko, Jyri; Ritala, Paavo; Hallikas, Jukka

2016-11-29

Supply chain complexity and disintegration lead to increased uncertainty from a stakeholders' perspective, which is emerging as one of the major challenges of risk management. The ability to identify risks has weakened, as the responsibility of supply chain risk management is handed over to outside service providers. Regardless, the risks, their visibility and their impact depend on the position of the companies in the supply chain. The actors in the chain must therefore collaborate to create effective risk management conditions. This challenging situation is especially pronounced in multimodal maritime supply chains, where the risks and actor focality are high. This paper contributes to current risk management literature by providing a holistic and systemic view of risk visibility and control in maritime supply chains. The study employs broad-based, qualitative interview data collected from actors operating in southern Finland and the Gulf of Finland as well as an expert-panel assessment of the related risk management abilities. The results show a high level of variance in the level of risk identification and visibility between the actors in question. This further suggests that collaboration in supply chain risk management is essential, as an awareness of the risks and their control mechanisms do not necessarily reside in the same company. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 29307 - Web Based Supply Chain Management Commodity Offer Form, Paperwork Collection Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-25

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agricultural Marketing Service [Doc. No FV10-CP-01, AMS-FV-10-0041] Web... collection request is required for the implementation of a new system named Web Based Supply Chain Management...-2782. Mail: David Tuckwiller, Project Manager, Web Based Supply Chain Management System, Agricultural...

Research challenges in municipal solid waste logistics management.

PubMed

Bing, Xiaoyun; Bloemhof, Jacqueline M; Ramos, Tania Rodrigues Pereira; Barbosa-Povoa, Ana Paula; Wong, Chee Yew; van der Vorst, Jack G A J

2016-02-01

During the last two decades, EU legislation has put increasing pressure on member countries to achieve specified recycling targets for municipal household waste. These targets can be obtained in various ways choosing collection methods, separation methods, decentral or central logistic systems, etc. This paper compares municipal solid waste (MSW) management practices in various EU countries to identify the characteristics and key issues from a waste management and reverse logistics point of view. Further, we investigate literature on modelling municipal solid waste logistics in general. Comparing issues addressed in literature with the identified issues in practice result in a research agenda for modelling municipal solid waste logistics in Europe. We conclude that waste recycling is a multi-disciplinary problem that needs to be considered at different decision levels simultaneously. A holistic view and taking into account the characteristics of different waste types are necessary when modelling a reverse supply chain for MSW recycling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The NASA Human Space Flight Supply Chain, Current and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zapata, Edgar

2007-01-01

The current NASA Human Space Flight transportation system, the Space Shuttle, is scheduled for final flight in 2010. The Exploration initiative will create a new capability with a combination of existing systems and new flight and ground elements. To fully understand and act on the implications of such change it is necessary to understand what, how, when and where such changes occur and more importantly, how all these interact. This paper presents Human Space Flight, with an emphasis on KSC Launch and Landing, as a Supply Chain of both information and materials. A supply chain methodology for understanding the flow of information and materials is presented. Further, modeling and simulation projects funded by the Exploration initiative to understand the NASA Exploration Supply Chain are explained. Key concepts and their purpose, including the Enterprise, Locations, Physical and Organizational Functional Units, Products, and Resources, are explained. It is shown that the art, science and perspective of Supply Chain Management is not only applicable to such a government & contractor operation, it is also an invaluable approach for understanding, focusing improvement and growth. It is shown that such commercial practice applies to Human Space Flight and is invaluable towards one day creating routine, affordable access to and from space.

Modeling logistic performance in quantitative microbial risk assessment.

PubMed

Rijgersberg, Hajo; Tromp, Seth; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2010-01-01

In quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), food safety in the food chain is modeled and simulated. In general, prevalences, concentrations, and numbers of microorganisms in media are investigated in the different steps from farm to fork. The underlying rates and conditions (such as storage times, temperatures, gas conditions, and their distributions) are determined. However, the logistic chain with its queues (storages, shelves) and mechanisms for ordering products is usually not taken into account. As a consequence, storage times-mutually dependent in successive steps in the chain-cannot be described adequately. This may have a great impact on the tails of risk distributions. Because food safety risks are generally very small, it is crucial to model the tails of (underlying) distributions as accurately as possible. Logistic performance can be modeled by describing the underlying planning and scheduling mechanisms in discrete-event modeling. This is common practice in operations research, specifically in supply chain management. In this article, we present the application of discrete-event modeling in the context of a QMRA for Listeria monocytogenes in fresh-cut iceberg lettuce. We show the potential value of discrete-event modeling in QMRA by calculating logistic interventions (modifications in the logistic chain) and determining their significance with respect to food safety.

Identifying research advancements in supply chain risk management for Agri-food Industries: Literature review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Septiani, W.; Astuti, P.

2017-12-01

Agri-food supply chain has different characteristics related to the raw materials it uses. Food supply chain has a high risk of damage, thus drawing a lot of attention from researchers in supply chain management. This research aimed to investigate the development of supply chain risk management research on agri-food industries. These reviews were arranged in steps systematically, ranging from searching related to the review of SCRM paper, reviewing the general framework of SCRM and the framework of agri-food SCRM. Selection of literature review papers in the period 2005-2017, and obtained 45 papers. The results of the identification research were illustrated in a supply chain risk management framework model. This provided insight toward future research directions and needs.

Teaching Supply Chain Management Complexities: A SCOR Model Based Classroom Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, G. Scott; Thomas, Stephanie P.; Liao-Troth, Sara

2014-01-01

The SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) Model Supply Chain Classroom Simulation is an in-class experiential learning activity that helps students develop a holistic understanding of the processes and challenges of supply chain management. The simulation has broader learning objectives than other supply chain related activities such as the…

Critical factors for sustainable food procurement in zoological collections.

PubMed

Hanson, Jonathan H

2015-01-01

Food procurement can play an important role in sustainable food supply chain management by zoos, linking organizational operations to the biodiversity conservation and sustainability mission of zoological collections. This study therefore examines the critical factors that shape sustainable food procurement in zoo and aquariums. Using a web-based survey data was collected from 41 members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). This included information on the sustainable food procurement practices of these institutions for both their human and animal food supply chains, as well as profile information and data on the factors contributing to and inhibiting sustainable procurement practices. Zoological collections operated by charities, and those with a certified sustainability standard, were found to have significantly higher levels of sustainable food procurement. Zoos and aquariums whose human food operations were not contracted to an external party were also found to have significantly higher levels of sustainable food procurement in their human food supply chain. The most important drivers of sustainable food procurement were cost savings, adequate financial support and improved product quality. The highest ranking barriers were higher costs, other issues taking priority and a lack of alternative suppliers. The results suggest that a number of critical factors shape sustainable food procurement in zoological collections in the British Isles. Financial factors, such as cost savings, were important considerations. The significance of mission-related factors, such as charity status, indicated that core values held by zoos and aquariums can also influence their food procurement practices. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Enterprise Sustainment Metrics

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-19

Ponte Verde Beach: Supply Chain Management Institute. Lambert, D. M., & Pohlen, T. L. (2014). Supply Chain Metrics. In D. M. Lambert, Supply Chain...Partnerships, Performance (pp. 239-256). Ponte Verde Beach: Supply Chain Management Institute Mills, J. S. (1843). A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and

Major Automated Information Systems: Selected Defense Programs Need to Implement Key Acquisition Practices

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

ledger accounting, payroll , and supply chain management. 4During our review, one of these programs—Air Force’s Air and Space Operations Center- Weapon...intended to provide an Army tactical biometric collection capability to capture an adversary or neutral person’s biometric data (e.g., fingerprint, iris...image, and facial image) and enroll them into DOD’s enterprise authoritative biometric database to positively identify and verify the identity of

Mutilating Procedures, Management Practices, and Housing Conditions That May Affect the Welfare of Farm Animals: Implications for Welfare Research.

PubMed

Nordquist, Rebecca E; van der Staay, Franz Josef; van Eerdenburg, Frank J C M; Velkers, Francisca C; Fijn, Lisa; Arndt, Saskia S

2017-02-21

A number of mutilating procedures, such as dehorning in cattle and goats and beak trimming in laying hens, are common in farm animal husbandry systems in an attempt to prevent or solve problems, such as injuries from horns or feather pecking. These procedures and other practices, such as early maternal separation, overcrowding, and barren housing conditions, raise concerns about animal welfare. Efforts to ensure or improve animal welfare involve adapting the animal to its environment, i.e., by selective breeding (e.g., by selecting "robust" animals) adapting the environment to the animal (e.g., by developing social housing systems in which aggressive encounters are reduced to a minimum), or both. We propose adapting the environment to the animals by improving management practices and housing conditions, and by abandoning mutilating procedures. This approach requires the active involvement of all stakeholders: veterinarians and animal scientists, the industrial farming sector, the food processing and supply chain, and consumers of animal-derived products. Although scientific evidence about the welfare effects of current practices in farming such as mutilating procedures, management practices, and housing conditions is steadily growing, the gain in knowledge needs a boost through more scientific research. Considering the huge number of animals whose welfare is affected, all possible effort must be made to improve their welfare as quickly as possible in order to ban welfare-compromising procedures and practices as soon as possible.

Influence of green supply chain risk management on performance of Chinese manufacturing enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dongying; Yuting, Duan; Junyi, Shen

2017-12-01

This paper briefly introduces the background of the research on the impact of green supply chain risk management on corporate performance, reviews the relevant research literature at home and abroad, and uses the gray relational analysis to analyze the impact of the green supply chain risk management on enterprise performance based on 26 industry-related statistical data, from purchasing risk management performance,manufacturing risk management performance and marketing risk management performance.

A comparative analysis of occupational health and safety risk prevention practices in Sweden and Spain.

PubMed

Morillas, Rosa María; Rubio-Romero, Juan Carlos; Fuertes, Alba

2013-12-01

Scandinavian countries such as Sweden implemented the occupational health and safety (OHS) measures in the European Directive 89/391/EEC earlier than other European counties, including Spain. In fact, statistics on workplace accident rates reveal that between 2004 and 2009, there were considerably fewer accidents in Sweden than in Spain. The objective of the research described in this paper was to reduce workplace accidents and to improve OHS management in Spain by exploring the OHS practices in Sweden. For this purpose, an exploratory comparative study was conducted, which focused on the effectiveness of the EU directive in both countries. The study included a cross-sectional analysis of workplace accident rates and other contextual indicators in both national contexts. A case study of 14 Swedish and Spanish companies identified 14 differences in the preventive practices implemented. These differences were then assessed with a Delphi study to evaluate their contribution to the reduction of workplace accidents and their potential for improving health and safety management in Spain. The results showed that there was agreement concerning 12 of the 14 practices. Finally, we discuss opportunities of improvement in Spanish companies so that they can make their risk management practices more effective. The findings of this comparative study on the implementation of the European Directive 89/391/EEC in both Sweden and Spain have revealed health and safety managerial practices which, if properly implemented, could contribute to improved work conditions and accident statistics of Spanish companies. In particular, the results suggest that Spanish employers, safety managers, external prevention services, safety deputies and Labour Inspectorates should consider implementing streamlined internal preventive management, promoting the integration of prevention responsibilities to the chain of command, and preventing health and safety management from becoming a mere exchange of documents. The authors also encourage future research studies to use the methodology presented to compare and assess the European Directive 89/391/EEC implementation in other European countries. © 2013.

Critical Chain Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, John Kevin

2010-01-01

Critical Chains project management focuses on holding buffers at the project level vs. task level, and managing buffers as a project resource. A number of studies have shown that Critical Chain project management can significantly improve organizational schedule fidelity (i.e., improve the proportion of projects delivered on time) and reduce…

Distribution and Supply Chain Management: Educating the Army Officer

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-26

knowledge a logistics officer must have to function effectively in a supply chain and distribution management environment. It analyzes how officers...Educational Objectives. It discusses how the Army/DoD currently teaches supply chain and distribution management concepts in various programs, such as the...its educational curriculum, and that logisticians continue to gain operational experience in distribution management operations. The paper recommends

What is the Right RFID for Your Process?

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-30

chain efficiency at the US Department of Defense (DoD) and at major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Tesco and others has prompted these organizations...areas of expertise include global operations, supply- chain management, sustainable technologies, product stewardship, reverse logistics and...time MBA programs. Areas of Apte’s research interests include managing service operations, supply- chain management, technology management, and

Selected Aspects Of The Risk In The Supply Chain In Context Of The Supplier Quality Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koblen, Ivan; Lestyánszka Škůrková, Katarína

2015-06-01

The introductory part of the paper underlines the importance of "Risk-based thinking" in the Quality Management System (QMS) and risk in the supply chain, as a principle part of the QMS. After introducing the key terms, the authors focused on the principle part of the article - explanation of the external and internal supply chain risks and the main factors concerning the supply risks, demand risks and environmental risks (as cardinal types of external supply chain risks) as well as the manufacturing and process risks, network/planning and control risks (as most important types of internal supply chain risks). The authors inform on the selected supply chain risk management tools, especially on those which are linked to the appropriate utilization of quality management tools.

Specialty pharmacies and other restricted drug distribution systems: financial and safety considerations for patients and health-system pharmacists.

PubMed

Kirschenbaum, Bonnie E

2009-12-15

To discuss the role of restricted drug distribution systems in the implementation of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS), health-system pharmacists' concerns associated with the use of specialty pharmacies and other restricted drug distribution systems, reimbursement policies for high-cost specialty drugs, supply chain models for traditional and specialty drugs, and emerging trends in the management of and reimbursement for specialty pharmaceuticals. Restricted drug distribution systems established by pharmaceutical manufacturers, specialty pharmacies, or other specialty suppliers may be a component of REMS, which are required by the Food and Drug Administration for the management of known or potential serious risks from certain drugs. Concerns of health-system pharmacists using specialty suppliers include access to pharmaceuticals, operational challenges, product integrity, financial implications, continuity of care, and patient safety. An ambulatory care patient taking a specialty drug product from home to a hospital outpatient clinic or inpatient setting for administration, a practice known as "brown bagging," raises concerns about product integrity and institutional liability. An institution's finances, tolerance for liability, and ability to skillfully manage the processes involved often determine its choice between an approach that prohibits brown bagging but is costly and one that permits the practice under certain conditions and is less costly. The recent shift from a traditional supply chain model to a specialty pharmacy supply chain model for high-cost pharmaceuticals has the potential to increase pharmaceutical costs for health systems. A dialogue is needed between health-system pharmacists and group purchasing organizations to address the latter's role in mitigating the financial implications of this change and to help clarify the safety issues. Some health plans have shifted part of the cost of expensive drugs to patients by establishing a fourth tier of drugs with a large copayment based on a substantial percentage of the cost of the drug. The number and cost of specialty drugs are expected to increase in the future. New approaches and reimbursement models are emerging to manage the high cost of new pharmaceuticals. Health-system pharmacists can improve drug safety and manage costs by collaborating with group purchasing organizations, establishing policies for brown bagging, and making efforts to reconcile drug therapy provided in different settings through traditional drug channels and specialty pharmacies or other restricted drug distribution systems.

Best management practices for newly weaned calves for improved health and well-being.

PubMed

Wilson, B K; Richards, C J; Step, D L; Krehbiel, C R

2017-05-01

Morbidity and mortality in newly weaned calves resulting from bovine respiratory disease (BRD) continue to be the most significant problems facing the beef industry. Morbidity attributed to BRD accounts for approximately 75% of total feedlot morbidity. Several experiments have documented the economic impacts of BRD. Direct costs attributable to BRD include death loss, treatment and labor costs, and prevention costs, while indirect costs associated with BRD include decreased growth performance and feed efficiency, increased days on feed, and decreased carcass merit and market value. In recent years, cattle treated for BRD have returned $50 to $250 less per head at harvest than cattle never treated for BRD. Best management practices for newly weaned calves vary depending on a multitude of factors including: season of year calves are purchased, calf genetics, length of time in the marketing and transport channels, previous management and vaccination programs, and other factors. In general, calves purchased directly from a ranch have fewer health problems than calves purchased through auction markets. The longer a calf is in the marketing chain, the more likely health problems will be encountered. Calves that have spent several days in the marketing chain may develop clinical BRD before or very soon after arrival, whereas cattle with less time in the marketing chain may get sick later (2 to 4 wk), due to the length of time it takes for BRD to develop. On or before arrival, calves should be given a risk score (high, medium, or low) that relates to the quantity and magnitude of stress they have encountered and the probability they will develop BRD. High-risk calves typically will have been recently weaned, received no vaccinations, not been castrated or dehorned, been commingled, and moved through an auction market. Low-risk calves will often originate from a single source and will have gone through a preconditioning program that includes vaccination, castration, dehorning, weaning, and potentially feed bunk adaptation. Variation exists within risk category, so the preliminary assessment should be combined with visual observation on arrival as additional health assessments and feed intake information becomes available. Cattle managers should adjust management strategies based on risk category to meet the perceived needs of individual lots of cattle to improve the health and well-being of newly weaned calves.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nixon, J.D., E-mail: j.nixon@kingston.ac.uk; Wright, D.G.; Dey, P.K.

Highlights: • We evaluate operational municipal solid waste incinerators in the UK. • The supply chain of four case study plants are examined and compared in detail. • Technical, financial and operational data has been gathered for the four plants. • We suggest the best business practices for waste incinerators. • Appropriate strategy choices are the major difficulties for waste to energy plants. - Abstract: The uptake in Europe of Energy from Waste (EfW) incinerator plants has increased rapidly in recent years. In the UK, 25 municipal waste incinerators with energy recovery are now in operation; however, their waste supplymore » chains and business practices vary significantly. With over a hundred more plant developments being considered it is important to establish best business practices for ensuring efficient environmental and operational performance. By reviewing the 25 plants we identify four suitable case study plants to compare technologies (moving grate, fluidised bed and rotary kiln), plant economics and operations. Using data collected from annual reports and through interviews and site visits we provide recommendations for improving the supply chain for waste incinerators and highlight the current issues and challenges faced by the industry. We find that plants using moving grate have a high availability of 87–92%. However, compared to the fluidised bed and rotary kiln, quantities of bottom ash and emissions of hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide are high. The uptake of integrated recycling practices, combined heat and power, and post incineration non-ferrous metal collections needs to be increased among EfW incinerators in the UK. We conclude that one of the major difficulties encountered by waste facilities is the appropriate selection of technology, capacity, site, waste suppliers and heat consumers. This study will be of particular value to EfW plant developers, government authorities and researchers working within the sector of waste management.« less

76 FR 34271 - Hewlett Packard, Global Parts Supply Chain, Global Product Life Cycles Management Unit, Including...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-13

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-74,671] Hewlett Packard, Global Parts Supply Chain, Global Product Life Cycles Management Unit, Including Teleworkers Reporting to... Supply Chain, Global Product Life Cycles Management Unit, including teleworkers reporting to Houston...

Challenges and opportunities of health care supply chain management in the United States.

PubMed

Elmuti, Dean; Khoury, Grace; Omran, Omar; Abou-Zaid, Ahmed S

2013-01-01

This article explores current supply chain management challenges and initiatives and identifies problems that affect supply chain management success in the U.S. health-care industry. In addition, it investigates the impact of health care supply chain management (SCM) initiatives on the overall organizational effectiveness. The attitudinal results, as well as the performance results presented in this study support the claim of health care proponents that the SCM allows organizations to reduce cost, improve quality, and reduce cycle time, and leads to high performance.

Greening, new frontiers for research and employment in the agro-food sector.

PubMed

Singh, Manpriet; Marchis, Alexandru; Capri, Ettore

2014-02-15

The "greening" of the European Union's (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is meant to protect and enhance biodiversity as well as to make food production more sustainable by encouraging, for example, the responsible use of natural resources. The "greening" process seems to be driven by, first of all, the policy push through various policy and regulatory measures. Farmers have to invest time and resources in maintaining permanent grasslands, practice crop diversification and manage ecological focus areas for which they will receive compensation from the EU. "Greening" is also driven by the consumer or market pull generated by preferences for more sustainably produced food and sustainability initiatives along the agro-food chain. EU investments in research and development activities are required for the successful implementation of greening practices. Professionals from different disciplines are called upon to provide, in the next few years, solutions for all the new requirements in order to realize a sustainable and socially and economically healthy agricultural system. Besides this, farmers need support to implement and manage greening measures, but also to reap the benefits of their investments by networking and engaging with stakeholders higher in the agro-food chain, such as retailers and supermarkets. This is not only to assure sustainability at processing, packaging and storage, but also to increase visibility of farmers' practices to consumers through communication that may help influencing consumers' choices. These factors are currently not given the importance they need by the EU, but are crucial for a successful "greening". Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance analysis of Supply Chain Management with Supply Chain Operation reference model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasibuan, Abdurrozzaq; Arfah, Mahrani; Parinduri, Luthfi; Hernawati, Tri; Suliawati; Harahap, Bonar; Rahmah Sibuea, Siti; Krianto Sulaiman, Oris; purwadi, Adi

2018-04-01

This research was conducted at PT. Shamrock Manufacturing Corpora, the company is required to think creatively to implement competition strategy by producing goods/services that are more qualified, cheaper. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the performance of Supply Chain Management in order to improve the competitiveness. Therefore, the company is required to optimize its production output to meet the export quality standard. This research begins with the creation of initial dimensions based on Supply Chain Management process, ie Plan, Source, Make, Delivery, and Return with hierarchy based on Supply Chain Reference Operation that is Reliability, Responsiveness, Agility, Cost, and Asset. Key Performance Indicator identification becomes a benchmark in performance measurement whereas Snorm De Boer normalization serves to equalize Key Performance Indicator value. Analiytical Hierarchy Process is done to assist in determining priority criteria. Measurement of Supply Chain Management performance at PT. Shamrock Manufacturing Corpora produces SC. Responsiveness (0.649) has higher weight (priority) than other alternatives. The result of performance analysis using Supply Chain Reference Operation model of Supply Chain Management performance at PT. Shamrock Manufacturing Corpora looks good because its monitoring system between 50-100 is good.

Alignment between chain quality management and chain governance in EU pork supply chains: a Transaction-Cost-Economics perspective.

PubMed

Wever, Mark; Wognum, Nel; Trienekens, Jacques; Omta, Onno

2010-02-01

Although inter-firm coordination of quality management is increasingly important for meeting end-customer demand in agri-food chains, few researchers focus on the relation between inter-firm quality management systems (QMS) and inter-firm governance structures (GS). However, failure to align QMSs and GSs may lead to inefficiencies in quality management because of high transaction-costs. In addition, misalignment is likely to reduce the quality of end-customer products. This paper addresses this gap in research by empirically examining the relation between QMSs and GSs in pork meat supply chains. Transaction-Cost-Economic theory is used to develop propositions about the relation between three aspects of QMSs--ownership, vertical scope and scale of adoption--and the use of different types of GSs in pork meat supply chains. To validate the propositions, seven cases are examined from four different countries. The results show that the different aspects of QMSs largely relate to specific GSs used in chains in the manner predicted by the propositions. This supports the view that alignment between QMSs and GSs is important for the efficient coordination of quality management in (pork meat) supply chains.

The innovation value chain.

PubMed

Hansen, Morten T; Birkinshaw, Julian

2007-06-01

The challenges of coming up with fresh ideas and realizing profits from them are different for every company. One firm may excel at finding good ideas but may have weak systems for bringing them to market. Another organization may have a terrific process for funding and rolling out new products and services but a shortage of concepts to develop. In this article, Hansen and Birkinshaw caution executives against using the latest and greatest innovation approaches and tools without understanding the unique deficiencies in their companies' innovation systems. They offer a framework for evaluating innovation performance: the innovation value chain. It comprises the three main phases of innovation (idea generation, conversion, and diffusion) as well as the critical activities performed during those phases (looking for ideas inside your unit; looking for them in other units; looking for them externally; selecting ideas; funding them; and promoting and spreading ideas companywide). Using this framework, managers get an end-to-end view of their innovation efforts. They can pinpoint their weakest links and tailor innovation best practices appropriately to strengthen those links. Companies typically succumb to one of three broad "weakest-link" scenarios. They are idea poor, conversion poor, or diffusion poor. The article looks at the ways smart companies - including Intuit, P&G, Sara Lee, Shell, and Siemens- modify the best innovation practices and apply them to address those organizations' individual needs and flaws. The authors warn that adopting the chain-based view of innovation requires new measures of what can be delivered by each link in the chain. The approach also entails new roles for employees "external scouts" and "internal evangelists," for example. Indeed, in their search for new hires, companies should seek out those candidates who can help address particular weaknesses in the innovation value chain.

Foreign Military Sales: A Historical Review of Argentina’s Purchases

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Management Science, 2009. 3. Douglas M Lambert, “ Supply Chain Management Processes, Partnership, Performance”, Third Edition, 2008. 4. Sunil Chopra...Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management Juan E. Perot, MBA LtCol, AAF March 2013 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION...ago, and they manage various purchasing activities in each year for several systems. Therefore a particular and specific Supply Chain

An Overview of Process Monitoring Related to the Production of Uranium Ore Concentrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGinnis, Brent

2014-04-01

Uranium ore concentrate (UOC) in various chemical forms, is a high-value commodity in the commercial nuclear market, is a potential target for illicit acquisition, by both State and non-State actors. With the global expansion of uranium production capacity, control of UOC is emerging as a potentially weak link in the nuclear supply chain. Its protection, control and management thus pose a key challenge for the international community, including States, regulatory authorities and industry. This report evaluates current process monitoring practice and makes recommendations for utilization of existing or new techniques for managing the inventory and tracking this material.

Performance measurement for supply chain management and evaluation criteria determination for reverse supply chain management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kongar, N. Elif

2004-12-01

Today, since customers are able to obtain similar-quality products for similar prices, the lead time has become the only preference criterion for most of the consumers. Therefore, it is crucial that the lead time, i.e., the time spent from the raw material phase till the manufactured good reaches the customer, is minimized. This issue can be investigated under the title of Supply Chain Management (SCM). An efficiently managed supply chain can lead to reduced response time for customers. To achieve this, continuous observation of supply chain efficiency, i.e., a constant performance evaluation of the current SCM is required. Widely used conventional performance measurement methods lack the ability to evaluate a SCM since the supply chain is a dynamic system that requires a more thorough and flexible performance measurement technique. Balanced Scorecard (BS) is an efficient tool for measuring the performance of dynamic systems and has a proven capability of providing the decision makers with the appropriate feedback data. In addition to SCM, a relatively new management field, namely reverse supply chain management (RSCM), also necessitates an appropriate evaluation approach. RSCM differs from SCM in many aspects, i.e., the criteria used for evaluation, the high level of uncertainty involved etc., not allowing the usage of identical evaluation techniques used for SCM. This study proposes a generic Balanced Scorecard to measure the performance of supply chain management while defining the appropriate performance measures for SCM. A scorecard prototype, ESCAPE, is presented to demonstrate the evaluation process.

Leveraging Human Resource Development Expertise to Improve Supply Chain Managers' Skills and Competencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellinger, Alexander E.; Ellinger, Andrea D.

2014-01-01

Purpose: There is an ongoing shortage of talented supply chain managers with the necessary skills and business-related competencies to manage increasingly complex and strategically important supply chain processes. The purpose of this paper is to propose that organizations can create and maintain competitive advantage by leveraging the expertise…

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Programs in the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neureuther, Brian D.; O'Neill, Kevin

2011-01-01

One of the most difficult challenges for an undergraduate supply chain management program at smaller universities is to create an environment of sustainability. Supply chain management is not at the tip of tongue for many graduating high school students and few undergraduate curriculums require a course in the content area. This research addresses…

Lack of existing guidelines for a large group of patients in Sweden: a national survey across the acute surgical care delivery chain.

PubMed

Muntlin Athlin, Åsa; Juhlin, Claes; Jangland, Eva

2017-02-01

Evidence-informed healthcare is the fundament for practice, whereby guidelines based on the best available evidence should assist health professionals in managing patients. Patients seeking care for acute abdominal pain form a common group in acute care settings worldwide, for whom decision-making and timely treatment are of paramount importance. There is ambiguity about the existence, use and content of guidelines for patients with acute abdomen. The objective was to describe and compare guidelines and management of patients with acute abdomen in different settings across the acute care delivery chain in Sweden. A national cross-sectional design was used. Twenty-nine ambulance stations, 17 emergency departments and 33 surgical wards covering all six Swedish health regions were included, and 23 guidelines were quality appraised using the validated Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II tool. There is a lack of guidelines in use for the management of this large group of patients between and within different healthcare areas across the acute care delivery chain. The quality appraisal identified that several guidelines were of poor quality, especially the in-hospital ones. Further, range orders for analgesics are common in the ambulance services and the surgical wards, but are seldom present in the emergency departments. Also, education in pain management is more common in the ambulance services. These findings are noteworthy as, hypothetically, the same patient could be treated in three different ways during the same care episode. There is an urgent need to develop high-quality evidence-based clinical guidelines for this patient group, with the entire care process in focus. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Is carbon farming an effective climate mitigation option?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zelikova, T. J.; Funk, J.; Deich, N.; Amador, G.; Jacobson, R.

2017-12-01

"Carbon farming" refers to agricultural and land management practices that store carbon in soils and biomass. Carbon-farming techniques can include crop rotation, cover crops, no-till practices, and the application of compost to build up soil organic matter. Carbon farming also improves agricultural production and sustainability, while mitigating climate change. Despite well-documented benefits of carbon farming, these practices continue to be underutilized outside of experimental settings. One barrier to the widespread use of carbon farming is the challenge of fitting these practices into ongoing commercial operations, while managing the consequent market uncertainties across the value chain. To help address this barrier, we are working with landowners and local groups to establish demonstration "test beds" that can build experience among land managers and help resolve market uncertainties. We specifically focus on demonstrating the commercial viability of management practices that can enhance soil health, catalyzing economic and environmental synergies that come from healthy soils. Each test bed has a commercial agricultural operation at its center, and we bring together researchers, local groups, corporate partners, and key policymakers who can support wider adoption of these agricultural techniques. Early challenges have included finding commercial farms willing to shift their practices and face uncertain outcomes. A transition to new practices usually involves changes in equipment, scheduling, activities, and monitoring that have implications for the entire farm operation, its resources, and its bottom line. At the same time, practitioners have difficulty quantifying the carbon benefits they provide, due to persistent uncertainties, even with the benefit of decades of experimental research. We are building a network of farmers who are implementing carbon farming practices and addressing these challenges, step by step. We envision our test beds becoming hubs that support a community of practitioners who can show the value of this work in real-world commercial operations, supported by rigorous science. By bringing together the necessary elements of each test bed, we aim to facilitate widespread integration of carbon storage activities into the agricultural sector.

Predicting Urban Medical Services Demand in China: An Improved Grey Markov Chain Model by Taylor Approximation.

PubMed

Duan, Jinli; Jiao, Feng; Zhang, Qishan; Lin, Zhibin

2017-08-06

The sharp increase of the aging population has raised the pressure on the current limited medical resources in China. To better allocate resources, a more accurate prediction on medical service demand is very urgently needed. This study aims to improve the prediction on medical services demand in China. To achieve this aim, the study combines Taylor Approximation into the Grey Markov Chain model, and develops a new model named Taylor-Markov Chain GM (1,1) (T-MCGM (1,1)). The new model has been tested by adopting the historical data, which includes the medical service on treatment of diabetes, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease from 1997 to 2015 in China. The model provides a predication on medical service demand of these three types of disease up to 2022. The results reveal an enormous growth of urban medical service demand in the future. The findings provide practical implications for the Health Administrative Department to allocate medical resources, and help hospitals to manage investments on medical facilities.

What is Climate Leadership: Examples and Lessons Learned in Supply Chain Management Webinar

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Organizations that have developed comprehensive greenhouse gas inventories and aggressive emissions reduction goals discuss their strategies for managing greenhouse gases in their organizational supply chains and use of EPA Supply Chain resources.

Study on Full Supply Chain Quality and Safetytraceability Systems For Cereal And Oilproducts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shihong; Zheng, Huoguo; Meng, Hong; Hu, Haiyan; Wu, Jiangshou; Li, Chunhua

Global food industry and Governments in many countries are putting increasing emphasis on establishment of food traceability systems. Food traceability has become an effective way in food safety management. Aimed at the major quality problems of cereal and oil products existing in the production, processing, warehousing, distribution and other links in the supply chain, this paper firstly proposes a new traceability framework combines the information flow with critical control points and quality indicators. Then it introduces traceability database design and data access mode to realize the framework. In practice, Code design for tracing goods is a challenge thing, so this paper put forward a code system based on UCC/EAN-128 standard.Middleware and Electronic terminal design are also briefly introduced to accomplish traceability system for cereal and oil products.

Applying the Heuristic to the Risk Assessment within the Automotive Industry Supply Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marasova, Daniela; Andrejiova, Miriam; Grincova, Anna

2017-03-01

Risk management facilitates risk identification, evaluation, control, and by means of appropriate set of measures, risk reduction or complete elimination. Therefore, the risk management becomes a strategic factor for a company's success. Properly implemented risk management system does not represent a tool to avoid the risk; it is used to understand the risk and provide the bases for strategic decision-making. Risk management represents a key factor for the supply chain operations. Managing the risks is crucial for achieving the customer satisfaction and thus also a company's success. The subject-matter of the article is the assessment of the supply chain in the automobile industry, in terms of risks. The topicality of this problem is even higher, as after the economic crisis it is necessary to revaluate the readiness of the supply chain for prospective risk conditions. One advantage of this article is the use of the Saaty method as a tool for the risk management within the supply chain.

Scaling up antiretroviral therapy in Uganda: using supply chain management to appraise health systems strengthening.

PubMed

Windisch, Ricarda; Waiswa, Peter; Neuhann, Florian; Scheibe, Florian; de Savigny, Don

2011-08-01

Strengthened national health systems are necessary for effective and sustained expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART and its supply chain management in Uganda are largely based on parallel and externally supported efforts. The question arises whether systems are being strengthened to sustain access to ART. This study applies systems thinking to assess supply chain management, the role of external support and whether investments create the needed synergies to strengthen health systems. This study uses the WHO health systems framework and examines the issues of governance, financing, information, human resources and service delivery in relation to supply chain management of medicines and the technologies. It looks at links and causal chains between supply chain management for ART and the national supply system for essential drugs. It combines data from the literature and key informant interviews with observations at health service delivery level in a study district. Current drug supply chain management in Uganda is characterized by parallel processes and information systems that result in poor quality and inefficiencies. Less than expected health system performance, stock outs and other shortages affect ART and primary care in general. Poor performance of supply chain management is amplified by weak conditions at all levels of the health system, including the areas of financing, governance, human resources and information. Governance issues include the lack to follow up initial policy intentions and a focus on narrow, short-term approaches. The opportunity and need to use ART investments for an essential supply chain management and strengthened health system has not been exploited. By applying a systems perspective this work indicates the seriousness of missing system prerequisites. The findings suggest that root causes and capacities across the system have to be addressed synergistically to enable systems that can match and accommodate investments in disease-specific interventions. The multiplicity and complexity of existing challenges require a long-term and systems perspective essentially in contrast to the current short term and program-specific nature of external assistance.

Establishment and Implementation of a Required Medication Therapy Management Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience

PubMed Central

Gilliam, Eric; Thompson, Megan; Vande Griend, Joseph

2017-01-01

Objective. To develop a community pharmacy-based medication therapy management (MTM) advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) that provides students with skills and knowledge to deliver entry-level pharmacy MTM services. Design. The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) partnered with three community pharmacy chains to establish this three-week, required MTM APPE. Students completed the American Pharmacists Association MTM Certificate Course prior to entering the APPE. Students were expected to spend 90% or more of their time at this experience working on MTM interventions, using store MTM platforms. Assessment. All 151 students successfully completed this MTM APPE, and each received a passing evaluation from their preceptor. Preceptor evaluations of students averaged above four (entry-level practice) on a five-point Likert scale. The majority of students reported engagement in MTM services for more than 80% of the time on site. Students’ self-reporting of their ability to perform MTM interventions improved after participation in the APPE. Conclusion. The SSPPS successfully implemented a required MTM APPE, preparing students for entry-level delivery of MTM services. PMID:28381896

Mobile-Based Applications and Functionalities for Self-Management of People Living with HIV.

PubMed

Mehraeen, Esmaeil; Safdari, Reza; Mohammadzadeh, Niloofar; Seyedalinaghi, Seyed Ahmad; Forootan, Siavash; Mohraz, Minoo

2018-01-01

Due to the chronicity of HIV/AIDS and the increased number of people living with HIV (PLWH), these people need the innovative and practical approaches to take advantage of high-quality healthcare services. The objectives of this scoping review were to identify the mobile-based applications and functionalities for self-management of people living with HIV. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Science direct, Web of Science and Embase databases for literature published from 2010 to 2017. Screening, data abstraction, and methodological quality assessment were done in duplicate. Our search identified 10 common mobile-based applications and 8 functionalities of these applications for self-management of people living with HIV. According to the findings, "text-messaging" and "reminder" applications were more addressed in reviewed articles. Moreover, the results indicated that "medication adherence" was the common functionality of mobile-based applications for PLWH. Inclusive evidence supports the use of text messaging as a mobile-based functionality to improve medication adherence and motivational messaging. Future mobile-based applications in the healthcare industry should address additional practices such as online chatting, social conversations, physical activity intervention, and supply chain management.

Emergent Risks In Critical Infrastructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dynes, Scott

Firms cannot function successfully without managing a host of internal and external organizational and process interdependencies. Part of this involves business continuity planning, which directly aects how resilient arm and its business sector are in the face of disruptions. This paper presents the results of eld studies related to information risk management practices in the health care and retail sectors. The studies explore information risk management coordinating signals within and across rms in these sectors as well as the potential eects of cyber disruptions on the rms as stand-alone entities and as part of a critical infrastructure. The health care case study investigates the impact of the Zotob worm on the ability to deliver medical care and treatment. The retail study examines the resilience of certain elements of the food supply chain to cyber disruptions.

Quality management benchmarking: FDA compliance in pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Jochem, Roland; Landgraf, Katja

2010-01-01

By analyzing and comparing industry and business best practice, processes can be optimized and become more successful mainly because efficiency and competitiveness increase. This paper aims to focus on some examples. Case studies are used to show knowledge exchange in the pharmaceutical industry. Best practice solutions were identified in two companies using a benchmarking method and five-stage model. Despite large administrations, there is much potential regarding business process organization. This project makes it possible for participants to fully understand their business processes. The benchmarking method gives an opportunity to critically analyze value chains (a string of companies or players working together to satisfy market demands for a special product). Knowledge exchange is interesting for companies that like to be global players. Benchmarking supports information exchange and improves competitive ability between different enterprises. Findings suggest that the five-stage model improves efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, the model increases the chances for reaching targets. The method gives security to partners that did not have benchmarking experience. The study identifies new quality management procedures. Process management and especially benchmarking is shown to support pharmaceutical industry improvements.

Waste-handling practices at red meat abattoirs in South Africa.

PubMed

Roberts, Hester; de Jager, Linda; Blight, Geoffrey

2009-02-01

Abattoir waste disposal must be carefully managed because the wastes can be a source of food-borne diseases (Nemerow & Dasgupta Industrial and Hazardous Waste Treatment, p. 284, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1991; Bradshaw et al. The Treatment and Handling of Wastes, p. 183, The Royal Society, Chapman & Hall, London, 1992). Disposal of food that has been condemned because it is known to be diseased is of particular concern, and this paper looks at current disposal methods for such waste in the light of new scientific developments and waste-management strategies. Questionnaires were presented to management and workers at low- and high-throughput red meat abattoirs in the Free State Province, South Africa to determine current waste-handling procedures for condemned products. The waste-handling practices, almost without exception, did not fully comply with the requirements of the South African Red Meat Regulations of 2004, framed under the Meat Safety Act (Act 40 of 2000). The survey highlighted the need to improve current waste-handling strategies to prevent condemned products from re-entering the food chain and contributing to environmental pollution.

Alignment of Information Systems with Supply Chains: Impacts on Supply Chain Performance and Organizational Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qrunfleh, Sufian M.

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, an important focus of researchers has been on supply chain management (SCM), as many organizations believe that effective SCM is the key to building and sustaining competitive advantage for their products/services. To manage the supply chain, companies need to adopt an SCM strategy (SCMS) and implement appropriate SCM…

Intelligence Support to Supply Chain Risk Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

of Master of Science in Operations Analysis Charles L. Carter, MA Major, USAF June 2012 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR...literature regarding supply chain risk management and intelligence doctrine. This review established the importance of supply chain risk analysis to...risk analysis . This research culminated in the development of a methodology for intelligence professionals to use to support supply chain risk

Progress towards Sustainable Utilisation and Management of Food Wastes in the Global Economy.

PubMed

Ghosh, Purabi R; Fawcett, Derek; Sharma, Shashi B; Poinern, Gerrard Eddy Jai

2016-01-01

In recent years, the problem of food waste has attracted considerable interest from food producers, processors, retailers, and consumers alike. Food waste is considered not only a sustainability problem related to food security, but also an economic problem since it directly impacts the profitability of the whole food supply chain. In developed countries, consumers are one of the main contributors to food waste and ultimately pay for all wastes produced throughout the food supply chain. To secure food and reduce food waste, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the various sources of food wastes throughout the food supply chain. The present review examines various reports currently in the literature and quantifies waste levels and examines the trends in wastage for various food sectors such as fruit and vegetable, fisheries, meat and poultry, grain, milk, and dairy. Factors contributing to food waste, effective cost/benefit food waste utilisation methods, sustainability and environment considerations, and public acceptance are identified as hurdles in preventing large-scale food waste processing. Thus, we highlight the need for further research to identify and report food waste so that government regulators and food supply chain stakeholders can actively develop effective waste utilisation practices.

Progress towards Sustainable Utilisation and Management of Food Wastes in the Global Economy

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Purabi R.; Fawcett, Derek; Sharma, Shashi B.

2016-01-01

In recent years, the problem of food waste has attracted considerable interest from food producers, processors, retailers, and consumers alike. Food waste is considered not only a sustainability problem related to food security, but also an economic problem since it directly impacts the profitability of the whole food supply chain. In developed countries, consumers are one of the main contributors to food waste and ultimately pay for all wastes produced throughout the food supply chain. To secure food and reduce food waste, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the various sources of food wastes throughout the food supply chain. The present review examines various reports currently in the literature and quantifies waste levels and examines the trends in wastage for various food sectors such as fruit and vegetable, fisheries, meat and poultry, grain, milk, and dairy. Factors contributing to food waste, effective cost/benefit food waste utilisation methods, sustainability and environment considerations, and public acceptance are identified as hurdles in preventing large-scale food waste processing. Thus, we highlight the need for further research to identify and report food waste so that government regulators and food supply chain stakeholders can actively develop effective waste utilisation practices. PMID:27847805

Food safety management and risk assessment in the fresh produce supply chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacxsens, L.; Uyttendaele, M.; Luning, P.; Allende, A.

2017-04-01

This paper is the output of several years of scientific research coordinated by Laboratory of Food Preservation and Food Microbiology at UGent, within the EU FP7 Research project Veg-i-trade (www.vegitrade.org), in collaboration with among other partners, Wageningen University and Cebas-CSIC. Fresh produce and derived products are globally traded and subjected to an inherent sensitive towards enteric pathogens as Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli due to their cultivation practices. As fruits and vegetables are increasingly being consumed raw, a potential health risk towards consumers is present. In the Veg-i-Trade project the extend of presence of pathogens in leafy greens and strawberry fruit and their cultivation environment (as water, soil, manured soil, etc.) was analysed. Insight in the food safety management system enlighted the need for further fostering and guidance towards farmers in good practices in order to reduce the potential pressure of the presence of the pathogens both in EU and non EU countries. Exposure assessment calculations demonstrated the usefulness of mathematic modelling to gain more insight in fragmented microbiological analysis and information of cultivation practices, as such the impact of contamination of irrigation water and the impact of a flooding event. Veg-i-Trade was a challenging project both in scientific and management perspective as 23 partners collaborated.

Knowledge management system for risk mitigation in supply chain uncertainty: case from automotive battery supply chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marie, I. A.; Sugiarto, D.; Surjasa, D.; Witonohadi, A.

2018-01-01

Automotive battery supply chain include battery manufacturer, sulphuric acid suppliers, polypropylene suppliers, lead suppliers, transportation service providers, warehouses, retailers and even customers. Due to the increasingly dynamic condition of the environment, supply chain actors were required to improve their ability to overcome various uncertainty issues in the environment. This paper aims to describe the process of designing a knowledge management system for risk mitigation in supply chain uncertainty. The design methodology began with the identification of the knowledge needed to solve the problems associated with uncertainty and analysis of system requirements. The design of the knowledge management system was described in the form of a data flow diagram. The results of the study indicated that key knowledge area that needs to be managed were the knowledge to maintain the stability of process in sulphuric acid process and knowledge to overcome the wastes in battery manufacturing process. The system was expected to be a media acquisition, dissemination and storage of knowledge associated with the uncertainty in the battery supply chain and increase the supply chain performance.

Supply chain dynamics in healthcare services.

PubMed

Samuel, Cherian; Gonapa, Kasiviswanadh; Chaudhary, P K; Mishra, Ananya

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to analyse health service supply chain systems. A great deal of literature is available on supply chain management in finished goods inventory situations; however, little research exists on managing service capacity when finished goods inventories are absent. System dynamics models for a typical service-oriented supply chain such as healthcare processes are developed, wherein three service stages are presented sequentially. Just like supply chains with finished goods inventory, healthcare service supply chains also show dynamic behaviour. Comparing options, service reduction, and capacity adjustment delays showed that reducing capacity adjustment and service delays gives better results. The study is confined to health service-oriented supply chains. Further work includes extending the study to service-oriented supply chains with parallel processing, i.e. having more than one stage to perform a similar operation and also to study the behaviour in service-oriented supply chains that have re-entrant orders and applications. Specific case studies can also be developed to reveal factors relevant to particular service-oriented supply chains. The paper explains the bullwhip effect in healthcare service-oriented supply chains. Reducing stages and capacity adjustment are strategic options for service-oriented supply chains. The paper throws light on policy options for managing healthcare service-oriented supply chain dynamics.

Halal Supply Chain Management Streamlined Practices: Issues and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hijrah Abd Kadir, Muhammad; Zuraidah Raja Mohd Rasi, Raja; Omar, Siti Sarah; Manap, Zariq Imran Abdul

2016-11-01

The quickly developing worldwide halal in business sector has given a remarkable window of chance, which empowers Malaysia to the renowned halal centre in worldwide (known as Halal-hubs). Malaysia also has proactively taken a lead in halal activities, which is presently considered as the benchmark for a halal framework worldwide. Malaysia also set up the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) which driving a wide range of halal activities since the demand of halal food has increased significantly which is very crucial for a Muslim in ensuring its authenticity and integrity. Even in parallel to this developments, many studies has been conducted because there are many issues still occurs in the food industry. The issue of consumer awareness and understanding the halal principles, mixing of halal and non- halal products, halal certification and logo compliance with Shariah law and lack of regulation and enforcement need the serious attention by all parties along the supply chain. The challenges occur mainly in the halal food segregation and halal traceability of the products. The unit of analysis in this study different halal stakeholders group which are JAKIM, Halal Development Centre (HDC), Raw Material Manufacturers, Retailers and Government Agencies. This paper attempt discusses the issues and challenges occurs in the halal supply chain and faced by the practitioners as well as the relevant parties involved in the industry especially for food products manufacturers. The study would like to give a basic information about the issues and challenges in the contribution of Halal Supply Chain Management (HSCM) as well as for the future studies.

The Multidisciplinary Nature of Supply Chain Management: Where Does It Fit in Business Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Michael A.; Cope, Robert; Budden, Michael C.

2009-01-01

Supply chain management is an area of growing interest in both industry and academics. A number of new text books are available for courses in the area, and a number of Colleges of Business are adding relevant curriculum. However, questions arise as to what Supply Chain Management comprises, as to needed courses in the area, and an appropriate…

Community pharmacist collaboration with a patient-centered medical home: Establishment of a patient-centered medical neighborhood and payment model.

PubMed

Luder, Heidi R; Shannon, Pam; Kirby, James; Frede, Stacey M

To determine the feasibility of a partnership between a community pharmacy and a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) by measuring the impact on office- and patient-level clinical outcomes. Kroger Pharmacy and a PCMH practice in Cincinnati, OH. The Kroger Co. is a large grocery store chain that operates 102 pharmacies in the Cincinnati-Dayton marketing area. The PCMH practice is an accredited PCMH office serving more than 9000 patients in the Cincinnati area. In a medical neighborhood, a PCMH coordinates care with other local specialty practices or partners. A partnership between the community pharmacy chain and the PCMH was established to create a medical neighborhood. The pharmacist spent 2 half-days per week at the PCMH. The pharmacist provided initial medication therapy management appointments in the PCMH and offered follow-up services in the office, the pharmacy, or both, depending on patient preference. The pharmacy received a capitated payment per patient per month for a predetermined number of 1000 high-risk patients. Office-level changes in clinical outcomes such as A1C, blood pressure, and lipid measures were collected and compared with those of a similar control office. In addition, patient-level outcomes such as change in A1C, blood pressure, lipids, and weight were measured. One hundred five patients were seen by the pharmacist during the study period, with 1.5% of the total managed at the office. There was a statistically significant increase in influenza vaccinations received. On a patient level, A1C and systolic blood pressure significantly improved. This project represents an exciting opportunity for community pharmacists to expand their scope of services through direct partnership with PCMHs and maintain a sustainable reimbursement structure. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Air pollution legislation and regulation in the european community: A review essay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Riordan, Timothy

Pollution control generally is moving from the specific to the general, from the local to the international, from reactive measures to foresight management, from emission based to technology forced, and from single media managed to integrated. These are trends only, but there is a persistence behind these trends. This suggests that air pollution legislation and regulation will be driven more by international protocols and commitments than by national interests. Since enforcement will remain primarily a national responsibility because individual countries vary in their enthusiasm to meet externally imposed air pollution legislation, the weak link in the regulatory chain may well prove to be practical implementation of legislative intent.

[Application of supply chain integration management of medical consumables].

PubMed

Zhang, Jian

2013-07-01

This paper introduces the background, the content, the information management system of material supply chain integration management and the consumables management process. The system helps to expand the selection of hospital supplies varieties, to reduce consumables management costs, to improve the efficiency of supplies, to ensure supplies safety, reliability and traceability.

Expert study to select indicators of the occurrence of emerging mycotoxin hazards.

PubMed

Kandhai, M C; Booij, C J H; Van der Fels-Klerx, H J

2011-01-01

This article describes a Delphi-based expert judgment study aimed at the selection of indicators to identify the occurrence of emerging mycotoxin hazards related to Fusarium spp. in wheat supply chains. A panel of 29 experts from 12 European countries followed a holistic approach to evaluate the most important indicators for different chain stages (growth, transport and storage, and processing) and their relative importance. After three e-mailing rounds, the experts reached consensus on the most important indicators for each of the three stages: wheat growth, transport and storage, and processing. For wheat growth, these indicators include: relative humidity/rainfall, crop rotation, temperature, tillage practice, water activity of the kernels, and crop variety/cultivar. For the transport and storage stage, they include water activity in the kernels, relative humidity, ventilation, temperature, storage capacity, and logistics. For wheat processing, indicators include quality data, fraction of the cereal used, water activity in the kernels, quality management and traceability systems, and carryover of contamination. The indicators selected in this study can be used in an identification system for the occurrence of emerging mycotoxin hazards in wheat supply chains. Such a system can be used by risk managers within governmental (related) organizations and/or the food and feed industry in order to react proactively to the occurrence of these emerging mycotoxins. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.

Challenges with the introduction of radio-frequency identification systems into a manufacturer's supply chain - a pilot study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sameer; Kadow, Brooke B.; Lamkin, Melissa K.

2011-05-01

As radio-frequency identification (RFID) implementation becomes more widespread it is important for managers to consider if this technology is right for their businesses. This study examines challenges of RFID implementation along with a cost-benefit analysis of a pharmaceuticals manufacturer's supply chain. Research was gathered from a variety of sources on the topic of RFID to provide an in-depth analysis of challenges and benefits found with RFID systems. Furthermore, the study reviews the real case applications of the RFID technology in healthcare and customer services. Many of the challenges with RFID stem from improper planning of the synchronisation of the supply chain and the integration of RFID technology into facilities and software systems. Customer privacy, excess information and obsolete technology are also of concern to companies considering RFID. Benefits such as increased information sharing, product visibility and real-time information help to offset these challenges. In addition, pharmaceuticals manufacturer real case application showed cost savings from reducing labour and decreased opportunities for lost product counteract the expense to implement an RFID system. This study will be of value to managers who are attempting to implement RFID technology in their companies. It is intended that readers, both academics and practitioners, will be able to identify possible challenges and mitigate them as the RFID technology is put into practice.

Dollar$ & $en$e. Part V: What is your added value?

PubMed

Wilkinson, I

2001-01-01

In Part I of this series, I introduced the concept of memes (1). Memes are ideas or concepts--the information world equivalent of genes. The goal of this series of articles is to infect you with memes, so that you will assimilate, translate, and express them. No matter what our area of expertise or "-ology," we all are in the information business. Our goal is to be in the wisdom business. In the previous papers in this series, I showed that when we convert raw data into wisdom we are moving along a value chain. Each step in the chain adds a different amount of value to the final product: timely, relevant, accurate, and precise knowledge that can be applied to create the ultimate product in the value chain: wisdom. In Part II of this series, I introduced a set of memes for measuring the cost of adding value (2). In Part III of this series, I presented a new set of memes for measuring the added value of knowledge, i.e., intellectual capital (3). In Part IV of this series, I discussed practical knowledge management tools for measuring the value of people, structural, and customer capital (4). In Part V of this series, I will apply intellectual capital and knowledge management concepts at the individual level, to help answer a fundamental question: What is my added value?

Speciation of Mercury in Selected Areas of the Petroleum Value Chain.

PubMed

Avellan, Astrid; Stegemeier, John P; Gai, Ke; Dale, James; Hsu-Kim, Heileen; Levard, Clément; O'Rear, Dennis; Hoelen, Thomas P; Lowry, Gregory V

2018-02-06

Petroleum, natural gas, and natural gas condensate can contain low levels of mercury (Hg). The speciation of Hg can affect its behavior during processing, transport, and storage so efficient and safe management of Hg requires an understanding of its chemical form in oil, gas and byproducts. Here, X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to determine the Hg speciation in samples of solid residues collected throughout the petroleum value chain including stabilized crude oil residues, sediments from separation tanks and condensate glycol dehydrators, distillation column pipe scale, and biosludge from wastewater treatment. In all samples except glycol dehydrators, metacinnabar (β-HgS) was the primary form of Hg. Electron microscopy on particles from a crude sediment showed nanosized (<100 nm) particles forming larger aggregates, and confirmed the colocalization of Hg and sulfur. In sediments from glycol dehydrators, organic Hg(SR) 2 accounted for ∼60% of the Hg, with ∼20% present as β-HgS and/or Hg(SR) 4 species. β-HgS was the predominant Hg species in refinery biosludge and pipe scale samples. However, the balance of Hg species present in these samples depended on the nature of the crude oil being processed, i.e. sweet (low sulfur crudes) vs sour (higher sulfur crudes). This information on Hg speciation in the petroleum value chain will inform development of better engineering controls and management practices for Hg.

The evolving role of supply chain management technology in healthcare.

PubMed

Langabeer, Jim

2005-01-01

The healthcare supply chain is a vast, disintegrated network of products and players, loosely held together by manual and people-intensive processes. Managing the flow of information, supplies, equipment, and services from manufacturers to distributors to providers of care is especially difficult in clinical supply chains, compared with more technology-intense industries like consumer goods or industrial manufacturing. As supplies move downstream towards hospitals and clinics, the quality and robustness of accompanying management and information systems used to manage these products deteriorates significantly. Technology that provides advanced planning, synchronization, and collaboration upstream at the large supply manufacturers and distributors rarely is used at even the world's larger and more sophisticated hospitals. This article outlines the current state of healthcare supply chain management technologies, addresses potential reasons for the lack of adoption of technologies and provides a roadmap for the evolution of technology for the future. This piece is based on both quantitative and qualitative research assessments of the healthcare supply chain conducted during the last two years.

Optimizing the DoD Supply Chain for the Future Joint Force

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-01

4 Sunil Chopra and Peter Meindl, Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning, and Operation, 5th ed. (Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2013), 339...Arlington, VA: Lexington Institute, 2005. Chopra, Sunil and Peter Meindl. Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning, and Operation. 5th ed. Boston

Streamlining the supply chain.

PubMed

Neumann, Lydon

2003-07-01

Effective management of the supply chain requires attention to: Product management--formulary development and maintenance, compliance, clinical involvement, standardization, and demand-matching. Sourcing and contracting--vendor consolidation, GPO portfolio management, price leveling, content management, and direct contracting Purchasing and payment-cycle--automatic placement, web enablement, centralization, evaluated receipts settlement, and invoice matching Inventory and distribution management--"unofficial" and "official" locations, vendor-managed inventory, automatic replenishment, and freight management.

Improving vaccination cold chain in the general practice setting.

PubMed

Page, Sue L; Earnest, Arul; Birden, Hudson; Deaker, Rachelle; Clark, Chris

2008-10-01

This study compared temperature control in different types of vaccine storing refrigerators in general practice and tested knowledge of general practice staff in vaccine storage requirements. Temperature data loggers were set to serially record the temperature within vaccine refrigerators in 28 general practices, recording at 12 minute intervals over a period of 10 days on each occasion. A survey of vaccine storage knowledge and records of divisions of general practice immunisation contacts were also obtained. There was a significant relationship between type of refrigerator and optimal temperature, with the odds ratio for bar style refrigerator being 0.005 (95% CI: 0.001-0.044) compared to the purpose built vaccine refrigerators. Score on a survey of vaccine storage was also positively associated with optimal storage temperature. General practices that invest in purpose built vaccine refrigerators will achieve standards of vaccine cold chain maintenance significantly more reliably than can be achieved through regular cold chain monitoring and practice supports.

Promising and Reversible Electrolyte with Thermal Switching Behavior for Safer Electrochemical Storage Devices.

PubMed

Shi, Yunhui; Zhang, Qian; Zhang, Yan; Jia, Limin; Xu, Xinhua

2018-02-28

A major stumbling block in large-scale adoption of high-energy-density electrochemical devices has been safety issues. Methods to control thermal runaway are limited by providing a one-time thermal protection. Herein, we developed a simple and reversible thermoresponsive electrolyte system that is efficient to shutdown the current flow according to temperature changes. The thermal management is ascribed to the thermally activated sol-gel transition of methyl cellulose solution, associated with the concentration of ions that can move between isolated chains freely or be restricted by entangled molecular chains. We studied the effect of cellulose concentration, substituent types, and operating temperature on the electrochemical performance, demonstrating an obvious capacity loss up to 90% approximately of its initial value. Moreover, this is a cost-effective approach that has the potential for use in practical electrochemical storage devices.

Scaling up antiretroviral therapy in Uganda: using supply chain management to appraise health systems strengthening

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Strengthened national health systems are necessary for effective and sustained expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART and its supply chain management in Uganda are largely based on parallel and externally supported efforts. The question arises whether systems are being strengthened to sustain access to ART. This study applies systems thinking to assess supply chain management, the role of external support and whether investments create the needed synergies to strengthen health systems. Methods This study uses the WHO health systems framework and examines the issues of governance, financing, information, human resources and service delivery in relation to supply chain management of medicines and the technologies. It looks at links and causal chains between supply chain management for ART and the national supply system for essential drugs. It combines data from the literature and key informant interviews with observations at health service delivery level in a study district. Results Current drug supply chain management in Uganda is characterized by parallel processes and information systems that result in poor quality and inefficiencies. Less than expected health system performance, stock outs and other shortages affect ART and primary care in general. Poor performance of supply chain management is amplified by weak conditions at all levels of the health system, including the areas of financing, governance, human resources and information. Governance issues include the lack to follow up initial policy intentions and a focus on narrow, short-term approaches. Conclusion The opportunity and need to use ART investments for an essential supply chain management and strengthened health system has not been exploited. By applying a systems perspective this work indicates the seriousness of missing system prerequisites. The findings suggest that root causes and capacities across the system have to be addressed synergistically to enable systems that can match and accommodate investments in disease-specific interventions. The multiplicity and complexity of existing challenges require a long-term and systems perspective essentially in contrast to the current short term and program-specific nature of external assistance. PMID:21806826

Promise and problems with supply chain management approaches to health care purchasing.

PubMed

Ford, Eric W; Scanlon, Dennis P

2007-01-01

Double-digit health care inflation, coupled with widespread reports of poor care quality and deadly medical errors, has caused private sector employers to reevaluate their health benefits purchasing strategies, with a focus on supply chain management approaches. In other industries, this strategy has proven to be an effective method for simultaneously reducing costs and increasing quality. This article describes four current applications of supply chain management network methodologies to health care systems and identifies potential ways to improve purchasers' return on investment. In particular, information exchanges, purchase decision, and payment agreement components of integrated supply chains are described. First, visual depictions of the health care supply chain are developed from a purchaser's perspective. Next, five nationwide programs designed to realign incentives and rewards across the health care supply chain are described. Although several nationwide efforts are gaining traction in the marketplace, at this time, no cost reduction and quality improvement program initiative appears to systematically align the entire health care supply chain from providers to purchasers, raising doubt about the ability of supply chain management network techniques to significantly impact the health care marketplace in the short run. Current individual efforts to coordinate the health care supply chain do not act on all of the actors necessary to improve outcomes, promote safety, and control costs. Nevertheless, there are indications that several of the individual efforts are coming together. If national efforts touching on all critical elements can coordinate with purchasers, then the health care supply chain's performance may improve significantly.

Managing perceived operational risk factors for effective supply-chain management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sylla, Cheickna

2014-12-01

This research is part of a large scale comprehensive mathematical and empirical modeling investigation projects aimed at developing a better understanding of supply-chain risk management by offering a comprehensive framework including theoretical elements and empirical evidence based on managers' perception of improved organizational level of preparedness to safeguard against the threats of disruptions, delays and stoppage in the supply chain. More specifically, this paper reports the empirical investigation conducted using 92 companies in several eastern USA regions involved in international trades with global supply chains. Among the 56 general hypotheses investigated, the results support that managers strive to balance their control and decision impacts to mold their responses to risk factors with knowledge of the extent of cost consequences as stated in previous research. However, the results also propose new findings which significantly vary from previous research reports.

Advancing Cost-Effective Readiness by Improving the Supply Chain Management of Sparse, Intermittently-Demanded Parts

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

DEMANDED PARTS DISSERTATION Gregory H. Gehret AFIT-ENS-DS-15-M- 256 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR UNIVERSITY AIR FORCE INSTITUTE...protection in the United States. AFIT-ENS-DS-15-M- 256 ADVANCING COST-EFFECTIVE READINESS BY IMPROVING THE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF SPARSE...RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. AFIT-ENS-DS-15-M- 256 ADVANCING COST-EFFECTIVE READINESS BY IMPROVING THE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF SPARSE

Developing Tailored Supply Strategies

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

David J . Closs, and M. Bixby Cooper, Supply Chain Logistics Management, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Burt, David N., and Richard L. Pinkerton, A ...Supply Chain Management, Vol. 37, No. 2, Spring 2001, pp. 8–15. Bibliography 119 Coyle, John J ., Edward J . Bardi , and C. John Langley Jr., The...Gelderman, Cees J ., and Arjan J . van Weele, “Strategic Direction Through Purchasing Portfolio Management: A Case Study,” The Journal of Supply Chain

Developing a Supply Chain Management Certification for the Department of Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

Supply Chain Management, the 77 M. Eric Johnson and David Pyke, “A Framework for Teaching Supply Chain Management,” Production and Operations...Review Web Site (October 5, 2006), http://www.scmr.com/article/CA6378393.html?text=rankings (accessed May 10, 2007). 86 M. Eric Johnson and David...2006). 103 M. Eric Johnson and David Pyke. (2000). 34 When an individual completes the entire proposed curriculum, an acquisition professional

[The German program for disease management guidelines: evaluation by use of quality indicators].

PubMed

Kopp, Ina B; Geraedts, Max; Jäckel, Wilfried H; Altenhofen, Lutz; Thomeczek, Christian; Ollenschläger, Günter

2007-08-15

The Program for National Disease Management Guidelines (German DM-CPG Program) in Germany aims at the implementation of best-practice recommendations for prevention, acute care, rehabilitation and chronic care in the setting of disease management programs and integrated health-care systems. Like other guidelines, DM-CPG need to be assessed regarding their influence on structures, processes and outcomes of care. However, quality assessment in integrated health-care systems is challenging. On the one hand, a multitude of potential domains for measurement, actors and perspectives need to be considered. On the other hand, measures need to be identified that assess the function of the diagnostic and therapeutic chain in terms of cooperation and coordination of care. The article reviews methods and use of quality indicators in the context of the German DM-CPG Program.

Increasing Capacity Exploitation in Food Supply Chains Using Grid Concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volk, Eugen; Müller, Marcus; Jacob, Ansger; Racz, Peter; Waldburger, Martin

Food supply chains today are characterized by fixed trade relations with long term contracts established between heterogeneous supply chain companies. Production and logistics capacities of these companies are often utilized in an economically inefficient manner only. In addition, increased consumer awareness in food safety issues renders supply chain management even more challenging, since integrated tracking and tracing along the whole food supply chain is needed. Facing these issues of supply chain management complexity and completely documented product quality, this paper proposes a full lifecycle solution for dynamic capacity markets based on concepts used in the field of Grid [1], like management of Virtual Organization (VO) combined with Service Level Agreement (SLA). The solution enables the cost-efficient utilization of real world capacities (e.g., production capacities or logistics facilities) by using a simple, browser-based portal. Users are able to enter into product-specific negotiations with buyers and suppliers of a food supply chain, and to obtain real-time access to product information including SLA evaluation reports. Thus, business opportunities in wider market access, process innovation, and trustworthy food products are offered for participating supply chain companies.

A supply chain approach to biochar systems [Chapter 2

Treesearch

Nathaniel M. Anderson; Richard D. Bergman; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese

2017-01-01

Biochar systems are designed to meet four related primary objectives: improve soils, manage waste, generate renewable energy, and mitigate climate change. Supply chain models provide a holistic framework for examining biochar systems with an emphasis on product life cycle and end use. Drawing on concepts in supply chain management and engineering, this chapter presents...

Teaching Teachers about Supply Chain Management to Influence Students' Career and Education Choices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Leslie L.

2013-01-01

Since teachers are influential in high school students' career choices, enabling high school teachers to introduce educational and career opportunities in supply chain management is a viable strategy for reaching high school students about these opportunities. This article presents a pilot program of supply chain workshops to educate high school…

Chantey Castings: A Hands-On Simulation to Teach Constraint Management and Demand-Driven Supply Chain Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grandzol, Christian J.; Grandzol, John R.

2018-01-01

Supply chain design and constraint management are widely-adopted techniques in industry, necessitating that operations and supply chain educators teach these topics in ways that enhance student learning and retention, optimize resource utilization (especially time), and maximize student interest. The Chantey Castings Simulation provides a platform…

Talent management for the twenty-first century.

PubMed

Cappelli, Peter

2008-03-01

Most firms have no formal programs for anticipating and fulfilling talent needs, relying on an increasingly expensive pool of outside candidates that has been shrinking since it was created from the white-collar layoffs of the 1980s. But the advice these companies are getting to solve the problem--institute large-scale internal development programs--is equally ineffective. Internal development was the norm back in the 1950s, and every management-development practice that seems novel today was routine in those years--from executive coaching to 360-degree feedback to job rotation to high-potential programs. However, the stable business environment and captive talent pipelines in which such practices were born no longer exist. It's time for a fundamentally new approach to talent management. Fortunately, companies already have such a model, one that has been well honed over decades to anticipate and meet demand in uncertain environments: supply chain management. Cappelli, a professor at the Wharton School, focuses on four practices in particular. First, companies should balance make-versus-buy decisions by using internal development programs to produce most--but not all--of the needed talent, filling in with outside hiring. Second, firms can reduce the risks in forecasting the demand for talent by sending smaller batches of candidates through more modularized training systems in much the same way manufacturers now employ components in just-in-time production lines. Third, companies can improve their returns on investment in development efforts by adopting novel cost-sharing programs. Fourth, they should seek to protect their investments by generating internal opportunities to encourage newly trained managers to stick with the firm. Taken together, these principles form the foundation for a new paradigm in talent management: a talent-on-demand system.

Using SCOR as a Supply Chain Management Framework for Government Agency Contract Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paxton, Joe

2010-01-01

Enterprise Supply Chain Management consists of: Specifying suppliers to support inter-program and inter-agency efforts. Optimizing inventory levels and locations throughout the supply chain. Executing corrective actions to improve quality and lead time issues throughout the supply chain. Processing reported data to calculate and make visible supply chain performance (provide information for decisions and actions). Ensuring the right hardware and information is provided at the right time and in the right place. Monitoring the industrial base while developing, producing, operating and retiring a system. Seeing performance deep in the supply chain that could indicate issues affecting system availability and readiness.

Analysis of Food Safety and Security Challenges in Emerging African Food Producing Areas through a One Health Lens: The Dairy Chains in Mali.

PubMed

Cheng, Rachel; Mantovani, Alberto; Frazzoli, Chiara

2017-01-01

Challenges posed by changes in livestock production in emerging food producing areas and demographic development and climate change require new approaches and responsibilities in the management of food chains. The increasingly recognized role of primary food producers requires the support of the scientific community to instruct effective approaches based on scientific data, tools, and expertise. Mali is an emerging food producing area, and this review covers (i) the dairy farming scenario and its environment, (ii) the role of dairy production in food security, including the greatly different animal rearing systems in the Sahel and tropical regions, (iii) risk management pillars as modern infrastructures, effective farmer organizations, and institutional systems to guarantee animal health and safety of products, and (iv) feasible interventions based on good practices and risk assessment at the farm level (e.g., sustainable use of fertilizers, feeds, veterinary drugs, and pesticides) to protect consumers from food safety hazards. Social innovation based on the empowerment of the primary food producers emerges as crucial for sustainable and safe food production. Sustainable policies should be supported by the mobilization of stakeholders of One Health, which is a science-based approach to linking human health and nutrition with the health and management of food producing animals and environmental safety. In the context of the complex, multifaceted scenario of Mali dairy production, this article presents how a cost-effective animal health and food safety scheme could be established in the dairy production chain. Because milk is a major commodity in this country, benefits could be derived in food security, public health, the resilience of the farming system, animal husbandry, and international trade.

Creating patient value in glaucoma care: applying quality costing and care delivery value chain approaches--a five-year case study in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital.

PubMed

de Korne, Dirk F; Sol, Kees; Custers, Thomas; van Sprundel, Esther; van Ineveld, B Martin; Lemij, Hans G; Klazinga, Niek S

2009-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore in a specific hospital care process the applicability in practice of the theories of quality costing and value chains. In a retrospective case study an in-depth evaluation of the use of a quality cost model (QCM) and the applicability of Porter's care delivery value chain (CDVC) was performed in a specific care process: glaucoma care over the period 2001 to 2006 in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital in The Netherlands. The case study shows a reduction of costs per product by increasing the number of outpatient visits and surgery combined with a higher patient satisfaction. Reduction of costs of non-compliance by using the QCM is small, due to the absence of (external) financial incentives for both the hospital and individual physicians. For CDVC to be supportive to an integrated quality and cost management the notion "patient value" needs far more specification as mutually agreed on by the stakeholders involved and related reimbursement needs to depend on realised outcomes. The case study just focused on one specific care process in one hospital. To determine effects in other areas of health care, it is important to study the use and applicability of the QCM and the CDVC in other care processes and settings. QCM and a CDVC can be useful tools for hospital management to manage the outcomes on both quality and costs, but impact is dependent on the incentives in the context of the existing organisational and reimbursement system and asks for an agreed on operationalisation among the various stakeholders of the notion of patient value.

Evolving Relationship Structures in Multi-sourcing Arrangements: The Case of Mission Critical Outsourcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heitlager, Ilja; Helms, Remko; Brinkkemper, Sjaak

Information Technology Outsourcing practice and research mainly considers the outsourcing phenomenon as a generic fulfilment of the IT function by external parties. Inspired by the logic of commodity, core competencies and economies of scale; assets, existing departments and IT functions are transferred to external parties. Although the generic approach might work for desktop outsourcing, where standardisation is the dominant factor, it does not work for the management of mission critical applications. Managing mission critical applications requires a different approach where building relationships is critical. The relationships involve inter and intra organisational parties in a multi-sourcing arrangement, called an IT service chain, consisting of multiple (specialist) parties that have to collaborate closely to deliver high quality services.

Food Safety Perceptions and Practices among Smallholder Pork Value Chain Actors in Hung Yen Province, Vietnam.

PubMed

Dang-Xuan, Sinh; Nguyen-Viet, Hung; Meeyam, Tongkorn; Fries, Reinhard; Nguyen-Thanh, Huong; Pham-Duc, Phuc; Lam, Steven; Grace, Delia; Unger, Fred

2016-09-01

Pork safety is an important public health concern in Vietnam and is a shared responsibility among many actors along the pork value chain. We examined the knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding food safety, disease, and health risk among selected pork value chain actors (slaughterhouse owners and workers, people living around slaughterhouses, pork sellers, consumers, and veterinary and public health staff) in three districts in Hung Yen Province, Vietnam. We randomly selected 52 pork value chain actors to be surveyed through questionnaires, observation checklists, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Most slaughterhouse workers acquired knowledge and experience of food safety through "learning by doing" rather than from training by a veterinary or public health professional. Both slaughterhouse worker and pork seller groups had some accurate perceptions about pig diseases and foodborne diseases; however, misperceptions of risk and, especially, of zoonoses were present. Furthermore, while workers and sellers often use cloths to dry the meat and clean equipment, they did not think this was a risk for meat contamination. Moreover, when sellers wear protective equipment, such as gloves, masks, or hats, consumers perceive that the sellers may have health issues they are trying to conceal and so consumers avoid buying from them. The perceived freshness of pork, along with trust in the seller and in the pork production process, were strong indicators of consumer preference. And yet, pork value chain actors tend to trust their own individual food safety practices more, rather than the practices of other actors along the chain. Veterinary and public health staff emphasized the gap between regulations and food safety practices. Education and training on food safety risks and proper handling are priorities, along with integrated and intensive efforts to improve food safety among pork value chain actors.

Rapid MODIS-based detection of tree cover loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheeler, David; Guzder-Williams, Brook; Petersen, Rachael; Thau, David

2018-07-01

This paper reports on recent improvements made to the FORMA (Hammer et al., 2014a) data product. The resulting system, FORMA250, is a 250-m alerting system updated daily. FORMA250 alerts are available through Global Forest Watch. These alerts can empower law enforcement officials, government agencies responsible for protecting forests, nongovernmental organizations, companies committed to sustainable forest management practices and supply chains, indigenous groups and forest-dependent communities. In addition, the alerts provide useful information for researchers who study temporal and spatial patterns of forest clearing.

Evaluation of community pharmacy service mix: evidence from the 2004 National Pharmacist Workforce Study.

PubMed

Doucette, William R; Kreling, David H; Schommer, Jon C; Gaither, Caroline A; Mott, David A; Pedersen, Craig A

2006-01-01

To describe the mix of pharmacy services being offered in different types of community pharmacy practices and to identify factors associated with a community pharmacy offering pharmacy services. Cross-sectional study. Community pharmacies (independent, chain, mass merchandiser, and supermarket pharmacies). Pharmacists practicing full-time or part-time who worked in community pharmacies and responded to the 2004 National Pharmacist Workforce Survey. Mailed survey from the 2004 National Pharmacist Workforce Survey, which included core content questions for all sampled pharmacists and supplemental surveys that included workplace questions for a selected subsample of pharmacists. Type and frequency of pharmacy services being offered in a community pharmacy, including dispensing and product-related services (e.g., specialty compounding), and pharmacist care services (e.g., immunizations, smoking cessation, health screening, medication therapy management, wellness screening, nutritional support, and disease management services). Four pharmacist care services were reported as being offered at more than 10% of community pharmacy practices: immunizations, smoking cessation, health screening, and diabetes management. The number of pharmacist care services offered at a community pharmacy was positively associated with having at least three pharmacists on duty, innovativeness of the pharmacy, status as an independent pharmacy, and status as a supermarket pharmacy. More than one half of the community pharmacy practices did not offer any of the eight pharmacist care services included in a pharmacy service index. Pharmacy services were reported at relatively few community pharmacies, and were associated with pharmacy innovativeness, pharmacist staffing levels, and pharmacy setting. Some community pharmacies are offering pharmacy services as part of their business strategy, while others are dedicated to dispensing services. Continued study of pharmacy service availability in community pharmacies is needed to improve our understanding of our capacity to deliver such services, including medication therapy management services.

Cost-effective practices in the blood service sector.

PubMed

Katsaliaki, Korina

2008-05-01

The objective of this study is to recommend alternative policies, which are tested on a computer simulation model, towards a more cost-effective management of the blood supply chain in the UK. With the use of primary and secondary data from the National Blood Service (NBS) and the supplied hospitals, statistical analysis is conducted and a detailed discrete event simulation model of a vertical part of the UK supply chain of blood products is developed to test and identify good ordering, inventory and distribution practices. Fewer outdates, group substitutions, shortages and deliveries could be achieved by blood banks: holding stock of rare blood groups of red blood cells (RBC), having a second routine delivery per weekday, exercising a more insensitive ordering point for RBC, reducing the total crossmatch release period to less than 1.5 days, increasing the transfusion-to-crossmatch ratio to 70%, adhering to an age-based issuing of orders, holding RBC stock of a weighted average of approximately 4 days. The blood supply simulation model can offer useful pieces of advice to the stakeholders of the examined system which leads to cost reductions and increased safety. Moreover, it provides a great range of experimental capabilities in a risk-free environment.

The knowledge-value chain: A conceptual framework for knowledge translation in health.

PubMed

Landry, Réjean; Amara, Nabil; Pablos-Mendes, Ariel; Shademani, Ramesh; Gold, Irving

2006-08-01

This article briefly discusses knowledge translation and lists the problems associated with it. Then it uses knowledge-management literature to develop and propose a knowledge-value chain framework in order to provide an integrated conceptual model of knowledge management and application in public health organizations. The knowledge-value chain is a non-linear concept and is based on the management of five dyadic capabilities: mapping and acquisition, creation and destruction, integration and sharing/transfer, replication and protection, and performance and innovation.

The knowledge-value chain: A conceptual framework for knowledge translation in health.

PubMed Central

Landry, Réjean; Amara, Nabil; Pablos-Mendes, Ariel; Shademani, Ramesh; Gold, Irving

2006-01-01

This article briefly discusses knowledge translation and lists the problems associated with it. Then it uses knowledge-management literature to develop and propose a knowledge-value chain framework in order to provide an integrated conceptual model of knowledge management and application in public health organizations. The knowledge-value chain is a non-linear concept and is based on the management of five dyadic capabilities: mapping and acquisition, creation and destruction, integration and sharing/transfer, replication and protection, and performance and innovation. PMID:16917645

Sustainable Supplier Performance Evaluation and Selection with Neofuzzy TOPSIS Method

PubMed Central

Chaharsooghi, S. K.; Ashrafi, Mehdi

2014-01-01

Supplier selection plays an important role in the supply chain management and traditional criteria such as price, quality, and flexibility are considered for supplier performance evaluation in researches. In recent years sustainability has received more attention in the supply chain management literature with triple bottom line (TBL) describing the sustainability in supply chain management with social, environmental, and economic initiatives. This paper explores sustainability in supply chain management and examines the problem of identifying a new model for supplier selection based on extended model of TBL approach in supply chain by presenting fuzzy multicriteria method. Linguistic values of experts' subjective preferences are expressed with fuzzy numbers and Neofuzzy TOPSIS is proposed for finding the best solution of supplier selection problem. Numerical results show that the proposed model is efficient for integrating sustainability in supplier selection problem. The importance of using complimentary aspects of sustainability and Neofuzzy TOPSIS concept in sustainable supplier selection process is shown with sensitivity analysis. PMID:27379267

Sustainable Supplier Performance Evaluation and Selection with Neofuzzy TOPSIS Method.

PubMed

Chaharsooghi, S K; Ashrafi, Mehdi

2014-01-01

Supplier selection plays an important role in the supply chain management and traditional criteria such as price, quality, and flexibility are considered for supplier performance evaluation in researches. In recent years sustainability has received more attention in the supply chain management literature with triple bottom line (TBL) describing the sustainability in supply chain management with social, environmental, and economic initiatives. This paper explores sustainability in supply chain management and examines the problem of identifying a new model for supplier selection based on extended model of TBL approach in supply chain by presenting fuzzy multicriteria method. Linguistic values of experts' subjective preferences are expressed with fuzzy numbers and Neofuzzy TOPSIS is proposed for finding the best solution of supplier selection problem. Numerical results show that the proposed model is efficient for integrating sustainability in supplier selection problem. The importance of using complimentary aspects of sustainability and Neofuzzy TOPSIS concept in sustainable supplier selection process is shown with sensitivity analysis.

Mutilating Procedures, Management Practices, and Housing Conditions That May Affect the Welfare of Farm Animals: Implications for Welfare Research

PubMed Central

Nordquist, Rebecca E.; van der Staay, Franz Josef; van Eerdenburg, Frank J. C. M.; Velkers, Francisca C.; Fijn, Lisa; Arndt, Saskia S.

2017-01-01

Simple summary Intensive farming systems are confronted with a number of animal welfare issues such as injuries from horns in cattle and feather pecking in poultry. To solve these problems, mutilating procedures, such as dehorning in cattle and goats and beak trimming in laying hens, are applied routinely. These and other procedures such as early maternal separation, overcrowding, and barren housing conditions impair animal welfare. Scientific underpinning of the efficacy of these interventions and management practices is poor. We advocate that all stakeholders, in particular animal scientists and veterinarians, take the lead in evaluating common, putative mutilating and welfare reducing procedures and management practices to develop better, scientifically supported alternatives, focused on adaptation of the environment to the animals, to ensure uncompromised animal welfare. Abstract A number of mutilating procedures, such as dehorning in cattle and goats and beak trimming in laying hens, are common in farm animal husbandry systems in an attempt to prevent or solve problems, such as injuries from horns or feather pecking. These procedures and other practices, such as early maternal separation, overcrowding, and barren housing conditions, raise concerns about animal welfare. Efforts to ensure or improve animal welfare involve adapting the animal to its environment, i.e., by selective breeding (e.g., by selecting “robust” animals) adapting the environment to the animal (e.g., by developing social housing systems in which aggressive encounters are reduced to a minimum), or both. We propose adapting the environment to the animals by improving management practices and housing conditions, and by abandoning mutilating procedures. This approach requires the active involvement of all stakeholders: veterinarians and animal scientists, the industrial farming sector, the food processing and supply chain, and consumers of animal-derived products. Although scientific evidence about the welfare effects of current practices in farming such as mutilating procedures, management practices, and housing conditions is steadily growing, the gain in knowledge needs a boost through more scientific research. Considering the huge number of animals whose welfare is affected, all possible effort must be made to improve their welfare as quickly as possible in order to ban welfare-compromising procedures and practices as soon as possible. PMID:28230800

[New approach for managing microbial risks in food].

PubMed

Augustin, Jean-Christophe

2015-01-01

The aim of the food legislation is to ensure the protection of human health. Traditionally, the food legislation requires food business operators to apply good hygiene practices and specific procedures to control foodborne pathogens. These regulations allowed reaching a high level of health protection. The improvement of the system will require risk-based approaches. Firstly, risk assessment should allow the identification of high-risk situations where resources should be allocated for a better targeting of risk management. Then, management measures should be adapted to the health objective. In this approach, the appropriate level of protection is converted intofood safety and performance objectives on the food chain, i.e., maximum microbial contamination to fulfil the acceptable risk level. When objectives are defined, the food business operators and competent authorities can identify control options to comply with the objectives and establish microbiological criteria to verify compliance with these objectives. This approach, described for approximately 10 years, operative thanks to the development of quantitative risk assessment techniques, is still difficult to use in practical terms since it requires a commitment of competent authorities to define the acceptable risk and needs also the implementation of sometimes complex risk models.

Analysis of supply chain management of shallots in Medan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, M. C.; Supriana, T.

2018-02-01

Supply chain is important for business. One of supply chain that needs to be studied is the shallots supply chain. Medan have high demand while the supply of shallots is limited. This study aims to analyze the flow of shallots supply chain distribution in Medan. The method used was survey by using questionnaires to shallots producers, collecting traders, distributors, traders as well as government involved in shallots supply chain. Descriptive analysis was used to explain the shallots supply chain distribution flow. The results showed that there are two shallots supply chain model in Medan that was local shallots model and imported shallots model. Local shallots model could be distinguished based on three producer area, those were models of Medan Marelan, Samosir, and Simalungun. Medan Marelan and Simalungun models have seven supply chains, while the Samosir Model has eight supply chains. This condition indicates that the local shallots supply chain management in Medan was not efficient because of the length of the distribution channel. Supply chain imported shallots was more efficient because it had a shorter distribution flow with five supply chains.

Concurrent enterprise: a conceptual framework for enterprise supply-chain network activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Addo-Tenkorang, Richard; Helo, Petri T.; Kantola, Jussi

2017-04-01

Supply-chain management (SCM) in manufacturing industries has evolved significantly over the years. Recently, a lot more relevant research has picked up on the development of integrated solutions. Thus, seeking a collaborative optimisation of geographical, just-in-time (JIT), quality (customer demand/satisfaction) and return-on-investment (profits), aspects of organisational management and planning through 'best practice' business-process management - concepts and application; employing system tools such as certain applications/aspects of enterprise resource planning (ERP) - SCM systems information technology (IT) enablers to enhance enterprise integrated product development/concurrent engineering principles. This article assumed three main organisation theory applications in positioning its assumptions. Thus, proposing a feasible industry-specific framework not currently included within the SCOR model's level four (4) implementation level, as well as other existing SCM integration reference models such as in the MIT process handbook's - Process Interchange Format (PIF), the TOVE project, etc. which could also be replicated in other SCs. However, the wider focus of this paper's contribution will be concentrated on a complimentary proposed framework to the SCC's SCOR reference model. Quantitative empirical closed-ended questionnaires in addition to the main data collected from a qualitative empirical real-life industrial-based pilot case study were used: To propose a conceptual concurrent enterprise framework for SCM network activities. This research adopts a design structure matrix simulation approach analysis to propose an optimal enterprise SCM-networked value-adding, customised master data-management platform/portal for efficient SCM network information exchange and an effective supply-chain (SC) network systems-design teams' structure. Furthermore, social network theory analysis will be employed in a triangulation approach with statistical correlation analysis to assess the scale/level of frequency, importance, level of collaborative-ness, mutual trust as well as roles and responsibility among the enterprise SCM network for systems product development (PD) design teams' technical communication network as well as extensive literature reviews.

Learning to Integrate: Supply Chains Reconceptualised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sense, Andrew J.; Clements, Michael D. J.

2007-01-01

This paper introduces and explains a conception of supply chains from a situated learning perspective. This non-conventional supply chain perspective invites the reader to consider supply chain scenarios as "situated learning opportunities involving multiple communities of practice" interacting and participating together. It is argued that by…

Understanding your supply chain to reduce the risk of supply chain disruption.

PubMed

Wildgoose, Nick; Brennan, Patrick; Thompson, Simon

2012-01-01

Supply chains are at the heart of the way in which organisations operate and compete today; they also play a critical role in overall organisation performance. In the context of increasingly complex and global supply chains, the actions taken to drive down costs are likely to drive risk into the supply chain. The frequency of supply chain disruptions is high and this paper offers practical advice to help reduce the frequency and cost associated with these. There is advice to help with the understanding of how to identify critical suppliers. The reader is guided through comprehensive risk assessment and mitigation approaches and a selection of practical risk solutions and tools that you can use is described. There is a section on the 'dos and don'ts' relating to supplier due diligence. For those organisations facing the challenge of drawing up a business case relating to investment in improving supply chain resiliency, there is also a section outlining some of the business benefits of improving supply chain resiliency.

Less can be more: How to make operations more flexible and robust with fewer resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haksöz, ćaǧrı; Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos; Gigerenzer, Gerd

2018-06-01

We review empirical evidence from practice and general theoretical conditions, under which simple rules of thumb can help to make operations flexible and robust. An operation is flexible when it responds adaptively to adverse events such as natural disasters; an operation is robust when it is less affected by adverse events in the first place. We illustrate the relationship between flexibility and robustness in the context of supply chain risk. In addition to increasing flexibility and robustness, simple rules simultaneously reduce the need for resources such as time, money, information, and computation. We illustrate the simple-rules approach with an easy-to-use graphical aid for diagnosing and managing supply chain risk. More generally, we recommend a four-step process for determining the amount of resources that decision makers should invest in so as to increase flexibility and robustness.

Benefits and Barriers of Implementation and Utilization of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Systems in Transfusion Medicine.

PubMed

Coustasse, Alberto; Cunningham, Brian; Deslich, Stacie; Willson, Eric; Meadows, Pamela

2015-01-01

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is used by hospital supply chains to track medical products and monitor inventories. Hospitals have also begun incorporating RFID technology as part of their transfusion processes. The purpose of this review was to analyze how healthcare organization supply chains can benefit from the utilization of RFID systems in transfusion service departments. The methodology for this study was a literature review following the steps of a systematic review with a total of 52 sources referenced. RFID technology is used to manage and track blood products from the initial donor phlebotomy to final disposition or product transfusion. RFID-enabled transfusion practices have successfully increased provider productivity and product quality through work-time reduction and error reduction. Findings of this research study suggest that RFID has provided improvements in quality of care and efficiency, while initial costs, security, and privacy appear to be the principal barriers to adoption.

76 FR 56770 - Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Outsourcing Conference

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-14

..., Pharma Case Study on How to Manage a Global Complex Supply Chain, USP : Good Storage and Distribution... through topics such as Strategic Procurement, End-to-End lifecycle product management, Managing Global Complex Supply Chains, and other topics. The experience level of our audience has fostered engaged dialog...

Distribution of controlled substances in the U.S. supply chain: where does the compass point?

PubMed

Ruble, James H

2012-09-01

Recent administrative actions taken by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Florida have prompted an articulate and detailed discussion of the pharmaceutical supply chain for controlled substances. Current practices in commercial distribution systems may have a partial nexus to the proliferation of opioid prescription drug abuse in Florida. No single factor or entity is responsible for this abuse proliferation, and there is no intent to harm consumers; however, distribution practices are adding risk to public health. This commentary extends a discussion on supply chain practices that seem misaligned in the promotion of legitimate business objectives and advancing public health.

Cold chain management in meat storage, distribution and retail: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nastasijević, I.; Lakićević, B.; Petrović, Z.

2017-09-01

Meat is a perishable product with a short shelf life and therefore short selling times. Therefore, cold chain management in meat supply is of utmost importance for the maintenance of quality and safety of meat/meat products. Raw meat/meat products are likely to support the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and/or spoilage bacteria, and should be kept at temperatures that do not result in a risk to health. The cold chain should not be interrupted at all times along the meat distribution chain. The complexity of global meat supply chain, with frequently long distribution chains associated with transportation of the product within one country, from one to another country and from one to another continent, makes the solutions for the chilling and freezing regimes, as well as monitoring of time-temperature profiles, very important for the overall success in delivery of product which will be accepted by consumer for its freshness and safety levels. From recently, there are several available options for control and management of the cold chain, such as chilled and frozen storage combinations, superchilling, ionizing radiation, biopreservation, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), active packaging, wireless sensors, supported with the software-based cold chain database (CCD).

Electric vehicle (EV) storage supply chain risk and the energy market: A micro and macroeconomic risk management approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar, Susanna D.

As a cost effective storage technology for renewable energy sources, Electric Vehicles can be integrated into energy grids. Integration must be optimized to ascertain that renewable energy is available through storage when demand exists so that cost of electricity is minimized. Optimization models can address economic risks associated with the EV supply chain- particularly the volatility in availability and cost of critical materials used in the manufacturing of EV motors and batteries. Supply chain risk can reflect itself in a shortage of storage, which can increase the price of electricity. We propose a micro-and macroeconomic framework for managing supply chain risk through utilization of a cost optimization model in combination with risk management strategies at the microeconomic and macroeconomic level. The study demonstrates how risk from the EVs vehicle critical material supply chain affects manufacturers, smart grid performance, and energy markets qualitatively and quantitatively. Our results illustrate how risk in the EV supply chain affects EV availability and the cost of ancillary services, and how EV critical material supply chain risk can be mitigated through managerial strategies and policy.

The Impact of Supply Chain Business Processes on Competitive Advantage and Organizational Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-22

Manager, Vice President (VP) Distribution & Fulfillment, Transportation Manager, VP of Supply Chain Management, Production Manager, Director of...Logistics/ Transportation /Distribution (75%), and Supply/Purchasing/Procurement (25%) were identified as functions that best describe the respondents...manufacturing industry (50%), one respondent represented the wholesale trade (12.5%), the retail trade (12.5%), and the transportation and warehousing

Modelling inter-supply chain competition with resource limitation and demand disruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhaobo; Teng, Chunxian; Zhang, Ding; Sun, Jiayi

2016-05-01

This paper proposes a comprehensive model for studying supply chain versus supply chain competition with resource limitation and demand disruption. We assume that there are supply chains with heterogeneous supply network structures that compete at multiple demand markets. Each supply chain is comprised of internal and external firms. The internal firms are coordinated in production and distribution and share some common but limited resources within the supply chain, whereas the external firms are independent and do not share the internal resources. The supply chain managers strive to develop optimal strategies in terms of production level and resource allocation in maximising their profit while facing competition at the end market. The Cournot-Nash equilibrium of this inter-supply chain competition is formulated as a variational inequality problem. We further study the case when there is demand disruption in the plan-execution phase. In such a case, the managers need to revise their planned strategy in order to maximise their profit with the new demand under disruption and minimise the cost of change. We present a bi-criteria decision-making model for supply chain managers and develop the optimal conditions in equilibrium, which again can be formulated by another variational inequality problem. Numerical examples are presented for illustrative purpose.

Managing risks in the fisheries supply chain using House of Risk Framework (HOR) and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, T. L. T.; Tran, T. T.; Huynh, T. P.; Ho, T. K. D.; Le, A. T.; Do, T. K. H.

2018-04-01

One of the sectors which contributes importantly to the development of Vietnam economy is fishery industry. However, during recent year, it has been witnessed many difficulties on managing the performance of the fishery supply chain operations as a whole. In this paper, a framework for supply chain risk management (SCRM) is proposed. Initially, all the activities are mapped by using Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. Next, the risk ranking is analyzed in House of Risk. Furthermore, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) is used to identify inter-relationships among supply chain risks and to visualize the risks according to their levels. For illustration, the model has been tested in several case studies with fishery companies in Can Tho, Mekong Delta. This study identifies 22 risk events and 20 risk agents through the supply chain. Also, the risk priority could be used for further House of Risk with proactive actions in future studies.

Developing and sustaining human resources in the health supply chain in Ethiopia: barriers and enablers.

PubMed

Kälvemark Sporrong, Sofia; Traulsen, Janine M; Damene Kabtimer, Woynabeba; Mekasha Habtegiorgis, Bitsatab; Teshome Gebregeorgise, Dawit; Essah, Nana Am; Khan, Sara A; Brown, Andrew N

2016-01-01

The health supply chain is often the weakest link in achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals and universal health coverage, requiring trained professionals who are often unavailable. In Ethiopia there have been recent developments in the area of health supply chain management. The aim of this study was to explore the current status of the development of human resources in health supply chain management in Ethiopia and to identify important factors affecting this development. A series of face-to-face interviews with key stakeholders was carried out in 2014. The interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. The interview guide comprised 51 questions. A qualitative analysis of transcripts was made. A total of 25 interviews were conducted. Three themes were identified: General changes: recognition, commitment and resources, Education and training, and Barriers and enablers. Results confirm the development of human resources in health supply chain management in many areas. However, several problems were identified including lack of coordination, partly due to the large number of stakeholders; reported high staff mobility; and a lack of overall strategy regarding the job/career structures necessary for maintaining human resources. Rural areas have a particular set of problems, including in transportation of goods and personnel, attracting and keeping personnel, and in communication and access to information. Ethiopia is on the way to developing a nationwide viable system for health supply chain management. However, there are still challenges. Short-term challenges include the importance of highlighting strategies and programs for human resources in health supply chain management. In the long term, commitments to financial support must be obtained. A strategy is needed for the further development and sustainability of human resources in the health supply chain in Ethiopia.

Dynamics of global supply chain and electric power networks: Models, pricing analysis, and computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsypura, Dmytro

In this dissertation, I develop a new theoretical framework for the modeling, pricing analysis, and computation of solutions to electric power supply chains with power generators, suppliers, transmission service providers, and the inclusion of consumer demands. In particular, I advocate the application of finite-dimensional variational inequality theory, projected dynamical systems theory, game theory, network theory, and other tools that have been recently proposed for the modeling and analysis of supply chain networks (cf. Nagurney (2006)) to electric power markets. This dissertation contributes to the extant literature on the modeling, analysis, and solution of supply chain networks, including global supply chains, in general, and electric power supply chains, in particular, in the following ways. It develops a theoretical framework for modeling, pricing analysis, and computation of electric power flows/transactions in electric power systems using the rationale for supply chain analysis. The models developed include both static and dynamic ones. The dissertation also adds a new dimension to the methodology of the theory of projected dynamical systems by proving that, irrespective of the speeds of adjustment, the equilibrium of the system remains the same. Finally, I include alternative fuel suppliers, along with their behavior into the supply chain modeling and analysis framework. This dissertation has strong practical implications. In an era in which technology and globalization, coupled with increasing risk and uncertainty, complicate electricity demand and supply within and between nations, the successful management of electric power systems and pricing become increasingly pressing topics with relevance not only for economic prosperity but also national security. This dissertation addresses such related topics by providing models, pricing tools, and algorithms for decentralized electric power supply chains. This dissertation is based heavily on the following coauthored papers: Nagurney, Cruz, and Matsypura (2003), Nagurney and Matsypura (2004, 2005, 2006), Matsypura and Nagurney (2005), Matsypura, Nagurney, and Liu (2006).

Challenges of safe medication practice in paediatric care--a nursing perspective.

PubMed

Star, Kristina; Nordin, Karin; Pöder, Ulrika; Edwards, I Ralph

2013-05-01

To explore nurses' experiences of handling medications in paediatric clinical practice, with a focus on factors that hinder and facilitate safe medication practices. Twenty nurses (registered nurses) from four paediatric wards at two hospitals in Sweden were interviewed in focus groups. The interviews were analysed using content analysis. Six themes emerged from the analysed interviews: the complexity specific for nurses working on paediatric wards is a hindrance to safe medication practices; nurses' concerns about medication errors cause a considerable psychological burden; the individual nurse works hard for safe medication practices and values support from other nurse colleagues; circumstances out of the ordinary are perceived as critical challenges for maintaining patient safety; nurses value clear instructions, guidelines and routines, but these are often missing, variable or changeable; management, other medical professionals, the pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry and informatics support need to respond to the requirements of the nurses' working situations to improve safe medication practices. Weaknesses were apparent in the long chain of the medication-delivery process. A joint effort by different professions involved in that delivery process, and a nationwide collaboration between hospitals is recommended to increase safe medication practices in paediatric care. ©2013 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Planning the bioterrorism response supply chain: learn and live.

PubMed

Brandeau, Margaret L; Hutton, David W; Owens, Douglas K; Bravata, Dena M

2007-01-01

Responses to bioterrorism require rapid procurement and distribution of medical and pharmaceutical supplies, trained personnel, and information. Thus, they present significant logistical challenges. On the basis of a review of the manufacturing and service supply chain literature, the authors identified five supply chain strategies that can potentially increase the speed of response to a bioterrorism attack, reduce inventories, and save money: effective supply chain network design; effective inventory management; postponement of product customization and modularization of component parts; coordination of supply chain stakeholders and appropriate use of incentives; and effective information management. The authors describe how concepts learned from published evaluations of manufacturing and service supply chains, as well as lessons learned from responses to natural disasters, naturally occurring outbreaks, and the 2001 US anthrax attacks, can be applied to design, evaluate, and improve the bioterrorism response supply chain. Such lessons could also be applied to the response supply chains for disease outbreaks and natural and manmade disasters.

Essential tools of supply chain management.

PubMed

Buddress, L; Raedels, A

2000-08-01

At a recent conference, the keynote speaker provoked an incredulous response when he said, "Today, competition among individual firms is dead." He then went on to explain that today, competition is supply chain against supply chain. Whichever firm has the superior supply chain will win out in the marketplace. Given the global marketplace in which we all operate, most of us would agree that his statements are true. How does a firm establish a world-class supply base? What kinds of contracts and agreements are necessary to support the diverse requirements of today's firms? How should a firm select from among the available contract types? These are foundation questions for supply chain management.

Results of a survey regarding irradiation of internal mammary chain in patients with breast cancer: practice is culture driven rather than evidence based.

PubMed

Taghian, Alphonse; Jagsi, Reshma; Makris, Andreas; Goldberg, Saveli; Ceilley, Elizabeth; Grignon, Laurent; Powell, Simon

2004-11-01

To examine the self-reported practice patterns of radiation oncologists in North America and Europe regarding radiotherapy to the internal mammary lymph node chain (IMC) in breast cancer patients. A survey questionnaire was sent in 2001 to physician members of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology regarding their management of breast cancer. Respondents were asked whether they would treat the IMC in several clinical scenarios. A total of 435 responses were obtained from European and 702 responses from North American radiation oncologists. Respondents were increasingly likely to report IMC irradiation in scenarios with greater axillary involvement. Responses varied widely among different European regions, the United States, and Canada (p < 0.01). European respondents were more likely to treat the IMC (p < 0.01) than their North American counterparts. Academic physicians were more likely to treat the IMC than those in nonacademic positions (p < 0.01). The results of this study revealed significant international variation in attitudes regarding treatment of the IMC. The international patterns of variation mirror the divergent conclusions of studies conducted in the different regions, indicating that physicians may rely preferentially on evidence from local studies when making difficult treatment decisions. These variations in self-reported practice patterns indicate the need for greater data in this area, particularly from international cooperative trials. The cultural predispositions documented in this study are important to recognize, because they may continue to affect physician attitudes and practices, even as greater evidence accumulates.

Collaborative Drug Therapy Management: Case Studies of Three Community-Based Models of Care

PubMed Central

Snyder, Margie E.; Earl, Tara R.; Greenberg, Michael; Heisler, Holly; Revels, Michelle; Matson-Koffman, Dyann

2015-01-01

Collaborative drug therapy management agreements are a strategy for expanding the role of pharmacists in team-based care with other providers. However, these agreements have not been widely implemented. This study describes the features of existing provider–pharmacist collaborative drug therapy management practices and identifies the facilitators and barriers to implementing such services in community settings. We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews in 2012 in a federally qualified health center, an independent pharmacy, and a retail pharmacy chain. Facilitators included 1) ensuring pharmacists were adequately trained; 2) obtaining stakeholder (eg, physician) buy-in; and 3) leveraging academic partners. Barriers included 1) lack of pharmacist compensation; 2) hesitation among providers to trust pharmacists; 3) lack of time and resources; and 4) existing informal collaborations that resulted in reduced interest in formal agreements. The models described in this study could be used to strengthen clinical–community linkages through team-based care, particularly for chronic disease prevention and management. PMID:25811494

Critical analysis of procurement techniques in construction management sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Suman Tiwari Suresh; Chan, Shiau Wei; Faraz Mubarak, Muhammad

2018-04-01

Over the last three decades, numerous procurement techniques have been one of the highlights of the Construction Management (CM) for ventures, administration contracting, venture management as well as design and construct. Due to the development and utilization of those techniques, various researchers have explored the criteria for their choice and their execution in terms of time, cost and quality. Nevertheless, there is a lack of giving an account on the relationship between the procurement techniques and the progressed related issues, for example, supply chain, sustainability, innovation and technology development, lean construction, constructability, value management, Building Information Modelling (BIM) as well as e-procurement. Through chosen papers from the reputable CM-related academic journals, the specified scopes of these issues are methodically assessed with the objective to explore the status and trend in procurement related research. The result of this paper contributes theoretically as well as practically to the researchers and industrialist in order to be aware and appreciate the development of procurement techniques.

The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands MPA: protecting a biodiverse oceanic island chain situated in the flow of the antarctic circumpolar current.

PubMed

Trathan, Philip N; Collins, Martin A; Grant, Susie M; Belchier, Mark; Barnes, David K A; Brown, Judith; Staniland, Iain J

2014-01-01

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) are surrounded by oceans that are species-rich, have high levels of biodiversity, important endemism and which also support large aggregations of charismatic upper trophic level species. Spatial management around these islands is complex, particularly in the context of commercial fisheries that exploit some of these living resources. Furthermore, management is especially complicated as local productivity relies fundamentally upon biological production transported from outside the area. The MPA uses practical management boundaries, allowing access for the current legal fisheries for Patagonian toothfish, mackerel icefish and Antarctic krill. Management measures developed as part of the planning process designated the whole SGSSI Maritime Zone as an IUCN Category VI reserve, within which a number of IUCN Category I reserves were identified. Multiple-use zones and temporal closures were also designated. A key multiple-use principle was to identify whether the ecological impacts of a particular fishery threatened either the pelagic or benthic domain.

Developing Students' Understanding of Co-Opetition and Multilevel Inventory Management Strategies in Supply Chains: An In-Class Spreadsheet Simulation Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fetter, Gary; Shockley, Jeff

2014-01-01

Instructors look for ways to explain to students how supply chains can be constructed so that competing suppliers can work together to improve inventory management performance (i.e., a phenomenon known as co-opetition). An Excel spreadsheet-driven simulation is presented that models a complete multilevel supply chain system--customer, retailer,…

A strategic decision-making model considering the social costs of carbon dioxide emissions for sustainable supply chain management.

PubMed

Tseng, Shih-Chang; Hung, Shiu-Wan

2014-01-15

Incorporating sustainability into supply chain management has become a critical issue driven by pressures from governments, customers, and various stakeholder groups over the past decade. This study proposes a strategic decision-making model considering both the operational costs and social costs caused by the carbon dioxide emissions from operating such a supply chain network for sustainable supply chain management. This model was used to evaluate carbon dioxide emissions and operational costs under different scenarios in an apparel manufacturing supply chain network. The results showed that the higher the social cost rate of carbon dioxide emissions, the lower the amount of the emission of carbon dioxide. The results also suggested that a legislation that forces the enterprises to bear the social costs of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from their economic activities is an effective approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Silo Effect a Prominence Factor to Decrease Efficiency of Pharmaceutical Industry

PubMed Central

Vatanpour, Hossein; Khorramnia, Atoosa; Forutan, Naghmeh

2013-01-01

To be sure, all the industries try to be involved in globalization with a constant trend to find out ways to increase productivity across different functions within an organization to maintain competitive advantage world. Pharmaceutical industries are not exceptional and further are based on fragmentation. So these kind of companies need to cope with several barriers such as silo mentality that may affect efficiency of their business activity. Due to eliminate a part of resources such as raw materials, new molecule developed, financial and human resources and so on, companies can gradually loss their competitive potentials in the market and increase their expenses. Furthermore, to avoid any business disturbances in financially connected companies due to silo effect, they should arrange their management to integrated organization form. Otherwise, actions taken by one business member of the chain can influence the profitability of all the other members in the chain. That is why recently supply chain has generated much interest in many business units. In this paper, it has been tried to investigate the different aspects of silo effect which can affect integrate supply chain. Finally, a fluent communication, high level of information exchange, fragmentation management, cross-functional control in a supply chain management format are needed to reduce or control silo effect within entire chain of the holding company by Supply chain management. PMID:24250690

Silo effect a prominence factor to decrease efficiency of pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Vatanpour, Hossein; Khorramnia, Atoosa; Forutan, Naghmeh

2013-01-01

To be sure, all the industries try to be involved in globalization with a constant trend to find out ways to increase productivity across different functions within an organization to maintain competitive advantage world. Pharmaceutical industries are not exceptional and further are based on fragmentation. So these kind of companies need to cope with several barriers such as silo mentality that may affect efficiency of their business activity. Due to eliminate a part of resources such as raw materials, new molecule developed, financial and human resources and so on, companies can gradually loss their competitive potentials in the market and increase their expenses. Furthermore, to avoid any business disturbances in financially connected companies due to silo effect, they should arrange their management to integrated organization form. Otherwise, actions taken by one business member of the chain can influence the profitability of all the other members in the chain. That is why recently supply chain has generated much interest in many business units. In this paper, it has been tried to investigate the different aspects of silo effect which can affect integrate supply chain. Finally, a fluent communication, high level of information exchange, fragmentation management, cross-functional control in a supply chain management format are needed to reduce or control silo effect within entire chain of the holding company by Supply chain management.

Reducing stock-outs of essential tuberculosis medicines: a system dynamics modelling approach to supply chain management.

PubMed

Bam, L; McLaren, Z M; Coetzee, E; von Leipzig, K H

2017-10-01

The under-performance of supply chains presents a significant hindrance to disease control in developing countries. Stock-outs of essential medicines lead to treatment interruption which can force changes in patient drug regimens, drive drug resistance and increase mortality. This study is one of few to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of supply chain policies in reducing shortages and costs. This study develops a systems dynamics simulation model of the downstream supply chain for amikacin, a second-line tuberculosis drug using 10 years of South African data. We evaluate current supply chain performance in terms of reliability, responsiveness and agility, following the widely-used Supply Chain Operation Reference framework. We simulate 141 scenarios that represent different combinations of supplier characteristics, inventory management strategies and demand forecasting methods to identify the Pareto optimal set of management policies that jointly minimize the number of shortages and total cost. Despite long supplier lead times and unpredictable demand, the amikacin supply chain is 98% reliable and agile enough to accommodate a 20% increase in demand without a shortage. However, this is accomplished by overstocking amikacin by 167%, which incurs high holding costs. The responsiveness of suppliers is low: only 57% of orders are delivered to the central provincial drug depot within one month. We identify three Pareto optimal safety stock management policies. Short supplier lead time can produce Pareto optimal outcomes even in the absence of other optimal policies. This study produces concrete, actionable guidelines to cost-effectively reduce stock-outs by implementing optimal supply chain policies. Preferentially selecting drug suppliers with short lead times accommodates unexpected changes in demand. Optimal supply chain management should be an essential component of national policy to reduce the mortality rate. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

On the Supply Chain Management Supported by E-Commerce Service Platform for Agreement based Circulation of Fruits and Vegetables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Liwei; Huang, Yuchi; Ma, Zengjun; Zhang, Jie; Lv, Qingchu

According to analysis of the supply chain process of agricultural products, the IT application requirements of the market entities participating in the agreement based circulation of fruits and vegetables have been discussed. The strategy of supply chain management basing on E-commerce service platform for fruits and vegetables has been proposed in this paper. The architecture and function composing of the service platform have been designed and implemented. The platform is constructed on a set of application service modules User can choose some of the application service modules and define them according to the business process. The application service modules chosen and defined by user are integrated as an application service package and applied as management information system of business process. With the E-commerce service platform, the supply chain management for agreement based circulation of agricultural products of vegetables and fruits can be implemented.

Formation of printable granular and colloidal chains through capillary effects and dielectrophoresis

PubMed Central

Rozynek, Zbigniew; Han, Ming; Dutka, Filip; Garstecki, Piotr; Józefczak, Arkadiusz; Luijten, Erik

2017-01-01

One-dimensional conductive particle assembly holds promise for a variety of practical applications, in particular for a new generation of electronic devices. However, synthesis of such chains with programmable shapes outside a liquid environment has proven difficult. Here we report a route to simply ‘pull' flexible granular and colloidal chains out of a dispersion by combining field-directed assembly and capillary effects. These chains are automatically stabilized by liquid bridges formed between adjacent particles, without the need for continuous energy input or special particle functionalization. They can further be deposited onto any surface and form desired conductive patterns, potentially applicable to the manufacturing of simple electronic circuits. Various aspects of our route, including the role of particle size and the voltages needed, are studied in detail. Looking towards practical applications, we also present the possibility of two-dimensional writing, rapid solidification of chains and methods to scale up chain production. PMID:28497791

Formation of printable granular and colloidal chains through capillary effects and dielectrophoresis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozynek, Zbigniew; Han, Ming; Dutka, Filip; Garstecki, Piotr; Józefczak, Arkadiusz; Luijten, Erik

2017-05-01

One-dimensional conductive particle assembly holds promise for a variety of practical applications, in particular for a new generation of electronic devices. However, synthesis of such chains with programmable shapes outside a liquid environment has proven difficult. Here we report a route to simply `pull' flexible granular and colloidal chains out of a dispersion by combining field-directed assembly and capillary effects. These chains are automatically stabilized by liquid bridges formed between adjacent particles, without the need for continuous energy input or special particle functionalization. They can further be deposited onto any surface and form desired conductive patterns, potentially applicable to the manufacturing of simple electronic circuits. Various aspects of our route, including the role of particle size and the voltages needed, are studied in detail. Looking towards practical applications, we also present the possibility of two-dimensional writing, rapid solidification of chains and methods to scale up chain production.

Supply chain management for small business--how to avoid being part of the food chain.

PubMed

Knechtges, J P; Watts, C A

2000-08-01

A supply chain is a series of customer and supplier relationships that extend throughout and beyond the company. It is an interwoven set of links that together form a chain supplying our customers in a seamless and integrated fashion delivering a high level of customer satisfaction. Supply chain management (SCM) integrates all activities so they are focused on customer satisfaction (both internally and externally). One of the things this article will attempt to accomplish is to provide a clear understanding of SCM's positive impact on customer service as well as on improving profitability, cash flow, product cycle times, and communication. Whether we go forward in the supply chain to the final end-user or backward in the supply chain to our supplier's suppliers, SCM will significantly improve our ability to serve our customers.

Lignocellulosic crop supply chains (eg, Miscanthus, switchgrass, reed canary grass, rye, giant reed, etc.) Chapter 12 of "Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy and Biorefining"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roni, Mohammad S.; Cafferty, Kara G.; Hess, J. Richard

This chapter provides an overview of lignocellulosic crop supply chains such as Miscanthus, switch grass, reed canary grass, rye, and giant reed by outlining typical logistic operations in support of a liquid biofuel market. We present two strategies for managing feedstocks within the biomass supply system: (1) the conventional bale feedstock supply system and (2) the advanced supply system concept. Finally, we discuss feedstock blending and integrated landscape management as innovative improvements to the lignocellulosic crop supply chain.

Analyzing the impact of carbon regulatory mechanisms on supply chain management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

The objective of this research is developing a toolset for designing and managing cost : efficient and environmentally friendly supply chains for perishable products. : The models we propose minimize transportation and inventory holding costs in the ...

Integrating a Discovery-Based Laboratory to Teach Supply Chain Management Fundamentals in an Undergraduate Management Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeng, Amy; Johnson, Sharon

2009-01-01

Using experiential simulation games is a commonly used pedagogical method to enrich classroom discussions and to facilitate students' learning in supply chain management education at both undergraduate and graduate levels. However, existing games are inappropriate for undergraduate students that are first-time learners of the subject. In this…

Antiretroviral procurement and supply chain management.

PubMed

Ripin, David J; Jamieson, David; Meyers, Amy; Warty, Umesh; Dain, Mary; Khamsi, Cyril

2014-01-01

Procurement, the country-level process of ordering antiretrovirals (ARVs), and supply chain management, the mechanism by which they are delivered to health-care facilities, are critical processes required to move ARVs from manufacturers to patients. To provide a glimpse into the ARV procurement and supply chain, the following pages provide an overview of the primary stakeholders, principal operating models, and policies and regulations involved in ARV procurement. Also presented are key challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that the supply chain is not a barrier to the goal of universal coverage. This article will cover the steps necessary to order and distribute ARVs, including different models of delivery, key stakeholders involved, strategic considerations that vary depending on context and policies affecting them. The single drug examples given illustrate the complications inherent in fragmented supply and demand-driven models of procurement and supply chain management, and suggest tools for navigating these hurdles that will ultimately result in more secure and reliable ARV provision. Understanding the dynamics of ARV supply chain is important for the global health community, both to ensure full and efficient treatment of persons living with HIV as well as to inform the supply chain decisions for other public health products.

Sense and Respond Logistics: Integrating Prediction, Responsiveness, and Control Capabilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

logistics SAR sense and respond SCM Supply Chain Management SCN Supply Chain Network SIDA sense, interpret, decide, act SOS source of supply TCN...commodity supply chain management ( SCM ), will have WS- SCMs that focus on integrating information for a particular MDS. 8 In the remainder of this...developed applications of ABMs for SCM .21 Applications of Agents and Agent-Based Modeling Agents have been used in telecommunications, e-commerce

Risk assessment in the upstream crude oil supply chain: Leveraging analytic hierarchy process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Charles Awoala

For an organization to be successful, an effective strategy is required, and if implemented appropriately the strategy will result in a sustainable competitive advantage. The importance of decision making in the oil industry is reflected in the magnitude and nature of the industry. Specific features of the oil industry supply chain, such as its longer chain, the complexity of its transportation system, its complex production and storage processes, etc., pose challenges to its effective management. Hence, understanding the risks, the risk sources, and their potential impacts on the oil industry's operations will be helpful in proposing a risk management model for the upstream oil supply chain. The risk-based model in this research uses a three-level analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multiple-attribute decision-making technique, to underline the importance of risk analysis and risk management in the upstream crude oil supply chain. Level 1 represents the overall goal of risk management; Level 2 is comprised of the various risk factors; and Level 3 represents the alternative criteria of the decision maker as indicated on the hierarchical structure of the crude oil supply chain. Several risk management experts from different oil companies around the world were surveyed, and six major types of supply chain risks were identified: (1) exploration and production, (2) environmental and regulatory compliance, (3) transportation, (4) availability of oil, (5) geopolitical, and (6) reputational. Also identified are the preferred methods of managing risks which include; (1) accept and control the risks, (2) avoid the risk by stopping the activity, or (3) transfer or share the risks to other companies or insurers. The results from the survey indicate that the most important risk to manage is transportation risk with a priority of .263, followed by exploration/production with priority of .198, with an overall inconsistency of .03. With respect to major objectives the most preferred risk management policy option based on the result of the composite score is accept and control risk with a priority of .446, followed by transfer or share risk with a priority of .303. The least likely option is to terminate or forgo activity with a priority of .251.

Antiretroviral therapy supply chain quality control and assurance in improving people living with HIV therapeutic outcomes in Cameroon.

PubMed

Djobet, M P Ngogang; Singhe, David; Lohoue, Julienne; Kuaban, Christopher; Ngogang, Jeanne; Tambo, Ernest

2017-04-04

Evaluation of medication efficacy and safety is an essential guarantee to successful therapeutic outcome in public health practices. However, larger distribution chain supply in developing countries such as Cameroon is often challenged by counterfeit drugs, poor manufacturing, storage and degradation leading to health and patient adverse consequences. Yet, access to supply chain management in strengthening ARVs quality assurance and outcomes remains poorly documented. More than 53,000 patients have been enrolled on free ARVs medications, but little is documented on quality assurance and validity of safety for affected populations along the supply chain management since 2008. The cross sectional study was conducted in ARVs distribution units and centers in central, littoral and south west regions of Cameroon. ARVs drugs samples included Nevirapine, Efavirenz, and fixed dose combinations of Zidovudine + Lamivudine, Lamivudine + Stavudine and Zidovudine + Lamivudine + Nevirapine. Drugs packaging and labeling was assessed and galenic assays were performed at National Laboratory of quality Control of Medications and Expertise (LANACOME), Yaoundé, Cameroon. The study covered 16 structures located in eight different towns including the central ARVs store, two regional pharmaceutical procurement centers and thirteen HIV approved treatment centers and management units. A total of 35 ARVs products were collected. Only eight ARVs drugs containing Lamivudine and Stavudine presented with white stains on tablets, however these drugs were standard for all other tests performed. The others 28 ARVs products were standards to all assays performed. We concluded that ARVs drugs freely accessible and distributed to PLWHA are of good quality in Cameroon. However, with the increase number of patients under HAART since 2013, adoption of "Test and Treat" approach to reach the 90-90-90 goals and with the implementation of new national antiretroviral regimen guidelines and molecules such as boosted protease inhibitors, continuous quality control and assurance surveillance, monitoring and evaluation is recommended. Assessment of quality of formulations that are more susceptible to degradation such as pediatric formulations for averting the rising multidrug resistance trend is also desired.

Fostering food security in areas of extreme poverty through Integrated Farm Management: the case of Burundi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessler, Aad; van Duivenbooden, Niek; van Beek, Christy

2014-05-01

Extreme poverty in Burundi's rural area and tensions between families with limited access to arable land hinder development towards a more stable and peaceful society. Due to these tensions and a rapid population growth, agricultural land is currently subject to increased degradation and low agricultural productivity. A whole range of other limiting factors contributes to this, such as: poor seed quality, poor nutrient management combined with low soil fertility, inadequate agronomic practices, pests and crop diseases, poorly developed supply chains, health problems, difficult access to credit, and insecurity. Solving one of these problems will not solve the chain that eventually leads to low food production; it will simply move the emphasis to the next constraining factor. An integrated rural development approach is therefore required to break this vicious circle. The project Fanning the Spark, a Public-Private-Partnership between Achmea Foundation, Alterra of Wageningen University and Research Centre, and HealthNet-TPO in Burundi started in September 2013 with an intervention in several rural villages in Gitega. The project's objective is to increase food production at village level, by means of investments in crop production, a family (income) insurance package that protects rural families against the financial consequences of catastrophic events (natural and health) and making micro-credits available. This will enhance farmers' workability and generate income from agricultural activities in order to break the poverty cycle and enhance food security. The insurance package comprises agricultural and health insurances, and will be jointly implemented with the sustainable agriculture component. The latter component focuses on Integrated Farm Management and the use of innovative soil management practices. Farmer-to-farmer training and scaling-up are crucial components, and in the first phase of the project "innovative farmer groups" have a central role in the project. Each innovative farmer formulates and implements an Integrated Farm Management plan. This is a tool for farmers to plan, reflect and learn about sustainable land management, and particularly about the integration of all farm activities and how these contribute together to enhanced food security. Activities considered in these Integrated Farm Management plans are related to agriculture, livestock, infrastructure, agroforestry, soil conservation and training. The first results of the acceptance and impact of the strategy are now available, and in the next phase all innovative farmers will implement their plans and train fellow farmers to start planning their own Integrated Farm Management.

Improving the Reverse Logistics Respecting Principles of Sustainable Development in an Industrial Company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fidlerová, Helena; Mĺkva, Miroslava

2016-06-01

Reverse logistics, the movement of materials back up the supply chain, is recognised by many organisations as an opportunity for adding value. The paper considers the theoretical framework and the conception of reverse logistics in literature and practice. The objective of the article is to propose tangible solutions which eliminate the imbalances in reverse logistics and improve the waste management in the company. The case study focuses on the improvement in the process of waste packaging in the context of sustainable development as a part of reverse logistics in the surveyed industrial company in Slovakia.

Modular reservoir concept for MEMS-based transdermal drug delivery systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantwell, Cara T.; Wei, Pinghung; Ziaie, Babak; Rao, Masaru P.

2014-11-01

While MEMS-based transdermal drug delivery device development efforts have typically focused on tightly-integrated solutions, we propose an alternate conception based upon a novel, modular drug reservoir approach. By decoupling the drug storage functionality from the rest of the delivery system, this approach seeks to minimize cold chain storage volume, enhance compatibility with conventional pharmaceutical practices, and allow independent optimization of reservoir device design, materials, and fabrication. Herein, we report the design, fabrication, and preliminary characterization of modular reservoirs that demonstrate the virtue of this approach within the application context of transdermal insulin administration for diabetes management.

Environmental indicators for sustainable production of algal biofuels

DOE PAGES

Efroymson, Rebecca A.; Dale, Virginia H.

2014-10-01

For analyzing sustainability of algal biofuels, we identify 16 environmental indicators that fall into six categories: soil quality, water quality and quantity, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, and productivity. Indicators are selected to be practical, widely applicable, predictable in response, anticipatory of future changes, independent of scale, and responsive to management. Major differences between algae and terrestrial plant feedstocks, as well as their supply chains for biofuel, are highlighted, for they influence the choice of appropriate sustainability indicators. Algae strain selection characteristics do not generally affect which indicators are selected. The use of water instead of soil as themore » growth medium for algae determines the higher priority of water- over soil-related indicators. The proposed set of environmental indicators provides an initial checklist for measures of biofuel sustainability but may need to be modified for particular contexts depending on data availability, goals of the stakeholders, and financial constraints. Ultimately, use of these indicators entails defining sustainability goals and targets in relation to stakeholder values in a particular context and can lead to improved management practices.« less

Enhancing public health outcomes in developing countries: from good policies and best practices to better implementation.

PubMed

Woolcock, Michael

2018-06-01

In rich and poor countries alike, a core challenge is building the state's capability for policy implementation. Delivering high-quality public health and health care-affordably, reliably and at scale, for all-exemplifies this challenge, since doing so requires deftly integrating refined technical skills (surgery), broad logistics management (supply chains, facilities maintenance), adaptive problem solving (curative care), and resolving ideological differences (who pays? who provides?), even as the prevailing health problems themselves only become more diverse, complex, and expensive as countries become more prosperous. However, the current state of state capability in developing countries is demonstrably alarming, with the strains and demands only likely to intensify in the coming decades. Prevailing "best practice" strategies for building implementation capability-copying and scaling putative successes from abroad-are too often part of the problem, while individual training ("capacity building") and technological upgrades (e.g. new management information systems) remain necessary but deeply insufficient. An alternative approach is outlined, one centered on building implementation capability by working iteratively to solve problems nominated and prioritized by local actors.

Information technology and supply chain management: a study of the food industry.

PubMed

Hill, C A

2000-08-01

This paper's topic is the use of information technology (IT) for the development of supply chain management (SCM). In today's business environment, both in academics and industry, the term SCM has become a popular paradigm. In particular, the use of IT to facilitate the development of supply chain partners is gaining interest within industry. This paper develops the topic of SCM and further develops the relationship between the use of IT, in the form of electronic data interchange, and the development of supply chain integration. The goal of using SCM along with IT is to develop a supply chain that is capable of responding more quickly and efficiently in the meeting of consumer's requirements.

Community, autonomy and bespoke services: Independent community pharmacy practice in hyperdiverse, London communities.

PubMed

Duckett, Kathryn

2015-01-01

The landscape of pharmacy continues to evolve including in Great Britain, where, by 2012, almost 50% of pharmacy contracts were held by just 9 national chains. To further explicate the concept of 'independence' as it was positioned by independent pharmacists, particularly examining personal interpretations of their role in contemporary pharmacy and health care delivery. Research was situated in East and South-east London between 2008 and 2009. The study took an ethnographic approach; combining participant observation within 7 pharmacies and 36 active interviews with pharmacists. Recruitment criteria demanded that pharmacists self-identified as independent and were either owners or managers in sole-owned or independent chain pharmacies. Independence was expressed through a framework of three overarching themes: autonomy, engagement and bespoke practice. Autonomy formed the basis of professional expression ultimately enabling pharmacists to exercise control over customer relationships. This facilitated engagement with communities and individuals and ultimately made possible an offering of a bespoke 'personal' service. The diverse urban environment was a space where independence was seen to be of particular value. The complexity of this setting was used symbolically to support the need for independent thinking. These themes are examined through stories of 'acceptance' and developing pharmacy 'communities' alongside the practise of maintaining personal relationships to provide a distinct service offer. This study highlights distinct 'independent' expression of professional identity and suggests the need to assess the value of independent community pharmacy as being different from but complementary to the service provided by multiples/large chains. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to African Swine Fever Within Smallholder Pig Production in Northern Uganda.

PubMed

Chenais, E; Boqvist, S; Sternberg-Lewerin, S; Emanuelson, U; Ouma, E; Dione, M; Aliro, T; Crafoord, F; Masembe, C; Ståhl, K

2017-02-01

Uganda is a low-income country with the largest pig population in East Africa. Pig keeping has a large potential, commercially and as a tool for poverty reduction, but African swine fever (ASF) is a major hurdle for development of the sector. The objective of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices related to ASF in the smallholder pig production value chain in northern Uganda. The study included three separate series of participatory rural appraisals (PRA), comprising purposively selected farmers and other actors in the pig production value chain. In the PRAs, various participatory epidemiology tools were used. A total of 49 PRAs and 574 participants, representing 64 different villages, were included. The results indicate that participants were well aware of the clinical signs of ASF, routes for disease spread and measures for disease control. However, awareness of the control measures did not guarantee their implementation. A majority of middlemen and butchers acknowledged having sold live pigs, carcasses or pork they believed infected with ASF. Outbreaks of ASF had a strong negative impact on participants' socio-economic status with loss of revenue and reversal into more severe poverty. In conclusion, lack of knowledge is not what is driving the continuous circulation of ASF virus in this setting. To control ASF and reduce its impact, initiatives that stimulate changes in management are needed. Because the behaviour of all actors in the value chain is largely influenced by the deep rural poverty in the region, this needs to be combined with efforts to reduce rural poverty. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Renal complications in multiple myeloma and related disorders: survivorship care plan of the International Myeloma Foundation Nurse Leadership Board.

PubMed

Faiman, Beth M; Mangan, Patricia; Spong, Jacy; Tariman, Joseph D

2011-08-01

Kidney dysfunction is a common clinical feature of symptomatic multiple myeloma. Some degree of renal insufficiency or renal failure is present at diagnosis or will occur during the course of the disease and, if not reversed, will adversely affect overall survival and quality of life. Chronic insults to the kidneys from other illnesses, treatment, or multiple myeloma itself can further damage renal function and increase the risk for additional complications, such as anemia. Patients with multiple myeloma who have light chain (Bence Jones protein) proteinuria may experience renal failure or progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and require dialysis because of light chain cast nephropathy. Kidney failure in patients with presumed multiple myeloma also may result from amyloidosis, light chain deposition disease, or acute tubular necrosis caused by nephrotoxic agents; therefore, identification of patients at risk for kidney damage is essential. The International Myeloma Foundation's Nurse Leadership Board has developed practice recommendations for screening renal function, identifying positive and negative contributing risk and environmental factors, selecting appropriate therapies and supportive care measures to decrease progression to ESRD, and enacting dialysis to reduce and manage renal complications in patients with multiple myeloma.

Management education within pharmacy curricula: A need for innovation.

PubMed

Mospan, Cortney M

To encourage the academy to pursue innovative management education strategies within pharmacy curricula and highlight these experiences in a scholarly dialogue. Management has often been a dreaded, dry, and often neglected aspect of pharmacy curricula. With the release of Center for Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Educational Outcomes 2013 as well as Entry-Level Competencies Needed for Community Pharmacy Practice by National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) in 2012, managerial skills have seen a new emphasis in pharmacy education. Further, management has greater emphasis within ACPE "Standards 2016" through adoption of CAPE Educational Outcomes 2013 into the standards. Previous literature has shown success of innovative learning strategies in management education such as active learning, use of popular television shows, and emotional intelligence. The academy must build a more extensive scholarly body of work highlighting successful educational strategies to engage pharmacy students in an often-dreaded subject through applying the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing and Implementing Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Institutional Food Service123

PubMed Central

Kimmons, Joel; Jones, Sonya; McPeak, Holly H.; Bowden, Brian

2012-01-01

Health and sustainability guidelines for institutional food service are directed at improving dietary intake and increasing the ecological benefits of the food system. The development and implementation of institutional food service guidelines, such as the Health and Human Services (HHS) and General Services Administration (GSA) Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations (HHS/GSA Guidelines), have the potential to improve the health and sustainability of the food system. Institutional guidelines assist staff, managers, and vendors in aligning the food environment at food service venues with healthier and more sustainable choices and practices. Guideline specifics and their effective implementation depend on the size, culture, nature, and management structure of an institution and the individuals affected. They may be applied anywhere food is sold, served, or consumed. Changing institutional food service practice requires comprehensive analysis, engagement, and education of all relevant stakeholders including institutional management, members of the food supply chain, and customers. Current examples of food service guidelines presented here are the HHS and GSA Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations, which translate evidence-based recommendations on health and sustainability into institutional food service practices and are currently being implemented at the federal level. Developing and implementing guidelines has the potential to improve long-term population health outcomes while simultaneously benefitting the food system. Nutritionists, public health practitioners, and researchers should consider working with institutions to develop, implement, and evaluate food service guidelines for health and sustainability. PMID:22585909

Developing and implementing health and sustainability guidelines for institutional food service.

PubMed

Kimmons, Joel; Jones, Sonya; McPeak, Holly H; Bowden, Brian

2012-05-01

Health and sustainability guidelines for institutional food service are directed at improving dietary intake and increasing the ecological benefits of the food system. The development and implementation of institutional food service guidelines, such as the Health and Human Services (HHS) and General Services Administration (GSA) Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations (HHS/GSA Guidelines), have the potential to improve the health and sustainability of the food system. Institutional guidelines assist staff, managers, and vendors in aligning the food environment at food service venues with healthier and more sustainable choices and practices. Guideline specifics and their effective implementation depend on the size, culture, nature, and management structure of an institution and the individuals affected. They may be applied anywhere food is sold, served, or consumed. Changing institutional food service practice requires comprehensive analysis, engagement, and education of all relevant stakeholders including institutional management, members of the food supply chain, and customers. Current examples of food service guidelines presented here are the HHS and GSA Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations, which translate evidence-based recommendations on health and sustainability into institutional food service practices and are currently being implemented at the federal level. Developing and implementing guidelines has the potential to improve long-term population health outcomes while simultaneously benefitting the food system. Nutritionists, public health practitioners, and researchers should consider working with institutions to develop, implement, and evaluate food service guidelines for health and sustainability.

[Responsibility due to medication errors in France: a study based on SHAM insurance data].

PubMed

Theissen, A; Orban, J-C; Fuz, F; Guerin, J-P; Flavin, P; Albertini, S; Maricic, S; Saquet, D; Niccolai, P

2015-03-01

The safe medication practices at the hospital constitute a major public health problem. Drug supply chain is a complex process, potentially source of errors and damages for the patient. SHAM insurances are the biggest French provider of medical liability insurances and a relevant source of data on the health care complications. The main objective of the study was to analyze the type and cause of medication errors declared to SHAM and having led to a conviction by a court. We did a retrospective study on insurance claims provided by SHAM insurances with a medication error and leading to a condemnation over a 6-year period (between 2005 and 2010). Thirty-one cases were analysed, 21 for scheduled activity and 10 for emergency activity. Consequences of claims were mostly serious (12 deaths, 14 serious complications, 5 simple complications). The types of medication errors were a drug monitoring error (11 cases), an administration error (5 cases), an overdose (6 cases), an allergy (4 cases), a contraindication (3 cases) and an omission (2 cases). Intravenous route of administration was involved in 19 of 31 cases (61%). The causes identified by the court expert were an error related to service organization (11), an error related to medical practice (11) or nursing practice (13). Only one claim was due to the hospital pharmacy. The claim related to drug supply chain is infrequent but potentially serious. These data should help strengthen quality approach in risk management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A comparative assessment of waste incinerators in the UK.

PubMed

Nixon, J D; Wright, D G; Dey, P K; Ghosh, S K; Davies, P A

2013-11-01

The uptake in Europe of Energy from Waste (EfW) incinerator plants has increased rapidly in recent years. In the UK, 25 municipal waste incinerators with energy recovery are now in operation; however, their waste supply chains and business practices vary significantly. With over a hundred more plant developments being considered it is important to establish best business practices for ensuring efficient environmental and operational performance. By reviewing the 25 plants we identify four suitable case study plants to compare technologies (moving grate, fluidised bed and rotary kiln), plant economics and operations. Using data collected from annual reports and through interviews and site visits we provide recommendations for improving the supply chain for waste incinerators and highlight the current issues and challenges faced by the industry. We find that plants using moving grate have a high availability of 87-92%. However, compared to the fluidised bed and rotary kiln, quantities of bottom ash and emissions of hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide are high. The uptake of integrated recycling practices, combined heat and power, and post incineration non-ferrous metal collections needs to be increased among EfW incinerators in the UK. We conclude that one of the major difficulties encountered by waste facilities is the appropriate selection of technology, capacity, site, waste suppliers and heat consumers. This study will be of particular value to EfW plant developers, government authorities and researchers working within the sector of waste management. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Meeting the requirements of importing countries: practice and policy for on-farm approaches to food safety.

PubMed

Dagg, P J; Butler, R J; Murray, J G; Biddle, R R

2006-08-01

In light of the increasing consumer demand for safe, high-quality food and recent public health concerns about food-borne illness, governments and agricultural industries are under pressure to provide comprehensive food safety policies and programmes consistent with international best practice. Countries that export food commodities derived from livestock must meet both the requirements of the importing country and domestic standards. It is internationally accepted that end-product quality control, and similar methods aimed at ensuring food safety, cannot adequately ensure the safety of the final product. To achieve an acceptable level of food safety, governments and the agricultural industry must work collaboratively to provide quality assurance systems, based on sound risk management principles, throughout the food supply chain. Quality assurance systems on livestock farms, as in other parts of the food supply chain, should address food safety using hazard analysis critical control point principles. These systems should target areas including biosecurity, disease monitoring and reporting, feedstuff safety, the safe use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals, the control of potential food-borne pathogens and traceability. They should also be supported by accredited training programmes, which award certification on completion, and auditing programmes to ensure that both local and internationally recognised guidelines and standards continue to be met. This paper discusses the development of policies for on-farm food safety measures and their practical implementation in the context of quality assurance programmes, using the Australian beef industry as a case study.

Climate Leadership Award for Supply Chain Leadership

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Apply to the Climate Leadership Award for Supply Chain Leadership, which publicly recognizes organizations that are are at the leading edge of managing greenhouse gas emissions in their organizational supply chains.

Supporting graduate nurse transition to practice through a quality assurance feedback loop.

PubMed

Phillips, Craig; Kenny, Amanda; Esterman, Adrian

2017-11-01

This mixed-method study focused on new graduate nurses and their transition to practice. Transition to practice can be a time of heightened stress and anxiety, leaving many new graduates disillusioned and dissatisfied with their work. The study explored how satisfaction levels with transition may improve during their first year, using a unique approach of a continuous quality assurance feedback loop. This assurance framework is utilised in hospitality, automotive and supply chain logistics and in health, primarily to monitor patient outcomes. However, an association with graduate nurse satisfaction has not been previously reported. Graduate nurses from two health services completed a short survey questionnaire every four weeks for 12 months. De-identified aggregated data was sent to health service management, giving them an opportunity to integrate the findings with the objective of potentially increasing graduate satisfaction ratings. Quantitative findings showed no statistical significance of graduate nurse satisfaction scores between health services, however, one health service consistently outperformed the other. Qualitative findings drawn from a seminar and interviews confirmed that one health service took a more proactive stance with the monthly reports, communicating the results to ward managers. Outcomes reflected a greater commitment of support and an overall increase of satisfaction scores. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RFID Application Strategy in Agri-Food Supply Chain Based on Safety and Benefit Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Min; Li, Peichong

Agri-food supply chain management (SCM), a management method to optimize internal costs and productivities, has evolved as an application of e-business technologies. These days, RFID has been widely used in many fields. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of agri-food supply chain. Then the disadvantages of RFID are discussed. After that, we study the application strategies of RFID based on benefit and safety degree.

On adaptive modified projective synchronization of a supply chain management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tirandaz, Hamed

2017-12-01

In this paper, the synchronization problem of a chaotic supply chain management system is studied. A novel adaptive modified projective synchronization method is introduced to control the behaviour of the leader supply chain system by a follower chaotic system and to adjust the leader system parameters until the measurable errors of the system parameters converge to zero. The stability evaluation and convergence analysis are carried out by the Lyapanov stability theorem. The proposed synchronization and antisynchronization techniques are studied for identical supply chain chaotic systems. Finally, some numerical simulations are presented to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical discussions.

75 FR 10210 - Market Development Cooperator Program 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-05

...; 4. Help U.S. industry to capitalize on effective global supply chain management strategies; 5... in foreign markets by safeguarding non-U.S. elements of the supply chain with an ingredient testing... Management (OPCM), Manufacturing and Services (MAS), International Trade Administration (ITA), Commerce...

Supply chain management/ Some lessons learned the hard way.

PubMed

Nuttall, Stephen

2013-01-01

This paper will look at some of the experiences, lessons and frustrations experienced in managing supply chains for business continuity. No-one has time to make all the mistakes, nor to learn all the lessons on their own, so it is useful to share experiences. Over the last 25 years, the author has been involved in supply chain management as a contract manager; a programme and project manager; and as a business continuity manager. Although times change, there are some fundamental principles that are absolutely critical in making sure that supply chains do what they are needed to do/ to keep business going. Supply chains are here to stay. Indeed, with today's drive towards outsourcing, best-shoring and contracting out, they are becoming more important every year and this will only continue over time. Moreover, in the highly competitive markets in which all organisations operate, suppliers may well be carrying out operations that not all that long ago would have been considered to be part of core business. Getting the right relationship with the supply chain is more critical than ever before.1 What does this mean to business continuity professionals? They need to think not just about their own BC plans, but about the plans of their suppliers, and even those of their suppliers' suppliers. This may seem obvious, but unlike internal BC plans written by and for an organisation, it must be considered just what a supplier's plans are designed to achieve. What business outcomes will their plans deliver? If they recover their own business, how does that affect the business they serve? Are others' assumptions of how they will react in line with theirs?

Teaching Lean Six Sigma within a Supply Chain Context: The Airplane Supply Chain Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Scott C.; Goldsby, Thomas J.; Bailey, Ana M.; Oh, Jae-Young

2014-01-01

Lean six sigma is a management methodology that firms can employ to achieve substantial improvement in supply chain performance. However, few pedagogical exercises facilitate students' use of a comprehensive set of lean six sigma principles within a supply chain context. We describe the Airplane Supply Chain Simulation that helps students…

Donor cycle and donor segmentation: new tools for improving blood donor management.

PubMed

Veldhuizen, I; Folléa, G; de Kort, W

2013-07-01

An adequate donor population is of key importance for the entire blood transfusion chain. For good donor management, a detailed overview of the donor database is therefore imperative. This study offers a new description of the donor cycle related to the donor management process. It also presents the outcomes of a European Project, Donor Management IN Europe (DOMAINE), regarding the segmentation of the donor population into donor types. Blood establishments (BEs) from 18 European countries, the Thalassaemia International Federation and a representative from the South-Eastern Europe Health Network joined forces in DOMAINE. A questionnaire assessed blood donor management practices and the composition of the donor population using the newly proposed DOMAINE donor segmentation. 48 BEs in 34 European countries were invited to participate. The response rate was high (88%). However, only 14 BEs could deliver data on the composition of their donor population. The data showed large variations and major imbalances in the donor population. In 79% of the countries, inactive donors formed the dominant donor type. Only in 21%, regular donors were the largest subgroup, and in 29%, the proportion of first-time donors was higher than the proportion of regular donors. Good donor management depends on a thorough insight into the flow of donors through their donor career. Segmentation of the donor database is an essential tool to understand the influx and efflux of donors. The DOMAINE donor segmentation helps BEs in understanding their donor database and to adapt their donor recruitment and retention practices accordingly. Ways to use this new tool are proposed. © 2013 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Silage review: Factors affecting dry matter and quality losses in silages.

PubMed

Borreani, G; Tabacco, E; Schmidt, R J; Holmes, B J; Muck, R E

2018-05-01

An overview was made of dry matter (DM) and quality losses that occur during the ensiling process from the field through the feeding phase. The aim was to review the relevant published literature of the last 15 yr focusing on developments achieved after the publication of the book Silage Science and Technology. This review discusses the factors affecting DM and quality losses in terms of field and pre-ensiling conditions, respiration and temperature at ensiling, fermentation patterns, methods of covering and weighting the silage cover, and management of aerobic deterioration. The possibility of reducing DM and quality losses during the ensiling process requires knowledge of how to measure losses on farm and establish the status of the silage during the feed-out phase, implementing the most effective management practices to avoid air exposure during conservation and reduce silage aerobic deterioration during feeding. The paper concludes with future perspectives and recommended management practices to reduce losses and increase efficiency over the whole ensiling process in view of increasing sustainability of the livestock production chain. The Authors. Published by FASS Inc. and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Modeling methodology for supply chain synthesis and disruption analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Teresa; Blackhurst, Jennifer

2004-11-01

The concept of an integrated or synthesized supply chain is a strategy for managing today's globalized and customer driven supply chains in order to better meet customer demands. Synthesizing individual entities into an integrated supply chain can be a challenging task due to a variety of factors including conflicting objectives, mismatched incentives and constraints of the individual entities. Furthermore, understanding the effects of disruptions occurring at any point in the system is difficult when working toward synthesizing supply chain operations. Therefore, the goal of this research is to present a modeling methodology to manage the synthesis of a supply chain by linking hierarchical levels of the system and to model and analyze disruptions in the integrated supply chain. The contribution of this research is threefold: (1) supply chain systems can be modeled hierarchically (2) the performance of synthesized supply chain system can be evaluated quantitatively (3) reachability analysis is used to evaluate the system performance and verify whether a specific state is reachable, allowing the user to understand the extent of effects of a disruption.

76 FR 7153 - Secretarial Business Development Mission; Transportation Infrastructure/Multimodal Products and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-09

...- modal freight and intelligent supply chain management, provides significant business [[Page 7154..., including port development, airport development, freight rail systems and technologies, supply chain systems... for U.S. engineers, program management firms, and manufacturers to contribute to the creation of new...

Job satisfaction among chain community pharmacists: results from a pilot study

PubMed Central

Hincapie, Ana L.; Yandow, Stephanie; Hines, Stephanie; Martineau, Megan; Warholak, Terri

Objective The objectives of this study were to obtain pilot data concerning the job satisfaction of Tucson area retail chain setting and to identify the facets of community practice that have the greatest contribution to job satisfaction Methods This was a cross-sectional study of chain pharmacists in the Tucson area. The Warr-Cook-Wall questionnaire of job satisfaction was used to evaluate community pharmacists’ satisfaction with their current position. This study used Rasch analysis to assess the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The Rasch scores obtained for each respondent were used as a dependent variable in univariate and bivariate analyses to evaluate differences in job satisfaction. Results A total of 32 pharmacists responded from 129 chain community pharmacies in the cities of Tucson, Marana and Oro Valley, Arizona. The mean (SD) Rasch score for job satisfaction was 0.93 (2.1). Results from bivariate analysis indicate that pharmacists in the Tucson area with practice experience outside community pharmacy were less satisfied with their job compared to those without experience outside community pharmacy (p<0.01). Conclusions This pilot evaluation suggests that having pharmacy experience outside community practice affects pharmacist job satisfaction. Additionally, findings from this study indicate that there is reliability and validity evidence to support the use of the modified Warr-Cook-Wall questionnaire for assessing overall job satisfaction in chain community pharmacy practice. PMID:24155841

Custom, contract, and kidney exchange.

PubMed

Healy, Kieran; Krawiec, Kimberly D

2012-01-01

In this Essay, we examine a case in which the organizational and logistical demands of a novel form of organ exchange (the nonsimultaneous, extended, altruistic donor (NEAD) chain) do not map cleanly onto standard cultural schemas for either market or gift exchange, resulting in sociological ambiguity and legal uncertainty. In some ways, a NEAD chain resembles a form of generalized exchange, an ancient and widespread instance of the norm of reciprocity that can be thought of simply as the obligation to “pay it forward” rather than the obligation to reciprocate directly with the original giver. At the same time, a NEAD chain resembles a string of promises and commitments to deliver something in exchange for some valuable consideration--that is, a series of contracts. Neither of these salient "social imaginaries" of exchange--gift giving or formal contract--perfectly meets the practical demands of the NEAD system. As a result, neither contract nor generalized exchange drives the practice of NEAD chains. Rather, the majority of actual exchanges still resemble a simpler form of exchange: direct, simultaneous exchange between parties with no time delay or opportunity to back out. If NEAD chains are to reach their full promise for large-scale, nonsimultaneous organ transfer, legal uncertainties and sociological ambiguities must be finessed, both in the practices of the coordinating agencies and in the minds of NEAD-chain participants. This might happen either through the further elaboration of gift-like language and practices, or through a creative use of the cultural form and motivational vocabulary, but not necessarily the legal and institutional machinery, of contract.

Assessment of Protein Side-Chain Conformation Prediction Methods in Different Residue Environments

PubMed Central

Peterson, Lenna X.; Kang, Xuejiao; Kihara, Daisuke

2016-01-01

Computational prediction of side-chain conformation is an important component of protein structure prediction. Accurate side-chain prediction is crucial for practical applications of protein structure models that need atomic detailed resolution such as protein and ligand design. We evaluated the accuracy of eight side-chain prediction methods in reproducing the side-chain conformations of experimentally solved structures deposited to the Protein Data Bank. Prediction accuracy was evaluated for a total of four different structural environments (buried, surface, interface, and membrane-spanning) in three different protein types (monomeric, multimeric, and membrane). Overall, the highest accuracy was observed for buried residues in monomeric and multimeric proteins. Notably, side-chains at protein interfaces and membrane-spanning regions were better predicted than surface residues even though the methods did not all use multimeric and membrane proteins for training. Thus, we conclude that the current methods are as practically useful for modeling protein docking interfaces and membrane-spanning regions as for modeling monomers. PMID:24619909

"Cola-Game": An Innovative Approach to Teaching Inventory Management in a Supply Chain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dhumal, Parag; Sundararaghavan, P. S.; Nandkeolyar, Udayan

2008-01-01

In this article we present a game that can be used as a tool to educate students and managers on the issues in supply chain (SC), inventory management. The game has a bilevel demand with one level during regular times and another during sale times. The game could be played in two modes (independence and cooperation) and has been field tested in…

Managing Distance Education Institutions through Value Chain Analysis: the Nigerian Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aderinto, J. A.; Akintayo, M. O.

Value chain analysis can gauge, analyze, and predict organization effects to control cost in light of achieving strategic organization objectives of distance education. Value chain analysis enables organizations to accomplish their goal or mission through cost effectiveness or differentiation. The value chain activity structure in a distance…

The role and functionality of Veterinary Services in food safety throughout the food chain.

PubMed

McKenzie, A I; Hathaway, S C

2006-08-01

Both national Veterinary Services and international standard-setting organisations have now embraced risk assessment as an essential tool for achieving their goals. Veterinarians have key roles in all aspects of the control of food-borne hazards of animal origin, but additional specialist skills are necessary for assessing, managing and communicating risk. Further, the deployment of Veterinary Services must reflect the multi-functional aspects of public and animal health activities. A generic risk management framework provides a systematic process whereby food safety standards and other measures are chosen and implemented on the basis of knowledge of risk and evaluation of other factors relevant to protecting human health and promoting non-discriminatory trade practices. In this context, a number of countries are exploring new administrative and structural arrangements for competent authorities. The traditional focus of veterinary involvement in food safety has been in meat hygiene at the level of the slaughterhouse. While this role continues, the emerging 'risk-based' approach to food control requires increased involvement in other segments of the meat food chain, as well as other areas such as production of milk and fish. This more extensive role requires a wider skill base and establishment of effective networks with a different range of stakeholders.

Incorporating bioenergy into sustainable landscape designs

DOE PAGES

Dale, Virginia H.; Kline, Keith L.; Buford, Marilyn A.; ...

2015-12-30

In this paper, we describe an approach to landscape design that focuses on integrating bioenergy production with other components of environmental, social and economic systems. Landscape design as used here refers to a spatially explicit, collaborative plan for management of landscapes and supply chains. Landscape design can involve multiple scales and build on existing practices to reduce costs or enhance services. Appropriately applied to a specific context, landscape design can help people assess trade-offs when making choices about locations, types of feedstock, transport, refining and distribution of bioenergy products and services. The approach includes performance monitoring and reporting along themore » bioenergy supply chain. Examples of landscape design applied to bioenergy production systems are presented. Barriers to implementation of landscape design include high costs, the need to consider diverse land-management objectives from a wide array of stakeholders, up-front planning requirements, and the complexity and level of effort needed for successful stakeholder involvement. A landscape design process may be stymied by insufficient data or participation. An impetus for coordination is critical, and incentives may be required to engage landowners and the private sector. In conclusion, devising and implementing landscape designs for more sustainable outcomes require clear communication of environmental, social, and economic opportunities and concerns.« less

Incorporating bioenergy into sustainable landscape designs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dale, Virginia H.; Kline, Keith L.; Buford, Marilyn A.

In this paper, we describe an approach to landscape design that focuses on integrating bioenergy production with other components of environmental, social and economic systems. Landscape design as used here refers to a spatially explicit, collaborative plan for management of landscapes and supply chains. Landscape design can involve multiple scales and build on existing practices to reduce costs or enhance services. Appropriately applied to a specific context, landscape design can help people assess trade-offs when making choices about locations, types of feedstock, transport, refining and distribution of bioenergy products and services. The approach includes performance monitoring and reporting along themore » bioenergy supply chain. Examples of landscape design applied to bioenergy production systems are presented. Barriers to implementation of landscape design include high costs, the need to consider diverse land-management objectives from a wide array of stakeholders, up-front planning requirements, and the complexity and level of effort needed for successful stakeholder involvement. A landscape design process may be stymied by insufficient data or participation. An impetus for coordination is critical, and incentives may be required to engage landowners and the private sector. In conclusion, devising and implementing landscape designs for more sustainable outcomes require clear communication of environmental, social, and economic opportunities and concerns.« less

76 FR 38614 - Transportation Infrastructure/Multimodal Products and Services Trade Mission to Doha, Qatar, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-01

...- modal freight and intelligent supply chain management, provides significant business opportunities in... technologies, supply chain systems and strategies; mass transportation systems; advanced vehicle technologies... opportunities for U.S. engineers, program management firms, and manufacturers to contribute to the creation of...

76 FR 32953 - Transportation Infrastructure/Multimodal Products and Services Trade Mission to Doha, Qatar, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-07

... new systems, particularly those related to multimodal freight and intelligent supply chain management... technologies, supply chain systems and strategies; mass transportation systems; advanced vehicle technologies... country. There are excellent opportunities for U.S. engineers, program management firms, and manufacturers...

Supply Chain Management: Are You Maximizing Your Procurement Activity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobbin, James; Jenkins, Mike

2000-01-01

Today's purchasing professionals recognize the need to reduce non-value-added procedures (clerical functions) while emphasizing strategic planning. Results-oriented supply-chain managers need superb communication, negotiation, and leadership skills to achieve long-term value and resist the lowest, first- cost bids. (Contains 13 references.) (MLH)

16 CFR Figures 6 and 7 to Part 1512 - Toe Clearance and Chain Guard Requirements

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Toe Clearance and Chain Guard Requirements 6 Figures 6 and 7 to Part 1512 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT REGULATIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR BICYCLES Pt. 1512, Figs. 6 and 7 Figures 6 and 7 to Part 1512—Toe...

16 CFR Figures 6 and 7 to Part 1512 - Toe Clearance and Chain Guard Requirements

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Toe Clearance and Chain Guard Requirements 6 Figures 6 and 7 to Part 1512 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT REGULATIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR BICYCLES Pt. 1512, Figs. 6 and 7 Figures 6 and 7 to Part 1512—Toe...

Management of hazardous medical waste in Croatia.

PubMed

Marinković, Natalija; Vitale, Ksenija; Janev Holcer, Natasa; Dzakula, Aleksandar; Pavić, Tomo

2008-01-01

This article provides a review of hazardous medical waste production and its management in Croatia. Even though Croatian regulations define all steps in the waste management chain, implementation of those steps is one of the country's greatest issues. Improper practice is evident from the point of waste production to final disposal. The biggest producers of hazardous medical waste are hospitals that do not implement existing legislation, due to the lack of education and funds. Information on quantities, type and flow of medical waste are inadequate, as is sanitary control. We propose an integrated approach to medical waste management based on a hierarchical structure from the point of generation to its disposal. Priority is given to the reduction of the amounts and potential for harm. Where this is not possible, management includes reduction by sorting and separating, pretreatment on site, safe transportation, final treatment and sanitary disposal. Preferred methods should be the least harmful for human health and the environment. Integrated medical waste management could greatly reduce quantities and consequently financial strains. Landfilling is the predominant route of disposal in Croatia, although the authors believe that incineration is the most appropriate method. In a country such as Croatia, a number of small incinerators would be the most economical solution.

Individuals' knowledge and practices of the cold chain.

PubMed

Uçar, Aslı; Ozçelik, Ayşe Özfer

2013-01-01

This study aims to identify the influence of education on the practices and knowledge of consumers to protect or maintain the cold chain in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Data were gathered by using a questionnaire. Participants were 700 randomly selected volunteering adults. The majority of the participants had a university degree (69.0%) and did not know the definition of cold chain but had some knowledge about it, and differences existed between primary school and university graduates. The scores of consumers' attitudes to maintain cold chain were determined to increase in parallel with education level. The rate of people knowing refrigerator temperature, the coldest part of refrigerator, and controlling whether shops correctly store the products was highest in university graduates. Adults were observed to believe that shop assistants were responsible for maintaining a cold chain. However, the actual importance of consumers in this process reveals the importance of education for individuals.

Line patterning of anisotropic spin chains by polarized laser for application in micro-thermal management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terakado, Nobuaki; Takahashi, Ryosuke; Takahashi, Yoshihiro; Fujiwara, Takumi

2017-05-01

The control of heat flow has become increasingly important in energy saving and harvesting. Among various thermal management materials, spinon thermal conductivity materials are promising for heat flow control at microscales because they exhibit high, anisotropic thermal conductivity resulting from spin chains. However, there has been only little development of the materials for controlling heat flow. Here, we present the line patterning of the spin chain structure on a SrCuO2 nanocrystalline film by laser scanning. When the polarization direction of laser light was orthogonal to the scanning direction, we found that the spin-chain structure anisotropically grew on the patterned line.

Shelf life modelling for first-expired-first-out warehouse management

PubMed Central

Hertog, Maarten L. A. T. M.; Uysal, Ismail; McCarthy, Ultan; Verlinden, Bert M.; Nicolaï, Bart M.

2014-01-01

In the supply chain of perishable food products, large losses are incurred between farm and fork. Given the limited land resources and an ever-growing population, the food supply chain is faced with the challenge of increasing its handling efficiency and minimizing post-harvest food losses. Huge value can be added by optimizing warehouse management systems, taking into account the estimated remaining shelf life of the product, and matching it to the requirements of the subsequent part of the handling chain. This contribution focuses on how model approaches estimating quality changes and remaining shelf life can be combined in optimizing first-expired-first-out cold chain management strategies for perishable products. To this end, shelf-life-related performance indicators are used to introduce remaining shelf life and product quality in the cost function when optimizing the supply chain. A combinatorial exhaustive-search algorithm is shown to be feasible as the complexity of the optimization problem is sufficiently low for the size and properties of a typical commercial cold chain. The estimated shelf life distances for a particular batch can thus be taken as a guide to optimize logistics. PMID:24797134

A manufacturing quality assessment model based-on two stages interval type-2 fuzzy logic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purnomo, Muhammad Ridwan Andi; Helmi Shintya Dewi, Intan

2016-01-01

This paper presents the development of an assessment models for manufacturing quality using Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Logic (IT2-FL). The proposed model is developed based on one of building block in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), which is benefit of SCM, and focuses more on quality. The proposed model can be used to predict the quality level of production chain in a company. The quality of production will affect to the quality of product. Practically, quality of production is unique for every type of production system. Hence, experts opinion will play major role in developing the assessment model. The model will become more complicated when the data contains ambiguity and uncertainty. In this study, IT2-FL is used to model the ambiguity and uncertainty. A case study taken from a company in Yogyakarta shows that the proposed manufacturing quality assessment model can work well in determining the quality level of production.

Benefits and Barriers of Implementation and Utilization of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Systems in Transfusion Medicine

PubMed Central

Coustasse, Alberto; Cunningham, Brian; Deslich, Stacie; Willson, Eric; Meadows, Pamela

2015-01-01

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is used by hospital supply chains to track medical products and monitor inventories. Hospitals have also begun incorporating RFID technology as part of their transfusion processes. The purpose of this review was to analyze how healthcare organization supply chains can benefit from the utilization of RFID systems in transfusion service departments. The methodology for this study was a literature review following the steps of a systematic review with a total of 52 sources referenced. RFID technology is used to manage and track blood products from the initial donor phlebotomy to final disposition or product transfusion. RFID-enabled transfusion practices have successfully increased provider productivity and product quality through work-time reduction and error reduction. Findings of this research study suggest that RFID has provided improvements in quality of care and efficiency, while initial costs, security, and privacy appear to be the principal barriers to adoption. PMID:26396555

A full value-chain Water Footprint Assessment to help informed decision in corporate sustainability strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Guoping; Chico Zamanilo, Daniel; Bai, Xue; Ren, Xiajing; Chen, Rong; Qin, Jun

2017-04-01

This study evaluated the water footprint (WF) of five production facilities along Muyuan Foodstuff Co. Ltd's (Muyuan) value chain, and assessed the sustainability and impact of their water footprints at the river catchment level. Muyuan, a large-scale, integrated pig breeder and producer in China, is keen to fulfil its corporate social responsibilities and committed to ensuring food quality and security, promoting environmental protection, and participating in catchment water resources management. Formulating corporate water related sustainability strategies, however, has been challenging. This study carried out a comprehensive Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) for Muyuan's full value chain to assist in formulating such strategies and setting up action plans with water footprint reduction targets. The study showed that that the water footprint of the supply chain, resulting from crops and crop products used in Muyuan's feed production facility is a major contributor to Muyuan's facilities' water footprint. From the perspective of the direct WF at the facilities, addressing the impact on water quality from effluents (i.e. the grey water footprint) at hog farms is a critical component of any water sustainability strategy. From the blue WF perspective, there are opportunities to reduce blue water consumption at hog farms through improved technology and implementation of best practices. The water footprint sustainability assessment in this study indicated that Muyuan operates in a catchment which is already under water stress and is a hotspot in terms of both blue water scarcity and water pollution level. The study helped identify potential water-related risks and opportunities for improving Muyuan's water use efficiency as well as ways Muyuan could contribute to sustainable water resources management in the catchment within which it operates. This is an innovative application of WFA in the livestock sector and supports the development of Muyuan's corporate water sustainability strategy. The results of the study were also used in the development of the national water footprint standard for organisations.

Environmental and sustainability ethics in supply chain management.

PubMed

Beamon, Benita M

2005-04-01

Environmentally Conscious Supply Chain Management (ECSCM refers to the control exerted over all immediate and eventual environmental effects of products and processes associated with converting raw materials into final products. While much work has been done in this area, the focus has traditionally been on either: product recovery (recycling, remanufacturing, or re-use) or the product design function only (e.g., design for environment). Environmental considerations in manufacturing are often viewed as separate from traditional, value-added considerations. However, the case can be made that professional engineers have an ethical responsibility to consider the immediate and eventual environmental impacts of products and processes that they design and/or manage. This paper describes ECSCM as a component of engineering ethics, and highlights the major issues associated with ethical decision-making in supply chain management.

76 FR 24848 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-03

...: USDA Web Based Supply Chain Management System (WBSCMs). OMB Control Number: 0581--NEW. Summary of... using the secure Web Based Supply Chain Management System (WBSCM). Vendors must be registered, and have... assists AMS with making a determination whether a business is viable and capable of supplying product to...

Is the U.S. Army Field Artillery Prepared to Support the Next Major Combat Operation?

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

Coyle, C. John Langley Jr., Brian J . Gibson, Robert A . Novack, Edward J . Bardi , Supply Chain Management; A Logistics Perspective (Mason, OH: South...Edward J . Bardi . Supply Chain Management; A Logistics Perspective. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2008. Dastrup, Boyd. The Field...

The Research on Integrated Strategy of Supply Chain Information Systems in the Automobile Industry Based on Order-To-Delivery Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ming; Gan, Lianzhen; He, Xuefeng

The automotive industry there are different degrees of impairment of many companies supply chain IT strategy. In this paper, in which the automotive industry supply chain management business cooperation between enterprises loose, poor exchange of information leading to the presence or delays in product customization, supply of raw materials, material control, production planning and control, sales and service and a fast response propose a series of typical problems of scientific and rational supply chain information integration strategy. The strategy through the development system integration platform, improve internal ERP system, implementation of supply chain management and other methods. Put some protection principles in the information process, to ensure the correct implementation of supply chain IT strategy, and ultimately achieve collaborative business development concept and enhance the automotive industry as a whole level of information.

Jetfighter: An Experiential Value Chain Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheehan, Norman T.; Gamble, Edward N.

2010-01-01

Value chain analysis is widely taught in business schools and applied by practitioners to improve business performance. Despite its ubiquity, many students struggle to understand and apply value chain concepts in practice. JetFighter uses a complex manufacturing process (making intricate paper planes) to provide students an opportunity to enhance…

The sanitation value chain: its concept and new research collaboration project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funamizu, N.

2017-03-01

Sanitation is essential for promoting health, preventing environment pollution, conserving ecosystem, and recovering and recycling resources. Therefore, it can be said that sanitation is closely related to such current global issues as poverty, urban slum, conservation of ecosystem, and resources management. Namely, the question, “How can we handle the waste from 10 billion people in future?” is a global environmental problem to be solved. In developing world, population is growing rapidly especially in urban slums and they have still high under 5 mortality and poverty issues. It also reported that 2.4 billion people are still using unimproved sanitation facilities, including 946 million people who are still practicing open defecation in 2015 (UN, 2015). On the other hand, depopulation and aging are progressing especially in rural area of developed world. Based on the above mentioned background, new research project on sanitation value chain has started. This is a collaboration project with LIPI, RIHN (Research Institute of Humanity and Nature, Kyoto) and HU (Hokkaido University). The concept of the sanitation value chain and the brief summary of the project are discussed in the keynote presentation. The concept of sanitation value chain proposed in the project : The project is proposing new concept, Sanitation Value Chain, which has the following basic policies: 1) Put values of people/and community in the centre of discussion, and prepare sanitation system to drive this value chain; 2) Design the sanitation system by focusing on incentive for individual users and community; 3) Recognize a sanitation system as an integrated system with social and technical systems; 4) Design the sanitation system by making a good matching between social characteristics and prerequisites of the technologies. The goals of the research are 1) To propose the Sanitation Value Chain as a common solution for both developing and developed countries, 2) To show the validity of the Sanitation Value Chain by pilot study on co-creation of the value chain at developing countries and Japan, 3) To contribute to making interdisciplinary academic foundation on sanitation.

Illustrating Business Marketing Concepts through the Value Chain Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao-Troth, Sara; Thomas, Stephanie P.; Webb, G. Scott

2015-01-01

The Value Chain Game is an activity that helps students to develop a holistic understanding of the processes and challenges in managing the value chain so that customer needs are met. Competing value chains work to produce and sell two products. Seasonal demand, quality defects, transportation delays, and audits offer complexities that represent…

Utilizing Radiofrequency Identification Technology to Improve Safety and Management of Blood Bank Supply Chains.

PubMed

Coustasse, Alberto; Meadows, Pamela; Hall, Robert S; Hibner, Travis; Deslich, Stacie

2015-11-01

The importance of efficiency in the supply chain of perishable products, such as the blood products used in transfusion services, cannot be overstated. Many problems can occur, such as the outdating of products, inventory management issues, patient misidentification, and mistransfusion. The purpose of this article was to identify the benefits and barriers associated with radiofrequency identification (RFID) usage in improving the blood bank supply chain. The methodology for this study was a qualitative literature review following a systematic approach. The review was limited to sources published from 2000 to 2014 in the English language. Sixty-five sources were found, and 56 were used in this research study. According to the finding of the present study, there are numerous benefits and barriers to RFID utilization in blood bank supply chains. RFID technology offers several benefits with regard to blood bank product management, including decreased transfusion errors, reduction of product loss, and more efficient inventory management. Barriers to RFID implementation include the cost associated with system implementation and patient privacy issues. Implementation of an RFID system can be a significant investment. However, when observing the positive impact that such systems may have on transfusion safety and inventory management, the cost associated with RFID systems can easily be justified. RFID in blood bank inventory management is vital to ensuring efficient product inventory management and positive patient outcomes.

Hepatic encephalopathy: cause and possible management with botanicals.

PubMed

Tripathi, Suyash; Tripathi, Yamini B

2014-01-01

Hepatic encephalopathy is a brain functional disorder, characterized by neuropsychiatric abnormalities with liver failure. High blood ammonia, causing glutamate neurotoxicity is the basic cause, finally leading to low-grade cerebral edema. Its manifestation is more likely in patients of sepsis, oxidative stress, generalized inflammation, gut mal-functioning, amoebiaesis, viral hepatitis, nervous imbalance, etc. Thus, the therapeutic goals primarily include the maintenance of proper blood supply and prevention of hypoxic condition in liver, along with management of factors responsible for high blood ammonia, oxidative stress, inflammation, and high GI- serotonin. The drugs in clinical practice include lactulose, sodium benzoate, flumazenil and rifaximin, supplementation of zinc, branched chain amino acids (BCAA), l-ornithine-l aspartate, antioxidants and iNOS inhibitors. However, herbal formulations would be of great importance as it shows multi-targeted action because it possesses a natural cocktail of secondary metabolites. It can collectively act as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, prebiotic, hepatoprotective and neuron-protective agents. We have briefly outlined some of these plants and also recent patents useful in the management of hepatic encephalopathy.

Coming of age: pharmacy practice in the 21st century.

PubMed

Downing, Donald F

2015-01-01

Individuals, families, health plans and governments are struggling with the growing importance of managing chronic, non-communicable diseases. People in many countries are living longer and thus are facing many years of managing hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia - often complicated by obesity, declining physical activity and changing diets. The financial burden this places on governments, employers, and individuals purchasing health care services is growing and solutions are being sought on how to both finance this care and deliver the best care possible. New ideas are emerging that look to newfound resources, and one untapped resource increasingly being utilized is the clinical pharmacist. After many years being primarily involved in medication supply-chain management, the assistance that highly skilled pharmacists can provide medical providers and their patients is now being recognized. In order to realize fully the benefits of clinical pharmacists, governments, health plans and medical providers are taking a second look at the wisdom of maintaining the long-standing policy of compensating pharmacists only for filling prescriptions.

Contraception supply chain challenges: a review of evidence from low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Mukasa, Bakali; Ali, Moazzam; Farron, Madeline; Van de Weerdt, Renee

2017-10-01

To identify and assess factors determining the functioning of supply chain systems for modern contraception in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and to identify challenges contributing to contraception stockouts that may lead to unmet need. Scientific databases and grey literature were searched including Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE), PubMed, MEDLINE, POPLINE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, Google Scholar, WHO databases and websites of key international organisations. Studies indicated that supply chain system inefficiencies significantly affect availability of modern FP and contraception commodities in LMICs, especially in rural public facilities where distribution barriers may be acute. Supply chain failures or bottlenecks may be attributed to: weak and poorly institutionalized logistic management information systems (LMIS), poor physical infrastructures in LMICs, lack of trained and dedicated staff for supply chain management, inadequate funding, and rigid government policies on task sharing. However, there is evidence that implementing effective LMISs and involving public and private providers will distribution channels resulted in reduction in medical commodities' stockout rates. Supply chain bottlenecks contribute significantly to persistent high stockout rates for modern contraceptives in LMICs. Interventions aimed at enhancing uptake of contraceptives to reduce the problem of unmet need in LMICs should make strong commitments towards strengthening these countries' health commodities supply chain management systems. Current evidence is limited and additional, and well-designed implementation research on contraception supply chain systems is warranted to gain further understanding and insights on the determinants of supply chain bottlenecks and their impact on stockouts of contraception commodities.

Integrating strategic and tactical decisions in livestock supply chain using bi-level programming, case study: Iran poultry supply chain.

PubMed

Teimoury, Ebrahim; Jabbarzadeh, Armin; Babaei, Mohammadhosein

2017-01-01

Inventory management has frequently been targeted by researchers as one of the most pivotal problems in supply chain management. With the expansion of research studies on inventory management in supply chains, perishable inventory has been introduced and its fundamental differences from non-perishable inventory have been emphasized. This article presents livestock as a type of inventory that has been less studied in the literature. Differences between different inventory types, affect various levels of strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. In most articles, different levels of decision-making are discussed independently and sequentially. In this paper, not only is the livestock inventory introduced, but also a model has been developed to integrate decisions across different levels of decision-making using bi-level programming. Computational results indicate that the proposed bi-level approach is more efficient than the sequential decision-making approach.

Integrating strategic and tactical decisions in livestock supply chain using bi-level programming, case study: Iran poultry supply chain

PubMed Central

Jabbarzadeh, Armin; Babaei, Mohammadhosein

2017-01-01

Inventory management has frequently been targeted by researchers as one of the most pivotal problems in supply chain management. With the expansion of research studies on inventory management in supply chains, perishable inventory has been introduced and its fundamental differences from non-perishable inventory have been emphasized. This article presents livestock as a type of inventory that has been less studied in the literature. Differences between different inventory types, affect various levels of strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. In most articles, different levels of decision-making are discussed independently and sequentially. In this paper, not only is the livestock inventory introduced, but also a model has been developed to integrate decisions across different levels of decision-making using bi-level programming. Computational results indicate that the proposed bi-level approach is more efficient than the sequential decision-making approach. PMID:28982180

A "simulation chain" to define a Multidisciplinary Decision Support System for landslide risk management in pyroclastic soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damiano, E.; Mercogliano, P.; Netti, N.; Olivares, L.

2012-04-01

This paper proposes a Multidisciplinary Decision Support System (MDSS) as an approach to manage rainfall-induced shallow landslides of the flow type (flowslides) in pyroclastic deposits. We stress the need to combine information from the fields of meteorology, geology, hydrology, geotechnics and economics to support the agencies engaged in land monitoring and management. The MDSS consists of a "simulation chain" to link rainfall to effects in terms of infiltration, slope stability and vulnerability. This "simulation chain" was developed at the Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change (CMCC) (meteorological aspects), at the Geotechnical Laboratory of the Second University of Naples (hydrological and geotechnical aspects) and at the Department of Economics of the University of Naples "Federico II" (economic aspects). The results obtained from the application of this simulation chain in the Cervinara area during eleven years of research allowed in-depth analysis of the mechanisms underlying a flowslide in pyroclastic soil.

Participatory design of a preliminary safety checklist for general practice

PubMed Central

Bowie, Paul; Ferguson, Julie; MacLeod, Marion; Kennedy, Susan; de Wet, Carl; McNab, Duncan; Kelly, Moya; McKay, John; Atkinson, Sarah

2015-01-01

Background The use of checklists to minimise errors is well established in high reliability, safety-critical industries. In health care there is growing interest in checklists to standardise checking processes and ensure task completion, and so provide further systemic defences against error and patient harm. However, in UK general practice there is limited experience of safety checklist use. Aim To identify workplace hazards that impact on safety, health and wellbeing, and performance, and codesign a standardised checklist process. Design and setting Application of mixed methods to identify system hazards in Scottish general practices and develop a safety checklist based on human factors design principles. Method A multiprofessional ‘expert’ group (n = 7) and experienced front-line GPs, nurses, and practice managers (n = 18) identified system hazards and developed and validated a preliminary checklist using a combination of literature review, documentation review, consensus building workshops using a mini-Delphi process, and completion of content validity index exercise. Results A prototype safety checklist was developed and validated consisting of six safety domains (for example, medicines management), 22 sub-categories (for example, emergency drug supplies) and 78 related items (for example, stock balancing, secure drug storage, and cold chain temperature recording). Conclusion Hazards in the general practice work system were prioritised that can potentially impact on the safety, health and wellbeing of patients, GP team members, and practice performance, and a necessary safety checklist prototype was designed. However, checklist efficacy in improving safety processes and outcomes is dependent on user commitment, and support from leaders and promotional champions. Although further usability development and testing is necessary, the concept should be of interest in the UK and internationally. PMID:25918338

Notes from the field: the economic value chain in disease management organizations.

PubMed

Fetterolf, Donald

2006-12-01

The disease management (DM) "value chain" is composed of a linear series of steps that include operational milestones in the development of knowledge, each stage evolving from the preceding one. As an adaptation of Michael Porter's "value chain" model, the process flow in DM moves along the following path: (1) data/information technology, (2) information generation, (3) analysis, (4) assessment/recommendations, (5) actionable customer plan, and (6) program assessment/reassessment. Each of these stages is managed as a major line of product operations within a DM company or health plan. Metrics around each of the key production variables create benchmark milestones, ongoing management insight into program effectiveness, and potential drivers for activity-based cost accounting pricing models. The value chain process must remain robust from early entry of data and information into the system, through the final presentation and recommendations for our clients if the program is to be effective. For individuals involved in the evaluation or review of DM programs, this framework is an excellent method to visualize the key components and sequence in the process. The value chain model is an excellent way to establish the value of a formal DM program and to create a consultancy relationship with a client involved in purchasing these complex services.

BCR-ABL PCR testing in chronic myelogenous leukemia: molecular diagnosis for targeted cancer therapy and monitoring.

PubMed

Luu, Martin H; Press, Richard D

2013-09-01

The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represents the paradigm for modern targeted cancer therapy. Importantly, molecular monitoring using BCR-ABL real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) for assessing treatment efficacy and quantitating minimal residual disease is a major determinate of practical therapeutic decision-making in the long-term management of this now chronic disease. Herein, we present an overview of CML and the use of TKIs for targeted CML therapy, with an emphasis on the role, application and future aspects of PCR-based molecular monitoring.

Product carbon footprint assessment supporting the green supply chain construction in household appliance manufacturers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jianhua; Sun, Liang; Guo, Huiting

2017-11-01

Supply chain carbon emission is one of the factors considered in the green supply chain management. A method was designed to support the green supply chain measures based on the carbon footprint assessment for products. A research for 3 typical household appliances carbon footprint assessment was conducted to explore using product carbon footprint assessment method to guide the green supply chain management of the manufacturers. The result could reflect the differences directions on green supply chain management of manufacturers of washing machine, air conditioner and microwave, respectively That is, the washing machine manufacturer should pay attention to the low carbon activities in upstream suppliers in highest priority, and also the promotion of product energy efficiency. The air conditioner manufacturer should pay attention to the product energy efficiency increasing in highest priority, and the improvement of refrigerant to decrease its GWP. And the microwave manufacture could only focus on the energy efficiency increasing because it contributes most of the carbon emission to its carbon footprint. Besides, the representativeness of product and the applicability of the method were also discussed. As the manufacturer could master the technical information on raw material and components of its products to conduct the product carbon footprint assessment, this method could help the manufacturer to identify the effective green supply chain measures in the preliminary stage.

A New Activity-Based Financial Cost Management Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qingge, Zhang

The standard activity-based financial cost management model is a new model of financial cost management, which is on the basis of the standard cost system and the activity-based cost and integrates the advantages of the two. It is a new model of financial cost management with more accurate and more adequate cost information by taking the R&D expenses as the accounting starting point and after-sale service expenses as the terminal point and covering the whole producing and operating process and the whole activities chain and value chain aiming at serving the internal management and decision.

Designing a Supply Chain Management Academic Curriculum Using QFD and Benchmarking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Marvin E.; Quesada, Gioconda; Gourdin, Kent; Hartley, Mark

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to utilize quality function deployment (QFD), Benchmarking analyses and other innovative quality tools to develop a new customer-centered undergraduate curriculum in supply chain management (SCM). Design/methodology/approach: The researchers used potential employers as the source for data collection. Then,…

An Innovative Supply Chain Management Programme Structure: Broadening the SCM Skill Set

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okongwu, Uche

2007-01-01

This paper proposes a matrix structure for training Supply Chain Management (SCM) professionals. It is an innovative programme structure that combines two approaches: cross-border and inter-organisational. It enables the students to comprehend complex and specific business environments and to understand the diverse nature of SCM systems in both…

Supply Chain Development: Insights from Strategic Niche Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caniels, Marjolein C. J.; Romijn, Henny A.

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the study of supply chain design from the perspective of complex dynamic systems. Unlike extant studies that use formal simulation modelling and associated methodologies rooted in the physical sciences, it adopts a framework rooted in the social sciences, strategic niche management, which…

Using a Video Game to Teach Supply Chain and Logistics Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chiung-Lin

2017-01-01

This study used OpenTTD, a video game that supports in-depth experiential learning, to evaluate undergraduate students' opinions regarding supply chain and logistics management learning. The 101 undergraduate participants were assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. From the post-test questionnaires, the analytical results…

Sustainability in Supply Chain Management: Aggregate Planning from Sustainability Perspective.

PubMed

Türkay, Metin; Saraçoğlu, Öztürk; Arslan, Mehmet Can

2016-01-01

Supply chain management that considers the flow of raw materials, products and information has become a focal issue in modern manufacturing and service systems. Supply chain management requires effective use of assets and information that has far reaching implications beyond satisfaction of customer demand, flow of goods, services or capital. Aggregate planning, a fundamental decision model in supply chain management, refers to the determination of production, inventory, capacity and labor usage levels in the medium term. Traditionally standard mathematical programming formulation is used to devise the aggregate plan so as to minimize the total cost of operations. However, this formulation is purely an economic model that does not include sustainability considerations. In this study, we revise the standard aggregate planning formulation to account for additional environmental and social criteria to incorporate triple bottom line consideration of sustainability. We show how these additional criteria can be appended to traditional cost accounting in order to address sustainability in aggregate planning. We analyze the revised models and interpret the results on a case study from real life that would be insightful for decision makers.

Sustainability in Supply Chain Management: Aggregate Planning from Sustainability Perspective

PubMed Central

Türkay, Metin; Saraçoğlu, Öztürk; Arslan, Mehmet Can

2016-01-01

Supply chain management that considers the flow of raw materials, products and information has become a focal issue in modern manufacturing and service systems. Supply chain management requires effective use of assets and information that has far reaching implications beyond satisfaction of customer demand, flow of goods, services or capital. Aggregate planning, a fundamental decision model in supply chain management, refers to the determination of production, inventory, capacity and labor usage levels in the medium term. Traditionally standard mathematical programming formulation is used to devise the aggregate plan so as to minimize the total cost of operations. However, this formulation is purely an economic model that does not include sustainability considerations. In this study, we revise the standard aggregate planning formulation to account for additional environmental and social criteria to incorporate triple bottom line consideration of sustainability. We show how these additional criteria can be appended to traditional cost accounting in order to address sustainability in aggregate planning. We analyze the revised models and interpret the results on a case study from real life that would be insightful for decision makers. PMID:26807848

Assessment of RFID Investment in the Military Logistics Systems Through The Cost of Ownership Model (COO)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

managers seek ways to increase the efficiency of their organizations by improving their logistics operations . According to Logistics Today journal ...S. (2009). RFID Adoption by Indian Retailers: An Exploratory Study. The Icfai University Journal of Supply Chain Management , 6 (1), 60-77...and will continue to be one of the hot topics in operations and supply chain management . It will potentially receive widespread adoption in the long

Practices associated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza spread in traditional poultry marketing chains: Social and economic perspectives.

PubMed

Paul, Mathilde; Baritaux, Virginie; Wongnarkpet, Sirichai; Poolkhet, Chaithep; Thanapongtharm, Weerapong; Roger, François; Bonnet, Pascal; Ducrot, Christian

2013-04-01

In developing countries, smallholder poultry production contributes to food security and poverty alleviation in rural areas. However, traditional poultry marketing chains have been threatened by the epidemics caused by the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) virus. The article presents a value chain analysis conducted on the traditional poultry marketing chain in the rural province of Phitsanulok, Thailand. The analysis is based on quantitative data collected on 470 backyard chicken farms, and on qualitative data collected on 28 poultry collectors, slaughterhouses and market retailers, using semi-structured interviews. The article examines the organization of poultry marketing chains in time and space, and shows how this may contribute to the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in the small-scale poultry sector. The article also discusses the practices and strategies developed by value chain actors facing poultry mortality, with their economic and social determinants. More broadly, this study also illustrates how value chain analysis can contribute to a better understanding of the complex mechanisms associated with the spread of epidemics in rural communities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insight into the prevalence and distribution of microbial contamination to evaluate water management in the fresh produce processing industry.

PubMed

Holvoet, Kevin; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Sampers, Imca; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2012-04-01

This study provided insight into the degree of microbial contamination in the processing chain of prepacked (bagged) lettuce in two Belgian fresh-cut produce processing companies. The pathogens Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Total psychrotrophic aerobic bacterial counts (TPACs) in water samples, fresh produce, and environmental samples suggested that the TPAC is not a good indicator of overall quality and best manufacturing practices during production and processing. Because of the high TPACs in the harvested lettuce crops, the process water becomes quickly contaminated, and subsequent TPACs do not change much throughout the production process of a batch. The hygiene indicator Escherichia coli was used to assess the water management practices in these two companies in relation to food safety. Practices such as insufficient cleaning and disinfection of washing baths, irregular refilling of the produce wash baths with water of good microbial quality, and the use of high product/water ratios resulted in a rapid increase in E. coli in the processing water, with potential transfer to the end product (fresh-cut lettuce). The washing step in the production of fresh-cut lettuce was identified as a potential pathway for dispersion of microorganisms and introduction of E. coli to the end product via cross-contamination. An intervention step to reduce microbial contamination is needed, particularly when no sanitizers are used as is the case in some European Union countries. Thus, from a food safety point of view proper water management (and its validation) is a critical point in the fresh-cut produce processing industry.

Internet-enabled collaborative agent-based supply chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Weiming; Kremer, Rob; Norrie, Douglas H.

2000-12-01

This paper presents some results of our recent research work related to the development of a new Collaborative Agent System Architecture (CASA) and an Infrastructure for Collaborative Agent Systems (ICAS). Initially being proposed as a general architecture for Internet based collaborative agent systems (particularly complex industrial collaborative agent systems), the proposed architecture is very suitable for managing the Internet enabled complex supply chain for a large manufacturing enterprise. The general collaborative agent system architecture with the basic communication and cooperation services, domain independent components, prototypes and mechanisms are described. Benefits of implementing Internet enabled supply chains with the proposed infrastructure are discussed. A case study on Internet enabled supply chain management is presented.

Radio Frequency Identification Queuing & Geo-Location (RAQGEO): A spatial solution to inventory management at XYZ Logistics, Inc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, Bradley Joseph

New supply chain management methods using radio frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning system (GPS) technology are quickly being adopted by companies as various inventory management benefits are being realized. For example, companies such as Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Logistics use the technology coupled with geospatial support systems for distributors to quickly find and manage freight containers. Traditional supply chain management methods require pen-to-paper reporting, searching inventory on foot, and human data entry. Some companies that prioritize supply chain management have not adopted the new technology, because they may feel that their traditional methods save the company expenses. This thesis serves as a pilot study that examines how information technology (IT) utilizing RFID and GPS technology can serve to increase workplace productivity, decrease human labor associated with inventorying, plus be used for spatial analysis by management. This pilot study represents the first attempt to couple RFID technology with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in supply chain management efforts to analyze and locate mobile assets by exploring costs and benefits of implementation plus how the technology can be employed. This pilot study identified a candidate to implement a new inventory management method as XYZ Logistics, Inc. XYZ Logistics, Inc. is a fictitious company but represents a factual corporation. The name has been changed to provide the company with anonymity and to not disclose confidential business information. XYZ Logistics, Inc., is a nation-wide company that specializes in providing space solutions for customers including portable offices, storage containers, and customizable buildings.

The knowledge value-chain of genetic counseling for breast cancer: an empirical assessment of prediction and communication processes.

PubMed

Amara, Nabil; Blouin-Bougie, Jolyane; Jbilou, Jalila; Halilem, Norrin; Simard, Jacques; Landry, Réjean

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is twofold: to analyze the genetic counseling process for breast cancer with a theoretical knowledge transfer lens and to compare generalists, medical specialists, and genetic counselors with regards to their genetic counseling practices. This paper presents the genetic counseling process occurring within a chain of value-adding activities of four main stages describing health professionals' clinical practices: (1) evaluation, (2) investigation, (3) information, and (4) decision. It also presents the results of a cross-sectional study based on a Canadian medical doctors and genetic counselors survey (n = 176) realized between July 2012 and March 2013. The statistical exercise included descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and post-hoc tests. The results indicate that even though all types of health professionals are involved in the entire process of genetic counseling for breast cancer, genetic counselors are more involved in the evaluation of breast cancer risk, while medical doctors are more active in the decision toward breast cancer risk management strategies. The results secondly demonstrate the relevance and the key role of genetic counselors in the care provided to women at-risk of familial breast cancer. This paper presents an integrative framework to understand the current process of genetic counseling for breast cancer in Canada, and to shed light on how and where health professionals contribute to the process. It also offers a starting point for assessing clinical practices in genetic counseling in order to establish more clearly where and to what extent efforts should be undertaken to implement future genetic services.

Tool for assessing health and equity impacts of interventions modifying air quality in urban environments.

PubMed

Cartier, Yuri; Benmarhnia, Tarik; Brousselle, Astrid

2015-12-01

Urban outdoor air pollution (AP) is a major public health concern but the mechanisms by which interventions impact health and social inequities are rarely assessed. Health and equity impacts of policies and interventions are questioned, but managers and policy agents in various institutional contexts have very few practical tools to help them better orient interventions in sectors other than the health sector. Our objective was to create such a tool to facilitate the assessment of health impacts of urban outdoor AP interventions by non-public health experts. An iterative process of reviewing the academic literature, brainstorming, and consultation with experts was used to identify the chain of effects of urban outdoor AP and the major modifying factors. To test its applicability, the tool was applied to two interventions, the London Low Emission Zone and the Montréal BIXI public bicycle-sharing program. We identify the chain of effects, six categories of modifying factors: those controlling the source of emissions, the quantity of emissions, concentrations of emitted pollutants, their spatial distribution, personal exposure, and individual vulnerability. Modifiable and non-modifiable factors are also identified. Results are presented in the text but also graphically, as we wanted it to be a practical tool, from pollution sources to emission, exposure, and finally, health effects. The tool represents a practical first step to assessing AP-related interventions for health and equity impacts. Understanding how different factors affect health and equity through air pollution can provide insight to city policymakers pursuing Health in All Policies. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Impact of RFID Information-Sharing Coordination over a Supply Chain with Reverse Logistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nativi Nicolau, Juan Jose

2016-01-01

Companies have adopted environmental practices such as reverse logistics over the past few decades. However, studies show that aligning partners inside the green supply chain can be a substantial problem. This lack of coordination can increase overall supply chain cost. Information technology such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has the…

The role of veterinary services in animal health and food safety surveillance, and coordination with other services.

PubMed

Bellemain, V

2013-08-01

The control of animal health and food safety has undergone profound changes and is now seen in terms of a global approach, 'from the stable to the table'. The risks themselves have also evolved, principally due to changing practices, and this, coupled with increased knowledge and changes in consumer demands, has led to a more global conception of production chains. In terms of official controls, targeted control of the final food product has gradually been replaced by control of the production processes and an integrated approach to hazards throughout the production chain. This, in turn, has resulted in a new division of responsibilities among the producers (farmers), the manufacturers and the administration; namely, Veterinary Services. The areas in which veterinarians are involved have gradually been extended from animal production to all levels of the food production chain. Animal health interventions on farms are comparable to interventions in agri-food companies. Both are, or should be, included in veterinary training and education. To meet new challenges, the current trend is for Veterinary Services to be responsible for, or coordinate, sanitary interventions from the stable to the table. Coordination between Veterinary Services and other relevant authorities is a key component of good public governance, especially for effective action and optimal management of the resources available.

Home hygiene and environmental sanitation: a country situation analysis for India.

PubMed

Nath, K J

2003-06-01

Problems of the environment and of domestic hygiene are always related to poverty of population and the sanitation of settlements. Most cities and towns in developing countries, like India, are characterised by over-crowding, congestion, inadequate water supply and inadequate facilities of disposal of human excreta, waste water and solid wastes. Inadequacy of housing for most urban poor invariably leads to poor home hygiene. Personal and domestic hygiene practices cannot be improved without improving basic amenities, such as water supply, waste water disposal, solid waste management and the problems of human settlements. But even under the prevailing conditions, there is significant scope of improving hygiene practices at home to prevent infection and cross-infection. Unfortunately, in developing countries, public health concerns are usually raised on the institutional setting, such as municipal services, hospitals, environmental sanitation, etc. There is a reluctance to acknowledge the home as a setting of equal importance along with the public institutions in the chain of disease transmission in the community. Managers of home hygiene and community hygiene must act in unison to optimise return from efforts to promote public health. Current practices and perceptions of domestic and personal hygiene in Indian communities, the existing levels of environmental and peri-domestic sanitation and the 'health risk' these pose will be outlined, as well as the need for an integrated action for improving hygiene behaviour and access to safe water and sanitation.

Making Supply Chains Resilient to Floods Using a Bayesian Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haraguchi, M.

2015-12-01

Natural hazards distress the global economy by disrupting the interconnected supply chain networks. Manufacturing companies have created cost-efficient supply chains by reducing inventories, streamlining logistics and limiting the number of suppliers. As a result, today's supply chains are profoundly susceptible to systemic risks. In Thailand, for example, the GDP growth rate declined by 76 % in 2011 due to prolonged flooding. Thailand incurred economic damage including the loss of USD 46.5 billion, approximately 70% of which was caused by major supply chain disruptions in the manufacturing sector. Similar problems occurred after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, the Mississippi River floods and droughts during 2011 - 2013, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This study proposes a methodology for modeling supply chain disruptions using a Bayesian network analysis (BNA) to estimate expected values of countermeasures of floods, such as inventory management, supplier management and hard infrastructure management. We first performed a spatio-temporal correlation analysis between floods and extreme precipitation data for the last 100 years at a global scale. Then we used a BNA to create synthetic networks that include variables associated with the magnitude and duration of floods, major components of supply chains and market demands. We also included decision variables of countermeasures that would mitigate potential losses caused by supply chain disruptions. Finally, we conducted a cost-benefit analysis by estimating the expected values of these potential countermeasures while conducting a sensitivity analysis. The methodology was applied to supply chain disruptions caused by the 2011 Thailand floods. Our study demonstrates desirable typical data requirements for the analysis, such as anonymized supplier network data (i.e. critical dependencies, vulnerability information of suppliers) and sourcing data(i.e. locations of suppliers, and production rates and volume), and data from previous experiences (i.e. companies' risk mitigation strategy decisions).

Closing oil palm yield gaps among Indonesian smallholders through industry schemes, pruning, weeding and improved seeds

PubMed Central

Soliman, T.; Lim, F. K. S.; Lee, J. S. H.

2016-01-01

Oil palm production has led to large losses of valuable habitats for tropical biodiversity. Sparing of land for nature could in theory be attained if oil palm yields increased. The efficiency of oil palm smallholders is below its potential capacity, but the factors determining efficiency are poorly understood. We employed a two-stage data envelopment analysis approach to assess the influence of agronomic, supply chain and management factors on oil palm production efficiency in 190 smallholders in six villages in Indonesia. The results show that, on average, yield increases of 65% were possible and that fertilizer and herbicide use was excessive and inefficient. Adopting industry-supported scheme management practices, use of high-quality seeds and higher pruning and weeding rates were found to improve efficiency. Smallholder oil palm production intensification in Indonesia has the capacity to increase production by 26%, an equivalent of 1.75 million hectares of land. PMID:27853605

Biological Evidence Management for DNA Analysis in Cases of Sexual Assault

PubMed Central

Magalhães, Teresa; Dinis-Oliveira, Ricardo Jorge; Silva, Benedita; Corte-Real, Francisco; Nuno Vieira, Duarte

2015-01-01

Biological evidence with forensic interest may be found in several cases of assault, being particularly relevant if sexually related. Sexual assault cases are characterized by low rates of disclosure, reporting, prosecution, and conviction. Biological evidence is sometimes the only way to prove the occurrence of sexual contact and to identify the perpetrator. The major focus of this review is to propose practical approaches and guidelines to help health, forensic, and law enforcement professionals to deal with biological evidence for DNA analysis. Attention should be devoted to avoiding contamination, degradation, and loss of biological evidence, as well as respecting specific measures to properly handle evidence (i.e., selection, collection, packing, sealing, labeling, storage, preservation, transport, and guarantee of the chain custody). Biological evidence must be carefully managed since the relevance of any finding in Forensic Genetics is determined, in the first instance, by the integrity and quantity of the samples submitted for analysis. PMID:26587562

Responses of HMO Medical Directors to Trust Building in Managed Care

PubMed Central

Mechanic, David; Rosenthal, Marsha

1999-01-01

Managed care organizations (MCOs) are facing intense criticism at national, state, and local levels and battling initiatives that would impose stricter regulation. Medical directors of HMOs were surveyed regarding their organizations’ strategies of communication, the programs they have instituted to build trust, and their commitment to sponsoring family and patient support groups. The responses obtained from 252 directors indicate that nonprofit and free-standing organizations are more likely than either for-profitHMOs or organizations that are part of a chain to sponsor community activities and programs and to offer family and patient support groups. Staff- and group-model HMOs are more likely than other organizational configurations to initiate many types of “trust programs.” The results indicate that more dispersed and “virtual-type” organizations must explore ways to respond meaningfully to community concerns–and to public health, prevention, and health promotion needs as well–while continuing to improve their practice patterns. PMID:10526546

Closing oil palm yield gaps among Indonesian smallholders through industry schemes, pruning, weeding and improved seeds.

PubMed

Soliman, T; Lim, F K S; Lee, J S H; Carrasco, L R

2016-08-01

Oil palm production has led to large losses of valuable habitats for tropical biodiversity. Sparing of land for nature could in theory be attained if oil palm yields increased. The efficiency of oil palm smallholders is below its potential capacity, but the factors determining efficiency are poorly understood. We employed a two-stage data envelopment analysis approach to assess the influence of agronomic, supply chain and management factors on oil palm production efficiency in 190 smallholders in six villages in Indonesia. The results show that, on average, yield increases of 65% were possible and that fertilizer and herbicide use was excessive and inefficient. Adopting industry-supported scheme management practices, use of high-quality seeds and higher pruning and weeding rates were found to improve efficiency. Smallholder oil palm production intensification in Indonesia has the capacity to increase production by 26%, an equivalent of 1.75 million hectares of land.

[Haemovigilance and blood safety in overseas military].

PubMed

Sailliol, A; Plang, S; Martinaud, C; Pouget, T; Vedy, S; Clavier, B; Cellarier, V; Roche, C; Civadier, C; Ausset, S

2014-11-01

The French military blood institute (FMBI) is the only military blood supplier in France. FMBI operates independently and autonomously under the Ministry of Defense's supervision, and accordingly, to the French, European and NATO technical and safety guidelines. FMBI is in charge of the collection, preparation and distribution of blood products to supply transfusion support to armed forces, especially during overseas operations. In overseas military, a primary physician is responsible for haemovigilance in permanent relation with an expert in the FMBI to manage any adverse reaction. Additionally, traceability of delivered or collected blood products during overseas operation represents a priority, allowing an appropriate management of transfusion inquiries and assessment of practices aiming to improve and update procedures and training. Transfusion safety in overseas operation is based on regular and specific training of people concerned by blood supply chain in exceptional situation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Home Health Chains and Practice Patterns: Evidence of 2008 Medicare Reimbursement Revision.

PubMed

Huang, Sean Shenghsiu; Kim, Hyunjee

2017-10-01

Home health agencies (HHAs) are known to exploit the Medicare reimbursement schedule by targeting a specific number of therapy visits. These targeting behaviors cause unnecessary medical spending. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates that during fiscal year 2015, Medicare made more than $10 billion in improper payments to HHAs. Better understanding of heterogeneous gaming behaviors among HHAs can inform policy makers to more effectively oversee the home health care industry. This article aims to study how home health chains adjust and adopt new targeting behaviors as compared to independent agencies under the new reimbursement schedule. The analytic data are constructed from: (1) 5% randomly sampled Medicare home health claim data, and (2) HHA chain information extracted from the Medicare Cost Report. The study period spans from 2007 to 2010, and the sample includes 7800 unique HHAs and 380,118 treatment episodes. A multivariate regression model is used to determine whether chain and independent agencies change their practice patterns and adopt different targeting strategies after the revision of the reimbursement schedule in 2008. This study finds that independent agencies are more likely to target 6 and 14 visits, while chain agencies are more likely to target 20 visits. Such a change of practice patterns is more significant among for-profit HHAs. The authors expect these findings to inform policy makers that organizational structures, especially the combination of for-profit status and chain affiliation, should be taken into the consideration when detecting medical fraud and designing the reimbursement schedule.

Workshop Summary Proceedings Document: G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency: U.S.-hosted Workshop on the Use of Life Cycle Concepts in Supply Chain Management to Achieve Resource Efficiency

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This proceedings document summarizes prepared remarks, presentations and discussions from the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency: U.S.-hosted Workshop on the Use of Life Cycle Concepts in Supply Chain Management to Achieve Resource Efficiency.

78 FR 25416 - Information Collection Request: Web-Based Supply Chain Management Commodity Offer Forms

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-01

... Request: Web-Based Supply Chain Management Commodity Offer Forms AGENCY: Farm Service Agency and Commodity..., and yearly bases. Special invitations, however, are issued throughout the month. Web-Based Supply... will be posted to the FSA Web site and also to the WBSCM portal and FedBizOpps ( https://www.fbo.gov...

Animated Powerpoint Presentations for Teaching Operations and Supply Chain Management: Perceived Value and Electronic Exchange of Files

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treleven, Mark D.; Penlesky, Richard J.; Callarman, Thomas E.; Watts, Charles A.; Bragg, Daniel J.

2012-01-01

This paper presents the innovation of sharing animated PowerPoint presentations used in teaching operations and supply chain management techniques and concepts through an international electronic exchange. The plan for the exchange is presented and discussed. The potential benefits to faculty and students of using PowerPoint animations in…

Data Science in Supply Chain Management: Data-Related Influences on Demand Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Yao

2013-01-01

Data-driven decisions have become an important aspect of supply chain management. Demand planners are tasked with analyzing volumes of data that are being collected at a torrential pace from myriad sources in order to translate them into actionable business intelligence. In particular, demand volatilities and planning are vital for effective and…

The Role of Multi-Institutional Partnerships in Supply Chain Management Course Design and Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Suzanna; Moos, J. Chris; Radic, Anne Bartel

2012-01-01

The authors examined the skills achieved through a multicultural, virtual student project environment among 3 supply chain management courses. The partnership included 2 universities in the United States and 1 in France and created virtual teams of students across university lines and is presented as a case study. The case includes detailed…

International Supply Chain Management Courses: Semester-Long versus Study-Abroad Formats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Matthew J.; Luchs, Ryan J.; Mawhinney, John R.

2015-01-01

Short-term study-abroad programs are gaining in popularity at business schools around the United States. We discuss the innovative 4-week program we have developed at Duquesne University where we offer two three-credit, required business core courses. In particular, we focus on the structure of a 2-week core supply chain management course. By…

Supply Chain Engineering and the Use of a Supporting Knowledge Management Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laakmann, Frank

The future competition in markets will happen between logistics networks and no longer between enterprises. A new approach for supporting the engineering of logistics networks is developed by this research as a part of the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 559: "Modeling of Large Networks in Logistics" at the University of Dortmund together with the Fraunhofer-Institute of Material Flow and Logistics founded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Based on a reference model for logistics processes, the process chain model, a guideline for logistics engineers is developed to manage the different types of design tasks of logistics networks. The technical background of this solution is a collaborative knowledge management application. This paper will introduce how new Internet-based technologies support supply chain design projects.

[Integrated quality assurance].

PubMed

Bögel, K; Stöhr, K

1994-07-01

The definition of terms and connotation of "Quality", "Quality Assurance" and "Integration" lead to an analysis and understanding of inhibiting and fostering factors of the "Health Triad" of people, animals and environment. Although "Quality" is largely or ultimately determined by the consumer, there are considerable differences as this term is applied by (a) the individual consumer, (b) the dynamic producer defending or gaining markets, (c) those engaged in traditional product manufacturing, or (d) governments setting (minimum) requirements for the sake of free trade. "Quality Assurance" offers cooperation of partners all along the food chain from "pasture to table". The managerial process turned into a continuum of responsibility and agreement on processes and product characteristics. This overcomes the disadvantages of strategies stressing distinct defense barriers. In practice this philosophy of a predominant role of defence barriers proved largely partnership destructive, in that it permitted to shift responsibilities for failures and to claim administrative competence according to momentary situations and interests. "Integrated Quality Assurance" means mutual agreement of two or more partners along the food chain (e. g. feed producers, farmers, animal health industry, veterinarians and food processors) on product characteristics and production methods. It involves essential system elements including facilities, materials, manpower, information, transport, management etc. Different principles and procedures of quality assurance have been introduced in practice, including agriculture and food processing. These different approaches are not mutually exclusive but largely of complementary nature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Viewing Kaiser Permanente via the logistician lens.

PubMed

Towill, Denis R

2006-01-01

The aim of this paper is to undertake a holistic comparison between NHS and Kaiser Permanente (KP) healthcare delivery systems. The paper reviews in detail the many papers and communications published on KP via the "logistics lens" which is focussed on smooth patient flow from onset of problem to completion of treatment. The paper finds that healthcare "best practice" is readily related to conventional supply chain performance metrics and engineering change model attributes. Much of the apparent success of KP is due to cultural and organisational factors. A noteworthy example deserving wide dissemination and application is in the effectiveness of interfaces between clinicians and managers. This review exposes the need for the NHS to be driven by end-to-end processing times rather than the present salami principle of separating in-patient, out-patient and other queues into neat statistics, which can be meaningless to an individual patient. Introduces clinicians and healthcare professionals to a range of tools and techniques for engineering "best practice". This method is well understood and proven in other areas of application. Particular aspects of the KP study are thus confirmatory of what is actually happening in small pockets of the NHS. The paper provides a new perspective on the performance of healthcare supply chains. New knowledge and deeper understanding of the mechanisms of success emerge from a study adopting a different viewpoint.

Voluntary medical male circumcision: logistics, commodities, and waste management requirements for scale-up of services.

PubMed

Edgil, Dianna; Stankard, Petra; Forsythe, Steven; Rech, Dino; Chrouser, Kristin; Adamu, Tigistu; Sakallah, Sameer; Thomas, Anne Goldzier; Albertini, Jennifer; Stanton, David; Dickson, Kim Eva; Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel

2011-11-01

The global HIV prevention community is implementing voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programs across eastern and southern Africa, with a goal of reaching 80% coverage in adult males by 2015. Successful implementation will depend on the accessibility of commodities essential for VMMC programming and the appropriate allocation of resources to support the VMMC supply chain. For this, the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, has developed a standard list of commodities for VMMC programs. This list of commodities was used to inform program planning for a 1-y program to circumcise 152,000 adult men in Swaziland. During this process, additional key commodities were identified, expanding the standard list to include commodities for waste management, HIV counseling and testing, and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections. The approximate costs for the procurement of commodities, management of a supply chain, and waste disposal, were determined for the VMMC program in Swaziland using current market prices of goods and services. Previous costing studies of VMMC programs did not capture supply chain costs, nor the full range of commodities needed for VMMC program implementation or waste management. Our calculations indicate that depending upon the volume of services provided, supply chain and waste management, including commodities and associated labor, contribute between US$58.92 and US$73.57 to the cost of performing one adult male circumcision in Swaziland. Experience with the VMMC program in Swaziland indicates that supply chain and waste management add approximately US$60 per circumcision, nearly doubling the total per procedure cost estimated previously; these additional costs are used to inform the estimate of per procedure costs modeled by Njeuhmeli et al. in "Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Modeling the Impact and Cost of Expanding Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention in Eastern and Southern Africa." Program planners and policy makers should consider the significant contribution of supply chain and waste management to VMMC program costs as they determine future resource needs for VMMC programs.

Proactive Supply Chain Performance Management with Predictive Analytics

PubMed Central

Stefanovic, Nenad

2014-01-01

Today's business climate requires supply chains to be proactive rather than reactive, which demands a new approach that incorporates data mining predictive analytics. This paper introduces a predictive supply chain performance management model which combines process modelling, performance measurement, data mining models, and web portal technologies into a unique model. It presents the supply chain modelling approach based on the specialized metamodel which allows modelling of any supply chain configuration and at different level of details. The paper also presents the supply chain semantic business intelligence (BI) model which encapsulates data sources and business rules and includes the data warehouse model with specific supply chain dimensions, measures, and KPIs (key performance indicators). Next, the paper describes two generic approaches for designing the KPI predictive data mining models based on the BI semantic model. KPI predictive models were trained and tested with a real-world data set. Finally, a specialized analytical web portal which offers collaborative performance monitoring and decision making is presented. The results show that these models give very accurate KPI projections and provide valuable insights into newly emerging trends, opportunities, and problems. This should lead to more intelligent, predictive, and responsive supply chains capable of adapting to future business environment. PMID:25386605

Proactive supply chain performance management with predictive analytics.

PubMed

Stefanovic, Nenad

2014-01-01

Today's business climate requires supply chains to be proactive rather than reactive, which demands a new approach that incorporates data mining predictive analytics. This paper introduces a predictive supply chain performance management model which combines process modelling, performance measurement, data mining models, and web portal technologies into a unique model. It presents the supply chain modelling approach based on the specialized metamodel which allows modelling of any supply chain configuration and at different level of details. The paper also presents the supply chain semantic business intelligence (BI) model which encapsulates data sources and business rules and includes the data warehouse model with specific supply chain dimensions, measures, and KPIs (key performance indicators). Next, the paper describes two generic approaches for designing the KPI predictive data mining models based on the BI semantic model. KPI predictive models were trained and tested with a real-world data set. Finally, a specialized analytical web portal which offers collaborative performance monitoring and decision making is presented. The results show that these models give very accurate KPI projections and provide valuable insights into newly emerging trends, opportunities, and problems. This should lead to more intelligent, predictive, and responsive supply chains capable of adapting to future business environment.

Use of Maize (Zea mays L.) for phytomanagement of Cd-contaminated soils: a critical review.

PubMed

Rizwan, Muhammad; Ali, Shafaqat; Qayyum, Muhammad Farooq; Ok, Yong Sik; Zia-Ur-Rehman, Muhammad; Abbas, Zaheer; Hannan, Fakhir

2017-04-01

Maize (Zea mays L.) has been widely adopted for phytomanagement of cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soils due to its high biomass production and Cd accumulation capacity. This paper reviewed the toxic effects of Cd and its management by maize plants. Maize could tolerate a certain level of Cd in soil while higher Cd stress can decrease seed germination, mineral nutrition, photosynthesis and growth/yields. Toxicity response of maize to Cd varies with cultivar/varieties, growth medium and stress duration/extent. Exogenous application of organic and inorganic amendments has been used for enhancing Cd tolerance of maize. The selection of Cd-tolerant maize cultivar, crop rotation, soil type, and exogenous application of microbes is a representative agronomic practice to enhance Cd tolerance in maize. Proper selection of cultivar and agronomic practices combined with amendments might be successful for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils with maize. However, there might be the risk of food chain contamination by maize grains obtained from the Cd-contaminated soils. Thus, maize cultivation could be an option for the management of low- and medium-grade Cd-contaminated soils if grain yield is required. On the other hand, maize can be grown on Cd-polluted soils only if biomass is required for energy production purposes. Long-term field trials are required, including risks and benefit analysis for various management strategies aiming Cd phytomanagement with maize.

Effects of grazing on nesting by upland sandpipers in southcentral North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowen, Bonnie S.; Kruse, Arnold D.

1993-01-01

Grazing by livestock is often used to reduce litter, improve plant vigor, and alter plant species composition, but additional information is needed on the effects of these management practices on upland-nesting birds. Thus, we conducted an experimental study of the effect of grazing on nest density and nest success of upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) in southcentral North Dakota from 1981 to 1987. Our experimental design consisted of 4 treatments and 1 control, each applied to 1 field in each of 3 study areas. The treatments represented options available to grassland managers: spring grazing, autumn grazing, autumn-and-spring grazing, season-long grazing, and control (ungrazed during the study). Nests (n = 342) were found by searching study areas with a cable-chain drag. Nest density was lower (P = 0.006) for treatments where cattle were present (spring, autumn-and-spring, and season-long) than where cattle were not present (autumn and control) during the nesting season. We concluded that grazing during the nesting season reduced the nest density of upland sandpipers. Nest success varied among years (P = 0.01) and was low in the first year of grazing and higher at the end of the study period. We found little evidence that the grazing treatment influenced nest success. We recommend that public lands with breeding populations of upland sandpipers include a complex of fields under various management practices, including fields undisturbed during the nesting season.

Analysing the external supply chain risk driver competitiveness: a risk mitigation framework and business continuity plan.

PubMed

Blos, Mauricio F; Wee, Hui-Ming; Yang, Joshua

2010-11-01

Innovation challenges for handling supply chain risks have become one of the most important drivers in business competitiveness and differentiation. This study analyses competitiveness at the external supply chain level as a driver of risks and provides a framework for mitigating these risks. The mitigation framework, also called the supply chain continuity framework, provides insight into six stages of the business continuity planning (BCP) process life cycle (risk mitigation management, business impact analysis, supply continuity strategy development, supply continuity plan development, supply continuity plan testing and supply continuity plan maintenance), together with the operational constructs: customer service, inventory management, flexibility, time to market, ordering cycle time and quality. The purpose of the BCP process life cycle and operational constructs working together is to emphasise the way in which a supply chain can deal with disruption risks and, consequently, bring competitive advantage. Future research will consider the new risk scenarios and analyse the consequences to promote the improvement of supply chain resilience.

Understanding chain-of-custody certification in the Appalachian hardwood region: Primary manufacturers' practices and perceptions

Treesearch

Iris B. Montague

2011-01-01

Many obstacles may deter hardwood manufacturers from obtaining chain-of-custody certification. Because the hardwood and softwood forest products industries have many differences between them, current certification systems may not fit the unique demographics of the hardwood industry. For this reason, it is important to understand chain-of-custody certification as it...

[Improving blood safety: errors management in transfusion medicine].

PubMed

Bujandrić, Nevenka; Grujić, Jasmina; Krga-Milanović, Mirjana

2014-01-01

The concept of blood safety includes the entire transfusion chain starting with the collection of blood from the blood donor, and ending with blood transfusion to the patient. The concept involves quality management system as the systematic monitoring of adverse reactions and incidents regarding the blood donor or patient. Monitoring of near-miss errors show the critical points in the working process and increase transfusion safety. The aim of the study was to present the analysis results of adverse and unexpected events in transfusion practice with a potential risk to the health of blood donors and patients. One-year retrospective study was based on the collection, analysis and interpretation of written reports on medical errors in the Blood Transfusion Institute of Vojvodina. Errors were distributed according to the type, frequency and part of the working process where they occurred. Possible causes and corrective actions were described for each error. The study showed that there were not errors with potential health consequences for the blood donor/patient. Errors with potentially damaging consequences for patients were detected throughout the entire transfusion chain. Most of the errors were identified in the preanalytical phase. The human factor was responsible for the largest number of errors. Error reporting system has an important role in the error management and the reduction of transfusion-related risk of adverse events and incidents. The ongoing analysis reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the entire process and indicates the necessary changes. Errors in transfusion medicine can be avoided in a large percentage and prevention is cost-effective, systematic and applicable.

Application of quantitative microbial risk assessments for estimation of risk management metrics: Clostridium perfringens in ready-to-eat and partially cooked meat and poultry products as an example.

PubMed

Crouch, Edmund A; Labarre, David; Golden, Neal J; Kause, Janell R; Dearfield, Kerry L

2009-10-01

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service is exploring quantitative risk assessment methodologies to incorporate the use of the Codex Alimentarius' newly adopted risk management metrics (e.g., food safety objectives and performance objectives). It is suggested that use of these metrics would more closely tie the results of quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs) to public health outcomes. By estimating the food safety objective (the maximum frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food at the time of consumption) and the performance objective (the maximum frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food at a specified step in the food chain before the time of consumption), risk managers will have a better understanding of the appropriate level of protection (ALOP) from microbial hazards for public health protection. We here demonstrate a general methodology that allows identification of an ALOP and evaluation of corresponding metrics at appropriate points in the food chain. It requires a two-dimensional probabilistic risk assessment, the example used being the Monte Carlo QMRA for Clostridium perfringens in ready-to eat and partially cooked meat and poultry products, with minor modifications to evaluate and abstract required measures. For demonstration purposes, the QMRA model was applied specifically to hot dogs produced and consumed in the United States. Evaluation of the cumulative uncertainty distribution for illness rate allows a specification of an ALOP that, with defined confidence, corresponds to current industry practices.

Strategic management of technostress. The chaining of Prometheus.

PubMed

Caro, D H; Sethi, A S

1985-12-01

The article proposes the concept of technostress and makes a strong recommendation for conducting research based on key researchable hypotheses. A conceptual framework of technostress is suggested to provide some focus to future research. A number of technostress management strategies are put forward, including strategic technological planning, organization culture development, technostress monitoring systems, and technouser self-development programs. The management of technostress is compared to the chaining of Prometheus, which, left uncontrolled, can create havoc in an organization. The authors believe that organizations have a responsibility to introduce, diffuse, and manage computer technology in such a way that it is congruent with the principles of sound, supportive, and humanistic management.

Research on the performance evaluation of agricultural products supply chain integrated operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jiake; Wang, Xifu; Liu, Yang

2017-04-01

The agricultural product supply chain integrated operation can ensure the quality and efficiency of agricultural products, and achieve the optimal goal of low cost and high service. This paper establishes a performance evaluation index system of agricultural products supply chain integration operation based on the development status of agricultural products and SCOR, BSC and KPI model. And then, we constructing rough set theory and BP neural network comprehensive evaluation model with the aid of Rosetta and MATLAB tools and the case study is about the development of agricultural products integrated supply chain in Jing-Jin-Ji region. And finally, we obtain the corresponding performance results, and give some improvement measures and management recommendations to the managers.

Detecting Service Chains and Feature Interactions in Sensor-Driven Home Network Services

PubMed Central

Inada, Takuya; Igaki, Hiroshi; Ikegami, Kosuke; Matsumoto, Shinsuke; Nakamura, Masahide; Kusumoto, Shinji

2012-01-01

Sensor-driven services often cause chain reactions, since one service may generate an environmental impact that automatically triggers another service. We first propose a framework that can formalize and detect such service chains based on ECA (event, condition, action) rules. Although the service chain can be a major source of feature interactions, not all service chains lead to harmful interactions. Therefore, we then propose a method that identifies feature interactions within the service chains. Specifically, we characterize the degree of deviation of every service chain by evaluating the gap between expected and actual service states. An experimental evaluation demonstrates that the proposed method successfully detects 11 service chains and 6 feature interactions within 7 practical sensor-driven services. PMID:23012499

Disconnection: the user voice within the wound dressing supply chain.

PubMed

Campling, Natasha; Grocott, Patricia; Cowley, Sarah

2008-03-01

This study examined the user voice in England's National Health Service (NHS) wound dressing supply chain. The impetus for this work came from involvement in a collaboration between industry and clinicians, entitled Woundcare Research for Appropriate Products. Experiences from that study highlighted the notable absence of research about the impact of the supply chain on the users of dressings. Interview data are presented following an outline of the grounded theory method used. These data were obtained from key stakeholders (n = 41) within the wound dressing supply chain such as nurses, manufacturers, distributors, professional organizations, government organizations and user groups. The consequences of supply disconnection revealed haphazard supply, unmet user needs and lack of information transfer between player groups. These consequences explain the lack of user voice in the supply chain and have far-reaching implications for nursing management, through purchasing decisions and nurses' management of wound care.

SCOR based key success factors in cooking oil supply chain buyers perspective in Padang City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahara, Fatimah; Hadiguna, Rika Ampuh

2017-11-01

Supply chain of cooking oil is a network of companies from palm oil as raw material to retailers which work to create the value and deliver products into the end consumers. This paper is aimed to study key success factors based on consumer's perspective as the last stage in the supply chain. Consumers who are examined in this study are restaurants management or owners. Restaurant is the biggest consumption of cooking oil. The factors is studied based on Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR) version 10.0. Factors used are formulated based on the third-level metrics of SCOR Model. Factors are analyzed using factors analysis. This study found factors which become key success factors in managing supply chain of cooking oil encompass reliability, responsiveness and agility. Key success factors can be applied by governments as policy making and cooking oil companies as formulation of the distribution strategies.

A stochastic inventory management model for a dual sourcing supply chain with disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iakovou, Eleftherios; Vlachos, Dimitrios; Xanthopoulos, Anastasios

2010-03-01

As companies continue to globalise their operations and outsource significant portion of their value chain activities, they often end up relying heavily on order replenishments from distant suppliers. The explosion in long-distance sourcing is exposing supply chains and shareholder value at ever increasing operational and disruption risks. It is well established, both in academia and in real-world business environments, that resource flexibility is an effective method for hedging against supply chain disruption risks. In this contextual framework, we propose a single period stochastic inventory decision-making model that could be employed for capturing the trade-off between inventory policies and disruption risks for an unreliable dual sourcing supply network for both the capacitated and uncapacitated cases. Through the developed model, we obtain some important managerial insights and evaluate the merit of contingency strategies in managing uncertain supply chains.

Waste biomass toward hydrogen fuel supply chain management for electricity: Malaysia perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakaria, Izatul Husna; Ibrahim, Jafni Azhan; Othman, Abdul Aziz

2016-08-01

Green energy is becoming an important aspect of every country in the world toward energy security by reducing dependence on fossil fuel import and enhancing better life quality by living in the healthy environment. This conceptual paper is an approach toward determining physical flow's characteristic of waste wood biomass in high scale plantation toward producing gas fuel for electricity using gasification technique. The scope of this study is supply chain management of syngas fuel from wood waste biomass using direct gasification conversion technology. Literature review on energy security, Malaysia's energy mix, Biomass SCM and technology. This paper uses the theoretical framework of a model of transportation (Lumsden, 2006) and the function of the terminal (Hulten, 1997) for research purpose. To incorporate biomass unique properties, Biomass Element Life Cycle Analysis (BELCA) which is a novel technique develop to understand the behaviour of biomass supply. Theoretical framework used to answer the research questions are Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) framework and Sustainable strategy development in supply chain management framework

Exploring the Dynamics and Modeling National Budget as a Supply Chain System: A Proposal for Reengineering the Budgeting Process and for Developing a Management Flight Simulator

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

Elmendorf, D. W., & Gregory Mankiw , N. (1999). Government debt. Handbook of Macroeconomics , 1, 1615-1669. European Union. European financial stability...budget process, based on the supply chain demand management process principles of operations and it is introduced the idea of developing a Budget... principles of systems dynamics, a proposal for the development of a Budget Management Flight Simulator, that will operate as a learning and educational

Supplier selection in supply chain management using analytical network process for Indonesian cement industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, A. H.; Mahardika, R. Z. Z.

2017-12-01

Supply chain management has increased more significance with the impact of globalization. In the present worldwide market, well-managed supply chain is a standout amongst the most vital requirement to be more competitive in the market. For any organization incorporate cement industry, the most critical decision in initial process of supply chain management is to buy products, materials or services from suppliers. So the role of suppliers is irrefutable important in the global aggressive markets. Appropriate decision of supplier selection can lead to reducing cost in supply chain management. However, it is becoming more complex because of existing various criteria and involving the suitable experts in the company to make valid decision in accordance with its criteria. In this study, the supplier selection of an Indonesia’s leading cement company is analyzed by using one of the popular multi-criteria decision making method, Saaty’s analytical network process (ANP). It is employed for the selection of the best alternative among three suppliers of pasted bag. Supplier with the highest rank comes from several major steps from building the relationship between various criteria to rating the alternatives with the help of experts from the company. The results show that, Communication capability, Flexible payment terms, Ability to meet delivery quantities are the most important criteria in the pasted bag supplier selection in Indonesian cement industry with 0.155, 0.110 and 0.1 ANP coefficient respectively. And based on the ANP coefficient values in limit supermatrix, the A2 or supplier 2 had the highest score with 64.7% or 0.13 ANP coefficient.

Payday, ponchos, and promotions: a qualitative analysis of perspectives from non-governmental organization programme managers on community health worker motivation and incentives.

PubMed

B-Lajoie, Marie-Renée; Hulme, Jennifer; Johnson, Kirsten

2014-12-05

Community health workers (CHWs) have been central to broadening the access and coverage of preventative and curative health services worldwide. Much has been debated about how to best remunerate and incentivize this workforce, varying from volunteers to full time workers. Policy bodies, including the WHO and USAID, now advocate for regular stipends. This qualitative study examines the perspective of health programme managers from 16 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who directly oversee programmes in resource-limited settings. It aimed to explore institutional guidelines and approaches to designing CHW incentives, and inquire about how NGO managers are adapting their approaches to working with CHWs in this shifting political and funding climate. Second, it meant to understand the position of stakeholders who design and manage non-governmental organization-run CHW programmes on what they consider priorities to boost CHW motivation. Individuals were recruited using typical case sampling through chain referral at the semi-annual CORE Group meeting in the spring of 2012. Semi-structured interviews were guided by a peer reviewed tool. Two reviewers analyzed the transcripts for thematic saturation. Six key factors influenced programme manager decision-making: National-level government policy, donor practice, implicit organizational approaches, programmatic, cultural, and community contexts, experiences and values of managers, and the nature of the work asked of CHWs. Programme managers strongly relied on national government to provide clear guidance on CHW incentives schemes. Perspectives on remuneration varied greatly, from fears that it is unsustainable, to the view that it is a basic human right, and a mechanism to achieve greater gender equity. Programme managers were interested in exploring career paths and innovative financing schemes for CHWs, such as endowment funds or material sales, to heighten local ownership and sustainability of programmes. Participants also supported the creation of both national-level and global interfaces for sharing practical experience and best practices with other CHW programmes. Prescriptive recommendations for monetary remuneration, aside from those coming from national governments, will likely continue to meet resistance by NGOs, as contexts are nuanced. There is growing consensus that incentives should reflect the nature of the work asked of CHWs, and the potential for motivation through sustainable financial schemes other than regular salaries. Programme managers advocate for greater transparency and information sharing among organizations.

Implementation of Network Leader Sponsored Supply Chain Management Systems: A Case Study of Supplier IT Business Value

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Mark S.

2010-01-01

This qualitative multiple-case study was conducted to explore and understand how the implementation of required relationship-specific supply chain management system (SCMS) dictated by the network leader within a supplier network affects a supplier organization. The study, on a very broad sense, attempted to research the current validity of how the…

Enabling the sustainable Faecal Sludge Management service delivery chain-A case study of dense settlements in Kigali, Rwanda.

PubMed

Akumuntu, Jean Baptiste; Wehn, Uta; Mulenga, Martin; Brdjanovic, Damir

2017-08-01

The lack of access to basic sanitation is a global concern and alarmingly prevalent in low- and middle- income countries. In the densely populated settlements of these countries, on-site sanitation systems are usually the only feasible option because dwellers there have no sewers in place to connect to. Using on-site sanitation facilities results in an accumulation of faecal sludge which needs to be properly managed to ensure the well-being of the users as well as the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, often the conditions for faecal sludge management (FSM) within dense settlements are adverse and thus hamper sustainable FSM. We use the normative framework of the FSM enabling environment to gather empirical evidence from densely populated settlements of Kigali city in Rwanda to examine current FSM practices and the extent to which these are being influenced and affected by the setting within which they are taking place. The analysis of the study findings confirms that the existing conditions for FSM in these settlements are inadequate. The specific constraints that hinder the achievement of sustainable FSM include limited government focus on the sanitation sector, high turnover of staff in relevant government institutions, pit sludge management is not placed on the sanitation projects agenda, the existing relevant bylaws are not pro-poor oriented, a lack of clear responsibilities, a lack of relevant local professional training opportunities, unaffordability of FSM services and an inhibition to discuss FSM. Drawing on the involved stakeholders' own perceptions and suggestions, we identify possible approaches to overcome the identified constraints and to allow all actors in the FSM chain to contribute effectively to the management of faecal sludge in densely populated low-income urban settlements. Finally, our study also presents a contribution to the theoretical conceptualisation of the enabling environment for sustainable FSM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

A multicriteria decision making approach applied to improving maintenance policies in healthcare organizations.

PubMed

Carnero, María Carmen; Gómez, Andrés

2016-04-23

Healthcare organizations have far greater maintenance needs for their medical equipment than other organization, as many are used directly with patients. However, the literature on asset management in healthcare organizations is very limited. The aim of this research is to provide more rational application of maintenance policies, leading to an increase in quality of care. This article describes a multicriteria decision-making approach which integrates Markov chains with the multicriteria Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH), to facilitate the best choice of combination of maintenance policies by using the judgements of a multi-disciplinary decision group. The proposed approach takes into account the level of acceptance that a given alternative would have among professionals. It also takes into account criteria related to cost, quality of care and impact of care cover. This multicriteria approach is applied to four dialysis subsystems: patients infected with hepatitis C, infected with hepatitis B, acute and chronic; in all cases, the maintenance strategy obtained consists of applying corrective and preventive maintenance plus two reserve machines. The added value in decision-making practices from this research comes from: (i) integrating the use of Markov chains to obtain the alternatives to be assessed by a multicriteria methodology; (ii) proposing the use of MACBETH to make rational decisions on asset management in healthcare organizations; (iii) applying the multicriteria approach to select a set or combination of maintenance policies in four dialysis subsystems of a health care organization. In the multicriteria decision making approach proposed, economic criteria have been used, related to the quality of care which is desired for patients (availability), and the acceptance that each alternative would have considering the maintenance and healthcare resources which exist in the organization, with the inclusion of a decision-making group. This approach is better suited to actual health care organization practice and depending on the subsystem analysed, improvements are introduced that are not included in normal maintenance policies; in this way, not only have different maintenance policies been suggested, but also alternatives that, in each case and according to viability, provide a more complete decision tool for the maintenance manager.

Supply Chain Collaboration Alternatives: Understanding the Expected Costs and Benefits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaren, Tim; Head, Milena; Yuan, Yufei

2002-01-01

Discusses collaboration as a recent trend in supply chain management (SCM) that focuses on joint planning, coordination, and process integration between suppliers, customers, and other partners in a supply chain. Analyzes alternative information systems approaches for supporting collaborative SCM, including phone, fax, or email systems; Web-based…

77 FR 26564 - Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-04

... National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security. The work of the Trade Facilitation Subcommittee... Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security as it relates to the Committee's effort to solicit, consolidate... chain management project. The Anti-Dumping/Countervailing Duties Subcommittee work on educational...

76 FR 71994 - Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-21

... recommendations on how to proceed on those topics: Subcommittee: The Global Supply Chain Security Land Border... document for public release.--Report by the Global Supply Chain Security Air Cargo Subcommittee. Status... surveys (IPR Partnership Program Survey and IPR Distribution Chain Management survey). Subcommittee...

78 FR 52511 - Procurement List; Additions and Deletions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-23

..., W7NX USPFO Activity PA ARNG, Annville, PA. Service Type/Location: Integrated Prime Vendor Supply Chain... of PM FSS, does not have a current contract for the provision of Integrated Prime Vendor Supply Chain... kitting or other supply chain management services required were obtained through the DLA depot system. The...

Communicating food safety, authenticity and consumer choice. Field experiences.

PubMed

Syntesa, Heiner Lehr

2013-04-01

The paper reviews patented and non-patented technologies, methods and solutions in the area of food traceability. It pays special attention to the communication of food safety, authenticity and consumer choice. Twenty eight recent patents are reviewed in the areas of (secure) identification, product freshness indicators, meat traceability, (secure) transport of information along the supply chain, country/region/place of origin, automated authentication, supply chain management systems, consumer interaction systems. In addition, solutions and pilot projects are described in the areas of Halal traceability, traceability of bird's nests, cold chain management, general food traceability and other areas.

Continuity in health care: lessons from supply chain management.

PubMed

Meijboom, Bert R; Bakx, Saskia J W G C; Westert, Gert P

2010-01-01

In health care, multidisciplinary collaboration is both indispensable and complicated. We discuss organizational problems that occur in situations where multiple health care providers are required to cooperate for patients with complex needs. Four problem categories, labelled as communication, patient safety, waiting times and integration are distinguished. Then we develop a supply chain perspective on these problems in the sense of discussing remedies according to supply chain management (SCM) literature. This perspective implies a business focus on inter-organizational conditions and requirements necessary for delivering health care and cure across organizational borders. We conclude by presenting some strategic and policy recommendations.

The practicality of using ozone with fruit and vegetables.

PubMed

Glowacz, Marcin; Rees, Deborah

2016-11-01

The fresh produce industry is constantly growing as a result of increasing consumer demand. Food quality and safety management are still major issues for the supply chain. The use of ozone has been identified as a feasible solution to reduce microorganisms present in food, in this way extending the shelf-life of fresh produce. A number of factors that may affect the efficiency of ozone treatment have been identified, e.g. microbial populations, ozone concentration and time of exposure, type of produce, temperature, relative humidity and packaging material, and they are briefly discussed. Furthermore, practical information derived from studies with ozone conducted by the authors and from their knowledge of the subject directs the reader's attention to the key aspects of ozone use under commercial conditions, i.e. from the practical point of view. Finally, one possible direction for future research with the postharvest use of ozone, i.e. the important role of fruit cuticle in response to this postharvest treatment, is indicated. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Selection criteria for water disinfection techniques in agricultural practices.

PubMed

Haute, Sam van; Sampers, Imca; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2015-01-01

This paper comprises a selection tool for water disinfection methods for fresh produce pre- and postharvest practices. A variety of water disinfection technologies is available on the market and no single technology is the best choice for all applications. It can be difficult for end users to choose the technology that is best fit for a specific application. Therefore, the different technologies were characterized in order to identify criteria that influence the suitability of a technology for pre- or postharvest applications. Introduced criteria were divided into three principal components: (i) criteria related to the technology and which relate to the disinfection efficiency, (ii) attention points for the management and proper operation, and (iii) necessities in order to sustain the operation with respect to the environment. The selection criteria may help the end user of the water disinfection technology to obtain a systematic insight into all relevant aspects to be considered for preliminary decision making on which technologies should be put to feasibility testing for water disinfection in pre- and postharvest practices of the fresh produce chain.

Analytical Approaches to Verify Food Integrity: Needs and Challenges.

PubMed

Stadler, Richard H; Tran, Lien-Anh; Cavin, Christophe; Zbinden, Pascal; Konings, Erik J M

2016-09-01

A brief overview of the main analytical approaches and practices to determine food authenticity is presented, addressing, as well, food supply chain and future requirements to more effectively mitigate food fraud. Food companies are introducing procedures and mechanisms that allow them to identify vulnerabilities in their food supply chain under the umbrella of a food fraud prevention management system. A key step and first line of defense is thorough supply chain mapping and full transparency, assessing the likelihood of fraudsters to penetrate the chain at any point. More vulnerable chains, such as those where ingredients and/or raw materials are purchased through traders or auctions, may require a higher degree of sampling, testing, and surveillance. Access to analytical tools is therefore pivotal, requiring continuous development and possibly sophistication in identifying chemical markers, data acquisition, and modeling. Significant progress in portable technologies is evident already today, for instance, as in the rapid testing now available at the agricultural level. In the near future, consumers may also have the ability to scan products in stores or at home to authenticate labels and food content. For food manufacturers, targeted analytical methods complemented by untargeted approaches are end control measures at the factory gate when the material is delivered. In essence, testing for food adulterants is an integral part of routine QC, ideally tailored to the risks in the individual markets and/or geographies or supply chains. The development of analytical methods is a first step in verifying the compliance and authenticity of food materials. A next, more challenging step is the successful establishment of global consensus reference methods as exemplified by the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals initiative, which can serve as an approach that could also be applied to methods for contaminants and adulterants in food. The food industry has taken these many challenges aboard, working closely with all stakeholders and continuously communicating on progress in a fully transparent manner.

A Large Cohort of Hemoglobin Variants in Thailand: Molecular Epidemiological Study and Diagnostic Consideration

PubMed Central

Srivorakun, Hataichanok; Singha, Kritsada; Fucharoen, Goonnapa; Sanchaisuriya, Kanokwan; Fucharoen, Supan

2014-01-01

Background Hemoglobin (Hb) variants are structurally inherited changes of globin chains. Accurate diagnoses of these variants are important for planning of appropriate management and genetic counseling. Since no epidemiological study has been conducted before, we have investigated frequencies, molecular and hematological features of Hb variants found in a large cohort of Thai subjects. Materials and Methods Study was conducted on 26,013 unrelated subjects, inhabiting in all geographical parts of Thailand over a period of 11 years from January 2002-December 2012. Hb analysis was done on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or capillary electrophoresis (CE). Mutations causing Hb variants were identified using PCR and related techniques. Results Among 26,013 subjects investigated, 636 (2.4%) were found to carry Hb variants. Of these 636 subjects, 142 (22.4%) carried α-chain variants with 13 different mutations. The remaining included 451 (70.9%) cases with 16 β-chain variants, 37 (5.8%) cases with Hb Lepore (δβ-hybrid Hb) and 6 (0.9%) cases with a single δ-chain variant. The most common α-globin chain variant was the Hb Q-Thailand (α74GAC-CAC, Asp-His) which was found in 101 cases (15.8%). For β-globin chain variants, Hb Hope (β136GGT-GAT, Gly-Asp) and Hb Tak (β146+AC, Ter-Thr) are the two most common ones, found in 121 (19.0%) and 90 (14.2%) cases, respectively. Seven Hb variants have never been found in Thai population. Hb analysis profiles on HPLC or CE of these variants were illustrated to guide presumptive diagnostics. Conclusions Hb variants are common and heterogeneous in Thai population. With varieties of thalassemias and hemoglobinopathies in the population, interactions between them leading to complex syndromes are common and render their diagnoses difficult in routine practices. Knowledge of the spectrum, molecular basis, genotype-phenotype correlation and diagnostic features should prove useful for prevention and control of the diseases in the region. PMID:25244406

Pediatric HIV Clinical Care Resources and Management Practices in Asia: A Regional Survey of the TREAT Asia Pediatric Network

PubMed Central

Bowen, Asha C.; Pang, Joselyn; Hesp, Cees; Kariminia, Azar; Sohn, Annette H.

2010-01-01

Abstract Characterizing intraregional differences in current pediatric HIV care and treatment in Asia can guide the development of clinical practice guidelines and improve the understanding of local resource availability. The Therapeutics Research, Education, and AIDS Training in Asia (TREAT Asia) Pediatric Program is a collaboration of clinics and referral hospitals studying pediatric HIV outcomes in the region. A Web-based survey to characterize clinical management practices and monitoring resources was developed and distributed to 20 sites in January 2008. Seventeen (85%) sites from 6 countries responded through April 2008; 14 (82%) were hospital-based and 16 (94%) were public facilities. Of 4050 HIV-infected children under care, 3606 (89%) were on antiretroviral treatment; 80% were on their first mono-, dual-, or triple-drug regimen and 74% were on nevirapine- or efavirenz-based regimens. Fifteen (88%) sites had consistent access to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for infant diagnosis. All sites had access to CD4 testing, with 13 (76%) routinely monitoring patients every 3–6 months; 7 (41%) sites monitored viral load at 6- to 12-month intervals. Although there is some variation in clinical practices, high levels of treatment and monitoring resources were available at these sites. The availability of PCR for early infant diagnosis positions them to implement recent WHO recommendations to treat HIV-infected children younger than 1 year of age. This information will be used to develop future research and programs to support children with HIV in Asia. PMID:20059355

Walk the Talk: Progress in Building a Supply Chain Security Culture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hund, Gretchen

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has engaged industry to “go beyond compliance” for over a decade in controlling and securing their supply chains to ensure their goods are not diverted to nuclear weapons programs. This work has focused on dual-use industries that manufacture products that can be used in both commercial applications and in the development of a nuclear weapon. The team encourages industry to self-regulate to reduce proliferation risks. As part of that work, PNNL interviewed numerous companies about their compliance practices to understand their business and to build awareness around best practices to ensure security of goods, technology,more » and information along their supply chains. From conducting this work, PNNL identified indicators that a company can adopt as part of its commitment to nonproliferation ideals with a focus on supply chain security.« less

A Review of Supply Chain Collaboration Practices for Small and Medium-sized Manufacturers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wee, SY; Thoo, AC; Z, Sulaiman; FM, Muharam

2016-05-01

For the decades, organizations have endeavored to look for external sources for opportunities to achieve efficient and responsive supply chain with their partners especially for small and medium manufacturers (SMM). In this scenario, supply chain collaboration (SCC) is an interaction between supply chain members with the purpose of utilizes the knowledge and resources of customers and suppliers, and integrates the flows of products and information in order to achieve a common goal and obtain mutual benefit. The essential SCC dimensions for SMMs comprised of information sharing, joint knowledge creation, joint decision making, goal congruence and incentive sharing. The successful implementation of SCC can give SMMs an edge over their competitors. This paper aims to introduce a review of SCC practices for SMM. Overall, the findings provide managerial insights for the SMM in SCC implementation owing to resource scarcity and the need to draw SCC in order to ensure a sustainable competitive advantage.

Simulation and Modeling Efforts to Support Decision Making in Healthcare Supply Chain Management

PubMed Central

Lazarova-Molnar, Sanja

2014-01-01

Recently, most healthcare organizations focus their attention on reducing the cost of their supply chain management (SCM) by improving the decision making pertaining processes' efficiencies. The availability of products through healthcare SCM is often a matter of life or death to the patient; therefore, trial and error approaches are not an option in this environment. Simulation and modeling (SM) has been presented as an alternative approach for supply chain managers in healthcare organizations to test solutions and to support decision making processes associated with various SCM problems. This paper presents and analyzes past SM efforts to support decision making in healthcare SCM and identifies the key challenges associated with healthcare SCM modeling. We also present and discuss emerging technologies to meet these challenges. PMID:24683333

Modified allocation capacitated planning model in blood supply chain management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansur, A.; Vanany, I.; Arvitrida, N. I.

2018-04-01

Blood supply chain management (BSCM) is a complex process management that involves many cooperating stakeholders. BSCM involves four echelon processes, which are blood collection or procurement, production, inventory, and distribution. This research develops an optimization model of blood distribution planning. The efficiency of decentralization and centralization policies in a blood distribution chain are compared, by optimizing the amount of blood delivered from a blood center to a blood bank. This model is developed based on allocation problem of capacitated planning model. At the first stage, the capacity and the cost of transportation are considered to create an initial capacitated planning model. Then, the inventory holding and shortage costs are added to the model. These additional parameters of inventory costs lead the model to be more realistic and accurate.

[Production chain supply management for public hospitals: a logistical approach to healthcare].

PubMed

Infante, Maria; dos Santos, Maria Angélica Borges

2007-01-01

Despite their importance for hospital operations, discussions of healthcare organization logistics and supply and materials management are notably lacking in Brazilian literature. This paper describes a methodology for organizing the supply of medical materials in public hospitals, based on an action-research approach. Interventions were based on the assumption that a significant portion of problems in Brazil's National Health System (SUS) facilities derive from the fact that their clinical and administrative departments do not see themselves as belonging to the same production chain - neither the hospital nor the supply department is aware of what the other produces. The development of the methodology and its main steps are presented and discussed, against a background of recent literature and total quality and supply chain management concepts.

The effect of green supply chain management implementation to marketing performance through company competitiveness (study on paper industry in West Java)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hijuzaman, O.; Rahayu, A.; Kusnendi

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to determine and analyze the effect of direct and indirect implementation of Green Supply-Chain Management (GSCM) on the Performance Marketing and Competitiveness Mediation Paper Company in West Java province. Object This research is the paper company that existed in West Java Province, which amounts to 30 companies as well as a sample of research, while variables studied are Variable Green Supply- Chain Management, Company Competitiveness Variable and Variable of Paper Marketing Industry Performance in West Java Province. The method used SEM with Variance Based or Component Based with Software used is SmartPLS 3.0. On this research are identified that no effect of Competitiveness on Marketing Performance in Paper Companies in West Java Province.

Understanding the policy environment for immunization supply chains: Lessons learned from landscape analyses in Uganda and Senegal.

PubMed

Luzze, Henry; Badiane, Ousseynou; Mamadou Ndiaye, El Hadji; Ndiaye, Annette Seck; Atuhaire, Brian; Atuhebwe, Phionah; Guinot, Phillippe; Fry Sosne, Erin; Gueye, Abdoulaye

2017-04-19

As immunization programs around the world undergo rapid change and expansion, supply chain and logistics systems have become strained, making it increasingly challenging for national public health systems to provide reliable, safe, and efficient access to vaccines. Governments and immunization partners have been aware of this problem for several years, and in 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Effective Vaccine Management (EVM) process to help countries identify shortcomings in their immunization supply chains and develop plans for systematic improvement. EVM improvement plans now exist in all Gavi-eligible countries plus many middle- and upper-income countries; however, implementation has been slow and in many cases fraught with financial, managerial, structural, and political roadblocks. Recognizing that significant change of any kind requires a supportive policy environment and strong leadership, PATH began working in Uganda and Senegal to landscape the policy environment around immunization and identify relevant policies, administrative and technical roles and responsibilities, and other issues that may be affecting the supply chain for immunization. The policy landscape assessments included a desk review and a series of structured, in-depth interviews with key international, national, and local stakeholders. The findings highlighted a number of critical issues and challenges in both countries that may be preventing supply chains from functioning optimally. These challenges include a need for better coordination and planning between immunization programs and supply chain managers; the need for sufficient, timely and reliable financing for all aspects of immunization programs; the need for high-level managers trained in immunization supply chain management; and an urgent need for better, more timely data for decision-making. Overcoming these challenges will require the involvement of high-level political actors-including ministers of health and finance, parliamentarians, and other officials who have the ability to approve and influence policy, personnel, and structural changes; ensure work plans are backed with adequate resources for implementation; and hold program managers accountable for achieving agreed indicators. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Recommendations for scale-up of community-based misoprostol distribution programs.

PubMed

Robinson, Nuriya; Kapungu, Chisina; Carnahan, Leslie; Geller, Stacie

2014-06-01

Community-based distribution of misoprostol for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in resource-poor settings has been shown to be safe and effective. However, global recommendations for prenatal distribution and monitoring within a community setting are not yet available. In order to successfully translate misoprostol and PPH research into policy and practice, several critical points must be considered. A focus on engaging the community, emphasizing the safe nature of community-based misoprostol distribution, supply chain management, effective distribution, coverage, and monitoring plans are essential elements to community-based misoprostol program introduction, expansion, or scale-up. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malikopoulos, Andreas; Djouadi, Seddik M; Kuruganti, Teja

We consider the optimal stochastic control problem for home energy systems with solar and energy storage devices when the demand is realized from the grid. The demand is subject to Brownian motions with both drift and variance parameters modulated by a continuous-time Markov chain that represents the regime of electricity price. We model the systems as pure stochastic differential equation models, and then we follow the completing square technique to solve the stochastic home energy management problem. The effectiveness of the efficiency of the proposed approach is validated through a simulation example. For practical situations with constraints consistent to thosemore » studied here, our results imply the proposed framework could reduce the electricity cost from short-term purchase in peak hour market.« less

Integration of human factors principles in LARG organizations--a conceptual model.

PubMed

Figueira, Sara; Machado, V Cruz; Nunes, Isabel L

2012-01-01

Nowadays many companies are undergoing organizational transformations in order to meet the changing market demands. Thus, in order to become more competitive, supply chains (SC) are adopting new management paradigms to improve SC performance: lean, agile, resilient and green (LARG paradigms). The implementation of new production paradigms demands particular care with the issues related with Human Factors to avoid health and safety problems to workers and losses to companies. Thus, the successful introduction of these new production paradigms depends among others on a Human Factors oriented approach. This work presents a conceptual framework that allows integrating ergonomic and safety design principles during the different implementation phases of lean, agile, resilient and green practices.

Psychotropic drugs in Nepal: perceptions on use and supply chain management.

PubMed

Upadhaya, Nawaraj; Jordans, Mark J D; Gurung, Dristy; Pokhrel, Ruja; Adhikari, Ramesh P; Komproe, Ivan H

2018-01-24

Psychotropic drugs play an important role in the treatment of mental, neurological and substance use disorders. Despite the advancement of the use of psycho-pharmaceuticals in the developed countries, the psychotropic drug production and supply chain management in low- and middle- income countries are still poorly developed. This study aims to explore the perceptions of stakeholders involved in all stages of the psychotropic drug supply chain about the need, quality, availability and effectiveness of psychotropic drugs, as well as barriers to their supply chain management. The study was conducted among 65 respondents from the Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pyuthan districts, grouped into four categories: producers, promoters and distributors (N = 22), policy makers and government actors (N = 8), service providers (N = 21) and service users/family members (N = 14). The respondents reported that psychotropic drugs, despite having side effects, are 1) needed, 2) available in major regional centers and 3) are effective for treating mental health problems. The stigma associated with mental illness, however, forces patients and family members to hide their use of psychotropic drugs. The study found that the process of psychotropic drug supply chain management is similar to other general drugs, with the exceptions of strict pre-approval process, quantity restriction (for production and import), and mandatory record keeping. Despite these regulatory provisions, respondents believed that the misuse of psychotropic drugs is widespread and companies are providing incentives to prescribers and retailers to retain their brand in the market. The production and supply chain management of psychotropic drugs is influenced by the vested interests of pharmaceutical companies, prescribers and pharmacists. In the context of the government of Nepal's policy of integrating mental health into primary health care and increased consumption of psychotropic drugs in Nepal, there is a need for massive education and awareness as well as strict monitoring and supervision to avoid the misuse of psychotropic drugs.

Evaluating the effectiveness of food recalls in retail establishments in New York City.

PubMed

Hanson, Heather; Reddy, Vasudha; Bauer, Melissa; Stich, Stephen; Kidoguchi, Lara; Luker, John; Sebek, Kim; Sawyer, Erin; Balter, Sharon

2011-01-01

Information on how promptly food recalls of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated products are disseminated to retailers is not well documented. Store managers were surveyed after recalls were declared to estimate the proportion aware of a recall, to describe the methods by which they learned of the recall, and to ascertain how they would prefer to be notified of recalls in the future. From 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009, we identified FDA Class I products recalled because of potential contamination with an infectious agent such as Salmonella, which were sold in New York City. After each recall, a sample of retailers who carried the products was contacted, a standardized questionnaire was administered to store managers, and a sample of stores was inspected to determine if the product had been removed. Among nine recalls evaluated, 85 % (range, 12 to 100 % ) of managers were aware of the recall affecting a product at their store. Chain store managers were more aware of recalls than were independent store managers (93 versus 78%, P < 0.0001). More chain store managers first heard about the recall via e-mail as compared with independent store managers (35 versus 4%, P < 0.0001). E-mail notification was preferred by large chain store managers (38 versus 8%, P < 0.0001); on inspection, chain stores were more likely to have removed the item than were independent stores (85 versus 56%, P = 0.0071). Although recall information reaches many stores, faster electronic notifications are not effective at reaching small, independent stores, which may lack computers or fax machines. Alternate means to disseminate recall notifications rapidly are needed for stores without electronic communication capabilities.

A qualitative phenomenological study: Enhanced, risk-based FAA oversight on part 145 maintenance practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheehan, Bryan G.

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the phenomenon of enhanced, risk-based Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of Part 145 repair stations that performed aircraft maintenance for Part 121 air carriers between 2007 and 2014 in Oklahoma. Specifically, this research was utilized to explore what operational changes have occurred in the domestic Part 145 repair station industry such as variations in management or hiring practices, training, recordkeeping and technical data, inventory and aircraft parts supply-chain logistics, equipment, and facilities. After interviewing 12 managers from Part 145 repair stations in Oklahoma, six major theme codes emerged from the data: quality of oversight before 2007, quality of oversight after 2007, advantages of oversight, disadvantages of oversight, status quo of oversight, and process improvement . Of those six major theme codes, 17 subthemes appeared from the data that were used to explain the phenomenon of enhanced oversight in the Part 145 repair station industry. Forty-two percent of the participants indicated a weak FAA oversight system that has hindered the continuous process improvement program in their repair stations. Some of them were financially burdened after hiring additional full-time quality assurance inspectors to specifically manage enhanced FAA oversight. Notwithstanding, the participants of the study indicated that the FAA must apply its surveillance on a more standardized and consistent basis. They want to see this standardization in how FAA inspectors interpret regulations and practice the same quality of oversight for all repair stations, particularly those that are repeat violators and fail to comply with federal aviation regulations. They believed that when the FAA enforces standardization on a consistent basis, repair stations can become more efficient and safer in the performance of their scope of work for the U.S. commercial air transportation industry.

Supply chain challenges. building relationships.

PubMed

Beth, Scott; Burt, David N; Copacino, William; Gopal, Chris; Lee, Hau L; Lynch, Robert Porter; Morris, Sandra

2003-07-01

Supply chain management is all about software and systems, right? Put in the best technology, sit back, and watch as your processes run smoothly and the savings roll in? Apparently not. When HBR convened a panel of leading thinkers in the field of supply chain management, technology was not top of mind. People and relationships were the dominant issues of the day. The opportunities and problems created by globalization, for example, are requiring companies to establish relationships with new types of suppliers. The ever-present pressure for speed and cost containment is making it even more important to break down stubbornly high internal barriers and establish more effective cross-functional relationships. The costs of failure have never been higher. The leading supply chain performers are applying new technology, new innovations, and process thinking to far greater advantage than the laggards, reaping tremendous gains in all the variables that affect shareholder value: cost, customer service, asset productivity, and revenue generation. And the gap between the leaders and the losers is growing in almost every industry. This roundtable gathered many of the leading thinkers and doers in the field of supply chain management, including practitioners Scott Beth of Intuit, Sandra Morris of Intel, and Chris Gopal of Unisys. David Burt of the University of San Diego and Stanford's Hau Lee bring the latest research from academia. Accenture's William Copacino and the Warren Company's Robert Porter Lynch offer the consultant's perspectives. Together, they take a wide-ranging view of such topics as developing talent, the role of the chief executive, and the latest technologies, exploring both the tactical and the strategic in the current state of supply chain management.

Global Supply Chain Management at Digital Equipment Corporation

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

Global Supply Chain Management at Digital Equipment Corporation BRUCE C. ARNTZEN Gr t~ALD G...answers change; and -Are tax havens worth the extra freight and duty. In designing a global logistics network, they must decide 71 ARNTZEN ET AL...but is solved with heunshcs. Cohen and Lee (1988, p . 216] continue 73 ARNTZEN ET AL. with a set of approximate stochastic sub- models and

Supply Chain Management: How the Curricula of the Top Ten Undergraduate Universities Meet the Practitioners' Knowledge Set

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahouth, Saba; Hartmann, David; Willis, Geoff

2014-01-01

The disciplines of logistics and supply chain management have the potential of having many areas of emphasis. Universities that have some kind of emphasis in this field have developed programs that depend on the need of potential employers and their own faculty mix. Several studies have previously looked at how universities deal with this field at…

Vaccine cold chain: Part 2. Training personnel and program management.

PubMed

Rogers, Bonnie; Dennison, Kim; Adepoju, Nikki; Dowd, Shelia; Uedoi, Kenneth

2010-09-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that professionals in clinic settings may not be adequately storing and handling vaccine, leading to insufficient immunity of vaccinated individuals. Part 2 of this article provides information about the importance of adequate personnel training and program management policies and procedures needed to implement and maintain an effective vaccine cold chain program. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Wildfire policy and management in England: an evolving response from Fire and Rescue Services, forestry and cross-sector groups

PubMed Central

McMorrow, Julia; Aylen, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Severe wildfires are an intermittent problem in England. The paper presents the first analysis of wildfire policy, showing its halting evolution over two decades. First efforts to coordinate wildfire management came from local fire operation groups, where stakeholders such as fire services, land owners and amenity groups shared knowledge and equipment to tackle the problem. A variety of structures and informal management solutions emerged in response to local needs. Knowledge of wildfire accumulated within regional and national wildfire forums and academic networks. Only later did the need for central emergency planning and the response to climate change produce a national policy response. Fire statistics have allowed wildfires to be spatially evidenced on a national scale only since 2009. National awareness of wildfire was spurred by the 2011 fire season, and the high-impact Swinley Forest fire, which threatened critical infrastructure and communities within 50 miles of London. Severe wildfire was included in the National Risk Register for the first time in 2013. Cross-sector approaches to wildfire proved difficult as government responsibility is fragmented along the hazard chain. Stakeholders such as the Forestry Commission pioneered good practice in adaptive land management to build fire resilience into UK forests. The grass-roots evolution of participatory solutions has also been a key enabling process. A coordinated policy is now needed to identify best practice and to promote understanding of the role of fire in the ecosystem. This article is part of a themed issue ‘The interaction of fire and mankind’. PMID:27216511

Wildfire policy and management in England: an evolving response from Fire and Rescue Services, forestry and cross-sector groups.

PubMed

Gazzard, Rob; McMorrow, Julia; Aylen, Jonathan

2016-06-05

Severe wildfires are an intermittent problem in England. The paper presents the first analysis of wildfire policy, showing its halting evolution over two decades. First efforts to coordinate wildfire management came from local fire operation groups, where stakeholders such as fire services, land owners and amenity groups shared knowledge and equipment to tackle the problem. A variety of structures and informal management solutions emerged in response to local needs. Knowledge of wildfire accumulated within regional and national wildfire forums and academic networks. Only later did the need for central emergency planning and the response to climate change produce a national policy response. Fire statistics have allowed wildfires to be spatially evidenced on a national scale only since 2009. National awareness of wildfire was spurred by the 2011 fire season, and the high-impact Swinley Forest fire, which threatened critical infrastructure and communities within 50 miles of London. Severe wildfire was included in the National Risk Register for the first time in 2013. Cross-sector approaches to wildfire proved difficult as government responsibility is fragmented along the hazard chain. Stakeholders such as the Forestry Commission pioneered good practice in adaptive land management to build fire resilience into UK forests. The grass-roots evolution of participatory solutions has also been a key enabling process. A coordinated policy is now needed to identify best practice and to promote understanding of the role of fire in the ecosystem.This article is part of a themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Calorie postings in chain restaurants in a low-income urban neighborhood: measuring practical utility and policy compliance.

PubMed

Cohn, Elizabeth Gross; Larson, Elaine L; Araujo, Christina; Sawyer, Vanessa; Williams, Olajide

2012-08-01

Current strategies for combating obesity include recent federal legislation mandating calorie count postings in chain restaurants. This study describes the current practice of menu board calorie postings in a low-income urban neighborhood, identifies the extent to which current practice complies with existing policy, and evaluates the practical utility of menu boards to consumers. We conclude that although most postings were legally compliant, they did not demonstrate utility. Menu postings for individual servings are easily understood, but complex math skills are needed to interpret meals designed to serve more than one person. In some items, calories doubled depending on flavor and the calorie posting did not give enough information to make healthier selections. We identified specific strategies to improve practical utility and provide recommendations for policy implementation.

78 FR 71581 - Procurement List; Additions and Deletions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-29

... Prime Vendor Supply Chain Management Service [to support production, assembly, receipt, storage... Army, W6QK ACC-APG Natick, Natick, MA. Service Type/Location: Integrated Prime Vendor, Supply Chain...

Characterization of the animal by-product meal industry in Costa Rica: Manufacturing practices through the production chain and food safety.

PubMed

Leiva, A; Granados-Chinchilla, F; Redondo-Solano, M; Arrieta-González, M; Pineda-Salazar, E; Molina, A

2018-06-01

Animal by-product rendering establishments are still relevant industries worldwide. Animal by-product meal safety is paramount to protect feed, animals, and the rest of the food chain from unwanted contamination. As microbiological contamination may arise from inadequate processing of slaughterhouse waste and deficiencies in good manufacturing practices within the rendering facilities, we conducted an overall establishment's inspection, including the product in several parts of the process.An evaluation of the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) was carried out, which included the location and access (i.e., admission) to the facilities, integrated pest management programs, physical condition of the facilities (e.g., infrastructure), equipments, vehicles and transportation, as well as critical control points (i.e., particle size and temperature set at 50 mm, 133°C at atmospheric pressure for 20 min, respectively) recommended by the OIE and the European Commission. The most sensitive points according to the evaluation are physical structure of the facilities (avg 42.2%), access to the facilities (avg 48.6%), and cleaning procedures (avg 51.4%).Also, indicator microorganisms (Salmonella spp., Clostridium spp., total coliforms, E. coli, E. coli O157:H7) were used to evaluate the safety in different parts of the animal meal production process. There was a prevalence of Salmonella spp. of 12.9, 14.3, and 33.3% in Meat and Bone Meal (MBM), poultry by-products, and fish meal, respectively. However, there were no significant differences (P = 0.73) in the prevalence between the different animal meals, according to the data collected.It was also observed that renderings associated with the poultry industry (i.e., 92.0%) obtained the best ratings overall, which reflects a satisfactory development of this sector and the integration of its production system as a whole.

Leading a supply chain turnaround.

PubMed

Slone, Reuben E

2004-10-01

Just five years ago, salespeople at Whirlpool were in the habit of referring to their supply chain organization as the "sales disablers." Now the company excels at getting products to the right place at the right time--while managing to keep inventories low. How did that happen? In this first-person account, Reuben Slone, Whirlpool's vice president of Global Supply Chain, describes how he and his colleagues devised the right supply chain strategy, sold it internally, and implemented it. Slone insisted that the right focal point for the strategy was the satisfaction of consumers at the end of the supply chain. Most supply chain initiatives do the opposite: They start with the realities of a company's manufacturing base and proceed from there. Through a series of interviews with trade customers large and small, his team identified 27 different capabilities that drove industry perceptions of Whirlpool's performance. Knowing it was infeasible to aim for world-class performance across all of them, Slone weighed the costs of excelling at each and found the combination of initiatives that would provide overall competitive advantage. A highly disciplined project management office and broad training in project management were key to keeping work on budget and on benefit. Slone set an intense pace--three "releases" of new capabilities every month--that the group maintains to this day. Lest this seem like a technology story, however, Slone insists it is just as much a "talent renaissance." People are proud today to be part of Whirlpool's supply chain organization, and its new generation of talent will give the company a competitive advantage for years to come.

77 FR 37055 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-20

... Request; Secure Supply Chain Pilot Program AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice... identified with the title Secure Supply Chain Pilot Program. Also include the FDA docket number found in... following proposed collection of information to OMB for review and clearance: ``Secure Supply Chain Pilot...

An expert system to advise astronauts during experiments: The protocol manager module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haymann-Haber, Guido; Colombano, Silvano P.; Groleau, Nicolas; Rosenthal, Don; Szolovits, Peter; Young, Laurence R.

1990-01-01

Perhaps the scarcest resource for manned flight experiments - on Spacelab or on the Space Station Freedom - will continue to be crew time. To maximize the efficiency of the crew and to make use of their abilities to work as scientist collaborators as well as equipment operators, normally requires more training in a wide variety of disciplines than is practical. The successful application of on-board expert systems, as envisioned by the Principal Investigator in a Box program, should alleviate the training bottleneck and provide the astronaut with the guidance and coaching needed to permit him or her to operate an experiment according to the desires and knowledge of the PI, despite changes in conditions. The Protocol Manager module of the system is discussed. The Protocol Manager receives experiment data that has been summarized and categorized by the other modules. The Protocol Manager acts on the data in real-time, by employing expert system techniques. Its recommendations are based on heuristics provided by the Principal Investigator in charge of the experiment. This prototype was developed on a Macintosh II by employing CLIPS, a forward-chaining rule-based system, and HyperCard as an object-oriented user interface builder.

Alcohol drinking behaviors and alcohol management policies under outsourcing work conditions: A qualitative study of construction workers in Taiwan.

PubMed

Cheng, Wan-Ju; Cheng, Yawen

2016-02-01

Workplace alcohol policies are crucial for workers' health and safety. The practice of outsourcing is gaining popularity around the world and was found to be associated with poorer health in the working population. This study aimed to examine how outsourcing complicates the implementation of workplace alcohol policies and affects workers' drinking behaviors. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 outsource workers, 3 subcontractors and 3 worksite supervisors. Information regarding workers' drinking behaviors, their knowledge, and attitudes toward workplace alcohol policy were analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis. Factors associated with poor workplace alcohol management included smaller size and private ownership of outsourcers, subcontractors' own drinking behavior and positive attitude to alcohol, and precarious employment conditions of outsourcing workers. The multilateral relationship between outsourcers, subcontractors, and workers complicated and impaired the implementation of workplace alcohol policies. The implementation of workplace alcohol management policies was hampered in outsourcing work conditions due to poor coordination of supervisors in the subcontract chain. The enforcement of alcohol policies in the workplace should be strengthened by consolidating management responsibilities of outsourcers and subcontractors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ownership, financing, and management strategies of the ten largest for-profit nursing home chains in the United States.

PubMed

Harrington, Charlene; Hauser, Clarilee; Olney, Brian; Rosenau, Pauline Vaillancourt

2011-01-01

This study examined the ownership, financing, and management strategies of the 10 largest for-profit nursing home chains in the United States, including the four largest chains purchased by private equity corporations. Descriptive data were collected from Internet searches, company reports, and other sources for the decade 1998-2008. Since 1998, the largest chains have made many changes in their ownership and structure, and some have converted from publicly traded companies to private ownership. This study shows the increasing complexity of corporate nursing home ownership and the lack of public information about ownership and financial status. The chains have used strategies to maximize shareholder and investor value that include increasing Medicare revenues, occupancy rates, and company diversification, establishing multiple layers of corporate ownership, developing real estate investment trusts, and creating limited liability companies. These strategies enhance shareholder and investor profits, reduce corporate taxes, and reduce liability risk. There is a need for greater transparency in ownership and financial reporting and for more government oversight of the largest for-profit chains, including those owned by private equity companies.

Assessment of system reliability for a stochastic-flow distribution network with the spoilage property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yi-Kuei; Huang, Cheng-Fu; Yeh, Cheng-Ta

2016-04-01

In supply chain management, satisfying customer demand is the most concerned for the manager. However, the goods may rot or be spoilt during delivery owing to natural disasters, inclement weather, traffic accidents, collisions, and so on, such that the intact goods may not meet market demand. This paper concentrates on a stochastic-flow distribution network (SFDN), in which a node denotes a supplier, a transfer station, or a market, while a route denotes a carrier providing the delivery service for a pair of nodes. The available capacity of the carrier is stochastic because the capacity may be partially reserved by other customers. The addressed problem is to evaluate the system reliability, the probability that the SFDN can satisfy the market demand with the spoilage rate under the budget constraint from multiple suppliers to the customer. An algorithm is developed in terms of minimal paths to evaluate the system reliability along with a numerical example to illustrate the solution procedure. A practical case of fruit distribution is presented accordingly to emphasise the management implication of the system reliability.

Towards a Tool for Malaria Supply Chain Management Improvement in Rural Ghana.

PubMed

Carlo, Lorena; Bakken, Suzanne; Mamykina, Lena; Kodie, Richmond; Kanter, Andrew S

2015-01-01

The maintenance of adequate quantities of antimalarial medicines and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) at health facilities in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa is a challenging task because of poor supply chain management. Antimalarial stock-outs in the communities could lead patients (that need to travel long distances to get medications) to remain untreated, develop severe malaria and die. A prototype to improve the management of health commodities in rural Ghana through the visualization of current stock levels and the forecasting of commodities is proposed.

Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Logistics, Commodities, and Waste Management Requirements for Scale-Up of Services

PubMed Central

Edgil, Dianna; Stankard, Petra; Forsythe, Steven; Rech, Dino; Chrouser, Kristin; Adamu, Tigistu; Sakallah, Sameer; Thomas, Anne Goldzier; Albertini, Jennifer; Stanton, David; Dickson, Kim Eva; Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel

2011-01-01

Background The global HIV prevention community is implementing voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programs across eastern and southern Africa, with a goal of reaching 80% coverage in adult males by 2015. Successful implementation will depend on the accessibility of commodities essential for VMMC programming and the appropriate allocation of resources to support the VMMC supply chain. For this, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, has developed a standard list of commodities for VMMC programs. Methods and Findings This list of commodities was used to inform program planning for a 1-y program to circumcise 152,000 adult men in Swaziland. During this process, additional key commodities were identified, expanding the standard list to include commodities for waste management, HIV counseling and testing, and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections. The approximate costs for the procurement of commodities, management of a supply chain, and waste disposal, were determined for the VMMC program in Swaziland using current market prices of goods and services. Previous costing studies of VMMC programs did not capture supply chain costs, nor the full range of commodities needed for VMMC program implementation or waste management. Our calculations indicate that depending upon the volume of services provided, supply chain and waste management, including commodities and associated labor, contribute between US$58.92 and US$73.57 to the cost of performing one adult male circumcision in Swaziland. Conclusions Experience with the VMMC program in Swaziland indicates that supply chain and waste management add approximately US$60 per circumcision, nearly doubling the total per procedure cost estimated previously; these additional costs are used to inform the estimate of per procedure costs modeled by Njeuhmeli et al. in “Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Modeling the Impact and Cost of Expanding Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention in Eastern and Southern Africa.” Program planners and policy makers should consider the significant contribution of supply chain and waste management to VMMC program costs as they determine future resource needs for VMMC programs. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:22140363

The performance of material management in health care organizations.

PubMed

Dacosta-Claro, Ivan

2002-01-01

This paper studies the hospital supply chain. The analysis of the operational and financial data of hospital administrative structures has permitted the discovery of the characteristics of work carried out by the employees and the different strategies used by the managers. Firstly, hospital supply chains must be classified into two groups influenced by medical factors (short-term and long-term hospitals). Secondly, two different management approaches can be observed when the supply chain operations are analysed. The first approach assigns a larger budget priority to inventory control, packages reception and internal distribution. Thus, the purchasing services have relatively fewer resources. In the second approach, contract negotiation and product ordering processes are enforced by the deployment of, relatively, more personnel. In both cases, the central store service performs merchandise reception and distribution according to the strategies determined by the purchasing service.

HYDRA: A Middleware-Oriented Integrated Architecture for e-Procurement in Supply Chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alor-Hernandez, Giner; Aguilar-Lasserre, Alberto; Juarez-Martinez, Ulises; Posada-Gomez, Ruben; Cortes-Robles, Guillermo; Garcia-Martinez, Mario Alberto; Gomez-Berbis, Juan Miguel; Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Alejandro

The Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) development paradigm has emerged to improve the critical issues of creating, modifying and extending solutions for business processes integration, incorporating process automation and automated exchange of information between organizations. Web services technology follows the SOA's principles for developing and deploying applications. Besides, Web services are considered as the platform for SOA, for both intra- and inter-enterprise communication. However, an SOA does not incorporate information about occurring events into business processes, which are the main features of supply chain management. These events and information delivery are addressed in an Event-Driven Architecture (EDA). Taking this into account, we propose a middleware-oriented integrated architecture that offers a brokering service for the procurement of products in a Supply Chain Management (SCM) scenario. As salient contributions, our system provides a hybrid architecture combining features of both SOA and EDA and a set of mechanisms for business processes pattern management, monitoring based on UML sequence diagrams, Web services-based management, event publish/subscription and reliable messaging service.

Undiagnosed light chain systemic amyloidosis: does it matter to anesthesiologists? -a case report-

PubMed Central

Kim, Gwan Ho; Lee, Woo Kyung; Na, Se Hee

2013-01-01

Light chain systemic amyloidosis is rare but may accompany laryngeal or pulmonary involvement, which may increase the risk in airway management. We present a case of a patient planned for resection of cervical epidural mass. The patient had face and neck ecchymoses and purpuras with an unknown cause. Mask ventilation and intubation were successful, but the operation was cancelled to evaluate bleeding from facial skin lesions. A diagnosis of light chain systemic amyloidosis prompted evaluation of involvement of other organs and treatment. This case shows the importance of preoperative evaluation and careful airway management in patients with systemic amyloidosis. PMID:24363850

Short Term Cyber Attacks with Long Term Effects and Degradation of Supply Chain Capability

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference, 271–275, St. Augustine: Florida. Goetschalckx, Marc. 2011. Supply Chain Engineering. New York: Springer...term risks in a network supply chain to establish the existence of black swan events. 14. SUBJECT TERMS cybersecurity , supply chain risk...Mission, and Information System View (NIST SP 800–39) .....50 6. Cybersecurity Instruction for the DOD (DODI 8500.01) .........51 7. Risk Management

A New Approach to Site Demand-Based Level Inventory Optimization

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

Command (2016) Navy supply chain management. Accessed April 17, 2016, https://www.navsup.navy.mil/navsup/capabilities/nscm Salmeron J, Craparo E (2016...Engineering 53: 122-142. Naval Supply Systems Command (2016a) Navy supply chain management. Accessed April 17, 2016, https://www.navsup.navy.mil...distribution is unlimited 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) supports Navy, Marine Corps

System Dynamics Modeling for Supply Chain Information Sharing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yang

In this paper, we try to use the method of system dynamics to model supply chain information sharing. Firstly, we determine the model boundaries, establish system dynamics model of supply chain before information sharing, analyze the model's simulation results under different changed parameters and suggest improvement proposal. Then, we establish system dynamics model of supply chain information sharing and make comparison and analysis on the two model's simulation results, to show the importance of information sharing in supply chain management. We wish that all these simulations would provide scientific supports for enterprise decision-making.

Vaccine delivery management.

PubMed

Cheyne, J

1989-01-01

During the typical 12- to 18-month voyage of a vaccine from manufacturer to immunization site, many situations arise in which the cold chain may be interrupted. Extensive efforts have been made in the 1980s to ensure an uninterrupted cold chain through the use of improved equipment and better training of personnel. One important advance is the vaccine cold-chain monitor, which identifies weak spots in the cold chain and prevents the use of heat-damaged vaccine. Further improvements will require efforts by the recipient countries (e.g., better use of the private sector for transport and equipment management), by donor agencies (e.g., greater consideration of the operational and maintenance costs of the equipment selected and resolution of fuel shortages), and by industry (e.g., more appropriate packaging and pricing of vaccine, extension of the expiration period, and increased heat stability.

Pharmaceutical supply chain risk assessment in Iran using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and simple additive weighting (SAW) methods.

PubMed

Jaberidoost, Mona; Olfat, Laya; Hosseini, Alireza; Kebriaeezadeh, Abbas; Abdollahi, Mohammad; Alaeddini, Mahdi; Dinarvand, Rassoul

2015-01-01

Pharmaceutical supply chain is a significant component of the health system in supplying medicines, particularly in countries where main drugs are provided by local pharmaceutical companies. No previous studies exist assessing risks and disruptions in pharmaceutical companies while assessing the pharmaceutical supply chain. Any risks affecting the pharmaceutical companies could disrupt supply medicines and health system efficiency. The goal of this study was the risk assessment in pharmaceutical industry in Iran considering process's priority, hazard and probability of risks. The study was carried out in 4 phases; risk identification through literature review, risk identification in Iranian pharmaceutical companies through interview with experts, risk analysis through a questionnaire and consultation with experts using group analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and rating scale (RS) and risk evaluation of simple additive weighting (SAW) method. In total, 86 main risks were identified in the pharmaceutical supply chain with perspective of pharmaceutical companies classified in 11 classes. The majority of risks described in this study were related to the financial and economic category. Also financial management was found to be the most important factor for consideration. Although pharmaceutical industry and supply chain were affected by current political conditions in Iran during the study time, but half of total risks in the pharmaceutical supply chain were found to be internal risks which could be fixed by companies, internally. Likewise, political status and related risks forced companies to focus more on financial and supply management resulting in less attention to quality management.

76 FR 27367 - Slings; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-11

... handling. Paragraph (e) of the Standard covers alloy steel chain slings. Paragraph (e)(1) requires that alloy steel chain slings have permanently affixed and durable identification stating the size, grade... thorough periodic inspection of alloy steel chain slings in use on a regular basis, but at least once a...

"Supply Chain-Marketing Shark Tank" Experiential Lab Game in Interdisciplinary Business Education: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arora, A.; Arora, A. Saxena

2015-01-01

This article provides educators in business schools with a new interdisciplinary experiential lab game called Supply Chain-Marketing (SC-Mark) Shark Tank game, which can be implemented in both Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Marketing courses. The SC-Mark experiential lab game is a real-life business environment simulation that explores…

The Diffusion and Impact of Radio Frequency Identification in Supply Chains: A Multi-Method Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Xiaoran

2012-01-01

As a promising and emerging technology for supply chain management, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a new alternative to existing tracking technologies and also allows a range of internal control and supply chain coordination. RFID has generated a significant amount of interest and activities from both practitioners and researchers in…

Parental Experiences of Raising a Child With Medium Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency.

PubMed

Piercy, Hilary; Machaczek, Katarzyna; Ali, Parveen; Yap, Sufin

2017-01-01

Newborn screening enabling early diagnosis of medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD) has dramatically improved health outcomes in children with MCADD. Achieving those outcomes depends on effective management by parents. Understanding parental management strategies and associated anxieties and concerns is needed to inform provision of appropriate care and support. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of parents of children aged 2 to 12 years. Thematic analysis identified two main themes. Managing dietary intake examined how parents managed day-to-day dietary intake to ensure adequate intake and protection of safe fasting intervals. Managing and preventing illness events explored parental experiences of managing illness events and their approach to preventing these events. Management strategies were characterized by caution and vigilance and influenced by a lack of confidence in others to manage the condition. The study identifies the need for increased awareness of the condition, particularly in relation to emergency treatment.

Perspectives to performance of environment and health assessments and models--from outputs to outcomes?

PubMed

Pohjola, Mikko V; Pohjola, Pasi; Tainio, Marko; Tuomisto, Jouni T

2013-06-26

The calls for knowledge-based policy and policy-relevant research invoke a need to evaluate and manage environment and health assessments and models according to their societal outcomes. This review explores how well the existing approaches to assessment and model performance serve this need. The perspectives to assessment and model performance in the scientific literature can be called: (1) quality assurance/control, (2) uncertainty analysis, (3) technical assessment of models, (4) effectiveness and (5) other perspectives, according to what is primarily seen to constitute the goodness of assessments and models. The categorization is not strict and methods, tools and frameworks in different perspectives may overlap. However, altogether it seems that most approaches to assessment and model performance are relatively narrow in their scope. The focus in most approaches is on the outputs and making of assessments and models. Practical application of the outputs and the consequential outcomes are often left unaddressed. It appears that more comprehensive approaches that combine the essential characteristics of different perspectives are needed. This necessitates a better account of the mechanisms of collective knowledge creation and the relations between knowledge and practical action. Some new approaches to assessment, modeling and their evaluation and management span the chain from knowledge creation to societal outcomes, but the complexity of evaluating societal outcomes remains a challenge.

A Principled Approach to the Specification of System Architectures for Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKelvin, Mark L. Jr.; Castillo, Robert; Bonanne, Kevin; Bonnici, Michael; Cox, Brian; Gibson, Corrina; Leon, Juan P.; Gomez-Mustafa, Jose; Jimenez, Alejandro; Madni, Azad

2015-01-01

Modern space systems are increasing in complexity and scale at an unprecedented pace. Consequently, innovative methods, processes, and tools are needed to cope with the increasing complexity of architecting these systems. A key systems challenge in practice is the ability to scale processes, methods, and tools used to architect complex space systems. Traditionally, the process for specifying space system architectures has largely relied on capturing the system architecture in informal descriptions that are often embedded within loosely coupled design documents and domain expertise. Such informal descriptions often lead to misunderstandings between design teams, ambiguous specifications, difficulty in maintaining consistency as the architecture evolves throughout the system development life cycle, and costly design iterations. Therefore, traditional methods are becoming increasingly inefficient to cope with ever-increasing system complexity. We apply the principles of component-based design and platform-based design to the development of the system architecture for a practical space system to demonstrate feasibility of our approach using SysML. Our results show that we are able to apply a systematic design method to manage system complexity, thus enabling effective data management, semantic coherence and traceability across different levels of abstraction in the design chain. Just as important, our approach enables interoperability among heterogeneous tools in a concurrent engineering model based design environment.

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum, cultivar Senatore Cappelli) production systems effects on grain and flours functional properties under Mediterranean conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavoski, Ivana; Turk, Jelena; Chami, Ziad Al

2015-04-01

The main goal of organic farming is the "production of high quality products". Integrity and vital quality of products should be preserved along the entire production chain. In order to evaluate the effect of organic vs. conventional production systems on durum wheat phenolic acids and antioxidant activity open field experiment has been carried out. During the whole process chain from field to fork, there are various factors influencing the quality of the end product. Organic production should rely on genotypes with high nitrogen use efficiency, disease and pest resistance, weed competitiveness and tolerance especially under Mediterranean conditions. In this study, production systems differed according to the practices and inputs applied to manage the soil fertility and plant protection. In conventional system, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides were used. Whereas, in the two organic systems, cow manure with fertilizers and temporary intercropping with fava bean (Vicia faba) and fertilizers were used to manage soil fertility. Biopesticides were used for plant protection for organic systems. One treatment without inputs was used as a control in order to evaluate environmental site and cultivar effect. Quantity of free, free and conjugated and bounded phenolic acids were evaluated in relation to overall quality and production systems. In addition, antioxidant capacities of each fraction by different assays were assessed. The organic production method assured higher overall quality in paricular functional properties compared to the conventional one. Therefore, understanding the functional links between production systems variables and physiological responses is essential to improve and standardize the quality of organic durum wheat products. Keywords: organic farming, soil fertility management, phenolic acids, antioxidant activity.

Participatory assessment of animal health and husbandry practices in smallholder pig production systems in three high poverty districts in Uganda.

PubMed

Dione, Michel M; Ouma, Emily A; Roesel, Kristina; Kungu, Joseph; Lule, Peter; Pezo, Danilo

2014-12-01

While animal health constraints have been identified as a major limiting factor in smallholder pig production in Uganda, researchers and policy makers lack information on the relative incidence of diseases and their impacts on pig production. This study aimed to assess animal health and management practices, constraints and opportunities for intervention in smallholder pig value chains in three high poverty districts of Uganda. Semi-qualitative interview checklists through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were administered to 340 pig farmers in 35 villages in Masaka, Kamuli and Mukono districts. Quantitative data was obtained during the exercise through group consensus. Results of FGDs were further triangulated with secondary data and information obtained from key informant interviews. Findings show that pig keeping systems are dominated by tethering and scavenging in rural areas. In peri-urban and urban areas, intensive production systems are more practiced, with pigs confined in pens. The main constraints identified by farmers include high disease burden such as African swine fever (ASF) and parasites, poor housing and feeding practices, poor veterinary services, ineffective drugs and a general lack of knowledge on piggery management. According to farmers, ASF is the primary cause of pig mortality with epidemics occurring mainly during the dry season. Worms and ectoparasites namely; mange, lice and flies are endemic leading to stunted growth which reduces the market value of pigs. Diarrhoea and malnutrition are common in piglets. Ninety-three percent of farmers say they practice deworming, 37% practice ectoparasite spraying and 77% castrate their boars. Indigenous curative treatments include the application of human urine and concoctions of local herbs for ASF control and use of old engine oil or tobacco extracts to control ectoparasites. There is a need for better technical services to assist farmers with these problems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research on BIM-based building information value chain reengineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Zhao; Weishuang, Xie

2017-04-01

The achievement of value and value-added factor to the building engineering information is accomplished through a chain-flow, that is, building the information value chain. Based on the deconstruction of the information chain on the construction information in the traditional information mode, this paper clarifies the value characteristics and requirements of each stage of the construction project. In order to achieve building information value-added, the paper deconstructs the traditional building information value chain, reengineer the information value chain model on the basis of the theory and techniques of BIM, to build value-added management model and analyse the value of the model.

Effectiveness of a web-based education program to improve vaccine storage conditions in primary care (Keep Cool): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Thielmann, Anika; Viehmann, Anja; Weltermann, Birgitta M

2015-07-14

Immunization programs are among the most effective public health strategies worldwide. Adequate vaccine storage is a prerequisite to assure the vaccines' effectiveness and safety. In a questionnaire survey among a random sample of German primary care physicians, we discovered vaccine storage deficits: 16% of physicians had experience with cold chain breaches either as an error or near error, 49 % did not keep a temperature log, and 21 % did not use a separate refrigerator for vaccine storage. In a recent feasibility study of 21 practice refrigerators, we showed that these were outside the target range 10.2% of the total time with some single refrigerators being outside the target range as much as 66.3% of the time. These cooling-chain deficits are consistent with the international medical literature, yet an effective, easy to disseminate, practice-centered intervention to improve storage conditions is lacking. This randomized intervention trial will be conducted in a random sample of primary care practices. Based on continuous temperature recordings over 7 days, all practices with readings outside the target range for vaccine storage (+2 °C to +8 °C) will be randomly allocated to a web-based education program or a waiting list control group. The practice physicians and their teams constitute the target population. Participants will be educated about best practices in vaccine storage and will receive a manual including storage checklists and templates for temperature documentation. In all practices, temperatures of the vaccine refrigerators will be monitored continuously using a data logger with a glycol probe as a surrogate for vaccine vial temperature. The effectiveness of the web-based education program will be determined after 6 months in terms of the proportion of refrigerators with vaccine vial temperatures within the target range (+2 °C to +8 °C) during 7-day temperature logging. Secondary outcome parameters include temperature monitoring, no critically low temperatures (≤ -0.5 °C), compliance with storage recommendations, knowledge of good vaccine storage conditions, and assignment of personnel as vaccine storage manager and backup. Keep Cool will develop and evaluate a web-based education program to improve vaccine storage conditions in primary care and thereby ensure immunization safety and effectiveness. DRKS00006561 (date of registration: 20 February 2015).

Amy Schwab | NREL

Science.gov Websites

strategic scenario planning and analysis Program portfolio analysis Program management, planning and strategic execution Change management and operational improvement Research Interests Bioenergy supply chains management, organizational improvement, and program and project management. Prior Work Experience Consultant

Identifying bottlenecks in the iron and folic acid supply chain in Bihar, India: a mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Wendt, Amanda S; Stephenson, Rob; Young, Melissa F; Verma, Pankaj; Srikantiah, Sridhar; Webb-Girard, Amy; Hogue, Carol J; Ramakrishnan, Usha; Martorell, Reynaldo

2018-04-12

Maternal anaemia prevalence in Bihar, India remains high despite government mandated iron supplementation targeting pregnant women. Inadequate supply has been identified as a potential barrier to iron and folic acid (IFA) receipt. Our study objective was to examine the government health system's IFA supply and distribution system and identify bottlenecks contributing to insufficient IFA supply. Primary data collection was conducted in November 2011 and July 2012 across 8 districts in Bihar, India. A cross-sectional, observational, mixed methods approach was utilized. Auxiliary Nurse Midwives were surveyed on current IFA supply and practices. In-depth interviews (n = 59) were conducted with health workers at state, district, block, health sub-centre, and village levels. Overall, 44% of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives were out of IFA stock. Stock levels and supply chain practices varied greatly across districts. Qualitative data revealed specific bottlenecks impacting IFA forecasting, procurement, storage, disposal, lack of personnel, and few training opportunities for key players in the supply chain. Inadequate IFA supply is a major constraint to the IFA supplementation program, the extent of which varies widely across districts. Improvements at all levels of infrastructure, practices, and effective monitoring will be critical to strengthen the IFA supply chain in Bihar.

Implementing Lean Six Sigma to achieve inventory control in supply chain management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Chen

2017-11-01

The inventory cost has important impact on the production cost. In order to get the maximum circulation of funds of enterprise with minimum inventory cost, the inventory control with Lean Six Sigma is presented in supply chain management. The inventory includes both the raw material and the semi-finished parts in manufacturing process. Though the inventory is often studied, the inventory control in manufacturing process is seldom mentioned. This paper reports the inventory control from the perspective of manufacturing process by using statistical techniques including DMAIC, Control Chart, and Statistical Process Control. The process stability is evaluated and the process capability is verified with Lean Six Sigma philosophy. The demonstration in power meter production shows the inventory is decreased from 25% to 0.4%, which indicates the inventory control can be achieved with Lean Six Sigma philosophy and the inventory cost in production can be saved for future sustainable development in supply chain management.

Green supply chain management strategy selection using analytic network process: case study at PT XYZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adelina, W.; Kusumastuti, R. D.

2017-01-01

This study is about business strategy selection for green supply chain management (GSCM) for PT XYZ by using Analytic Network Process (ANP). GSCM is initiated as a response to reduce environmental impacts from industrial activities. The purposes of this study are identifying criteria and sub criteria in selecting GSCM Strategy, and analysing a suitable GSCM strategy for PT XYZ. This study proposes ANP network with 6 criteria and 29 sub criteria, which are obtained from the literature and experts’ judgements. One of the six criteria contains GSCM strategy options, namely risk-based strategy, efficiency-based strategy, innovation-based strategy, and closed loop strategy. ANP solves complex GSCM strategy-selection by using a more structured process and considering green perspectives from experts. The result indicates that innovation-based strategy is the most suitable green supply chain management strategy for PT XYZ.

Bench press training program with attached chains for female volleyball and basketball athletes.

PubMed

Burnham, Timothy R; Ruud, Jason D; McGowan, Robert

2010-02-01

Attaching chains to barbells to increase strength and power has become popular for athletes; however, little scientific evidence supports this practice. The present purpose was to compare chain training to traditional training for the bench press. Women collegiate athletes in volleyball and basketball (N = 19) participated in a 16-session bench press program. They were matched into either a Traditional or a Chain training group by 1-repetition maximum (1RM). The Traditional group performed the bench press with conventional equipment, while the Chain group trained with attached chains (5% of weight). Analysis showed a significant increase in 1RM for both groups over 16 sessions, Traditional +11.8% and Chain +17.4%. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant, but suggests the women who trained with attached chains improved their bench press more than the Traditional group.

[Drug shortage: determinants, consequences and management].

PubMed

Reis, Adriano Max Moreira; Perini, Edson

2008-04-01

The present study analyzes drug shortage as a problem reaching beyond the logistic aspect of the health field and discusses its consequences with respect to quality, safety and cost of health care delivery. The pharmaceutical supply chain and the factors that determine the distribution and availability of drugs are discussed. The contribution of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee in preventing and managing drug shortage in health institutions is stressed and measures for drug shortage management are suggested. Finally it is emphasized that drugs should be considered health products rather than consumer goods and as such be given a different treatment by the supply chain.

[Current quality management situation and administration countermeasure study of enterprises marketing corneal contact lens].

PubMed

Liu, Yungui; Yao, Ying; Shangguan, Shihao; Gu, Qun; Gao, Wuming; Chen, Yaoshui

2014-05-01

Study the current quality management situation of enterprises marketing corneal contact lens via systemic investigations and explore effective administration countermeasures in the future. The quality management indicators of sixty-two corneal contact lens marketing enterprises in Xuhui district of Shanghai were systematically investigated and enterprises of different operation models was compared and analyzed. Wholesale enterprises and retail chain enterprises are apparently better than independent enterprises almost in all facets. Facilitate market accession of corneal contact lens marketing enterprises, encourage the business model of retail chain, enhance supervision of corneal contact lens marketing enterprises, especially independent franchisors.

Information systems in food safety management.

PubMed

McMeekin, T A; Baranyi, J; Bowman, J; Dalgaard, P; Kirk, M; Ross, T; Schmid, S; Zwietering, M H

2006-12-01

Information systems are concerned with data capture, storage, analysis and retrieval. In the context of food safety management they are vital to assist decision making in a short time frame, potentially allowing decisions to be made and practices to be actioned in real time. Databases with information on microorganisms pertinent to the identification of foodborne pathogens, response of microbial populations to the environment and characteristics of foods and processing conditions are the cornerstone of food safety management systems. Such databases find application in: Identifying pathogens in food at the genus or species level using applied systematics in automated ways. Identifying pathogens below the species level by molecular subtyping, an approach successfully applied in epidemiological investigations of foodborne disease and the basis for national surveillance programs. Predictive modelling software, such as the Pathogen Modeling Program and Growth Predictor (that took over the main functions of Food Micromodel) the raw data of which were combined as the genesis of an international web based searchable database (ComBase). Expert systems combining databases on microbial characteristics, food composition and processing information with the resulting "pattern match" indicating problems that may arise from changes in product formulation or processing conditions. Computer software packages to aid the practical application of HACCP and risk assessment and decision trees to bring logical sequences to establishing and modifying food safety management practices. In addition there are many other uses of information systems that benefit food safety more globally, including: Rapid dissemination of information on foodborne disease outbreaks via websites or list servers carrying commentary from many sources, including the press and interest groups, on the reasons for and consequences of foodborne disease incidents. Active surveillance networks allowing rapid dissemination of molecular subtyping information between public health agencies to detect foodborne outbreaks and limit the spread of human disease. Traceability of individual animals or crops from (or before) conception or germination to the consumer as an integral part of food supply chain management. Provision of high quality, online educational packages to food industry personnel otherwise precluded from access to such courses.

Development of an Assessment Model for Sustainable Supply Chain Management in Batik Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mubiena, G. F.; Ma’ruf, A.

2018-03-01

This research proposes a dynamic assessment model for sustainable supply chain management in batik industry. The proposed model identifies the dynamic relationship between economic aspect, environment aspect and social aspect. The economic aspect refers to the supply chain operation reference model. The environment aspect uses carbon emissions and liquid waste as the attribute assessment, while the social aspect focus on employee’s welfare. Lean manufacturing concept was implemented as an alternative approach to sustainability. The simulation result shows that the average of sustainability score for 5 years increased from 65,3% to 70%. Future experiments will be conducted on design improvements to reach the company target on sustainability score.

Coordination of a supply chain with consumer return under vendor-managed consignment inventory and stochastic demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhihui; Chen, Dongyan; Yu, Hui

2016-07-01

In this paper, the problem of the coordination policy is investigated for vendor-managed consignment inventory supply chain subject to consumer return. Here, the market demand is assumed to be affected by promotional effort and consumer return policy. The optimal consignment inventory and the optimal promotional effort level are proposed under the decentralized and centralized decisions. Based on the optimal decision conditions, the markdown allowance-promotional cost-sharing contract is investigated to coordinate the supply chain. Subsequently, the comparison between the two extreme policies shows that full-refund policy dominates the no-return policy when the returning cost and the positive effect of return policy are satisfied certain conditions. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the impacts of consumer return policy on the coordination contract and optimal profit as well as the effectiveness of the proposed supply chain decision.

Alberta Carpenter | NREL

Science.gov Websites

cycle assessment in industrial by-product management, waste management, biofuels and manufacturing technologies Life cycle inventory database management Research Interests Life cycle assessment Life cycle inventory management Biofuels Advanced manufacturing Supply chain analysis Education Ph.D in environmental

Predictors of chain acquisition among independent dialysis facilities.

PubMed

Pozniak, Alyssa S; Hirth, Richard A; Banaszak-Holl, Jane; Wheeler, John R C

2010-04-01

To determine the predictors of chain acquisition among independent dialysis providers. Retrospective facility-level data combined from CMS Cost Reports, Medical Evidence Forms, Annual Facility Surveys, and claims for 1996-2003. Independent dialysis facilities' probability of acquisition by a dialysis chain (overall and by chain size) was estimated using a discrete time hazard rate model, controlling for financial and clinical performance, practice patterns, market factors, and other facility characteristics. The sample includes all U.S. freestanding dialysis facilities that report not being chain affiliated for at least 1 year between 1997 and 2003. Above-average costs and better quality outcomes are significant determinants of dialysis chain acquisition. Facilities in larger markets were more likely to be acquired by a chain. Furthermore, small dialysis chains have different acquisition strategies than large chains. Dialysis chains appear to employ a mix of turn-around and cream-skimming strategies. Poor financial health is a predictor of chain acquisition as in other health care sectors, but the increased likelihood of chain acquisition among higher quality facilities is unique to the dialysis industry. Significant differences among predictors of acquisition by small and large chains reinforce the importance of using a richer classification for chain status.

The origins of the vaccine cold chain and a glimpse of the future.

PubMed

Lloyd, John; Cheyne, James

2017-04-19

International efforts to eradicate smallpox in the 1960s and 1970s provided the foundation for efforts to expand immunization programmes, including work to develop immunization supply chains. The need to create a reliable system to keep vaccines cold during the lengthy journey from the manufacturer to the point of use, even in remote areas, was a crucial concern during the early days of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. The vaccine cold chain was deliberately separated from other medical distribution systems to assure timely access to and control of vaccines and injection materials. The story of the early development of the vaccine cold chain shows how a number of challenges were overcome with technological and human resource solutions. For example, the lack of methods to monitor exposure of vaccines to heat during transport and storage led to many innovations, including temperature-sensitive vaccine vial monitors and better methods to record and communicate temperatures in vaccine stores. The need for appropriate equipment to store and transport vaccines in tropical developing countries led to innovations in refrigeration equipment as well as the introduction and widespread adoption of novel high performance vaccine cold-boxes and carriers. New technologies also helped to make injection safer. Underlying this work on technologies and equipment was a major effort to develop the human resources required to manage and implement the immunization supply chain. This included creating foundational policies and a management infrastructure; providing training for managers, health workers, technicians, and others. The vaccine cold chain has contributed to one of the world's public health success stories and provides three priority lessons for future: the vaccine supply chain needs to be integrated with other public health supplies, re-designed for efficiency and effectiveness and work is needed in the longer term to eliminate the need for refrigeration in the supply chain. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Clinical update for the diagnosis and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection

PubMed Central

IV, Edward C Oldfield; III, Edward C Oldfield; Johnson, David A

2014-01-01

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) presents a rapidly evolving challenge in the battle against hospital-acquired infections. Recent advances in CDI diagnosis and management include rapid changes in diagnostic approach with the introduction of newer tests, such as detection of glutamate dehydrogenase in stool and polymerase chain reaction to detect the gene for toxin production, which will soon revolutionize the diagnostic approach to CDI. New medications and multiple medical society guidelines have introduced changing concepts in the definitions of severity of CDI and the choice of therapeutic agents, while rapid expansion of data on the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation heralds a revolutionary change in the management of patients suffering multiple relapses of CDI. Through a comprehensive review of current medical literature, this article aims to offer an intensive review of the current state of CDI diagnosis, discuss the strengths and limitations of available laboratory tests, compare both current and future treatments options and offer recommendations for best practice strategies. PMID:24729930

Physical, Social, and Political Inequities Constraining Girls' Menstrual Management at Schools in Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya.

PubMed

Girod, Candace; Ellis, Anna; Andes, Karen L; Freeman, Matthew C; Caruso, Bethany A

2017-12-01

Access to adequate water and sanitation is limited in informal settlements, contributing to girls' challenges managing menstruation at school, especially when they cannot access materials to absorb menstrual blood and appropriate facilities for hygiene. This study documents differences between girls' experience of menstruation at public schools (where the Kenyan government provides menstrual pads) and private schools (where pads are not provided) in two informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. Results showed that supply chains to public schools were not reliable, and equitable pad provision was not assured. Girls in private schools struggled to access pads because they were not provided. Sanitation facilities were physically available, but Muslim girls were unable to practice ablution due to the design of toilets in our study schools. Girls experienced fear and anxiety due to harassment from male peers and had incomplete information about menstruation from teachers. Findings suggest that practitioners and policy-makers should acknowledge the diversity of school populations and monitor programs to ensure efforts do not contribute to inequity.

The role of pharmacies and pharmacists in managing controlled substance dispensing.

PubMed

Hoppe, Jason; Howland, Mary Ann; Nelson, Lewis

2014-12-01

The epidemic of prescription opioid-related morbidity and mortality demonstrates the need for a fresh, open, and balanced approach to managing pain while minimizing adverse personal and public health outcomes. Interventions by pharmacists in situations in which prescriptions are felt to be inappropriate have raised the ire of prescribers who feel their professional judgment is being questioned and their time is being usurped from patient care. Pharmacists, however, represent an important check and balance in the opioid analgesic prescribing chain, and prescribers should embrace their involvement and recognize that the time and effort of the pharmacist are directed at improving care of individual patients and keeping a watchful eye on the public health. Pharmacies need to keep a mindful eye toward professional practices of physicians and use noninvasive means, such as database inquiries, prior to directly contacting a prescriber. Collaboration is the most professional approach that can be taken to assure that our joint priority of caring for patients in distress will be accomplished effectively and safely. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lean methodology in health care.

PubMed

Kimsey, Diane B

2010-07-01

Lean production is a process management philosophy that examines organizational processes from a customer perspective with the goal of limiting the use of resources to those processes that create value for the end customer. Lean manufacturing emphasizes increasing efficiency, decreasing waste, and using methods to decide what matters rather than accepting preexisting practices. A rapid improvement team at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania, implemented a plan, do, check, act cycle to determine problems in the central sterile processing department, test solutions, and document improved processes. By using A3 thinking, a consensus building process that graphically depicts the current state, the target state, and the gaps between the two, the team worked to improve efficiency and safety, and to decrease costs. Use of this methodology has increased teamwork, created user-friendly work areas and processes, changed management styles and expectations, increased staff empowerment and involvement, and streamlined the supply chain within the perioperative area. Copyright (c) 2010 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Healthcare logistics in disaster planning and emergency management: A perspective.

PubMed

VanVactor, Jerry D

2017-12-01

This paper discusses the role of healthcare supply chain management in disaster mitigation and management. While there is an abundance of literature examining emergency management and disaster preparedness efforts across an array of industries, little information has been directed specifically toward the emergency interface, interoperability and unconventional relationships among civilian institutions and the US Department of Defense (US DoD) or supply chain operations involved therein. To address this imbalance, this paper provides US DoD healthcare supply chain managers with concepts related to communicating and planning more effectively. It is worth remembering, however, that all disasters are local - under the auspice of tiered response involving federal agencies, the principal responsibility for responding to domestic disasters and emergencies rests with the lowest level of government equipped and able to deal with the incident effectively. As such, the findings are equally applicable to institutions outside the military. It also bears repeating that every crisis is unique: there is no such thing as a uniform response for every incident. The role of the US DoD in emergency preparedness and disaster planning is changing and will continue to do so as the need for roles in support of a larger effort also continues to change.

Making products available among community health workers: Evidence for improving community health supply chains from Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda

PubMed Central

Chandani, Yasmin; Andersson, Sarah; Heaton, Alexis; Noel, Megan; Shieshia, Mildred; Mwirotsi, Amanda; Krudwig, Kirstin; Nsona, Humphreys; Felling, Barbara

2014-01-01

Background A UNICEF review of the challenges to scaling up integrated community case management (iCCM) found that drug shortages were a common bottleneck. In many settings, little thought has gone into the design of supply chains to the community level and limited evidence exists for how to address these unique challenges. SC4CCM’s purpose was to conduct intervention research to identify proven, simple, affordable solutions that address the unique supply chain challenges faced by CHWs and to demonstrate that supply chain constraints at the community level can be overcome. Methods SC4CCM selected three countries to implement supply chain innovations and developed a theory of change (TOC) framework for the learning phase, which identified the main drivers of product availability and was used for baseline assessments, design, implementation and evaluation of interventions in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda. Interventions were developed in each country and tested over 12–24 months. Mixed–method follow up assessments were conducted in each country in 2012–2013. The Supply Chain for Community Case Management (SC4CCM) Project then simplified the TOC into a Community Health Supply Chain (CHSC) framework to enable cross country analysis Results The findings from interventions in the three countries suggest that the greatest supply chain benefits are realized when all three CHSC framework elements (data flow, product flow, and effective people) are in place and working together. The synergistic effect of these three elements on supply chain performance was most effectively demonstrated by results from the Enhanced Management and Quality Collaborative interventions in Malawi and Rwanda, respectively, which were characterized by lower mean stockout rates and higher in stock rates on day of visit, when compared to other interventions. Conclusions Many conditions are necessary to ensure continuous product availability at the community level, however a supply chain works best when three key elements (product flow, data flow, and effective people) are deliberately included as an integral part of the system design. Although these elements may be designed differently in different settings, streamlining and synchronizing them while ensuring inclusion of all components for each element improves supply chain performance and promotes product availability at the community level. PMID:25520795

EVALUATION OF METEOROLOGICAL ALERT CHAIN IN CASTILLA Y LEÓN (SPAIN): How can the meteorological risk managers help researchers?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López, Laura; Guerrero-Higueras, Ángel Manuel; Sánchez, José Luis; Matía, Pedro; Ortiz de Galisteo, José Pablo; Rodríguez, Vicente; Lorente, José Manuel; Merino, Andrés; Hermida, Lucía; García-Ortega, Eduardo; Fernández-Manso, Oscar

2013-04-01

Evaluating the meteorological alert chain, or, how information is transmitted from the meteorological forecasters to the final users, passing through risk managers, is a useful tool that benefits all the links of the chain, especially the meteorology researchers and forecasters. In fact, the risk managers can help significantly to improve meteorological forecasts in different ways. Firstly, by pointing out the most appropriate type of meteorological format, and its characteristics when representing the meteorological information, consequently improving the interpretation of the already-existing forecasts. Secondly, by pointing out the specific predictive needs in their workplaces related to the type of significant meteorological parameters, temporal or spatial range necessary, meteorological products "custom-made" for each type of risk manager, etc. In order to carry out an evaluation of the alert chain in Castilla y León, we opted for the creation of a Panel of Experts made up of personnel specialized in risk management (Responsible for Protection Civil, Responsible for Alert Services and Hydrological Planning of Hydrographical Confederations, Responsible for highway maintenance, and management of fires, fundamentally). In creating this panel, a total of twenty online questions were evaluated, and the majority of the questions were multiple choice or open-ended. Some of the results show how the risk managers think that it would be interesting, or very interesting, to carry out environmental educational campaigns about the meteorological risks in Castilla y León. Another result is the elevated importance that the risk managers provide to the observation data in real-time (real-time of wind, lightning, relative humidity, combined indices of risk of avalanches, snowslides, index of fires due to convective activity, etc.) Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Junta de Castilla y León for its financial support through the project LE220A11-2.

Emergency management logistics must become emergency supply chain management.

PubMed

Young, Richard R; Peterson, Matthew R

2014-01-01

Much has been written about how emergency management (EM) needs to look to the future regarding issues of resource management (monetary, human, and material). Constraints on budgets are ongoing and the staffing of emergency response activities is often difficult because volunteers have little to no training. The management of material resources has also been a challenge because 1) the categories of material vary by the type of emergency, 2) the necessary quantities of material are often not located near the ultimate point of need, and 3) the transportation assets are rarely available in the form and quantity required to allow timely and effective response. The logistics and resource management functions of EM (what we refer to as EM logistics) have been largely reactive, with little to no pre-event planning for potential demand. We applied the Supply Chain Operational Reference (SCOR) model to EM logistics in an effort to transform it to an integrated and scalable system of physical, information, and financial flows into which are woven the functions of sourcing, making, delivering, and returning, with an overarching planning function that transcends the organizational boundaries of participants. The result is emergency supply chain management, which embraces many more participants who share in a larger quantity of more useful information about the resources that need to be deployed when responding to and recovering from emergency events.

Recommendations of the SFH (French Society of Haematology) for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of hairy cell leukaemia.

PubMed

Cornet, Edouard; Delmer, Alain; Feugier, Pierre; Garnache-Ottou, Francine; Ghez, David; Leblond, Véronique; Levy, Vincent; Maloisel, Frédéric; Re, Daniel; Zini, Jean-Marc; Troussard, Xavier

2014-12-01

Hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is a rare haematological malignancy, with approximately 175 new incident cases in France. Diagnosis is based on a careful examination of the blood smear and immunophenotyping of the tumour cells, with a panel of four markers being used specifically to screen for hairy cells (CD11c, CD25, CD103 and CD123). In 2011, the V600E mutation of the BRAF gene in exon 15 was identified in HCL; being present in HCL, it is absent in the variant form of HCL (HCL-v) and in splenic red pulp lymphoma (SRPL), two entities related to HCL. The management of patients with HCL has changed in recent years. A poorer response to purine nucleoside analogues (PNAs) is observed in patients with more marked leukocytosis, bulky splenomegaly, an unmutated immunoglobulin variable heavy chain (IgVH) gene profile, use of VH4-34 or with TP53 mutations. We present the recommendations of a group of 11 experts belonging to a number of French hospitals. This group met in November 2013 to examine the criteria for managing patients with HCL. The ideas and proposals of the group are based on a critical analysis of the recommendations already published in the literature and on an analysis of the practices of clinical haematology departments with experience in managing these patients. The first-line treatment uses purine analogues: cladribine or pentostatin. The role of BRAF inhibitors, whether or not combined with MEK inhibitors, is discussed. The panel of French experts proposed recommendations to manage patients with HCL, which can be used in a daily practice.

You and your manager: reducing workplace stress by creating and maintaining a good relationship.

PubMed

Hills, Laura Sachs

2007-01-01

The relationship a medical practice employee has with his or her practice manager is probably the most important relationship the employee will have at work. No matter what position an employee has in the medical practice, it's to his or her advantage to get along well with the practice manager. This article offers concrete suggestions to medical practice employees to help them establish and cultivate a positive working relationship with their practice managers. It examines different working styles of practice managers and suggests strategies for medical practice employees who want or need different amounts and styles of supervision. It describes five personal characteristics a practice manager expects in employees and two basic rules of thumb for using the practice manager's time efficiently. This article also emphasizes the importance of good communication with the practice manager and offers 12 practical and specific tips for building the employee-practice manager relationship. Finally, this article offers advice to medical practice employees about what to do when they disagree with their practice managers.

Building Quantitative Hydrologic Storylines from Process-based Models for Managing Water Resources in the U.S. Under Climate-changed Futures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnold, J.; Gutmann, E. D.; Clark, M. P.; Nijssen, B.; Vano, J. A.; Addor, N.; Wood, A.; Newman, A. J.; Mizukami, N.; Brekke, L. D.; Rasmussen, R.; Mendoza, P. A.

2016-12-01

Climate change narratives for water-resource applications must represent the change signals contextualized by hydroclimatic process variability and uncertainty at multiple scales. Building narratives of plausible change includes assessing uncertainties across GCM structure, internal climate variability, climate downscaling methods, and hydrologic models. Work with this linked modeling chain has dealt mostly with GCM sampling directed separately to either model fidelity (does the model correctly reproduce the physical processes in the world?) or sensitivity (of different model responses to CO2 forcings) or diversity (of model type, structure, and complexity). This leaves unaddressed any interactions among those measures and with other components in the modeling chain used to identify water-resource vulnerabilities to specific climate threats. However, time-sensitive, real-world vulnerability studies typically cannot accommodate a full uncertainty ensemble across the whole modeling chain, so a gap has opened between current scientific knowledge and most routine applications for climate-changed hydrology. To close that gap, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are working on techniques to subsample uncertainties objectively across modeling chain components and to integrate results into quantitative hydrologic storylines of climate-changed futures. Importantly, these quantitative storylines are not drawn from a small sample of models or components. Rather, they stem from the more comprehensive characterization of the full uncertainty space for each component. Equally important from the perspective of water-resource practitioners, these quantitative hydrologic storylines are anchored in actual design and operations decisions potentially affected by climate change. This talk will describe part of our work characterizing variability and uncertainty across modeling chain components and their interactions using newly developed observational data, models and model outputs, and post-processing tools for making the resulting quantitative storylines most useful in practical hydrology applications.

Reducing the loss of vaccines from accidental freezing in the cold chain: the experience of continuous temperature monitoring in Tunisia.

PubMed

Lloyd, John; Lydon, Patrick; Ouhichi, Ramzi; Zaffran, Michel

2015-02-11

Accidental freezing of vaccines is a growing threat and a real risk for national immunization programs when the potency of many vaccines can be compromised if these are exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the cold chain. In Tunisia, this issue is compounded by using sub-standard domestic cold chain equipment instead of equipping the program with medical refrigerators designed specifically for storing vaccines and temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals. Against this backdrop, this paper presents the findings of a demonstration project conducted in Tunisia in 2012 that tested the impact of introducing several freeze prevention solutions to mitigate the risk of accidental freezing of vaccines. The main finding is that, despite the continued use of underperforming domestic refrigerators, continuous temperature monitoring using new technologies combined with other technological interventions significantly reduced the prevalence of accidental exposure to freezing temperatures. These improvements were noticed for cold chain storage at regional, district and health center levels, and during the transport legs that were part of the demonstration conducted in the regions of Kasserine in the South-Eastern part of Tunisia. Subsequent to introducing these freeze prevention solutions, the incidence of freeze alarms was reduced and the percent of time the temperatures dropped below the 2 °C recommended threshold. The incidence of freeze alarms at health center level was reduced by 40%. Lastly, the solutions implemented reduced risk of freezing during transport from 13.8% to 1.7%. Although the solution implemented is not optimal in the longer term because domestic refrigerators are used extensively in district stores and health centers, the risk of accidental freezing is significantly reduced by introducing the practice of continuous temperature monitoring as a standard. The management of the cold chain equipment was strengthened as a result which helps protect the potency of vaccines to the areas of most difficult access. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Laboratory Information Management Systems for Forensic Laboratories: A White Paper for Directors and Decision Makers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anthony Hendrickson; Brian Mennecke; Kevin Scheibe

2005-10-01

Modern, forensics laboratories need Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) implementations that allow the lab to track evidentiary items through their examination lifecycle and also serve all pertinent laboratory personnel. The research presented here presents LIMS core requirements as viewed by respondents serving in different forensic laboratory capacities as well as different forensic laboratory environments. A product-development methodology was employed to evaluate the relative value of the key features that constitute a LIMS, in order to develop a set of relative values for these features and the specifics of their implementation. In addition to the results of the product development analysis,more » this paper also provides an extensive review of LIMS and provides an overview of the preparation and planning process for the successful upgrade or implementation of a LIMS. Analysis of the data indicate that the relative value of LIMS components are viewed differently depending upon respondents' job roles (i.e., evidence technicians, scientists, and lab management), as well as by laboratory size. Specifically, the data show that: (1) Evidence technicians place the most value on chain of evidence capabilities and on chain of custody tracking; (2) Scientists generally place greatest value on report writing and generation, and on tracking daughter evidence that develops during their analyses; (3) Lab. Managers place the greatest value on chain of custody, daughter evidence, and not surprisingly, management reporting capabilities; and (4) Lab size affects LIMS preference in that, while all labs place daughter evidence tracking, chain of custody, and management and analyst report generation as their top three priorities, the order of this prioritization is size dependent.« less

Emerging Trends in Supply Chain Emissions Engagement

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This report discusses emerging trends over the last decade in companies’ ability to manage their supply chain greenhouse gas emissions and focuses on how leading companies are engaging their suppliers in order to quantify the full impact of businesses

Agile Transportation for the 21st Century Objectives for the Defense Transportation System

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-06-01

Strategic Distribution Management Initiative (SDMI) are key supply-chain initiatives in RML. Will the objectives of AT2000 improve or hinder these supply-chain initiatives? This question provides the impetus for this research paper.

77 FR 41416 - Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Outsourcing Conference

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-13

... International Initiatives, FDA Inspection Trends, Supply Chain Development, Quality Agreements, Supplier... the World Establishing a Meaningful Supplier Qualification Program Supply Chain Development Finished... Agreements Business Process Management Global Standards Association Near Term Solutions The conference...

[Managing the cold chain in healthcare facilities].

PubMed

Royer, Mathilde; Breton Marchand, Justine; Pons, David

2017-11-01

The storage of temperature-sensitive healthcare products requires control of the cold chain. Healthcare facilities must have the appropriate equipment at their disposal and ensure the traceability and monitoring of temperatures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

76 FR 32215 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-03

...; Restaurant Menu and Vending Machine Labeling; Registration for Small Chains Under Section 4205 of the Patient... ``Restaurant Menu and Vending Machine Labeling: Registration for Small Chains Under Section 4205 of the Patient...

Human resource management in general practice: survey of current practice.

PubMed Central

Newton, J; Hunt, J; Stirling, J

1996-01-01

BACKGROUND: The organization and management of general practice is changing as a result of government policies designed to expand primary health care services. One aspect of practice management which has been underresearched concerns staffing: the recruitment, retention, management and motivation of practice managers. AIM: A study set out to find out who is routinely involved in making decisions about staffing matters in general practice, to establish the extent to which the human resource management function is formalized and specialized, and to describe the characteristics of the practice managers. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to a stratified random sample of 750 general practices in England and Wales in February 1994 enquiring about the practice (for example, the fundholding status and number of general practitioner partners), how the practice dealt with a range of staffing matters and about the practice manager (for example, employment background and training in human resource management). Practices were classed as small (single-handed and two or three general practitioner partners), medium (four or five partners) or large (six or more partners). RESULTS: Replies were received from 477 practices (64%). Practice managers had limited authority to make decisions alone in the majority of practices although there was a greater likelihood of them taking independent action as the size of practice increased. Formality in handling staffing matters (as measured by the existence and use of written policies and procedures) also increased with practice size. Larger practices were more likely than smaller practices to have additional tiers in their management structure through the creation of posts with the titles assistant practice manager, fund manager and senior receptionist. Most practice managers had been recruited from within general practice but larger practices were more likely than smaller practices to recruit from outwith general practice. Three quarters of practice managers reported having received some type of formal training in staff management. CONCLUSION: This study shows that practice size is a major factor associated with differences in the organization and management of staffing. Any initiatives which increase the scale of primary care functions and services would have to address the issues of communication and coordination that might be associated with such a change. PMID:8855013

Options for reducing food waste by quality-controlled logistics using intelligent packaging along the supply chain.

PubMed

Heising, Jenneke K; Claassen, G D H; Dekker, Matthijs

2017-10-01

Optimising supply chain management can help to reduce food waste. This paper describes how intelligent packaging can be used to reduce food waste when used in supply chain management based on quality-controlled logistics (QCL). Intelligent packaging senses compounds in the package that correlate with the critical quality attribute of a food product. The information on the quality of each individual packaged food item that is provided by the intelligent packaging can be used for QCL. In a conceptual approach it is explained that monitoring food quality by intelligent packaging sensors makes it possible to obtain information about the variation in the quality of foods and to use a dynamic expiration date (IP-DED) on a food package. The conceptual approach is supported by quantitative data from simulations on the effect of using the information of intelligent packaging in supply chain management with the goal to reduce food waste. This simulation shows that by using the information on the quality of products that is provided by intelligent packaging, QCL can substantially reduce food waste. When QCL is combined with dynamic pricing based on the predicted expiry dates, a further waste reduction is envisaged.

Instructional Chains as a Method for Examining the Teaching and Learning of Argumentative Writing in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanDerHeide, Jennifer; Newell, George E.

2013-01-01

We propose "instructional chaining" as an analytic method for capturing and describing key instructional episodes enacted by expert writing teachers to foster the recontextualization over time of the social practices of argumentative writing through process-oriented instructional approaches. The article locates instructional chaining…

Brazilian Citizens: Expectations Regarding Dairy Cattle Welfare and Awareness of Contentious Practices

PubMed Central

Cardoso, Clarissa S.; von Keyserlingk, Marina A. G.; Hötzel, Maria José

2017-01-01

Simple Summary Animal welfare is an important issue for citizens in North America and Europe, but much less is known about how citizens from emergent countries, such as Brazil, view this topic. Our aim was to explore attitudes of urban Brazilian citizens about dairy production and, in particular, how they view four routine husbandry practices: early cow-calf separation; zero-grazing; culling of the newborn male calf; and dehorning without pain mitigation. Through in-depth interviews and a questionnaire using open-ended questions, we can conclude that animal welfare was a major issue for our participants, especially in terms of its perceived relation with milk quality. Although participants were initially unaware about any of the four management practices, they were all viewed as contentious and not supported. This study provides some insights that farmers and others working in the Brazilian dairy supply chain should take into consideration, particularly in terms of social sustainability. Abstract The primary aim of this study was to explore attitudes of urban Brazilian citizens about dairy production. A secondary aim was to determine their knowledge and attitudes about four potentially contentious routine dairy cattle management practices: early cow-calf separation; zero-grazing; culling of newborn male calves; and dehorning without pain mitigation. To address the first aim 40 participants were interviewed using open-ended semi-structured questions designed to probe their views and attitudes about dairy production in Brazil, and 300 participants answered a questionnaire that included an open-ended question about the welfare of dairy cattle. Primary concerns reported by the participants centered on milk quality, which included the rejection of any chemical additives, but also animal welfare, environmental and social issues. The interviewees rarely mentioned animal welfare directly but, when probed, expressed several concerns related to this topic. In particular, participants commented on factors that they perceived to influence milk quality, such as good animal health, feeding, clean facilities, and the need to avoid or reduce the use of drugs, hormones and pesticides, the avoidance of pain, frustration and suffering, and the ability of the animals to perform natural behaviors. To address our second aim, participants were asked questions about the four routine management practices. Although they self-reported being largely unaware of these practices, the majority of the participants rejected these practices outright. These data provide insight that animal welfare may be an important issue for members of the public. Failure to consider this information may increase the risk that certain dairy production practices may not be socially sustainable once lay citizens become aware of them. PMID:29186864

Factors influencing the choice of performance measures for the oil and gas supply chain – exploratory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menhat, Masha; Yusuf, Y.

2018-04-01

The current value of the oil price per barrel has severely impacted the oil and gas industry around the world. This has worsened the situation due to the fact that it has long been the backbone of the country through the energy supply, employability and also its role as the major economic contributor. Due to multiple external factors that affect this industry such as crude oil availability, oil price fluctuation, high transportation cost, as well as exposure to high uncertainties, it is sensible for the supply chain practitioner to shift their focus in managing their resources and capabilities. To maximise the potential of supply chain activities in improving overall company performance, it is important to pay extra attention on their performance management. This includes the design of meaningful performance measurement framework to assess organisational performance. This study will explore the influencing factors in choosing performance measures for the oil and gas supply chain. Five in-depth interviews were conducted with supply chain experts within the industry. Eight influencing factors have been identified through the interviews.

Social Responsibility in Tobacco Production? Tobacco Companies Use of Green Supply Chains to Obscure the Real Costs of Tobacco Farming

PubMed Central

Otañez, Marty

2011-01-01

Background Tobacco companies have come under increased criticism because of environmental and labor practices related to growing tobacco in developing countries. Methods Analysis of tobacco industry documents, industry web sites and interviews with tobacco farmers in Tanzania and tobacco farm workers, farm authorities, trade unionists, government officials and corporate executives from global tobacco leaf companies in Malawi. Results British American Tobacco and Philip Morris created supply chains in the 1990s to improve production efficiency, control, access to markets, and profits. In the 2000s, the companies used their supply chains in an attempt to legitimize their portrayals of tobacco farming as socially and environmentally friendly, rather than take meaningful steps to eliminate child labor and reduce deforestation in developing countries. The tobacco companies used nominal self-evaluation (not truly independent evaluators) and public relations to create the impression of social responsibility. The companies benefit from $1.2 billion in unpaid labor costs due to child labor and more than $64 million annually in costs that would have been made to avoid tobacco related deforestation in the top twelve tobacco growing developing countries, far exceeding the money they spend nominally working to change these practices. Conclusions The tobacco industry uses green supply chains to make tobacco farming in developing countries appear sustainable while continuing to purchase leaf produced with child labor and high rates of deforestation. Strategies to counter green supply chain schemes include securing implementing protocols for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to regulate the companies’ practices at the farm level. PMID:21504915

Social responsibility in tobacco production? Tobacco companies' use of green supply chains to obscure the real costs of tobacco farming.

PubMed

Otañez, Marty; Glantz, Stanton A

2011-11-01

Tobacco companies have come under increased criticism because of environmental and labour practices related to growing tobacco in developing countries. Analysis of tobacco industry documents, industry websites and interviews with tobacco farmers in Tanzania and tobacco farm workers, farm authorities, trade unionists, government officials and corporate executives from global tobacco leaf companies in Malawi. British American Tobacco and Philip Morris created supply chains in the 1990 s to improve production efficiency, control, access to markets and profits. In the 2000s, the companies used their supply chains in an attempt to legitimise their portrayals of tobacco farming as socially and environmentally friendly, rather than take meaningful steps to eliminate child labour and reduce deforestation in developing countries. The tobacco companies used nominal self-evaluation (not truly independent evaluators) and public relations to create the impression of social responsibility. The companies benefit from $1.2 billion in unpaid labour costs because of child labour and more than $64 million annually in costs that would have been made to avoid tobacco-related deforestation in the top 12 tobacco growing developing countries, far exceeding the money they spend nominally working to change these practices. The tobacco industry uses green supply chains to make tobacco farming in developing countries appear sustainable while continuing to purchase leaf produced with child labour and high rates of deforestation. Strategies to counter green supply chain schemes include securing implementing protocols for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to regulate the companies' practices at the farm level.

Serum-free light-chain assay: clinical utility and limitations.

PubMed

Bhole, Malini V; Sadler, Ross; Ramasamy, Karthik

2014-09-01

In the last decade, the introduction of the serum-free light-chain (sFLC) assay has been an important advance in the diagnosis and management of plasma cell dyscrasias, particularly monoclonal light-chain diseases. The immunoassay was developed to detect free light chains in serum by using anti-FLC antibodies which specifically recognised epitopes on light chains that were 'hidden' in intact immunoglobulins. Since its introduction in 2001, there have been several publications in the English language literature discussing the clinical utility as well as analytical limitations of the sFLC assay. These studies have highlighted both positive and negative aspects of the assay particularly with regard to its sensitivity and specificity and the technical challenges that can affect its performance. The contribution and significance of the sFLC assay in the management of light-chain myeloma, primary amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis and non-secretory myeloma are well recognised and will be addressed in this review. The aim of this article is to also review the published literature with a view to providing a clear understanding of its utility and limitations in the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of plasma dyscrasias including intact immunoglobulin multiple myeloma (MM) and monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS). The increasing interest in using this assay in other haematological conditions will also be briefly discussed. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.