3,087 research outputs found
Opportunities to Improve Green Logistics on The Example of GlaxoSmithKline Eesti OÜ
No full textRohelisest mõtlemisest on saanud uus normaalsus, äritegevusi planeerides mõeldakse ka keskkonnamõjudele ja nende minimeerimisele või täielikule vältimisele. Enam ei tehta seda sellepärast, et nii on kirjas seaduses või et keegi on kehtestanud vastavad reeglid, vaid seda ootavad ka tarbijad. GSK on seadnud nii lühi- kui pikaajalised keskkonnaalased eesmärgid, mis hõlmavad endas ettevõtte tegevuse käigus tekkiva süsinikdioksiidi emissiooni, vee kasutust ja jäätmete teket. Kõikide nende eesmärkide saavutamisele saavad kohalikud ettevõtted suuremal või vähemal määral kaasa aidata. Lõputöö eesmärk oli leida rohelise logistika kasutamise parendamise võimalusi ja püstitati hüpotees −erinevate optimeerimiste, näiteks tarnete kombineerimise, tarnesageduse muutmise, täiskastides tellimise abil on võimalik muuta ettevõtte tegevus keskkonnasõbralikumaks, vähendades läbitud kilomeetreid sama hulga kauba tarnimiseks. Autori hinnangul leidis töös püsitatud hüpotees kinnitust. Erinevate andmete analüüsimisel selgus, et Eesti ja Leedu kombineeritud veod on vähendanud läbitud kilomeetreid ühe kuu jooksul 18% võrra ja sama järelduse saab teha analüüsides tarnesageduse muutuse mõju Lätis, kus tarnete arvu on vähendatud 50% ja sama protsendi võrra vähendatud läbitud kilomeetreid. Samal ajal ei ole tegemist olnud müügimahtude olulise vähenemisega − sama palju kaupa on tarnitud läbides vähem kilomeetreid. Kokkuhoiu saavutamisele on kaasa aidanud ka täiskastides tellimine, mis võimaldab tarnida suuremaid koguseid ühe korraga. Hüpotees on leidnud kinnitust, kuid autor teeb omapoolsed ettepanekud veel paremate tulemuste saavutamiseks. Eesti ja Leedu transpordi efektiivsust on viimati analüüsitud aastal 2014 ja muudatused tehti aastal 2015. Analüüside käigus selgus, et autode iganädalane täituvus on väga madal ja ebaefektiivne. Autor teeb ettepaneku uuteks põhjalikeks analüüsideks ja läbirääkimisteks riikidega ning võimalusel tellimussageduse muutmiseks, et tõsta autode täituvust. Teine ettepanek on uuendada lepingut koostööpartneriga, kellel hetkel on kohustus tagada iga nädal kahekordne poolhaagis olenemata tegelikust vajadusest. Töös selgus, et lisaks regulaaretele tarnetele tellivad riigid ka mitmeid lisatarneid. Autor teeb ettepaneku puhkuste perioodidel tarnegraafiku ühtlustamiseks ja Läti kohaliku lao ad hoc sagedaste tellimuste vältimiseks luua tööeeskiri ja uuendada ettevõtte müügitingimusi, st kehtestada eraldi tellimiste kord kohalikust laost ja lisada märge minimaalse tellimusväärtuse kohta. Täiskastides tellimise % tõstmiseks teeb autor ettepaneku täiendada tööeeskirju, lisades antud kontroll kohustusliku tegevusena klienditeeninduse osakonnale. Lisaks on vajalik regulaarne andmete kontroll ja pidev suhtlus klientidega, et saavutada parim tulemus. Vajadusel tuleb muuta tarnesagedust, et vältida väikeste sagedaste tarnete tegemist.European Union has long-term goal to achive zero greengas emissions by 2050. Companies are under pressure to make efforts to be greener and environmentally friendly but at the same time they have to find solutions that would not increase their operations costs. Thinking green and having that in mind in all the operations (manufacturing, packing, transportation, reverse logistics etc) that company is doing, is becoming as new normality and a standard and also highly expected from the customers. GSK has set several short and long term environmental goals that include impact on carbon footprint, water and waste. One of the objectives is to decrease carbon footprint on transport by 4%. The aim on the thesis is to find opportunities to improve the use of green logistics principles in GSK and to give an answer to the hypothesis that through different optimizations such as co-loading between different markets, changing the delivery frequence, ordering in full boxes and setting minimum order value, the company can become more environmentally friendly as we need to pass through less kilometers to deliver the same volume. Hypothesis was confirmed. Through different analyses it came clear that by co-loading between Estonia and Lithuania it was possible to decrease the passed through kilometers by 18% in one month. In Latvia, the change in delivery frequency decreased passed through kilometers by 50%. Both of these changes appeared not due to the decrease in sold volumes as the volumes remained more or less the same through the years. The decrease in delivered pallet quantity can be linked with the initiative to orders in full boxes. For example in Estonia, up to 80% of stock is ordered in full boxes. Author is making a few suggestions. Firstly it is clear that last time the transportation effectiveness was checked in 2014 and it is time to repeat that. During the analyses it came clear that the use of truck capacity and load fill factor is very low. Even down to 15% and despite the volume that market is ordering, twin deck trailer is sent. Author proposes the renewal of the contract with transportation company to have a proper truck used not too big one sent by default. Another option is to check if markets could change the order frequency to deliver bigger quantities at once. Second suggestion is linked to the additional orders placed, here Author sees possibility to agree on delivery schedule during the holiday season. Also to avoid too many ad hoc orders from local warehouse in Latvia, Author suggests to update working instruction and standard terms and conditions for the customers and set very clear ordering timelines from local warehouse. Lastly Author is making suggestion to improve ordering in full boxes. There is clear need to update the data regularly to have up do date box sizes available. Also it has to be written in working instruction that this is Customer Services responsibility to check if customer is ordering in full box or not and to have close contact with customers if this is not the case
Green Office Analysis in the Example of ABB AS Head Office
No full textLõputöö teemaks on „Rohelise kontori analüüs ABB AS peakontori näitel“. Teema valiku idee tekkis autoril sellest, kui 2019. aasta lõpuks korraldas Eesti Keskkonnajuhtimise Assotsatsioon (EKJA) seminari pealkirjaga „Roheline kontor ja ringmajandus“. Põhjus, miks autor antud seminaril osales oli see, et analüüsitavas kontoris oldi jäätmete sorteerimise projektiga sealmaal, kus tuli soetada sorteerimiskastid. Kuna seminari üheks teemaks oli erinevate jäätmekogumiseks mõeldud kastide tutvustamine erinevate tootjate poolt, tundus see hea koht informatsiooni saamiseks. Seega teema oli väga aktuaalne autori enda jaoks kui ka üldisemalt ühiskonnas ja ka analüüsitavas ettevõttes, kus inimesed on muutumas oma mõttelaadilt järjest „rohelisemaks“ ning üha enam peetakse oluliseks keskkonnahoidu. Üha rohkem inimesi töötab igapäevaselt kontorites – büroohoonete kerkimist on igapäeva linnapildis väga selgelt näha, tuues näiteks kasvõi Ülemiste City, kuhu viimaste aastatega on rajatud hulgaliselt büroohooneid ja -pindu. Kuna inimesed veedavad tööl olles ehk siinkohal kontorites suure osa oma päevast on oluline, et ka need hooned oleksid võimalikult keskkonnasäästlikud ja targad. Tihtipeale aga ei ole ettevõtete töötajatel endal nii palju teadmisi ja sisendit, mille arvelt hakata mõtlema sellele, kuidas saaks oma bürood teha rohelisemaks – siinkohal on hea võtta appi juba mõni välja töötatud süsteem, nagu näiteks EKJA poolt välja töötatud Rohelise Kontori süsteem, mis aitab ettevõttel hinnata oma senist keskkonnaalast tegevust ning aitab mõelda, millistes valdkondades saab veel paraneda. ABB on väga globaalne ettevõte, kes hoolib väga oma inimestest ja samuti ka keskkonnast. Siinkohal tekkiski idee analüüsida ABB AS peakontorit Jüris Rohelise Kontori kriteeriumitele vastamises. Aluseks võeti Rohelise Kontori kontrollküsimustik ja Rohelise Kontori käsiraamat, eesmärgiga välja selgitada just eelnimetatud vahendite kaudu hetkeolukord ning hinnata, millisel määral kvalifitseerub analüüsitav kontor Rohelise Kontori märgise kandidaadiks. Uurimistööst võivad kasu saada ka teised ettevõtted, kes soovivad oma tegevust viia loodusele lähemale ning saada lisainformatsiooni ning praktilist näidet selle kohta, kuidas analüüsi läbi viia. Töö koosneb sissejuhatusest, kokkuvõttest, inglise keelsest kokkuvõttest ning kasutatud allikatest. Peatükke on töös neli ning nendel peatükkidel omakorda kokku alapeatükke 22. Lisaks on töös suurel hulgal jooniseid illustreerimaks erinevaid teemasid. Kõige enam on töö koostamisel abi saadud Eesti Keskkonnajuhtimise Assotsatsioonilt nii käsiraamatu kui kontrollküsimustiku näol.The subject for the thesis Green Office analysis in the example of ABB AS Head Office was to get a better understanding of the office space’s environmental management activities and map the areas in which improvements could be made. In the course of the work, the author gave a general overview of the Green Office program, its areas and examples of good practices from other companies. The work also provides a thorough overview and analysis of the compliance of one specific office building with the criteria of a green office. The aim of this work was to explain the Green Office program using the example of Estonian Environmental Management Association control questionnaire and handbook for green offices. To do this, the author first explained what green office means, how are green offices chosen and what does it take to become one. As a next thing the author chose one office space that would be the example in the analysis. Analysis of the results showed that the office was in accordance with the green office requirements in the amount of 58,9% from the maximum of 100%. The areas where improvements should be made are for example office furniture related topics, also cleaning and organizing events. Positive areas were office climate, also health and safety. The author finds that the purpose of the work was fulfilled, although it was not what she had expected. The results and the material gathered in the thesis work can be used in the future by others who are thinking about applying for the Green Office label
Participatory Building of a Decision Support System for Adaptive Water Management in the Upper Guadiana Basin
No full textWater management has evolved in the last years towards more integrated and participatory approaches, aiming at improving the adaptability of water systems. Following this line, we propose a methodology to build a decision support system, based on the participation of stakeholders and the integration of the different disciplines involved in water use, as well as the inclusion of uncertainties in the management planning. The process has been implemented in the Upper Guadiana basin (Spain) with the aim of solving the existing conflicts: the aquifer, which is the main water source in the area, has been over-exploited during the last decades for irrigation. This has lead to serious degradation of natural water-related ecosystems and important social conflicts. The river basin authority has tried to implement different policies to attain the aquifer recovery, so far without much success. At present, a new management plan specifically for the Upper Guadiana has been approved, where some policy measures are proposed for attaining the reduction of agricultural water consumption. The methodology proposed in this work is based on the combination of a Bayesian network and an economic mathematical programming model, elaborated with the active participation of stakeholders. The resulting DSS will be used to evaluate different management options, within those included in the Special Plan of the Upper Guadiana, in terms of their impacts on the agricultural income and the environmental sustainability. Results show that new measures would not be successful unless they are accompanied by an increase of compliance of farmers with water regulations.Decision support system, Bayesian networks, economic model, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
Method Reporting with Initials for Transparency (MeRIT) promotes more granularity and accountability for author contributions
No full textContributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) has recently changed how author contributions are acknowledged. To extend and complement CRediT, we propose MeRIT, a new way of writing the Methods section using the author’s initials to further clarify contributor roles for reproducibility and replicability
Individual Merit or Institutional Strategy? Examining the Merit Scholarship Practices at a Public Flagship University
No full textThis dissertation study examines the ways that a large, public flagship university uses automatic-consideration merit scholarships to meet the goals of the institution, particularly as they relate to enrollment, university prestige, nonresident-to-resident balancing, and funding. Employing a mixed-methods design, the author uses qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate (1) how university enrollment management leaders define and operationalize merit by way of the automatic merit scholarship policies that they develop and oversee to meet university goals; (2) how expanded models of merit scholarships have impacted student outcomes around enrollment, retention, and academic performance in the past at the university; and (3) how, given the findings, leaders at the university ought to think about and operationalize merit, and policy recommendations that might offer a more expanded recognition of merit while not neglecting the university’s political and financial reality.</p
Individual Merit or Institutional Strategy? Examining the Merit Scholarship Practices at a Public Flagship University
No full textThis dissertation study examines the ways that a large, public flagship university uses automatic-consideration merit scholarships to meet the goals of the institution, particularly as they relate to enrollment, university prestige, nonresident-to-resident balancing, and funding. Employing a mixed-methods design, the author uses qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate (1) how university enrollment management leaders define and operationalize merit by way of the automatic merit scholarship policies that they develop and oversee to meet university goals; (2) how expanded models of merit scholarships have impacted student outcomes around enrollment, retention, and academic performance in the past at the university; and (3) how, given the findings, leaders at the university ought to think about and operationalize merit, and policy recommendations that might offer a more expanded recognition of merit while not neglecting the university’s political and financial reality.</p
Beyond Merit Selection: Judicial Careers Through Merit Promotion
No full textPresents a proposition for restructuring the judicial career system to formalize the process and provide a track for upward mobility based upon merit promotions. One of the goals of such a system is to attract bright, young attorneys to the “inferior” bench. The author created and used a judicial questionnaire to solicit information of judges’ work background and opinions
An Investigation of the Motivational Qualities of the Buddhist Concept of Merit in Thailand
No full textThe article describes the concept of merit or bun in Thai Buddhism and how it relates to the organization of the Thai government and educational systems.Mulder, J. A. Niels. "Merit; An Investigation of The Motivational Qualities of the Buddhist Concept of Merit in Thailand." Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, 1968 Novembe
Analysis and experimental validation of the figure of merit for piezoelectric energy harvesters
No full textPiezoelectric energy harvesters are at the front of scientific research as enablers of renewable, sustainable energy for autonomous wireless sensor networks. Crucial for this disruptive technology is the achievable output power. Here we show, analytically, that the maximum output energy per unit volume, under a single sinusoidal excitation, is equal to 1/(4 - 2k2) × 1/2dgX2, where k2 is the electromechanical coupling coefficient, d and g are the piezoelectric charge and voltage coefficient, respectively, and X is the applied stress. The expression derived is validated by the experimentally measured output energy for a variety of piezoelectric materials over an unprecedented range of more than five orders of magnitude. As the prefactor 1/(4 - 2k2) varies only between 1/2 and 1/4 the figure of merit for piezoelectric materials for energy harvesters is not k2, as commonly accepted for vibrational harvesters, but dg. The figure of merit does not depend on the compliance, or Young's modulus. Hence we argue that commonly used brittle inorganic piezoelectric ceramics can be replaced by soft, mechanically flexible polymers and composite films, comprising inorganic piezoelectric materials embedded in a polymer matrix.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Novel Aerospace MaterialsStructural Integrity & CompositesEMSD EEMCS Project engineer
Topography of the merit function landscape in optical system design
No full textWe have shown recently that, when certain quite general conditions are satisfied, the set of local minima in the optical merit function space forms a network where they are all connected through optimization paths generated from saddle points having a Morse index of 1. A new global optimization method, that makes use of this linking network to systematically detect all minima, is presented. The central component of this new method, the algorithm for saddle point detection, is described in detail and we show that the initialization of this algorithm has a significant impact on the performance. For a simple global optimization search (Cooke triplet) several representation forms of the network of the corresponding set of local minima are presented. These representations, which can be visualized in two dimensions, are independent of the dimensionality of the design space so that they can provide insight into the topography of merit function landscapes of arbitrary dimensionality.Optics Research GroepApplied Science
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