29 research outputs found
Mixed Methods Research in Pharmacy Practice:Basics and Beyond
No full textMixed methods research is characterized by the use and integration of quantitative and qualitative strands of data within a single study or program of inquiry. Mixed methods research, often referred as “third research paradigm”, has gained popularity among pharmacy practice researchers in recent years as it brings together strengths of both qualitative and quantitative methods. This chapter introduces basic concepts of mixed methods research and its application in pharmacy practice research. Four commonly used typologies within mixed methods research have been described and examples from the pharmacy practice literature have been used to demonstrate various applications of mixed methods research. We have also briefly outlined how to evaluate a mixed methods study
Medicine supply chain model for an integrated healthcare system with uncertain product complaints
No full textMinimization of inspection cost by determining the optimal number of quality inspectors in the garment industry
No full text346-350This study has been aimed at developing a model to reduce inspection cost by determining the optimum number of quality inspectors with respect to their skill levels using goal programming. A mathematical model is proposed to find out the optimal combination of decision variables. It is concluded that inspection cost may be reduced by optimising the skill level of the quality inspectors
Opracowanie modelu oceny kompetencji do pomiaru umiejętności inspekcji wizualnej wykonywanej przez człowieka
No full textExtensive research has already been done on visual inspection as well as on the effect of different factors on human inspection performance. However, a method should be developed to measure their inspection skill based on influencing factors. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a competency assessment model based on the influencing factors that can classify human labour into its respective skill levels. From the literature review, the influencing factors of visual inspection are listed and divided into five observed variables. A team of experts selected the significant factors with respect to the textile and clothing industry. The analytical hierarchy process is used to measure their respective weights so as to calculate the inspection performance in terms of a competency score. A numerical example is presented and the model proposed successfully determined the competency score, and inspectors are classified into their respective skill levels according to the well-defined cut-off values. This study enables organisations to classify available human labour into its skill levels and utilise them according to their capacity.Dotychczas przeprowadzono szeroko zakrojone badania dotyczące inspekcji wizualnej, a także wpływu różnych czynników na wyniki inspekcji wykonywanej przez człowieka. W pracy skupiono się na opracowaniu metody pomiaru umiejętności inspekcji w oparciu o czynniki na nie wpływające. Praca wnosi wkład do literatury, proponując model oceny kompetencji oparty na czynnikach wpływających, które mogą sklasyfikować ludzką pracę według odpowiednich poziomów umiejętności. Na podstawie przeglądu literatury wyszczególniono czynniki wpływające na kontrolę wzrokową i podzielono je na pięć obserwowanych zmiennych. Zespół ekspertów wybrał istotne czynniki w branży tekstylno-odzieżowej. Proces hierarchii analitycznej posłużył do pomiaru ich odpowiednich wag, w celu obliczenia wyników inspekcji w kategoriach oceny kompetencji. Przedstawiono przykład liczbowy, a zaproponowany model z powodzeniem określił punktację kompetencji, tak aby inspektorzy mogli być klasyfikowani według ich odpowiednich poziomów umiejętności zgodnie z dobrze określonymi wartościami granicznymi. Badanie umożliwiło organizacjom klasyfikowanie dostępnej siły roboczej według poziomów umiejętności i wykorzystywanie jej zgodnie z ich możliwościami
Food Preservation within Multi-Echelon Supply Chain Considering Single Setup and Multi-Deliveries of Unequal Lot Size
No full textIntricacy of the supply chains for deteriorating products, involving multiple retailers with unequal lot sizes and multiple deliveries is simplified in this article by optimizing the replenishment cycle, investment in preservation technology, and number of deliveries. This study proposes a multi-tier supply chain model consisting of a single manufacturer and multiple retailers. A single-setup multiple deliveries (SSMD) policy is adopted considering the synchronized cycle time of manufacturers with that of retailers and the delivery of unequal lot size for each retailer. Preservation technology is used at retailers to minimize the effects of deterioration in a way that the magnitude of decrease in deterioration reduces for additional investment in preservation technology. A centralized supply chain model is proposed by defining a nonlinear mathematical model for maximizing total profit through an analytical optimization technique and an algorithm. Numerical experiments are exhibited to validate the applications of the provided model. The results exhibit that the proposed preservation policy increases the product’s lifetime and the total profit by reducing the number of shipments/transportation and increasing the lot size. The SSMD policy helps to reduce the preservation cost and increase the total profit. Some managerial insights are provided for the decision makers for applying the proposed model
Effect of inspection performance in smart manufacturing system based on human quality control system
No full textIntegrating Risk-Averse and Constrained Reinforcement Learning for Robust Decision-Making in High-Stakes Scenarios
No full textThis paper considers a risk-averse Markov decision process (MDP) with non-risk constraints as a dynamic optimization framework to ensure robustness against unfavorable outcomes in high-stakes sequential decision-making situations such as disaster response. In this regard, strong duality is proved while making no assumptions on the problem’s convexity. This is necessary for some real-world issues, e.g., in the case of deprivation costs in the context of disaster relief, where convexity cannot be ensured. Our theoretical results imply that the problem can be exactly solved in a dual domain where it becomes convex. Based on our duality results, an augmented Lagrangian-based constraint handling mechanism is also developed for risk-averse reinforcement learning algorithms. The mechanism is proved to be theoretically convergent. Finally, we have also empirically established the convergence of the mechanism using a multi-stage disaster response relief allocation problem while using a fixed negative reward scheme as a benchmark
A review paper on offline inspection of finished and semi-finished products and emerging research directions
No full textOrganizations want to focus on product quality along with productivity to
get their competitive advantage in global market. In order to achieve this
aim, quality management system and its different aspects are becoming more
valuable than before. This study has considered quality control and its
activities with specific focus on offline inspection. The objective of this
study is to provide a literature review that identifies different models and
methodologies, developed for offline inspection under different
manufacturing and inspection conditions. This review is based on research
work accepted by international journals and published in the years from 2000
to 2016. These studies are classified into six groups on the basis of their
research objectives, model developed, adopted methodologies, and research
outcomes. This review paper also gives а brief look at the offline
inspection to propose future research opportunities and emerging trends. The
proposed research directions can be helpful in developing new models or
modifying the existing models to improve the performance of offline
inspection
Value extraction from end-of-life textile products in Pakistan
No full textOverconsumption and unplanned disposal of garments result in millions of tons of textile products going to landfills. Understanding the environmental benefits and impact of various recycling options is crucial for integrating recycling into the apparel waste stream. This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of products made from post-consumer textile waste fibers, highlighting the importance of closed-loop textile supply chains in developing countries. Using Open LCA software, the cradle-to-gate approach for life cycle assessment is used to calculate the environmental impacts of post-consumer textile waste, virgin cotton, virgin polyester fibers, and their blends in two different scenarios. The life cycle inventory data for functional units (1000 kg apparel) has been collected from the industrial units and the Ecoinvent v3.0 database. The results of 16 environmental impact categories are computed, showing that textile products made from virgin cotton fiber have 60% more global warming potential than those made from post-consumer textile waste fibers. Hence, the environmental impact of textile products can be controlled by recycling them. Consumption of post-consumer textile waste fiber is the key to reducing the new material needs in the textile supply chain. The closed-loop apparel supply chain can help developing countries generate maximum financial value with minimal environmental damage. In developing countries, value extraction from post-consumer textile waste recycling is essential to meet international consumer demands for cleaner production
