Maldives is an island nation that consists of around 1190 islands located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka. The country virtually imports everything it consumes. Male’ Commercial Harbour handles all international sea cargo for the country. The land area assigned for the port is small; and there are frequent bottlenecks and congestion in the port. By using computer simulation techniques, this research investigates the situation of Male’ Commercial Harbour and identifies logistic bottlenecks that exist at the port. Accordingly, a field research was conducted at Male’ Commercial Harbour to collect required data. Both, qualitative and quantitative data were collected using focus group, interviews, on-site observations, and time and motion measures. The simulation models presented in this thesis were carried out with Arena software (Academic Version of Arena 10.0). The models were used to analyse the vessel turnaround time, berth capacity, yard capacity, container dwell time, queue values, utilisation of ship cranes and other container handling equipment. The results show that berth capacity seems to be the major bottleneck that creates longer queues and ship delays at Male’ Commercial Harbour. Several scenarios were tested to identify the best scenario regarding ship waiting time at berth. Based on the best scenario, a project was proposed focusing on the development of an extended alongside berth at Male’ Commercial Harbour. A cost benefit analysis was performed to see whether the project is financially feasible.

Many companies today have to deal with business processes optimization, ongoing removal of system obstacles and identifying any bottlenecks laying on the way which are preventing us to reach our goals. I would like to show how we have dealt with similar problems in our case applied in the department of web application maintenance. In the first chapter I will introduce the basic information about the history, environment the company operate in and maintenance activities which are part of the process. Following with description all of the system obstacles and bottlenecks identified in the process and possible solutions or improvements for their elimination. In the last chapter I will present the achieved results after my executing of the proposed improvements and if the expectations have been met or not and what positive or negative influence it has brought.

Táto práca predstavuje nástroj Perun-Blower, využívajúci perfblowing techniku: vkladanie šumu do funkcií testovaného programu a nasledovné vyhodnotenie vplyvu šumu na výkon programu na základe zozbieraných časových údajov týchto funkcií z behu programu. Implementácia je postavená na dynamickej binárnej inštrumentácii nástroja Pin. Zameriavame sa na hľadanie funkcií, ktoré majú vysoký vplyv na výkon a rovnako tak aj odhad potenciálneho zrýchlenia behu vlákna pri optimalizácii konkrétnej funkcie. Naviac sme rozšírili existujúci Trace collector používaný v nástroji Perun na zbieranie časových dát funkcií, o nový tzv. engine, ktorý je založený práve na nástroji Pin. Funkčnosť implementácie sme otestovali na dvoch netriviálnych projektoch, kde sme dokázali nájsť funkcie (1) so značným vplyvom na výkon, (2) s najvýznamnejším optimalizačným prínosom a (3) funkcie, ktorých degradácia spôsobí, že vykonávanie programu sa neskončí ani po niekoľkých hodinách.

In dieser Arbeit wird eine Methode vorgestellt, die erstmalig die durch Staus verursachten Verzögerungszeiten auf Bundesautobahnen mithilfe von Annahmen aus der Verkehrsflussdynamik zu schätzen versucht. Dies geschieht anhand einer GPS-gestützten Vollerhebung aller Staus aus den Jahren 2015 und teils auch 2016, welche vom Navigationsdienstleister TomTom zur Verfügung gestellt wurden. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass für das Jahr 2015 rund 190 Mio. Fahrzeug-Stunden (Anzahl betroffener Fahrzeuge × Staustunden) anfielen, was für die betroffenen Autofahrer einen monetären Wert von ca. vier Milliarden Euro ausmachte. Es wurden zudem Engpässe anhand eines Rankings erstellt, womit dauerhafte Schwerpunkte auf Autobahnen aufgedeckt wurden. Unter einer konkret definierten räumlichen, zeitlichen und sachlichen Abgrenzungen kann diese Methodik sowohl für die Forschung als auch für die Weiterentwicklung von Navigationsdiensten dienen.:1. Einleitung 1 2. Aspekte der Stauforschung 3 2.1. Was ist ein Stau? 3 2.2. Stauentstehung 5 2.3. Ausbreitung und Auflösung von Staus 6 3. Datengrundlage und Analysemethoden 9 3.1. Datengrundlage 9 3.2. Formalitäten 10 3.3. Java-Methodiken zur Datenaufbereitung 12 4. Verlustzeiten durch Staus und die Höhe ihrer Kosten 17 4.1. Berechnungsergebnisse und Interpretation 17 4.2. Quantifizierung der Staukosten 18 5. Referenz zu einer externen Staustudie 23 5.1. Staustudie der Inrix UK Ltd. 23 5.2. Diskussion und Würdigung der Berechnungsergebnisse 26 6. Visualisierung des Stauaufkommens 29 6.1. Staumeldungen im Wochenverlauf 29 6.2. Engpässe im Jahr 2015 31 6.3. Top Engpässe im quartalsweisen Vergleich 34 6.4. Zwischenfazit 36 7. Schlussfolgerungen und Ausblick 37 7.1. Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse 37 7.2. Weitere Forschungsmöglichkeiten 38 A. Inrix Städteranking IX / The estimation of time losses caused by traffic congestions have not previously been assessed by using assumptions of traffic flow dynamics. With a GPS-supported full survey of all jams from the year 2015 and parts of 2016 this master thesis tries to quantify the additional (congested) travel time on German Motorways. The analysis has shown that all jams reported on German highways produced time losses over 190 million vehicle-hours (amount of involved vehicles × congestion hours), which equals a monetary value of four billion euros for the involved drivers. Furthermore the ranking of the respective bottlenecks has been developed over the year and main congestion hotspots on motorways have been revealed. By using a precisely defined local, temporal and objective delimitation, this method could be used for further research and developments of navigation services as well.:1. Einleitung 1 2. Aspekte der Stauforschung 3 2.1. Was ist ein Stau? 3 2.2. Stauentstehung 5 2.3. Ausbreitung und Auflösung von Staus 6 3. Datengrundlage und Analysemethoden 9 3.1. Datengrundlage 9 3.2. Formalitäten 10 3.3. Java-Methodiken zur Datenaufbereitung 12 4. Verlustzeiten durch Staus und die Höhe ihrer Kosten 17 4.1. Berechnungsergebnisse und Interpretation 17 4.2. Quantifizierung der Staukosten 18 5. Referenz zu einer externen Staustudie 23 5.1. Staustudie der Inrix UK Ltd. 23 5.2. Diskussion und Würdigung der Berechnungsergebnisse 26 6. Visualisierung des Stauaufkommens 29 6.1. Staumeldungen im Wochenverlauf 29 6.2. Engpässe im Jahr 2015 31 6.3. Top Engpässe im quartalsweisen Vergleich 34 6.4. Zwischenfazit 36 7. Schlussfolgerungen und Ausblick 37 7.1. Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse 37 7.2. Weitere Forschungsmöglichkeiten 38 A. Inrix Städteranking IX

This thesis aimed to study how Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can be successfully utilised by a large international company. By adopting a single case-study research approach the author have examined a large international company's utilisation of RPA; what value it associates with the technology, together with bottlenecks and risks that may prevent the company from receiving such value. The case-intrinsic focus rendered a comprehensive set of findings in relation to the research target, which was then compared and contrasted to a thoroughly established theoretical background. The study can report a relative high degree of correspondence with previous research, although important data points either find little bearing or none at all in said research. Most notably, the case-company viewed value associated with RPA utilisation to go beyond immediate yields and thus identified incentives from indirect value. Furthermore, obstacles like inefficient communication and coordination networks, together with lack of time and low-quality development, were identified as significant findings with little base in previous research. In conclusion the study claim to have provided a deeper understanding of key features and concepts necessary to consider for successful RPA utilisation. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera hur Robotic Process Automation (RPA) kan framgångsrikt användas av ett stort internationellt bolag. Genom att anamma en fallstudie (single-case study) som forskningsansats har författaren undersökt ett stort internationellt bolags användning av RPA; vad för värde bolaget associerar med teknologin, samt vilka flaskhalsar och risker som kan förhindra bolaget att uppnå detta värde. Med ett intrinsikalt fokus på det enskilda fallet renderades ett omfattande set av forskningsresultat i relation till forskningssyftet. Studien kan rapportera en relativt hög korrespondensgrad gentemot tidigare forskning, även om signifikanta datapunkter antingen finner lite uppbackning eller ingen alls i tidigare forskning. Mest anmärkningsvärt, i relation till värde, är att bolaget anser värdet med RPA-användning sträcka sig förbi omedelbara effekter. Således finner bolaget incitament från indirekt värde. Även flaskhalsar och risker så som ineffektiv kommunikation och koordination, samt tidsbrist och lågkvalitativ RPA-utveckling, identifierades som signifikanta forskningsresultat med lite uppbackning i tidigare forskning. Sammanfattningsvist menar studien på att ha bidragit till en djupare förståelse av nödvändiga koncept att överväga för en framgångsrik användning av RPA.

Extended reality solutions are becoming increasingly relevant for companies to implementand use commercially. One sector that have shown great potential and can benefit from implementing this type of technology is the healthcare industry. More specifically, for solutions connected to medical devices. Meanwhile, the healthcare industry has generally been particularly slow at adopting new technologies. Digitalization has been observed to progress at a slower pace than in other sectors. This study investigated why technology is progressing at slow pace and identified critical drivers and bottlenecks that affect the implementation of extended reality within healthcare. This was done through a case study on a proof concept project where the value of a mixed reality solution in the healthcare sector was investigated. This was particularly interesting as the tested solution was the first of its kind in Sweden. The results of the study revealed several barriers within the healthcare sector, including conservatism in the industry, lack of incentives, lack of absorption as well as data protection and privacy issues. Furthermore, theresults revealed that implementation of XR solutions into Swedish healthcare is in first phase. However, underlying drivers imply that there is value in further development. Especially, since the proof of concept was considered successful and showed signs of progressing to the next stage of implementation.

Norrmejerier står inför förändringar vad gäller både mjölkkonsumtion och flytt av produktionen från Luleå mejeri till Umeå mejeri inom en snar framtid. Det har gett behov av ett verktyg för att snabbt kunna fatta beslut om systemet kan hantera en ökad mängd volym och antal produktkategorier. För att ta fram ett sådant verktyg skapades en matematisk optimeringsmodell uppbyggd i programvaran Python som gör det möjligt att köra programmet för olika scenarion. Modellen använder optimeringslösaren Pulp för att hitta en lösning på problemet. Den matematiska modellen baseras på Multi Commodity Flow Problem med tidsvariabel i kombination med Flow-shop scheduling och har modifierats efter systemet på Umeå mejeri. Det är en pessimistisk modell baserat på de antaganden som gjorts i rapporten. Programmet baseras på ett dygns produktion och avgör, genom att minimera den totala tiden det tar för flödet genom processen, om det finns kapacitet för en ökad produktion. Systemet i projektet är uppdelat i två subnätverk på grund av tidskomplexiteten och resultaten visar att implementering av en ytterligare produktkategori kan hanteras av båda subnätverken. En ökad volym med 10% av den befintliga kan endast hanteras av den första delen av nätverket. Det betyder att det finns tekniska begränsningar i det andra subnätverket. Genom tillägg av extra noder som kan användas till en viss straffkostnad kunde flaskhalsar identifieras och det visade sig att pastör 2P1 är en uppenbar flaskhals i systemet. Om man ökar produktionen ytterligare kan även silosarna behöva utökas för att hantera flödet. / Norrmejerier is facing changes in terms of both milk consumption and a move of the production from Luleå dairy to Umeå dairy in the near future. This has given rise to the need of a tool that quickly can make descisions about whether the system can handle an increased amount of volume and number of product categories. To produce such a tool a mathematical optimization model was created in Python which makes it possible to run the program for different scenarios. The model uses the optimization solver Pulp. The mathematical model is based on Multi Commodity Flow Problem with time variable combined with Flow-shop scheduling and has been modified according to the system at Umeå dairy. Based on the assumptions made in the report it is a pessimistic model. The program is based on one day's production and determines by minimizing the total time it takes for the flow to pass through the system, to see if there is enough capacity for increased production. The system in the project is divided into two subnetworks due to the time complexity and the results show that implementation of an additional product category can be handled by both subnetworks. An increased volume of 10% of the existing volume can only be handled by the first part of the network. This means that there are technical limitations in the second subnetwork. By adding extra nodes that can be used for a certain penalty cost, bottlenecks could be identified and it turned out that Pasteur 2P1 is an obvious bottleneck in the system. If the production increases further the silos may also need to be expanded to handle the flow in the system.

Denna studie undersöker hur utgående logistik inom läkemedelsindustrin kan förbättras med hjälp av diskret event simulering (DES) och prognostisering. Komplexa logistiksystem och stora variationer kännetecknar outbound-logistik inom denna bransch, vilket leder till utmaningar som kapitalbindning, kapacitetsbegränsningar och begränsad lageryta. Simuleringar användes för att identifiera flaskhalsar och utvärdera förbättringsförslag. Att kombinera DES med prognostisering möjliggjorde analys av framtida utgående volymer. En simuleringsmodell utvecklades för att representera logistiksystemet, med hänsyn till faktorer som tillgängliga resurser och ledtider. Studien visade att det nuvarande systemet inte kunde hantera den prognostiserade ökningen av efterfrågan på den europeiska marknaden utan modifieringar. Modellen verifierades och validerades med hjälp av verklig data som sedan användes för att utvärdera tre förbättringsförslag: att lägga till en extra etiketteringsmaskin, öka antalet lagringsplatser för Europapallar och förlänga slottiderna för lastbilshämtningar. Resultatet visade att det skulle vara nödvändigt att implementera alla tre förslagen för att möta den prognostiserade efterfrågan. Denna strategi kan hjälpa läkemedelsföretag att identifiera och hantera potentiella problem i sin utgående logistik, vilket säkerställer effektiva och punktliga leveranser. / This study investigates how outbound logistics can be improved in the pharmaceutical industry using discrete event simulation (DES) and forecasting. Complex logistic systems and high variation characterize outbound logistics in this industry, leading to challenges like capital tie-ups, capacity constraints, and limited warehouse space. Simulations were used to identify bottlenecks and evaluate improvement proposals. Combining DES with forecasting allowed for the analysis of future outbound volumes. A simulation model was developed to represent the outbound logistics system, considering factors like available resources and lead times. The study found that the current outbound logistics system cannot handle the forecasted increase in demand for the European market without modification. The model was verified and validated using real-world data to evaluate three improvement proposals: adding an additional labeling machine, increasing the number of storage bays for Europe-bound pallets, and adding slot times for truck pickups. The results showed that implementing all three proposals would be necessary to meet the projected demand. This approach can help pharmaceutical companies identify and address potential issues in their outbound logistics, ensuring efficient and timely deliveries.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the conveyancing process in South Africa with a view to identify how the process might be improved in terms of its efficiency and effectiveness. Land is an asset and still remains a valuable factor in production, even in the modern knowledge economy. In many parts of the world, land is a limited resource, therefore, in most countries, custodianship and ownership of land and landed properties generally tend to be guarded through the meticulous capturing, recording and storage of appropriate data and information. Legislative provisions for the transfer of custodianship and/or ownership require the involvement of a variety of role players in the conveyancing processes that culminate in the registration of land and associated immovable property. In some countries, the conveyancing processes tend to be complex and cumbersome. The study provides a conceptual framework for conveyancing processes based on a content-based review of land and immovable property registration systems in five countries, namely, Barbados, the Netherlands, Australia, Taiwan and South Africa. The study further investigates the South African conveyancing processes. Quantitative questionnaires were completed by six respondent groups from the conveyancing service chain, and qualitative interviews were conducted with two of the four major banks in South Africa. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the quantitative data, and content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings were used to develop a de-bottlenecking framework for South African conveyancing. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Introduced populations of Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) possess extremely low levels of genetic diversity due to severe bottleneck events and clonal reproduction. While populations elsewhere have been well studied, North American populations of E. crassipes remain understudied. We used Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism markers to assess genetic diversity and population structure in North American E. crassipes populations. Patterns of diversity over the past fifty years were analyzed using herbarium specimens. Furthermore, we sampled populations across the Gulf Coast of the United States throughout a year to determine contemporary genetic diversity and assess potential seasonal effects. Genetic diversity was found to be scant in the United States without population structure, agreeing with previous studies from other regions. Genetic diversity has remained consistently low over the past fifty years despite significant changes in selection pressure. However, evidence for and against population structure between seasons was found and the consequences of this are discussed.