This Record of Study describes the Doctor of Engineering (DE) internship experience at the Supply Chain Systems Laboratory (SCSL) at Texas A&M University. The objective of the internship was to design and develop automation tools to streamline lab operations related to inventory management projects and during that process adapt and/or extend theoretical inventory models according to real-world business complexity and data integrity problems. A holistic approach to automation was taken to satisfy both short-term and long-term needs subject to organizational constraints. A comprehensive software productivity tool was designed and developed that considerably reduced time and effort spent on non-value adding activities. This resulted in standardizing and streamlining data analysis related activities. Real-world factors that significantly influence the data analysis process were identified and incorporated into model specifications. This helped develop an operational inventory management model that accounted for business complexity and data integrity issues commonly encountered during implementation. Many organizational issues including new business strategies, human resources, administration, and project management were also addressed during the course of the internship.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 89 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Due to the increasing demands of third-party payers to show measurable results in a decreased amount of time, mental health practitioners need new tools and techniques to quickly and efficiently assess their client's current status and progress in treatment. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a brief computerized measure of emotional states and personality traits for use as an assessment tool in a clinical setting. Adapted from the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI; Spielberger, 1998), the computerized instrument measured state and trait anxiety, anger, depression, and curiosity. The computerized STPI was examined for equivalence with the traditional STPI and compared with therapists' ratings of their clients' emotional states and personality traits. Forty individuals (24 women, 16 men) in psychotherapy were administered either a computerized version of the STPI or the original, paper version. / ABSTRACT: Each client's therapist was asked to rate him or her on the same 4 states and 4 traits measured by the STPI. In addition, clients and therapists answered short questionnaires regarding their reactions to the STPI and the client report generated by the STPI, respectively. [BR][BR] A comparison of mean STPI scale scores between the computerized and paper administration groups showed slightly higher levels of reported state emotion for the computerized administration. There was no other evidence of differences between the two experimental groups. Therapists who had previously conducted assessment with their client demonstrated a significantly higher correlation of their ratings with the corresponding client STPI self-reported scores. Feedback from the client and therapist exit questionnaires suggested that their reactions to the procedure and the usefulness of the STPI were quite favorable. / ABSTRACT: Implications of increasing the use of computers in clinical assessment are discussed. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Shrinking profit margins in the high technology industry has led companies to attempt to increase profits through an increased focus on after-market services. As part of that effort, service parts logistics, which manages the post-sales distribution of spare parts needed to maintain and repair products in use, has gained importance. In an effort to improve Service Parts Logistics (SPL) operations, we integrate facility location and inventory stocking decisions while classifying facilities based on their assignment; dedicated facilities that are assigned solely to individual customers (located on-site of the customer, serving only that customer), and shared facilities that are assigned to a subset of customers. The introduction of dedicated facilities simplifies the overall problem formulation in certain special cases. In one such special case where there is only one facility and none of the customers are within its service time window, the overall problem reduces to a binary knapsack formulation. This can be solved in pseudo-polynomial time through the dynamic programming algorithm for such problems. Nonetheless, even in the general case, we identify conditions under which a dedicated facility will always be opened. Computational results show that this observation is used by solvers as a preprocessing step, thus loosening some hard constraints. As a result, some of these problems are solved in less time than the corresponding problems without the dedicated facilities. However, dedicated facilities become advantageous mainly in sparse networks as opposed to dense networks. Apart from low network density, low holding cost and relatively high demand are two other system parameters that encourage the opening of dedicated facilities. SPL can be further improved by sharing inventory across shared facilities, which is already a common practice in real SPL systems. In this case, Markov chains can be used to estimate fill rates, but the process is iterative. However, under the low demand assumption of parts in SPL, we derive analytical formulae of estimating fill rates and thus incorporate inventory sharing within the network design and inventory optimization model. Special cases of this problem can be solved by an alternative binary knapsack formulation. Computational results show that large instances can be solved instantaneously, and we also identify a greedy heuristic that provides bounds on average within 0.12% of the optimal solution. We observe maximum benefit from inventory sharing when there exists large demand in the area overlapping the time window of both shared facilities and when inventory replenishment rates are high. However, we also identify conditions on the system parameters where inventory sharing could increase cost and/or decrease service in comparison with not-sharing. The combined problem of inventory sharing with customer dedicated facilities is formulated based on a binary knapsack structure. However, the problem size increases exponentially with solution time. Therefore, we construct another greedy heuristic by combining the inventory sharing heuristic and a special case algorithm for a single dedicated facility. A large size problem that takes almost a minute to be solved by conventional branch and bound is solved in less than a second using the greedy heuristic. We also show that for a given demand network, the combined problem achieves 40-60% reduction in total cost within 1% of the time taken by the problem without inventory sharing and without dedicated facilities. Another interesting result is that in some cases, adding new customers to a given inventory sharing system helps to reduce the cost and/or increase service. / text

Effektiv logistik är ofta nyckeln bakom framgångsrika företag. Då logistik är ett väldigt komplext problemområde har det blivit nödvändigt att utveckla intelligenta system som hjälpmedel vid beslutsfattande. Klassificeringssystem av artiklar är ett sådant system, vilket ska underlätta att flytta fokus från den enskilda artikeln till artiklar som kräver extra mycket uppmärksamhet. En stor del forskning har utförts inom klassificeringsområdet de senaste åren. Denna har dock varit av ren matematisk karaktär där olika lösningar presenterats vilka i grund och botten behandlat skapande av en artikelrangordning utifrån en samling parametrar. Hur parametrarna väljs och vilka implikationer valet av matematisk modell får är ännu obehandlat ur ett logistiskt perspektiv. Denna rapport syftar till att påbörja fyllandet av den lucka som återfinns inom klassificeringsområdet. Detta innebär framtagande av ett systematiskt förhållningssätt vid byggande av ett klassificeringssystem, där val av parametrar och matematisk modell utgår från företagets behov och förutsättningar. Parametrarna att bygga klassificeringen på är systemets verkliga kärna och utgör därmed grunden för de beslut som fattas utifrån det. För att klassificeringen på ett effektivt sätt ska kunna ligga till grund för beslutsfattande inom ramen för logistik krävs att hänsyn tas till företagets hela logistiska verksamhet. Parametrarna identifieras därför genom att analysera en artikels huvudsakliga kontaktytor med en organisation, där rapporten avgränsas till inköp, lager och kund. Vid de tre stegen identifieras parametrar vilka är mått på de direkta såväl som indirekta kostnader förknippade med de olika artiklarna, samt hur stort värde de tillför organisationen i stort. Valet av matematisk modell får implikationer både för det slutgiltiga klassificeringssystemets precision såväl som hur stor kostnad skapandet utgör, där mer komplexa modeller ger ett mer pålitligt klassificeringssystem samtidigt som de är mer resurskrävande att implementera. Genom att följa rapportens riktlinjer kan ett klassificeringssystem byggas vilket möjliggör en differentierad materialhantering där operativa och strategiska beslut är väl underbyggda, och där de resurser som förbrukas i och med hanteringen av de olika artiklarna får maximal utdelning.

Inventory (YPI), kriminella handlingar och attityder till kriminellt beteende bland gymnasieungdomar. En frågeställning som undersöktes i studien var, om det fanns något samband mellan YPI personlighetsdrag och kriminella handlingar. Ytterligare en frågeställning som undersöktes var om det fanns några könsskillnader i attityder gentemot kriminellt beteende. Studien utfördes med en kvantitativ datainsamlingsmetod, vilken genomfördes via tre frågeformulär. De tre frågeformulären somanvändes i studien var ett egetkonstruerat frågeformulär, Youth Psychopatich traits Inventory (YPI), vilket är ett självskattningsformulär, och ett modifierat frågeformulär från Brottsförebyggande rådet. Datan som samlades in var från 108 gymnasieungdomar i åldrarna 15-19 år, därav 34 killar och 56 tjejer. Resultaten visade på att det personlighetsdrag som var relativt högst självskattat i den undersökta gruppen var thrill-seeking. Resultaten visade även att det fanns positiva medelstarka signifikanta samband mellan fem av YPI variablerna (manipulation, remorselessness, thrill-seeking, impulsiveness, irresponsibility) och kriminella handlingar. Ytterligare resultat som studien visade var att fler killar än tjejer hade gjort någon eller några kriminella handlingar. Killarnas attityder var mer liberala gentemot kriminella handlingar än tjejernas, vilket även stöds av tidigare forskning / The purpose of the study was to examine personality traits according to the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory (YPI), criminal acts and attitudes towards criminal behavior among high school students. One of the questions that have been examined in the study is if there is any correlation between young people that have been involved with criminal acts and young people that have YPI personality tendencies. Another question investigated in the study was if there are gender inequities between boys and girls with regard to the attitudes towards criminal behavior. The study was conducted through a survey that included three questionnaires. The results were compiled and compared and then analyzed using a computer-based algorithm. The three questionnaires that were used in the study were a self-constructed survey, the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory (YPI) and finally one modified Crime prevention council-BRÅ survey. The test group consisted of 108 upper secondary youth between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. The 108 participants included 34 boys and 56 girls. The result clearly showed that the psychopathic tendencies that were represented amongst the youth in the study are thrill-seeking based. The results also showed strong significant correlation between five of the YPI, variables (manipulation, remorselessness, thrill-seeking, impulsiveness, irresponsibility and criminal acts. The study also showed that more boys than girls had been involved in criminal acts of some kind. The attitudes of the boys in the study showed that they had a more liberal views regards to criminal acts than the girls, which is supported in previous research

The objectives of this study were to validate the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), to determine the construct equivalence and item bias of these instruments for employees in an earthmoving equipment industry in South &ca of different language groups, to determine the correlation between the MBI-GS and the OLBI, and to investigate the relationship between burnout and various demographic characteristics. A random sample of 326 employees in an earthmoving equipment industry of eight provinces in South Africa was taken. The MBI-GS, the OLBI and a biographical questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlation coefficients, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyse the data The results showed that three factors of the MBI-GS and two factors of the OLBI exist for different language groups. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct equivalence of the three factors of the MBI-GS and the two factors for the OLBI for different language groups. No evidence was found for uniform or non-uniform bias of the items of the MBI-GS or the OLBI for different language groups. Results indicated that no differences with respect to levels of burnout exist between various demographic characteristics. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

We consider a single-part, two-echelon supply chain problem for spare parts. The network consists of a single manufacturing plant, a set of service centers (SCs) and a set of customers. Both echelons keep spare parts using the base-stock replenishment policy. The plant behaves as an M/M/1 queueing system and has limited production and storage capacity. Demand faced by each SC follows an independent Poisson process. The problem is to determine optimal location-allocation and optimal base-stock levels at both echelons while satisfying the target service levels and customer preferences of SCs. We develop a mixed integer non-linear programming model and use cutting-plane method to optimize the inventory-location decisions. We present an exact solution procedure for the inventory stocking problem and demonstrate the limitations of using traditional inventory models like METRIC-like and Approximate in case of high utilization rates. We show the effectiveness of our proposed cutting-plane algorithm and provide important managerial insights for spare parts management.

Enterprise Wikis haben sich zu einem wichtigen Bestandteil der Corporate Intranets entwickelt. Aufgrund ihrer Nutzungsoffenheit und hohen Flexibilität lassen sich Enterprise Wikis für vielfältigste Einsatzzwecke verwenden. Dabei ist die Nutzungsmotivation der Mitarbeiter ein kritischer Stellhebel für den Erfolg von Enterprise Wikis. In diesem Beitrag wird auf Basis des aus der Arbeitspsychologie stammenden Konzepts „motivation sources inventory“ von BARBUTO & SCHOLL eine Untersuchung mittels Online-Befragung mit 95 Teilnehmern aus 10 verschiedenen Unternehmen durchgeführt. Hierbei wurde ersichtlich, dass Enterprise Wikis von den Befragten durchweg als wertvoll eingeschätzt werden. Weiterhin stellen die Nützlichkeit von Enterprise Wikis für die tägliche Arbeit sowie das Bestreben, Kollegen bzw. das eigene Team zu unterstützen wichtige Quellen der Motivation dar. Bezüglich der intrinsischen Prozessmotivation bei Enterprise Wikis, d.h. Spaß an der Benutzung, konnten stark divergierende Meinungen festgestellt werden. Hingegen ist Lob bzw. Reputation nur für einen kleinen Teil der Befragten motivierend, im Enterprise Wiki beizutragen.

The objectives of this study were to validate the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), to determine the construct equivalence and item bias of these instruments for employees in an earthmoving equipment industry in South &ca of different language groups, to determine the correlation between the MBI-GS and the OLBI, and to investigate the relationship between burnout and various demographic characteristics. A random sample of 326 employees in an earthmoving equipment industry of eight provinces in South Africa was taken. The MBI-GS, the OLBI and a biographical questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlation coefficients, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyse the data The results showed that three factors of the MBI-GS and two factors of the OLBI exist for different language groups. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct equivalence of the three factors of the MBI-GS and the two factors for the OLBI for different language groups. No evidence was found for uniform or non-uniform bias of the items of the MBI-GS or the OLBI for different language groups. Results indicated that no differences with respect to levels of burnout exist between various demographic characteristics. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-247).