Multiple research projects are proposed that utilize low-level knowledge of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design processes to enable additional research avenues. In order to accomplish these projects, Tools for Open Reconfigurable Computing (TORC) is utilized to provide a robust environment for circuit analysis and modifications. These projects rely on looking at the low-level constructs of the internals of these microchips. Through this knowledge, techniques for performing supply chain evaluations are proposed utilizing a non-binary comparison of multiple characteristic vectors between different FPGA manufacturing lots, and FPGAs that have been exposed to different environmental conditions. Second, techniques are proposed that look at design recovery by performing fuzzy segmentation and fuzzy matching algorithms to a problem area that has traditionally focused on exact graph sub-isomorphism solutions. Through these projects, additional research vectors are opened to protect and analyze the engineering efforts that are exerted in the design of FPGA and ASIC projects. / Ph. D.

Die Supply Chain von Algen in Indonesien, insbesondere Karrageen und Agarprodukte, ist mit Störungen innerhalb der Unternehmen und in externen Netzwerken konfrontiert wie z. B. Quantität, Qualität, Preis und Infrastruktur. Sobald eine Störung in einem Teil der Supply Chain auftritt, kann diese die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette beeinflussen. Um eine nachhaltige Algenindustrie sicher zu stellen, bedarf es einer langzeitigen Planung. Hierbei kann das Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) helfen. SCRM umfasst vier kritische Stufen: Identifikation der Algen-Supply Chains, Identifikation und Kategorisierung der Risiken, Einschätzen der Risiken und Vermeidung der Risiken. Um die Algen-Supply Chains zu identifizieren, wurden Feldforschung, Tiefeninterviews und Literaturrecherchen durchgeführt. Die Feldstudie wurde in den Provinzen Süd-Sulawesi, West-Java, Ost-Java, Banten und West-Nusa Tenggara durchgeführt. Anschließend wurden die Algen-Supply Chains mit der Software Umberto NXT Universal 7.0 modelliert, um ein besseres Verständnis von den Material- und Energieflüssen zwischen den Hauptakteuren zu erhalten. Um die Risiken zu identifizieren und zu kategorisieren wurden Literaturrecherchen durchgeführt und die Delphi Methode angewandt, um potentielle Quellen der Risiken, ihre Gründe und ihre Effekte zu analysieren. Zur Einschätzung der Risiken wurde ein semi-quantitativer Ansatz gewählt, welcher auf Face-to-face Interviews zurückgreift. Dementsprechend wurde eine Risikokarte erstellt, welche die Wahrscheinlichkeiten und Effekte von ungünstigen Ereignissen widerspiegelt. Basierend auf den vorherigen Ergebnissen wurde die Intensität der Risiken in die folgenden fünf Kategorien unterteilt: vernachlässigbare, geringe, kritische, sehr kritische und katastrophale Risiken. Drei alternative Strategien zur Vermeidung der Risiken werden vorgeschlagen: der Bau einer kleinen Algen-Fabrik, große Algen-Herstellung und industrielle Algen-Cluster, welche direkt am Algenanbau angegliedert sein müssen. Um die Strategien zu bewerten wurde die Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) angewandt, welche der multikriteriellen Entscheidungsanalyse zuzurechnen ist. Die Vermeidungsstrategien berücksichtigen  Nachhaltigkeitskriterien (Ökologie, Wirtschaft, Soziales) und Risikokriterien. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Algen-Supply Chains mit vertikaler Kooperation, aus Algen-Lieferanten (Farmer, lokale Händler, Großhändler und Exporteure) und Algen-Herstellern (Carrageen- und Agarunternehmen) bestehen. Die meisten Algen-Farmer sind unabhängige Farmer, die die Möglichkeit haben die Algen entweder an lokale Händler oder andere je nach Präferenz verkaufen können. Lokale Händler spielen eine entscheidende Rolle hinsichtlich der finanziellen Unterstützung der Farmer, der technischen Informationen und des Marktzugangs. Indonesische Carrageen- und Agarhersteller weisen ein kontinuierliches Marktwachstum auf, insbesondere als Familienunternehmen. Die Risiken der Algen-Supply Chain werden in zwei Hauptkategorien unterteilt: interne und externe Risiken. Interne Risiken werden weiterhin in zwei Gruppen untergliedert: interne Unternehmensrisiken, welche aus Prozess- und Steuerungsrisiken bestehen, sowie externe Unternehmensrisiken, die Supply- und Nachfragerisiken umfassen. Externe Supply Chain Risiken, die aus externen Netzwerkketten resultieren, sind Risiken hinsichtlich regulatorischer Fragen, der Finanzierung, Infrastruktur als auch soziale und umweltbezogene Risiken. Als kritischstes Risiko für die Carrageen-Supply Chain wurde die mangelnde Qualität von E.cottonii rohgetrockneten Algen identifiziert. Weitere kritische Risiken der Agar-Supply Chain sind Quantitätsunsicherheiten, die Knappheit von Gracilaria roh getrockneten Algen sowie negative Umweltauswirkungen des Abwassers. Aus  der Fallstudie zu halb-raffinierten Karrageen resultierte das Clustern von Algen-Verarbeitungsbetrieben als ist die beste Risikovermeidungsstrategie sowohl für große als auch kleine Unternehmen. Nichtsdestotrotz kann sich das Clustern negativ auf die lokale Umwelt auswirken.

The modern supply chain is long, complex, interconnected and global, and plays a fundamental role in business competitiveness. These conditions, along with various supply chain management trends in recent years have increased risks in supply chains which threaten supply chain performance. Greater impact, especially on cost, from an increased threat of supply disruptions is one area of particular concern. Companies today are struggling to find effective means to manage this increased risk and avoid adverse financial impacts. An approach to managing supply disruption risk in supply chains based on the minimization of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the supply chain is explored in this thesis. Insights are provided into an appropriate view of supply chain risk and a general four step risk management process to guide the design and evaluation of a new risk management tool based on such an approach. A prototype of the new total cost-based, modeling and simulation tool was created in partnership with ProModel Corporation and a government contractor that requested to remain anonymous. A preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of this tool in minimizing TCO and providing an interface useable by non-modelers is provided. This study also reviews and compares a sample set of current supply chain risk management methods and tools and compares them with the new tool for relevance in aiding users in managing supply disruption risk. Based on literature findings and preliminary feedback from pilot contextual demonstrations of the tool, the total cost approach to risk modeling appears promising, although the execution needs to be improved with further enhancements made to the prototype tool. In this preliminary study and evaluation, sufficient evidence is not available to determine that the new prototype tool is any more effective than other currently available risk management tools to provide necessary information to make supply chain risk management decisions that minimize TCO of a supply chain. Suggestions for further development of the tool, especially for improvement of the total cost approach, are provided as well as a preliminary evaluation procedure and survey instruments for a more robust evaluation of the new tool.

Supply chain disruptions are detrimental to the performance of companies due to the associated loss of profitability and reduced sustainability. In 2016, organizations lost at least $1.2 million in a single supply chain disruption. Guided by the contingency theory of fit, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to explore the strategies agribusiness managers use to prevent and mitigate the effects of disruptions in the agro-food supply chains. A total of 5 purposefully-selected agribusiness managers from Harare, Zimbabwe participated in semistructured interviews. Participants were senior agribusiness managers who implemented successful strategies for preventing and mitigating the effects of disruptions in agro-food supply chains. Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis of interview data and review of organizational documents: collaboration among supply chain partners, business continuity management, and the use of a multiple supplier base. Agribusiness managers must first understand the sources of disruption risk, assess the impact of the risk, and then select an appropriate strategy based on the level of uncertainty and risk. By managing the risks effectively, managers can improve the performance and competitiveness of their businesses. The implications for positive social change may include a reduction in supply chain costs, provision of better services and products to consumers, and lower prices of agro-food products to consumers which could lead to an improvement in the lives of consumers.

Covid-19 pandemin är en enorm hälsokris som kom att påverka hela världen och har fått större konsekvenser än andra kriser. En trend som innefattar mer risker för Supply Chain är att fler företag väljer att outsourca produktionen, vilket skapar känsligare Supply Chains eftersom de blir längre och därmed mer komplexa. Den osäkra omvärlden sätter hög press på utveckling och anpassning av Supply Chains, vilket har blivit högst aktuellt eftersom trender kommer och går, kriser sker allt oftare och det har blivit tuffare att skapa konkurrensfördelar. För att snabbt kunna anpassa kedjan till eventuella avvikelser eller störningar är hanteringen av risker inom fordonsindustrin extremt viktig. Syftet med studien är att studera hur stora svenska företag inom fordonsindustrin har påverkats av Covid-19 pandemin. Även vilka Supply Chain Risk Management åtgärder som fordonsföretagen har vidtagit för att vara motståndskraftiga under pandemin har analyserats. I denna undersökning genomfördes en flerfallstudie i och med att företagen och dess kontext spelade roll för att besvara syftet. Studien antar en kvalitativ studie där ett abduktivt angreppssätt har använts. Vidare har sex semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts, vilka samlades in genom både ett snöbollsurval och ett målstyrt urval. I studien kan man dra tydliga slutsatser att samtliga företag i stor utsträckning under Covid-19 utnyttjat dual eller multiple sourcing som ett sätt att säkra upp leveranser och undvika störningar. En majoritet av företagen har prioriterat att bygga upp djupare relationer och har utvecklat partnerskapen med deras leverantörer under pandemin, vidare satte de även högre press på leverantörerna och förväntade sig mer av dem. Pandemin har även medfört en utökning av säkerhetslagret för att säkra upp, speciellt för kritiska komponenter. Sammanfattningsvis är det troligt att det från och med nu och framöver kommer vara mycket resurser som läggs på SCRM och att detta område kommer få större betydelse för dessa företag framåt. Företag som ej anpassar sig med exempelvis agila arbetssätt, relationsbyggande och tar dessa risker på allvar kommer stå inför stora ekonomiska och organisatoriska utmaningar. / The Covid-19 pandemic is a huge health crisis that affected the whole world and has had greater consequences than other crises. A trend that includes more risks for Supply Chain is that more companies choose to outsource production, which creates more sensitive Supply Chains because they become longer and thus more complex. The uncertain world is putting a lot of pressure on the development and adaptation of Supply Chains, which has become highly topical as trends come and go, crises occur more and more often, and it has become tougher to create competitive advantages. To be able to quickly adapt the chain to any deviations or disruptions, the management of risks in the automotive industry is extremely important. The purpose of the study is to study how large Swedish companies in the automotive industry have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Supply Chain Risk Management measures that vehicle companies have taken to be resilient during the pandemic have also been analyzed. In this study, a multiple case study was conducted since the companies and their context played a role in answering the purpose. The study assumes a qualitative study where an abductive approach has been used. Furthermore, six semi-structured interviews were conducted, which were collected through both a snowball selection and a goal-directed selection. Clear conclusions that can be drawn in this study is that all companies to a large extent used dual or multiple sourcing to secure deliveries and avoid disruptions during the pandemic. Many companies have prioritized relationship building and the development of partnerships as the most important parts of their outsourcing work during the pandemic as well. One can also see a result that companies have put higher pressure and expected more from their suppliers and at the same time increased their security stock. In summary, it can be said that it probably coincides that from now onwards a lot of resources will be invested in SCRM and this area will have a significant share for these companies. Companies that do not adapt with, for example, agile working methods, relationship building and taking the risks seriously will face major financial and organizational challenges.

In recent years, the frequency of disruptive events in supply chains has increased. This is partly due to the fact that supply chains are more globalized and more complex, with deeper tiering among suppliers. This makes the supply chain more vulnerable to risks. Supply chain risks that come with the dependencies of global suppliers have been evident due to unexpected global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the obstruction in the Suez Canal, and the Russia-Ukraine war. To mitigate supply chain risks, a company needs to have a resilient supply chain. Volvo Construction Equipment, a world-leading manufacturer of premium construction equipment, has experienced some particularly challenging years due to global occurrences with material shortages, capacity constraints, and supply routes disruption. This has built up stress in the organization, both among processes and employees. To be able to plan for the coming years of high uncertainty, Volvo CE wants to investigate how they can anticipate and mitigate various risks and resist market fluctuations to create a more resilient supply chain. Therefore the purpose of the research was formulated as: The purpose of the research is to suggest how Volvo Construction Equipment AB can mitigate supply chain risks to secure the future supply chain in a volatile market. To facilitate the fulfillment of the research’s purpose, three research questions were developed concerning risk identification, assessing resilience capabilities, and assessing risk mitigation strategies. The first research question, RQ1, identified Volvo CE’s supply chain risks and the vulnerability of the risks. The supply chain risks were identified through focused group discussions with Volvo CE employees and the most vulnerable risks were determined through a survey with responses from the participants in the group discussions. Three risks were considered the most vulnerable in Volvo CE’s supply chain; lack of raw material and component shortage, lack of labor and competence in production at supplier, and shutdown of supplier factory due to unexpected events. The second research question, RQ2, answered which resilience capabilities Volvo CE possesses today and which should be improved. The resilience capabilities were assessed qualitatively through semi-structured interviews. The interview answers were then interpreted into what SCRES elements Volvo CE possess. It was concluded that all resilience capabilities can be improved but two out of five capabilities, ability to anticipate and ability to recover, were considered to have the most improvement potential as they contain a large proportion of SCRES elements that are not fully possessed today. Through semi-structured interviews and a cross-question analysis with RQ1 and RQ2, the third research question, RQ3, regarding the assessment of risk mitigation strategies could be answered. Based on the result of all research questions, five risk mitigation strategies were suggested for Volvo CE. These aimed to improve Volvo CE’s resilience capabilities with the most improvement potential to be able to mitigate the most vulnerable supply chain risks. The suggested risk mitigation strategies were supply chain understanding, SCRM culture, supplier relationship, backup supplier, and scenario planning. By working with these strategies, Volvo CE could significantly increase its resilience and thus create an organization better able to mitigate supply chain risks to secure the future supply in a volatile market.

A gestão de riscos em cadeias de suprimentos (Supply Chain Risk Management - SCRM) tem um importante valor para o funcionamento adequado das operações que ocorrem dentro das companhias pertencentes à cadeia. Cada vez mais gestores têm percebido que conhecer os potenciais eventos que podem atrapalhar o desenvolvimento do negócio, bem como construir e aplicar planos estratégicos para controlá-los, evitá-los ou extingui-los é fundamental para o sucesso de toda organização. Por isso, a SCRM é um assunto em desenvolvimento nos meios acadêmicos que demanda estudos em todas as esferas e vieses possíveis. Ao mesmo tempo, a gestão de indústrias de alimentos, na maioria das vezes, está focada em perceber e controlar riscos à saúde e a segurança dos alimentos, fator inquestionavelmente importante. Nesse contexto, esta dissertação foge do convencional e propõe a análise de riscos em uma indústria de alimentos baseada no fornecimento de materiais de uso indireto na produção e não em riscos que venham a ocorrer no alimento produzido em si. Assim sendo, pretendeu-se contribuir com uma visão de gestão de fornecimento auxiliando na produção de conhecimento para futuras pesquisas na área, que até o presente momento mostram-se em desenvolvimento, e, na construção de material base para que a gestão de empresas deste segmento consigam elaborar ações de controle de riscos e implementá-las. Para isto, realizou-se um levantamento de publicações sobre o assunto que permitiu e embasou a análise de três categorias de materiais de uso indireto, sendo eles materiais para manutenção, reparo e operação (MRO), materiais considerados insumos para o processo produtivo e materiais utilizados na geração de energia para a operação. Para cada uma destas categorias aplicou-se as quatro etapas previstas do SCRM, ou seja, identificação, análise, mitigação e controle dos riscos encontrados, apresentando discussões com base na realidade da indústria processadora de suco de laranja, gerando ao final, perfis de riscos e modos de controles e mitigação. / The Supply Chain Risk Management - SCRM - has an important value for the proper functioning of the operations that occur within the companies belonging to the chain. Increasingly more managers have realized that knowing the potential events that can disrupt business development as well as building and implementing strategic plans to control them, avoid them or extinguish them is critical to the entire organization\'s business. So, SCRM is a subject in development in the academic circles that demands studies in all possible spheres and biases. At the same time, the management of food industries is often focused on perceiving and controlling risks to food safety and health, an unquestionably important factor. In this context, this dissertation runs against the conventional approach and proposes risk analysis in a food industry based on the supply of indirect use materials in production and not on risks that occur in the food produced itself. Therefore, it was intended to contribute with a vision of supply management, helping in the knowledge production for future research in this area, which until the present moment is being developed, and in the construction of base material to be used by the management area of companies that will make them able to carry out risk control actions and implement them. For this, a survey of publications on the subject was carried out that allowed and supported the analysis of three categories of materials for indirect use, materials for maintenance, repair and operation (MRO), materials considered inputs for the production process and materials used for the generation of energy for the operation. For each one of these categories, the four planned stages of SCRM were applied, that is identification, analysis, mitigation and control of the risks encountered, presenting discussions based on the reality of the orange juice processing industry, generating in the end, risk profiles and modes of controls and mitigation.

<p>Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera ett tredjepartslogistiskt samarbete mellan en vinimportör och dennes distributör utifrån importörens perspektiv. Arbetet avser att lyfta fram vilken typ av relation som finns dem emellan. För att finna svaren till vår undersökning har frågor skapats utifrån valda teorier om partnerskap, samverkan och riskhantering. Frågorna har sedan ställts till personer som arbetar hos både vinimportören och distributören. Spontana samtal och en observation har genomförts i kontorsmiljön hos vinimportören. Vidare har ett studiebesök genomförts hos distributören för att studera deras lagerverksamhet. Efter analys av den empiri som vi erhållit och av utvalda teorier har vi funnit att samarbetet mellan vinimportören och distributören är mer av partnerskapskaraktär än det traditionella kund-/leverantörsförhållandet. Det som styrker detta är följande:</p><p>· Deras nuvarande relation baseras på ett ömsesidigt ge och ta.</p><p>· Det finns varken en inre konkurrens eller styrkemätning dem emellan.</p><p>· Partnerna gör vad de är bäst på inom respektive verksamhet</p><p>· Dessutom bedriver de inom vissa områden ett gemensamt utvecklingsarbete, vilket slutligen leder till en vinst för båda parter.</p><p>Vi har även funnit att stabiliteten i partnerskapet är hög, de har arbetat ihop under lång tid, men graden av närhet i partnerskapet kan anses vara låg. Dessutom visar studien att vin-importören och distributörens partnerskap bygger på mellanting mellan ett främjande och integrerat samarbete. Vidare har vi funnit att den miljö de verkar i är väldigt styrd av Systembolaget.</p>

Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera ett tredjepartslogistiskt samarbete mellan en vinimportör och dennes distributör utifrån importörens perspektiv. Arbetet avser att lyfta fram vilken typ av relation som finns dem emellan. För att finna svaren till vår undersökning har frågor skapats utifrån valda teorier om partnerskap, samverkan och riskhantering. Frågorna har sedan ställts till personer som arbetar hos både vinimportören och distributören. Spontana samtal och en observation har genomförts i kontorsmiljön hos vinimportören. Vidare har ett studiebesök genomförts hos distributören för att studera deras lagerverksamhet. Efter analys av den empiri som vi erhållit och av utvalda teorier har vi funnit att samarbetet mellan vinimportören och distributören är mer av partnerskapskaraktär än det traditionella kund-/leverantörsförhållandet. Det som styrker detta är följande: · Deras nuvarande relation baseras på ett ömsesidigt ge och ta. · Det finns varken en inre konkurrens eller styrkemätning dem emellan. · Partnerna gör vad de är bäst på inom respektive verksamhet · Dessutom bedriver de inom vissa områden ett gemensamt utvecklingsarbete, vilket slutligen leder till en vinst för båda parter. Vi har även funnit att stabiliteten i partnerskapet är hög, de har arbetat ihop under lång tid, men graden av närhet i partnerskapet kan anses vara låg. Dessutom visar studien att vin-importören och distributörens partnerskap bygger på mellanting mellan ett främjande och integrerat samarbete. Vidare har vi funnit att den miljö de verkar i är väldigt styrd av Systembolaget.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3574.pdf: 2966492 bytes, checksum: 78afe4022c236328c058a10f8aa167ef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-25 / The high market volatility associated with the search for operational efficiency, the occurrence of risk events and the complexity of operations in enterprises, increase the vulnerability and the risks of disruption in supply chains. The consequences of such disruptions are enhanced by the increasing integration and synchronization of operations, since disturbances in an organization immediately affect the rest of the chain and, consequently, its resilience, not being enough a competition based on cost and quality. In this context, flexibility and supply chain risk management emerged as ways of building resilience, being the objective of this study, to identify how organizations of an automotive supply chain apply practices related to such concepts to increase their resilience. Interviews with directors of three automotive companies were conducted in order to capture the view of professionals directly involved with the research problem studied. The study showed that, beyond the lack of convergence on these subjects in literature, in organizations, there is limited knowledge about them, as well as difficulty implementing associated practices in a structured and integrated way between the areas of the company and supply chain members. Even the centenarian organizations evaluated, do not have a strong culture in supply chain risk management and formal or integrated application of methodologies and practices associated with flexibility and risk management, being their view and approach generally reactive. Beyond the scope of the research, this study can be used as a knowledge base on the conceptual subjects, since it was created a relationship diagram involving the concepts presented, and as a reference for the practical implementation of initiatives associated with them for building resilience in organizations and chains. / A elevada volatilidade dos mercados associada à busca por eficiência operacional, à ocorrência de eventos de risco e à complexidade das operações nas empresas, elevam a vulnerabilidade e os riscos de ruptura nas cadeias de suprimentos. As consequências de tais rupturas são potencializadas pela crescente integração e sincronização das operações, uma vez que distúrbios em uma organização afetam imediatamente o restante da cadeia e, consequentemente, sua resiliência, não bastando a competição com base em custos e qualidade. Neste contexto, a flexibilidade e a gestão de riscos na cadeia de suprimentos surgem como formas de construção de resiliência, sendo o objetivo deste estudo, identificar como as organizações de uma cadeia automotiva aplicam as práticas relacionadas a tais conceitos para aumento de sua resiliência. Foram realizadas entrevistas com diretores de três empresas de uma cadeia automotiva, no sentido de capturar a visão dos profissionais diretamente envolvidos com o problema de pesquisa estudado. O trabalho mostrou que, além da falta de convergência sobre estes temas na literatura, nas organizações, há baixo conhecimento sobre eles, bem como dificuldade de aplicação das práticas associadas de uma forma estruturada e integrada entre as áreas da empresa e os membros das cadeias de suprimentos. Mesmo as organizações centenárias avaliadas, não possuem uma forte cultura em gestão de riscos na cadeia e aplicação formal ou integrada de metodologias e práticas associadas à flexibilidade e gestão de riscos, sendo sua visão e abordagem geralmente reativas. Além dos objetivos da pesquisa, este trabalho pode ser utilizado como uma base de conhecimento sobre os temas de pesquisa, uma vez que foi realizado um diagrama de relacionamento entre os conceitos apresentados, e como referência para início da aplicação prática de iniciativas associadas a tais temas para construção de resiliência nas organizações e cadeias.