A obsolescência de estoques é um evento recorrente nas organizações, demandando o uso de métodos que identifiquem o inventário excessivo antes dele tornar-se obsoleto. Este artigo propõe um método para classificação, projeção e controle da obsolescência de inventários ao longo do tempo, com o objetivo de reduzir o risco de obsolescência ou deterioração futura. A abordagem proposta possui cinco passos, sendo os quatro primeiros dedicados a identificação dos fatores que contribuem para a obsolescência e/ou deterioração do Inventário, a classificação do estoque em categorias e faixas de idade através da análise discriminante, a seleção de variáveis em contexto de PLS, a modelagem de regressão para projeção da idade do inventário ao longo do tempo e a definição de diretrizes para redução do risco de obsolescência. O quinto passo do método utiliza o conceito do ciclo PDCA buscando a melhoria contínua do processo e dos resultados. Na aplicação em dois estudos de caso em indústrias de bens de consumo, o método previu adequadamente o montante do inventário por faixa de idade e o risco de obsolescência ou deterioração do inventário em um horizonte de seis meses. / Inventory obsolescence is a prominent phenomenon in organizations, requiring the use of methods that identify excessive inventory before it becomes obsolete. This paper proposes a method to classify, forecast and control the obsolescence of inventories over time in order to reduce the risk of future obsolescence or deterioration. The proposed approach has five steps, the first four of which are dedicated to identifying the factors that contribute to the obsolescence and/or deterioration of the Inventory, the classification of the inventory into categories and age ranges through discriminant analysis, the selection of variables in the context of PLS, regression modeling to forecast the age of inventory over time and the definition of guidelines for reducing the risk of obsolescence. The fifth step of the method uses the concept of the PDCA cycle seeking for the continuous improvement of process and results. In the application in two case studies in consumer goods industries, the method predicted the amount of inventory by age range and the risk of obsolescence or deterioration of the inventory over a six-month horizon.

Planned obsolescence refers to the situation where a company has too high an incentive to create a new product that renders the old durable goods non-compatible or obsolete. Does this incentive persist when the firm can choose what quality level the new product has, instead of simply introducing a new product of a given improved quality? Assuming the outcome of innovation is quality increase in next periods, this dissertation focuses on the effect of planned obsolescence in relation to a monopolist’s R&D investment and quality choices. The monopolist is not choosing whether or not to introduce a new product, but rather how much quality the new product should have, or in other words, how long the continuous R&D investment should last. When a minor evolution (i.e. lower quality improvement) and a major revolution (i.e. higher quality improvement) of durable goods are mutually exclusive, for a certain range of R&D investment cost, a monopolist is found to have too low an incentive to introduce the major revolution. This situation is defined as planned obsolescence of quality. The reason for such a behavior is time inconsistency, i.e. a monopolist’s failure to commit to its original profit-maximizing quality strategy once it enters the latter stage of the game. However if evaluated from a social planner’s perspective, planned obsolescence of quality, or the lack of commitment, turns out to be beneficial in alleviating the problem of socially excessive quality at least partially. Once it can be perceived that the monopolist will not commit to its original optimal quality choice, a new discrepancy would emerge between the monopolist and a social planner. It is still beneficial for a social planner to intervene for certain ranges of R&D investment cost. Under such circumstances, R&D subsidies may be considered to induce the monopolist to move out of the range of discrepancy, provided that the gain in social welfare is larger than the cost of subsidy. This cost is smaller when the monopolist’s marginal production cost is smaller. / acase@tulane.edu

The U.S Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration continue to face common challenges in the development and acquisition of their space systems. In particular, space programs repeatedly experience significant schedule slippages, and spacecraft are often delivered on-orbit several months, sometimes years, after the initially planned delivery date. The repeated pattern of these schedule slippages suggests deep-seated flaws in managing spacecraft delivery and schedule risk, and an inadequate understanding of the drivers of schedule slippages. Furthermore, due to their long development time and physical inaccessibility after launch, space systems are exposed to a particular and acute risk of obsolescence, resulting in loss of value or competitive advantage over time. The perception of this particular risk has driven some government agencies to promote design choices that may ultimately be contributing to these schedule slippages, and jeopardizing what is increasingly recognized as critical, namely space responsiveness. The overall research objective of this work is twofold: (1) to identify and develop a thorough understanding of the fundamental causes of the risk of schedule slippage and obsolescence of space systems; and in so doing, (2) to guide spacecraft design choices that would result in better control of spacecraft delivery schedule and mitigate the impact of these "temporal risks" (schedule and obsolescence risks). To lay the groundwork for this thesis, first, the levers of responsiveness, or means to influence schedule slippage and impact space responsiveness are identified and analyzed, including design, organizational, and launch levers. Second, a multidisciplinary review of obsolescence is conducted, and main drivers of system obsolescence are identified. This thesis then adapts the concept of a technology portfolio from the macro- or company level to the micro-level of a single complex engineering system, and it analyzes a space system as a portfolio of technologies and instruments, each technology with its distinct stochastic maturation path and exposure to obsolescence. The selection of the spacecraft portfolio is captured by parameters such as the number of instruments, the initial technology maturity of each technology/instrument, the resulting heterogeneity of the technology maturity of the whole system, and the spacecraft design lifetime. Building on the abstraction of a spacecraft as a portfolio of technologies, this thesis then develops a stochastic framework that provides a powerful capability to simultaneously explore the impact of design decisions on spacecraft schedule, on-orbit obsolescence, and cumulative utility delivered by the spacecraft. Specifically, this thesis shows how the choice of the portfolio size and the instruments Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) impact the Mean-Time-To-Delivery (MTTD) of the spacecraft and mitigate (or exacerbate) schedule risk. This work also demonstrates that specific combinations/choices of the spacecraft design lifetime and the TRLs can reduce the risk of on-orbit obsolescence. This thesis then advocates for a paradigm shift towards a calendar-based design mindset, in which the delivery time of the spacecraft is accounted for, as opposed to the traditional clock-based design mindset. The calendar-based paradigm is shown to lead to different design choices, which are more likely to prevent schedule slippage and/or enhance responsiveness and ultimately result in a larger cumulative utility delivered. Finally, missions scenarios are presented to illustrate how the framework and analyses here proposed can help identify system design choices that satisfy various mission objectives and constraints (temporal as well as utility-based).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-213). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-213). Also available on the Internet.

A obsolescência de estoques é um evento recorrente nas organizações, demandando o uso de métodos que identifiquem o inventário excessivo antes dele tornar-se obsoleto. Este artigo propõe um método para classificação, projeção e controle da obsolescência de inventários ao longo do tempo, com o objetivo de reduzir o risco de obsolescência ou deterioração futura. A abordagem proposta possui cinco passos, sendo os quatro primeiros dedicados a identificação dos fatores que contribuem para a obsolescência e/ou deterioração do Inventário, a classificação do estoque em categorias e faixas de idade através da análise discriminante, a seleção de variáveis em contexto de PLS, a modelagem de regressão para projeção da idade do inventário ao longo do tempo e a definição de diretrizes para redução do risco de obsolescência. O quinto passo do método utiliza o conceito do ciclo PDCA buscando a melhoria contínua do processo e dos resultados. Na aplicação em dois estudos de caso em indústrias de bens de consumo, o método previu adequadamente o montante do inventário por faixa de idade e o risco de obsolescência ou deterioração do inventário em um horizonte de seis meses. / Inventory obsolescence is a prominent phenomenon in organizations, requiring the use of methods that identify excessive inventory before it becomes obsolete. This paper proposes a method to classify, forecast and control the obsolescence of inventories over time in order to reduce the risk of future obsolescence or deterioration. The proposed approach has five steps, the first four of which are dedicated to identifying the factors that contribute to the obsolescence and/or deterioration of the Inventory, the classification of the inventory into categories and age ranges through discriminant analysis, the selection of variables in the context of PLS, regression modeling to forecast the age of inventory over time and the definition of guidelines for reducing the risk of obsolescence. The fifth step of the method uses the concept of the PDCA cycle seeking for the continuous improvement of process and results. In the application in two case studies in consumer goods industries, the method predicted the amount of inventory by age range and the risk of obsolescence or deterioration of the inventory over a six-month horizon.

A obsolescência de estoques é um evento recorrente nas organizações, demandando o uso de métodos que identifiquem o inventário excessivo antes dele tornar-se obsoleto. Este artigo propõe um método para classificação, projeção e controle da obsolescência de inventários ao longo do tempo, com o objetivo de reduzir o risco de obsolescência ou deterioração futura. A abordagem proposta possui cinco passos, sendo os quatro primeiros dedicados a identificação dos fatores que contribuem para a obsolescência e/ou deterioração do Inventário, a classificação do estoque em categorias e faixas de idade através da análise discriminante, a seleção de variáveis em contexto de PLS, a modelagem de regressão para projeção da idade do inventário ao longo do tempo e a definição de diretrizes para redução do risco de obsolescência. O quinto passo do método utiliza o conceito do ciclo PDCA buscando a melhoria contínua do processo e dos resultados. Na aplicação em dois estudos de caso em indústrias de bens de consumo, o método previu adequadamente o montante do inventário por faixa de idade e o risco de obsolescência ou deterioração do inventário em um horizonte de seis meses. / Inventory obsolescence is a prominent phenomenon in organizations, requiring the use of methods that identify excessive inventory before it becomes obsolete. This paper proposes a method to classify, forecast and control the obsolescence of inventories over time in order to reduce the risk of future obsolescence or deterioration. The proposed approach has five steps, the first four of which are dedicated to identifying the factors that contribute to the obsolescence and/or deterioration of the Inventory, the classification of the inventory into categories and age ranges through discriminant analysis, the selection of variables in the context of PLS, regression modeling to forecast the age of inventory over time and the definition of guidelines for reducing the risk of obsolescence. The fifth step of the method uses the concept of the PDCA cycle seeking for the continuous improvement of process and results. In the application in two case studies in consumer goods industries, the method predicted the amount of inventory by age range and the risk of obsolescence or deterioration of the inventory over a six-month horizon.

Esta pesquisa, de caráter qualitativo exploratório, procurou identificar manifestações de obsolescência programada presentes atualmente no mercado brasileiro, assim como os principais produtos relacionados a ela. A maneira como artefatos são produzidos e comercializados desde a implementação da obsolescência programada estão colocando a sociedade frente a uma limitação ambiental no que diz respeito ao esgotamento dos recursos e um crescimento alarmante na geração de lixo eletrônico. Frente a essa limitação, modelos de consumo e fabricação são questionados. Considerando o design como uma atividade engajada intrinsecamente nas questões sociais, ele pode ser uma importante ferramenta para modificar este cenário. A pesquisa baseou- se nas definições de obsolescência programada elaboradas por Packard, Papanek e Slade para definir parâmetros conceituais que possibilitassem a identificação da obsolescência programada por meio de práticas de consumo. Foi usado como método de coleta de dados um questionário para identificar a percepção dos consumidores e entrevistas com designers para tentar estabelecer uma relação entre o fenômeno estudado e o design. Os produtos mais citados foram telefones celulares e computadores. Durabilidade mostrou-se pouco importante para aparelhos com rápida evolução tecnológica como o telefone celular. Para produtos sem essa característica tecnológica, durabilidade mostrou-se rara, pois, de acordo com o resultado da pesquisa, há uma grande associação entre materiais baratos e frágeis, que comprometem a durabilidade dos produtos. Apesar de o resultado permitir identificar os três tipos de obsolescência programada determinados pelos autores -- artificial, psicológica e tecnológica --, a pesquisa concluiu que o conceito de obsolescência programada, da maneira como foi criado, está tão assimilado nos dias de hoje que acaba por tornar o termo em si obsoleto. Isso porque hoje produtos não precisam ser feitos para quebrar para que sejam trocados e muitas vezes descartados. / This exploratory qualitative research tried to identify planned obsolescence\'s manifestations in the Brazilian market, as well as the main products related to it. The way consumer goods have been produced and sold since the planned obsolescence\'s implementation is leading society to an environmental limitation in terms of natural resources and alarming growth in the generation of electronic waste. Consumption the way it is and manufacturing are questioned, faced with this limitation. Considering design as an activity intrinsically engaged in social issues, it can be an important tool to modify this scenario. The research was based on planned obsolescence and on conceptual parameters by Packard, Papanek and Slade, which allowed the identification of planned obsolescence through consumption practices. As a method, a questionnaire to identify consumer perception and interviews with designers tried to establish a relationship between the studied phenomenon and the design. The most cited products were cell phones and computers. Durability proved to be unimportant for devices with rapid technological evolution such as cell phones. For products without this technological characteristic, durability proved to be rare, as according to the research results there is a great association between cheap and fragile materials, which compromise the durability of the products. Although the result allows to identify the three types of programmed obsolescence determined by the authors -- artificial, psychological and technological --, the research concluded that the concept of programmed obsolescence, in the way it was created, is so assimilated today that it ends up making the term itself obsolete. This is because today products do not have to be made to break to be changed and often discarded.

The thesis sets out to examine a digitization project of an obsolete art database that was issued by the Finnish joint municipal authority Finlands Svenska Förbund för Utbildning och Kultur (SÖFUK) and KulturÖsterbotten through questions on obsolescence, the reasoning behind using an obsolete database for so long, elements that characterize digitization work in municipal settings and the challenges such a project brings forth. The SÖFUK art database functions as a case study that is being examined through action research supported by previous research on obsolescence and the different approaches to digitization within the humanities; mass, critical, and slow digitization. The goal of the digitization project is to transfer the data from the old MS Access 97 art database to the modern solution Katalogen, and to take new photographs of the artworks because of their unfavourable quality. The goal is hence to digitize the art database anew. The steps taken to digitize the art database are described throughout the digitization process. With the help of a constructed analytical tool supported by previous research on obsolescence, the old art database is analyzed and discussed to answer the question on which types of obsolescence that could be found regarding the database. The thesis is also supported by previous research on the digitization approaches mass, critical and slow digitization, with slow digitization being the favoured approach for the nature of this digitization project. The results show that various findings of obsolescence could be noted in the old art database. Elements of digitization in municipalities can be linked to communication, time management and cooperation. The challenges vary from light being reflected in plexiglass while photographing to difficulties localizing artworks in the municipalities. Why the obsolete art database was used for so long by SÖFUK and KulturÖsterbotten was that an external resource was needed to do the tedious work of localizing the artworks and travel to the fourteen municipalities to photograph each artwork.

En 2015, j’ai mené une enquête de terrain sur les routes de Compostelle. Inspiré de l’héritage théorique de Victor Turner, l’extraquotidienneté liminaire du pèlerinage de Compostelle est envisagé comme voie d’accès pour comprendre le quotidien normal des pèlerins. Le choix d’étudier l’extraquotidienneté se justifie par son rapport d’interdépendance à l’égard du quotidien. En effet, le pèlerinage est un état de passage où se joue une crise qui tire son origine au sein même du quotidien normal. À la suite des entrevues et observations menées, un dénominateur commun semble caractériser l’expérience pèlerine : l’impression de se sentir « ici et maintenant ». L’impressionnante recrudescence de l’affluence pèlerine sur les routes jacquaires, à une époque où les rites se sécularisent et s’individualisent, soulève deux interrogations déterminantes. Si les rites sont effectivement des soupapes de sécurité de la structure sociale quotidienne, de quelle crise témoigne cette recrudescence? De plus, quels attraits propres au pèlerinage de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle justifient un accroissement marqué de son affluence? Dans ce mémoire, il est démontré les conditions selon lesquelles le pèlerinage de Compostelle s’établit en tant qu’anti-structure extraquotidienne. Je trace ensuite le portrait des étapes que franchissent les pèlerins qui entament le périple : la séparation, la crise, l’adaptation et la communitas. Nous verrons que ledit sentiment de présence témoigne de l’atteinte du seuil de la communitas. Afin d’expliquer le sentiment de présence, j’ai recours au concept de flow élaboré par Csikszentmihalyi. Selon Csikszentmihalyi, l’expérience du flow s’accompagne d’une impression d’être présent « ici et maintenant ». Nous verrons que l’expérience extraquotidienne du pèlerinage favorise le flow. À l’opposé, je défends la thèse selon laquelle les processus au cœur de l’accélération sociale font obstacle au flow, notamment : l’incessante obsolescence des pratiques et savoirs à l’ère de l’information et l’altération des perceptions induite par les technologies, et particulièrement le numérique. / In 2015, I conducted fieldwork on St. James Way. As is demonstrated by Victor Turner’s theoretical work, it is this paper’s belief that liminal phenomena, that are manifested during rites of passage such as St. James Way, provide precious insight into the daily life from which it arises from, namely, social structure. The study of extraordinary temporality here is justified thus, by its interdependence to daily life. In fact, liminal phenomena are known to frame crises in daily life. Results of the fieldwork conducted on St. James Way’s extraordinary temporality led to the observation that the impression of ‘being in the moment’ is a prevalent theme amongst pilgrims. The impressive upsurge of pilgrims walking the paths to Santiago, at a time of secularization and individualization, raises questions. If rites of passage are indeed mechanism acting like pressure releasing valve, to which crisis do they owe this surge? Secondly, which aspects of this pilgrimage explain its current appeal? First, it will be argued that St. James Way’s pilgrimage establishes itself as an anti-structure, or put otherwise, an extraordinary temporality. For the purpose of this demonstration, an overview of the stages pilgrims go through will be presented, namely: separation, crisis, adaptation and communitas. Furthermore, we will see that the impression of being in the moment marks the threshold of the communitas. To explain this ‘impression’, this paper invokes a psychological perspective that St. James Way delivers a proper experience of flow. According to Csikszentmihalyi, the flow is known to trigger a feeling of ‘being in the moment’. On the contrary, this research supports the thesis that the structure of daily life fails to deliver an equally optimal experience. Therefore, this paper investigates the processes through which the society of acceleration hinders the experience of flow. Among these processes, emphasis is given here to the impending obsolescence of knowledge in the age of information technology and the altered perception induced by technologies, more specifically, digital devices.