Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

About: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad is a education organization based out in Ahmedabad, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Emerging markets & Population. The organization has 1828 authors who have published 4011 publications receiving 59269 citations. The organization is also known as: IIMA & IIM Ahmedabad.

An Algorithm for Bus Scheduling Problems

Abstract: The problem arose in the context of devising a schedule for buses to be operated by a State Transport Corporation. An algorithm for obtaining a schedule to minimize the number of buses required is described, in which computational advantage is taken of the special structure of the problem. A computer program has been written and some results of its use are described.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): Emerging Scenario and Strategic Options for IT-enabled Services

Abstract: The paradigm shift that the Internet has brought about in communication has opened up a plethora of opportunities for outsourcing business processes (BPO) across continents. Success lessons in manufacturing sub-contracting are found to be relevant for understanding the logic of BPO. Outsourcing involves transferring certain value contributing activities or processes to another firm to save costs and for the principal to focus on its areas of key competence. The possibilities of disaggregating value elements for the purpose of creating value in them at the sub-contractors’ premises and final aggregation and synthesis at the parent organization are determined by the nature of industry, limitations of coordination and control, product maturity, and level of inter-firm competition.

A non-linear traffic flow-based queuing model to estimate container terminal throughput with AGVs

Abstract: Efficient handling of containers at a terminal can reduce the overall vessel sojourn times and minimise operational costs. The internal transport of containers in these terminals is performed by vehicles that share a common guide path. The throughput capacity of a terminal may increase by increasing the number of vehicles; however, simultaneously congestion may reduce the effective vehicle speed. We model this situation accurately using a traffic flow-based closed queuing network model. The vehicle internal transport is modelled using a load-dependent server that captures the interaction between the number of vehicles in a transport segment and the effective vehicle speed. Using a non-linear traffic flow model, we show that the throughput reductions due to vehicle congestion can be as large as 85%. Hence, the effect of vehicle congestion during internal transport cannot be ignored. The model can also be used to determine the appropriate number of vehicles required to achieve the required terminal throughput by explicitly considering the effect of vehicle congestion.

Human Resource Development as National Policy in India

Abstract: The problem and the solution. Although India took the lead in the Asia Pacific region, setting up a full Ministry of Human Resource Development, the National human resource development concept in India has largely been limited to education and culture. The complexity of the country perhaps makes it difficult to have integrated HRD systems at the national level. Networking and learning from each other among various ministries and institutions and from the corporate sector will, however, go a long way in effectively evolving and implementing NHRD policies.

Classification of Smart City Research - a Descriptive Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Abstract: Smart City (SC) has been a popular area of research and practice during the last decade. An in-depth examination of the existing literature reviews on SCs divulges the scarcity of studies classifying the literature into multiple themes and identifying the popular and less popular themes based on the number of peer reviewed research papers under respective theme. Hence, in this study, a descriptive literature review of 86 peer-reviewed papers on SCs has been conducted to bridge this gap. The findings demonstrate that themes such as SC services design and management, innovation and technology, and citizens’ engagement in design and development of SCs have been extensively studied, whereas, themes such as the social impact, governance and policy, and performance indicators and standards have received moderate attention. However, there are also less popular themes such as the implementation barriers and SC strategy. Further, this study provides a reference source to future researchers. It also delivers valuable information to the policymakers and government bodies, which are actively, involved in the SC projects.