Showing papers in "Omega-international Journal of Management Science in 2005"
TL;DR: This investigation proposes a hybrid methodology that exploits the unique strength of the ARIMA model and the SVMs model in forecasting stock prices problems and results of computational tests are very promising.
Abstract: Traditionally, the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model has been one of the most widely used linear models in time series forecasting However, the ARIMA model cannot easily capture the nonlinear patterns Support vector machines (SVMs), a novel neural network technique, have been successfully applied in solving nonlinear regression estimation problems Therefore, this investigation proposes a hybrid methodology that exploits the unique strength of the ARIMA model and the SVMs model in forecasting stock prices problems Real data sets of stock prices were used to examine the forecasting accuracy of the proposed model The results of computational tests are very promising
847 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the relationship between environmental proactivity and business performance on a sample of 186 industrial companies and concluded that there is no one single response for the question of whether environmental pro-activity has positive effects on business performance.
Abstract: This paper analyses the relationship between environmental proactivity and business performance on a sample of 186 industrial companies. This relationship is approached by studying a bundle of relationships between different dimensions or manifestations of environmental proactivity and different measures of business performance. The analysis in part supports the idea that environmental management can bring about competitive opportunities for companies, although it also reveals that some environmental practices produce negative effects. It is thus concluded that there is no one single response for the question of whether environmental proactivity has positive effects on business performance and that this relationship must be disaggregated into more specific and concrete relationships.
727 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors empirically examined the extent to which just-in-time, supply chain management, and quality management are correlated, and how they impact business performance, finding that at both strategic and operational levels, linkages exist between how just in time, total quality management and supply-chain management are viewed by organizations as part of their operations strategy.
Abstract: In recent years, numerous approaches have been proposed to improve operations performance. Three in particular, just in time, supply chain management, and quality management, have received considerable attention. While the three are sometimes viewed and implemented as if they were independent and distinct, they can also be used as three prongs of an integrated operations strategy. This study empirically examines the extent to which just in time, supply chain management, and quality management are correlated, and how they impact business performance. Results demonstrate that at both strategic and operational levels, linkages exist between how just in time, total quality management, and supply chain management are viewed by organizations as part of their operations strategy. Results also indicate that a commitment to quality and an understanding of supply chain dynamics have the greatest effect on performance.
683 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a theoretic basis for the application of linguistic preference relations in group decision making was established, and the deviation degree and similarity degree between two linguistic values were defined.
Abstract: In this paper, we study the group decision making problem with linguistic preference relations. We first show that the weighted combination of A1,A2,…,Am is linguistic preference relation under the condition that all of A1,A2,…,Am are linguistic preference relations. Then we define the concepts of deviation degree and similarity degree between two linguistic values, and deviation degree and similarity degree between two linguistic preference relations. We also show that the deviation degree between linguistic preference relation Ai of A1,A2,…,Am and their group linguistic preference relation is no greater than the largest deviation degree between the linguistic preference relation Ai and each of the linguistic preference relations A1,A2,…,Am. Thus, a theoretic basis has been established for the application of linguistic preference relations in group decision making.
656 citations
TL;DR: This paper gives an overview of heuristic rules that can support practitioners to develop a business process design that is a radical improvement of a current design.
Abstract: To implement business process redesign several best practices can be distinguished. This paper gives an overview of heuristic rules that can support practitioners to develop a business process design that is a radical improvement of a current design. The emphasis is on the mechanics of the process, rather than on behavioral or change management aspects. The various best practices are derived from a wide literature survey and supplemented with experiences of the authors. To evaluate the impact of each best practice along the dimensions of cost, flexibility, time and quality, a conceptual framework is presented that synthesizes views from areas such as information systems development, enterprise modeling and workflow management. The best practices are thought to have a wide applicability across various industries and business processes. They can be used as a “check list” for process redesign under the umbrella of diverse management approaches such as Total Cycle Time compression, the Lean Enterprise and Constraints Management.
497 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed to reduce the bullwhip effect in supply chains by strategic partnership, which leads to increased information flows, reduced uncertainty, and a more profitable supply chain.
Abstract: Supply chain is defined as a system of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and customers where material, financial and information flows connect participants in both directions. Most supply chains are composed of independent agents with individual preferences. It is expected that no single agent has the power to optimise the supply chain. Supply chain management is now seen as a governing element in strategy and as an effective way of creating value for customers. The so-called bullwhip effect, describing growing variation upstream in a supply chain, is probably the most famous demonstration that decentralised decision making can lead to poor supply chain performance. Information asymmetry is one of the most powerful sources of the bullwhip effect. Information sharing of customer demand has an impact on the bullwhip effect. Information technology has lead to centralised information, shorter lead times and smaller batch sizes. The analysis of causes of the bullwhip effect has lead to suggestions for reducing the bullwhip effect in supply chains by strategic partnership. Supply chain partnership leads to increased information flows, reduced uncertainty, and a more profitable supply chain. The cooperation is based on contacts and formal agreements. Information exchange is very important issue for coordinating actions of units. New business practices and information technology make the coordination even closer. Information sharing and strategic partnerships of units can be modelled by different network structures.
494 citations
TL;DR: A thorough explanation is given to address the concepts, computations and implementations in the proposed HOQ model, followed by a full example for a fried Chinese vegetable to illustrate step by step all the relevant details with the purpose of facilitating the understanding and application of the QFD process.
Abstract: This paper presents a systematic and operational approach to quality function deployment (QFD), a customer-driven quality management system for product development. After a comprehensive description of the relevant elements in house of quality (HOQ), the first and most influential phase of the QFD system, a 9-step model is proposed to help build such an HOQ. A number of 9-point scales are developed whose uses could help unify the various measurements in HOQ to avoid arbitrariness. Special attention is paid to the various subjective assessments in the HOQ process, and symmetrical triangular fuzzy numbers (STFNs) are suggested for use to capture the vagueness in people's linguistic assessments. Instead of using the quite subjective sales-point concept, entropy method is introduced to conduct competitive analysis and derive competitive priority ratings. A thorough explanation is given to address the concepts, computations and implementations in the proposed HOQ model, followed by a full example for a fried Chinese vegetable to illustrate step by step all the relevant details with the purpose of facilitating the understanding and application of the QFD process. Two difficult parts omitted from our model, especially the correlation matrices, are discussed in some detail finally, and possible approaches are also suggested to deal with them in a potentially more complete HOQ model.
374 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors considered the price competition between e-tail and retail distribution channels under two market game settings: the Bertrand and the Stackelberg price competition models.
Abstract: In addition to regular retail distribution channels, a firm nowadays can avail themselves of such information technology (IT) as the Internet to distribute products directly “on line” (referred to as an “e-tail” distribution channel). The mix of retailing with e-tailing has added a new dimension of competition to the firm's distribution channels. The central issue of this competition is the competitive pricing policies between retail and e-tail distribution channels. In this paper, we consider the price competition between these two channels under two market game settings: the Bertrand and the Stackelberg price competition models. In the Bertrand competition, the manufacturer and retailer simultaneously select e-tail and retail price, respectively, while in Stackelberg competition, the manufacturer as a leader selects the e-tail price, then the retailer selects retail price. We obtain both the Bertrand and Stackelberg equilibrium pricing policies, and compare the profit gains under these two competitions. Based on our results, we propose an appropriate strategy for the manufacturer to adopt when adding an e-tail channel. We also show that an optimal wholesale price exists under a different market structure that could be used to encourage the retailer to accommodate the additional e-tail channel.
367 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors validate measures of the risk factors associated with outsourcing IT operations, including cost reduction, improved quality of service, and access to technological expertise, using data from a survey of 132 IT executives.
Abstract: Outsourcing information technology (IT) operations has been recognized to have important potential benefits, including cost reduction, improved quality of service, and access to technological expertise. Researchers and practitioners also recognize that, in some circumstances, IT outsourcing entails risk, and that it sometimes leads to undesirable consequences that are the opposite of the expected benefits. The main purpose of this study was to validate measures of the risk factors associated with outsourcing IT operations. Insights from transaction costs theory suggest that there exist three major sources of risk factors for IT outsourcing: the transaction, the client and the supplier. From these insights, preliminary measures of IT outsourcing risk factors were developed and data from a survey of 132 IT executives were analyzed with partial least squares to assess their reliability and validity. The results confirm that these factors are useful indicators for assessing IT outsourcing risks.
261 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a non-additive fuzzy integral is proposed to cope with evaluation of fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making problems particularly while there is dependence among considered criteria, so the fuzziness and uncertainty of subjective perception should be considered.
Abstract: In actual environmental investment for industry, the stakeholders are often required to evaluate the investment strategies according to their own subjective preferences in terms of numerical values from various criteria, such as economic effectiveness, technique feasibility and environmental regulation. Thus, this situation can be regarded as a fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, so the fuzziness and uncertainty of subjective perception should be considered. This paper proposes an alternative approach, the non-additive fuzzy integral, to cope with evaluation of fuzzy MCDM problems particularly while there is dependence among considered criteria. To illustrate the proposed procedure, the sustainable development strategy for aquatic product processors in Taiwan is investigated. In this paper we employ triangular fuzzy numbers to represent the decision makers’ subjective preferences on the considered criteria, as well as for the criteria measurements to evaluate a sustainable development planning case for industry. Firstly, in this study we employ factor analysis to extract four independent common factors from those criteria. Secondly, we construct the evaluation frame using AHP composed of the above four common factors with twelve evaluated criteria, and then derive the relative weights with respect to considered criteria. Thirdly, the synthetic utility value corresponding to each sustainable development strategy is aggregated by the fuzzy weights with fuzzy performance values, and the best investment strategies can then be decided. Through this study, we successfully demonstrate that the non-additive fuzzy integral is an effective evaluation and appears to be more appropriate than the traditional simple additive weighted method, especially when the criteria are dependent.
236 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the assessment of the Human Development Index (HDI) is reconsidered in the light of data envelopment analysis (DEA), and the new approach is applied to the countries of the regional aggregate of Asia and the Pacific.
Abstract: The United Nations Development Program introduced in 1990 the Human Development Index (HDI), which ever since is published annually in the Human Development Report. In this paper, the assessment of the HDI is reconsidered in the light of data envelopment analysis (DEA). The new approach is applied to the countries of the regional aggregate of Asia and the Pacific. Human development is benchmarked on the basis of empirical observations of best practice countries. First, on the same line with HDI, we develop a DEA-like linear programming model to assess the relative performance of the countries in terms of human development. Then we extend our calculations with a post-DEA goal-programming model to derive estimates of a new development index by using optimal weights for the socioeconomic indicators. Finally, we estimate the relative efficiency of the countries in converting income to human development. We develop and solve for this purpose a pure DEA model with variable returns to scale.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented a model for understanding consumers' online buying behavior using a transaction cost economics perspective, which showed that consumers' willingness to buy online is negatively associated with their perceived transaction cost, and perceived transaction costs are associated with uncertainty, dependability of online stores and buying frequency.
Abstract: Using a transaction cost economics perspective, this paper presents a model for understanding consumers' on-line buying behavior. An empirical study was conducted in Singapore to test the model. The results indicate that consumers' willingness to buy online is negatively associated with their perceived transaction cost, and perceived transaction cost is associated with uncertainty, dependability of online stores and buying frequency. When consumers perceive more dependability of online stores and less uncertainty in online shopping and have more online experiences, they are more likely to buy online. Implications of the results are discussed.
TL;DR: A hybrid genetic algorithm for production and distribution problems in multi-factory supply chain models is developed and the optimization results show that it is reliable and robust.
Abstract: This paper develops a hybrid genetic algorithm for production and distribution problems in multi-factory supply chain models. Supply chain problems usually may involve multi-criterion decision-making, for example operating cost, service level, resources utilization, etc. These criteria are numerous and interrelated. To organize them, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) will be utilized. It provides a systematic approach for decision makers to assign weightings and relate them. Meanwhile, genetic algorithms (GAs) will be utilized to determine jobs allocation into suitable production plants. Genetic operators adopted to improve the genetic search algorithm will be introduced and discussed. Finally, a hypothetical production–distribution problem will be solved by the proposed algorithm. The optimization results show that it is reliable and robust.
TL;DR: This paper presents how fuzzy goal programming can be efficiently used for modelling and solving land-use planning problems in agricultural systems for optimal production of several seasonal crops in a planning year.
Abstract: This paper presents how fuzzy goal programming can be efficiently used for modelling and solving land-use planning problems in agricultural systems for optimal production of several seasonal crops in a planning year. In the model formulation of the problem, utilization of total cultivable land, supply of productive resources, aspiration levels of various production of crops as well as the total expected profit from the farm are fuzzily described. In the decision-making situation, minimization of the under-deviational variables of the membership goals with highest membership value (unity) as their achievement levels defined for the membership functions of the fuzzy goals of the problem on the basis of the priorities of importance of achieving the aspired levels of the fuzzy goals to the extent possible is considered. As a study region, the District Nadia, West Bengal, India is taken into account. To expound the potential use of the approach, the model solution is compared with the existing cropping plan of the District as well as a solution of the problem obtained by using the additive fuzzy goal programming model studied by Tiwari et al. (Fuzzy sets and systems 24(1987)27.) previously.
TL;DR: An order-clustering model based on 0-1 integer programming can be formulated to maximize the associations between orders within each batch to find quality solutions of order batching problems.
Abstract: Research on warehousing systems has gained interest since the 1980s, reflecting the fact that supply chain management has pursued a demand-driven organization with high product variety, small order sizes, and reliable short response times throughout the supply chain. This market trend has affected warehouse management and operations tremendously. Order batching in a warehouse attempts to achieve high-volume order processing operations by consolidating small orders into batches. Order batching is an essential operation of order processing in which several orders are grouped into batches. This paper describes the development of an order batching approach based on data mining and integer programming. It is valuable to discover the important associations between orders such that the occurrence of some orders in a batch will cause the occurrence of other orders in the same batch. An order-clustering model based on 0–1 integer programming can be formulated to maximize the associations between orders within each batch. From the results of several test problems, the proposed approach shows its ability to find quality solutions of order batching problems.
TL;DR: This study seeks to provide a framework--which has not been proposed in prior literature--for analyzing and evaluating the correlated concepts of operational and strategic flexibilities, to create a theoretical foundation for future research and empirical testing.
Abstract: This paper aims at clarifying the concept of strategic flexibility, starting from that much more common of manufacturing flexibility (or operational one). After characterizing the dimensions of the latter, a classification of strategic flexibility is presented which distinguishes four categories. The measures of strategic flexibility are also investigated. Then two analogies are pointed out with the operational flexibility. The first, of the cause-effect type, is on two levels: at the business level, the operational flexibility estimates the variation of practices, while the strategic flexibility measures the effect obtained on performances; at the corporate level, the operational flexibility estimates the variation of competences, while the strategic flexibility evaluates the change in business. The second analogy, related to the classification variables, permits the main types of operational and strategic flexibilities to be placed in a single framework. So this study seeks to provide a framework—which has not been proposed in prior literature—for analyzing and evaluating the correlated concepts of operational and strategic flexibilities, to create a theoretical foundation for future research and empirical testing.
TL;DR: It is proved that a two person zero sum matrix game with fuzzy goals and fuzzy payoffs is equivalent to a primal-dual pair of certain fuzzy linear programming problems in which both goals as well as parameters are fuzzy.
Abstract: A two person zero sum matrix game with fuzzy goals and fuzzy payoffs is considered and its solution is conceptualized using a suitable defuzzification function. Also, it is proved that such a game is equivalent to a primal–dual pair of certain fuzzy linear programming problems in which both goals as well as parameters are fuzzy.
TL;DR: In this article, a slack-based context-dependent DEA is proposed to evaluate the inefficiency represented by non-zero input and output slacks in the context-independent DEA, which allows a full evaluation of inefficiency in a DMUs performance.
Abstract: Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has been proven as an excellent data-oriented performance evaluation method when multiple inputs and outputs are present in a set of peer decision-making units (DMUs). In the DEA literature, a context-dependent DEA is developed to provide finer evaluation results by examining the efficiency of DMUs in specific performance levels based upon radial DEA efficiency scores. In DEA, non-zero input and output slacks are very likely to present after the radial efficiency score improvement. Often, these non-zero slack values represent a substantial amount of inefficiency. Therefore, in order to fully measure the inefficiency in DMU's performance, it is very important to also consider the inefficiency represented by the non-zero slacks in the context-dependent DEA. This study proposes a slack-based context-dependent DEA which allows a full evaluation of inefficiency in a DMUs performance. By using slack-based efficiency measure, we obtain different frontier levels and more appropriate performance benchmarks for inefficient DMUs.
TL;DR: The development of a discrete-event geographical location-allocation simulation model for evaluating various options for the provision of services and real-life case studies will illustrate the practical importance of the modeling approach.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with modeling for planning health services when geographical considerations in the location of services and in the locations of patients who need services are important. Examples of geographical distribution and organization of health services are the location of hospital outpatient departments within a city, and the provision of hospital-based specialist services, such as cardiac and dental surgery, across a region. Important issues in the provision of services include the location of the service centers, service capacities, geographical distribution of patients, and ease of access to the health services. This paper describes the development of a discrete-event geographical location–allocation simulation model for evaluating various options for the provision of services. Real-life case studies will illustrate the practical importance of the modeling approach.
TL;DR: An integrated inventory control model, making joint economic lot sizes of manufacturer's raw material ordering, production batch, and buyer's ordering, is developed to minimize the mean total cost per unit time of the raw materials ordering and holding.
Abstract: In this research we consider a single-manufacturer single-buyer supply chain problem where the manufacturer orders raw materials from its supplier, then using its manufacturing processes converts the raw materials to finished goods, and finally delivers the finished goods to its customer. The manufacturer produces the product in batches at a finite rate and periodically delivers the finished goods at a fixed lot size to its customer, who has a constant demand rate. An integrated inventory control model, making joint economic lot sizes of manufacturer's raw material ordering, production batch, and buyer's ordering, is developed to minimize the mean total cost per unit time of the raw materials ordering and holding, manufacturer's setup and finished goods holding, the buyer's ordering, and inventory holding. Numerical examples are also setup to illustrate that jointly considering the inventory costs above results in less mean total cost than that of considering them separately.
TL;DR: In this paper, a taxonomy of transfer of technologies is presented, defining the field in its entirety and delineating all of its facets in a manner that is parsimonious yet discriminating.
Abstract: Transfer of technologies (TT) takes place among various kinds of players, takes on various kinds of modalities and is done for various motivations. Its literature is very disjoint and disparate. It transcends several academic disciplines and professions. This paper presents a taxonomy defining the field in its entirety and delineating all of its facets in a manner that is parsimonious yet discriminating. Many potential uses for the taxonomy are identified. These include more effective teaching of TT subject matter.
TL;DR: The Modified Differential Evolution (MDE) algorithm utilizes selection pressure to develop offspring that are more fit to survive than those generated from purely random operators and requires less computational effort to locate global optimal solutions to well-known test problems in the continuous domain.
Abstract: Over the past three decades Evolutionary Algorithms have emerged as a powerful mechanism for finding solutions to large and complex problems. A promising new evolutionary algorithm known as Differential Evolution (DE) was recently introduced and has garnered significant attention in the research literature. This paper introduces a modification to DE that enhances its rate of convergence without compromising solution quality. DE was recently shown to outperform several well-known stochastic optimization methods on an extensive set of test problems. Our Modified Differential Evolution (MDE) algorithm utilizes selection pressure to develop offspring that are more fit to survive than those generated from purely random operators. We demonstrate that MDE requires less computational effort to locate global optimal solutions to well-known test problems in the continuous domain.
TL;DR: Two different approaches to the graph coloring problem of a fuzzy graph are introduced and the classical concept of the (crisp) chromatic number of a graph is generalized for these approaches.
Abstract: Given a graph G = (V, E), a coloring function C assigns an integer value C(i) to each node i epsilon V in such a way that the extremes of any edge {i,j} epsilon E cannot share the same color, ie, C(i) epsilon C(j) Two different approaches to the graph coloring problem of a fuzzy graph 6 = ( V, (E) over tilde) are introduced in this paper The classical concept of the (crisp) chromatic number of a graph is generalized for these approaches The first approach is based on the successive coloring functions C-x of the crisp graphs G(x) = (T E), the alpha-cuts of (G) over tilde; the traffic lights problem is analyzed following this approach The second approach is based on an extension of the concept of coloring function by means of a distance defined between colors; a timetabling problem is analyzed within this approach An exact algorithm for obtaining the chromatic number associated with the second approach is proposed, and some computational results on randomly generated fuzzy graphs are reported
TL;DR: In this paper, a quadratic interval logit model was proposed to forecast corporate distress in the UK, which combines the advantages of logit (or logistic regression) and Tanaka's quadrastic interval regression model.
Abstract: This paper proposes a quadratic interval logit model (or quadratic interval logistic regression analysis) based on a quadratic programming approach to deal with binary response variables. This model combines the advantages of logit (or logistic regression) and Tanaka's quadratic interval regression model. As a demonstration, we applied this model to forecasting corporate distress in the UK. The results show that this model can support the logit model to discriminate between groups, and it provides more information to researchers.
TL;DR: A new algorithm was developed to evaluate the reliability of multistate networks under cost constraint in terms of the entire (d,c)-MPs, which is more efficient than the best-known existing algorithm.
Abstract: A multistate network is a system composed of multistate components. The network reliability under the cost constraint for level ( d , c ) can be computed in terms of ( d , c )-MP (MP stands for minimal path) which is a vector such that d units of flow can be transmitted between two specified nodes with the total cost not greater than c . In this study, a new algorithm was developed to evaluate the reliability of multistate networks under cost constraint in terms of the entire ( d , c )-MPs. The proposed method is more efficient than the best-known existing algorithm. One example is illustrated to show how all ( d , c )-MPs are generated by the proposed algorithm. The reliability of this example is then computed. The computational complexity of the proposed algorithm is also analyzed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the determination of day-of-the-week effect existing in a sample of Asia-Pacific markets such as Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan was studied.
Abstract: This paper is devoted to extending the determination of day-of-the-week effect existing in a sample of Asia–Pacific markets such as Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. At the same time, we also like to test for the presence of weekend effects in developed markets of the US and Japan. In view of recent studies regarding the disappearing day-of-the-week effect for US firms, we will focus our attention on the recent years to better track the presence of weekend effects during and after the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the recent collapse of the blue chip stocks in the United States. The results reveal that there exists no evidence of the day-of-the-week effect in all countries except Singapore. For Singapore, it is low returns on Monday and Tuesday and high returns on Wednesday to Friday.
TL;DR: An effective model to rank candidates in a preferential election is proposed that is an extension and simplified form of a recently proposed model for ranking efficient candidates and can be used for ranking inefficient as well as efficient candidates.
Abstract: In this paper an effective model to rank candidates in a preferential election is proposed. It is an extension and simplified form of a recently proposed model for ranking efficient candidates. The model consists of fewer constraints and can be used for ranking inefficient as well as efficient candidates. Some techniques are introduced to decrease the complexity of the proposed model by obtaining some of the results by inspection.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on confirmatory analysis and factorial invariance tests of the impact of information technology instrument on the individual and his/her work and report that the recommended four-factor instrument contains 12 items, seems to be factorially invariant across two samples from the US and Mexico and across two managerial levels, and has high reliability and validity.
Abstract: Organizations increasingly evaluate information technology in terms of its impact on the individual and his/her work. Academics have shown increased attention to developing measures of technology success in terms of impact on work. One of these efforts produced an instrument that measures how extensively information technology applications impact task productivity, task innovation, customer satisfaction, and management control. These constructs reflect perceived usefulness of information technology application for work. This paper reports on confirmatory analysis and factorial invariance tests of the impact of information technology instrument. The recommended four-factor instrument contains 12 items, seems to be factorially invariant across two samples from the US and Mexico and across two managerial levels, and has high reliability and validity.
TL;DR: A material requirements planning simulator with a two-level bill-of-material is used to study the impact of introducing component commonality into an assemble-to-order environment when demand is subject to random variations, and component procurement orders experience random delays.
Abstract: A material requirements planning simulator with a two-level bill-of-material is used to study the impact of introducing component commonality into an assemble-to-order environment when demand is subject to random variations, and component procurement orders experience random delays. By using simulated data, our ANOVA results show that component commonality significantly interacts with existence of demand and supply chain uncertainties, and benefits of component commonality are most pronounced when both uncertainties exist.
TL;DR: TOC can be viewed as a methodological set of complementary hard and soft tools and methods that contribute to all phases of activity and across all three social, personal and material dimensions of the Mingers-Brocklesby framework, and share the ontological and epistemological characteristics and assumptions of extant OR/MS methodologies.
Abstract: Mingers (J. Oper. Res. Soc. 54 (2003) 559; Int. Trans. Oper. Res. 7 (2000) 673; J. Mingers, A. Gill (Eds.), Multimethodology: Towards the Theory and Practice of Combining Management Science Methodologies, Wiley, Chichester, 1997), Mingers and Brocklesby (Omega—Int. J. Manage. Sci. 25(5) (1997) 489; Systemist 18(3) (1996) 101) and others have sought to develop classificatory frameworks that would be useful in understanding the nature and characteristics of Operational Research/Management Science (OR/MS) methodologies and the philosophical assumptions underpinning them. This paper extends their work to the domain of methods and methodologies known as the Theory of Constraints (TOC). In particular, the paper helps position TOC methods and tools in relation to traditional OR/MS methodologies, methods and tools, and provides a basis for continuing multi-methodological development across the two domains. The paper concludes that the tools, techniques and methods of TOC can be viewed as a methodological set of complementary hard and soft tools and methods that contribute to all phases of activity and across all three social, personal and material dimensions of the Mingers–Brocklesby framework, and share the ontological and epistemological characteristics and assumptions of extant OR/MS methodologies.