Дисертації з теми "Shelf management"

The shallow waters west of Scotland feature strong variability in water properties on a variety of temporal scales. While the region is known to be subject to both coastal and oceanic influences, the causes of variability are poorly understood. The limited characterisation of changes in coastal waters impacts our ability to explain the behaviour of coastal ecosystems, and predict their resilience to future climate scenarios. This thesis uses historical data in conjunction with recent cruises and a coastal mooring to investigate the causes of variability in the waters west of Scotland. Two new inter-annual salinity time series on the European shelf are developed. The spatial variability in salinity in shallow waters is greatest during winter and increases by a factor of four between the shelf edge and the coastline. At the shelf edge, new observations of the along-slope current suggest that it is stronger but less stable during winter, leading to a greater availability of oceanic water on the outer Malin Shelf. However unlike other documented shelf regions, shelf edge processes do not directly influence Scottish coastal water properties. A baroclinic current originating in the Irish Sea is the main influence near the Scottish coast during quiescent periods, but wind forcing dominates shelf processes during most winters, with prevailing winds tending to drive oceanic water towards the coast. While salinity in the Sea of the Hebrides is moderately correlated to wind, coastal salinity is sensitive to both advective processes and freshwater runoff. On inter-annual time-scales, salinity on the Malin Shelf is higher when the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is positive, whereas the northern Irish Sea is fresher during a positive NAO state. Salinity and flow pathways in Scottish coastal waters appear to be resilient both to changes in the Rockall Trough and a warming climate on decadal time-scales.

This thesis deals with category management of baby food on the Czech market. The goal of the thesis is to determine the theoretical basis of category management and define the category management process. Subsequently, based on the analysis of primary and secondary data, will be characterized the change in current shopping behaviour of mothers. Next goal is to design a general model structure of baby food exposure and through this model to determine whether the current situation on the baby food market, in the field of presentation of products, meets the needs and desires of customers. Primary data will be collected through the quantitative on-line questionnaire survey. The source for the secondary analysis will be the data from the project Market&Media&Lifestyle, market data and shopper behaviour research 2013.

Purpose This study focuses on applicable methods used in the Inventory Management of Fresh Food Products and challenges encountered in their implementation. The area of concentration is the Fresh Food Retailers. Secondly, the challenges encountered in the implementation of fresh food products is also addressed. Methodology The study employs a qualitative research technique with the use of a semi-structured interview for five companies to gather data. Theory The theory section of this study first gives a brief explanation of fresh food retailers’. Secondly, it addresses the keywords of the research questions: Fresh Food Products Inventory Management, highlighting the management of the shelf-life and technological innovations in use in the inventory management of Fresh Food Products. It moves on to address the challenges encountered in the implementation of inventory management systems Empirical This represents the outcome of semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted with five companies. It started with a brief description of the company. Analysis and Discussion The analysis portrays the techniques and models used in the inventory management of shelflife and technological innovations and identification and discussion of implementation challenges or drawback of implementation. Conclusion This addresses my contribution and a futuristic approach to the topic.

This thesis is concerned with the legal management of risk in oil and gas operations upon the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. The work focusses in particular upon geological risk, political risk and the regulatory and commercial risks pertaining to major accidents. Geological risk relates to the fact that generally, oil and gas is concealed within geological formations in the deep underground. Exploration activity is, as a result, both difficult and expensive. The thesis considers the extent to which the UK's chosen licensing system has struck an appropriate balance on who should bear the risk of failure of such operations. Political risk involves (on the one hand) the risks faced by investors in interacting with the state and (on the other) the risks faced by the state when designing its regulatory system. Investors are in a precarious position due to the high level of capital investment and long-term nature of oil and gas operations: they are therefore concerned to ensure stability and autonomy of operation. The state, on the other hand, is concerned that it is not taken advantage of by the (usually more knowledgeable) industry player when designing its regulatory system. The risk of major accident is reflected both in regulation of health, safety and the environment and in the contractual arrangements entered into by commercial entities in order to determine which party should bear ultimate liability in the event that an accident causes wide-spread loss. Having regard to the example of the law applied on the UK continental shelf, the thesis demonstrates that while risk can never be wholly removed from oil and gas operations, the law can be effectively used to mitigate risk and thereafter to facilitate he appropriate distribution of such residual levels of risk as remain.

Background – inventory management theory has in the past been focused on traditional engineering industries. These theories are not completely applicable on industries such as FMCG where the main objective is to avoid obsolescence and not tied-up capital. A part of the FMCG industry that is especially pressured by short shelf lives is the food industry. The food industry has also the disadvantage that the customers demand instant deliveries, which makes production to order impossible. Arla Foods is a dairy company that is struggling with high and increasing wastage costs. The wastage cost is generated from products where last sales date is exceeded and Arla Foods CSE therefore has to trash the products even if the best-before date is still valid. These costs need to be reduced on both short and long term. Hence Arla Foods is perfect as a case company for this study. Purpose – the ulterior purpose of this study is to seek if the current theory is applicable on the food industry. This is investigated through a case study at Arla Foods with the following questions asked: Which factors drives wastage costs at a global dairy company such as Arla Foods? How do the factors relate to each other? Which actions could be taken to reduce the wastage costs at a global dairy company such as Arla Foods? To what extent could these findings be generalizable? Method – a thorough literature study is conducted to create an understanding of the existing theories. The case study is mainly based on interviews and observations with employees at Arla Foods. Data has been extracted from internal data bases and processed to complement the interviews and observations. Conclusion – the case company showed that the most significant wastage drivers on an article level were forecast deviations and batch size/delivery frequency. However, the main wastage drivers at Arla Foods were nothing that could be found in neither supply chain management nor inventory management theory – this was instead problems related to work process, organization, communication and strategy. Suggested solutions to these problems are among others: Going through the worst performing articles’ set-up in a structured way. Making sure that there exists a clear process and that all employees are educated in it. Having a back-up plan on what to do with excessive inventory. Using follow-up reports as tools to take action from. When these problems have been solved, Arla Foods can instead focus on planning principles such as taking steps towards a more integrated collaboration with their customers via Efficient Consumer Response. The findings are not proved to be general in any way, but the conclusion of the report still states that there is a high probability that these findings could be applied on other companies within the food industry in general and within the dairy industry in specific. If this is the case, then it is shown that the current theory lacks several aspects when it comes to food industry – aspects that maybe do not have the same importance within most of the traditional engineering industries. Originality – the literature review conducted before the case study did not show any other case study or research that has made an equally broad overview. Earlier studies have mainly been focused on that the food industry is in need of customized planning principles and systems. That research has in the end advocated implementation of Efficient Consumer Response or similar.

Feature selection is one of the most important decisions made by product managers. This three article study investigates the concepts, tools and techniques for making trade-off decisions of introducing new features in evolving Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software products. The first article investigates the efficacy of various feature selection techniques when the trade-off is between comprehensiveness and time-to-market. The second article investigates the impact of current level of product performance when the trade-off is between providing different types of innovative features to the users. The third article investigates the impact on the ability of the COTS product to attract new users and retain existing users when the trade-off is between providing utilitarian and hedonic value through new product features.

To meet these research goals an extensive multidisciplinary study of Information Systems (IS) and Product Development literatures was conducted followed by experimental research. The experiments were conducted among youth between 19-24 years who were users of Gmail software and produced some key findings.

In the first study the Kano survey method was found to be effective in identifying those features which added value to the product and those that did not. This finding will facilitate product managers in using appropriate techniques for identifying the critical product features to be built into the COTS product thereby reducing time-to-market without sacrificing product quality. In the second study, current COTS product performance was found to significantly impact the type of innovation to be introduced into the COTS product. Basic or Core product innovations were found to have value for the users when performance is low but not when the performance is high. On the other hand, Expected or product Performance innovations and Augmented or user Excitement innovations were found to have value when the performance is high but not when the performance is low. In the third study, Hedonic value and Utilitarian value of product features were found to have distinctive impact on users. While Hedonic value impacted Word-of-Mouth, a measure of the products' capacity to attract new customers, Utilitarian value impacted User Loyalty, a measure of the products' capacity to retain existing customers.

[Truncated abstract] Selection of priority areas for Marine Park conservation is often compromised by the lack of comprehensive biodiversity data and the resources and expertise necessary to gain this information directly by sampling. One cost effective alternative is the use of species groups or indicator species as surrogates for total biodiversity. However use of these surrogates requires an ecological understanding of how they reflect biodiversity gradients. A framework for unravelling these relationships has been suggested that involves relating species biodiversity to different and competing ecological models using appropriate statistical analysis. I use this framework to explore coral species biodiversity over a range of environmental gradients encompassing the North West Shelf of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in North East Australia. ... I assessed physiological responses of corals to physical factors to corroborate crossshelf patterns in species biodiversity. Finally, I investigated to what extent coral cooccurrence based species groups (or guilds) can be used as surrogates for total coral biodiversity. The major findings of this thesis were: i) coral biodiversity along cross-shelf environments was highly correlated to specific gradients of abiotic reef conditions; ii) larval modelling indicates the potential for significant connectivity across continentalshelf environments such that differences in species distribution are not simply as a result of self seeding. iii) similar correlative patterns were demonstrated for coral species that occur along comparable abiotic gradients in reef areas of both Eastern and Western Australia, suggesting a causal relationship between the physical environment and coral biodiversity; iv) coral physiological parameters measured using lipid fractions independently corroborated the hypothesis that there is a biological basis for observed coral distributions; v) reef coral communities are not highly structured across abiotic physical gradients and biodiversity across the shelf increases as conditions become suitable for a wider range of species; vi) total coral biodiversity can be estimated very accurately (within r2 values ranging from 0.75 to 0.90) using a small number (15-30) of optimally chosen indictor species using the randomForest statistical method. These results suggest coral biodiversity over cross-shelf environments conforms most closely to the

Abstract - Mobile devices in the near future will need to collaborate to fulfill their function. Collaboration will be done by communication. We use a real world example of robotic soccer to come up with the necessary structures required for robotic communication. A review of related work is done and it is found no examples come close to providing a RANET. The robotic ad hoc network (RANET) we suggest uses existing structures pulled from the areas of wireless networks, peer to peer and software life-cycle management. Gaps are found in the existing structures so we describe how to extend some structures to satisfy the design. The RANET design supports robot cooperation by exchanging messages, discovering needed skills that other robots on the network may possess and the transfer of these skills. The network is built on top of a Bluetooth wireless network and uses JXTA to communicate and transfer skills. OSGi bundles form the skills that can be transferred. To test the nal design a reference implementation is done. Deficiencies in some third party software is found, specifically JXTA and JamVM and GNU Classpath. Lastly we look at how to fix the deciencies by porting the JXTA C implementation to the target robotic platform and potentially eliminating the TCP/IP layer, using UDP instead of TCP or using an adaptive TCP/IP stack. We also propose a future areas of investigation; how to seed the configuration for the Personal area network (PAN) Bluetooth protocol extension so a Bluetooth TCP/IP link is more quickly formed and using the STP to allow multi-hop messaging and transfer of skills.

Abstract - Mobile devices in the near future will need to collaborate to fulfill their function. Collaboration will be done by communication. We use a real world example of robotic soccer to come up with the necessary structures required for robotic communication. A review of related work is done and it is found no examples come close to providing a RANET. The robotic ad hoc network (RANET) we suggest uses existing structures pulled from the areas of wireless networks, peer to peer and software life-cycle management. Gaps are found in the existing structures so we describe how to extend some structures to satisfy the design. The RANET design supports robot cooperation by exchanging messages, discovering needed skills that other robots on the network may possess and the transfer of these skills. The network is built on top of a Bluetooth wireless network and uses JXTA to communicate and transfer skills. OSGi bundles form the skills that can be transferred. To test the nal design a reference implementation is done. Deficiencies in some third party software is found, specifically JXTA and JamVM and GNU Classpath. Lastly we look at how to fix the deciencies by porting the JXTA C implementation to the target robotic platform and potentially eliminating the TCP/IP layer, using UDP instead of TCP or using an adaptive TCP/IP stack. We also propose a future areas of investigation; how to seed the configuration for the Personal area network (PAN) Bluetooth protocol extension so a Bluetooth TCP/IP link is more quickly formed and using the STP to allow multi-hop messaging and transfer of skills.

Mestrado em Gestão MBA
A gestão de categorias desempenha um papel de importância crescente no retalho, e o espaço de linear, é uma variável determinante nos resultados das categorias. O espaço é o recurso mais escasso de um retalhista, e um importante instrumento de marketing nos produtos comercializados em auto-serviço. Os retalhistas podem aumentar as suas vendas, mas também diminuir os custos, através da forma como colocam os produtos no espaço. Um retalhista português iniciou um projecto de gestão de espaço de linear, com uma estratégia de distribuição simples e realista. O espaço foi distribuído na proporção directa das vendas, estratégia comum no sector. Através de uma experiência, com 4 categorias em 2 lojas, medimos a sua eficácia. Os resultados evidenciaram a importância do espaço no crescimento das vendas. Contudo, com esta estratégia os retalhistas apenas podem esperar fracos crescimentos nas vendas.
Category management plays an increasingly important role in retail management and the shelf space is a determinant variable in the results of the category. Shelf space is the retailer´s scarcest resource. For the fast moving consumer goods, in the self-service selling situations, shelves are an important marketing instrument. Retailers cannot only increase their profit but also decrease cost by proper management of shelf allocation and products display. Space management tools and strategies are thus badly needed. For that purpose, a Portuguese retailer started a project for a top down approach on shelf space management. They needed a simple and realistic model for space allocation. We used a common strategy in the sector to allocate shelf space to products: the direct proportion of their sales. Through a field experiment in 4 categories and 2 stores, where we customized shelf based on store specific movement, we measured the effectiveness of this space management technique. The results gave supporting evidence that space matters and plays and important part in increasing product sales. However, with this strategy for space allocation retailers should expect only modest gains in category sales.

Master of Science
Department of Grain Science and Industry
Sajid Alavi
The objective of the study was to investigate extrusion as an alternative processing method and grain sorghum as a viable substitute for corn in fortified blended foods (FBFs) used in nutrition and food assistance programs around the world. In the first part of this study, sorghum-soy blend (SSB), corn-soy blend (CSB) and whole corn-soy blend (WCSB) were developed using extrusion and compared with traditional CSB13 for physico-chemical and sensory properties. After milling of extrudates, average particle size (PS) ranged between 341-447 microns, with 78-85% below 600 microns. In general, Bostwick flow rates (VB=12-23 cm/min) of rehydrated blends (11.75% solids) were within standard specifications but higher than CSB13. Descriptive sensory analysis indicated that the sorghum-based rehydrated blends were significantly less lumpy and had a more uniform texture as compared to corn-based blends and CSB13. In the second part, the impact of decortication level and process conditions was investigated with respect to sorghum-based extruded blends. Degree of gelatinization of the whole sorghum-soy blend (WSSB) and decorticated sorghum-soy blend (DSSB) extrudates ranged from 93-97%. Expansion ratio (ER=3.6-6.1) was correlated with specific mechanical energy input (SME=145-415 kJ/kg; r=0.99) and average particle size after milling (PS=336-474 microns; r= -0.75). Rehydrated blends at 20% solids concentration provided recommended energy density (0.8 kcal/g) for FBFs. Bostwick flow rates had high correlation (r = -0.91) with pasting data (final viscosity) obtained using rapid visco analyzer (RVA). Addition of oil (5.5%) prior to extrusion was also studied, and resulted in process instabilities and also lower shelf-life as determined via descriptive sensory analysis (rancid and painty attributes) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (hexanal, heptenal and octanal concentrations). In conclusion, extruded sorghum-soy blends met standard specifications for energy density and consistency (Bostwick flow rate), and were superior in some aspects as compared to extruded corn-soy blends and traditional corn-soy blends (CSB13). Relationships between extrusion mechanical energy input, expansion, particle size after milling and consistency of rehydrated blends were established. Consistency of the rehydrated blends is an extremely important criterion as it affects the ease of ingestion by target consumers (children below 5 years, in this case).

Tesis por compendio
[ES] Algunos productos se caracterizan por su falta de homogeneidad, lo que significa que productos con diferentes características pueden ser obtenidos de un mismo proceso de producción debido a factores incontrolables como la naturaleza de las materias primas o las condiciones ambientales durante la producción. Hay cuatro aspectos que caracterizan la falta de homogeneidad en el producto: los subtipos homogéneos que se obtienen de un mismo lote de producción, la cantidad de productos que componen cada subtipo, el valor de cada uno de los subtipos, y el estado de los productos. La falta de homogeneidad en el producto dificulta la gestión de los procesos de las empresas y cadenas de suministro en el momento en el que los clientes requieren homogeneidad entre las unidades de producto que adquieren. Un ejemplo de esto se produce en el sector de la cerámica, en el que los clientes requieren que todas las unidades que van a ser ensambladas juntas tengan el mismo color, espesor y calidad por razones estéticas y de seguridad. Otro ejemplo es el extraído del sector agroalimentario, en el que el mercado final requiere productos que cumplan con un tamaño mínimo, un color particular, o sabor en el caso de las frutas. Además, el sector agroalimentario tiene la complejidad añadida producida por el deterioro de los productos a lo largo del tiempo, y la necesidad de los mercados de ofrecer a los clientes productos con una mínima duración tras su venta. En esta Tesis, se define como productos heterogéneos a aquellos productos que se pueden clasificar en subtipos homogéneos con una cantidad variable, mientras que los productos perecederos son aquellos que, además de ser heterogéneos, tienen falta de homogeneidad en su estado. De acuerdo con estos conceptos, el sector cerámico comercializa productos heterogéneos mientras que el sector agroalimentario comercializa productos perecederos. Esta Tesis propone marcos conceptuales y modelos de Investigación Operativa que soporten la gestión de cadenas de suministro con productos heterogéneos y perecederos en la toma de decisiones centralizada y distribuidas relacionadas con los niveles de decisión estratégica, táctica y operativa. El objetivo es mejorar la competitividad, sostenibilidad y flexibilidad de la cadena de suministro para adaptarse a los requerimientos del mercado bajo condiciones de incertidumbre. Para esto, se han propuesto modelos de Investigación Operativa deterministas e inciertos, cuyos resultados se comparan concluyendo que los resultados obtenidos con los modelos inciertos se adaptan mejor al comportamiento real de las cadenas de suministros.Los modelos de Investigación Operativa propuestos han contribuido a tres áreas de investigación: problemas operativos en el sector cerámico, problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario y problemas de planificación en el sector agroalimentario. Las principales novedades en los problemas operativos en el sector cerámico son el modelado de las características de las baldosas cerámicas, la consideración de los requerimientos de homogeneidad entre unidades de diferentes líneas de pedido, y la posibilidad de realizar entregas parciales y entregas con retraso. Esta Tesis contribuye a los problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario al diseñar una cadena de suministro completa de productos agroalimentarios frescos considerando el aspecto perecedero de los productos e integrando decisiones tácticas, y determinando el impacto real que tiene considerar el aspecto perecedero de los productos durante el diseño de la cadena de suministro ...
[CA] Alguns productes es caracteritzen per la seua falta d'homogeneïtat, el que significa que productes amb diferents característiques poden ser obtinguts d'un mateix procés de producció degut a factors incontrolables com la naturalesa de les matèries primeres o les condicions ambientals durant la producció. Hi ha quatre aspectes que caracteritzen la falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte: els subtipus homogenis que s'obtenen d'un mateix lot de producció, la quantitat de productes que componen cada subtipus, el valor de cada un dels subtipus, i l'estat dels productes. La falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte dificulta la gestió dels processos de les empreses i cadenes de subministrament en el moment en què els clients requerixen homogeneïtat entre les unitats de producte que adquirixen. Un exemple d'açò es produïx en el sector de la ceràmica, en el que els clients requerixen que totes les unitats que seran acoblades juntes tinguen el mateix color, grossària i qualitat per raons estètiques i de seguretat. Un altre exemple és l'extret del sector agroalimentari, en el que el mercat final requerix productes que complisquen amb una grandària mínima, un color particular, o sabor en el cas de les fruites. A més, el sector agroalimentari té la complexitat afegida produïda pel deteriorament dels productes al llarg del temps, i la necessitat dels mercats d'oferir als clients productes amb una mínima duració després de la seua venda. En aquesta Tesi, es definix com a productes heterogenis a aquells productes que es poden classificar en subtipus homogenis amb una quantitat variable, mentres que els productes peribles són aquells que, a més de ser heterogenis, tenen falta d'homogeneïtat en el seu estat. D'acord amb aquests conceptes, el sector ceràmic comercialitza productes heterogenis mentres que el sector agroalimentari comercialitza productes peribles. Aquesta Tesi proposa marcs conceptuals i models d'Investigació Operativa que suporten la gestió de cadenes de subministrament amb productes heterogenis i peribles en la presa de decisions centralitzada i distribuïdes relacionades amb els nivells de decisió estratègica, tàctica i operativa. L'objectiu és millorar la competitivitat, sostenibilitat i flexibilitat de la cadena de subministrament per adaptar-se als requeriments del mercat sota condicions d'incertesa. Per a açò, s'han proposat models d'Investigació Operativa deterministes i incerts, els resultats es comparen concloent que els resultats obtinguts amb els models incerts s'adapten millor al comportament real de les cadenes de subministraments. Els models d'Investigació Operativa proposats han contribuït a tres àrees d'investigació: problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic, problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari i problemes de planificació en el sector agroalimentari. Les principals novetats en els problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic són el modelatge de les característiques de les rajoles ceràmiques, la consideració dels requeriments d'homogeneïtat entre unitats de diferents línies de comanda, i la possibilitat de realitzar lliuraments parcials i lliuraments amb retard. Aquesta Tesi contribueix als problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari al dissenyar una cadena de subministrament completa de productes agroalimentaris frescos considerant l'aspecte perible dels productes, integrant decisions tàctiques, i determinant l'impacte real que té considerar l'aspecte perible dels productes durant el disseny de la cadena de subministrament ...
[EN] Some products are characterised by their lack of homogeneity, what means that products with different characteristics can be obtained from the same production process due to uncontrollable factors such as the nature of raw materials or the environmental conditions during production. There are four aspects that characterize the lack of homogeneity in the product: the homogeneous subtypes to be obtained from a production lot, the quantity of products that belong to each subtype, the value related to each of the subtypes and the state of the products. The lack of homogeneity in the product hinders the management of the supply chain or company's processes at the time customers require the homogeneity among the acquired units of product. An example of this is produced in the ceramic tile sector, in which customers need all acquired ceramic tiles that are going to be jointly assembled to have the same colour, thickness and quality for aesthetic and safety reasons. Another example is the extracted from the agri-food sector, in which final markets require products that meet some characteristics such as a minimum size, a particular colour or flavour in the case of fruits. In addition, the agri-food sector has the added complexity produced by the deterioration of products over time, and the need of markets to offer to end consumers products with a minimum durability after sale. In this Thesis, heterogeneous products are defined as products for which different subtypes can be obtained in a variable quantity while perishable products are those that, apart from being heterogeneous, have a lack of homogeneity in their state. According to these concepts, ceramic sectors would commercialize heterogeneous products while the agri-food sector would do so with perishable products. This Thesis proposes conceptual frameworks and Operations Research models to support the management of supply chains with heterogeneous and perishable products in centralized and distributed decision-making processes related to strategic, tactical and operative decisional levels. The objective is to improve the supply chain competitiveness, sustainability and flexibility to adapt to market requirements under uncertain conditions. For this, both deterministic and uncertain Operations Research models have been proposed, whose results are compared concluding that results obtained with uncertain models better fit with the behaviour of real supply chains. The proposed Operations Research models have contributed to three research areas: operational problems in the ceramic sector, strategic problems in the agri-food sector and planning problems in the agri-food sector. Main novelties in the ceramic operational problems are the modelling of the characteristics of ceramic tile products, the consideration of homogeneity requirements between units from different order lines, and the possibility of making partial deliveries and delayed deliveries. This Thesis contributes to strategic problems in agri-food products by designing an entire fresh agri-food supply chain considering the perishability of products and integrating tactical decisions, and by determining the real impact that considering the products' perishability has on the supply chain design process ...
This Thesis has been developed in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP, for its acronym in Spanish “Centro de Investigación en Gestión e Ingeniería de Producción”) of the Universitat Politècnica de València with the support of the predoctoral grant Programme of Formation of University Professors (FPU, for its acronym in Spanish “Formación de Profesorado Universitario”) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ref. FPU15/03595). The supervisors of this Thesis are Dr. Angel Ortiz, and Dra. María del Mar Alemany Diaz that are Professors in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP) of the Universitat Politècnica de València. The FPU grant has been endorsed by the supervisor Dr. Ángel Ortiz. This Thesis has also been supported by the project ‘RUC-APS: Enhancing and implementing Knowledge based ICT solutions within high Risk and Uncertain Conditions for Agriculture Production Systems’ (Ref. 691249) funded by the EU under its funding scheme H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015, the project ‘Methods and models for operations planning and order management in supply chains characterised by uncertainty in production due to the lack of product uniformity’ (PLANGES-FHP) (Ref. DPI2011- 23597) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The projects RUC-APS and PLANGES-FHP have been led by the one of the supervisors of this Thesis Dr. María del Mar Eva Alemany. In order to obtain the international mention for this Thesis, three months of research stages have been made in the research agency Agenzia Lucana di Sviluppo e di Innovazione in Agricoltora, located in Metaponto (Italy)
Esteso Álvarez, A. (2020). Operations research models for the management of supply chains of perishable and heterogeneous products in uncertain contexts. Application to the agri-food and ceramic sectors [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/141099
TESIS
Compendio

Category management is a process of managing product categories sold by particular retailer (examples of product categories such as: detergents, yoghurts, baby food) and a very important part of this process is the shelf display optimization. The objective of this project is to analyze the range of products sold by the retailer and to propose the optimal number of product facings on the shelf to minimize losses due to stock outs (goods being out of stock). Series of optimization problems were proposed for this objective to solve the optimal range of assortment, the optimal shelf space organization and the optimal stock of individual items on the shelf. Optimization problems were designed to be reused in practice, applying on the assortment of any retailer

This thesis focuses on the support of software applications development using mathematical and statistical methods. One of the topics related to this issue is inventory management. The thesis deals with inventory management in the pizzeria, which I have thoroughly analyzed and based on the data and methods needed to design a software application to simplify and accelerate the supply of raw materials.

Inspired by my personal interest in the topic of dramaturgy, coupled with the continuous change programmes that Shell Oman Marketing Company (SOMC) adopts in many areas, this research attempts to explore the role of dramaturgy (Goffman 1956) in change management in SOMC. The primary question that this thesis addresses is: What is the role, impact and potential of dramaturgy in change management in SOMC? The objective is to examine the ability of dramaturgy to offer an effective method for managing change, and one that will eventually be used as an integral part of effective change management programmes in SOMC. The research consists of a case study of installing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system cameras in the offices of SOMC. The research was a qualitative study, conducting 22 semi-structured interviews along with unstructured observations of meetings and engagements. The research concludes that front stage performances and backstage performances are witnessed extensively in SOMC, and concludes that the boundary between front and backstage is blurred, that stories, metaphors and body language play an important role in performances, and that the audience perception of the authenticity, sincerity and genuineness of the performers is a key factor in their acceptance of the message. This research identifies a number of themes that can be added to the existing literature. The study highlighted the importance of ‘Alignment’ as a way of explaining the work that goes on in backstage and front stage performances, much part of living organisations. The term found extensively in organisational life at SOMC and many other organisations. Backstage meeting often has the goal of aligning participants to the message that has to be conveyed – the coordinated front stage performance. Therefore, alignment is a key element of the rehearsals and practices for the frontstage performances, and in bringing together the supporting team and loyalists. Another contribution of this research that is not available in other studies is that the importance of context and culture. That although metaphors and storytelling are used in many organisations across the world, they resonate particularly with Omanis because they are part of their history and culture. Hence using storytelling and metaphors in performances in SOMC can have a huge help connecting the audience with the performance.

Senaste åren har elhybridfordon visat enorm potential gällande energibesparning och reducering av utsläpp. Genom lämplig energistyrningsstrategi kan en märkbar förbättring uppnås avseende energieffektiviteten med bevarad autonomi. KTH Eco Cars utveckling och forskningsgrupp har under senaste åren forskat på elhybrid prototypen Elba, utvecklad för Shell Eco-marathon (SEM). Dock har frånvaron av en energistyrningsstrategi varit en flaskhals för att kunna uppnå hög energieffektivet och topp placering i SEM. Målet med Examensarbetets är att lösa detta problem genom utveckling av en modellbaserad och optimerad regleringshieraki, möjlig att implementera i Elba. Viss Förarbete har utförts såsom simplifierade modeller av Elba och ingående komponenter i drivlinan och tabell baserad på dynamisk programmering. Omfattningen av detta projekt är att utveckla en komplett energistyrnings hieraki med reglering i tre nivåer. Utvecklingsprocessen går från nedersta till översta nivåen. Arbetet börjar med att förfina de tidigare matematiska modellerna med hjälp av tekniska datablad och uppdaterande resultat från testning av komponenter. Med hjälp av detta utvecklades regulatorer på komponentnivå. Modell-baserad framkoppling tillsammans med återkoppling för störningsrejektion användes för att ersätta den gamla PID-regleringen. För styrning av den mellersta nivåen, den viktigaste delen i detta projekt, används ekvivalent förbruknings reducerings strategi för att uppnå momentan momentöverföringsfördelning på tre drivande komponenter. I denna process tas hänsyn till optimerad bränsleförbrukning och realtids övervakning av batteriets laddning. För att bevara Elbas körbarhet har olämpliga arbetslägen identifieras och förkastas för att förhindra frekvent på och avstängning av motorer och minde energieffektiv återhämtning. För att förbättra den dynamisk programmerade tabellens funktionalitet har en bestämmande funktion lagts till. Den nya modifierade tabellen kan ge accelerationsreferens som fungerar som den översta nivåen. Projektet avslutas med simulering i MATLAB/Simulink miljön. Resultaten från simuleringarna visar en signifikant förbättrring gällande energieffektiviteten och bevarande av batteriets laddning jämfört med den tidigare regleringsstrategin. Dock baseras dessa resultat på vissa idealiseringar och simplifierade modeller. Utvecklandet av en optimerad regleringsstrategi har givit viktiga erfarenheter och åstadkommanden under detta examensarbete. Resultaten kommer att verifieras genom fälttester och bidra till Elbas utveckling i framtiden.
In contemporary world, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have shown enormous potential in energy-saving and emission-reducing. By appropriate energy management strategy (EMS), an obvious improvement concerning energy efficiency could be achieved meanwhile self-sustainability is well reserved. Based on a specific HEV prototype Elba developed for Shell Eco-marathon (SEM), relevant research has been carried out by KTH Eco Cars research and development (R&D) teams during recent years. However, because of lack of a proper EMS, Elba meets a bottleneck on improving its energy efficiency and obtaining excellent grade in SEM. To solve this problem, this project is launched to develop a model-based optimization control hierarchy which can be implemented in Elba. Prior to this, some preliminary works have been done, including a set of simplified models of Elba and its powertrain components, and a dynamic programming (DP) based look-up table. Thus, the scope of this project is defined as establishing a complete energy management control hierarchy including three-layer controls. The developing process runs from bottom to top layer. The work starts from refining the original mathematical models according to the newly updated results of components testing and related technical datasheets. Then component-level controllers are developed. Model-based feedforward control together with feedback control for disturbance rejection is employed to replace previous PID control. In the middle layer control, the most significant part in this project, equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) is employed to realize a properly instantaneous torque split scheme on three propelling components. In this process, optimized fuel consumption among with real-time battery state of charge (SOC) are taken into account. To preserve Elba’s drivability, an improper working mode is identified and rejected to avoid frequent engine switching on/off as well as less efficient energy recuperation. In terms of the infeasibility of the existing DP based look-up table, a reasonable adjudgment function is introduced to complement its functionality. Thus, the modified look-up table is able to provide rational acceleration reference acting as top layer control. The whole work is finished in MATLAB/Simulink platform. The simulation results indicate that, compared with the previous control strategy, the new one significantly improves energy efficiency and better preserves battery SOC. Indeed, these decent results are on basis of some ideal assumption and simplified models. As an attempt on research and development of optimization control strategy, some precious experience and achievements have been, after all, obtained during the thesis work. All these will be verified by field tests and will promote Elba’s further upgrading in the future.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-149).
Firms in all industries must respond both to the changing dynamics of markets and to the expectations of stakeholders within those markets. Within the last two decades, nongovernmental organizations and other parts of the public have been increasingly active in shaping public expectations for firms to conduct their activities in ways that minimize undesired social and environmental impacts. These expectations for firms to balance their short terms goals of profitability with the long-term needs of the society and environment can be broadly referred to as corporate "Sustainable Development." The current day debate surrounding SD as applied to global corporations is complicated for many reasons, as this document explains. Large global oil and gas firms that are in the business of exploiting non-renewable yet strategic natural resources are by no means immune to these changing stakeholder expectations. These companies deal with the commodities that fuel both development and pollution. As a result, the debate surrounding SD affects their corporate strategy. Increasing global connectivity via the Internet has provided concerned citizens with the ability to apply pressure in a collective and immediate way. In the last decade, negative media has highlighted the impact these public pressures have had on oil and gas firms' image. It has also highlighted the potential scale to which these pressures can impact a company's future as a, profitable firm. We studied two oil and gas firms, Shell and BP. Both have re-positioned and re-branded themselves by taking proactive measures to meet and even exceed the expectations of their various stakeholders. By entering into dialogue with their constituencies, they have increased innovation toward sustainable practices, and in so doing, have boosted public trust. By analyzing live cases, we reveal their approaches in bringing the ambitious ideals of sustainable development into practice. Each case was successful due to its project-specific approach which catered to local needs. Additionally, each firm's history, organization and culture dictates its SD strategy - i.e, there is no universal approach. However, regardless of individual styles, "transparency" and "engagement with stakeholders" are vital ingredients to success in SD. But these must be learned through practice.
by Clare Ruth Mendelsohn & Anirundha Pangarkar.
M.B.A.

The Pacific Coast population of the western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus; plover) is listed as a federally threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act due to poor reproductive success from anthropogenic habitat loss, and high predation pressure. Plovers in the South San Francisco Bay use dry salt evaporation ponds, and wildlife-managed ponds, to breed and winter. However, the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project aims to restore up to 6,110 hectares of this habitat back to native tidal marsh, which will force plovers to breed in smaller areas and in higher densities. In order to recover plovers in these unique conditions, remaining habitat can be enhanced using oyster shells, which may camouflage breeding plovers, and decrease predation. This study evaluated the effect of oyster shell enhancement on plover breeding success by comparing nesting density, success, and brood behavior between enhanced and unenhanced areas. Plovers did select to nest in enhanced areas; however, nest survival did not increase relative to unenhanced areas. Brood behavior was also affected by enhancement, though highly correlated with the location of optimal foraging habitat. It is likely that enhancement will only improve nesting success if predators are concurrently controlled. Ultimately, plovers may benefit from the application of oyster shells as it attracts nesting effort, and may be strategically used by resource managers.

Shell mound or sambaqui, as commonly named in Brazil, are anthropic intentional mound constructions made by complex hunter-gatherer fishing communities. Typically distributed along shorelines and inland regions of Brazil, these sites are arguably one of the earliest evidence of human presence in South America, with dates ranging from 910-660 to 10,179-9,708 cal. yr. B.P. As archaeobotanical investigations reported the presence of various plant resources in these sites, a debate that has received much attention in recent years is regarding the scale of which the shell mound builders managed these resources. The Monte Castelo (9,495-9,137 cal. yr. B.P - state of Rondônia) and the Tucumã shell mound (4,425-4245 cal. yr. B.P. - state of Pará) will be the case studies of this research. The aim of this thesis is to use phytolith data from archaeological contexts in order to evaluate and discern the extent to which these mound builders managed plant resources. The outcome of this study provides novel evidence revealing the management and consumption of wild and domesticated plants through the mid-Holocene. The data calls for an evaluation on the potential scale of horticulture practices by Amazonian shell mound builders as well as the relative contribution of each domesticated resources to the indigenous diet.

Rice is a staple crop for many countries around the world, and is one of the top three food sources globally. Many environments where rice is grown contain stressors likely to limit its growth and yield. In southern Senegal (Casamance region), rice is mainly cultivated in lowlands near estuaries where drought, salinity, acidity, poor soil fertility, and iron toxicity are the main limiting factors. In Casamance, average rice yield for local farmers is 1 to 2 tons per hectare (809 to 1618 pounds per acre), compared to worldwide average yield of more than 4 tons per hectare. The soil where our 2-year experiment (2014 and 2015) was conducted is highly saline-sodic and acidic, and the salt tolerant cultivar we grew yielded 3.4 tons per hectare in 2013. Our main objective was to increase rice yield. The water table height, salinity, and pH were measured weekly during the rice growing season, and the soil was described, sampled, and analyzed to better understand the water and soil resources. Two planting methods were tested: flat planting and planting on beds. Two soil amendments were compared with each planting method: biochar and crushed oyster shells, alone and in combination. An untreated control was included in the experiment. All plots were fertilized. Treatment effects on soil properties and yield were compared in a split-plot design. Plant tissue was sampled for elemental content. The water table was above the surface and was saline during half of the growing season in 2014, and decreased after rice grain head emerged. Planting methods and amendments did not have an effect on yield in 2014, but biochar amendment increased yield in 2015. In 2014, soil salinity and sodium decreased to below toxic levels late in the growing season in the flat plots but not in the bedded plots. Therefore, flat planting is more appropriate in these lowland rice production systems. Soil pH increased from 4.4 to 7.7 in flat planting where biochar+shell was applied. Soil available nutrients such as P, Mn, and Zn were significantly higher in flat planting compared to beds. Toxic levels of Na (> 2000 milligrams per kilogram) were measured in leaves sampled just before flowering. We recommend flat planting and amending soil with biochar in saline-sodic acid-sulfate paddy soils in Casamance to improve rice yield.
Master of Science

Casamance is a region in southern Senegal that traditionally produces rainfed rice, but Senegal produces only 1/3 of its rice consumption. Lowland areas, where rice is primarily produced, have acid sulfate soils with low pH and potential aluminum and iron toxicity. The goal of this work was to determine if soil amendments can alleviate soil acidity, counteract the negative biogeochemical effects that occur in flooded conditions, and increase rice yield. A two-year experiment was conducted to test the following soil treatments – agricultural lime, pulverized oyster shell, biochar, and control (no amendment) – in flat and raised beds. Plots amended with lime and shell materials had increased soil pH, base saturation, Ca, and cation exchange capacity. Meanwhile, biochar elevated particulate organic matter and C:N ratios. Exchangeable Fe and Al were negatively correlated with soil pH, while Geobacteraceae populations (Fe reducing bacteria) increased with pH. A greater proportion of the total Fe was strongly bound in fractions that were less bioavailable in plots amended with shell or lime, and overall rice yields were significantly higher following amendment with shell or lime. During the second growing year these effects diminished, suggesting that liming effects did not persist as expected. These results demonstrate the benefits of soil amendments that raise soil pH and suggest that this effect operates by influencing overall soil nutrient availability to rice plants, but further research is needed regarding the timing and sustainability of the beneficial liming effect.
Master of Science

Purpose:       The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect PR in multinational corporations (MNCs) today, and to explore how the factors affect PR management in the selected MNCs. Method:       A qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with PR managers at three multinational corporations. In addition to the primary data, a secondary data search was conducted. Conclusion: Both internal and external factors affect the PR management in large multinational corporations. The internal factors being sector, size, stage of organizational development and culture (Tench & Yeomans, 2009, pp. 24-25). The external factors, largely made up of the public also contain different sources of media. The participating companies all claimed to be largely affected by both internal and external factors; although different factors were more or less forth standing for the companies. The public was also identified as an external factor that plays a very important role as “the other party” in the two-way communication in PR programs, the companies clarified that the public affected both what and how the PR departments communicate.

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited.
This thesis represents a cross Systems Command (NAVSEA/NAVAIR) developed product. The product - the Sunset Supply Base (SSB) system - provides a complete system for addressing the risks and supportability issues involved with Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) products in Navy combat and support systems. The SSB system was implemented on three Navy combat weapon systems at various phases of the product development life cycle. The main body provides to the Program Management Offices (PMO) and other decision makers, a high level summary of performance expectations. Appendix A - The Sunset Supply Base Architecture - identifies at a high level of abstraction a collaborative architecture providing a roadmap for design and development of the SSB system. Appendix B - The Systems Engineering Development and Implementation (SEDI) plan - is a prescriptive or "How to" manual describing activities that have been used to successfully implement the SSB system. Appendix C - Business Case Analysis (BCA) - presents the data collected as a result of SEDI plan implementation then addresses the business/programmatic attributes showing the viability and value proposition possible through the SSB system. Appendix D - The Marketing Plan for the SSB system - defines methods and practices necessary to establish the SSB system as the alternative of choice.
Chemical Engineer, United States Navy
Systems Engineer, United States Navy

A partir da metade do século passado, a industrialização no Brasil entrou numa fase de grande expansão gerando um aumento na demanda por combustíveis. Neste contexto, a indústria petrolífera tomou um grau de importância espetacular que continua até hoje. O desempenho das empresas ligadas a cadeia de valor de combustíveis passaram a ser importantes para toda a economia, quer pela influência nos custos, como no mercado de capitais, pelos grandes investimentos que requerem. O presente estudo visa analisar os sistemas de controle gerencial das empresas Petróleo Brasileiro S/A (Petrobras) e Shell Brasil Ltda. Tendo como objetivo verificar se os seus sistemas de controle gerenciais estão aderentes a literatura sobre esse tema. A pesquisa de estudo de caso múltiplo foi executada através de entrevista com gerentes das duas petrolíferas sobre objetivos organizacionais, contabilidade por responsabilidade, processo orçamentário, balanced scorecard (BSC) e Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Também foram coletadas informações institucionais publicadas pelas duas empresas.
Since the last half of the past century, the industrialization in Brazil had entered a phase of great expansion, increasing the demand for fuels. In this context, the petrol industry had achieved a high degree of importance that continues today. The companies linked with the value chain of fuels had a performance that started to be important for the whole economy, either by the influence on the costs, as in the capital market, or by the high investments that they required. The present study analyzes the management control systems of Petróleo Brasileiro S/A (Petrobras) and Shell Brasil Ltda, aiming to verify whether their management control systems are adapted to the literature on this topic. The multiple case research was done through interviews with managers of the two petrol companies about organizational targets, responsibility accounting, budgeting, balanced scorecard (BSC) and Enterprises Resource Planning (ERP). It was also collected institutional information published by the two companies.

The impact of human activity on ecosystems is an issue at the forefront of global concern. Marine ecosystems are a particular concern, given their importance for human sustenance. Through the removal of species that are highly susceptible to the effects of overfishing, global fisheries have been driven to near collapse in recent decades. The long-term effects of such practices has resulted in declines in mean trophic level of aggregate fish catches over time, as well as decreasing diversity of species available for regular harvest (Jackson et al. 2001; Pauly et al. 1998). These supposedly “modern” problems have been recently identified in archaeological contexts, and attest to the extent of anthropogenic ecosystem alteration that has occurred since humans first began intensively exploiting marine ecosystems (Erlandson and Rick 2010; Quitmyer and Reitz 2006; Reitz 2004; Wing and Wing 2001). Here, I evaluate the degree of change in mean trophic level, diversity, and equitability of midden deposits at Crystal River and Roberts Island, two roughly contemporaneous Middle-to-Late Woodland Period (AD 1to 1000) mound complexes located on the west-central Florida Gulf Coast. This research identifies the extent to which humans altered the characteristics of the estuarine ecosystem surrounding the two sites, promotes alternative theoretical perspectives on past human-environment interactions, and provides modern ecosystems management agencies with a temporally-expansive data set to aid in future ecosystem conservation efforts.

Sveriges befolkning ökar och i takt med detta behöver fler bostäder byggas. En flexibel lösning till problemet skulle kunna vara modulbostäder. Detta examensarbete undersöker i huvudsak två frågeställningar. Dels hur modulerna står mot de krav som ställts på den svenska byggnadsmarknaden. Dels hur valet av ventilation kan påverka modulbostäderna. Detta genomförs med en jämförelse av kostnader, energiberäkningar och krav mot en referensmodul. Tanken med modulbostäder är att bland annat minska byggtiden genom att producera modulerna i fabrik. Modulerna kan också byggas för att vara möjliga att flytta efter behov.   Studien har genomförts genom faktainsamling från litteratur samt intervjuer med ventilationsföretag och företag som jobbar med moduler. Avgränsningar har bland annat gjorts till att bara studera flerbostadshus.   Resultatet tyder på att modulbostäder i teorin uppfyller de krav som ställs från bland annat Boverket. Företag satsar mot hållbara byggnader och försöker bygga sina moduler mer som ett vanligt flerbostadshus. Detta ger en längre livslängd och energieffektivare byggnader.   Ventilationen visade ett resultat som var svårtolkat. Mycket beror på byggnadens utformning och valet av aggregat från leverantör. Detta tillsammans med vaga värden från ventilationsleverantörerna gjorde det svårt att avgöra vilket system som vore mest fördelaktiga. Val av system kan väljas från mjukare värden som för- och nackdelar. Beroende på om bostäderna behöver vara flexibla så är det att föredra med individuella system. Ser man till kostnad däremot så kan ett centralt system vara med fördelaktigt.
The Swedish population is growing and as well the demand for housing construction. A flexible solution to this problem could be modular houses. This thesis examines two main issues. Issue number one focuses on how modular houses can achieve compared to the Swedish standard building regulations. The other issue focuses on how the choice of ventilation system can affect the building. To achieve an answer, comparisons of costs, energy calculations and regulations against an reference housing. The idea with modular housing is to reduce the construction time by building the modules in a industry. A module can also be made portable depending on where it is most needed.   This study has been carried through by gathering information from literature and interviews with ventilation- and modular housing companies. Limitations has been made for instance, to apartment buildings.   Results show in theory that modular housing compares well to regulations put up by Boverket. Companies working with modular houses has focused more on building modules that can be compared to other types of housing buildings. This gives the modules a longer life span as well as more energy efficiency.   It is a bit more difficult to analyze the results from ventilation systems. A lot is depended on the modules design and also the choice of unit. This along with vague data from the ventilation companies made it difficult to choose which system would be more effective. To be able to choose a system from this thesis, softer values like pro and cons to be given in consideration. Depending on the need of the building, different choices could be made. If flexibility is important then a individual system may be preferred. While if cost is more important, then central system should be the choice.

This project discusses optimization of e-mail and SMTP traffic in proprietary product of Microsoft Exchange 2013 in regard of marine industry. The goal is at first to analyze the requirements of this service on slow and unreliable network connections, SMTP traffic and then the product itself. Afterwards it defines specification  for the final product and prepares the test environment. Design and implementation of transport agent using Exchange Management Shell is described for synchronization of two installations of Microsoft Exchange 2013; and focuses on emerged problems during the development, discusses different approaches and possible solutions. Testing shows various shortcomings of found solution. Finally, analysis of final solution shows possible future improvements and a need of security upgrade before applying to production environment.

Master thesis ExxonMobil International Marketing Strategy deals mainly with brand management and communication strategy of ExxonMobil Corporation and its selected competitors (Royal Dutch Shell plc, BP p.l.c.). Elements of these strategies are compared and based on the SWOT analysis strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of ExxonMobil strategy are identified. In conclusion, the thesis introduces recommendations for possible changes in ExxonMobil marketing strategy. The work itself is divided into 4 chapters. The first chapter introduces the corporation, its structure and strategy. Second part describes ExxonMobil's brand management and communication strategy. The following part is focused on the description of the selected aspects of marketing strategy within the competitors - Royal Dutch Shell plc and BP p.l.c. The final chapter presents comparison of the competitors' strategies, SWOT analysis for ExxonMobil marketing strategy and offers recommendations for possible changes in the corporation strategy.

Il lavoro è stato suddiviso in tre macro-aree. Una prima riguardante un'analisi teorica di come funzionano le intrusioni, di quali software vengono utilizzati per compierle, e di come proteggersi (usando i dispositivi che in termine generico si possono riconoscere come i firewall). Una seconda macro-area che analizza un'intrusione avvenuta dall'esterno verso dei server sensibili di una rete LAN. Questa analisi viene condotta sui file catturati dalle due interfacce di rete configurate in modalità promiscua su una sonda presente nella LAN. Le interfacce sono due per potersi interfacciare a due segmenti di LAN aventi due maschere di sotto-rete differenti. L'attacco viene analizzato mediante vari software. Si può infatti definire una terza parte del lavoro, la parte dove vengono analizzati i file catturati dalle due interfacce con i software che prima si occupano di analizzare i dati di contenuto completo, come Wireshark, poi dei software che si occupano di analizzare i dati di sessione che sono stati trattati con Argus, e infine i dati di tipo statistico che sono stati trattati con Ntop. Il penultimo capitolo, quello prima delle conclusioni, invece tratta l'installazione di Nagios, e la sua configurazione per il monitoraggio attraverso plugin dello spazio di disco rimanente su una macchina agent remota, e sui servizi MySql e DNS. Ovviamente Nagios può essere configurato per monitorare ogni tipo di servizio offerto sulla rete.

碩士
國立臺北科技大學
生產系統工程與管理研究所
91
Understanding the segmentation of customers, the need of customers, and the preferences of customers is always the first concern for retailing management. Due to the rapid progress of computers, customer transactions can be recorded and analyzed. How to extract the embedded knowledge from the huge amount of customer transactions and utilize the knowledge to improve retailing management becomes very important. Shelf spaces are the most important resources for retailing business.Excellent shelf space management can help attract the customers and increase sales. This thesis is to apply the association rules mining technique to analyze the transactions data of a retailing business. The mined association rules reveal the customer knowledge. We then employ the mined association rules to assist in the allocation and arrangement of the shelf spaces. This thesis provides a systematic framework for shelf space management. Experiments are performed to apply the proposed framework to a large local snacks retailing business with more than 60,000 customer transactions. Experimental results are reported in the thesis.

Supply chain management has evolved remarkably over the years. It became more digitized and automated, fundamentally changing how products are traded and managed. Efforts have been made in developing and establishing a collective of technologies and standards, to promote a leaner supply chain and create visibility for trading partners to control stock levels and predict market fluctuations. Even so, endeavors seem to stop at the point-of-sale supply chain integration. This work presents a study on RFID smart shelves applied to point of sale and retail stockroom, following technologies and standards used in supply chain, to attain a top-down integration. The dissertation starts by introducing the RFID technology and its principles, followed by an examination of the EPCGlobal Architecture Framework collection of technologies, currently used in supply chain, and state of the art of RFID smart shelves. It follows by presenting an analysis of implementation options, hardware configurations and product implementation propositions. Concludes by presenting a working crude management system implementation and tests, using off-the-shelf UHF RFID hardware components and available open-source software, integrated on typical aluminum/MDF shelves for warehouse storage.
A gestão da cadeia de distribuição evoluiu significativamente ao longo dos anos. Tornou-se mais digitalizada e automatizada, fundamentalmente mudando a forma como produtos são comercializados, distribuídos e administrados. Esforços têm sido feito para desenvolver e padronizar tecnologias, de modo a promover uma cadeia de distribuição mais otimizada, criar visibilidade, controlar os níveis de estoque, e prever flutuações do mercado. Ainda assim, os esforços na integração da cadeia de distribuição parecem terminar nos pontos de venda ao cliente. Esta dissertação apresenta um estudo sobre estantes inteligentes baseadas em RFID, aplicadas a pontos de venda e almoxarifado, seguindo tecnologias e padrões utilizados na cadeia de distribuição, para atingir uma integração completada da rede de abastecimento. A dissertação começa por apresentar RFID e seus princípios, seguido por uma visão geral da coleção de tecnologias da arquitetura da EPCGlobal, atualmente usada na cadeia de distribuição, e o estado da arte das estantes e prateleiras inteligentes baseadas em RFID. Em seguida, apresenta uma análise das opções de implementação, configurações de hardware e propostas de implementação para produto real. Conclui apresentando uma implementação e testes do sistema de gerenciamento de inventário, usando componentes genéricos de UHF RFID disponíveis no mercado e software de código aberto, integrado em estantes genéricas de alumínio/MDF para armazéns.
Mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica e Telecomunicações

碩士
國立臺北科技大學
商業自動化與管理研究所
91
Shelf space is one of the most important resources in a retail store, since a wide array of products compete to be allocated in the limited space of store. Managing shelf space means making frequent decision about which products to stock (assortment) and how much shelf space to allocate those products (allocation). In order to satisfy the customers’ expectation, choosing appropriate product items for sale (namely product assortment) and properly allocating those to shelf space (namely product allocation) significantly affect the profit of retailers. This study attempts to resolve the product assortment and product allocation problems of retail stores with association analysis and optimization method. According to the associations among products, which products should be stock are determined to maximize the cross sale by zero-one integer programming. Then, a heuristic method is developed to allocate products basing on association among products. Comparing with previous shelf space model based on the space elasticity, the proposed model has the advantages: 1. more reliable, 2. simpler and more general, 3. less time consuming.

碩士
國立交通大學
運輸與物流管理學系
102
In recent years, there has been more issues about food safety. Consumers requires a higher quality of fresh products, and it promotes the food traceability’s development and safety regulations of many products in response born. Fresh products are temperature-sensitive, perishable and having short shelf life. In order to maintain the quality of the fresh products, cold chain and logistics management has become the current development trend of supply chain management. In the cold chain management, including distribution and storage, how to manage stored in the warehouse of fresh fruits and vegetables products to reduce waste due to the declining of the shelf life, has become a major problem of cold chain management. This study summarized the factors of affecting shelf life of fresh products and to differentiate the product level according to shelf life, and determining the price levels between the grades. Considering the shortage and alternative supply to customer, this study constructs an “Inventory Management of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables” model with using the integer programming method. This study use the simulation data in order to get the maximum revenue result. The results show that when each grade products for alternative supply, can improve profits, and can reduce the amount of inventory. The sensitivity analysis can be learned from the set price discount rate is more significant impact target value, the value must be more cautious in setting the price discount rate. With the results and analysis, logistics management industry make more profit on inventory management, and to set the parameters can be more precise.

碩士
國立高雄第一科技大學
電腦與通訊工程所
97
Book Management is very important in each library , In the past,because the information system of Library Management is underdeveloped, the jobs such as Apply for the library card、Borrow the book、Position collected books ,etc. Need lots of people to work in the library. So, Library needs a lot of people to work in the past. Now, we have Computers and Barcode which will more convenient and fast for the information system of Library Management in the library, many libraries use barcode system because it can reduce people’s work and make the process fast. Though the library has the help of the computer and barcode.But, the Inventory and Shelf Handling still need a lot of people to work in the library.In the past, inventory is need to check book by book. Everyday people will check any books that put in wrong shelf. So, this is very irritating with people work in the library. The research hopes to design an application system with Radio Frequency Identification to improving the process of in the book management, and Visit the method that the library has RFID system, I want to analyses and design the application system that named “A RFID-Based Book Management Information System With Inventory And Shelf Handling Functions”.

碩士
國立臺灣師範大學
設計研究所
94
In recent years, the reports about psychiatric diseases are often seen on newspapers. Anxiety is what we often discuss among all the psychiatric diseases. In many news reports suicides have something to do with anxiety. But, is every anxiety case will lead to suicide ? The answer is｀ No！'.This report will give those who care about psychiatric patients more correct understanding on psychiatric diseases and will change some traditional stereotype and ideas. Through discussions on case studies, interviews with medical staff and surveys we come to understand patients' needs during the course of recovery.（Patients with acute conditions need to be hospitalized and are therefore not discussed in this report. ）Psychiatric patients' needs include what information medical staff need to get during treatments and what facts should be conveyed to friends and family of the patients in order to reduce their worry. Patients thus will have high ill-feeling, and they will do good on their self-health management in order to recover from their illnesses. This research investigates and plans for the product design based on the needs of the users. Thanks to the development of modern technology, we apply the products of electronic information to the self-health management of patients with mental illnesses. We hope the invention of the product can be a bridge among medical staff, relatives, friends, and patients themselves. We also hope that people can have more understanding about patients with mental illnesses and get rid of the harmful our society has on patients with mental illnesses , their friends and family. We hope this research can integrate medical skills with the product to establish a good network and to help put more emphasis on their self-health management. It is discovered that the self-health management of the product design can not only apply to patients with mental illnesses, but also seem to chronic disease.

碩士
東海大學
食品科學系
86
The accuracy of food product shelf life is closely related to consumer''s right and food business''s profit. Short buffer period of product''s shelf life will make food business to take risk to sell such product. Keeping conservative shelf life will cause the food product a short time for sale, and lower food business''s profit. Therefore, the safety management of food product''s shelf life is considered to be very important both to consumer and food business. A predictive model is considered to be able to response timely the quality changes of the food product on shelf under different environment. It will get results much faster and flexible than an analytical method, and can also be adjusted according to different environmental conditions. The objective of this study is to establish a predictive computer simulation model for the food business to determine product shelf life, by using the database of Food MicroModel . A simulation program of quality-evaluation which is concerned with the fluctuation of temperature will be developed with the results of the simulation. Reasonable shelf life will be determined.The result of simulating sausage distribution of the company by considering nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum growth is safe in sixty days. The same result of milk by considering Listeria monocytogenes infection is safe in eight days. When sausage has a lower pH value 5.6 , it can extend its safe shelf life about nine times. The raise of distribution temperature of boxcar and supermarket will decrease shelf life . In the phenomena of keeping distribution temperature in 7℃would have a worse result than fluctuating temperature in real distribution . -1 -aA Study On the Safety Management of Product Shelf Life in the Chilled Food Distribution System

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial
O crescente aumento da concorrência e competitividade industrial tem forçado várias organizações a ajustar estratégias de abastecimento e a adotar novos mecanismos logísticos, visando a minimização de custos e garantindo simultaneamente um melhor nível de serviço. Neste contexto, o objetivo do presente projeto, desenvolvido no departamento de logística da empresa Bosch Car Multimedia Portugal, S.A, centra-se na melhoria de processos logísticos: last-time-buy e shelf life. O primeiro tema está associado à gestão de abastecimento de peças em fim de vida (cuja produção do fornecedor vai terminar) e o segundo relaciona-se com o controlo e monitorização de matéria-prima com ciclos de vida limitados, incluindo componentes descontinuados armazenados por longos períodos de tempo. Assim, pretende-se a redução de custos e a eliminação de desperdícios associados ao abastecimento e gestão de inventário aquando da descontinuação e/ou risco de caducidade da matéria-prima, assegurando paralelamente níveis adequados de disponibilização de peças de acordo com as necessidades dos clientes. A revisão de ambos os processos incluiu a identificação dos principais problemas e posterior desenvolvimento, apresentação e normalização de soluções focadas na melhoria contínua e obtenção de resultados benéficos no desempenho logístico dos mesmos. A eficácia da implementação destas medidas foi comprovada através de diferentes indicadores. No processo last-time-buy verificou-se uma redução da duração das atividades associadas à colocação da última encomenda, maior rigor no cálculo da determinação de quantidades a encomendar e maior controlo dos consumos de peças em fim de vida. Por outro lado, relativamente ao processo shelf life observou-se a parametrização correta dos prazos de validade da matériaprima, diminuição do número de componentes em risco de caducidade ou bloqueados por expiração bem como a gestão mais eficiente de material validado. Importa ainda referir que a melhoria global destes indicadores permitiu um melhor desempenho operacional acompanhado pela redução de custos e stocks, refletido também no aumento da satisfação do cliente.
The increased competition and industrial competitiveness has forced many organizations to adjust sourcing strategies and adopt new logistic mechanisms, in order to minimize costs while ensuring a better service level. In this context, the aim of this project, developed in the logistics department of Bosch Car Multimedia Portugal SA, focuses on the logistic improvement of last-time-buy and shelf life processes. The first subject is associated with the supply management of end of life parts (whose supplier’s production will end) and the second relates to the control and monitoring of raw materials with limited life cycles, including discontinued components stored for long periods of time. Thus, it is intended to reduce costs and eliminate waste associated with supply and inventory management upon discontinuation and / or forfeiture risk of raw material, while ensuring adequate provision of parts in order to fulfill customers’ needs. The review of both processes included the identification of key problems and subsequent development, presentation and standardization of solutions focused on continuous improvement and achieving beneficial results in the performance of the same. The effectiveness of the implementation of these measures has been proven through various logistic indicators. In the last-time-buy process there was a reduction in the duration of the activities related to the last order, greater accuracy in determining the order quantities and higher control of end of life parts consumption. On the other hand, the revision of the shelf life process allowed the correct parameterization of expiry dates of raw material, decreasing the number of components at risk of forfeiture or blocked by expiration as well as more efficient management of validated material. It should also be noted that the overall improvement of these indicators provided a better operating performance with costs and stock levels reduction, also reflected in increasing customer satisfaction.

A combination of in situ sampling and real-time ocean observations was used to investigate the processes responsible for the formation and the areal extent of Texas coastal hypoxia from 2002 to 2011. In situ sampling, real-time mooring and buoy observations, and multivariate statistical modeling were used to investigate the physical processes driving hypoxia formation. Geostatistical interpolation (ordinary kriging) models were tested to compare the differences in annual hypoxia area on the Texas shelf. Results from these two sections were integrated into recommendations for improving federal hypoxia monitoring and mitigation strategies in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Winds, currents, temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen records revealed the annual, seasonal, and daily variability of hypoxia formation on the Texas coast from 2009 to 2011. Hypoxic events occurred from late May to late October lasting from hours to weeks. Hypoxia formation was either the result of salinity stratification, associated with the freshening of surface waters by the advection of Mississippi-Atchafalaya River freshwater westward or the wind- and current-driven upcoast or downcoast flow of Brazos River discharge. Records from 2010 and 2011 showed the variability and frequency of stratification development differs on the north and south Texas shelf. Multivariate linear model results showed contributing factors on the north Texas shelf vary annually and that primary factors for hypoxia development are near-surface current speeds and salinity-driven stratification. Interpolation models resulted in three size categories for hypoxia area: small (100 – 1,000 km^2), moderate (1,001 – 3,000 km^2), and large (3,001+ km^2). Moderate years include 2002, 2004, and 2007 and a large year was 2008. There was no increase in hypoxic area from years 2002 to 2011, but years 2007 and 2008 resulted in a hypoxic area over 5,000 km^2, which is the federally mandated hypoxia reduction target for the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Geostatistical interpolators represent and predict the structure and spatial extent of the hypoxic area on the Texas shelf by accounting for the anisotropy of physical processes on the Texas shelf. Geostatistical interpolation models are preferred to deterministic models for developing and improving federal hypoxia monitoring and mitigation strategies on the northwestern Gulf of Mexico shelf.