AASMAn: An adaptive organisational policy for a society of market-based agents

Several formalisms for implementing organisational policies that assign specific roles to each of the agents in a multi-agent system (MAS) have been proposed like the contract net protocol, the social reasoning mechanism and the distributed computational economy. However, as no single organisation is appropriate in all situations, organisation self design had been proposed to allow an organisation of problem solvers to adapt itself to a dynamically changing environment. In this paper we propose an adaptive organisational framework that exploits and integrates the essential features of these existing organisational policies not only to meet the needs of time constrained noncritical applications, where computational load on the organisation cannot be predicted ahead of time, but also to utilise the available system resources efficiently. We also introduce the notion of decommitments and penalties in this approach which was not present in the original contract net protocol.     

Extension of the strategic renewal journey framework: The changing role of middle management

This paper presents the findings of a longitudinal study of a large corporation's journey towards becoming an ambidextrous organisation in the face of emerging technology. By investigating the interplay between the top and middle management, the results show that business intelligence systems allowed the firm to pursue a controlled renewal journey that was data-driven, automated, and supported fast organisational learning. This substituted for active frontline and middle managers. The change in organisational direction was driven by a small and powerful strategic top management group, even though this was a multi-unit firm with more than 100,000 employees. The main advantage of this type of journey is that the organisation can fully realize the advantage of highly centralised formal planning and control while becoming resilient and ambidextrous. A well-functioning decision support system, organisational policies and communication strategy can substitute for collective sense-making and shared strategic schemas. The results also suggest that management control systems can have a profound impact on developing organisational ambidexterity. The article also provides further details on the nature and implications of the rhetorical tactics used by the top management team to focus on organisational attention and action.     

r-FrMS: a relation-driven fractal organisation for distributed manufacturing systems

Up-to-date market dynamics and decentralisation have brought about the need of flexible and robust organisational structures for manufacturing resources. To meet the need of such an environment, the manufacturing system should be equipped with an open, reconfigurable and scalable organisational structure. This paper proposes a novel organisational model, referred to as a relation-driven fractal organisation, to meet the requirements. The proposed model applies the concept of a fractal to its organisational structure and adopts a relational pattern between composing entities as a basic building block for organising. In this paper, the existing fractal-like systems involved in manufacturing systems are investigated, and the fractal organisation is derived as their super-ordinate concept. Then, r-FrMS, a relation-driven fractal organisation applied into distributed manufacturing systems, is proposed along with its organising mechanism which adopts employment relations between manufacturing resources as its organising principle.     

基于遗传算法的协同物流资源选择模式研究

物流资源的选择是协同物流系统中的一个关键问题.对协同物流机制的框架进行了分析,采用层次分析法(AHP)对物流资源进行初步筛选得到协同系统所需的候选资源库,运用基于协同物流网络模型的改进合同网协议方法提出有效的资源选择流程.其中协商过程确定了协同物流系统的运输、仓储等各项基本费率,并通过对协同物流网络模型的求解实现物流任务的聚合与协同.运用遗传算法(GA)找出最优的协同物流资源组合方式,算法结果表明了此方法的有效性.     

An agent-based negotiation approach to integrate process planning and scheduling

This paper presents the development of an agent-based negotiation approach to integrate process planning and scheduling (IPPS) in a job shop kind of flexible manufacturing environment. The agent-based system comprises two types of agents, part agents and machine agents, to represent parts and machines respectively. For each part, all feasible manufacturing processes and routings are recorded as alternative process plans. Similarly, alternative machines for an operation are also considered. With regard to the scheduling requirements and the alternative process plans of a part, the proposed agent-based IPPS system aims to specify the process routing and to assign the manufacturing resources effectively. To establish task allocations, the part and machine agents have to engage in bidding. Bids are evaluated in accordance with a currency function which considers an agent's multi-objectives and IPPS parameters. A negotiation protocol is developed for negotiations between the part agents and the machine agents. The protocol is modified from the contract net protocol to cater for the multiple-task and many-to-many negotiations in this paper. An agent-based framework is established to simulate the proposed IPPS approach. Experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. The performance measures, including makespan and flowtime, are compared with those of a search technique based on a co-evolutionary algorithm.     

Stochastic optimization model for order acceptance with multiple demand classes and uncertain demand/supply

This article considers an order acceptance problem in a make-to-stock manufacturing system with multiple demand classes in a finite time horizon. Demands in different periods are random variables and are independent of one another, and replenishments of inventory deviate from the scheduled quantities. The objective of this work is to maximize the expected net profit over the planning horizon by deciding the fraction of the demand that is going to be fulfilled. This article presents a stochastic order acceptance optimization model and analyses the existence of the optimal promising policies. An example of a discrete problem is used to illustrate the policies by applying the dynamic programming method. In order to solve the continuous problems, a heuristic algorithm based on stochastic approximation (HASA) is developed. Finally, the computational results of a case example illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the HASA approach, and make the application of the proposed model readily acceptable.     

Distributed project scheduling with information sharing in supply chains: part II—theoretical analysis and computational study

The first part of this paper (Lau, J.S.K., Huang, G.Q. and Mak, K.L., Distributed project scheduling with information sharing in supply chains: part I—agent-based negotiation algorithm. Int. J. Prod. Res., 2005, 43, 4813–4838) has outlined the background of this research. The paper proposes and demonstrates a new negotiation-based algorithm (NEG) for solving distributed project scheduling problems (DPSP). This new algorithm not only acknowledges and accommodates the autonomy and independence of individual enterprises in making decisions in the entire supply chain, but also takes advantage of limited information shared among them to improve the quality and efficiency. This second paper will conduct a thorough theoretical analysis and computational study on the proposed algorithm. The theoretical analysis shows that the algorithm converges such that schedules of project and contractor agents do not have conflicts. The computational study reveals that NEG performs better than a centralized heuristic and contract net protocols in terms of the solution quality (e.g. total operating cost). Computational efficiency of NEG is also reasonably comparable and competitive to the extent that good quality solutions can be obtained within an affordable time limit.     

Incorporating management and organisational factors into probabilistic safety assessment

This paper is concerned with how management and organisational influences can be factored into risk assessments. A case study from the rail transportation sector illustrates how organisational factors can act as high level influences which are manifest as operational errors giving rise to major accidents. A model is proposed which describes the interrelationships between management influences, immediate causes and operational errors. This model can be used for organisational auditing, monitoring and system design. A strategy is described for collecting data from an existing organisation to develop a specific form of the generic model. The final issue addressed is the use of the model to quantify the effects of organisational influences on risk arising from human error. A numerical case study is provided to illustrate the approach.     

A simulation approach for evaluation and improvement of organisational planning in collaborative product development projects

Human behaviour and organisational structure impact collaborative product development outcome on a large scale. Therefore, companies are continuously seeking new opportunities to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and predictability of their collaborative product development projects, and to develop innovative principles for organisational design and management such as multi-functional teams. However, there are many factors which have to be considered and assessed to systematically optimise organisational planning in respect of team configuration, structure organisation, and human behaviour. This paper proposes an agent-based simulation methodology to evaluate and improve the organisational planning in complex product development projects. An agent-based integrated simulation model is formulated which can explicitly represent human behaviour, organisational interactions, and tasks networks. Based on the model, the design agent structure and behaviour protocols are studied in detail, and a simulation platform is developed. Finally, the methodology is evaluated in a collaborative roadway design project, and several management insights are established, which are proven to be effective for the organisational optimisation. The results of the case study also show that the methodology can effectively support the evaluation and improvement of organisational planning.     

Integrating advance order information in make-to-stock production systems

Increased cooperation between supply chain partners and information technology are enabling the availability of advance order information for contract suppliers. Control mechanisms that take into account this availability are necessary in order to achieve the potential improvements in performance. We investigate the structure of optimal control policies for a discrete-time make-to-stock queue with advance order information, Since the optimal policy does not have a simple structure, we then propose a heuristic policy which is an extension of the base stock system that incorporates advance order information through a release lead time parameter. In order to quantify the benefits due to advance order information, we investigate the performance of the proposed mechanism and benchmark it against against the optimal control policy.     

Simulation methods for photoneutron-based active interrogation systems

Modeling methods have been developed to accelerate the simulation of a photoneutron-based active interrogation system of nuclear materials. The proposed technique segments the simulation of a full system into several physical steps, representing functional approximations. Each approximation is carried-out separately, resulting in a major reduction in computational time and a significant improvement in tally statistics. Although more human effort is required to separate each step, the net time required to produce results is drastically reduced. In addition, the results of previous steps can be used as inputs to proceeding steps without the need for re-simulation. We show that for a photoneutron interrogation system, the final results are in good agreement with the full, single-step simulation and also with experimental results.     

On Green Area implementation problems: a case study

In this paper the implementation approach, adopted by an engineering company, of an innovative team management system known as the ‘green area’ concept is researched and analysed. The system was introduced to improve contract time and cost control and change the business culture to one of high personnel involvement and responsibility. The determinants for successful business implementation of this system are evaluated using a multi-attribute framework. These determinants have been specified as a net of organizational change parameters for the successful implementation of business improvement strategies.     

Organisation design strategies for mass customisation: an information-processing-view perspective

The need to transform the organisation for mass customisation has long been recognised in literature, but the discussion has largely relied on anecdotal evidence or case studies and has limitedly taken advantage of insights from organisation theory. In this paper, we draw on organisational information-processing theory to develop solid theoretical links between mass customisation capability and four organisation design strategies aimed at either increasing an organisation's information-processing capacity or decreasing its information-processing needs. We then test the hypothesized relationships using a sample of 238 manufacturing plants from three industries and eight countries, and find that mass customisation capability is positively related to self-containment of tasks, environmental management, and use of lateral relations. We conclude by discussing implications of our results for both research and practice.     

Service organisations resilience through the application of the vanguard method of systems thinking: a case study approach

The construct of organisational resilience is embedded in a set of individual level attributes and organisational level processes; however, there seems to be scarcity in the current literature of resilient models of operation that can amalgamate these two interlinked levels. This paper is an attempt to empirically explore the relationship of applying the vanguard method of systems thinking in service organisations with enhancing organisational resilience. Two case studies were conducted in two service organisations in the UK. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, observations, and archival documents, followed by the use of the nine-item Organisational Commitment Questionnaire. Cross-case analysis of the results shows that the employment of the vanguard method in service organisations operationalized two-dimensional determinants for improving organisational resilience; an organically structured organisation (i.e. organisational level), and highly affectively committed core employees (i.e. individual level).The value of this paper is the identification of two-level service organisations capabilities that can support organisational resilience and how these capabilities emerge as a result of employing the vanguard method.     

Minimising total cost with regular and emergency outsourcing sources: a neuro-dynamic programming approach

This study models and explains the business situation of an organisation which has regular and emergency outsourcing sources and where decisions have to be made at the beginning of every period regarding how much to order from these sources, so as to balance between different cost components of current and future periods. Previous works in this area have tried to attack this problem with dynamic programming. In this project, neuro-dynamic programming has been applied, and the reasons for doing so have been clearly stated. This model not only derives policies in order to minimise the expected total discounted cost over a period of time, but also enables the system to learn to make such decisions, and to improve its actions by using reinforcement learning. The performance of the present work has been measured quantitatively and has been compared with the models stated in literature. This study will be very useful for the organisations where such business problems exist or are likely to exist. This study will also be of great use to researchers, who are keen to understand and model the given business situation with distribution independent demand based models.     

A simulation analysis for evaluating TFT-LCD fab capacity expansion with a distant transportation problem

Capacity planning for large-scale high-tech manufacturing processes such as semiconductor manufacturing and thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) using simulation of an entire fabrication facility (fab) requires a large computational effort and thus few studies have been in real settings. To address the needs of a realistic problem, this study aimed to develop an effective approach based on a discrete-event simulation model for evaluating the throughput, cycle time and utilisation in an integrated fab to integrate manufacturing and transportation resources. In particular, we conducted an empirical study in a real TFT-LCD fab expansion facing a difficult capacity planning problem arising from the expectation that one or more bottlenecks may shift to different sites, including the transportation system between the incumbent and the expansion fabs. Different product-mix alternatives and feeding policies are investigated to determine the best fab configuration. The results have shown practical viability of the proposed simulation technique to significantly reduce the computational effort associated with the capacity planning process and derive useful alternatives for supporting capacity expansion decisions.     

Aggregate production planning for shipbuilding with variation-inventory trade-offs

Shipbuilding is a complex production system characterised by a complicated work and organisation structure, prolonged production lead time, and heterogeneous resource requirements. Thus, effectively planning all involved activities presents a challenging task and requires the timely coordination between the successive production stages at the plant level and effective resource allocation at the workshop level. With the work breakdown structure of all projects and their corresponding building strategies, the aggregate production planning (APP) is to address two important issues, namely, workforce level and inventory usage so that the fluctuating demands from downstream processes can be satisfied in a cost-effective manner. To achieve this, a novel APP model is proposed for ship production to minimise the variation of aggregate man-hour over the planning horizon and simultaneously minimise the logistic demands of the interim products. In view of the combinatorial nature and computational complexity, a directed genetic algorithm based solver has been developed to solve the two-conflicting-objective optimisation problem. The proposed approach has been applied to a case study and preliminary results have shown certain effectiveness in handling various situations with different planning strategies.     

基于CTPN的自动化仓库系统调度策略研究

针对目前国内外大多数仓库系统调度研究只局限于某一局部问题(或某一子系统)而不能全面考虑整个系统运行状况的问题,在分析已有调度策略的基础上提出了各子系统的优化调度策略,并应用有色时间Petri网(CTPN)进行建模.基于对各子系统的调度特点及其对整个自动化仓库系统的影响的分析,给出了使各子系统能够协调运行的系统整体上的优化调度策略,并采用仿真工具CPN-Tools对调度策略进行了仿真,仿真结果表明,所提出的调度策略可以提高系统的运行效率,可作为研究自动化仓库系统的调度问题的参考手段.     

A decision framework for maximising lean manufacturing performance

Since the development of the original value stream mapping (VSM) by Taichi Ohno at Toyota, a number of authors have suggested several additional VSM tools to understand and improve the value stream through waste reduction. A single best VSM tool, though effective in dealing with a certain waste type, becomes redundant as other wastes take centre stage and/or organisational priorities change. To overcome this, a decision framework based on a novel formulation of the integrated analytical hierarchy process (AHP) – pre-emptive goal programming (PGP) has been proposed. This framework not only guarantees accurate selection of an ideal VSM tool, based on the current organisation's priorities, but also aids the decision maker to arrive at the optimum implementation sequence of a chosen set of VSM tools to identify and reduce all wastes present in the system, thereby maximising organisational performance in the shortest timeframe.     

Analytical TCP throughput model for high-speed downlink packet access

This study deals with the throughput analysis of data services over high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) systems. The achievable throughput is calculated with an approximate analytical method based on the Padhye model that has two input parameters: the packet loss probability and the transmission control protocol (TCP) round trip time. The proposed solution is to calculate these parameters with an equivalent queuing network model of the HSDPA system that takes into account the possible congestion points in the system and the protocol layers that have dominant impact on the delay and packet drop. The modelling considerations and the analysis method are described in detail. Finally, the model is validated with a performance study of the HSDPA system that is executed with detailed NS2- based simulations too. The proposed method is found to be reasonably accurate requiring less computational effort than the simulations.