List of Top 25 Articles of

Mathematics
Jul-Sep 2014

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Sr. No

Title

A definition of theory: research guidelines for different theory-building research methods in operations
management
Abstract
This study examines the definition of theory and the implications it has for the theory-building research. By
definition, theory must have four basic criteria: conceptual definitions, domain limitations, relationship-building,
and predictions. Theory-building is important because it provides a framework for analysis, facilitates the efficient
development of the field, and is needed for the applicability to practical real world problems. To be good theory, a
theory must follow the virtues (criteria) for `good' theory, including uniqueness, parsimony, conservation,
generalizability, fecundity, internal consistency, empirical riskiness, and abstraction, which apply to all research
methods. Theory-building research seeks to find similarities across many different domains to increase its
abstraction level and its importance. The procedure for good theory-building research follows the definition of
theory: it defines the variables, specifies the domain, builds internally consistent relationships, and makes specific
predictions. If operations management theory is to become integrative, the procedure for good theory-building
research should have similar research procedures, regardless of the research methodology used. The empirical
results from a study of operations management over the last 5 years (19911995) indicate imbalances in research
methodologies for theory-building. The analytical mathematical research methodology is by far the most popular
methodology and appears to be over-researched. On the other hand, the integrative research areas of analytical
statistical and the establishment of causal relationships are under-researched. This leads to the conclusion that
theory-building in operations management is not developing evenly across all methodologies. Last, this study
offers specific guidelines for theory-builders to increase the theory's level of abstraction and the theory's
significance for operations managers.

Battery energy storage technology for power systems-An overview

Abstract
The penetration of renewable sources (particularly wind power) in to the power system network has been

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increasing in the recent years. As a result of this, there have been serious concerns over reliable and satisfactory
operation of the power systems. One of the solutions being proposed to improve the reliability and performance of
these systems is to integrate energy storage devices into the power system network. Further, in the present
deregulated markets these storage devices could also be used to increase the profit margins of wind farm owners
and even provide arbitrage. This paper discusses the present status of battery energy storage technology and
methods of assessing their economic viability and impact on power system operation. Further, a discussion on the
role of battery storage systems of electric hybrid vehicles in power system storage technologies had been made.
Finally, the paper suggests a likely future outlook for the battery technologies and the electric hybrid vehicles in
the context of power system applications.
Data-intensive applications, challenges, techniques and technologies: A survey on Big Data
Abstract
It is already true that Big Data has drawn huge attention from researchers in information sciences, policy and
decision makers in governments and enterprises. As the speed of information growth exceeds Moores Law at the
beginning of this new century, excessive data is making great troubles to human beings. However, there are so
much potential and highly useful values hidden in the huge volume of data. A new scientific paradigm is born as
data-intensive scientific discovery (DISD), also known as Big Data problems. A large number of fields and sectors,
ranging from economic and business activities to public administration, from national security to scientific
researches in many areas, involve with Big Data problems. On the one hand, Big Data is extremely valuable to
produce productivity in businesses and evolutionary breakthroughs in scientific disciplines, which give us a lot of
opportunities to make great progresses in many fields. There is no doubt that the future competitions in business
productivity and technologies will surely converge into the Big Data explorations. On the other hand, Big Data also
arises with many challenges, such as difficulties in data capture, data storage, data analysis and data visualization.
This paper is aimed to demonstrate a close-up view about Big Data, including Big Data applications, Big Data
opportunities and challenges, as well as the state-of-the-art techniques and technologies we currently adopt to
deal with the Big Data problems. We also discuss several underlying methodologies to handle the data deluge, for
example, granular computing, cloud computing, bio-inspired computing, and quantum computing.
Deep learning in neural networks: An overview
Abstract
In recent years, deep artificial neural networks (including recurrent ones) have won numerous contests in pattern

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recognition and machine learning. This historical survey compactly summarizes relevant work, much of it from the
previous millennium. Shallow and Deep Learners are distinguished by the depth of theircredit assignment paths,
which are chains of possibly learnable, causal links between actions and effects. I review deep supervised learning
(also recapitulating the history of backpropagation), unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning & evolutionary
computation, and indirect search for short programs encoding deep and large networks.

Defining and developing measures of lean production

Abstract
Our research addresses the confusion and inconsistency associated with lean production. We attempt to clarify
the semantic confusion surrounding lean production by conducting an extensive literature review using a historical
evolutionary perspective in tracing its main components. We identify a key set of measurement items by charting
the linkages between measurement instruments that have been used to measure its various components from the
past literature, and using a rigorous, two-stage empirical method and data from a large set of manufacturing firms,
we narrow the list of items selected to represent lean production to 48 items, empirically identifying 10 underlying
components. In doing so, we map the operational space corresponding to conceptual space surrounding lean
production. Configuration theory provides the theoretical underpinnings and helps to explain the synergistic
relationships among its underlying components.
Enterprise resource planning: Implementation procedures and critical success factors
Abstract
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are highly complex information systems. The implementation of these
systems is a difficult and high cost proposition that places tremendous demands on corporate time and resources.
Many ERP implementations have been classified as failures because they did not achieve predetermined corporate
goals. This article identifies success factors, software selection steps, and implementation procedures critical to a
successful implementation. A case study of a largely successful ERP implementation is presented and discussed in
terms of these key factors.

Facility location and supply chain management - A review

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Abstract
Facility location decisions play a critical role in the strategic design of supply chain networks. In this paper, a
literature review of facility location models in the context of supply chain management is given. We identify basic
features that such models must capture to support decision-making involved in strategic supply chain planning. In
particular, the integration of location decisions with other decisions relevant to the design of a supply chain
network is discussed. Furthermore, aspects related to the structure of the supply chain network, including those
specific to reverse logistics, are also addressed. Significant contributions to the current state-of-the-art are
surveyed taking into account numerous factors. Supply chain performance measures and optimization techniques
are also reviewed. Applications of facility location models to supply chain network design ranging across various
industries are presented. Finally, a list of issues requiring further research are highlighted.

GSA: A Gravitational Search Algorithm

Abstract
In recent years, various heuristic optimization methods have been developed. Many of these methods are inspired
by swarm behaviors in nature. In this paper, a new optimization algorithm based on the law of gravity and mass
interactions is introduced. In the proposed algorithm, the searcher agents are a collection of masses which interact
with each other based on the Newtonian gravity and the laws of motion. The proposed method has been compared
with some well-known heuristic search methods. The obtained results confirm the high performance of the
proposed method in solving various nonlinear functions.

Information systems in supply chain integration and management

Abstract
Supply chain management (SCM) is the 21st century global operations strategy for achieving organizational
competitiveness. Companies are attempting to find ways to improve their flexibility and responsiveness and in turn
competitiveness by changing their operations strategy, methods and technologies that include the implementation
of SCM paradigm and information technology (IT). However, a thorough and critical review of literature is yet to be
carried out with the objective of bringing out pertinent factors and useful insights into the role and implications of
IT in SCM. In this paper, the literature available on IT in SCM have been classified using suitable criteria and then
critically reviewed to develop a framework for studying the applications of IT in SCM. Based on this review and
analysis, recommendations have been made regarding the application of IT in SCM and some future research

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directions are indicated.

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Lean manufacturing and firm performance: The incremental contribution of lean management accounting practices
Abstract
Manufacturing firms operating in rapidly changing and highly competitive markets have embraced the continuous
process improvement mindset. They have worked to improve quality, flexibility, and customer response time using
the principles of Lean thinking. To reach its potential, lean must be adopted as a holistic business strategy, rather
than an activity isolated in operations. The lean enterprise calls for the integration of lean practices across
operations and other business functions. As a critical component for achieving financial control, management
accounting practices (MAP) need to be adjusted to meet the demands and objectives of lean organizations. Our
aim is to help both researchers and practitioners better understand how lean MAP can support operations
personnel with their internal decision making, and operations executives and business leaders in their objective of
increasing lean operations performance as part of a holistic lean enterprise strategy. We use survey data from 244
U.S. manufacturing firms to construct a structural equation model. We document that the extent of lean
manufacturing implementation is associated with the use of lean MAP, and further that the lean MAP are related in
a systematic way: simplified and strategically aligned MAP positively influences the use of value stream costing,
which in turn positively influences the use of visual performance measures. We also find that the extent of lean
manufacturing practices is directly related to operations performance. More importantly, lean manufacturing
practices also indirectly affect operations performance through lean MAP. These findings are consistent with the
notion that lean thinking is a holistic business strategy. In order to derive the greatest impact on performance, our
results indicate that operations management cannot operate in a vacuum. Instead, operations and accounting
personnel must partner with each other to ensure that lean MAP are strategically integrated into the lean culture.
In sum, lean MAP provide essential financial control that integrates with and supports operations to achieve
desired benefits

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Lean manufacturing: context, practice bundles, and performance

Abstract
Management literature has suggested that contextual factors may present strong inertial forces within
organizations that inhibit implementations that appear technically rational [R.R. Nelson, S.G. Winter, An

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Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1982]. This paper examines
the effects of three contextual factors, plant size, plant age and unionization status, on the likelihood of
implementing 22 manufacturing practices that are key facets of lean production systems. Further, we postulate
four bundles of inter-related and internally consistent practices; these are just-in-time (JIT), total quality
management (TQM), total preventive maintenance (TPM), and human resource management (HRM). We
empirically validate our bundles and investigate their effects on operational performance. The study sample uses
data from IndustryWeeks Census of Manufacturers. The evidence provides strong support for the influence of plant
size on lean implementation, whereas the influence of unionization and plant age is less pervasive than
conventional wisdom suggests. The results also indicate that lean bundles contribute substantially to the operating
performance of plants, and explain about 23% of the variation in operational performance after accounting for the
effects of industry and contextual factors.

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Multi-criteria decision making approaches for supplier evaluation and selection: A literature review
Abstract
Supplier evaluation and selection problem has been studied extensively. Various decision making approaches have
been proposed to tackle the problem. In contemporary supply chain management, the performance of potential
suppliers is evaluated against multiple criteria rather than considering a single factor-cost. This paper reviews the
literature of the multi-criteria decision making approaches for supplier evaluation and selection. Related articles
appearing in the international journals from 2000 to 2008 are gathered and analyzed so that the following three
questions can be answered: (i) Which approaches were prevalently applied? (ii) Which evaluating criteria were paid
more attention to? (iii) Is there any inadequacy of the approaches? Based on the inadequacy, if any, some
improvements and possible future work are recommended. This research not only provides evidence that the
multi-criteria decision making approaches are better than the traditional cost-based approach, but also aids the
researchers and decision makers in applying the approaches effectively.

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Performance measurement of supply chain management: A balanced scorecard approach

Abstract
This paper develops a balanced scorecard for supply chain management (SCM) that measures and evaluates day-

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to-day business operations from following four perspectives: finance, customer, internal business process, and
learning and growth. Balanced scorecard has been developed based on extensive review of literature on SCM
performance measures, supported by three case studies, each illustrating ways in which BSC was developed and
applied in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in India. The paper further suggests that a balanced SCM
scorecard can be the foundation for a strategic SCM system provided that certain development guidelines are
properly followed, appropriate metrics are evaluated, and key implementation obstacles are overcome. The
balanced scorecard developed in this paper provides a useful guidance for the practical managers in evaluation
and measuring of SCM in a balanced way and proposes a balanced performance measurement system to map and
analyze supply chains. While suggesting balanced scorecard, different SCM performance metrics have been
reviewed and distributed into four perspectives. This helps managers to evaluate SCM performance in a muchbalanced way from all angles of business.

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Quantitative models for sustainable supply chain management: Developments and directions
Abstract
Sustainability, the consideration of environmental factors and social aspects, in supply chain management (SCM)
has become a highly relevant topic for researchers and practitioners. The application of operations research
methods and related models, i.e. formal modeling, for closed-loop SCM and reverse logistics has been effectively
reviewed in previously published research. This situation is in contrast to the understanding and review of
mathematical models that focus on environmental or social factors in forward supply chains (SC), which has seen
less investigation. To evaluate developments and directions of this research area, this paper provides a content
analysis of 134 carefully identified papers on quantitative, formal models that address sustainability aspects in the
forward SC. It was found that a preponderance of the publications and models appeared in a limited set of six
journals, and most were analytically based with a focus on multiple criteria decision making. The tools most often
used comprise the analytical hierarchy process or its close relative, the analytical network process, as well as life
cycle analysis. Conclusions are drawn showing that numerous possibilities and insights can be gained from
expanding the types of tools and factors considered in formal modeling efforts.

15

Recommender systems survey

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Abstract
Recommender systems have developed in parallel with the web. They were initially based on demographic,
content-based and collaborative filtering. Currently, these systems are incorporating social information. In the
future, they will use implicit, local and personal information from the Internet of things. This article provides an
overview of recommender systems as well as collaborative filtering methods and algorithms; it also explains their
evolution, provides an original classification for these systems, identifies areas of future implementation and
develops certain areas selected for past, present or future importance.

16

Reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chain: A comprehensive review to explore the future
Abstract
Based on environmental, legal, social, and economic factors, reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chain issues
have attracted attention among both academia and practitioners. This attention is evident by the vast number of
publications in scientific journals which have been published in recent years. Hence, a comprehensive literature
review of recent and state-of-the-art papers is vital to draw a framework of the past, and to shed light on future
directions. The aim of this paper is to review recently published papers in reverse logistic and closed-loop supply
chain in scientific journals. A total of 382 papers published between January 2007 and March 2013 are selected
and reviewed. The papers are then analyzed and categorized to construct a useful foundation of past research.
Finally, gaps in the literature are identified to clarify and to suggest future research opportunities.

17

Security and privacy for storage and computation in cloud computing

Abstract
Cloud computing emerges as a new computing paradigm that aims to provide reliable, customized and quality of
service guaranteed computation environments for cloud users. Applications and databases are moved to the large
centralized data centers, called cloud. Due to resource virtualization, global replication and migration, the physical
absence of data and machine in the cloud, the stored data in the cloud and the computation results may not be
well managed and fully trusted by the cloud users. Most of the previous work on the cloud security focuses on the
storage security rather than taking the computation security into consideration together. In this paper, we propose
a privacy cheating discouragement and secure computation auditing protocol, or SecCloud, which is a first protocol
bridging secure storage and secure computation auditing in cloud and achieving privacy cheating discouragement

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by designated verifier signature, batch verification and probabilistic sampling techniques. The detailed analysis is
given to obtain an optimal sampling size to minimize the cost. Another major contribution of this paper is that we
build a practical secure-aware cloud computing experimental environment, or SecHDFS, as a test bed to
implement SecCloud. Further experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of the
proposed SecCloud.

18

Sliding behaviour of simplified tire tread patterns investigated by means of FEM

Abstract
In this paper, a simulation procedure for sliding tread blocks under consideration of thermal effects and abrasion is
introduced. It is intended as a powerful tool in tire design and development complementary to experimental
investigations. A contact model specially suited for the contact pairing rubber and rough road is developed.
Subsequent changes of the model geometry in the course of the simulation allow for the reproduction of abrasion
effects. The simulations are carried out by means of the Finite Element Method in a thermo-mechanically coupled
manner. Exemplary simulation results are presented for 2D as well as 3D models of rubber tread blocks. By
incorporation of sipes and by consideration of parallelogram-shaped bases, a close approach to realistic tread
patterns is achieved.

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Strategic development and SWOT analysis at the University of Warwick

Abstract
SWOT analysis is an established method for assisting the formulation of strategy. An application to strategy
formulation and its incorporation into the strategic development process at the University of Warwick is described.
The application links SWOT analysis to resource-based planning, illustrates it as an iterative rather than a linear
process and embeds it within the overall planning process. Lessons are drawn both for the University and for the
strategy formulation process itself.

20

Sustainable supply chains: An introduction

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Abstract
Consideration is given to the convergence of supply chains and sustainability. In doing so, the focus on
environmental management and operations is moved from local optimization of environmental factors to
consideration of the entire supply chain during the production, consumption, customer service and post-disposal
disposition of products. This is a critical and timely topic that captures increasing concerns over sustainability,
whether driven by current legislation, public interest, or competitive opportunity. As such, sustainable
development is a rich area for academic research that is still in its infancy and has the potential to affect future
government policy, current production operations, and identify new business models. This paper provides a
background to better understand current trends in this multidisciplinary field that intersect with operations
management, and the research opportunities and challenges it presents.
The genealogy of lean production
Abstract
Lean production not only successfully challenged the accepted mass production practices in the automotive
industry, significantly shifting the trade-off between productivity and quality, but it also led to a rethinking of a
wide range of manufacturing and service operations beyond the high-volume repetitive manufacturing
environment. The book The machine that changed the World that introduced the term lean production in 1990
has become one of the most widely cited references in operations management over the last decade. Despite the
fact that the just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing concept had been known for almost a decade prior, the book played a
key role in disseminating the concept outside of Japan. While the technical aspects of lean production have been
widely discussed, this paper sets out to investigate the evolution of the research at the MIT International Motor
Vehicle Program (IMVP) that led to the conception of the term lean production. Furthermore, the paper
investigates why despite the pre-existing knowledge of JIT the program was so influential in promoting the lean
production concept. Based on iterating series of interviews with the key authors, contributors and researchers of
the time, this paper presents an historical account of the research that led to the formulation and dissemination of
one of the most influential manufacturing paradigms of recent times.

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The impact of supply chain integration on performance: A contingency and configuration approach
Abstract

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This study extends the developing body of literature on supply chain integration (SCI), which is the degree to which
a manufacturer strategically collaborates with its supply chain partners and collaboratively manages intra- and
inter-organizational processes, in order to achieve effective and efficient flows of products and services,
information, money and decisions, to provide maximum value to the customer. The previous research is
inconsistent in its findings about the relationship between SCI and performance. We attribute this inconsistency to
incomplete definitions of SCI, in particular, the tendency to focus on customer and supplier integration only,
excluding the important central link of internal integration. We study the relationship between three dimensions of
SCI, operational and business performance, from both a contingency and a configuration perspective. In applying
the contingency approach, hierarchical regression was used to determine the impact of individual SCI dimensions
(customer, supplier and internal integration) and their interactions on performance. In the configuration approach,
cluster analysis was used to develop patterns of SCI, which were analyzed in terms of SCI strength and balance.
Analysis of variance was used to examine the relationship between SCI pattern and performance. The findings of
both the contingency and configuration approach indicated that SCI was related to both operational and business
performance. Furthermore, the results indicated that internal and customer integration were more strongly related
to improving performance than supplier integration.

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The relationship between total quality management practices and operational performance
Abstract
Total quality management (TQM) has been a widely applied process for improving competitiveness around the
world, but with mixed success. A review of the literature revealed gaps in research in this area of
quality/operations management, particularly in the area of empirical testing of the effectiveness of TQM
implementation. The aim of this study was to examine the total quality management practices and operational
performance of a large number of manufacturing companies in order to determine the relationships between these
practices, individually and collectively, and firm performance. We used a large data base of 1200 Australian and
New Zealand manufacturing organisations. The reliability and validity (construct, content, criterion) of the practice
and performance measures were evaluated. Our study showed that the relationship between TQM practice and
organisational performance is significant in a cross-sectional sense, in that TQM practice intensity explains a
significant proportion of variance in performance. Some but not all of the categories of TQM practice were
particularly strong predictors of performance. The categories of leadership, management of people and customer
focus were the strongest significant predictors of operational performance. This is consistent with literature

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findings that behavioural factors such as executive commitment, employee empowerment and an open culture can
produce competitive advantage more strongly than TQM tools and techniques such as process improvement,
benchmarking, and information and analysis.

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The relationship between total quality management practices and their effects on firm performance
Abstract
Recent research on total quality management (TQM) has examined the relationships between the practices of
quality management and various levels of organizational performance. These studies have produced mixed results,
probably because of the nature of the research designs used such as measuring TQM or performance as a single
construct. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this study identifies the relationships among TQM practices
and examines the direct and indirect effects of these practices on various performance levels. A proposed research
model and hypotheses are tested by using cross-sectional mail survey data collected from firms operating in the
US. The test of the structural model supports the proposed hypotheses. The implications of the findings for
researchers and practitioners are discussed and further research directions are offered.

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The shear modulus of a composite material with a transversely isotropic matrix and a fibre
Abstract
A relation is proposed for determining of the shear modulus of a fibrous composite material with a transversely
isotropic matrix and a fibre as a function of the elastic constants of the matrix and the fibre as well as the volume
fraction of each of them in the composite material. The isotropy planes of the matrix and fibre coincide and are
perpendicular to the fibre axis. Two boundary value problems are solved in order to obtain the required relation:
the problem of the longitudinal shear of a transversely isotropic solid cylinder that simulates the fibrous composite
material and the problem of the combined longitudinal shear of a hollow and solid cylinder that simulate the
matrix material and the fibre material respectively. Calculations using the proposed formula are compared with the
available experimental data.

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