Operating in today’s highly competitive global markets, transnational enterprises always seek to optimize internal vendor-buyer coordinated systems to ensure timeliness and quality deliveries, given the reality of unreliable machines and limited capacity. To facilitate accurate decision making to help organizations gain competitive advantages in such situations, this study explores an intra-supply-chain problem featuring a partial outsourcing batch fabrication plan, random scrap, Poisson-distributed breakdown rate, and multiple shipments of end-product. First, we build a model to characterize the problem clearly. Then, we carry out formulations, analyses, and derivations of the model to attain the problem’s cost function. We then use differential calculus and propose a specific algorithm to confirm the convexity of the obtained cost function and derive the optimal runtime. Finally, we offer a numerical illustration to demonstrate the result’s applicability for other business circumstances. Additional elements of the problem are then discussed, including the individual and combined influence of variations in scrap, outsourcing, breakdown, and shipping frequency. The features of an optimal operating policy and cost relevant parameters are now revealed to assist management with strategic planning and decision making in real-world intra-supply-chain environments.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, Taiwan has implemented rigorous border control and taken specific measures such as virus detection, contact tracing, and quarantine since 2020. Its epidemic prevention performance has been quite outstanding. Even in May 2021, when the epidemic situation worsens, the people in Taiwan fully cooperate with the government’s control measures so as to successfully alleviate and control the epidemic in less than three months. Among them, the detection policy has played a pivotal role. We analyze and discuss the false positive and false negative problems from rapid antigen and PCR detection in the screening policy as well as the timing of using these two instruments. This paper provides theoretical verification of the appropriateness of screening policy in Taiwan, offering a few feasible suggestions for related policies in other countries or regions at different stages of this and other potential epidemics.

When operating in highly competitive business environments, contemporary manufacturing firms must persistently find ways to fulfill timely orders with quality ensured merchandise, manage the unanticipated fabrication disruptions, and minimize total operating expenses. To address the aforementioned concerns, this study explores the optimal runtime decision for a manufacturing system featuring an expedited fabrication rate, random equipment failures, and scrap. Specifically, the proposed study considers an expedited rate that is linked to higher setup and unit costs. The fabrication process is subject to random failure and scrap rates. The failure instance follows a Poisson distribution, is repaired right away, and the fabrication of interrupted batch resumes when the equipment is restored. The defective goods are identified and scrapped. Mathematical modeling and optimization method are used to find the total system cost and the optimal runtime of the problem. The applicability and sensitivity analyses of research outcome are illustrated through a numerical example. Diverse critical information regarding the individual/joint impacts of variations in stochastic time-to-failure, expedited rate, and random scrap on the optimal runtime decision, total system expenses, different cost components, and machine utilization, can now be revealed to assist in in-depth problem analyses and decision makings.

This research constructs a mathematical scheme to explore replenishment-shipment decisions for a multiproduct producer-client coordinated finite production rate (FPR) model with the postponement, rework, and subcontracting plan. The considered multiple goods have a common component, and a batch FPR fabrication with postponement is planned to meet the annual multiproduct requirements. The first fabricating phase makes only the standard components needed for a batch and subcontracts a proportion of them (with additional cost) to expedite the process. In contrast, the second fabricating phase produces the finished multiple merchandise in sequence. The in-house rework processes with extra expense help retain the desirable quality. Each merchandise’s finished batch is transported to the clients in equal-sized numerous shipments. This study derives the optimal batch cycle length and transporting frequency by minimizing the overall fabricating-shipment expenses (including clients’ holding costs). This work offers a numerical example demonstrating various crucial system features influenced by the factors of subcontracting, postponement, rework, and transportation policies to facilitate managerial decision making in industries.

As social media becomes influential in our daily life, successful adoption of it may act as a motivating factor to achieve entrepreneurial outcomes such as entrepreneurial intention, the most reliable indicator of actions toward entrepreneurial behavior. Although numerous studies found personality as a strong determinant of entrepreneurial intention, the focus was on broad personality constructs such as the Big Five, rather than specific ones that may predict entrepreneurial outcomes better. Based on the concept of entrepreneurial intentionality and entrepreneurial networking, social media technology acceptance that includes perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use social media, is proposed to mediate the relationship between entrepreneurial personality and entrepreneurial intention. Using a sample of 261 college students and SEM analysis, significant positive direct and indirect influences were found.

The present study examines the relationship between high performance human resource (HPHR) system and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in Vietnamese enterprises, and explores the mediating role of job satisfaction in this interaction. Data collected from 179 line managers working in Vietnamese companies by structured questionnaires. The results indicate that the positive relationship between HPHR system and organizational citizenship behavior was mediated by job satisfaction. The study also provides an evidence in terms of the application of HPHR system to foster the organizational outcomes and contributes to understand the underlying mechanism in human resource system and employee’s behaviors relationship.

Transnational corporations, which operate in competitive global marketplaces, have to build the best possible intra-supply chain model for meeting, on time, clients’ need for multiple products with the requisite quality. Since fabrication capacity is always limited, the introduction of the external provider option can assist in leveling utilization, smoothing manufacturing schedules, eliminating overtime usage, and shortening the length of the fabrication cycle. Seeking to support intra-supply chain planning, this research aims to provide a concurrent decision on rotation cycle length and delivery frequency for a multi-item vendor-buyer incorporated type of intra-supply chain system with an external provider and rework. First, a model is built to represent this hybrid inventory replenishing problem. Then, renewal reward theory, mathematical derivation, and Hessian matrix equations are utilized to arrive at the expected total cost of the model, as well as the best policies for both cycle time and distribution. Last, the applicability and sensitivity analyses of our results are exhibited by a numerical demonstration. The insights obtained from this study about critical system-related information, such as the individual and joint impacts of the variation in outsourcing and reworking-related features on the system’s optimal operating policy and various performance parameters, will offer crucial help to the managerial functions of planning and decision making in firms using this realistic multi-item hybrid intra-supply chain system.

Facing stiff competition in worldwide markets, capability of meeting timely demands of multiproduct and satisfying customer’s desired product quality are essential to present-day manufacturers. Motivated by achieving the aforementioned goals, this research intends to find most economic common cycle length for a multiproduct finite production rate (FPR)-based inventory system, wherein, imperfect production process with expedited fabrication rate and random scrap is assumed. Extra setup and unit costs are associated with the adjusted rate, and imperfect products are screened and scrapped. A mathematical model is cautiously constructed to examine and resolve the problem. A numerical illustration is employed to exhibit the applicability of the proposed method. Except finding the most economic common cycle time for the problem, core contribution of this study also is associated with the individual and combined impact(s) of important factors to the problem, and hence, enabling management of manufacturing firms to make efficient/cost-effective decision and gain competitive advantages.

The aim of the current study is to examine the effects of competitive advantage and digital marketing on tourism business performance (BP). The indirect effect of supply chain management (SCM) is also considered by the current study. Quantitative research approach is used and data collection is made through a survey instrument. 225 responses were received and used in data analysis to examine the relationship between variables. Five direct effect hypotheses and two indirect effect hypotheses are tested in this study. Smart PLS is used to test the direct and indirect relationship. It is found that; competitive advantage has a positive effect on BP. It also has a positive effect on SCM. Furthermore, digital marketing has a positive effect on BP. Similarly, digital marketing has a positive effect on SCM. Additionally, SCM is a mediating variable between competitive advantage and BP of the tourism industry.

The study applies a postponement strategy to a multi-item fabrication-shipment decision making in a vendor-buyer coordinated environment with multi-delivery, quality reassurance, and overtime. To cope with the recent client demand trend asking for rapid response, quality, and diversified goods, today’s manufacturers require a multi-item production-shipping scheme to satisfy customers’ needs in cost-saving, quality, and timely matter. In our model, we first produce all needed mutual components and postpone manufacturing of finished goods in the second phase. To expedite mutual parts’ fabrication time, overtime is used. Product quality is reassured through screening the defeats and reworking repairable defectives in both fabrication phases. To decide the optimal fabrication-shipment policy, we build a math model and apply the cost minimization technique to the problem. Upon deriving the optimal policy, we utilize an example to demonstrate how our model works and its capability in exposing various previously inaccessible information to the problem. These detailed results can facilitate managerial decision-making and boost the performance of such a specific multi-item postponement fabrication-shipment system in cost-saving, product quality, and timely response.