In the present paper, the differential transformation method is employed to develop a semi-analytical solution for free transverse vibration of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) with arbitrary boundary conditions. The small scale effect is taken into consideration via Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory while the transverse shear deformation effects and rotary inertia are taken into account in presented Timoshenko beam theory. Through variational formulation and the Hamilton & apos; s principle the governing differential equations and the boundary conditions are derived and then solved by a semi-analytical method called differential transformation method (DTM) for various frequency modes of beams and different edge conditions. Comparisons made between the present results and results reported by well-known references for special cases treated before, have confirmed accuracy and efficiency of the presented approach. The effects of several parameters such as transverse shear deformation effects, slenderness ratios, boundary conditions and small scale on vibration characteristics of SWCNT are examined. The present study illustrates that the vibration characteristics of an SWCNT are strongly dependent on the small scale parameters.

This paper investigates the role of quality of supply chain components on brand promise. The dimensions of supply chain relationships include: communication, cooperation, commitment, independence, adaptability and reliability. The study uses the questionnaire developed by Fynes et al. (2005) [Fynes, B., Voss, C., & de B?rca, S. (2005). The impact of supply chain relationship quality on quality performance. International Journal of Production Economics, 96(3), 339-354.]. The population of the study includes all auto part makers and the study chooses a sample of 384 people for the study. Using structural equation modeling, the study has confirmed that all six components influence positively on brand promise.

In this study, a volume flexible inventory system for deteriorating items with stock & time dependent demand has been developed over a finite planning horizon. Shortages are permitted with partial backorder. Uncertainties are inherent in real inventory problems due to complexities of market situation. This uncertainty can be handled by the concept of randomness. As a result, backorder rate is taken as random and follows a probability distribution. All the costs are influenced by the learning effect. The optimal number of production cycles that minimize the total cost is considered. Numerical illustrations together with sensitivity analysis are given to elucidate the model. Furthermore, the numerical results of the finite planning horizon model have been plotted graphically.

Today, supply chains have been widely welcomed by industry researchers and the results of applying it may increase throughput, reduce cost, increase speed to meet customers’ needs and create competitive opportunities. This paper identifies a scientific method, which operates efficiently and effectively manages supply chain operations. In this paper, a computer simulation model is analyzed for analyzing the supply chain and the results are examined, accordingly. Using Taguchi design of experiment and running the proposed model under L27 scenarios, a two-objective optimization was performed on the estimated response surfaces, leading to a 60% increase in productivity and 40% reduction in waiting time.

This paper presents an empirical investigation for line balancing in aluminum industry. Assembly line problems (ALB) are divided into three types, single-model assembly lines to handle (easy) problems to build a product that is designed to build one kind of product, multiple and mixed model to design for different kinds of products. This paper is an effort to describe comprehensively the solution to the problem for single-model assembly lines using some practical software package named FLB. The primary objective of aluminum assembly line balancing is optimal deployment activities subject to various limitations. The preliminary results of this paper indicate that the implementation of line balancing could reduce make span, significantly.

Research in the field of export marketing suggests that resources play an important role in providing necessary investments for development of businesses for exporting goods and services. The present study examines the factors influencing brand advantage for export ventures in small and medium firms (SMEs) located in city of Tehran, Iran. In this survey, we choose a sample of 256 managers of the SMEs randomly and distribute a questionnaire among them in Likert scale. Cronbach alpha has been calculated as 0.770, which is well above the minimum desirable level. Using principal component analysis, the study has detected six factors including organizational advantages, future studies, position of the firm in the market, product capability, the consumer & apos; s image and development tools influencing the most on export development. The implementation of structural equation modeling has also determined positive as well as negative impact of the factors on export ventures.

This paper presents an empirical investigation to identify and rank the factors of information market development systems influencing on the market share development. The population of this survey includes all managers who work for SMEs in city of Tehran, Iran. The study selects a sample of 230 people randomly and a questionnaire is distributed among them in Likert scale. Cronbach alpha has been calculated as 0.814, which is well above the minimum desirable level. Using structural equation modeling the study has determined seven factors including valid data, information, strategic information, organizational information, supportive information, customer information, development information and data analysis, which influence market share development.

Enterprise Resource Planning System is an important investment for organizations and determines future competitiveness and performance of a firm, which could be substantially effective. The primary objective of enterprise resource planning systems is to consolidate operational procedures among various departments, management information systems and resource allocation of the companies. Given the fact that the selection process for enterprise resource planning system is a multi-criteria decision problem and there are some ambiguities with various criteria, the use of fuzzy logic is inevitable, therefore, in this study, the main indices and standardized evaluation software enterprise resource planning system identification were used to rank six software packages including Oracle, SAP, SSA Global Solution, Sage Group, Microsoft Business Solution, People Soft focus. The results indicate that the highest priority is associated with the SAP software.

Over the past decades, high entropy alloys (HEAs) have attracted continuously increasing research efforts because of their technological promise for structural applications and their scientific interest as a multi-component alloy exhibiting an overall random solid solution structure with high mixing entropy at high temperature. In this summary, we briefly review the recent studies focused on the structure and mechanical behavior of HEAs, covering the important issues from phase stability to elastic modulus, mechanical strength, hardness and fatigue resistance. Finally, we highlight a few key findings recently reported for HEAs and discuss the outstanding issues yet to be resolved.

Supply chain management (SCM) has recently received considerable attention in business management literature. Many companies consider a well-designed SCM and implement it to their systems to increase the performance of production systems. Supplier selection is a fundamental aspect of SCM, which heavily contributes to the overall supply chain performance. SCM is a complicated decision-making problem including both quantitative and qualitative factors. In this paper, we try to determine criteria, indicated by experts for selection of suitable suppliers. The proposed study obtains weight of each criterion by Fuzzy Linear Goal Programming (FLGP) technique. We rank the suppliers by Fuzzy Quality Function Deployment (FQFD) method. The study is executed for a PETROCHEMICAL Co. to evaluate and select the best suppliers.