Water supply/intake pumps operation use 70~80% of power costs in water treatment plants. In the water treatment plant, seasonal and hourly differential electricity rates are applied, so proper pump scheduling can yield power cost savings. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to develop an optimal water supply pump scheduling scheme. An optimal operation method of water supply pumps by using genetic algorithm was developed. Also, a method to minimize power cost for water supply pump operation based on pump performance derived from the thermodynamic pump efficiency measurement method was proposed. Water level constraints to provide sufficient disinfection performance in a clearwell and reservoirs were calibrated. In addition, continuous operation time constraints were calibrated to prevent frequent pump switching. As a result of optimization, savings ratios during 7 days in winter and summer were 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively. In this study, the method for optimal water pump operation was developed to secure disinfection performance in the clearwell and to save power cost. It is expected that it will be used as a more advanced optimal water pump operation method through further studies such as water demand forecasting and efficiency according to pump combination.

Introduction Retail competition in Japan has become more intense because of multiple reasons. The income and population composition are changing, and many international retailers have entered the Japanese market. It is important for Japanese retailers to differentiate from competitors and maintain a competitive advantage in the long run. To do so, Japanese retailers focus on increasing customer value by controlling their value chains. Therefore, market orientation and supply chain orientation have become very important for Japanese retailers who try to expand their market shares in the Japanese retail market. This study develops and empirically tests a model of the impact of market orientation and supply chain orientation on business performance in Japanese retailing. Theoretical Development Previous literature provides evidence on the positive impact of market orientation on business performance (e.g. Cano et al., 2004; Murray et al., 2011; Morgan, 2012; Ngo & O’Cass, 2012). There are also a few studies in the context of retailing (e.g. Griffith et al., 2006; Kajalo & Lindblom, 2015; Moore & Fairhurst, 2003; Yu et al., 2014). However, only a few studies are focusing on the relationship between supply chain orientation and marketing orientation and the impact of their interplay on business performance (e.g. Martin & Grbac, 2003; Min et al., 2007). Market orientation can be seen as the foundation for customer relationship management. The effectiveness of customer relationship management depends heavily on market intelligence. To attract new customers and retain old customers firms have to satisfy not only existing needs but also latent needs. In retailing, market orientation is very important because the organization of retailing is based on the multi-unit organization where sales staff in stores is in close contact with customers and can get direct information from the customers. Supply chain orientation (SCO) is separated into two concepts: strategic supply chain orientation and structural supply chain orientation (Patel et al., 2013). Strategic SCO is defined as the supply chain directed motivation and objectives arising from executive strategic plans and decisions. Structural SCO is defined as the behaviors and actions related to supply chain management in the implementation of its strategic plan. Therefore, strategic SCO is the antecedent of structural SCO. In retailing, many retail buyers search and negotiate with the suppliers who have the ownership of strong brands and distribution networks. In the buying process, retail buyers can get market information from suppliers. Thus, a retailer can collect market information from internal and external sources. This information is useful for the retailer to not only make marketing plan but also to revise marketing plan during its implementation process. To sum up, customer relationship management and supply chain orientation have a positive impact on marketing capabilities. Similarly, marketing capabilities have a positive impact on business performance. The theoretical framework of the study is presented in Figure 1. Data and Measurement To test the framework, we conducted a mail survey (N=243) among Japanese retailers in 2017. The scales were adapted or developed from existing literature. Market orientation (MO) was based on questions adapted from Narver and Slater (1990). Strategic SCO (STRACO) and structural SCO (STRUSCO) scales were based on Patel et al. (2013). Customer relationship management (CRM) was based on Vorhies et al. (2011), marketing capabilities (MKGCAP) was based on Morgan et al. (2003) and Vorhies and Morgan (2005). Business performance was based on Hooley et al. (2005). The measurement model was assessed using Mplus 8. The measurement model specification allows each construct to covariate with all others. The fit indexes of the measurement model were satisfactory (CFI: 0.95; TLI: 0.94; RMSEA: 0.05; SRMR: 0.05). Next, we tested the reliability and validity of measurements. The convergent and discriminate validity of the latent variables were tested by confirmatory factor analysis where all constructs are correlated (Table 1). Also, we tested the common methods variance using two methods: Harman’s single factor test and the common latent method. The results of these methods suggest that common method variance is not a problem in this study. Results and Conclusions We tested the hypotheses by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) using Mplus 8. The results are presented in Figure 1. The proposed model provides a good fit to the data (χ2= 517.1, d.f.=290, p < 0.000; CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.08). In addition, we assessed the mediating role of marketing capabilities by employing a bootstrapping routine (Table 2). Figure 1 presents the results of the SEM. Most hypotheses were supported, and overall the study provides evidence of the importance of market orientation and strategic SCO on business performance. The most interesting findings are related to the role of marketing capabilities and structural SCO. First, the results show that marketing capabilities serve as a mediator between business performance and customer relationship management (H7). The main aim of CRM is to establish and keep the relationship with target customers. CRM contributes to increasing the marketing capabilities by helping retailer achieve marketing objectives more effectively and efficiently (Chang et al., 2010). Second, marketing capabilities is not a mediator between business performance and structural SCO (H8). The structural SCO has a negative direct impact on business performance, while structural SCO has a positive impact on marketing capabilities which in turn has a positive impact on business performance. Japanese retailer-supplier relationships are different from that in the western economy (Chung et al., 2006). The channel members in Japan have a long-term orientation when they establish a relationship with each other. The findings of our study reflect this cultural aspect of Japanese retailing environment. Japanese retailers purchase products and services from suppliers on long-term. Economic performance is not a single decision making criteria. Instead, relationships with suppliers who do not contribute fully to economic performance continue. The result of H8 refers to this character of Japanese retailing environment.

In the last few years, the attention on false and misleading communications regarding company’s commitment towards the environment – a practice known as greenwashing – has drastically increased. Greenwashing has several consequences for companies: it deteriorates brand reputation and trust (Duan and Jie, 2013), increases consumer skepticism (Delmas and Burbano, 2011), reduces purchase intentions (Murray and Vogel 1997; Swaen and Vanhamme 2004, 2005), and erodes investor’s confidence in environmentally friendly firms (Delmas and Burbano, 2011). Indeed, private investors are interested in CSR and look for information about it (Cellier et al., 2016; Nath, et al., 2013) but little is known about the consequences of greenwashing on private investments. Moreover, greenwashing often happens because of the bad management of the supply chain and various company’s faults are related to the difficulty to manage it (Crane et al., 2014). The aim of this research is to investigate how greenwashing affects intention to invest depending on the involvement of the supply chain. In two experiments we compared three types of greenwashing, which vary according to the supply chain role in the misconduct and the declared CSR commitment of the company. We call indirect greenwashing when a company that declares to be CSR committed is accused of greenwashing because it purchases raw materials or services from a supplier that does not meet sustainability standards (e.g. child labor, environmental damages). Conversely, a company that does not follow its CSR talk because of its own production procedures is an example of direct greenwashing. We also propose a third category of greenwashing, which we called vicarious greenwashing: when the misconduct and the relative accusation regard a company’s supplier, but the company does not claim to be sustainable (so it’s vicariously affected). A scenario-based experimental design (n =107) asked participants to indicate the intention to invest on a company accused of direct greenwashing (vs. indirect vs. vicarious). Results showed that direct greenwashing is particularly detrimental on investment intentions, especially compared to vicarious greenwashing, but not compared to indirect greenwashing (even if the means were lower). This result suggests that greenwashing is detrimental for investments even when the company does not perform the misconduct. A second experiment (n = 202) investigated whether the declared control on the supply chain affects intention to invest when the company is involved in greenwashing. Direct greenwashing was the more detrimental for investments, but, when companies declared high control on the supply chain, greenwashing significantly decreased intention to invest, so that in high control condition direct greenwashing did not differ from vicarious and indirect greenwashing. These results show how the involvement in greenwashing affects investment intentions of private investors and expand our knowledge on the consequences of greenwashing, so far mostly investigated from the consumer side. We show that greenwashing has potential disruptive consequences from a broader perspective, because it reduces stakeholders’ willingness to invest, even when the misconduct is attributable to a supplier.

The purpose is to identify the impacts of internal and external integrations in an automotive supply chain in Thailand. Data are collected from automotive firms in Thailand and are analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The result indicates that both internal and external integrations are significant factors affecting market flexibility.

This study was conducted to examine the influences of two human chorion gonadotrophins (hCGs) being injected into young or aged (45- to 65-week old) outbred (ICR) mice on developmental capacity of oocytes retrieved. In vitro-culture and parthenogenetic activation of oocytes retrieved were employed for the assessment. Superovulation was determined as being induced when more than 25 oocytes were retrieved. No aged mice were superovulated, while in contrast, 67-100% were superovulated in the 6- to 8-week-old (young) mice. In the aged, hCG injection yielded better retrieval (5 vs. 13 to 14.8 oocytes/mouse). Overall, no significant difference between two hCGs was detected but between the young and aged, significant differences in maturational arrest (0% vs. 39% MI arrest and 46% vs. 15% degeneration) and developmental capacity (24% vs. 46% 8-cell embryo development) were detected. In conclusion, hCG injection contributes to increasing oocyte retrieval from aged outbred mice, but the kinds of gonadotrophin influenced the efficiency of hyperstimulation induction in specific ages.

Recently in Construction field, It has been the big issues to produce an Eco-friendly Construction material and to solve problems about the First grade–Aggregates’ supply&demand. While the Eco-friendly Construction materials which are refurbished and reproduced from construction wastes and industrial by-products have a great deal of effectiveness such as cost or CO2 emission reduction, there is an additional logistical cost due to go through with some processes for recycle such as Intermediary treatments or management and collection of materials. Furthermore, Demand of the First grade-Aggregates is rising and spreading all over the nation for the improvement of Road driving performance, But there is also an additional logistical cost for supply&demand due to the cost of transport growth by sites of construction. In this study, the process and methodology of the new material supply and demand route routings using the Arc Gis Program and the calculation of the available distance through economic analysis are presented. After examining the cost status of construction materials and logistics costs by examining the literature review and related industry, economic feasibility was obtained by comparing the price of general construction materials with the total cost of comparable materials and logistics costs. After an economic analysis, ArcGis3.0 was used to visualize the materials’ supply&demand route and As a result, We can observe the economically secured route from the construction materials’ production plant to where the domestic transportable route and nodes mapped. Throughout the study, the pre-groundwork for an efficient use of the construction materials is able to be prepared and It will be helpful to invigorate supply&demand. In addition to the economic analysis in the future, If the real-time traffic information (traffic volume, speed, environment, etc.) and the performance (structure, functionality, etc.) of each construction materials are reflected, It will be possible to build a decision system for selecting construction materials which meet consumers’ various needs.

Now days, customer’s health awareness is of extreme significance. Food can become contaminated at any point during production, preparation and distribution. Therefore, it is of key importance for the perishable food supply chain to monitor the food quality and safety. Traceability system offers complete food information and therefore, it guarantees food quality and safety. The current study postulates a low cost IoT-based traceability system that utilized RFID and smartphone-based sensors. The RFID handheld reader based on smartphone is utilized to track and trace the product. In addition the smartphone-based sensor is used to measure temperature, humidity, and location during storage and transportation. The proposed system was verified for kimchi supply chain in Korea, and revealed significant benefits to managers as well as customers by providing the real-time product information, location as well as complete temperature and humidity history. The results displayed that compared to the traditional methods, the proposed system is capable of tracking products as well as processing an immense input of data efficiently and effectively.

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are defend on feeds for their larvae and adult bees` healthy life. The nectar is carbohydrate source for making energy. We are extract several sugars from plants for using carbohydrate source to bee. 3 sugar source was extracted from plants (watermelon, cabbage, and mandarin). Almost sample showed high level of insecticidal rate and low level feed intake rate. We were selected 2 type of cabbage sugar syrup that low level insecticidal rate and high level feed intake rate (No 6 cabbage(+fructose) was mixed with 10% fructose and No. 7 cabbage(+pollen) was made with 10 % pollen). Cabbage sugar solution has much more impurities than purified sugar. So, No.6 and No 7 sample can do up-regulation of antimicrobial genes (apideacin, defencin, abacin, and hymenopteacin). Cabbage sugar solution has much more impurities than purified sugar. Our results suggest that up-regulation of antimicrobial genes might be involved in worker through carbohydrate impurities related immune pathways.

본 연구는 OECD 국가와 우리나라 간호인력의 현황 및 변화추이를 비교분석하여 간호인력의 수급 방향 을 제시코자 한다. 2000년부터 2015년까지의 자료를 분석한 결과, OECD 국가들은 크게 두 가지 방식 을 취하고 있었다. 첫째, 면허인력(11.6%) 보다는 활동 간호인력(19.2%) 증가에 초점을 맞추고 있었고, 활동 간호인력을 증가시키기 위한 방법으로 면허인력을 증가시키기 보다는 병상 수를 꾸준히 감소 (-15.8%)시켰다. 그 결과 간호인력의 높은 노동강도와 이직의 주요 요인으로 작용하는 ‘100병상 당 간호 인력 수’가 증가(33.7%)하였고, 이는 활동 간호사의 증가로 이어졌다. 둘째, OECD 국가들은 양질의 간 호서비스 제공을 위해 활동 간호인력 중 ‘간호사 대비 간호보조 인력의 비율’을 20% 수준으로 유지해왔 다. 반면, 우리나라는 면허 간호인력(62.2%)과 병상 수(148.0%)를 지속적으로 늘려 왔다. 그 결과 ‘100병 상 당 간호인력’이 OECD 국가 중 가장 적고, ‘인구 1000명 당 활동 간호사수’는 OECD 평균(6.93명)의 50% 이하 수준(3.1명)에 머무르고 있다. 그리하여 ‘간호사 대비 간호조무사 비율’은 OECD 평균의 2배 이상인 상황이다. 따라서 향후 간호인력 수급 정책의 방향은 양적 확대―간호대학의 입학정원 증원을 통한―보다는 간호인력 보유와 적정 간호인력 구성에 초점을 맞추어야 할 것으로 사료된다.

채소내의 칼륨은 만성 신부전 환자에게 악영향을 주는 것으로 알려져 있다. 하지만 채소는많은 다른 영양 물질 또한 함유하고 있으므로, 이러한 환자들에게 채소의 섭 취는 불가피하다. 본 연구는 완전제어형 식물공장에서 신장환자들을 위해 적합한 저칼륨 상추 개발을 위해 수행되었다. 본 연구에 사용된 상추 품종은 ‘찰스’ 품종이 었다. 완전제어형 식물공장에서 정식 후 28일간 수행되었으며, 광 환경은 LED (W:R, 9:1), 일장 16시간, 200μmol·m-2·s-1 이었고 재배 온도, 상대습도와 이산화탄 소 농도는 각각 15-21oC, 65%와 600-650mg·L-1 이었다. 1차 실험에서 배양액은 수확 전 1주전과 2주전에 칼륨농도를 10%와 5%로 낮게 처리하였고, 이를 토대로 2차실 험의 처리는 수확 전 2주전 5%, 1% 낮춘 처리와 원수로 재배한 처리였다. 식물체 내의 다량원소 분석을 위해 수확 후 ICP 분석을 하였으며 생체중과 엽수를 측정하였다. 실험 결과 식물체 내 칼륨함량은 대조구에 비해 2주전 처리에서 통계적으로 유의하게 낮았다. 생체중과 엽수는 대조구와 처리구에서 유의적인 차이를 보이지 않았으나 처리구간의 유의적인 차이는 있었다. 신장환자들 의 채소섭취량을 고려했을 때, 저칼륨 상추 생산을 위한 적당한 칼륨농도 조성은 수확 2주전 1%와 5%로 낮춘 처리였다. 본 연구를 통해 양액 내 칼륨함량과 처리시리를 조절하여 신장환자를 위한 저칼륨 상추를 개발할 수 있었다.

숙련도선사 퇴직자수의 증가와 신규도선사의 급격한 고령화는 향후 7년 사이에 도선사 수급의 불균형 심화라는 문제를 일으키 고 나아가 항만도선의 안전에도 치명적인 문제를 야기할 우려가 커지고 있다. 이 연구는 도선사 수급 불균형 해소 및 숙련도선사 확보를 위한 제도 개선방안을 제시하였다. 이 연구의 방법론은 현황조사 및 분석, 통계분석, 해외사례 조사 분석, 전문가의 자문 등을 채택하였 다. 연구 결론은 첫째, 도선사시험 응시요건을 선장 경력 현행 5년에서 2년(최근 5년 내 1년 이상의 경력 포함)으로 완화하되, 도선사 승급 을 위한 도선경력 요건을 현행 1년에서 1년 6개월로 강화하는 방안을 제시하였다. 둘째, 승무경력 가산점 제도를 합리화하기 위하여 선장 승무경력 요건 2년을 초과하는 매 1년당 1점씩 가산하되 최대 10점을 한도로 하는 개정안을 제시하였다. 숙련도선사를 확보하고 면허갱 신제도와 정년제도 간의 법적 충돌문제를 해결하기 위하여 도선사 정년제도는 폐지하고, 면허의 발급이나 갱신 때에 일정 나이가 넘는 경우 68세까지만 유효한 기간을 연장하는 방법으로 해결하는 방안을 제시하였다. 향후 추진과제로는 이해 당사자의 의견수렴과정과 공감 대를 형성해 나가며 아울러 도선사수습시험제도에 대한 연구가 필요하다.

This study aimed to develop a method to optimize residual chlorine concentrations in the process of providing water supply. To this end, this study developed a model capable of optimizing the chlorine input into the clearwell in the purification plant and the optimal installation location of rechlorination facilities, and chlorine input. This study applied genetic algorithms finding the optimal point with appropriate residual chlorine concentrations and deriving a cost-optimal solution. The developed model was applied to SN purification plant supply area. As a result, it was possible to meet the target residual chlorine concentration with the minimum cost. Also, the optimal operation method in target area according to the water temperature and volume of supply was suggested. On the basis of the results, this study derived the most economical operational method of coping with water pollution in the process of providing water supply and satisfying the service level required by consumers in the aspects of cost effectiveness. It is considered possible to appropriately respond to increasing service level required by consumers in the future and to use the study results to establish an operational management plan in a short-term perspective.

Block Chain is a technology that records and shares distributed ledgers without a central authority, providing a decentralized platform for transparent transactions in the business and enhancing transparency and traceability in all transactions to ensure trust in the transaction. Despite initial doubts about this technology, it is committed to adopting, adapting and improving the technology in a wide range of industries, including finance, government, security, logistics, food, medical, legal, and real estate. This study examines this technology, its applicability and potential benefits to the manufacturing supply chain. A tracking system of manufacturing supply chain to visualize transparency and traceability is implemented, and the conditions for adopting the technology in the manufacturing supply chain and the issues to be addressed are discussed.

Selecting suppliers in the global supply chain is the very difficult and complicated decision making problem particularly due to the various types of supply risk in addition to the uncertain performance of the potential suppliers. This paper proposes a multi-phase decision making model for supplier selection under supply risks in global supply chains. In the first phase, the model suggests supplier selection solutions suitable to a given condition of decision making using a rule-based expert system. The expert system consists of a knowledge base of supplier selection solutions and an “if-then” rule-based inference engine. The knowledge base contains information about options and their consistency for seven characteristics of 20 supplier selection solutions chosen from articles published in SCIE journals since 2010. In the second phase, the model computes the potential suppliers’ general performance indices using a technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) based on their scores obtained by applying the suggested solutions. In the third phase, the model computes their risk indices using a TOPSIS based on their historical and predicted scores obtained by applying a risk evaluation algorithm. The evaluation algorithm deals with seven types of supply risk that significantly affect supplier’s performance and eventually influence buyer’s production plan. In the fourth phase, the model selects Pareto optimal suppliers based on their general performance and risk indices. An example demonstrates the implementation of the proposed model. The proposed model provides supply chain managers with a practical tool to effectively select best suppliers while considering supply risks as well as the general performance.

This papers focuses on remanufacturing processes in a closed loop supply chain. The remanufacturing processes is considered as one of the effective strategies for enterprises’ sustainability. For this reason, a lot of companies have attempted to apply remanufacturing related methods to their manufacturing processes. While many research studies focused on the return rate for remanufacturing parts as a control parameter, the relationship with demand certainties has been studied less comparatively. This paper considers a closed loop supply chain environment with remanufacturing processes, where highly fluctuating demands are embedded. While other research studies capture uncertainties using probability theories, highly fluctuating demands are modeled using a fuzzy logic based ambiguity based modeling framework. The previous studies on the remanufacturing have been limited in solving the actual supply chain management situation and issues by analyzing the various situations and variables constituting the supply chain model in a linear relationship. In order to overcome these limitations, this papers considers that the relationship between price and demand is nonlinear. In order to interpret the relationship between demand and price, a new price elasticity of demand is modeled using a fuzzy based nonlinear function and analyzed. This papers contributes to setup and to provide an effective price strategy reflecting highly demand uncertainties in the closed loop supply chain management with remanufacturing processes. Also, this papers present various procedures and analytical methods for constructing accurate parameter and membership functions that deal with extended uncertainty through fuzzy logic system based modeling rather than existing probability distribution based uncertainty modeling.