This paper addresses the application of group Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), for assisting decision makers by evaluating, ranking and selecting material handling equipment (MHE). The present study considers engineering economy as one of the erudite tool for performance evaluation of said equipment in the integrated and synergetic way. Lastly, incremental analysis is used for final ranking of the equipment under inquisition.

The aminolytic depolymerization of PET bottle waste with ethanolamine by conventional heating and microwave irradiation heating method was attempted with heterogeneous, recyclable acid catalysts such as beta zeolite (SiO2/ AlO2= 15 Na- form) and montmorillonite KSF. The pure product bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalamide (BHETA) of aminolysis was obtained in good yield (85- 88%). The BHETA, thus obtained, was subjected to cyclization reaction by heating with polyphosphoric acid as well as by chlorination (using phosphoryl chloride), bromination (using red phosphorous and liquid bromine) and nitration (conc. HNO3 + conc. H2SO4) followed by conventional and microwave irradiation heating in N,N- dimethyl formamide/ potassium carbonate solution. The product so obtained was 2, 2’-(1,4-phenylene)–bis-(2-oxazoline) (PBO), which has applications in polymer synthesis as a chain extender/ chain coupling agent or a cross linker. The productswere analyzed by FTIR, DSC, Mass and NMR (1H and 13C NMR).

This paper considers a multi period serial production systems for one product and deals with the problem of planned lead-time calculation in a Material Requirement Planning (MRP) environment under probabilistic lead times. It is assumed that lead times for all stages have the same distribution with different parameters. A MRP approach with periodic order quantity (POQ) policy is used for the supply planning of components. The objective is to minimize the sum of fixed ordering, holding and backlogging costs. A mathematical model is suggested and then an optimal planning lead-time, ordering quantity and periodic time are determined.

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is one of the most popular techniques for measuring the relative efficiencies of a set of decision making units (DMUs), which use different inputs producing various outputs. Ranking of efficient DMUs is one of the most interesting DEA perspectives. However, there are cases where we see some limitations on available resources and the proposed model of this paper is associated with Indicator with Limited Sources (ILS), which affects ranking methods. The ILS exists as fixed amount in a community and the DMUs can own it with their abilities. When a DMU loses the same amount of the indicator, the rest of the DMUs are able to own some without even changing their capacities of other indicators and or vice versa. If a DMU looks for more of the same amount of the indicator, the rest of the DMUs have to supply it without even changing their capacity of other indicators. This paper develops a ranking method based on the ILS for the efficient DMUs, when there is changes either in inputs/ outputs ILS. The implementation of the proposed model is applied for a case study of banking system.

Activity-based costing (ABC) is a method, which identifies activities in a firm and assigns the expenses of each activity with resources to all products and services based on the real consumption by each. This method allocates more overhead costs into direct expenses compared with conventional method. ABC method is normally used for costing as well as monitoring different activities, which involves tracing resource consumption. This paper presents a survey on advances of ABC based method. The study has discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of ABC based method in different industries. The survey also discusses recent advances on time driven ABC method in health care industries.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is essentially a commercial software package that enables the integration of transaction - oriented data and business processes throughout an organization. In order to remain competitive in this global business scenario, the small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) are opting for ERP implementation. In Indian SME sector, the adoption of ERP is rapidly increasing. Literature shows many instances where organizations, even after implementing such novel information systems like ERP, are unable to derive the benefits of integration. It is, therefore, not surprising that implementation of enterprise information systems in general is quite difficult due to their size, scope and complexity. Therefore, there is a need to identify some issues that would lead to positive outcome for the implementation of ERP systems in the context of Indian SME sector. This paper thus attempts to identify and to prioritize the factors influencing proper implementation of ERP systems in a business organization particularly for Indian small and medium businesses (SMBs). The research presented here is specifically targeted the Indian SMEs, which have already completed the process of implementing ERP system.

A microwave-assisted method was developed for the synthesis of aldol adducts using RuCl3.nH2O-BINAP as an efficient catalyst. Important advantages of this technology include environmentally benign condition, highly accelerated rate of the reaction with an improvement in the chemoselectivity and quality of the products.

The telecommunications industry continues to experience fierce competition due to the growth in subscribers and the rapid development of new technologies in the sector. With that hindsight, this study explores the dimensionality of factors that affect mobile phone subscribers’ intention to switch operators. Survey data was collected from 235 mobile phone network subscribers and analyzed using the Partial Least Square Approach to Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The SEM model was assessed based on the measurement model and the structural model. Factor Loadings, Cross Loadings, Average Variance Extracted Cronbach’s alpha, and Composite reliabilities of the latent variables examined showed that the measurement model exhibited sufficient reliability, discriminant validity and convergent validity. Assessment of the Structural model shows that 77% of the variation in Satisfaction is explained by our model (R2 = 0.77). Furthermore, 18% (R2 = 0.18) of the variation in Intention to Switch was explained by the model. Stone-Geiser Q2 for the endogenous showed that the proposed Structural Equation Model exhibited sufficient predictive relevance. Conclusions were drawn with practical implications of the results also discussed.

This paper examines the optimization of production involving a tandem two-machine system producing a single part type, with each machine being subject to random breakdowns and repairs. An analytical model is formulated with a view to solving an optimal stochastic production problem of the system with machines having up-downtime non-exponential distributions. The model developed is obtained by using a dynamic programming approach and a semi-Markov process. The control problem aims to find the production rates needed by the machines to meet the demand rate, through a minimization of the inventory/shortage cost. Using the Bellman principle, the optimality conditions obtained satisfy the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, which depends on time and system states, and ultimately, leads to a feedback control. Consequently, the new model enables us to improve the coefficient of variation (CVup/down) to be less than one while it is equal to one in Markov model. Heuristics methods are used to involve the problem because of the difficulty of the analytical model using several states, and to show what control law should be used in each system state (i.e., including Kanban, feedback and CONWIP control). Numerical methods are used to solve the optimality conditions and to show how a machine should produce.

A new analytical approach was proposed to monitor the reaction between epoxidized soybean oil and diethylene glycol in the presence of ZnCl2 as an epoxide ring opening catalyst for microwave assisted synthesis of polyol. Infrared spectra of the products were used as the input data, being processed by multivariate curve resolution – alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) for quantitative monitoring. The data obtained in different MW powers were analyzed by MCR factor analysis coupled with ALS optimization procedure. Standard deviation of residuals for experimental data and the variance explained at the optimum condition (r2) were 0.135 and 97.24% respectively.