Mauricio Camargo

Enriching descriptive information in ranking and sorting problems with visualizations techniques

Purpose - Most of the proposed decision aid methods provide the user only with a prescriptive approach (quantitative analysis) without any descriptive approach (qualitative analysis). It is therefore not possible to justify and recommend ways of improvement. The purpose of this paper is to introduce visualization techniques to complement prescriptive approaches. Design/methodology/approach - Visual techniques have been developed for the FlowSort sorting method, namely the FS-GAIA and stacked bar diagrams. Findings - It is found that with visual techniques, fine details can be captured, e.g. detection of incomparability (with FS-GAIA) and the composition of a score (with stacked bar diagrams). Research limitations/implications - In the future, it is expected that other multi-criteria decision methods will be complemented by prescriptive approaches. Practical implications - A real case study is introduced in order to illustrate the practicality of the visual techniques. In this paper, the innovation performances of small and medium enterprises from the French Lorraine region are assessed. Social implications - It is expected that the quality of the decisions taken are improved because of being better informed. Originality/value - The paper, using a real case study, provides important new tools to enhance decision quality.

A fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation method for designing fashion oriented industrial products

In this paper, we present a fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method for evaluating a set of fashion oriented industrial products in order to design new products meeting specific market requirements. Human perceptions at two levels (basic product perception and complex fashion perception), evaluated by a group of evaluators, have been integrated into the related evaluation procedure. For a specific product, the three first fuzzy evaluation criteria are its conformity degrees related to the specific consumer’s requirement in fashion themes, basic product perception and functional properties. The degree of conformity between the basic product perception and the complex fashion perception, and the price of the product constitute the two remaining evaluation criteria. The previous conformity degrees are formalized according to the measures of dissimilarity between products as well as dissimilarity and inclusion between different fashion themes. The weights of the evaluation criteria are linguistic variables generated from the results of market classification obtained by a parametric identification method. These weights can effectively characterize the relationship between sales volumes of products and their components (price, fashion style, physical features, and basic perception). Finally, the set of all existing products can be evaluated and ranked by aggregating the previous fuzzy evaluation criteria with linguistic weights. The proposed fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation method has been applied to select the most relevant industrial products for different markets. Moreover, as the general aggregated evaluation criterion can be considered as a quality function of design parameters (functional properties, basic and fashion complex perceptions) for a specific market, we can estimate this function by evaluating all existing products in order to design new consumer oriented products.

PII- Potential Innovation Index: a Tool to Benchmark Innovation Capabilities in International Context

Benchmarking has become a useful tool for companies, enabling better decision-making and improvement of internal practices towards world-class performance. Nevertheless, concerning SMEs’ innovation capabilities from traditional sectors, benchmarking applications have been scarce. This article uses a predefined metric named the “Potential Innovation Index (PII)”, based on internal practices of the firms to compare innovation capabilities of two groups of similar SMEs from 2 different geographical, cultural and social contexts. Results were used to analyze similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses of the groups. Obtained results confirm the difficulties to innovate of this type firms, no matters the sector or country, as over 55% of the companies studied were evaluated as having a low innovative performance. However, regarding the index’s constitutive practices, significant differences were found. Which leads to infer that innovation support strategies to enhance innovation must be adapted to the local context and culture.

Optimization of a Complex Urban Intersection Using Discrete Event Simulation and Evolutionary Algorithms

Abstract Dealing with traffic management for complex crossroads is a challenging problem for traffic control planners. As a contribution to solve this problem, the present paper develops a mesoscopic simulation model for detecting the most suited fire plan for a complex road intersection, using a discrete event simulation tool and an evolutionary algorithm optimization. The modeling goal is to eliminate congestion by choosing an appropriate fire plan which will be adapted to the actual configuration of the intersection, as well as to a future reconfiguration meant to accept a higher inflow of vehicles. The proposed model is applied to a down-town crossroads from Nancy, France. Four different configurations of the input data flow were studied under the proposed simulation-optimization approach, and an optimal fire plan is proposed.

Analysis and identification of fashion oriented industrial products using fuzzy logic techniques

This paper evaluates and analyzes a number of fabric products. This evaluation has been carried out in both the space of basic technical parameters and the space of fashion oriented consumer requirements. Fuzzy measures have been used to characterize dissimilarity and inclusion between any of two different fashion themes as well as relevancy of technical parameters of fabric products related to fashion oriented consumer requirements. Finally, the paper applies a classical parametric identification method to determine fashion composition for each collection of products from product sales performance in order to select relevant products and compare between collections. This analysis can also be extended to other fashion oriented products.

Studying the implications and impact of smartphones on self-directed learning under a Living Lab approach

Widespread diffusion of mobile learning applications in recent years raises several questions on the dynamics of learning processes and learner profiles. This paper examines smartphone-based learning processes and the main factors influencing them. The paper also examines the potential contribution of Self-Directed Learning (SDL), and how it could support mobile learning processes. A framework for mobile-based learning is proposed as a step towards the development of a living lab-based experimental protocol. This research highlights the first of several SDL application lifecycle steps: the elaboration of mobile learning content including the integration of the future users in this design process through a living labs approach.

Toward autonomy of ideas: Conceptual framework for open innovation

Ideas are the most important input in an innovation process. Nevertheless, the most common points of view when studying innovation is the whole process, its different stages, tools to manage it, or men involved in its deployment, ... and the idea is only a constant or more accurately a variable, anything else!. Here we propose to put ideas in the front of stage. Indeed we think ideas are entities with some features enabling them to reach a certain level of autonomy. This postulate allows us to consider an idea, within the Open Innovation process, is able to manage resources from inside and outside of the firm to ensure its own development during its life-cycle in an organization. Thanks this global vision, we could propose new questions about the life of idea and what appropriate Open Innovation vision has to be taken over to challenge the 21st century.

A new fuzzy logic-based metric to measure lean warehousing performance

ABSTRACT Lean manufacturing tools have been applied for several years to improve companies’ internal logistics. However, lean warehousing (LW) is a relatively new subject in logistics, and for this reason there is still a lack of academic literature and implementation experiences about it, in particular regarding the manner of selecting the right indicators to measure the warehouse’s leanness, taking into consideration the firm’s own objectives and context. This paper’s objective is to identify key indicators for facilitating the objective setting, monitoring and LW implementation, and then propose a lean warehousing key performance indicator (warehouse’s global leanness (WGL)) by implementing an innovative lean warehousing scorecard. The proposed aggregated multi-criteria-based approach integrates seven indicators obtained from the crossing of three elements: the seven principal lean management variables identified after a Pareto analysis of the literature review, the eight lean wastes and the four main warehousing activities. The information gathered was organised in a systematic manner thanks to a functional analysis of the WGL index. The proposed tool is strongly oriented towards its practical industrial implementation. A case study is presented, in which the tool has been successfully introduced in a French-Argentinian winery’s warehouse. Findings show that the use of this tool over a period of time favours the achievement of the lean warehousing management objectives, such as waste elimination (+6%, reducing inventory and number of stock keeping units and increasing inventory accuracy) and cross-functional teams and empowerment (+12%). By analysing the results, it is possible to observe an improvement in the WGL (+11%).

An Integrated Methodology for Emulsified Cosmetic Product Formulation Using Integer Programming with Logical Constraints

This work proposes the incorporation of heuristic knowledge into an optimization-based methodology to formulate cosmetic emulsions. Heuristics regarding choice of ingredients and their amounts are modelled as algebraic restrictions and if needed translation of logical conditions to algebra is performed. The more heuristics included, the more limited the design space becomes. Through integer cuts, ranked candidate solutions may then be generated. A case study of a hair conditioner is presented, being generated tens of solutions significantly better than a known prescription.

SMEs’ Innovation and Export Capabilities: Identification and Characterization of a Common Space Using Data Spatialization

Numerous publications try to identify and test empirically the link between innovation and export to explain firms’ competitiveness. But it seems that several ways of thinking coexist, without a real consensus. This article proposes a different approach, by considering innovation and export not in terms of impact of the one on the other, but rather as two complementary activities mobilizing common capabilities (resources, skills, knowledge). These common capabilities represent the capabilities that a company needs to mobilize as a priority to improve its performance regarding innovation as well as export. This article aims to identify the common spaces between innovation and export in terms of current practices within SMEs. Initially, the innovation and export practices were identified in the literature and through a set of interviews with business managers. Then an analysis of similarity put forward the common practices between the innovation and export processes. A data spatialization shows that the common practices concern at least: (1) network management, (2) consideration of the customer, (3) the acquisition of information, (4) skills management, (5) the capitalization of knowledge, (6) the global strategy, (7) the follow-up of the projects, (8) the intellectual property, and finally (9) the corporate culture.