Framework For Management Decisions Research Articles

Survival and growth assessment after reintroduction of the pocketbook mussel, Lampsilis cardium Rafinesque, 1820 among three streams in Nebraska (USA)

Abstract Freshwater mussels are a globally diverse and fundamental group in aquatic ecosystems. However, 65% of freshwater mussel species have become endangered over the past century and 10% of them are already extinct. Natural population preservation and restoration efforts have been expedited, but the complicated life history of this taxon presents many challenges since species‐specific ecology involved in restoration projects is often poorly understood. Lampsilis cardium is an imperilled freshwater mussel in Nebraska, USA. A reintroduction project has been carried out to restore L. cardium populations among three streams in Nebraska, during autumn 2016 and summer 2017. A 2‐year mark–recapture study was used to determine habitat, timing and size‐at‐introduction effects on mussel survival and growth following introduction. Water quality and habitat parameters were seasonally recorded from each site to assess potential effects on mussel growth and survival. The highest daily growth rates of L. cardium ranged between 145 and 185 μm d−1, whereas the lowest daily growth rates observed were ∼88–107 μm d−1, with the greater rate of shell growth always recorded for those individuals introduced in spring and lower for those individuals introduced in summer or autumn. Survival models indicated that mussels were most susceptible to mortality immediately following introduction in spring, whereas size at introduction had almost no effect on survival. At each site, habitat parameter measurements recorded during different seasons indicated that calcium availability, water temperatures, water depth and water quality may contribute to differences in growth and survival rates. Survival rate estimation and population growth predictions are essential knowledge to understand population dynamics; this study provides useful information and a framework for management decisions that may influence L. cardium population dynamics, such as identifying more suitable habitats and introduction times not only for this species but also other similar unionids.

Herbicide Resistance Management in Rice: Annual Field Survey of California Rice Weeds Helps Establish a Weed Management Decision Framework

The article presents an annual field survey by the University of California as a manner of herbicide resistance management for California rice growers. Submitted weed seed samples are tested against registered herbicides which achieved no control that field season. All labelled herbicide modes of action for each specific weed species were tested and applied according to their respective labels. Analyses of these experiments and survey data from 2015 to 2021 provide an active weed management decision-making framework for growers and a comprehensive overview of herbicide weed management in California rice.

Modeling total predation to avoid perverse outcomes from cat control in a data-poor island ecosystem.

Data hungry, complex ecosystem models are often used to predict the consequences of threatened species management, including perverse outcomes. Unfortunately, this approach is impractical in many systems, which have insufficient data to parameterize ecosystem interactions or reliably calibrate or validate such models. Here we demonstrate a different approach, using a minimum realistic model to guide decisions in data- and resource-scarce systems. We illustrate our approach with a case-study in an invaded ecosystem from Christmas Island, Australia, where there are concerns that cat eradication to protect native species, including the red-tailed tropicbird, could release meso-predation by invasive rats. We use biophysical constraints (metabolic demand) and observable parameters (e.g. prey preferences) to assess the combined cat and rat abundances which would threaten the tropicbird population. We find that the population of tropicbirds cannot be sustained if predated by 1607 rats (95% credible interval (CI) [103, 5910]) in the absence of cats, or 21 cats (95% CI [2, 82]) in the absence of rats. For every cat removed from the island, the bird's net population growth rate improves, provided that the rats do not increase by more than 77 individuals (95% CI [30, 174]). Thus, in this context, one cat is equivalent to 30-174 rats. Our methods are especially useful for on-the-ground predator control in the absence of knowledge of predator-predator interactions, to assess whether 1) the current abundance of predators threatens the prey population of interest, 2) managing one predator species alone is sufficient to protect the prey species given potential release of another predator, and 3) control of multiple predator species is needed to meet the conservation goal. Our approach demonstrates how to use limited information for maximum value in data-poor systems, by shifting the focus from predicting future trajectories, to identifying conditions which threaten the conservation goal. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Sustainability Performance Assessment Framework for Major Seaports in India

In performing seaport operations, triple bottom dimensions and its related key performance indicators play a significant role in improving overall aspects of seaport sustainability. This research paper intends to examine key seaport practices that form sustainable seaport development in the Indian major seaports context from stakeholder collaboration and seaport internal sustainable management decision framework. Firstly, the key practices of sustainable seaport development were examined through a broad literature review considering sustainable seaport development and related management and stakeholder-based theories. Sustainability thematic analysis is carried out based on the identification of various dimensions and key performance indicators from various literary works. Based on the theoretical framework seaport sustainability conceptual model was developed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 87 seaport professionals and FAHP was performed on an input basis by 23 seaport authorities to analyze the prominence of the proposed sustainable seaport development dimensions. This study also indicated that the economic dimension is the most important, while the social dimension is the least vital dimension perceived by Indian seaport managers. This research paper will conclude with a few policy insights for seaport managers in sustainable development decisions to discover areas for improvements in maritime sustainability and enhance the seaport competitiveness.

Conserving Refugia: What Are We Protecting and Why?

Refugia play an important role in contributing to the conservation of species and communities by buffering environmental conditions over time. As large natural landscapes worldwide are declining and are increasingly threatened by extreme events, critical decision-making in biological conservation depends on improved understanding of what is being protected by refugia and why. We provide three novel definitions for refugia (i.e., persistent, future, and temporary) that incorporate ecological and evolutionary dynamics into a land management decision framework and are applicable across changing temporal and spatial settings. Definitions are supported by identification, core value, and management strategy criteria to assist short- and long-term decision-making. We illustrate these concepts using the World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests (WHGR) of eastern Australia, briefly exploring the spatial and temporal factors that can inform the development of conservation management strategies following the extreme fire events of 2019–2020. For the WHGR, available knowledge can be used to protect critical assets by recognizing and implementing buffer zones and corridor connections, and by undertaking emergency translocations of target species into safe areas that will act as future refugia. More broadly, we suggest that the identification and protection of ecological and evolutionary processes across varying temporal and spatial scales is central to securing improved biodiversity conservation outcomes.

Reproductive biology and population structure of white warehou Seriolella caerulea and silver warehou Seriolella punctata in the austral zone off Chile

Using an extensive database compiled by scientific observers aboard commercial fishing operations between 1984 and 2014, we describe the maturity and size structures of white warehou Seriolella caerulea and silver warehou Seriolella punctata from by-catch of the trawling industrial fisheries operating in the austral zone off Chile. Macroscopic maturity stages and gonadosomatic (IGS ) index show mature females throughout the year and a pronounced spawning period in both austral autumn and winter seasons, with an IGS peak in July for S. punctata and August for S. caerulea. Reproductive patterns in both species show an extended spawning season (July to September) across the area between 43 and 47° S. Length-mass relationships showed significant differences between sexes in both species, where females reach a larger size. Fork length at 50% maturity was 43.5 cm for S. caerulea and 37.2 cm for S. punctata. Female catch composition is dominated by adult fish (96% for S. caerulea and 86% for S. punctata). Currently, both species are exploited with no assessment and management-decision framework. Therefore, information regarding reproductive biology and demographic traits becomes an important baseline to ensure adequate fisheries management for both species.

Predictive modeling of elevated groundwater nitrate in a karstic spring-contributing area using random forests and regression-kriging

Many of Florida’s large springs have seen an order of magnitude increase in nitrate concentration since the mid-twentieth century, which has contributed to the proliferation of nuisance algae and alteration of spring ecosystems. Cost-effective strategies to limit nitrate inputs require identification of contributing land areas within springs (springsheds) where surficial nitrogen sources are most likely to be transported to the underlying aquifer. To address spatial variability in vulnerability to nitrogen loading, spatial models specific to nitrate were developed for the Silver Springs springshed (Florida, USA). Random forest classification models were trained using an extensive (1554 wells) groundwater nitrate dataset assembled from public water system and agency monitoring data. Spatial layers representing soil hydrology, subsurface geology, recharge potential, and nitrogen sources were used as predictor variables. Random forest models produced out-of-bag error estimates of 21% or less, and variable importance plots indicated that a subset of subsurface geological predictors was the most important contributors to overall model accuracy. Although predictors representing land use and nitrogen sources contributed less to overall model accuracy, they were still important in the final spatial discrimination of the most vulnerable areas. Random forest model accuracy was further improved by kriging of model residuals, and kriged residuals were added to model estimates to produce final prediction maps. The models developed are well suited for a management decision framework for environmental restoration, as it informs the manager with maps of probabilistic information. Recognizing the potential for legacy nitrate impacts, we recommend the current models be adopted as a part of a tiered approach to restoration projects that first prioritizes critical areas using the models presented herein and subsequently uses site-specific information to verify local impacts.

Improving success with information technology using an organizational epistemology

There may be a disconnect between technology as-created and as-used that could lie at the foundation of frequent failure in cost, schedule, and/or performance of Information Technology/Information Systems (IT/IS). This can perhaps be reconciled through a focus on the socially constructed and emergent nature of IT as it enters and is used by an organization. A structured and facilitated dialog technique, by focusing on properly perceiving human felt needs in addition to technological aims, may improve the process of technology realization. This paper starts with an analysis of IT/IS failure factors using case studies. Then, a theoretical framework is derived to attempt to address the systemic failure factors. This is then made practical by creating a conceptual decision framework for management to use in framing complex investment decisions including IT/IS. The framework elements achieve an organizational epistemology, or knowledge framework, that can potentially facilitate more accurate acquisition and development of the system-as-created, and perhaps lay the foundation for subsequent transition into a system-as-used that an organization can use in the manner needed and intended. In addition, this epistemology may underlie the process and products of successful IT/IS architecture.

Use of structured decision-making to explicitly incorporate environmental process understanding in management of coastal restoration projects: Case study on barrier islands of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Coastal ecosystem management typically relies on subjective interpretation of scientific understanding, with limited methods for explicitly incorporating process knowledge into decisions that must meet multiple, potentially competing stakeholder objectives. Conversely, the scientific community lacks methods for identifying which advancements in system understanding would have the highest value to decision-makers. A case in point is barrier island restoration, where decision-makers lack tools to objectively use system understanding to determine how to optimally use limited contingency funds when project construction in this dynamic environment does not proceed as expected. In this study, collaborative structured decision-making (SDM) was evaluated as an approach to incorporate process understanding into mid-construction decisions and to identify priority gaps in knowledge from a management perspective. The focus was a barrier island restoration project at Ship Island, Mississippi, where sand will be used to close an extensive breach that currently divides the island. SDM was used to estimate damage that may occur during construction, and guide repair decisions within the confines of limited availability of sand and funding to minimize adverse impacts to project objectives. Sand was identified as more limiting than funds, and unrepaired major breaching would negatively impact objectives. Repairing minor damage immediately was determined to be generally more cost effective (depending on the longshore extent) than risking more damage to a weakened project. Key gaps in process-understanding relative to project management were identified as the relationship of island width to breach formation; the amounts of sand lost during breaching, lowering, or narrowing of the berm; the potential for minor breaches to self-heal versus developing into a major breach; and the relationship between upstream nourishment and resiliency of the berm to storms. This application is a prototype for using structured decision-making in support of engineering projects in dynamic environments where mid-construction decisions may arise; highlights uncertainty about barrier island physical processes that limit the ability to make robust decisions; and demonstrates the potential for direct incorporation of process-based models in a formal adaptive management decision framework.

Soil invertebrate community change over fuel-contaminated sites on a subantarctic island: An ecological field-based line of evidence for site risk assessment.

A number of fuel spills, of both recent and historic origins, have occurred on World Heritage-listed subantarctic Macquarie Island. Sites contaminated by mainly diesel fuels are undergoing remediation by the Australian Antarctic Division. The risks posed by these sites are being managed using a "weight of evidence" approach, for which this study provides a preliminary line of evidence for the ecological assessment component of this site management decision framework. This knowledge is pertinent, given the absence of environmental guidelines for fuel contaminants in subantarctic ecosystems. We provide a field-based, site-specific ecological risk assessment for soil invertebrate communities across the fuel spill sites, before the commencement of in situ remediation activities. Springtails (Collembola) were the most abundant taxa. Springtail community patterns showed only limited correlations with the level of fuel contamination at the soil surface, even when elevated levels occurred in the substratum layers. Of the environmental variables measured, community patterns were most strongly correlated with vegetation cover. We identify a suite of 6 species that contribute most to the community dynamics across these sites. A subset of these we propose as useful candidates for future development of single-species toxicity tests: Folsomotoma punctata, Cryptopygus caecus, Cryptopygus antarcticus and Parisotoma insularis. Findings from this study advance our understanding of soil invertebrate community dynamics within these contaminated sites, directly contributing to the improved management and restoration of the sites. Not only does this study provide an important line of evidence for the island's ecological risk assessment for fuel contaminants, it also enhances our understanding of the potential impact of fuels at other subantarctic islands.

A knowledge based reliability engineering approach to manage product safety and recalls

PurposeManaging processed food products’ safety and recall is a challenge for industry and governments. Contaminated food items can create a significant public health hazard with potential for acute and chronic food borne illnesses. This industry study examines the challenges companies face while managing a processed food recall situation and devise a responsive and reliable knowledge management framework for product safety and recall supply chain for the focal global manufacturing and distribution enterprise. MethodDrawing upon the knowledge management and product safety and recall literature and reliability engineering theory, this study uses a holistic single case based approach to develop a knowledge management framework with Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) decision model. This knowledge management decision framework facilitates analysis of the root causes for each potential major recall issue and assesses the reliability of the product safety and recall supply chain system and its critical components. ResultsThe main reasons highlighted for a recall and associated failure modes in a knowledge management framework are to devise appropriate deployment of resources, technology and procedures to recall supply chain. This study underscores specific information described by managers of a global processed food manufacturer and their perspectives about the product safety and recall process, and its complexities. Full scale implementation of product safety and recall supply chain in the proposed knowledge management framework after the current pilot study will be carried out eventually through expert systems. This operational system when fully implemented will capture the essence of decision making environments comprising goals and objectives, courses of action, resources, constraints, technology and procedures. ImplicationsThe study recognizes the significance of communication, integration, failsafe knowledge management process design framework, leveraging technology such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) within all levels of supply chain for product traceability and the proactive steps to help companies successfully manage a recall process and also reestablish trust among the consumers. The proposed knowledge management framework can also preempt product recall by acting as an early warning system. A formal knowledge management framework will enable a company’s knowledge be cumulative for product safety and recall and serve as an important integrating and coordinating role for the organization.

A decision framework for management of conflicting production and biodiversity goals for a commercially valuable invasive species

The management of introduced species that are both invasive and commercially valuable is contentious. While such species provide substantial economic benefits to some, they pose considerable costs to others due to negative impacts on ecosystems. We propose a decision framework to help balance conflicting objectives and support the management of commercially valuable invasive species. We illustrate our framework using the buffel grass (Pennisetum ciliare syn. Cenchrus ciliaris L.) invasion in Australia. In rangelands worldwide, buffel grass is amongst a suite of commercially valuable invasive species, highly valued by some graziers as a pasture species but widely unpopular among those concerned with the threat it poses for native biodiversity. The framework comprises four components. First we develop a state and transition model to represent the invasion dynamics of buffel grass and the effect of management actions. Second we construct utility functions to represent the relative values of buffel grass cover in terms of production and biodiversity utilities (indicative of grazier’s and conservationist’s relative ‘happiness’ regarding buffel grass cover). We draw on expert and empirical data for the construction of the model and utility functions. Third, we present management strategies that minimize losses in production and biodiversity utilities in the absence of budget constraints. We use stochastic dynamic programming and multi-criteria decision analysis which explicitly account for trade-offs between production and biodiversity conservation concerns. Finally, we conduct a sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of assumptions of the model and utility functions. Management complexity arises from biodiversity-production trade-off situations in which the desirable state of buffel grass cover and effective actions to achieve this state depend on the utility functions. Management solutions were particularly sensitive to the shape of the utility functions for biodiversity. Solutions were less sensitive to uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of management actions. We found in most biodiversity-production trade-off situations a compromise solution led to management for an intermediate level (>0–50%) of buffel grass cover. However, when maximal values for both biodiversity and production are high, it may be more practical to manage for one value rather than find a compromise solution where concessions from both sides are high. Our decision framework does not attempt to optimize economic outcomes but provides a guide for formulating trade-offs between opposing views, something that is relevant to the management of any natural resource management problem where there are conflicting objectives.

A Multidisciplinary Approach To Risk Management For Accounting Firms

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">This paper develops an integrated risk management decision framework that provides insights into the many factors that are involved in controlling and managing risk for accounting firms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Borrowing from the areas of insurance economics, crime and punishment, accounting, and organization theory, factors are identified that affect the demand for risk reduction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The interaction and application of three different components of risk reduction (market insurance, self-insurance, and self-protection) within the context of risk reduction decision-making are examined. </span></p>

Using Structured Decision Making to Help Implement a Precautionary Approach to Endangered Species Management

Endangered species protection is a significant risk management concern throughout North America. An extensive conceptual literature emphasizes the role to be played by precautionary approaches. Risk managers, typically working in concert with concerned stakeholders, frequently cite the concept as key to their efforts to prevent extinctions. Little has been done, however, to evaluate the multidimensional impacts of precautionary frameworks or to assist in the examination of competing precautionary risk management options as part of an applied risk management decision framework. In this article we describe how decision-aiding techniques can assist in the creation and analysis of alternative precautionary strategies, using the example of a multistakeholder committee charged with protection of endangered Cultus Lake salmon on the Canadian west coast. Although managers were required to adopt a precautionary approach, little attention had been given to how quantitative analyses could be used to help define the concept or to how a precautionary approach might be implemented in the face of difficult economic, social, and biological tradeoffs. We briefly review key steps in a structured decision-making (SDM) process and discuss how this approach was implemented to help bound the management problem, define objectives and performance measures, develop management alternatives, and evaluate their consequences. We highlight the role of strategy tables, employed to help participants identify, alternative management options. We close by noting areas of agreement and disagreement among participants and discuss the implications of decision-focused processes for other precautionary resource management efforts.

A decision framework for operation management of reconfigurable mobile service robots in hospitals

Abstract This paper describes the decision framework for managing a group of reconfigurable mobile service robots, built to help the health care personnel in their logistic activities that range from medicine delivery to virtual consultation to spillage cleaning to surveillance patrolling and environmental monitoring. A formal model describes the operation of the robotic system. A decision framework is proposed for operation management of the robotic system including configuration, location, power management of robots and mission allocation and real time control. Finally a linear programming approach is proposed for configuration, location and power management of robots. Numerical experimentation is conducted to show the limit of such an approach.

Implications of form postponement to manufacturing: a cross case comparison

While much is written in the literature about the benefits and strategic impact of form postponement (FPp), little is still known about its application. We address ‘how’ FPp is applied in terms of its operational and logistics implications within manufacturing facilities. This paper is a retrospective study of the application of FPp in three diverse manufacturing environments: a manufacturer of specialist high voltage cabling equipment we call Electrico; a manufacturer of industrial electric motors we call Motorco; and a manufacturer of control systems and components mainly for automated telling machines we call Controlco. Our findings show that FPp improved responsiveness of manufacturing in all cases, but that none of the applications of FPp was ideal from a theoretical perspective. The production planning system must be both responsive and flexible to support the application. For highly customised products, the customer order decoupling point (CODP) must be located sufficiently upstream in the manufacturing process to avoid removal of components and time-consuming modifications. We present conclusions from all three studies, including an inventory management decision framework for FPp and a framework for the application of FPp which encompasses a number of practical considerations.

Case illustration of a decision framework for health, environment, and safety management

This paper presents and discusses a case in order to illustrate the application of a recently developed decision framework for management of health, environment, and safety. The case relates to the implementation of new equipment on an offshore platform and shows how a regime based on predefined risk acceptance criteria is replaced by systematic risk reduction processes, emphasizing aspects of uncertainties and manageability in addition to the calculated risk results. Although the starting point is the offshore oil and gas industry, the problem and discussion are to a large extent general and could also be applied in other areas.

Managing Surface Water Contamination in Nagoya, Japan: An Integrated Water Basin Management Decision Framework

The water quality of rivers in Japan has received greater attention in recent years due to a number of factors, including human-induced land subsidence and an increase in water demand. Surface waters are adversely affected by high frequency, low level risks (such as the continuous release of hazardous substances) and less frequent, high impact risks (such as the release of chemicals due to natural disasters or industrial accidents). This paper puts forth an integrated Water Basin Management (WBM) decision framework to study the latter: these relatively infrequent, but often catastrophic hazards, are less well-studied than the more familiar high frequency, low level risks. The six main components of this WBM decision framework involve (a) determining possible threats to surface waters; (b) identifying surface waters most at risk to contamination; (c) identifying weaknesses (gaps) in current monitoring systems; (d) using accident analysis to determine proactive WBM; (e) analyzing the temporal-spatial impact of policies on water basins, (f) designing new policies and approaches for integrated WBM. Japan's recently published Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is used to develop a WBM decision framework for managing surface water contamination in Nagoya, Japan. Participatory surface water management is emphasized in order to achieve a holistic and sustainable WBM decision making process.

Phylogeography of the endemic St. Lucia whiptail lizard Cnemidophorus vanzoi: Conservation genetics at the species boundary

Vicariance and isolation leading to speciation of reptiles on islands is well exemplified in a number of taxa in the Caribbean. The St. Lucia whiptail (Cnemidophorus vanzoi), considered a single species, is found on two small islets (Maria Major and Maria Minor) off the main island of St. Lucia. From lizards collected from both localities, we gathered morphological measurements and analysed the genetic divergence between populations, using a molecular survey of ∼ ∼2800 mtDNA base pairs and 8 microsatellites. There are significant differences in body size and general form and fixed but small mtDNA differences between island populations. Microsatellites reveal low diversity within populations but very high differentiation between islands with non-overlapping allele size ranges at all except one microsatellite and two loci exhibiting single-base polymorphism, fixed between islands. Based on these results, we examine published criteria to determine whether the studied island forms could be considered true species. According to the phylogenetic species concept and Moritz’s evolutionary significant unit (ESU) criteria, the two lizard populations can be considered separate entities. Crandall et al.’s (2000, Trends Ecol. Evol., 15, 290–295) broader categorization of population distinctiveness, based on concepts of ecological and genetic exchangeability, produces conflicting results depending on the interpretation of the observed ecological data. Following Fraser and Bernatchez’s (2001, Mol. Ecol., 10, 2741–2752) framework for management decisions when ecological data are not sufficient we propose that the lizard populations on the Maria islands are on differing evolutionary trajectories and thus at the species boundary. The populations are of high priority to conservation, thus meriting separate management.

Multicriteria Decision Analysis: A Comprehensive Decision Approach for Management of Contaminated Sediments

Contaminated sediments and other sites present a difficult challenge for environmental decisionmakers. They are typically slow to recover or attenuate naturally, may involve multiple regulatory agencies and stakeholder groups, and engender multiple toxicological and ecotoxicological risks. While environmental decision-making strategies over the last several decades have evolved into increasingly more sophisticated, information-intensive, and complex approaches, there remains considerable dissatisfaction among business, industry, and the public with existing management strategies. Consequently, contaminated sediments and materials are the subject of intense technology development, such as beneficial reuse or in situ treatment. However, current decision analysis approaches, such as comparative risk assessment, benefit-cost analysis, and life cycle assessment, do not offer a comprehensive approach for incorporating the varied types of information and multiple stakeholder and public views that must typically be brought to bear when new technologies are under consideration. Alternatively, multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) offers a scientifically sound decision framework for management of contaminated materials or sites where stakeholder participation is of crucial concern and criteria such as economics, environmental impacts, safety, and risk cannot be easily condensed into simple monetary expressions. This article brings together a multidisciplinary review of existing decision-making approaches at regulatory agencies in the United States and Europe and synthesizes state-of-the-art research in MCDA methods applicable to the assessment of contaminated sediment management technologies. Additionally, it tests an MCDA approach for coupling expert judgment and stakeholder values in a hypothetical contaminated sediments management case study wherein MCDA is used as a tool for testing stakeholder responses to and improving expert assessment of innovative contaminated sediments technologies.