Production Management Decisions Research Articles

Current constraints to reconcile tropical forest restoration and bioeconomy

AbstractLarge-scale forest restoration is vital for delivering a broad array of ecosystem services benefits to society. However, it is often perceived as an economically noncompetitive land use choice. Integrating economic opportunities into restoration aligns socioeconomic and environmental goals, reducing conflicts between forest production and conservation-oriented management decisions. Supply chains focusing on high-value goods can enhance the reach of forest restoration efforts and unite ecological and economic benefits in a multifunctional manner. The bioeconomy has emerged as a potential but critical driver for attracting investments in restoration. We outline the challenges and solutions to reconcile forest restoration and bioeconomy, specifically about (i) native timber production, (ii) non-timber forest products, (iii) biotechnological products, and (iv) intangible ecosystem services. This requires collaborative and multidisciplinary efforts to improve investment in large-scale projects. The intricacies of these issues intersect with research development, market dynamics, legal frameworks, and regulatory paradigms, underscoring the necessity for nuanced and tailored public policy interventions. These integrated approaches should enable tropical countries to lead the global forest-based economy and usher in a new era of forest restoration. Graphical abstract

Economic optimization of sustainable soil management: a Dutch case study

Soil quality is pivotal for crop productivity and the environmental quality of agricultural ecosystems. Achieving sufficient yearly income and long-term farm continuity are key goals for farmers, making sustainable soil management an economic challenge. Existing bio-economic models often inadequately address soil quality. In this study, we apply the novel FARManalytics model, which integrates chemical, physical, and biological indicators of soil quality indicator, quantitative rules on how these indicators respond to farmers’ production management over time, and an economic calculation framework that accurately calculates the contribution of production management decisions towards farm income. This is the first study applying this model on existing arable farms. FARManalytics optimizes crop rotation design, cover crops, manure and fertilizer application and crop residue management. Nine Dutch arable farms were analyzed with a high variation in farm size, soil type, and cultivated crops. First, we assessed farm differences in soil quality and farm economics. Second, we optimized production management to maximize farm income while meeting soil quality targets using farm-specific scenarios. Third, we explored the impact of recent policy measures to preserve water quality and to increase the contribution of local protein production. The results show that the case farms already perform well regarding soil quality, with 75% of the soil quality indicators above critical levels. The main soil quality bottlenecks are subsoil compaction and soil organic matter input. We show that even in front-runner farms, bio-economic modeling with FARManalytics substantially improves economic performance while increasing soil quality. We found that farm income could be increased by up to €704 ha−1 year−1 while meeting soil quality targets. Additionally, we show that to anticipate on stricter water quality regulation and market shift for protein crops, FARManalytics is able to provide alternative production management strategies that ensure the highest farm income while preserving soil quality for a set of heterogenous farms.

Theoretical and methodological aspects of the analysis of the introduction of digital technologies into the practice of regional manufacturers

In the context of innovative transformations, information is a particularly valuable resource. And it is the need associated with obtaining reliable sources for the research base and making effective management decisions in production that has become the basis for the development of digital spheres of the economy. The purpose of this article is to consider issues related to evaluating the effectiveness of the introduction of digital technologies into modern production. The importance of considering the topic is due to the fact that many technological solutions are developed and implemented annually in all spheres of life. These innovations make it possible to radically change the conduct of business by automating some business processes, which, as a rule, helps to increase profits and reduce costs in the company.

FARManalytics – A bio-economic model to optimize the economic value of sustainable soil management on arable farms

Soil quality is an important determinant of agricultural productivity and environmental quality. Despite its importance, few economic models incorporate sustainable soil management. The objective of this study is to develop and illustrate FARManalytics: a bio-economic model to gain quantitative insight in the economic value of sustainable soil management. First, we defined a comprehensive set of chemical, physical and biological soil quality indicators and quantitative rules on how these indicators respond to farmers’ production management over time. Second, we introduce an economic calculation framework that enables accurate calculation of the contribution of different production management decisions towards farm income using Activity-Based-Costing. The set of soil quality indicators and economic calculations serve as the basis for the bio-economic model FARManalytics, which consists of two modules: (1) the PMcalculator, a module that calculates the impact of current production management on soil quality and farm economics and (2) the PMoptimizer, a module that uses Mixed-Integer-Linear-Programming to maximize farm incomewithin predefined soil quality indicator constraints. The decision variables are the crop rotation, cover crops, manure & fertilizer application and crop residue management. We illustrate the added value of the model by applying it to an extensive and intensive farm type, both on clay and sandy soil. These farm types are derived from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) in the Netherlands. FARManalytics demonstrates that it is possible to increase farm income with up to €940 ha−1 year−1 on clay soil and up to €683 ha−1 year−1 on sandy soil, while meeting all soil quality targets except subsoil compaction vulnerability. The latter was among the most limiting soil quality indicators for the farm types in this study, together with soil organic matter input, wind erosion vulnerability and plant-parasitic nematodes. FARManalytics integrates the impact of production management decisions on soil quality and economics at farm level. Combined with representative farm types, the bio-economic modeling approach of FARManalytics can provide useful information for policy support. FARManalytics can also be tailored to provide decision support for individual farms, based on data that is commonly available on arable farms at low cost.

Temporal-Scale Climate Information and Crop Production Management Decisions—a Case Study in the North-central Region of Bangladesh

Temporal-Scale Climate Information and Crop Production Management Decisions—a Case Study in the North-central Region of Bangladesh

Post-Purchase Consumer Behavior; Factors and Their Importance

Post-purchase consumer behavior is a natural reaction of customers to the goods they buy, usually post-purchase consumer behavior is very spontaneous according to the state of the product and the tastes of the consumers themselves. Post-purchase consumer behavior is strongly motivated by product quality according to consumer vision glasses, post-purchase consumer behavior is able to influence product management decisions and is able to influence other customers. The research methodology used by the author is descriptive qualitative with the data collection technique is literature study, the range of materials obtained by the author is quite wide but the author experiences limitations in the sample. There are three factors that influence post-purchase consumer behavior, including satisfaction, completeness and service. So, the subjects in marketing will improve their techniques and coordinate with other divisions. The last is an example of consumer behavior in the form of a review, a review is a statement about something that is stated based on aspects of the product without being influenced by other things, in the sense that the review needs to be done according to the actual situation to avoid any disadvantaged parties.

Needs and capabilities for improving poultry production and health management in Indonesia.

In Indonesia, the development of the poultry industry is facing numerous challenges. Major constraints include high disease burdens, large fluctuations in farm input and output prices, and inadequate biosecurity. Timely and reliable information about animal production and health can help stakeholders at all levels of the value chain make appropriate management decisions to optimize their profitability and productivity while reducing risks to public health. This study aimed to describe the challenges in the Indonesian poultry industry, assess stakeholders' needs and capabilities in terms of generating and using poultry information for making production and health management decisions, and identify levers for improvement. Interviews were conducted with a diversity of key informants and value chain actors in five Indonesian provinces. Thematic analysis was applied with an interpretivist approach to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of various stakeholders and their opinions as to what might constitute appropriate solutions. Our findings indicate that market and political instability, ineffective management of poultry data, and limited inter-sectoral collaboration are limiting the development of the sector. Increased intersectoral cooperation is needed to implement standards for data collection and sharing across the industry, provide education and practical training on the use of information technologies for farm management, and accelerate research and innovation. Our study can contribute to the development of data-driven tools to support evidence-based decision-making at all levels of the poultry system.

Modeling of production processes in grain sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan: new solutions

The Republic of Kazakhstan is considered one of the countries with the highest potential for grain production in the world, since it has the appropriate infrastructure, the necessary sown areas, harvesting technologies, and human capital. At the same time, high competition and the tasks of ensuring food security of the state require a constant search for ways to improve the effectiveness and rationality of management decisions in crop production. The goal is to determine directions and trends for increasing the effective functioning of grain farming in Kazakhstan. During the research, methods of analysis and synthesis, mathematical modeling and comparison were used. Results - analysis of the volumes of wheat grown in 2010-2022. showed a positive vector of development, the average harvest increases annually by 228 thousand tons, in 2022 22 million tons were harvested in the Republic of Kazakhstan, this is the highest figure in the last 10 years. Of course, this is a satisfactory dynamic, but there are untapped reserves in the industry. Based on the production indicators of the regions of the republic cultivating this crop, the most effective of them were identified. For these purposes, the DEA method was used. Conclusions - the main target function of grain sector is to maximize the satisfaction of the population's needs for grain products. Other, no less important, its functions: creating a balanced market for grains and raw materials for the processing industry; more complete use of production capabilities in all areas of the grain product vertical of the AIC; reduction of losses at the junctions of production - transportation - processing - grain trade. Structural proportions in the development of the grain product subcomplex become a significant factor ensuring its sustainable functioning.

Managing the threat of infectious disease in fisheries and aquaculture using structured decision making

Fisheries and aquaculture provide food and economic security, especially in the developing world, but both face challenges from infectious disease. Here, we consider management of disease issues from a structured decision‐making perspective to examine how infectious disease can threaten seafood production and influence management decisions. For both wild fisheries and aquaculture, disease‐management objectives generally aim to mitigate the severity and economic burden of outbreaks. General management strategies include manipulating host densities, reducing system connectivity, conserving or improving habitat, and implementing direct treatments or some other biological interventions. To inform decisions, mathematical models can be used to explore disease dynamics and to forecast the potential effectiveness of alternative management actions. Developing and implementing disease‐management strategies also involve considering uncertainties and balancing competing stakeholder interests and risk tolerances. We conclude by outlining several steps for applying structured decision making that are broadly useful to decision makers facing issues related to disease.

A STOCHASTIC APPROACH FOR AGGREGATE PRODUCTION PLANNING CONSIDERING RANDOM DEMAND AND RANDOM QUALITY

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a multi-stage stochastic model to address an aggregate production planning problem. The proposed stochastic model includes two random variables, namely, random demand and random quality, where the production system generates a random amount of defectives. The main contribution of this paper is to extend the traditional deterministic production planning model to take into account the impact of uncertainty, which yields to the development of an integrated stochastic model that jointly optimizes production management decisions considering quality concerns under a certain service level. The performance of the proposed stochastic model is analyzed to draw relevant managerial insights regarding the effects of such a service level target. Also, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to study the effect of varying several costs and system uncertainty parameters to validate the cost-effectiveness of integrated stochastic modelling. The obtained results demonstrate that uncertainty has a significant influence on the decision variables and the total incurred cost, and it is not advisable to ignore the presence of the stochastic variables since they significantly modify the optimal decisions. Keywords: aggregate production planning, quality, random demand, stochastic programming, optimization

Аналіз методів і особливостей цифровізації даних польових досліджень як бази для управління рослинництвом

The purpose of the study. The topic of crop management, which is largely determined by modern digitalization processes, is relevant and is in the center of attention of both specialists and experts in the field of agriculture and in the field of computer technology, because the production of products of the agricultural sector plays a vital role in the world economy. Considering that traditional field data processing methods are unable to meet the ever-growing needs of agricultural producers at the new stage of agricultural development and are a serious obstacle to obtaining the necessary information, the purpose of the article is to conduct a critical review and analysis of publications on the digitization of field research databases in order to develop and adopt effective management decisions in crop production. Research methods. Research was conducted using generally accepted scientific methods: abstract-logical; analysis and synthesis; induction and deduction; expert evaluations. Research results. The conducted analysis made it possible to determine that the level of development of agricultural enterprises currently largely depends on modern digital technologies, the implementation of which involves a change in the general paradigm of production process management and allows commodity producers to act accordingly to increase production volumes. It has been proven that along with updating the material and technical component, the priority of production is the intellectualization of production and management activities based on digitization. Conclusion. In order to benefit from the ever-increasing amount of data that comes from numerous sources of digital transformation, despite the fact that the vast majority of farmers and agricultural producers are not experts in this field and are unable to fully understand the basic laws of the algorithms being created, the scientific and methodological approach to increase the effectiveness of machine learning for automatic recognition of agricultural crops, detection of diseases and weeds, forecasting of yield and quality of the crop, management of water resources and soil can be useful for agricultural enterprises of many countries of the world. Key words: machine learning, precision farming, productivity, soil conditions, water resources.

Interpreting Morphology and Yield Response of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) to Weed Variables Using Regression Analysis

The cohabitation of weeds with crops may not always pose problems. Weeds are plant pests that negatively impact crop yield. However, it is essential to determine when pest status is reached in crops for weed management decisions in crop production. Field experiments were conducted during the rainy seasons of 2017 and 2018 at the research farm of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training Ibadan (7o38' N 3o 84' E), located in the rainforest-savanna transition agroecology of southwestern Nigeria. The experiments consisted of nine weed management practices and a weedy check arranged in Randomised Complete Block Design with three replications. Weed density and weight, along with okra's morphological attributes such as the number of leaves, leaf area, plant height and stem girth, were recorded 9 weeks after sowing (WAS). At commercial maturity, unlignified okra pods were harvested from 9-12 WAS. Simple linear correlation and regression analysis between weed parameters and okra traits was performed. The result showed a negative relationship between weed growth and okra yield in both trials. The negative impact of weeds on some morphological traits of okra probably led to the reduction in okra yield. However, plant height and number of nodes did not significantly (P < 0.05) influence okra yield. Weeds attained pest status for okra at a weed density of about 14.17 plants/m2 with weed dry and fresh weights of 10.05 g/m2 and 54.86 g/m2 , respectively. Hence, weed management is necessary for okra production to reduce yield loss.

Research on the Influence of COVID-19 on Overall Sales of Cars and Cars in Different Categories in China

COVID—19 outbreak has caused a global economic recession; automotive industry plays a key role in economy nowadays. Previous studies were focused on the short-term impact of the COVID outbreak. This study is aimed to evaluate two years after the COVID outbreak, what impact did COVID post on the Chinese automotive industry overall and across different categories, how sales of car models with different price, nationality, and car type reacts to the COVID outbreak. The result of this study shows that COVID posted a significant negative impact on Chinese car sales overall. The higher priced car models impacted less by the COVID outbreak, chinse models impacted more by the COVID outbreak, and no significant evidence to show how SUV models impacted by the COVID outbreak. These findings can help car companies to make the most ideal production, operation and supply chain management decisions when a natural shock happens in the future.

Economic assessments from experimental research trials of feedlot cattle health and performance: a scoping review.

Animal husbandry decisions for feedlot cattle may be based on economic or financial impacts reported from livestock research trials comparing interventions such as health practices or performance technologies. Despite the importance of economic assessments to production management decisions, there are no consensus guidelines for their methods or reporting. Thus, we hypothesized that methods and reporting of economic assessments in the scientific literature are inconsistent. This scoping review describes the types of economic assessments used to evaluate the costs and benefits of interventions in feedlot trials, how measured health and performance outcomes are utilized in economic evaluations, and the completeness of reporting. A structured search was used to retrieve peer-reviewed articles (published in English) on experimental trials performed in Australia, North America, or South Africa, which reported feedlot cattle health, performance, or carcass characteristics and included an economic outcome. A total of 7,086 articles were screened for eligibility; 91 articles (comprising 113 trials) met the inclusion criteria. Trial characteristics, methods, and reporting data were extracted. A primary outcome was stated in only 36% (41/113) of the trials. Of these 41 trials, an economic outcome was reported as a primary outcome in 18 (44%). Methodology for the economic assessment was reported for 54 trials (48%), the type of economic assessment was explicitly stated for 21 trials (19%), and both the type of economic assessment and methodology used were reported for 29 trials (26%); neither were reported for nine trials (8%). Eight types of economic assessments were explicitly reported: cost-effectiveness, cost–benefit analysis, enterprise analysis, partial budget, break-even analysis, profitability, decision analysis, and economic advantage. From the trials that did not report an assessment type, three were identified: partial budget, enterprise analysis, and gross margin analysis. Overall, only 32 trials (28%) reported economics as an outcome of interest, the methodology used or the type of assessment, and values, sources, and dates for at least some of the price data used in the analysis. Given the variability in methods and inconsistent reporting for feedlot trials identified by this scoping review, a guideline to facilitate consistency on appropriate methods and reporting is warranted.

THE ESSENCE AND TYPES OF TOOLS FOR ECONOMIC PROTECTION OF THE ENTERPRISES IN INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY

Purpose. The action of the tools for economic protection of the enterprise is aimed at ensuring the state of economic security, characterized by the absence of threats to the external and internal environment. In the context of globalization and development of international economic relations, protection of economic interests and processes of enterprises is aimed at maintaining its stable function, protection of intellectual property, guaranteeing the inviolability of property, protection of information and interests of stakeholders in general and more. This determines the activities to ensure the independence of the enterprise in conducting production and economic activities and management decisions. This involves the use of tools for economic protection of the enterprises. Economic practice has developed a number of tools for economic protection of the enterprise, which can be classified according to several essential features. In the context of international activities, they may have different levels of efficiency. Thus, knowledge of the nature and types of tools for economic protection of enterprises is important to ensure the effectiveness of their use in international activities. Design/methodology/approach. Methods of induction, deduction, and theoretical generalization, observation, description, formalization, systematization and explanation methods were used for the formation of classification features and their inherent types of instruments ofr economic protection of enterprises. Findings. According to the definition, the tools for economic protection should be considered as the means of preserving the autonomy of the enterprise, the development of the identity of its production, economic and international economic activities, meeting the needs and interests of stakeholders who, through the implementation of a set of actions that optimize management processes, harmonize the financial condition of the enterprise, which contribute to the development of international relations. Originality/value. In order to systematize and increase the effectiveness of the use of tools for economic protection in international activities, formed a classification on the following grounds: direction of influence (tools of direct and indirect influence), duration of action (strategic and tactical tools), period of validity (single, recurring, long-term instruments), the way to influence the economic threats of the enterprise (tools for prevention, neutralization, elimination of threats), the nature of the impact (financial, marketing, information, production and technological, sales, intellectual and personnel, regulatory tools, etc.), ways of influencing the management system on the managed (planning, organizing, motivation, controlling and regulation). Practical implications. Knowledge of the nature and types of tools for economic protection of the enterprises in international activities creates a convenience for representatives of enterprise management to identify prospects for their use. This is the acceptability of the tools for economic protection of enterprises, assessment of potential costs for their use in international activities, etc., which allows us to obtain the results of their use and compliance with the level of their effectiveness.

Digital twin data-driven proactive job-shop scheduling strategy towards asymmetric manufacturing execution decision

The information asymmetry phenomenon widely exists in production management decisions due to the latency of manufacturing data transmissions. Also, stochastic events on the physical production site will result in information asymmetry, which may lead to inconsistency between current execution and previous resource allocation plans. It is meaningful and important for developing an information model based on the Internet of Manufacturing Things to timely and actively adjust the scheduling strategy to meet the symmetry requirements of the production execution process. Based on the digital twin data collected from the workshop, a proactive job-shop scheduling strategy was discussed in this paper. Firstly, the mechanism for the influence of delayed local operations on makespan was deduced. Then, a framework for implementing the proactive job-shop scheduling strategy was proposed. Coordination point was used to determine the adjustment interval of local operations; right-shift rule with delay time constraints was used to adjust the unprocessed operation sequences on machines. Finally, the examples including 6*6 (6 jobs, 6 machines) and 20*40 (20 jobs, 40 machines) were presented to verify the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed method. It can be predicted that the proactive scheduling strategy provides the online decisions for the efficient and smooth execution of the digital twin-driven workshop production.

Ontology-augmented Prognostics and Health Management for shopfloor-synchronised joint maintenance and production management decisions

In smart factories, guaranteeing shopfloor-synchronised and real-time decision-making is essential to be responsive to the ever-changing internal environment, namely the shopfloor of the production system and assets. At operational level, decisions should balance counter acting objectives of maintenance and production; therefore, their decision-making processes should be joint and coordinated, to fulfil production requirements considering the health state of the assets. The knowledge of the current state is promoted by the application of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) as an aid to support informed decision-making. Nevertheless, PHM-purposed information is usually not complete in terms of production requirements. To support joint maintenance and production management decisions, an ontological approach is proposed. The ontology, called ORMA (Ontology for Reliability-centred MAintenance), has a modular structure, including formalisation of asset, process, and product knowledge. Via suitable relationships, rules, and axioms, ORMA can infer product feasibility based on the current health state of the assets and their functional units. ORMA is implemented in a Flexible Manufacturing Line at a laboratory scale. Therein, an integrated solution, involving a health state detection algorithm that interacts with the ontology, supports human decision-making via a web-based dashboard; joint maintenance and production management decisions can be then taken, relying on diversified information provided by the PHM algorithm as well as the augmentation via ontology reasoning. The proposed ontology-based solution represents a step towards reconfigurability of smart factories where human and automated decision-making processes work in synergy.

Product Deletion Decisions for Adjusting Supply Chain Strategy: A Case Study From the Food Industry

Supply chains are formed around the products they accommodate; timely adjustment of the products portfolio is essential for the supply chain's competitiveness. Product management decisions can be used as an operational strategic tool to adjust supply chain performance and strategy, i.e., through removing burdensome products, rollover, or revitalizing them. Despite the instrumental role of product deletion decisions, limited attention has been directed toward this operations management topic. This article introduces the product deletion score for the periodic and proactive product appraisal for possible revitalization and deletion decisions. For this purpose, a multimethod multicriteria decision-making framework is developed to provide a systematic approach for the strategic assessment of products. Given the depth and width of the product portfolios in the food industry and the complexities involved in their supply chain, a case study from this sector is conducted to inform other industry situations. Exploring the case-specific decision factors pertinent to this sector, we showed that product deletion decisions can be applied as a managerial instrument for adjusting the competitive and operational aspects of the supply chains.

Detection of Banana Plants Using Multi-Temporal Multispectral UAV Imagery

Unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become increasingly commonplace in aiding planning and management decisions in agricultural and horticultural crop production. The ability of UAV-based sensing technologies to provide high spatial (<1 m) and temporal (on-demand) resolution data facilitates monitoring of individual plants over time and can provide essential information about health, yield, and growth in a timely and quantifiable manner. Such applications would be beneficial for cropped banana plants due to their distinctive growth characteristics. Limited studies have employed UAV data for mapping banana crops and to our knowledge only one other investigation features multi-temporal detection of banana crowns. The purpose of this study was to determine the suitability of multiple-date UAV-captured multi-spectral data for the automated detection of individual plants using convolutional neural network (CNN), template matching (TM), and local maximum filter (LMF) methods in a geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) software framework coupled with basic classification refinement. The results indicate that CNN returns the highest plant detection accuracies, with the developed rule set and model providing greater transferability between dates (F-score ranging between 0.93 and 0.85) than TM (0.86–0.74) and LMF (0.86–0.73) approaches. The findings provide a foundation for UAV-based individual banana plant counting and crop monitoring, which may be used for precision agricultural applications to monitor health, estimate yield, and to inform on fertilizer, pesticide, and other input requirements for optimized farm management.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ИНФОРМАЦИОННО­КОММУНИКАЦИОННЫХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ НА ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКУЮ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ АГРАРНОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА

Questions and problems related to new production relations arising from the use of information and communication technologies in the technological processes of agricultural production (point farming, differentiation of information support through the reception, processing, presentation of information about the state of the soil, animals, the environment, etc.) between the object and the subject of management are investigated and analyzed. The system of collecting and wireless transmission of data on the state of the soil by means of mobile and stationary sensors with the subsequent analysis of information for making optimal management decisions in crop production is considered.