Fiscal Mirror Theory
Fiscal Mirror Theory is a visionary framework redefining fiscal governance by viewing taxation, expenditure, and financial reporting as reflective tools of economic health and ethical integrity. It addresses global challenges like debt crises, institutional weakness, and fiscal opacity by promoting transparency, accountability, and resilience. The book introduces four models-TaxMirror, ExpenMirror, ReportMirror, and InstiShield-each linking fiscal mechanisms to national stability. Across eleven parts, it explores digital taxation, participatory budgeting, AI-driven dashboards, and ethical standards like IPSAS. It critiques outdated fiscal models, advocating dynamic systems that respond to feedback and stakeholder needs. The theory integrates crisis response, inclusivity, and predictive analytics while promoting global adoption through bodies like the IMF, World Bank, and G20. With case studies from nations like Ghana and Estonia, it offers a practical blueprint for sustainable, reflective, and future-ready fiscal systems.
Responsible Industry 4.0
Examines whether the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as AI, will lead to greater economic uncertainty, environmental collapse and social unrest, or whether they will help achieve shared prosperity and sustainable development, and successively the SDGs.
Total Quality Management
The book covers the tools and techniques of TQM. The chapters discuss benchmarking, information technology, quality management systems, and environmental aspects. This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources.It also covers the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) across five modules. It includes definitions of TQM, quality systems such as ISO 9000, leadership concepts, customer satisfaction, employee involvement, and continuous process improvement techniques like Six Sigma and Statistical Process Control.
Modeling the Pre-Positioning of Air Force Precision Guided Munitions
The Air Force's ability to deploy, employ, and sustain operations in forward locations is a key to mission success. An integral part of this strategy is equipment prepositioning, to include: vehicles, aircraft support, consumable inventory, and munitions. This research focuses on defining and developing a model to aid decision makers with the afloat pre-positioning and deployment of munitions in an effort to ensure that the right weapons are available when, and where needed. This research places a particular focus on the strategic, global pre-positioning of the Afloat Pre-positioning Fleet (APF) in an effort to minimize the overall response time involved with offloading these ships and transporting their cargo to the intended point of use. The model developed in this study is a mixed integer program that was implemented using the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). The model considers the various aspects of pre-positioning (forward operating locations, Standard Air Munitions Packages, and the APF) in order to optimally locate and configure each APF ship. The methodology for this model was tested and verified using precision guided munitions data for a number of scenarios.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A System Dynamics Approach for Information Technology Implementation and Sustainment
The goal of this research is to bring a new, dynamic modeling perspective to organizational information technology (IT) implementation systems (using the Air Force GeoBase initiative as a real-world example) without compromising principles from the research literature. Undesired behavior patterns, from historically poor IT implementation performance, versus desired behavior patterns are incorporated into the model structure. Using a system dynamics approach, multiple simulation runs under various initial conditions and organizational contexts are performed and compared over a short-term versus a long-term period of time. Based on these simulation runs, various mixes of management interventions, under varying conditions, are recommended to improve IT implementation performance based on manager and organizational goals. Generally, for better long-term system performance, learning management, with a focus on team learning, is the best single IT implementation tool. With a low level of organizational buy-in at the beginning of the IT implementation effort, change process management should be the initial focus of management effort. Reward system management provides a short-term spark, but its implementation effects are not carried over for long-term sustainment as readily as learning management or change process management. Continuity management, though beneficial, does not provide as much "bang for the buck" as the other management interventions.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Forecasting Expeditionary Training for Company Grade Logistics Readiness Officers
Since the development of the Expeditionary Airman concept and the start of combat operations in the Global War on Terrorism, the Logistics Readiness Officer's (LRO) duty environment has expanded beyond traditional garrison-based duties. This expansion can arguably incorporate current topics of joint operations, irregular warfare, and cultural intelligence. The intent of this study is to determine what training, if any, future company grade LROs will require on these three topics. The research uses Delphi methodology, utilizing an expert panel of twelve LROs with experience in joint operations within a deployed environment, and interactions with foreign nationals. The study applies two rounds of surveys; the first seeks the participant's recommendations on training statements on the three different topics. The second round survey consists of consolidated responses from the first survey, which panel members ranked for likelihood of implementation and impact using a 5-point Likert scale. The mean and standard deviation for these rankings describe the differences in participant's observations. A scatter plot graph for each of the three topics represents the relationship between the means of likelihood of implementation and impact for each statement. Finally, a 3x3 matrix corresponding with each scatter plot graph categorizes the findings to provide a graphic representation of the expeditionary training panel members recommend for future LROs.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Impact of the Defense Industry Consolidation on the Aerospace Industry
The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the defense industry consolidation on the aerospace industry. The defense industry is comprised of twelve sectors that impact different industries. This research focused on the formal aspects of the aerospace industry which supports six of the twelve defense sectors. The aerospace industry is identified by six North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Using the structure-conduct-performance paradigm, a method in industrial organization, this thesis analyzed how the defense consolidation affected the structure and behavior of the aerospace industry. For structure, this study examined the industry concentration, buyers and sellers, vertical integration, and product differentiation. Barriers to entry, asset specificity, capital investment, and research and development intensity were analyzed for conduct. Profitability ratios, returns to scale, and impact on cost overruns of government contracts were analyzed for the area of performance. Finally, this study identified trends by comparing the aerospace industry to the total manufacturing industry, and by comparing the large surviving downstream firms to both the aerospace industry and total manufacturing industry.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Data Envelopment Analysis to Assess Productivity in the United States Air Force Medical Supply Chain
Utilizing a DEA model created by Dr. Paul Jensen, of the University of Texas, each of 73 AF MTFs was assigned baseline efficiency rating in the current medical supply chain network structure. Efficiency was calculated based on the facility's capability to process input(s) to output(s). Effectiveness, operationalized as application of the appropriate strategy "to get the job done," was assessed as a function of lead time using average delivery days. Contract specifications and manpower authorizations for FY11 in addition to sales, receipts, order lines, and lead times for the previous two years were inputs and analyzed. Through a combination of contract and user-defined constraints, the model indicated several optimal locations for aggregate ordering centers by region, ultimately suggesting multiple virtual hub-and-spoke networks.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Finance and Economics Discussion Series
The slope of the Treasury yield curve has often been cited as a leading economic indicator, with inversion of the curve being thought of as a harbinger of a recession. In this paper, I consider a number of probit models using the yield curve to forecast recessions. Models that use both the level of the federal funds rate and the term spread give better in-sample fit, and better out-of-sample predictive performance, than models with the term spread alone. There is some evidence that controlling for a term premium proxy as well may also help. I discuss the implications of the current shape of the yield curve in the light of these results, and report results of some tests for structural stability and an evaluation of out-of-sample predictive performance.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Distributer's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
The Distributor's Pallet Packing Problem is to load a set of distinct boxes with given dimensions on pallets or in containers to maximize volume utilization. This problem is still in its early stages of research, but there is a high level of interest in developing effective models to solve this NP-hard problem to reduce the time, energy and other resources spent in packing pallets. In its search to improve operations, the Air Force is also making an effort to solve this problem. Building an analytical model and developing a genetic algorithm approach have been tried, but the problem requires additional research and there is a need to produce realistic solutions in a reasonable amount of time. We develop a special heuristic algorithm and code it in the C programming language. In our model, we used powerful heuristic tools and dynamic data structure to mimic human intelligence, providing a new solution approach to pallet packing. We created another program to visualize packing results. Tests on hundreds of problems show that our model makes the most of volume utilization in minimal time making it a leader among presented and published works.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A System Dynamics Approach to Modeling Aircraft System Production Break Costs
This research effort employs a System Dynamics methodology to model Air Force aircraft production break costs. The Air Force currently used the Anderlohr, Modified Anderlohr, and Retrograde methods for the estimation of aircraft production breaks. These methods offer little insight into the dynamic behavior of an aircraft production break. System Dynamics offers a unique way of capturing expert opinions in this area and dynamically presenting behaviors of an Air Force aircraft production line during a production break. Development of this model followed a four-step process of conceptualization, formulation, testing, and implementation.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A System Dynamics Approach for Information Technology Implementation and Sustainment
The goal of this research is to bring a new, dynamic modeling perspective to organizational information technology (IT) implementation systems (using the Air Force GeoBase initiative as a real-world example) without compromising principles from the research literature. Undesired behavior patterns, from historically poor IT implementation performance, versus desired behavior patterns are incorporated into the model structure. Using a system dynamics approach, multiple simulation runs under various initial conditions and organizational contexts are performed and compared over a short-term versus a long-term period of time. Based on these simulation runs, various mixes of management interventions, under varying conditions, are recommended to improve IT implementation performance based on manager and organizational goals. Generally, for better long-term system performance, learning management, with a focus on team learning, is the best single IT implementation tool. With a low level of organizational buy-in at the beginning of the IT implementation effort, change process management should be the initial focus of management effort. Reward system management provides a short-term spark, but its implementation effects are not carried over for long-term sustainment as readily as learning management or change process management. Continuity management, though beneficial, does not provide as much "bang for the buck" as the other management interventions.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A Heuristic Decision Making Model to Mitigate Adverse Consequences in a Network-Centric Warfare / Sense and Respond System
The general premise of this research is that decision making will increase in importance based on the transformation of the military towards Network Centric Warfare (NCW) / Sense and Respond logistical, informational, command / control systems. Additionally, this may result in an increase of adverse consequences, potentially resulting in an increase of accidents, major mishaps or, in general, system interruptions. Being able to quickly identify and mitigate adverse consequences in decision making will be more valuable and needed for managers and leaders in the near future. In the Legacy / cold war military, the need for information and decision making was mitigated by the large excess capacities, inventories, and redundant sub-systems and personnel or resources in general. Potentially in a NCW / Sense and Respond military there is a greater need for information and for decision makers to act or use the information, resulting in an increase in decision-making requirements. These may not increase in frequencies but rather increase in importance and impact, as available resources are lessened and the information flow and amount increases, putting further demands on the decision makers. Also if the need to make decisions increases and, additionally, adverse consequences increase, the impact will be larger on the system with more implications, accidents, and system interruptions. It may be possible to mitigate or avoid the potentially negative impact of system interruptions and adverse consequences that stem from decision making in a NCW / Sense and Respond system. A model is suggested for considering decision consequences.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Solving the Multidimensional Multiple Knapsack Problem With Packing Constraints Using Tabu Search
This paper presents a methodology for solving military aircraft load- scheduling problems modeled as a multidimensional multiple knapsack problem, Because of the computational time associated with applying conventional algorithms to this type of problem, we employ tabu search to determine how much cargo a heterogeneous group of aircraft can carry. This study extends the previous work of Chocolaad in two areas. First, we modify Chocolaad's algorithms to solve the multiple (rather than the single) knapsack problem under the constraints he defmed for the Airlift Loading Problem. Second, we drop his assumption of a homogeneous group of aircraft. We validate our model by confirming its solutions with cargo loadmasters, and comparing the performance of our algorithm with the benchmark ALM.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Influence of Framing Effects on Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, and Behavioral Intention in Information Technology Systems
Every year the Department of Defense spends millions of dollars on the purchase of new computer equipment. There is some question as to the necessity of the amount of this spending. Brynjolfsson (1993) and Landauer (1996) state that it appears that as the order of magnitude of information technology (IT) has increased in both numbers and processing power, the actual increase in the level of productivity, as a whole, has not. Unfortunately, in a time when Air Force budgets are shrinking and the United States military is called on by the taxpayers they serve to do more with less, funding for this IT is often not available. This thesis looks at the use of information framing to influence users' perceptions of information technology using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). TAM does this by measuring users' perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and behavioral intention toward a computer. An experiment was conducted by framing information about the technology level of two computers. Users' perceptions about using those systems were then collected using the TAM construct measuring instruments. The results of this study suggest that these perceptions about computer technology have more impact on users' actual use of an IT system than the actual technology level that is present in a computer. This indicates that the aggressive product replacement cycles for computers currently used by Air Force units could be reexamined to extend the useful life of existing systems. The savings realized could then be applied to other critical Air Force mission needs.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Distributor's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
It is through practice and experience Air Force loadmasters are able to pack the Air Force standard HCU-6/E (463L) pallets efficiently. Although the loadmasters perform their jobs exceptionally well, the Air Force is in search of a model that will more efficiently pack the pallets. We have developed a mathematical formulation of the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem which minimizes the amount of unused space on a pallet. The formulation ensures each box is packed with the correct volume and dimensions, and ensures the volume of all the boxes packed is less than the available pallet volume. Additionally, the formulation ensures that each box has a foundation on which to be placed and allows, at most, one box to be placed in each location on the pallet. The three-dimensional pallet-packing problem is a NP-hard problem. Thus, for large problems, the optimal solution can not be found in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore a heuristic solution approach is required to solve these large problems. This research observes the performance of a genetic algorithm on the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem using single-point crossover.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A Study of Possible Logistics Paradigm Changes to Better Meet Warfighter's Needs
Currently, some Air Force logistics leaders have stated that even though the Air Logistics Centers (ALC) have been consolidated, they are still not as effective, as measured by time savings, cost savings, or system reliability as they can be. JV2020 even alludes to this need for change as a requirement for the future of our forces. Therefore, this research proposes to identify and evaluate possible substitutes to some of the current logistics programs that affect aircraft availability including alternatives to depot maintenance and also, how to better move repair parts through the system to meet the warfighting vision of JV2020. This will be accomplished by looking at AFSOC's Depot Agile Repair Team (DART) program on the MH-53 helicopter, the Navy's H-60 helicopter, C-5 Lean Logistics concept, and the Army's Accelerated Logistics concept. The study found a common thread among all these programs - a paradigmbreaking change in how to meet warfighters' needs and maintain cost effectiveness. The two helicopter programs both point to the need for keeping aircraft more operationally available and this is done by performing some depot-level tasks at the unit level. The DART concept has proven highly effective in increasing aircraft availability while also reducing costs. Also, by looking at the Lean Logistics and Accelerated Logistics concepts, these demonstrated another way to increase aircraft availability by moving replacement parts through the system more effectively.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
An Objective Decision Tool for Use in Considering Air Force Specialty Code Pairs for Consolidation
Throughout its history, the Air Force has experienced a growth in the diversity of the jobs it has been asked to perform, as well as a reduction in the number of personnel it has as a resource to fulfill these requirements. As a result, Air Force leadership has periodically had to review the set of required skills and consolidate similar specialties in order to complete its mission under these more restrictive manpower numbers.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Development of Measures to Assess Product Modularity and Reconfigurability
This dissertation outlines a method and measures for assessing product modularity in terms of coupling, reusability, and flexibility. A five-step analysis process is developed and used to guide the modularity assessment. Defining and decomposing products are performed first. Using the resultant functional model from the first step, the identified functions are mapped to modules in a product in the second step. In the third and fourth steps, module-to-module interfaces are identified and captured in design structure matrices or a tensor plot. Finally, using results from steps 1-4, the Vector Modularity Measure that includes a reconfigurability measure can be calculated. The measures and analysis process are demonstrated using two precision guided munitions in the United States Air Force inventory. After this demonstration, the research focuses on extending the approach to a modular satellite design problem, namely AFRL's Plug-and-Play Satellite (PnPSat) concept for Operationally Responsive Space. Using the resulting analysis, recommendations to the existing PnPSat design to further increase modularity and its derived benefits are given. Lastly, the modularity analysis process and applications are used to draw conclusions and make recommendations for future research to include identifying factors that influence both modularity and the timeline to perform product assembly and check-out.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Sizing Mobility Readiness Spares Packages for Today's Warfighting Units
As the Air Force transforms from a garrisoned force into a light expeditionary force, one area for restructuring is the manner in which mobility readiness spares packages (MRSPs) are managed and stocked. For a war tasking, thirty days supply is typically deployed in a MRSP as it is assumed that there will be no re-supply for thirty days. Studies of combat operations from the past decade suggest that thirty days without re-supply is an outdated assumption. The objective of this thesis is to economically build a robust MRSP that is flexible enough to provide adequate support for a variety of squadron sizes at least through day 20 of a war. Faster establishment of a reliable resupply pipeline is the key to successfully implementing such a MRSP. This research focused on three different weapon-systems; the A-10, F-15E, and F-16C. Through use of the Aircraft Sustainability Model, smaller MRSPs are constructed which have the ability to adequately support squadron sizes of 12, 18, and 24 aircraft based on their ability to maintain aircraft availability goals without generating excessive amounts of expected backorders.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Analyzing the Air Operations Center Air Tasking Order Process Using Theory Of Constraints
This thesis examined the Air Operations Center (AOC) Air Tasking Order (ATO) development process using the Theory of Constraints (TOC). TOC defines a constraint as the variable in production in which a local innovation causes significant global improvement. The overall goal of this research was to identify constraints that exist in this development process, both within a single ATO cycle and across five concurrent overlapped cycles. There has been little documented research on the process of ATO development; much of what is available is either ad hoc, contradictory, or both. Despite this, it is widely agreed that up to five ATOs are concurrently in development at any one time. It is also widely acknowledged that a given ATO from initial conceptualization to execution takes 72 hours, with a daily ATO release occurring every 24 hours. What has not carefully been examined is the lateral interaction between processes within one ATO cycle, nor the vertical interaction between concurrent ATOs under development. Identifying these interactions for possible constraints will focus improvements in this complex command and control process. Using our model we identified specific locations of lateral constraints that often result in information chokepoints, and therefore reduced quality and/or late delivery of the ATO. We also pioneered identification of non-obvious vertical interaction between ATO cycles. Identification of these constraints will allow AOCs to more effectively plan and control ATO development to ensure accurate and on-time delivery of Air Tasking Orders.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Covalidation of Dissimilarly Structured Models
A methodology is presented which allows comparison between models constructed under different modeling paradigms. Consider two models that exist to study different aspects of the same system, namely Air Mobility Command's strategic airlift system. One model simulates a fleet of aircraft moving a given combination of cargo and passengers from an onload point to an offload point. The second model is a linear program that optimizes aircraft and route selection given cargo and passenger requirements in order to minimize late- and non-deliveries. Further, the optimization model represents a more aggregated view of the airlift system than does the simulation. The two models do not have immediately comparable input or output structures, which complicates comparisons between the two models. I develop a methodology to structure this comparison and use it to compare the two large-scale models described above. Models that compare favorably using this methodology are deemed covalid. Models that perform similarly under approximately the same input conditions are considered covalid in a narrow sense. Models that are covalid (in this narrow sense) may hold the potential to be used in an iterative fashion to improve the input (and thus, the output) of one another. I prove that, under certain regularity conditions, this method of output/input crossflow converges, and if the convergence is to a valid representation of the real-world system, the models are considered covalid in a wide sense. Further, if one of the models has been independently validated (in the traditional meaning), then a validation by association of the other model may be effected through this process.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Using Future Value Analysis to Select an Optimal Portfolio of Force Protection Initiatives
With the recent increase in terrorist activity, force protection has become a key issue for the Department of Defense. Leading the research for new ideas and concepts in force protection for the US Air Force is the Air Force Force Protection Battlelab (FPB). The FPB is charged with searching out force protection ideas and selecting those most worthy for future consideration. In 2002, a Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) hierarchy was created to help the FPB select those ideas that provided the most value to the Air Force and it's force protection goals. This research effort uses the Future Value Analysis (FVA) approach, a decision-making methodology, to provide a more accurate project selection tool to the FPB. FVA incorporates the ideals of multi-attribute utility theory, specifically using the VFT process, as well as linear programming optimization techniques, to provide an optimal portfolio of initiatives for the FPB to pursue. FVA provides a solution that optimizes the value of initiatives selected, while remaining within the organizational constraints of the FPB.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Quality Function Deployment From an Operations Research Perspective
The methodology of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is compared to operations analysis standards. Of special concern is how Air Combat Command (ACC) uses QFD for the Modernization Planning Process (MPP). ACC digresses from the traditional use of QFD for incorporating quality into manufacturing processes to use it as a planning tool. ACC's goal in implementing QFD is to incorporate the demands of the Air Force mission into the modernization planning effort. ACC's use of QFD to identify and quantify current deficiencies and quantify the value of alternative future solutions has led to the investigation of inconsistencies with QFD, both generally and with how ACC employs it. In short, the purpose of this thesis is to improve ACC's current method for optimizing combat capability through both near-term and far-term modifications.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Development of Measures to Assess Product Modularity and Reconfigurability
This dissertation outlines a method and measures for assessing product modularity in terms of coupling, reusability, and flexibility. A five-step analysis process is developed and used to guide the modularity assessment. Defining and decomposing products are performed first. Using the resultant functional model from the first step, the identified functions are mapped to modules in a product in the second step. In the third and fourth steps, module-to-module interfaces are identified and captured in design structure matrices or a tensor plot. Finally, using results from steps 1-4, the Vector Modularity Measure that includes a reconfigurability measure can be calculated. The measures and analysis process are demonstrated using two precision guided munitions in the United States Air Force inventory. After this demonstration, the research focuses on extending the approach to a modular satellite design problem, namely AFRL's Plug-and-Play Satellite (PnPSat) concept for Operationally Responsive Space. Using the resulting analysis, recommendations to the existing PnPSat design to further increase modularity and its derived benefits are given. Lastly, the modularity analysis process and applications are used to draw conclusions and make recommendations for future research to include identifying factors that influence both modularity and the timeline to perform product assembly and check-out.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Impact of the Defense Industry Consolidation on the Aerospace Industry
The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the defense industry consolidation on the aerospace industry. The defense industry is comprised of twelve sectors that impact different industries. This research focused on the formal aspects of the aerospace industry which supports six of the twelve defense sectors. The aerospace industry is identified by six North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Using the structure-conduct-performance paradigm, a method in industrial organization, this thesis analyzed how the defense consolidation affected the structure and behavior of the aerospace industry. For structure, this study examined the industry concentration, buyers and sellers, vertical integration, and product differentiation. Barriers to entry, asset specificity, capital investment, and research and development intensity were analyzed for conduct. Profitability ratios, returns to scale, and impact on cost overruns of government contracts were analyzed for the area of performance. Finally, this study identified trends by comparing the aerospace industry to the total manufacturing industry, and by comparing the large surviving downstream firms to both the aerospace industry and total manufacturing industry.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Spare Parts Storage and Shipping
The goal of this paper was to improve the supply of spare parts by employing sound storage. Topics include storage layout, bulk and bin storage, receiving, location activity, order assembly and shipping, inventories, and procedures and training.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Feasibility Study of Variance Reduction in the Logistics Composite Model
The Logistics Composite Model (LCOM) is a stochastic, discrete-event simulation that relies on probabilities and random number generators to model scenarios in a maintenance unit and estimate optimal manpower levels through an iterative process. Models such as LCOM involving pseudo-random numbers inevitably have a variance associated with the output of the model for each run, and the output is actually a range of estimates. The reduction of the variance in the results of the model can be costly in the form of time for multiple replications. The alternative is a range of estimates that is too wide to realistically apply to real-world maintenance units. This research explores the application of three different methods for reducing the variance of the model's output. The methods include Common Random Numbers (CRN), Control Variates, and Antithetic Variates. The differences in the 95% confidence intervals were compared between the variance reduction techniques and the original model to determine the degree of variance reduction. The result is a successful variance reduction in the primary output statistics of interest using the application of the Control Variates technique, as well as a methodology for the implementation of Control Variates in LCOM.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
An Analysis of Time Series Forecasting Methods for the Airlift of Palletized Sustainment Cargo
In the Department of Defense (DOD) supply chain for sustainment cargo, over 45,000 pallets were transloaded at Incirlik AB, Turkey in from April 2008 to December 2009 with ultimate destinations in the USCENTCOM AOR, making Incirlik the largest transshipment node for airlift in the DOD by over two-fold. Current methods of forecasting follow-on transportation requirements are based on the amount of pallets on hand at the aerial port as well as short-term visibility of pallets currently in the channel system destined for Incirlik AB. This process yields a forecast horizon of only 2-3 days for planning subsequent airlift missions. An analysis several time series forecasting methods using post-sample pallet data from the Global Air Transportation Execution System (GATES) was accomplished to examine their ability to forecast different sustainment scenarios at least 7 days in advance of arrival at Incirlik AB, Turkey.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Distributor's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
It is through practice and experience Air Force loadmasters are able to pack the Air Force standard HCU-6/E (463L) pallets efficiently. Although the loadmasters perform their jobs exceptionally well, the Air Force is in search of a model that will more efficiently pack the pallets. We have developed a mathematical formulation of the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem which minimizes the amount of unused space on a pallet. The formulation ensures each box is packed with the correct volume and dimensions, and ensures the volume of all the boxes packed is less than the available pallet volume. Additionally, the formulation ensures that each box has a foundation on which to be placed and allows, at most, one box to be placed in each location on the pallet. The three-dimensional pallet-packing problem is a NP-hard problem. Thus, for large problems, the optimal solution can not be found in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore a heuristic solution approach is required to solve these large problems. This research observes the performance of a genetic algorithm on the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem using single-point crossover.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Group Decision Support Systems and Influence Modes
This study examined the effect of Group Decision Support System (GDSS) technology on perceived influence modes. The researcher measured perceived influence modes in two group treatments: GDSS groups and non-GDSS (N-GDSS) mediated groups. Actual groups in both treatments performed judgmental tasks of their own choosing. Group members then completed a survey that measures their perceptions regarding five influence sources: expert influence, influence from legitimate authority, referent influence, reward influence, and coercive influence. The survey also measured the extent to which members perceived an "opportunity to influence" other group members. For each variable measured in both treatment groups, mean scores were calculated from respondents' ratings. Analysis indicated that GDSS technology significantly reduces the amount of influence perceived by group members when compared to members in N-GDSS groups. Results also indicated that there was no significant difference between treatment groups regarding members' perceived "opportunity to influence" other group members.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Sizing Mobility Readiness Spares Packages for Today's Warfighting Units
As the Air Force transforms from a garrisoned force into a light expeditionary force, one area for restructuring is the manner in which mobility readiness spares packages (MRSPs) are managed and stocked. For a war tasking, thirty days supply is typically deployed in a MRSP as it is assumed that there will be no re-supply for thirty days. Studies of combat operations from the past decade suggest that thirty days without re-supply is an outdated assumption. The objective of this thesis is to economically build a robust MRSP that is flexible enough to provide adequate support for a variety of squadron sizes at least through day 20 of a war. Faster establishment of a reliable resupply pipeline is the key to successfully implementing such a MRSP. This research focused on three different weapon-systems; the A-10, F-15E, and F-16C. Through use of the Aircraft Sustainability Model, smaller MRSPs are constructed which have the ability to adequately support squadron sizes of 12, 18, and 24 aircraft based on their ability to maintain aircraft availability goals without generating excessive amounts of expected backorders.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Skeleton of a Skull with a Cigarette Van Gogh Note Book
HARDCOVER NOTEBOOK featuring Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting Skeleton of a Skull with a Cigarette on the cover.SIZE: A5 with 150 lightly lined, dot grid, and vintage paper style blank pages.USEFUL FOR note taking, journaling, recipes, or planning at your home, office, or school.PERFECT TO USE this writing journal with pencils, pens, and colored pencils.MAKES A GREAT GIFT IDEA for a writer, artist, student or any creative person.ACCENT any coffee table or bookshelf with this beautiful notebook.WE MAKE JOURNALS for women, men, artists, and writers of all ages.
The Red Vineyard Van Gogh Note Book
HARDCOVER NOTEBOOK featuring Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting The Red Vineyard on the cover.SIZE: A5 with 150 lightly lined, dot grid, and vintage paper style blank pages.USEFUL FOR note taking, journaling, recipes, or planning at your home, office, or school.PERFECT TO USE this writing journal with pencils, pens, and colored pencils.MAKES A GREAT GIFT IDEA for a writer, artist, student or any creative person.ACCENT any coffee table or bookshelf with this beautiful notebook.WE MAKE JOURNALS for women, men, artists, and writers of all ages.
A Network Flow Approach to the Initial Skills Training Scheduling Problem
The United States Air Force commissions new officers as they complete their undergraduate degree or their officer commissioning training. These officers are commissioned frequently throughout the calendar year, sometimes in large groups. In order to perform their job to the best of their abilities, they require proper training. With this in mind, it seems only natural that there exists a mathematical, repeatable and measurable method for scheduling these officers into their training courses to have them fully trained and available for Air Force duties in the timeliest manner. This thesis demonstrates that the goal of efficiently and effectively scheduling officers into their training courses is not being met, and it provides a method which can be utilized by the Air Force to ensure that the goal is actually achieved. The formulation is based upon a minimum cost network flow problem used to perform the scheduling. The algorithm solves the problem in a polynomial amount of time (in terms of the problem size) and gives the user measurable and comparable results. Further, numerous problem instances are presented in order to explore different decision alternatives which will enable the Air Force senior leadership to make informed decisions.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Distributer's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
The Distributor's Pallet Packing Problem is to load a set of distinct boxes with given dimensions on pallets or in containers to maximize volume utilization. This problem is still in its early stages of research, but there is a high level of interest in developing effective models to solve this NP-hard problem to reduce the time, energy and other resources spent in packing pallets. In its search to improve operations, the Air Force is also making an effort to solve this problem. Building an analytical model and developing a genetic algorithm approach have been tried, but the problem requires additional research and there is a need to produce realistic solutions in a reasonable amount of time. We develop a special heuristic algorithm and code it in the C programming language. In our model, we used powerful heuristic tools and dynamic data structure to mimic human intelligence, providing a new solution approach to pallet packing. We created another program to visualize packing results. Tests on hundreds of problems show that our model makes the most of volume utilization in minimal time making it a leader among presented and published works.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Supply Chain Synchronization
A 2009 Air Mobility Command and Defense Logistics Agency Supply Chain Management initiative seeks to increase cargo velocity to the Iraq Theatre of operations by synchronizing the picking, packing, and shipping of cargo from Defense Distribution Centers with the flow of scheduled airlift through aerial ports of embarkation (APOE) on the east coast of the United States. If this initiative is successful, not only will the port hold time be reduced at the APOEs, but the potential exists for larger groups of pallets to be aggregated at APOEs for onward movement. This research investigated the relationship between pallet group size and pallet velocity for cargo movement from Susquehanna, PA to various locations in Iraq. No evidence of a significant relationship between pallet group size and pallet velocity was identified. Port hold time at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey demonstrated the greatest influence on pallet velocity. Improvements to information sharing and collaborative planning were recommended to improve the initiative.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A Heuristic Decision Making Model to Mitigate Adverse Consequences in a Network-Centric Warfare / Sense and Respond System
The general premise of this research is that decision making will increase in importance based on the transformation of the military towards Network Centric Warfare (NCW) / Sense and Respond logistical, informational, command / control systems. Additionally, this may result in an increase of adverse consequences, potentially resulting in an increase of accidents, major mishaps or, in general, system interruptions. Being able to quickly identify and mitigate adverse consequences in decision making will be more valuable and needed for managers and leaders in the near future. In the Legacy / cold war military, the need for information and decision making was mitigated by the large excess capacities, inventories, and redundant sub-systems and personnel or resources in general. Potentially in a NCW / Sense and Respond military there is a greater need for information and for decision makers to act or use the information, resulting in an increase in decision-making requirements. These may not increase in frequencies but rather increase in importance and impact, as available resources are lessened and the information flow and amount increases, putting further demands on the decision makers. Also if the need to make decisions increases and, additionally, adverse consequences increase, the impact will be larger on the system with more implications, accidents, and system interruptions. It may be possible to mitigate or avoid the potentially negative impact of system interruptions and adverse consequences that stem from decision making in a NCW / Sense and Respond system. A model is suggested for considering decision consequences.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Forecasting Flying Hour Costs of the B-1, B-2, and the B-52 Bomber Aircraft
This thesis both evaluates, and presents improvements to, the current method of forecasting flying costs of Air Force aircraft. It uses depot level repairable (DRL) and consumable (CONS) data for the Air FOrce's bomber platforms: B-1B, B-2, and B-52H. The current forecasting method assumes a proportional relationship between costs and flying hours such that 1) when no hours are flown costs are zero, and 2) a 1% increase in flying hours will increase costs by 1%. The findings of this research indicate that applying log-linear ordinary least squares regression techniques may be an improved fit of flying cost data over the current proportional model; the actual data indicate a non-zero intercept and a less than proportional relationship between costs and flying hours. This research also found that models including factors other than fklying hours as independent variables, such as sorties, lagged costs, and fiscal trends, may be more useful than models based solely on flying hours. Finally, this research found that estimating quarterly costs at the base-level may yield more accurate estimates than estimating at the monthly level, or mission design series level.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Migrant Entrepreneurs in Sweden
This publication transcends being a mere manual for entrepreneurial initiation-it represents a cartography derived from authentic experiences. It encapsulates the essence, the obstacles, and the aspirations inherent in-migrant entrepreneurship within Sweden. From the outset, readers are encouraged to reconceptualize their migration narrative, not as a diminishment of identity, but as a springboard for novel opportunities. Through pragmatic insights, personal narratives, and perspectives from the diverse migrant populace, this book guides you throughout the comprehensive journey. Whether you are still thinking about starting or already managing your first few clients, this book is a reminder: you are not alone, and you are more capable than you think. Your identity is not a barrier, it is your power. Your journey may be filled with struggle, but it is also rich with strength. And your dreams, no matter how big or small, matter deeply-not just to you, but to the country you now call home. This book has offered tools, stories, and strategies, but the next chapter belongs to you. So go ahead. Dream boldly. Act wisely. Grow patiently. And lead with purpose.
Data Security in AI Systems
This book explores the vital intersection of AI and data security, stressing the need to safeguard sensitive information in intelligent systems. Part 1 introduces AI fundamentals and highlights why data security is critical as AI increasingly relies on large-scale data processing, making it vulnerable to threats. Part 2 outlines major risks like data poisoning, adversarial attacks, and model theft, along with protection methods such as encryption and differential privacy. Part 3 presents a case study on Google, examining how it manages data security and addresses real incidents. Part 4 explores future challenges, including quantum computing, evolving regulations, and the push for explainable AI. Part 5 concludes with practical recommendations to enhance AI security. Bridging technical detail and real-world examples, the book is a valuable resource for researchers, developers, and policymakers seeking to strengthen AI systems in a data-driven world.
Emerging Financial issues and case study analysis
I have immense pleasure in publishing the book entitled Emerging financial issues and case study analysis. A Few Indian references for the Finance students and professionals which is a simple and lucid presentation, explanation and analysis of modern and emerging financial functions. The structure of my book is as follows: Chapter 1: Asset Liability Management Chapter 2: Introduction to Financial system Chapter 3: Investment Banking Chapter 4: Forex Chapter 5: Corporate Restructuring Chapter 6: Financial Forecasting Chapter 7: Microfinance Chapter 9: Forwards-Futures-Hedging-Basis: Some HintsChapter10: Financial Evaluation of Lasing (Lease Vs borrowing) Chapter 11: Case study APPENDIX This book has been designed to equip the students pursuing study in Financial Management paper, with corporate exposure and need based practical knowledge. That is why we have kept emerging financial issues. This will help not only the students of this area but also the newly-joined corporate people who are working in the related areas.
Internal Factors and the Performance of Selected SMEs in Nigeria
This study examines how internal factors affect the performance of selected small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Lagos State, Nigeria. SMEs play a vital role in economic development, but many in Nigeria struggle due to internal weaknesses. The study investigates the individual and combined effects of these internal factors on firm growth, market share, and profitability. Using a quantitative survey method, data were collected from SME owners and managers across Lagos State. The study identifies significant gaps in managerial capabilities, inadequate infrastructure, and limited application of knowledge management as major contributors to underperformance. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions, including training for SME managers, improved access to infrastructure, and promotion of knowledge-sharing practices. This research offers valuable insights for policymakers, business owners, and development agencies aiming to enhance SME sustainability and competitiveness in Nigeria's dynamic economic environment.
Business Communication
Effective communication is the foundation of success in the business world. Whether it is crafting a persuasive email, delivering a compelling presentation, or engaging in negotiations, the ability to communicate clearly and professionally is essential. This book, "Business Communication", is designed to provide students, professionals, and entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills required to excel in workplace communication.The modern business landscape is dynamic and fast-paced, requiring individuals to master various forms of communication-written, verbal, non-verbal, and digital. This book covers key topics such as professional writing, interpersonal communication, cross-cultural communication, business etiquette, and digital communication strategies. By integrating real-world examples, case studies, and practical exercises, this book bridges theory and practice, ensuring that readers can immediately apply what they learn.We hope this book serves as a valuable guide in your journey toward mastering business communication.Mrs. R.RenugaDate: 23.03.2025
The Influence of Bank Charges on Customer Loyalty in Nigerian Banks
This book examines how bank charges affect customer loyalty among GTBank customers in Onitsha, Nigeria. Using surveys, it finds that most customers are aware of bank charges, but this awareness often leads to dissatisfaction and reduced loyalty. Many customers consider switching banks due to perceived unfairness of fees such as transaction charges, VAT, and maintenance costs. The study also finds that GTBank's customer relationship management strategies are not effective in addressing these concerns. The research recommends that banks improve transparency, revise fee structures, and enhance customer service to boost loyalty and retention.
Project Risk Planning Using Oracle Primavera Risk Analysis
Using a proper method to manage projects has become one of the most important problems for project-oriented companies. Projects should be planned and controlled correctly by the experts of this field. Project management techniques and standards are useful to manage the projects. There is a lot of applicable software pieces and standards for different levels of project management. Besides the processes of planning, project managers should consider the risks of projects. The risks of projects which is inevitable, may have positive and negative influence on the project and project planners should increase the positive effects and reduce the impacts of negative effects of risks. Thus, reacting to the risk is very important. Primavera Risk Analysis is the best software for risk management and it's programmed for risk analysis but its stand-alone software. This book is useful for project managers, project owners, project planners, other members of projects, students, etc. This book contains seven main chapter plus one chapter that a project is illustrated completely in this part.
A Primer on Corporate Finance
Corporate financing is a foundational concept in the business world, encompassing the methods and strategies companies use to fund their operations, grow their businesses, and create value for shareholders. It lies at the heart of nearly every significant decision a company makes, from launching a new product line to acquiring another firm. Understanding corporate financing is essential not only for business leaders and entrepreneurs, but also for grasping how businesses contribute to and shape the broader economy. This primer explores concepts regarding what corporate financing entails, why it is vital for running a company effectively, and how it supports economic development at large. It examines applications and provides case studies as actual examples of effective corporate financing as well as failure due to bad financing. Finally, the primer also looks at ethical considerations, the impact of artificial intelligence on corporate finance, and global future trends regarding this subject.
Empowering Human Capital for A Sustainable Future
This book is a compilation and collection of selected research papers contributed by scholars, academicians, and practitioners on the theme of 'Towards a sustainable future addressing challenges and exploring opportunities for sustainable development'. Most of the papers included in this book are interdisciplinary and address important issues related to Empowering Human Capital for A Sustainable Future. Readers have an opportunity to appreciate the research efforts of authors through these edited papers. Some of these papers are exploratory, while others are based on primary as well as secondary data.
