Wildland firefighting involves prolonged, high-intensity physical work performed under hot, variable, and operationally demanding conditions, placing firefighters at substantial risk of heat-related illness. This paper synthesizes current evidence on the mechanisms, contributing factors, and management of heat stress in wildland firefighting, with a specific focus on physiologically and operationally relevant considerations aligned with NIOSH, NFPA, and USFS guidelines. Heat stress is conceptualized as a cumulative process resulting from the interaction of metabolic heat production, environmental heat load, protective clothing, and individual susceptibility. Key environmental contributors include high ambient temperatures, humidity, and solar and fire-related radiant heat, while occupational demands such as sustained heavy work, extended shift durations, limited recovery, and the thermal burden of personal protective equipment further exacerbate risk. Individual factors—including fitness, hydration status, acclimatization, fatigue, and underlying health conditions—modify heat tolerance and vulnerability. This review highlights evidence-based exposure management strategies tailored to wildland fire operations, including work–rest cycles, heat acclimatization protocols, and practical cooling interventions, and addresses the operational constraints that shape their implementation. This paper further emphasizes the role of standardized training programs in prevention, early symptom recognition, and rapid response. Together, these integrated approaches provide a focused framework for reducing heat-related morbidity and enhancing wildland firefighter safety.
This study aims to develop biodegradable materials for sustainable food packaging and household products by enhancing their mechanical strength, barrier properties, and environmental performance. Conducted between January 2022 and July 2023, the research employed a mixed-method experimental design involving material formulation, functional performance testing, and lifecycle assessment (LCA). Three biopolymers – PLA, PHA, and TPS – were reinforced with natural additives such as cellulose, lignin, and nano-fillers. In addition, functional additives including thyme oil, cinnamon oil, tocopherols, and catechins were integrated to create active packaging solutions. The results showed that the modified biopolymers exhibited up to 60% higher mechanical strength and improved thermal and barrier properties. Antimicrobial additives reduced bacterial growth by 60%, while antioxidants extended food shelf life by 30%. Lifecycle analysis revealed a 50% reduction in carbon emissions and lower energy consumption compared to conventional plastics. This study contributes a novel, scalable approach to biodegradable packaging development, offering practical solutions for reducing plastic waste while maintaining product quality and safety. The findings support broader adoption of sustainable materials across packaging and household industries, promoting circular economy practices.
Contemporary software guides and executes various business processes, such as production, delivery of goods, sales, and official procedures. However, due to software flexibility, unforeseen circumstances, and exceptional conditions, processes may not always be executed as intended. Without proper monitoring, these deviations can go unnoticed. ProcessM is an open-source software designed for users with limited technical expertise specializing in business process analysis. It integrates with multiple database management systems to extract and transform data into event logs, and monitor databases for new events. ProcessM generates process models in standard representations like BPMN and tracks changes in processes. It also calculates Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), breaking them down by individual activities and relationships. ProcessM is designed for auditing, decision-making, and operations management across industries.
Bolanle Maryam Akintola, Anil Kumar, Hemakshi Chokshi
et al.
Purpose – The rise of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has enabled researchers and industry professionals to reinvent their strategies for basic economic understanding. Two years after the outbreak of the pandemic, businesses are now trying to adapt to the impact it has brought, hoping to receive support as it did in the past. However, before this feat can be accomplished, it is imperative to understand the recovery hurdles created by the pandemic. This research aims to fill the literature gaps by examining the challenges during recovery within the creative small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) industry, as there are few relevant studies that focus on this field. Design/methodology/approach – Through a methodical bibliometric literature review and network analysis, the paper intends to critically explore relevant recovery challenges within the field while providing answers to the appropriate research questions. A total of 43 articles were selected for an in-depth review. Using the analysis from the selected articles as a guide, a framework was developed to address the recovery challenges alongside the recommended propositions. Findings – The findings from this paper suggest that a lack of synergy among four major categories (governmental, supply chain, organizational and stakeholders) contributes to recovery challenges within the field of research. Originality/value – The review also offers clarification in understanding the current and upcoming trends within the creative industry, SMEs and COVID-19. This paper can thus help researchers, industry practitioners and managers discover and analyze the recovery challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Industrial engineering. Management engineering, Production management. Operations management
ABSTRACT This paper studies the impact of data assets on firms’ operational efficiency, aiming to show how data assets work in business operations and highlight their key value. Given the rich content, data assets can increase operational efficiency as it embeds firms with valuable information used to optimize resource deployment in production and improve customer relationship management. Using a sample of A-share listed firms in China from 2003 to 2019, we empirically show a consistent and significantly positive relationship between a text-based measure of data assets and operational efficiency. Moreover, the positive effect of data assets on operational efficiency is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), diversified firms with redundant internal information, and firms in a more complex external information environment (i.e. more volatile earnings of the industry or a larger dispersion of analysts’ forecasts). As further evidenced by higher turnover ratios of inventory and lower turnover ratios of accounts receivables in firms with data assets, we verify that data assets lead to efficient production management and flexible customer relationship management. Overall, these results suggest that data assets are valuable in the efficiency improvement of firms by facilitating information uses.
J. Rajesh Banu, S. Kavitha, R. Yukesh Kannah
et al.
The circular bioeconomy plan is an innovative research based scheme intended for augmenting the complete utilization and management of bio-based resources in a sustainable biorefinery route. Spent coffee grounds based biorefinery is the emerging aspect promoting circular bioeconomy. The sustainable circular bioeconomy by utilizing SCG is achieved by cascade approaches and the inclusion of many biorefinery approaches to obtain many bio-products. The maximum energy recovery can be obtained by process integration. The economic analysis of the biofuel production from SCG is dependent on the cost of raw material, transportation, the need of labor and energy, oil extraction operations and biofuel production. The inclusion of new products from already established product can minimize the investment cost when related to the production cost. A positive net present value can be achieved via SCG biorefinery which indicates the profitability of the process.
This paper presents an in-depth literature review on the driving forces and barriers for achieving operational excellence through artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence is a technological concept spanning operational management, philosophy, humanities, statistics, mathematics, computer sciences, and social sciences. AI refers to machines mimicking human behavior in terms of cognitive functions. The evolution of new technological procedures and advancements in producing intelligence for machines creates a positive impact on decisions, operations, strategies, and management incorporated in the production process of goods and services. Businesses develop various methods and solutions to extract meaningful information, such as big data, automatic production capabilities, and systematization for business improvement. The progress in organizational competitiveness is apparent through improvements in firm’s decisions, resulting in increased operational efficiencies. Innovation with AI has enabled small businesses to reduce operating expenses and increase revenues. The focused literature review reveals the driving forces for achieving operational excellence through AI are improvement in computing abilities of machines, development of data-based AI, advancements in deep learning, cloud computing, data management, and integration of AI in operations. The barriers are mainly cultural constraints, fear of the unknown, lack of employee skills, and strategic planning for adopting AI. The current paper presents an analysis of articles focused on AI adoption in production and operations. We selected articles published between 2015 and 2020. Our study contributes to the literature reviews on operational excellence, artificial intelligence, driving forces for AI, and AI barriers in achieving operational excellence.
Abstract With a greater awareness of responsibility for the environment and the need to sustain profitability in a competitive market, reverse logistics has become a key part of supply chain management. This paper therefore seeks to consider the designing and planning of a green forward and reverse logistics network, through a mixed integer linear programming model. The model is applied to a multi-stage, multi-product, and multi-objective problem whereby the first objective is to minimize the cost of operations, processes, transportation, and fixed costs of the establishment. The second objective is to minimize the amount of CO2 emissions based on the gram unit, while the third is to optimize the number of machines in the production line. For validation, the model is applied to the home appliance industry through several test problems. In terms of the solution methodology, an epsilon-constraint method is developed as the area of optimization in order to obtain a set of Pareto solutions. Finally, sensitivity analysis is conducted to understand the effects of changes in the demand, cost, and rate of return of the used product, on the objective function values.
Purpose – Building on the self-determination theory (SDT), the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the influence of work meaningfulness (WM) on employees' involvement in playful work design (PWD) in the context of software development firms in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach – For the present study, a two-wave employee survey (online questionnaire) was used for data collection. The data were collected through an adopted questionnaire from employees working in software development firms in Pakistan. structural equation modeling and Hayes Process Macro of SPSS were used to analyze data collected from 305 respondents. Findings – The findings of this study show that work meaningfulness and epistemic curiosity (EC) positively and significantly influence employee playful work design strategies. Moreover, the relationship between work meaningfulness and playful work design was partially mediated by employee epistemic curiosity. This mediating role of epistemic curiosity is strengthened by the presence of the perceived leader's autonomous support (LAS). Research limitations/implications – Employees improve their personal work experience through playful work design. Theoretically, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on the factors (work meaningfulness, epistemic curiosity and leader's autonomous support) that can influence employees' self-determination to design fun and competition into their work. This study contributes to the theory by introducing the antecedents (work meaningfulness and epistemic curiosity), of employee playful work design and explores the role of epistemic curiosity as a mediator and the leader's autonomous support as a moderator through SDT perspective. Practical implications – For practitioners, this study pinpoints that software development firms can consider improving employees' perception of work meaningfulness, which can lead them to become epistemically curious to proactively design their work experience for their psychological need fulfillment, well-being and better functioning. Moreover, leader's autonomous support can support involvement in playful work design. Originality/value – The current study is the first investigation in the Asian context to study the antecedents of playful work design and a critical boundary condition. This study extends the literature on the antecedents of employee playful work design and explores the role of epistemic curiosity as a mediator and the leader's autonomous support as a moderator specifically through a self-determination perspective.
Business, Production management. Operations management
Although entrepreneurship‐related papers have had some representation in Production and Operations Management (POM) over the past 30 years, the topic still seems a bit like a poor stepchild in the research of operations management (OM) scholars. Yet, entrepreneurship is important to the economy, and many schools are growing significantly their entrepreneurship programs and offerings but often without reference to or inclusion of operations courses. This paper is motivated by the question of the operations needs of new ventures and how they might differ from the needs of large, established firms. Toward that end, we review briefly the state of entrepreneurship scholarship in POM (and beyond), present our own (field‐based) research (and cases), and propose a framework for what we call “operations for entrepreneurs,” that we hope can be a basis for further productive research and curriculum development by the OM community.
The potential of fisheries resources is still massive as well as the challenges. One of the challenges faced in the fisheries sector is climate change occurring massively. Climate change that occurs disrupts the productivity and activities of fishermen. Fishermen live with uncertainty because their livelihoods are directly related to nature. So that fishermen are required to be able to adapt and mitigate to climate change that is occurring rapidly. Information innovation and communication are widely developed to help fishermen in sea activities. The technology created is available in various forms, such as android-based applications, SMS broadcasts, Whatsapp groups, GPS, Fishfinder, etc. The objective of this study is to identify fishermen's perception of the benefits of technology and service communication used, ICT relationship with fishermen's income, and stakeholder role strategies in the use of ICT. The mix-method approach is used to acknowledge study objectives using the software SPSS 23 and Atlas. Ti 8. The result shows that fishermen's perception of the benefits of ICT namely facilitating communication, reducing production costs, improving safety, increasing fishermen's knowledge, and increasing income. There is a relationship between the use of ICT and fishermen's income, as well as stakeholders who have an important role in the use of ICT in the fishing community.
Production management. Operations management, Management. Industrial management
Siti Fatimah, Mirza Chusnainy, Fifi Khumairo
et al.
PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa or Gojek is an online transportation service company that was founded in 2010.The research objective is to analyze and describe Gojek's marketing strategy through YouTube social media. This research uses a qualitative approach, with analysis using netnographic studies. The research subjects are 20 netizens who commented on Gojek's Indonesian Youtube account related to the video marketing advertising Gojek. The results showed that Gojek's marketing strategy made use of the internet as a means to promote the services offered. The promotion process is very intensively carried out by the Gojek Company, one of which is through social media. With the sophistication of advertising done through media social, users will automatically be treated to various promotions from the CompanyGojek when opening its social media pages. This strategy is very appropriate because almost the entire process of purchasing a Gojek service is done ina smartphone application, this means that the potential consumers targeted are in accordance with the ad audience that is installed. The conclusion in this study is the implementation of marketing 7P on online Gojek services which include: product, price, place, people, process, and physical evidence has been implemented well.
Production management. Operations management, Management. Industrial management
Högerle Bernadette, Charifzadeh Michel, Ferencz Marlene
et al.
This study investigates empirically the development of working capital management and its impact on profitability and shareholder value in Germany. We analyse panel data of 115 firms listed on the German Prime Standard, covering the period from 2011 to 2017. The results provide evidence that efficient working capital management, indicated by a shorter cash conversion cycle, deteriorated over time, but that a shorter cash conversion has a positive impact on profitability and shareholder value. The findings highlight the need that managers should give greater priority to working capital optimization, even in a low-interest environment. The paper contributes to the literature by advancing this research area in Germany, and it is the first study investigating shareholder relationship with working capital management and all its determinants.
Production management. Operations management, Personnel management. Employment management
The Japanese production system has an ethnic or national basis. There are considered to be three production components of the system-shop-floor-centred work organization, waste-free production control, and participative management in the context of cooperative labour relations. For each of these, it is possible to set up a Japanese-type'. The author is conducting research into the overseas operations of Japanese subsidiaries in automobile assembly. Japanese multinational enterprises presumably try to apply the system to their overseas operations to take advantage of its strengths; however, given that they have moved into a foreign country, presumably Japanese enterprises have to adapt to the management environment of the local area. This research investigates the following questions: (i) Does this 'application' and 'adaptation' result in a dilemma? (ii) What is actually being applied and what has not been possible to apply? (iii) How well is the balance between 'application' and 'adaptation' being achieved? According to surveys of Japanese manufacturing plants in North America, Asia, and Europe, the application of the system is possible. Of course this does not mean that it can be applied 100%. The pattern of application varies according to the management strategy of the Japanese enterprises.