Impact of Operational Process Factors on Strategy Implementation in Microfinance Organisations in a Developing Country

This paper sets to explore management perceptions regarding the impact of operational process factors on strategy implementation in microfinance organisations in Kenya.Small and medium enterprises(SMEs)play a critical role in developing countries as a source of employment creation and a basis for industrialization.However,the sector receives inadequate financial support from commercial banks as it is considered to bear high risks and operational costs associate with lending small loan amounts.Microfinance organisations(MFOs)that serve this sector will need to expand their operations to increase their outreach to SMEs.Formulation and implementation of competitive strategies will enable MFOs to achieve growth and sustainability.Content,context and operational process factors appear to have a significance positive relationship to the level of strategy implementation.This paper is focusing on operational process factors impacting on strategy implementation and is part of a full study on the topic of strategy implementation in MFOs.Comprehensive literature review provided the theoretical framework for the study.Primary data were collected by means of a survey obtaining 300 self-administered questionnaires from managers in 135 MFOs in Kenya.The study revealed that the level of strategy implementation in MFOs in Kenya is moderate to high.This study has revealed that the operational process category of factors is more significant to the level of strategy implementation than content and context factors.Five operational process factors critical to strategy implementation include:operational planning and monitoring,management control systems,people-strategy fit,teamwork,and effective communication.Further,the level of strategy implementation has significance positive influence to MFOs’financial sustainability and outreach.Practical guidelines are provided to assist MFOs in developing countries to improve the level of strategy implementation by focusing on operational process factors.

A Novel Close-loop Strategy for Integrating Process Operations of Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit with Production Planning Optimization

Production planning models generated by common modeling systems do not involve constraints for process operations, and a solution optimized by these models is called a quasi-optimal plan. The quasi-optimal plan cannot be executed in practice some time for no corresponding operating conditions. In order to determine a practi- cally feasible optimal plan and corresponding operating conditions of fluidized catalytic cracking unit （FCCU）, a novel close-loop integrated strategy, including determination of a quasi-optimal plan, search of operating conditions of FCCU and revision of the production planning model, was proposed in this article. In the strategy, a generalized genetic algorithm （GA） coupled with a sequential process simulator of FCCU was applied to search operating conditions implementing the quasi-optimal plan of FCCU and output the optimal individual in the GA search as a final genetic individual. When no corresponding operating conditions were found, the final genetic individual based correction （FGIC） method was presented to revise the production planning model, and then a new quasi-optimal production plan was determined. The above steps were repeated until a practically feasible optimal plan and corresponding operating conditions of FCCU were obtained. The close-loop integrated strategy was validated by two cases, and it was indicated that the strategy was efficient in determining a practically executed optimal plan and corresponding operating conditions of FCCU.

A Multi-layer Information Integration Platform for Chemical Process Operation Systems

In the process industry, automation and process control systems are widely implemented, information integration is however far away from satisfactory. It remains a hard job for senior managers to make decisions based on the plant-wide real-time integrated information. This paper proposes a multi-layer information integration platform. In the data integration level, the standard for the exchange of product (STEP) and the extensible markup language (XML) are used to unify these data of the chemical process. In the model integration level, the models are integrated by using the neutral model repository and CAPE-OPEN. In the integration of process task, the common object request broker architecture (CORBA) is used as the communication mediator. The XML is taken as the data standard. A uniform information platform is thus constructed and realized. The proposed information integration platform is satisfactorily implemented to solve the Tennessee Eastman (TE) problem.

Some Results about the Sample Path Properties of Markov Processes with Independent Self-Similar Components

This paper considers a special class of operator self-similar processes Markov processes {X（t）, t≥0} with independent self-similar components, that is, X （ t ） =（X^1（t）,…,X^d（t））, where {X^i（t）,t≥0}, i=1,2,…,d are d independent real valued self-similar Markov processes. By means of Brel-Cantelli lemma, we give two results about asymptotic property as t→∞ of sample paths for two special classes of Markov processes with independent self-similar components.

Study on Winter Operation Process of the Surface Flow Constructed Wetland in Tianjin Area

[Objective] The research aimed to study winter operation process of the surface flow constructed wetland in ＂rianjin area. [Method] In view of climate characteristics in Tianjin, by the way of running under the ice, winter operation experiment of the surface flow constructed wetland in Tianjin was conducted, with the expectation to get some useful process parameters to run such systems in North China in winter. [ Result] Although purification effect of the sewage by surface flow constructed wetland in winter was worse than that in other seasons （ average reduction of about 20%）, surface flow constructed wetland running under the ice was feasible in Tianjin area. When surface flow constructed wetland in North China ran under ice in winter, it was suggested that the outlet must be located in a low position to prevent to be completely frozen, and running water depth should not be less than 50 -60 cm. The hydraulic load could be raised on the basis of reflux, and hydraulic retention time should maintain less than 4 d to keep water-soil interface not freezing. Inlet water depth should be increased as much as possible to improve temperature in the system. V Conclusion1 The research could provide reference for promotion and application of the surface flow constructed wetland in North China.

Symbolic Macromodeling for Statistical Simulation of Operational Amplifiers

Symbolic circuit simulator is traditionally applied to the small-signal analysis of analog circuits. This paper establishes a symbolic behavioral macromodeling method applicable to both small-signal and large-signal analysis of general two-stage operational amplifiers （op-amps）. The proposed method creates a two-pole parametric macromodel whose parameters are analytical functions of the circuit element parameters generated by a symbolic circuit simulator. A moment matching technique is used in deriving the analytical model parameter. The created parametric behavioral model can be used for op-amps performance simulation in both frequency and time domains. In particular, the parametric models are highly suited for fast statistical simulation of op-amps in the time-domain. Experiment results show that the statistical distributions of the op-amp slew and settling time characterized by the proposed model agree well with the transistor-level results in addition to achieving significant speedup.

Integral Operator Solving Process of the Boundary Value Problem of Abstract Kinetic Equation with the First Kind of Critical Parameter and Generalized Periodic Boundary Conditions

In this paper the concepts of the boundary value problem of abstract kinetic equation with the first kind of critical parameter γ 0 and generalized periodic boundary conditions are introduced in a Lebesgue space which consists of functions with vector valued in a general Banach space, and then describe the solution of these abstract boundary value problem by the abstract linear integral operator of Volterra type. We call this process the integral operator solving process.

Operational Modal Analysis of a Ship Model in the Presence of Harmonic Excitation

A ship is operated under an extremely complex environment, and waves and winds are assumed to be the stochastic excitations. Moreover, the propeller, host and mechanical equipment can also induce the harmonic responses. In order to reduce structural vibration, it is important to obtain the modal parameters information of a ship. However, the traditional modal parameter identification methods are not suitable since the excitation information is difficult to obtain. Natural excitation technique-eigensystem realization algorithm （NExT-ERA） is an operational modal identification method which abstracts modal parameters only from the response signals, and it is based on the assumption that the input to the structure is pure white noise. Hence, it is necessary to study the influence of harmonic excitations while applying the NExT-ERA method to a ship structure. The results of this research paper indicate the practical experiences under ambient excitation, ship model experiments were successfully done in the modal parameters identification only when the harmonic frequencies were not too close to the modal frequencies.

STOCHASTIC MODEL OF PERIODIC OPERATION PERFORMANCE FOR THE CONTINUOUS COUNTER－CURRENT ADSORPTION PROCESS

A stochastic model is developed to predict the peniodic operation performance ofthe continuous counter-current adsorption process. The model takes into account theeffects of random backmixing of particles, axial dispersion of liquid phase, liquid- film mass transfer, intraparticle diffusion and panticle shape, and can revealclearly the behavior of solid and liquid phase in adsorption process. The simulation results agree with the experimental data rather well.

Mechanical Analysis of a Multi-Test String in High-Temperature and High-Pressure Deep Wells

The mechanical behavior of the test string in deep wells is generally relatively complex as a result of the high temperature and high pressure,severe dogleg and buckling effects,which in some circumstances can even lead to string failure.Traditional computational methods for the analysis of these behaviors are often inaccurate.For this reason,here a more accurate mechanical model of the test string is introduced by considering variables such as temperature,pressure,wellbore trajectory,and buckling,as well as combining them with the deformation and string constraint conditions brought in by changes in temperature and pressure during the tripping,setting,and test operations.The model is validated by applying it to a specific high-pressure gas well(located in Northeast Sichuan).

Reinforced temperature control of a reactive double dividing-wall distillation column

The mass and thermal coupling makes the control of the reactive double dividing-wall distillation column(R-DDWDC) an especially challenging issue with a highly interactive nature. With reference to the separation of an ideal endothermic quaternary reversible reaction with the most unfavorable ranking of relative volatilities(A + B ■ C + D with α_(A)>α_(C)>α_(D)>α_(B)), the operation rationality of the R-DDWDC is studied in this contribution. The four-point single temperature control system leads to great steady-state discrepancies in the compositions of products C and D and the reason stems essentially from the failure in keeping strictly the stoichiometric ratio between reactants A and B. A temperature plus temperature cascade control scheme is then employed to reinforce the stoichiometric ratio control and helps to secure a substantial abatement in the steady-state discrepancies. A temperature difference plus temperature cascade control scheme is finally synthesized and leads even to better performance than the most effective double temperature difference control scheme. These outcomes reveal not only the operation feasibility of the R-DDWDC but also the general significance of the proposed temperature difference plus temperature cascade control scheme to the inferential control of any other complicated distillation columns.

Vapor recompressed dividing-wall distillation columns:Structure and performance

Due to the topological structure of double columns and multiple separating sections in dividing-wall distillation columns(DWDCs),the development of vapor recompressed dividing-wall distillation columns(DWDC-VRHPs)represents a challenging issue with great complexities and tediousness.For the separations of light-component dominated and wide boiling-point ternary mixtures,because the purification of the light-component from the intermediate-and heavy-components incurs the primary energy dissipation,the application of vapor recompressed heat pumps(VRHP)should be aimed to reduce the irreversibility and this leads to the generation of the optimum topological structures of the DWDC-VRHPs,i.e.,a DWDC plus a two-stage VRHP.The first-stage VRHP is to preheat feed,not only taking the advantages of the small temperature elevation available but also favoring the mass transfer between the vapor and liquid phases through feed splitting.The second-stage VRHP is to reduce further separation irreversibility.The philosophy can be applied to any DWDCs no matter where the dividing wall locates.Two case studies on the separations of ternary mixtures of benzene,toluene,and o-xylene and n-pentane,n-hexane,and n-heptane demonstrate the economic optimality of the proposed DWDC-VRHPs and reveal the inherent interplay between internal and external process integration.

An Evolutionary Economic Geography Perspective on Types of Operation Development in West Lake, China

The types of operation play a key role in facilitating tourism consumption and economic development in a tourism destination. By adopting evolutionary economic geography theory, the paper analyzes the types of operation in West Lake Scenic Area from 1978 to 2013. First, an evolution process consisting of four stages is underpinned, and they are: the new establishment stage, the preliminary development stage, the speedup development stage, and the stabilized maturity stage. Specifically, the distinct characteristics associated with operation types are compared and evaluated at different stages throughout the process. The evolution trees are introduced to scrutinize types of operation development. The results of evolution trees demonstrate the substantial increase in both numbers and types. Second, by applying GIS spatial analysis, the paper also analyzes the spatial evolution characteristics on the types of operation, and the results unveil the co-existence of centripetal and centrifugal forces: the processes of spatial agglomeration and spatial dispersion. More specifically, we recognize the spatial process includes the emergence of node and concentration(1978–1995), the sparse distribution and intensity reduction(1996–2002), the patchy distribution and spatial agglomeration intensification(2003–2008), the dispersed distribution and core area agglomeration(2009–2013). Lastly, path dependence on resource endowment, government and market innovation, knowledge learning and spillover can reasonably explain the types of operation evolution. In conclusion, the evolutionary economic geography theories provide new theoretical and empirical perspectives for tourism policy analysis. At the same time, our comprehensive evidences impart more comprehensive insights and offer useful managerial and policy implications.

Elevating the flexibility and operability of dividing-wall distillation columns via feed thermal condition adjustment

Because of the complicated interplay between the prefractionator and main distillation column involved,the black-hole problem might occur and prohibit the assignment of four specifications to dividing-wall distillation columns(DWDCs)(e.g., the three main product compositions plus an impurity ratio in the intermediate product), which lowers terribly process flexibility and operability. In this paper, a feed thermal condition adjustment strategy, achieved by the installation of a pre-heater in feed pipeline, is employed to eliminate the black-hole problem and serve to enhance process flexibility and operability. Through the strong influence to the overall mass and energy balance of the DWDC, the feed thermal condition adjustment can alter the interlinking flows between the thermally coupled prefractionator and main distillation column and work effectively to coordinate their relationship. A DWDC separating a benzene, toluene, and o-xylene mixture is chosen to ascertain the feasibility of the philosophy proposed. The static and dynamic studies demonstrate that the feed thermal condition adjustment is an effective way to refine process design and can completely eliminate the black-hole problem and elevate consequently process flexibility and operability.

Landslide initiation and runout susceptibility modeling in the context of hill cutting and rapid urbanization: a combined approach of weights of evidence and spatial multicriteria

Rainfall induced landslides are a common threat to the communities living on dangerous hillslopes in Chittagong Metropolitan Area, Bangladesh. Extreme population pressure, indiscriminate hill cutting, increased precipitation events due to global warming and associated unplanned urbanization in the hills are exaggerating landslide events. The aim of this article is to prepare a scientifically accurate landslide susceptibility map by combining landslide initiation and runout maps. Land cover, slope, soil permeability, surface geology, precipitation, aspect, and distance to hill cut, road cut, drainage and stream network factor maps were selected by conditional independence test. The locations of 56 landslides were collected by field surveying. A weight of evidence(Wo E) method was applied to calculate the positive(presence of landslides) and negative(absence of landslides) factor weights. A combination of analytical hierarchical process(AHP) and fuzzymembership standardization(weighs from 0 to 1) was applied for performing a spatial multi-criteria evaluation. Expert opinion guided the decision rule for AHP. The Flow-R tool that allows modeling landslide runout from the initiation sources was applied. The flow direction was calculated using the modified Holmgren's algorithm. The AHP landslide initiation and runout susceptibility maps were used to prepare a combined landslide susceptibility map. The relative operating characteristic curve was used for model validation purpose. The accuracy of Wo E, AHP, and combined susceptibility map was calculated 96%, 97%, and 98%, respectively.

Use of Facility Management as a Competitive Advantage in the Organizational Environment

Facility management has been widely used in corporations during the last decade and has undergone major changes. Some companies have decided to no longer outsource such services, managing more closely and assertively with a focus on cost reduction and delivery quality. At this point, there are many difficulties in the implementation of a structured maintenance, which results in generating effort, costs and delay in servicing internal customers. Currently, there are very few specialized courses in facility management in Brazil. The search for skills has become increasingly important taking into account increasingly competitive markets. The main objective of this article is to show the importance and the challenges of a good facility management, the impact on the Core business of the company and the risks of an implementation without well-defined processes.

Analysis of the Potential of Precipitation Enhancement for Impounding Water in Reservoirs in Dabie Mountain Region

This paper studies the vapor pressure of water and precipitation situation in Lu'an Ground Station in Dabie Mountain area from 1979 to 1998.And the atmospheric perceivable water in Dabie Mountain can be calculated by virtue of the empirical formula for atmospheric perceivable water.Besides,by analyzing the data,the seasonal changes of perceivable water in Dabie Mountain and the efficiency of precipitation of each weather system is acquired.The results show that there is a great potential for precipitation enhancement in Dabie Mountain.This paper introduces the processes and operation forms of precipitation enhancement for impounding water in reservoirs in Dabie Mountain region.

Unique influences of reboiler inventory control on the operation of totally reboiled reactive distillation columns

In this work,the dynamics and operation of the totally reboiled reactive distillation columns are visualized in terms of transfer function based process models.This kind of processes is found to be characterized by underdamped step responses due to the special topological configuration and the intricate interplay between the reaction operation and the separation operation involved.The under-dampness can be substantially alleviated through the tight inventory control of bottom reboiler and this presents beneficial effects to process dynamics and operation.Two totally reboiled reactive distillation columns,separating,respectively,a hypothetical synthesis reaction from reactants A and B to product C,and a real decomposition reaction from 1,4-butanediol to tetrahydrofuran and water,are employed to demonstrate these uncommon behaviors.The results obtained give full support to the above qualitative interpretation.Despite the strong influences of reaction kinetics and thermodynamic properties of the reacting mixtures,the totally reboiled reactive distillation columns are generally considered to present such unique behaviors and require tight inventory control of bottom reboiler to facilitate their control system development.

Mathematical Apparatus for Selection of Optimal Parameters of Technical, Technological Systems and Materials Based on Vector Optimization

We presented Mathematical apparatus of the choice of optimum parameters of technical, technological systems and materials on the basis of vector optimization. We have considered the formulation and solution of three types of tasks presented below. First, the problem of selecting the optimal parameters of technical systems depending on the functional characteristics of the system. Secondly, the problem of selecting the optimal parameters of the process depending on the technological characteristics of the process. Third, the problem of choosing the optimal structure of the material depending on the functional characteristics of this material. The statement of all problems is made in the form of vector problems of mathematical (nonlinear) programming. The theory and the principle of optimality of the solution of vector tasks it is explained in work of https://rdcu.be/bhZ8i. The implementation of the methodology is shown on a numerical example of the choice of optimum parameters of the technical, technological systems and materials. On the basis of mathematical methods of solution of vector problems we developed the software in the MATLAB system. The numerical example includes: input data (requirement specification) for modeling;transformation of mathematical models with uncertainty to the model under certainty;acceptance of an optimal solution with equivalent criteria (the solution of numerical model);acceptance of an optimal solution with the given priority of criterion.

Hybrid method integrating machine learning and particle swarm optimization for smart chemical process operations

Modeling and optimization is crucial to smart chemical process operations.However,a large number of nonlinearities must be considered in a typical chemical process according to complex unit operations,chemical reactions and separations.This leads to a great challenge of implementing mechanistic models into industrial-scale problems due to the resulting computational complexity.Thus,this paper presents an efficient hybrid framework of integrating machine learning and particle swarm optimization to overcome the aforementioned difficulties.An industrial propane dehydrogenation process was carried out to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of our method.Firstly,a data set was generated based on process mechanistic simulation validated by industrial data,which provides sufficient and reasonable samples for model training and testing.Secondly,four well-known machine learning methods,namely,K-nearest neighbors,decision tree,support vector machine,and artificial neural network,were compared and used to obtain the prediction models of the processes operation.All of these methods achieved highly accurate model by adjusting model parameters on the basis of high-coverage data and properly features.Finally,optimal process operations were obtained by using the particle swarm optimization approach.