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Energy and carbon dioxide impacts from lean logistics and retailing systems: a discrete-event simulation approach for the consumer goods industry

Description
Consumer goods supply chains have gradually incorporated lean manufacturing principles to identify and reduce non-value-added activities. Companies implementing lean practices have experienced improvements in cost, quality, and demand responsiveness. However certain elements of these practices, especially those related to transportation and distribution may have detrimental impact on the environment. This…

Consumer goods supply chains have gradually incorporated lean manufacturing principles to identify and reduce non-value-added activities. Companies implementing lean practices have experienced improvements in cost, quality, and demand responsiveness. However certain elements of these practices, especially those related to transportation and distribution may have detrimental impact on the environment. This study asks: What impact do current best practices in lean logistics and retailing have on environmental performance? The research hypothesis of this dissertation establishes that lean distribution of durable and consumable goods can result in an increased amount of carbon dioxide emissions, leading to climate change and natural resource depletion impacts, while lean retailing operations can reduce carbon emissions. Distribution and retailing phases of the life cycle are characterized in a two-echelon supply chain discrete-event simulation modeled after current operations from leading organizations based in the U.S. Southwest. By conducting an overview of critical sustainability issues and their relationship with consumer products, it is possible to address the environmental implications of lean logistics and retailing operations. Provided the waste reduction nature from lean manufacturing, four lean best practices are examined in detail in order to formulate specific research propositions. These propositions are integrated into an experimental design linking annual carbon dioxide equivalent emissions to: (1) shipment frequency between supply chain partners, (2) proximity between decoupling point of products and final customers, (3) inventory turns at the warehousing level, and (4) degree of supplier integration. All propositions are tested through the use of the simulation model. Results confirmed the four research propositions. Furthermore, they suggest synergy between product shipment frequency among supply chain partners and product management due to lean retailing practices. In addition, the study confirms prior research speculations about the potential carbon intensity from transportation operations subject to lean principles.
ContributorsUgarte Irizarri, Gustavo Marco Antonio (Author) / Golden, Jay S. (Thesis advisor) / Dooley, Kevin J. (Thesis advisor) / Boone, Christopher G. (Committee member) / Basile, George M. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
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Apprentices & worker bees: discursive constructions of youth's work identity

Description
More than simply a source of income, work has become a central source of identity (Beder, 2000; Ciulla, 2000; Clair, McConnell, Bell, Hackbarth & Mathes, 2008; Muirhead, 2004). motivating scholars to engage in a plethora of studies examining the impact of work as a way of defining ourselves, ranging from…

More than simply a source of income, work has become a central source of identity (Beder, 2000; Ciulla, 2000; Clair, McConnell, Bell, Hackbarth & Mathes, 2008; Muirhead, 2004). motivating scholars to engage in a plethora of studies examining the impact of work as a way of defining ourselves, ranging from identification with the organization (Scott, Corman, & Cheney, 1998) to the influence of work on non-work lives (Kirby, Wieland & McBride, 2006). And yet, in such volatile political and economic times, individual's identities as worker are threatened, spurring questions about how to decenter the meaning of work in our lives (Rushkoff, 2011). Despite young people's roles as organizational members, few communication scholars have considered the organizational experiences of youth as a productive area for research and theory (for exception see Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010). I adopt a discursive approach to unpack the multiple ways that discourses, at interpersonal, organizational and social levels, impact and influence youths' identity construction process (Ashcraft & Mumby, 2004; Fairhust & Putnam, 2004). I empirically demonstrate how discourses of work operate simultaneously at multiple levels, interacting and overlapping to position youth as workers. Analysis is based on interviews with youth, ages 12 to 21, participating in a popular national nonprofit organization that serves over four million youth each year. In addition to 49 one-on-one formal interviews, I observed 50 hours of a worker preparation program, which serves as an important context for priming participants and situating our conversations about work. Practically, this project illustrates the influence of organizations to mediate the relationship between discourse and identity. Methodologically, I further clarify discursive analysis as a method by explicitly articulating a concrete framework by which to identify micro-, meso-, and macro-levels of discourse. I also present a qualitative instrument for interviewing youth. Theoretically, this research offers an innovative and necessary expansion to the scope of organizational research by highlighting youth as current and future workers, pointing to the ways they are already engaged in work-life negotiation practices and considering how their micro-discursive practices serve to decenter the organization and make work and family meaningful.
ContributorsWay, Amy Kathleen (Author) / Trethewey, Angela (Thesis advisor) / Tracy, Sarah J. (Committee member) / Karin, Marcy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Paid in sunsets: a seasonal working life

Description
Overwork is a long documented social problem in the United States linked to an abundance of negative outcomes. Typically this issue has been addressed organizationally at the individual level or socially as an economic structural problem. While both approaches are valid in their own ways, missing from these angles is…

Overwork is a long documented social problem in the United States linked to an abundance of negative outcomes. Typically this issue has been addressed organizationally at the individual level or socially as an economic structural problem. While both approaches are valid in their own ways, missing from these angles is an approach to overwork from an individual perspective. This study explores overwork from the perspective of seasonal workers in Glacier National Park who typically work for the National Park Service five months and spend the rest of the year recreating. Using qualitative interviews and observations, this piece investigates a seasonal mentality towards work in terms of agency and trust, conceptions and practices of work and life, and in terms of embodiment and spirituality. Grounded theory methods were used to develop an axiomatic analysis which informs a poetic and narrative expression of findings in concert to the discussion and implications of the study. The findings of this study illustrate how seasonal workers present a fascinating alternative to traditional work arrangements in a capitalist system. They possess a unique approach to work and life that foregrounds life experience, freedom, and process as opposed to material goods or stability. They tend to approach work and life as an integrated and holistic pursuit as opposed to a segregated and problematic enterprise. And they tend to approach their work as an embodied and spiritual craft as opposed to something accomplished quickly and efficiently for the economic benefit of the organization. Implications of this research suggest that agency and trust maintain a deeply interconnected and dialectical relationship which agents navigate as they build towards ontological security; that re-conceptualizing work-life as "life first" has potential for fundamentally reshaping the ways life (and work) get experienced; and that divisions between minds and bodies as they have been typically structured between white and blue collar work might be interrupted via the inclusion of the human spirit at work. These findings interrupt common practices of overwork in different ways but primarily function as a reminder that ways of thinking coincide with ways of living and working.
ContributorsPearson, Amy Rae (Author) / de la Garza, Sarah Amira (Thesis advisor) / McPhee, Robert (Committee member) / Fonow, Mary M (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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The Appropriate Implementation of Remote Work in the Field of Logistics

Description

This paper will cover topics regarding remote work. More specifically, remote work for the field of logistics. It will also dive into remote work platforms themselves e.g., Slack, Zoom, etc. Microsoft Teams, the specific software we used while I was at my internship, will be analyzed as well. I will,…

This paper will cover topics regarding remote work. More specifically, remote work for the field of logistics. It will also dive into remote work platforms themselves e.g., Slack, Zoom, etc. Microsoft Teams, the specific software we used while I was at my internship, will be analyzed as well. I will, specifically, be analyzing the fundamental issues that occurred during my internship, developing a feasible solution with a laid-out process for each one. After the proper execution of these processes, I will discuss my results. I found that time is the most critical component of an optimal transition to remote work. Finally, I will conclude with reflections on my findings, insights from current working supply chain professionals, and prompt further research that could be done.
ContributorsSchneider, Sam (Author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Aguilar, Jared (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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American Logistics Aid Network Process Improvement and Optimization Project

Description

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is a non-profit logistics aid firm that provides supply chain assistance to non-profit organizations in times of crisis. It acts somewhat as a non-profit 3PL, connecting nonprofits seeking humanitarian aid goods, materials handling equipment, warehousing, logistics transportation, and expertise to an outstanding network of partner…

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is a non-profit logistics aid firm that provides supply chain assistance to non-profit organizations in times of crisis. It acts somewhat as a non-profit 3PL, connecting nonprofits seeking humanitarian aid goods, materials handling equipment, warehousing, logistics transportation, and expertise to an outstanding network of partner companies and organizations who help to deliver on their requests. In June of 2020, our team began an internship to identify and implement key process improvements for ALAN’s internal and external processes. This thesis is a summary of our findings, our solutions proposal, and their applicability to other non-profit organizations.
ContributorsShultz, Delaney L (Co-author) / Trevino, Melissa (Co-author) / Cantrell, Ryan (Co-author) / Keane, Katy (Thesis director) / Baskin, Connor (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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American Logistics Aid Network Process Improvement and Optimization Project

Description

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is a non-profit logistics aid firm that provides supply chain assistance to non-profit organizations in times of crisis. It acts somewhat as a non-profit 3PL, connecting nonprofits seeking humanitarian aid goods, materials handling equipment, warehousing, logistics transportation, and expertise to an outstanding network of partner…

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is a non-profit logistics aid firm that provides supply chain assistance to non-profit organizations in times of crisis. It acts somewhat as a non-profit 3PL, connecting nonprofits seeking humanitarian aid goods, materials handling equipment, warehousing, logistics transportation, and expertise to an outstanding network of partner companies and organizations who help to deliver on their requests. In June of 2020, our team began an internship to identify and implement key process improvements for ALAN’s internal and external processes. This thesis is a summary of our findings, our solutions proposal, and their applicability to other non-profit organizations.
ContributorsCantrell, Ryan Robert (Co-author) / Trevino, Melissa (Co-author) / Shultz, Delaney (Co-author) / Keane, Katy (Thesis director) / Baskin, Connor (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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American Logistics Aid Network Process Improvement and Optimization Project

Description

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is a non-profit logistics aid firm that provides supply chain assistance to non-profit organizations in times of crisis. It acts somewhat as a non-profit 3PL, connecting nonprofits seeking humanitarian aid goods, materials handling equipment, warehousing, logistics transportation, and expertise to an outstanding network of partner…

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is a non-profit logistics aid firm that provides supply chain assistance to non-profit organizations in times of crisis. It acts somewhat as a non-profit 3PL, connecting nonprofits seeking humanitarian aid goods, materials handling equipment, warehousing, logistics transportation, and expertise to an outstanding network of partner companies and organizations who help to deliver on their requests. In June of 2020, our team began an internship to identify and implement key process improvements for ALAN’s internal and external processes. This thesis is a summary of our findings, our solutions proposal, and their applicability to other non-profit organizations.
ContributorsTrevino, Melissa (Co-author) / Cantrell, Ryan (Co-author) / Shultz, Delaney (Co-author) / Keane, Katy (Thesis director) / Baskin, Connor (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05