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Container terminal (CT) operations are often bottlenecked by slow YC (yard crane) movements. PM (prime mover) queues in front of the YCs are common. Hence, efficient YC scheduling to reduce the PM waiting time is critical in increasing a CT's throughput. We develop an efficient model for YC scheduling by taking into account realistic operational constraints such as inter-crane interference, fixed YC separation distances and simultaneous container storage/retrievals. Among them, only inter-crane interference has ever been considered in the literature. The model requires far fewer integer variables than the literature by using bi-index decision variables. We show how the model can be solved quickly using heuristics and rolling-horizon algorithm, yielding close to optimal solutions in seconds. The solution quality and solution time are both better than the literature even with additional constraints considered. The proposed formulations and algorithms can be extended to other problems with time windows and space constraints.

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Purpose Trust is essential for any team working together. In humanitarian logistics operations, relief organizations often have to work collaboratively in hastily formed networks. Trust in such a context, termed as “swift trust” in the literature, is an important but less explored topic. The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore the antecedents of swift trust as well as its impact on the coordination among the humanitarian workers. Design/methodology/approach The authors choose the humanitarian workers in Southeast Asia as the research sample. An exploratory survey study is conducted in three Southeast Asian countries, namely, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with 89 usable responses. Findings The empirical results have shown support for most hypotheses. Third-party certification, competency, similarity in procedure standards and organizational values, can all generate swift trust. Moreover, swift trust can lead to greater openness in information sharing for coordination, though not to active assistance. Both coordination activities would lead to greater coordination effectiveness. Research limitations/implications Future studies could examine the four antecedent conditions for swift trust with better proxies. The connection between swift trust and coordination effectiveness can be explored in depth. Practical implications NGOs and governments could use these means effectively to build swift trust among the humanitarian players. For example, organizing field-oriented training activities would be beneficial for humanitarian workers in both network building and enhancing personal competency. Originality/value The findings point to the importance of swift trust in humanitarian operations and identify several means to enhance this trust. It has filled a research gap on the empirical investigation of the antecedents and impact of swift trust on inter-organizational coordination in humanitarian logistics operations.

Many firms are starting to focus on the effective and efficient supply chain management in Asia. This empirical paper reports on the state of existing logistics management practices in Thailand. The main results reveal that firms prefer agile suppliers. Also, most of the logistics costs incurred are on transportation and warehousing. Firms that have instituted logistics departments are making an effort in upgrading their logistical systems and are more pervasive in using technology to manage logistics as compared to firms without formalised logistics departments. The factors hindering logistics development include inefficient logistics information systems, acute transportation bottlenecks, and the lack of logistics management expertise. Finally, future logistics managers need to be competent in modern technology and possess logistics specific skills.

Container terminal (CT) operations are often bottlenecked by slow YC (yard crane) movements. Efficient YC scheduling to reduce the PM waiting time is therefore critical in increasing a CT's throughput. This paper develops an efficient continuous time MILP model for YC scheduling. The model treats realistic operational constraints such as multiple inter-crane interference, fixed YC separation distances, simultaneous container storage/retrievals, realistic YC acceleration/deceleration stages and gantry time, and require far fewer integer variables than previous work. The model significantly improves the solution quality compared to the existing discrete time models and other heuristics found in the literature. Using heuristics and

PurposeAlthough MOOCs have become a pervasive online learning model, the problem of high dropout rates still persists. Gathering the reasons for the high dropout rate can help to improve the platform design and management of the MOOCs.Design/methodology/approachA total of 74 studies was extracted from the Web of Science and Scopus. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, the open-source program CiteSpace is employed to review and induce the studies on the antecedents of MOOC dropout.FindingsThe antecedents of the MOOC dropout rate are the psychological, social, personal, course-related, and time factors, and the unexpected hidden cost. Motivation and interaction, which have a decisive impact on the dropout rate of MOOCs, interact with each other. Interaction helps to strengthen the motivation, and appropriate course design enhances the degree of interaction.Originality/valueFrom the perspective of a learner, the more knowledge and skills the learners acquire, the more likely they will complete the course. Possessing adequate foundational knowledge is one way to arrest the dropout rate. On the part of the MOOC platform, better course design eases the dropout rate. Further, the course duration and hidden cost in MOOCs contribute to the dropout rate.

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