Andrii Galkin PhD, Ievgen
Litomin
Transport
systems and logistics Department O. M. Beketov National University of
Urban Economy in Kharkiv,
Ukraine
STUDYING OF
HUMAN FACTOR IN LOGISTICS
The functioning of any logistics system without very weighty human
intervention is not possible. Moreover, a human is the organizer and designer
of material flows’ promotion systems, executor and end user. At the same time, the advanced
logistics’ technologies, designed and operated with poor attention to the human
factor. Necessity for taking into account the human factor caused of
urban life support and other territorial systems of higher levels [1].
Production delivery to consumption sphere is one of the
important trade functions that take place in commercial companies. Rational
management is important in goods distribution processes. Logistics tools are effecting on distribution delivery mechanism choice for
different cities.
Continues increasing
of requirements for logistics services lead to taking
into account human factor. Consumer’s tastes, preferences, experience, income, cost structure may effect on end-user demand in
the retail facilities and
consequently affect the technology of inventory management,
supplies and other logistic functions and costs.
In such circumstances, actual is to determine regularities of the logistics
system parameters’ impact and their component on the functional states of
humans – members of the system, and vice versa – the human factor
(functional state) influence on performance of logistics system.
Methods of studying of human is divided into
three main approaches [3,5]: observation, interviews and experiment.
The methods of
«observation» consist mainly of surveillance after human’s in various
situations. Observations can be made with the help of cameras or other fixing
devices of various uses. The method of «interview» is used by using personal
interviewer, and through surveys and other methods. «Interview» is effective
for collecting information based on a large sample of consumers when
respondents are asked questions and their responses are recorded. The surveys
are conducted by phone, mail, Internet or in person. The method of «experiment»
is an attempt to understand relationships of manipulations with independent
variables in order to determine their influence on purchasing behavior.
The main disadvantage of these methods is subjective
information in the answers of respondents. It is expressed in their thinking in
a certain period of time and does not reflect the real processes that are going
on in the body. In such circumstances evaluation of the trade service will be
different in each study and subsequently will cause errors and inconsistencies
of experimental data. Data obtained in such way are always in doubt.
The state of the person is possible to evaluate on the basis of methods
of assessing psychological and physiological components of the regulation of
homeostasis. The first group includes packages of methods of psychological
diagnosis [4, 5
]. Second group includes packages of psychophysiological methods of
functional and reflex diagnostics on biologically active areas [1, 6, 7].
Test methods allow to get quantitative descriptions of
processes that do not correlate to the physiological characteristics of the
tested person [4, 5]. They
are defined as the ratio of the duration of the tests performed and the number
of errors made. With the help of the usage of the test methods it is possible
to determine energy consumption in different periods of making purchases.
However, the usage of only test methods for the assessment of the human
condition and the degree of fatigue is inadequate.
The use of modern methods (electrocardiography, electroencephalography,
skin and galvanic response, oculography and others) and special readout equipment, and
logistics system’s performance on-line analysis, is it possible to identify
these regularities [2].
The use of medical devices in the assessment of the functional state of
workers will determine their impact on the effectiveness of logistics system. These
actions will help to improve the efficiency of such
ergonomic systems as: "Driver-Vehicle-Environment-Road", "electric
car-driver-warehouse (store) management-system", "buyer-retailer system
control- trading environment",
etc.
Research in this sphere will help to form recommendations for improving
customers’ service and staff’s working conditions, logistics decisions and
other human functioning.
Refferences
1. Shiwu L., Linhong W., Zhifa Y., Bingkui J., Feiyan Q. and Zhongkai
Y., (2011) An active driver fatigue identification technique using
multiple physiological features. Mechatronic Science, Electric Engineering and
Computer (MEC), III International Conference, pp. 733-737, 19-22 Aug. 2011.
2. Andreassi, J. (2007) Psychophysiology: Human
Behavior And Physiological Response. In Psychophysiology: Human Behaviour &
Physiology Response. – Lawrence
Erlbaum, p. 538
3.
Ëþáèìîâà, Í.Ã. Ïîâåäåíèå ïîòðåáèòåëÿ / Í.Ã.
Ëþáèìîâà. – Âëàäèâîñòîê: ÄÂÃÓ,
2004. – 353 ñ.
4. Neuman, W. L. (2007). Basics of Social Research: Quantitative and
Qualitative Approaches (2nd ed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon;
5. Martin, D. W. (2008). Doing Psychology Experiments (7th
ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage;
6. Gyulyev, N. and Dolia V. (2012)
Temperament effects on functional status in the driver congestion. Eastern-European
Journal of Enterprise Technologies, vol. 2, no. 3 (56), pp. 39-41.
Available at: http://journals.uran.ua/eejet/article/view/3691 [Accessed: 17 Feb 2015].
7. Afanasieva, I., Shutenko, L., Shpachuk, B, Vakulenko, K. (2010) Detection of information effect of a
psychoemotional state of the driver. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise
Technologies, vol. 2, no. 3 (44), pp. 23-25.