Lisa Hüttinger, Holger Schiele and Dennis Schröer
This paper aims to understand the factors that influence a supplier’s choice to treat selected customers more preferentially than others. Suppliers often lack the resources to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand the factors that influence a supplier’s choice to treat selected customers more preferentially than others. Suppliers often lack the resources to treat all their customers equally, instead having to make choices to treat some customers as preferred. Empirical evidence indicates that preferential treatment by suppliers provides substantial benefits for the purchasing firm.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies a mixed-methods approach. First, a qualitative analysis of a sample of buyers from an automotive manufacturer was conducted. In the second step, the findings were triangulated via a quantitative survey among key account managers of the automotive firm’s suppliers.
Findings
This paper is the first to provide quantitative data collected from a large sample of automotive suppliers about the drivers of preferential customer treatment. The authors were able to show that the growth opportunities for suppliers and customers’ operative excellence, reliability and relational behavior are factors that induce suppliers to award preferential customer treatment. In contrast, innovation potential for suppliers, customers’ support of suppliers, supplier involvement and contact accessibility do not show a significant effect on suppliers’ behavioral intentions toward preferential customer treatment.
Originality/value
The mixed-methods approach is introduced as a form of academic enquiry in supply chain management. The factors influencing preferential customer treatment by suppliers are explored in discussions with purchasers and validated in a subsequent survey among suppliers. Recommendations for managerial practice and theory are drawn.
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Nelson Ositadimma Oranye, Bernadine Wallis, Nora Ahmad and Zaklina Aguilar
Different organisations have developed policies and programmes to prevent workplace injuries and facilitate return to work. Few multiple workplace studies have examined workers’…
Abstract
Purpose
Different organisations have developed policies and programmes to prevent workplace injuries and facilitate return to work. Few multiple workplace studies have examined workers’ perceptions of these policies and programmes. The purpose of this paper is to compare workers’ perception and experience of workplace policies and practices on injury prevention, people-oriented work culture, and return to work.
Design/methodology/approach
This study recruited 118 workers from three healthcare facilities through an online and paper survey.
Findings
Work-related musculoskeletal injury was experienced by 46 per cent of the workers, with low back injuries being most prevalent. There were significant differences in perception of policies and practices for injury prevention among occupational groups, and between workers who have had previous workplace injury experience and those without past injury.
Research limitations/implications
Selection bias is possible because of voluntary participation. A larger sample could give stronger statistical power.
Practical implications
The perception of workplace policies can vary depending on workers’ occupational and injury status. Organisational managers need to pay attention to the diversity among workers when designing and implementing injury prevention and return to work policies.
Social implications
Risks for workplace injuries are related to multiple factors, including workplace policies and practices on health and safety. Workers’ understanding and response to the policies, programmes, and practices can determine injury outcomes.
Originality/value
No previous study has reported on workers’ perceptions of workplace policies and practices for injury prevention and return in Manitoba healthcare sector.
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Osku Torro, Henri Pirkkalainen and Hongxiu Li
The purpose of the paper is to examine how media synchronicity facilitates the emergence of social exchange (i.e. trust and reciprocity) in organizations’ information and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to examine how media synchronicity facilitates the emergence of social exchange (i.e. trust and reciprocity) in organizations’ information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated interactions. A model of media synchronicity in organizational social exchange (MSiOSE) is proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper has a design and review approach. The theoretical analysis is based on social exchange theory (SET) and media synchronicity theory (MST).
Findings
The authors propose that, in general, social exchange benefits from both asynchronous and synchronous communication processes. However, media synchronicity has different boundary conditions (i.e. pros and cons) in relation to the emergence of social exchange, determined in accordance with the mutually interacting patterns of trust and reciprocity predicted by SET. The authors provide testable theoretical propositions to support the analysis.
Originality/value
Social exchange is a critical business factor for organizations due to its well-known positive outcomes, such as the strengthening of social ties. The need for successful social exchange in remote work conditions is particularly emphasized. However, with regard to the communication and behavioral patterns that lead to social exchange via ICT, the theoretical understanding is limited. The study reveals previously unmapped heuristics between social exchange and physical media capabilities. Thus, the study's propositions can be used to study and analyze social exchange in the ever-changing media landscape. As a practical contribution, the study helps organizations to improve their communication strategies and use of ICT.
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Arnold Saputra, Gunawan Wang, Justin Zuopeng Zhang and Abhishek Behl
The era of work 4.0 demands organizations to expedite their digital transformation to sustain their competitive advantage in the market. This paper aims to help the human resource…
Abstract
Purpose
The era of work 4.0 demands organizations to expedite their digital transformation to sustain their competitive advantage in the market. This paper aims to help the human resource (HR) department digitize and automate their analytical processes based on a big-data-analytics framework.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology applied in this paper is based on a case study and experimental analysis. The research was conducted in a specific industry and focused on solving talent analysis problems.
Findings
This research conducts digital talent analysis using data mining tools with big data. The talent analysis based on the proposed framework for developing and transforming the HR department is readily implementable. The results obtained from this talent analysis using the big-data-analytics framework offer many opportunities in growing and advancing a company's talents that are not yet realized.
Practical implications
Big data allows HR to perform analysis and predictions, making more intelligent and accurate decisions. The application of big data analytics in an HR department has a significant impact on talent management.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the literature by proposing a formal big-data-analytics framework for HR and demonstrating its applicability with real-world case analysis. The findings help organizations develop a talent analytics function to solve future leaders' business challenges.
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Dan Zhao, Yunbo Bi and Yinglin Ke
This paper aims to propose a united kinematic calibration method for a dual-machine system in automatic drilling and riveting. The method takes both absolute and relative pose…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a united kinematic calibration method for a dual-machine system in automatic drilling and riveting. The method takes both absolute and relative pose accuracy into account, which will largely influence the machining accuracy of the dual-machine system and assembly quality.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive kinematic model of the dual-machine system is established by the superposition of sub-models with pose constraints, which involves base frame parameters, kinematic parameters and tool frame parameters. Based on the kinematic model and the actual pose error data measured by a laser tracker, the parameters of coordinated machines are identified by the Levenberg–Marquardt method as a multi-objective nonlinear optimization problem. The identified parameters of the coordinated machines will be used in the control system.
Findings
A new calibration method for the dual-machine system is developed, including a comprehensive kinematic model and an efficient parameter identification method. The experiment results show that with the proposed method, the pose accuracy of the dual-machine system was remarkably improved, especially the relative position and orientation errors.
Practical implications
This method has been used in an aircraft assembly project. The calibrated dual-machine system shows a good performance on system coordination and machining accuracy.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a new method with high accuracy and efficiency for the dual-machine system calibration. The research can be extended to multi-machine and multi-robot fields to improve the system precision.
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Naga Vamsi Krishna Jasti and Rambabu Kodali
The purpose of this paper is to investigate, validity and reliability analysis on existing Lean manufacturing (LM) frameworks when applied to Indian organizations. LM is one of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate, validity and reliability analysis on existing Lean manufacturing (LM) frameworks when applied to Indian organizations. LM is one of the best manufacturing strategies that are used by manufacturing plant managers to improve manufacturing capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present research work, a questionnaire-based survey was used to examine 35 LM frameworks. The study targeted respondents ranging from top- and middle-level management personnel in Indian manufacturing industry. The sample includes organizations in a variety of industries ranging from automobile, electronics, engineering, process and textile industries products. The survey tool was prepared with team of 12 members i.e. six academicians and six professionals from manufacturing industry environment. The study received 186 responses from various sectors of manufacturing industry, 180 surveys were usable resulting in a response rate of 23.90 per cent. Factor analysis was conducted to check unidimentionality of the framework. Cronbach’s alpha is calculated to find reliability of each framework’s. Lastly, frequency analysis was used to recognize familiar constructs of LM on the chosen framework.
Findings
This study has identified that most of the LM frameworks revealed a high level of reliability. When the study has examined further advance about unidimensionality with respect to the construct, i.e. the LM it measures, it confirmed 11 frameworks were revealing unidimensionality. The frequency analysis was evident that a greater part of the constructs has a high mean score and mode. Finally, the research concludes that there is requirement for a novel framework to Indian manufacturing industry to stay in competition with global manufacturing industries.
Research limitations/implications
Cross-sectional data from manufacturing industries and India (only one country) is used with sample size restricted to 180 only, and it would be interesting to test these frameworks for more than one industry sector and country.
Practical implications
The present work tries to find the suitability of the presented LM frameworks to Indian manufacturing industry sector. The authors hoped that the present research would give the information to the management to execute the suitable LM framework in their firm.
Originality/value
The present work tries to find the suitability of the presented LM frameworks to Indian manufacturing industry sector. The authors hoped that the present research would give the information to the management to execute the suitable LM framework in their firm.
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Ingmar Geiger and Christoph Laubert
This study aims to compare predictions from media synchronicity theory (MST) with the influence of personality variables in an attempt to explain how negotiators choose the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to compare predictions from media synchronicity theory (MST) with the influence of personality variables in an attempt to explain how negotiators choose the communication media for negotiation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors examine media choice in two scenario-based experimental studies with students (n = 209) and professionals (n = 302) in a negotiation setting. For the analysis of the data, the authors use multilevel modeling.
Findings
This study offers support for the central proposition of MST, namely, that the type of communication subtask (conveyance or convergence) determines the degree of media synchronicity needed and therefore media choice (face-to-face or email). The support for its boundary conditions and contingent situational determinants is weaker. With the affect for communication channel scale, this study also captures individual media preferences for face-to-face or email communication, which have consistent influences on negotiators’ media choice. The personal influence variables on average account for similar variance in the data compared with the MST-based determinants.
Originality/value
This study sheds new light on diverging empirical results concerning media influences in negotiation and offers some reconciling suggestions. Furthermore, this study is the first to test boundary conditions of MST. Also, it stresses the importance of negotiators’ media preferences for media choice.
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Ying Kit Cherry Kwan, Mei Wa Chan and Dickson K.W. Chiu
In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation…
Abstract
Purpose
In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation and a heightened emphasis on library marketing. Special libraries, in particular, rely heavily on patrons for survival, often due to their private ownership and limited resources. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper examines the Taste Library, a special library in Hong Kong, and analyzes its current practices based on an interview with its founder, website content, and social media presence. The 7Ps Marketing Mix model is employed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the library's current market position.
Findings
The Taste Library's existing practices exhibit limitations in attracting young patrons. To address this issue, we propose marketing strategies focused on enhancing social network presence, offering digitized content, and engaging in school outreach.
Practical implications
By concentrating on youth marketing, this study offers valuable insights for special libraries in developing strategic plans for transitioning and maintaining sustainability.
Originality/value
Few studies concentrate on marketing small special libraries, particularly in the East, within today's digitized economy.
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Anand Gurumurthy and Rambabu Kodali
Generally, the implementation of lean manufacturing (LM) starts with the development of value stream maps. However, it has been found that value stream mapping (VSM) suffers from…
Abstract
Purpose
Generally, the implementation of lean manufacturing (LM) starts with the development of value stream maps. However, it has been found that value stream mapping (VSM) suffers from various shortcomings. Hence, researchers have suggested the use of simulation along with VSM. The purpose of this paper is to present an application of VSM with simulation during the design of lean manufacturing systems (LMS) using a case study of an organisation following a job shop production system to manufacture doors and windows.
Design/methodology/approach
Simulation models were developed using QUeuing Event Simulation Tool for the case organisation to demonstrate how the case organisation will be changed after implementing various LM elements, apart from analysing the impact of implementing these LM elements on the organisation's performance.
Findings
Simulation studies were carried out for different scenarios such as “before LM” (current state VSM) and “after LM” (future state VSM). It was found that the case organisation can achieve significant improvement in performance and can meet the increasing demand without any additional resources.
Practical implications
It is believed that this paper will enable practitioners to appreciate the role of simulation in helping them understand how the operations department of the case organisation will be transformed during the design of LMS.
Originality/value
According to the authors' knowledge, no case study exists in the literature that discusses the application of VSM with simulation in an organisation that manufactures doors and windows using a job shop production system. Furthermore, the paper simulates the impact of those LM elements which were not considered by other researchers on the performance measure of the case organisation.