A.C. Caputo, F. Cucchiella, L. Fratocchi, P.M. Pelagagge and F. Scacchia
This study proposes a model for the analysis and performance evaluation of e‐supply chains (e‐SCs), that are supply chains (SCs) in which actors are connected by Internet…
Abstract
This study proposes a model for the analysis and performance evaluation of e‐supply chains (e‐SCs), that are supply chains (SCs) in which actors are connected by Internet technologies. It is assumed that e‐SC performances are influenced by the network ol structures, by the criteria adopted to manage relationships among involved actors, and by the critical activities that the leading company performs. At first, the variables influencing such factors are identified and the interdependencies among them are analysed to establish existing correlations. This, in turn, enables one to group the values of the influencing factors in four coherent sets which are consistent with different business environments, thus assuring the effectiveness and efficiency to the e‐SC. The obtained reference model is then tested by applying it to literature‐based case studies. The output of this model may be used to design totally new e‐SCs or to redesign the existing ones, in both manufacturing and services industries.
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A.C. Caputo, F. Cucchiella, L. Fratocchi, P.M. Pelagagge and F. Scacchia
The paper deals with technological and managerial innovation transfer to small and medium sized enterprises. A comprehensive framework is presented, identifying a networked…
Abstract
The paper deals with technological and managerial innovation transfer to small and medium sized enterprises. A comprehensive framework is presented, identifying a networked architecture in which different actors (universities, other R&D centers, consulting companies, the European Union, national government, local public administration) interact. In so doing, the need of a specific promoting role is pointed out. Consequently, introduction of an innovation center (IC) responsible for the whole transfer process is proposed. Within this organizational unit, the role of innovation promoter (IP), that is the interface with the specific SME, is analyzed and discussed. Finally, a general scheme of IC and IP actions and competences is presented.
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Serdar Ulubeyli, Aynur Kazaz and Selim Sahin
This paper aims to present the effect of innovation on implementing competitive strategies (CSs) and to find their relationships on the survival of construction-related small- and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the effect of innovation on implementing competitive strategies (CSs) and to find their relationships on the survival of construction-related small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in macroeconomic crises.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were compiled from construction SMEs in Turkey. The research used structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships between innovation, CSs and firm survival (FS).
Findings
Innovative construction SMEs may implement differentiation and focus strategies and survive without CSs, whereas innovation may be obtained through cost leadership strategy. Also, differentiation and focus strategies may play a role to survive. However, the cost leadership strategy may be implemented after survival. Finally, differentiation strategy may be triggered by innovation and focus strategies.
Research limitations/implications
The model may be applied on other construction organizations. Future studies may also examine the difference in findings concerning other industries and regions. Moreover, different factors may be added to the model. However, a larger group of samples could cause different results.
Practical implications
This study may be a roadmap for practitioners to plan their firms’ strategies, considering innovation, CSs and FS. In this context, they may pay attention to innovative production processes to survive.
Social implications
Survived SMEs may sustain their works through the prevention of crisis-based unemployment. Hence, this benefit may bring a wealthier society.
Originality/value
This research is first to propose a model connecting innovation and CSs for SMEs’ survival in macroeconomic crises. This is convenient for rivalry of SMEs planning to be long-lasting enterprises.
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Santosh Kumar Sahu, Saurav Datta and Siba Sankar Mahapatra
Supply chain performance (SCP) extent can be attributed as a function of multiple criteria/attributes. Most of the criterions/attributes being intangible in nature; SCP…
Abstract
Purpose
Supply chain performance (SCP) extent can be attributed as a function of multiple criteria/attributes. Most of the criterions/attributes being intangible in nature; SCP appraisement relies on the subjective judgment of the decision makers. Moreover, quantitative appraisement of SCP appears to be very difficult due to involvement of ill-defined (vague) performance measures as well as metrics. The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient decision support system (DSS) to facilitate SCP appraisement, benchmarking and related decision making.
Design/methodology/approach
This study explores the concept of fuzzy logic in order to tackle incomplete and inconsistent subjective judgment of the decision makers’ whilst evaluating supply chain’s overall performance. Grey relational analysis has been adopted in the later stage to derive appropriate ranking of alternative companies/enterprises (in the same industry) in view of ongoing SCP extent.
Findings
In this work, a performance appraisement index system has been postulated to gather evaluation information (weights and ratings) in relation to SCP measures and metrics. Combining the concepts of fuzzy set theory, entropy, ideal and grey relation analysis, a fuzzy grey relation method for SCP benchmarking problem has been presented. First, triangular fuzzy numbers and linguistic evaluation information characterized by triangular fuzzy numbers have been used to evaluate the importance weights of all criteria and the superiority of all alternatives vs various criteria above the alternative level. Then, the concept of entropy has been utilized to solve the adjusted integration weight of all objective criteria above the alternative level. Moreover, using the concept of the grey ration grades, various alternatives have been ranked accordingly.
Originality/value
Finally, an empirical example of selecting most appropriate company has been used to demonstrate the ease of applicability of the aforesaid approach. The study results showed that this method appears to be an effective means for tackling multi-criteria decision-making problems in uncertain environments. Empirical data have been analysed and results obtained thereof, have been reported to exhibit application potential of the said fuzzy grey relation based DSS in appropriate situation.
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Jean C. Essila and Jaideep Motwani
This study aims to focus on the supply chain (SC) cost drivers of healthcare industries in the USA, as SC costs have increased 40% over the last decade. The second-most…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on the supply chain (SC) cost drivers of healthcare industries in the USA, as SC costs have increased 40% over the last decade. The second-most significant expense, the SC, accounts for 38% of total expenses in a typical hospital, while most other industries can operate within 10% of their operating cost. This makes healthcare centers supply-chain-sensitive organizations with limited facilities for high-quality healthcare services. As the cost drivers of healthcare SC are almost unknown to managers, their jobs become more complex.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by pragmatism and positivism paradigms, a cross-sectional study has been designed using quantitative and deductive approaches. Both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected from health centers across the country, and secondary data were from healthcare-related databases. This study examined the attributes that explain the most significant variation in each contributing factor. With multiple regression analysis for predicting cost and Student's t-tests for the significance of contributing factors, the authors of this study examined different theories, including the market-based view and five-forces, network and transaction cost analysis.
Findings
This study revealed that supply, materials and services represent the most significant expenses in primary care. Supply-chain cost breakdown results in four critical factors: facility, inventory, information and transportation.
Research limitations/implications
This study examined the data from primary and secondary care institutions. Tertiary and quaternary care systems were not included. Although tertiary and quaternary care systems represent a small portion of the healthcare system, future research should address the supply chain costs of highly specialized organizations.
Practical implications
This study suggests methods that can help to improve supply chain operations in healthcare organizations worldwide.
Originality/value
This study presents an empirically proven methodology for testing the statistical significance of the primary factors contributing to healthcare supply chain costs. The results of this study may lead to positive policy changes to improve healthcare organizations' efficiency and increase access to high-quality healthcare.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of supply chain management (SCM) benefits on the interactive performance between supply chain members.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of supply chain management (SCM) benefits on the interactive performance between supply chain members.
Design/methodology/approach
The contingency theory and socio‐technical theory were applied in the construction of the research model. Four constructs were adopted for the development of the research model: contingency factors, interaction process, interactive performance, and SCM system benefits.
Findings
To respond to the challenges in global markets, an increasing number of enterprises strive for better profits by working closely with suppliers. As the interaction increases, the buyer‐seller relationship changes accordingly.
Research limitations/implications
Empirical studies require further analysis and suggestions were also made for further explication.
Practical implications
The interaction between the manufacturing and marketing departments is a determinant for the firm's competitive advantages.
Originality/value
Interviews with six case firms in the information/electronic industry show that external and internal factors affect the interaction between supply chain members and result performance improvement.
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Shashank Gupta and Piyush Gupta
Maintenance actions are initiated by the annual maintenance budget (AMB) allocated for a plant system. It ensures that the assets are kept in a healthy and reliable state. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Maintenance actions are initiated by the annual maintenance budget (AMB) allocated for a plant system. It ensures that the assets are kept in a healthy and reliable state. The purpose of this paper is to scientifically evaluate the AMB for an air conditioning (AC) plant system, which forms an integral part of facility management.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper estimates the AMB of an AC system for specific contextual conditions using incidence matrix of the budget influencing variables. The diagonal elements of the matrix represent the values of the budget variables, whereas the off-diagonal elements represent the degree of influence among these. The maintenance budget function is derived from this matrix and is used to evaluate the AMB for the AC system as a percentage of its asset replacement value (ARV).
Findings
The AMB for the AC plant system considered in the work is evaluated as 11.1 per cent of ARV for the conditions unique to its context. The actual maintenance expenditure is lower by 7.6 per cent than the estimated value of the budget.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the methodology are a good guide for practicing facility managers. The shortcoming of the methodology is that it relies on fixed weights of the inter-relations among the budget variables, which may not be necessarily true.
Practical implications
This approach is expected to aid the maintenance managers in envisaging the AMB for their plant systems which operate under contextual conditions specific to their plant.
Originality/value
There is no evidence to indicate existence of maintenance budget evaluation methodology for an AC plant system based on its contextual conditions. This paper attempts to fill this gap.
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John F. Kros, Mauro Falasca and S. Scott Nadler
To analyze the impact of the adoption of just‐in‐time (JIT) production systems by different equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on the inventory profiles of their suppliers.
Abstract
Purpose
To analyze the impact of the adoption of just‐in‐time (JIT) production systems by different equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on the inventory profiles of their suppliers.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is designed to examine five financial measures of inventory management performance over the years 1994‐2004. Three specific industry sectors where OEMs have adopted and implemented JIT principles are studied. These sectors include the automotive, electronics, and aircraft industries. A one factor analysis of variance is employed to the five hypotheses and Tukey's post‐hoc test is used to interpret statistical pairwise differences between level means.
Findings
Overall, the research finds that OEM suppliers in the automotive, electronics, and aircraft sectors have shown mixed results in the impact JIT implementation has had on inventory performance measures.
Research limitations/implications
The research focuses on three industrial sectors over approximately a ten year time frame that may limit its generalizability.
Practical implications
The processes that influence the reduction in inventory levels may be in fact more complex and strategic in nature than an OEM adopting a JIT inventory policy. In general, strategic changes within the supplier organization would have to drive process improvements that lead to inventory reductions.
Originality/value
The paper provides focused research in an area that has received little attention in the current literature and is very topical to all academics and business professionals interested or involved in the area of JIT systems.
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Helen Gabriel, Rita Kottasz and Roger Bennett
To examine the extent to which “account planners” in advertising agencies use formal academic models of “how advertising works” and to identify the factors that discourage…
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the extent to which “account planners” in advertising agencies use formal academic models of “how advertising works” and to identify the factors that discourage non‐users from applying academic advertising theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Account executives in 152 full‐service and 72 creative advertising agencies in the UK completed a questionnaire concerning the use of formal models, preferences for developing those in‐house versus adopting pre‐existing “textbook” prescriptions, and factors that might discouraged application of academic advertising theory in any form. The data collected were interpreted by means of factor analysis, structural equation modelling and correspondence analysis, and conclusions drawn with respect to theory and practice.
Findings
There was considerable ignorance of formal models of advertising effect. Agencies using them typically favoured the hierarchy‐of‐effects variants. Although more than a third of the sample eschewed models, there was little evidence of animosity towards advertising theory of itself. Non‐adoption was significantly explained by constructs drawn from the academic literature of knowledge dissemination.
Research limitations/implications
It was not possible in this study to establish precise details of agencies' in‐house proprietary models, so the degree to which those reflected either current practice or textbook prescriptions could not be determined.
Practical implications
The study emphasises the pressing need to harmonise formal models of “how advertising works” with conceptual frameworks used by advertising agencies in practice (if any), for the improvement of campaign planning and evaluation.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical study to investigate the extent to which advertising theory is actually used by account planners in advertising agencies.
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Jiang‐Liang Hou and Chih‐Hao Huang
Seeks to carry out an empirical study to reveal the business characteristics of the printing industry and to accomplish a quantitative analysis of costs and benefits for RFID…
Abstract
Purpose
Seeks to carry out an empirical study to reveal the business characteristics of the printing industry and to accomplish a quantitative analysis of costs and benefits for RFID applications in different logistics activities.
Design/methodology/approach
The business operation requirements and RFID acceptance of distinct roles in the printing supply chain are explored via interviews and questionnaires. The printing supply chain is classified into six fundamental models and RFID application scenarios for the six models are also provided.
Findings
The ideal approach for RFID application in the printing supply chain is the item‐tagging mechanism.
Practical implications
The decision maker can refer to the cost and efficiency look‐up tables to quickly evaluate the feasibility for RFID implementation.
Originality/value
This paper provides useful reference information for enterprises to evaluate the RFID implementation in the supply chain.