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The make‐or‐buy decision has been performed on the assumption that cost data are deterministic and accurate. The data available to decision makers are often highly imprecise because of estimation inaccuracy and/or errors in measurement. The bounded interval estimate is a common allowance scheme to compensate for the inherent estimating error. Applies the propagation of errors technique to evaluate make‐or‐buy alternatives with estimate errors. The numerical examples show how the proposed error analysis generates more discerning power when assessing competing alternatives.

The purpose of this paper is to create a cost model at the general equipment level for industrial maintenance services.

The study is divided into two main sections. In the first phase the idea is to create a framework for a cost model with a literature review. The second, empirical part of the study is based on costing information from interviews and information given by network companies: a pulp mill, a maintenance company and an equipment provider. The maintenance of three different equipment processes is examined in the network through a case study, to get more specific information from real world situations to develop the model.

The findings concern the cost items that should be considered in the model, the structure of the model, and how the general cost model is constructed. During the research the model has been extended, and new cost categories included.

The cost model can be used in various performance measurement and decision‐making situations, such as maintenance service pricing, contract negotiations, outsourcing decisions, and life cycle cost management.

The cost model differs from traditional cost models. Earlier models have focused on the perspective of either the service provider or the customer, but not on both perspectives at the same time. However, in order to achieve a win‐win situation in a business network, open books practice is expected from each member of the network.

Supply chain systems play very significant roles to improve the quality of customer service and therefore, derive considerable attention from managers of enterprises in pursuit of competitive excellence. Different strategies are used to improve customer service and different measures are also used to quantify this. A detailed diagnostic study was conducted in a large Indian company dealing with fast moving consumer goods. In this study, a new measure called Depot Service India (DSI) was used to measure the quality of customer service and using which various statistical analyses were carried out to study how the DSI values vary over time and among various depots, how these values are auto‐correlated, what factors influence the variations in DSI values and how various decisions at strategic, tactical and operational levels affect the performance of the system. The details of how the results obtained were used to evolve remedial measures to improve the quality of customer service in the supply chain system of this company are also discussed in this paper.

Over the last number of years, outsourcing has become an important issue for many organisations. The potential for outsourcing has moved from peripheral activities such as cleaning and catering to critical activities such as design and manufacturing. However, there is evidence to suggest that organisations are not achieving the desired benefits from outsourcing. Outsourcing decisions are rarely taken within a thoroughly strategic perspective with many firms adopting a short‐term perspective and being motivated primarily by the search for short‐term cost reductions. The aim is to illustrate that outsourcing should be carried out from a strategic perspective and integrated into the overall strategy of the organisation by proposing an outsourcing framework. The framework attempts to overcome some of the problems associated with outsourcing by integrating a number of key strands related to outsourcing including a value chain perspective, core competency thinking and supply base influences into the decision‐making process.

This study aims to investigate the effects of layering sequence, aspect ratios, fiber orientation angles, loading types and boundary conditions on the buckling behavior of glass/carbon/hybrid fiber-reinforced epoxy laminated composites using the differential quadrature (DQ) approach.

In total, different hybrid combinations are considered separately for angle-ply, cross-ply and antisymmetric layup schemes. For this purpose, a DQ code is developed using MATLAB.

The results obtained from the study reveal that the lamination arrangements and varying loading conditions of the hybrid laminated structures have a significant effect on the buckling performance of these materials.

This is the first study to investigate how the critical buckling loads of glass fiber/epoxy and carbon fiber/epoxy laminated hybrid composite plates are influenced by fiber orientation angles, aspect ratios, stacking sequences, loading conditions and boundary conditions using the DQ method. This study contributes to the literature in this regard.

The purpose of this paper is to study the wave propagation in thermoelastic diffusive medium.

The present paper deals with the numerical study of wave propagation in coupled thermoelastic diffusive medium by using DQ method together with fourth‐order Runge‐Kutta method.

The paper finds solutions of displacements, temperature change and concentration.

The paper can be sued to solve non‐linear partial differential equations.

The solutions of displacements, temperature change and concentration are illustrated graphically. Numerical examples show that the method yields very good results.

This paper aims to focus on “Recruitment Process Outsourcing” (RPO) as a key element of improvement in corporate brand of organisation through using the talent and capabilities of employees. This research explores the linkages and interconnection between the concepts of RPO and its contribution towards the employer branding process. The review of the literature on RPO and employer branding identifies an emergence of conceptual framework based around outsourcing effectiveness and its impact on employer branding.

Exploratory research was carried out using case study analysis to give clear and deep understanding of the RPO and its impact on employer branding. This was conducted by using the semi-structured interviews with the HR and marketing managers using the qualitative method. The findings propose a conceptual framework which is representative for the organisations engaged in RPO.

The key findings include talented employees’ role in improving the brand image of any organisation; the development of customers’ perceptions through their attitude and behaviours; the reduction in the HR costs through RPO Services, the responsibility of the organisation taken by RPO which provides the chance for HR professionals and top management to focus on core activities; and the organisational care in selection of the RPO service provider as per their criteria.

This research has been limited to assessing the impact of RPO on the employer branding of manufacturing organisations purely due to access issues. The research clearly establishes a good link between the operationalisation of RPO and its direct influences on an organisation’s employer branding through its outsourced employees. The research clearly highlights the importance of and the vital role played by the outsourced employees and how they need to be nurtured through a strong corporate culture and make them great brand ambassadors.

At the practical level, this study has several managerial implications, as the findings provide a good understanding of the concept of RPO and how it impacts the employer brands of the organisation. The research gives confidence to the HR managers and directors on the importance of outsourced staff members and the need to address the issues concerning the employee branding of an outsourced member of staff. The outcome of the research gives a conceptual model which represents the impact of an outsourced employee on the employer branding process of the organisation. This conceptual model highlights the many different factors that need to be addressed by a HR manager to keep consistency in employee branding of the organisation.

The social implications of this research relate to the wellbeing and motivated staff members of an organisation, even though they do not work directly under the brand of the company they serve in. As mentioned in the research findings, the complications of the RPO process usually has drastic and serious impacts on employee attitudes and feelings when it comes to issues like change management, job satisfaction and the sense of belonging to the organisation. By addressing the different factors explored in the conceptual model of this research, an outsourced employee can feel equally motivated and belonging to the organisation they serve in, just as any other permanent member of staff who acts like an ideal brand ambassador for the employer branding of the organisation.

This research is original and adds value to the dynamics of RPO processes by exploring the impact of the process on employer branding of the organisation through its brand ambassadors. This research paves way for further research to be carried out within service organisations where employees play a vital role in being the brand ambassadors of their employer brands.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review on the different ways of carrying out facility management and related topics in order to uncover that there is limited research regarding the impact of facility management on the logistics and operational performance of warehouses.

Four different focus areas have been identified and for each one different methodologies and streams of research have been studied.

The study underlines the importance of facility management for the logistics operations; therefore it supports the notion that investments aiming at preserving the status of the building and service components of warehouses are crucial.

This paper aims to suggest to facilities management managers that they can contribute to enhance business performance by designing effective facility management strategies.

This paper aims to evaluate the main business models used for airlines' maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities and determine the activities to which these relate.

A critical literature review is used to develop a conceptual model of MRO activities. This is evaluated through a SWOT analysis before an exploratory study of eight airlines is used to confirm the applicability of the conceptual model.

Four levels of MRO outsourcing are identified; from fully outsourced to fully in‐sourced. From the exploratory study it is shown that critical MRO activities such as line maintenance are frequently in‐sourced, while activities with low demand at an airline level such as engine maintenance are often outsourced.

MRO represent around 10‐15 per cent of an airline's operational costs. By identifying the strength and weaknesses of different MRO models, it is possible to evaluate alternative MRO strategies.

Unlike other research in maintenance which was aimed mainly at the manufacturing sectors, this research provides insights into the maintenance practises in a service sector. In particular this research studies the different outsourcing levels existing in airlines' MRO. The knowledge gained by understanding the mechanism of outsourcing in airlines' MRO can be further extended to other industries and help in best configuring their maintenance units.

The purpose of this paper is to deal with the importance and obstacles of outsourcing strategy in project business in terms of product development perspectives. This strategy is intrinsically analyzed and evaluated with respect to the strategic business environments.

The objective of this research is to analyze the advantages and limitations of the outsourcing that have been identified in prior studies. This research has attempted to investigate the performance implications of outsourcing strategies in terms of theoretical considerations and implementation perspectives.

In this study, the authors have presented a general overview of outsourcing strategies in terms of both light and dark sides of this approach. Various driving forces of outsourcing strategy along with critical success factors are articulated within project to product development perspectives.

Future research could be continued to measure various performance variables such as productivity, sales, revenues, career opportunities, manifest in power struggles, change jobs, change organizational cultures, etc. in multiple case companies, which affect with the success or failure of outsourcing arrangements.

The term outsourcing is nowadays a widely known business strategy, where manufacturing firms share partly or fully of their production process with outside organizations or suppliers. The research approach as articulated within this paper would be beneficial for project business organizations and specially the product designers and project managers for planning and developing their strategic business potentials with respect to outsourcing and in-sourcing decisions.

In this paper a high-level decision-making model for outsourcing and a cause and effect type framework are demonstrated with a view to ease the decision-making process for the organizations managers.