Patrik Jonsson and Mattias Gustavsson
The purpose of this paper is to explain the effects of the customer‐supplier relationship and of automatic forecast data communication and registration on the perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain the effects of the customer‐supplier relationship and of automatic forecast data communication and registration on the perceived information quality of forecasts.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model and three hypotheses are derived. The empirical analysis is based on survey data from 219 Swedish manufacturing companies.
Findings
Findings show that the customer‐supplier relationship and automatic data communication and registration have significant impact on the perceived quality of forecast information received from a downstream customer in the supply chain. The reliability and timeliness of the forecast information are affected to about the same extent by both the relationship type and the data communication and registration strategy. Credibility is correlated with the relationship type, while the completeness, validity and conciseness of the received forecast are operative issues depending mainly on the communication strategy.
Research limitations/implications
Using single informants, focal customers and some single‐item constructs in research design.
Practical implications
The paper explains how various dimensions of forecast information quality are affected by different factors, thus guiding how to differentiate information quality improvement work in diverse situations.
Originality/value
Detailed empirical studies of supply chain information exchange, especially focusing on explaining causes of high‐quality information exchange, are lacking in the literature and demanded in industry.
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Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of manufacturing planning and control (MPC) process integration on information quality (IQ).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of manufacturing planning and control (MPC) process integration on information quality (IQ).
Design/methodology/approach
Two case studies are conducted in the aerospace industry. The paper examines the influence of internal and external, and technical and organisational integration on the IQ perceived in the MPC processes.
Findings
The paper posits links between high‐integration levels and low IQ deficiency levels.
Research limitations/implications
The theoretical framework developed in this study is applicable to most industries. The case implications are based on the aerospace industry. For future research, a multi‐industry survey study supporting the theoretical framework is suggested, explaining the adaptations needed in different environments and testing the propositions derived in this paper.
Practical implications
Production, logistics and supply chain professionals' understanding of the relationships between integration and the level of IQ can be improved. Considerations about strategic development towards a required level and type of integration in order to support better IQ levels could be simplified by using the framework and results provided.
Originality/value
There has been little previous research on the links between integration level and the level of IQ. In this paper, structured frameworks of both integration and IQ are used to provide insights on and describe the relationships between integration and the quality of information.
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Mattias Gustavsson and Carl Wänström
The purpose of this paper is to define dimensions for describing information quality deficiencies and to describe forecast and customer order information quality deficiencies on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to define dimensions for describing information quality deficiencies and to describe forecast and customer order information quality deficiencies on various manufacturing planning and control levels.
Design/methodology/approach
The purpose is fulfilled through the following steps: firstly, a literature review on information quality in manufacturing planning and control processes is conducted and the dimensions for describing information quality deficiencies are identified and defined, secondly, three case studies are presented in order to describe the phenomena in the companies' various manufacturing planning and control levels.
Findings
A gross list of ten dimensions were defined from the literature and used in describing information quality deficiencies in forecasts and customer orders of three different cases.
Originality/value
Information quality deficiencies in manufacturing planning and control processes has been the subject of little research so far, despite the fact that the studied processes are extensively dependent on the input information. The contribution lies in the defined and exemplified dimensions for describing information quality deficiencies as a first step towards an information quality assessment model for manufacturing planning and control.
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Luca Secondi, Ludovica Principato and Giovanni Mattia
Halving food waste has been included within the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Food wasted out-of-home is the second source of food waste. However, the majority of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Halving food waste has been included within the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Food wasted out-of-home is the second source of food waste. However, the majority of the studies have focused on home generated food waste, and still little is known about out-of-home food waste and how it is managed by food service companies. The purpose of this paper is to adopt a double perspective in analyzing food waste generated at a food service level, by focusing on both the client and business perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
First, from the client perspective, the authors aim at analyzing consumer out-of-home habits, self-reported waste quantification, and doggy bag usage by reporting the results of an exploratory survey which involved 411 individuals living in central Italy. Second, from a business perspective, the authors analyzed an award-winning practice that manages out-of-home food waste in Italy by combining food surplus management and digital solutions with a profitable business model innovation.
Findings
Results obtained from the two perspectives of analysis support the need of business investments in innovations and digital solutions, in order to meet client needs and behavior, thus contributing to better manage and reduce food surplus and waste.
Practical implications
This study will raise practitioners’ knowledge on the advantages of digital solution in food surplus management, along with a better comprehension on food waste behavior from the client perspective.
Originality/value
This is the first study that analyses out-of-home waste from both the client and business perspective, emphasizing how digital solutions can help in reducing the phenomenon.
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Per-Erik Ellström, Mattias Elg, Andreas Wallo, Martina Berglund and Henrik Kock
This paper introduces interactive research as an emerging approach within a broad family of collaborative research approaches in management and organization research. Interactive…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces interactive research as an emerging approach within a broad family of collaborative research approaches in management and organization research. Interactive research is a way to contribute to the dual tasks of long-term theory development and innovation and change processes in organizations. One of the distinguishing features of interactive research is a focus on continuous joint learning processes between the researchers and the involved practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach
The basic concepts, contributions and challenges of the interactive research approach are presented and illustrated in the present paper through a practical case, the HELIX Centre.
Findings
Interactive research is a way to advance scientific knowledge about the development of new types of work organizations and the development of sustainable operations. The multi-disciplinary and interactive research approach at HELIX has made it possible to reach a high degree of both rigour and relevance in research questions and projects. The authors identified five principles from the HELIX case that were instrumental in accomplishing the dual tasks of interactive research.
Originality/value
The interactive research approach is a powerful method of collaboration between different stakeholders throughout the research process. This type of research makes it possible to interact at various levels of research, from the programme level, to research and development projects, to the individual level. The results from interactive research should not only be considered traditionally valid but also valid in relation to organizational and societal needs.
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Mattias Jacobsson and Beata Jałocha
The aim of this article is to give an overview of the development and current state of projectification research. The inquiry was driven by a threefold research question: How has…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this article is to give an overview of the development and current state of projectification research. The inquiry was driven by a threefold research question: How has projectification been understood and defined over time, what has the trajectory of the development been and what are the main trends and emerging ideas?
Design/methodology/approach
The article is an integrative literature review of research done on the notion of projectification to date. An interdisciplinary, integrative literature review was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science as primary sources of data collection. The full data set consists of 123 journal articles, books, book chapters and conference contributions. With the data set complete, a thematic analysis was conducted.
Findings
Among other things, the review outlines the development and scope of projectification research from 1995 until 2021 and discusses four emerging images of projectification: projectification as a managerial approach, projectification as a societal trend, projectification as a human state and projectification as a philosophical issue. These characteristics emphasize some common features of each of the images but also imply that the way projectification is understood changes depending on the paradigmatic perspective taken by the researcher, the time and place in which the observation was made and the level of observation.
Originality/value
The authors have outlined and discussed four images of projectification – projectification as a managerial approach, projectification as a societal trend, projectification as a human state and projectification as a philosophical issue – where each image represents a special take on projectification with some prevalent characteristics. By doing this, the authors provide a systematic categorization of research to date and thus a basis upon which other researchers can build when furthering the understanding of projectification at large.
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Ingela Marklinder and Mattias K Eriksson
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the food storage temperature in Swedish household refrigerators, to determine whether students use the best-before-date label to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the food storage temperature in Swedish household refrigerators, to determine whether students use the best-before-date label to determine food edibility, and to examine if the study increased the students’ interest and knowledge regarding these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 1,812 students, enrolled at 72 Swedish schools, analysed the temperature on different shelves in their family refrigerator using thermometers (Moller-Therm (+0.5/−0.1 °C) and instructions provided by their teachers. A questionnaire dealing with the issues of date labelling, food safety, refrigerator storage and food wastage was completed by the teachers.
Findings
The temperature at the back of middle shelves was coldest (average 4.8 °C; SD 3.1). A relatively high proportion of food items were stored at higher temperatures than recommended. The use-by date had been exceeded for 30 per cent of products, but the students did not rate these as inedible. According to the teachers, the investigation increased interest and knowledge among their students of date labelling, food hygiene, refrigerator storage and food waste.
Research limitations/implications
Thermometers were used to measure air temperature on different shelves in the family refrigerator. Data collection was not controllable, as the students measured without supervision.
Practical implications
The teachers reported that the study increased interest and knowledge among their students regarding cold food storage.
Social implications
This way of teaching food safety would meet the aim of generally increasing food safety knowledge in society, which might have a positive impact on public health.
Originality/value
The use of school-children as data collectors to determine refrigerator temperatures in private homes is a novel approach, which was an efficient way of teaching relevant facts as well as collecting large amounts of data.
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Marco Formentini, Luca Secondi, Luca Ruini, Matteo Guidi and Ludovica Principato
There is a limited understanding of effective strategies for tackling food loss and waste (FLW) following a circular supply chain management approach. The aim of this study is to…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a limited understanding of effective strategies for tackling food loss and waste (FLW) following a circular supply chain management approach. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of the FLW Reporting and Accounting Standard for identifying FLW occurrences throughout the agri-food supply chain and facilitate their measurement. Our objective is to describe how this FLW is then reused within a circular economy (CE) perspective, thus enabling companies to implement a circular supply chain approach for effective decision-making based on the concept of waste hierarchies, the 3R and 4R rules.
Design/methodology/approach
An in-depth analysis of Barilla's soft bread supply chain is provided in this study. By gathering both qualitative and quantitative data, this study investigates the implementation of the FLW standard by (1) identifying the main enablers and obstacles in measuring FLW throughout the entire production system; (2) providing a useful standardized tool for sustainable FLW measurement, minimization and reuse in other agricultural supply chains to enable circular economy approaches and (3) developing a decision-support strategy to use within the company for effective measurement, analysis and reuse according to a CE perspective.
Findings
The analyses carried out throughout Barilla's soft wheat bread supply chain provide an interesting example of a circular management system since almost nothing is lost or wasted while the value of resources is recovered through reuse thanks to a systematic and integrated measurement, representing a basis for effectively minimizing waste. The importance of developing an interconnected supply chain management emerged in order to obtain a comprehensive accounting framework for accurately quantifying and reporting the overall amount of wastage generated in the various phases of food production, paying particular attention to ex ante prevention initiatives and ex-post assessment actions.
Originality/value
An interdisciplinary approach integrating circular economy and supply chain management research streams was adopted in order to develop a decision-support tool that also includes the identification of the main facilitators and obstacles to the implementation of a comprehensive standardized accounting process that would enable companies to reduce-reuse-recycle losses and waste throughout the entire production process. Besides the studies available in the literature, the original of this study is that it focuses on organizational implications related to FLW measurement.