Much has been written about the need to align the supply chain with the product/market but it has proved, elusive especially in response to a supply change transitions. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Much has been written about the need to align the supply chain with the product/market but it has proved, elusive especially in response to a supply change transitions. The purpose of this paper is to review the established theoretical models before considering how the realignment process can be better supported in the light of a longitudinal study.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a single apparel case where data were gathered over a five-year period involving multiple site visits, management interviews and archival data across three echelons of the supply chain. Repeated visits enabled the collection of contemporary evidence and the development and testing of the causal relationships. This case was part of a multi-case research project that explored the causal relationship between variation, uncertainty, performance trade-offs and buffering mechanisms (time, capacity and inventory).
Findings
The case analysis demonstrates how established theory and causal reasoning can be used to explain the trade-off oscillations that characterised this case. As with earlier studies, local cost considerations predominated, interspersed with strategic countermeasures. Fisher’s (1997) concept of coordinated strategies is shown to provide an effective means of clarifying the trade-off implications of the transition in support of proactive realignment. This concept is discussed in relation to other cases and literature before proposing how this could be developed and used as a basis for further research.
Research limitations/implications
This research was limited to a single case and although this involving several transitions the findings require further testing.
Practical implications
Supply chain redesign is of growing importance and with it the need to more effectively manage such transitions. This paper clarifies the need for supply chain orientation and offers means of clarifying the implications of such transitions to management.
Originality/value
This paper provides case evidence of the underlying operations management issues and the associated analysis.
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Roger D.H. Warburton and Roy Stratton
The last 20 years has seen a relentless shift to offshore manufacturing as retailers chase ever‐lower labor costs. The results of this strategy can now be evaluated and we propose…
Abstract
The last 20 years has seen a relentless shift to offshore manufacturing as retailers chase ever‐lower labor costs. The results of this strategy can now be evaluated and we propose that some adjustments are in order. We analyze the case of a North American apparel manufacturer (Griffin Manufacturing, Inc.) that has successfully emerged from a period of major change with a strong and strategic position in the apparel supply chain. This case study documents Griffin’s survival through evolution in capabilities, technology, and especially attitude. The Griffin case study suggests that keeping a portion of the manufacturing onshore at an agile, quick response factory is cost effective: it increases sales and improves margins. However, the new relationship between the parties is much more complex and requires commitment on both sides.
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The purpose of this paper is to determine how and why theory of constraints based time buffer management has contributed to improved patient flow in health and social care…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine how and why theory of constraints based time buffer management has contributed to improved patient flow in health and social care applications.
Design/methodology/approach
The focus of the research is on the application and implementation of time buffer management by QFI Consulting. Four UK hospital implementations of the QFI Jonah software and methodology were investigated to establish how buffer management was being applied and why the reported benefits were being achieved. This involved collecting service delivery data together with semi‐structured interviews. To support this evaluation, four control functions of time buffer management have been identified as a basis for evaluation of the application designs and their implementation.
Findings
Case research evidence shows significant and rapid improvement in length of stay (LOS) following implementation of the approach, amounting to a reduction in LOS of over 20 per cent and significantly improved accident and emergency performance. Sustainability issues were evident however and were traced, at least in part, to lack of adherence to one or more of the functional elements of the system.
Research limitations/implications
This case research has considered four applications that represent some of the more successful implementations. This research is, therefore, limited by the range of applications considered and is also limited in its ability to evaluate the sustainability of the implementations in the longer term.
Practical implications
This paper provides clearer theoretical understanding of the improvements experienced by these hospitals, which is critical to expanding the use of traditional manufacturing approaches into complex service environments.
Originality/value
This research has helped conceptualise how time buffer management control functions can be structured to evaluate the design and implementation of novel applications.
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The key constructs and causal relationships underpinning supply chain dynamics have long been established but this understanding is not readily related to more recently developed…
Abstract
Purpose
The key constructs and causal relationships underpinning supply chain dynamics have long been established but this understanding is not readily related to more recently developed supply chain models and theory. The purpose of this paper is to use a case to investigate how selected constructs (variation, uncertainty, performance trade‐offs and buffering mechanisms) may be used to show the dominant causal relationships and through that enhance the theoretical explanation of such models.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a single case study that was selected because the transition in supply chain management strategy clearly questioned the need for improved causal reasoning. The case research sources include interviews, temporal performance data and multiple site visits across three echelons of the supply chain.
Findings
The cause and effect logic underpinning the case transition have been explained and mapped using these constructs which have then been used to propose enhancements to the Fisher supply chain strategy model in generalising theoretical guidance.
Practical implications
These constructs, together with the generic strategies, provide additional clarity concerning generic options for strategic improvement as well as causal understanding of the buffering implications.
Originality/value
This paper uses a case study to enhance current theory by exploring means of better supporting theoretical prediction and explanation.
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Martin Christopher, Helen Peck and Denis Towill
The purpose of this paper is to address the increasingly important question of supply chain design for global operations. With the rise of off‐shore sourcing and the simultaneous…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the increasingly important question of supply chain design for global operations. With the rise of off‐shore sourcing and the simultaneous need for improved responsiveness to customer demand, the choice of supply chain strategy is critical.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws its conclusions from case‐based research supported by survey data.
Findings
The paper provides evidence that the choice of supply chain strategy should be based upon a careful analysis of the demand/supply characteristics of the various product/markets served by a company. It presents the basis for a taxonomy of appropriate supply chain strategies.
Research limitations/implications
The case studies and empirical research reported in this paper are specific to the clothing manufacturing and fashion industries and there would be benefit in extending the research into other sectors.
Practical implications
Given the increasing trend to out‐sourcing and off‐shore sourcing, the choice of supply chain strategy is of some significance and clearly impacts competitive performance.
Originality/value
Whilst there is a growing recognition of the need to match the supply chain to the market, there is still limited research into what criteria should be utilised to aid the choice of supply chain strategy. This paper attempts to extend our understanding of the issues.
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DURING the past twelve years there have been six investigations of the spectral transmission of light through fog, mist, or liaze carried out in the United States. The conditions…
Abstract
DURING the past twelve years there have been six investigations of the spectral transmission of light through fog, mist, or liaze carried out in the United States. The conditions of the tests have been varied. Three of the researches were made with fog chambers; three with natural fogs. One was made with a path of only 1·9 m. (6·2 ft.); the longest path was 1,200 m. (3,900 ft.). One of the fogs was so light that a 1,000,000 candle‐power airway beacon could be seen 13 km. (8 miles); the densest would permit such a beacon to be seen only 0·03 km. (0·02 mile). One investigator scarcely covered the entire visible spectrum. Two included the infra‐red as far as 3·0 microns and 2·5 microns respectively, and the latter of these extended his work as far as 0·324 micron in the ultra‐violet. It is not surprising that curves based on data taken under such diverse conditions should show little resemblance to one another.
Ines Testoni, Lorenza Palazzo, Teresa Tosatto, Livia Sani, Gabriella Rossi and Jenny Ferizoviku
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of social isolation of minors with a parent or grandparent suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to…
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of social isolation of minors with a parent or grandparent suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to determine whether the psychological support offered by an Italian no-profit association helped them to manage stress.
Methodology: This study followed a qualitative research design. The participants responded to in-depth interviews that were processed with inductive thematic analysis.
Findings: Five themes emerged: feedback on the psychological intervention; learning and changes after the intervention; discourses on illness and death in the family; experiences and difficulties during the lockdown and suggestions for other peers who might face the same situation.
Social Implications: Psychological support is necessary for these minors, and it helped them to manage both the stress of living with ALS and the limitations of social relationships during the pandemic. It showed the importance of authentic and honest communication about illness and death that allowed minors to manage anxiety and fear. Positive reinterpretation of these experiences by transforming them into opportunities was also revealed.
Originality: Studies on families with ALS patients are numerous, but studies on children of these patients are still rare, and no study has investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these children. This research investigated a topic that has not been covered previously and it also provided the opportunity to know how these children, preadolescents and adolescents living in an already complex environment, have experienced lockdown and restrictions. The study also enriched the literature on this important issue.
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Nickie D. Phillips and Nicholas Chagnon
Purpose: In this chapter, the authors posit that, shadowing the etiological crises in criminology, much crime media scholarship remains “lost in the mediascape.” The authors…
Abstract
Purpose: In this chapter, the authors posit that, shadowing the etiological crises in criminology, much crime media scholarship remains “lost in the mediascape.” The authors outline why dominant positivist methodologies in crime media scholarship leave us lost and offer tools that researchers may use for better wayfinding in this complex and dynamic environment.
Methodology/approach: Drawing on the concept of liquid criminology, the authors join a growing chorus in the crime media field calling for methodological and theoretical concepts more reflective of the social dimensions of liquid modernity, that is, uncertainty, ambiguity, impermanence, precarity, etc.
Findings: The conditions of liquid modernity inform a mediascape characterized by an abundance of data, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories resulting in collective disorientation and the inability to form coherent narratives about the past, present, or future. As such, these conditions defy positivistic conventions like representative sampling and demand new, imaginative approaches to the study of crime media. To that end, informed by the cultural criminological perspective, the authors offer two methodologies and one theoretical concept.
Research limitations: The authors believe our methodological and theoretical suggestions are best suited for analyzing themes and concepts among discourse around crime incidents that have significant legal and social implications. The authors offer no definitive answers, but hope to begin building a better toolbox for wayfinding in this digital wilderness.
Originality/value: The currently dominant methodology within crime media scholarship is a poor fit with contemporary media culture. Here, the authors begin to remedy that by proposing an orientation that fits better with the fluid, uncertain, and dynamic media environment that permeates our social world.