Mohammed Almomani, Abdelhakim Abdelhadi, Hamid Seifoddini and Yue Xiaohang
The purpose of this paper is to develop a preventive maintenance (PM) model that encounters the problems of traditional methods of conducting PM within high component/machine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a preventive maintenance (PM) model that encounters the problems of traditional methods of conducting PM within high component/machine variety environments.
Design/methodology/approach
A new platform to conduct planning of the PM actions by using clustering based on the Group Technology concept to create PM virtual cells of equipment/machines is introduced. A real case study at Arab Potash Company was used to illustrate the model. The component/machine variety that requires PM at the considered company is in thousands of items.
Findings
PM for high component/machine environments are not enough addressed in the literature. The concept of clustering and similarity coefficient was used and found very useful to model this situation.
Practical implications
The proposed procedure will assist maintenance managers/engineers in too many ways. It will help to optimize the inventory of the spare parts, and to create standard process plan for executing the preventive maintenance operation.
Originality/value
This paper presents a new procedure to implement preventive maintenance in high component/machine environments using clustering technique concept. Models that address this concept are rare and very limited in the literature.
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Abdelhakim Abdelhadi, Layth C. Alwan and Xiaohang Yue
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact on the cost of materials used to conduct preventive maintenance (PM). The main motivation for this work is to demonstrate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact on the cost of materials used to conduct preventive maintenance (PM). The main motivation for this work is to demonstrate how the group technology concept can be used to improve PM operations. In assessing improvement, the impact on the cost of materials used to conduct PM is investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the similarities between machines required maintenance and failure types, machines are grouped together into virtual cells using similarity coefficients. These cells, then, are used to come up with more efficient planning and scheduling procedures to conduct PM operations including inventory of parts and the execution of maintenance operations.
Findings
The results demonstrated that the proposed PM approach could provide a significant cost savings over a traditional PM program, especially in industries for which there is considerable material cost for the performance of PM.
Originality/value
The results presented in this paper are reliable, objective, and may be expanded by using the same concept of developing virtual cells to group other types manufacturing operations.
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Lifang Wu, Xiaohang Yue, Alan Jin and David C. Yen
As traditional supply chains are increasingly becoming intelligent with more objects embedded with sensors and better communication, intelligent decision making and automation…
Abstract
Purpose
As traditional supply chains are increasingly becoming intelligent with more objects embedded with sensors and better communication, intelligent decision making and automation capabilities, the new smart supply chain presents unprecedented opportunities for achieving cost reduction and enhancing efficiency improvement. The purpose of this paper is to study and explore the currents status and remaining issues of smart supply chain management.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review is conducted to synthesize the earlier work in this area, and to conceptualize and discuss the smart supply chain characteristics. Further, the authors formulate and investigate five key research topics including information management, IT infrastructure, process automation, advanced analytics, and supply chain integration.
Findings
Studies in those aforementioned subject fields are reviewed, categorized, and analyzed based on the review questions defined in the study. It is notable that while the topics of converging atoms with digits are increasingly attracting attention from researchers and practitioners alike, there are many more interesting research questions needing to be addressed.
Originality/value
The paper provides original and relevant guidance for supply chain management researchers and practitioners on developing smart supply chains.
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Keywords
Marketing Management, Business Strategy and Promotion & Advertising.
Abstract
Subject area
Marketing Management, Business Strategy and Promotion & Advertising.
Study level/applicability
Associated degree, undergraduate and graduate students as well as executives from profit-making organizations.
Case overview
Groupon is the world's largest daily-deal Web site and a pioneer in the group-buying industry. The major feature of the company's business model is that merchants use Groupon as a platform to offer coupons with a discounted price, and the coupon buyers can then redeem these coupons. Groupon has done business in over 50 countries and, by 2012, had over 39.5 million subscribers received its daily news. It had a 59.1 per cent share of the daily-deals market in 2013. Groupon is a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ in the USA, trading under the ticker symbol of “GPRN”.
Expected learning outcomes
The students' business knowledge and skills will be sharpened by working through this case, and students will be challenged to identify solutions to the marketing concerns: specifically, how the driving approach of its daily-deal business model enabled the company to adopt a growth strategy that will confront the difficulties of the emergent “golden age” of the daily-deal industry in the twenty-first century. In addition, it will also be of help to the students to take the active roles of thinker, analyst, evaluator, decision-maker and implementer to evaluate the continuing changes in a competitive environment and consider how Groupon can seize available opportunities to predict future performance by comparing data from 2008 and 2012.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
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Small to medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, play a critical role in the global economy. They comprise 90% of the global firm population and employ more than 50% of the labor force in…
Abstract
Small to medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, play a critical role in the global economy. They comprise 90% of the global firm population and employ more than 50% of the labor force in the private sector. This case study examines issues related to sustainable supply chain management and social entrepreneurship in the SME context. Being small does matter and the efficiencies of small to medium-sized companies struggling for competitive advantage in the global marketplace warrants consideration. Philosopher's Wool Co., located in Inverhuron, Ontario, Canada, is a woolen producer and woolens product manufacturer that partners with other Ontario wool producers and American wool processors and distributors. Its sustainable vertical supply chain system increased local woolen farmers' revenues contrary to the “conventional” price wisdom in the Canadian woolen industry and turned by-product cost into profitable end use. It also effected social change in its local business community and in global customer relations through resource efficiency and socially responsible employee and consumer policies. However, the struggle to maintain a foreign distribution network and remain competitive and profitable was problematic. Students are challenged to solve the problems of an SME operating in a global economy.
Xiaohang Ren, Shuiling Hu, Xianming Sun and Dan Zhou
This paper investigates the impact of AI penetration rate on the degree of corporate greenwashing and aims to assess the potential of AI in enhancing firms' environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the impact of AI penetration rate on the degree of corporate greenwashing and aims to assess the potential of AI in enhancing firms' environmental performance and reducing false disclosures.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a year and firm fixed-effects model to analyze data from Chinese listed firms from 2012 to 2022. We use the low-carbon city pilot as a quasi-natural experiment to address endogeneity concerns and conduct a series of robustness tests, including adding control variables and transforming the model.
Findings
The results of this paper show that the application of AI can inhibit firms' greenwashing behavior, with green innovation activities further enhancing this inhibitory effect. In state-owned firms and those with Party Organizations, the inhibitory effect of AI on corporate greenwashing is more significant. This reduction in greenwashing is more likely to be observed in firms that are heavily influenced by Confucian culture, receive higher public attention regarding their environmental impact, face less market competition, suffer from more serious pollution and face less financial constraints.
Originality/value
We propose a new research perspective that offers novel insights into promoting the green development of firms by revealing the potential of AI in reducing their greenwashing behavior. Corporate boards can explore specific strategies for applying AI to monitor, prevent and correct greenwashing, thereby enhancing corporate environmental performance and social responsibility.
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Yixin Qiu, Ying Tang, Xiaohang Ren, Andrea Moro and Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary
This study aims to investigate the relationship between corporate environmental responsibility (CER) and risk-taking in Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2020. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between corporate environmental responsibility (CER) and risk-taking in Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2020. It seeks to understand the influence of CER on risk-taking behavior and explore potential moderating factors.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative approach is used, using data from Chinese A-share listed companies over the specified period. Regression analysis is used to examine the relationship between CER and risk-taking, while considering moderating variables such as performance aspiration, environmental enrichment and contextual factors.
Findings
The findings indicate that CER positively influences corporate risk-taking, with significant impacts on information asymmetry and corporate reputation. Moreover, positive performance aspiration strengthens the effect of CER on risk-taking, while negative performance aspiration and environmental enrichment weaken this effect. Cross-sectional analysis shows that the positive association between CER and risk-taking is more prominent for firms located in areas with strict environmental regulation, for nonstate-owned firms, and for firms with higher levels of internal control.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the literature by providing insights into the dynamics between CER and risk-taking in the Chinese market context. It expands existing knowledge by considering the influence of performance aspiration on this relationship, offering practical implications for firms seeking to enhance corporate performance through strategic management of environmental responsibilities.