bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technical systems in intelligent clothing with active thermal protection
Authors: Firšt Rogale Snježana , Rogale Dubravko , Dragčević Zvonko , Nikolić Gojko , Bartoš Milivoj
Published: June 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the practical construction of a patented intelligent article of clothing with active thermal protection, outer shell with a variable thickness, system of thermoinsulating chambers, sensors and measuring systems, microcontroller and control system, actuator system and power supply system based on hardware aspect.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on practical construction and software aspect, a measuring and control program with algorithm of intelligent behavior is presented.

Findings

An intelligent article of clothing with thermal protection like a complex technical system consisting of a very complex architecture connected by different bus types to constitute a complex system acting synchronously and effectively controlled by the microcontroller containing the program which is based on the algorithm of the intelligent behavior.

Research limitations/implications

The technical systems described represent a suitable basis for experiments and scientific research during the introduction of intelligent clothing with active thermal protection into human life.

Practical implications

Introduction of intelligent clothing into human life.

Originality/value

The prototype of an intelligent article of clothing with active thermal protection was designed and constructed. At the moment it is being subjected to the first experiments of functional investigations of intelligent clothing with active thermal protection.
Effects of price promotions on the perceived price
Authors: Campo Sara , Yagüe María J.
Published: June 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to incorporate the study of the effect of price promotions into the traditional scheme of perceived price.

Design/methodology/approach

The model is validated with an empirical analysis and applied to the study of the purchase behavior of a tour package.

Findings

The results point out that price promotions directly and indirectly affect the formation process of perceived price. Thus, some differences are observed in the intensity of the above‐mentioned relationship according to the tendency of the consumer to seek advantageous prices. The results obtained might therefore be of great help to service managers in scheduling their promotional activities.

Originality/value

A theoretical model that captures the effect of promotions in the consumer's price perception is configured.
Purchased business services influence downstream supply chain members
Authors: Vandaele Darline , Gemmel Paul
Published: June 2007

Purpose

Supply chain management and business networks have gained increased attention in services settings. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of external purchased services by a service provider on the satisfaction of downstream supply chain members, i.e. end‐users. The focus is on transaction‐specific satisfaction as it provides in‐depth information on specific satisfaction elements.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the propositions, one business service provider purchasing a service from an external supplier is selected. Data are collected by sending a web survey to the business service provider's customers. partial least squares (PLS) is used to analyze the data as transaction‐specific satisfaction is considered as a formative construct.

Findings

PLS analyses indicate that the elements determining satisfaction with the external supplier and those determining satisfaction with the business service provider differ. Moreover, transaction‐specific satisfaction of end‐users with the external supplier's service is positively related to transaction‐specific satisfaction of end‐users with the service provider's service. Furthermore, the strength of that relationship is influenced by the importance attached to the external supplier's service by the end‐users.

Research limitations/implications

First, the position of the customer in the supply chain influences how the service delivery is evaluated. Second, the relevance of service supply chains and business networks are confirmed. The relationship between supplier and provider and between provider and end‐user are interconnected. The strength of that relationship interconnectedness is influenced by importance attached to the purchased service. Future research is needed to extend the findings of this study to other services settings.

Originality/value

The results of the paper indicate that service providers should pay more attention to services purchased from external suppliers and to those suppliers' selection and evaluation, even when these services are considered less strategically valuable.
Great expectations? Heliocentrism, semantics and the records manager
Authors: Benfell Peter
Published: June 2007

Purpose

This paper sets out to explore the role of the records manager and to consider what is expected of them. It aims to encourage and challenge all information professionals to re‐examine and explore their own expectations of the recordkeeping profession in the first instance, and of the relationship between recordkeeping and other information professions.

Design/methodology/approach

The subject is approached in the paper by considering changes to the ways in which records have been created and managed, and to changes in theoretical thinking about records, particularly the life cycle versus the continuum. This is used to support the argument that boundaries between different information‐related professions are blurring and that information professionals need to re‐evaluate their own expectations of themselves, and of the other professions.

Findings

The paper has developed a model which extrapolates shared elements of the information professions and consists of a central “meta‐purpose” whose attainment is influenced by four “purposing activities” and five “information aspects”. This model can be used as a framework to discern points of similarity/difference between professions and understand where points of potential conflict and complement might occur. The underlying thesis that the role of records managers continues to change and that the boundaries between professions are blurring is extended to all information professionals. Each is encouraged to understand more about the others and to acknowledge that understanding respective strengths is the best way to attaining a shared “meta‐purpose”.

Originality/value

The “characteristic model” for the information professions provides a new way of thinking about the similarities and differences between those who deal in information. It is of value to records managers in particular, but also to those working in the field of information.
Implementing international standards: first, know your organisation
Authors: Oliver Gillian
Published: June 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that implementation strategies for ISO 15489 need to be tailored to suit organisations, taking into account their unique features as well as the broader cultural environment, including societal legislative and standards frameworks.

Design/methodology/approach

Three different organisational settings are described and compared in the paper.

Findings

The paper finds that strategies for implementation of international standards should be devised accordingly to suit different information cultures.

Practical implications

Successful implementation of international standards is more likely if the cultural characteristics of the organisation are understood.

Originality/value

This research will assist in promoting best practice in records management.
Education and training for records professionals
Authors: Anderson Karen
Published: June 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the definitions of and the differences between education and training and the role of each in nurturing and supporting lifelong learning for records professionals: records managers and archivists.

Design/methodology/approach

General definitions of “education”, “training”, “competence” and “competencies” have been deliberately selected as an accessible starting‐point for reflection. Different models for competencies and the lack of consensus on what constitutes an appropriate competency model for the profession are considered.

Findings

Education provides new professionals with knowledge of theory of the discipline and helps them to explore current practice. It provides the information‐seeking skills and encourages a reflective habit that underpins independent lifelong learning. Training focuses on acquisition of specific skills and competencies necessary in the workplace. More is needed for a viable professional future; education for research is essential to the development of professional knowledge and for the survival of education programmes in universities.

Practical implications

Professional associations as leaders of opinion and practice have an important role in finding the way forward. Although competency standards are more appropriate for evaluating training programmes, professional associations which have embraced competency standards have attempted to use them to evaluate education programmes, but prefer not to consider evaluating training programmes and training providers.

Originality/value

This paper aims to raise awareness of the need to give appropriate weight to education, training and research to ensure that records professionals are known for high levels of competence as well as productive reflection and creative forward thinking.
Career commitment among records management personnel in a State Civil Service in Nigeria
Authors: Popoola Sunday O. , Oluwole David A.
Published: June 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the career commitment of records management personnel in a State Civil Service in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were used to gather data from a population of 294 records management personnel in the 26 ministries/establishments of the State Civil Service. A total of 280 of them responded and their questionnaires were found to be valid for analysis. The response rate achieved was 95.2 per cent.

Findings

The study found that: there was no significant gender difference in the career commitment of the respondents, there was significant difference in the career commitment of single and married respondents; there was significant negative relationship between job tenure, levels of education and career commitment of the respondents. However, their was positive relationship between age and the respondents' career commitment. The results are based on Z‐tests at the 5 per cent significance level.

Practical implications

It is recommended that the policy‐makers in the Osun State Civil Service should consider the biographical variables of the records management personnel when planning and making decisions on their career commitment.

Originality/value

The paper provides valuable information on the career commitment of records management personnel in the Osun State Civil Service.
Measuring and Selling the Value of Logistics
Authors: Lambert Douglas M. , Burduroglu Renan
Published: June 2007

In order to receive adequate rewards for the firm's innovations and performance in logistics, managers have to measure and sell the value that is being provided to customers. Value, once determined, must be sold to customers and also to top management within the firm. There are several value metrics mentioned in the literature, ranging in financial sophistication from customer satisfaction to shareholder value including: customer satisfaction, customer value‐added (CVA), total cost analysis, segment profitability analysis, strategic profit model and shareholder value. While customer satisfaction and CVA may lead to the achievement of higher shareholder value, the specific connection to changes in value for the customer or the supplier are typically not made. The other measures focus on the measurement of value in financial terms. However, financial measurements such as total cost analysis only capture part of the value created by logistics. One of the problems faced by logistics professionals over the years is that logistics has been viewed simply as a cost that needs to be reduced. Segment profitability analysis and the strategic profit model are more complete measures of the impact of logistics, but they are used to evaluate historical performance and lack measures of risk and the time value of money that are included in shareholder value.
Postponement Strategies for Channel Derivatives
Authors: Eric Johnson M. , Anderson Emily
Published: June 2007

The value of postponing product differentiation until final distribution for manufacturers who market a family of product derivatives through multiple channels is examined. A model is developed of a supply chain that distributes many short‐lived products through different channels. Using the model, we find the postponement is particularly valuable for managing short‐life products. Postponement increases distribution service levels while reducing costs and order fulfillment risk. Postponement is particularly valuable when there are many derivative products and forecast error is high. Trade‐off curves are presented, that allow managers to evaluate the benefits of investing in postponement strategies.
The Role of Third‐Party Logistics Providers in Mass Customization
Authors: van Hoek Remko I.
Published: June 2007

Mass customization is coming to the forefront of international supply chains, contributing to an increasing focus on postponement. Third‐party logistics providers, are targeting postponement applications as an extension of their service portfolios. Findings from a multi‐annual survey (1996‐1999) are presented to generate insights into the supply chain mechanisms service providers can use to develop postponement services. A framework for achieving extension of their activities is then developed.
Measuring Delivery Process Performance
Authors: Kallio Jukka , Saarinen Timo , Tinnilä Markku , Vepsäläinen Ari P.J.
Published: June 2007

The focus on reengineering in the early 1990s, and the more recent emphasis on process management and change management have increased both practitioners and researchers interest in the issues of measuring processes. The contradictory results of process change projects reported in the literature and our observations from research suggest conflicting requirements for measurement systems. In this article, we review process measurement schemes with particular emphasis on the measures of time, quality, costs and efficiency. With five case studies, we illustrate process structures and related measurements for both customized and standardized deliveries. A framework for setting objectives for different process types is proposed. The result is a normative scheme for different processes that suggests ways to set meaningful objectives for time, quality, costs and efficiency. Finally, conclusions and implications are presented.
The Role of Just‐In‐Time in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Vokurka Robert J. , Lummus Rhonda R.
Published: June 2007

In today's competitive environment, markets are becoming more international, dynamic, and customer‐driven. Customers are demanding more variety, better quality and service, including both reliability and faster delivery. Technological developments are occurring at a faster pace, resulting in new product innovations and improvements in manufacturing processes. The resulting competitive environment requires low cost, high quality products in increasing varieties. These changes have instigated changes in business and manufacturing strategies.
The Convergent Carrier: A Critical Factor in Supply Chain Compression
Authors: Wagner William B. , Frankel Robert
Published: June 2007

Due to the increasingly competitive global business environment supply chain compression (reducing or eliminating the number of unnecessary logistical activities in a given supply chain) will be imperative for carriers, shippers and customers. Consequently, a premium will be paid for those carriers that are convergent. That is, convergent carriers performance must exceed expectations regarding achievement of established logistics cost and service objectives by performing whatever functions are required to satisfy supply chain participants. Such carriers will proactively work with both shippers and their customers to compress the supply chain by limiting unwanted actions while accomplishing mutually beneficial goals. In so doing, service to their customers is being elevated to the next level.
Using Agency Theory to Design Successful Outsourcing Relationships
Authors: Logan Mary S.
Published: June 2007

Outsourcing affects thousands of companies and employees every year. Recent studies indicate that 85 per cent of all companies outsource at least one function generating billions of dollars in outsourcing contracts (ElmutiElute, KathwalaKithara & Monippallil, 1995). Transportation is one of outsourcing's biggest players. Many outsourcing attempts have proved unsuccessful and recent articles blame these failures on failed outsourcing relationships. This paper addresses these failed relationships and suggests two possible solutions to the problem. The first solution is to diagnose the relationship from both sides of the contract. The second suggestion is to engage agency theory to help design the types of contracts and relationships necessary to provide and support an environment of trust.
Strategy and Relationships: Defining the Interface in Supply Chain Contexts
Authors: Peck Helen , Jüttner Uta
Published: June 2007

The emergence of the network organization is a phenomenon that has given rise to much comment and analysis. These virtual organizations are characterized by a confederation of specialist skills or capabilities provided by the network members. It is argued that in turbulent environments such collaborative arrangements can provide a more effective means of satisfying customer needs at a profit than the single firm undertaking multiple value‐creating activities. The implications of the network organization for relationship management are considerable. In particular, the challenges to logistics management are profound. The analysis of relationships is clearly linked to competitive strategy in a network context, yet the exploration of the interface between relationships, strategy and supply chain management is far from complete. Therefore, this paper seeks to conceptualize the relationship strategy interface in supply chain contexts. A framework is proposed and its basic principles illustrated through an analysis of the development of relationship strategies between leading market players in the UK brewing industry.
Cost Knowledge: A Foundation for Improving Supply Chain Relationships
Authors: Norek Christopher D. , Pohlen Terrance L.
Published: June 2007

Imagine the reaction of your company's sales force when you tell them they are losing money selling to Wal‐Mart. To counter their objections, you explain the final delivered product cost exceeds the revenue generated by Wal‐Mart sales. The scenario may seem unrealistic based on the sales volume of mass merchant discounters such as Wal‐Mart, Kmart, and Target; however, manufacturers frequently do not know the cost to serve these merchants or the cost of the functions being shifted backwards in the supply chain. Additional services increase the cost of serving the big retail accounts and jeopardize supplier profitability. While it is understandable that retailers want to lower their costs by eliminating tasks they perform, retailers also need their suppliers to obtain a reasonable margin to ensure the availability of product from a high quality supplier. It is necessary to ensure that selling to these large retail accounts is profitable by determining the costs of serving them.
Growth Strategies for Logistics Service Providers: A Case Study
Authors: Persson Gøran , Virum Helge
Published: June 2007

This article is based on two studies, partly financed by the Norwegian Research Council. The first study was carried out in six organizations cooperating in two supply chain alliances. The purpose of this study was to develop a set of hypotheses concerning logistics service providers and their roles in supply chain alliances. The second study, involved interviews carried out in 12 different logistics organizations, and concerned their perception of future trends and future position. The purpose of this article is to highlight and to describe some of the major findings in the two studies on growth strategies for logistics service providers. We propose a matrix categorizing the players and their strategic position. Given the pressures in the industry and the individual strategic position, the strategic choices in fact are limited, leading to some dominating strategic directions that to a certain extent, also explain the structural changes in the industry.
Relationship Management in the Supply Chain
Authors: Hingley Martin
Published: June 2007

In this paper, the focus is on relationship management and its implications for Small‐Medium Enterprise suppliers (SMEs). Specific insights are provided into retailer‐supplier relationships in the UK fresh produce (fruit and vegetable) market. This sector faces a process of concentration in all parts of the supply chain determined by backward vertical integration at the initiation of powerful multiple retail buyers. The author examines the nature of relationships in a generic product group from the perspective of buyers and sellers and their interaction, utilizing material from multiple depth interviews. Results concern issues of relationship formality, exclusivity, power‐dependency, relevance of organizational size, partnered growth potential and risk which lead to a number of provisional conclusions regarding the management of relationships in the supply chain
Supply Chain Design in the Food Industry
Authors: van der Vorst Jack G.A.J. , van Dijk Stephan J. , Beulens Adrie J.M.
Published: June 2007

The concepts of hybrid supply chain strategies and the decoupling point are applied to a poultry supply chain experiencing high demand uncertainty in an inflexible production environment. Several solutions are proposed for this supply chain to cope with high demand uncertainty. The customer order decoupling point, the product differentiation point and the information decoupling point play a central role in these solutions. Because of specific characteristics of the poultry supply chain, the opportunities for a leagile supply chain design are limited.
The Supply Chain Role of Third‐Party Logistics Providers
Authors: Bolumole Yemisi A.
Published: June 2007

Outsourcing, the strategy in which organizations employ the services of external providers, has attracted growing interest. Academic and industrial attention has also focused on the role of seamless supply chain processes in achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. This research is based on petrol retailers in the UK that have adopted logistics outsourcing strategies for implementing supply chain solutions to their convenience‐goods operations. Its aim is to identify the factors, which influence outsourcing decisions and the nature and supply chain implications of outsourcing strategies. Research findings indicate that the capability of service providers to facilitate supply chain solutions is largely influenced by four main factors, which in turn substantially determine their role in the supply chain: the strategic orientation of the outsourcing organization; its perception of service providers' role within the logistics strategy; the nature of the resultant client‐provider relationship; and, the extent to which the logistics process is outsourced.
Developing Market Specific Supply Chain Strategies
Authors: Christopher Martin , Towill Denis R.
Published: June 2007

The issues underlying the appropriate matching of pipelines to marketplace needs under conditions of demand volatility and price pressure are examined. The authors describe a scenario where the philosophy of “one size fits all” does not apply to pipeline design, implementation, and control. Research conducted by the authors and others is used to show how appropriate global supply chain strategies can be developed contingent upon market characteristics and which seek simultaneously to achieve higher levels of customer responsiveness at less total cost to the supply chain as a whole. The selection of the right strategy within a supply chain lends itself to a taxonomic approach. We find that three dimensions (leading to eight possible configurations) are adequate for this purpose. These key dimensions are product characteristics, demand characteristics and replenishment lead‐time.
Measuring Logistics Performance Using the Strategic Profit Model
Authors: Stapleton Drew , Hanna Joe B. , Yagla Steve , Johnson Jay , Markussen Dan
Published: June 2007

One useful way to determine how a proposed system change will influence profit performance and return on assets is by using the Strategic Profit Model (SPM). The SPM demonstrates that Return on Net Worth (RONW) is a function of three factors management can control: net profit, asset turnover and financial leverage. We derive and explain the SPM and then apply the model to six different firms in the footwear industry. We, offer the SPM as a normative tool and use its predictive ability to offer insights to the logistics managers for each firm. We illustrate how the SPM can help maintain operational superiority or initiate a turnaround depending on whether the company is a financially strong or a struggling firm. Results expose certain common elements differentiating firms outperforming the marketplace from those less fortunate.
Assessing the Operational Cost of Offshore Sourcing Strategies
Authors: Lowson Robert H.
Published: June 2007

This paper reports on an empirical study to construct an objective and quantifiable method to assess the cost of sourcing from low wage, foreign suppliers. The work details development of a Total Acquisition Cost Model (TACM) that can be used to quantify the supply system costs associated with such sourcing strategies. In so doing, we explore the sourcing policies of a number of European and North American retailers operating in consumer goods sectors. A detailed case study demonstrates the potential inflexibility cost of offshore as opposed to onshore procurement. The research reveals how an understanding of these various metrics can be used to customize an operations strategy; reflecting the contingencies of the particular trading environment
Manufacturing Sourcing Practices and Relationships
Authors: Baines Tim , Kay Gwyn
Published: June 2007

Product‐sourcing practices can impact the competitiveness of an organization's products and services. Many sourcing practices exist and the challenge is to find the right practice, for the right product, at the right time. This paper describes a survey of 3,500 of UK companies, and reports on current and intended manufacturing sourcing practices; the associated decision‐making processes; and, the principal motives behind sourcing decisions. Key findings demonstrate a strong and ambitious trend towards open, integrated relationships between manufacturers and their principal suppliers; sourcing decisions increasingly based on well‐structured analysis of business needs and capabilities; and, the chief motivators being financial and market factors.
Integration of Information Technology and Organizations in a Supply Chain
Authors: Bagchi Prabhir K. , Skjoett‐Larsen Tage
Published: June 2007

Ever since the Council of Logistics Management (CLM) adopted the definition of logistics in 1986, the integration of somewhat disparate activities of transportation, procurement, inventory control, distribution management, and customer service has been a major thrust in many firms. Realizing the synergy that exists in these functions, many companies have extended the concept further upstream and downstream to include entities outside the company to include vendors and their vendors and also customers and their customers. Experts predicted that integrated supply chains would enable these firms to compete better. How successful have companies been in integrating their supply chains? How pervasive integration has been in the supply chain? What were the challenges these firms faced in their journeys to achieve integration in their networks? How and when were they able to overcome these obstacles? In seeking to answer these questions, we examine the challenges faced by companies in integrating their supply chain networks using case studies among 14 European companies or European subsidiaries of global companies divided into five supply chains.
The Order Fulfillment Process
Authors: Croxton Keely L.
Published: June 2007

Order fulfillment is a key process in managing the supply chain. It is the customers' orders that put the supply chain in motion, and filling them efficiently and effectively is the first step in providing customer service. However, the order fulfillment process involves more than just filling orders. It is about designing a network and a process that permits a firm to meet customer requests while minimizing the total delivered cost. This involves more than logistics, and it needs to be implemented cross‐functionally and with the coordination of key suppliers and customers. In this paper the order fulfillment process is described in detail to show how it can be implemented within a company, and managed across firms in the supply chain. The, activities of each sub‐process are examined; the interfaces with functional silos, processes and firms are evaluated; and, examples of successful implementations are provided.
Reverse Logistics in the Automobile Aftermarket Industry
Authors: Daugherty Patricia J. , Glenn Richey R. , Hudgens Bryan J. , Autry Chad W.
Published: June 2007

Reverse logistics is one of the toughest supply chain challenges. One approach to achieving more effective reverse logistics is to adopt a relationship‐oriented perspective. Two aspects of a relationship‐orientation ‐ trust and relationship commitment ‐ were examined by surveying senior marketing and logistics personnel from the automotive aftermarket industry. Relationship commitment was found to mediate the relationship between trust and reverse logistics performance. Reverse logistics program performance was found to be more effective and efficient when relationship commitment was present.
Supply Chain Management as a Competitive Advantage in the Spanish Grocery Sector
Authors: Giménez Cristina , Ventura Eva
Published: June 2007

Adversarial relationships have been traditional in business, but Supply Chain Management (SCM) entails a new perspective. SCM requires a movement away from arms‐length relationships toward partnership style relations. In this paper, we studied the Spanish grocery sector to analyze the relationship between internal and external integration processes, their effect on firms' performance and their contribution to the achievement of competitive advantage. Performance improvements are analyzed through costs, stock‐out and lead‐time reductions. The achievement of a better competitive position is measured by comparing the firm's performance with its competitors' performance.
Supply Chain Event Management: Three Perspectives
Authors: Otto Andreas
Published: June 2007

Supply Chain Event Management (SCEM) addresses a fundamental business problem: inter‐organizational processes rarely execute as scheduled, since they happen in an environment prone to failure and disturbance. SCEM attempts to identify, as early as possible, the resulting deviations between the plan and its execution across the multitude of processes and actors in the supply chain to trigger corrective actions according to predefined rules. Despite SCEM's well documented attractiveness for practitioners, it has received little attention as a field of academic research. This paper provides an introduction into SCEM from three complementary perspectives: SCEM as a management concept; as a software solution; and as a software component. Each is analyzed in detail and potential fields of research on SCEM are presented.
The Customer Service Management Process
Authors: Bolumole Yemisi A. , Knemeyer A. Michael , Lambert Douglas M.
Published: June 2007

Customer service management is the supply chain management process that represents the firm's face to the customer. The process is the key point of contact for administering product and service agreements (PSAs) developed by customer teams as part of the customer relationship management process. The goal is to provide a single source of customer information, such as product availability, shipping dates and order status. Customer service management requires a real‐time system to respond to customer inquiries and facilitate order placement. In this paper, we describe the customer service management process in detail to demonstrate how it can be implemented and managed. To do this, we detail the activities of each strategic and operational sub‐process; evaluate the interfaces with the business functions, the other seven supply chain management processes; and describe examples of successful implementation.
Positioning the Role of Collaborative Planning in Grocery Supply Chains
Authors: Barratt Mark
Published: June 2007

Supply chain integration is to a large extent still only a promise, despite considerable efforts by organizations and their customers and suppliers. Lack of visibility across the supply chain together with adversarial relationships between members are significant barriers to supply chain integration. Collaborative planning, originating from the consumer packaged goods industry, is an approach that promises to overcome these barriers, and through join planning and development of a clearer understanding of the dynamics of the supply chain replenishment process to deliver some of the promised benefits of supply chain integration. To help position the concept of collaborative planning, various collaborative initiatives such as vendor‐managed inventory (VMI) and continuous replenishment (CR) and collaborative planning (CP) are reviewed. The evolution and the value of various collaborative planning initiatives are presented as well as how these initiatives are positioned within the overarching concept of supply chain management. Finally, a future research agenda is suggested.
Measuring Cash‐to‐Cash Performance
Authors: Theodore Farris M. , Hutchison Paul D.
Published: June 2007

The cash‐to‐cash (C2C) metric has evolved as one of the first measurements bridging across the firm. Therefore, it is important for managers to understand how the C2C metric is calculated, as well as how a company should compare in its C2C performance. In this paper, we define C2C and how to calculate it. Then, we provide an analysis and summary of C2C in 2001 for 5,884 companies using median performance by industry. A typology is introduced to classify industry performance using a 2 x 2 x 2 matrix based on the three variables of the C2C metric: accounts payable, inventory, and accounts receivable. We also consider how performance has changed since 1986, identify the key drivers to this change, and describe which industries have experienced the greatest change in C2C performance. Finally, managerial implications and future research questions are offered.
Firm‐wide integration and firm performance
Authors: Chen Haozhe , Mattioda Daniel D. , Daugherty Patricia J.
Published: June 2007

Purpose

This paper is intended to extend previous research by exploring the scope of integration and its impact on firm performance. In addition to, examining dyadic integrative relationships, the research also looks at firm‐wide process‐oriented integration.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature on collaboration and integration was reviewed along with discussions with subject experts. The resulting survey was administered to supply chain executives. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships between the constructs of marketing/logistics collaborative activities, firm‐wide cross‐functional integration, and firm performance.

Findings

This research shows that marketing/logistics collaboration does not have a direct impact on firm performance when firm‐wide integration is considered. The results indicate that marketing/logistics collaboration increases firm performance through the mediation of firm‐wide cross‐functional integration. Additionally, dyadic collaboration needs the support of broader firm‐wide integration to achieve better firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents an initial quantitative study on the scope of integration. Future research should examine other influential factors and explore the relationship between internal integration and external integration. Further, studies should also investigate the order in which firm processes should be integrated.

Practical implications

The primary implication is that firms can follow a path starting with focused dyadic collaborative behaviors involving as few as two functional areas and move towards firm‐wide integration of processes over time.

Originality/value

This paper shows that functional level collaboration (logistics and marketing) is a precursor for firm‐wide integration leading to increased firm performance.
An exploratory framework of the role of inventory and warehousing in international supply chains
Authors: Baker Peter
Published: June 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explore the role of inventory and warehousing within international supply chains and, from this, to develop an exploratory framework that assists understanding in the area.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on case studies of 13 supply chains in six companies, using pipeline mapping techniques, questionnaires, quantitative measures of lead times, and Likert scales to measure the perceptions of supply chain managers to risk.

Findings

The results indicate that, for these case study supply chains, the supplier lead times were far in excess of the customer lead times and that, with the exception of new product lines, demand therefore needed to be supplied from inventory. In addition, inventory was a common risk mitigation strategy against the possibility of random demand variability and transportation delays. Based on these findings, an exploratory framework was developed to integrate such factors as inventory reduction strategies, risk management and inventory control theory.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is required to develop this exploratory framework in more detail so that it can help practitioners arrive at the most appropriate solutions. It is proposed that this is conducted initially in the fast moving consumer goods or retail sectors, so as to build on this research, and that this should include the upstream supply networks. Other types of industry sectors should then be explored.

Practical implications

It is intended that the exploratory framework put forward in this paper can form the basis for further research in the area and to develop useful tools for practitioners.

Originality/value

The literatures on inventory control theory and inventory reduction strategies have been largely separate to date. The findings of this paper lead to an exploratory framework to start to bring these areas together.
Ensuring supply chain safety through time temperature integrators
Authors: Sahin Evren , Zied Babaï Mohamed , Dallery Yves , Vaillant Renaud
Published: June 2007

Purpose

The technology of time temperature integrators (TTI) is used to ensure the safety and quality of temperature sensitive goods such as food and drugs along their entire lifespan. This work aims to provide a better understanding of potential benefits that can be expected from the use of TTIs in terms of supply chain improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the different types of information provided by TTIs: information on products' freshness and information on products' remaining shelf lives, the paper identifies qualitatively the benefits that would stem from each type of information.

Findings

A framework is built to evaluate the benefits, in terms of cost reduction and/or quality service improvement, that would stem from information provided by TTIs. Illustrative models are also developed in order to quantify some of these benefits.

Research limitations/implications

The coexistence on products' packaging of a printed use by date and a TTI device can be misleading for consumers. Besides, the benefits that supply chain actors will achieve by using TTIs will vary by product category and are dependent upon the level at which the TTI device is used. Further research and case studies have to be developed in order to bring further answers to these issues.

Practical implications

This paper is one of the first studies that helps companies in the food and the health care industry to better understand the benefits of using TTIs from an operations management point of view and to evaluate whether it can be advantageous to deploy this technology or not.

Originality/value

This work differs from investigations in literature in that it identifies exhaustively and qualitatively the benefits of TTIs and to give perspectives for quantitative models that can be developed to assess these benefits.
Logistics: Perspectives for the 1990s
Authors: LaLonde Bernard J. , Masters James M.
Published: June 2007

The decade of the 1980s has been witness to a long period of stable, sustained economic growth in the American economy, with moderate inflation, favourable interest rates, and steady growth in GNP. The decade has been remarkably free of the economic turmoil that marred the 1970s ‐ double digit inflation, double digit prime interest rates, the energy crisis. Nevertheless, the last nine years have brought with them profound changes in the national economy and in the global marketplace which will radically alter the way a modern enterprise does business. Some of the most significant changes will occur in the firm's logistics processes and practices. These changes will present challenges, and opportunities, to every firm in every industry. The Fortune 500 of the year 1999 will consist of those companies who understand the challenges and seize the opportunity which they represent ‐ the opportunity to fashion a logistics system which is tuned to the realities of the future.
Controlling Input: The Real Key to Shorter Lead Times
Authors: Fry Timothy D.
Published: June 2007

Operations managers are now more than ever acutely aware of the importance of Manufacturing Lead Times (MLT). Tremendous advantages such as increased flexibility, increased responsiveness, decreased work in process (WIP) inventories, improved due date performance, and decreased finished goods inventory can be realized with a shorter MLT. Unfortunately, US manufacturers have not been very successful at efforts to reduce MLT. This is especially true for those companies using MRP. In MRP, component lead times are often exaggerated to insure that sufficient time is available for the completion of all components. With the exaggeration of component lead times comes an increased manufacturing lead time. Also, due to the normally accepted weekly time bucket, a product with six levels in its bill of materials requires a minimum of six weeks to manufacture. A second reason US companies have failed to significantly reduce MLT is the over‐emphasis on machine utilizations. When plant performance is based on overall utilization, shop floor foremen try to maintain a sufficient level of work in front of their department to ensure that the machines are never starved. As a result of these large queues at each workcentre, a high level of WIP in the entire plant is maintained. And, due to the direct relationship between lead times and WIP to be discussed later, as the level of WIP increases, a proportional increase in lead time follows.
Barriers to Globalization: Is Global Distribution Possible?
Authors: Zinn Walter , Grosse Robert E.
Published: June 2007

Scholars and managers in international distribution have advocated a global approach to distribution as the best strategy to cope with the globalization of markets. This research provides empirical evidence from US multinational firms that globalized distribution is not happening and is not expected to happen in the next five years. Local government regulation and competition are the major barriers preventing firms from adopting a global approach to the management of International distribution systems. The research also shows that despite this lack of success in Implementing a globalized approach to distribution, US multinationals have been more successful at implementing a globalized approach to the process utilized in making major distribution decisions.
Controlling the Logistics Pipeline
Authors: Ploos van Amstel M.J. , Farmer David
Published: June 2007

One of the outcomes of the fiercely competitive business environment of the late 1980s and early 1990s has been the increasing attention which has been paid to logistical issues in many types of business. The demands of the customers of manufacturing concerns for greater flexibility, faster reaction and greater reliability in respect of delivery times and quality levels have forced producers to act. And their action in most cases has involved the search for more effective ways to manage material flows. Meanwhile, retailers have become increasingly aware of the competitive edge which they can gain by exerting greater control of the input to their businesses. As a result it is now quite common, for example, for retailers to require their suppliers to deliver goods within a one hour ‘window’ on a specified day. In addition, the most powerful have required their major suppliers to become E.D.I. (Electronic Data Interchange) connected with them.
Developing Heuristics to Estimate the Impact of Postponement on Safety Stock
Authors: Zinn Walter
Published: June 2007

The Principle of Postponement suggests that the final configuration of a Product be delayed until a customer order is received, thus reducing a firm's need to forecast demand for every product variation in its product line. Four heuristics which facilitate the identification of postponement opportunities are developed in this paper. These heuristics estimate percent safety stock saving from postponement. The analysis shows that these savings are explained by the correlation of sales among items in the firm's product line, the number of items in the product line, and magnitude, which is the ratio of standard deviations for every pair of items in the product line. An actual example of the application of these heuristics is presented at the end of the paper.
Inventory Reduction: Preventive and Corrective Strategies
Authors: Tersine Richard J. , Tersine Michele G.
Published: June 2007

Down with inventory! Do away with inventory! So cry the advocates of the Just‐in‐Time doctrine—a doctrine that holds that inventory by nature is idle and wasteful and by reason is an encumbrance on the operations and finances of an organization. Their denouncements of both intentional and negligent stockpiling inspire reform and herald the redesign of operating systems along more utilitarian lines. But where should an organization begin and how far should it go to pursue the fundamentals of an inventory curtailment policy? If the quest starts with immediate reduction of stocks, must it deliberately end with complete systems conversion? The answer will depend on current circumstances and operating philosophies for the future, if there were no temporal, operational, or financial constraints on organizations, they would simply produce or replenish inventory as dictated by customer demand. Their goal would be to buy, manufacture, and distribute directly to the actual demands of the marketplace. It would be rational for organizations to operate with a demand‐driven pull system.