bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Innovation capabilities in food and beverages and technology -based innovation projects
Authors: Tepic Mersiha , Fortuin Frances , G.M. Kemp Ron , Omta Onno 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– The aim of this paper is to establish the differences between the food and beverages (F&B) and technology-based industries with regards to the relation between previously identified success factors and innovation project performance.Design/methodology/approach– These differences are established on the basis of logistic regression analysis, using 38 innovation projects (18 F&B and 20 technology-based).Findings– Newness of the innovation project to the company, communication capabilities and market potential have a more negative impact on innovation project performance in the F&B than the tech-based industry. Especially functional upstream capabilities increase the likelihood of success in F&B, when compared to tech-based innovation projects.Practical implications– While functional upstream capabilities are important for success of F&B innovation projects, there is still room for improvement in order to deal effectively with newness of the innovation project to the company. Internalization of resources from the network and a balanced radical/incremental innovation project portfolio contribute to additional enhancement of functional capabilities of the F&B companies, improving their capacity to deal with newness. Through a larger focus on co-innovation with retail, F&B companies can improve their intra- and inter-firm communication capabilities to attain more consumer-oriented integration of R&D and marketing activities, improving the market potential of their innovations.Originality/value– This paper demonstrates that the previously identified critical success factors for innovation projects differ in impact and importance for F&B innovation project performance when compared to innovation projects in the technology-based industry.
Supply chain performance benchmarking using grey-MOORA approach
Authors: Kumar Sahu Anoop , Datta Saurav , Sankar Mahapatra Siba 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– In today's competitive global marketplace, performance management has been identified as a key strategic consideration towards achieving an efficient supply chain management. The task of estimating supply chain performance extent is seemed a complex problem entitled with multiple subjective performance measures and metrics; subjected to decision-making environment which involves an inherent vagueness, inconsistency and incompleteness associated with decision-makers (DMs) (expert panel) commitment towards assessment of various subjective (quantitative) evaluation indices. Consequently, it becomes difficult towards making a comparative study on performances of alternative supply chains. It is, therefore, indeed essential to conceptualize and develop an efficient appraisement platform helpful for benchmarking of alternative supply chains based on their performance extent. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
– The work explores the concept of grey numbers combined with multi-objective optimization by ratio analysis (MOORA) in perceptive to evaluate best alternative from among available alternative supply chains.

Findings
– The method has been found fruitful to facilitate such a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem under uncertain environment and provides an appropriate compromise ranking order with respect to available possible alternatives.

Originality/value
– Supply chain performance appraisement provides necessary means by which an organization can assess whether its supply chain is performing well, whether it has been improved or degraded as compared to the past record. The purpose of this research is to develop and to empirically test a multiple-indices hierarchical appraisement model for benchmarking of supply chain performance and its impact on competitiveness of manufacturing industries.
Study on urbanization process evaluation and provincial comparison
Authors: Li Ye , Qin Meng 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– This paper aims to evaluate the stage and level of Henan province urbanization and provide basis for decision making.

Design/methodology/approach
– At first, build the evaluation index system which includes 17 indexes in four classes so that can reflect the level of urbanization development of the entire region comprehensively. Then build the gray clustering model based on set pair. On this basis, the paper evaluates the urbanization process in Henan province. In order to get a clear understanding of the urbanization level in Henan province, the paper selects several typical provinces and compares them with Henan province in urbanization process.

Findings
– The results show that the urbanization level in Henan province belongs to the general level; there is a gap in urbanization process between Henan province and other advanced provinces.

Practical implications
– The paper put forward a method to evaluate the urbanization process in Henan province and get a clear understanding of the urbanization level in Henan province.

Originality/value
– The paper combines the set pair analysis and the gray fixed weight cluster method based on triangular whiten weight function, which can avoid the defect that the assessment result is too vague and the difference is not significant.
Training the trainer – lessons from the new South Africa
Authors: Van der Merwe John , Sloman Martyn 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to consider some challenges involved in delivering a programme for the education of corporate trainers in the new South African economy.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper reviews the way in which training in organisations has changed in the modern economy; it asks whether “training” has any academic base with knowledge components or whether it is simply a craft discipline carried out in context by experienced practitioners. It examines the particular circumstances that arise in post-Apartheid South Africa and the challenges faced where participants are widespread geographically.

Findings
– The paper looks at the issues involved in module design under these circumstances and describes a study to determine the impact and value of the programme. It draws some conclusions that may assist in the design of similar programmes elsewhere.

Research limitations/implications
– The study is based on one university – although it is the first and only course of its type in South Africa.

Originality/value
– This paper provides an original perspective involving information from several countries.
Measuring the “managerial” efficiency of public schools: a case study in Italy
Authors: Agasisti Tommaso , Bonomi Francesca , Sibiano Piergiacomo 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to suggest a methodology to calculate efficiency scores for a sample of Italian primary and middle schools. The main aim is to relate these measures of efficiency to a set of “external” factors that can affect schools’ performance, such as the average socio-economic background of their students, their location in an urban/non urban setting, etc. After presenting this analysis, the paper proposes a procedure to calculate “adjusted” efficiency measures – which take in the role of external variables – in order to assess the “pure” management efficiency of each school, and so to avoid confusing the institution's performance with the aspects relating to its background.Design/methodology/approach– Efficiency is defined in its technical sense that is, the ability to transform inputs (financial and human resources) into outputs (results achieved by students in standardized test scores). A two-stage quantitative procedure was used to investigate “managerial” efficiency, so that the impact of external variables on educational efficiency could be suitably taken into account.Findings– The results show that the average efficiency score is quite high in the sample of schools considered, but potential savings can still be made: overall, with the schools’ available resources, achievement scores could be increased by about 20 percent. Efficiency and educational equity are complementary in primary public (state) schools, and the most efficient schools are those with the lowest internal variance between the students’ achievement scores; the same does not hold for middle school students’ results in mathematics. Lastly, several schools appeared to be efficient when the external variables were not taken into consideration, while their background actually favored them, and they are not efficient from a purely managerial perspective.Originality/value– The most important piece of innovation is the investigation of managerial efficiency and its implications on policies. This study confirms and suggests that there could be an inverse relationship between apparent (baseline) and true (managerial) efficiency, that is, between the efficiency scores achieved before and after the “correction” made for external variables.
Servitization and operations management: a service dominant-logic approach
Authors: Smith Laura , Maull Roger , C.L. Ng Irene 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight into operations management of the product-service (P-S) transition, known as servitization, and the resulting product service system (PSS) offerings. In exploring the P-S transition, this paper adopts a service-dominant (S-D) logic view of value creation, using it as a lens through which to explore value propositions of the P-S transition and their operations design.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper presents an in-depth case study of an original equipment manufacturer of durable capital equipment who, over the last five years, has expanded its offerings to include use- and result-orientated PSS. The research design uses a multi-method approach; employing 28 in-depth qualitative interviews with customers and employees and analysis of texts, documents and secondary data including five years of enterprise resource planning (ERP), call centre and contract data.

Findings
– The paper identifies ten generic P-S attributes that are abstracted into four nested value propositions: asset value proposition; recovery value proposition; availability value proposition; and outcome value proposition. In examining the operations design for delivery of these value propositions, it is found that the role and importance of contextual variety increases as the organisation moves through the value propositions. Interdependencies amongst the value propositions and differences in operational design for each value proposition are also found.

Research limitations/implications
– The paper investigates PSS through a S-D logic mindset. First, the paper considers value propositions of PSS not according to “product” or “service” but in terms of how resources (both material and human) are optimally designed to co-create customer value. Second, a value co-creation system of nested value propositions is illustrated. In so doing, the findings have a number of implications for literature on both PSS and S-D logic. In addition, the research adds to the PSS literature through the identification and consideration of the concept of contextual use variety.

Practical implications
– The paper demonstrates the complexity of the transition from product to service. Specifically, service cannot be seen as a bolt-on extra to their product offering; complexity caused by interactions and changes to the core offering require a systems perspective and consideration of both firm and customer skills and resources.

Originality/value
– This paper extends existing literature on the P-S transition and its implications for operations management. Notably, it takes an S-D logic perspective of value creation and in so doing highlights the importance and role of contextual use variety in the P-S transition. It also provides further empirical evidence that the P-S transition cannot be treated as discrete stages but is evolutionary and requires a complex systems perspective.
Company-specific production systems and competitive advantage
Authors: H. Netland Torbjørn , Aspelund Arild 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– In order to improve competitiveness on a global scale, multinational enterprises increasingly develop a company-specific production system (XPS) and deploy it in their worldwide operations. An XPS is synonymous with a tailored corporate-wide improvement programme. The purpose of this paper is to explore the circumstances under which an XPS can provide a competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach– The paper uses an explorative case study methodology to investigate the link between the establishment of an XPS and competitive advantage. Specifically, the paper investigates the part of the Volvo Group's globally implemented Volvo production system (VPS) that aim to improve the manufacturing processes worldwide. Due to its historical trajectories, Volvo constitutes a unique case for studying the trend and effects of XPS. The resource-based view of the firm provides the theoretical foundation for the analysis.Findings– The paper concludes with four research propositions. P1: In industries with widespread XPS implementation, an XPS is a necessary resource for achieving competitive parity; P2a: Early-starters get an instant temporary competitive advantage; P2b: Late-starters can achieve a temporary competitive advantage if they implement an XPS at a faster speed than competitors; and P3: An XPS can provide a sustainable competitive advantage if it has a superior fit with other path-dependent resources in the organisation.Research limitations/implications– The paper proposes an updated VRIO model, which is better suited for understanding the relations between an XPS and competitive advantage. The major limitation of the study is the single-case design, which complicates generalisation from the VPS to an XPS of the propositions set forward.Originality/value– Despite the significant trend in modern operations management, XPSs have received remarkably limited attention from academia except for the Toyota Production System. Presumably, this is the first paper to discuss the recent trend of XPS and its contribution to competitive advantage.
The servitization of manufacturing
Authors: Lightfoot Howard , Baines Tim , Smart Palie 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– The servitization of manufacturing is a diverse and complex field of research interest. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative and organising lens for viewing the various contributions to knowledge production from those research communities addressing servitization. To achieve this, the paper aims to set out to address two principal questions, namely where are the knowledge stocks and flows amongst the research communities? And what are generic research concerns being addressed by these communities?

Design/methodology/approach
– Using an evidenced-based approach, the authors have performed a systematic review of the research literature associated with the servitization of manufacturing. This investigation incorporates a descriptive and thematic analysis of 148 academic and scholarly papers from 103 different lead authors in 68 international peer-reviewed journals.

Findings
– The work proposes support for the existence of distinct researcher communities, namely services marketing, service management, operations management, product-service systems and service science management and engineering, which are contributing to knowledge production in the servitization of manufacturing. Knowledge stocks within all communities associated with research in the servitization of manufacturing have dramatically increased since the mid-1990s. The trends clearly reveal that the operations community is in receipt of the majority of citations relating to the servitization of manufacturing. In terms of knowledge flows, it is apparent that the more mature communities are drawing on more locally produced knowledge stocks, whereas the emergent communities are drawing on a knowledge base more evenly distributed across all the communities. The results are indicative of varying degrees of interdependency amongst the communities. The generic research concerns being addressed within the communities are associated with the concepts of product-service differentiation, competitive strategy, customer value, customer relationships and product-service configuration.

Originality/value
– This research has further developed and articulated the identities of distinct researcher communities actively contributing to knowledge production in the servitization of manufacturing, and to what extent they are pursuing common research agendas. This study provides an improved descriptive and thematic awareness of the resulting body of knowledge, allowing the field of servitization to progress in a more informed and multidisciplinary fashion.
A balanced scorecard envelopment approach to assess airlines' performance
Authors: Wu Wann-Yih , Liao Ying-Kai 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– This study purposed an integrated DEA-BSC model to evaluate the operational efficiency of airlines. To adapt this model, 38 major airlines in the world were selected to assess their relative performance.Design/methodology/approach– An empirical study is employed using a cross-sectional research design. The operational and financial data of 38 leading airlines companies were collected from annual reports and business reports. Specifically, this study integrated the concepts of balanced scorecard (BSC) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) and incorporated seven leading variables and four lagging variables from BSC to implement DEA.Findings– By using the leading and lagging variables to implement DEA, this study not only assessed the efficiency frontiers, input slack, output slacks, and benchmarking learning partners of 38 airlines, but also illustrated how leading indicators are related and influence lagging indicators. In particular, the study results indicated that airlines with excellent performance in the efficient frontiers tended to perform better in energy, capital, and other operating costs.Research limitations/implications– This study presented a DEA-BSC model to integrate the concepts of BSC into DEA. The empirical results showed that the model is more advanced than the capabilities of individual DEA and BSC. This model could also eliminate the faults of each one. Due to the cross-sectional research design of this research, future research should develop the longitudinal study to identify the time series of the influences of leading factors on lagging factors.Practical implications– This study offered an integrated model that incorporated the concepts of BSC and DEA. The leading and lagging factors of BSC were adopted to the evaluation of operational performance of airlines along with DEA. Therefore, BSC has served as the compliment of DEA. Using the DEA-BSC results, such as the efficiency frontiers, the amount of slacks, and benchmark learning partners, business executives could develop their improvement strategies.Originality/value– Since none of previous studies have integrated BSC and DEA to assess the operational efficiency of the airline industry, the results of this study could serve as a baseline for further academic validations, the results could also be very useful for the executives of airline companies to allocate their resources for further improvement.
Security investment in aviation industry: a longitudinal analysis
Authors: Wang Ying , Kofi Andoh-Baidoo Francis , Sun Jun 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– Terrorist attacks have generated interests among practitioners and researchers on transportation security enhancement. This study investigates the role that rationality play in government funding on this important aspect of homeland security. In particular, it examines how environmental changes and project characteristics influence the allocation of security-related Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants in the aviation industry. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
– The central hypothesis is that rationality regulates transportations security investment through the dynamic balancing between type I error and type II error concerns. To empirically validate it, this study conducts various analyses on AIP history data. In particular, it uses text mining to identify the security-related AIP grants and their coverage, trend analysis to compare the trends of security funding and other transportation investment, and classification tree analysis to determine the factors that influence the allocation of security-related grants.

Findings
– The longitudinal distribution of security-related grants differs from other types of transportation funding in terms of their distinct responses to terrorist and economic events. Project characteristics including project coverage and facility location have secondary yet consistent effects on the allocation of security-related grants.

Originality/value
– This study empirically validates the concept of rationality in transportation security investment. In particular, the findings support that it in constant moves along both longitudinal and cross-sectional dimensions. The dynamic and multi-facet nature of rationality provides the key for researchers and practitioners to understand security funding in aviation industry.
Mantis: hybrid leg-wheel ground mobile robot
Authors: Bruzzone Luca , Fanghella Pietro 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– The aim of the research is the development of a small-scale ground mobile robot for surveillance and inspection; the main design goals are mobility in indoor environments with step climbing ability, pivoting around a vertical axis and without oscillations for stable vision, mobility in unstructured environments, low mechanical and control complexity.

Design/methodology/approach
– The proposed hybrid leg-wheel robot is characterized by a main body equipped with two actuated wheels and two praying Mantis rotating legs; a rear frame with two idle wheels is connected to the main body by a vertical revolute joint for steering; a second revolute joint allows the rear axle to roll. The geometrical synthesis of the robot has been performed using a nondimensional approach for generality's sake.

Findings
– The experimental campaign on the first prototype confirms the fulfilment of the design objectives; the robot can efficiently walk in unstructured environments realizing a mixed wheeled-legged locomotion.

Practical implications
– Thanks to the operative flexibility of Mantis in indoor and outdoor environments, the range of potential applications is wide: surveillance, inspection, monitoring of dangerous locations, intervention in case of terroristic attacks, military tasks.

Originality/value
– Different from other robots of similar size, Mantis combines high speed and energetic efficiency, stable vision, capability of climbing over high steps, obstacles and unevenness.