bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An objective evaluation of the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index
Authors: Cho Danny I. , Ogwang Tomson 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide academic researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of the current Ivey Purchasing Managers Index (IPMI), with alternative IPMIs, and with their appropriateness as an indicator of the performance of the Canadian economy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper makes use of principal component analysis to investigate the choice of principal variables for computing new IPMIs based on monthly data for five Ivey indexes for the period from December 2000 to May 2006. Statistical tests were made for the validity of the existing and new IPMIs using two major indicators of Canadian business and economic activities.FindingsThe results suggest that a new composite purchasing managers index for Canada similar to its US counterparts be computed based on four identified Ivey indexes. For constructing a simpler and parsimonious IPMI, the results support Ivey's current practice of using only one Ivey index, namely, the Purchases index.Research limitations/implicationsThere was a limited amount of data used for the analysis (i.e. monthly data for less than six years). Also there are issues on data comparability between the Ivey data and the US data (i.e. the Ivey does not collect separate data for the manufacturing sector or the non‐manufacturing sector).Practical implicationsUsing a composite index akin to the PMI, business organizations and policymakers will have an accurate sense of what is happening in the Canadian economy. Furthermore, enhancing the power and accuracy of such an index will benefit supply professionals, economic forecasters, and policy experts.Originality/valueThe present study offers additional insights to both practitioners and academics. It helps supply chain managers and practitioners come up with a more reliable business strategy by providing them with a weighted composite index for the Canadian economy. It also makes contributions to the academic community in the area of statistical theory applied to supply management as it has introduced the principal components variable selection analysis in the construction of a new IPMI.
Flexibility and revenue management in the automotive industry
Authors: Voigt Kai‐Ingo , Saatmann Michael , Schorr Sascha 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis research aims to analyze the potential of revenue management in the German car industry. The concept offers the chance for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to be more customer‐oriented to reduce costs and increase earnings. To implement revenue management, criteria are required to segment the customers. The car configuration changes and the delivery time look suitable in this context and this paper aims to analyze these.Design/methodology/approachSurvey analysis was conducted with 2974 German buyers of new cars. The respondents recently bought a car or were in the planning process of doing so. A total of 803 data sets could be evaluated statistically using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics and mean test were utilized to test several hypotheses and find out distinctions between the respondents.FindingsThe results show that German car buyers could be segmented in to different groups according to the criteria: delivery time and configuration changes. This enables manufacturers to introduce revenue management and realize benefits in better customer orientation and improved supply chain planning.Originality/valueThis research shows that German OEMs, especially the premium OEMs overestimate the value of change flexibility and short delivery times for their customers. The implementation of revenue management could help to reduce complexity and offer each customer the appropriate degree of change flexibility and the optimal delivery time combined with a process‐ and effort‐adequate pricing.
The effect of inventory management on firm performance
Authors: Koumanakos Dimitrios P. 
Published: August 2008

PurposeLean management is getting more and more attention in today's highly competitive environment. In this context, the aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that efficient (lean) inventory management leads to an improvement in a firm's financial performance.Design/methodology/approachData for the analysis came from the ICAP database, which contains financial information on all medium to large Greek firms. The sample period extended from 2000 to 2002. For each year all manufacturing firms with the corporate form of societés anonyms operating in any one of the three representative industrial sectors in Greece: food, textiles and chemicals were selected.FindingsPreliminary results, obtained by cross‐section linear regressions, reveal that the higher the level of inventories preserved (departing from lean operations) by a firm, the lower its rate of returns. Findings are additionally tested by the use of pseudo‐likelihood ratio test which constitutes a more reliable tool, thus verifying the robustness of the linearity of the relationship.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the great number of the possible determinants of performance it is difficult to isolate the effect of inventories even by using large samples and advanced methodologies.Originality/valueSince the results from other empirical studies on the microeconomic determinants and consequences of inventories are somewhat contradictory, this study sheds more light to this issue by employing more sophisticated statistical tests applied to a large and recent sample of Greek manufacturers across different industries.
Evaluating performance of national R&D organizations using integrated DEA‐AHP technique
Authors: Jyoti  , Banwet D.K. , Deshmukh S.G. 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare the performance of national R&D organizations in India in terms of their relative efficiencies using a multiple output measurement criteria incorporating the quality of the output measures.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated data envelopment analysis (DEA) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been used.FindingsThe relative efficiency for national R&D organizations is obtained not only based on quantity of output, but also on the basis of quality of the output and provides more comprehensive and realistic results to the decision makers in identifying the benchmark national R&D organizations and inefficient organizations.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to difficulty in approaching all the departments, the application of the model is limited to a small group of Indian national R&D organizations. This model can be extended for various departments/agencies heading various national R&D organizations in India as well as in other countries according to their requirement and suitability.Practical implicationsThis model provides a more comprehensive method to the policy makers for evaluating the performance of national R&D organizations in terms of their relative efficiencies also incorporating the quality of the output measures. The results provide the indicators to the policy makers for redesigning the R&D processes in the inefficient national R&D organizations.Originality/valueIn the context of R&D, an integrated DEA‐AHP model is applied for the first time to evaluate the performance of national R&D organizations in terms of their relative efficiency obtained not only on the quantity of the output taken, but also on the quality of the output.
Supply chain best practices – identification and categorisation of measures and benefits
Authors: Cuthbertson Richard , Piotrowicz Wojciech 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis research aims to identify, categorise and compare supply chain measures and benefits listed in literature‐based case studies that were named as “best practices”.Design/methodology/approachThe research applies iterative triangulation which is a method used to build theories from existing case studies. Selected case studies collected by project partners are used as a source of secondary data. The paper applies various approaches to classifying supply chains as well as identifying the difference between measures proposed in the literature and those used by case companies.FindingsThe analysis of the selected sample of cases indicated that the most common measures were related to economic aspects and to operational level activities. There is a lack of shared supply chain measures at the inter‐organizational level, while social and environmental aspects are largely ignored.Originality/valueThe majority of the measures identified in the collected cases were economic (relating to cost, time, quality and customer). Metrics at an operational level dominate, while supply chain metrics are hardly used. Findings indicate that current performance measurement approaches do not generally include social and environmental issues, which are becoming increasingly important in business.
Can Six Sigma be effectively implemented in SMEs?
Authors: Antony Jiju 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to present the viewpoints from a number of leading practitioners and academics on the subject “Can Six Sigma be effectively deployed in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs)?”.Design/methodology/approachA number of academics and practitioners were interviewed by the author to collate their opinions and views on the above subject.FindingsThe results of the study clearly indicate that Six Sigma is equally applicable to both large corporations and small companies. In fact, the results are quicker and much more visible in smaller companies than in larger corporations.Originality/valueThis paper provides an excellent resource for those people who believe that Six Sigma is primarily meant for large companies. It also makes an attempt to remove one of the common myths of Six Sigma.
Innovation and enterprise: the foundations of developing productivity
Authors: Heap John 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to examine issues of government policy in creating an infrastructure that supports innovation and expertise.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is to reflect on trends in global trade and the role played by governments in supporting such trade.FindingsIt is shown that Governments do indeed have a crucial role to play but they must tread a balanced line between support and over‐regulation.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests approaches that governments might adopt to improve the support they offer to organisations which wish to be innovative and enterprising.Originality/valueThe paper is a useful summary of the role of government in promoting innovation and enterprise.
MPM's productivity improvement project approach in provinces
Authors: Peşkircioğlu Nurettin 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to summarise the characteristics of, and results from, a large‐scale project to promote productivity improvement throughout Turkey's provinces.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the aims and approach of the project leading to a quantitative summary of outputs.FindingsThe Turkish Productivity Center (MPM), through the information gained by these projects, has been able to implement a range of productivity improvement projects at the regional and sector level in subsequent periods.Practical implicationsThe paper acts as a useful model for other productivity support agencies which wish to create wide‐ranging intervention programmes at regional and national level.Originality/valueThe paper gives important details about the foreground and background activities involved in running a major national project.
High‐involvement innovation practices at Finnish workplaces
Authors: Alasoini Tuomo , Heikkilä Asko , Ramstad Elise , Ylöstalo Pekka 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the dissemination of high‐involvement innovation practices at Finnish workplaces and to consider how their adoption can be promoted by means of a publicly‐funded R&D programme.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical material is based on a survey by the Finnish Workplace Development Programme TYKES. (TYKES is a governmental R&D programme for promoting simultaneous improvements in productivity and the quality of working life by granting funding to development projects at Finnish workplaces.)FindingsThe interim results of the survey provide a strong evidence‐based argument in favour of the supportive role of the programme.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests areas where governments might introduce support programmes to foster the spread of innovative activity.Originality/valueThe paper provides insights into support policy issues in Finland and will be of interest to those involved in that field.
Process performance measurement in manufacturing organizations
Authors: Nenadál Jaroslav 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the weaknesses which result in the concept of process performance measurement being ineffectively translated into effective measurement and action regimes.Design/methodology/approachIn spite of the fact that process performance measurement is an obligatory requirement included in chapter 8 of the ISO 9001 standard, there are still a number of problems and weaknesses related to such measurement. The paper discusses these and some lessons learned from the author's personal experience (gained from auditing and self‐assessment projects).FindingsThe paper highlights common weaknesses in implementing measurement regimes to monitor and control core processes.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests areas and issues that organisations might consider to improve the way in which they adopt and exploit process performance measurement.Originality/valueThe paper summarises the current state of practical process performance measurement with its attendant weaknesses.
Social innovation, the new challenge for Europe
Authors: Pot Frank , Vaas Fietje 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis study sets out to describe activities within The Netherlands Centre for Social Innovation, one of the earliest national bodies to promote and develop the concept of social innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the concept of social innovation and then illustrates how the activities of The Netherlands Centre relate to this concept, within the context of Dutch social and political systems.FindingsIt is found that individual and group performance is not directly the result of employee satisfaction or motivation, but of involvement and commitment through workers' representation and work organisation. These measures appear to be much more effective than courses in individual stress management, although there are circumstances in which such courses can help.Practical implicationsThe paper describes how one country is attempting to take forward the concept of social innovation. It should be useful to other national development agencies.Originality/valueThe paper helps one to understand how national governments act in relation to emerging work‐related welfare and development concepts.
The future of manufacturing industry in Europe
Authors: Kuivanen Risto 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges facing European manufacturing industry in an age of increasing global competitiveness and to explore models for survival.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reflects on trends in global manufacturing and examines the issues faced by European manufacturers.FindingsManufacturing still has an important role to play in ensuring community welfare; and there are ways in which European manufacturing industry can establish a secure future.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests ways in which industry, supported by government, might change to become more competitive in an era of global competition.Originality/valueThe paper presents a useful exploration of the issues and challenges facing modern manufacturing organisations in Europe.
A fuzzy service adaptation engine for context‐aware mobile computing middleware
Authors: Cheung Ronnie , Yao Gang , Cao Jiannong , Chan Alvin 
Published: August 2008

PurposeContext‐aware mobile computing extends the horizons of the conventional computing model to a ubiquitous computing environment that serves users at anytime, anywhere. To achieve this, mobile applications need to adapt their behaviors to the changing context. The purpose of this paper is to present a generalized adaptive middleware infrastructure for context‐aware computing.Design/methodology/approachOwing to the vague nature of context and uncertainty in context aggregation for making adaptation decisions, the paper proposes a fuzzy‐based service adaptation model (FSAM) to improve the generality and effectiveness of service adaptation using fuzzy theory.FindingsBy the means of fuzzification of the context and measuring the fitness degree between the current context and the predefined optimal context, FSAM selects the most suitable policy to adopt for the most appropriate service. The paper evaluates the middleware together with the FSAM inference engine by using a Campus Assistant application.Originality/valueThe paper is of value in presenting a generalized adaptive middleware infrastructure for context‐aware computing and also comparing the performance of the fuzzy‐based solution with a conventional threshold‐based approach for context‐aware adaptation.
Scalable and adaptive context delivery mechanism for context‐aware computing
Authors: Mehedy Lenin , Lee Sungyoung , Muhammad Salim Zabir Salahuddin , Lee Young‐Koo 
Published: August 2008

PurposePresence of innumerable sensors, complex deduction of contexts from sensor data, and reusability of contextual information impose the requirement of middleware for context aware computing. Smart applications, hosted in myriad devices (e.g. PDA, mobile, PCs), acquire different contexts from the middleware and act intelligently based on the available contexts in a context‐aware computing environment. As the system grows larger, scalable delivery of contexts from the middleware to numerous context‐aware applications will be inevitable. However, pure unicast based or pure broadcast‐based dissemination cannot provide high scalability as well as low‐average latency. The purpose of this paper is to present a scalable context delivery mechanism for the middlewares to facilitate the development of larger context‐aware computing systems.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed scheme is based on hybrid data dissemination technique where the most frequently requested data (e.g. HOT contexts) are delivered through multicast and the rest (e.g. COLD contexts) are delivered through unicast to reduce network traffic. The paper dynamically prioritizes and classifies the HOT and COLD context data depending on the number of requests and longest waiting time. Moreover, the division of bandwidth between the delivery of HOT and COLD contexts reduces average latency. Polling traffic is decreased by incorporating leasing mechanism. Extensive simulation is conducted to evaluate the proposed scheme.FindingsThe mechanism dynamically prioritizes and classifies the hot and cold context data depending on the request rate and longest waiting time. The solution addresses the push popularity problem that occurs in the passive as the passive clients access data without sending explicit requests. The leasing mechanism is incorporated to reduce the periodical requests (polling) for better performance.Originality/valueThe paper is of value in presenting a scalable context delivery mechanism for the middlewares to facilitate the development of larger context‐aware computing systems and also in presenting implementation details of a prototype that is developed using Jini framework and Java reliable multicast service (JRMS) library.
Traffic adaptive IEEE 802.15.4 medium access control
Authors: Chae Yohan , Kwon Younggoo 
Published: August 2008

PurposeIEEE 802.15.4 is a new standard uniquely designed for low‐rate wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It targets low data rate, low power consumption and low‐cost wireless networking, and offers device level wireless connectivity. The purpose of this paper is to propose a traffic adaptive power control algorithm for beacon relayed distributed WSNs.Design/methodology/approachA general coordinated sleeping algorithm and the traffic adaptive algorithm are combined in an IEEE 802.15.4 MAC protocol to achieve high‐energy efficiency and high performance at the same time.FindingsBy observing the sporadic traffic and beacon relaying characteristics of WSNs, the paper proposes a traffic‐adaptive IEEE 802.15.4 MAC with a coordinated sleeping algorithm. Based on various performance studies, it was found that the proposed algorithm can significantly improve power consumptions in wireless sensor networks.Originality/valueThe paper is of value in proposing a traffic adaptive power control algorithm showing highly efficient power consumptions in low‐traffic conditions as well as with an acceptable degree of adaptation to high‐traffic conditions. In delay performance, it shows longer delay performance compared with other schemes because of the beacon relay procedure while the proposed algorithm reduces the power consumptions dramatically.
Broadcasting four types of reports to read only transactions in mobile computing environments
Authors: Kim Daein , Hwang Buhyun 
Published: August 2008

PurposeRecently the advances in wireless communication technology and the popularity of portable computers have rendered mobile computing environments from which mobile users with battery‐operated palmtops can access the information via wireless channels, without space and time restriction. In mobile computing environments, mobile users cache the data items to use the bandwidth efficiently and improve the response time of mobile transactions. If the data items cached in mobile users are updated at the server, the server broadcasts an invalidation report for maintaining the cache consistency of mobile users. However, this method has an obstacle that does not guarantee the serializable execution of mobile transactions. The purpose of this paper is to propose the four types of reports for mobile transaction (FTR‐MT) method for ensuring the serializable execution of mobile transactions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the FTR‐MT method, which is composed of four types of algorithms, e.g. group report composition algorithm, immediate commit decision algorithm, cache consistency algorithm, and disconnection cache consistency algorithm. FTR‐MT method for improving the response time of mobile transactions makes a commit decision by using the four types of reports.FindingsWith the FTR‐MT method, mobile users can make a commit decision by using the four types of reports. The response time of mobile transactions can be reduced. Furthermore, the FTR‐MT method can improve the cache efficiency in the case that the disconnection of mobile users is longer than the broadcast interval of the window report.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a new method for guaranteeing the serializable execution of mobile transactions, called FTR‐MT, using four types of reports. Also, it can prevent the entire cache dropping, even though the disconnection of a mobile host is longer than the broadcast interval of a window report. Through the analytical model, this method is felt to be superior to other methods, in terms of the average response time and the commit rate of mobile transactions, and bandwidth usage.