Suchergebnisse

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to understand value creation of information technology (IT) in supply chain planning (SCP). The impact of different IT components in SCP remains unclear and requires some thorough research. In addition, an analysis of the optimization dimension provides insights into intra-functional, inter-functional and cross-company optimization.


Design/methodology/approach
– A survey was conducted among German companies using a continuous production flow. In total, 47 of 193 contacted companies completed the web survey, which corresponds to a response rate of 24 percent.


Findings
– IT functionality for SCP is widely spread. The value of IT functionality in SCP is tremendous. Implementations in demand fulfillment and available-to-promise (ATP) have the biggest value creation potential. Supply chain performance indicators can be improved by investments in certain functional domains. Packaged standard software is widely distributed and should be considered as the first option. IT functionality to improve intra-functional processes is significantly more often implemented than IT functionality for inter-functional or cross-company process optimization although the realized value is comparable.


Research limitations/implications
– Respondents of the survey are limited to the German continuous production flow industry. Future research could be interesting in the discrete manufacturing industry.


Originality/value
– The paper provides empirical insights into the value of IT in SCP where data are less available than in the ERP context. Furthermore, this paper provides first insights into the optimization dimension whether processes are optimized intra-functional, inter-functional or cross-company.

This book is an essential guide or foundational toolkit for anyone who is involved in the process of developing, offering or selling any type of product or service. Based on How to surf on the waves of innovation and the principle of "form follows function" (System Architecture), it introduces and connects concepts like Market Understanding, Design Thinking, Design to Value, Modularization and Agility. It introduces readers to the essence of these main frameworks and provides a toolkit that explains both theoretically and practically when and how to utilize which one. The methods and processes described in this book have all been successfully tested in many industries. They apply in today's market context of high uncertainty, complexity and turbulence, where innovation and disruption are essential. Readers will find answers to two fundamental questions: How can we implement an innovation process and environment that are conducive to successful product design? And, if our products fail to appeal to customers, how can we achieve a major turn-around with regard to product development? A wealth of examples and case studies help readers to benefit from the authors' broad professional experience. Further, lessons learned and conceptual summaries provide valuable shortcuts to the methods and tools discussed. For today's CEOs, enabling innovation is one of THE most complex leadership tasks. But innovation is not about theory and nice buzzwords. It's about succeeding in the real world. This 'hands-on' book connects the dots and introduces the reader to some of the most relevant ideas and pragmatic concepts fitting today's business reality. Dr. Robert Neuhauser, Executive VP and Global Head People and Leadership Development, Siemens At the most fundamental level this book brings order to chaos. It sets different and highly relevant design approaches into a complementary picture, rather than presenting them as competing ways of solving the same problem. Product designers, managers, consultants, scholars and students will surely have this valuable book within reach on a daily basis. Olivier L. de Weck, Ph. D - MIT Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, Editor-in-Chief Systems Engineering

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of information technology (IT) on supply chain performance in the automotive industry. Prior studies that analyzed the impact of IT on supply chain performance report results representing the situation of the "average industry." This research focuses on the automotive industry because of its major importance in many national economies and due to the fact that automotive supply chains do not represent the supply chain of the average industry.


Design/methodology/approach
A research model is proposed to examine the relationships between IT capabilities, supply chain capabilities, and supplier performance. The model divides IT capabilities into functional and data capabilities, and supply chain capabilities into internal process excellence and information sharing. Data have been collected from 343 automotive first-tier suppliers. Structural equation modeling with partial least squares is used to analyze the data.


Findings
The results suggest that functional capabilities have the greatest impact on internal process excellence, which in turn enhances supplier performance. However, frequent and adequate information sharing also contributes significantly to supplier performance. Data capabilities enable supply chain capabilities through their positive impact on functional capabilities.


Practical implications
The findings will help managers to understand the effect of IT implementation on company performance and to decide whether to invest in the expansion of IT capacities.


Originality/value
This research reports the impact of IT on supply chain performance in one of the most important industries in many industrialized countries, and it provides a new perspective on evaluating the contribution of IT on firm performance.

Abstract
When consumers shop in luxury boutiques, high-end shopping malls, and even online, they increasingly encounter luxury products alongside immersive art displays. Exploring this novel phenomenon with both field studies and lab experiments, the current research shows that experiencing art reduces consumer desire for luxury goods. Three boundary conditions have been identified. The effect does not materialize in contexts in which the work of art is not experienced as art per se, such as when the work of art appears as decoration on the product or packaging or is processed analytically rather than naturally, and when luxury goods are not seen as status goods. We propose that experiencing art induces a mental state of self-transcendence, which undermines consumers' status-seeking motive and consequently decreases their desire for luxury goods. This research contributes to the literature on consumer esthetics and has important practical applications for luxury businesses.

Abstract
How do consumers react to products assembled from existing components? Nine studies in both the lab and the field demonstrate that consumers evaluate products as more creative and more appealing when they consist of components that originally served entirely different functions. When consumers realize that the intended functionality of a component is not fixed, but versatile, they experience an aha! moment, which in turn enhances perceived product creativity and product appeal. This research bridges engineering and consumer research providing theoretical contributions to the product design and creativity literature. The findings of this research have substantive implications for designing sustainable products, especially for product upcycling, the process of transforming old or used components into new products.