Suchergebnisse

The problem of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) afflicts the Air Force and other armed services in a way unforeseen in the past. The costs of DMSMS manifest themselves both in terms of monetary expense and diminished mission readiness. The current environment of limited defense spending and high operations tempo exacerbates this problem. This thesis draws on available data from the electronics integrated circuit industry to attempt to assess whether statistical modeling offers a viable method for predicting the presence of DMSMS. The research identified logistic regression as a powerful tool for analysis of DMSMS and further developed twenty models attempting to identify the "best" way to model and predict DMSMS using logistic regression. The results indicated that DMSMS does not seem related to technical characteristics. However, design age proved to be statistically significant in modeling DMSMS presence. Another finding of this research indicates that integrated circuits designed for military use have extended longevity compared to commercial integrated circuits. The overall conclusion of this effort was that DMSMS can be predicted using the conditional probability output of logistic regression. Current databases do not provide easy access to the vital predictor, design age. Recommendations include further validation of the model and the inclusion of design age in electronics integrated circuit databases.

Government e-procurement initiatives have the potential to transform local institutions, but few studies have been published of strategies for implementing specific e-procurement tools, particularly involving procurement by a foreign government adapting to local culture in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA). This case describes procurement at a forward operating base (FOB) in Kuwait in support of operations in Iraq. The government procurers had to deal with a phenomenon unique to the MENA region: wasta. Wasta is a form of social capital that bestows power, influence, and connection to those who possess it, similar to guanxi in China. This study explores the value proposition and limitations of electronic reverse auctions (eRA) with the purpose of sharing best practices and lessons learned for government procurement in a MENA country. The public value framework provides valuable theoretical insights for the implementation of a new government e-procurement tool in a foreign country. In a culture dominated by wasta, the suppliers enjoyed the transparency and merit-based virtues of eRA's that transferred successfully into the new cultural milieu: potential to increase transparency, competition, efficiency, and taxpayer savings. The practices provided herein are designed specifically to help buyers overcome structural barriers including training, organizational inertia, and a lack of eRA policy and guidance while implementing a new e-procurement tool in a foreign country.

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to better understand the effectiveness of buyers' defensive measures to thwart bid protests in government procurements.


Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 240 sourcing professionals concerning government source selections is used to analyze a logistic regression model exploring 6 antecedents of bid protests.


Findings
This research implicates the importance of oral presentations of offers, the type of value procured (i.e. services), protest experience, the quantity of document revisions, transaction costs and cost reimbursement contracts in receiving a bid protest.


Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this research is the first to explore sourcing strategy decisions that can contribute to the receipt of a bid protest. It adds clarity to an understudied market of business – the public sector.

The U.S. government regularly participates as a buyer in industrial markets where products are customarily sold through indirect marketing and distribution chains, separating buyers from manufacturers. In many cases, these marketing, distribution, and store-front activities add significant value for buyers, such as through pre- and post-sale service and support, improvements to product availability, and reductions in per-unit pricing (e.g., via economies due to warehousing, transportation, and ordering processes). Accordingly, the government (U.S. Small Business Administration) has, in some instances, issued class waivers to the requirements of the "non-manufacturer rule" (15 U.S.C. § 657s) when no small business manufacturers exist for a product, such that contracts can be set aside for competition among small business non-manufacturers. This study models the effectiveness of class non-manufacturer rule waivers on the utilization of small business concerns. The purpose of the research is to obtain a better understanding of market and industry conditions in which these waivers are successful at driving small business utilization, as well as conditions where class waivers, once issued, tend to be poorly utilized. A time series panel of data derived from several archival sources was used to estimate a fractional response model with a Bernoulli quasi-maximum likelihood estimation methodology. Findings indicate that NMR waivers work best to increase small business utilization in industries characterized by low concentration and low levels of price inflation. Understanding these factors will inform policy and regulation. ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program

ABSTRACTThis article describes a required capstone course for students in the Global Supply Chain Management (GSCM) Program at Bryant University, designed to prepare students for a career in supply chain management. Student teams work on semester‐long projects for locally and regionally based companies. The projects are supported by all GSCM faculty who teach in the Information Systems and Analytics, Management, and Marketing departments. Since the inception of this capstone course in the fall of 2010, a total of 83 projects for 42 companies have been completed. Hence this article discusses an extensive number of projects over an extended period of time, and our insights should be of interest to supply chain faculty who currently have, or plan to include, empirical projects as a key component of their course or supply chain program. We present a brief literature review on teaching supply chain management, and then describe the practicum capstone course, Empirical Applications in Global Supply Chain Management. We provide company and project descriptions and discuss project outcomes. Students have estimated savings/earnings impact of $109.5 million from 35 projects completed over a 4‐year period. Although not without challenges, the practicum capstone course provides students with an integrative, multidisciplinary experience that better prepares them for their careers.