Suchergebnisse

Organisational issues present the main barriers to the implementation of concurrent engineering (CE) to new product development (NPD) processes in manufacturing organisations. Both research and practice have demonstrated that companies that invest in improving organisational development issues fare better than those that rely purely on tools and technology alone. The key issues are improving cross‐functional integration and developing social mechanisms that facilitate a collaborative environment. Organisational analysis represents the first step an organisation can take in order to improvement its effectiveness. Organisational analysis techniques have been a field of study for many years, resulting in the development of a number of different methodologies ranging from purely mathematical models of analysis to heuristic models using simulation. This paper presents a methodology that draws upon traditional organisational theory and combines it with the more recent business process re‐engineering approaches for the analysis of organisational issues in a CE environment. The methodology is based on the hierarchical modelling and analysis of the business process. A detailed case study of its application in industry is presented. The paper concludes by summarising the key features of the methodology and issues emerging from its implementation.

Discusses the effect of electronic commerce on the management of the supply chain. Particular emphasis is placed on electronic data interchange (EDI). EDI has in the past been confined to larger companies. However, as more companies are becoming switched on to the benefits, so it is becoming a prerequisite for all businesses. The benefits and costs associated with electronic commerce are highlighted using results from a survey and follow‐up cases. Analysis showed that the main benefit is faster transactions. Additionally, better co‐operation between trading partners, reduced administration costs and improved accuracy resulted. The impact of the Internet on electronic commerce, including possible future directions, is then discussed. The paper closes by proposing a framework to assist companies with the change towards introducing electronic commerce into the supply chain.

Reports on the findings of research undertaken at the University of
Nottingham into Computing Services firms in the UK. The study
particularly focuses on firms who are currently exporting to Germany.
The implications of the European Single Market and the changes which
will affect the Computing Services (CS) sector are discussed along with
a full examination of the current state of the German market.
Information from the research of successful entrants and results of
interviews with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have also
been included. The development of the European Community′s policy,
together with the views of successful organizations operating in the CS
market, provide an insight into some of the factors influencing planning
for 1992 and act as a useful starting point for new entrants. Finally,
proposes guidelines for computing services firms intending to enter the
German market.

Information systems and technologies (IST) have been playing increasingly crucial roles in supporting the smooth running of maritime supply chain operations. The degree of acceptance of IST within the maritime sector as a whole, however, remains fragmented and variable. Some IST products and platforms have entered the market and gained a broad market share, while others are still struggling. This study, based on twenty-five cases, aims to investigate the adoption of IST in a range of organizations in the maritime shipping supply chain. Open platform, a concept first introduced by Maersk Line and IBM in 2018 for inter-organizational information sharing for the maritime supply chain, is used as an exemplar for this study. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first studies to conduct a chain-level analysis of IST adoption within the maritime transportation context. The results suggest that the adoption of inter-organizational information systems is largely affected by factors such as industry characteristics, the system's information confidentiality, supply chain trade partners' power, governmental power, and the ownership structure of the organization, among others. Furthermore, these factors have varying degrees of impact across the various organizational tiers in the maritime supply chain, e.g., information confidentiality mainly influences the adoption of forwarders. This study provides broad insights that will be of interest to both the researchers and practitioners in the maritime supply chain, in which the acceleration of digitalization is expected

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and classify the available types of 3D printing services, with the scope of determining the potential implications that such services could have on the supply chains of manufacturing firms and creating a research agenda for future studies.


Design/methodology/approach
The authors review the current literature on the potential supply chain impacts of 3D printing and evaluate the 3D printing services provided by 404 firms in selected European markets.


Findings
The results show that 3D printing services form a rapidly evolving industry, with new service providers entering the market on a regular basis. Evidence from the European markets investigated suggests that services can be classified into three distinct categories: generative, facilitative and selective services.


Research limitations/implications
This paper represents an attempt to take stock of a fast-moving and potentially paradigm-shifting market. The implications are dynamic as new applications, business models and techniques are continually being developed. Further studies are required to substantiate the findings.


Practical implications
Three categories of 3D printing services that could significantly impact supply chain configurations of the future are proposed. Several issues specific to 3D printing services raised in the research agenda require further scrutiny and substantiation before services can reach their full potential.


Originality/value
This paper provides an overview of the growing 3D printing services industry, highlighting how the market might change as additive manufacturing technology matures.

This study investigates the joint effects of business and political ties, cognitive capital, and institutional support on product innovation performance in China and India. The hypotheses are empirically tested using bootstrap and multiple group structural equation modeling methods, and data collected from 300 Chinese and 200 Indian manufacturers. The results reveal that cognitive capital mediates business ties' impacts on product innovation performance in both China and India and that institutional support mediates the effects of business and political ties on product innovation performance only in China. The study also finds that political ties increase institutional support in India and that the effect of cognitive capital on product innovation performance is significantly stronger in India than in China. This study clarifies the mechanisms through which business and political ties enhance product innovation performance and generalizes the results in two emerging markets. The crosscountry comparison sheds light on the influences of cultural and institutional environments on such mechanisms and provides insights into how to utilize managers' business and political ties for product innovation in China and India.

This study investigates the joint effects of business and political ties, cognitive capital, and institutional support on product innovation performance in China and India. The hypotheses are empirically tested using bootstrap and multiple group structural equation modeling methods, and data collected from 300 Chinese and 200 Indian manufacturers. The results reveal that cognitive capital mediates business ties' impacts on product innovation performance in both China and India and that institutional support mediates the effects of business and political ties on product innovation performance only in China. The study also finds that political ties increase institutional support in India and that the effect of cognitive capital on product innovation performance is significantly stronger in India than in China. This study clarifies the mechanisms through which business and political ties enhance product innovation performance and generalizes the results in two emerging markets. The cross-country comparison sheds light on the influences of cultural and institutional environments on such mechanisms and provides insights into how to utilize managers' business and political ties for product innovation in China and India.

© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Outsourcing research has recognised that selecting the right offshore supplier (outsourcee) in low-cost distant developing countries is complex, but central to outsourcing success. More specifically, the combination of outsourcee contextual internal factors (e.g. capabilities) with outsourced-to country contextual external factors (e.g. political, legal, economic, socio-cultural) as two fundamental and interconnected decisions firms make when outsourcing remains an underexplored research gap. Therefore, through a rigorous three-tier qualitative approach we, firstly, develop a contextual Environmental Separation Index (ESI) decision tool to help outsourcing firms in making more informed decisions when selecting outsourcees and outsourcing locations. Secondly, we operationalise the ESI as intuitive and easy to use decision tool, yet with a provision to deliver a truly context proof outsourcee selection decision. Thirdly, we adopt a complexity theory lens to explain that narrowing the contextual outsourcer–outsourcee gap facilitates a mind-set shift in outsourcing relationships from hierarchies to networks and from controlling to empowering developing country outsourcees. We show from a complexity theory perspective how contextual separation gaps between developed country outsourcers and developing country outsourcees can be an effective way to grasp the evolutionary path of outsourcing relationships.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of product‐service systems (PSS). It uses a multiple method approach to analyse literature and cases and synthesise a framework for the understanding and investigation of PSS. It demonstrates the need to consider the "organisation" or network, of firms involved in defining, designing and delivering value through the PSS. This is conceptualised as a product‐service‐organisation (PSO).Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses three complementary methodologies: a road‐mapping analysis, investigating industrial challenges for collaborating enterprises, a multidisciplinary literature review of PSS concepts and analysis of two cases.FindingsThe paper finds that value can be most effectively delivered by networks of collaborating firms, integrating the products and services they offer to create the value which customers seek. In short, creating value requires the simultaneous design of product, service and organisation – the PSO triangle.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper offers a new classification of PSS related literature, drawing on a broad review of research in marketing, design and operations management related to service and PSS. The framework helps researchers understand the organisational challenges of PSS and provides suggested future research directions and questions.Practical implicationsThe framework provides the foundations for a process to develop PSS. It highlights the organisational challenges and suggests that a systematic yet iterative process can be devised to create and deliver value. This means defining customer value which can be profitably delivered; designing the PSS to create this value and identifying the required capabilities; and finally creating and managing the network of partners responsible for delivering value.Originality/valueThe major contribution is a link between the emerging PSS literature and previous research on virtual enterprises and other types of organisational networks. The paper argues that PSS often creates the need to identify and access capabilities through a collaborative network. This is conceptualised in the PSO triangle.

PurposeIntellectual capital reflects the sum of existing knowledge a manufacturer is able to leverage and plays a critical role in new product development. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mechanisms through which intellectual capital enhances product innovation performance and how economic and institutional environments affect the mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachUsing a knowledge-based view and institutional theory, this study proposes a model on the relationships among intellectual capital, supplier knowledge integration, supply chain adaptability, and product innovation performance. The hypotheses are empirically tested using multiple group structural equation modelling and data collected from 300 Chinese and 200 Indian manufacturers.FindingsThe authors find that intellectual capital improves product innovation performance both directly and indirectly through supplier knowledge integration. However, the effects are different in China and India. In particular, the direct effect of intellectual capital on product innovation performance is significantly higher in China than that in India, and intellectual capital improves product innovation performance indirectly through supplier knowledge integration only in India. The authors also find that supplier knowledge integration improves product innovation performance indirectly through supply chain adaptability in both China and India.Originality/valueUsing a moderated mediation model, this study provides insights into the joint effects of intellectual capital, supplier knowledge integration, and supply chain adaptability on product innovation performance. The findings enhance current understandings of how supply chain management helps a manufacturer develop new products using existing knowledge and the influences of economic and institutional environments on knowledge and supply chain management.