Business Commons^™

Ozgene: To Advance Humanity – Inspire Curiosity, Maarit Patrick, Mike Dixon

Huntsman School of Business Teaching Scholarship Series

The case introduces the students to Ozgene, an Australian firm that experienced a dramatic reduction in lead time of their products because of implementation of Lean principles. The case can be used in undergraduate or graduate courses in operations management or supply chain management as an introduction to Lean principles. The case also encourages students to consider the challenges that make-to-order differ from those of make-to-stock and explore production design principles.

Kalsun Inc: Sourcing In Asia, Vijay R. Kannan

Management Faculty Publications

Karen Young, Purchasing Manager at Kalsun Inc., a producer and retailer of home office accessories, has to make a sourcing decision for one of the company’s best-selling items, an adjustable laptop stand. The coronavirus pandemic has led to more people working from home and thus significant demand growth, but also supply challenges. While Kalsun has a reliable Chinese supplier, potential changes in the supplier’s product strategy, increasing costs, and U.S. - Sino political tensions are motivating Karen to evaluate supply alternatives.

Bear River Health Department: Covid-19 Contact Tracing, Mike Dixon, Zach Rusk

Huntsman School of Business Teaching Scholarship Series

This case introduces students to a highly variable process that has uncertain demand and processing times. It describes the contact tracing efforts as a response to positive Covid-19 cases in a rural health district in the state of Utah during the first 9 months of the pandemic of 2020. The case puts students in the shoes of the managing director of a health department trying to decide how to best manage a team of contact tracers who are increasingly unable to timely complete their work that is vital to stopping the spread of the disease.

Analysis Of Higher Educational Offerings In Operations Management, Heather Lutz, Laura M. Birou, Vijay R. Kannan

Management Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of a large-scale benchmarking study of operations management (OM) courses in higher education. The goal of the research is to drive continuous improvement in the quality and value of the educational experience in academic institutions, and inform the training, development, and recruitment efforts of SCM professionals. A content analysis of a large sample of OM course syllabi was carried out to identify the content of both undergraduate and graduate courses, and the relative importance attached to individual topics. Gaps between topical coverage and what industry experts have identified as the important knowledge, skills and abilities …

An Examination Of Product Innovation And Buyer-Supply Relationships In Pakistani Firms, Muhammad Shakeel Sadiq Jajja, S.Haukat Ali Brah, Syed Zahoor Hassan, Vijay R. Kannan

Management Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to explore the interface between buyers and suppliers in the context of product innovation in an emerging economy. Specifically, it examines the strategic and tactical initiatives necessary to drive inter-organizational alignment and thus positive innovation outcomes. It also examines the impact of organizational characteristics on product innovation. Design/methodology/approach – Using survey data from 191 organizations in Pakistan, a structural equation model of the relationships between buyers’ and suppliers’ strategic focus on innovation, supplier innovation focus, collaborative innovation, and measures of product innovation and market performance is tested. In addition, hierarchical regression analysis is used …

From Tulip Bulbs To Sub-Prime Mortgages. Analyzing The Sub-Prime Crisis: The Case For A Systemic Approach, Alan A. Stephens, J. Brian Atwater, Vijay R. Kannan

Management Faculty Publications

The collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market parallels several earlier failures within the financial services sector, begging the question why the lessons of past failures were not learned. Throughout history from the tulip bulb crisis of the 1600s to the most recent economic crisis, decision-makers keep making the same mistakes. This occurs in part because of a failure to recognize similarities between past and current events. This conceptual paper aims to use systems dynamics tools to examine the crisis and illustrate how seemingly independent events are linked. Design/methodology/approach: The paper provides a fundamental review of systems thinking concepts and uses …

The Impact Of Market Focus On Operations Practices, Tritos Laosirihongthong, Keah Choon Tan, Vijay R. Kannan

Management Faculty Publications

A key element of successful organisations is the alignment of their strategy and tactics. This study explores the relationship between a firm’s competitive strategy and its operations practices in the context of a developing economy. Two competitive strategies are examined; a niche market strategy characterised by targeting specific market segments, and a broad market strategy characterised by serving a wide range of market segments. Three sets of operations practices consistent with the adoption of lean manufacturing, Total Quality Management, and relationship development in a supply chain context, are explored. Using survey data from senior managers in Thailand, results show that …

Supply Chain Integration: Cluster Analysis Of The Impact Of Span Of Integration, Vijay R. Kannan, Keah Choon Tan

Management Faculty Publications

Purpose

This paper aims to explore whether firms that integrate only with partners adjacent to them in the supply chain exhibit different patterns of supply chain practice and performance than those that also integrate with partners more distant in the supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

Cluster analysis of survey data is used to partition firms based on the span of the supply chain involved in their integration efforts.

Findings

Firms with a broad span of integration have a greater focus on alignment with suppliers and customers, and have more of a supply chain focus than those with a narrow span. They also …

Supply Chain Information And Relational Alignments: Mediators Of Edi On Firm Performance, Keah Choon Tan, Vijay R. Kannan, Chin-Chun Hsu, G. Keong Leong

Management Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of inter-organization information exchange on supply chain information and relational alignment. Drawing on literature on information systems, supply chain management, and logistics, the paper aims to present a multidimensional framework for considering electronic data interchange (EDI) adoption in supplier management and its effect on information and relational alignment. Design/methodology/approach: Theories drawn from resource-dependent and transaction cost economics, and the resource-based view of the firm were used to establish hypotheses. Structural equation modeling using survey data of manufacturing firms was used to test the hypotheses and research model. Findings: Results …

Supply Chain Management Practices As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Operations Capability And Firm Performance, Chinchun Hsu, Keah Choon Tan, Vijay R. Kannan, G. Keong Leong

Management Faculty Publications

The current study uses mediated regression analysis and structural equation modeling to test the proposition that supply chain management practices mediate the relationship between operations capability and firm performance. Operations capability is defined in terms of a firm's new product design and development, total quality management and just-in-time capabilities. Results support the research model and also suggest the existence of a direct relationship between operations capability and performance.