Business Commons^™

Reverse Flow Logistics In Manufacturing Operations, Jeffrey Wendt, Gary Holmes

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

The purpose of this research is to examine the suggestion that reverse flow can play a positive role in sustainable impacts and in reducing forward logistics cost structures. The coupling of both forward and reverse product and component flow can be a challenging task because, depending on the returned products’ disposition, the forward flow inventory management can be affected. The need for an integrated reverse supply chain that mirrors the forward supply chain is essential and failure in having forward visibility negates the reverse flow. If successful, it will result in reduced manufacturing costs and increased profits throughout the chain.

Energy Efficiency In Additive Manufacturing: Condensed Review, Ismail Fidan, Vivekanand Naikwadi, Suhas Alkunte, Roshan Mishra, Khalid Tantawi

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Today, it is significant that the use of additive manufacturing (AM) has growing in almost every aspect of the daily life. A high number of sectors are adapting and implementing this revolutionary production technology in their domain to increase production volumes, reduce the cost of production, fabricate light weight and complex parts in a short period of time, and respond to the manufacturing needs of customers. It is clear that the AM technologies consume energy to complete the production tasks of each part. Therefore, it is imperative to know the impact of energy efficiency in order to economically and properly …

Sustainability Transformation: The Role Of Accountancy And Finance Professionals In The Singapore Manufacturing Sector, Jiwei Wang, Holly I. Yang, Liandong Zhang, Sanli Pinar Darendeli, Ying-Chi Huang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Sustainability is already reshaping the Singapore manufacturing sector. The majority of companies surveyed (70%) have started their sustainability transformation in one form or another, and many have initiated discussions. However, on the whole, only 37% of companies have implemented sustainability initiatives, and 21% have reported on sustainability. On the bright side, these percentages are slated to double within 1-3 years. The infusion of sustainability into the manufacturing sector has led to accountancy and finance professionals potentially playing a bigger role in their organisations, particularly in aligning the sustainability objectives with business strategies. The study notes that manufacturing companies are mostly …

Lululemon Athletica Strategic Audit, Nolan T. Rinn

Honors Theses

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (Lululemon) is principally a designer, distributor, and retailer of technical athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories with a vision to create transformative products and experiences that build meaningful connections, unlocking greater possibility and wellbeing for all (Lululemon). This paper will examine Lululemon to understand its market position and competitiveness within the athletic apparel industry. The analysis uses PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces analyses to evaluate the changing external environment and industry Lululemon operates in.

Organizational Cultures Effect On Productivity In Manufacturing, Jonathan Karl Foley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Manufacturing industry continues to struggle due to the inability to fill scheduled orders as a result a depleted workforce. Now more than ever, the importance of sustaining a workforce is essential to the success or failure of an organization. Organizational culture initiatives such as job satisfaction, employee commitment, and employee motivation represent a pivotal addition to all organizations. A strong leadership foundation that can develop and establish strong working cultures by utilizing these initiatives to retain employees is imperative to combat high employee turnover, low morale, and decreased productivity. The study has been affected by a qualitative approach, employing a …

Sustainability Issue Of The Total Quality Management (Tqm) System In The Manufacturing Industry, Jesus A. Guillergan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this research is to understand the sustainability issue of total quality management (TQM) and its effects in the manufacturing industry. Having exploratory and descriptive objectives, this research used a flexible design single case study on a water treatment company in the southeastern United States to facilitate the examination of the phenomenon using real‐life, present‐day context, and multiple perspectives from participants. The single bounded case study collected and integrated many forms of qualitative data ranging from interviews, observations, and quality‐related archived documents to answer the research questions. The results revealed that failure in sustaining the quality system in …

Smart Manufacturing And Its Implications For Singapore's Smes, Thomas Menkhoff, Surianarayanan Gopalakrishnan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

While Covid-19 and the climate catastrophe continue to make headlines, local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are quietly setting the gears of Smart Manufacturing in motion with a strategic focus on digitising and automating production processes powered by "Industry 4.0" (I4.0) ready business models. A shared view among several interviewees we talked to recently in the context of an ongoing study on the impact of I4.0 on the business models of local manufacturers is that Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT), machine learning, visual computing, automation and digital twining are deemed of great importance for the long-term competitiveness of Singapore's manufacturing ecosystem on …

Can The Gender Wage Gap Be Closed Inthe Philippine Manufacturing Sector?, Royanna Patricia H. Martin, Charlene Johannan G. Policarpio, Kath Ryne Y.A. Taburda

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

In recent years, women in the Philippines have made strides in integrating into formal employment, attaining higher educational status, and claiming their social and economic autonomy. However, the gender wage gap persists in the labor market, especially in the manufacturing sector. This wage gap does not look at their willingness to join the manufacturing sector. The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA, 2019) found that, between the two sexes, the manufacturing and services sectors were highly concentrated with females. For services specifically, they report that the high participation may be linked to “inflexible hours,” or work hours that do not go …

Flexibly Serving A Finite Number Of Heterogeneous Jobs In A Tandem System, Yun Fong Lim, Bingnan Lu, Rowan Wang, Wenjia Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Many manufacturing and service systems require a finite number of heterogeneous jobs to be processed by two stations in tandem. Each station serves at most one job at a time and there is a finite buffer between the two stations. We consider two flexible servers that are cross-trained to work at both stations. The duration for a server to finish a job at a station is exponentially distributed with a rate that depends on the server, the station, and the job. Our goal is to identify an efficient policy to dynamically assign the servers to the stations such that the …

Covid-19 And The Future Of Chinese Manufacturing, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

China is expected to maintain a prominent role in global supply chains despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has renewed discussions about whether countries around the world have become too reliant on Chinese manufacturing, according to one of The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) leading researchers on global economic networks

Machine Learning In Manufacturing: Review, Synthesis, And Theoretical Framework, Ajit Sharma, Zhibo Zhang, Rahul Rai

Business Administration Faculty Research Publications

There has been a paradigmatic shift in manufacturing as computing has transitioned from the programmable to the cognitive computing era. In this paper we present a theoretical framework for understanding this paradigmatic shift in manufacturing and the fast evolving role of artificial intelligence. Policy, Strategic and Operational implications are discussed. Implications for the future of strategy and operations in manufacturing are also discussed. Future research directions are presented.

Ethical Dilemmas Surrounding Manufacturing Offshoring: Assessing The Morality Of Offshoring Decisions Through A Utilitarian Viewpoint, Luis Encinas

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this paper to assess the ethical dilemmas that exist when American companies offshore manufacturing work to cheaper labor markets abroad through a utilitarian perspective. The paper will explain what offshoring is and what has driven American companies into engaging in this practice. Next, the criteria for the utilitarian assessment will be explained. After, I will examine the effects on the U.S labor force, U.S economy, and the foreign labor force through two case studies: the Bangladeshi apparel industry and the Mexican maquiladoras industry. Finally, the paper will offer some suggestions for making this practice more ethical in …

Application Of Critical Chain Project Management To The Production Part Approval Process, David Podolak

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Daicel Safety Systems Americas, INC has traditionally utilized various methods to manage project completions including the Critical Path Method (CPM). Though these methods have led to successful project completions, they often come with adverse effects. Due to the amount of literature and advancement in the project management discipline, alternative options such as Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) have gained popularity. CCPM seeks to perfect the CPM approach by recognizing resource constraints and the critical chains dependency on them while safeguarding completion dates with buffers. CCPM offers project managers an option to remove resource inefficiency and stalling while meeting deadlines.

The …

Understanding The Connection Of Performance And Z-Scores For Manufacturing Firms In South Korea, S.L. Foo, Shaakalya Pathak

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

South Korea is a key leading economy in the Asia Pacific region. This study examines the relationship between the financial health, as measured by the Altman Z-Score, and corporate performance, as measured by the Return on Equity (ROE), of listed manufacturing companies in this market. A linear regression has been conducted between these variables to determine the magnitude and direction of their relationships. The trends of Z-Scores over a five-year period have also been analysed. The analysis covers the period from 2013 to 2017 (inclusive) and yields a statistically positive correlation between ROE and the Z-Score for the market. South …

An Examination Of Corporate Performance And Altman Z-Scores Of Indian Manufacturing Firms, See Liang Foo, Shaakalya Pathak

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

India is a key leading economy in the Asia Pacific region. This study examines the relationship between the financial health, as measured by the Altman Z-Score, and corporate performance, as measured by the Return on Equity (ROE), of listed manufacturing companies in this market. A linear regression has been conducted between these variables to determine the magnitude and direction of their relationships. The trends of Z-Scores over a five-year period have also been analysed. The analysis covers the period from 2013 to 2017 (inclusive) and yields a statistically positive correlation between ROE and the Z-Score for the market. India registered …

Shootings And Their Effect On Stock Price And Volume In The Firearm Manufacturing Industry, Conor O'Donnell

Honors Scholar Theses

This article investigates how mass shootings are influencing the price and trading volume of firearm manufacturers differently than the previously documented “fear-based” gun sales price spikes. (Wallace, 2015). It is expected that, following a mass shooting, firearms sales increase due to a fear of legislation banning products and a limited timeframe to obtain them. For instance, The Financial Times of London reported 52% increase of gun sales in the year following the Sandy Hook shooting; however, in the long term, if there is regulation that limits the autonomy of manufacturers then investors would be inclined to divest in firearms manufacturers. …

Increasing Operator Skills In A Manufacturing Environment, Bobbie Lee Hubbard

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

A plastic-injection molding facility is converting many machines into more automated systems. These complex systems require higher-level skill sets than current operators have been trained in. There is a need to increase the level of competency in most, if not all, of the operators at the Facility, and create a system of levels that engages employees and encourages learning new skills to increase their position and pay.

There is a need for a clear path of compensation based on skills and actions. The Facility is currently not optimizing or maximizing their current portfolio of machines and resources, leaving an unknown …

An Analysis Of Z-Scores And Performance: Manufacturing Companies In Hong Kong, S.L. Foo, Shaakalya Pathak

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Hong Kong is a key leading economy in the Asia Pacific region. This study examines the relationship between the financial health, as measured by the Altman Z-Score, and corporate performance, as measured by the Return on Equity (ROE), of listed manufacturing companies in this market. A linear regression has been conducted between these variables to determine the magnitude and direction of their relationships. The trends of Z-Scores over a five-year period have also been analysed. The analysis covers the period from 2013 to 2017 (inclusive) and yields a statistically positive correlation between ROE and the Z-Score for the market. Hong …

Studying The Relationship Between Performance And Z-Scores For Manufacturing Firms In Singapore, See Liang Foo, Shaakalya Pathak

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Singapore is a key leading economy in the Asia Pacific region. This study examines the relationship between the financial health, as measured by the Altman Z-Score, and corporate performance, as measured by the Return on Equity (ROE), of listed manufacturing companies in this market. A linear regression has been conducted between these variables to determine the magnitude and direction of their relationships. The trends of Z-Scores over a five-year period have also been analysed.The analysis covers the period from 2013 to 2017 (inclusive) and yields a statistically positive correlation between ROE and the Z-Score for the market. Singapore registered relatively …

An Exploration Of ‘Sticky’ Inventory Management In The Manufacturing Industry, James R. Kroes, Andrew S. Manikas

IT and Supply Chain Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Traditional models examining relationships between firm resources and revenues assume that the many expenses and asset holdings change in proportion to changes in demand. However, research has found that for many costs and assets assumed to be variable, the magnitude of a change in a cost or asset in proportion to a change in revenue is smaller during periods when revenue decreases compared to the change in the cost or asset when revenue increases. Costs and assets which behave in this manner have been denoted as ‘sticky’ costs or assets. This study examines if inventory in the manufacturing industry is …

Lumberjack Construction: Job-Order Costing & Manufacturing Simulation, Marie Kelly, Nikki Shoemaker

Faculty Publications

This paper describes a classroom Job-Order Costing and manufacturing simulation called Lumberjack Construction. This simulation is used in introductory managerial accounting and cost accounting courses to help students understand the various parts of the manufacturing process and the application of Job-Order Costing principles. For this simulation, students are placed into manufacturing groups. Each group is responsible for manufacturing a building and calculating the cost of that building using job-order costing.

Small And Medium Enterprise Productivity And Its Determinants: Evidence From Vietnamese Manufacturing Smes, Cong Nguyen, Charles Harvie, Amir Arjomandi

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Financial Health And Corporate Performance: A Comparison Of Manufacturing Companies In China And India, See Liang Foo, Shaakalya Pathak

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The People’s Republic of China (China) and India are two leading economies in Asia Pacific. This study examines the relationship between the financial health, as measured by the Altman Z-Score, and corporate performance, as measured by the Return on Equity (ROE), of listed manufacturing companies in these two markets. A linear regression was conducted between these variables to determine the magnitude and direction of their relationships. The trends of Z-Scores over a fourteen-year period are also analysed. The analysis covers the period from 2000 to 2013 (inclusive) and yielded a statistically positive correlation between ROE and the Z-Score for both …

Financial Health And Corporate Performance Of Listed Manufacturing Companies In South Korea And Taiwan: A Comparative Study Of The Two Asian Tigers, See Liang Foo, Shaakalya Pathak

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

South Korea and Taiwan are two leading economies in Asia Pacific. This study examines the relationship between the financial health, as measured by the Altman Z-Score, and corporate performance, as measured by the Return on Equity (ROE), of listed manufacturing companies in these two markets. A linear regression was conducted between these variables to determine the magnitude and direction of their relationships. The trends of Z-Scores over a fourteen-year period are also analyzed. The analysis covers the period from 2000 to 2013(inclusive) and yielded a statistically positive correlation between ROE and the Z-Score for both markets. South Korea and Taiwan …

Job Shop Misconceptions: Making The Case For Lean, Renee Held

White Papers

In today's competitive business environment, a focus on continuous improvement through Lean can make a big difference in the financial success and growth of a business.

The Relationship Of Corporate Financial Performance And Innovation Among Manufacturing Industries, Charlaine T. Chong, Samantha R. Chua, Ma. Catrina S. Dy, Antonio Miguel E. Villavicencio

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Innovation is becoming a critical determinant of the survival and advancement of firms. Despite this realization, there is a dearth of literature that tackles the subject matter and its specific role in corporate settings remains vague. Using corporate data on East and Southeast Asian manufacturing firms from 2008 to 2013, this study aims to identify the impact of corporate financial performance on research and development (R&D) expenditure as a measure of innovation. On the whole, the researchers utilized random effects (REM) and fixed effects (FEM) models to establish the relationship between R&D and corporate performance. The researchers, then, identified the …

Financial Health And Corporate Performance Of Listed Manufacturing Companies In Hong Kong And Singapore – A Comparative Study Of The Two Asian Tigers, Foo S.L.

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Hong Kong and Singapore are two leading economies in Asia Pacific. This study examines the relationship between the financial health, as measured by the Altman Z-Score, and corporate performance, as measured by the Return on Equity (ROE), of listed manufacturing companies in these two markets. A linear regression was conducted between these variables to determine the magnitude and direction of their relationships. The trends of Z-Scores over a fourteen-year period are also analyzed. The analysis covers the period from 2000 to 2013(inclusive) and yielded a statistically positive correlation between ROE and the Z-Score for both markets. Singapore and Hong Kong …

Industry Career Guide: Manufacturing, Kurt Gerrard T. See, Mitzie Irene P. Conchada

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Manufacturing sector in the Philippines has one of the largest contributions to the growth of the economy. Throughout the years, starting from the 1970s, the manufacturing sector has been one of the driving forces behind the country’s growth. It has proven its importance in the economy because of benefits such as employment generation and technological innovation.

A Comparison Of The Financial Characteristics Of U.S. And German Manufacturing Firms, Daniel Folkinshteyn, Ozge Uygur, Gulser Meric

Rohrer College of Business Faculty Scholarship

The U.S. and Germany rank #1 and #3, respectively, in the world, in terms of the total amount of international trade. U.S. and German firms compete with one another for a larger market share in other countries and in each other’s local markets. And yet, there are no published studies that compare the financial management practices of U.S. and German firms. In this paper, we make a contribution to the finance literature on this subject by comparing the financial characteristics of U.S. and German manufacturing firms. Our findings provide valuable insights for corporate financial managers and for investors who invest …

Corporation With Eight Strategic Business Units, Daniel R. Sterkenburg

Business Administration Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.