Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons^™

Preliminary Assessment Of Client Interest In And Needs Of The New England Environmental Finance Center, New England Environmental Finance Center, University Of Southern Maine

Planning

The New England Environmental Finance Center (NE/EFC) has been conceived as a knowledge-based clearinghouse, training, and change-agent program aimed at helping EPA's constituencies find financially successful approaches to environmental improvements. The NE/EFC will develop approaches to needs of particular priority in New England and potentially useful throughout the nation; share such approaches through the EFC national network; and help make tools from that network accessible throughout New England. In 1999 we began exploring with potential users how this ninth of the nation's EFCs might best address the region's needs. The assessment continued through the Muskie School's EFC proposal to EPA …

Vehicle Routing For Milk Procurement, Janat Shah

IIMB Management Review

In a typical co-operative dairy, one of the significant operating costsunder the control of the management is the cost of milk collectionand transportation. (Exhibit 1 shows the typical cost structure of adairy) The dairy under study picked up milk from 500-800 pick uppoints (nodes) twice a day. The vehicle routes were decided manu-ally keeping in mind the peak load expected at the nodes during thecoming year. The dairy had about 50 odd routes, each route cover-ing an average of 15 nodes. Usually dairies do not own the ve-hicles but use transport contractors who enter into an annual con tract with …

The Quality Movement And Organisation Theory By Robert E Cole And W. Richard Scott, New Delhi: Sage, 2000., Vijay G Vancheswar

IIMB Management Review

The Quality Movement and Organisation Theory is different from most books on quality on two main counts. Firstly, it successfully addresses the issues of organisational change and emerging management practices, and their impact on Total Quality Management (TQM). Secondly, the concepts and findings detailed in the book combine the strengths of academic research studies on TQM and the vast experience of executives from leading organisations. Though focused primarily on the practices of TQM in the US, the book is exhaustive in its treatment of the subject. Starting with a lucid introduction to the quality movement and its linkages with issues …

Yield Management In The Airline Industry, B Venkateshwara Rao

IIMB Management Review

The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 changed the competitive landscape for air travel. The CAB allowed low-cost (nonunionised and no-frill chartered service) carriers to compete in the scheduled air travel markets. Scheduled air carriers were at a disadvantage due to their high-cost structure. For example, during the winter of 1976, passengers could travel from New York to Florida on a charter for as little as $99. This fare was less than the average cost for a scheduled carrier to fly that market.

Product-Mix Optimiser For An Integrated Steel Plant, Goutam Dutta, Gopal P Singh, P N Roy

IIMB Management Review

Optimal utilisation of constrained resources is one of the most important problems in the area of operations management. The determination of optimal productmix is an extremely difficult task for an organisation producing multiple products in multiple stages, sharing a set of common plant resources and experiencing a fluctuating market over time. In the absence of a quick method to determine optimality under changing conditions, plant managers have to make decisions based on their experience and intuition. 

Optimisation: Maximising Roi Within The Supply Chain, Irvin Lustig

IIMB Management Review

Optimisation is the technology employed within a supply chain management system that can have the single greatest impact on reducing costs, improving product margins, lowering inventories, and increasing manufacturing throughput. In short, optimisation is the key to achieving maximum return on investment (ROI). According to John Bermudez of the Boston- based AMR Research, the planning and scheduling modules that depend on optimisation technology have generated 30 to 300% ROI within companies that have already used them1. And the returns should continue to rise. Bermudez called the technology a means to unlock the potential from all of the data residing in …

The Pilgrim's Progress: Operations Research In Queuing, G Raghuram

IIMB Management Review

Good management practice is synonymous with applying operations research (OR). Both imply a systematic approach beginning with clarity in problem definition, understanding the objectives and constraints, characterising the alternatives (these three steps constitute  model building), evaluating (analysing) them and finally selecting an alternative for implementation. In addition to this basic methodology, there is also an implication of a quantitative basis to the extent possible. It is this quantitative basis which lends to the common perception that good management practice is much larger than OR

Collaborative Model And Algorithms For Supporting Real-Time Distribution Logistics Systems, Hoong Chuin Lau, Qi Zhang Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We study a complex optimization problem that arises due to an emerging trend in distribution logistics. The problem involves the integration of an inventory management problem and the vehicle routing problem with time windows, both of which are known to be NP-hard. We describe a collaborative approach to solve this problem in real-time. The novelty of our approach lies in the tight algorithmic integration between two sub-problems, and suggests an elegant scheme to deal with other integrated optimization problems of the same nature. For first sub-problem, we will present two algorithms: a complete mathematical model integrating integer programming with constraint …

Managing A Flow Line With Single-Kanban, Dual-Kanban Or Conwip, Kum Khiong Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

To control the production of different parts on a single flow line, managers can choose between the Single-kanban, Dual-kanban, and Conwip. This paper therefore compares the three different systems. The results show that Conwip consistently produces the shortest mean customer wait time and lowest total work-in-process. Our results also contradict the finding of a previous study, which showed that Dual-kanban performed better than Single-kanban. The different findings can, however, be attributed to the use of a material transfer policy, which favors the Dual-kanban modeled in the previous study. Our study shows that transferring replenished containers immediately to downstream stations, increasing …

Competitive Priorities And Managerial Performance: A Taxonomy Of Small Manufacturers, Ravi Kathuria

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Much of the research in manufacturing strategy has focused on specific relationships between a few constructs, with relatively little emphasis on typologies and taxonomies (Bozarth and McDermott, 1998). Using data from 196 respondents in 98 manufacturing units, this study develops a taxonomy of small manufacturers based on their emphasis on several competitive priorities. The annual sales for sixty-four percent of the participating units in this study are below US $50 million, which is on the lower side as compared to other studies in this area (cf., Miller & Roth, 1994). The study findings indicate that different groups of manufacturers – …

Diversity Of Behaviour During Novel Object Tests Is Reduced In Pigs Housed In Substrate-Impoverished Conditions, Françoise Wemelsfelder, Marie Haskell, Michael T. Mendl, Sheena Calvert, Alistair B. Lawrence

Sentience Collection

Modern intensive farming conditions lack the diversity of substrates present in more natural environments and offer young animals fewer opportunities for interaction. Evidence exists that this may affect the organization of interactive patterns of behaviour, but shifts in behavioural diversity have not been measured directly. We investigated the effect of the substrate in the home pen on the diversity of behaviour in young growing pigs, Sus scrofa. Over 5 months, 26 pigs were housed singly in either substrate-impoverished (SI) or substrate-enriched (SE) conditions. Once every month we recorded the behaviour of these pigs in detail both in the home pens …

The Wholesale Industry At The Crossroads, Koushiki Chowdhury, Sudas Roy

IIMB Management Review

Since the late 1980s, the wholesale industry has been experiencing turbulence, What With the growth in direct buying programmes and rising imports that often bypass domestic Wholesalers and directly approach the retail shelves. Many wholesalers are gradually defining their roles as being in the marketing support business and not merely in the distnbution business. They are realising that their primary purpose is to help both suppliers and customers develop effective marketing programmes and there by remain an essential link in the channel.

The Impact Of State Taxes On The Development And Growth Of The Trucking Industry, Thomas Lambert, Hokey Min

Journal of Transportation Management

The presence of certain state taxes is believed to have a negative impact on truck registration and the location decisions of trucking firms. For example, in a metropolitan area that covers two or more states, a trucking firm might not choose to locate in the county that is in close proximity to the metropolitan area’s business districts, population centers, and largest concentration of customers, if that county is in a state that imposes the taxes. Instead, it might choose to locate in a county that belongs to another state that does not impose such taxes as long as that county …

The Use Of Edi And Internet Technologies In The U.S. Motor Carrier Industry, Richard L. Clarke

Journal of Transportation Management

Computer to computer data exchange by companies in a supply chain have been wellrecognized as an effective means of reducing cost and decreasing paperwork errors. In many cases, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers have become electronically linked to better manage inventory, ordering, and billing information. However, supply chains, by definition, also include common carriers that move goods between supply chain partners but may not have a long-term relationship with either the shipper or his customers. This could be the missing or weak link in an otherwise effective supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to examine the state-of-the-art of EDI …

The Relationship Between The Functional Orientation Of Senior Managers And Service Quality In Ltl Motor Carriers, Patricia M. Poli, Carl A. Scheraga

Journal of Transportation Management

This study utilizes data envelopment analysis to examine the relationship between the functional heterogeneity of senior LTL motor carrier managers’ departmental positions and the relative efficiency of their companies in the production of quality customer service. Three measures from the Quest for Quality annual survey are utilized to measure customer satisfaction: on-time performance, value, and customer service. It is shown that data envelopment analysis can be used to assist LTL motor carriers in benchmarking the configuration of their managerial hierarchies against their peers in order to achieve the goal of customer satisfaction. The results of the present study confirm that …

Analyzing The Evolution Of Class I Ltl Motor Carriers: An Examination Of Expansion Into Warehousing, Joe B. Hanna, Arnold B. Maltz

Journal of Transportation Management

The current research uses Porter’s differentiation strategy framework to examine Class I LTL motor carrier service expansion habits over the last twenty years. The examination focuses on carriers bundling transportation and warehousing services together to help differentiate their service offerings from competitors. Results indicate that carriers are expanding service offerings to include warehousing services and are providing significant value-added services to customers. Continuous growth in warehouse service expansion was evident from passage of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 to the mid-90’s.

An Evaluation Of Liner Strategies In The Context Of Contemporary Supply Chain Management Practices, Shashi Kumar

Journal of Transportation Management

Academic researchers published a sophisticated model of world class logistics in 1995 and recently updated it with a model of 21st century logistics. Although such practices are yet to be perfected in the real world, it provides a yardstick for measuring logistical excellence. An innovative world class firm will pursue sustainable competitive advantage through wellintegrated global supply chains. As liner operators are vital members of global supply chains, their contemporary strategies need particular scrutiny to identify elements of congruence or non-congruence. The paper discusses generic liner strategies and identifies the ideal strategy congruent with contemporary supply chain management practices.

Provision Of Professional Training To Meet Global Procurement Challenges In Hong Kong, Chi Shun, Josephine Kea

International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA) Conference

The technology today is so fast that quickly changes the traditional business process. Supply chain management is becoming the profession of the future – an extension of buyers’ job. New professional education in purchasing and supply management should be demanded by Hong Kong’s business world to maintain its status as a global procurement centre and a commercial window of China

Supply-Chain Synchronization: Lessons From Hyundai Motor Company, Chan K. Hahn, Edward A. Duplaga, Janet L. Hartley

Management Faculty Publications

One of the challenges of supply-chain management is developing ways to effectively integrate activities across organizations on the supply chain. Hyundai Motor Company developed mechanisms to coordinate production planning and scheduling activities among supply-chain members. Hyundai Motor's production-and-sales-control (P/SC) department uses regularly scheduled cross-functional meetings and scheduling policies to coordinate supply-chain activities. When implementing this process, the P/SC department overcame structural, environ mental, and behavioral problems. Although Hyundai manage ment concedes that the process is not perfect, communication among supply-chain members has improved, and the P/SC group has successfully promoted mutual understanding and respect among functional areas. The primary benefit, …

Commercial Irrigation And Nutrition Practices For Strawberries In Western Australia, D. Phillips, D. Gatter, T. Calder, D. Pitman

Horticulture research reports

Irrigation practices employed by five commercial strawberry growers on sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain near Perth Western Australia were monitored for two consecutive seasons, 1995 and 1996 during the Spring production period.

Nutritional practices for the same grower group plus one Albany grower were monitored by plant, soil and sap analysis at 14 day intervals throughout the 1996 season.

Irrigation records showed that market quality strawberries could be produced at this time of year (August to December in Perth) on soils with very poor water retention properties with an average crop factor(E Pan) for the season of 0.7 …

Vulnerability Analysis: A Tool For Survival, S D Kshirsagar

IIMB Management Review

Managers are often reluctant to tread the unknown path. They do not even try to foresee the unknown. But what you do not foresee can hurt you, and refusing to anticipate the future may lead to major problems and even extinction.

Forward Engineering For Strategic Gearing: The Indian Tea Industry, Subhash Sharma

IIMB Management Review

Forward engineering provides a foundational premise for the strategic gearing of an organisation, keeping in view its existing and new capabilities with respect to current and anticipated challenges in a competitive environment.

Management Development And Retention Programs In U.S. Third-Party Logistics Firms, Robert Lorin Cook, Brian J. Gibson

Journal of Transportation Management

To provide quality logistics services, it is essential for third-party logistics (3PL) firms to develop an effective human resource program that ensures successful development and retention of qualified managers. By reporting the results of a survey of current U.S. 3PL firm development and retention practices and experiences regarding junior managers, this article provides a benchmark for 3PL firm managers who seek to improve management development and retention programs. Efforts to improve human resource programs should focus on improving orientation programs, mentoring, job enrichment, formal career planning, job relocation assignments, educational support, training and compensation.

Examining America’S Logistics Programs Via The Internet, Joe B. Hanna, William Compton

Journal of Transportation Management

This study uses the Internet and a two phase methodology to help gain insight into the current state of America’s logistics programs. Phase I examines logistics program structure while phase II employs a modified, electronic version of the Delphi technique to help examine global logistics education practices. The results of the research indicate that, while key differences exist in America’s logistics programs, academicians of the discipline largely agree on the relative importance of key functional areas of the discipline. However, a potential gap may exist between the skills addressed in logistics and business education programs and the skills required for …

Cheating Via Online Paper Mills In Logistics Education, Kathleen H. Gruben, Cathy Owens Swift, Luther (Trey) Denton

Journal of Transportation Management

The growth of e-business is providing businesses and entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop niches targeting one of the largest groups of Internet users: university students. Unfortunately, one of these niches is online term paper mills, where students can purchase university quality term papers and then submit them in class as their own work. The purpose of this paper is (1) to identify what online term paper services are available; (2) to determine how many logistics term papers are offered by these services; and, (3) to suggest strategies that can be used by logistics faculty to suppress use of these materials.

The Usage Of Mobile Communication Systems In The Trucking Industry, R Stephen Parker, John L. Kent, Karl B. Manrodt

Journal of Transportation Management

This article reports the findings of a mobile communications survey mailed out to over 2,000 trucking firms. The findings indicate that 68% of respondents use some form of mobile communication system in their firm. Various types of mobile communication systems were reported, including two-way pagers, one-way pagers, cell phones, two-way radio, and satellite communications. Additionally, implementation decision factors for mobile communication systems were evaluated for both users and non-users of mobile communication systems.

Terrorism And The Global Supply Chain: Where Are Your Weak Links?, Kathryn Dobie, L Milton Glisson, James Grant

Journal of Transportation Management

For many years, managers have chosen to ignore the risks associated with acts of terrorism that can potentially and catastrophically affect the global supply chain. As producers and suppliers become more tightly tied through long term relationships, common communications and information technology, events affecting one member of the supply chain can have a profound impact on the ability of the rest of the network to operate. The purpose of this discourse is to highlight the linkages which leave a supply chain vulnerable in the case of direct or indirect disruption caused by unexpected terrorist activity.

Floor Temperature Preference Of Sows At Farrowing, P. A. Phillips, D. Fraser, B. Pawluczuk

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

A preference testing apparatus was used to provide sows with continuous access to three identical farrowing crates, each with a different floor temperature. The concrete floor under each crate contained copper pipe through which temperature-controlled water was circulated to achieve unoccupied floor temperatures of 22°C (± 3.5), 29°C (± 1) and 35°C (± 1). Eighteen sows were tested in the apparatus. Video recording was used to determine sow position from 7 days before farrowing (Days ‒7 to ‒1) to 14 days after (Days 1 to 14). On Days ‒7 to ‒1, sows showed no significant preference among the three temperatures …

The Horizontal Organization; By Frank Ostroff, London: Oxford University Press, 1999, Ganesh Jejurikar

IIMB Management Review

No abstract provided.

Corporate Culture And Organisational Performance: A Comparative Study Of Manufacturing Organisations, Indu Saxena

IIMB Management Review

No abstract provided.