Corporate strategies, freight transport and regional development

Corporate strategies and decisions concerning location, such as outsourcing of individual production processes, have an impact on the volume of freight traffic. Due to concentration of core competences, new logistics trends, growing importance of services and liberalization of markets, corporate strategies undergo rapid changes. Their spatial impact is of interest, especially when taking into account that new corporate behaviour can increase as well as reduce freight traffic. The overall impact of these changes are very unclear and little empirical evidence is available besides various insights from networks in the automotive sector. For example reducing the level of in-house production may multiply the number of suppliers. They in turn deliver the required parts more frequently but in smaller batches thus increasing the volume of freight transportation. On the other hand the manifest trend towards the concentration and bundling of single suppliers in the form of component or systems suppliers tends to reduce freight traffic for production inputs. The paper examines two key aspects. First it sheds light on the interrelationships of structural changes of the economy, in particular of corporate behaviour (e.g. outsourcing, just-in-time production, telecommunications) and the volume of freight traffic. Second we will try to answer the following question: in what types of companies does the division of labour along the chain of value added lead to increased freight traffic and where can freight traffic be reduced by means of telematics. The paper draws from an empirical study of a region in Central Switzerland. Recommendations for public as well as private actors will deal with potentials to reduce freight traffic through cooperative efforts.

Supplier Selection and Relationship Management: An Application of Machine Learning Techniques

Managing supply chains is an extremely challenging task due to globalization, short product life cycle, and recent advancements in information technology. These changes result in the increasing importance of managing the relationship with suppliers. However, the supplier selection literature mainly focuses on selecting suppliers based on previous performance, environmental and social criteria and ignores supplier relationship management. Moreover, although the explosion of data and the capabilities of machine learning techniques in handling dynamic and fast changing environment show promising results in customer relationship management, especially in customer lifetime value, this area has been untouched in the upstream side of supply chains. This research is an attempt to address this gap by proposing a framework to predict supplier future value, by incorporating the contract history data, relationship value, and supply network properties. The proposed model is empirically tested for suppliers of public works and government services Canada. Methodology wise, this thesis demonstrates the application of machine learning techniques for supplier selection and developing effective strategies for managing relationships. Practically, the proposed framework equips supply chain managers with a proactive and forward-looking approach for managing supplier relationship

Salespeople are from Mars, purchasers are from Venus : matching sales to purchasing

There is no business without sales and no sales without customers. The bridge that spans business‐to‐business (B2B) selling and their customers is termed a buyer‐seller relationship. The contemporary buyer‐seller environment presents salespeople with the challenge of finding ways to overcome the current ineffectiveness of many previously effective sales approaches. The effectiveness of many sales approaches has been questioned based on the ongoing paradigm shift in the purchasing domain. Purchasing based changes have had, and are expected to continue to have a tremendous influence on the buying process. Yet, the different roles in buyer‐seller relationships are, in the Marketing and Sales domain, either studied from the buyer’s perspective or from the seller’s point of view. Buying organizations, however, are gradually shifting power to the purchasing function. For sales practitioners and sales researchers, this ongoing shift demands a study in the evolution of the purchasing function in order to improve their sales approaches. This doctoral thesis analyzes the domain of Buyer‐Seller Relationships in B2B contexts, with an emphasis on Personal Selling and Sales Management. The objective of this dissertation is to obtain a better understanding of how changes in market conditions and advances in technology have empowered the B2B purchaser, thereby creating new challenges to the sales organization and sales function. The first essay of this dissertation is based on an extensive review of the Buyer‐Seller literature and is a call to sales practitioners to pay more attention to the purchasing function and to develop sales strategies and sales approaches that cater to the customers’ purchasing function. The research contribution of the first essay is a presentation of a research grid for future sales research. This framework depicts avenues for future sales research that encompasses the important topics that are considered to be important for the Purchasing & Supply Management (PSM) and the Buyer‐Seller research domains. Based on findings from the first essay, the second essay entails how the sales side should first understand specific purchaser’s jargon, the strategic importance of their offer while looking through a purchaser’s lens, to then adapt the sales messaging based on particular knowledge needs by the purchaser. This results in a selling approach that further advances the curren versions of value‐based selling, and contributes to the sphere of salespeople who succeed by a better presentation of the competitive advantages of their offer related to future cost benefits and risk reduction. Finally, the third essay matches existing sales strategies according to the purchasing maturity of the customers. The maturity of the customer’s purchasing department is defined by Reck and Long (1977) in four gradual steps of professionalism. This research essay draws on these steps by first identifying the purchasing department’s maturity level, followed by an examination of what sales strategies are best suited to match the specific needs associated with the four levels of purchasing maturity

NewSpace and the european space economy

A guide for engineers to better understand space economy. A guide for policy-makers to better understand the space sector. The statement above is probably the best way to sum up the main goal of this work: to connect space engineering and economy in a theoretical approach. The proposal for the thesis is to study the economy of space in Europe and the main challenges for the crucial future decades. This work is intended to give insight into economic strategies in order to enhance the growth of the space sector whilst also detailing the state of space technology in Europe today. This thesis should be useful as a guide for those looking to comprehend the state of space technology in Europe, those interested in creating new companies and those who want to invest in space technology. The broader goal is to focus on solving the fundamental Five Ws with respect to space technology and its socio-economic consequences in Europe. All fundamental questions must be assessed avoiding prior subjective assumptions and/or desired outcomes. Space is experiencing a major shift from concentrated government-lead projects to an ever-increasing volume of commercial activities. This thesis aims to break down the fundamental aspects that are driving the current transformation of space1 while also taking a deep dive into the European space sector, future space economy trends and Europe’s role in the global space sector. In addition, the future of space clusters, space agencies and private-public interactions will be studied. The statement and aim are broad indicators of the contents of the thesis. Before defining specific objectives, some of the topics need defining in a more precise way. Let us make a list of relevant topics to be assessed in the thesis: The emerging NewSpace and Space 4.0 agenda proposed and adopted by ESA require space technologies to be developed coordinating public and private sectors. The rapid increase of private market ecosystems in space in the US and the emerging Indian and Chinese Space markets urge Europe to develop strategies to compete by fostering new private endeavours and stimulating the creation of new markets. Space in Europe may focus on optimizing regional technology clusters paying more attention on regions which could play a larger role in ESA’s industrial policy in the future. Considerations on the creation of new high-tech jobs for social and political concerns would create new opportunities to least developed countries. New financing models or investment communities to effectively catalyse dynamic risk capital investments and additional private investments in the sector. This can be done by studying economic profitability, its relation to specific space technologies and dependency on short/long term growths. A new approach to further linking universities, research institutions, private companies and ESA could be an interesting tool to fully develop student skills and interactions in the real world. An overview of clusters and ecosystems can be key to understand how policy makers can stimulate the growth of the space sector

Information sharing in supply chains: a review of risks and opportunities using the Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the most important research areas on information sharing in supply chains and related risks, taking into account their evolution over time. This paper sheds light on what is happening today and what the trajectories for the future are, with particular respect to the implications for supply chain management. Design/Methodology/Approach – The dynamic literature review method called Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA) was adopted. It combines the Systematic Literature Review approach and bibliographic network analyses, and it relies on objective measures and algorithms to perform quantitative literature-based detection of emerging topics. Findings-The focus of the literature seems to be on threats internal to the extended supply chain rather than external attacks, such as viruses, traditionally related to information technology (IT). The main arising risk appears to be the intentional or non-intentional leakage of information. Also, papers analyse the implications for information sharing coming from " soft " factors such as trust and collaboration among supply chain partners. Opportunities are also highlighted and include how information sharing can be leveraged to confront disruptions and increase resilience. Research limitations/implications – The adopted methodology allows providing an original perspective on the investigated topic, i.e. how information sharing in supply chains and related risks are evolving over time due to the turbulent advances in technology. Practical implications-Emergent and highly critical risks related to information sharing are highlighted to support the design of supply chain risks strategies. Also, critical areas to the development of " beyond-the-dyad " initiatives to manage information sharing risks emerge. Opportunities coming from information sharing that are less known and exploited by companies are provided. Originality/value – This study focuses on the supply chain perspective rather than the traditional IT-based view of information sharing. According to this perspective, this study provides a dynamic representation of the literature on the investigated topic. This is an important contribution to the topic of information sharing in supply chains, which is continuously evolving and shaping new supply chain models

Nuevas Actividades Exportadoras en Brasil: Ventaja Comparativa, Políticas o Auto-Descubrimiento?

Este documento examina los hallazgos de Brasil en la exportación de aviones, teléfonos celulares y carne de cerdo. Todos los casos confirman la importancia que tienen el aumento de la eficacia y los costos irrecuperables en la expansión de las exportaciones y llevan a las siguientes conclusiones: la política económica y la ventaja comparativa desempeñaron un papel importante en la aparición de las nuevas actividades de exportación; las economías de escala fueron un factor determinante y crucial de la competitividad; y una marca de fábrica muy conocida ayudó a superar asimetrías de información y a facilitar el ingreso del producto en los mercados de exportación. Los exportadores se concentraron en el diseño, comercialización, investigación y desarrollo y ensamblaje de productos, haciendo de la coordinación con los proveedores un factor importante en sus estrategias. Las políticas públicas tuvieron además una fuerte influencia, en ocasiones involuntaria. Mientras que los gobiernos pueden fomentar los descubrimientos, especialmente ante las fallas del mercado, las políticas no pueden por sí solas generar el éxito de un exportador.

European supply chain study

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, System Design and Management Program, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-77).Introduction: Supply chain management has been defined as, "..a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses and stores, so that merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations and at the right time, in order to minimize system-wide costs.... satisfying service level requirements.. " -- ".. integration of activities ..through improved supply chain relationships to achieve sustainable competitive advantage.. " -- "..coordination and collaboration with channel partners.. coordination of process and activities.. " [53] "..from the ore mine to the trash can... the production and distribution network that encompasses the sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, commercialization, distribution, consumption, and disposal of goods.. " -- "...flow of requirement information from buyer to seller which triggers all later activities, the movement of goods from sellers to buyers, transfer of ownership rights from seller to buyer and payment from buyer to seller. " The above definitions offer a broad spectrum of supply chain orientation and management choices available to companies. They could vary from a transactional orientation that is focused on low cost acquisition; to one where stronger relationships are established with key suppliers and customers in an effort to optimize and capture synergies; onward to a partnership orientation that is focused on supporting mutual goals for a sustainable competitive advantage. Making the right choice is essential. It can have a significant impact on a company's balance sheet and income statement. GSCF and SCOR are two popular process frameworks in supply chain management [36]. Corporate strategy is the starting point of the GSCF framework, with the operational aspects of customer relationship management and supplier relationship management linked to the strategy. Its process metrics are related to EVA. On the other hand, the SCOR framework focuses on transactional efficiency by integrating operational activities such as purchasing, operations, and logistics. It benchmarks process metrics to improve operational efficiency.by Mohitkumar Puri.S.M

Relatório de Estágio - Solução de BI Roaming Data Science (RoaDS) em ambiente Vodafone

A telecom company (Vodafone), had the need to implement a Business Intelligence solution for Roaming data across a wide set of different data sources. Based on the data visualization of this solution, its key users with decision power, can make a business analysis and needs of infrastructure and software expansion. This document aims to expose the scientific papers produced with the various stages of production of the solution (state of the art, architecture design and implementation results), this Business Intelligence solution was designed and implemented with OLAP methodologies and technologies in a Data Warehouse composed of Data Marts arranged in constellation, the visualization layer was custom made in JavaScript (VueJS). As a base for the results a questionnaire was created to be filled in by the key users of the solution. Based on this questionnaire it was possible to ascertain that user acceptance was satisfactory. The proposed objectives for the implementation of the BI solution with all the requirements was achieved with the infrastructure itself created from scratch in Kubernetes. This BI platform can be expanded using column storage databases created specifically with OLAP workloads in mind, removing the need for an OLAP cube layer. Based on Machine Learning algorithms, the platform will be able to perform the predictions needed to make decisions about Vodafone's Roaming infrastructure