Alliance contractual design

Our purpose in this paper is to provide an overview of what we know about alliance contracts. After a short introduction to the contents of alliance contracts, we start by contrasting alliance contractual form and governance form. Next, we focus on two related constructs: contractual complexity and contractual completeness. We suggest that contractual complexity is a more adequate construct to investigate in the absence of information about the transaction contemplated in the contract. After that, we present the measures of contractual complexity used in past studies. Then, we go over the determinants of contractual complexity by considering their influence on contracting costs and benefits given environmental and behavioral uncertainty. Conclusions and suggestions for research are offered at the end.alliance contracts; collaborative relationships; contractual complexity; strategic alliances; cooperation; joint ventures;

Structuring postponement strategies in the supply chain by analytical modeling

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Measuring the degree of virtualization. An empirical analysis in two Austrian industries.

Strategic management literature suggests that especially in young and dynamic industries Virtual Corporations are more likely to emerge, as this type of organization is flexible enough to deal with rapidly changing environments. This paper challenges the proposition that environ-mental uncertainty and technological change lead to organizational adaptation towards virtual structures. We analyzed companies of two Austrian industries, data processing and engineering, which are characterized by different rates of innovation and environmental uncertainty, and compare their strategic, structural, and process characteristics by measuring their Degree of Virtualization. Results indicate almost no difference in the Degree of Virtualization. From these findings, we draw implications for the theoretical concept of Virtual Corpora-tions as well as for empirical research. (author's abstract)Series: Report Series SFB "Adaptive Information Systems and Modelling in Economics and Management Science

Formalisation and use of competencies for industrial performance optimisation : a survey.

For many years, industrial performance has been implicitly considered as deriving from the optimisation of technological and material resources (machines, inventories,...), made possible by centralized organisations. The topical requirements for reactive and flexible industrial systems have progressively reintroduced the human workforce as the main source of industrial performance. Making this paradigm operational requires the identification and careful formalisation of the link between human resource and industrial performance, through concepts like skills, competencies or know-how. This paper provides a general survey of the formalisation and integration of competence-oriented concepts within enterprise information systems and decision systems, aiming at providing new methods and tools for performance management

An evaluation of performance information procurement system (PIPS)

Since procurement is seen as crucial for project success, many\ud methods have been developed and papers written about this issue. A remarkable\ud contribution in this field comes from Dean Kashiwagi (Arizona State University,\ud USA) who underpins his support for the Performance Information Procurement\ud System (PiPS) with claims of high project performance and client satisfaction.\ud Kashiwagi’s explanation for PiPS’s effects is based upon a theoretical\ud framework that relates to staff members’ ability to deal appropriately with\ud information by making sound decisions based not just on implicit expectation\ud and tacit experience. This is not, however, a satisfactory explanation. This paper\ud provides an overview of New Institutional Economics perspectives which are\ud better able to explain the effects of PiPS. The linking of these theories to\ud innovative PiPS elements clears the path to effectively select and apply PiPS\ud elements within suitable projects in the Dutch construction industry. This will\ud enhance industry performance and is of interest to all stakeholders

Reflexivity and flexibility: Complementary routes to innovation?

Flexibility and reflexivity are essential processes for organisational innovation. The aim of the paper is to investigate their concurrent and interactive contribution in enhancing two innovation outcomes (the organisational openness towards innovation and the actual innovation adoption). Participants were 357 Italian employees. Results of a hierarchical regression model showed the role of both factors in fostering the two innovation outcomes under study. In addition, results showed the complementary interaction of reflexivity and flexibility, outlining two possible routes to innovation. Specifically, reflexivity appears to be a generative learning process capable of encouraging innovation in low-flexibility conditions, whereas flexibility tends to encourage innovation in low-reflexivity conditions. The findings provide empirical support of their roles as complementary resources for innovation, which has been under-examined in the literature

Design of a cooperative problem-solving system for enroute flight planning: An empirical study of its use by airline dispatchers

In a previous report, an empirical study of 30 pilots using the Flight Planning Testbed was reported. An identical experiment using the Flight Planning Testbed (FPT), except that 27 airline dispatchers were studied, is described. Five general questions were addressed in this study: (1) under what circumstances do the introduction of computer-generated suggestions (flight plans) influence the planning behavior of dispatchers (either in a beneficial or adverse manner); (2) what is the nature of such influences (i.e., how are the person's cognitive processes changed); (3) how beneficial are the general design concepts underlying FPT (use of a graphical interface, embedding graphics in a spreadsheet, etc.); (4) how effective are the specific implementation decisions made in realizing these general design concepts; and (5) how effectively do dispatchers evaluate situations requiring replanning, and how effectively do they identify appropriate solutions to these situations

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL FUTURES

Farm Management,