Conceptualizing the IT Artifact for MIS Research

The notion of the information technology (IT) artifact has received a great deal of attention, particularly since Benbasat and Zmud’s (2003) call for it to be the core of the information systems discipline. Yet, little work has focused on defining and discussing the IT artifact in a way that can facilitate consistent treatment across studies. In this paper, we develop a taxonomy of the IT artifact. The taxonomy is derived from literature on general systems theory and Akerman and Tyree’s (2006) architectural ontology. We provide a preliminary explication of the taxonomy using four different systems as examples. We also discuss the iterative approach we will take to develop the taxonomy more completely. Our objective is to develop a taxonomy that will provide a language for IS researchers to use when discussing the IT artifact

Integrated Real-Time Capacity and Inventory Allocation for Reparable Service Parts in a Two-Echelon Supply System

Two critical decisions must be made daily when managing multiechelon repair and distribution systems for service parts: (1) allocating available repair capacity among different items and (2) allocating available inventories to field stocking locations to support service operations. In many such systems, procurement lead times for service parts are lengthy and variable, repair capacity is limited, and operational requirements change frequently--resulting in demand processes that are highly uncertain and nonstationary. As a consequence, it is common to have many items in short supply while others are abundant. In such environments, integrated real-time decision-support tools can provide significant value by reducing the impact of inventory imbalances and responding appropriately to the volatile nature of the demand processes. By "integrated" and "real-time," we mean (respectively) tools that simultaneously consider key aspects of the current state of the operating environment in deciding what items to repair, where to ship available units, and by what mode to ship them. In this paper, we develop an integrated real-time model for making repair and inventory allocation decisions in a two-echelon reparable service parts system. We formulate the decision problem as a finite-horizon, periodic-review mathematical program, we show it can be formulated as a large-scale linear program, and we develop a practical heuristic method for solving the problem approximately. By simulating the operation of a service parts supply chain, we demonstrate the value of employing integrated decision models over using separate repair and inventory allocation rules for a range of environments where inventory imbalances exist. We also show that our heuristic approach is highly effective and that its inventory allocation subroutine, used as a stand-alone tool for making distribution decisions, outperforms a commonly used inventory allocation rule in most circumstances tested.inventory, periodic review, multiechelon system, real-time allocation, limited capacity, reparable service parts, priority dispatch rule, emergency shipment

Joint optimization of product service system configuration and delivery with learning-based valid cut selection and a tailored heuristic

Most previous work on product service system configuration aims to meet the functionality need or ensure a cost-effective delivery separately, overlooking the mutual impact between the configuration and delivery procedures. In contrast to that, we jointly optimize the configuration scheme and the delivery plan to increase the customer satisfaction through a two-stage decision framework. However, this integration significantly heightens the model's complexity due to the interdependence of the two stages. To address this challenge, we introduce an exact algorithm for finding globally optimal solutions, as well as an efficient two-stage heuristic aiming at enhancing the efficiency. The exact algorithm is built upon the branch-and-bound algorithm which, however, becomes less efficient as the problem size increases. To counteract this, we devise a series of valid cuts to boost the convergence. Additionally, recognizing that the optimal bundle of valid cuts may vary depending on the specific case, we adopt artificial intelligence techniques to adaptively select valid cuts. This can lessen unnecessary search efforts when tackling new cases and further enhance the computational performance. Despite this, efficiently handling large-scale cases in real-world applications remains a challenge. To mitigate this, we customize an efficient two-stage heuristic to assure a practical applicability. In the first stage, an effective local search is used to identify an appropriate configuration scheme, which then serves as a hyperparameter for the second stage, inspired by the machine learning. The second stage focuses on optimizing the delivery plan. To obtain this plan, we dedicate a modified adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm, equipped with tailored operators and selection methods to enrich search capabilities. Furthermore, a feasibility protection procedure is specialized to rectify the infeasible solutions and secure the diversity of the solution pool simultaneously. Our numerical experiments underscore the importance of the two-stage optimization framework, demonstrate the effectiveness of adaptive valid cut selection, and highlight the superiority of our heuristic in handling complex optimization tasks

Development of International Service Delivery System and Processes for Component Lifecycle Services

Industrial services have received a lot of attention in recent publications when companies are moving from products to service business. This change has been noticed in military aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business as well and focus is in services instead of products. It has been noticed that service delivery is a key process and it need to be developed by the side of the production system. This thesis will discuss a development of international service delivery system and processes in military aviation component MRO. The objective is to identify the development possibilities for lifecycle services. The main research questions are “What are the strategic key topics of the company’s service delivery system?” and “How to develop service processes in military aviation MRO business?”. The results are based on a case study performed with a co-operation of military aviation MRO company. Data was collected trough company interviews and internal observation. The results show that in practice industrial companies use production system and service delivery system as a synonym. Instead of that, production system should give inputs to the service delivery system. The main result of this thesis based on the literature review and empirical study is that service delivery system’s strategic choices stated in literature can be fitted to the military aviation MRO company’s service delivery system in practice. Recent publications state that the main strategic choices of service delivery system are: processes, people, technology and facilities. The second result is a service blueprint of company’s international component MRO process. Based on blueprint critical processes was recognized and re-organized as a work order.Palveluliiketoiminta on ollut viime aikoina paljon esillä, kun yritykset alkavat siirtyä perinteisestä tuotekeskeisestä toimintamallista kohti palveluliiketoimintaa. Myös sotilasilmailun elinkaaripalveluiden puolella on herätty tähän muutokseen ja perinteisen tuotannon sijasta aletaan puhua palveluiden toteutuksesta. Kohdeyrityksessä on havaittu, että palveluiden toteutus on toiminnan kannalta ydinprosessi, jota pitää kehittää tuotantojär-jestelmän lisäksi. Tämä diplomityö käsittelee sotilasilmailun laitehuollon elinkaaripalveluita teollisten palveluiden näkökulmasta sekä elinkaaripalveluiden toimitusjärjestelmää ja palveluprosesseja kansainvälisessä kontekstissa. Työn tavoitteena on tunnistaa elinkaaripalveluliiketoiminnan kehitysmahdollisuudet. Työn päätutkimuskysymykset ovat ”Mitkä ovat kohdeyrityksen palvelun toimitusjärjestelmän keskeisimmät osaalueet?” ja ”Mitkä ovat teollisuusyrityksen keinot palveluprosessin kehittämiseksi sotilasilmailun toimialalla?”. Tulokset perustuvat tapaustutkimukseen, joka toteutettiin erään ilmailun huoltotoimintaan yrityksen kanssa. Aineisto kerättiin haastatteluiden ja sisäisen havainnoinnin kautta. Työssä havaittiin, että käytännössä teollisuusyrityksissä usein tuotantojärjestelmä ja palveluiden toimitusjärjestelmä tarkoittavat samaa asiaa. Asetelma pitäisi enemmänkin nähdä niin, että tuotantojärjestelmä antaa syötteitä palvelun toimitusjärjestelmälle. Työn keskeisin tulos kirjallisuuskatsauksen ja empiirisen tutkimuksen perusteella on palvelun toimitusjärjestelmän strategisten valintojen sovittaminen kohdeyrityksen kansainväliseen toimintamalliin ja tarpeisiin sopivaksi. Havaittiin, että kirjallisuudessa palvelun toimitus-järjestelmän keskeisimmät teemat ovat prosessit, ihmiset, teknologiat sekä tuotannon sijainti ja tilat. Toinen merkittävä tulos oli kohdeyrityksen palveluprosessin mallintaminen service blueprint -tekniikalla, josta tunnistettiin kehitystarpeita osaprosessien vaiheistukselle toimitusketjunhallinnan näkökulmasta ja kriittiset osaprosessit