Evaluating Logistics Capabilities on Firm Performance of the Photonics Industry in Taiwan

This study empirically examined the impact of logistics capabilities on firm performance in the photonics industry. Structural equating modelling (SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses with the use of data collected from a survey of 221 photonics manufacturing firms in Taiwan. Three dimensions were identified based on a factor analysis, including warehousing capability, information technology capability, and transportation capability. The research findings indicated that logistics capabilities positively influence firm performance. Information technology capability was found to be the most important logistics capability in the photonics industry, followed by warehousing capability, and transportation capability. There is also a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications for the photonics industry

Supply Chain Strategies to Ensure Delivery of Undamaged Goods

Supply chain leaders in the oil and gas industry face significant logistical challenges regarding the efficient and safe delivery of undamaged products to their customers. Within the conceptual framework of business process orientation theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that supply chain leaders used to ensure delivery of undamaged goods to their customers. Four supply chain leaders in the oil and gas industry in Texas were purposefully selected as participants because they had successfully implemented strategies to ensure the delivery of undamaged goods. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and review of publicly published documents from 4 companies. Data were analyzed using Yin\u27s 5-step data analysis process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, data interpretation, and conclusion. Four themes emerged from the analyzed data: process strategy, inspection strategy, information technology strategy, and employee training strategy. The findings of this study may provide knowledge to business leaders on how to reduce the cost of product delivery and increase profitability. The study\u27s implications for positive social change include the potential for supply chain leaders to reduce material wastage and environmental pollution through the safe delivery of undamaged oil and gas products to customers

The development of subsidiary technological capability: network linkages and subsidiary autonomy

This research contributes to the literature on subsidiary evolution by exploring the developments of subsidiary technological capabilities. It has been widely acknowledged that subsidiaries have unique in-house capabilities that are embedded in two contexts: 1) the internal technology sources including the headquarter ("HQ") and affiliated-units, such as the research and development ("R&D") centres; 2) the external technology sources comprised of local, regional or global entities, such as local universities. This study examines the relationship between subsidiary capability and autonomy and the mediating effects of communication systems, by linking internal and external networks through which the subsidiary both exploits and creates particular technological capabilities, and through which the parent company HQ, exercises its control. Through a synthesis of the international business and innovation management literature review, a set of measures of technological capability, autonomy and communication have been drawn. A capability taxonomy configured for the semiconductor industry by Ernst et al. (1998) was adapted to specifically examine integrated circuit ("IC") design, production and marketing capabilities amongst five different Taiwan-based foreign wholly-owned subsidiaries in the electronics industry (particular in the integrated circuits sector). These are compared using quantitative and qualitative measures on factors such as the types and levels of technological capabilities, the degree of autonomy and the intensity of communication they have developed. The findings demonstrated that the heart of subsidiary technological-capability creating lies in exploiting the parent company's core- competitive assets and capabilities and creating its capability development using local knowledge systems, and regional and global cooperative partners. The extent to which such developments of subsidiary technological capabilities are dispersed throughout and leveraged on the multinational enterprise ("MNE")'s differentiated network, depends on the intensity of internal and external communication systems for assimilating information or knowledge. Moreover, single subsidiaries have different degrees of decision-making autonomy, which influence both the nature of the internal NINE network, and the extent of influence of the internal and external network linkages on the developments of subsidiary technological capabilities. Overall, this research concludes that subsidiary autonomy is a cyclical process between the parent company and subsidiary, which is affected by the development of a subsidiary's technological capability. The capability- creating of a subsidiary is driven by the interactions between internal and external leverages which broaden the level and types of technological capabilities (namely, marketing-, design-and production-related) in terms of the scope of responsibility, in-house capability and the capacity for assimilation and creation of 4new' technology

Technology Acceptance, Acceptabilty and Appropriation in Professionnal Bureaucracies : The Case of RFID for Improving Mobile Assets Management in Hospitals

RÉSUMÉ : Les hôpitaux, même ceux de petite taille, peuvent gérer sur une base quotidienne plusieurs milliers d’actifs fixes et mobiles. Les actifs mobiles sont très diversifiés et incluent des pompes à infusion, du matériel chirurgical, des électrocardiogrammes, des machines portables à rayons X, des défibrillateurs, etc. Ces actifs circulent en permanence entre les différents services et les divers départements. Pratiquement tous les patients dépendent d'un ou plusieurs actifs mobiles lors de leur hospitalisation. Ces actifs sont également indispensables à la prestation des soins de santé et le personnel clinique consacre une partie importante de leur temps pour chercher ces actifs lorsque requis. L'incapacité de retrouver ces actifs en cas d’urgence peut mettre la vie des patients en danger. La technologie RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) a le potentiel de retracer et d’effectuer le suivi, et ce, de façon unique et transparente, les actifs mobiles et, par conséquent, d’en améliorer leur gestion dans les hôpitaux. Comparé à d’autres secteurs d’activité, le secteur de la santé adopte RFID à un rythme beaucoup plus lent, ce qui se traduit par un nombre limité d'études empiriques portant sur l’implantation de RFID dans ce secteur. Cette thèse se propose donc de contribuer à ce vide empirique par une analyse en profondeur d’une implantation réelle de RFID. Cette implantation vise à améliorer la gestion d'un type d’actifs mobiles, nommément les pompes à infusion dans un hôpital. Les données empiriques ont été recueillies pendant une période de 25 mois, de la phase de préfaisabilité jusqu’à la phase de post-implantation. Huit organisations (incluant l'hôpital qui est le principal site d'observation) et 35 participants ont été impliqués. Les résultats de la recherche peuvent être résumés comme suit. À la question, pourquoi RFID est implanté? La réduction des inefficacités existantes liées à la gestion des actifs mobiles en est la principale raison. De plus, la familiarité avec les technologies de l’information au sein de l'hôpital, la compatibilité de l’infrastructure existante (l'hôpital est presque 100% Wi-Fi) et l'expérience des partenaires technologiques sont des facteurs positifs reliés à l’implantation RFID. Comment l’implantation RFID est-elle effectuée? Les résultats montrent que le processus d’implantation est fortement itératif : les participants reviennent en effet sur les phases précédentes et modifient les décisions approuvées antérieurement. L'amélioration continue des services de soins est sans aucun doute la préoccupation principale exprimée par tous les participants de l'hôpital. Toutefois, les attentes et les exigences diffèrent entre les différents groupes de participants. Les résultats démontrent un clivage entre les points de vue de l’administration et ceux du côté clinique. Des divergences sont notées entre les infirmières et les médecins, et, entre les techniciens de l'hôpital (responsables des TIC, ingénieurs biomédicaux, et spécialistes de la maintenance) et les administrateurs. Les enjeux les plus importants ne sont pas technologiques, mais sont principalement organisationnels, ce qui semble découler de la présence de points de vue divergents. Est-ce que la RFID améliore la gestion des actifs mobiles? Les résultats suggèrent que les avantages identifiés et évalués lors l’implantation de RFID appartiennent aux catégories suivantes: amélioration de la visibilité des actifs, augmentation de l'efficacité opérationnelle, réduction de certains coûts et émergence de processus intelligents. Ce dernier point apparait comme particulièrement important. Les processus intelligents misent principalement sur les capacités d'auto-identification et de sensibilité au contexte (context-awareness) de RFID, sur le changement automatique de statuts, et sur la mise à jour automatique des applications d’hôpital (par exemple, WMS). Les résultats démontrent également que les processus intelligents améliorent la planification et la prise de décision. Est-ce que les caractéristiques intrinsèques des organisations dans lesquelles la technologie RFID est envisagée posent des contraintes à son implantation? Les hôpitaux, qualifiés de bureaucraties professionnelles, constituent un ensemble unique de contraintes dont on doit tenir compte lors d’une implantation RFID. En particulier, l'inertie, la complexité et la rigidité organisationnelles ne sont pas favorables à des changements à grande échelle dans l’hôpital et affectent la façon dont RFID est implanté. En outre, l'existence d'une structure à double pouvoir et les pièges liés à une culture forte (culture entrapment)ont un impact profond sur l'importance des avantages découlant de RFID. Est-ce que l’acceptation de la technologie, son acceptabilité et son appropriation représentent des concepts clés pour comprendre l’implantation de la RFID? Ces trois concepts ont été explorés lors de cette recherche et ont conduit à deux observations principales. Tout d'abord, on peut affirmer que si la technologie est acceptée, acceptable et appropriée, elle est utilisée, de façon partielle ou plus large. Par extension, l'acceptation, l'acceptabilité et l'appropriation pourraient être importantes non seulement pour expliquer l'ampleur de l'utilisation d'une technologie (utilisation partielle par rapport à la pleine utilisation), mais aussi pour expliquer les raisons pour lesquelles une technologie a été initialement adoptée, puis ensuite rejetée. Deuxièmement, les résultats empiriques ne confirment pas un ordre chronologique entre ces trois concepts. Par exemple, l'appropriation ne suit pas l'acceptation, même au début de l’implantation. Au contraire, l'acceptation, l'acceptabilité et l'appropriation coexistent à tout moment pendant le processus d’implantation. Cependant, l’ordre chronologique joue quand même un rôle puisque les niveaux d'acceptation, l'acceptabilité et l'appropriation varient au fil du temps. En outre, ces trois concepts sont sensibles à la fois à la technologie (dans ce cas, RFID) et au contexte dans lequel cette technologie est utilisée (l'hôpital), qui continuent de leur côté à changer au fil du temps. La thèse se termine en examinant les limites de la recherche, en proposant quelques pistes de recherche. Les contributions de cette thèse peuvent être pertinentes pour les chercheurs, les décideurs du secteur de la santé, les administrateurs d'hôpitaux, et les spécialistes et consultants en TI.----------ABSTRACT : Hospitals, even small ones, handle on a daily basis several thousands of mobile and fixed assets. Mobile assets are very diverse, ranging from infusion pumps, surgical equipment, electrocardiograms, portable x-ray machines, defibrillators to wheelchairs and rotate constantly between different medical wards. Since virtually every patient depends on one or more mobile assets during his or her hospital stay, they are also indispensable in healthcare delivery. Clinical staff spends a significant share of their working time searching for these essential, but commonly misplaced assets. Locating mobile assets is not only a time consuming activity, but the inability to find them when needed is remarkably costly, and possibly life threatening. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) holds the potential to uniquely and seamlessly track and trace mobile assets and, thus, to improve mobile asset management in hospitals. Compared to other sectors, healthcare organizations adopt RFID at a much slower pace and only a limited number of empirical studies address RFID adoption and implementation in the context of healthcare. This thesis intends to contribute the research arena by analysing a real-life RFID implementation in order improve the management activities of one type of mobile assets, namely infusion pumps in hospital settings. The research focuses on a real-life RFID implementation in one European hospital. Empirical data was collected for a 25 month period from the pre-feasibility stage to post-implementation stage from eight organizations (including the hospital as the main observation site) and from thirty-five participants. Research results can be summarized as follows. To the question why RFID is implemented? The most straightforward answer is to reduce the existing inefficiencies related to mobile assets management. Technological preparedness and readiness drive RFID implementation: This includes familiarity with IT innovations within the hospital, compatibility with existing IT infrastructure (the hospital is almost 100% Wi-Fi enabled), and experience of technological partners with RFID implementation in various sectors. How RFID implementation is carried out? The answer seems to be through a highly iterative five stage process where participants revisited and modified previously agreed steps. The continuous improvement of care services was without a doubt the superseding concern expressed by all participants from the hospital. However, expectations and requirements differ among different groups of participants. The empirical evidence demonstrates not only a cleavage between the administrative and clinical perspectives, but also within the clinical perspective. Divergences run deep within each perspective (for instance, nurses vs. doctors) and between the technologists in the hospital (ICT managers, biomedical engineers, and maintenance specialists) and the administrators. The most significant issues related to such implementation are not technological but are mainly organizational, as they seem to arise from the presence of diverging perspectives. Does RFID really improve mobile assets management? Results suggest that the benefits identified and evaluated during the real life RFID implementation belong to the following broad categories: improving assets visibility, promoting operational efficiency, reducing costs and facilitating the emergence of intelligent processes. Intelligent processes are mainly derived from the RFID capabilities for auto-identification and context-awareness, process automatic status change, and automatic update in hospital’s enterprise applications (i.e. WMS). Results further demonstrate that intelligent processes improve planning and decision-making. Do the intrinsic characteristics of organizations play a role in RFID implementation? The very characteristics of hospitals, qualified as complex professional bureaucracies, constitute a unique set of constraints to be taken into account for RFID implementation. In particular, organizational inertia, complexity and inflexibility are not conductive to hospital-wide changes and affect how RFID is implemented. Moreover, the existence of a dual power structure and a tendency to culture entrapment may have a profound impact on the importance of the benefits derived from RFID. Do technology acceptance, acceptability and appropriation represent key concepts that should be considered to understand the implementation of RFID? These three concepts were explored in the research. This leads to two main observations. First, it could be stated that if technology is accepted, acceptable and appropriated, then it is fully used. By extension, acceptance, acceptability and appropriation could be significant not only in explaining the extent of use of a technology (partial use vs. full use), but also the reasons why a technology was initially adopted and then discarded. Second, empirical results reject the presence of a chronological order between the three concepts. For instance, appropriation does not follow acceptance, even initially. Rather, acceptance, acceptability and appropriation coexist at any time during the implementation process. However, chronology still matters since the levels of acceptance, acceptability and appropriation vary over time. Furthermore, these three concepts are sensitive to both the technology (in this case RFID) and to the context where it is use (the hospital), which are also changing over time. The thesis examines research limitations, proposes some research avenues and outlines contributions that may be relevant for researchers, healthcare policy makers, hospital administrators, IT specialists and IT consultants

Relational Benefits, Customer Satisfaction, And Customer Loyalty In Chain Store Restaurants

[[abstract]]This study aims to investigate the structural relationships among relational benefits, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in the chain store restaurants. Based on a theoretical background literature review, three types of customer relational benefits were determined: psychological, social, and special treatment benefits. Theoretical relationships among relational benefits, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty were derived from the review of literature, and a theoretical model was proposed. The proposed model was then tested employing data collected from 267 customers of chain store restaurants. The results of subsequent analysis of the data indicated that relational benefits influence customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction with employees influence customer loyalty. In addition, the impact of which is partially mediated by satisfaction with employees. The managerial implications of these findings are discussed in the latter part of this article.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]EI[[booktype]]電子

Selection process of auto-ID technology in warehouse management: A Delphi study

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of philosophy and awarded by Brunel UniversityIn a supply chain, a warehouse is a crucial component for linking all chain parties. Automatic identification and data capture (auto-ID) technology, e.g. RFID and barcodes are among the essential technologies in the 21st century knowledge-based economy. Selecting an auto-ID technology is a long term investment and it contributes to improving operational efficiency, achieving cost savings and creating opportunities for higher revenues. The interest in auto-ID research for warehouse management is rather stagnant and relatively small in comparison to other research domains such as transport, logistics and supply chain. However, although there are some previous studies that explored factors for the auto-ID selection decision in a warehouse environment, those factors (e.g., operational factors) have been examined separately and researchers have paid no attention to all key factors that may potentially affect this decision. In fact, yet there is no comprehensive framework in the literature that comprehensively investigates the critical factors influencing the auto-ID selection decision and how the factors should be combined to produce a successful auto-ID selection process in warehouse management. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to investigate empirically the auto-ID technology-selection process and to determine the key factors that influence decision makers when selecting auto-ID technology in the warehouse environment. This research is preceded by a comprehensive and systematic review of the relevant literature to identify the set of factors that may affect the technology selection decision. The Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework has been used as lens to categorise the identified factors (Tornatzky & Fleischer, 1990). Data were collected by conducting first a modified (mixed-method) two-round Delphi study with a worldwide panel of experts (107) including academics, industry practitioners and consultants in auto-ID technologies. The results of the Delphi study were then verified via follow-up interviews, both face-to-face and telephone, carried out with 19 experts across the world. This research in nature is positivist, exploratory/descriptive, deductive/inductive and quantitative/qualitative. The quantitative data were analysed using the statistical package for social sciences, SPSS V.18, while the qualitative data of the Delphi study and the interviews were analysed manually using quantitative content analysis approach and thematic content analysis approach respectively. The findings of this research are reported on the motivations/reasons of warehouses in seeking to use auto-ID technologies, the challenges in making an auto-ID decision, the recommendations to address the challenges, the key steps that should be followed in making auto-ID selection decision, the key factors and their relative importance that influence auto-ID selection decision in a warehouse. The results of the Delphi study show that the six major factors affecting the auto-ID selection decision in warehouse management are: organisational, operational, structural, resources, external environmental and technological factors (in decreasing order of importance). In addition, 54 key sub-factors have been identified from the list of each of the major factors and ranked in decreasing order of the importance mean scores. However, the importance of these factors depends on the objectives and strategic motivations of warehouse; size of warehouse; type of business; nature of business environment; sectors; market types; products and countries. Based on the Delphi study and the interviews findings, a comprehensive multi-stage framework for auto-ID technology selection process has been developed. This research indicates that the selection process is complex and needs support and closer collaboration from all participants involved in the process such as the IT team, top management, warehouse manager, functional managers, experts, stockholders and vendors. Moreover, warehouse managers should have this process for collaboration before adopting the technology in order to reduce the high risks involved and achieve successful implementation. This research makes several contributions for both academic and practitioners with auto-ID selection in a warehouse environment. Academically, it provides a holistic multi-stage framework that explains the critical issues within the decision making process of auto-ID technology in warehouse management. Moreover, it contributes to the body of auto-ID and warehouse management literature by synthesising the literature on key dimensions of auto-ID (RFID/barcode) selection decision in the warehouse field. This research also provides a theoretical basis upon which future research on auto-ID selection and implementation can be built. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for warehouse managers and executives associated with auto-ID selection and advance their understanding of the issues involved in the technology selection process that need to be considered.Damascus University, Syria and The British Council, Mancheste

Factors Impacting Supply Chain Performance During Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response Operations

This study explored the factors that affect supply chain performance during humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations. We examined the following theoretical coordination nodes, resource sharing, standardization of operations, joint logistics effort, and postponement on humanitarian supply chain performance. We collected survey data from 207 military and civilian logistics practitioners. Data were used to test a conceptual model, using linear regression with each direct effect relationship and moderating relationship tested. Results reveal the positive direct effect of standardization of operations and joint logistics effort on supply chain performance. However, standardization of operations’ effect on supply chain performance is weakened by the moderating effect of resource redundancy. Results inform future military and civilian humanitarian assistance actors on the effects of studied coordination nodes on supply chain performance. We include implications and recommendations for further research

Rate of Occurrence of Fatal Accidents in Malaysian Construction Industry after BIM Implementation

Construction industry impacts the health and safety of its workers tremendously. This study is aimed to determine the rate of occurrence of fatal accidents after BIM implementation in Malaysia. The data used for the research was obtained from the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) website, and it was validated by the relevant professionals through interview. This descriptive analysis was grounded in 796 fatal accidents over the period of 2010-2018. Of those accidents, 38.16% were related to fall-related, 30.39% struck-by, 17.67% caught in-between, 9.89% drowning/asphyxiation and 3.89% others. The results indicate that the types of accidents identified are similar to that of most countries in the world. The findings also revealed that the accidents had occurred because one or combination of the following: management's failure, unsafe site conditions, workers behavior, and environmental factors. Future work will concentrate on the use of BIM-based tools for job hazard identification and safety training

The Adoption of Mobile Health Systems in Hospitals: An Empirical Cross-City Study in China

Purpose – The aim of this thesis is to develop a model that can predict the hospitals that are likely to adopt Mobile Health Systems (MHS) and the factors influencing their adoption. This study will reveal the reasons why certain factors are more influential than others as well as the reasons behind MHS adoption. Design/methodology/approach – Data was collected in three phases. In phase one, direct interviews with senior hospital managers were conducted in two cities. The objective of this phase was to develop a model of MHS adoption. In phase two, data was collected in 87 hospitals to identify the factors influencing MHS adoption. In phase three, six in-depth interviews were conducted to unravel the reasons behind MHS adoption in hospitals. Findings – The result shows that perceived ease of use, system reliability, system security and privacy of patients, IT infrastructure, hospital level, top management support, government policy and regulation and external pressure are all significant factors in an adoption decision whereas compatibility, perceived usefulness and hospital (organisation) readiness were found to be insignificant. Research limitations – Further research is needed to verify our findings by surveying other hospitals across the country. Practical implications – The model developed can be used by MHS suppliers to develop strategies that target potential adopters, as well as to increase the adoption rate in hospitals. The suppliers could also amend their strategies by fully understanding the reasons behind each factor that facilitates or hinders the adoption of MHS. The government could use the result to develop policy and promote the use of MHS. Originality/value – The study contributes to the continuing research in innovation adoption and diffusion in the healthcare context in the emerging markets. This thesis is the first MHS adoption research conducted at an organisational level among Chinese mainland public hospitals. It also contributes to the research literature by combining both qualitative and quantitative data to explore determinants of MHS adoption. Keywords – IT, Mobile Health System, Innovation, Adoption, Public Hospitals, China