Supply chain resilience and risk management strategies and methods

Abstract. The changing global market due to Industry 4.0 and the recent pandemic effect has created a need for more responsiveness in an organization’s supply chain. Supply chain resilience offers the firm not only to avoid disruptions but also to withstand the losses due to a disruption. The objective of this research is to find out how resilience is defined so far in other literature and find out the strategies available to gain the resilience fit for an organization. First, in the literature review, the previous studies on resilience were studied to understand what supply chain resilience means. Then, the key results and findings are discussed and conclusions are presented. The research found some interesting strategies for gaining the resilience fit. The benefits and the stakeholders for each strategy are also pointed out. These strategies can be used according to the organization’s business strategy. These strategies aligned with the business strategy can make a huge difference to withstand potential disruption and gaining a competitive advantage against the market competitors

Optimization of aircraft seat cushion fire blocking layers

This report describes work completed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - for the Federal Aviation Administration Technical Center. The purpose of this work was to examine the potential of fire blocking mechanisms for aircraft seat cushions in order to provide an optimized seat configuration with adequate fire protection and minimum weight. Aluminized thermally stable fabrics were found to provide adequate fire protection when used in conjunction with urethane foams, while maintaining minimum weight and cost penalty

A Decision Tool for Supplier Selection That Takes into Account Power and Performance

Companies select their suppliers to provide required performance while being successful partners. An important aspect of collaboration is the power relationship between the company and its suppliers. Although the significance of power in supplier selection is acknowledged, published work rarely includes assessment of power. An empirical study on selecting suppliers for new product developments in a major European diesel engine manufacturing company, supported by three smaller studies with electronic engineering companies, frames overall questions regarding the importance of incorporating power into supplier selection and how this might be achieved. This research proposes an approach that assesses both performance and power and integrates the assessment results by modelling the relative effects of power and performance. It positions the suppliers into six scenarios (ideal, satisfying, tolerable, unfavourable, risky and tough) which depict to what extent a supplier is ‘suitable’ to work with. A reverse analysis reviews the relationship when several suppliers appear suitable. An assessment method is developed incorporating both subjective and objective data for qualitative and quantitative criteria. It combines two decision making methods, AHP and TOPSIS, with triangular fuzzy numbers. Multiple judgements from several decision makers are synthesised. This method is adapted for performance assessment of single, group and cross-group suppliers. Weights are calculated for the criteria, and combined with calculations of supplier performance against each criterion to provide an overall assessment and supplier profile. Power is quantified against a set of power determinants and power relations (supplier dominance, buyer dominance and balanced) are determined. The effects of supplier perceptions (objective, optimistic and pessimistic) are estimated in the calculation. The proposed approach involves complex calculations and a prototype software tool is developed with graphical interfaces. The tool includes performance criteria and power determinants collected from literature and allows users to define new ones. Application to an agriculture case enables the sustainable performance of suppliers (farmers) to be evaluated and compared

Usage of Structural Equation Modeling and Analytical Hierarchy Process Approach to Select Information Technology

Progressive change is an accurate way to describe the advancement of information technology (IT) throughout the 1990s. As IT continues to evolve, the ways in which companies do business are also changing. The emergence ofthe Internet as a business venue, the growing percentage of consumers accessing the Web, and the increasing number of households equipped with a PC or other Web-access device are speeding IT's rate of change. The industries especially banking and financial services industries (BFSI) are heavily supported by IT and technology vendor for their service oriented business. It indicates that choosing the right vendor remains a critical success factor for every enterprise's business success. Selection of the best possible set of vendors not only allow organisations to downsize and utilise resources more effectively, but also allows themto take advantage of the capabilities andtechnologies of the vendors. The vendor selection process can be a very complicated and emotional undertaking if the approach from the very beginning is not known. The purpose ofthis research is to identify the required criteria for selecting the best vendor for information technology (IT) process and provide a vendor selection model including these criteria by using the structural equation modeling (SEM) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). To demonstrate the above model and also, to arrive at vendor selection scores, the vendor selection for mobile banking application was considered as an example. The developed model is a generic one considering the global economic turmoil and the amount ofpressure on banking &financial services industries (BFSI), where IT is the backbone of the BFSI; In any future studies the model could be applied in making other strategic decisions like IT outsourcing, ERP (enterprise resource planning) implementation vendor selection etc. V

Development of decision support systems towards supply chain performance appraisement

Purpose: The aim of this research is to develop various Decision Support Systems (DSS) towards supply chain (SC) performance appraisement as well as benchmarking. The purpose of this work is to understand multi-level (measures and metrics) performance appraisement index system to evaluate overall supply chain performance extent, monitor ongoing performance level and to identify ill-performing areas of the supply chain network. Design/methodology/approach: Fuzzy logic as well as grey theory has been explored in developing a variety of SC performance appraisement modules (evaluation index systems). Generalized fuzzy numbers, generalized intervalvalued fuzzy numbers theory have been utilized in order to tackle decision-makers’ linguistic evaluation information towards meaningful and logical interpretation of procedural hierarchy embedded to the said appraisement modules. Fuzzy-grey relation theory, MULTIMOORA method coupled with fuzzy logic as well as grey theory have also been adapted to facilitate overall SC performance assessment, performance benchmarking and related decision making. Findings: Supply chain performance index has been computed in terms of fuzzy as well as grey context, suggesting the present performance status of the said organizational supply chain. Ill-performing areas of the SC have been identified too. Fuzzy as well as grey based MULTIMOORA (MOORA: Multi-Objective Optimization by Ratio Analysis), fuzzy-grey relation analysis, thus adapted, appeared helpful in evaluating performance ranking order (and selecting the best) of various candidate alternatives (industries/enterprises) operating under similar supply chain architecture according to the ongoing SC performance. Empirical illustrations exhibited the fruitful application potential of the developed decision support tools. Practical implications: The decision support tools thus proposed may be proved fruitful for companies that are trying to identify key business performance measures for their supply chains. Ill-performing areas can easily be identified; companies can seek for possible means in order to improve those SC aspects so as to improve/enhance overall SC performance extent. Benchmarking may help in identifying best practices in relation to the SC which is performing as ideal (benchmarked practices). Best practices of the ideal organization need to be transmitted to the others. Companies can follow their peers in order to improve overall performance level of the entire supply chain. In view of this, the work reported in this dissertation may be proved as a good contributor for effective management of organizational SC. Research limitations: The methodology and presentation is conceptual, yet the tool can provide very useful interpretations for both researchers as well as management practitioners. Accessibility and availability of data are the main limitations affecting which model will be applied. Procedural steps towards implementing the said decision support tools have been demonstrated through empirical research. The decision support tools tools have neither been validated by practical case study nor have these been tested for assessing their reliability. Originality/value: This work articulates various approaches for supply chain performance evaluation considering multiple evaluation criteria (subjective evaluation indices), with a flexibility to modify and analyze using the available data sets collected from a group of experts (decision-makers). The approaches of performance evaluation index system are attempted due to structure and fuzzy (as well as grey) sets. The work is aimed at operational researchers, engineers and special managers

Usage of Structural Equation Modeling and Analytical Hierarchy Process Approach to Select Information Technology

Progressive change is an accurate way to describe the advancement of information technology (IT) throughout the 1990s. As IT continues to evolve, the ways in which companies do business are also changing. The emergence ofthe Internet as a business venue, the growing percentage of consumers accessing the Web, and the increasing number of households equipped with a PC or other Web-access device are speeding IT's rate of change. The industries especially banking and financial services industries (BFSI) are heavily supported by IT and technology vendor for their service oriented business. It indicates that choosing the right vendor remains a critical success factor for every enterprise's business success. Selection of the best possible set of vendors not only allow organisations to downsize and utilise resources more effectively, but also allows themto take advantage of the capabilities andtechnologies of the vendors. The vendor selection process can be a very complicated and emotional undertaking if the approach from the very beginning is not known. The purpose ofthis research is to identify the required criteria for selecting the best vendor for information technology (IT) process and provide a vendor selection model including these criteria by using the structural equation modeling (SEM) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). To demonstrate the above model and also, to arrive at vendor selection scores, the vendor selection for mobile banking application was considered as an example. The developed model is a generic one considering the global economic turmoil and the amount ofpressure on banking &financial services industries (BFSI), where IT is the backbone of the BFSI; In any future studies the model could be applied in making other strategic decisions like IT outsourcing, ERP (enterprise resource planning) implementation vendor selection etc. V

Knowledge and Management Models for Sustainable Growth

In the last years sustainability has become a topic of global concern and a key issue in the strategic agenda of both business organizations and public authorities and organisations. Significant changes in business landscape, the emergence of new technology, including social media, the pressure of new social concerns, have called into question established conceptualizations of competitiveness, wealth creation and growth. New and unaddressed set of issues regarding how private and public organisations manage and invest their resources to create sustainable value have brought to light. In particular the increasing focus on environmental and social themes has suggested new dimensions to be taken into account in the value creation dynamics, both at organisations and communities level. For companies the need of integrating corporate social and environmental responsibility issues into strategy and daily business operations, pose profound challenges, which, in turn, involve numerous processes and complex decisions influenced by many stakeholders. Facing these challenges calls for the creation, use and exploitation of new knowledge as well as the development of proper management models, approaches and tools aimed to contribute to the development and realization of environmentally and socially sustainable business strategies and practices

Change management? Organisational change strategies and managers' and workers' responses : a case study of a commercial vehicle manufacturing plant in southern India

This thesis examines the conception, implementation and outcomes of corporate management change strategies through an ethnographic study of a commercial vehicle manufacturing plant in Southern India with a history of labour-management conflict. Participant observation and interviews were carried out mainly within one manufacturing facility between July 2008 and June 2009, with a further visit in 2011. Towards the end of my fieldwork I also interviewed trade union conveners, activists and a cross-section of workers. The change management programme at the case study firm sought to implement the precepts of lean manufacturing by removing systemic inefficiencies in inventory management and production processes and installing a new organisational culture that promoted greater participation and self-initiative among workers and managers. Investigating the reasons for this programme’s very partial success made it possible to understand better the contradictory pressures faced by corporate management, the challenges encountered by senior plant managers and the factors shaping the reception of management policies by middle managers and workers. The thesis furthers our understanding of the limits of managerial agency by integrating two largely independent strands of enquiry: the rich ethnographic studies of the labour process, by Delbridge [1998], Milkman [1997], Durand and Hatzfeld [2003] and others, that consider the implementation and denouement of Japanese modes of work organisation such as lean manufacturing, and the granular focus on managerial subjectivities that shape managerial activity and condition managerial agency, represented by the work of Watson [1994], Jackall [1988] and Dalton [1950]. In addition, it documents the importance of broader political-economic contexts in determining the outcomes of management initiatives

Anuário Científico – 2009 & 2010 Resumos de Artigos, Comunicações, Teses, Patentes, Livros e Monografias de Mestrado

O Conselho Técnico-Científico do Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), na senda da consolidação da divulgação do conhecimento e da ciência desenvolvidos pelo nosso corpo docente, propõe-se publicar mais uma edição do Anuário Científico, relativa à produção científica de 2009 e 2010. A investigação, enquanto vertente estratégica do Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), tem concorrido para o seu reconhecimento nacional e internacional como instituição de referência e de qualidade na área do ensino das engenharias. É também nesta vertente que o ISEL consubstancia a sua ligação à sociedade portuguesa e internacional através da transferência de tecnologia e de conhecimento, resultantes da sua atividade científica e pedagógica, contribuindo para o seu desenvolvimento e crescimento de forma sustentada. São parte integrante do Anuário Científico todos os conteúdos com afiliação ISEL resultantes de resumos de artigos publicados em livros, revistas e atas de congressos que os docentes do ISEL apresentaram em fóruns e congressos nacionais e internacionais, bem como teses e patentes. Desde 2002, ano da publicação da primeira edição, temos assistido a uma evolução crescente do número de publicações de conteúdos científicos, fruto do trabalho desenvolvido pelos docentes que se têm empenhado com afinco e perseverança. Contudo, nestes dois anos (2009 e 2010) constatou-se um decréscimo no número de publicações, principalmente em 2010. Uma das causas poderá estar diretamente relacionada com a redução do financiamento ao ensino superior uma vez que limita toda a investigação no âmbito da atividade de I&D e da produção científica. Na sequência da implementação do Processo de Bolonha em 2006, o ISEL promoveu a criação de cursos de Mestrado disponibilizando uma oferta educativa mais completa e diversificada aos seus alunos, mas também de outras instituições, dotando-os de competências inovadoras apropriadas ao mercado de trabalho que hoje se carateriza mais competitivo e dinâmico. Terminados os períodos escolar e de execução das monografias dos alunos, os resumos destas são igualmente parte integrante deste Anuário, no que concerne à conclusão dos Mestrados em 2009 e 2010.A fim de permitir uma maior acessibilidade à comunidade científica e à sociedade civil, o Anuário Científico será editado de ora avante em formato eletrónico. Excecionalmente esta edição contempla publicações referentes a dois anos – 2009 e 2010