Managing product variety in quotation processes

Purpose – Manufacturers across many sectors increasingly operate in high variety environments. Research evidence suggests that variety has a negative impact on performance. However, the research literature is limited on the enablers that allow variety to be managed effectively and efficiently at the “front-end” of an organisation and in quotation processes in particular. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents case analysis of the quotation processes from manufacturers operating in high-variety environments. Qualitative process modelling tools have been developed to allow representation of process complexities and informal process elements. Findings – Findings are presented on generic mechanisms for absorbing and mitigating the impact of variety on quotation processes. A generic quotation process model is presented comprising four key decisions centres: customization request initiation and information gathering on customer needs, classification of requests, resource control, and identification of information for reuse. Practical implications – The implications of the study for the automation of quotation processes in high variety and mass customization environments are discussed and it is speculated that different decision centres will dominate in different environments. Originality/value – The generic model developed by this research offers insight into the functioning of the core process elements of the quotation system. Reviewing an organisation’s structure and the information systems infrastructure supporting these decision centres should lead to the identification of potential system or reorganisation improvements

Technology-based Product-services for Supporting Frugal Innovation

In recent years, European manufacturing companies are gradually applying innovative PSS (Product Service Systems), as strategic opportunity for differentiating from competitors, offering an integrated bundle of products and services, targeted on specific needs of different customers. At the same time, frugal innovation has also surged as a new business concept based upon an intelligent use of resources to fulfill region-dependent customers' needs. Both approaches bring forth rethinking of established business models, which in turn asks for an in-depth analysis of the implications on the company organization and infrastructure, at supply chain and plant levels, urging towards manufacturing networks and reconfigurable assembly lines. This paper presents a formalized framework to support product-service design and the related business model characterization, in the context of frugal innovation. The methodology is applied to three real industrial scenarios respectively in the aeronautics, the domestic appliances and the machinery industry, which are analyzed within the framework of the H2020 European funded project 'ProRegio'

Examining the Role of Business Intelligence and Analytics in Hospitality Revenue Management

Most hospitality revenue management forecasting systems were built prior to the business intelligence and analytics movement. Only recently these systems have been enhanced to offer contemporary business intelligence and analytics functionalities. In addition, revenue management professionals are receiving support from standalone, supplementary business intelligence and analytics platforms. The purpose of this dissertation was to produce a holistic review of and establish the role of business intelligence and analytics within hospitality revenue management. Data was collected from twenty-three interviews; all participants were employed by hospitality organizations in revenue management specific positions. Grounded theory methodology was utilized. The results show that nearly all of revenue management tasks are supported by business intelligence and analytics functionalities, irrespective of where the functionalities are housed, in revenue management systems or in business intelligence and analytics tools. Also, opportunities to integrate more advanced functionalities into revenue management systems, including those relating to interfaces, were identified. As part of this inquiry, revenue managers’ beliefs and perceptions - including relative advantage, job-fit, and trust - were examined to determine which have influence on the usage of business intelligence and analytics within revenue management systems and as standalone tools. Overall, twenty-two categories/themes were formulated across four research questions. This dissertation contributes to the examination of the role of business intelligence and analytics in hospitality revenue management, but there is still much more to investigate, particularly as compatibility of hospitality systems and data management are improved

THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN THE FUTURE OF WORK

Business process management (BPM) is a corporate capability that strives for efficient and effective work. As a matter of fact, work is rapidly changing due to technological, economic, and demographic developments. New digital affordances, work attitudes, and collaboration models are revolutionizing how work is performed. These changes are referred to as the future of work. Despite the obvious con-nection between the future of work and BPM, neither current initiatives on the future of BPM nor exist-ing BPM capability frameworks account for the characteristics of the future of work. Hence, there is a need for evolving BPM as a corporate capability in light of the future of work. As a first step to triggering a community-wide discussion, we compiled propositions that capture constitutive characteristics of the future of work. We then let a panel of BPM experts map these propositions to the six factors of Rosemann and vom Brocke’s BPM capability framework, which captures how BPM is conceptualized today. On this foundation, we discussed how BPM should evolve in light of the future of work and distilled over-arching topics which we think will reshape BPM as a corporate capability

The Use of Hosted Enterprise Applications by SMEs: A User Perspective

This paper seeks to deepen our understanding of the engagement of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in hosted enterprise applications (high complexity e-business applications) in the UK by investigating the relevance of organisational and technical factors through conducting interviews with SME users of hosted applications. The emergence and development of the application service provider (ASP) sector has attracted much interest and highly optimistic forecasts for revenues. Of particular interest in this paper is the emergence of service offerings targeted specifically at SMEs. The paper starts by considering information technology (IT) adoption by SMEs in general before reviewing the provision of hosted enterprise applications in the US and UK. The empirical data collected from SME users of hosted enterprise applications is then analysed in order to produce the key findings and conclusions. From an SME user perspective the key findings to emerge from the study include: i) confirmation that ICT infrastructure was no longer a barrier to adoption, ii) the pragmatic approach taken to security issues, iii) the use of both multiple information systems (hosted and resident) and service providers, iv) the attractiveness of the rental cost model and v) the intention to continue or extend their use of hosted applications within the enterprise. The early promise of the ASP sector appears not to have been generally realised for SMEs in the UK. This study explores the experience of early adopters of this new IT related innovation and identifies some significant business gains experienced by SME users. It also highlights the opportunity for gaining competitive advantage by using hosted enterprise applications to reduce costs. There are very few empirical studies of hosted applications which take a deliberately SME user perspective and this paper make an important contribution in this emerging field

Improving the Quotation Process of an After-Sales Unit

The purpose of this study was to model and analyze the quotation process of area managers at a global company. Process improvement requires understanding the fundamentals of the process. The study was conducted a case study. Data comprised of internal documentation of the case company, literature, and semi-structured, themed interviews of process performers and stakeholders. The objective was to produce model of the current state of the process. The focus was to establish a holistic view of the roles and overall composition of the pro-cess. The analysis of the current state utilized principles of business process management. The identified challenges were evaluated by their criticality to produce a condensed body for the analysis. Each challenge was addressed individually against theories of process improvement. The study progressed iteratively. The output was a list of suggested improvement points with appropriate methods of achieving the desired changes. It was found that processes are utilitarian and effective, but require planning and continuous improvement. The intra-connectedness of multiple processes forms complex entities, thus validating the need for business process management. The transformation of business strategy requires reformations in the everyday functions and processes. This study aims to bridge the successful processes of today with those in the strategic scope of the future. The study has use as an informative document to communicate the purpose and structure of the process. The findings of the study received confirmation from the results of a yearly customer survey and a concurrent operational improvement project