2,693 research outputs found
Complexity and Commitment in Supply Chain Management Initiatives
While the benefits of supply chain management have been widely reported within industry, adoption of supply chain management initiatives have been slow and below industry expectations. To better understand and effectively address this problem of adoption within industry, this paper takes a closer look at the individual supply chain management initiatives to achieve a new understanding on the barriers that hamper the adoption process. This paper presents a framework that categorises different SCM initiatives according to a complexitycommitment continuum. By analysing three initiatives from the grocery industry, we argue that the inherent complexity of SCM initiatives poses barriers to adoption due to the degree of organisation commitment required
E-logistics of agribusiness organisations
Logistics is one of the most important agribusiness functions due to the idiosyncrasy of food products and the structure of food supply chain. Companies in the food sector typically operate with poor production forecasting, inefficient inventory management, lack of coordination with supply partners. Further, markets are characterised by stern competition, increasing consumer demands and stringent regulation for food quality and safety. Large agribusiness corporations have already turned to e-logistics solutions as a means to sustain competitive advantage and meet consumer demands.
There are four types of e-logistics applications: (a) Vertical alliances where supply partners forge long-term strategic alliances based on electronic sharing of critical logistics information such as sales forecasts and inventory volume. Vertical alliances often apply supply chain management (SCM) which is concerned with the relationship between a company and its suppliers and customers. The prime characteristic of SCM is interorganizational coordination: agribusiness companies working jointly with their customers and suppliers to integrate activities along the supply chain to effectively supply food products to customers. E-logistics solutions engender the systematic integration among supply partners by allowing more efficient and automatic information flow. (b) e-tailing, in which retailers give consumers the ability to order food such as groceries from home electronically i.e. using the Internet and the subsequent delivery of those ordered goods at home. (c) Efficient Foodservice Response (EFR), which is a strategy designed to enable foodservice industry to achieve profitable growth by looking at ways to save money for each level of the supply chain by eliminating inefficient practices. EFR provides solutions to common logistics problems, such as transactional inefficiency, inefficient plant scheduling, out-of-stocks, and expedited transportation. (d) Contracting, a means of coordinating procurement of food, beverages and their associated supplies. Many markets and supply chains in agriculture are buyer-driven where the buyers in the market tend to set prices and terms of trade. Those terms can include the use of electronic means of communication to support automatic replenishment of goods, management of supply and inventory.
The results of the current applications of e-logistics in food sector are encouraging for Greek agribusiness. Companies need to become aware of and evaluate the value-added by those applications which are a sustainable competitive advantage, optimisation of supply chain flows, and meeting consumer demands and food safety regulations. E-business diffusion has shown that typically first-movers gain a significant competitive advantage and the rest companies either eventually adopt the new systems or see a significant decline in their trading partners and perish. E-logistics solutions typically require huge investments in hardware and software and skilled personnel, which is an overt barrier for most Greek companies. Large companies typically are first-movers but small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need institutional support in order to become aware that e-logistics systems can be fruitful for them as well
Lean thinking in healthcare services: learning from case studies
JEL: D22, I12Healthcare organisations, especially in public sector, have been adopting Lean
management practices with increasing outcomesâ evidences in several parts of the
world, since the beginning of this century.
However, Lean deployment in Healthcare services has been addressed in the literature
in a surgical way by an array of case reports addressing the âhardâ side of Lean
deployment, sometimes with no resultâs consistency or even follow-up analysis.
This thesis seek to add to the operational side of Lean deployment in Healthcare, a
complementary understanding of Lean deployment approaches, addressing both âhardâ
and âsoftâ sides, identifying the real constraints of Lean in Healthcare sector and the
sustainability factors. Supported by two main literature reviews and a multi-case
approach, a deep research on the eligible Portuguese cases was conducted answering
the questions: (i) What are the different outcomes from Lean deployment in
Healthcare?; (ii) What are the barriers to Lean implementation in Healthcare?; (iii)
What enables Lean implementation in Healthcare?; (iv) What are the risks of Lean in
Healthcare?; (v) How to measure Lean achievements in Healthcare services?; and (vi)
How to develop a sustainable Lean culture?
This contribution to the academic debate on Lean deployment in Healthcare creates
clarity on what can be called Lean practices in Healthcare settings under the light of the
conceptâs founders; what pattern of a Lean deployment journey was followed by
Healthcare organisations; and how different cultural (organisational and national)
contexts can influence the pace in pursuing that pattern.As organizaçÔes de saĂșde, nomeadamente pĂșblicas, tĂȘm vindo a adoptar prĂĄticas de
gestĂŁo Lean com crescente evidĂȘncia de resultados em vĂĄrias partes do mundo, desde o
inĂcio deste sĂ©culo.
Contudo, a aplicação do Lean em serviços de saĂșde tem tido um tratamento cirĂșrgico na
literatura, recaindo apenas nos aspectos âhardâ e sem grande consistĂȘncia ou
seguimento de resultados .
Esta tese pretende acrescentar aos aspectos âhardâ do Lean, um entendimento
complementar juntando os aspectos âhardâ e âsoftâ, identificando as restriçÔes e
factores de sustentabilidade da aplicação do Lean no sector da saĂșde. Tendo por base
duas revisĂ”es bibliogrĂĄficas primordiais e uma abordagem empĂrica multi-caso a partir
de casos portugueses elegĂveis, esta tese fornece respostas Ă s questĂ”es: (i) Quais os
diferentes resultados da aplicação do Lean na SaĂșde?; (ii) Quais as barreiras Ă aplicação
do Lean na SaĂșde?; (iii) Quais os facilitadores da implementação do Lean na SaĂșde?;
(iv) Quais os riscos do Lean na SaĂșde?; (v) Como medir a implementação do Lean na
SaĂșde; e (vi) como desenvolver uma cultura Lean sustentĂĄvel?
Este contributo para o debate acadĂ©mico sobre a aplicação do Lean na SaĂșde introduz
clareza sobre o que pode ou nĂŁo ser chamado de prĂĄticas Lean na SaĂșde tendo como
referĂȘncia os conceitos dos fundadores; que padrĂŁo de implementação Ă© seguido pelas
organizaçÔes; e de que forma diferentes contextos culturais (nacionais e
organizacionais) influenciam o ritmo desse padrão de implementação
Collaboration and integration through information technologies in supply chains
International audienceSupply chain management encompasses various processes including various conventional logistics activities, and various other processes These processes are supported â to a certain limit â by coordination and integration mechanisms which are long-term strategies that give competitive advantage through overall supply chain efficiency. Information Technology, by the way of collecting, sharing and gathering data, exchanging information, optimising process through package software, is becoming one of the key developments and success of these collaboration strategies. This paper proposes a study to identify the methods used for collaborative works in the supply chain and focuses on some of its areas, as between a company and its suppliers (i.e., inventory sharing) and its customers (i.e., customer demand, forecasting), and also the integration of product information in the value chain
The responsive reply chain: the influence of the positioning of decoupling points
Manufacturing supply chains have been challenged by high competition, dynamic, and
stochastic conditions. They have to be constantly responsive in todayâs ever-changing
manufacturing environment. The proper positioning of decoupling points for material flow and
information flow has a significant potential for increasing responsiveness in a supply chain.
Positioning the material decoupling point as close to the end consumer as possible whilst the
information decoupling point is positioned upstream is the key to the industriesâ ability to
reduce lead time and enhance performance in the dynamic behaviour of the supply chain. [Continues.
E-Fulfillment and Multi-Channel Distribution ĂąâŹâ A Review
This review addresses the specific supply chain management issues of Internet fulfillment in a multi-channel environment. It provides a systematic overview of managerial planning tasks and reviews corresponding quantitative models. In this way, we aim to enhance the understanding of multi-channel e-fulfillment and to identify gaps between relevant managerial issues and academic literature, thereby indicating directions for future research. One of the recurrent patterns in todayĂąâŹâąs e-commerce operations is the combination of ĂąâŹËbricks-and-clicksĂąâŹâą, the integration of e-fulfillment into a portfolio of multiple alternative distribution channels. From a supply chain management perspective, multi-channel distribution provides opportunities for serving different customer segments, creating synergies, and exploiting economies of scale. However, in order to successfully exploit these opportunities companies need to master novel challenges. In particular, the design of a multi-channel distribution system requires a constant trade-off between process integration and separation across multiple channels. In addition, sales and operations decisions are ever more tightly intertwined as delivery and after-sales services are becoming key components of the product offering.Distribution;E-fulfillment;Literature Review;Online Retailing
A critical analysis of the relationship between business information system technology and supply chain management with special reference to optimum efficiency within large enterprises in the food and drug retail sector in KwaZulu-Natal.
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between supply chain
management and business information system technology within the food and drug
retail sector with special reference to optimum efficiency. Business information
system technology leverages information and knowledge sharing throughout the
supply chain which enables them to respond more effectively to an ever-changing
and volatile marketplace. The relationship between supply chain management and
business information system technology is multi-faceted and complex in nature, and
consequently, has the ability to penetrate every element of an organisationâs
functionality. Furthermore, it has the ability to penetrate the functionality of an
entire chain or network of suppliers and markets irrespective of their position
around the globe.
Supply Chain management literature teaches that optimisation within functional
areas is not as effective as cross-optimisation across functions and supply chain
networks. As supply chains rely on business information technology for crossoptimisation,
optimum efficiency will always be a moving target for as long as
business technology and supply chain management continue to break through new
ground.
In this research large food and drug supply chain networks and their business
information system requirements, trends, influence, effect and constraints were
reviewed, with special reference to creating optimum efficiency in their supply chain
networks. This research was motivated by discussions with Pick ân Payâs business
information systemâs service provider and their desire to optimise Pick ân Payâs
supply chain network efficiency in a highly price-competitive environment, resulting
in an in-depth case study being carried out on Pick ân Pay (Pty) Ltd stores in
KwaZulu-Natal. The review of literature suggests that cross-optimisation is only
mutually beneficial within trust relationships that exhibit seamless flows of
information throughout a supply chain. Data suggests that despite Pick ân Payâs use
of advanced business information system technology, Pick ân Pay together with the
food and drug retail stores in South Africa have a long way to go on this issue
Response management: Strategic and operational considerations
The 21st century is well underway and already the future is becoming clear. The opportunities confronting business organisations include; new high added-value product-services, new business models, new approaches to manufacturing and operations, and emerging technologies and applications. The threats are quite clear: increasing competition from emerging economies, shortening product life cycles and therefore life spans for innovation, complex environmental and sustainability issues, a changing international socio-economic environment, an increasing regulatory climate and, changing business and values. For many organisations the issues are clear and understood and steps are being undertaken to minimise the threats and to maximise the opportunities; these are relatively straight forward for companies in the fmcg industries where they are close to the final consumer. However many do not have that âluxuryâ and need to think through how the dynamics of the demand chain can be captured and understood and, further, whether the supply chain that has served many over recent years needs to be re-examined. This paper addresses these issues. It describes the relationships between the demand chain, the supply chain, and the value chain and Identifies companies that have been successful by embracing the notion that there is a need to be customer-centric â wherever you may be in the value chain
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