Dynamics of Buyer-Supplier Co-dependency for Optimizing Functional Efficiency

The performance related issues of buyer-supplier relationship have attracted both the academic and corporate managers. The study attempts to make theoretical contributions to the literature on relationships in marketing channels. Compared with the impact of the often-investigated construct of dependence structure, the impact of channel function performance on relationship quality is relatively large. This study has been conducted in reference to the suppliers of office equipments serving to the industrial accounts in Mexico. The study addresses broadly the issues as to what extent is the impact of quality performance responsible for doing business with the organizational buyers. Discussions also analyze the impact of channel function performance on relationship quality, which is moderated by the extent dependence structure of the relationship.Buyer behavior, supplier performance, co-dependency, supply design, profit optimization, buyer value, market coverage, conformance, supply quality

Index to Library Trends Volume 38

published or submitted for publicatio

Considerations for a design and operations knowledge support system for Space Station Freedom

Engineering and operations of modern engineered systems depend critically upon detailed design and operations knowledge that is accurate and authoritative. A design and operations knowledge support system (DOKSS) is a modern computer-based information system providing knowledge about the creation, evolution, and growth of an engineered system. The purpose of a DOKSS is to provide convenient and effective access to this multifaceted information. The complexity of Space Station Freedom's (SSF's) systems, elements, interfaces, and organizations makes convenient access to design knowledge especially important, when compared to simpler systems. The life cycle length, being 30 or more years, adds a new dimension to space operations, maintenance, and evolution. Provided here is a review and discussion of design knowledge support systems to be delivered and operated as a critical part of the engineered system. A concept of a DOKSS for Space Station Freedom (SSF) is presented. This is followed by a detailed discussion of a DOKSS for the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and Work Package-2 portions of SSF

Remote Service Satisfaction: An Initial Examination

As more providers establish remote services for remote repair, remote diagnosis and maintenance purposes to provide greater value to their customers, understanding what creates a satisfying customer experience becomes crucial. Even though this understanding appears crucial, no studies have examined the factors that make customers satisfied with remote services. To partly fill this void, the authors examine the role that customer perceptions of (1) remote service technology, (2) remote service workflow, (3) economic value, (4) information exchange, (5) interaction, (6) remote service individualization, and (7) auxiliary services play in customer remote service satisfaction assessments. They find that remote service technology, remote service workflow, and interaction are the dominant factors in customer assessments of satisfaction. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and offer directions for future research

Special Libraries, Fall 1988

Volume 79, Issue 4https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1988/1003/thumbnail.jp

Measuring plant complexity in food supply chain

openbiblioteca DT

Alter ego, state of the art on user profiling: an overview of the most relevant organisational and behavioural aspects regarding User Profiling.

This report gives an overview of the most relevant organisational and\ud behavioural aspects regarding user profiling. It discusses not only the\ud most important aims of user profiling from both an organisation’s as\ud well as a user’s perspective, it will also discuss organisational motives\ud and barriers for user profiling and the most important conditions for\ud the success of user profiling. Finally recommendations are made and\ud suggestions for further research are given

Analysis and Management of the Price Volatility in the Construction Industry

The problem of price volatility as it pertains to material and labor is a major source of risk and financial distress for all the participants in the construction industry. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to address this problem from both viewpoints of risk analysis and risk management. This dissertation offers three independent papers addressing this goal. In the first paper using the Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index (ENR CCI), a predictive model is developed. The model uses General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) approach which facilitates both forecasting of the future values of the CCI, and capturing and quantifying its volatilities as a separate measure of risk through the passage of time. GARCH (1,1) was recognized as the best model. The maximum volatility was observed in October 2008 and results showed persistent volatility of the CCI in the case of external economic shocks. In the second paper using the same cost index (ENR CCI), the methodology of the first paper is integrated with Value at Risk concept to cautiously estimate the escalation factor in both short and long-term construction projects for avoiding cost overrun due to price volatilities and inflation. Proposed methodology was also applied to two construction projects in which the estimated escalation factors revealed satisfactory performances in terms of accuracy and reliability. Finally, the third paper addresses the price volatility from the view of risk management. It entails two objectives of identifying and ranking of potential management strategies. The former is achieved via in-depth literature review and questionnaire interviews with industry experts. The latter is done using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Quantitative risk management methods, alike those offered in foregoing papers are considered as one of the candidates in dealing with the price volatility risk. Cost, risk allocation and duration were perceived as the most significant criteria (project indicators) in construction projects. Also, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) with respect to project duration; quantitative risk management methods with respect to the cost; and Price Adjustment Clauses (PAC) with respect to the risk allocation, were recognized as the top strategies to manage the risk of price volatilities

Consumer policy - a network/political economy perspective : an application of the new macro-relational consumer policy framework to study the evolutionary dynamics of the policy community for the Electronic Fund Transfer System (EFTS) consumer issue in Canada

This thesis argued that-sole reliance by government on the micro-economic paradigm. as the rationale for intervening in the marketplace results in too narrow an approach to consumer policy and a lack of appreciation for the dynamic and relational aspects of the consumer policy process. An integration of select constructs from the political economy and network paradigms contributed to the development of a macro-relational consumer policy framework. The network approach provides a relational perspective while the political economy paradigm provides a macro approach to widening consumer policy theory. Together, they offer a macro-relational perspective to compliment the micro-economic approach. The investigator suggests that the computerization of the Canadian payment system represents a change in the technological sphere of the macro policy environment. This change challenges the marketplace interests of the consumer policy network constituents (secondary policy environment). The stakeholders affected by this change coalesce into a policy community to balance respective interests. This primary policy environment, evolutionary in nature (internal policy activity, then dyadic, multidyadic, and triadic), will exhibit varying patterns of stakeholder interaction, relationship development and network dynamics. Propositions developed, to explain the evolutionary dynamics of the policy community guided the content analysis, the case study and the network analysis. Relational data (matrices and graphs) profiled the chronological maps of the relationships of the aggregate, constituent and dyadic sets of stakeholders. A multi-layered network analysis revealed an evolutionary process and a policy community which varied on several interaction dimensions (frequency, directedness, durability, role perception, intensity) and network dimensions (size, density, connectedness, cohesiveness, knittedness, stability). To mirror parallel initiatives in complimentary disciplines, stakeholders and future macro-relational consumer policy researchers are challenged to embrace the powerful network/political economy perspective to profit from stimulating theoretical and pragmatic insights into the complex, dynamic consumer policy process.This thesis argued that-sole reliance by government on the micro-economic paradigm. as the rationale for intervening in the marketplace results in too narrow an approach to consumer policy and a lack of appreciation for the dynamic and relational aspects of the consumer policy process. An integration of select constructs from the political economy and network paradigms contributed to the development of a macro-relational consumer policy framework. The network approach provides a relational perspective while the political economy paradigm provides a macro approach to widening consumer policy theory. Together, they offer a macro-relational perspective to compliment the micro-economic approach. The investigator suggests that the computerization of the Canadian payment system represents a change in the technological sphere of the macro policy environment. This change challenges the marketplace interests of the consumer policy network constituents (secondary policy environment). The stakeholders affected by this change coalesce into a policy community to balance respective interests. This primary policy environment, evolutionary in nature (internal policy activity, then dyadic, multidyadic, and triadic), will exhibit varying patterns of stakeholder interaction, relationship development and network dynamics. Propositions developed, to explain the evolutionary dynamics of the policy community guided the content analysis, the case study and the network analysis. Relational data (matrices and graphs) profiled the chronological maps of the relationships of the aggregate, constituent and dyadic sets of stakeholders. A multi-layered network analysis revealed an evolutionary process and a policy community which varied on several interaction dimensions (frequency, directedness, durability, role perception, intensity) and network dimensions (size, density, connectedness, cohesiveness, knittedness, stability). To mirror parallel initiatives in complimentary disciplines, stakeholders and future macro-relational consumer policy researchers are challenged to embrace the powerful network/political economy perspective to profit from stimulating theoretical and pragmatic insights into the complex, dynamic consumer policy process