Exploring the Willingness-to-Share Data of Digitized Products in B2B Manufacturing Industries

In the digital age, physical products of all kind become infiltrated by technology. Especially for the sophisticated manufacturing industries manifold opportunities, yet in the same way defiances originate. While academia and practice on the one hand show that the value of digitized products for an ecosystem participant increases with the access to data from the surrounding ecosystem, on the other hand research to understand and manage this willingness-to-share data is limited. Accordingly, the Research-in-Progress Paper at hand explores the willingness-to-share data of digitized products in B2B manufacturing industries. In particular, an exploratory case study research design in the Swiss B2B manufacturing industries is carved out. Considering the inherent limitations of this qualitative research approach, preliminary findings show that highly different aspects influence the willingness-to-share data of digitized products in these environments

The impact of perceived privacy risks on organizations’ willingness to share item-level event data across the supply chain

ISSN:1389-5753ISSN:1572-936

The Internet of Things and The Web of Things

International audienceThe Internet of Things is creating a new world, a quantifiable and measureable world, where people and businesses can manage their assets in better informed ways, and can make more timely and better informed decisions about what they want or need to do. This new con-nected world brings with it fundamental changes to society and to consumers. This special issue of ERCIM News thus focuses on various relevant aspects of the Internet of Things and the Web of Things

Supply chain visibility for industrial construction projects : assessment of benefits, current status, definitions, barriers, and enablers

Despite recent efforts to improve the delivery and management of materials, industrial construction projects continue to suffer from lower productivity, delays, and budget overruns. Among the myriad of contributing factors, lack of visibility of material status is the major problem limiting effective supply chain management. Most visibility improvement efforts have been on the construction site. They are applied informally under the premise that simply allocating more resources to locating and tracking materials will improve its installation productivity. Currently, there is limited understanding of visibility in the supply chain of construction projects, which is pivotal for the industry to identify inadequacies in the supply chain and apply improvement strategies more formally. This dissertation describes a research effort to formally assess visibility in the supply chain of construction projects belonging to the industrial sector. First, the research introduces supply chain visibility (SCV) in construction. It identifies the need for improvement based on the literature review by investigating seven industrial construction projects and inputs from a panel of academicians and industry practitioners. Next, it assessed the current status of SCV using an industry survey that studied the benefits of SCV, SCV level at key locations and for common project material types, and barriers to SCV improvement. The industry survey and expert panel helped identify the need to define visibility needs in detail and link them with key supply chain decision areas. The need to define enablers to identify essential capabilities were also recognized. To populate, define, and assess the visibility needs and enablers, the study employed both deductive and inductive approaches that used the expertise of academics and industry practitioners to evaluate corporate practices, tools, and industry cases. Finally, a survey was used to evaluate the enablers’ ability to impact projects and their frequency of competent execution. The study contributed to the body of knowledge and practice. Theoretically, it improves understanding of visibility in the construction industry by providing detailed definitions and assessments of benefits, barriers, visibility needs, and enablers of SCV for industrial construction projects. Practically, the results of the study can be used by the industry to measure, communicate, and develop strategies for SCV objectively. The study’s assessment of benefits, barriers, supply chain location, material types, visibility needs, and enablers also serves as a benchmark for industry and academia to measure future research and investments in SCV. Collectively, the study established the importance and need for focused research and investment in SCV for construction.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

RFID on the boundary between the public and private sectors: An ANT/Institutional Theory investigation

Radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled devices are becoming increasingly common in today’s world, facilitating many things from supply chain efficiencies to medical equipment tracking. The majority of studies into such systems centre on technical and engineering issues associated with their implementation and operation. Research outside of this scope generally focuses on RFID systems in isolated private sector supply chains. Less common is research on RFID systems within the public sector, and this research generally occurs within the health, defence, or agriculture areas. Using a combination of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and Institutional Theory, this qualitative study examines how RFID is used within the public sector/private sector RFID network. Interactions across public and private sector RFID networks are examined in order to identify common themes within the network, and to determine where the needs of the two sectors diverge. Twelve themes were identified that acted as ANT mediators within the network, across three dimensions. These mediators differed in activity depending on where within the ANT translation they were strongest. A number of the mediators were also found to exert institutional pressures on organisations within the network, contributing to their strength during translation. The relationship between the two sectors was also examined. Findings indicated that some mediators were stronger within the public sector, particularly with respect to privacy and legislation. It was further found that the relationship between the two sectors was confused by the multiple different roles taken by the public sector within the translation. This multiplicity at times confused both public and private sector partners, leading to uncertainty within the network. This study contributes to research by addressing a gap in understanding of RFID systems in the public-private sector context. It also provides practitioners with a guideline as to which mediators should be addressed when contemplating an RFID system within this context, as well as indicating possible reasons the relationship between organisations in the two sectors may be challenging. In addition, the unusual combination of ANT and Institutional Theory contributes to theory by pointing towards a possible new way to investigate complex technology systems at the organisational level