Unpacking the Standing Neutral: A Cost Effective and Common-Sense Approach for Preventing Conflict

Let\u27s face it. You don\u27t need to be a Nobel-prize winning economist to know that contracts are inherently incomplete. No lawyer has yet crafted the perfect contract that will anticipate every eventuality. Problems and unexpected events are always around the corner. Long-term contractual relationships are especially vulnerable to the damage caused by friction in relationships, particularly when this friction turns into a formal dispute. In far too many relationships the parties do not perceive a need to engage in conventional conflict resolution until they begin to experience real pain. By that time, they have blamed each other for their troubles. Unfortunately, this usually means that the parties\u27 relationship has reached a breaking point, which can lead to calling on their respective lawyers who are not typically incentivized or instinctively inclined to resolve conflicts constructively in the way best suited to the preservation of the relationship. And if typical negotiations fail, the next step is calling in a mediator, and perhaps eventually ending up in arbitration or the court system. To avoid these harmful escalations of conflict in business relationships, this paper argues for the proactive use of a Standing Neutral – a trusted, independent expert advisor (or a panel of three advisors) – chosen by the contracting parties at the onset of the relationship with the clear goal to maintain a healthy relationship. A Standing Neutral process can best be described as a proactive, quick, informal, flexible, adaptable, non-adversarial, neutral, expert, preferably nonbinding, process for preventing and achieving the earliest possible solution to problems and preventing potential disputes. This white paper includes five parts. It will help you understand the why, what and how of using a Standing Neutral for preventing and managing conflicts. Part 1 explains why the time is ripe to consider collaborative approaches for resolving conflicts Part 2 shares research which supports using a Standing Neutral, suggesting that such preventive conflict resolution techniques are not simply a new fad, but perhaps one of the best-kept secrets that should be widely unlocked and adopted for widespread use Part 3 highlights the what and how of using a Standing Neutral Part 4 shares examples of the Standing Neutral concept in practice Part 5 explores the costs and benefits of using a Standing Neutral In addition, we provide a comprehensive Appendix on how to design a dispute prevention, de-escalation and resolution system. The bottom line? It is YOUR bottom line. Using a Standing Neutral is a most effective and efficient way to govern and improve today’s modern commercial relationships

Is Demand Chain Management the New Supply Chain Management? Will the Demand Channel Trump the Supply Channel?

In this article, a contemporary view of demand chain management (DCM) is provided along with an indepth literature review that has tracked all of the relevant and key articles on the subject to date. While the concept of DCM is believed to have been introduced in the 1990’s, there has not been much research on DCM relative to other areas such as supply chain management. The methodologies, industries, and cases study companies utilized in the literature are also documented. A unique field case from the home improvement industry is provided along with recommendations for future research in the DCM field

Public Perception of Financial Incentives During COVID-19: A Case Study of the Ready-Made Garment Sector in Bangladesh

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are considering resilience factors for global industry to provide public policy experts with field insights. Financial incentives are one tool used to support industry. This article focuses on the ready-made garment sector suggesting there is a relationship between incentives and workers in this industry, specifically when facility owners anticipate incentives from the government. The primary findings are that sector respondents are aware incentives by the government will be provided, that additional support allocations can be used for alternative uses by the owners, and that the sector is recovering by utilizing resilience factors

Supplementary information files for 'A variability taxonomy to support automation decision-making for manufacturing processes'

Supplementary information files for 'A variability taxonomy to support automation decision-making for manufacturing processes'Abstract:Although many manual operations have been replaced by automation in the manufacturing domain, in various industries skilled operators still carry out critical manual tasks such as final assembly. The business case for automation in these areas is difficult to justify due to increased complexity and costs arising out of process variabilities associated with those tasks. The lack of understanding of process variability in automation design means that industrial automation often does not realise the full benefits at the first attempt, resulting in the need to spend additional resource and time, to fully realise the potential. This article describes a taxonomy of variability when considering automation of manufacturing processes. Three industrial case studies were analysed to develop the proposed taxonomy. The results obtained from the taxonomy are discussed with a further case study to demonstrate its value in supporting automation decision-making.</div