Contributing to the Supply Chain Management theory establishment

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of the SCM theory and practice. First, by revisiting the theories and areas of knowledge that contributed to the emergence of SCM. Secondly, by establishing a set of statements – for discussion – that should constitute the basis of Supply Chain Management as an area of organizational and inter-organizational knowledge, able to create competitive advantages and to be foreseen as an idiosyncratic though pre-paradigmatic area of knowledge

Buyer-seller conflict and cooperation in marketing channels: port wine distribution

The main purpose of this study is to research buyer-seller conflict and cooperation in distribution channels. Based on a multidimensional case study, eight research hypotheses were formulated. Some quantitative research was conducted, based on a questionnaire sent to 101 port wine producers and distribution companies (61 answered properly – 31 producers and 29 distributors – which gave the authors a 60% rate of response, considered to be very good for these types of studies; those 101 port wine producers and distributors initially chosen were the most important in Europe, considering the volume of production and sales, and constituting, for that reason, a convenience sample). A binary probit model was developed to analyze the data. The results of the study demonstrate that when conflict is ongoing and intense it prevents the development of cooperative relationships. A trustworthy company is more likely to solve conflicts. When trust and adaptation capabilities increase, so does potential cooperation. The results also show that the presence of a foreign sales representative in the team does not exert a negative influence on cooperation. Finally, cooperation can be considered as an important means of developing skills and resources, which can then be applied to existing transaction relationships

Outsourcing in healthcare through process modularization: a lean perspective

Looking for efficiency, quality and profitability gains, healthcare organizations are adopting outsourcing solutions in the attempt of "doing more with less". Seeking for cost reduction, risk mitigation, adapting to quick changes without compromising internal resources, these organizations also take big risks in control and flexibility variables. In order to understand how healthcare organizations find the best value equation combining internal and external resources in a modular service conception, a case study on a start-up Long-term Care unit with innovative format, great levels of customization and following an outsourcing strategy, was carried out. The main conclusion, among others, is that in ambitious start-ups, having speed of entrance as the conditioning factor, a process orientation and management approach may offer a clear view of the gains related with trade-off decisions regarding time and cost (agility) and cost and quality (Leanness) ie, decisions under the "leagile" paradigm. This study contributes for a wider understanding of the "leagile" concept associated to an outsourcing operational strategy. Additionally, it also provides new insights to the concept of modularity in services settings in a complex service as healthcare

Lean healthcare across cultures: state-of-the-art

Lean thinking “translation” from manufacturing to services settings is a topic of growing interest among academics and practitioners. Healthcare organizations have been one of the latest services settings adopting Lean principles, tools and techniques feeding a crescent stream of literature. However, despite of the important contribution of some review articles, the Lean embeddeness in different national Healthcare systems lack cultural appraisal and updating. Through a systematic literature review, this paper presents the state-of-the-art of Lean deployment in Healthcare settings recurring to cultural lenses, classifies the existent literature, enhances cultural (national and organizational) marks and disclosures Lean deployment patterns while answer the question: - Does national cultural resemblance to Japan means a deeper deployment of Lean practices by Healthcare organizations

h3 gourmet: not so fast food

The h3 case study focuses on the development and offer of a new chain of hamburger restaurants that began in Portugal and is spreading to other countries like Spain, Brazil and Poland. The general idea of the business venture is to grow quickly and occupy an unconventional place in the fast food burger business: a food chain with a gourmet touch, taking a high profile approach with natural ingredients, customization and quality service, where hamburgers are served on heated plates with cutlery and may be accompanied by a glass of wine, homemade lemonade or iced tea. The client can finish the meal with ice cream or chocolate coulant desserts with quality ingredients. H3 now has more than 40 restaurants; it is preparing to conquer the world and challenge the big players both in malls and street restaurants. Competitive advantages and critical success factors will play a vital role in this case

A country perspective in exploring the links between hospital pharmacies and pharmaceutical industry: a case study application

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the firms where the search for quality is very close to compliance. Yet a major paradigm change is occurring in this industry due to the increase of returns and recalls. Hence, in this paper the authors combine the findings of previous literature reviews with a case study approach. Findings from previous literature reviews emerged from the links explored between pharmaceutical drugs quality, reverse logistics and sustainability. With the addition of a case study on a global manufacturing corporation in the area of generic drugs products one step further is introduced: understanding the type of returns companies receive, in particular from hospital pharmacies. With this approach authors are creating a link between two different parties: the application of a quality by design (QbD) risk management approach with the reduction of variability and risk of noncompliance, through the increase of knowledge and value into their products and processes

Logistics and supply chain management: an area with a strategic service perspective

Logistics and supply chain management is an area that evolved deeply in the past years, integrating develop-ments of other areas of knowledge, both entrepreneurial and general. In this paper, a perspective of the evolu-tion of logistics and supply chain management is somehow designed. Traditionally, one may find logistics and supply chain management in friction with marketing and claiming for its own space. Nowadays, it seems difficult to see internal (logistics) versus external (marketing) wars and different orientations between marketing and logistics because they are both service and relations oriented. Simple transactions have been substituted, long time ago, for sustainable relations in the area of logistics and supply chain management. Finally, a more service oriented logic has been the footprint of logistics and supply chain management in current days and not, as pre-tended for some current rows of investigation, a simple transaction approach under a goods dominant logic. Lo-gistics and supply chain management is nowadays in parallel with an S-D logic (service dominant logic) because it is an area where relations matter, where sustainable links between networks of companies are crucial and where service is key in order to accommodate the contemporary thoughts and practices in the area. The main purpose of the paper is to stress the point that logistics and supply chain management is an area of service and value creation (or co-creation) and not a simple area of goods exchange and simple transactions

A lean case study in an oncological hospital: implementation of a telephone triage system in the emergency service

Abstract: Lean practices and thinking have increased substantially in the last few years. Applications of lean practices to health care are found worldwide. Despite that, new contributions are required because the application of lean thinking to hospitals has a long way to go. Lean practices and thinking do not include, in the literature or practice programs, any references to triage systems in health care units. The common triage systems require physical presence, but there are alternative methods to avoid the need to move patients: these alternative triage systems, given their characteristics, may be included in the spectrum of lean practices. Currently, patients that are already known to suffer from cancer are encouraged to go to hospital (public or private, with an oncological focus) when facing side effects from chemotherapy or radiation treatments; they are then submitted to a triage system (present themselves to the hospital for examination). The authors of this paper propose the introduction of telephone or email triage for impaired patients as a valid substitute for moving them physically, thereby often avoiding several unnecessary moves. This approach has, in fact, characteristics similar to a lean practice in that it reduces costs and maintains, if done properly, the overall service offered. The proposed ‘remote’ triage emerged from the results of a large survey sent to patients and also as the outcome of a set of semistructured interviews conducted with hospital nurses. With the results they obtained, the authors felt comfortable proposing this approach both to public and private hospitals, because the study was conducted in the most important, largest, and best-known oncological unit in Spain. As a final result, the health care unit studied is now taking the first steps to implement a remote triage system by telephone, and has begun to reduce the previously necessary movement of impaired patients

Exploring interconnections in SCM body of knowledge

This paper aims at contributing to new insights and ideas in the area of Supply Chain Management. Revisiting some theories and areas of knowledge is critical to generate different perspectives and ways of understanding supply chains. Accordingly, this paper reopens some areas of knowledge that have fed and are continuing to feed the area of SCM (Supply Chain Management) with new ideas and thoughts, in both theoretical and practical terms. SCM approaches and practices are cross functional, organizational and inter-organizational centred areas of knowledge and, for these reasons, the authors have also made an effort to dedicate some parts of the paper to discuss and register some competitive advantages arising essentially from a pre-paradigmatic body of knowledge like SCM

Assessing obstetrics perceived service quality at a public hospital

Assessing service quality has become a major issue in the healthcare sector. Although direct evaluation has already taken place, literature is scarce in terms of the impact the distance covered by the user has on perceived service quality. The aim of this study was to assess the influence distance has on perceived service quality when no similar service alternatives are available. The Servperf instrument was used to collect data. All women who delivered babies in autumn 2011 were respondents to the questionnaire. Exploratory analysis was used to test research hypotheses. Cronbach’s alphas were computed to assess internal consistency. Findings show that Assurance is the quality dimension that contributes the most to patients’ perceived service quality and Tangibles is the one that contributes the least. It was also possible to conclude that the distance the patient has to cover to be served and its educational level influence patients’ perception of the service providedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio