The importance of key supplier relationship management in supply chains

Purpose: This paper investigates the impact of key supplier relationship management (KSRM) – understood as an aggregated supply chain management (SCM) process in the upstream direction – on the overall level of the execution of SCM within organizations. Methodology: A conceptual model is developed from a theoretical framework and proposes the capability to do KSRM as a mediator between internal and external SCM resources and SCM execution. A survey of 174 managers representing different supply chain stages is used to test the model through variance-based structural equation modelling. Findings: The findings reveal that external SCM resources directly affect the capability to do KSRM. Nevertheless, internal resources show a considerable indirect impact through external resources and can thus be considered an indirect determinant. The capability to do KSRM in turn impacts upon the level of SCM execution, measured in terms of the integration of business processes, directly and substantially, as well as mediating the effect between SCM resources and the level of SCM execution. Value: The main contribution of this paper is to empirically demonstrate the potential of KSRM for enhancing the level of SCM execution within organizations and consequently the level of integration in supply chains, leading to higher customer and shareholder value

Automatic Calibration of Multiple Coplanar Sensors

This paper describes an algorithm for recovering the rigid 3-DOF transformation (offset and rotation) between pairs of sensors mounted rigidly in a common plane on a mobile robot. The algorithm requires only a set of sensor observations made as the robot moves along a suitable path. Our method does not require synchronized sensors; nor does it require complete metrical reconstruction of the environment or the sensor path. We show that incremental pose measurements alone are sufficient to recover sensor calibration through nonlinear least squares estimation. We use the Fisher Information Matrix to compute a Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the resulting calibration. Applying the algorithm in practice requires a non-degenerate motion path, a principled procedure for estimating per-sensopose displacements and their covariances, a way to temporally resample asynchronous sensor data, and a way to assess the quality of the recovered calibration. We give constructive methods for each step. We demonstrate and validate the end-to-end calibration procedure for both simulated and real LIDAR and inertial data, achieving CRLBs, and corresponding calibrations, accurate to millimeters and milliradians. Source code is available from http://rvsn.csail.mit.edu/calibration

Using Ambients to Control Resources (long version)

Current software and hardware systems, being parallel and reconfigurable, raise new safety and reliability problems, and the resolution of these problems requires new methods. Numerous proposals attempt at reducing the threat of bugs and preventing several kinds of attacks. In this paper, we develop an extension of the calculus of Mobile Ambients, named Controlled Ambients, that is suited for expressing such issues, specifically Denial of Service attacks. We present a type system for Controlled Ambients, which makes static resource control possible in our setting

Spatial frequency tuned covariance channels for red–green and luminance-modulated gratings: psychophysical data from human adults

AbstractBoth chromatic and luminance-modulated stimuli are served by multiple spatial-frequency-tuned channels. This experiment investigated the independence versus interdependence of spatial frequency channels that serve the detection of red–green chromatic versus yellow–black luminance-modulated stimuli at low spatial frequencies. Contrast thresholds for both chromatic and luminance-modulated gratings were measured within 12 individual subjects using a repeated-measures design. Spatial frequencies ranged from 0.27 to 2.16 c/deg. A covariance structure analysis of individual differences was applied to the data. We computed statistical sources of individual variability, used them to define covariance channels, and determined the number and frequency tuning of these channels. For luminance-modulated gratings, two covariance channels were found, including one above and one below 1 c/deg [cf. Peterzell, & Teller (1996). Individual differences in contrast sensitivity functions: the coarsest spatial pattern analyzer. Vision Research, 36, 3077–3085]. For chromatic gratings, correlations between thresholds for most spatial frequencies were uniformly high, yielding a single covariance channel covering all but the highest spatial frequency tested. A combined analysis of both data sets recovered the same three covariance channels, and showed that detection thresholds for low-frequency red–green chromatic and luminance-modulated stimuli are served by separate, statistically independent processes

The Consumer Direct Services Revolution in Grocery Retailing: an exploratory investigation

Purpose - To provide empirical evidence and explanation of the phenomenon that providers of home delivery of groceries are still of minor importance in highly concentrated retail markets. Design/methodology/approach - Based on a critical literature review three propositions were set up. A web based survey was conducted with two prospective consumer groups for home delivery providers: time starved consumers and consumers with Internet affinity. A structural equation modeling analysis was applied in addition to uni- and bivariate analysis. Findings - In contrast to some assumptions in the literature shopping in stores for groceries was not generally perceived to be an annoying activity. Respondents were aware of their own shopping logistics efforts in terms of spatial and temporal distance when shopping in stores but were unable to convert these efforts into costs. Any perceived inconvenience connected with shopping for groceries had no impact on respondents’ willingness to pay for home delivery services or their future intentions to use such services. Research limitations/implications - The study only investigated two specific consumer groups within highly concentrated urban grocery retail markets. However these groups may be considered typical of most western European countries and thus the study’s findings are of importance to retailers. Practical implications - The major findings suggest that in general home delivery service may not be considered a strategic competitive advantage in grocery retail markets. Other marketing issues such as pricing, assortment and store personnel still substantially affect a consumer’s choice of retail formats. This leads to the conclusion that home delivery providers should either appeal to niche markets and/or offer additional differential criteria compared to traditional retail formats. Originality/value - The paper argues for a different viewpoint for researchers investigating the topic of Internet-based distance retailing. Further, the reintegration of logistical tasks from consumers should not be considered detached from other format choice criteria

A Model for Structuring Efficient Consumer Response Measures

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a model which structures and links different types of efficient consumer response (ECR) measures; it does so by considering the use of both quantitative or ‘hard’ and qualitative or ‘soft’ measures in ECR, emphasizing the importance and causal role of ‘soft’ measures throughout the ECR process. Methodology/Approach: This paper reviews the ECR and performance measurement literature and proposes a model that explains linkages from intra-organizational, inter-organizational and industry prerequisites through ECR activities to ECR outcomes; and highlights the role of performance, behavioural, attitude and capability measures. Two extant studies from Austria and Denmark are examined in the context of the model to exemplify some of its features. Research limitations/implications: The proposed model is presented for primarily future investigation; thus there is no empirical study in this paper other than a comparison of the two extant studies to support some constructs and variables. However, the model represents a structure that can guide future research on more specific ECR elements. Practical implications: The model makes a practical contribution by providing a structure from which measurement or scorecard systems can be established. Originality/value of the paper: The model makes a theoretical contribution by providing an overall structure to link different areas of ECR research such as barriers for ECR implementation, and specific ECR concepts, activities, and their outcomes

Sensor fusion for flexible human-portable building-scale mapping

This paper describes a system enabling rapid multi-floor indoor map building using a body-worn sensor system fusing information from RGB-D cameras, LIDAR, inertial, and barometric sensors. Our work is motivated by rapid response missions by emergency personnel, in which the capability for one or more people to rapidly map a complex indoor environment is essential for public safety. Human-portable mapping raises a number of challenges not encountered in typical robotic mapping applications including complex 6-DOF motion and the traversal of challenging trajectories including stairs or elevators. Our system achieves robust performance in these situations by exploiting state-of-the-art techniques for robust pose graph optimization and loop closure detection. It achieves real-time performance in indoor environments of moderate scale. Experimental results are demonstrated for human-portable mapping of several floors of a university building, demonstrating the system's ability to handle motion up and down stairs and to organize initially disconnected sets of submaps in a complex environment.Lincoln LaboratoryUnited States. Air Force (Contract FA8721-05-C-0002)United States. Office of Naval Research (Grant N00014-10-1-0936)United States. Office of Naval Research (Grant N00014-11-1-0688)United States. Office of Naval Research (Grant N00014-12-10020

Catch me if you can Looking for type-safe, hierarchical, lightweight, polymorphic and efficient error management in OCaml

International audienceThis is the year 2008 and ML-style exceptions are everywhere. Most modern languages, whether academic or industrial, feature some variant of this mechanism. Languages such as Java even feature static coverage-checking for such exceptions, something not available for ML languages, at least not without resorting to external tools. In this document, we demonstrate a design principle and a tiny library for managing errors in a functional manner, with static coverage-checking, automatically-inferred, structurally typed and hierarchical exceptional cases, with a reasonable run-time penalty. Our work is based on OCaml and features monads, polymorphic variants, compile-time code rewriting and trace elements of black magic

The Ithaca Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

I list several strong requirements for what I would consider a sensible interpretation of quantum mechanics and I discuss two simple theorems. One, as far as I know, is new; the other was only noted a few years ago. Both have important implications for such a sensible interpretation. My talk will not clear everything up; indeed, you may conclude that it has not cleared anything up. But I hope it will provide a different perspective from which to view some old and vexing puzzles (or, if you believe nothing needs to be cleared up, some ancient verities.)Comment: 21 pages, plain TEX. Notes for a lecture given at the Golden Jubilee Workshop on Foundations of Quantum Theory, Tata Institute, Bombay, September 9-12, 199

An International View

This paper discusses factors affecting the execution of supply chain management and presents a conceptual model and six hypotheses based on such factors identified in the literature. The model was tested in two European country-specific cases using structural equation modelling. Findings in both cases confirm the hypothesized hierarchical order of three proposed antecedents: ‘internal SCM conditions’ affect ‘joint SCM conditions’ which in turn influences collaborative ‘SCM-related processes’. Managerial implications are that firms in both countries should adopt these hierarchical steps to ensure a rigorous and appropriate approach to achieving full and integrative SCM