Buyer Perceptions of Supply Disruption Risk: A Behavioral View and Empirical Assessment

As supply chains become more complex, firms face increasing risks of supply disruptions. The process through which buyers make decisions in the face of these risks, however, has not been explored. Despite research highlighting the importance of behavioral approaches to risk, there is limited research that applies these views of risk in the supply chain literature. This paper addresses this gap by drawing on behavioral risk theory to investigate the causal relationships amongst situation, representations of risk, and decision-making within the purchasing domain. We operationalize and explore the relationship between three representations of supply disruption risk: magnitude of supply disruption, probability of supply disruption, and overall supply disruption risk. Additionally, we draw on exchange theories to identify product and market factors that impact buyers’ perceptions of the probability and magnitude of supply disruption. Finally, we look at how representations of risk affect the decision to seek alternative sources of supply. We test our model using data collected from 223 purchasing managers and buyers of direct materials. Our results show that both the probability and the magnitude of supply disruption are important to buyers’ overall perceptions of supply disruption risk. We also find that product and market situational factors impact perceptions of risk, but they are best understood through their impact on perceptions of probability and magnitude. Finally, we find that decisions are based on assessments of overall risk. These findings provide insight into the decision-making process and show that all three representations of risk are necessary for fully understanding risky decision-making with respect to supply disruptions

Making Sense Of Supply Disruption Risk Research: A Conceptual Framework Grounded In Enactment Theory

The rich stream of supply disruption risk (SDR) literature incorporates several different theories and constructs across studies, but lacks a unifying decision-making framework. We review 79 SDR studies and advance a comprehensive framework, grounded in enactment theory, which integrates the disparate elements of SDR research and offers new insights into the SDR decision-making process. Enactment theory posits a three-stage, closed-loop process, consisting of enactment, selection and retention, through which individuals process and make sense of equivocal environments. We suggest that this sense-making process also underlies SDR decision-making, and provides the theoretical underpinnings for the environmental, organizational and individual factors that affect the formation of buyers\u27 perceptions of SDR and the actions they take to mitigate such risks. In accordance with our conceptual framework, we develop seven propositions that advance the social and psychological factors that drive the idiosyncratic nature of SDR decision-making

Evaluating e-portfolio Using by Learning Stages: A Case Study in an Interdisciplinary Program

This study conducts an investigation of posts in the e-portfolio platform of the program: “The interdisciplinary training program for talented college students in science.” Participants in this program were supposed to show their learning portfolios on this platform. Among the 2150 registered students, we randomly selected 126 students who have made at least 3 posts to become the target sample. By identifying the learning stages and posting styles shown by their posts, we find that students are mostly in the surface learning stages and weak in completing their learning portfolios. The results suggest that more strategies should be learned in e-portfolio use. In addition, some related issues about learning performance are also discussed

Multi-wavelength source using low drive-voltage amplitude modulators for optical communications

A simple and cost-effective technique for generating a flat, square-shaped multi-wavelength optical comb with 42.6 GHz line spacing and over 0.5 THz of total bandwidth is presented. A detailed theoretical analysis is presented, showing that using two concatenated modulators driven with voltages of 3.5 Vp are necessary to generate 11 comb lines with a flatness below 2dB. This performance is experimentally demonstrated using two cascaded Versawave 40 Gbit/s low drive voltage electro-optic polarisation modulators, where an 11 channel optical comb with a flatness of 1.9 dB and a side-mode-suppression ratio (SMSR) of 12.6 dB was obtained

Type IIn Supernova Detections in z ~ 2 Lyman Break Galaxies: Probing the IMF Directly

Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn) exhibit luminous ultraviolet continua during outburst and luminous, long-lived narrow ultraviolet and optical emission lines attributed to circumstellar interaction. These properties have enabled successful detections at z ~ 2 in archival imaging and continued investigations from late-time spectroscopy. Because SNe IIn are believed to have massive (≳50M_☉) progenitors, searches in the well-studied Lyman break galaxy (LBG) host population offer the prospect of testing the form of the high-redshift stellar initial mass function (IMF) in a high density star formation environment directly. I briefly discuss our z ~ 2 photometric detection method targeting LBGs in the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) and present data from the first 6 confirmed z ~ 2 SNe IIn pulled from 30 photometric SN candidates. A comparison of the color and magnitude distributions of the SN host galaxies to that of the full LBG sample finds that z ~ 2 SNe preferentially occur in bluer, fainter galaxies. I conclude with a discussion of an approach that uses the CFHTLS pilot sample to provide a first estimate of the form of the high-redshift IMF. Upcoming deep synoptic imaging surveys will greatly improve z ~ 2 SNe IIn statistics from ~10^5 expected detections and future large aperture space- and ground-based telescopes will have the sensitivities to extend this work to z ≳ 6

Trends during development of Scottish salmon farming: An example of sustainable intensification?

Commercial farming of Atlantic salmon in Scotland started in 1969 and has since expanded to produce >179,000 t year-1. A government department has published annual statistics and information on the seawater and freshwater sub-sectors of the Scottish salmon farming industry since 1979, and this review collates and discusses metrics covering aspects of production, farm sites and systems, fish performance, socio-economics and environmental pressures. Trends illustrated in this case study of aquaculture development include: initial increases in numbers of farms and companies, followed by decreases due to industry consolidation; increases in average farm size, and productivity of systems and employees; increases in survival, size at age and productivity of fish (yield per smolt, ova per broodstock); reduced dependence on wild stocks for ova. This case study also illustrates the importance of disease management, control of biological processes to overcome natural seasonality (i.e. production of out-of-season smolt), and the international nature of aquaculture. Improvements in fish survival, growth and productivity are attributed to progress in vaccination and health management (including fallowing), husbandry, system design, feed formulation and provision, and introduction of technology and mechanisation. Salmon farming is discussed in relation to the challenging strategy of ``sustainable intensification{''}. Improved growth and survival over a period of increasing rearing unit size, farm size and output and decreasing relative staff input counters the common assumption that intensification compromises animal welfare. The value of capturing time series data on industry wide metrics is illustrated as it enables identification of trends, underperformance and bench-marking, as well as assessment of resource use efficiency, environmental pressures, and ultimately sustainability. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Impact in the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), Volume II - Appendix

The Energy Systems Laboratory (Laboratory), at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station of the Texas A&M University System, in fulfillment of its responsibilities under Texas Health and Safety Code Ann. § 388.003 (e), submits its annual report, Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy (EE/RE) Impact in the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality