An Empirically Derived Taxonomy of Information Systems Integration

Information systems integration (ISI) represents the degree of cooperation in information system practices between business functions within a firm and between a firm and its trading partners. Although the establishment of information systems integration objective has been reported as one of the key concerns of top management because ISI enhances the firms’ competitiveness and growth, the classification of the information system practices and its managerial implications are still vaguely developed. The two objectives of this paper are: (1) to develop a taxonomy of information systems integration (ISI) called ISI-Matrix, and (2) to report managerial implications for matching each information system class with business process applications. By using a systematic research investigation approach, two ISI structures are identified: Internal ISI (IISI) and External ISI (EISI) from the responses of 220 firms. The ability to identify and understand the implications of the ISI-Matrix is of critical importance to both academic and management practitioners

Measuring Absorptive Capacity: An Antecedent to Time-Based Manufacturing Practices

This study defines absorptive capacity, develops valid and reliable instruments to measure it, describes a framework to examine its impact on time-based manufacturing practices, and test the relationships between these variables

Trust-Driven Joint Operations Practices to Achieve Mass Customization: A Comparative Study for U.S., Chinese and Japanese Companies

This study builds a model of trust, based on joint operational activities and mass customization using theories of social capital and the resource-based view of the firm. Based on 208 responses from suppliers in the U.S. and China, this study empirically supports the notion that trust positively drives manufacturer-supplier activities in operations. It also supports the claim that joint operations activities contribute to mass customization capabilities in a significant way. Moreover, the level of trust and the degree of joint activities are different for the four types of suppliers used in the study: U.S. brands produced in North America, Japanese brands produced in China, U.S. brands produced in China, and Chinese brands produced in China

Manufacturing capability and organizational performance: The role of entrepreneurial orientation

To date there have been mixed findings about the impact of various manufacturing capabilities on organizational performance. This study investigates entrepreneurial orientation (EO) from the perspective of the Contingency Theory as a potential explanatory variable. The findings are that EO moderates the relationship between capabilities in flexibility and cost and organizational performance. Further, without a sufficient level of EO, there are no benefits to organizational performance and as such EO is positioned as a strategic resource to cultivate and nurture. This study provides insight into the connection between operational capabilities and firm level strategy. Specifically, it appears that EO may be the mechanism whereby manufacturing capabilities are linked to market needs

Operations Management : Concepts, Methods, and Strategies

St. Paulxx, 863 p.; Illus.; 26 cm

Understanding causality through path analysis for better budgeting and management control

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/36222/2/b1374047.0001.001.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/36222/1/b1374047.0001.001.tx

Operations management concepts, methods, and strategies

xx, 863 p.; 25 cm

A Mathematical Programming Approach to Schedule Master Slab Casters in the Steel Industry

This paper examines an important scheduling problem resulting from a new process for continuously casting steel. A master slab caster produces slabs which are wider than customer needs, and therefore, these must be ripped longitudinally at least once before they can be processed to a customer-specified width. The purpose of this research is to develop an effective and efficient algorithm for combining customer sizes in order to economically schedule the ripping process. Such a solution procedure could be used to assist decision-makers in selecting master slab widths for production and in designing width limitations for future casters. The method entails more than the minimization of trim loss because other costs are relevant. Mathematical programming is used to arrive at an optimal or near-optimal solution to this production management problem. The results indicate that the procedure described in this paper reduces to total costs dramatically.programming: linear, applications, production/scheduling: cutting stock, industries: steel