Radio frequency identification and time-driven activity based costing: RFID-TDABC

This thesis extends the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data for accounting of warehouse costs and services. Time Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC) methodology is enhanced with the real-time collected RFID data about duration of warehouse activities. This allows warehouse managers to have an accurate and instant calculations of costs. The RFID enhanced TDABC (RFID-TDABC) is proposed as a novel application of the RFID technology. Application of RFID-TDABC in a warehouse is implemented on warehouse processes of a case study company. Implementation covers receiving, put-away, order picking, and despatching. RFID technology is commonly used for the identification and tracking items. The use of the RFID generated information with the TDABC can be successfully extended to the area of costing. This RFID-TDABC costing model will benefit warehouse managers with accurate and instant calculations of costs. Although the study is limited in the scope to applying presented RFIDTDABC model only to warehouse operations of a SME company, RFIDTDABC concept will be of value to both academics and practitioners by showing how warehouse costs can be accurately measured by using this approach. Providing better understanding of incurred costs may result in a further optimisation of warehousing operations, lowering costs of activities, and thus provide competitive pricing to customers

Practitioner perspectives on supply chain management and logistics:a study from the United Kingdom

Purpose: The focus of this paper is the evolution of supply chain management (SCM) and logistics, as well as of the relationship between them. Its purpose is to generate deep insights into practice, particularly in relation to the fundamental issue of how practitioners define these key terms and phrases. Research approach: A largely qualitative study which involved in depth interviews with managers from two third party logistics providers (3PLs)/distributors, two retailers and two manufacturers from the United Kingdom. This interview protocol is based on the template used in a previous study published over a decade ago. Findings and originality: The data collected during the focussed interviews in the United Kingdom is contrasted with results from the earlier study. The findings suggest that there is variation between practitioners particularly in relation to what SCM is specifically concerned with. This variation mirrors to a large extent the differing orientations and emphases evident in the many theoretical definitions of SCM that have been proposed in recent decades. Research impact: The authors introduced the concept of refined replication in SCM research. This allows previous research to be built upon in order to test understanding of SCM theory and its practical implementation among SCM professionals in the United Kingdom. Practical impact: A profile of SCM understanding and adoption by firms in the United Kingdom is presented

Implementation of supply chain management theory in practice:a questionnaire survey in the United Kingdom

Purpose: The purpose of the research described in this paper is to disentangle the rhetoric from the reality in relation to supply chain management (SCM) adoption in practice. There is significant evidence of a divergence between theory and practice in the field of SCM. Research Approach: The authors’ review of the extant SCM literature highlighted a lack of replication studies in SCM, leading to the concept of refined replication being developed. The authors conducted a refined replication of the work of Sweeney et al. (2015) where a new SCM definitional construct – the Four Fundamentals – was proposed. The work presented in this article refines the previous study but adopts the same three-phase approach: focussed interviews, a questionnaire survey, and focus groups. This article covers the second phase of the refined replication study and describes an integrated research design of a questionnaire research to be undertaken in Britain. Findings and Originality: The article presents an integrated research design of a questionnaire research with emphases on the refined replication of previous work of Sweeney et al. (2015) carried out in Ireland and adapting it to the British context. Research Impact: The authors introduce the concept of refined replication in SCM research. This allows previous research to be built upon in order to test understanding of SCM theory and its practical implementation - based on the Four Fundamentals construct - among SCM professionals in Britain. Practical Impact: The article presents the integrated research design of a questionnaire research that may be used in similar studies

Green agenda and sustainability in follow up and evaluation stage of purchasing of logistics services:perspectives from the British shippers and forwarders

Purpose The purpose of the research described in this paper is to investigate the role that green agenda and sustainability plays in follow up and evaluation stage of purchasing of logistics services. There is a significant evidence of a divergence between perspectives between shippers and forwarders when it comes to this area. Research Approach The work presented in this article refines methodology of Lummus et al. (2001) and uses focussed interviews with two groups of supply chain management professionals: shippers (manufacturers and retailers) and forwarders (3PLs). The context of the paper’s empirical work is the UK. Findings and Originality The findings suggest that, while shippers and forwarders recognise a positive link between cost saving and green agenda and sustainability, there is room for improvement in this area, as a focus of discussions between shippers and forwarders during follow up and evaluation stage in purchasing logistics services is predominantly on price and service levels. Research Impact The authors focus on the follow-up and evaluation stage in purchasing of logistics services, which is an under-explored topic in academic literature. Practical Impact A profile of perspectives towards green agenda and sustainability in follow up and evaluation stage of purchasing of logistics services by firms in the UK is presented

Radio frequency identification and time-driven activity based costing:RFID-TDABC application in warehousing

Purpose: This paper extends the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data for accounting of warehouse costs and services. Time Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC) methodology is enhanced with the real-time collected RFID data about duration of warehouse activities. This allows warehouse managers to have accurate and instant calculations of costs. The RFID enhanced TDABC (RFID-TDABC) is proposed as a novel application of the RFID technology. Research Approach: Application of RFID-TDABC in a warehouse is implemented on warehouse processes of a case study company. Implementation covers receiving, put-away, order picking, and despatching. Findings and Originality: RFID technology is commonly used for the identification and tracking items. The use of the RFID generated information with the TDABC can be successfully extended to the area of costing. This RFID-TDABC costing model will benefit warehouse managers with accurate and instant calculations of costs. Research Impact: There are still unexplored benefits to RFID technology in its applications in warehousing and the wider supply chain. A multi-disciplinary research approach led to combining RFID technology and TDABC accounting method in order to propose RFID-TDABC. Combining methods and theories from different fields with RFID, may lead researchers to develop new techniques such as RFID-TDABC presented in this paper. Practical Impact: RFID-TDABC concept will be of value to practitioners by showing how warehouse costs can be accurately measured by using this approach. Providing better understanding of incurred costs may result in a further optimisation of warehousing operations, lowering costs of activities, and thus provide competitive pricing to customers. RFID-TDABC can be applied in a wider supply chain

Maximising the RFID benefits at the tyre distribution centre

In recent years the applications of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) in warehousing have gained a great amount of attention as it is a challenging and dynamic environment. Analysing a receiving operation of third party logistic (3PL) operator running a tyre distribution centre, this paper presents a case study of RFID application in the warehouse. The receiving process is enhanced with the RFID technology, which provides contactless identification, less manual data entry errors, instant stock management. Moreover, these benefits could be maximised by the proposed use of the RFID generated data in accounting of costs and services, which is a novel application of the RFID technology

Radio frequency identification and its application in e-commerce

This chapter presents Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which is one of the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies (Wamba and Boeck, 2008) and discusses the application of RFID in E-Commerce. Firstly RFID is defined and the tag and reader components of the RFID system are explained. Then historical context of RFID is briefly discussed. Next, RFID is contrasted with other AIDC technologies, especially the use of barcodes which are commonly applied in E-Commerce. Lastly, RFID applications in E-Commerce are discussed with the focus on achievable benefits and obstacles to successful applications of RFID in E-Commerce, and ways to alleviate them

GAMIFICATION OF WAREHOUSING ACTIVITIES: EXPLORING PERSPECTIVES OF WAREHOUSE MANAGERS IN THE UK

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore perspectives of warehouse managers’ on gamification of warehousing activities such as receiving, put-away, order picking, and shipping. This study explores potential benefits and obstacles of gamification in warehousing context. Research Approach A largely qualitative study which involves in depth interviews with eight warehouse managers from the United Kingdom. The interview protocol is a refined replication of methodology to gain insights from practitioners found in Lummus et al. (2001). Findings and Originality Gamification is applicable in the warehousing context with potential benefits such as improved worker engagement, increased morale and productivity, enforced competition, increased accuracy, and skills development. However there are also limitations, for instance limited resources, game tolerance with time, intense planning required, ethical implications, and ensuring fairness for all players should be considered before the implementation. Research Impact Although this study is limited to perspectives of UK warehousing managers the selected sample operates in the varied range of market sectors thus enabling the authors to generate a breadth of perspectives. Practical Impact A profile of perspectives of UK warehouse managers in relation to gamification of warehousing activities is presented

Practitioner perspectives on supply chain management and logistics:a study from Poland and Switzerland

Purpose: The focus of this paper is the evolution of supply chain management (SCM) and logistics and the relationship between these concepts. Its purpose is to generate deep insights into practice, particularly in relation to the fundamental issue of how practitioners from different industrial and geographical contexts define the supply chain, SCM and logistics. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts an inductive research approach. Qualitative empirical data was collected through in-depth interviews among managers from four third-party logistics providers, four retailers and four manufacturers based in Poland and Switzerland. The semi-structured interview guide is based on a previous study by Lummus et al. (2001). The data collected during the interviews is contrasted with insights from existing research about the supply chain, SCM and logistics. Findings : The findings suggest that there are context-dependent differences between practitioners’ understanding of the supply chain, SCM and logistics. This variation mirrors to some extent the plethora of orientations and emphases evident in the academic definitions of these terms, which have been proposed in recent decades. Research limitations/implications: The authors use the concept of refined replication in operations management research. This allows us to build upon previous research in order to test the current understanding of SCM theory among professionals. The sample is limited to Poland and Switzerland. Practical implications: Practitioners benefit from differentiated insights into the contemporary understanding of and linkages between the terms supply chain, SCM and logistics. Moreover, they are sensitized for context-specific variations in the meaning of these concepts