Theory Informing Decision-Making on Outsourcing: A Review of Four ‘Five- Year’ Snapshots Spanning 47 Years

This study investigates how researchers use theory for decision-making on outsourcing through a longitudinal systematic literature review covering four five-year intervals spanning 1965–2011. Each of the 249 retrieved papers has been categorised based on theory used, nature of literature review, research method, type of industry investigated, organisational functions, performance criteria and level of decision making. Notwithstanding a surge in academic writings on outsourcing, our analysis of the four periods shows that few papers contribute to theory or provide further insight into outsourcing. The focus of most papers tends to be on the practitioner’s perspective with decision making shifting from mainly financial–economic and operational considerations to strategic, long-term and multidimensional criteria that are not necessarily linked to a particular theoretical stance. The findings also imply that a full account of theories, their application as well as systematic testing in the context of outsourcing decision making, is still needed for advancing such knowledge. However, the evidence also suggests that methods for decision making do not vary much between domains and functions, although there are some exceptions, such as R&D, logistics and public sector functions. This study also identifies a framework for future research into decision-making on outsourcing

Strategic Adaptation to Deregulation in the Indian Auto Components Industry

We explore the strategic adaptation by domestic firms subsequent to economic liberalization and industry deregulation in an emerging economy. We study the Indian auto components industry during a ten-year period (1992-2002), using the Prowess database complemented by in-depth interviews with senior industry executives. Firms in our sample accounted for over 70 percent of industry sales during the period. Results of our analysis of indicate that technology licensing by domestic firms was significantly and positively related to their performance during the six-year period (1992-1997) immediately after industry deregulation. During the subsequent five-year period (1998-2002) domestic firms’ ability to create strong relational ties with downstream automakers was more significantly and positively related to performance. A potential implication of our study is that domestic firms need to adapt their strategic behavior by forging successive “fits” with the evolving policy and market environments

Finite element Galerkin method for the "good" Boussinesq equation

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Optimal selection of obsolescence mitigation strategies using a restless bandit model

Obsolescence of embedded parts is a serious concern for managers of complex systems where the design life of the system typically exceeds 20 years. Capital asset management teams have been exploring several strategies to mitigate risks associated with Diminishing Manufacturing Sources (DMS) and repeated life extensions of complex systems. Asset management cost and the performance of a system depend heavily on the obsolescence mitigation strategy chosen by the decision maker. We have developed mathematical models that can be used to calculate the impact of various obsolescence mitigation strategies on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a system. We have used classical multi-arm bandit (MAB) and restless bandit models to identify the best strategy for managing obsolescence in such instances wherein organizations have to deal with continuous technological evolution under uncertainty. The results of dynamic programming and greedy heuristic are compared with Gittins index solution.Gittins index Markov decision process Multi-arm bandit (MAB) model Obsolescence Restless bandits (RB) Total cost of ownership

Inventory trends in emerging market supply chains: Evidence from the Indian automotive industry

In the current paper, using a sample data of 58 firms consisting of automakers and auto component suppliers across a 14-year period, we study the factors contributing to efficient inventory management in the Indian automotive Industry. We use fixed effects regression models to document trends in inventory holdings over time and how this varies across inventory types and across tiers in the supply chain. Our results show that inventory holdings have declined differentially across tiers and across different types of inventories. We find tier-1 suppliers reduced all components of their inventories with the help of TQM and lean efforts