Management guidelines for third-party logistics

There is a significant amount of useful yet fragmented research in third-party logistics (3PL). This article seeks to review, summarize, and structure this 3PL research to provide a reference guide for managers interested in exploring, building, or improving logistics outsourcing opportunities. Topics covered include reasons to outsource, functions to outsource, 3PL provider evaluation, implementation and relationship success factors, contracts, and performance measures

Stakeholder Contributions to Container Port Capacity: A Survey of Port Authorities

Given recent concerns about North American port congestion, this paper examines stakeholder involvement in expanding port capacity to meet significant volume growth. North American container port authorities were surveyed to identify key capacity factors and subsequent participation requirements by stakeholders such as terminal operators, longshore labor, railroads, steamship lines, truckers, and government. The resulting analysis indicates port frustration with participation currently offered by all stakeholders, especially the federal government and railroads. Such results further validate the requirement for a multi-stakeholder approach to port capacity expansion and suggest the need for national freight policy and planning leadership

Stakeholder Contributions to Container Port Capacity: A Survey of Port Authorities

Given recent concerns about North American port congestion, this paper examines stakeholder involvement in expanding port capacity to meet significant volume growth. North American container port authorities were surveyed to identify key capacity factors and subsequent participation requirements by stakeholders such as terminal operators, longshore labor, railroads, steamship lines, truckers, and government. The resulting analysis indicates port frustration with participation currently offered by all stakeholders, especially the federal government and railroads. Such results further validate the requirement for a multi-stakeholder approach to port capacity expansion and suggest the need for national freight policy and planning leadership

A Cross-Functional Systems Project in an IS Capstone Course

Information systems (IS) practitioners must regularly work cross-functionally with business users when implementing enterprise systems. However, most IS higher education is not truly cross-functional in nature with students typically relying on instructors or even themselves to represent user requirements. To address this gap, we describe an ambitious multi-course project that paired students from an operations management class as business users with students from an undergraduate IS capstone course as systems developers to build an enterprise resource planning (ERP) application. In doing so, we attempted to emulate the critical success factors typically encountered in realistic cross-functional systems projects as identified in existing literature, including top management support, team interaction, communication, project management, and training. We analyze post-project debriefings combined with structural modeling of student survey data to reveal moderate realization of these success factors. We also highlight opportunities for replicating and improving the project as well as review important feedback for our entire IS program

Use of the Adult Myopathy Assessment Tool as a predictor of functional abilities in people with multiple sclerosis

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are at greater risk for decreased muscle performance which may lead to decreased functional abilities. The Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is commonly used as a disability status rating scale in PwMS. Nevertheless, the EDSS is largely comprised of neurological tests and may not best reflect functional performance. A functional battery such as The Adult Myopathy Assessment Tool (AMAT) may better reflect functional performance. The AMAT was designed to assess both functional strength and endurance in clinical settings. However, the AMAT has not been validated for the assessment of PwMS. Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine the comparative association of the AMAT and EDSS with measures of strength, fatigability, and functional performance. Methods: Twenty-nine people (mean age 48.6 ±11.2), with a history of MS (EDSS \u3c 7.0) were recruited. Participants completed functional testing (5 times sit to stand and gait speed) and an assessment of disability and functional status using the EDSS and AMAT, respectively. Muscle performance was assessed via a 60 s maximal volitional isometric contraction (MVIC) of the knee extensors using an isokinetic dynamometer, and expressed as fatigability (exhaustion time to 60% of MVIC), peak torque, and peak torque scaled to body weight. Results:The participants exhibited moderate levels of disability (EDSS, 3.6 ±1.4) and function (AMAT total score, 36.1 ±7.6; AMAT function subscale, 18.2 ±3.3). Peak force was 70.1 kg ±22.0 kg, exhaustion time was 38.4 s ±17.4 s, gait speed was 1.3 m/s ±0.3 m/s, and five time sit to stand was 11.4 s ±4.1 s. The AMAT function subscale was associated with scaled peak torque (r=0.426, p=.021), gait speed (r=0.825, p=0.00), and 5 time sit to stand (r=-0.632, p Conclusions: The AMAT was more strongly associated with scaled peak torque and functional measures in comparison to the EDSS. This may reflect the observation that relative strength is a better predictor of functional abilities than unadjusted strength measures. Whereas, the stronger association of the EDSS with fatigability may be explained by the pyramidal systems measures within the tool and the well-known association of MS-related fatigue with disability. Based on the results of the study, we suggest clinicians administer the AMAT in addition to the EDSS, to gain insight into functional impairments and assist with formulating a comprehensive plan of care

Strategic and operational considerations for the Extended Enterprise: insights from the aerospace industry

The Extended Enterprise (EE) paradigm has been adopted in the civil aerospace industry to enhance collaboration and product innovation among supply chain partners. Nevertheless, key aspects of this collaborative form remain poorly understood. In particular, the interrelation of strategic and operational considerations has received little attention in the literature. Our study aimed to investigate this area, using two dyads as case studies, where three companies were involved in an EE form of collaboration. The primary case company was a leading manufacturer in the civil aerospace industry that employs EE principles on both upstream and downstream sides of its supply chain. The other two case companies were key suppliers embedded in the EE. This paper aimed to develop a more complete understanding of how sharing risks and rewards results in effective collaboration among EE partners with key strategic and operational results

Correction to: Two years later: Is the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still having an impact on emergency surgery? An international cross-sectional survey among WSES members

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ongoing and a major challenge for health care services worldwide. In the first WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey, a strong negative impact on emergency surgery (ES) had been described already early in the pandemic situation. However, the knowledge is limited about current effects of the pandemic on patient flow through emergency rooms, daily routine and decision making in ES as well as their changes over time during the last two pandemic years. This second WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on ES during the course of the pandemic. Methods: A web survey had been distributed to medical specialists in ES during a four-week period from January 2022, investigating the impact of the pandemic on patients and septic diseases both requiring ES, structural problems due to the pandemic and time-to-intervention in ES routine. Results: 367 collaborators from 59 countries responded to the survey. The majority indicated that the pandemic still significantly impacts on treatment and outcome of surgical emergency patients (83.1% and 78.5%, respectively). As reasons, the collaborators reported decreased case load in ES (44.7%), but patients presenting with more prolonged and severe diseases, especially concerning perforated appendicitis (62.1%) and diverticulitis (57.5%). Otherwise, approximately 50% of the participants still observe a delay in time-to-intervention in ES compared with the situation before the pandemic. Relevant causes leading to enlarged time-to-intervention in ES during the pandemic are persistent problems with in-hospital logistics, lacks in medical staff as well as operating room and intensive care capacities during the pandemic. This leads not only to the need for triage or transferring of ES patients to other hospitals, reported by 64.0% and 48.8% of the collaborators, respectively, but also to paradigm shifts in treatment modalities to non-operative approaches reported by 67.3% of the participants, especially in uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and multiple-recurrent diverticulitis. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still significantly impacts on care and outcome of patients in ES. Well-known problems with in-hospital logistics are not sufficiently resolved by now; however, medical staff shortages and reduced capacities have been dramatically aggravated over last two pandemic years

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Supply Chain: An Application in the Food Industry

The food industry faces many significant risks from public criticism of corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues in the supply chain. This paper draws upon previous research and emerging industry trends to develop a comprehensive framework of supply chain CSR in the industry. The framework details unique CSR applications in the food supply chain including animal welfare, biotechnology, environment, fair trade, health and safety, and labor and human rights. General supply chain CSR issues such as community and procurement are also considered. Ultimately, the framework serves as a comprehensive tool to support food industry practitioners and researchers in the assessment of strategic and operational supply chain CSR practices. Copyright Springer 2006Corporate Social Responsibility, Food Industry, Logistics Social Responsibility, Purchasing Social Responsibility, Supply Chain,

Maloni: The influence of power driven buyer/seller relationships on supply chain satisfaction

Abstract Research on supplier satisfaction in buyer-supplier relationships has been primarily conceptual. One purpose of the research described in this paper is to empirically test the influences of supply chain power on supplier satisfaction. Exploration of the effects of power on factors of supplier satisfaction will provide the key to understanding the power-satisfaction link in supply chain relationships. This paper shows how the buyer-seller relationship affects supplier satisfaction. In doing so, previous satisfaction and power literature is pulled together to demonstrate that the power-satisfaction variable must be included in any examination of supply chain partnerships. The three primary objectives of this research are to establish how the different ''bases of power'' affect the satisfaction of selling firms, investigate how power driven relationships affect supplier satisfaction, and measure the effect of power influences on supplier satisfaction in the automobile industry. Each of these research objectives was achieved. This study establishes the first empirical evidence for the measurement of power-driven supplier satisfaction. In each of the nine models studied, the power-affected buyer-supplier relationship was found to have a significant positive effect on both performance and satisfaction. The paths between performance and satisfaction, however, were consistently found to be nonsignificant.