IT integration, operations flexibility and performance: an empirical study

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between IT implementation and performance with manufacturing flexibility based on a sample drawn from a set of manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach: The relationships were analyzed using structural equations modelling (SEM) using EQS 6.2 software. Previously, an explanatory factor analysis confirmed one-dimensionality of the scales, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to evaluate its internal consistency and a confirmatory factor analysis was run to observe scales’ validity. Findings: This research proves a significant positive and direct effect of IT implementation on operations performance with 4 out of 6 flexibility dimensions (Machine, Labour, Material handling and Volume). Mix and Routing flexibility dimensions show no significant impact on firm performance. Research limitations/implications: It is necessary to be cautious when generalizing this findings these findings, as service firms were not part of the sample even when statistical results prove robustness suggesting that the findings are quite reliable. Some flexibility dimensions show no significant impact in performance (Routing and Mix flexibility). This is consistent with the fact that these flexibility dimensions act as variability absorbers within the manufacturing process. Future research lines: Future studies can focus on determining further internal and environmental factors that affect operations flexibility according to specific sector characteristics. Originality/value: This research proves a significant positive and direct effect of IT implementation on operations performance. Results show not only the links between IT implementation and operations performance, but also the magnitude of every impact. The model considers IT integration as the degree of alignment that existing technology resources in a firm have with the business strategy, in terms of importance and support for this strategyPeer Reviewe

Defining flexibility of assembly workstations through the underlying dimensions and impacting drivers

The concept of mass customization is becoming increasingly important for manufacturers of assembled products. As a result, manufacturers face a high variety of products, small batch sizes and frequent changeovers. To cope with these challenges, an appropriate level of flexibility of the assembly system is required. A methodology for quantifying the flexibility level of assembly workstations could help to evaluate (and improve) this flexibility level at all times. That flexibility model could even be integrated into the standard workstation design process. Despite the general consensus among researchers that manufacturing flexibility is a multi-dimensional concept, there is still no consensus on its different dimensions. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) shows that many similarities can be found in the multitude of flexibility dimensions. Through a series of interactive company workshops, we achieved to reduce them to a shortlist of 9 flexibility dimensions applicable to an assembly workstation. In addition, a first step was taken to construct a causal model of these flexibility dimensions and their determining factors, the so called drivers, through the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) approach. In the next phase, a driver scoring mechanism will be initiated to achieve an overall assembly workstation flexibility assessment based on the scoring of drivers depending on the workstation design

Impact of Manufacturing Flexibility on Business Performance: Malaysian’s Perspective

This research aims to investigate the impact of manufacturing flexibility on business performance. The manufacturing flexibility dimensions are mix, new product, labor, machine, material handling, routing and volume flexibility. The measures for the business performance are product market performance, customer satisfaction and profitability. The impact of manufacturing flexibility on business performance has been tested using a cross sectional study employing survey methodology, conducted within five manufacturing industries in Malaysia. Data were obtained from 137 returned questionnaires, which were analyzed using correlational and regression analyses. The results of the correlation analyses indicated that the manufacturing flexibility dimensions were positively and highly correlated among themselves, thus suggesting that the dimensions were interdependent. Meanwhile, the findings of the regression analyses provided support for the idea that manufacturing flexibility has a positive and significant impact on business performance. In other words, manufacturing flexibility improves business performance. In conclusion, this empirical research provides insights and a better understanding about the relationship between manufacturing flexibility and business performance. This research allows researchers/practitioners to gain in-depth knowledge about the concept of manufacturing flexibility and its impacts

Becoming more systematic about flexible learning: beyond time and distance

Changes in higher education frequently involve the need for more flexibility in course design and delivery. Flexibility is a concept that can be operationalized in many ways. One approach to conceptualizing flexibility within courses is to distinguish planning-type flexibility, which the instructor can designate before the course begins and which needs to be managed when the course is offered, for interpersonal flexibility, which relates more to the dynamics of the course as it is experienced by the learners. Course management systems (CMSs) offer options that can support both of these sorts of flexibility, if instructors use the CMSs with a systematic frame of reference. The instructor faces challenges in managing both types of flexibility, but the experience at one institution shows that being systematic about flexibility choices and ways to support those choices in the institutional CMS can help in meeting these challenges

Using Fuzzy Delphi and Generalized Fuzzy TOPSIS to Evaluate Technological Service Flexibility Dimensions of Internet Malls

The expanding development of technology and availability of the internet is leading a consumer shift from offline to online activity. This shifting behavior shows positive signs for the growth of the e-commerce market but also increases the challenges for the online service provider to provide satisfaction and loyalty to consumers when there is no personal interaction between buyer and seller. In these circumstances, quality, in terms of technology services i.e. web/transaction, can play a significant role for the service provider, especially for internet shopping malls. But there is little material available in current literature to build a theoretical model for web/transaction flexibility dimensions and to rank internet shopping malls on their provision of services to customers. The vagueness of the available information can be tackled by fuzzy theory by employing a Fuzzy Delphi method to finalize technological service dimensions and lead to development of a research model. The final ranking of internet malls has been achieved by utilizing Generalized Fuzzy TOPSIS. The findings of this study can be useful for internet shopping malls in devising strategies to provide a better quality of web/transaction service to customers.N/

By design : negotiating flexible learning in the built environment discipline

The term ‘flexible education’ is now firmly entrenched within Australian higher education discourse, yet the term is a contested one imbued with a multiplicity of meanings. This paper describes a process designed to elucidate how the idea of flexible education can be translated into teaching models that are informed by the specific demands of disciplinary contexts. The process uses a flexible learning ‘matching’ tool to articulate the understandings and preferences of students and academics of the Built Environment to bridge the gap between student expectations of flexibility and their teacher’s willingness and ability to provide that flexibility within the limits of the pedagogical context and teaching resources. The findings suggest an informed starting point for educators in the Built Environment and other creative disciplines from which to traverse the complexities inherent in negotiating flexibility in an increasingly digital world

An Empirical Study of the Relationship Between IT Infastructure Flexibility and IT Responsiveness in SMEs: A Resource-Based Analysis

For SMEs, responsiveness to changes is a critical survival capability. Practitioners believe that IT infrastructure flexibility contributes to responsiveness, yet empirical evidence is sparse. The purpose of this research is to empirically test the relationship between IT infrastructure flexibility, which is measured on four dimensions, and IT responsiveness. Two research questions are answered by this study: first, are all the flexibility factors needed to achieve IT responsiveness and second, how does each IT flexibility dimension affect IT responsiveness. According to resource-based theory, we speculate that among the four IT flexibility dimensions, only modularity and IT personnel competency have direct impact on IT responsiveness. Industrial data were collected and analyzed using PLS. The findings support our hypotheses

Towards Adaptable and Adaptive Policy-Free Middleware

We believe that to fully support adaptive distributed applications, middleware must itself be adaptable, adaptive and policy-free. In this paper we present a new language-independent adaptable and adaptive policy framework suitable for integration in a wide variety of middleware systems. This framework facilitates the construction of adaptive distributed applications. The framework addresses adaptability through its ability to represent a wide range of specific middleware policies. Adaptiveness is supported by a rich contextual model, through which an application programmer may control precisely how policies should be selected for any particular interaction with the middleware. A contextual pattern mechanism facilitates the succinct expression of both coarse- and fine-grain policy contexts. Policies may be specified and altered dynamically, and may themselves take account of dynamic conditions. The framework contains no hard-wired policies; instead, all policies can be configured.Comment: Submitted to Dependable and Adaptive Distributed Systems Track, ACM SAC 200

SERVICE-PROCESS CONFIGURATIONS IN ELECTRONIC RETAILING: A TAXONOMIC ANALYSIS OF ELECTRONIC FOOD RETAILERS

Service-processes of electronic retailers are founded on electronic technologies that provide flexibility to sense and respond online to the dynamic and complex needs of customers. In this paper, we develop a taxonomy of service-processes in electronic retailing and demonstrate their linkage to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The taxonomy is grounded in a conceptual classification scheme that differentiates service-process stages on a continuum of flexibility. Using data on electronic service-processes collected from 255 electronic food retailers, we identified eight configurations for the taxonomy. We also collected and analyzed publicly reported customer satisfaction survey data that were available for 52 electronic food retailers in the study sample. The results of this analysis indicate positive and significant correlation of the ordering of the taxonomy configurations with (i) customer satisfaction with product information, product selection, web site aesthetics, web site navigation, customer support, and ease of return, and (ii) customer loyalty. Taken together, the results of our empirical analyses demonstrate that the taxonomy captures information and variety within and across the electronic service-process configurations in ways that can be related to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.Marketing, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Reconceptualisation of information technology flexibility for supply chain management: a multidimensional approach

Information technology (IT) flexibility is an important aspect of today’s dynamic business environment. However, earlier research on this topic has not included the following: 1) a multidimensional structure that corresponds to diverse activities for supply chain management (SCM), 2) an informative explanation of how and by what means IT flexibility affects firm performance and 3) guidance to prioritise the flexibility dimensions to gain a competitive advantage. To fill these gaps, this study identified three dimensions of IT flexibility, namely transactional, operational and strategic flexibility, taking a systematic approach. Moreover, by combining dynamic capability (DC) and relational view (RV) theory, this study theorised a research model that links IT flexibility and firm performance. Process integration capability (PIC) was incorporated into the model as a mediator to provide a SCM research context. From the results of a partial least squares structured equation modelling (PLS SEM)analysis of 128 questionnaires from supply chain practitioners, this study validated the three IT flexibility dimensions and their hierarchical relationship. Moreover, it identified that transactional and operational flexibilities affect firm performance indirectly via PIC,while strategic flexibility directly affects firm performance. The model’s PLS SEM result was extended to an importance - performance analysis (IPA) matrix. By taking the importance and performance of each flexibility dimension as generic measurement criteria, this study prioritised the IT flexibility dimensions. Moreover, applying the same research model and methods to a specific focal firm offered a strategic way to allocate firm resources to the three IT flexibility dimensions. The theoretical contributions of this study are as follows: 1) the attainment of a multidimensional structure of IT flexibility, 2) identification of IT flexibility’s influencing mechanism on firm performance, 3) composition of DC and RV to provide a perspective on the explicit roles of IT flexibility and 4) a clear structure of the IT flexibility analysis framework within a context of SCM. Its practical contribution is the prioritisation IT flexibility dimensions, which will support firms in achieving the full potential of IT flexibility for SCM