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1 – 10 of over 1000A deteriorating security situation and an increased need for defence equipment calls for new forms of collaboration between Armed Forces and the defence industry. This paper aims…
Abstract
Purpose
A deteriorating security situation and an increased need for defence equipment calls for new forms of collaboration between Armed Forces and the defence industry. This paper aims to investigate the ways in which the accelerating demand for increased security of supply of equipment and supplies to the Armed Forces requires adaptability in the procurement process that is governed by laws on public procurement (PP).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a review of current literature as well as empirical data obtained through interviews with representatives from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and the Swedish defence industry.
Findings
Collaboration with the globalized defence industry requires new approaches, where the PP rules make procurement of a safe supply of defence equipment difficult.
Research limitations/implications
The study's empirical data and findings are based on the Swedish context. In order to draw more general conclusions in a defence context, the study should be expanded to cover more nations.
Practical implications
The findings will enable the defence industry and the procurement authorizations to better understand the requirements of Armed Forces, and how to cooperate under applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Originality/value
The paper extends the extant body of academic knowledge of the security of supply into the defence sector. It serves as a first step towards articulating a call for new approaches to collaboration in defence supply chains.
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Larissa Statsenko, Ruchini Senarath Jayasinghe and Claudine Soosay
This study aims to investigate supply network (SN) resilience capabilities across the organizational, supply chain (SC) and industry levels by drawing on the complex adaptive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate supply network (SN) resilience capabilities across the organizational, supply chain (SC) and industry levels by drawing on the complex adaptive systems (CASs) theory and the social–ecological perspective of resilience. An empirically grounded framework operationalizes the concept of social–ecological resilience by expounding resilience capabilities across phases of the CAS adaptive cycle.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses a qualitative multiple case study approach. It draws on the case of the Australian Defence Manufacturing SN (ADM SN) during COVID-19 disruptions. A total of 28 interviews with senior decision makers from 17 companies, complemented by 5 interviews with the Australian Defence SC organizations and secondary data analysis, support the findings.
Findings
Individual organizations’ SC visibility and flexibility enabled by effective risk management and collaboration enhance the ability of the SN to anticipate and prepare for disruption. At the same time, the strength of SC relationships reduces resilience. SN disruption response velocity is enabled by inventory redundancy, process flexibility at the organizational level and visibility and collaboration at the SC level. Institutional support at the national industry level, development of value-adding capabilities and manufacturing process flexibility at the organizational level enhances the SN’s ability to re-organize. The transition from hierarchical to decentralized collaborative governance enhances SN resilience.
Practical implications
From a practitioner’s perspective, the findings highlight the need to embrace a broader view of SC beyond immediate tiers. Decision-makers in multinational companies must recognize the long-term impact of their procurement decisions on the supplier ecosystem. Developing local supplier capabilities rather than relying on established global SCs will pay off with future resilience. It, however, demands substantial investment and radical changes across all SC tiers. The lesson for smaller firms is not to over-rely on the existing relationships with supply partners. Although trust-based relationships and collaboration are essential, over-commitment can be counterproductive during global disruptions. With a lack of visibility and control over the SC, operational flexibility is critical for small firms to adapt to shifts in supply and demand.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this empirical research is one of the first attempts to operationalize the social–ecological perspective of SN resilience. Evidence-based theoretical propositions contribute to the emerging conversation about the CAS nature of resilience by demonstrating the multi-level effects of resilience capabilities.
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Imoh Antai and Roland Hellberg
Management and risk techniques within industries have been studied from various disciplines in nondefense-affiliated industries. Given the assumption that these techniques…
Abstract
Purpose
Management and risk techniques within industries have been studied from various disciplines in nondefense-affiliated industries. Given the assumption that these techniques, strategies and mitigations used in one industry apply to other similar industries, this paper examines the defense industry for risk assessment. We characterize interactions for onward application to risk identification in the defense industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employs a systems theory approach to the characterization of industry interactions, using three dimensions including environment, boundaries and relationships. It develops a framework for identifying relationship types within system-of-systems (SoS) environments by analyzing the features of interactions that occur in such environments.
Findings
The study’s findings show that different systems environments within the defense industry SoS exhibit different interaction characteristics and hence display different relationship patterns, which can indicate potential vulnerabilities.
Research limitations/implications
By employing interaction as a means for evaluating potential risks, this research emphasizes the role played by relationship factors in reducing perceived risks and simultaneously increasing trust.
Originality/value
This paper intends to develop an initial snapshot of the relationship status of the Swedish defense industry in light of the global consolidation in this industry, which is a relevant contextual contribution.
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David Loska, Stefan Genchev, Nicholas Rich and Tegwen Malik
Considering the size and intricate nature of defense supply chains (DSC), there exists a need for a conceptual understanding regarding the precise dynamics of collaboration among…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the size and intricate nature of defense supply chains (DSC), there exists a need for a conceptual understanding regarding the precise dynamics of collaboration among the various participants engaged in these chains. This paper seeks to address the gap by investigating the practices that enable or inhibit collaborations and the development of new competencies to effectively employ a flexible response to temporary or more sustained surges in demand. Ultimately, the study aims to develop a theoretical framework relevant to the practical implementation and scholarly examination of contemporary military supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 DSC professionals in 7 embedded cases within an enterprise framework. The resulting transcripts were analyzed using constructs and concepts from a supply chain logistics (SC/L) literature analysis and synthesis relevant to our research purpose. Finally, the results were validated by an industry focus group with 12 participants representing the government, military, industry, and academia.
Findings
This research produced empirical generalizations that provide in-depth and systematic exploratory insights into collaboration’s meaning and characteristics within the DSC context. This study culminates by introducing a conceptual model and definition of defense supply chain collaboration (DSCC) and concludes by proposing future research directions.
Originality/value
This study makes a novel and empirical contribution to the SC/L body of knowledge by investigating embedded cases through unique access to informants within an enterprise framework that focuses on the antecedent influencing factors of collaboration within the contextual domain of the DSC and positions a future research agenda.
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Yanyao Deng and Chao Shi
This study aims to evaluate student motivation before and after the summer internship, in other words, to evaluate whether the summer internship affects male and female…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate student motivation before and after the summer internship, in other words, to evaluate whether the summer internship affects male and female motivations differently.
Design/methodology/approach
Investigating whether the motivation score predicts grade point average was included by adopting a quantitative methodology. The defense engineering summer internship project provides candidates who learned defense engineering knowledge after the project an opportunity to generate motivation of involving in defense engineering discipline and industry.
Findings
This study found a marginal significant main effect on extrinsic motivation – introjected (EMIN) and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation (IMS) in a summer internship. Furthermore, the study reveals that amotivation construct significantly predicted gender and previous academic performance (GPA) pre-summer internship, and amotivation, Extrinsic motivation – external regulation (EME) and extrinsic motivation – introjection (EMIN) significantly predicted GPA post-summer internship.
Originality/value
The project was done with support from the U.S. Department of defense grant N00014-19-1-2728. These findings are investigated from the project.
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This study aims to reflect on “good practices” in doctoral research supervision and transfer the author’s experience to other academics. The author explains the sources of his…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to reflect on “good practices” in doctoral research supervision and transfer the author’s experience to other academics. The author explains the sources of his approach to doctoral research supervision drawing on traditional practice in adult learning and some reference to phenomenology as a “meeting of minds” between academic and industry mindsets.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a reflective paper condensing many years of practical experience advising industry managers doing doctoral research. It is not an empirical study as such but draws on extensive practitioner experience based on many successful PhD completions in the business and management domain.
Findings
There are no empirical findings as such, but ample practical experience of doctoral research process and outcomes over 40 years of supervision in both the UK and Australian Universities.
Research limitations/implications
Generalisation is limited to the number of doctoral research completions (between 70 and 80).
Practical implications
The paper concludes with indicators of what the author regards as “good practices” in doctoral research supervision.
Social implications
None is directly applicable, but academe-industry working partnerships might be improved with the author’s learner- and customer-centred approach to doctoral research with adults in senior positions in the industry wanting to do research.
Originality/value
This paper is based entirely on the author’s own working experience as a senior academic in UK and Australian Universities.
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This paper aims to examine the short-term market reaction for the world’s 100 largest listed defence firms at and around the three recent largest threats to the global economy  
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the short-term market reaction for the world’s 100 largest listed defence firms at and around the three recent largest threats to the global economy – Ukraine–Russia war, Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis and the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Design/methodology/approach
The author examine the impact of the three recent largest threats to the global economy in the largest listed defence firms using an event study methodology.
Findings
The results show a positive and statistically significant short-term reaction around the three geopolitical threats. The results also reveal the existence of higher abnormal returns for defence firms with greater weight of defence sales, in line with the captured regulator theory and for firms with higher research and development and capital expenditure intensity.
Originality/value
The effect of the war on stock markets has been relatively little examined in the financial theory. This study intends to fill this gap in the literature through the analysis of the three recent largest threats to the global economy.
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Bohuslav Pernica, Donatas Palavenis and Jaroslav Dvorak
The study aims to assess military procurement strategy in NATO countries labelled as emerging markets (Czechia, Slovakia and Lithuania) and capitalist Norway, which vary in…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to assess military procurement strategy in NATO countries labelled as emerging markets (Czechia, Slovakia and Lithuania) and capitalist Norway, which vary in national culture as indicated by the Hofstede Culture Compass.
Design/methodology/approach
This comparative case study analyses the procurement of a simple, mass-produced, off-the-shelf military product (FN Herstal MINIMI gun) in four small but very economically free countries from 2008 to 2023. The study answers the research question of how the unit price of MINIMI guns varies across post-communist and historical NATO countries distinguished by the variables operationalising national culture.
Findings
The general disability of the government to control corruption deviates the strategy of military procurement in post-communist defence institutions from an effective strategy of liberal capitalism, minimising the unit price and risks (Norway), to an odd strategy maximising the unit price and risks by preferring middlemen as agent of hidden agenda (Czechia).
Research limitations/implications
Some defence institutions in post-communist countries may be burdened by legislature capture, and detailed research is needed to determine this.
Practical implications
The authors argue that national culture may contribute to significant goal displacement in the procurement strategy adopted by the government in an economically liberal state.
Social implications
Without perfecting the control of corruption in post-communist defence institutions, the NATO burden-sharing debate on 2% of GDP will remain controversial.
Originality/value
With variables characterising national culture and the government’s ability to control corruption, the study elucidates a slow pace of convergence of post-communist countries to NATÓs values and procedures.
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Emilia Kääriä and Ahm Shamsuzzoha
This study is focused to support an ongoing development project of the case company's current state and the challenges of the order-to-cash (O2C) process. The O2C process is the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is focused to support an ongoing development project of the case company's current state and the challenges of the order-to-cash (O2C) process. The O2C process is the most visible process to the customer, and therefore, its punctual and fluent order management is vital. It is observed that the high degree of manual work in the O2C process causes mistakes, delays and rework in the process. The purpose of this article is therefore to analyze the case company's current state of the O2C process as well as to identify the areas of development in this process by deploying the means of Lean Six Sigma tools such as value stream mapping (VSM).
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted as a mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Based on both the quantitative and qualitative data, a workshop on VSM was organized to analyze the current state of the O2C process of a case company, engaged in the energy and environment sector in Finland.
Findings
The results found that excessive manual work was highly connected to inadequate or incorrect data in pricing and invoicing activities, which resulted in canceled invoices. Canceled invoices are visible to the customer and have a negative impact on the customer experience. This study found that by improving the performance of the O2C process activities and improving communication among the internal and external stakeholders, the whole O2C process can perform more effectively and provide better customer value.
Originality/value
The O2C process is the most visible process to the customer and therefore its punctual and fluent order management is vital. To ensure that the O2C process is operating as desired, suitable process performance metrics need to be aligned and followed. The results gathered from the case company's data, questionnaire interviews, and the VSM workshop are all highlighted in this study. The main practical and managerial implications were to understand the real-time O2C process performance, which is necessary to ensure strong performance and enhance continuous improvement of the O2C process that leads to operational excellence and commercial competitiveness of the studied case company.
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Meng Min, Jiang Xian, Gao Tenglong and Ping Yufei
Torque is one of the main loads acting on the aircraft wing, the horizontal tail and the vertical tail. In flight load measurement, due to the significant influence of the bending…
Abstract
Purpose
Torque is one of the main loads acting on the aircraft wing, the horizontal tail and the vertical tail. In flight load measurement, due to the significant influence of the bending moment and the shear force on the strain gauge, the accuracy of torque measurement is usually low. Therefore, aircraft torque measurement is difficult. Based on the characteristics of a certain type of horizontal tail, a measurement method for the torque with high accuracy was proposed in this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
A new simplified torque measurement method for the all-moving horizontal tail was proposed based on the spiral driver. The feasibility of the method and key points of the tests were analyzed and studied through a virtual load calibration test.
Findings
Based on the results of the real load calibration test, the torque load equation with high accuracy was established, and the torque measurement was achieved in load flight tests.
Research limitations/implications
However, the proposed method is based on the structure of the spiral driver. If there is generally no spiral driver at the aircraft wings and vertical tails, then the appropriate torque measurement method needs to be derived according to the specific object.
Originality/value
The research in this paper provides a new idea for the torque measurement of aircraft structures, which can be used for the torque measurement of subsequent aircraft types.
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