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Estimates the extent to which electronic data interchange (EDI) is currently used in the motor carrier industry and examines motor carrier EDI issues. The analysis is based on data collected from a survey of 266 Class I and II motor carriers. The major findings include: the use of EDI industry‐wide is fairly significant in terms of freight revenues coming from EDI shippers; smaller motor carriers lag behind in the use of EDI; the motor carrier decision to implement EDI appears to be customer‐service – or marketing‐driven; and EDI use by motor carriers is evolving towards standardization. Suggests that further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the degree to which the trucking industry is sharing in the benefits of EDI use and the role which the smaller carrier will have in the growth of EDI use.

The term deregulation, in reference to the (US) Motor Carrier Act 1980, has been used to represent significant reductions in government economic restrictions and government agency involvement in the operations of the transportation industry. Although the Act was a giant step toward regulatory reform, a good deal of statutory regulation did initially remain in place. For the purposes of this article, the term deregulation will be used with the understanding that the deregulated industry is not completely without regulation.

This study consists of an examination of productivity growth following three major technological breakthroughs: the steam power revolution, electrification and the ICT revolution. The distinction between sectors producing and sectors using the new technology is emphasized. A major finding for all breakthroughs is that there is a long lag from the time of the original invention until a substantial increase in the rate of productivity growth can be observed. There is also strong evidence of rapid price decreases for steam engines, electricity, electric motors and ICT products. However, there is no persuasive direct evidence that the steam engine producing industry and electric machinery had particularly high productivity growth rates. For the ICT revolution the highest productivity growth rates are found in the ICT-producing industries. We suggest that one explanation could be that hedonic price indexes are not used for the steam engine and the electric motor. Still, it is likely that the rate of technological development has been much more rapid during the ICT revolution compared to any of the previous breakthroughs.

Case studies of four important automobile firms are used to understand how the performance of both diversifying and new entrants into the automobile industry was conditioned by their pre-entry experience. Various conjectures based on the four firms are then tested using a unique data source on the pre-entry backgrounds of all entrants into the automobile industry from the commercial inception of the industry in 1895 through 1966. In addition to analyzing the types of pre-entry experiences that affected the longevity of entrants, the analysis also focuses on the conduits by which pre-entry experience influenced the performance of entrants and the extent to which pre-entry experience had enduring effects.

Introduction The growth in market share achieved by foreign car manufacturers during the last few years is a statistic frequently reported by the news media, but attention also needs to be given to the economic effects of this change in consumer preference.

This study examines the moderating role of information sharing on the effect of lead-time management on the performance of firms in the Zimbabwean motor industry.

Data were collected using Likert-based structured questionnaires from a sample of 105 employees in Zimbabwe. In addition, Pearson Correlation, Linear Regression and Moderation Regression analysis were employed to test the relationship between study variables.

The study found that fixed lead time, preprocessing lead time, processing lead time and postprocessing lead time significantly influence the performance of firms in the motor industry. The results also demonstrate that information sharing moderates the effect of lead-time management on firm performance in the motor industry.

Firms in the motor industry should establish long-term relationships with their suppliers and implement effective communication channels for timely and frequent information exchange regarding production schedules, inventory levels, quality standards and potential disruptions.

The current study aims to contribute to the scientific discourse on lead-time management, information sharing and performance in the motor industry. Furthermore, it extends knowledge on the performance of the motor industry in the African region.

Capital budgeting is a key issue in corporate finance and over time major theoretical developments have been incorporated into the appraisal processes of capital intensive companies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the capital budgeting practices of a sample of motor manufacturing companies in South Africa and compare the empirical findings to the existing literature in order to establish whether the theoretical aspects are still widely practiced.

Semi‐structured personal interviews were conducted with respondents at eight motor manufacturers in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa.

The net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return criteria are the two most popular appraisals methods used in practice. Most respondents used multiple criteria before making substantial capital investments. These findings conform to contemporary capital budgeting theory.

Financial managers should first calculate the discounted payback period of a project before embarking on a more detailed analysis. Once all the data are available, NPV should be used as the primary means of evaluating investments, as this criterion gives the best indication of how much shareholder value the project will add. It is further recommended that more attention be given to “green” considerations in the capital budgeting process.

The paper evaluates the applicability of existing literature on capital budgeting to the practice thereof in a capital intensive industry in South Africa. No similar study has been done previously.

The purpose of this paper is to compare small and large motor carriers to determine whether small motor carriers serve a smaller, more concentrated customer base, have owners that are more involved in the customer relationship management process, and earn higher returns usually associated with niche market players.

Responses from a US sample of 153 motor carrier managers are subjected to ANOVA comparing small, medium, and large motor carriers. Scale development procedures were employed and a construct measuring owner involvement in the customer relationship management process was developed.

Small motor carriers have a more concentrated customer base, their owners are more involved in managing customer relationships, and they are paid higher rates per mile compared with large motor carriers.

This research was limited by its focus on the motor carrier industry and did not explicitly test a link between customer base concentration and owner involvement as they might engender higher rates.

This work illustrated motor carrier practices that may be of use to managers in formulating strategy. Managers may also consult the owner involvement construct items for guidance in their customer relationship management role.

This is one of the few works investigating small motor carriers. It also is one of the first works incorporating entrepreneurship into logistics research.

When induction motors are considered, there is no specific cost model for net savings per year due to condition-based maintenance (CBM) covering various parameters such as downtime, energy, quality, etc. The purpose of this paper is to develop a cost model for the financial viability of the implementation of CBM for induction motors.

A literature review has been carried out to identify the existing failure modes of motor, available condition monitoring techniques, the usefulness of CBM and different maintenance models available. Then, a cost model considering all parameters has been proposed.

A cost model has been proposed for the maintenance of induction motors. Method for the economic evaluation of the model has also been suggested in the paper. The application of the model has been illustrated through a case study of a steel plant, which suggests that investment in the condition monitoring of induction motors increases the net profit of the organization.

The proposed model is specifically designed for induction motors. All the motors under consideration are assumed to be of the same specifications, and fault in any motor is supposed to have the same effect on quality, cost, criticality, etc., of the operation and end product.

This paper will help the maintenance manager in decision making when maintenance action has to be carried out for a given motor under CBM for the better utilization of the equipment and resources. This paper also shows how to compute ROI on CBM investment.

The paper provides a cost model for the economic evaluation of implementing CBM for induction motors which will be useful to researchers and maintenance managers in effective decision making and maintenance planning. The methodology and the cost models are the original contribution of the authors.