Search results

The popular reflow day was repeated at Henley and commenced with Mike Judd giving an overview of current reflow techniques.

This conference, in the series being run by the National Physical Laboratory to help the electronics assembly industry consider the problems of CFC phase‐out, was essentially an updated repeat of the event held on 30 April, which had been a complete, standing‐room‐only sell‐out. Surprisingly, this repeat performance also attracted a full house and the format used has proved to be the most popular of all the NPL non‐CFC options conferences.

Heraeus sales engineer Heraeus Equipment Ltd. have appointed a new sales engineer to cover Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England. He is David Armstrong (27), who joined the company in December after having had several years' experience as a technical sales representative in the laboratory equipment field. He has a B.Sc. in chemistry from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh.

WITHIN ACADEMIC libraries there is always the divide between postgraduates and undergraduates and it is inevitable that their needs differ, although one must remember that to become a postgraduate one will have been an undergraduate, at least in most normal circumstances. Many of the ideas and ideals put forward in this article can equally well apply to both categories in other subjects than law. However, it is true to say that law undergraduates usually have to deal with a subject which is a totally new concept which they have not usually studied at Advanced Level, so that special attention needs to be given to the basic concepts of law. Undergraduates' thoughts lead immediately to the next set of exams and how they can get hold of all the material required to pass these exams, especially in law which is heavily based on examinations. It is especially difficult to persuade undergraduates that they could perhaps find the cases they need in other sources than those on their tutorial sheets. They also believe that material should be there when they want it; they forget that there could be more than a hundred other people wanting the same volume.

Although e‐procurement has been adopted in many industries, the business case for this technology has only partially been explored in the literature. This paper aims to investigate, through a case study approach, the extent of the business case developed for e‐procurement adoption in three implementations.

The paper employs a case study method and examines three industrial firms through in‐depth interviews with managers involved in the projects. The cases were presented and explored individually, followed by identification of relevant drivers and problem factors.

The research identifies 18 drivers which can form the basis of a business case for e‐procurement. A further 17 problem factors are presented, which have the potential to militate the original case. It is apparent that the firms involved only developed a limited case for adoption and that there is a significant element of faith that the eventual results will justify the investment.

A framework of the business drivers for e‐procurement is introduced, in the form of a multi‐attribute hierarchy. This framework can assist managers to classify relevant issues in assessing and developing the case for e‐procurement adoption.

Whilst the literature offers theoretical benefits for e‐procurement, the paper provides managers and researchers with empirical evidence of the drivers for this technology and of the problems encountered in implementation.

The purpose of this paper is to report on research undertaken within a European‐based airline services firm. As a result of pressures within the airline industry the firm embarked on a cost reduction programme, recognising the need to achieve more synergy from its procurement spend, located in semi‐autonomous business units (BUs). The paper describes sequentially the two stages of the author's involvement in the project and the outputs and results realised.

The aim was to design a practical tool, based on academic inputs, which could be used by the business to achieve purchasing synergy. The research is reported in a case study format and develops an original mixed method approach. This approach combines interviews, a focus group, cognitive mapping and portfolio analysis and leads to the production of a decision‐making framework for implementing purchasing pooling.

The results illustrate that prior to the study, procurement was highly fragmented with little co‐ordination between BUs. The company needed to standardise many of its item specifications to facilitate purchasing pooling. A hierarchy is created as a valuable tool for understanding the various and conflicting factors in item selection for pooling initiatives. In addition, four purchasing strategies are identified, to support synergy in the firm.

The decision‐making framework developed for the business is used to illustrate how the firm achieved purchasing synergy across its BUs. The approach can similarly be adopted in organisations with a high level of fragmentation in their spend.

The research demonstrates the value of applying academic knowledge and multiple methods in creating practical solutions for managers. It also addresses some of the weaknesses identified in using single methods of analysis such as portfolios.