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21 – 30 of over 181000
Article
Publication date: 23 November 2022

Zobaida Khanam and Ratan Ghosh

The aim of the study has been performed to investigate the relationship between sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices and the cost performance of manufacturing…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study has been performed to investigate the relationship between sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices and the cost performance of manufacturing firms in Bangladesh. Moreover, this paper highlights the key environment-friendly approaches and their association with financial performance in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper empirically assesses sustainable supply chain performance using four major supply chain practices, including sustainable procurement, sustainable production, sustainable distribution and investment recovery, and compares it with the cost performance. Twenty-four variables were identified through different literature and distributed as a structured questionnaire among the managers appointed in different manufacturing firms in Bangladesh. An empirical study was conducted using the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to examine the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

The results find a positive relationship in two variables of sustainable supply chain practices, including sustainable procurement and investment recovery, while sustainable distribution negatively impacted cost performance. In addition, sustainable production found no effect on cost performance.

Research limitations/implications

The paper emphasizes the financial perspective of a sustainable supply chain without explicit consideration of sustainability's environmental and social dimensions.

Practical implications

This study has implications for the literature on the SSCM approaches of manufacturing firms in the least developed economies. In addition, this study could work as a guideline for some manufacturing industries that prefer a policy or standard to alter their traditional supply chain management system to a sustainable supply chain.

Originality/value

The paper provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the coordinated effect of SSCM practices on cost performance where variables of four specific activities of SSCM and cost performance are adopted from different studies. Further studies could be initiated, including some other eco-friendly supply chain variables, and the effect could be evaluated from an environmental perspective.

Details

Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1026-4116

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2003

Dean Kashiwagi and John Savicky

One of the major objectives of facility owners is to get the ‘best value’ in construction, renovation or maintenance of facilities. Owners are reluctant to pay more for best value…

2196

Abstract

One of the major objectives of facility owners is to get the ‘best value’ in construction, renovation or maintenance of facilities. Owners are reluctant to pay more for best value if they do not understand what the value is. Research now proposes that the use of best value procurement can actually reduce the first costs of delivering the construction. The research looks at the transaction costs or the first costs of construction. The research uses the procurement of roofing in the State of Hawaii because of the availability of data on both the low‐bid and best value procurements. The State of Hawaii used transaction cost analysis to identify the cost of best value construction. The costs considered were planning and programming, design, procurement, construction management and inspection costs. Owing to the number of projects and the access to budget figures, construction cost figures, design costs and construction times, the State was able to identify the relative transaction costs and performance for both processes. The first costs or transaction costs of the best value procurements were lower than the transaction costs of the traditional design‐bid‐build costs. The actual performances of the roofing systems procured, which included warranty period, performance of the contractor and performance of the roofing systems, were far superior. The result was an increase in value for a lower cost.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 2 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2000

George K. Chako

Briefly reviews previous literature by the author before presenting an original 12 step system integration protocol designed to ensure the success of companies or countries in…

7203

Abstract

Briefly reviews previous literature by the author before presenting an original 12 step system integration protocol designed to ensure the success of companies or countries in their efforts to develop and market new products. Looks at the issues from different strategic levels such as corporate, international, military and economic. Presents 31 case studies, including the success of Japan in microchips to the failure of Xerox to sell its invention of the Alto personal computer 3 years before Apple: from the success in DNA and Superconductor research to the success of Sunbeam in inventing and marketing food processors: and from the daring invention and production of atomic energy for survival to the successes of sewing machine inventor Howe in co‐operating on patents to compete in markets. Includes 306 questions and answers in order to qualify concepts introduced.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 12 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 April 2013

Barry Brewer, Bryan Ashenbaum and Jeffrey A. Ogden

This study aims to examine the connection between strategy‐linked outsourcing goals and measures of outsourcing performance. The strategies of growth, cost, and differentiation…

2409

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the connection between strategy‐linked outsourcing goals and measures of outsourcing performance. The strategies of growth, cost, and differentiation (core competence) are examined in terms of their relationship with goal achievement and cost performance measures.

Design/methodology/approach

Regression analysis and ANOVA were applied to survey data collected from 165 purchasing executives.

Findings

Findings support a positive relationship between goal intensity for a single strategy and achievement of goals related to that strategy. Findings also suggest that firms with high commitment to growth and cost strategies tend to achieve cost‐related performance at higher levels than firms with a lower commitment to same. Finally, the findings also suggest that firms pursuing a single or dominant strategy achieve lower levels of cost saving performance, as compared with firms pursuing a “balanced” approach that emphasizes two or three different strategies in roughly equal measure.

Research limitations/implications

This study relies on very limited performance variables, mainly cost reduction. Additional variables that addressed growth and core competence would provide additional insight on the link between outsourcing and performance.

Practical implications

Goal intensity is positively related to higher performance on desired outsourcing outcomes. Firms demonstrated greater success in their ability to pursue multiple outsourcing strategies over firms pursuing a single strategy.

Originality/value

The link between strategy and outsourcing performance had not been empirically established.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 43 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2009

In prior work, GAO found that contractors were paid billions of dollars in award fees regardless of acquisition outcomes. In December 2007, the Office of Management and Budget…

Abstract

In prior work, GAO found that contractors were paid billions of dollars in award fees regardless of acquisition outcomes. In December 2007, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued guidance aimed at improving the use of award fee contracts. GAO was asked to (1) identify agencies’ actions to revise or develop award fee policies and guidance to reflect OMB guidance, (2) assess the consistency of current practices with the new guidance, and (3) determine the extent agencies are collecting, analyzing, and sharing information on award fees. GAO reviewed the Departments of defense (DOD), Energy (DOE), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-agencies that constituted over 95 percent of the dollars spent on award fee contracts in fiscal year 2008.

Details

Journal of Public Procurement, vol. 9 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1535-0118

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2005

Celik Parkan

To present an actual case study that was carried out to investigate and benchmark the operational performances of two hotels in a large city.

4070

Abstract

Purpose

To present an actual case study that was carried out to investigate and benchmark the operational performances of two hotels in a large city.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involves the comparison of the hotels' performances with each other as well as their respective benchmarks on the basis of data on monthly costs and revenues. The benchmark operations are stated in terms of target costs and revenues that are derived from industry standards for comparable hotels and corporate strategic goals. For performance measurement a new non‐parametric performance measurement method called Operational Competitiveness Rating Analysis (OCRA) is used for its relative simplicity, flexibility, and ability to allow for differences in hotels' guest profiles and competitive priorities.

Findings

The areas of strength and weakness are revealed in the measured performances of the two hotels' operations. While the hotels' performances converge near the end of the study period, they both fall short of reaching their respective benchmark performance levels. This may be partly due to benchmark cost/revenue levels being set unrealistically high. OCRA is shown to be an appropriate tool for measuring and comparing hotels' operational performance.

Research limitations/implications

While OCRA can also incorporate the intangible dimensions of performance, this study has not taken into consideration the quality dimension of hotel performance.

Practical implications

It is shown that a service operation's performance can be profiled and benchmarked using cost/revenue data.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates a flexible approach to measuring operational performance in service organizations, which can be used by non‐specialists.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 54 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 May 2011

Gregory N. Stock and Christopher McDermott

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how operational performance and contextual factors contribute to differences in overall patient care costs across different…

1530

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how operational performance and contextual factors contribute to differences in overall patient care costs across different hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

Administrative data are employed from a sample of hospitals in New York State to construct measures of contextual factors, operational performance, and cost per patient. Operational performance and cost variables are adjusted to account for case mix differences across hospitals. Hierarchical regression is used to analyze the effects of contextual and operational variables on cost performance.

Findings

Increased length of stay, increased patient volume, and educational mission were associated with higher cost per patient. Mortality performance was associated with lower cost per patient. However, it was not found that location, size, or ownership status had a significant relationship with cost performance.

Practical implications

This paper identifies several significant relationships between contextual and operational variables and hospital costs. From a managerial perspective, these findings highlight the fact that some drivers of cost in hospitals are under the control of managers. One of the primary cost drivers in the study is length of stay, which implies that there is significant room for improvement in healthcare performance through a focus on operational excellence.

Originality/value

For researchers, the present study highlights the relative importance of operational versus contextual factors, with respect to cost performance in hospitals. The results of this study also provide direction for additional research into the role operational performance might play in determining the overall organizational performance in a hospital.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2001

Svatopluk Hlavacka, Ljuba Bacharova, Viera Rusnakova and Robert Wagner

The aim of the study was to examine the use of Porter’s generic strategies and their effect on performance in the context of the Slovak hospital industry. Using mail survey the…

7125

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the use of Porter’s generic strategies and their effect on performance in the context of the Slovak hospital industry. Using mail survey the study first identified the natural taxonomy of four strategic types of Slovak hospitals, based on their use of Porter’s generic strategies in pure form and in combination. Next the study examined whether different strategic types were associated with different levels of organisational performance, while controlling for such variables as size and location, which have been argued to influence the hospital performance. The findings indicate that hospitals which follow a “stuck‐in‐the‐middle” strategy, in general, have superior performance on all used performance measures, while hospitals that place only low emphasis on cost leadership, differentiation and focus, labelled “wait and see” in this study, perform the poorest. The study concludes that the research provided body of knowledge relevant for the Slovak hospital industry, that may be used by hospital managers in the strategy formulation process as well as by the researches in exploring the influence of different contingencies on hospitals’ strategic orientation.

Details

Journal of Management in Medicine, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-9235

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 November 2020

Mantas Vilkas, Inga Stankevice and Rimantas Rauleckas

Cumulative capability models are dominating frameworks explaining how manufacturing organizations gain their performance capabilities, such as quality, delivery, flexibility and…

Abstract

Purpose

Cumulative capability models are dominating frameworks explaining how manufacturing organizations gain their performance capabilities, such as quality, delivery, flexibility and cost. When innovation capabilities are excluded from the framework, the models are incapable of explaining how companies sustain substantive capabilities in a changing environment. Responding to this gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose and test a “sand cone” cumulative capability model that includes the innovation competitive performance alongside the competitive performance of quality, delivery flexibility and cost.

Design/methodology/approach

Two competing cumulative models were proposed. The extended cumulative capability model hypothesizes the development of innovation in sequence with other competitive performance dimensions. The affected with innovation cumulative model hypothesizes innovation performance as a predecessor of other performance dimensions. The models were tested using a multimethod approach on a representative sample of 500 manufacturing companies. An analysis of correlations among competitive performance, frequencies of plants following prescribed sequences, fit statistics of covariance-based structural equation modeling and analysis of strength and statistical significance of path coefficients enabled us to select a model that best represents the collected data.

Findings

The findings reveal that innovation competitive performance operates as a predecessor of quality, delivery, flexibility and cost and is developed in relation to these performance dimensions. The modified model also provides a theoretical explanation of how innovation performance helps to sustain reliable production systems that can perform consistently over time within a tolerable range of quality, delivery, flexibility and cost performance.

Practical implications

The results are significant for practitioners, especially for companies that are operating in volatile environments because the results provide insight on how to develop innovation competitive performance in relation to quality, delivery, flexibility and cost performance.

Originality/value

This study extends the cumulative capability models with innovation competitive performance. It advances the contingency approach on cumulative capability models.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 38 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2021

Teng Teng and Christos Tsinopoulos

The purpose of this study is to explore the link between information systems (IS) capabilities, supplier integration and cost performance in the service context. Specifically, it…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the link between information systems (IS) capabilities, supplier integration and cost performance in the service context. Specifically, it empirically investigates how supplier integration meditates the relationship between three dimensions of IS capabilities and cost performance in service firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 156 UK service firms was conducted and the data analyzed to determine the role of supplier integration in mediating the effects of IS capabilities on firms' cost performance. The research model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), and the neural network model was used to rank the relative influence of significant predictors obtained from SEM.

Findings

The results confirmed that supplier integration fully mediates the effects of information technology (IT) for supply chain activities and flexible IT infrastructure on cost performance and partially mediates the effect of operations manager's IT knowledge on cost performance. The results showed that operations manager's IT knowledge is the strongest predictor of supplier integration.

Originality/value

This study takes a step toward quelling concerns about the business value of IS, contributing to the development and validation of the measurement of IS capabilities in the service operations context. Additionally, it adds to the emerging body of literature linking supplier integration to the operational performance of service firms.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 35 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

21 – 30 of over 181000