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Increased demand variability in supply chains (the bullwhip effect) has been discussed in the literature. The practical measurement of this effect, however, entails some problems that have not received much attention in the literature and that have to do with the aggregation of data, incompleteness of data, the isolation of demand data for defined supply chains that are part of a greater supply web. This paper discusses these conceptual measurement problems and discusses experiences in dealing with some of these problems in an industrial project. Also presents empirical results of measurements of the bullwhip effect in two supply chains.

This study aims to synthesize qualitative research in the accounting and management literature that builds on the concept of enabling formalization. The framework for the meta-synthesis integrates formal management control system (MCS) design applying the package typology and two modes of MCS use, namely, diagnostic and interactive.

The meta-synthesis is based on 34 case studies gathered by a systematic literature search. Qualitative research mining software (Leximancer) was used to facilitate an initial analysis, upon which an in-depth manual analysis was conducted.

The findings indicate that the generic features of enabling formalization – specifically, flexibility and repair – help employees better deal with inevitable contingencies in their daily work through continuous self-improvement. In many circumstances, there is a need to change common organizational practices, which sometimes requires realignment to direct employee behavior toward goal congruence. The (temporary) coercion of employees does not seem to cause dysfunctional behavior or resistance as long as the broader MCS package follows the design features of enabling formalization – specifically, transparency. The interactive use of personnel/cultural controls appears to play a crucial role within the whole MCS package in balancing tensions between coercion and enabling formalization.

This study adds to the understanding of formal MCS design characteristics perceived by managers and employees as enabling. Furthermore, it shows how managers of these organizations use formal MCS under enabling formalization.

Redesigns of supply chains have been largely limited to the differentiation of delivery processes to offer customers different delivery lead‐times on different products. In the future, differentiation will go much deeper, back into the supply chains within and across companies. Companies, together with partner companies in a supply chain, will increasingly have to design business processes that meet many different kinds of customer needs. This article describes how differentiated service will be realized through the reconstruction of the traditional sales and fulfillment cycle, whereby the traditional process is broken down and reconstructed in a manner that maximizes the overall efficiency of the chain. The article is based on the results of a year‐long study to develop supply chain improvements within two sectors ‐ electrical installations and pharmaceuticals. Distinctive aspects of this study were that it looked at supply chains that connected three echelons of independent companies in a project environment. The major players in the industries were involved in the project. The article describes three elements for reconstructing the sales and fulfillment cycle: i) reallocating activities to most efficient players; ii) reallocating inventory to reduce duplication; and, iii) using knowledge of end‐user demand to streamline (parts of) the supply chain. The article also examines two barriers to implementation and how to deal with these: the need for openness between supply chain partners; and the fact that current systems cannot handle the degree of differentiation and cooperation required.

The purpose of the paper is to analyze how the choice of entity‐level investment criteria (net present value, or accounting rate of return) and negotiation terms (redistribution mechanisms for costs and assets) affect each entity's willingness to participate in supply chain management initiatives.

The paper is based on numerical examples for a supply chain that consists of a single manufacturer and a single distributor. We assume information symmetry and a willingness of each company to participate only if its own entity‐level investment criterion is not adversely affected. The innovation may lead to positive or negative changes in the manufacturer's and distributor's unit costs and asset levels, as well as to implementation costs. We investigate the redistribution of these effects. The paper is also based on empirical results from a short case study.

Price adjustments are not always feasible for creating an acceptable redistribution of overall benefits. More opportunities exist if it is possible to transfer assets while the ownership remains with the company that has the lower discount rate or target for their accounting rate of return. Implementation costs reduce the possibilities for finding a solution, but this can only be analyzed using a net present value approach.

This paper contributes to the literature on economic barriers for supply chain implementation by providing an application of economic theory to a supply chain setting. The paper also provides a real‐world illustration of some of the issues identified.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of existing, local performance measures in the process of developing and implementing an integrated performance measurement system. Performance measurement has received much attention since the 1980s, based on the notion that performance measurement systems should be adapted to modern manufacturing systems. However, relatively few empirical studies have investigated implementation processes of such systems.

The paper describes a case study of the development of a performance measurement system in a medium‐sized company.

It was found that the process was strongly guided by the need to identify existing reports and metrics at different levels within the organization, which informed the development and implementation of the new performance measurement system. This is a more significant role than has usually been proposed in the literature – one side of the gap between existing measures and an ideal system that has first been developed following a kind of “greenfield” approach.

Future research could use other longitudinal case studies to obtain more insights into development and implementation processes, and also focus on information systems in these processes.

The value of this paper lies in highlighting the interplay between organizational experiences that are embedded in informal, local performance reports and new performance measurement initiatives that are initiated from a higher management‐level.

The purpose of this paper is to find out whether eBooks are cannibalizing print books, as well as an assessment of factors that are influencing eBook usage. Ebooks are a hot topic. Traditional book publishing, especially in the academic world, is changing at a rapid pace. The question on everybody's mind is what direction book publishing will take? Will print survive in the Google‐generation, or is it destined to be totally replaced by eBooks? Springer publishes over 4,000 book titles annually, which are converted into eBooks almost without exception. Being the market leader and innovator of a new business model in electronic books in the STM area, Springer has conducted a study on the implications of the Springer eBook collection in comparison to its print book activities.

The study is based on interviews with both end‐users and librarians. In addition, Springer has assessed the (COUNTER‐compliant) usage statistics from SpringerLink.

Overall, Springer's eBook usage is already 50 percent of its journal usage, while the amount of content compared with journals is only 15 percent. Taking this success of eBook usage into account, Springer still believes strongly in the print model, and has recently launched MyCopy: heavily discounted print‐on‐demand books from the electronic versions.

The study shows that print and electronic can exist together, and will complement each other's strengths.

The first objective of this paper is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) and their corresponding key performance indicators (KPIs) for supplier development (SD) in a manufacturing environment. The second objective is to develop a methodology to analyze and evaluate the performance for SD using CSFs and their KPIs over the time.

In all, 13 CSFs and their corresponding KPIs for SD are established through an extensive literature review, discussion held with managers/engineers in different Indian manufacturing companies and conducting brainstorming sessions. A methodology is proposed using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and performance value analysis to assess and evaluate the performance of SD over the time.

From an extensive analysis of the results, under the given circumstances, the growth of SD performance is positive at different progressive points along the time horizon.

This study has not been statistically validated in manufacturing supply chain for complete acceptability.

This study provides insights into the performance evaluation of SD using CSFs and their corresponding KPIs. The managers should capture their manufacturing environment which can reflect their own priority considerations to establish the impact of each KPI on its corresponding CSF.

Although many issues related to SD have been widely researched individually, few studies have been reported with a model to quantify, monitor, analyze, and evaluate the growth of SD performance in manufacturing environment in Indian context. The proposed model has the ability to capture the performance along KPIs and CSFs to draw fruitful conclusions regarding the success of the SD programme.

The competition in the academe has always been tough, but today, the academe seems to be more like an industry than an academic community as academics are evaluated through quantified and economic means.

This article leans on Heidegger’s thoughts on the essence of technology and his ontological view on being to show the dangers that lie in this quantification of researchers and research.

Despite the benefits that information systems (ISs) offer to people and research, it seems that technology has made it possible to objectify researchers and research. This has a negative impact on the academe and should thus be looked into especially by the IS field, which should note the problems that exist in its core. This phenomenon of quantified academics is clearly visible at academic quantification sites, where academics are evaluated using metrics that count their output. It seems that the essence of technology has disturbed the way research is valued by emphasising its quantifiable aspects. The study claims that it is important to look for other ways to evaluate researchers rather than trying to maximise research production, which has led to the flooding of articles that few have the time or interest to read.

This paper offers new insights into the current phenomenon of quantification of academics and underlines the need for critical changes if in order to achieve the academic culture that is desirable for future academics.

Questioning gender is about taking an active, critical role in the technological design of our daily behaviour. It is a deconstruction of the oppositions that exist in the discourses of Ambient Intelligence designers, the ICT industry and computer scientists. What underlies the assumption that Ambient Intelligence will, by disappearing into our environment, bring humans both an easy and entertaining life? The gender perspective can uncover power relations within the promotion and realisation of Ambient Intelligence that satisfy an obvious wish for a technological heaven. The deconstruction of the promise of progress and a better life reveals what is overvalued, what is undervalued and what is ignored. This paper is a deconstruction of the view, currently prevalent in the discourses of Ambient Intelligence; a view of humans and the way they live. A view that will influence the way women and men will be allowed to construct their lives.