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1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2021

Jianing Luo, Hong Zhang and William Sher

The purpose of this research is to measure incompatibilities between the manufacturing approaches (MA) used by the manufacturing industries, and those used for the off-site…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to measure incompatibilities between the manufacturing approaches (MA) used by the manufacturing industries, and those used for the off-site construction (OSC) of buildings. The aim is to explore which of these approaches could be integrated into OSC in a precise manner as viewed by architects as well as how this might occur.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical research and empirical cycle (EC) was adopted as a methodological framework to measure incompatibilities. A combination of quantitative and qualitative mixed methods was explored through a literature-based case study of prefabricated houses and cars, nine real-life projects built by the second author's research team and the first-named author's practical experiences of leading these projects, based on a logic framework derived from the authors’ reflections of their architectural practices.

Findings

The findings quantitatively present the incompatibilities between cars (automobile bodies) and prefabricated houses. Design-related aspects have the most potential for integration (42.3% increment). The key lessons were identified as specific design philosophies and related guidelines for architects.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are limited to single types of products (cars) and buildings (prefabricated houses) in particular regions. The key lessons just present a preliminary evaluation of the application of the design philosophies and related guidelines in nine real-life projects to comply with word limit constraints.

Practical implications

This study could help architects and other practitioners to locate and target and alleviated incompatibilities between MA and OSC. It could also precisely identify integration shortcomings to optimize decision-making as well as technical pathways for possible and effective breakthroughs.

Social implications

This study provides fundamental research as a starting point for further discussion and development. A series of additional in-depth investigations combined with case studies are planned for the future. These could provide alternative study approaches to develop more appropriate architectural design methodologies and more streamlined processes.

Originality/value

The research contributes an alternative architectural perspective when measuring incompatibilities between MA and OSC. The results highlight the implications of precise measurement and provide guidance for architects. These facilitate the effective and successful integration of MA into OSC of buildings and promote the uptake of lean construction (LC) in OSC.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 28 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2021

Jing Wang and Weisheng Lu

Over the past two decades, building information modeling (BIM) has been promoted as one of the most disruptive innovations across the global architecture, engineering and…

Abstract

Purpose

Over the past two decades, building information modeling (BIM) has been promoted as one of the most disruptive innovations across the global architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) community. Nevertheless, despite its widely propagated benefits, BIM adoption in various localities is not progressing excitingly. BIM as an innovation developed from a presumed, general context may not fit well with the specific regulatory, social and cultural settings of a locality. This study aims to tackle the lukewarm local BIM adoption by developing a deployment framework for BIM localization.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon the diffusion of innovation (DoI) theory, a longitudinal case study is designed and conducted by engaging closely with a top cost consultancy company in Hong Kong for forty-one months.

Findings

The findings refuted the “one-size-fits-for-all” view to use a standardized BIM for international users. Rather, an organization needs to undergo a series of localization works to integrate global BIM in its specific local context. The deployment framework outlines the BIM dimensions (i.e. technology, process and protocol) and the mechanisms (i.e. configuration, coupling and reinterpretation) of BIM localization that go through the three “A”s (i.e. analysis, adaption and assimilation) process under a firm's network and contextual factors.

Originality/value

This study improves our understanding of sluggish BIM adoption by attributing it to the gap between general BIM development and the local, unique BIM use context. Proposing the deployment framework, the study also offers a handy tool for prospective executives to localize BIM and harness its power in their respective organizations and localities.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2023

Aneta Kucińska-Landwójtowicz, Izabela Dagmara Czabak-Górska, Marcin Lorenc, Pedro Domingues and Paulo Sampaio

The main purpose of this paper is twofold: to present a proposal for a model of educational quality management system within a process approach context for technical universities…

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is twofold: to present a proposal for a model of educational quality management system within a process approach context for technical universities, and a conceptual model of a performance measurement system (PMS) towards the assessment of the quality level of management, core and support processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper encompasses two main parts: a theoretical portion and a case study. Within the theoretical background, the authors discuss the issue of educational quality management supported on a process approach perspective as well as performance measurement system in high education (HE). The case study reports the development of the concept of performance measurement system for technical universities.

Findings

The proposed system of educational quality management supported on a process approach, together with a conceptual model of the performance measurement system, can be implemented in every technical university. The identification of processes in the education quality management system permitted the development of the PMS. The model covers 32 key performance indicators (KPIs) for management processes, 39 for core processes and 19 for supporting ones.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed performance measurement system is limited in its focus on educational processes and support of these processes. The evaluation of scientific and research activity and aspects related to financial resources is not pursued.

Originality/value

Elaboration of a conceptual model of a performance measurement system towards the assessment of the quality level of management, core and support processes is dedicated to technical universities.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 40 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2008

Stanley E. Fawcett, Gregory M. Magnan and Matthew W. McCarter

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide academics and practitioners a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the benefits, barriers, and bridges to successful…

34896

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide academics and practitioners a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the benefits, barriers, and bridges to successful collaboration in strategic supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – A triangulation method consisting of a literature review, a cross‐functional mail survey, and 51 in‐depth case analyses was implemented. Senior managers from purchasing, manufacturing, and logistics were targeted in the mail survey. The break down by channel category interviews is as follows: 14 retailers, 13 finished goods assemblers, 12 first‐tier suppliers, three lower‐tier suppliers, and nine service providers. Findings – Customer satisfaction and service is perceived as more enduring than cost savings. All managers recognize technology, information, and measurement systems as major barriers to successful supply chain collaboration. However, the people issues – such as culture, trust, aversion to change, and willingness to collaborate – are more intractable. People are the key bridge to successful collaborative innovation and should therefore not be overlooked as companies invest in supply chain enablers such as technology, information, and measurement systems. Research limitations/implications – The average mail‐survey response rate was relatively low: 23.5 percent. The case study analyses were not consistent in frequency across channel functions. Although the majority of companies interviewed and surveyed were international, all surveys and interviews were managers based in the US. Practical implications – This study provides new insight into understanding the success and hindering factors of supply chain management. The extensive literature review, the cross‐channel analysis, and case studies provide academics and managers a macro picture of the goals, challenges, and strategies for implementing supply chain management. Originality/value – This paper uses triangulation methodology for examining key issues of supply chain management at multiple levels within the supply chain.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 January 2009

Pekka Koskinen

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between corporate and supply chain strategy, as well as its implementation in a multinational paper producing company…

4078

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between corporate and supply chain strategy, as well as its implementation in a multinational paper producing company. Traditionally paper producing companies have had a strong interest in developing a physical infrastructure for their customer deliveries. However, supply chain thinking is still an unstructured issue in the case company.

Design/methodology/approach

This research work is mainly based on the case company's strategy material and interviews with senior management, is mainly qualitative and is based on a constructive research approach aimed at trying to find a workable and forward looking solution based on the three strategies.

Findings

The core findings concern the individual business division strategies, which jointly comprise the corporate strategy. Some of the business divisions do have a certain amount of supply chain management aims in their strategies. Furthermore, there is no real corporate supply chain strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The research was conducted at a company with strong presence in Northern Europe, which limits its applicability. Thus, the research results mainly reflect a Northern European business environment and cannot be generalized on a global level.

Practical implications

The conclusions of the research work include a recommendation for a new management model for the corporate supply chain strategy, which is based on cooperation between the business divisions and logistics organization.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is based on the practical analysis of the case company's business divisions' strategies and interactivity between the logistics organization and the implementation of its strategy.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 109 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2012

Yiannis Kouropalatis, Paul Hughes and Robert E. Morgan

Firms face high velocity conditions today that render product market strategies increasingly temporal. Strategic flexibility is critical for enabling rapid adaptation to a…

8872

Abstract

Purpose

Firms face high velocity conditions today that render product market strategies increasingly temporal. Strategic flexibility is critical for enabling rapid adaptation to a changing environment. At the same time, managerial commitment to product‐market strategy signifies the extent to which a manager comprehends and supports the strategy and reflects a necessary sense of ownership for any chosen product‐market strategy. The purpose of this paper, then, is to examine strategically ambidextrous firms through the twin lenses of flexibility and commitment to determine whether performance benefits accrue from such characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

While traditional research streams examine strategic flexibility and commitment to product‐market strategy as opposing ends of a continuum, this paper adopts a broader perspective and examines strategic flexibility and commitment to product‐market strategy as elements of strategically ambidextrous firms. Cluster analysis is used to identify groups of high and low strategically ambidextrous firms.

Findings

Strategically ambidextrous firms exhibit commitment to product‐market strategy, which enables the effective realisation of selected strategies through focusing managerial attention and firm resources, and strategic flexibility, which enables adaptation of the planned product‐market strategy based on feedback received, or abandonment followed by new strategic choices and impetus. The paper reveals that firms with high strategic ambidexterity exhibit significantly greater levels of strategic resources, decentralisation, product‐market strategy process effectiveness, and implementation effectiveness compared with low ambidexterity firms. Thus, strategic ambidexterity is revealed to endow significant performance benefits.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the need to examine ambidexterity as “flexible commitment”.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 46 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2001

Uche Nwabueze

Notes that researchers have cited various reasons for the high failure rate of total quality management (TQM) in manufacturing organisations and asks – is TQM a wonderful…

3410

Abstract

Notes that researchers have cited various reasons for the high failure rate of total quality management (TQM) in manufacturing organisations and asks – is TQM a wonderful philosophy or a disaster that was allowed to happen? Based on empirical case study material, this article considers the experience of a real manufacturing company which introduced TQM, with the assistance of an external firm of management consultants. The state of the company at the outset of the TQM initiative and the rationale which led it to go down the TQM road are examined. Considers the way in which the company sought to implement the tenets of TQM, the effect that the approach generated and its longer‐term consequences. Further it will seek to elucidate why, in this instance, the TQM initiative, and with it the company, failed to survive in a competitive business environment. Finally, develops guidelines applicable to TQM implementation in companies which turn to that approach as a panacea for all their ills.

Details

The TQM Magazine, vol. 13 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0954-478X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2022

Amir Zaib Abbasi, Muhammad Shahzeb Fayyaz, Ding Hooi Ting, Maira Munir, Shahid Bashir and Chun Zhang

This study investigates the moderating role of complaint handling between ideological incompatibility, symbolic incongruity, negative past experience and corporate social…

3271

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the moderating role of complaint handling between ideological incompatibility, symbolic incongruity, negative past experience and corporate social irresponsibility on brand hate.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs the Duplex Hate theory which assumes that hate is the manifestation of multiple factors. A survey-based self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 400 smartphone users at Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.

Findings

The findings suggest that ideological incompatibility, symbolic incongruity, negative past experience and corporate social irresponsibility contributes to brand hate. The complaint handling (moderator) weakens the effects of ideological incompatibility and symbolic incongruity on brand hate.

Practical implications

The research provides insights into the cancel culture and clarifies how brand hate can be controlled.

Originality/value

Empirical study on the antecedents of brand hate remains insufficient. The current study contributes to the brand hate literature by providing an understanding of the phenomenon of brand hate and by empirically examining the different antecedents responsible for causing the behavior. The study has also provided an additional determinant of brand hate, which is corporate social irresponsibility. The role of moderators for controlling brand hate is greatly ignored in the existing literature. The current work also extends previous studies by investigating a moderating factor for reducing brand hate, which is complaint handling.

Details

Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-4323

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 August 2024

Fengcai Liu and Lianying Zhang

This paper aims to explore how digital capability incompatibility affects knowledge cooperation performance through the mediating effect of digital resilient agility and the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how digital capability incompatibility affects knowledge cooperation performance through the mediating effect of digital resilient agility and the moderating effect of project complexity in project network organizations (PNOs).

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with 207 middle and senior managers in PNOs. Based on validated questionnaire items and construct definitions, a dynamic panel regression was performed using 292 project-focused firms’ annual reports.

Findings

The results show that digital capability incompatibility facilitates knowledge cooperation performance by enhancing digital resilient agility in PNOs. Increased project complexity strengthens this relationship, promoting better knowledge cooperation performance.

Practical implications

Managers can use partner firms’ diverse digital knowledge to quickly develop technologies and tackle digital transformation challenges, thereby improving knowledge cooperation. They can also evaluate the project environment to manage digitally-supported cooperation effectively.

Originality/value

This research reveals how firms in PNOs transform digital capability incompatibility into knowledge cooperation performance through digital transformation efforts. This research extends the boundary of this relationship to project-level factors and proposes digital resilient agility as a digital transformation effort for knowledge cooperation in PNOs than previous research.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2002

Bruce Bowhill and Bill Lee

The paper contends that the strategic use of accounting at times of organisational change does not of necessity mean that organisations should adopt new accounting systems ‐ such…

2165

Abstract

The paper contends that the strategic use of accounting at times of organisational change does not of necessity mean that organisations should adopt new accounting systems ‐ such as activity based costing or throughput accounting. Although not necessarily fully “compatible” with new manufacturing methods, standard costing systems can still continue to be useful. The article examines the changing role of the accounting system in two manufacturing organisations that have introduced a range of new manufacturing techniques over the last decade. These have included reducing inventories, the elimination of constraints and increased investment in automation. Despite these developments, both companies have made few changes to their existing standard costing systems. Possible problems identified in the literature as inherent with standard costing systems were, at least in part, overcome through a range of adjustments to existing accounting and other reporting systems, with the accounting system recognised as providing only part of the information needs of operational management. Also, although changes to the manufacturing environment had taken place, they were not of such a fundamental nature that wholesale change to the accounting system was either required or could necessarily be justified in terms of cost/benefit.

Details

Journal of Applied Accounting Research, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0967-5426

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 2000