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Human resources are the most important asset of any organization. Yet most organizations continue to arrange their people in work patterns that inhibit and limit their employees’ participation. Many companies have tried to move away from a traditional rigid organizational structure to a more flexible one only to abandon it with few or no positive results. The difference between success and failure depends not on company size or resources, but on appropriate planning and avoidance of pitfalls. This article presents Chevron’s experiences in establishing interfunctional work teams, evaluates barriers, and suggests steps for successful implementation of self‐directed process teams.

The advent of computer technology has meant greater flexibility and increased efficiency for office workers but has resulted in a range of health problems such as carpel tunnel syndrome, cumulative trauma disorders, and repetitive strain injuries caused by inadequate workplace design. Discusses the various factors which make a strong case for the application of ergonomic principles to workplace and system design and presents a case study of State Farm Insurance Companies in which the company applied ergonomic principles and gained significant rewards.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/02621710210437572. When citing the article, please cite: Mohsen Attaran, Sharmin Attaran, (2002), “Collaborative computing technology: the hot new managing tool”, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 21 Iss: 8, pp. 598 - 609.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the evolution of the collaborative computing technology and highlight major benefits of using this technology in small and medium‐sized firms. The trends in collaborative products and services and some of the collaborative computing products generating the most interest will be examined.

The paper takes the form of a general review.

This paper concludes that collaborative computing technology or “groupware” is firmly establishing itself as the way forward for successful and sustainable business operations. Collaborative computing programs are becoming a viable option for most small and mid‐sized businesses. They enable a company to increase efficiency, improve productivity, reduce costs, and improve quality by enabling the group to achieve superior decisions and solutions.

This paper provides practitioners with examinations of some of the collaborative computing products generating the most interest.

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of contemporary supply‐chain management systems.

The paper highlights the examples of state‐of‐the‐art practice in supply‐chain management, and speculates about where this movement is headed. Some of the collaborative supply chain management products generating the most interest will also be examined.

Collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) is the most recent prolific management initiative that provides supply chain collaboration and visibility. By following CPFR, companies can dramatically improve supply chain effectiveness with demand planning, synchronized production scheduling, logistic planning, and new product design. CPFR will force suppliers to innovate, building on strong one‐to‐one relationships that will drive smarter ways of doing things. Most companies and industries can benefit from CPFR. However, companies that experience variation in demand, buy or sell a product on a periodic basis, and those that deal in highly differentiated or branded products will benefit the most.

Practitioners can gain first‐hand knowledge of the CPFR model, technology and factors influencing adoption. Practitioners can also find examples of state‐of‐the‐art practice in supply‐chain management, and study some of the collaborative supply chain management products generating the most interest.

The paper is valuable to practitioners interested in implementing CPFR in their organizations.

It is demonstrated that entropy is a useful measure for examining industrial diversity either among regions or for a particular region over time. Using the entropy method, employment diversity indices are computed for the 50 states and the district of Columbia for the ten‐year period from 1972 to 1981. Of the 51 study areas, roughly half show high to moderate diversification, and none are distinguished as either highly diversified or highly specialised. Furthermore, the entropy measure is disaggregated into its between‐set and within‐set elements to express the extent and pattern of dispersal between and within different groups and subsets of industries in the United States for the 28‐year period from 1960 to 1987. The US economy is found to be relatively diversified in terms of employment over the period of study. However, there is a decreasing contribution of manufacturing and an increasing contribution of non‐manufacturing to the degree of economic diversification within the total economy.

The potential benefits that a firm can expect from an automated factory, the economic justification and the steps for implementing flexible manufacturing systems are discussed. Some British companies are used as case examples. They all point to the need for the UK to implement the automated factory. For success in this, attention must be given to management practices, support systems, performance measurement, cost management and data collection.

The desire to cut supply chain costs has made RFID technology one of today's most discussed retail technologies. Given the current implementation pace, the objective of this paper is to go beyond the hype and explore basic issues related to RFID technology, including its promises as well as its pitfalls.

The author provides a conceptual discussion of the evolution of RFID, addresses its capabilities and its application in various industries, discusses implementation challenges, identifies adoption phases, and reviews RFID's success factors.

RFID is the most recent prolific technology that provides supply chain collaboration and visibility. An RFID systems solution will increase corporate ROI while at the same time improving retail supply chain communication. Handled properly, RFID technology can result in an evolutionary change incorporating legacy systems with the real‐time supply chain management of tomorrow. Its stumbling point seems only to be a variety of issues outside the technology itself: marketing problems, false promises, security and privacy considerations, and a lack of standards.

The paper was constrained by empirical evidence of, for example, technology deployment, adoption drivers, and success factors.

The paper confirms the power of RFID – a technology in its infancy with as yet untapped potential for supply chain collaboration. It also examines some of the popular RFID products and services.

The paper discusses implementation challenges, identifies adoption phases, and reviews RFID's success factors. It identifies the biggest implementation challenge as the challenge for IT experts of determining how to integrate RFID with existing supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications.

In a few years, the Internet has gone from being the communication tool of scientists to a primary route of information exchange for everyone, from fashion designers to financial analysts. The Internet and its related services create an interactive working environment for users. Through the Internet, effective collaboration becomes possible whenever, wherever, and with whomever. Recently, there has been a significant growth in collaborative products and services aimed at small and mid‐sized businesses. The aim of this paper is to discuss the evolution of the collaborative computing technology and address the capabilities of this new managing tool. The trends in collaborative products and services and some of the collaborative computing products generating the most interest will be examined.

Computer‐integrated manufacturing (CIM) or flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are widely publicised as the operational mode for the “factory of the future” These systems are centred on a computer‐based manufacturing information system (CBMFIS) that contains all product‐related and process‐related data. Successful design and implementation of a reliable information system requires a close integration of a broad range of managerial, technical and behavioural issues. Such a model is presented and its components identified. Critical elements of each component are identified and analysed within the context of the manufacturing environment. This presentation should provide comprehensive guidelines for establishing a CBMFIS and so improve the chances for success in the use and development of such a system.