Search results

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the context affects successful use of advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in sales and operations planning (S&OP) processes, and how individual, technological, and organizational (ITO) dimensions affect this procedure.

This is a qualitative case study of two APS system-supported S&OP processes. The work aims to generate propositions concerning the relationships among the use of APS system, the context, ITO dimensions, and fulfillment of S&OP aims.

Use of APS systems was especially appropriate in support of S&OP processes in complex planning environments and when S&OP aims were ambitious. ITO dimensions were important influences on successful APS system use in most contexts. APS systems were not considered appropriate when having S&OP processes with ambitious aims and low individual and organizational maturities. Use of APS systems was also inappropriate when the extent of technological maturity was minimal. S&OP processes with ambitious aims, operating within a complex planning environment, are difficult if not impossible to implement without the support of APS systems.

The suggestions on when APS systems should be used in different S&OP environments will be useful to companies implementing or about to implement APS systems.

APS systems offer great potential if they are effectively used to support S&OP, still the use of APS system in S&OP is unexplored. The paper shows how the context and the ITO dimensions affect the successful use of APS systems in S&OP processes.

IT support for marketing planning can aid in the use of marketing tools, facilitate group planning, and support moves towards continuous planning based on a live marketing model of the business. But, amongst other factors, achieving these benefits depends on the style of support provided by the system. After a review of relevant decision support system (DSS) literature, describes here the findings relating to support style from a qualitative evaluation of a system named EXMAR. The findings support Little’s classic rules of “decision calculus”, such as the importance of ensuring that managers understand and can control the system, rather than the objective influenced by management science of prescribing an optimal recommendation. Also emphasises the role of systems in enhancing mutual understanding in a cross‐functional planning team, and hence in building commitment to the resulting plan.

The purpose of this paper is to explore what potential benefits may be achieved by using advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in the sales and operations planning (S&OP) process.

The paper investigates benefits at the S&OP process level by interviewing APS experts and APS users. Several methods have been used; literature review, Delphi study, and a case study at a company in the chemical industry which uses APS system support in the S&OP process.

Three types of potential benefits were found to be achieved when using APS systems in the S&OP process; benefits concerning decision support, planning efficiency and learning effects. The most common type was decision support benefits according to APS users and APS experts. The results from the case company showed that the benefits perceived in the different S&OP activities differed. In the activities concerning the preparation and generation of delivery plans, the perceived benefits mainly concerned learning effects. In the activities concerning the generation of a production plan, the benefits were foremost found in planning efficiency. In the S&OP meeting decision support benefits were highest valued. The reason for the different results can be explained by the aim of the activity, how APS was used in the activity, the user characteristics and the design of the model and access and quality of planning data.

The focus of this paper is on potential benefits of APS systems in the S&OP process only, not the costs. It has established a typology of potential benefits. No validation in form of statistical analysis has been done. The empirical analysis is mainly based on findings from a single case study.

The findings about the types of APS potential will assist companies in understanding the benefits they can expect from its use in the S&OP process. The case study analysis gives further insight into how APS can be employed and what benefits different APS user categories can expect when it is used in an appropriate way.

The knowledge about which benefits that can be achieved when using APS in the S&OP process is quite unexplored. This paper fills some of these gaps.

Discusses the design of large‐scale distribution networks which entails taking decisions on a large number of issues that are all closely interrelated, making it difficult to develop a competitive distribution strategy. Many support systems for distribution planning have been developed, but, they do not facilitate a coherent approach to the design process. Presents a logistic planning system that provides dedicated support for all issues involved in distribution planning. The foundation of which is an integrated planning support framework. Proposes that small models dedicated to only part of the total design process provide the best support for logistic planning and that such models encapsulated in a framework lead to optimal system design. Suggests that when the support system is applied to strategic/tactical distribution planning, the design process requires less time and less expert capacity, while resulting in a more competitive logistic supply chain.

Studies conducted on advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems have found problems in the marginal or negative returns from APS systems when they are implemented in manufacturing planning and control processes. The purpose of this study is to examine what problems exist in the onward and upward phase of the APS system implementation and how the individual, technical and organizational (ITO) dimensions in the implementation phases influence the problems in the onward and upward phase.

Three different manufacturing companies using a supply chain planning module to support their tactical manufacturing planning processes were chosen and their APS system implementation phases were studied. Interviews with the project members and the end-users, and on-site visits, were conducted. Internal company data and presentations were collected and analyzed according to four implementation phases and the ITO dimensions.

Three types of problems were identified in the onward and upward phase: process-related problems concerning difficulties to move forward; dependency on a consultancy firm; and too much time spent in the system. System-related problems include the usage of parallel systems and inadequate usage of the appropriate potential of the APS system. Plan-related problems regard an incorrect production plan. Different relationships between the ITO dimensions in the implementation process and the problem type were proposed.

The relationships identified in this paper are of important knowledge for companies who are implementing, or are in the process of implementing, APS systems.

There has been little written about the implementation issues of APS systems. The practical use of APS systems in the tactical planning is also relatively low. It is not known what problems to expect and how the ITO dimensions influence the problems during implementation. The findings this paper discusses fill some of these gaps.

The rapidly changing role of capital city airports has placed demands on surrounding infrastructure. The need for infrastructure management and coordination is increasing as airports and cities grow and share common infrastructure frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to document the changing context in Australia, where the privatisation of airports has stimulated considerable land development with resulting pressures on surrounding infrastructure provision. It aims to describe a tool that is being developed to support decision‐making between various stakeholders in the airport region. The use of planning support systems improves both communication and data transfer between stakeholders and provides a foundation for complex decisions on infrastructure.

The research uses a case study approach and focuses on Brisbane International Airport and Brisbane City Council. The research is primarily descriptive and provides an empirical assessment of the challenges of developing and implementing planning support systems as a tool for governance and decision‐making.

The research assesses the challenges in implementing a common data platform for stakeholders. Agency data platforms and models, traditional roles in infrastructure planning, and integrating similar data platforms all provide barriers to sharing a common language. The use of a decision support system has to be shared by all stakeholders with a common platform that can be versatile enough to support scenarios and changing conditions. The use of iPads^® for scenario modelling provides stakeholders the opportunity to interact, compare scenarios and views, and react with the modellers to explore other options.

The research confirms that planning support systems have to be accessible and interactive by their users. The Airport City concept is a new and evolving focus for airport development and will place continuing pressure on infrastructure servicing. A coordinated and efficient approach to infrastructure decision‐making is critical, and an interactive planning support system that can model infrastructure scenarios provides a sound tool for governance.

Manpower planning is a key aspect of the human resource management function in organizations. Specifically, manpower planning examines the gap between staff availabilities (internal and external to the organization) and staffing requirements (to perform tasks in the organization) over time, and prescribes courses of action to narrow such a gap. Different perspectives in manpower planning have each been studied widely in the past. However, few insights are available on the interactions among these perspectives and the impact of these interactions on the resultant manpower plans. Describes these interactions in the form of decision and feedback loops. From this description, derives an integrated decision support system (DSS) framework for manpower planning. Also presents a methodology for analysis of the manpower planning business process and feasibility assessment of DSS deployment. The system framework and analysis methodology constitute a basis for applications deployment and consultancy undertaken by the author’s institute.

The purpose of this paper we present a case study where the Swedish planning support system Citylab is applied to a Chinese case in Changzhou's Tianning District.

China's planning system is a vertical system based on policy development on the national level, policies which are to be implemented on local level. There is a gap between the ambitious central policies and the implementations on local levels. China is now exporting its planning model to other developing countries which makes it urgent to show examples of other strategies including more horizontal planning involving the public. The planning system in Sweden is based on a much more horizontal process. Therefore, the authors try to learn from Sweden's vertical planning system in the urban development environment of China.

A key message for policy makers in China is that systems like Citylab can play an important role in developing practical and scalable examples of more sustainable city districts. The paper concludes that a barrier for local sustainability planning in China is still lack of effective communication between local actors including the public.

The authors exemplified Changzhou Tianning District's practical exploration, thus proving the adapted Citylab method's practical operability. Based on the common problems faced by eco-city development in developing countries, the method framework of Citylab is applicable to other developing countries, with strong room for deduction and development.

A research study is described exploring the potential of decision support systems to improve marketing planning practice, using a combination of project action research and case research approaches. The paper focuses on solutions to two practical methodological problems: how to analyse action research data in as rigorous a way as possible; and how to minimise the biases which can arise from the action researcher's dual role as participant and observer. In particular, the paper describes an adaptation of the research design termed analytic induction to the complex, multi‐propositional theory common in action research, and indeed in much qualitative management research. The findings of the study itself are also reported briefly.

The major purpose of the EuroInfo Conference is to discuss information resource management. Members of the European Commission and Polish business and industry managers have expressed the need for improved information management in Poland. Improved information resource management is essential to aid quick and efficient reform and recovery of the Polish economy. Future economic growth and sustainable economic development for Poland is dependent on the efficient use and management of vast amounts of information.