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Eziacka Mathew Mpelangwa, Jeremia Ramos Makindara, Olav Jull Sørensen and Kenneth Michael-Kitundu Bengesi
Products of medicinal plants play significant roles in management of diseases. Their accessibility through trade plays a key role in health, economic and livelihood improvement…
Abstract
Purpose
Products of medicinal plants play significant roles in management of diseases. Their accessibility through trade plays a key role in health, economic and livelihood improvement. However, the traceability of the production process from their source in Tanzania is lacking. This study aims to depicture the production process of formulated products of medicinal plants.
Design/methodology/approach
The study applied the value chain theory using qualitative data from literature review and survey to practitioners of traditional medicine. Survey data were collected through 15 in-depth interviews and ten focus group discussions in five regions of Tanzania.
Findings
Input to output structure is performed through a five actors' value chain. The raw material is provided by harvesters who collected medicinal plants from wild. The processing is conducted by wholesalers and formulators. The wholesalers add value by drying, milling and bulk packaging of individual medicinal plants. Formulators mix different medicinal plants to create readymade products for specified diseases. Distribution is done by retailers and healers. There were six regulating and two supporting organizations. Private supporters were millers and transporters. Governance structure was deduced to be relational. Relational governance was a result of lack official standards along the value chain.
Originality/value
The described value chain can be used to guide investments in production of products of medicinal plants by improving formulation technology.
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Maike Scherrer and Patricia Deflorin
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the prerequisites for lateral knowledge transfer in manufacturing networks.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the prerequisites for lateral knowledge transfer in manufacturing networks.
Design/methodology/approach
Data stem from a single case study involving 26 interviews at the management level of a manufacturing network and a survey of 17 manufacturing plants in the network.
Findings
The requirements for lateral knowledge transfer between knowledge-sending and knowledge-receiving plants are similar strategic orientation, product portfolio similarity and process similarity. If the knowledge-sending and knowledge-receiving plants meet at least one of these requirements, then knowledge transfer is facilitated. Plant age, functional ties and geographical proximity do not seem to be important in lateral knowledge transfer.
Research limitations/implications
The results come from a single case study, limiting their generalisability. Further research should consider the influence of the network’s coordination mechanism on lateral knowledge transfer.
Originality/value
The paper investigates prerequisites for lateral knowledge transfer in manufacturing networks, shedding light on the fundamental factors that must be in place at the knowledge-sending and knowledge-receiving plants.
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Vinit Vijay Dani, Avadhanam Ramesh and Bikramjit Rishi
After working on the assignment questions, the learners can achieve the following learning outcomes: understand the buying behavior towards sustainable products in the context of…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
After working on the assignment questions, the learners can achieve the following learning outcomes: understand the buying behavior towards sustainable products in the context of mindful consumption and product characteristics, appraise the market segmentation and positioning strategy of a sustainable business, understand the application of 5C’s framework for a sustainable business and critically evaluate a new sustainable business’s challenges in the emerging business environment.
Case overview/synopsis
Dr Joe Fenn, founder and director of PFoods, with extensive experience in the pharma industry overseas, observed a decline in the consumption of traditional dairy foods. Alternative plant foods come as a savior to people who are lactose intolerant and offer a host of health benefits with low environmental impact. Riding on the waves of veganism and sustainable foods, he saw an opportunity in India. PFoods developed and launched two products, namely, Just Plants (plant-based milk alternative) and Plotein (plant-based protein alternative), in collaboration with scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, a premier scientific institution in India, and PMEDS (PreEmptive Meds), a US-based nutraceutical Company. PFoods launched and pilot-tested Just Plant, a dairy alternative substitute for milk in select reputed organizations in Bangalore. The upcoming challenges for Fenn would be to select the right segment, educate the market and position the product that would resonate well with the target customers.
Complexity academic level
The case study suits undergraduate and graduate courses such as marketing management, sustainable marketing and sustainable business. The case study can also be used in entrepreneurship management and entrepreneurial marketing courses to introduce the challenges of a sustainable startup. The case study highlights the marketing challenges faced by the disruptive and growing plant-based foods or alternative dairy industry in emerging markets.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 8: Marketing.
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Robert J. Vokurka and Benito E. Flores
This research determines and updates industry’s use of plant charters and their characteristics in terms of plant structure differences, competitive priorities, manufacturing…
Abstract
This research determines and updates industry’s use of plant charters and their characteristics in terms of plant structure differences, competitive priorities, manufacturing improvement initiatives, and performance. Industry differences are identified and compared to a 1982 study. The most predominant plant charter strategy remains a product plant charter assignment. Responses to a survey indicated that plants are created differently, i.e. there are structural differences between the plant charter strategy types. However, in general, the competitive priorities, efforts to improve manufacturing effectiveness, and resulting performance are essentially the same. This suggests seemingly similar manufacturing strategies regardless of the plant structure being used.
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Sebastian Pashaei and Jan Olhager
The purpose of this paper is to explore how integral and modular product architectures influence the design properties of the global operations network.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how integral and modular product architectures influence the design properties of the global operations network.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors perform a multiple-case study of three global manufacturing companies, using interviews, seminars and structured questionnaires to identify ideal design properties.
Findings
The authors find that the choice of integral vs modular product architecture lead to significant differences in the preferred design properties of global operations networks concerning number of key technologies in-house, number of capable plants, focus at assembly plants, distance between assembly plant and market, and number of key supplier sites. Two of these were identified through this research, i.e. the number of capable plants and number of key supplier sites. The authors make a distinction between component and assembly plants, which adds detail to the understanding of the impact of product architecture on global operations. In addition, they develop five propositions that can be tested in further survey research.
Research limitations/implications
This study is restricted to three large manufacturing companies with global operations. However, the authors investigated both integral and modular products at these three companies and their associated global operations network. Still, further case or survey research involving a broader set of companies is warranted.
Practical implications
The key aspects for integral products are to have many key technologies in-house, concentration of production at a few capable plants, and economies-of-scale at assembly plants, while long distances between assembly plants and markets as well as few key supplier sites are acceptable. For modular products, the key aspects are many capable plants, economies-of-scope at assembly plants, short distance between assembly plants and markets, and many key supplier sites, while key technologies do not necessarily have to reside in-house – these can be accessed via key suppliers.
Originality/value
This paper is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first study on the explicit impact of product architecture on global operations networks, especially considering the internal manufacturing network.
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Yang Cheng, Sami Farooq and John Johansen
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of changes at the manufacturing plant level on other plants in the manufacturing network and also investigate the role of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of changes at the manufacturing plant level on other plants in the manufacturing network and also investigate the role of manufacturing plants on the evolution of a manufacturing network.
Design/methodology/approach
The research questions are developed by identifying the gaps in the reviewed literature. The paper is based on three case studies undertaken in Danish manufacturing companies to explore in detail their manufacturing plants and networks. The cases provide a sound basis for developing the research questions and explaining the interaction between different manufacturing plants in the network and their impact on network transformation.
Findings
The paper highlights the dominant role of manufacturing plants in the continuously changing shape of a manufacturing network. The paper demonstrates that a product or process change at one manufacturing plant affects the other plants in the same network by altering their strategic roles, which leads to the subsequent transformation of the manufacturing network.
Originality/value
A review of the existing literature investigated different elements of a manufacturing network independently. In this paper, the complex phenomenon of a manufacturing network evolution is observed by combining the analysis of a manufacturing plant and network level. The historical trajectories of manufacturing networks that are presented in the case studies are examined in order to understand and determine the future shape of the networks. This study will help industrial managers make more knowledgeable decisions regarding manufacturing network management.
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Agnese Rondoni, Elena Millan and Daniele Asioli
Plant-based eggs have recently been developed to provide consumers with a healthier, animal-friendlier and more sustainable alternative to conventional eggs. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Plant-based eggs have recently been developed to provide consumers with a healthier, animal-friendlier and more sustainable alternative to conventional eggs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic attribute preferences for three prototypes of plant-based egg, namely the liquid, powder and egg-shaped.
Design/methodology/approach
Nine focus groups in the United Kingdom and nine in Italy were conducted, with a total of 180 participants. A thematic analysis of results was conducted.
Findings
In terms of intrinsic product attributes, consumers' preferences for colour, shape, taste, ingredients, nutrients, method of production and shelf-life for plant-based eggs were revealed. Regarding the extrinsic attributes, preferences for price, packaging, country of origin and product naming emerged. Similarities and differences between consumers from the two countries are also discussed. Differences in preferences also emerged between vegan and non-vegan consumers.
Research limitations/implications
This study adds to the existing knowledge on consumers' preferences for new plant-based food alternatives and identifies future quantitative approaches based on qualitative findings.
Practical implications
Results from this study can assist plant-based egg manufacturers in improving their products in line with consumers' expectations, which may help reducing risk of product failure.
Originality/value
This study is the first to investigate consumers' preferences, expectations and needs for new food products like plant-based eggs and provides information that can be practically applied by manufacturers, as well as suggestions for future research.
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Freight consolidation across time and customers, use of warehouses, and direct LTL distribution systems are compared on distribution costs and delivery times for selected product…
Abstract
Freight consolidation across time and customers, use of warehouses, and direct LTL distribution systems are compared on distribution costs and delivery times for selected product characteristics and demand patterns. The results can assist managers in determining whether using freight consolidation is a viable alternative to direct shipments from plants or warehouses.
Dipankar Bose, A.K. Chatterjee and Samir Barman
Process flexibility (PF) is seen as a hedging instrument against demand uncertainty. This paper aims to examine capacity decisions for both flexible and dedicated processes under…
Abstract
Purpose
Process flexibility (PF) is seen as a hedging instrument against demand uncertainty. This paper aims to examine capacity decisions for both flexible and dedicated processes under production policies such as make-to-order and make-to-stock. The study identifies some relative benefits, in terms of expected profit, of the process flexible plant over the dedicated ones. Furthermore, the advantage appears to be contingent upon the decision on the preset service level.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the sample-based optimization procedure, a detailed computational analysis is undertaken to identify the conditions under which a flexible plant is preferred over a dedicated plant. A combination of genetic algorithm and sample-based optimization procedure is used to capture the effects of preset service level. The factors controlled in this paper include the demand variance, demand correlation, capacity investment cost and the product price.
Findings
According to this study, in a dedicated process changing to a flexible process is not justified for the same level of demand correlation even with high demand variance. In fact, a strict control on the preset service level prefers the dedicated strategy. The advantage of a flexible plant increases as the demand correlation decreases, product price decreases, price asymmetry increases or capacity investment cost increases. With a preset service level constraint, a flexible process should be preferred to a dedicated one only when the capacity investment cost is high or the products have low contribution margins.
Originality/value
The PF index is introduced in this paper to measure the benefit of a flexible plant over a group of dedicated plants. The benefits were found to be contingent upon the decision on the required service level.
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