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The studies focusing on inbound logistics in the automobile industry have been limited because of the relatively small portion of logistics cost. But now it is recognized as one of the critical factors for efficient execution of supply chain management (SCM). The survey of suppliers in the automobile industry conducted in this study indicated significant relationships among logistics performance, logistics outsourcing, and performance evaluation level. This research is three-fold. First, current status of part supplier's logistics was analyzed by interviews with inbound logistics providers and suppliers. Second, management type of logistics was analyzed. There were three kinds of logistics -two kinds of logistics outsourcing and direct control by the supplier. Each type of logistics management showed differences about performance. Third, logistics performance evaluation and its relation with the actual logistics performance were presented. Comparable performance evaluation factors were selected, and it is shown that they had a correlation with actual performance.

Enterprise systems are commonly implemented by firms through outsourcing arrangements with software vendors. However, deriving benefits from these implementations has proved to be a challenge, and a great deal of variation has been observed in the extent of value generated for client and vendor firms. This research examines the role of co-specialization as a strategy to make the most out of outsourced enterprise systems. The authors develop hypotheses relating resource co-specialization with two indicators of success for implementation of enterprise software: (1) exchange success and (2) firm growth.

The hypotheses are tested using a unique panel data set of 175 firms adopting Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software, a type of enterprise system used for managing manufacturing and logistics. The authors identify organizational factors that support co-specialization and then examine how co-specialization is associated with enterprise software implementation success, controlling for the endogenous choice to co-specialize.

The empirical results suggest that resource co-specialization is positively associated with implementation success and that the two resource co-specialization pathways that are examined complement each other in providing performance benefits.

This paper contributes to the research literature on outsourcing. The study also provides a new empirical test using a unique data set of 175 firms adopting APS Software.

A comprehensive apparel CAD system was developed to perform automatic garment pattern drafting and the prediction of the final drape shape of designed garment putting on the human body. Three dimensional apparel CAD system starts with a flat garment pattern drafting system. A computerized pattern design script language has been created based on the traditional patterner’s principles to develop an automatic draft system of performing basic garment pattern drafting as well as grading rule generation. A pattern modification system was also developed considering functions required in apparel CAD such as auxiliary pattern generation, seam line creation, and dart manipulation to generate engineering patterns which can be used in the three dimensional garment shape prediction system presented later in part II of this paper.

A fast response three dimensional garment drape shape prediction system has been developed. A human body model generator has been established for the garment draping on it. For the mass production of different size of garments for the various sized body models, the cross‐sectional value from the anthropometric data was used as the standard for the size accommodation to make a resizable human body model. To construct the cloth drape shape prediction system, the finite element analysis method has been utilized. The designed garment pieces were divided into fine quadrilateral elements using a specially coded mesh generating program, then some appropriate sewing conditions were assigned to transform two dimensional patterns into three dimensional shapes. The final drape shape of the garment was determined from the solutions of the contact condition with human body, deformations, and the weights of the elements constituting the garment pieces, as well as the surface texture of the cloth.

An automatic garment pattern generation system has been developed for the three‐dimensional apparel CAD system. To substitute the garment fitting process, which requires lots of trial and error in the traditional pattern generation methods, we developed a new direct pattern generation method using body‐garment shape matching process. In this method, we first generated a body model using three‐dimensionally measured anthropometric data and transformed it to have a convex shape similar to that of a commonly used dummy model in garment design process. Then a typical garment model has been defined by measuring the surface information of a dummy model using stereoscopy and adjusting its shape considering the geometrical constraints of the underlying body model to obtain the optimum fit garment patterns. Finally, we developed a pattern flattening algorithm that flattens the three‐dimensionally adjusted garment model into two‐dimensional patterns considering the anisotropic properties of the fabric to be used.

Examines the fifthteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the fifteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Competition among seaports is rapidly increasing due to various factors such as the global recession, resurgence of COVID-19, tight environmental regulations of IMO, sharp rise in ocean freight charges, increasing global uncertainties and growth in ship sizes. It is essential to have precise knowledge of shipping companies' port selection factors to secure the competitive advantage of seaports. This study aims to empirically analyze recent changes in the importance of port selection factors.

By employing a longitudinal study, this study conducted the t-test analysis. The first survey was conducted from January 2005 to April 2005. Then, the second survey was conducted in May 2021.

First, the importance of port facilities (berth length and the number of berths, shed and terminal areas, possession of adequate equipment and maximum berth size) increased significantly. Second, while ship and cargo safety were the critical port service factors in previous studies, speed, flexibility and reliability for handling cargo and berthing schedule were found to be crucial in this study. Third, the importance of ship arrival/departure frequency, route diversity and ship arrival/departure information systems increased when shipping companies selected the port.

This study has academic significance in that it reveals the changing importance of port selection factors in the 2020s and has taken the form of a longitudinal study on the importance of port selection factors from 2005 to 2021, moving beyond the cross-sectional approach. This study can provide valuable insights into and implications for port policymakers and managers when developing and formulating port policies and strategies.

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between individual team member's perception of team psychological safety (TPS), individual team member's perception of transactive memory system (TMS), individual team member's perception of team learning behavior (TLB) and individual team member's perception of team performance (TP).

This cross-sectional study used a paper-based questionnaire that was distributed to 500 employees in travel-related industries and responses were received from 467 employees. Finally, 394 surveys were used after excluding insincere responses. Using SPSS & AMOS version 25.0, factor analysis, correlation, path analysis and mediation analysis were performed.

The findings reveal that there is a significant association between TPS, TMS, TLB and TP, except for the specialization subdimension of TMS and reflective communication and knowledge codification subdimensions of TLB. There was no mediation role of TLB; however, credibility and task coordination subdimensions of TMS showed partial mediating effects between TPS and TP.

This study offers suggestions for management, emphasizing the importance of TPS. Recent and rapid organizational changes have dramatically increased employees' job insecurity, which can affect their psychological safety. Therefore, organizations should actively support employees to feel psychologically stable to improve performance by utilizing TMS and TLB among individual team members.

This study aims to understand what primary relationship problem mechanisms can exist in the franchise channel and how exchange partners respond to them. This study demonstrates how the franchisor’s relationship problem mechanisms (threat, contract enforcement) affect the franchisee’s negative active responses (venting, threatened withdrawal).

This study tested hypotheses through multiple regression analysis using data from 200 franchisees in Korea-based food franchise systems.

The results indicated that threat increases venting and threatened withdrawal, while contract enforcement only increases venting. Venting increases threatened withdrawal. In addition, the results indicated that the franchisor’s behavior monitoring positively moderates the relationship between relationship problem mechanisms and negative active responses.

This study helps strategically manage responses to relationship problems by categorizing ‘relationship problem mechanisms’ into intentional relationship problem mechanisms based on communication (threat) and unintentional relationship problem mechanisms based on action (contract enforcement). This study finds that both relationship problem mechanisms, intentional or unintentional, eventually cause threatened withdrawal directly or indirectly. Even if the threat is merely communication, not action, it is more likely to cause relationship dissolution than contract enforcement by directly triggering any negative active response. This study also finds that behavior monitoring can affect exchange partners through interaction with other management mechanisms rather than directly affecting them.