Search results

This paper aims to propose a method for the development of quality management systems (QMS) that allows the consultant that undertakes the support of the organisation to take advantage of a corporate memory. The consultant develops a new QMS based on a preliminary draft that is created using suitable reference processes from a library, selected according to the features of the organisation's production system.

The method adopts a taxonomy of production systems, based on a set of features (e.g. degree of the products’ customisation, form of purchasing, etc.) and creates a library of reference processes that satisfy the requirements of the standard and are suitable for each particular type of production system.

The QMS developed according to the proposed method satisfy both the requirements of the standard ISO 9001 and the needs of the organisation in which the QMS is installed in the biggest possible degree. The duration and cost of the project for the new QMS is reduced and the effort is oriented towards the process adaptation and improvement.

The proposed approach is general and can be applied to several types of industries. However, the proposed taxonomy is applicable to manufacturing companies. For other types of organisations specific taxonomies should be developed.

The originality of the paper stems from the development of a QMS based on reference processes rather than the modelling and reviewing of as-is processes.

In fast urbanizing economies such as Sri Lanka, the construction industry tends to fragment into almost separate spheres of production with little or no reciprocal connection in training, know‐how and career development paths, and consequent limitations in internal knowledge dissemination and technology transfer. This type of industrial compartmentalization is detrimental to the social acquisition of skills, and restricts the operational frameworks of given technologies, especially in low‐cost sectors. Against this backdrop, this paper sets out to speculate on how design can act as an engine of social and economic growth for those involved in its production.

Based on government statistics and building output analysis, the paper argues that architects can build labour policy‐making into the design of their buildings, provided that such an agenda is developed strategically, by examining the industrial base of the region, and by defining a design and technological vocabulary that feeds off the analysis of place‐specific conditions, limitations, and ambitions.

The integration of technological development and broad socio‐economic growth can be facilitated by “open” (or “incremental”) industrial design strategies aimed at connecting construction markets rather than keeping them separate. To this end, it is posited that technological contamination and compromise can help the labour force to increase its own skills progressively.

In practical terms, this objective translates in the definition of building implementation techniques that can adapt to the level of complexity required and the level of expenditure possible without penalizing the expected performance of the building – i.e. they must be inherently “robust” as opposed to precise and therefore more “sensitive”.

The paper is the first result of a thesis‐in‐progress that, on the basis of a technical review carried out on a small sample of ideal‐type projects in Sri Lanka, is considering ways to create and link labour development opportunities through architectural design.

Provides a fresh and novel approach to an established problem; the classification of manufacturing systems. Reviews existing manufacturing classifications and biological taxonomy. Proposes a consistent vocabulary and preliminary guidelines for the successful development of other classifications (FMS types, levels of technology, etc.). Aims to aid the construction of competent classifications that will advance the understanding of manufacturing system modelling and design. Supports proposals by novel comparisons drawn from the “science of diversity”, systematics, and the 200 years of experience that biological taxonomy has to offer.

The proper identification of a decision problem is paramount to finding a course of action or solution. This paper attempts to capture the general laws or principles that define decision problems. These principles are then used to establish a decision classification system called the decision‐order taxonomy.

The decision‐order taxonomy is developed by performing a content analysis on the seminal literature in the natural, social, and applied sciences. By identifying the semantic descriptors used to partition various domains, an implicit taxonomy for proper identification of decision problems is hypothesized.

The multidimensional taxonomic classification system and defined nomenclature, together with the identification process, comprise the complete decision‐order taxonomy developed in this paper. While applying the decision‐order taxonomy to an actual decision problem, insights are exposed which will guide the decision maker toward appropriate solution methodologies.

The theoretical foundation developed can be used to promote future research in decision classification. By providing a theoretically derived model, rich opportunities to test the taxonomy empirically are offered. Researchers are also given a foundation upon which they can build interdisciplinary decision models.

For practitioners, the decision‐order taxonomy provides a new paradigm for communicating decision problems across disciplinary boundaries. The taxonomy also provides guidance to the practitioner as they search for appropriate solution methodologies in unfamiliar disciplines.

The establishment of a useful decision‐problem taxonomy is a significant contribution to understanding the multidimensional interdisciplinary nature of real world decision problems. The original classifications will promote cross disciplinary communication, a central element in business success.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the suitability of Blockchain technology for applications in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). It provides a taxonomy of system requirements for such applications and maps these requirements against the Blockchain’s technological idiosyncrasies.

A requirement taxonomy is built in an iterative process based on a descriptive literature review. In total, 223 studies have been screened leading to a relevant sample of 48 publications that were analyzed in detail regarding posed system requirements. Subsequently, Blockchain’s capabilities are discussed for each requirement dimension.

The paper presents a taxonomy of six requirement dimensions. In the mapping process, areas of greater fit (e.g., reliability, nonrepudiation and adaptability) were identified. However, there are also several constraints (e.g., scalability, confidentiality and performance) that limit the use of Blockchain.

Due to the limited amount of studies and the vibrant development of Blockchain technology, the results may benefit from practical evidence. Researchers are encouraged to validate the results in qualitative practitioner interviews. Focusing on literature-backed public Blockchain, idiosyncrasies of private implementations and specific distributed ledger technologies may be discussed in future studies.

The paper includes use cases for Blockchain in manufacturing and IIOT applications. Potential caveats for practitioners are presented.

This paper addresses the need to understand to which degree Blockchain is a suitable technology in manufacturing, especially in context of the IIOT. It contributes a requirement taxonomy which serves as the foundation for a systematic fit assessment.

This paper aims to review state‐of‐the‐art literature on typologies and taxonomies of operations strategy in order to propose generic operations strategies in industrial companies from a theoretical viewpoint.

Typologies and taxonomies are defined and characterised; both concepts delimit the generic configurations model. Then examine the state of the research on configuration analysis relating to operations strategy is examined. For this purpose articles published in 17 important journals in the field of production and operations management from the 1980s to the year 2006 are analysed.

This review allows one to identify three generic operations strategies commonly accepted in the literature.

This research deserves much more attention, both theoretical and empirical, in order to analyse the existing classifications and develop new classifications of operations strategy.

Knowledge of generic operations strategies may help managers to design and implement a strategy that allows their firm to exploit the full potential of its manufacturing resources, and to achieve better results. The literature review contributes to theory development and provides a means of understanding the strategic position of operations.

Despite considerable interest in research on configurations in the study of organisation and business strategy there has not been much effort to examine the current state or even the future development of generic configurations in the operations strategy field. This paper fills this gap.

In the process industries, it is essential to have a well-articulated manufacturing strategy within companies. However, to facilitate manufacturing strategy development, it is important to start with a good characterisation of the material transformation system and company production capabilities. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A grounded theory approach, with inspiration from configuration modelling, attempted to characterize the material transformation system as a set of variables. The variable development was based on a literature review and the knowledge base of five industry experts. Two exploratory mini-case studies were carried out, primarily to illustrate the use of the model, but additionally to test its industrial usability.

A set of 31 variables was developed, and related measures and scales were tentatively defined. Two mini-cases supported the usability of the model. The model, focussing on company generic process capabilities, is a conceptual taxonomy and the study’s theoretical contribution.

The lucidity of the definitions and scales for the variables are open to further refinement, and the limited discussions of variable relationships in this study are addressed in an agenda for further research.

The model can be deployed as a facilitative instrument in the analysis of company material transformation systems and may serve as a platform in further discussions on companies’ strategy development.

The model is a new instrument for analysing company generic process capabilities and an effort to build new theory rather than to test an existing one.

This paper aims to highlight the degree of diffusion and intensity of use of knowledge management systems (KMSs) among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Brazil and apply a taxonomy that synthesizes the strategies of use of KMSs by the SMEs. In addition, it seeks to better understand the processes, practices and technologies of KM by SMEs, pointing improvements in the KMS of Brazilian SMEs and contributing to obtain better results in the search for efficiency and innovation.

Based on a literature review on KMSs used by SMEs, an empirical investigation was conceived, developed and conducted through online questionnaires involving 49 selected SMEs operating in several sectors.

This paper reinforces the results of the previous work of Cerchione and Esposito (2017) that point to the existence of a reciprocal relationship between KM-Tools and KM-Practices: one reinforces the other and vice versa. On the other hand, it indicates a difference in the behavior of Brazilian companies in relation to the sample of Italian companies studied by Cerchione and Esposito (2017), which presented a negative correlation between the general differentiation index and the general use intensity index of SMEs, while the Brazilian ones showed a positive correlation.

The study points out the need for greater dissemination of practices and tools to support knowledge management (KM), as well as greater support for the implementation and effective use of these practices and tools within the organizational context of SMEs.

This paper identifies the main practices and tools to support KM used by Brazilian SMEs, indicating the need for investments in employee training and acquisition of tools.

SMEs represent an important part of the generation of jobs and income in Brazil. Initiatives that lead to the successful implementation of tools and practices to support KM can increase the efficiency and productivity of these organizations.

This paper applies in a sample of Brazilian companies the taxonomy proposed by Cerchione and Esposito (2017) combining strategies of SMEs for the use of KMSs.

The operational analysis of catering operations is constrained by the lack of an internationally accepted taxonomy and the seemingly infinite variety of operations. The development of catering operations is described and a flow chart of ten distinct stages that constitute any such operation is proposed. These stages provide the basis for a possible taxonomy. It is suggested that currently there are ten generic catering systems that can be clearly identified, each of which has a unique combination of some or all of the ten stages. Such analysis is the highest level of a hierarchy of possible analyses, i.e. Level 1. The second level of analysis considers the range of subsystems in use to achieve the function of each stage. The range of alternative technologies varies from two to five in each stage. The theoretical number of combinations of subsystems is in the thousands, but many are mutually incompatible with each other. There are therefore approximately 100 types of operation in the industry when considered at Level 2. Finally, there is a third level of analysis that considers the specific application of the basic technology applied to any given operation. It is at this level that there is the almost apparent infinite variety of operations that appears to typify the industry. These three levels and the ten stages are then combined into an analytical model which is called the Catering/System Pentahedron. The pentahedron enables the classification of any given catering operation and establishes a means of evaluating innovation and proposals for performance improvement within operations.