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Article
Publication date: 12 July 2018

Hung Nguyen and Norma Harrison

Nowadays, companies compete and win based on the capabilities they can leverage across their supply chains. With unpredictable and turbulent business environment, supply chains…

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Abstract

Purpose

Nowadays, companies compete and win based on the capabilities they can leverage across their supply chains. With unpredictable and turbulent business environment, supply chains are seeking to customer knowledge as sources of competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to empirically test a conceptual framework to investigate the roles of customer leverage (CL) on process innovation and the relationships to performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon the knowledge-based view, this study argues that CL is the sources of firms’ process innovation. This study also posits that process innovation mediates the relationship between CL and performance based on transaction cost economics. This empirical study employed 650 manufacturers across different regions.

Findings

This study showed that strong association exists between a manufacturing firm’s CL capability and its process innovation and performances. Process innovation play critical mediating roles in absorbing and transforming customer knowledge in supply chains. In a more dynamic market, CL strengthens the positive impacts on process innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This study further highlights the need to emphasize both strategic and CL capability in dynamic environments as these may be needed to enable the firm to seize market niches that may open up in such environments. Similarly, managers should emphasize CL capability and process changes in competitive environments as they are more difficult to imitate from competitors in regards of new product or services.

Practical implications

These results extend the limited existing research on global manufacturing context that the customer knowledge are effective sources for increasing innovative processes. The higher the market turbulence, the stronger the pressures for CL demanded by process innovation. The findings also confirm that process innovation plays a mediating role in absorbing and transforming customer knowledge in improving costs and financial measures. This is an important result that highlights the mechanism by which customer knowledge can influence a firm’s bottom line.

Originality/value

This study examined the linkages between a marketing concept and operations and supply chain management.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 May 2024

Derek Friday, Steven Alexander Melnyk, Morris Altman, Norma Harrison and Suzanne Ryan

The vulnerability of customers to malware attacks through weak supplier links has prompted a need for collaboration as a strategic alternative in improving supply chain…

Abstract

Purpose

The vulnerability of customers to malware attacks through weak supplier links has prompted a need for collaboration as a strategic alternative in improving supply chain cybersecurity (SCC). Current studies overlook the fact that the effectiveness of cybersecurity strategies is dependent on the form of interfirm relationship mechanisms within which supply chain digital assets are embedded. This paper analyses the association between interfirm collaborative cybersecurity management capabilities (ICCMC) and cybersecurity parameters across a supply chain and proposes an agenda for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review (SLR) is conducted, employing text mining software to analyse content extracted from 137 scholarly articles on SCC from January 2013 to January 2022.

Findings

The co-occurrence analysis strongly confirms the potential of ICCMC to reinforce SCC. Furthermore, we establish that relational factors could have multiple roles: as antecedents for ICCMC, and as factors that directly affect SCC parameters. The analysis reveals knowledge gaps in SCC theory grounding, including a fragmented and sparse representation of SCC parameters and the potential presence of an omitted variable – SCC – that could improve subsequent testing of causal relationships for theory development.

Originality/value

The paper’s contribution is at the intersection of interfirm collaboration and mandating cybersecurity requirements across a supply chain. Our paper contributes to closing a social-technical gap by introducing social aspects such as the Relational View and the importance of developing ICCMC to reinforce SCC. We offer a method for testing co-occurrences in SLRs, a comprehensive definition of SCC, and a framework with propositions for future research on increasing the effectiveness of collaborative cybersecurity management. We position collaboration as a necessary condition for the transition from cybersecurity of a firm to cybersecurity across a supply chain, and its ecosystem.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 February 2021

Derek Friday, David A. Savage, Steven A. Melnyk, Norma Harrison, Suzanne Ryan and Heidi Wechtler

Inventory management systems in health-care supply chains (HCSC) have been pushed to breaking point by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unanticipated demand shocks due to stockpiling of…

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Abstract

Purpose

Inventory management systems in health-care supply chains (HCSC) have been pushed to breaking point by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unanticipated demand shocks due to stockpiling of medical supplies caused stockouts, and the stockouts triggered systematic supply chain (SC) disruptions inconceivable for risk managers working individually with limited information about the pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to respond to calls from the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO) for coordinated global action by proposing a research agenda based on a review of current knowledge and knowledge gaps on the role of collaboration in HCSCs in maintaining optimal stock levels and reinforcing resilience against stockout disruptions during pandemics.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review was conducted, and a total of 752 articles were analyzed.

Findings

Collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment practices are under-researched in the HCSC literature. Similarly, a fragmented application of extant SC collaborative risk management capabilities undermines efforts to enhance resilience against systematic disruptions from medical stockouts. The paucity of HCSC articles in humanitarian logistics and SC journals indicates a need for more research interlinking two interdependent yet critical fields in responding to pandemics.

Research limitations/implications

Although based on an exhaustive search of academic articles addressing HCSCs, there is a possibility of having overlooked other studies due to search variations in language controls, differences in publication cycle time and database search engines.

Originality/value

The paper relies on COVID-19's uniqueness to highlight the limitations in optimization and individualistic approaches to managing medical inventory and stockout risks in HCSCs. The paper proposes a shift from a fragmented to holistic application of relevant collaboration practices and capabilities to enhance the resilience of HCSCs against stockout ripple effects during future pandemics. The study propositions and suggestion for an SC learning curve provide an interdisciplinary research agenda to trigger early preparation of a coordinated HCSC and humanitarian logistics response to future pandemics.

Article
Publication date: 1 September 1997

Everett E. Adam, Lawrence M. Corbett, Benito E. Flores, Norma J. Harrison, T.S. Lee, Boo‐Ho Rho, Jaime Ribera, Danny Samson and Roy Westbrook

Investigates what approaches to quality lead to best quality and financial performance across different regions of the world. Reports a survey of 977 firms in Asia/South Pacific…

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Abstract

Investigates what approaches to quality lead to best quality and financial performance across different regions of the world. Reports a survey of 977 firms in Asia/South Pacific, Europe, and North America. Fifty‐two items that suggest how a firm might improve quality were factor analysed and grouped into 11 factors, each factor a broader approach to quality improvement than any one item. Actual quality was measured eight different ways. Each approach to quality improvement (factor) was correlated to each quality measure, as well as to several financial measures. The results suggest that a company’s approach to quality correlates to actual quality and to a lesser extent to financial performance. The major factors found to influence actual quality were the organization’s knowledge of quality management, its degree of customer focus, and management involvement. When the task was to predict performance outcomes in any region, the specific factors that best predict performance were found to vary from region to region. That is, there were specific models within a region that better predicted performance than the model which predicted performance across all regions.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 17 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Content available
601

Abstract

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Article
Publication date: 22 October 2021

Norma López and Demetri L. Morgan

The purpose of this duoethnography was to share our narratives as a left-behind early career faculty (ECF) and graduate student with minoritized identities and reflect on academic…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this duoethnography was to share our narratives as a left-behind early career faculty (ECF) and graduate student with minoritized identities and reflect on academic socialization processes. Specifically, when many scholars are raising alarms about the retention and success of faculty with minoritized identities, it is crucial to recognize the dimensions of socialization within the organizational context of academia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors sought an approach that would facilitate the interrogation of the overlap and divergence of the authors’ perspectives. Duoethnography research design was chosen for its focus on self-reflection as well as on the importance of the expression and consideration of those diverging perspectives. The goal was collaboration to generate a discussion that deepens a complex understanding of socialization in and professional commitment to academia.

Findings

The central insight that surfaced from the analysis of our duoethnography data is the enhanced understanding of the “nameless-faceless” dimension of academic socialization. Endeavoring to understand why faculty leave and how those who are left behind make sense of that departure led the authors to examine the unknown entities the authors are responsible to and for so they may better understand their commitment to academia.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ findings reveal that the nameless–faceless element is just a generalized behavior adopted in the interest of restricted and individual advantage. Diversity and equity practices are touted as a priority, but frequently, institutions act in ways that establish their own self-interests. The authors argue that we are all the nameless–faceless when they participate in academic norms that work to uphold and perpetuate traditional practices in academia.

Practical implications

The authors’ findings point to intentional mentoring and integration of responsibility in faculty roles as potential recruitment and retention tools.

Originality/value

The authors extend the importance of collaboration and mentorship in retaining graduate students and EFC to the concept of intertwined professional commitment, or the theory that it is not simply the outcomes that are influenced by the support and cooperation between faculty with minoritized identities but that our professional commitment to academia is strengthened by that collaboration and witnessing each other's purpose and motivation to remain in academia.

Details

Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 May 2019

Deneb Elí Magaña Medina, Norma Aguilar Morales, Ángel Alberto Valdés Cuervo and Lizeth G. Parra-Pérez

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship among undergraduate students’ perception of faculty members’ and institutional support, undergraduate students’…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship among undergraduate students’ perception of faculty members’ and institutional support, undergraduate students’ appreciation of scientific skills and undergraduate students’ research endeavors.

Design/methodology/approach

A structural model was calculated to relate the variables. The sample included 1,882 undergraduate students from a State University located in the Southeast of Mexico. Undergraduate students came from different fields, and all of them that had taken at least 60 percent of their curricular credits.

Findings

The structural model suggests that faculty members’ and institutional support are positively related to undergraduate students’ appreciation of scientific skills and undergraduate students’ research endeavors. The findings suggest faculty members’ and institutional support are key factors to develop scientific research in undergraduate students. Therefore, the researchers argue that science programs taught in Mexican colleges and universities must endorse supportive practices among faculty members and institutions.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional design does not allow to set clear causal relationships among the explored variables. In addition, the sample included only one public university. Thus, further empirical research with research participants from different universities across the country is suggested. These improvements may enhance the strength of the proposed theoretical model.

Practical implications

Currently, there are a plethora of studies looking at students’ attitudes toward science. Those studies have also discussed the conditions and contexts that influence research practice among undergraduate students. Nonetheless, there are no studies known by the authors that include the set of variables and relationships considered in the present study.

Originality/value

Despite the plethora of studies looking at several conditions and contexts influencing undergraduate students’ attitudes toward science, no studies known by the authors have included the set of variables and relationships considered in the present study.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 January 2019

Florian Findler, Norma Schönherr, Rodrigo Lozano, Daniela Reider and André Martinuzzi

This paper aims to conceptualize impacts of higher education institutions (HEIs) on sustainable development (SD), complementing previous literature reviews by broadening the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to conceptualize impacts of higher education institutions (HEIs) on sustainable development (SD), complementing previous literature reviews by broadening the perspective from what HEIs do in pursuit of SD to how these activities impact society, the environment and the economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2005 and 2017. Inductive content analysis was applied to identify major themes and impact areas addressed in the literature to develop a conceptual framework detailing the relationship between HEIs’ activities and their impacts on SD.

Findings

The paper identifies six impact areas where direct and indirect impacts of HEIs on SD may occur. The findings indicate a strong focus on case studies dealing with specific projects and a lack of studies analyzing impacts from a more holistic perspective.

Practical implications

This systematic literature review enables decision-makers in HEIs, researchers and educators to better understand how their activities may affect society, the environment and the economy, and it provides a solid foundation to tackle these impacts.

Social implications

The review highlights that HEIs have an inherent responsibility to make societies more sustainable. HEIs must embed SD into their systems while considering their impacts on society.

Originality/value

This paper provides a holistic conceptualization of HEIs’ impacts on SD. The conceptual framework can be useful for future research that attempts to analyze HEIs’ impacts on SD from a holistic perspective.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2019

Ganjar Alfian, Muhammad Fazal Ijaz, Muhammad Syafrudin, M. Alex Syaekhoni, Norma Latif Fitriyani and Jongtae Rhee

The purpose of this paper is to propose customer behavior analysis based on real-time data processing and association rule for digital signage-based online store (DSOS). The…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose customer behavior analysis based on real-time data processing and association rule for digital signage-based online store (DSOS). The real-time data processing based on big data technology (such as NoSQL MongoDB and Apache Kafka) is utilized to handle the vast amount of customer behavior data.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to extract customer behavior patterns, customers’ browsing history and transactional data from digital signage (DS) could be used as the input for decision making. First, the authors developed a DSOS and installed it in different locations, so that customers could have the experience of browsing and buying a product. Second, the real-time data processing system gathered customers’ browsing history and transaction data as it occurred. In addition, the authors utilized the association rule to extract useful information from customer behavior, so it may be used by the managers to efficiently enhance the service quality.

Findings

First, as the number of customers and DS increases, the proposed system was capable of processing a gigantic amount of input data conveniently. Second, the data set showed that as the number of visit and shopping duration increases, the chance of products being purchased also increased. Third, by combining purchasing and browsing data from customers, the association rules from the frequent transaction pattern were achieved. Thus, the products will have a high possibility to be purchased if they are used as recommendations.

Research limitations/implications

This research empirically supports the theory of association rule that frequent patterns, correlations or causal relationship found in various kinds of databases. The scope of the present study is limited to DSOS, although the findings can be interpreted and generalized in a global business scenario.

Practical implications

The proposed system is expected to help management in taking decisions such as improving the layout of the DS and providing better product suggestions to the customer.

Social implications

The proposed system may be utilized to promote green products to the customer, having a positive impact on sustainability.

Originality/value

The key novelty of the present study lies in system development based on big data technology to handle the enormous amounts of data as well as analyzing the customer behavior in real time in the DSOS. The real-time data processing based on big data technology (such as NoSQL MongoDB and Apache Kafka) is used to handle the vast amount of customer behavior data. In addition, the present study proposed association rule to extract useful information from customer behavior. These results can be used for promotion as well as relevant product recommendations to DSOS customers. Besides in today’s changing retail environment, analyzing the customer behavior in real time in DSOS helps to attract and retain customers more efficiently and effectively, and retailers can get a competitive advantage over their competitors.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 31 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2008

Norma Heaton, Martin McCracken and Jeanette Harrison

The aim of this article is to illustrate how employers have used more innovative “localised” strategies to address what appears to be “globalised” problems of attracting and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this article is to illustrate how employers have used more innovative “localised” strategies to address what appears to be “globalised” problems of attracting and retaining high calibre applicants with the appropriate “work ready” skills.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of interviews were held with HR managers, line managers from the various functional areas who directly supervise graduates, as well as at least one graduate participating in each of the development programmes.

Findings

The findings indicated that SMEs might struggle to meet graduate expectations on pay, but they appeared to provide effective mentoring and succession planning. This may further add weight to the argument that employers, especially SMEs, will use different strategies and have different priorities in comparison to larger global organisations. Overall, the paper concludes that sector is an important differentiating factor in terms of recruiting, developing and retaining graduates.

Research limitations/implications

Several of the HRD strategies appeared to work well. There were problems with recruitment in some sectors, with innovative solutions developed, often using placement opportunities. Development opportunities were seen by some employers and graduates as a trade off for pay, while other issues such as travel to work and company culture were also a concern.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to research the issue of how organisations may use localised HR strategies in terms of graduate employability to get the most from local labour markets.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

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