Andrew N. Arnette

Investigation of Material Convergence in the September 2013 Colorado Floods

AbstractMaterial convergence represents the flow of in-kind donations, specifically supplies and equipment, which travels to an area in the aftermath of a disaster. Unfortunately, unsolicited low-priority or nonpriority donations can disrupt the ability of responders to effectively manage items that arrive, thereby impeding the distribution of high-priority items to those affected by the disaster. Previous literature has emphasized the enormity of this problem and identified the necessity of addressing it. With this issue in mind, therefore, a series of interviews was conducted in the aftermath of the September 2013 flooding in Colorado to determine the extent and impact of material convergence on the relief efforts for this particular disaster event. The results of the case study show that relief organizations observed material convergence to be less of an issue in this particular event than in previous disasters. To better understand this result and to provide support for helping to improve future respo...

The influence of strategy and concurrent engineering on design for procurement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of strategy and concurrent engineering (CE) in driving design for procurement (DFP) actions and results via the role of procurement professionals in new product development (NPD). The strategies of cost leadership, differentiation, and a hybrid approach are compared, and sequential NPD is compared to a CE approach within a DFP context. Design/methodology/approach ANOVA was applied to survey data collected for a series of items capturing the activities and characteristics relating to procurement for a new product design, as well as the performance of the product compared to other design events in the firm. Findings Several major findings were supported through the analysis. Product-level strategy played a limited role, at best, in driving the implementation of procurement activities and product performance. In contrast, high CE intensity was shown to improve procurement activity and product performance. The results were analyzed along the three dimensions of sustainability, and were especially strong for both environmental and economic-focused activities and performance. Practical implications Managers should work to integrate procurement early into NPD activities, ensure procurement uses strategy to drive decisions, and can use DFP initiatives from this research to implement a DFP program. Originality/value This research is one of the first attempts to empirically test design-for (DFX) approaches in NPD. It creates one of the first theoretical frameworks for DFX-related research.