Chin-Fu Ho

A Structural Approach to Measuring Uncertainty in Supply Chains

Supply-chain management is a complex process because of the many uncertainties it involves. The uncertainty associated with inter-organizational coordination comes about when the activities of supply-chain participants are not in harmony. Recent developments in e-commerce have contributed to Internet-based solutions to this problem. Applying e-commerce solutions to the supply chain can increase the efficiency of coordination and resource integration among partners. Because the effectiveness of e-commerce systems depends on whether the problems that disrupt supply-chain integration can be overcome, diagnosing supply-chain problems is important in deploying e-commerce solutions. This study uses a structural approach to measure supply-chain uncertainty. The results produce a validated uncertainty scale that can help in diagnosing supply-chain problems. The suggested uncertainty constructs can be incorporated into a performance-evaluation scheme for e-commerce systems that can help in monitoring and assessing supply-chain performance to ensure that the objective of supply-chain integration is met.

Strategies for the adaptation of ERP systems

Given the significant impact of implementing enterprise resources planning (ERP), managerial adaptation of ERP offers a useful method of further maximizing the benefits of this system. This study employs a technology adaptation perspective and case research methodology to examine three dimensions of alignment between organization and ERP system. Four medium size electronic component manufacturers are selected, which are typical of domestic companies that could afford and implement ERP. From the findings of the case study, this research attempts to build a theoretical model of prescribing management strategies for implementing ERP. The findings indicated that the requirement for successful alignment between the system and organization falls into two categories. The alignment issues in the two categories help explain the working of process integration in the organization and also how to reduce the alignment gap. To summarize, this study proposes an adaptation framework containing a set of propositions and hypotheses to delineate the relevant research issues.

The performance impact of implementing Web-based e-procurement systems

As Web-based e-procurement has become an important business avenue for the improvement of inter-organisational process efficiency, its implementation for purchasing direct materials nevertheless implies establishing collaboration mechanism among supply chain participants based on the adopted Internet based infrastructure. However, the value of Web-based procurement to the supply chain participants remains an arduous task for researchers. This study proposes a Web-based e-procurement impact model based on supply chain orientation, which includes both operational and strategic impacts. Specifically, the strategic dimension is about partner relationship, and the operational efficiency dimension includes supplier performance, buyer performance, process integration, and process automation. To prove the proposed models contribution, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 137 firms in Taiwan who have all participated in e-procurement related projects. The results verify that the electronic execution of purchasing activities improves both the operational efficiency dimension and the strategic dimension. Furthermore, partnership has a positive impact on supplier performance and buyer performance.

Relationship bonding for a better knowledge transfer climate: An ERP implementation research

While prior studies on ERP implementation have largely focused on the importance of best practices, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the knowledge transfer climate and relationship bonding. The model categorizes the factors that influence the result of knowledge transfer during ERP implementation into three types: those implemented by the firm, those implemented by the consultant, and those related to the impact of the knowledge transfer climate. The bonding factors from the two former aspects facilitate the building of a better knowledge transfer climate. A total of 174 respondents are surveyed with results subjected to multivariate analysis. The significance of bonding factors is verified, and the role that the knowledge transfer climate plays in the knowledge transfer process and the impact on the transfer process are developed. This paper provides a broader, richer model of knowledge transfer networks to promote insight into successful ERP implementation. In practice, the key to effective knowledge transfer is the establishment of a positive knowledge transfer climate. To achieve a successful ERP implementation, practitioners should focus on developing a positive relationship with ERP implementation partners.

A contingency theoretical model of manufacturing strategy

Manufacturing strategy has gained increasing attention in recent years. However, the development of theory is inadequate. In addition, there has been insufficient development and validation of operational measures for theoretical constructs derived from a particular conceptualization of strategy. Makes a contribution to theory development of manufacturing strategy by presenting a path analytic model which describes a sequential relationship between uncertainty, risk, manufacturing strategy and performance constructs. The manufacturing strategy constructs include both strategic content and strategic process, in which the content is specified by manufacturing flexibility and the process is specified by four organizational process variables. Using data from three types of industries with 25 manufacturers in each, it was found that both environmental uncertainty and risk taking influenced manufacturing strategy constructs, e.g. the role of the manufacturing function, manufacturing planning activities, environmental interaction and flexibility. A low level of risk taking was facilitative in the formulation of manufacturing strategy constructs. Consequently, the manufacturing strategy constructs influenced business performance.

Sharing information strategically in a supply chain: antecedents, content and impact

Information sharing has been an important research issue in supply chain management. Although it has been studied frequently, our understanding of sharing information strategically and appropriately remains limited. To fill the gap, this study aims to understand the content of information sharing strategy (ISS) in a supply chain, and specifically how ISS influences supply chain uncertainty and performance. A survey of the Taiwanese manufacturing industry was carried out in order to test a proposed model. Results indicated that ISS includes information sharing and coordination aspects, and that these aspects have a strong impact on reducing supply chain uncertainty and enhancing chain performance. While a supply chain partner must share high-quality information to assist its supply chain partners’ decision-making, it is also clear that a supply chain partner must rely on mutual adjustment and formalised inter-organisational processes to cope with demands. Future research directions and contributions to theory are provided.

Comparison between just-in-time and EOQ system

Abstract This paper presents a comparison between Just-in-Time (JIT) and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) production system based on unit total cost concept. The conventional EOQ lot-size model ignores the effects of damage rate and setup time on lot-size. We compare both systems which are based on a particular view of lot size, setup times and damage rate. New EOQ and unit total cost formulae are developed by taking into account the effects of the above mentioned factors. When damage cost is not considered, the unit total cost of a JIT system for single stage is slightly higher than that of a EOQ system. Otherwise, EOQ lot-size could be equal to JIT lot-size under some conditions. The JIT system which has no damage cost is compared to the EOQ system which has damage cost by the proposed formulae. The conclusion shows that JIT lot-size is better than EOQ lot-size only within some range. Otherwise, the latter is better. The results are only a part of the general decision about optimum lot-size.

Effects of information sharing on customer relationship intention

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the effects of information sharing on customer relationship intention (CRI) based on the characteristics of different trading relationships.Design/methodology/approach – This research was conducted in two phases to explore the effects of information sharing on relationship intention of different customer segments. The objective of phase one was to segment different customer groups according to two criteria: customer relationship value and customer responsiveness. The objective of phase two was to analyze the impact of information sharing on these segmented customer groups.Findings – Data from 239 customers of a large steel supplier indicate that information sharing positively influences CRI and that the characteristics of the trading relationship moderate the effects of information sharing. These findings suggest that, while information sharing is an important means of enhancing a customer relationship, not all types of customer should be treated the same way.Research ...

Development of a collaborative product development framework based on centre-satellite system and service-oriented architecture

To increase competitive advantage for manufacturers, collaboration product development (CPD) has recently become an important issue. Based on the CPD concept, this study focuses on the centre-satellite system (CSS) with five major roles (i.e. centre factory) and their interactions and the technology of web services using service-oriented architecture (SOA) to propose a system framework, entitled the collaborative product development framework for centre satellite system (CPDF-CSS). The CPDF-CSS comprises five modules: CF-MA module, DH-MA module, ODM-MA module, OEM-MA module, and EC-MA module. Next, based on the CPDF-CSS, a generic communication component (GCC) is designed for the interoperability among five modules under heterogeneous contexts. Finally, this study presents a case involving the motorcycle industry for evaluating the implementation of CPDF-CSS. The contributions of this study to the CPD are discussed.

SMES IMPLEMENTING AN INDUSTRY SPECIFIC ERP MODEL USING A CASE STUDY APPROACH

ABSTRACT Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) frequently cannot smoothly implement ERP projects because of limited resources, such as lack of funding and human resources. Given tailor made industry specific ERP systems and a reference model for implementing an information system (IS), the success rates of SEMs implementing IS could be significantly increased. Therefore, this study focused on four local SMEs that had implemented an industry specific ERP system, and discussed their implementation model and the performance of individual cases. For SMEs, the results indicated that the industry specific ERP system is more suitable than the common ERP system and is easier to implement, has a smaller impact on organization adaptability, and also involves a smaller total investment. Finally, an IS implementation model was proposed after studying the four cases and conducting a literature review. This implementation model can provide a reference for other SMEs planning to implement an ERP system.