Enzo Baglieri

Trust in supply forecast information sharing

In this paper, we investigate the role of trust in supply forecast signalling in a supply chain with a supplier and a manufacturer in a one-shot game. It is assumed that the supplier faces a random yield uncertainty that is multiplied by the manufacturer’s order quantity. The supplier has a private forecast of yield risk. Based on the information, the supplier decides whether to share its forecast truthfully, or not to share. On the other hand, the manufacturer is faced with two ordering strategies. If it trusts the supplier’s report, then it updates its belief on the yield risk providing a forecast signal by the supplier. Otherwise, it orders based on its prior belief. We analytically obtain the optimal order quantity where the random yield uncertainty follows uniform distribution. The intuitive result indicates that the supplier has a tendency to deviate from reporting true forecast information. The numerical results support the intuitive conclusion.

Strategic goals and design drivers of the supplier portal: lessons from the Ferrari case

The purpose of this work is to identify the main design drivers of a supplier portal and to verify the relationships between these drivers and the strategic goals of such portals. Through the analysis of an empirical case, three different design drivers have been identified, called penetration, breadth, and depth. Moreover, a relationship has been found out between strategic goals and the identified design drivers. This relationship, based on the evidences of a currently successful field experience, can provide a framework to support the design of a supplier portal.

Innovation process in the automobile MNCs: implications for the role of the international subsidiaries

The scope of the present work is to provide insights into the emerging flows of innovation in the multinational corporations (MNCs) and to present some reflections for executives as how to leverage on the potential of the so called reverse innovation. Our study focuses on the automobile industry, and investigates the dynamics of innovation in three MNCs, whose focal subsidiaries are located in Brazil. According to our evidence, the reverse innovation phenomenon is accompanied by a radical transformation of the roles, responsibilities and activities located among the parent company and its subsidiaries. What clearly emerges is the fact that innovation flows are less and less parent-to-subsidiary. The subsidiary-to-parent flow of innovation is increasing, and a subsidiary-to-subsidiary stream is emerging. This phenomenon is redefining the relevance of the parent company in managing the innovation processes within an MNC.

Integrating firms in a complex network: evidence from maritime logistics

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise an integration of firms working in a complex network from a supply chain management (SCM) perspective. Having defined a framework on the integration, we suggest maritime logistics as a meaningful business context for its validation using prevailing cases in the industry. The proposed conceptualisation frames integration as a tri-dimensional concept based on a multi-layered view of interactions within the network. Empirical evidence is based on the analysis of selected cases of a single yet considerably complex inter-firm network, one that is typical for a specific industrial sector. It is found that the integration is a key factor in order to increase the competitiveness of the firms. This study identifies a series of decisions in the integration process within the complex network and sheds light on the sequence of managerial choices. This paper is an attempt to extend the traditional conceptualisation of integration, which is based on the sequential view of the supply chain (i.e. integration with suppliers and customers).

L’integrazione di un network complesso in quattro passi. Lezioni dal campo

italianoLe imprese sono sempre piu spesso coinvolte in network in cui la scelta dei partner e la gestione delle interazioni tra i soggetti diventano un fattore critico di successo. In tale contesto, il processo di integrazione fra imprese, definito in letteratura come processo di integrazione esterna, appare critico. Il presente lavoro identifica i principali momenti decisionali nell’ambito del processo di integrazione esterna in network strutturalmente complessi, chiarendo il nesso sequenziale fra le diverse scelte. EnglishFirms are increasingly involved in complex inter-firm networks, where the selection of partners and the management of interactions become a critical success factor. In this perspective, the process of integration between the members of the network, commonly defined as an external integration process, appears critical. This paper identifies the main decisions in the external integration process within networks characterized by a complex structure, shedding light on the sequence of managerial choices.

Connecting Factory to Theatre: Lessons from a Case Study

This chapter examines the case of a service operation positioned as a ‘high-end’ service: Cinepolis Luxury Cinema in Del Mar, California. The cinema opened in 2011 offering a premium quality movie environment with luxuriously comfortable reclining seats, high quality audio-visual technology and a full dining service. It had been profitable in its first year of operation, yet there remained some intriguing challenges posed by the operations because of decisions and approaches to its service design and execution.

Factories or Theatres? The Future of Service

The pervasiveness of the service economy is as evident as it is frequently underestimated. Particularly, while the main attention is paid to the so called economy of the experience, a relevant change is taking place, what we called the service industrialization. It is the consequence of a twofold phenomenon: on the one hand, the adoption of the new technologies in order to run the service operations; on the other, the transfer of the most effective management practices from the goods manufacturing context to the service one. The service industrialization can enable the convergence of the two fundamental service operations models we have identified, namely the Service Factory and the Service Theatre.

Factory or Theatre? Towards the Convergence

As already said, scholars have devoted the last five decades to the analysis of how services differ from their tangible counterpart, goods, and how they should be managed, marketed, and delivered. However, a significant gap still exists between the significance of services in the world economy and the attention paid to in the Operations Management (OM) literature (Johnston 2005; Metters 2010; Chase and Apte 2007; Heineke and Davis 2007; Metters and Marucheck 2007).

Analyzing Enterprise Networks Needs: Action Research from the Mechatronics Sector

New business models and theories are developing nowadays towards collaborative environments direction, and many new tools in sustaining companies involved in these organizations are emerging. Among them, a plethora of methodologies to analyze their needs are already developed for single companies. Few academic works are available about Enterprise Networks (ENs) need analysis. This paper presents the learning from an action research (AR) in the mechatronics sector: AR has been used in order to experience the issue of evaluating network needs and therefore define, develop, and test a complete framework for network evaluation. Reflection on the story in the light of the experience and the theory is presented, as well as extrapolation to a broader context and articulation of usable knowledge.