Giovani J.C. da Silveira

The relationship between interorganizational information systems and operations performance

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between interorganizational information system (IOIS) adoption in supplier coordination and operations performance improvements.Design/methodology/approach – The paper focuses on the association between dyadic and multilateral IOISs and improvements in performance priorities associated with stable and dynamic supply networks, using data on 201 manufacturers in 13 countries from the international manufacturing strategy survey (IMSS) database. Regression models were used to test relationships between IOIS adoption and operations performance improvements.Findings – Analysis indicates that dyadic IOISs appear to be more associated with the performance priorities of stable supply chains (cost, delivery, and quality), while multilateral IOISs appear to be more associated with the performance priorities of dynamic supply chains (flexibility and quality).Research limitations/implications – Survey data were collected in the years 2000 and 2001. Som...

The direct and mediated relationships between supply chain coordination investments and delivery performance

Purpose – To explore the paths by which coordination investments with suppliers and customers relate to improvements in delivery speed, delivery reliability, and manufacturing lead‐time.Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis of data on supply chain coordination investment and delivery performance from 243 manufacturers from 13 countries.Findings – Results provide evidence of direct relationships between supplier coordination investment and manufacturing lead‐time, and between customer coordination investment and delivery speed and delivery reliability. Moreover, they suggest that customer investment mediates the relationship between supplier investment and delivery reliability, and that supplier investment mediates the relationship between customer investment and manufacturing lead‐time.Practical implications – To achieve sustainable improvements in multiple aspects of performance, management may need to invest in coordination with partners both upstream and downstream in the supply chain.Origi...

Paradigms of choice in manufacturing strategy : Exploring performance relationships of fit, best practices, and capability-based approaches

Purpose – The paper sets out to test relationships between performance improvements and the three classical manufacturing strategy paradigms of fit, best practices, and capabilities defined by Voss.Design/methodology/approach – Regression analyses are carried out on an international sample of 697 manufacturers of fabricated metal products, machinery, and equipment.Findings – The results indicate that capability learning and best practices are positively related to performance improvements in quality, flexibility, and dependability, whereas internal fit appears to be negatively related to flexibility improvements.Research limitations/implications – The study reinforces the need for research to explore the nature and role of the three paradigms jointly rather than in isolation. In particular, more research is needed to assess the merits of maintaining fit between operations structure and processes.Practical implications – Improving performance in areas such as quality, flexibility, and delivery can be achie...

Towards a framework for operations management in e‐commerce

This paper identifies areas of distinctive competence in the operations function of e‐commerce companies. Exploratory case studies were conducted in five e‐commerce companies in Argentina. The distinctive competencies that emerged were divided into three sets referring to upstream, downstream, and structural areas and integrated into a framework of the general e‐commerce process. The findings suggest that operations‐based competitiveness in e‐commerce requires the development of a series of distinctive competencies, that those competencies are often related and mutually supportive, and that there is usually a linkage between distinctive competencies in e‐commerce operations and the business strategy.

Our own translation box: exploring proximity antecedents and performance implications of customer co-design in manufacturing

Customer involvement with design activity is one of the principal components of mass customisation. Whereas many studies proposed methods to enable customer co-design, more research needs to determine co-design predictors and its associations with operations improvements. This study tests relationships between proximity, co-design, and performance, and whether co-design mediates proximity-performance relationships. Following on recent technology and collaborative trends, the study uses a three-dimensional operationalisation of customer proximity that includes physical, virtual, and affinity proximity measures. Regression analyses of data from 698 manufacturers from metal-mechanic industries suggest that virtual and affinity proximity related positively with customer co-design, that co-design explained quality and delivery improvements, and that co-design mediated the relationship between virtual proximity and quality improvements.Customer involvement with design activity is one of the principal components of mass customisation. Whereas many studies proposed methods to enable customer co-design, more research needs to determine co-design predictors and its associations with operations improvements. This study tests relationships between proximity, co-design, and performance, and whether co-design mediates proximity-performance relationships. Following on recent technology and collaborative trends, the study uses a three-dimensional operationalisation of customer proximity that includes physical, virtual, and affinity proximity measures. Regression analyses of data from 698 manufacturers from metal-mechanic industries suggest that virtual and affinity proximity related positively with customer co-design, that co-design explained quality and delivery improvements, and that co-design mediated the relationship between virtual proximity and quality improvements.

Drivers of context-specific ICT use across work and nonwork domains: A boundary theory perspective

Most theories predicting technology use were conceived when information and communication technology (ICT) devices were less portable, had less functionality, and individuals experienced less permeability between work and nonwork domains. Thus, while individuals today widely use ICT for both professional and personal needs, there is limited knowledge about the validity of traditional models predicting ICT use within and across work and nonwork domains. Using a model based on boundary theory, border theory, and human agency perspective, this study empirically examines the predictors of ICT use across four contexts, namely work use on work and nonwork days, and nonwork use on work and nonwork days. The results, based on data collected from managers and professionals from different Canadian industries, suggest that different drivers may be affecting the four contexts of ICT use. While perceived usefulness of ICT is a significant predictor for both within-domain and across-domain ICT use, there are specific work and individual characteristics that drive across-domain ICT use. Using theories from work/nonwork literature, this paper presents a renewed view to predict context-specific ICT use beyond the traditional models.

Compensation-based incentives, ERP, and delivery performance: analysis from production and improvement perspectives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of compensation‐based incentives in relationships between enterprise resource planning (ERP) usage and delivery performance in manufacturing.Design/methodology/approach – The authors carry out two studies exploring links between ERP, incentives, and performance from alternative perspectives: first, of incentives tied to regular production activities, and their relationship with delivery performance advantage over competitors; second, of incentives tied to improvement activities and their relationship with delivery performance improvements. Statistical analysis is carried out on data from 698 metal‐working manufacturers from 22 countries, giving a broad cross‐sectional view of a global industry.Findings – The studies indicate that ERP usage relates positively with both delivery advantage and delivery improvements. Furthermore, incentives tied to improvement initiatives may explain delivery improvements, both directly and as moderators in the re...

Capability antecedents and performance outcomes of servitization

The purpose of this paper is to theoretically articulate and empirically test an integrated model of capability antecedents and performance outcomes of servitization strategies. The authors characterize servitization strategies based on the offering of two types of services: basic services (BAS) and advanced services (ADS).,Hypotheses are tested based on statistical analyses of a large survey of manufacturers from different countries and sectors.,The authors find that manufacturing capabilities associate with the provision of BAS, while service capabilities associate with both BAS and ADS; BAS do not impact financial performance, but support the offering of ADS; there seem to be naturally occurring servitization trajectories involving the gradual development of balanced levels of BAS and ADS and adequate levels of manufacturing and service capabilities.,The findings on servitization trajectories are based on the observation of manufacturing business units at different stages of servitization (cross-sectional data).,Manufacturers wishing to servitize should distinguish between BAS and ADS and deploy a balanced adoption of BAS and ADS, using BAS as a platform. This should be accompanied with the building of appropriate capabilities.,This is one of the first studies to show an explicit link between different servitization strategies, capabilities, and servitization maturity. It provides new insights into the servitization paradox and servitization trajectories.

Text mining approach to predict hospital admissions using early medical records from the emergency department

OBJECTIVE Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a serious issue for hospitals. Early information on short-term inward bed demand from patients receiving care at the ED may reduce the overcrowding problem, and optimize the use of hospital resources. In this study, we use text mining methods to process data from early ED patient records using the SOAP framework, and predict future hospitalizations and discharges. DESIGN We try different approaches for pre-processing of text records and to predict hospitalization. Sets-of-words are obtained via binary representation, term frequency, and term frequency-inverse document frequency. Unigrams, bigrams and trigrams are tested for feature formation. Feature selection is based on χ2 and F-score metrics. In the prediction module, eight text mining methods are tested: Decision Tree, Random Forest, Extremely Randomized Tree, AdaBoost, Logistic Regression, Multinomial Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machine (Kernel linear) and Nu-Support Vector Machine (Kernel linear). MEASUREMENTS Prediction performance is evaluated by F1-scores. Precision and Recall values are also informed for all text mining methods tested. RESULTS Nu-Support Vector Machine was the text mining method with the best overall performance. Its average F1-score in predicting hospitalization was 77.70%, with a standard deviation (SD) of 0.66%. CONCLUSIONS The method could be used to manage daily routines in EDs such as capacity planning and resource allocation. Text mining could provide valuable information and facilitate decision-making by inward bed management teams.

Demographics of mass customization: a global study of manufacturing plants

This study explores the demographic configuration of mass customization (MC) manufacturing plants. It uses cluster analysis, ANOVA and correspondence analysis to test for differences in business unit size, location, and supply chain structure between MC and non-MC producers across the globe. The analysis uses data from an international survey of manufacturers of metal products, machinery, and instruments from 21 countries. Results indicate no significant differences in size, but significant differences in location and supply chain indicators between MC and non-MC plants. We also find renewed evidence of the positioning of MC plants in Hayes & Wheelwrights (1979) product and process matrix.