Gregory P. Prastacos

Knowledge effectiveness, social context and innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conduct an investigation into knowledge‐sharing mechanisms by empirically testing the role that context plays in the transfer of actionable knowledge, and, in turn, for innovation.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple‐respondents survey was performed in 72 business units of companies belonging to the ICT, pharmaceutical and food industries in Greece. In total, 295 useful questionnaires were collected using a multiple respondent strategy. All constructs were measured with multi‐item scales and validated using exploratory factor analyses. A total of seven hypotheses were generated following a literature review on the key determinants of context for effective knowledge sharing. The hypotheses were tested using ordinary least squares regression.Findings – The research shows that when units pursue knowledge transfer between their different actors, contextual factors such as trust, motivation to transfer knowledge, management support and learning orientation are cruc...

An allocation and distribution model for perishable products

This paper presents an allocation model for a perishable product, distributed from a regional center to a given set of locations with random demands. We consider the combined problem of allocating the available inventory at the center while deciding how these deliveries should be performed. Two types of delivery patterns are analyzed: the first pattern assumes that all demand points receive individual deliveries; the second pattern subsumes the frequently occurring case in which deliveries are combined in multistop routes traveled by a fleet of vehicles. Computational experience is reported.

The relationship between information and communication technologies adoption and management

This paper examines the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) adoption on management, praxis. The study, building on the theoretical framework developed by Scott Morton and his colleagues, attempts to identify the dynamic relationships between ICT adoption and management efforts towards modernization and reorganization. Using data from leading Greek firms, we report evidence as to how changes in strategy, organizational structure, management systems, and human skills link with the current and prospective level of use of various types of advanced ICT. Findings generally appear to suggest that Greek firms are in a process of recognizing the potential of ICT to enable and support changes that are necessary for successfully competing in a hyper-competitive environment. In particular, ICT adoption is shown to affect strategy by supporting long-term strategic objectives and the quest for profitability. Indirectly, it also links to strategic planning systems. ICT is found to be related to an internal environment characterized by open organization and flexibility. Finally, the results show that the sample firms recognize the need for multi-skilled personnel to exploit the advantages stemming from ICT adoption.

A greedy look-ahead heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with time windows

In this paper we consider the problem of physically distributing finished goods from a central facility to geographically dispersed customers, which pose daily demands for items produced in the facility and act as sales points for consumers. The management of the facility is responsible for satisfying all demand, and promises deliveries to the customers within fixed time intervals that represent the earliest and latest times during the day that a delivery can take place. We formulate a comprehensive mathematical model to capture all aspects of the problem, and incorporate in the model all critical practical concerns such as vehicle capacity, delivery time intervals and all relevant costs. The model, which is a case of the vehicle routing problem with time windows, is solved using a new heuristic technique. Our solution method, which is based upon Atkinsons greedy look-ahead heuristic, enhances traditional vehicle routing approaches, and provides surprisingly good performance results with respect to a set of standard test problems from the literature. The approach is used to determine the vehicle fleet size and the daily route of each vehicle in an industrial example from the food industry. This actual problem, with approximately two thousand customers, is presented and solved by our heuristic, using an interface to a Geographical Information System to determine inter-customer and depot–customer distances. The results indicate that the method is well suited for determining the required number of vehicles and the delivery schedules on a daily basis, in real life applications.

Solving the open vehicle routeing problem via a single parameter metaheuristic algorithm

In this paper, we consider the open vehicle routeing problem (OVRP), in which routes are not sequences of locations starting and ending at the depot but open paths. The problem is of particular importance for planning fleets of hired vehicles, a common practice in the distribution and service industry. In such cases, the travelling cost is a function of the vehicle open paths. To solve the problem, we employ a single-parameter metaheuristic method that exploits a list of threshold values to guide intelligently an advanced local search. Computational results on a set of benchmark problems show that the proposed method consistently outperforms previous approaches for the OVRP. A real-world example demonstrates the applicability of the method in practice, demonstrating that the approach can be used to solve actual problems of routing large vehicle fleets.

An Integrated Framework for Managing Change in the New Competitive Landscape

It is not the strongest species that will survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin The pace of change experienced by modern businesses is phenomenal. Businesses today have to abandon many of the principles that have guided generations of managers, and develop a new set of objectives and rules that will enable them to successfully manage change and guide them to transform into 21st century corporations. Extensive work has been done recently to develop models and frameworks for addressing a variety of the issues associated with organisational change. This paper integrates and advances some of the models and concepts in an effort to develop an all-encompassing framework to guide managerial action. Using Scott-Mortons framework as a point of departure and integrating the key management imperatives and change-enablers of the new competitive landscape, the paper develops an integrative model of organisational change encompassing all parts of the organisation (i.e. strategy, structure, processes and human capital), that seeks to offer managers guidance as to the fundamental factors that need to be considered when planning and implementing change initiatives.

A reactive variable neighborhood tabu search for the heterogeneous fleet vehicle routing problem with time windows

AbstractnThis paper presents a solution methodology for the heterogeneous fleet vehicle routing problem with time windows. The objective is to minimize the total distribution costs, or similarly to determine the optimal fleet size and mix that minimizes both the total distance travelled by vehicles and the fixed vehicle costs, such that all problem’s constraints are satisfied. The problem is solved using a two-phase solution framework based upon a hybridized Tabu Search, within a new Reactive Variable Neighborhood Search metaheuristic algorithm. Computational experiments on benchmark data sets yield high quality solutions, illustrating the effectiveness of the approach and its applicability to realistic routing problems.n

From task‐based to competency‐based

Purpose – Organizational effectiveness today depends largely on the ability to activate, share and transform the intellectual capital of the company into sustainable and difficult‐to‐imitate competitive advantage. This paper seeks to develop a competency typology that integrates previous definitions and frameworks from the literature and to propose a methodology for identifying competencies to aid the transition from a task‐based to a competency‐based logic for human resource management.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a longitudinal research project. The paper outlines a methodology and presents the findings from the implementation of a competency model in two case companies. It illustrates how the systematic use of the identified competency categories can support the identification and coding of competencies, which will facilitate the critical organizational transformation from a task‐based to a competency‐based approach.Findings – The experience from the deployment offers potential c...

Competency management in support of organisational change

Purpose – Competitive advantage depends largely on the ability to activate and use organisational resources. As a result, the focus in the strategic management, organisational behaviour and human resource management literature has turned to the internal capabilities of organisations including a particular focus on employees competencies. This paper seeks to analyse and discuss a forward‐looking, dynamic and proactive approach to competency modelling explicitly aligned with strategic business needs and oriented to long‐term future success.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a longitudinal research project sponsored by a leading Greek bank, currently undergoing fundamental corporate restructuring. This paper describes how the competency model was developed and how it facilitated strategy implementation and change by supporting communication, employee understanding of business goals, and the incorporation of new behaviours, roles and competencies in operations.Findings – A forward‐looking a...

Understanding organizational capabilities: towards a conceptual framework

Despite the theoretical and managerial importance of the notion of organizational capabilities, it is still not entirely clear what capabilities are and how they are created. With this aim, building on the extant literature, we propose a conceptual framework that accounts for both the constituent elements and the creation of organizational capabilities. Constituent elements refer to the knowledge underlying the firm’s capacity to act, and to human actors as the subjects of knowledge creation and application. Much like a weaving process, the creation of organizational capabilities entails the synthesis and integration of constituent elements within the realm of a behavioral “place” that represents a particular condensation of actors and knowledge flows within the broader organization. The capacity of the firm to build organizational capabilities, by itself a meta‐capability, is affected by the institutional qualities of its socio‐cultural environment. Within the context of this framework, the question of what constitutes a firm’s unique competence, compared to its normal activities, equates with the question whether a particular group of organizational actors exist with the requisite resources (basically the knowledge and skills of its members) and socio‐cultural configuration so as to perform value‐adding activities that cannot be imitated by rivals.