Iain Reid

Achieving agility in supply chain through simultaneous “design of” and “design for” supply chain

Purpose – The two main constituting elements of the supply chains are “product” and “supply chain operations”, which are highly inter‐related across more than one dimension. Many of the drawbacks in the success and sustainability of supply chains often relate to the segregation of these dimensions. This paper seeks to examine the ideas and to propose an integrated approach to facilitate the dynamic and simultaneous design and development of products and supply chains, thus contributing to the notion of agile supply chains.Design/methodology/approach – Two critical areas of product design and development, and supply chain design and management have been studied, leading to the conceptual development of practical models for approaching the subject. The proposed framework then is examined in a field case study in which a number of issues raised in this paper are validated through observing these supply chains.Findings – A detailed view of the model of simultaneous approach to “design of” and “design for” sup...

Agile marketing for the manufacturing‐based SME

Purpose – To examine the application of the principles of “agile manufacturing” to marketing strategy, planning and management, in the context of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approach – Uses the case‐study method to test the development and deployment of “agile marketing” by applying the marketing techniques normally practised only by larger companies, within the “hard” and “soft” constraints imposed by one small companys managerial attitudes, corporate resources and time horizons. The host company was a UK supplier of technological products to other manufacturers; it had no history of marketing. The focus of the study was on the third stage of the agility framework: how a proactive marketing approach can be used to generate new custom.Findings – “Agile marketing” innovations released latent capacity, and a strategic marketing plan was devised to win new custom. After follow‐up, four new customers had been recruited, and the potential for developing long‐term relations wit...

Exploring the Fundamentals of Root Cause Analysis: Are We Asking the Right Questions in Defining the Problem?

The purpose of this article is to explore the dynamics of root cause analysis (RCA) and the applicability of the ‘5W + 1H’ (what, why, when where, who, how) technique, which is used by many managers in understanding a problem to define the root cause. The 5W + 1H methodology is insufficient in identifying the root cause because of the variations triggered by asking the question ‘why’. The article demonstrates that some extraordinary RCA was achieved by redefining the approach of the 5W + 1H’ methodology, as catastrophic failures were often the result of misinterpreting the ‘why’ question. Consequently, the article identifies a new domain that can be added to traditional RCA and Six Sigma projects. The article explores an alternative perspective to the problem definition in RCA. It provides a specific example and suggestions to help practitioners avoid expensive contingency plans, while conducting investigations to RCA using the refined 4W + 1H approach. Questioning the principles of RCA through a process reflective inquiry benefits both practitioners and academics. Copyright

The significance of agile manufacturing techniques within SMEs in the construction industry

Manufacturers are constantly under pressure to function efficiently to deliver customer requirements both cost effectively as well as on time. To respond to such requirements the company must adopt agile tools and techniques in strategic parts or throughout the organisation. Agile manufacturing is an emerging concept in industry that aims at achieving flexibility and responsiveness to changing markets. However, the construction industry has somewhat been overlooked where agility is concerned and specifically the companies in the supply chain. The agility centre at the University of Liverpool has developed a framework which identifies the areas of vulnerability and a set of measures that can further quantify the identified issues. This paper features some main components of the framework and applies them via a case study SME company within the construction industry. This in effect validates some of the agility measures and gives an insight into manufacturing agility within the construction industry.

Implementation of an agile marketing approach for the manufacturing-based SME

This paper demonstrates, via a case study, the role of an agile marketing approach in manufacturing-based SMEs. The approach comprises one dimension of the Agility Strategic Framework (ASF) developed by the Agility Centre at the University of Liverpool. The framework was devised to assist manufacturing SMEs to develop and implement growth strategies in a business to-business environment. Improvements to manufacturing provide the initial driver for change, which was then followed by an analysis of opportunities for growth through marketing. With respect to marketing agility in particular, the objective was to provide an approach whereby SMEs can make use of marketing tools and techniques that are normally only used by large firms. The paper provides an overview of agility and the logic of the ASF, focusing on how SMEs can become more proactive. The work involved an in-depth examination of marketing techniques and tools as used by large companies with the sole aim of tailoring these so that they are suitable for application in an SME setting. The agility framework provides a platform for SMEs such that they are better placed to exploit new and emerging opportunities in the marketplace.

Mass Customization: Balancing Customer Desires with Operational Reality

Driven by complex social, political, geographic and technological factors, the past decade has seen dramatic changes in the global market environments. Manufacturing companies have been under pressure to meet conflicting goals of efficiency and consumer choice. On one hand customers demand that orders are met faster and at lower cost. On the other hand, they are demanding highly customized products with a wide variety of options. This has led a growing number of economists and scholars to declare that the paradigm of mass production is no longer able to satisfy such demands. As a result new paradigms of agility, responsiveness and mass customization have emerged. Mass customization is the “application of technology and new management methods to provide product variety and customization through flexibility and quick responsiveness at prices comparable to mass-produced products”. Mass customization, in itself introduces new demands on firms. These include improved product development processes, flexible manufacturing planning and control systems, and closer supply chain management. Whilst larger organizations by their nature can afford the risk of making mistakes, small to medium enterprises (SME’s) are typically more vulnerable, and hence need a structured low risk approach. The second of these shifts is the more relevant to mass customization and often SME’s are not able to effectively balance the market needs on one hand and operational efficiencies on the other. In this paper, a method for feature-based mass customization is proposed that translates the voice of the customer into viable integrated product functional requirements, design features, component selection and reuse, and product design modules that are able to provide a better balance between customer requirements and company capabilities at an early stage of product design. The paper demonstrates, via a case study, how the principles of feature-based customization have been adopted by an SME within the context of agility. The paper explores a method for prioritizing the VOC in terms of similarity of functional requirements/features within product families. These consider the factors of design features, modular structures and product component in terms of cost and volume. The ‘feature-component matrix’ is introduced to represent product families and calculate these similarity coefficients. The goal is to present design and manufacturing engineers with insights into product similarity and feature-based customization. The paper demonstrates, via a case study, how the principles of balancing customer requirements using feature-based customization and how it has been adopted by an SME within the context of manufacturing agility.

A Framework for Operational Agility: How SMEs Are Evaluating Their Supply Chain Integration

This chapter seeks to show how small medium enterprises (SMEs) have become more responsive to deal with the unexpected changes in the business environment. However, the impact on SME’s is not always clear, as resources required to implement such strategic responsiveness are often fall beyond what is considered to be acceptable risk. In this chapter an integrated approach is proposed to facilitate the ‘responsiveness’ when faced with uncertainty and environmental turbulences in supply chain design thus contributing to the notion of Operational Agility and Supply Chain Integration (SCI). The framework is based on earlier work developed by the authors, which focused on the integration of operational agility tools and techniques through external intervention. An implementation model is presented in which the practical aspects of the framework stages are presented. The framework is validated through case study observations, a number of issues raised in the framework are discussed and validated.

Framework for Developing an Agile Future-Proof Supply Chain

Two of the key elements that define a supply chain are “product”, as the output of the business, and “supply chain operations”, as the means of delivering the output. The processes of designing and developing each of these two elements are highly inter-related across more than one dimension. Many of the drawbacks in the success and sustainability of supply chains often relate to the misalignment of these two elements in one or more dimensions. In this chapter an integrated approach is proposed to facilitate the dynamic and simultaneous design and development of products and supply chains, thus contributing to the notion of agile supply chains. A framework is developed and, through a field case study observation, a number of issues raised in the framework are discussed and validated. An implementation model is also proposed in which the practical aspects of the framework stages are presented.

Professional accreditation: an investigation into the case of online

The purpose of this article is to examine the application of professional accredited postgraduate programmes in the fields of business, management, operations and supply chain management. The approach adopted here is a reflective one, looking at the recent trends in postgraduate education and focusing in particular on the professional accreditation process, such as programme design, learning goals, mode of delivery of e-learning model and the criteria of assessment. The aim of the research is to discover the real-time dynamic of professional accreditation, from both objective and subjective perspectives with a particular focus on two major accreditation bodies: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). The article also highlights the dynamic character of professional bodies and on whether an e-learning format is being considered as an obstacle by institutions with their accreditation agenda. The paper also presents a second case study on the uptake and delivery of specialised degree programmes offered across a selection of UK universities accredited by CIPS.

The Influence of Socially Orientated Growth of Virtual Teams: A Conceptual Model

The rapid advancement of new technologies has resulted in greater opportunities in innovation, new product development partnerships/collaborations and international trade. Today’s social networking and ‘open innovation’ information communications technology has enabled work distribution to become more efficient and has presented organisations with a new way of working across different geographical locations. The chapter aims to explore social software and presents a conceptual model for virtual teams (including social networks) for socially orientated growth in complex management projects in where third parties play a critical part to the supply chain.