Jukka Kallio

MEASURING DELIVERY PROCESS PERFORMANCE

The focus on reengineering in the early 1990s, and the more recent emphasis on process management and change management have increased both practitioners and researchers interest in the issues of measuring processes. The contradictory results of process change projects reported in the literature and our observations from research suggest conflicting requirements for measurement systems. In this article, we review process measurement schemes with particular emphasis on the measures of time, quality, costs and efficiency. With five case studies, we illustrate process structures and related measurements for both customized and standardized deliveries. A framework for setting objectives for different process types is proposed. The result is a normative scheme for different processes that suggests ways to set meaningful objectives for time, quality, costs and efficiency. Finally, conclusions and implications are presented.

Drivers and tracers of business process changes

Many companies have reported impressive results from their business process reengineering efforts. Based on the analysis of 32 Business Process Reengineering (BPR) projects it became obvious that there is huge diversity among the initiatives. Most of the projects studied were focused on streamlining current business processes, while only in few cases was the business radically redesigned. Internal inefficiency most often resulted in traditional BPR projects, while changing customer and supplier needs led to diversified business processes. However, external and uncontrollable drivers, such as restructuring of industries, can be traced by changes in business and operations strategies. Based on the results, a framework showing efficient ways of implementing different types of BPR projects was constructed. The framework may help managers to analyze the consistency of the alternative strategies for BPR.

EC of groceries for elderly and disabled: A comparison of alternative service models

Increased demand for organized home help for elderly and disabled people and parallel budget cuts of social care require new efficient solutions to save home‐helpers’ time and ensure the current quality of provided services. A number of trials for renewing grocery purchasing process as a part of home help for the elderly and disabled have lately been initiated in Finland. In all but one of these trials electronic commerce (EC) services are included in the purchase process. In this article we compare these trials using the time efficiency of home‐helpers as a primary criterion. Using electronic order delivery gives even additional benefits, releasing the home‐helper from the need to visit the grocery store. The Full EC Model would be the best solution. However, it might not be feasible for most customers, who do not necessarily have the technology or ability to use it. Therefore, the intermediary based EC seems to be most suitable for this customer group.

Analysis of Expectations of Electronic Grocery Shopping for Potential Customer Segments

The special nature of groceries, especially perishables, challenges the possibilities of digital channels i.e. computers and networks to improve customer service. We report the findings of theme interviews on the potential of electronic commerce (EC) of groceries with 33 experts of grocery industry and EC, most of them senior executives, in 23 organisations in Finland during the Autumn of 1997. The specific areas of interest in the study are the predicted volume of EC in grocery shopping, the most potential customer segments, the anticipated benefits of EC to customers, and supplier strategies and infrastructure alternatives. Benefits of ECS (electronic grocery shopping) are analysed for three selected potential customer groups in terms of phases in consumer buying process as well as two different infrastructure solutions. It seems that an EGS build on top of current grocery industry infrastructure can only satisfy one major consumer group. In order to gain momentum EGS needs a dedicated infrastructure within which logistic efficiency can be increased.

Efficient change strategies - matching drivers and tracers in change projects

There is a huge diversity among change initiatives, which range from streamlining single processes to corporate‐scale strategic restructuring. Accordingly, there is also similar diversity in the drivers and reasons for launching projects, as well as in results and tracers of projects. The reengineering literature has focused on operational improvement of a business process. More recently, the scope of process management has widened to examine the relation of strategic goals and the objectives of change projects. It seems to be that sometimes the drivers for starting a change project and tracers of the projects do not match. The results are often more limited in scope, than the objectives. Examines these relationships through 38 case studies. The results show that in all cases where the drives and tracers did not match, the shift was toward lower level results and tracers. Most apparently, this could be observed in projects aiming at changing business strategies, but with the result of updating information systems infrastructures. Develops a framework for analysing efficient matches of different types of drivers and tracers in development projects. The framework distinguishes between projects aiming at changing the business and those seeking to change processes. These can be further divided into classes according to objectives and results.

Grocery Shopping for the Elderly And Disabled: Finnish EC Experiments

Grocery Shopping for the Elderly And Disabled: Finnish EC Experiments Jukka Heikkilä , Jukka Kallio , Timo Saarinen & Virpi Kristiina Tuunajnen To cite this article: Jukka Heikkilä , Jukka Kallio , Timo Saarinen & Virpi Kristiina Tuunajnen (1998) Grocery Shopping for the Elderly And Disabled: Finnish EC Experiments, Electronic Markets, 8:2, 17-19 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10196789800000019

Entrepreneurial Opportunities Created by Electronic Grocery Shopping

Current trading of daily consumer goods, groceries, is based on large chain masters as co-ordinators and extensive use of small companies as subcontractors, stores as customer front-ends and self-service as means for picking-up and home delivery of the goods. Our research aims at sketching what will be their role in the age of Internet storefronts and seamlessly interlinked information system. We use task analysis to reveal the areas of opportunities created for entrepreneurs by changing industry operations and structure. The analysis is based on literature on entrepreneurs, explorative survey on EGSs (Electronic Grocery Shops) around the world on the Internet, and on the experiences of the first Finnish EGSs. The analysis implies that the current subcontracting entrepreneurs will need to develop new skills in the evolving electronic market place. This provides opportunities for both high-tech small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing and maintaining storefronts, and third party logistics se...

Extending the range of service facilities

The need to understand how different types of service facilities and resources are best directed to cater for various regular and contingent service requirements has been addressed in a number of service facility classifications. These suggest what type of a channel or service constellation best matches a more or less complex service activity. With the development of technology and changing social behaviour, improved opportunities to harness social networking resources, as well as, the resources and institutions for effective service provision, need to be understood in a broader context. For this, we suggest a classification of service facilities that takes into account both traditional service encounters, as well as, agents, specialists and internal service resources. This paper focuses on service facilities, and particularly on the extension of their range by a literature review, identification of gaps and proposing an extension to their range.

Division of activities and tasks - challenges and efficient structures for market-based procurement of public transport services

This paper illustrates the challenges of purchasing public services from private markets by analysing the bus tenders in a European city area with a population of approx. 1 million. City bus services have traditionally been organised by public organisations, while recently these are increasingly arranged in a combination of public and private services with a variety of organisational models. The paper analyses the typical challenges connected to public procurement of market-based services, as well as, based on a literature review analyses the case from viewpoints of division of labour, activities and tasks, efficient market structures in bus services, challenges connected to service purchasing, as well as, scale and scope economies in services.