Nazim U. Ahmed

Operations strategy and organizational performance: an empirical study

Presents the result of a survey of US firms examining the effect of operations strategies on organizational performance. Seven commonly used operations strategies were considered. Eleven criteria were used to measure organizational performance. The results suggest that companies which are using various operations strategies have higher performance than those which are not using those strategies. While using more than one strategy improves organizational performance, the benefits become marginal after several successive additions. This suggests that for an organization to be competitive, it only has to employ a few appropriate and effective strategies. Also, except for just‐in‐time strategy, large firms are more likely to employ various operations strategies than their smaller counterparts.

Organizational performance and environmental consciousness: an empirical study

This study investigates the relationship between environmental strategy and company performance using samples from a nationwide survey. The companies were classified into two groups; environmentally conscious and non‐environmental companies. Environmental companies reported better performance scores and also are more inclined to incorporate various performance improvement strategies and techniques into their operations.

Offshore systems development

Abstract Many companies are increasingly shifting software development operations to offshore sites in countries like Ireland and India. This paper examines the offshore computing phenomenon in the context of a complex systems project. The extent to which offshore computing can be carried out in different phases of the system development is explored. The utilization of various telematic technologies to facilitate this is examined. A framework for offshore project and site selection is presented.

A comparative study of US manufacturing firms at various stages of just-in-time implementation

This study explores whether there are differences among the companies at various stages of just-in-time (JIT) implementation based on factors which were considered relevant in the literature. The factors are categorized as internal and external. Internal factors relate to questions involving product, equipment and process, work-force and top management commitment. External factors deal with supplier and customer issues. Responding firms were categorized into five groups based on their status of JIT implementation, ranging from totally non-JIT to partial and full implementation. The findings of this study suggest that some of the issues such as supplier proximity and the lead-time of the supplier, which have been traditionally considered to be important, are not major impediments to JIT implementation. However, there are some issues such as top management commitment which may facilitate or inhibit the move toward JIT implementation.

A design and implementation model for life cycle cost management system

Design-to-cost is a management philosophy that emphasizes the selection and design of a system based on minimizing life-cycle cost. In some instances, systems alternatives are evaluated using such analysis, but actual implementation of design-to-cost philosophy throughout the entire system life is an exception rather than the rule. Managements lack of planning makes it difficult to implement this important philosophy. This paper analyzes and identifies the issues and provides a framework for design and implementation of a life-cycle cost management system.

An analytical decision model for resource allocation in highway maintenance management

Abstract The annual expenditure for maintenance of the highway system in the United States runs into billions of dollars. The majority of maintenance decisions are undertaken based on subjective judgments and rules of thumb which, in many cases, are not very efficient. This paper is concerned with the development of an efficient technique for allocation of resources in highway maintenance management. The highway maintenance problem is formulated in terms of a 0–1 integer linear programming problem. For a realistic highway maintenance system, the number of 0–1 variables and constraints become large. A solution technique was developed so that meaningful solutions can be obtained for this large-scale problem within a reasonable computation time.

Porter's value chain model for assessing the impact of the internet for environmental gains

The revolutionary potential of the internet promises to transform economic and environmental gains. By reducing the amount of energy and materials consumed by business, the internet stands to revolutionise the relation between economic growth and the environment. The internet is improving the capability to understand the science of environmental degradation and communicate that knowledge to public and private decision makers. It also helps decrease resource waste and associated pollution by improving the efficiency of economic activity and provides improved sensors and instantaneous telecommunications links to control pollution spillovers, better manage shared resources and reduce waste. This paper examines the impact and potential of internet-based technologies in the performance of important information and communication functions for resolving the environmental issues using Porters value chain model. Managerial implications of using the internet for environmental gains for SMEs are also discussed.

Environmental Concerns, Effort and Impact: An Empircal Study

This study investigates the relationship between environmental concern, environmental effort and their impact on company performance. Results based on survey data from sixty companies indicate that there is a positive correlation between environmental concern and effort. In addition, positive correlations between effort and operations efficiency and company image were found. No significant correlation between environmental effort and profit was found. It was observed that top management concern is a key to environmental initiatives. Manufacturing companies seem to have higher concern than those of service companies and expend more effort in reducing pollution, waste recycling etc. However, there is no significant difference in impact on performance between manufacturing and service companies relative to environmental efforts.

A goal programming approach to job evaluation

Abstract Job evaluatio refers to a systematic determination of the relative values of jobs in an organization. Often, jobs are evaluated based upon subjective judgement. By considering each job to consist of certain levels of different job factors, this paper develops a goal programming model to evaluate various levels of job factors. The main constraints in such a formation are obtained by using some existing benchmark jobs. The model development and application in evaluating new jobs are illustrated by solving an example problem consisting of four factors and six levels of each factor.

TQM in a virtual organisation: issues and strategies

A Virtual Organisation (VO) is a collection of several independent companies connected together by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide products and services to the customer. With the availability and ubiquitousness of ICT the concept of VO is a reality. Achieving customer satisfaction in a VO environment is complex. Total Quality Management (TQM) is recognised as a philosophy focusing on customer satisfaction through continuous improvement and employee involvement. The traditional TQM implementation model is based on the notion that all the major organisational function is performed within the confinement of a single company. This paradigm is not valid for a VO and implementing TQM in a VO is apparently much more complex. This research efforts investigates the complex issues for TQM implementation in a VO.