Oscar Rubiano Ovalle

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING E-COLLABORATION TOOLS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN: AN ASSESSMENT STUDY WITH SYSTEM DYNAMICS

Abstract Developments in information technology, in recent years, have enabled major advances in electronic commerce, which is growing at a very fast pace. Although business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce seems to be slowing down due to economic conditions, business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce still represents the next generation of business automation. Taking advantage of new technologies, today provides an opportunity, but will be a must in the future. The use of Internet e-collaboration tools will increase in this new era. They play a role of “value creation enabler”, but at the same time they generate a wide range of new business and market “complexities” that companies have to face. This paper presents a classification of “managerial spaces” where multiple trading partners share critical information using e-collaboration tools and assesses the possible local and global impact on the supply chain (SC) performance. This is made by means of a SC model conceptualization and a simulation study with system dynamics.

Exploring the utilization of a CONWIP system for supply chain management. A comparison with fully integrated supply chains

Abstract Some authors have developed important advances in order to integrate and improve the performance of the supply chain (SC), by sharing information through communication technologies with a decentralized approach. An alternative to improve the performance in an SC may be to introduce a CONWIP supply chain (CONWIP SC) policy with a centralized approach in the supply chain management. In this paper we review the literature to present the benefits of the CONWIP system in different production environments and discuss the possible utilization of this system to manage the entire supply chain. A characterization of the CONWIP-based approach to supply chain management is presented, and a simulation model to explore and evaluate the advantages of this strategy, in comparison with a fully integrated supply chain (FI SC) is developed. We carry on this analysis for different levels of demand volatility and material flow constraints along the chain, and we optimize parameters to ensure the best performance of each control supply chain policy in each scenario. Our research shows that CONWIP SC policy may offer advantages and improved performances in global metrics while both policies offer similar service levels. Main advantages are smaller average of orders placed, less impact of demand variability on the ordering policy, shorter average finished goods inventory and work in process levels and potential inventory cost, substantial comparative funds savings to run the business model, and easier control of inventories.

A simulation study to assess the impact of Internet in the supply chain management

The Internet offers a set of interesting opportunities which go far beyond simple communication aspects, and may have an important impact on the way companies design, manufacture, distribute and service their products in the future. In order to improve customer service and cost of operations, nowadays Supply Chain (SC) experiment an increasing need of a better coordination among its members. This coordination is now, with the Internet, more feasible, and can be translated into process and functions integration within these organizations and along the entire SC. This paper assesses the possible impact of the new communication technologies on the performance of a generic SC. A simulation study has been accomplished in order to conceptualize the integration process that could take place in the SC, and to measure improvements in SC flexibility as a consequence of a faster and shared information flow. The paper presents results for a sample model built for a particular supply chain in the electronic components business. These results show orders of magnitude of the improvements in terms of operational and financial metrics.

Capacidades de investigación de las universidades: estimación de parámetros y modelado de las dinámicas de los sistemas de investigación

Research capacities are developed scientific skills that enable universities to accomplish the dissemination of high-quality scientific knowledge. Nowadays, the modeling of their dynamics is one of the most important concerns for the stakeholders related to the scientific activity, including university managers, private sector and government. In this context, the present article aims to approach the issue of modeling the capacities of the Universities’ research systems, presenting Systems Dynamics as an effective methodological tool for the treatment of data contained in intellectual capital indicators, allowing to estimate parameters, conditions and scenarios. The main contribution lays on the modeling and simulations accomplished for several scenarios, which display the critical variables and the more sensitive ones when building or strengthening research capacities. The establishment of parameters through regression techniques allowed to more accurately model the dynamics of the variables. This is an interesting contribution in terms of the accuracy of the simulations that later might be used to propose and carry out changes related to the management of the universities research. Future research with alternative modeling for social systems will allow to broaden the scope of the study

Modelo de Dinámica de Sistemas para la Gestión del Emprendimiento, Fondo Emprender - SENA, Valle del Cauca

This research paper proposes a System Dynamics Model for Entrepreneurship Management, The Emprender Fund, which was constructed by the characterization of the value chain of the process using the tool SIPOC(Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs and Costumers). A turn to the definition of the problem in structural terms, applied by an adaptation of the Causal Model to establish systemic interdependencies and feedback loops, enabling the construction of the model through the VENSIM tool (Ventana Systems Inc) used conceptually based Forrester Diagram. Also, it was calibrated with real data, performing simulations that determined that the main attributes that characterize the model of Emprender Fund are: the bankruptcy of enterprises, time spent by consultants to evaluate projects, and to a lesser extent, the number of business plans evaluated, since the proposed paradigm identifies both critical points of leverage as a dynamic model such as Entrepreneurship, becoming an important tool for management.