Suhong Li

Radio Frequency Identification Technology: Applications, Technical Challenges and Strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the technology behind RFID systems, identify the applications of RFID in various industries, and discuss the technical challenges of RFID implementation and the corresponding strategies to overcome those challenges.Design/methodology/approach – Comprehensive literature review and integration of the findings from literature.Findings – Technical challenges of RFID implementation include tag cost, standards, tag and reader selection, data management, systems integration and security. The corresponding solution is suggested for each challenge.Research limitations/implications – A survey type research is needed to validate the results.Practical implications – This research offers useful technical guidance for companies which plan to implement RFID and we expect it to provide the motivation for much future research in this area.Originality/value – As the infancy of RFID applications, few researches have existed to address the technical issues of RFID implementat...

Radio frequency identification applications in hospital environments.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has recently begun to receive increased interest from practitioners and academicians. This interest is driven by mandates from major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Metro Group, and the United States Department of Defense, in order to increase the efficiency and visibility of material and information flows in the supply chain. However, supply chain managers do not have a monopoly on the deployment of RFID. In this article, the authors discuss the potential benefits, the areas of applications, the implementation challenges, and the corresponding strategies of RFID in hospital environments.

Empirical evidence of RFID impacts on supply chain performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the actual benefits of radio frequency identification (RFID) on supply chain performance through the empirical evidence.Design/methodology/approach – The research reviews and classifies the existing quantitative empirical evidence of RFID on supply chain performance. The evidence is classified by process (operational or managerial) and for each process by effect (automational, informational, and transformational).Findings – The empirical evidence shows that the major effects from the implementation of RFID are automational effects on operational processes followed by informational effects on managerial processes. The RFID implementation has not reached transformational level on either operational or managerial processes. RFID has an automational effect on operational processes through inventory control and efficiency improvements. An informational effect for managerial processes is observed for improved decision quality, production control and the effe...

An Exploratory Study of RFID Implementation in the Supply Chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the barriers and motivations for adopting radio frequency identification (RFID), the level of RFID implementation, the processes RFID is utilized in, and issues in the deployment of RFID.Design/methodology/approach – A survey instrument was developed based on a literature review. The survey was then distributed to the members of the Association for Operations Management Rhode Island and Boston chapters. The results were then analyzed.Findings – It was found that the majority of the surveyed firms are not considering RFID implementation. Lack of a business case and lack of understanding were cited as their main concerns. For firms considering RFID implementation and firms that had implemented RFID, better inventory management, obtaining competitive advantage, and cost reduction were the three most important motivations for adopting RFID. Financial concerns and the lack of a business case were the most prevalent issues. In addition, product tracking (pal...

Radio frequency identification applications in healthcare

When lives are at stake, zero defects should be the established standard. This philosophy applies whether the federal government is attempting to protect the nations drug supply from terrorist attack or in other healthcare environments where patient safety is critically important and where medical errors can result in death or serious injury. Therefore, any technology that can reduce the threat of terrorist attack, reduce medical errors, and increase patient safety should be thoroughly tested and evaluated. Radio frequency identification is one technology that has significant potential to secure the medical supply chain and increase the safety and efficiency of healthcare processes. In this paper we discuss the potential benefits of passive, chip-based, read-write tags, the areas of applications, implementation challenges, and corresponding strategies of radio frequency identification in the healthcare industry.

Determinants of RFID adoption stage and perceived benefits

This study identifies the determinants of radio frequency identification (RFID) adoption stage and explores the perceived benefits from RFID adoption. RFID adoption is divided into three stages, starting from not considering the adoption (Stage 1), to begin considering the adoption (Stage 2) and to finally implementing RFID (Stage 3). It is argued that a firms RFID adoption stage is influenced by the following factors: Drivers (Internal Drivers and External Drivers), Management Leadership (Top Management Leadership and Middle-level Management Leadership), and Barriers (Cost Issues, Lack of Understanding, Technical Issues and Privacy Issues). The RFID adoption stage will in turn impact the level of perceived Benefits from RFID implementation. Benefits we measure are Customer Service, Productivity, Asset Management and Communication.

Radio Frequency Identification Applications in Hospital Enviroments

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Personality, Problematic Social Network Use and Academic Performance in China

This paper is an exploratory study of the relationship between personality and problematic social network use among Chinese university students and the impact of problematic social network use on academic performance. Students who scored higher on the personality traits of agreeableness and conscientiousness were less likely to be associated with emotional/physical problems related to social network use. In addition, students who report spending excessive time on social networking sites and those who believe that their academic performance suffers because of social network use are more likely to have lower academic performance. Male students in China who score low on agreeableness are more likely to engage in problematic social network use. The results suggest that academic advisors should consider counseling students on the negative impact of problematic social network use and should plan interventions for students whose academic performance is negatively affected by problematic social network use.

Reviewing the drivers and challenges in RFID implementation in the pharmaceutical supply chain

Counterfeiting is a global phenomenon that poses serious financial threats to the pharmaceutical industry and, more importantly, jeopardises public safety and security. Different measures, including new laws and regulations, have been put in place to mitigate the threat and tighten control in the pharmaceuticals supply chain. However, it appears that the most promising countermeasure is track-and-trace technology such as Electronic-pedigree (E-pedigree) with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. In this study we present a framework exploring the antecedents and consequences of RFID applications in the pharmaceutical supply chain. The framework proposes that counterfeiting and E-pedigree regulation will drive the implementation of RFID in the pharmaceutical supply chain, which in turn provides strategic and operational benefits that enable competitive advantage. Meanwhile, the implementation of RFID requires overcoming many operational, technical and financial challenges. The framework provides a springboard that future study can explore using empirical data.

A cross-country comparison of green initiatives, green performance and financial performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between green initiatives, green performance, and a firm’s financial performance in the world. The existing literature on environmental initiatives and their impacts is limited to the context of a particular country. This gap points to a lack of clarification of variations in environmental regulation and in economic disparity which may affect the impact of green initiatives on green performance and on financial performance. Design/methodology/approach Data on the world top 500 publicly traded companies are collected from Compustat, a database of financial, statistical and market information on global companies, and from Newsweek, an information gatekeeper that enables consumers to access a list of environmentally friendly companies. The paper adopts linear regression to test the relationships between variables. Findings The results show that green initiatives have a positive impact on green performance, which in turn has a positive impact on financial performance. However, the impact of green initiatives varies by country. The study revealed that companies in European countries and Canada lead in the green initiatives and green performance, followed by the USA and Japan. China and Hong Kong lag behind compared to other countries. Research limitations/implications The small sample size in some of the countries used in this study may impact the validity of the results. Practical implications This study suggests that companies that seek financial benefits of pursuing green initiatives should have a long-term orientation when implementing these initiatives and should consider the country where they operate. Originality/value The current study provides a global understanding of the relationship between green initiatives, green performance, and financial performance, and contributes to the literature by highlighting variation among countries and by year.