Tonya Boone

The impact of inventory and flow planning parameters on supply chain performance: An exploratory study

Abstract The primary objective of this paper is to study the impact of selected inventory parameters and management techniques on the performance of an expanded and comprehensive retail supply chain. Specifically, we study the sensitivity of supply chain performance to three inventory planning parameters: (i) the forecast error, (ii) the mode of communication between echelons, and (iii) the planning frequency. We achieve this by constructing a detailed simulation model and with data adapted from a case study which we were involved with. The studies conclude that all the three parameters have a significant effect on performance. Increasing forecasting errors and the re-planning frequency decreases service, return on investment, and increases cycle time. Using a mode of communication that facilitates exchange of information between echelons in the supply chain yields a higher level of service when compared to the scenario where the entities in different echelons plan material flows independently.

Learning and Knowledge Depreciation in Professional Services

Organizational knowledge is a critical source of competitive advantage for professional service firms. Learning from experience and sustaining past knowledge are critical to the success of such knowledge-driven firms. We use learning curve theory to evaluate learning and depreciation in professional services. Our results, based on seven years of project data collected from an architectural engineering (A/E) firm, show that (a) professional services exhibit learning curves, (b) there is virtually no depreciation of knowledge and, (c) the rate of learning accelerates with experience.

Production economics and process quality: A Taguchi perspective

Abstract Although several studies have analyzed the interaction between the economics of production and process quality, most of them view quality from a very traditional perspective – reject when outside specified limits, or else accept. Recent views on quality have shown that such a definition greatly underestimates the costs of poor quality and leads to sub-optimal decisions. The primary intent in this paper is to revisit this interaction of the economics of production with process quality from a non-traditional yet more realistic “Taguchi” quality cost perspective. Specifically, we investigate the possibility of investing in a process to decrease its variance. Although such an investment reduces the proportion of defects, and when large enough, the Taguchis loss, it also increases the cost of holding inventory. Our model determines the optimal levels of inventory, and the production lot-size that minimizes the sum of inventory and quality-related costs.

The effect of information technology on learning in professional service organizations

Abstract This study examines the relationship between organizational experience and productivity in a professional service organization. The research addresses a gap in the existing literature with respect to organizational experience models in service organizations. Our findings confirm a significant, positive relationship between organizational experience and productivity. In addition, we investigate the effect of information technology on the relationship between organizational experience and productivity. The findings indicate that information technology which becomes a part of the production process is associated with productivity improvements, while information technology which merely documents or collects information is not.

The Impact of Imperfect Processes on Production Run Times

This paper investigates the interaction between the economics of production and imperfections in the production process. Specifically, this paper is the first to devise a model in an attempt to provide managers with guidelines to choose the appropriate production run times to buffer against both the production of defective items and stoppages occurring due to machine breakdowns. In addition to providing several structural properties of the model, we show that a manager will always incur a cost penalty when (s)he uses the results of two oft-cited models-the EMQ (Economic Order/Manufacturing Quantity) and the NR-E (No-Resumption, Exponential machine breakdown)-to determine production run times.

By the Numbers: A Visual Chronicle of Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq.) emissions are now considered a de facto indicator of environmental impact. Through a series of visuals, this chapter highlights the size and scope of carbon emissions at multiple levels—countries, cities, industrial sectors and products.

Carbon Foot Print of Products—Supply Chain Approach

This Chapter explores the carbon footprinting process from a supply chain perspective. The overriding premise is that the footprinting exercise needs to encompass the product’s entire life cycle from the extraction of raw material, to the manufacture, transport, and use of the product; ending eventually in the disposal and recovery of the product. This Chapter will also explore issues and challenges in (a) organizing for and establishing an accurate carbon footprint and (b) acting on it to have a lesser impact on the environment.

Analysis of issues controlling the feasibility of automobile remanufacturing business in India

In the last three decades, remanufacturing has grown into a significant business sector in developed countries. Take-back obligations, disposal bans, economic benefits, creation of stock of components/parts from disassembly and demand for spare parts during post product life cycle period are key enablers of growth for this business sector. In India, the remanufacturing business is mostly practiced as a disorganised sector. Though Indian automobile industry holds the tenth position in the entire world, second in two wheelers and fourth in commercial vehicles, there are no significant initiatives either from the government or from the industry to pursue remanufacturing as a separate business entity. This paper presents an empirical investigation of the Indian automobile industry and explores the reasons behind the slow growth of remanufacturing as a profitable business option. The survey identifies critical issues that impact the feasibility of automobile remanufacturing in India. It also identifies the differences in perception on remanufacturing by different players in the automobile supply chain, that is, heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs), light commercial vehicles (LCVs), car, two wheeler or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers.

A Primer on E-Waste

This Chapter introduces the concept of e-waste. The chapter highlights how countries are regulating e-waste and how firms that sell electronic and electrical equipment are tackling e-waste with supply chain initiatives.

Editorial: Sustainable Supply Chains

This editorial serves as an introduction to this book—it provides a brief overview of sustainability and traces the evolution of sustainability and sustainable supply chains over the last fifty years.