Yen Cheung

A new multi-agent system framework for tacit knowledge management in manufacturing supply chains

Participating members in a manufacturing supply chain (MSC) usually make use of individual knowledge for making independent decisions. Recent research, however, indicates that there is a need to handle such distributed knowledge in an integrated manner, especially under uncertain and fast changing environments. A multiagent system (MAS), a branch of distributed artificial intelligence, is a contemporary modelling technique for a distributed system like MSCs in the manufacturing domain. However recent researches indicate that MAS approaches have not adequately addressed the role of sharing tacit knowledge (TK) on MSC performance. This paper, therefore, aims to propose a framework that utilizes MAS techniques with a corresponding TK sharing mechanism dedicated to MSCs. We performed some experiments to simulate the proposed approach. The results showed significant improvements when comparing the proposed approach with another conventional MAS model. The results establish a starting point for researchers interested in enhancing MSC performance using TK management approach, and for managers of MSC to focus on the essentials of sharing TK.

Process analysis techniques and tools for business improvements

Business process reengineering (BPR) and total quality management (TQM) both emphasise the benefits that a process orientated view of company operations can bring. Acquiring a clear definition of the “as‐is” business process and developing an understanding about how the process may be re‐engineered is a crucial stage in any BPR project. This early phase normally has three objectives: to achieve a full understanding of the process to be re‐engineered so as to clarify its objectives and characteristics; to create a shared vision and understanding among the re‐engineering team; to have a basis for starting the redesign. To support this phase, there is a range of tools: manual, computer supported and computer enabled which are traditionally used to help in the activities of process definition and analysis. This paper describes some of the newer approaches. The product introduction process (PIP) is examined in a general sense, and specific examples from the automotive industry are taken as a basis for evaluation of the available tools and applications. A sample from the process analysis tools identified was used to model the PIP, and from the difficulties and successes an understanding of the attributes required in such an analysis tool was derived.

Business process re‐engineering pays after enterprise resource planning

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate that significant improvements through business process re‐engineering can still be achieved after the implementation of enterprise resource planning systems. While the business process re‐engineering benefits of enterprise resource planning systems have been widely published, the opportunities for process improvement after the installation of integrated systems have not been extensively explored.Design/methodology/approach – This paper results from a case study of the highly successful intervention in the purchasing and accounts payable functions of Mobil Oil Australia Limited undertaken well after the implementation one of the widely used off‐the‐shelf enterprise resource planning systems, SAP (Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing).Findings – Significant benefits were achieved in the purchasing and accounts payable functions of Mobil Oil Australia Limited, via a focus on best practice and radical process improvement. Invoices and invoi...

IT to support service quality excellence in the Australian banking industry

Competitive advantage in the service industry is achieved through superior customer service. This paper looks at the ways in which IT is being used to support superior quality customer service initiatives in the highly competitive Australian banking industry. The extent to which the need to improve service quality influences IT planning and purchases, and shifts in the level of influence over recent years, are detailed. The link between IT‐supported quality customer service improvements and organisational performance is then discussed.

SAP and business process re‐engineering

To remain competitive many businesses in the 1990s have undertaken business process re‐engineering (BPR) projects re‐organizing and re‐structuring their business operations. At the same time the need for an IT business solution has enabled integrated business packages such as SAP’s R/2 and R/3 to quietly dominate the IT systems industry. Although the successes and benefits of SAP have been widely published, there is little literature on the problems associated with embracing such an integrated and unique system. The paper results from a case study of the evaluation and implementation of SAP by a very large US multinational corporation in its European, Australian and New Zealand businesses. The different approaches to the installation of an integrated core system and BPR are explored. Problems and lessons that can be learnt from the company’s experiences are also highlighted in this paper.

Software benchmarks using function point analysis

The alternative to using source lines of code (SLOC) for costing software projects is to use function points. Functional point analysis (FPA), which was first introduced in 1979, has now been widely accepted as the industry standard for estimating software size and costs. International standard bodies like the International Function Point Users’ Group (IFPUG) has been maintaining a repository of data based on projects that were drawn from 14 countries in North America, Europe and Asia/Australasia. This paper presents the results of the analysis that was performed on these data together with recommendations such as benchmarks for software projects. Project measures such as functional size, work effort, project delivery rate, speed of delivery and project duration were analysed using the statistical package, Systat. Apart from project duration, all distributions were log‐normal, thus suggesting that the results can be used for software benchmarking. Regression analysis on the data further identified correlation of functional size with other project measures that can be used as a basis for planning and estimating software projects. Further work on the repository involves other project measures such as team size and software defects.

Entropy for Business Failure Prediction: An Improved Prediction Model for the Construction Industry

This paper examines empirically the effectiveness of entropy measures derived from information theory combined with discriminant analysis in the prediction of construction business failure. Such failure in modern complex supply chains is an extremely disruptive force, and its likelihood is a key factor in the prequalification appraisal of contractors. The work described, using financial data from the Taiwanese construction industry, extends the classical methods by applying Shannons information theory to improve their prediction ability and provides an alternative to newer artificial-intelligence-based approaches.

Modeling supply chain complexity using a distributed multi-objective genetic algorithm

The aim of this paper is to use a Distributed Multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (DMOGA) to model and solve a three Sub-chains model within the supply chain (SC) problem for optimality. It is widely accepted that all SC problems are characterized by decisions that can be conflicting by nature, distributed, and constrained. Modeling these complex problems using multiples objectives, constrained satisfaction, and distribution algorithms gives the decision maker a set of optimal or near-optimal solutions from which to choose. This paper discusses some literature in SC optimization, proposes the use of the DMOGA to solve for optimality in SC optimization problems, and provides the implementation of the DMOGA to a simulated hypothetical SC problem having three Sub-chains. It is then followed by a discussion on the algorithm’s performance based on simulation results.

A framework for partner selection criteria in virtual enterprises for SMEs

Virtual enterprises that exist on the Internet are increasingly gaining attention from organisations due to global competition and accelerating changes in the business environment. In virtual enterprises, two or more organisations merge to collaborate for a short period in exploiting market opportunities in response to ever-changing customer demand. Finding the right partners to form a partnership is one of the primary problems in virtual enterprises. Numerous criteria for partner selection are given by researchers and each seems to be critical in its own setting. However, these criteria do not help organisations that wish to apply these criteria to their business collaborations as there are too many to be considered. As market opportunities move rapidly, organisations could lose their chances to pursue those opportunities due to the amount of time that is needed to consider all the criteria. There are two categories of criteria for partner selection - task-related and partner-related criteria. Nevertheless, the focus of this paper is on partner-related criteria. In order to help virtual enterprises particularly small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the partner selection process, the main partner-related criteria will be identified. Ultimately, these criteria will be used to identify critical success factors (CSFs) that can be employed at the early stage of partner selection to ensure secure and future business collaboration.

A Competence-Based Collaborative Network: The West Midlands Collaborative Commerce Marketplace

We present a competence-based collaborative network, the West Midlands Collaborative Commerce Marketplace (WMCCM) that was successfully employed to gain new business opportunities for SMEs in the West Midlands region of the UK. The competence profiling methodology employed places an emphasis on what SMEs are capable of doing rather than what products they make. This generates an increased number and wider range of enquiries to the SME. Further, a combination of tender feeds classified by semantic analysis of the tender requirements matched to the SME capability with a novel partnership formation function generates higher level systems type opportunities for these SMEs, which they would have been unable to undertake on their own. The paper discusses the functionality of the WMCCM using a case study to demonstrate its functionalities with reference to the I-BPM framework from the ECOLEAD project. It also highlights the roles in managing competence exchanges in collaborative networks as well as providing a common infrastructure for businesses to launch and operate their virtual organizations.