Yenming J. Chen

Moderating effect of environmental supply chain collaboration: Evidence from Taiwan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how corporate environmental strategies, namely, environmental management strategy (EMS) and green product strategy (GPS), affect the competitiveness of a firm. In addition, this study investigates whether the environmental collaboration in supply chains (ECSC), namely, environmental collaboration with suppliers (ECS), and environmental collaboration with customers (ECC) moderate the environment-performance relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Survey methodology and regression modeling are adopted to assess the relationship between corporate environmental strategy and competitive performance of a company, including the moderating effects of ECSC. Findings – Competitiveness is positively affected by EMS and GPS. ECSC moderately affects the links among EMS, GPS, and competitiveness. Regarding the differences between the impacts of ECS and ECC on performance, only ECS acts as a moderator in the enhancement of EMS and GPS. Thus, ECS positively contribute...

The recycling business for sustainability in Taiwan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the recycling business in Taiwan as well as its impacts on the collection, environment, economy, and society, providing a good example of setting up an efficient national paradigm.Design/methodology/approach – This paper proposes an alternative policy of dynamic rate of recycling fee as Taiwans current recycling system is not beneficial to spurring design for environment (DfE).Findings – The paper demonstrates that this improvement will indeed result in changes for entrepreneurs and manufacturers toward green design and financial benefits for flourishing the recycling industry.Originality/value – Regardless of the progressive success for the current system in Taiwan, a flat rate recycling fee scheme possesses limited inspiration to promote the concept of DfE. In addition to existing literature, the proposed dynamic recycling fee policy demonstrates the increased level of DfE engagement.

Orders dispatching game for a multi-facility manufacturing system

This paper proposes a novel decision algorithm on higher-level work orders dispatching problems under a holistic manufacturing configuration of multiple facilities. The multi-facility work order dispatching problems have been formulated as a stochastic nonautonomous Lotka-Volterra difference game. A closed loop control scheme with discrete event dynamical system is proposed based on the setup of evolutionary game. Our results show the viability and advantage of proposed dispatching scheme.

Enhancing customer loyalty in tourism services: the role of customer-company identification and customer participation

ABSTRACT Travel agencies are high-contact service organizations and customer orientation plays a critical role in their success. However, not all the academic research on the effect of customer orientation on service performance has been positive. This research examines the effect of customer orientation on customer loyalty through two mediators: customer satisfaction and customer-company identification. The study also investigates how customer participation moderates the relationships between two mediators and customer loyalty. The findings are as follows: (1) customer orientation has significantly positive impacts on customer satisfaction and customer-company identification as well as on customer loyalty; (2) two mediators have significantly positive impacts on customer loyalty; and (3) customer participation moderates the relationships between the two mediators and customer loyalty. The research results indicate that customer-company identification can be used as an additional way to enhance customer loyalty. Important theoretical and managerial implications for travel agencies are also provided in this research.

Regional diffusion for remanufactured tied products in ecologically conscious consumers

In this paper, we demonstrate that independent aftermarket replacement component remanufacturers are able to help the host product manufacturers establish their market share. We employ agent-based simulation and evolutionary game theory in the light of innovative diffusion process with network externality and sustainability consciousness, in microscopic and dynamic emergent perspectives. We suggest a strategic decision management insight for better marketing an environmental sustainable product in a new product diffusion process. We show that both market share and long-term profitability of a tied product firm, with inferior market share, indeed can be raised significantly by applying the suggested price-protection-distribution decision strategy at specific timing when the ecologically conscious consumer segment grows.

The impact of aligning supply chain and information system strategies on performance

Supply chain (SC) strategies and information system (IS) strategies in implementing supply chain management (SCM) processes have been individually regarded as vital to SCM performance. However, in empirical research, it remains unclear what kinds of IS strategies should be implemented under what particular SC strategies. The purpose of this study is to provide a theoretical understanding of the alignment between SC strategies (caretaker, marketeer and innovator) and IS strategies (efficiency, flexibility and comprehensiveness) and then to investigate its impact on SCM performance. A profile deviation approach is utilised to compute the alignment between these two strategies. A survey was conducted on 151 manufacturers. Our results indicate that the correct alignment between SC strategy and IS strategy contributes a positive effect to the overall SCM performance.

Understanding population dynamics of WEEE recycling system in the developing countries: A SIR model

The main obstacle to better manage existing WEEE recycling system in the developing countries is reforming the informal sector. However, due to the illegal and unlicensed nature of informal sector, no official data for e-waste disposal flow and for the scale of this sector are released now. Such a situation highlights that this sector is thus far than understood. Moreover, as a result of its negative impacts on the environment and human health in the industrializing countries, the informal sector is definitely a crucial and emerging issue, which is needed to be well understood and better governed. We attempts to apply SIR model to examine socioeconomic, political, cultural conditions as the parameters for observing population dynamics in an e-waste recycling system. Some numerical results are presented to show the dynamics of the population in both informal system and formal system. We also discuss the impacts of instruments and policies on population dynamics of WEEE recycling system.

Continued use of an interactive computer game-based visual perception learning system in children with developmental delay

This study developed an interactive computer game-based visual perception learning system for special education children with developmental delay. To investigate whether perceived interactivity affects continued use of the system, this study developed a theoretical model of the process in which learners decide whether to continue using an interactive computer game-based visual perception learning system. The technology acceptance model, which considers perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived playfulness, was extended by integrating perceived interaction (i.e., learner-instructor interaction and learner-system interaction) and then analyzing the effects of these perceptions on satisfaction and continued use. Data were collected from 150 participants (rehabilitation therapists, medical paraprofessionals, and parents of children with developmental delay) recruited from a single medical center in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling and partial-least-squares techniques were used to evaluate relationships within the model. The modeling results indicated that both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were positively associated with both learner-instructor interaction and learner-system interaction. However, perceived playfulness only had a positive association with learner-system interaction and not with learner-instructor interaction. Moreover, satisfaction was positively affected by perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived playfulness. Thus, satisfaction positively affects continued use of the system. The data obtained by this study can be applied by researchers, designers of computer game-based learning systems, special education workers, and medical professionals.

The maximal controllable set for open-loop unstable systems under input saturation

An optimization technique is presented for approximating the controllable set by an ellipsoid for a linear time-invariant open-loop unstable system subject to input saturation. A technique and algorithms for maximizing the controllable set are also presented. Instead of starting from a positive definite right-hand side matrix Q of the Lyapunov equation as done in almost all applications of the Lyapunov functions, we start from a positive definite Hessian matrix P for the Lyapunov function so that the resulting Lyapunov function can be convex.

The importance of customer participation for high-contact services: evidence from a real estate agency

The concept of customer participation has emerged as an important factor for the success of service firms. Customers have become increasingly empowered in choosing the extent of a service they want to produce for themselves; consequently, service firms may find that they have no choice but to embrace customer participation in organising their service delivery. However, the number of studies related to customer participation in high-contact services remains considerably limited. This study develops an integrated model of customer participation management and is empirically tested in a real estate agency. The research model has four variables, including customer participation, customer satisfaction, customer–company identification, and customer loyalty. A survey questionnaire was employed to collect data for testing the hypotheses contained in the proposed model. Through structural equation modelling analysis, the results indicate that customer participation can be both a driver and a moderator for managing customer relationships. Customer–company identification, other than customer satisfaction, provides an additional way to increase customer loyalty. Important theoretical contribution and managerial implications are also provided in this study.